2077: V really knows how awesome he is

"Ms. Michiko, I'm so glad you're safe and sound." V answered the phone.

"Thank you for your concern, V. It's an emergency, so I'll keep it short. Kenichi found out that Goro Takemura has fled to Night City, so he deployed Troy to make him disappear completely."

Chapter 37 That samurai died in the past.

V considered the possibility of winning over Goro Takemura, but quickly gave up.

Goro Takemura was born in the 11th ward of Chiba City, Japan, a hellish place of poverty, backwardness, toxic water, and rampant disease. It was Arasaka who pulled him out of hell, gave him food, clean clothes, an education, and fitted him with advanced cybernetic implants. Later, he was appreciated and promoted to Saburo Arasaka's bodyguard, and from then on, he was filled with gratitude and loyalty to Saburo.

Normally, Goro Takemura is a decent person, somewhat rigid but reliable enough. He's cold-blooded towards enemies but surprisingly humorous towards friends. However, all of this applies "unrelated to the Arasaka family." Once Arasaka family members are involved, such as Saburo Arasaka or Hanako Arasaka, his ingrained loyalty surfaces, and he throws aside all kinship and friendship, becoming a devoted, human-shaped dog.

Any good quality comes at a high price in Night City; Joanne Koch's kindness is one example, as is Goro Takemura's loyalty.

He was loyal to the Arasaka family, but was used as a shield and scapegoat by the son and granddaughter of the Arasaka family.

The arrest warrant was issued by Yoriyuki Arasaka, and the execution order was issued by Michiko Arasaka. Betrayed by the people he was loyal to, Kurt Hansen could turn on them and establish himself as king in Dogville, but Goro Takemura would not.

His life was made up of loyalty. Without loyalty, he was like a fish out of water, not knowing how to live and unable to survive.

Saburo Arasaka was killed by Yoriyuki Arasaka. V could use Goro Takemura to fight against Yoriyuki Arasaka, since Goro Takemura, as Saburo Arasaka's bodyguard, is extremely powerful. However, Goro Takemura is too sharp; if this blade is not used properly, it could easily cut him.

After much deliberation, V ultimately abandoned the idea of ​​winning over Goro Takemura. This man was too unpredictable; she didn't want to create unnecessary trouble. Although somewhat apologetic, she still decided to carry out Michiko Arasaka's orders.

V calmly issued the command after dialing an encrypted number: "Authorization code 34HGD0, Trojan enters the Trojan horse, target: Goro Takemura."

"The golden apple has been received; Paris shall begin his judgment."

The call is interrupted.

V thought for a moment, then dialed the counterintelligence department again: "Carter, Faraday's situation."

“Our people are protecting him in secret to ensure he can spread the message that he is ‘hired by the Voodoo Gang’.”

"Let's withdraw."

"Yes."

V hung up the phone.

Faraday is a piece used to muddy the waters; he himself doesn't know much, but V doesn't want to gamble.

A few days later, in an alley, the bespectacled middleman collapsed in a sorry state behind a trash can. He had been shot twice and was bleeding almost dry. He tried to run, but he was too exhausted. He sat on the ground, leaning against the trash can, and looked up at the sky, knowing he was probably going to die.

He didn't rise to fame or become famous; it was all a scam. If he could, he would never have taken that damn job. He was just stealing something from the Konpi Building. Who the hell knew that Saburo Arasaka would die inside!

Faraday was filled with remorse, but unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world.

clatter! clatter! clatter!

The crisp sound of his boots hitting the ground grew louder and louder, and Faraday knew that his death was drawing ever closer.

A shadow fell over him. He looked up and saw a woman wearing a steel mask and a dark red trench coat.

"Qiwei, I didn't expect it to be you. You've been eyeing me for a while, haven't you?"

"Yes, that's right. Don't trust anyone in Night City, that's what you told me."

As Qiwei spoke, her eyes lit up with blue light, and sparks flew from Faraday's neural slots, causing him to die unwillingly.

