2077: V really knows how awesome he is

Page 179

Arasaka Yorinobu was taken aback, then burst into laughter. As he laughed, he asked V, "Do you know why I'm laughing?"

V replied, "Because you in this world also intend to let Saburo possess your body."

Arasaka Yorinobu was slightly surprised: "How did you know?"

“I didn’t know before, but after 80 years, even the dumbest person should have figured it out.” V looked at Arasaka Yorinobu with a complicated expression: “I used to think you were just an idealist who only talked big, and I even laughed at your stupidity and naivety when I heard that you had been possessed by Arasaka Saburo. But it was precisely because Arasaka Saburo was resurrected that this kind of immortality of the powerful caused strong dissatisfaction in the international community, which isolated Arasaka and laid the political foundation for me to destroy Arasaka later.”

Instead of answering, Arasaka Yorinobu asked, "You defeated Arasaka?"

V didn't answer but instead asked, "You want to do it again, right?"

Arasaka Yorinobu poured himself another glass, downed it in one gulp, and said, reeking of alcohol, "Fifty years ago, a terrorist in our world blew up the Arasaka Tower in Night City to ashes. What about your side?"

"Same."

"And then, did the company learn from its mistakes?"

"No."

"Yes, no! The company didn't learn its lesson, but I did! I thought about it night after night: if even bombs don't work, what should I do?" Arasaka Yorinobu's voice began to sound sacred: "Then turn yourself into a bomb!"

V remarked, "You can lead the company to make changes."

“Change? Impossible.” Arasaka Yorinobu shook his head: “My rights are inherited from my father, and everything I do cannot escape his shadow. Even if I make changes, what happens after I die? What if the company reverts to its old ways? So I want to become a bomb. A bomb’s job is to destroy, not only the company, but also all of people’s illusions about the company, so that when people talk about the company, they will think of its evil deeds, and nail it to the pillar of shame forever. Only when everyone fears the company, hates the company, and is wary of the company can people avoid going back to the wrong path, avoid suffering twice, and avoid being tormented twice!”

"For this, you were even willing to sacrifice your life and body, allowing Saburo Arasaka to possess you?"

"The rich live forever, while the poor struggle to even survive. There is no pain more direct and unforgettable than this, is there?"

V sighed: "Are you sure you've thought this through?"

“To be honest, not yet.” Arasaka Yorinobu raised the most critical problem in the plan: “I know very well how terrifying my father is, and before I offer my body, I must make sure that someone can defeat my father.”

V's eyes lit up with blue light, and Arasaka Yorinobu was momentarily dazed before receiving a set of numbers.

"This is?"

“Vera’s phone number. Just pay her and she’ll help you with everything.” V stood up. “Then goodbye, Mr. Arasaka Yoriyuki. Thank you so much for answering my questions for so many years. Next time you buy me a drink, bring some Hundred Wine God Tequila. I only drink that.”

A flash of white light, and V disappeared.

"The tequila of the Hundred Wine God? I'll remember that. But next time..." Arasaka Yorinobu chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I don't have a next time."

As he dialed the number, a half-asleep voice came from the other end: "Fuck you, are you crazy to call in the middle of the night?!"

"I want to hire you to kill someone. The commission is 2 million euros."

Upon hearing "2 million," Vera instantly woke up from her drowsiness. She sat bolt upright in bed and asked, "Who are you?"

"Arakasaka Yorinobu".

"Who are you going to kill?"

"Arakasaka Yorinobu".

At a time when the world is actively collaborating with people from the future and social systems are undergoing rapid changes, a news story from Japan suddenly topped the trending charts, causing a global sensation.

Saburo Arasaka has been resurrected. The deceased founder of the Arasaka Group uploaded his consciousness into the Relic chip and then infused it into his son, Yoriyuki Arasaka. With the help of technology, he was brought back from the dead and returned from hell!

In his televised address, he spoke eloquently, announcing the restoration of his ownership and management rights over the Arasaka Company. He declared that he would continue to resist the time travelers, employing drastic measures including but not limited to war, and that he would fight to the last Japanese person, never yielding to them!

This speech caused a huge uproar in the international community, with many countries and companies in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa immediately condemning Saburo Arasaka's shameless behavior.

“Saburo Arasaka’s insane grasping of power has violated international law and is a serious trampling on individual rights and lives. It is absolutely necessary to bring him to trial in an international arbitration court!”

