Chapter 197

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Suburban Transport Route.

The blackened earth from the fierce explosion was still emitting white smoke, indicating a recent intense firefight. Several transport and armored vehicles lay toppled on their sides along the road, doors and undersides riddled with bullet holes and lodged shrapnel. The paint on the overturned vehicles bore the "MILITECH" insignia, showing the convoy's origin.

At this moment, Rebecca, holding a sniper rifle, stood with a person lying unconscious at her feet, seemingly sedated.

Chewing bubble gum, she nudged the unconscious individual with her foot and casually inspected him, muttering, "He's out cold."

Her cybernetic eye zoomed in as she reported to Maine. "Target confirmed safe. He's out from a tranquilizer dart."

On the other side, Kiwi added, "Electronic devices on-site are temporarily jammed; Militech reinforcements are expected in three minutes. Finish up quickly."

Maine commanded, "Stick to the plan and wrap it up. Rebecca, fall back to the team. Pilar, prepare to blow the scene. Dorio, get the target in the car along with the goods from the convoy."

Dorio focused intensely, using a high-heat welding gun to burn a massive hole in the convoy's cargo door. "Got it. Wrapping up here!"

Following Maine's directions, the team hastened their movements, racing against time to complete their mission. They had been hired by Gloria to protect a target during a planned assault against Militech.

David Martinez.

After Maine received the job details, his team had set up an ambush on the suburb transport route. He knew that David was not only Gloria's son but also a member of Arasaka's Special Operations Division. A year ago, Gloria worked at a public medical center, selling second-hand cybernetics to support David at Arasaka Academy. Now, Gloria owned the Lizzie's Bar, and David had graduated from Arasaka Academy and landed a job with the company—an extraordinary change for a Night City family.

This was David's first armed field mission for the company, and Gloria's concern was justified. The Militech convoy was heavily armed and fought fiercely, leaving both sides with heavy casualties. When the assault started, the headstrong David had recklessly charged ahead.

Maine watched with concern, knowing that a rookie rushing into the front lines was almost certainly a recipe for disaster. Thankfully, Rebecca's sniping was precise; she shot David with a tranquilizer, knocking him out at the edge of the battlefield and keeping him out of harm's way.

Seeing David's brash courage, Rebecca couldn't help but respect his guts, even if she found no other appropriate words to describe it. Once the fight ended, they began their real mission: clearing out the remnants, jamming signals, and setting up a fake scene.

Before long, Maine's team had wrapped up as planned. Dorio shoved David into a small car, along with a locked crate stolen from the convoy. The vehicle's auto-drive system activated and sped toward an Arasaka base. Pilar planted a series of bombs at the site, ready to destroy any evidence once they left.

Falco drove a mid-sized van, picking up all team members and racing away from the scene. Kiwi in the back seat closed her laptop, saying in a low voice, "Someone's approaching the site."

Pilar, unconcerned, quipped, "Relax; just push the button and they'll be vapor."

Maine confidently pressed the detonator. An explosion erupted in the distance, a bright flash followed by a rising black mushroom cloud. The roaring sound lingered. The mission concluded successfully, the team exchanged smiles and thumbs-ups inside the van.

...

Arasaka Tower.

Susan Abernathy sat in her office, waiting for updates from the field. Her plan aimed to launch swift assaults on multiple Militech bases and convoys within a day, causing chaos and securing an experimental piece of equipment Militech was transporting out of Night City. This task was added to the mission, with Arasaka's R&D department eyeing the equipment.

Watching the holographic feeds, Susan saw Arasaka's attack teams launching aggressive strikes. These groups mostly comprised gang members and mercenaries, with only a few Special Operations Division members. Among those attacking the Militech convoy were primarily Special Ops forces.

Latest reports indicated that the Arasaka Special Task Force was entirely wiped out, and Militech reinforcements had arrived at the scene. Susan was unfazed by the failure; field operations often went awry. The upper management had approved this assault, so any blame would only label her as having made a tactical error.

The operations were winding down as planned, with mixed reports of success and failure, costing many lives. The forces involved were not as elite as the ones used in attacking Arasaka bases, leading to significant disparities in combat effectiveness.

Suddenly, Susan received a call from Tanaka. She anticipated questions about the mission and the status of the device Militech intended to transport.

Connecting the call, they exchanged formalities before diving into the matter.

"Did you secure the device?" Tanaka's voice was as cold as usual.

Susan replied candidly, "Likely not, our forces were wiped out, and we have no return information."

Tanaka paused before calmly asking, "Wasn't the company's Special Task Force assigned to attack the convoy? And they still failed to retrieve the device?"

Susan confirmed regretfully that two task forces had been sacrificed. "The opposition was heavily armed. Militech prioritized reinforcing the convoy under attack, making the device retrieval unlikely."

Tanaka, wearing long-rimmed glasses, frowned slightly, dissatisfied with the result. "How do you plan to handle this?"

Despite the mishap, Susan seemed unconcerned about potential repercussions from upper management. She chuckled, "Do you know who approved this operation?" 

Tanaka replied, "Yorinobu Arasaka, but that's not an excuse."

"Supervisor Tanaka, you're only seeing one layer of it. Whether this operation succeeds or fails doesn't really matter to us because our true target isn't Militech." Susan Abernathy knew that Tanaka belonged to Saburo Arasaka's faction, but they shared a common enemy.

Tanaka remained silent, waiting for her to elaborate.

