Chapter 228
Page 228
"Connect the EML module, open the energy turbine, and output 80%!"
"Intelligent aiming correction activated, output power continues to increase, 90%, 95%!"
"The machine body temperature is rising, injecting highly conductive coolant, and the output power continues to increase to 100%!"
"Overloaded energy battery, output power continues to increase, 105%, 110%!"
"All emergency valves are closed, restrictions lifted, output power continues to increase, 115%, 120%!"
A violent current burst forth from the gun, but even as the artificial skin on his fingers melted from the intense heat, Vincent remained as steady as a rock.
With everything in place, the most exciting part of the show began.
"Sayonara, Saburo Arasaka!"
Vincent pulled the trigger.
A burst of intense lightning erupted in his arms, shattering his hands. In its place, a fierce surge of emotion transformed into a dazzling light, piercing the darkness like a sharp sword!
Faced with a large armor-piercing round of Mach 16, the airship's military armor was meaningless. It was pierced by a single shot and instantly turned into a fireball, falling to the ground. The famous Saburo Arasaka, the world-renowned Emperor Arasaka, didn't even have time to react before being shot in the head by an unknown nobody!
This strike will surely go down in history!
"Got it, let's get out of here!" Vincent made a quick decision.
Panan looked at his hands and wrists, which had been blown off: "You should be saying you don't have hands anymore!"
Without a word, she pulled Vincent's arm over her shoulder and supported the man's weight with her own body.
The two took the elevator to the first floor, where the television in the lobby began broadcasting the "traffic accident" they had just witnessed.
"This is News Channel 54. Just now, a hovercraft suddenly crashed in the eastern part of the city. We haven't received any specific reports of casualties yet, and the identities of the people inside are still being confirmed. The NCPD urges the public to exercise caution when traveling and avoid the blocked sections of road. Experts from Contau also made a prediction about the accident immediately. They believe that a fuel-powered hovercraft is the most likely cause of the accident, and that if it were a new energy electric hovercraft produced by Contau, a similar tragedy could have been avoided. Traditional automakers scoff at such claims, insisting that fuel-powered vehicles are the future choice, and that future generations will take care of the minor pollution..."
A group of high-ranking officials and dignitaries were discussing the incident in front of their screens. Some were curious about whose unlucky family member had been so fortunate, but most were debating whether gasoline-powered or electric cars were superior. As for the accident itself—accidents happen every day in Night City, and people die every day, but to die so hastily suggests that it couldn't have been someone important, and it wasn't worth paying attention to.
As they talked at length, Vincent and Parnan left as if they were invisible.
"Old De, wait for us at the door."
"Yes, I will arrive in 36 seconds."
As they walked out of the Glamour Building, Delaman arrived as promised. Vincent and Parnan calmly got into their car and left, as if they had waved their sleeves and left without taking a single cloud with them.
That's right, they only took away an emperor and a god!
"Sir, they have left," Adam Heavy Hammer, who had been observing from the shadows, reported to Arasaka Yorinobu.
"Eliminate surveillance and erase all traces of them."
"Yes."
Arasaka Yorinobu hung up the phone and dialed another number: "V, everything is just as you said, he really did it."
“Then let his efforts go to waste,” V said. “The stage is set, it’s your turn to go on stage.”
Ara-saka Yorinobu rarely showed a smile: "Don't worry, I won't let you down. I've been waiting for this day for 60 years. I will give you the most magnificent farewell, for Ara-saka and for all the companies!"
The next day, news of Saburo Arasaka's death spread throughout the world.
No one expected that an ordinary traffic accident would result in the death of a deity.
Amidst the diverse opinions circulating in society regarding this incident, Arasaka Yorinobu defeated Arasaka Hanako and successfully became the new leader of the Arasaka clan.
Strictly speaking, Arasaka Yorinobu was not as strong as Arasaka Hanako, but the Arasaka faction was not just the two of them, but three.
Yoriyuki Arasaka was a hawk who advocated reform.
Hanako Arakawa is a member of the "chicken faction" and advocates for maintaining tradition.
Meanwhile, Michiko Arasaka, far away in Night City, is a dove, advocating for cooperation and mutual benefit.
After Saburo Arasaka's death, Yoriyuki Arasaka and Hanako Arasaka immediately began a power struggle. The latter thought that Michiko Arasaka would remain neutral, but she did not expect that her niece would openly support Yoriyuki Arasaka. The two joined forces and easily defeated her.
The idea that hawks and doves would cooperate is simply unbelievable.
But novels need logic, while reality doesn't. The only thing reality needs is profit.
"What exactly do you want to do? Divide up Arasaka?" Arasaka Hanako asked Arasaka Yorinobu and Arasaka Michiko during the family meeting.
"No, Auntie." Michiko Arakasaka, dressed in a sailor uniform and pleated skirt, a typical high school girl outfit, quietly delivered her impassioned answer: "We want to create a new era where everyone can be happy!"
And so, Arasaka Yorinobu became Arasaka's second president.
As the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean, and his first order was to send troops to Night City under the pretext of investigating his father's murderer.
