Samsara Space: They're all begging me to heal them one more time.

The pitch-black, heavy-duty hovercar sliced ​​through the rain like a giant whale in the deep sea, silently gliding across the dazzling yet dirty neon skyline of the Night City.

Inside the cabin, the sound insulation field completely blocked out the noise from the outside world, leaving only the slight sound of the constant temperature system operating.

Zhang Yuan sat in a leather chair, holding an expensive sake handed to him by a waiter, his gaze looking down through the bulletproof glass at the city below, which could be described as a "cyber asylum".

"Boss..." came Ah Qiang's somewhat restrained voice from beside him, "This sofa is so soft... If I remember correctly, the cost of this 'Mantis' class hovercar used by Crown Prince Arasaka is enough to buy half of Watson District."

"Calm down." Zhang Yuan took a small sip of wine, his elegant demeanor making it seem as if he were the master of the place.

"We are now 'distinguished guests.' Remember, for a mega-corporation like Arasaka, anything that can be bought with money is cheap; what they can't buy is priceless."

Opposite him stood a middle-aged man in a dark gray suit with a sinister look in his eyes. He was none other than Sato, a trusted confidant whom Lai Xuan had promoted from his personal faction, "Steel Dragon."

At this time, Arasaka Tower was in a power vacuum. Saburo's old subordinates were being purged, and the only ones sitting in this car were Yoriyuki's absolute loyalists.

"Sir," Sato suddenly spoke, his voice like a rusty saw, "though it may be presumptuous, I must confirm one thing."

"Speaking."

"The method you used to destroy that... 'malfunction' in the alley just now."

Sato's eyes sharpened, and his fingers unconsciously tapped a tactical rhythm on his knees.

"Our scanners detected no EMP (electromagnetic pulse) response, nor any hacking protocols. What...what was that golden light?"

This is a test.

For Lai Hsuan's faction, which had just seized power through patricide and was in an extremely sensitive period, the unknown force was both a hope and a threat.

Zhang Yuan put down his wine glass, his eyes beneath the mask calmly fixed on Sato.

He didn't explain any magical principles, nor did he invoke any theological theories; instead, he gave an answer that best aligned with Arasaka's values:

That's 'permissions'.

"What?" Sato frowned slightly.

"In this digital world, you're used to using code to change the rules. But beyond code..."

Zhang Yuan pointed upwards, "There's an even deeper logic. You call it an 'unsolved mystery,' but I call it—'industry barriers.'"

"Does its underlying principle matter as long as it solves the problem?"

Sato remained silent for a moment, seemingly assessing the danger of this answer, before finally bowing his head slightly:

"I've learned a lot. Just as Lord Lai Xuan said, these are extraordinary times. Anything that can dispel the 'ghosts,' whether it's technology or witchcraft, is a good weapon."

……

Arasaka Tower, penthouse suite.

This is the pinnacle of power in Night City, and also the place closest to the sky.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, rolling clouds stretch out, while inside, the minimalist decor evokes the imagery of mountains and rivers.

But within this extreme tranquility, there is a suffocating atmosphere of madness.

"Get out! All of you get out!"

A furious roar, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, came from the inner room.

Two hot-bodied maids ran out in a panic, their clothes stained with red wine.

"Lord Raigen's condition... isn't good." Sato stopped at the door, looking at Zhang Yuan with some difficulty. "Ever since 'that incident' (patricide) happened, the lord has been under a lot of mental stress. And then there's that thing..."

"I understand." Zhang Yuan adjusted his golden gauntlets. "The high-pressure work of patricide and usurpation can easily lead to nervous breakdown. Besides..."

He began his "Legal Perspective".

In his view, the luxurious office was filled with a thick, nauseating blackish-red mist.

That wasn't magical element, but some kind of high-dimensional consciousness remnant, continuously overflowing from the man sitting on the sofa.

At this moment, Arasaka Yorinobu was slumped on the sofa, tightly gripping a pistol called "Kongo" in his hand.

His hair was disheveled, two buttons of his shirt were undone, and his eyes were bloodshot as he muttered to himself into thin air.