There was also a huge outcry from the public. A young man angrily denounced the situation to the camera: "Do we really want to live in a world where the rich and powerful can live forever? If so, they will endlessly exploit the poor, not only our livelihoods, but also our bodies!"

"Hello everyone, this is Julian Jordan. The residents of Night City have taken to the streets in protest, and the demonstrations and protests against Saburo Arasaka have been going on for two days. This is not surprising, because these powerful and wealthy people are taking everything away—wealth, freedom, health, education, and now death... Damn it, I can't read this anymore. We don't even allow the president to serve a permanent term, how can we allow a powerful and wealthy person to live forever? To hell with Saburo Arasaka, is there no one who can stop him?!"

Those who have always supported the Arasaka Group are even more heartbroken than ordinary people.

In Japan, most citizens believe that Arasaka will lead them to the future and bring justice like AI. For this, they are willing to endure poverty and suffering because they firmly believe that these are only temporary.

But Saburo Arasaka's resurrection was like a sharp blade piercing the back of these supporters. Justice and beauty simply do not exist. The company is always evil, the powerful will always take everything from the poor, and the exploitation between people will never disappear for no reason. It will only change its form and become more and more rampant!

Angry Japanese citizens took to the streets and began large-scale demonstrations, but Saburo Arasaka directly dispatched the army to suppress them, resulting in as many as 30 deaths and injuries, once again shocking the world.

However, this iron-fisted approach also effectively deterred the public. Not only did no one dare to cause trouble anymore, but it also gave rise to a group of die-hard loyalists who succumbed to the power.

These people both feared and worshipped power. They became Saburo Arasaka's most loyal supporters, using even more fanatical methods than Saburo Arasaka himself to maintain his rule, hoping that the great leader would bestow power upon them and grant them eternal life.

The whole of Japan suffered terribly under this oppressive rule. In order to further expand his power, Saburo Arasaka held a grand parade. He stood on a tall float and inspected his territory, while the people along the way, regardless of age or gender, were forced to kneel in the mud like insects under the soldiers' coercion, and could not even lift their heads.

Soldiers stepped on the old man's back, forced the child to the ground, and when the young man tried to resist, his legs were broken.

People have to submit to power, and that's exactly what Saburo Arasaka wants.

Only by uniting under one will can he defeat the time travelers, and the Arasaka family will surely prosper. Once the time travelers are driven away, he will become a hero to all mankind!

"Mommy, it hurts." A little girl let out a soft groan, and was immediately struck with an electric baton by a soldier maintaining order. The little girl screamed, and her parents rushed forward to protect their child.

"We're so sorry, we're so sorry, we didn't mean to, please forgive us!"

"Spare your mother! Do you think you can afford to offend Lord Sanlang by disturbing him? You bunch of lowly commoners deserve to be beaten to death!"

The soldier lashed out with the baton again and again. The mother shielded her child, and the husband shielded his wife. The stun gun struck his head, causing blood to splatter. The wife prayed repeatedly, "God, please save us!"

The atrocities continue; God has always been indifferent to the tragedies of the world. Indeed, if God truly stood on the side of the poor, how could He allow the rich to control the world?

But the world is not only inhabited by gods. What gods cannot manage, then Yama, the King of Hell, shall manage!

On the street where everyone was kneeling in worship, a person suddenly appeared standing.

Holding a samurai sword, she strode with an invincible gait. The soldiers immediately raised their guns and aimed, but a motley crew of people kept pouring out from the back alleys and stood behind her.

Valentino, the Sixth Street Gang, the Vortex Gang, the Tiger Claw Gang, the Cleaners, and the Animal Gang all arrived. The scum of society once again began to uphold justice, and the scene was still unbelievable.

“It’s settled then.” Gustavo tossed a cigarette to Vera: “We’ll get a share of the 2 million commission.”

"You're hopeless! We're saving the world, you guys need to broaden your horizons!" Vera snapped irritably.

“You can’t put food on the table with a big picture. We’re just mud, perfectly fine in the ground, why should we try to climb up a wall?”

"Damn, you're addicted to slacking off, aren't you? Fine, you're all bosses, you'll get your money's worth, is that alright?" Vera lit a cigarette: "I'm in!"

"Go! Leave the henchmen to us!" Maeda Maiko shouted in a very dramatic, chuunibyou-esque manner. "Uphold justice, our gang queen!!!"

"Oh!!!"

The assassination operation, conducted openly and honorably, began. Evil gang members started fighting for justice, while the righteous national army became the henchmen of evil.

