2077: V really knows how awesome he is

"It's nothing," Xu Ling said nonchalantly. "The Japanese just love this kind of thing, so childish!"

After basking in the cheers, "Saburo Arasaka" spoke again: "If Yoriyuki Arasaka was a mistake in my life, then another mistake I made was hurting Johnny Silverhand. He's the greatest rock singer of this century, handsome, and free-spirited—simply every woman's dream man. I'm a huge fan of his. He doesn't have many albums, but every single one is a classic, including..."

"Quickly insert the ad!" V quickly ordered, interrupting Johnny's self-praise.

“Idiot Johnny!” Kerry Orodien laughed loudly in front of the TV, then raised his glass to the screen: “Welcome back, old buddy!”

Saburo Arasaka's "resurrection" caused a huge uproar around the world, with the Arasaka Company itself being the most affected.

Some important figures have already seen through his disguise, but it doesn't matter. Saburo Arasaka's body is designed to counter Arasaka's strongest weapon. An emperor is an emperor, and no matter how strong the prince is, he can't win.

"My grandfather said that Tokyo's Arasaka district is in complete chaos. The fleet that was originally defending Kanto in the Sea of ​​Japan has also scattered in all directions, and morale there has been completely shattered," Xu Ling relayed the news from the East.

V looked at Carter: "What about the takeover forces?"

"Taihou has stopped, but Shoukaku is still advancing towards Night City."

Kurt Hansen frowned: "Is Arasaka Yorinobu still planning to fight? Putting everything else aside, the fact that he maintains this level of control even in such adversity is truly remarkable!"

V thought about Arasaka Yorinobu's behavior and shook his head, saying, "I'm afraid Arasaka Yorinobu is no longer himself."

"what?"

“Miss Michiko told me that Saburo Arasaka also has his own digital backup.”

Everyone was shocked: "Could it be that Arasaka Yorinobu was...?"

"It doesn't matter whether it's Arasaka Yorinobu or Arasaka Saburo, this battle must be fought." V then asked Carter, "What are our chances of winning now?"

The young counterintelligence minister glanced at the tablet in his hand: "20%."

Although the numbers are still not high, they meet expectations for a "tough battle," which puts everyone at ease.

"We've done everything we can; all that's left is to do our utmost." Just as V was about to give another boost, Sasha suddenly knocked on the conference room door.

"what's up?"

Pink Cat said nervously, "Arasaka Yoriyuki is online."

V smiled and said, "I was just about to contact him. Let's bring him in."

With a command given, a holographic projection of Yoriyuki Arasaka appeared in the conference room.

He looked around and spoke slowly and deliberately.

“A traitor to the new America, Xu Shiming’s granddaughter, a counterintelligence minister from humble beginnings, a secretary who used to hang out on the streets, plus that rock singer—it’s hard to imagine that such a makeshift team could have driven me into this predicament.” Arasaka Yoriyuki looked at the person in the main seat: “V, it’s all because of you. What’s that street slang for again? By the way, you’re really something, V!”

"Thank you for the compliment." V accepted the praise readily, then asked in return, "To be so composed, it seems I should call you Mr. Saburo Arasaka."

“That’s right, I took over Lai Xuan’s body. The most incompetent child in the family has finally come in handy.”

"The son killed the father, and the father killed the son. What a fucking pervert!" Xu Ling said with disdain.

Saburo Arasaka chuckled: "Xu Shiming's granddaughter, your grandfather treated you as tools, making you compete and bite each other like worms. His disregard for family ties is much like mine. I thought you were used to it by now."

"You!" Xu Ling was furious, but V stopped her.

"You didn't come here just to argue with some young girl, did you?"

“Of course not,” Saburo Arasaka said. “Surrender, V. I admire you. If you are willing to submit to me, I can grant you the Arasaka surname, make you my successor, and hand over the entire Arasaka estate to you.”

These words shocked everyone. This treatment was unprecedented, and all eyes were drawn to V.

“What if I refuse?” V asked.

“Then I will destroy you. My friend, my subordinate, the city you are to protect, and everyone in this city, everything you cherish will be shattered because of you. You will face your death in despair and regret.”

"Ha, see? These so-called big shots are nothing special. They're no different from ordinary people, never high and mighty. Their way of maintaining rule is nothing more than threats and intimidation, threatening with lives, just like street thugs. Since it's a street matter, let's settle it in a street way!"

V shouted, "I'll take the path you've laid! Try to destroy me with all your might, because if you can't destroy me, I'll destroy you instead! I mean what I say!"

Saburo Arasaka snorted and ended the communication. Carter immediately issued a warning: "President V, Arasaka Second Carrier Strike Group has been spotted 20 nautical miles outside Del Coronado Bay!"

"Sound the alarm." V remained unwavering: "The battle begins!"

