Chapter 120

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Westbrook, Cherry Blossom Street.

In an old apartment building, the interior elevator slowly ascended to the twelfth floor and came to a stop as the elevator doors slid open automatically.

Tang Yu stepped out of the elevator, briefly surveying the entire floor's layout.

The floor plan was straightforward, with a corridor leading straight from the elevator to the far end, flanked by steel doors on both sides, only a few of which were tightly closed.

The entire corridor was dimly lit, with walls covered in various graffiti, and broken vending machines piled up in the corner, no longer functioning.

Black plastic trash bags were haphazardly stacked in the hallway, and the air was thick with a sour stench—it looked long-abandoned.

In Night City, there were many such old high-rise apartments, mostly in a state of semi-abandonment.

These dilapidated apartments, with aging infrastructure and no management, had gradually become hiding places for vagrants.

Some mercenary groups or gang members would also fancy these places, occupying a whole floor or several large rooms as secret bases for their activities.

Tang Yu had some recollection of this place. When he first started out, he took a mission to rescue a Militech employee, Sandra Dorsett.

Sandra Dorsett had been kidnapped by Scavengers and was brought to this very abandoned apartment.

If Tang Yu remembered correctly, it was on the fifteenth floor, in a bathroom towards the interior.

But just now.

From entering the old apartment building to taking the elevator upstairs, Tang Yu had not noticed any signs of Scavenger activity.

Where Scavengers lurked, sin and filth thrived, and there would be fresh bloodstains or body bags left behind.

Tang Yu put these thoughts aside and walked into the dimly lit corridor.

He stopped in front of a door, looking at the number.

"1236"

Confirming that this was the exact apartment number given by Maine, he pressed the electronic panel of the door access system.

The door's surveillance camera focused on him as if confirming his identity through video.

Soon after.

The access system unlocked, showing a green light, and the steel door automatically slid open.

Maine had been waiting by the door and upon seeing Tang Yu arrive as promised, his expression was complex—this meeting had been long-awaited.

"Mr. Tang, you're here."

Tang Yu nodded slightly, stepped inside, and took a quick look around the room.

In the center of the living room was a table with a few leftover boxes of instant noodles, still steaming.

Three worn-out sofas surrounded the table, and the floor was scattered with empty medicine vials.

Tang Yu turned his attention elsewhere and began, "Let's check on Joanna Koch's condition first."

The priority was to ensure the safety of the target; they couldn't afford any mishaps with Joanna Koch.

Maine grunted and moved towards the inside of the apartment, stopping at a bathroom door.

Tang Yu also reached the doorway, where there was no actual door, so the bathroom's interior was in plain sight.

The target, Joanna Koch, had passed out and was tied to a stool with bio-neural data plugs connected to a computer.

Next to the target was a large bathtub, filled with cold water and ice cubes.

A sleek body was submerged in the icy water as if fallen into a deep slumber.

Tang Yu recognized her—a hacker from Maine's team. He hadn't interacted with her much but had seen her a few times.

Kiwi lay reclined in the bathtub, her exquisite curves partially concealed by the floating ice, barely revealing her proud figure and two blueberries.

She was still wearing her pink mask, resting her head against the bathtub's rim with her eyes closed, deep in slumber.

A black bio-neural data cable extended from the port at the back of her head, connected to the terminal computer, engaging in a hacking dive.

Tang Yu was no stranger to hacking dives.

At the moment, Kiwi was immersed in Joanna Koch's brain data stream, trying to break through her ICE in order to dig for more data.

Dorio and Falco were standing by, monitoring for any sudden anomalies in Joanna Koch, to prevent any emergencies.

Hackers are highly vulnerable and at risk during a dive, and they wouldn't typically perform such operations in front of others unless there was significant trust.

Tang Yu didn't interrupt Kiwi's dive process; instead, he stood at the doorway, waiting to ensure nothing unplanned occurred.

Kiwi, as the hacker, couldn't have any issues during the dive, and Joanna Koch, as the target, had to remain unharmed as well.

The process of hacking into the ICE was not easy as the level of protection was high and there were many obstacles to overcome.

With each step closer to the core database, Kiwi had to exert a lot of effort to evade or break through the ICE, resorting to hacking when there was no other way.

She needed to be careful not to destabilize Joanna Koch's brain data stream by damaging the structure of the ICE.

Tang Yu noticed that Kiwi had been diving for an unusually long time; he approached the control terminal and glanced at the electronic screen.

He accessed the code of Joanna Koch's brain data stream and noticed an upgraded defense on her ICE, especially against dives, including fortified anti-tampering programs that actively attacked intruders.

During her dive, Kiwi had to evade or break through the ICE while fending off attacks from the anti-tampering programs.

Only after passing these obstacles could she reach the core of the data stream and obtain the desired information.

After understanding the situation, Tang Yu began to write implant codes on the spot, using the terminal to modify Joanna Koch's ICE automatic attack programs, setting up Kiwi's diving consciousness as a whitelisted entity in the anti-tampering programs.