"Shut up... you old fool... you're already dead..."

"Don't try to control me... This is my company..."

Meanwhile, in the chip slot on the back of his neck, a chip emitting an eerie red light was spinning wildly.

【Relic·Original Sin Chip: Pride】

After the incident at the Azure Building, V took Johnny Silverhand's chip (Gluttony), and in order to gain the power to fight against his father, Lai Xuan frantically inserted the still untested [Pride] chip into his own brain.

At this very moment, Saburo Arasaka's data consciousness is attempting to rewrite Yoriyuki Arasaka's personality through this chip.

"You guys stay outside." Zhang Yuan waved to his teammates behind him, preparing to push open the mahogany door.

"that……"

Ah Qiang, who had been holding back his words, suddenly tugged at Zhang Yuan's cloak, lowered his voice, and asked with a troubled expression, "Boss, isn't there something wrong with this script?"

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yuan tilted his head slightly.

"Look," Ah-Qiang pointed to the fully armed Arasaka agents around him, and then to the Arasaka Tower at his feet, a symbol of oppression and totalitarianism.

"Following the typical formula of infinite flow or fan fiction, when we arrive in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, shouldn't we go to the 'Afterlife' bar to find Rogue, then become sworn brothers with the protagonist V and Johnny Silverhand, shout 'Burn Corpo Shit' together, and finally blow up Arasaka Tower, becoming legends of Night City?"

The fat man nodded vigorously beside him, muttering as he hugged the technologically advanced force field shield:

"Yeah, boss, our current style... it looks like the kind of villainous mini-boss that the protagonist V will shoot in the head with one shot, or the kind of elite monster who is a lackey of capitalists and dies because he talks too much."

"Villain? Lackey?"

Zhang Yuan stopped, turned around, and looked at his teammates through the golden fox mask.

He wasn't angry; instead, he let out a soft chuckle.

"Qiang, Fatty, you guys need to remember this. In this rotten world, 'legend' usually means two things: first, you're dead; second, you died a horrible death, and then people brag about it at the dinner table."

"Johnny Silverhand is a legend, so he became a ghost in the chip, trapped for fifty years. V wants to be a legend, so he's about to explode and doesn't have long to live."

Zhang Yuan spread his hands, his tone revealing a rational coldness, as if he were giving a new employee onboarding training:

"We are reincarnators, not the protagonists of a shonen manga. Our mission is to rack up points, make money, and survive."

"Rebelling against the system and against capital is indeed cool and exhilarating, but it usually means high risk, low reward, or even total annihilation."

He pointed to the tightly closed mahogany door, his voice low and seductive:

"And monopolies... are the most profitable businesses."

"Being a hero requires you to bring your own food, and you might even have to risk your life. But being a villain—or rather, a 'strategic partner'—means someone will reimburse your travel expenses."

"The big spender inside the gate, Arasaka Yoriyuki, not only reimburses us in full, but also lets us do whatever we want in this world, and even helps us deal with the other two Reincarnator teams."

"Instead of picking up trash in the slums, stand on top of the tower and dump the trash down there."

Zhang Yuan patted A-Qiang on the shoulder and said earnestly:

"Don't let your thinking be bound by so-called 'sense of justice.' As long as you pay enough, even your Gatling gun can emit holy light; as long as you stand firm on your position, we are the new world order."

After saying that, Zhang Yuan waved his hand, turned around, and walked towards the door.

"You stay outside and don't let anyone disturb our business negotiations. Especially those self-proclaimed partners of justice."

Looking at their boss's dashing (and ruthless) back, A-Qiang and Fatty exchanged a glance.

"Although what the boss said makes a lot of sense..." the fat man scratched his head, "I always feel that we are getting further and further away from the 'light of the righteous path'."

"You'll get used to it," Ah-Qiang sighed, setting up his Gatling gun and standing at the door like a gatekeeper, his eyes gradually sharpening. "Anyway, if you follow the boss, you'll get what you deserve. As for whether I'm a villain or not... hmph, as long as I can survive, what does it matter if I'm a demon king?"