Chapter 51 From this day forward, there will only be one Arakasa!

Del Coronado Bay.

Three destroyers and four frigates, arranged in a T-formation, launched a fierce bombardment of the Taipingzhou dock, with at least 20 high-explosive armor-piercing shells raining down from the sky every minute, blasting the Ghost Hound's fortifications and positions to smithereens.

At the same time, the core ship of the second carrier battle group, the LHA-77 nuclear-powered amphibious assault ship, opened 160 vertical launch cells, like a crane spreading its wings and revealing its feathers. The next second, 160 surface-to-surface missiles rained down on the Taipingzhou dock.

It took 27 missiles to destroy the Voodoo Cult, but now it takes more than five times that number.

A deafening roar echoed continuously, and dazzling flames shot straight into the sky. When the smoke cleared, the Taipingzhou Wharf had completely disappeared.

It wasn't razed to the ground; there were no ruins or remains. It simply disappeared in the literal sense.

Piers, high-rise buildings, warehouses, and fortifications built by the hounds of the underworld—the places where people worked and lived—all of this was easily wiped out by modern weapons.

Boiling seawater surged in as the LCAC-77 polymer air-cushioned troop transport ship and the Ironclad 7 amphibious tanks arrived menacingly. The soldiers of the Ghost Hound emerged from their hiding places, regrouped in a well-trained manner, rebuilt their fortifications, and held their long-vanished positions. But the Shoukaku once again let out a clear cry, and a modified electromagnetic close-in weapon system released a dazzling blue light, unleashing an unparalleled attack at the cost of its own destruction!

"boom!"

A solid kinetic energy projectile, accelerated to Mach 28 by electromagnetic current and wrapped in azure electricity, was launched at a speed close to that of a meteorite impact. As the projectile flew, it rubbed against the air to form a plasma sheath, producing a visible orange-red trail. The airflow it generated contained unimaginable and terrifying kinetic energy, allowing strong winds to easily tear apart skyscrapers and churn up reinforced concrete.

This shell had no specific target; it simply flew close to the ground. It flew northeast from the port of Taiping State, through the valley of Santo Domingo, and struck the rocky ridge of Badlands before soaring into the sky, tearing through the clouds, exceeding the first cosmic velocity to escape Earth's gravity, and entering near-Earth orbit.

Instead, a bloody gash was torn open in Night City.

The entire army of ghost hounds deployed at the port was wiped out, and everything in their path was destroyed by the artillery fire. Countless high-rise buildings collapsed, and cries of agony echoed everywhere.

This is a warning.

Saburo Arasaka knows, V knows, everyone knows.

Kneel down! Otherwise, there will be a second shell, and a third shell!

But after a brief silence, even more troops emerged.

NCPD, Public Safety Guard, reserve team members, gangsters... Some of them rescued the wounded, while many more rushed to the front lines. They rebuilt defenses on the remains of their fallen comrades, using their flesh and blood to stop the advance of the war machine!

"The second round of bombing begins!"

"Our casualties are heavy!"

"The amphibious tanks have successfully landed and are now forming ranks to cover the troop transport ships behind them!"

"Troop transport ships begin landing."

"The seaside scenic area has fallen!"

"The cross-sea bridge for retreating troops!"

"The cross-sea bridge has collapsed!"

"The enemy's main force has all landed. They have split into two groups and are advancing towards the company square from the Taiping State Sea Area and the Santo Domingo Valley Area respectively!"

One unfavorable battle report after another was transmitted back to the command room. Johnny paced back and forth in frustration, yelling at Xu Ling, who was wearing a full-face helmet: "Is this your command? Our men are almost all dead! Where's the Moby Whale supercarrier? Where are the Chimera main battle tanks? Are they going to keep them around to breed?! Screw your genius commander, you damn commander!"

Xu Ling remained silent, continuing to mobilize reserve teams to meet Aragaka, even though they were no match for the enemy and would be routed in an instant. The young tactical genius remained unchanged, like adding fuel to the fire.

Johnny was furious and raised his hand to tear off Xu Ling's helmet, but Kurt Hansen grabbed his wrist.

"Don't mess around, rock kid." Kurt Hansen's face was grim. "I'm no good at singing, and you're no good at fighting. The Xu family girl did the right thing; your recklessness will only make her lose everything."

"She did nothing wrong?" Johnny roared. "She's sending people to their deaths!"

"Nonsense! How can we lure the enemy deep into our territory if no one is willing to sacrifice themselves? You just saw it yourself. Arasaka destroyed an entire district of Night City with a single electromagnetic cannon shot. We have no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation! The only way to gain a sliver of hope is to let the enemy penetrate deeper into our territory, stretch their battle lines, and get them mixed up with us!"