With his hacking experience from a past life, he made it so that the fortified anti-tampering program no longer affected Kiwi.

Inside Joanna Koch's data space.

Kiwi, struggling against the attacks of the anti-tampering programs, suddenly felt all the attacks halt.

With a frown and some confusion, she wondered what had happened.

Was it someone from the outside who had modified the programs?

Kiwi guessed quickly that she had been whitelisted by the anti-tampering programs and now had the permissions to control the programs to decode the ICE, significantly speeding up the hacking progression.

Kiwi navigated through the labyrinth-like data matrix, carefully breaking through layer after layer of code barriers.

Finally.

Without damaging the ICE system, Kiwi successfully dived into the core data center of Joanna Koch.

She swiftly accessed the database to retrieve the pertinent records, her cyber-optic pupils scanning and searching continuously.

Kiwi was also aware that the prolonged dive was dangerous; high brain temperature could lead to neural damage, and long exposure to icy water could result in frostbite, so speed was essential.

In fact, the initial abduction mission for Joanna Koch did not include the hacking dive.

Kiwi undertook this task mainly because Maine had asked her to search for any intel on Sasha in Joanna Koch's data.

At that moment.

Kiwi furrowed her brows, searching at breakneck speed for key terms like Sasha Yakovleva, the Biotechnica tower explosion, antibiotics and superbugs, and bioweapons.

Her eyes flickered with lights, as strings of codes, images, and text, rolled passed, simultaneously being recorded and stored.

Suddenly.

Instability started to appear in Joanna Koch's data space; the prolonged dive connection was causing the other's brain to gradually regain activity.

Kiwi hastened to retrieve and store the data. Suddenly, a top-secret project caught her attention.

The Nightingale Project?

A search showed it was directly related to antibiotics, super-viruses, and Militech.

Evidently.

This project was under Joanna Koch's charge and was likely the source behind the Red Chrome Legion's infection.

Kiwi recalled that before the dive, Maine had asked interrogated Joanna Koch, but the cunning woman divulged only bits and pieces, emphasizing the development of a new antibiotic as critical to corporate interests.

She had threatened Maine and his team, saying interference with this project meant opposing not just Biotechnica but all the corporations involved, including military tech.

Joanna Koch even tried bargaining, offering Maine a position in the company and solving his cyberware issues if he released her.

She claimed that her death here would lead to everyone's demise.

Maine was unfazed, knocking her out and injecting her with a sedative to keep her asleep before Kiwi performed the hack.

Now, Kiwi was in the middle of uncovering the secrets of the Nightingale Project.

Kiwi tried to access the details of the "Nightingale Project," but the specifics of the project were inaccessible, with only Joanna Koch herself having clearance.

Kiwi had no more time to try breaking through the program and could only continue to gather other related information.

In the bathroom, 

Tang Yu noticed that Joanna Koch seemed to be stirring, her drooping eyelids beginning to tremble incessantly.

He realized that the effects of the drug had worn off, picked up a new bottle of orange-yellow serum from the table, and injected it into her neck, plunging her back into a deep slumber.

It wasn't long before a signal came from the terminal screen indicating Kiwi wanted to terminate her deep dive. She must have safely disentangled herself from the ICE defenses.

Tang Yu tapped the electronic screen to confirm a safe disconnection from the consciousness data link.

Three seconds later, 

Kiwi gasped for air, sitting up in the bathtub as ice mingled with cold water cascaded down her skin texture, falling with a plop back into the tub.

She felt like she had fallen off a cliff in her dreams and suddenly snapped back to reality; her youthful vitality was gradually returning.

Steam rose from the back of Kiwi's neck as the high body temperature evaporated the cold condensation beads from her skin.

She pulled the interface from the back of her head, stood up in the bathtub, the blue devices swaying slightly, without any concern for the presence of others.

Dorio quickly grabbed a dry blanket to cover her, concerned about Kiwi's condition.

Kiwi, catching a glimpse of Tang Yu also present by the connection terminal, seemed to realize something, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

Grabbing the blanket, she wiped her hair, walked over to the computer desk, picked up the box of cigarettes and a lighter, and glanced at Tang Yu.

"Thanks," she said, pulling a cigarette from the box, lighting it on her own, and smoking it behind her mask.

She knew that it was Tang Yu's intervention that had caused Joanna Koch's anti-tampering program to stop attacking during her foray.

If it hadn't been for his outside assistance, Kiwi might still be deep-diving, battling those damned ICE programs and attack protocols.

Maine, somewhat eager, waited for Kiwi's color to return before asking urgently, "How did it go? Any results?"

Kiwi leaned against the computer desk with a cigarette in one hand, flicking the ash casually, as the blue devices also lightly swayed.

"No intel on Sasha; it must be outside of Joanna Koch's domain," she said indifferently.

