Great, we're doomed now!

This is not something that can be accomplished in one cycle. In fact, sending the Mann squad back earlier was to prepare for this step in advance. In addition, a lot of time was spent on preliminary reconnaissance, listing the people and forces that could really influence the world situation, and formulating a strict "strategy plan".

The groundwork alone took two cycles... Fortunately, nothing major happened in the main world during this time. He could just fight monsters as usual and let Daigo take care of that. He could focus his main energy on Cyberpunk.

Ye Shou's actions in Night City can be described as ruthless and unscrupulous!

Some people have their consciousness silently replaced in their sleep—the “living spirit” made of glass comes entirely from the target person in terms of experience and knowledge, so there will be no flaws.

Every decision, every word, every glance must serve Ye Shou's orders.

Some people are even simpler; they are directly brainwashed. Even without Ultraman's power, Ye Shou can use technology or magic to subtly reshape their consciousness, making them change their stance without realizing it, and even wholeheartedly accept the new values ​​and principles.

Lucy's Stand played a crucial role in this process.

Her double can move through networks or circuits and is an excellent tracker and assassination agent. When it transforms into the Hound Hacker, it is also very powerful. No matter how perfect the disguise is, it will be caught by those invisible eyes.

Those deeply hidden behind-the-scenes corporate controllers, those shadow bosses whose existence even the board of directors was unaware of, were exposed one by one and brought into Ye Shou's view...

In just a few days, the leadership of Night City has been completely replaced, and this hasn't even caused a stir.

No one on the street knew, no one in the media knew, and even the company's own middle managers did not notice anything unusual.

The regular meetings are held as usual, and the reports are prepared as usual. The only difference is that the people who sign off now have a common boss and will follow his will without objection.

If we were to compare these companies to human puppets, then now all the puppet strings on them are in Ye Shou's hands!

This is just the beginning...

Night City is merely a free state on the North American continent. There are many similar cities in this world, each completely divided up by leading companies in military technology, the European Space Agency, biotechnology, and so on. (Arasaka is actually a step below these true overlords, but they're basically on the same level.)

Ye Shou has great patience. With his power amplifying it, Liuli's living spirit will be in ample supply. Lucy's Stand is ubiquitous. The Cyber ​​world has no means to fight against it, and it is even difficult to realize that it is being invaded!

Those mercenaries who returned from the main world are far more skilled, determined, and mentally prepared than the fringe wanderers who fought and killed on the streets of Night City back then. Most importantly, their loyalty is guaranteed, so they will be deployed to various key locations to oversee the integration and operation of the entire system.

of course there are exceptions.

Among so many puppet rulers, there were a few whose consciousness was not replaced by living spirits, but was specially selected by Ye Shou, such as "Arasaka Yoriyuki".

As the heir to Arasaka, Yorihiro was nailed to the chariot of capital from the moment he was born.

His father, Saburo Arasaka, was one of the most powerful people in the world, and as the eldest son, he should have been the most loyal guardian of this system.

But Lai Xuan was different from Saburo, that old-fashioned capitalist. He was a big fan of popular culture and had even been a fan himself, once idolizing Johnny Silverhand. Because of this different perspective, he realized something early on:

Giant corporations are a malignant tumor growing on humanity.

This gave him the idea of ​​reform, to dismantle this monster from within!

But his talent couldn't support his ambition... Decades later, most of the things he did ended in failure.

He was scolded by his father, pressured by the board of directors, and betrayed by his subordinates, but he did not give up.

—That's exactly what Ye Shou saw in this!

It wasn't because of his great abilities, but because of his heart. He had spent most of his life immersed in the capitalist world, witnessing more evil than most people have eaten rice, yet he was not assimilated and did not become like his father.

This fully demonstrates that he is determined and not someone who will be easily swayed. His radical ideas were also well thought out and not just a passing fancy.

An old steed in its stall may still aspire to gallop a thousand miles; a hero, though old, may still cherish lofty ambitions!

—This statement carries a sense of tragedy when applied to Lai Xuan. He spent most of his life as a dragon slayer, yet he couldn't even cut off a single dragon scale...

Now fate has given him a chance!

Ye Shou easily gained Lai Xuan's trust and even loyalty. This was not because he suddenly appeared in Lai Xuan's house, nor because he waved his hand to drive away the security robots and demonstrated his overwhelming strength.

Lai Xuan was not a person who was afraid of death, so these things did not pose a threat to him.

What moved him was neither force nor rhetoric, but a trip—when Ye Shou went back to lead the "Mann Squad," he also sent him to the main world for a tour.

In just one month, Arasaka Yorinobu's worldview was completely reshaped!

There's no need to go into the specifics of what happened; just know that this man cried more than once.

...Countless times in the dead of night, I doubted myself: should I continue to hold on to that seemingly naive and fragile dream, or should I completely succumb to my father and admit to this absurd and hopeless world?

Lai Xuan was strong-willed, but he was always in pain and struggle. In the "original work", he finally chose such an aggressive strategy to destroy the company, which was probably because he was driven to the brink of madness.

Because he was a lonely man, no one could support his career, and no one understood his thoughts, not even his family. He even doubted whether destroying the company could truly change the world…

His travels in the main world solidified his beliefs!

That was a planet that existed only in historical records, a planet whose ecological environment had not yet been destroyed, and a human society that was developing healthily... No, it was even better than that!

