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

But as more and more frontline reports and real-life photos came in like snowflakes, many people couldn't sit still any longer.

They are the richest and most powerful group, and conversely, they are the most afraid of death!

That's the company square!

If space-based weapons can reach Arasaka Academy, it means they can reach every corner of Night City!

Who knows if that laser was aimed at Arasaka Academy, or if it simply missed and was originally intended to hit Arasaka Tower?

Could a company building with all its defenses activated withstand that kind of attack?

No, it doesn't matter anymore.

The most urgent task is to get away from the front lines of the war.

See you again, you fucking idiot Night City!

RailAviation's service hotline was instantly overwhelmed with calls as countless high-society figures waved their cash and privileges, demanding charter flights to evacuate Night City.

Even worse, in order to escape as quickly as possible, some people call on their friends in private channels to organize a floating caravan, planning to retreat to the nearest major city.

Executives from other large companies also began to evacuate in an orderly manner, entering underground shelters or simply heading to nearby military bases.

In a short period of time, thousands of airships took off from the city center, completely blocking the air routes.

If these bystanders were in such a panic, then the Arasaka Company, as the attacked party, must have been even more terrified.

"It's a space-based weapon! Satellite positioning shows that the starting point should be somewhere in lunar orbit. It's the European Space Agency's doing!"

In this critical moment, it was Chief Safety Officer Arasaka who had to preside over the meeting because of his own responsibilities.

He hadn't expected the attack to be so brutal; the enemy had even brought out space-based weapons—were they planning a full-scale war?!

All they did was build a quality accelerator, and it's not even finished yet. This retaliation is far too extreme!

On the other hand, the chief information officer received a reply from the European Space Agency: "The European Space Agency claims that it was definitely not them, and that they have not deployed such a large-scale space-based laser weapon on the moon."

That statement... doesn't seem wrong.

The European Space Agency's mass accelerator is a space-based kinetic energy weapon that mainly launches meteorites or tungsten rods, and it is not part of the same system as laser weapons.

But if it wasn't them, who else could it be?

Besides Arasaka, are other companies secretly causing trouble at the lunar base, quietly building this behemoth?

They couldn't find the answers, but inquiries from headquarters kept coming in.

Tonight, many people are destined to spend a sleepless night.

*

High-end apartments in the Heywood district.

Leo also had a serious expression and looked troubled.

After a long silence, he said softly, "V... how did it turn out like this?"

V, pouting, suddenly swung his knife, piercing Leo in one blow—

A roasted lamb leg in my hand!

"It's just that it got burnt! It's all your fault for making such a commotion, I forgot about the barbecue!"

"Ugh…"

Life is tough, Leo sighed.

He cut off the charred crust from the roasted lamb leg, removed the tough, inedible meat, and casually fed it to the two cats that were anxiously waiting nearby.

【tasty! 】

Eat, eat, eat!

Through their spiritual connection, Leo understood the feelings of the two cats.

Cats are definitely easier to care for; they're not picky eaters.

V was annoyed for a moment, but quickly forgot about the minor unpleasantness and squeezed next to him to watch the news together.

With such a commotion in the company square, the media reporters from Night City naturally flocked out.

Unlike in the past, this time everyone was cautious in their words and actions, criticizing the terrorists who attacked Arasaka Corporation, and no one dared to show even a slight smile throughout the entire live broadcast.

Leo ate a skewer of meat that wasn't burnt, and said in a low voice, "V, do you think... Saburo Arasaka's schedule might be canceled? With things getting this bad, the peace summit probably won't be able to take place, right?"

"If I were Saburo Arasaka, I definitely wouldn't come, but we're from two different worlds, so who knows what he's thinking..."

After the two talked for a while, Leo suddenly received a call from Li Qixuan, who immediately asked him if he was willing to go to the military base in Kangtao for refuge.

Leo glanced at V, who was wearing a nude apron, and flatly refused. He was busy at night and didn't have time to run around.

Out of politeness, he inquired about the safety of Xu Shiming and his visiting team.

After learning that they had already moved, he exchanged a few polite words and hung up the phone.

V turned his head to look at him: "You rejected Kang Tao's offer. Aren't you afraid they'll suspect you? After all, Kang Tao knows you have advanced technology."

"What's there to be afraid of? The more they suspect me, the less they'll dare to do anything to me, because I really do have weapons of mass destruction. If they push me too far, my space-based laser weapons will fire indiscriminately, and the entire Earth will be within my firepower range!"

"Having a big fist is great, you can do whatever you want..." V was extremely envious.

Leo wholeheartedly agreed with her words, so after finishing his late-night snack, he took advantage of her without restraint!

*

Monday, April 4th.

Leo received a call from an acquaintance, his friend David, as soon as he got up.

“Leo…” David’s live feed appeared, his face blank. “The school is gone…”

"I know, I saw the news last night. How come you only found out so late?"

David, who had already changed into his school uniform but found himself with nowhere to go, scratched his head in bewilderment: "My mom worked overtime yesterday, so I rented a few Mewtwo movies and watched them until midnight before going to sleep."

Leo nodded.

Got it, he's just focused on having fun and hasn't paid attention to anything else, which is very typical for David's age.

"So what should I do now? My mom and the others are in an emergency and can't take care of me. I was just saying I wanted to talk to you today about how you're the super awesome company chairman..."

"Just stay home quietly. Today is probably going to be tough. If you have time—wait a minute, I'll contact you later. I received an important email."

"Okay, then you go ahead and get busy..."

David slumped onto the sofa in despair.

He didn't seem to care much about the school being bombed. He heard that because it was late at night, the faculty and staff didn't suffer much damage, except for the principal... well, never mind, he wasn't familiar with him.

The real trouble is that he just paid his tuition, and his mother even borrowed some money at high interest rates for it. It's only been a month since school started, and the school is gone…

It's like his mother's dream...

Leo hung up the phone and opened his personal email.

It was another email from Arasaka Company, beginning with a long string of words of reassurance and apology, claiming that they had caused trouble for the guests and hoping to receive everyone's forgiveness.

Finally, changing the subject, he said, "The Peace Summit will proceed as scheduled. Mr. Saburo Arasaka's itinerary remains unchanged. He will arrive at Night City at 9:00 AM, which will not affect the summit starting at 10:00 AM."

"Saburo Arasaka...you've got guts!"

Leo couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for him for daring to come to Night City under such circumstances.

Alright then, since the other party dared to come to the meeting, he certainly couldn't back down.

"V, go find two formal suits. You'll be accompanying me to the peace summit later!"