Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

Hansen wore a rather solemn expression.

He knew about REO Meatwagon emergency medical services.

A typical Night City local business that failed in its competition. It once competed internationally with a trauma group.

From its ambitious founding, with each ambulance equipped with armor and a turret, and staffed with a driver/gunner, two lone wolves, and a medic, to falling behind in the workload of the trauma team, unable to afford lone wolves or armored ambulances, it fell into a period of decline...

By 2076, REO's operational configuration consisted of only an old-fashioned ambulance, unarmored and bare, with only two or three doctors, including the driver. The company's role was reduced to the cheapest and most basic emergency medical services in Night City, handling cases that the trauma team disdained to deal with.

It can be described as utterly miserable and wretched.

Vera was using this negative example to warn him.

“Lazarus is not the trauma group; they’re not what they used to be. And I’m not REO. I can win,” Hansen emphasized.

Vera smiled without saying a word.

After the Fourth Corporate War, with the end of large-scale international conflicts, countries and companies began to lick their wounds and recover. Lazarus's turnover naturally plummeted and entered a period of decline. This forced them to take on bodyguard, security and policing services that they had previously disdained to do. Unfortunately, Arasaka was the real behemoth in this regard.

If it weren't for the Metal Wars that helped them recover a significant portion of their losses, Lazarus's revenue would likely be even lower. This is also why Vera calls them remnants of the old era.

It was once very strong, but after more than half a century of decline, its strength is no longer what it used to be.

This is why a highly singular business leads to extremely poor risk resistance. The reason why Arasaka recovered so quickly after suffering a major setback is because Arasaka possesses a complete industrial chain across all sectors, ranking among the world's top levels or even leading the way, thus possessing extremely strong risk resistance.

“I need to add another layer of insurance,” Vera said.

"Appreciate further details."

"You, place an order with Arasaka in the name of the Ghost Hound Mercenary Group." Vera placed her hands on the table, crossed them, and leaned forward. "Personal security services."

"you do not trust me?"

"Hmm. Don't be shy, I'm just an investor protecting you." Vera glanced at the red dot marked "Cyborg Tyrant Group A" on the 3D city map, which was gradually approaching Hansen's location, and said without any room for doubt, "He's here."

"You're Kurt Hansen?"

As heavy footsteps echoed from the other end of the holographic video feed, Hansen's face stiffened abruptly. He turned around, and a cold, metallic voice rang out from there, resounding through the transmitter into Vera's office.

"Is this Director Russell? I've arrived."

"Ah, thank you for your hard work, Adam."

...

Meanwhile, in Sacramento, the capital of California, at a temporary recruitment site for the Ghosthound mercenary group.

In the dedicated encrypted communication room, Hansen turned around, leaving the range of the image capture device, and looked in astonishment at the Steel Cyborg who swaggered in, pushing aside the Ghost Hound guards. His face was pale, as if it were pasted onto a block of iron, and devoid of any humanity.

"Adam Hammer".

Staring into those crimson electronic eyes, which were like an abyss, no different from those of a cybernetic psychopath, yet somehow possessed a rationality, even Hansen felt a chill run down his spine.

"Don't look at me like that." With his arms crossed and looking down at Hansen, Adam Hammer looked at him with a playful expression. "My job here is to make sure you don't end up as a piece of rotten meat in a military-technical assassination."

wow——

Before Hansen could decide what to say, a growing uproar outside the room made him frown.

He glanced at Adam Hammer and strode out.

A suddenly clear and open view:

On the high platform, a large projection screen displayed the Ghosthound flag and the Night City flag, with its white, yellow, and blue stripes arranged horizontally—symbols of freedom for the western independent state. Exhilarating music played from the sound system behind the scenes.

The crowd surged, and the shouts, whistles, and discussions of the old and young men who despised Washington rose and fell in the audience.

He shouted at the six terrifying steel giants waiting on the high platform.

Their armor, entirely matte black like that of Arasaka, is adorned with red patterns and a clover logo. Their armor is so thick and heavy, with exoskeleton arms as thick as hydraulic presses and pile drivers, flashing vector levitation engines, and missile launchers on their backs, all emphasizing their dangerous nature.

At their feet, three bruised and battered cyborgs were being held captive on a high platform by Arasaka's black-clad security guards.

“That is…” Hansen opened his mouth.

"Your bodyguard team."

Adam Hammer stepped out, seemingly enjoying the fearful gaze of Hansen, a man who had suddenly risen to a high position.

"The Cyber ​​Tyrant Squad, one of the highest-level security teams launched by the board, you are the first to enjoy it."

"The first one... Hmph, Ms. Vera really thinks highly of me... I know what to do."

Taking a deep breath, Hansen nodded and stepped onto the platform.

He faced a crowd of Washington and Miles opponents who had gathered below the stage, drawn by his unique identity and the Ghost Dog slogan.

He reached out and pressed down, and a sharp, piercing sound rang out instantly. A dozen seconds later, the noise at the scene subsided.

"My brothers, my free spirits, you've been waiting long. Do you know what I just went to do? Well, here they are, they're here again."

Hansen gave a disdainful smile, pointed at the three captured assassins, and spoke in a mocking tone.

"Right now, sitting in the White House, Miles probably wishes she could kill me, a former unification fighter, as if I'd never existed. Even though she thought that way six years ago. Life is sometimes so unpredictable."