A TPC that coordinates global efforts to protect people, and a Kuse Group that owns countless assets but only wants to promote technological progress—this is simply a dream scenario!

Monster invasion?

What does that matter!

With such leaders, such capitalists, and such people, no external enemy can destroy humanity!

—Arasaka Yoriyuki's confidence in the main world is even greater than that of Yoriyuki.

The Kuze Group, in particular, brought him an immense shock:

He thought the Kuze Group was simply perfect. Its technology was far ahead of the competition, heavily polluting enterprises had been basically eliminated, and employee welfare was also valued. It was exactly the Arasaka Company of his ideal!

As for his reverence for Ye Shou... to be precise, it was a special kind of faith mixed with envy, pity, worship, and pride.

Because Ye Shou and his "stance" are almost identical!

Both are heirs to large conglomerates, both are full of passion and ideals... The difference is that Ye Shou successfully realized his ideals and led his world to a better future, while Arasaka Yoriyuki wasted half his life and accomplished nothing.

Ye Shou was the epitome of success in his eyes!

Even without anything else, he would be willing to dedicate his efforts to Ye Shou's cause just for this reason alone.

Moreover, the more he learned about Ye Shou's achievements, the more he realized the gap between himself and Ye Shou in terms of ability, and thus he began to admire him.

Later, after accidentally discovering the connection between "Giant of Light - Bayeri" and the Kuze Group, this feeling transformed into faith...

Upon returning to Night City and seeing this world corrupted by venom, a stark contrast to the main world he remembered, his emotions surged even more intensely!

To be honest, he thought Ye Shou's plan was too merciful, targeting only the top management. If it were him, he wouldn't have spared even the middle-level managers!

Although it was impossible, he had indeed fantasized about what it would be like to replace all the executives of major companies with TPC employees... Unfortunately, Ye Shou would not throw the talents he had painstakingly cultivated into such a quagmire.

"Let's get straight to the point. I have a task for you."

After a brief opening, Ye Shou calmly told V, "You need to infiltrate the common people of Night City for a long time to collect specific intelligence and deliver it to Lai Xuanjun."

"An undercover mission?"

V instinctively wanted to refuse: infiltrating is dangerous enough, let alone involving such a big shot; it's hard to imagine how difficult the mission would be.

"But I've already been assigned to find the 'mysterious luminous object,' so it's probably difficult to do it all at the same time—"

"Oh, that was just an excuse."

"Excuse?"

Look!

Ye Shou pointed to himself: "Did you see clearly?"

"Forehead……"

After carefully examining that handsome face, V nodded blankly.

Congratulations on completing the mission!

"……what?"

“I said, you have found the mysterious luminous object, and the mission is over.”

Ye Shou spread his hands and smiled warmly: "It's me."

"!"

"Do not believe?"

Seeing V's shocked and bewildered expression, Ye Shou couldn't help but smile and put his hand on V's shoulder.

call!

V felt a sudden lightness, a sense of weightlessness washed over him, and in the distance, the starry sky twinkled. A perfectly clear yet ugly full moon appeared before him.

—He instantly arrived in outer space!

Chapter 475: The Man Needed by God (4K)

V's first reaction was that he had been infected with some kind of virus and dragged into a Mewtwo world!

However, the suffocating feeling brought by the vacuum was too real. It felt like my lungs were being squeezed tightly, and every attempt to breathe only resulted in inhaling nothingness, leaving my throat making a meaningless dry sound.

My eyeballs were bulging outwards, and I felt a tearing pain all over my body. My vision started to darken at the edges, and I saw warning signals flashing by in the corners.

"Well!"

Just as he was about to lose consciousness, an apologetic "sorry" came from somewhere.

"This was my mistake."

A pale golden barrier silently unfolded, like a transparent palm enveloping his entire body.

"Ugh... Huh? What?"

V still couldn't breathe, but the feeling of suffocation receded like the tide, replaced by a warm and comfortable pulse that spread from his chest to his limbs, as if something was exchanging blood and oxygen for him.

The prosthetic lung also stabilized and stopped sending warning messages.

The various data flashing on the mechanical eye gradually returned to green, and the signals at all interfaces of the prosthetic body were stable, just like when it was on the ground.

"This is……"

V slowly lowered the hand covering her neck, subconsciously turned her head, and then saw Ye Shou flying leisurely from a distance, his posture as relaxed as if he were taking a stroll in his own garden.

His body was enveloped in a faint glow, and a faint golden humanoid silhouette emerged behind him:

Standing approximately three to four meters tall, its posture exudes regal majesty, yet its lines do not entirely resemble those of flesh and blood. Mechanical components, such as gears, are inlaid like ornaments within the golden light and shadow, slowly rotating with each breath it takes.

Absurd and bizarre, yet it exudes a solemnity that makes one afraid to look directly at it... just like the final boss that appears in a science fiction novel.

V stared at the golden humanoid figure for a few seconds, then quickly lowered his head to avoid being misunderstood as impolite.

As he lowered his gaze, he suddenly noticed a dark gold emblem on the back of his right hand, with a cup-shaped pattern at its center surrounded by fine, sun-like needle-like rays.

But before he could examine it closely, the emblem disappeared beneath his skin, leaving only an almost invisible pale gold outline.