From Gotham to Night City, my infamy is known to all.

Sasha was also enthusiastic: "I need to clear out a room and move my usual hacking equipment over first..."

They were happily discussing moving into their new home.

Meanwhile, Arasaka's big trouble is quietly approaching...

Chapter 422 Arakasa's Fury: "Damn it... there really is a traitor among us!"

The top of Arasaka Tower.

The familiar high-level private conference room.

The Arasaka executives had just returned from Taipingzhou when they immediately held an emergency meeting behind closed doors. This time, even the top executives of the Night City branch participated in the meeting.

Two vice presidents, COO (Chief Operating Officer), CFO (Chief Financial Officer), CSO (Chief Security Officer), and CIO (Chief Information Officer).

In addition, there was Hanako Arasaka, who participated remotely, and the Dean of Arasaka Academy, who was specially called in for the meeting.

It can be said that Arasaka's top executives in Night City gathered together to discuss the new crisis caused by Blue Dream Corporation.

The meeting was still chaired by Abernathy, ostensibly because everyone has their own expertise, but in reality... those who climb to high positions are all experts at avoiding getting stuck in a difficult situation, and no one wants to take on a hot potato when things are not going well.

As a result, Special Operations Director Abernathy was given the "honor" of holding meetings with the leaders.

This is absolutely... fucking insane!

Abernathy, who has the temperament of a strong woman, is really suffering right now. If it weren't for the remote intervention of the powerful figure she's clinging to, she doesn't even dare to imagine whether these higher-ups would blame her for the unfavorable situation that has accumulated over the past period and then kick her off the cliff.

What's even more painful is that Jenkins, the undisputed scapegoat, is absent this time, and she may have to bear the consequences of this meeting herself.

She sighed inwardly, then rallied her spirits and continued chairing the meeting: "Have the results from the R&D department come out yet? Are the water-purifying plants as good as Blue Dream Company claims? Are they genetically modified or specially designed?"

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) read through the report sent by his subordinates several times and then forwarded it to everyone:

"The genetic model is very clean, without any manipulation. Simulations show it is indeed a highly efficient water-purifying crop. It's worth noting that this plant also has a comprehensive range of nutrients, and combined with its inherent strong vitality and rapid growth rate, this algae can be considered a superior alternative to existing edible algae..."

He glanced at everyone and stated his judgment.

"Simply put, this stuff is very useful to Whole Foods, a subsidiary of the biotechnology company. As long as there are no safety concerns, the synthetic vegetables that people eat in the future will use this algae as a raw material."

What is this indicating?

This shows that the value of this water-purifying algae is even more amazing; it can not only purify water but is also edible, truly making every part of it a treasure.

The fact that Blue Dream Company can so readily disclose this technology reveals its wolfish ambitions!

That's right, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. They gave up such huge profits, so they're only after something more!

"Taipingzhou..."

The place name that Abernathy uttered was exactly what everyone was thinking.

The young man named Leo, in front of the global media, authorized the use of water-purifying algae to all of humanity, which was indeed very generous and magnanimous. But from another perspective, this event could also be seen as a publicity stunt, a way to win people's hearts!

If he did this in his own country, Arasaka would wholeheartedly approve, and might even award him a trophy for being an outstanding international friend.

But he did this in Taipingzhou, and even blatantly brought Xu Shiming to endorse him, telling the world that the headquarters of Lanmeng Company was in Taipingzhou.

They really think they're at home in Taipingzhou!?

That's clearly Arasaka's territory!

If it were another small company, Arasaka would have plenty of ways to make all of their employees disappear without a trace.

But Lanmeng is different. They already have a moral high ground and are under the spotlight. Many of Aragaka's ruthless methods cannot be used on them, otherwise they will get into trouble.

Unfortunately, Lan Meng and Kang Tao are so close they're practically inseparable...

Abernathy couldn't help but rub his forehead. They had just discussed the movements of the anti-arasaka alliance. The three hypothetical enemies hadn't made any large-scale military movements recently, so they probably weren't planning a full-scale war.

What does this act of forcibly ceding territory mean?