This action is extremely aggressive. After all, Night City is a chessboard for major corporations to compete on, and limited armed forces are the bottom line. Letting the army in directly is like smashing the table.
The international community immediately condemned Arasaka Corporation, but this did not shake Arasaka Yoriyuki's determination. The two massive carrier battle groups continued to advance towards Night City in an orderly manner. Once they were stationed in Night City, it would undoubtedly change the situation in the entire North American region.
As the dominant force in North America, the military technology sector would not tolerate this behavior and immediately dispatched its carrier fleet to the Atlantic to intercept it.
All parties assumed that Arasaka Yorinobu would halt his efforts and negotiate, as no one could tolerate another corporate war, and Arasaka was no exception. However, Arasaka Yorinobu declared, "What does Arasaka's inability to tolerate have to do with me? I'm avenging my father! Anyone who dares to stand in my way will be dealt with, and the same goes for military technology!"
With a single order from the new leader of the Arasaka faction, Arasaka didn't even bother with the "diplomatic rhetoric" of military technology and launched a massive barrage of attacks. The unsuspecting military technology fleet suffered heavy casualties and had to retreat more than 100 nautical miles before regaining its footing.
It wasn't that their military technology was too inferior, but rather that none of them expected Arasaka Yoriyuki to actually dare to open fire. Even now, the fleet commander still can't understand why Arasaka Yoriyuki wouldn't be afraid of triggering the Fifth Company War by doing this.
Arasaka Yoriyuki was certainly afraid, but he was only afraid that it wouldn't provoke a corporate war.
As a martyr, he had a strong self-destructive tendency. He knew that the company's authoritarian system had cultivated a group of incurable human cancers, so his mission was to remove these cancers one by one, at any cost!
Then everyone witnessed a frenzied scene: Arasaka's fleet attacked Military Technology like mad dogs, actually forcing the local powerhouse to retreat. Arasaka Yoriyuki then delivered a new televised address, directly identifying Military Technology as the prime suspect in the murder of Arasaka Saburo. His reasoning was simple: if you didn't kill him, why did you go to such lengths to obstruct our search for the real culprit in Night City?
This questioning was reasonable, and most of the uninformed public immediately agreed with it.
Military technology, however, is a sensitive topic. Are they afraid that Arasaka will come to Night City to find the murderer? They are afraid that Arasaka will use the pretext of finding the murderer to come and claim territory in Night City!
Those who understand this principle will understand it, and those who don't won't understand even if you explain it to them. Unfortunately, most people in the world don't understand this principle, so military technology has finally figured out what "mud falling into your crotch is still shit even if it's not shit" means.
Although Arasaka Yorinobu was relentless and aggressive, his reputation was growing. After all, he was avenging his father and had the moral high ground. He was a filial son who had been proven by reality. Even if he was a little impulsive, it was just a normal reaction of an 80-year-old. Even Xu Shiming of Kangtao said in public that "one should have a son like Arasaka Yorinobu."
Kang Tao then called on both sides to remain calm and exercise restraint, avoid escalating the situation, and resolve the conflict and dispute through peaceful negotiations.
The international community and major companies have voiced their support for Contour, as no one wants a fifth corporate war to break out.
However, while advocating for peace, Kanto was also selling weapons to military technology companies and Arasaka. After all, the conflict came suddenly, and the two sides were inevitably unprepared. Kanto's high-quality and cheap labor could make up for this deficiency. Whether it was drones or armor-piercing rounds, as long as you could pay three times the price, Kanto would provide plenty of them.
What? Military technology isn't needed? Fine, then I'll sell it to Arasaka.
This was undoubtedly a blatant threat. Even if the military technology personnel were cursing inwardly, they could only put on a big order with a forced smile, lest Kang Taozhen side with Arasaka.
Then Kanto approached Arasaka, who initially said he didn't need it, but Kanto's representative told them that the military technology had already been purchased.
Faced with the same threat, Arakasaka had no choice but to place a large order as well.
The two families fought tooth and nail across the Atlantic, while Contau made a fortune.
The two military leaders were disgusted and cursed the staff officer Kang Tao, who came up with this vicious plan, to be childless and die alone!
Xu Ling, who was asleep, sneezed loudly, then scratched her stomach, turned over, and continued sleeping.
The international situation became unpredictable, and everyone's attention was focused on the war in the Atlantic, while Vincent and Parnan, the instigators of everything, hid in their apartment in the super skyscraper H10 and became nobodys.
Having just killed a god, they naturally need to lay low for a while. To reduce the risk of being discovered, Vincent didn't even bother to repair his hands, which had been blown up. Now, his daily life is entirely taken care of by Panan.
It's one thing to dress and eat, but now Vincent even needs Panan's help to "support" him in his daily activities, since he only has one pair of clean pants, and if they get dirty, he won't have any to wear.
From initial shame and indignation to overwhelming emotion, Vincent felt he should take responsibility for the girl's meticulous care.
One day, he was once again taken care of by Panan, and overwhelmed with emotion, he decided to tell Panan everything and confess his true feelings.
“Panan, I’m not actually…”
"Not what?" Panan said, shaking the original steel cannon.
Vincent felt a chill run down his spine and suddenly thought that not being honest might be a good thing.