Bullets, swords, steel, and fire—driven by what is called will—began to burn fiercely.

Vera is moving forward.

"Stop her!"

"No, she's too fast!"

"It's S. Anwestan!"

"Lord Oda has made his move!"

"Lord Oda has been killed!"

"Lord Takemura has made his move!"

"Lord Takemura has been killed!"

"Adam Hammer! Adam Hammer has made his move! He has stopped the attacker!"

Vera glanced at the broken white tiger in her hand, and Adam Hammer let out a cold laugh: "Don't think I'm like those two clones, kid, this ends here!"

But the next second, Vera stretched out her arms, and the Mantis Blade from 2157 was unsheathed, instantly slicing Adam Hammer into pieces.

"What are you babbling about? The White Tiger is the dumbest weapon I have on me!"

Vera keeps moving forward!

"Fire! Fire now!"

The soldiers began firing wildly, but were instantly cut to pieces.

Twelve Arasaka single-soldier mechs launched an attack, and Vera stepped on their shoulders and jumped continuously without pausing!

Whether they were soldiers from Arasaka or ordinary civilians, they were all stunned by this inhuman performance. How many life-and-death battles must they have gone through to develop such skills!

Vera leaped nimbly, charging through the air. Tight defenses were child's play to her, and a hail of bullets was nothing more than a gentle breeze. She weaved through bullets and danced on the edge of a knife, carrying unstoppable power, and leaped to Saburo Arasaka's side.

"Foolish bastard, I won't die here!"

Saburo Arasaka immediately drew his gun and fired, but the mantis knife easily cut through the bullet and pierced his body with a soft thud.

With a calm twist of her wrist, she shattered the heart and accessory heart. Vera kicked Saburo Arasaka aside and looked down at him, saying, "Mr. Saburo, your son, Yoriyuki Arasaka, asked me to give you his regards!"

Saburo Arasaka stared in astonishment. The next second, the Mantis Blade was swung again, and Saburo Arasaka's head flew high into the air before crashing heavily into the mud!

Three days later, at Victor's Prosthetic Clinic.

While watching the game, Old Wei was fiddling with the new nano-prosthetic body that the future humans had just launched when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, old Vera!" Vera walked in with a smile, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Long time no see, Vera. What have you been up to lately?" Old Vera put down the nanotech body and asked with a smile.

“Just busy with whatever’s going on.” Vera pulled out a wad of cash: “Here, the money I owe you.”

"You've owed this money for quite a while now. I thought you weren't planning on paying it back." Old Wei took the money and counted it casually.

Vera, sweat beading on his forehead, chuckled dryly, "Haha, how could that be? I'm a man of my word!"

Suddenly, Lao Wei looked up and said, "200 short."

Vera was taken aback: "What?"

"You owe me 21,000 yuan, and here is only 20,800 yuan."

"That's impossible, you must have miscounted." Vera counted the money again, and it really was 20,800 dollars. She felt around in her pockets and pulled out only 5 dollars.

"How about we keep owing the 200 yuan?" Vera asked with a mournful face.

Old Wei was speechless: "Didn't you make 200 million by killing Saburo Arasaka? Now you can't even come up with 2?"

"The lion's share of the commission went to the brothers!"

"What about the rest?"

"I've spent the rest."

"You've spent it all in just three days?!" Old Vi was both surprised and angry, then shook his head helplessly and threw the money back to Vera: "Keep it just in case, kid. I think you need this money more than I do."

"Old Vera! You're the best to me!" Vera said, her eyes brimming with tears. "How about I take you to Genting Highlands? You can pick any girl or guy you want, you can even throw a slut party!"

Old Wei's lips twitched: "Get lost!!!"

Vera, who had been kicked out, called V. Although V wasn't in a hurry for her to pay back the money, she felt she should do so as soon as possible and wanted to ask V what kind of work she could do to earn some pocket money.

“There’s a job available,” V said on the phone.

Vera was overjoyed and immediately asked, "How much is the commission?"

"200 euros."

"Damn, how did you know I was 200 euros short!"

"Little sister, you still have the chip I gave you implanted in your brain!"

"Damn it, V, you bastard!"

"Just tell me if you're going to do it or not."

After much deliberation, Vera decided to go ahead with it.

"Where are you? I'd like to talk to you in person." Vera was still very professional.

But V refused: "Not today, a friend invited me for drinks."

"Damn, you didn't invite me to drink? You should have taken me with you!"

"It's too far, you can't come."