2077: V really knows how awesome he is

The sword in the stone began to slow down and slowly came to a stop at the side of the road.

Kenichi Saburo nodded to Michiko.

The anime girl breathed a sigh of relief. Since V was indeed making a suggestive joke, it should have nothing to do with the Azure Building.

“My grandfather, Saburo Arasaka, just died.”

"What?!" V exclaimed with a skillful exclamation.

"To be honest, I have no feelings for this grandfather, but he died in the Azure Mansion, the Azure Mansion under my control. The family council has threatened to hold me accountable, and I must deal with them with all my might now."

V asked gravely, "What do you need me to do?"

“Find the murderer.” Michiko Arasaka said sincerely, “V, you are the only person I can rely on now.”

"Yes, please rest assured, I will definitely find the murderer and clear your name!"

call ended.

Kenichi Saburo said, "She is not entirely trustworthy."

“There is no one in this world who is 100% trustworthy.” Michiko Arakasaka sighed softly. “I have to answer questions from the family council, so I can only trust V now.”

"I will always be with you."

"Thank you, Kenichi."

V hung up the phone and remotely controlled the Stone Sword via the street camera to restart it, changing its route to head towards the Azure Building.

After she finished doing all this and looked up, she saw that everyone was looking at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked curiously.

"It's nothing, I'm just surprised by your composure." Meredith Stock, being a seasoned pro, smoothly launched into the conversation: "I always felt that even if you were having an affair and suddenly received a call from Sasha, you could still perfectly smooth things over while having an orgasm without blushing or panting."

"Pfft!" Xu Zhong couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly covered his mouth.

The others also looked like they were trying very hard to suppress their laughter.

"Fuck you!" V, his forehead creased with annoyance, gave Meredith Stock the middle finger. "I would never cheat!"

Joanne Koch chuckled mischievously, "You just can't have an affair, but you can still do *that* while pretending to be okay, right?"

V understands everyone's emotional need to relax at this moment, but that doesn't stop her from wanting to personally shoot these idiots.

As if to complement her, faint gunshots could be heard from outside the window.

Instantly, everyone became serious.

"Looks like our audience has been spotted," V asked over the comms. "Report the situation."

"The audience successfully reached the ground and returned to the Delaman vehicle, but were blocked by Adam Hammer at the entrance of the Gambit Building and are currently in a tough battle."

"He actually managed to stop Delaman's chauffeur who had activated the 'Perfectionist Package'? Adam Hammer has leveled up again?" V was a little surprised, but not too surprised: "It's too early to arrest him now. Notify David, it's his turn!"

Downstairs, Adam Hammer fired a miniature missile that sent Drumman's car staggering. Just as he was about to tear open the car door, the cybernetic robot suddenly descended from the sky, blocking his way with a loud bang and grabbing the car door first.

Adam Hammer, of course, wasn't going to let the credit slip away so easily. He raised his eight-star gun and fired a shot. Caught off guard, the cybernetic robot was blasted away. Just as Adam Hammer reached out towards the Delaman vehicle, a gravity field suddenly appeared, slamming him to the ground with a whoosh.

"You little brat, you're asking for it!" Adam Chargehammer roared.

David didn't back down either, maneuvering his cybernetic body to his feet with a somersault: "Adam Hammer, I think you haven't had enough of the beating from last time!"

"Don't think I'm afraid of you!"

"Come on then, bald guy!"

The two were on the verge of exchanging barbs, and as a result, Delaman's car took the opportunity to escape.

"Are you happy now? Let's see how you explain this to your boss!" Adam Hammer sneered as he holstered his gun.

David activated the anti-gravity device and took off, laughing loudly in mid-air, "You idiot, aren't you? I can fly!"

After saying that, he chased after Delaman's car, leaving Adam Hammer alone, bewildered in the wind.

“Alright, the show’s over, it’s time for the actors to leave the stage.” V said to Meredith Stock and the others, “I’ll go down and create chaos to help you escape, and then everything will proceed as planned.”

"understand!"

V rode the freight elevator down, passing through the kitchen. At the door, a counterintelligence agent brought her a new suit jacket and sprayed her with deodorant, completely eliminating the food smells clinging to her. Then she opened the door, just as the Stone Sword arrived. The scissor doors slowly rose, and V got in, closed the door, switched from autopilot to manual driving, and after circling around, she appeared at the front entrance of the Azure Building.

The cybernetic robot flew overhead at high speed. V glanced at it, got out of the car, and saw Adam Hammer standing in place.

She didn't rush to acknowledge this living legend, but instead said to the flustered hotel manager, "I am V, and I have been ordered by Miss Michiko to take full charge of this matter. My ID code is 3FDK40G and my authorization code is 349dk33. From now on, all personnel in the Azure Mansion will be under my command."