Panan was also overjoyed. Great! He didn't resist me. Old Vie was right after all. Gay men can be changed slowly.
And so, amidst this strange misunderstanding, their feelings for each other gradually deepened.
Along with them, the war between Arasaka and military technology also escalated. Even though both sides had been restrained enough under the pressure of the international situation, the flames of war still spread to major cities in North America. As the president of New America, Miles could not tolerate seeing his base being destroyed and immediately began to vigorously investigate the murderer who assassinated Saburo Arasaka.
In Miles' view, as long as the real culprit is caught, not only can she clear her name of suspicion regarding military technology and increase her influence in the field, but she can also hand the culprit over to Arasaka Yorinobu to curry favor with him, which is a double win.
Thus began Vincent and Parnan's difficult days. With the intervention of state power, they quickly became the prime suspects. Although Miles had no concrete evidence, it was better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. After all, judicial fairness was just a facade for the public. If they needed to be made the murderers, then the unsubstantiated evidence would naturally emerge from the ground.
After a series of perilous encounters, Vincent and Panan were on the verge of despair when Adcado's wanderers suddenly appeared, fought off New America's pursuers on the highway outside the city, and rescued the two.
"Thor, Scorpion, Mitch, everyone! What brings you all here?" Panan was overjoyed.
“You haven’t completely broken away from Adcardo yet, so naturally we can’t just stand by and watch you die,” Adcardo leader Thor sneered.
“Don’t listen to Saul’s bragging. A woman named Vera informed us that you were in danger, and Saul came with a large group of men without hesitation. Panan, Saul actually cares about you more than anyone else.”
Thor blushed and said, "Mitch, shut your stinking mouth!"
After saying that, he glared at Panan again: "What are you standing there for? Let's go home!"
Panan chuckled and said to Vincent, "Well..."
Vincent interrupted her: "I understand, once a wanderer, always a wanderer!"
Chapter 205 How can cyberpunk be without Transformers?
Vincent and Parnan returned together to the Adcado camp outside Night City.
Panan immediately asked, "Thor, get this guy two arms."
“Mitch has already gone to prepare,” Thor said casually, then turned to Vincent and asked, “What’s next?”
Vincent was taken aback. "You trust me that much? We've only just met."
But since the other party was his savior, Vincent couldn't remain silent. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The new America won't give up. We must prepare our defenses and find a way to deal with their next attack."
Thor nodded and said to Panan, "Don't just stand there, pass the word down and do as Vincent says."
Panan was also taken aback. In her memory, Saul had always been an old-fashioned, arrogant man who rarely listened to others' opinions. It was simply unbelievable that he would listen to Vincent so readily.
"Sol, did you eat something bad?" Panan was always straightforward.
Thor frowned: "Of course not, why do you ask?"
“Since you didn’t eat anything bad, why do you do whatever he says? You always nitpick when I offer suggestions.”
“Nonsense.” Thor glanced at Panan with disdain. “Your suggestions are completely brainless, so of course I’ll nitpick. But Vincent is different. His suggestions are clearly very reasonable, and after careful consideration, of course I’ll follow them.”
Panan was completely bewildered by the scolding: "What do you mean? Who is Adcardo, me or him? Why are you siding with the outsider?"
“Maturity has nothing to do with whether you are Adcardo or not. If you don’t even understand this principle, no wonder you’re just a hothead while he’s a hero who publicly speaks out and is determined to overthrow the company’s rule!”
Upon hearing this, both Vincent and Parnan were greatly surprised.
"A hero who overthrows the company's rule? Who, me?" Vincent was dumbfounded.
Panan quickly denied it: "You've got it wrong. He never intended to overthrow the company's rule. He assassinated Arasaka Saburo to save his brother."
"He doesn't want to overthrow the company's rule?" Saul was also confused. "Then what about the televised address?"
What televised address?
Saul sent the two of them a video.
In the video, Cent, looking fervent, first admitted to assassinating Saburo Arasaka, then declared that this was just the beginning, and that he would dedicate his life to overthrowing the company's hegemony and making the establishment of a new world without oppression and exploitation his lifelong mission! He announced that he would form an army of the people, and that all the working class would unite to launch a final declaration of war against the company!
"That's not me at all!" Vincent jumped up and down in anger. "What's going on?"
As if she had been waiting for this moment, Vera stepped out of Adcardo's tent: "Hehe, the AI is very useful, isn't it!"
"It's you!" Vincent immediately understood: "You've framed me! You wanted to draw Arasaka's attention to me and then fish in troubled waters, right? Don't dream about it. I'll give a new televised address right now, expose your conspiracy, and let the truth come to light!"
"No, please! We've been preparing this plan for so long!" Vera pleaded, clasping her hands together. "Please do as we say, please!"
Vincent was furious and immediately refused: "Absolutely not!!!"
Vera sighed, stretched out her arm, and the mantis knife popped out. She turned around and slashed twice, flattening a small hill next to the camp.
Vincent: "!!!"
Panan: "!!!"
Thor: "!!!"
Everyone in Adcardo: "!!!"
Vera smiled: "I'll give you another chance to answer."