Susan Abernathy continued, "Think carefully about the conflicting relationships between members of the Arasaka family and the situation we'll face once the operation fails."

"Is it going to be an all-out war with Militech, or will we resort to negotiations?"

Her words were sharp and to the point. Tanaka quickly grasped the deeper meaning.

The two companies were bound to negotiate, and the matter would naturally fall to the Public Relations Department. The newly promoted head of this department was Tang Yu.

Tanaka knew Tang Yu was doing private errands for Saburo Arasaka, but that didn't mean they were in the same camp. In his view, Tang Yu was more like an expendable pawn in Saburo's hand, to be discarded once his value was exhausted.

He solemnly asked, "Is he worth targeting like this?"

"No, no, it's not that I'm targeting him, but he's obstructing some big players, and I happen to be able to do something about it," Susan Abernathy explained. Though she hailed from the Kyoto Arasaka Tower, in terms of workplace philosophy, she didn't belong to any particular faction.

If she had to belong to any faction, it would be the power faction. Regardless of which faction she stood with, as long as she could climb higher and stand steadier, it didn't matter. The key was to seize opportunities to further her own interests. Firmly adhering to one faction meant that if the tree fell, she would face ruin.

The R&D Department didn't have its own special ops team, and even though Tanaka wanted to get that equipment, he couldn't strong-arm Susan Abernathy into doing it. 

Tanaka had little interest in the growing factional conflicts within the company; his focus was on R&D work, which was his lifeline. The call ended.

Susan Abernathy leaned back in her office chair, feeling inexplicably pleased. She called her personal secretary in and instructed them to start preparing materials. Once the operation was over, she would report to the board members. 

The attack couldn't be hidden from Militech, so the two companies negotiating was inevitable. This time, she was keen to see how Tang Yu would perform.

Militech wasn't a pushover. If negotiations broke down, Tang Yu would face pressure not only from outside but also from within the company. She had witnessed how Tang Yu climbed step by step to a high position by aligning with Michiko Arasaka.

Now, with a new king at Arasaka Tower, the perks brought by the 'dove' label would now turn into a disaster. Thinking of this, Susan Abernathy even felt a bit of anticipation.

...

Lizzie's Bar.

Gloria let out a deep breath. After receiving a message from Maine confirming David's safety, she could finally relax. 

She had learned from Tang Yu that David, who had just joined the company, was about to participate in an external mission. The thought of the fierce firefight made Gloria extremely anxious.

Fortunately, with Tang Yu's advice and intel, she had arranged for Maine's team to keep an eye on David to prevent any mishaps. Gloria hadn't expected David to be assigned to the Special Ops Division. But since Tang Yu was the Deputy Head of Special Ops, all of David's actions were under his control. 

Without essential intel, even if she wanted to help David, she wouldn't have had the chance. David was unlikely to disclose any company plans to her due to his personality.

When David was interning in the Counter-Intel Division, he rarely discussed company affairs with her. She realized that David's transfer to Special Ops meant he would often be involved in similar operations, and hiring mercenaries for protection each time was impractical.

The survival environment at Arasaka was far harsher than she originally imagined. The idea of climbing the corporate ladder by sitting at a desk and typing on a computer was laughably naive and unrealizable. 

Perhaps people like Tang Yu, who continuously climbed higher, faced constant life-or-death situations. If Tang Yu didn't co-manage Special Ops and if she hadn't taken over operations at Lizzie's Bar, able to reach out to a competent team like Maine's, David might not have survived his first day at the company.

Gloria now had a clearer understanding of the brutal corporate environment, but she also knew that opportunities often came with risks. Climbing to the upper echelons of the company was better than futilely struggling in the depths of Night City.

She believed that as long as David kept striving upwards, reaching the top of Arasaka Tower would offer more solutions to their difficulties. She sat alone in a private room, contemplating her next steps.

Maine's operation had gone smoothly, and payment had been settled as agreed. David had safely reached the Arasaka base. To avoid arousing David's suspicion, she resisted the urge to call him and planned to send a message later to check on him.

Lastly, she wondered whether to report this to Tang Yu. But given Tang Yu's company position, he would undoubtedly know all about the operation's outcome. Instead of a brief phone call, Gloria preferred to express her gratitude in person.

Her and David's future depended largely on Tang Yu, making her feel conflicted when facing him. Despite their relationship, she couldn't be sure of her place in Tang Yu's life.

Gloria had always kept herself in a humble position, trying not to impact Tang Yu's work and life. She touched her belly and glanced at the pregnancy test strip beside her. For Gloria, everything seemed to be happening too quickly, catching her off guard yet leaving her willing.

Just as she hesitated, Sasha walked in. The door opened, and Sasha came in and sat beside Gloria, sharing interesting stories from Lizzie's Bar. But as she spoke, Sasha seemed to get bored and lose interest.

Gloria smiled and listened, offering gentle comfort. Sasha apologized, saying, "I'm not just making a fuss; it's just that Lizzie's Bar is nice, but as for Mr. Tang..."

Realizing Sasha was Tang Yu's company assistant, Gloria seriously asked her about company matters related to Tang Yu.

Talking about Tang Yu invigorated Sasha, praising him before saying, "Mr. Tang is amazing! Recently, he got a major promotion."

Gloria was both surprised and delighted, asking what happened. Sasha explained, "Mr. Tang has been promoted to head of the Public Relations Department. He's no longer Deputy Head of Counter-Intel and Special Ops."

Gloria's eyes widened in shock, realizing events were already deviating far from her expectations.