With Lan Meng's moral integrity and Xu Shiming's influence, they forced Aragaka to swallow his anger?

"Wait a moment, I have received an urgent intelligence report."

The CIO's sudden interjection gave Abernathy a brief moment of relief.

But this sigh of relief was clearly premature. As the "superhero movie" played on the big screen, the Arasaka executives fell silent.

That face, those gloves, and the people around him all indicate that the protagonist of the film is Leo, the founder and chairman of Blue Dream Company, who is incredibly young and has an unfathomable background.

His performance lived up to the title of protagonist. With a snap of his fingers, he sent more than a hundred guns flying into the sky, turning their muzzles to aim at their master, and then they fell rapidly, knocking down all those who dared to raise their guns at him.

It's cool, it's superheroic, but... you're saying this is real footage taken by a reporter, without any editing?

What's going on?!

For a moment, everyone was in a daze, then their gazes all fell on the Chief Technology Officer's face again.

Abernathy asked in a deep voice, "Has the technology from the Prosthetics Project been leaked?"

The chief technology officer almost lost his composure.

First of all, he was just the CTO of the branch and really didn't want to make a big splash at this kind of blame-shifting meeting.

Secondly... "A father is like a son"—does that make sense?

He carefully crafted his words, explaining tactfully: "The gravity-modification prototype we are developing is still in the experimental stage. Theoretically, it can only adhere metal weapons to the surface of armor. To make weapons float like he did, there is still insufficient theoretical basis."

Everyone understood that Lanmeng's technique was much more advanced and effective than Ara-saka's.

But is this reasonable?

Blue Dream?

That tiny company with only twelve people—less than the number of people in one of Arasaka's offices—could possibly have this kind of technology?

This is truly unbelievable...

"So, Lanmeng not only has water purification algae but also this kind of military technology. A small company that suddenly appears out of nowhere could not have such a foundation. Moreover... it could not have been supported by Kangtao. If they had this kind of technology, they would definitely keep it to themselves."

Hanako Arasaka reiterated the think tank's assessment, which was also her own opinion. She believed all crows are black, and she didn't believe Kangtao would be willing to give away water-purifying algae for free.

In other words... this small company might actually have some good stuff, and it traded its technology for Kangtao's support, just like the biotechnology and Peizhuo Petrochemical companies did in the past?

We can't rule out that possibility, but it's still too fantastical; it sounds like a fairy tale.

After raising the level of attention for Blue Dream Company and Leo even further, they continued to discuss what changes the situation in Night City would bring if the alliance formed by Kangtao and Blue Dream were to occupy Taipingzhou for a long time.

With the involvement of the think tank and the controlling AI, more and more negative factors emerge, all of which are detrimental to Arasaka.

The CFO mentioned that some small institutions and retail investors were selling off Arasaka's stock, but they used the stabilization fund to stop them.

In the grand scheme of things, such a 1% fluctuation in the stock market is insignificant and was quickly overshadowed by other comments.

Time passed slowly, and the meeting had been going on for an hour without showing any signs of stopping.

More and more questions and negative speculations are being raised, and the anti-Araizaka alliance is being brought up again. The think tank points out that the probability of this alliance actually taking action is not zero.

Seeing that the tone of the higher-ups was starting to change, and sensing that a lot of blame was about to be placed on his head, Abernathy decided to take a gamble.

She first secretly consulted Hanako Arasaka and, after receiving her approval, decided to repeat her old trick and make things difficult for Jenkins once again.

"Clerk, has Director Jenkins replied yet? His meeting with Chief Security Officer Contour has been going on for a long time. Has anything been accomplished?"

The junior clerk quickly relayed a message to Jenkins, even though he had already contacted him more than a dozen times within an hour.

Fortunately, this time the other party finally responded.

"Jenkins: I need to speak with Abernathy and get the master AI to grant me communication privileges."

The clerk relayed the information to everyone present.

Ultimately, it was the highest-ranking member, Hanako Arasaka, who made the final decision and approved Jenkins' call request.

The next second, a "buzzing" sound rang out.