"All done?" Rebecca walked over with a shotgun, followed by her brother Pila.

"Yes, I've already notified Wakako to pick up the goods. The car will be here soon."

"Yay, this order is pretty good. Let's go for drinks later, and invite Sasha and Lucy too." Rebecca laughed, hands on her hips.

Pila raised both hands and feet in agreement: "Great, great, let's call Lucy. I've been lusting after her for so long, prprprpr..."

Rebecca punched her brother on the head: "Go ahead and go if you're not afraid of being beaten to death by David with his cybernetic body. I'm not going to collect your corpse!"

"Uh, I suddenly realize that I still prefer mature women like Qiwei."

Qiwei looked over, her eyes flashing blue.

"Huh?! My big gun is overloaded? Oh no, it's going to explode!"

"Haha!" Rebecca laughed heartily: "You idiot, bro!"

This is just a minor episode in Night City; the real main theme is still unfolding in the tower.

"Troy failed." Carter was reporting to V: "I really don't understand why Goro Takemura's prosthetics have all been shut down."

Carter didn't understand, but V did.

Goro Takemura is very strong; she knew that in her past life.

While Troy's defeat was somewhat regrettable, she was not surprised.

"Strengthen defenses in all areas and track down Takemura Goro." V paused for a moment before finally issuing the order: "If you get any information, do not act rashly. Notify me, and I will deal with him personally."

"Yes!" Carter's expression brightened. Vice President V was invincible; this time, it was definitely a sure thing.

But Goro Takemura seemed to disappear after that, vanishing without a trace, until one night V suddenly received a call from Joanne Koch.

"V, someone tampered with my computer. That person's existence may have been discovered."

"What did you say?!" V jumped up.

“I’m not entirely sure if that person was using a code name, but it’s not impossible for someone with the right mindset to deduce the answer.” Joanne Koch said apologetically, “I’m sorry, V.”

"You lowered your security level quite a bit; it was my carelessness." At this point, discussing the mistake was pointless; V could only try to salvage the situation: "Did the other side steal the information via computer?"

"Correct."

"Keep your computer as it is, I'll be there soon. No one can escape my pursuit if they're online!"

V originally wanted to take a hovercar, but then she realized that Joanne Koch didn't have a helipad, so she had to drive the Sword in the Stone over there.

When they arrived at the lobby on the first floor, Xu Zhong was also there.

"Sister Kochi sent me here, saying I should protect you." Xu Zhong didn't know about V's physical condition, so he was a bit confused. He thought that Sister V was so powerful, why would she suddenly need his protection?

V didn't explain, he just tossed the key chip over: "You drive, top speed!"

Xu Zhong caught the chip.

Stone Sword sped south from the company square, then onto the city's elevated highway at Haywood and headed east, eventually reaching Santo Domingo where Joanne Koch was located.

Even though it was already 2 a.m., the traffic on the elevated highway was still dense. It wasn't that the nightlife in Night City was so vibrant; these people had probably just finished get off work.

"What exactly happened?" Xu Zhong asked.

“Koch’s computer has been tampered with; perhaps that person’s existence has been discovered,” V replied.

Xu Zhong's expression tightened: "Do you know who did it?"

"It's not clear yet, but I have a rough idea of ​​the answer."

"who is it?"

"Goro Takemura."

"he is?"

"Saburo Arasaka's personal bodyguard."

"The man who was scanned in the penthouse suite that day?"

"Correct."

"This is troublesome." Xu Zhong frowned slightly. "That uncle is quite capable."

"Did you see it?"

“He has a similar feel to my instructor,” Xu Zhong asked. “Was he sent from Tokyo to investigate?”

"No, the Tokyo investigation results are in. Goro Takemura was an inside man in the murder case and bears primary responsibility. Yoriyuki Arasaka has issued an arrest warrant, and Michiko Arasaka has issued a kill order."

"A scapegoat, huh? This uncle's been completely sold out. In that case, let's win him over..."

“Impossible,” V interrupted Xu Zhong.

"why?"