"Victory achieved by sacrificing lives?"

"This is war."

Johnny turned to Carter: "Carter, what are our chances of winning now?"

Carter hesitated for a moment before replying, "13%."

"I see, this is the chance of victory you gained by sacrificing lives."

"this is only……"

“No need to explain, you’re right, I don’t fight.” Johnny picked up his guitar: “My friends are having a concert at Memorial Park, that’s my battlefield!”

"You're insane! The memorial park is on the enemy's advance route; it will soon become a battlefield!"

"The entire Night City is a battlefield. If I can't live with it, then I'll die with it! Damn, that's a really cool line. I'm going to have it engraved on my tombstone!"

Johnny left, and soon Saburo Arasaka appeared on television. Holding a guitar, he sang angrily with the accompaniment of his old friends. His crazy and vulgar language completely overturned his previous image, but the sincere emotions and fearless courage in it were clearly conveyed to everyone's heart.

Night City's morale has risen to another level, while on the other hand, some troops on Arasaka's side have fallen into chaos.

A third of the amphibious tanks stopped, and the landing force of about a thousand men also ceased its advance. Even two of the seven warships that had been shelling Night City in the bay lowered their attack posture.

"Winning percentage has gone up!" Carter exclaimed excitedly. "It's increased by 6%, now it's 19%! Should we launch a counterattack now?"

“Not enough.” Kurt Hansen, a tactical expert, immediately saw the problem: “The rock kids are indeed impressive, but they’ve also alerted Saburo Arasaka. Arasaka’s offensive has slowed down, and their battle lines aren’t long enough. We need a powerful decoy to dispel Saburo Arasaka’s doubts.”

The dogtown boss suddenly laughed: "No one is more suitable than me. I will personally lead the remaining puppies to act as bait. The rest is up to you."

Carter's eyes were filled with tears, and everyone in the command room stood in solemn respect.

Kurt Hansen walked past Xu Ling, placed a hand on the girl's thin shoulder, and encouraged her, "Don't be soft-hearted and betray me!"

Xu Ling flinched, but ultimately said nothing.

"Long live the Netherworld Hound!"

Amidst these slogans, a group of people abandoned by the state became the last piece of firewood to be added to the furnace.

"The palm-lined avenue has been destroyed!"

"Wild Wolf Bar has fallen!"

"Academy Street has fallen!"

"The entire Ghost Hound army has been wiped out."

"The enemy has resumed their advance."

"The enemy's front line is in accordance with the planned schedule."

"Win rate has increased; it's now 28%."

"Now!" Xu Ling seized the opportunity and quickly issued the order: "Kang Tao and Arasaka, launch a full-scale attack, cut off the enemy forces at the Cross-Sea Bridge and Red Mud Bar, and divide the battlefield into three parts."

On the holographic map, two blue teams suddenly emerged from their ambush location, forcefully cutting the crimson torrent into three sections.

Although Arakasaka stopped advancing and regrouped immediately, the battle lines were too long and he couldn't take care of both ends.

Because the two sides were mixed together, Shokaku was unable to provide effective fire support and could only send MV-77 'Thunder' tiltrotor aircraft and V-77 'Submarine' armed transport helicopters to provide more precise air support.

"I've been waiting for you." Xu Ling sneered, "The beluga whale is surfacing!"

With a deafening electronic horn, the supercarrier USS Moby slowly sailed out from the International Lunar Spaceport in the waters north of Night City. Its seventh-generation medium-sized carrier-based aircraft took off quickly, swept over Night City, and engaged in combat with enemy aircraft amidst cheers from the crowd.

With the airspace cleared, the big guy with the "summit crisis" was finally able to make his appearance.

With a deafening roar, the Taiping State Stadium collapsed, and the Chimera, one of only 16 next-generation main battle tanks in the world, joined the battle.

The KL-274XYA flail-shaped projectile gun is extremely effective against lightly armored units. With 4800 flail-shaped projectiles per minute filled with high explosive charges, amphibious tanks' thin armor is simply no match for such an attack, and they are shattered one after another like brittle walnuts.

"Palm Avenue reclaimed!"

"Wild Wolf Bar retaken!"

"College Street retaken!"

"The enemy has suffered heavy losses!"

"Win rate has risen again, now it's 34%!"

"Not enough!" Xu Ling gritted her teeth: "We must maximize our gains before the enemy recovers. Mobilize all ground forces, mercenaries, gangs—all of them, charge!"

More blue dots flooded the battlefield, further compressing the crimson, but suddenly a red dot popped out and instantly wiped out dozens of blue dots around it.

"Report the situation!" Xu Ling asked loudly.

"It's Adam Hammer!"

"David Martinez, take him down!"

With a loud bang, the cybernetic body of the super-powered machine landed in front of Adam Hammer.