Actually, V doesn't need to mention her identity code or authorization code; everyone in Arasaka knows her face now.

The hotel manager nodded repeatedly, not daring to cause any trouble. The death of Saburo Arasaka in the Konpaku Building was undoubtedly a cataclysmic event for him, like a collision between Mars and Earth. He was too big for such a big deal.

"Take control of all non-combat service personnel. Don't let a single one leave until I've finished questioning them. Assign weapons to all combat personnel and guard all entrances and exits of the Azure Building. Prohibit anyone from leaving!"

"Everyone?!" the hotel manager said cautiously. "There are many distinguished guests in the hotel, including company representatives and municipal officials..."

V said coldly, "No matter how distinguished the guest is, he is not as distinguished as that one, do you understand?"

The hotel manager immediately broke out in a cold sweat and repeatedly agreed.

But he dared not object, while others did, such as Arasaka Yorinobu.

"V, don't do anything reckless!" The man who killed his father stepped out of the hotel lobby: "Your actions will ruin Arasaka's connections!"

“If it’s lost, we’ll rebuild it. I’ve been entrusted by Ms. Michiko, and I will do everything in my power to find the culprit!” V said respectfully but without backing down. “Mr. Lai Xuan, please return to your room immediately. If you need anything, please let me know, and I will have it delivered as soon as possible.”

Arakasaka Yorinobu was taken aback and shouted, "You bastard, are you going to imprison me too?!"

“That’s right, everyone in the Gumpi Building today is a suspect, and you are no exception.”

"Those two members of the Voodoo Gang are the murderers!"

"They might just be scapegoats, the real killers thrown out to take the blame. This kind of practice is very common in Night City. If you don't believe me, just ask your bodyguard."

Yoriyuki Arasaka glanced at Adam Hammer, who nodded.

Damn it! Of course, Arasaka Yoriyuki knew that the two from the Voodoo Gang were not the murderers, but they had to be the murderers in order for him to get away.

At this moment, Arasaka's security team had arrived, consisting of 22 troop carriers, 580 heavily armed high-ranking samurai, and 20 Takeda-class mechs. Not to mention ordinary people, even Arasaka Yorinobu felt a chill run down his spine.

"Take over the building, conduct a thorough search, and if there is resistance..." V coldly ordered, "Freedom of fire is permitted."

Everyone was startled again, realizing that Arasaka was truly in a hurry.

While others panicked, Arasaka Yorinobu was even more panicked. He knew better than anyone how clumsy his lie was. Any doctor could tell the real cause of Arasaka Saburo's death, let alone these well-trained professional soldiers.

No, we absolutely cannot let V search the building.

Prince Arasaka hurriedly said, "V, you can't do this! You'll make Arasaka everyone's enemy. I order you to lift martial law immediately and let all innocent people leave!"

V showed no respect to Arasaka Yorinobu: "I'm sorry, Mr. Yorinobu, you have no right to order me around. I only obey Ms. Michiko's orders."

"Baka!" Arasaka Yorinobu's face flushed red, partly from anger and partly from shame. He had long been excluded from the core of power, and now he couldn't even command one of his niece's subordinates. Enraged, he took a few steps forward and slapped V across the face.

"Snapped!"

V grabbed Arasaka Yorinobu's wrist.

She is unable to use a prosthetic body, but Arasaka Yorinobu's prosthetic body modification is not very advanced either.

To be honest, V couldn't understand why anyone would give up power for prestige. Losing prestige means losing a lot, but losing power means losing everything.

V looked at Arasaka Yorinobu with icy eyes.

Arasaka Yoriyuki also looked at V, his eyes filled with panic.

Everyone was stuck in an awkward position. A conflict had broken out between the most powerful person and the most prestigious person present. What should be done?

"Adam Hammer!" Arakasaka Yorinobu launched the first attack. His foundation was too weak, so he had to take the initiative by intimidating others.

The living legend had barely taken a step forward when all 580 high-ranking samurai from Arasaka simultaneously pointed their guns at him. The infrared sights converged densely from the dots, turning the black Adam Hammer red.

"How dare you defy me?" Arasaka Yorinobu was astonished that someone dared to disobey him, completely forgetting what he had just done.

V's silence wasn't out of arrogance, but rather because he was listening to information from a hidden channel.

Meredith Stock: "We're out of here. Watch yourself."

V felt relieved and released Arasaka Yorinobu's wrist.

"Guests can evacuate, but they must register. At least two high-ranking warriors must patrol each floor, four in the lobby, and each equipped with a single-soldier mech—this is my bottom line."

Arasaka Yoriyuki laughed. He had been saying that no one in the world would dare to disobey Arasaka.