With the intervention of the main control AI, this call was played in public for the leaders' reference.

Abernathy felt uneasy, but under everyone's gaze, he could only answer the phone.

Adhering to the principle of striking first, she immediately began with accusations:

“An emergency meeting is being held within Arasaka, and you are the only one absent! Jenkins, you are now the interim senior director of Arasaka, and all the idle agents are under your command. I hope you have achieved the desired results in your meeting with Contau!”

After the high-speed chanting ended, a lot of blame was shifted.

Abernathy knew that with Xu Shiming in charge of Night City, Jenkins would definitely suffer another humiliation. Since his death was coming soon anyway, he might as well let him take all the blame to his grave!

"..."

The person on the other end of the phone was breathing heavily, but didn't speak.

Abernathy, thinking he was just raging incompetence, pressed his advantage: "Jenkins, you didn't mess this up again, did you? You didn't find any clues in the missing convoy case, you couldn't get past Contau's obstruction and watched them take Pacific Island, and now you haven't even managed to get the meeting sorted out?"

Subtext: You piece of trash, just die already!

“No, that’s not it… wait a moment…” Jenkins said somewhat vaguely.

"What are you waiting for? Come back quickly, the meeting isn't over yet, and we need your participation."

"Hold on…"

"So what are you waiting for?!" Abernathy emphasized.

“Wait a bit, it’ll be over soon…” Jenkins finally gave his answer. “Three, two, one, time’s up! They’ve already started, it’s our turn to talk, Abernathy, you filthy bitch—!”

The high-level conference room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was looking at Abernathy with strange eyes.

These two have really fallen out; it's a really ugly and unseemly situation.

Some clever ones glanced at the time and saw it was exactly noon.

What's the significance of Jenkins waiting for this moment?

Everyone else is watching the spectacle, but the "spectacle" itself doesn't bring any joy.

Abernathy was absolutely furious: "What did you say! Jenkins, yes, I admit we have some personal issues, but I hope you don't bring your emotions into your work. It makes you look very unprofessional!"

"Fuck you!" Jenkins cursed. "You think you're so professional? I'd like to see how professional you are when you commit seppuku!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?"

"Watch news on Channel 54, don't miss my live news broadcast, you bitch, you won't be around for long!"

Before the words were even finished, two of the high-ranking officials present had already turned pale with anger.

They are the Chief Security Officer and Chief Information Officer.

"Oh no! The Arasaka intranet has been subjected to a massive puppet attack! The attack originated from within; the data barrier has been tampered with, and an intelligence leak is occurring!"

"Master AI, block Arasaka Tower's external transmission network!"

"..."

"The main AI!?"

"Under attack... The response may be delayed. System self-check in progress. Attack source detected, located inside Arasaka Tower... Please... take immediate action."

"grass--"

The higher-ups couldn't help but swear, and the meeting room descended into chaos.

Chapter 423 Arakasa's Wrath: Whose peace declaration can only last 48 hours?!

The Arasaka Tower was attacked, but the attack came from within!

This is the first time since the Americas headquarters was rebuilt on the ruins in 2070!

The last person who dared to do this was a stupid rock kid who brought a nuclear bomb into Arasaka Tower and almost destroyed the entire Night City!

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and the internal meeting was on the verge of collapse.

Far away at the Arasaka headquarters in Japan, Hanako Arasaka closed her eyes tightly and made a difficult decision—contact her father; the situation in Night City was spiraling out of control.

Xu Shiming visited Night City without warning;

Blue Dream Company, which clearly has a cooperative relationship with them, has taken a strong lead in Taipingzhou and signed a major infrastructure agreement with the municipal government there, setting new "rules" for the locals.

The high-ranking official sent to protest to Kangtao is suspected of defecting and is even going to broadcast live on Channel 54, a news channel that supports military technology.

What exactly is Kangtao trying to do?!

This is not only a question for Hanako Arasaka, but also for all the executives at Arasaka, and for countless citizens who saw the emergency news broadcast on Channel 54.

[Dear viewers, we apologize for interrupting your viewing experience. Please allow us to insert a very, very, very important breaking news.]