At that moment, on the large projection screen on the high platform, the short video of Mewtwo, freshly extracted from the prosthetic bodies of the three assassins, began to play. High up in a building, they were aiming their sniper rifles at the temporary recruitment site of the Ghost Hounds.

"What should we do with them?" Hansen asked loudly.

"Kill them!"

"Kill them!"

This is the crowd's answer.

boom! boom! boom!

Crimson light gushed from the cracks in the skull, creating three blooming flowers in the air.

After mercilessly killing three men, Hansen put down his pistol, revealed an arrogant expression, and began his concluding speech for this recruitment drive.

"Hmph, it's always the same old tricks. Coercion, threats of death, political pressure, empty promises... just like they did to you..."

"...Yes, they are the Arasaka Personal Security service I ordered, and their professionalism in this area is beyond question. I will never be defeated before Miles' arrogance is completely shattered!"

"...Some people say I'm just an idiot, a manufactured fool by Arasaka. Ah, that's right, I, Kurt Hansen, am an idiot, a loser, a new American unification fighter whom Miles threw into the sewer as an idiot..."

"...Paying taxes to Washington? Only a fucking idiot would pay...If we don't fight this war, our children will..."

"...Freedom and sovereignty belong to us. Now, pick up your weapons and use gunfire as a salute to the heroes who died defending their homeland in this metal war! This is what they deserved. Let their spirits in heaven know that the will to freedom still exists. We will never forget, we will never surrender, and we are not going anywhere the hell..."

"The Netherhound warmly welcomes every ambitious individual to join us!"

"Are you all curious about my next destination? Some of you think I'll hide away in Night City? No! I'm telling you loudly, my next stop is Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico! I'm going there to be with my countless free brothers, to see how many familiar faces remain of my former NUSA colleagues..."

"Haha... Mirles thought I'd hide? No, I'm going to duel her! I'm a fighter, a warrior of battle!"

...

wow——

"You're quite sensible."

Vivi stretched out her index finger and tapped it lightly on the table, taking in Hansen's passionate performance.

This is the effect she wants.

If she and Arasaka were to promote and give speeches, they would never achieve the same level of engagement with the wild people of the western states as Hansen has.

As Vera watched the long line of hounds forming at the recruitment office in Sacramento, she smiled with satisfaction, tapped the screen, and a holographic screen lit up.

—"Cutting-Edge Security, Your Guardian: Cyber ​​Tyrant"—

Vera's pursuit in doing things is to make the most of every fish and eat it in multiple ways.

While plotting against her old rival, she also didn't forget to pave the way for Arasaka's new service project.

Washington wanted to be like a boar, leaning its rear end against the wall so Arasaka couldn't catch its tail. No problem, she had already made the first move on behalf of Arasaka.

The move was seen by many as a winning combination: under the guise of personal security services, Adam Hammer and a team of cybernetic tyrants, the bodyguards Hansen had ordered, were dispatched to the front lines of the standoff.

After a quarter of practical testing, the Cyber ​​Tyrant can no longer be hidden, so it's better to make it public.

They are mass-produced goods, not unique weapons for the final battle, so there's nothing to hide.

This is both a way to attract Washington's attention and a free form of publicity.

Vera is waiting, enticing, and patiently waiting; it's up to you whether you take the bait or follow her.

Use orthodox methods to engage, and unorthodox methods to win.

Hansen and his hounds, along with the Arasaka army from Night City that had not yet moved out, and the New America opponents who had stirred up riots in the Free State, were all Vera's main force.

"Now, it's time to use a surprise attack."

She got up and picked up the PDA terminal from her desk.

[Marketing Department launches advertisement for new subscription service: "Cutting-Edge Security: Cyber ​​Tyrant"]

Counterintelligence Special Operations: Misleading

[Security Department Special Operation: Shadow of Seattle]

------

Chapter 117: New Growth Created – Quink and the Ghost Hound

"After the incident, the suspect, NUSA senior FBI agent Mendoza Laurie, gave interviews to more than ten media outlets, speaking to his superiors, colleagues, and neighbors who declined to be named."

"Mendoza Laurie's superior said: 'My subordinate has a heart of gold. His fate is unfortunate.'"

His colleague said, "Mendoza suffered from severe mental illness. The repeated loss of his close comrades, who were like family to him, nearly drove him insane with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). But he loved his job, his colleagues, and his country." The colleague added, "Two days before the incident, he booked a bed for Mendoza at a hospital in Washington and was preparing to send him there for treatment."

"Finally, Mendoza's good friend, who works at the FIA ​​training base in Quantico, Virginia, said: He is a kind-hearted, somewhat kind big boy who likes to talk to people... While Mendoza was wrong to attack the Arasaka delegation in anger, was Ms. Arasaka and Vera Adelhead completely without fault for their aggressive attitude?"

Throughout April of 2076, the North American press covered almost only one thing: the "East-West standoff" triggered by the Mendoza Laurie attack on the US-Mexico border.

The ongoing propaganda war between Arasaka and military technology, the blame game between the local party in the western Liberty State and Washington, and the emerging Ghosthound mercenary group challenging the long-established Lazarus mercenary group in the industry...

boom!

"Damn it, operation failed! Retreat—"