Before he could even enjoy his moment of joy, V coldly remarked, "I will submit a full report to Tokyo headquarters regarding Mr. Lai Xuan's obstruction today. As the biggest beneficiary of this heinous incident, I have every reason to suspect that you orchestrated this crime yourself!"

"you!!!"

What do you mean, "you"? Do you really think that infighting within a wealthy family is child's play? Michiko Arasaka has already been recalled by the family council, so you can get the hell out of here too, and don't bother me!

V conveyed this message with her eyes, but before Arasaka Yoriyuki could say anything, her phone rang.

It's David.

V deliberately chose to play it out loud.

"Vice Commander, the target vehicle has been located."

"Intercept it at all costs. Don't worry about casualties. Even if the suspect dies, Arasaka can still extract secrets from the dead."

"This... I can't do it."

"why?"

"Because I scanned and found another body in Dlaman's car, the body of Mr. Saburo Arasaka."

"what?!"

V exclaimed in surprise, and Arasaka Yorinobu shouted, "This is impossible!"

But when the group returned to the top-floor suite, they found that the body that should have been there had disappeared.

"We have a breaking news report: Saburo Arasaka, President and CEO of Arasaka Corporation, has been assassinated in the Konjaku Building. According to reports, the head of this Japanese business tycoon was attacked by unidentified assailants inside the company's hotel, the Konjaku Building, while attending a family gathering. His body was also missing in the chaos. Ms. V, the initiator and host of the corporate alliance, has been tasked with investigating the matter. With Ms. Michiko Arasaka and Mr. Yoriyuki Arasaka back in Japan, this legendary figure, who once stormed the Arasaka Tower, has become the cornerstone of Arasaka Corporation in Night City."

Chapter 33 Relic Chips

"Yorinobu Arasaka's initial obstruction greatly complicated the investigation. After so many days, we've found virtually no useful clues in the Azure Building. The only thing we can confirm now is that two members of the Voodoo Gang were present at the time, and according to the scan report sent back by the Cybertronian, they were the ones who took away Mr. Saburo Arasaka's body. I originally planned to have the Security Department launch a purge operation against the Voodoo Gang, but Military Technology and other companies are eyeing us covetously, all wanting to take a bite out of Arasaka when it's at its weakest. In order to catch the murderer as soon as possible, I had to compromise and launch a joint anti-gang and anti-voodoo operation in the name of the company alliance. This not only requires some financial support from the company, but also damages Arasaka's prestige. I ask for your punishment for acting on my own initiative."

V bowed respectfully, but Michiko Arasaka shook her head and raised her hand in a gesture of support.

“Since it’s a joint operation, other companies naturally need to contribute funds as well. As for prestige, let’s not talk about that.” Michiko Arasaka sighed softly, “V, you did a great job. Even I might not have handled it as well as you.”

"You are too modest."

"No, I'm telling the truth. I'm incredibly grateful that you're on Arasaka's side."

"Thank you for your praise, I was just doing my job." V looked up and asked, "What about you...?"

"To be honest, it's not good. Someone has to be held responsible for Grandpa's death, and the family council is trying to push me out as a scapegoat."

V frowned: "Compared to you, Arasaka Yorinobu is the most suspicious."

"That's true, but he's Saburo Arasaka's only son, and that alone is enough for him to gain the support of most people."

With such a tradition, it's no wonder that in the original story, Arasaka Yorinobu was able to rise from an outsider to the leader of the Arasaka after Saburo's death, and even Arasaka Hanako couldn't suppress him.

V, who was only 23 years old, didn't quite understand. In 2076, technology could already artificially customize gender. If she wanted, Hanako Arasaka could easily equip herself with a giant cannon and have children. The idea that a son's inheritance rights were greater than a daughter's was outdated.

But considering that Saburo Arasaka is a 157-year-old relic, things seem to make sense again.

It can only be said that Arasaka's decline was not without reason. Saburo Arasaka used technological means to overcome one era after another, but in the end, he was also defeated by the times.

"I will find the murderer as soon as possible, please rest assured," V reiterated.

Michiko Arasaka shook her head: "Your most important task now is to protect Arasaka's base in Night City and prevent other companies, especially those in military technology, from having any opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

V deliberately paused for a moment: "Then Mr. Saburo's grudge..."

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Michiko Arasaka said quietly. “The ones who most want Saburo Arasaka to disappear are not outsiders, but us, his descendants. Such heartlessness and ingratitude are the true family rules of the Arasaka family.”

“V, Night City is my home, and I’m entrusting it to you.”

"Yes."

Michiko Arasaka flickered a few times and then disappeared.

Along with it, the surrounding scenery also disappeared. The originally pink and cozy women's boudoir vanished instantly, replaced by V's cold and dreary modern office.