Warhammer: The Time Traveler

Chapter 171 Saburo Arasaka (Fifth Update)
On the outskirts of Tokyo, the Arasaka family manor stands quietly in the twilight.

The twenty acres of land are surrounded by towering walls covered with lush ivy, giving it a rustic and natural appearance, but in reality, the walls are equipped with a state-of-the-art electronic defense system.

The interior of the manor follows traditional Japanese aesthetics, yet reveals traces of modern technology in the details.

A main house built in the style of the feudal era sits in the center of the manor, with black tiles, wooden walls, and upturned eaves, and its sturdiness is more like that of a military fortress.

This mansion was originally built by Saburo Arasaka's father, Sansai Arasaka, and has witnessed the rise and consolidation of the Arasaka Empire over the years.

Inside the estate, a modern gymnasium stands next to a traditional Shinto shrine, and next to a cherry grove where the cherry blossoms are almost gone is a landing field specifically for vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

More than one hundred staff members were quietly busy in the park. They were dressed in traditional costumes and behaved with propriety. However, if you looked closely, you would find that their eyes were exceptionally sharp and their movements were unusually precise.

These seemingly ordinary servants are actually Arasaka's top cyber ninjas, forming the fearsome "Ninja Hundred".

They were Saburo Arasaka's most trusted bodyguards, and their direct leader, Goro Takemura, was standing quietly in the Japanese-style room deep inside the main house, guarding his master like a shadow.

The air inside was heavy.

Outside the window is a meticulously maintained dry landscape garden, with patterns on the white sand resembling frozen waves.

Inside, the medical equipment emitted a barely audible low-frequency hum as the life support system rhythmically delivered oxygen, sustaining Saburo Arasaka's fragile life.

Saburo Arasaka was slumped in a specially made wheelchair. The 150-year-old man was wrapped in a soft black kimono, his body so thin that it seemed he might disappear at any moment.

His face was etched with the lines of time, and his skin had the texture of old parchment.

Only his deep-set eyes retained their hawk-like sharpness, revealing an unquestionable authority and the wisdom accumulated over the centuries.

Any intense emotional fluctuation could endanger his fragile vital signs, so he had long since hidden all his emotions behind that wrinkled mask.

Shintaro Takayama, the security chief of Arasaka, was kneeling opposite Saburo, wearing a well-tailored black suit.

This old friend and veteran retainer of Saburo Arasaka had his hair meticulously combed back, his face resolute, and his eyes calm.

Even while reporting the devastating news of the destruction of the Night City branch, his voice remained deliberately steady, each word carefully considered.

“Lord Saburo,” Shintaro Takayama bowed slightly and placed a thin electronic report on the tatami mat, “The Night City branch… has been completely destroyed. Preliminary assessment indicates that the core data facility ‘Kamikoshi’ suffered physical damage, the main structure of the tower was severely damaged, and the casualties… are quite heavy.”

He paused for a moment, carefully observing Saburo's reaction.

The old man's fingers moved very slightly on the armrest of his wheelchair, nothing more.

Those deep, still eyes didn't even ripple.

"The attackers have been confirmed to be a street mercenary squad led by Mann," Shintaro Takayama continued, his tone grave. "This Mann is a former New America soldier."

But the key point is that the equipment and technology they used... were completely beyond the realm of the ordinary.

Our security forces appeared utterly helpless in their presence.

The last footage transmitted from the scene showed that the enemy was equipped with energy weapons, individual heavy firepower systems, and... an incomprehensible high-speed mobility.

A long silence fell over the room, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the medical equipment.

Saburo Arasaka slowly closed his eyes, seemingly digesting the information, or perhaps gathering the last remaining strength in his aging body. "...Useless." After a long while, a hoarse, weak, yet chilling voice squeezed out from Saburo's throat.

This was not a roar, but a cold pronouncement.

“North American branch… Abernathy… Jenkins… are all useless.” He named two former heads who had already been purged internally, his tone devoid of any emotion.

Shintaro Takayama bowed deeply: "Yes! I failed in my supervisory duties and beg for punishment."

Saburo ignored his apology and slowly asked, "Where is Yoriyuki...?"

"Lord Raigen... his whereabouts are currently unknown." Shintaro Takayama carefully chose his words. "After the incident, we tried all the usual channels of contact, but we were unable to make direct contact with him."

He knew perfectly well that this rebellious heir was always the most complicated knot in Saburo's heart.

Arasaka Yorinobu is not only Saburo's only surviving son and the nominal heir to the empire, but also the bloodline left by his deceased third wife.

Saburo's fingertips unconsciously traced the fine lines on the armrest of the wheelchair, and in a daze, he seemed to see that gentle figure again—her eyebrows and eyes were so similar to Lai Xuan's, yet she always carried a gentleness that he lacked.

“Hua Zi contacted me this morning,” Gao Shan added at the opportune moment, “She is still pleading for her brother.”

A brief silence fell over the room, broken only by the regular, soft hum of the life support system.

Saburo closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the last trace of emotion in his eyes had subsided.

Besides blood ties, there was another unspeakable consideration: the ideal vessel for that top-secret consciousness transfer plan was this young body flowing with his pure blood.

All these complex factors ultimately led to an unusual level of tolerance for Lai Xuan's outrageous behavior.

“He…” Saburo’s voice was hoarse, typical of an elderly person, but as cold as ice, “He had better prove that he had nothing to do with this.”

Shintaro Takayama lowered his head slightly, and beneath that calm and even tone, he could clearly sense the surging killing intent beneath.

"Regarding the mastermind behind this," Shintaro Takayama timely changed the subject, "the most suspicious party is military technology; they have never given up their attempt to restart the war of unification."

Although Kang Tao possessed the necessary motives and capabilities, his modus operandi did not quite align with the characteristics of this attack.

As for European banks... they are more likely to choose to stir things up behind the scenes and profit from the chaos.

Saburo let out a barely audible groan, and a barely perceptible line appeared at the corner of his withered lips.

“Military technology… New America… and those European bankers…” His voice was low and hoarse, each word seeming to rise slowly from the depths of time, “They’re nothing but a bunch of clowns who can’t stand up to scrutiny.”

This man, who has lived for over a century, witnessed the end of World War II, experienced the undercurrents of the Cold War, and stood firm through the bloody storms of four corporate wars.

Throughout his long life, he witnessed the rise and fall of too many empires.

In his eyes, the current turmoil was indeed just a minor ripple.

If time could turn back a hundred years... no, even fifty years ago, Saburo Arasaka would have been able to calmly deal with these storms and threats.

After all, back then, he endured the double blow of losing his eldest son and the rebellion of his youngest son, and he scaled back Arasaka's expansion to minimize the losses in the Fourth Company War.

(End of this chapter)