"However, aside from developing antibiotics, she previously developed neuropathic painkillers, which must have harmed quite a few people, mainly ex-soldiers."

Kiwi turned to look at the slumbering Joanna Koch and continued, "There are some records of the explosion at the biotech building, but not many details. What's certain, though, is that the aftermath of the explosion wasn't handled by biotech but by Arasaka Corporation."

At this revelation, 

Maine quickly grasped the implications and pressed on, "Biotech's security was indeed outsourced, to Kang Tao company, but why did Arasaka Corporation end up dealing with the explosion?"

Kiwi elaborated, "According to the information, there was a collaboration between Arasaka and biotech in neuronal pharmaceuticals—specifically, consciousness studies."

"The details of the collaboration are missing, likely related to the explosion, given that the office destroyed belonged to biotech's senior staff, possibly in charge of neural drug research."

With this, 

the underlying truth of certain matters started to emerge.

Unconcerned with the reactions of those present, when mentioning Arasaka Corporation, Kiwi observed Tang Yu's expression but could not discern his thoughts and continued,

"Additionally, I found a top-secret plan in Joanna Koch's consciousness data, possibly related to using the Red Chrome Legion for antibiotic research."

"The plan was isolated with additional encryption, beyond Joanna Koch herself, no one could access it."

"What's certain is that this plan involves the development of antibiotics and is tied to Militech."

Militech?

Maine and the others fell into thought, not expecting that Joanna Koch was not just bluffing—the things she said were indeed true.

The Red Chrome Legion's antibiotic trials and super bacteria cultivation indeed involved Militech.

This kind of disaster-grade bio-weapon would likely be used in only one place: the battlefield.

Tang Yu, silent until now, listened to Kiwi's deep dive intel, then asked in a grave voice, "Kiwi, what's the code name of the project?"

Kiwi, surprised to hear Tang Yu speak, realized that only Militech could capture his interest and responded.

"The Nightingale Project."

After learning the project's name, even without the full specifics, Tang Yu could piece together the rough scenario in his mind.

He surmised that the military wanted to enhance its dominance and deterrent power on the battlefield.

By turning soldiers into biowarriors immune to super bacterial infection, they approached biotech for collaboration, funding the development of a new antibiotic while creating a counterpart super bacteria. 

If biotech succeeded, the military would possess a powerful weapon; any other force wanting to contend would have to consider the consequences.

Biotech calculated that if the super bacteria spread, they could make a significant profit from the new antibiotics—at least until mutation, using the military's money for R&D and profiting thereafter.

But even if the research failed, the excuse could be relegated to scientific inquiry—no experiment was guaranteed success.

For biotech, it's a no-risk, all-reward situation.

With these thoughts, 

Tang Yu couldn't help but feel sorry for the military, seemingly a big sucker unaware of being played.

The Red Chrome Legion trial proved that biotech's new antibiotics couldn't counter the super bacteria and had severe side effects.

Why, then, did Joanna Koch keep funding trials with outcasts from the Badlands, weren't the sample data from cadavers enough?

Even a few deaths should have highlighted the issue with the new antibiotics.

If the military began large-scale procurement of such drugs, they wouldn't settle for a just-passable effect.

Even a sixty or seventy percent corrective rate for the new antibiotics was far from enough—the military demanded a mortality rate of one in ten thousand or even one in a hundred thousand.

As for the current performance of the new antibiotics, soldiers might be incapacitated by the side effects even without infection by super bacteria.

Reviewing the situation, 

Tang Yu found the slender woman, Joanna Koch, seemingly refined, yet harbored exceedingly venomous intentions.

Despite knowing the trial product was flawed, she insisted on using the tribe for testing, apparently putting on a show for the investors, assuring the military the experiment was ongoing.

She blamed the trial failures on insufficient sample data, requiring more substantial funding injections.

Thus, Joanna Koch took advantage of the greed among corporations and staged a grand research drama.

Through this play, the military poured funds thereby boosting Joanna Koch's performance, solidifying her senior position in biotech and securing the role of technical and development regional director.

And according to her personal intel, her mentor in scientific research, research personnel, and PR managers had mysteriously died one after another—likely eliminated by her for knowing too much.

In this drama, Joanna Koch profited, biotech profited, the Tyger Claws profited, and Kang Tao profited along with them.

Everyone grabbed their slice of the pie on this chain of interests.

The real big sucker was the military, each penny spent nourishing others from start to end.

But the real victims were the Red Chrome Legion, so nearly wiped out by the testing.

Tang Yu unraveled the intricacies among these corporations; the entire affair's context became clear.

With the affair's full scope still elusive to him, he started to feel at ease.

To Tang Yu, grasping the full scope meant controlling the most critical and valuable intel, and information was one of the most useful trump cards.

With information, there were opportunities for leverage.

Not only did he hold Joanna Koch's life in balance, but he also understood the dealings between biotech and the military.

And with this hand, he could play his cards well.