"Because he remains loyal to the Arasaka family to this day."

This statement seemed illogical, but Xu Zhong understood it.

"Sigh, that's what makes the Japanese so difficult to deal with."

"Isn't it all learned from you Chinese people?"

"Heh, that's true. Alright, I'll be honest, I quite admire this Takemura Goro. If we weren't on different sides, it wouldn't be bad to make friends with this uncle."

Yes, it's good to be friends. V and he were friends in a past life.

V sighed softly, about to say something, when a grenade suddenly landed on the road ahead with a clang, releasing a bright flash with a hiss.

"Ugh!" V groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood. Xu Zhong also felt dizzy. The main control unit of the Stone Sword burned out, and the instruments flickered like a pinball machine, completely losing control.

The same happened to other vehicles in the vicinity, and several car accidents occurred in an instant.

"Damn it, it's EMP!" V felt like a knife had been plunged into her brain. She forced a scream through the pain: "Xu Zhong, prepare for battle..."

Before he could finish speaking, a figure leaped onto the front trunk of the Stone Sword with a loud thud.

Xu Zhong was startled: "Damn, it can jump up at a speed of 182 km/h?!"

V was not surprised, because she had already recognized the person who came.

Goro Takemura.

This guy can even jump onto Hanako Arasaka's float, so jumping onto a speeding sports car is naturally no problem for him.

She wanted to launch a cyberattack immediately, but a sharp pain shot through her brain. She tried to draw her gun and fire, but Arasaka Shinmura's intelligent aiming system had been completely destroyed in the previous EMP attack.

"Give me back the lord I've been holding!"

Goro Takemura spoke his first words, then thrust his katana forward and with a snap, pierced through the car body.

The blade almost grazed V's cheek. Seeing this, Xu Zhong swerved sharply, forcing Takemura Goro to temporarily halt his attack. Xu Zhong then swung back and forth a few more times, sending Takemura Goro flying.

"Alright, we've shaken him off!" Xu Zhong exclaimed with delight, but V yelled, "Stop right there!"

With a loud crash, the speeding Stone Sword slammed into the guardrail between the main road and the ramp. Although a large bucket full of water was placed in front of it to cushion the impact, the huge inertia still sent Xu Zhong flying out of the car.

He wasn't wearing a seatbelt, while V was.

Even so, V's head slammed hard against the windshield, and blood instantly stained the entire field of vision.

Goro Takemura, dressed in a black trench coat, walked over and slashed open the car door with his katana. Just as he was about to reach out to grab V, a sharp blade of light slashed down.

"boom!"

The samurai sword and the Miao sword clashed, creating a dazzling spark.

Xu Zhong, his face covered in blood, said, "Your opponent is me."

Takemura Goro glanced at Xu Zhong's twisted and deformed right leg, said nothing, and changed the direction of his sword with a flick of his wrist. The two then engaged in a fierce battle.

V climbed out of the car and tried to contact Arasaka's reinforcements, but there was no signal. She then tried to contact the trauma team, but still there was no signal.

Fuck!

This was definitely a targeted ambush. Takemura Goro's immediate attack with an EMP that crippled his hacking abilities and blocked surrounding signals showed he was well-prepared. The version of himself in this world didn't recognize him, and even if he had analyzed his abilities from past rumors, it couldn't have been so flawless.

Someone is providing intelligence to Goro Takemura. Considering the military-grade EMP howitzer just now, it's likely that someone is also providing equipment. Thinking even deeper, it's possible that his escape from the Arasaka Tokyo headquarters was assisted by that person.

who is it?

Arasaka Yorinobu?

Hanako Arakawa?

Or perhaps, Michiko Araka?

The information is insufficient to make a judgment, but one thing is certain: the other party is merely using Goro Takemura. Otherwise, they would have helped him clear his name instead of simply providing him with intelligence and equipment in secret.

Does Goro Takemura know this?

They probably know.

But he was already at his wit's end, and he had no other choice.

Feeling her throbbing brain, V once again experienced her own powerlessness.