Chapter 40

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Caitlin, the Deputy Director of the Arasaka Special Operations Division, could no longer consider the consequences of a full-force assault. No matter how many casualties they suffered today, they had to capture Maine and others and retrieve the military-grade Sean Weston prosthetic back to report and complete the task. Otherwise, she could not withstand the wrath of Director Susan Abernathy. Someone had to take the primary responsibility for this matter, and Caitlin knew that person was likely to be her. But as long as Director Abernathy was willing to keep her protected, there was still a chance for her to survive at Arasaka Corporation. So, in Caitlin's view, the death of the Arasaka special forces was not really a concern, at worst it could be chalked up to her own command error. But if Director Abernathy were disappointed, that would be the end of her career at Arasaka. Caitlin couldn't imagine the consequences of that. Everything she had, including her lifestyle, advanced cyberware, and more, were given by Arasaka Corporation. If she were fired, she would lose everything, and it was better to risk it all one more time.

Determined, Caitlin did not hold back any longer. After ordering the Arasaka special forces to charge, she dispatched all the drones and heavy artillery, unleashing the final ferocious suppression on Maine and his team in the riddled workshop.

"None of you will leave here alive today even if I have to bomb this factory into rubble!"

Maine and the others didn't know the secret passage used by the Maelstrom gang to escape. It was easy to be targeted in the sparse cover outside, so they could only struggle in the workshop against the Arasaka special forces.

Just as Maine and his team were helplessly trapped, the situation on the field changed drastically, and the Arasaka special forces attacking them rushed to evacuate from the workshop.

But before they could respond, they were already taken down by gunfire from another source.

Kiwi hurriedly scanned the situation outside: "Militech forces have acted. They initiated an attack from outside, and all the armed members of the Arasaka special forces have been killed!"

Upon hearing that Militech had taken action, Maine and his team were finally saved from Arasaka's grip.

"There must have been a deal with Faraday and Militech," Maine said, helping Dorio up and speaking to the others. "Let's evacuate quickly. The gang from the Maelstrom gang has stolen the prosthetic, we'll deal with that later!"

The team moved without hesitation.

Meanwhile, outside the workshop.

Two Militech armored hovercrafts launched a fierce bombardment from the skies, and five armored vehicles belonging to Arasaka Corporation were instantly blown up.

The massive explosion turned the field upside down.

Caitlin, who failed to notice the situation in time, was flung by the blast and fell to the ground. Struggling to raise her bruised face, she was met with a pistol already held to her forehead.

Caitlin's eyes widened in shock, completely failing to anticipate being attacked by Militech forces at this time. The whole affair had been conducted in secret, and according to the intelligence she had, Militech had no intention of reclaiming the prosthetic.

Why then had they suddenly appeared here?

Moreover, flouting the unspoken rules agreed upon by both corporations, they abstained from using fire power openly against each other in urban areas.

Since the fourth corporate war, both Militech and Arasaka had suffered differently. But both companies had a ceasefire agreement on paper, and despite their powers gradually recovering and a new round of fierce conflict beginning, they had maintained a rule of verbal spar over physical confrontation to avoid direct armed conflict.

Yet today, Militech's forces blatantly abandoned that rule, striking Arasaka's special forces with heavy firepower.

If this news became public, it could likely serve as a pretext for the two sides to clash openly, or even spark an all-out war.

What shocked Caitlin even more was that Meredith Stout, the person in charge of this Militech operation, was the Head of Militech's Special Operations Division.

Caitlin saw Meredith approaching slowly, her golden hair hanging down her back, dressed in a leather tactical suit with the signature Militech tactical gloves on her crossed arms, exuding an icy demeanor.

"You dare to make an open attack on an Arasaka executive, this is an act of war!" Caitlin spat blood as she roared in anger. 

"Arasaka won't let you get away with this!"

Caitlin started to frantically call for backup, but the communications were completely jammed by Militech.

Even as all Arasaka personnel had trauma team insurance—and Caitlin was a platinum member—without communication, there was no way to call for help.

Meredith gestured for her subordinates to spare Caitlin's life for the moment and hunt down the remaining members of the Arasaka special forces instead.

 Militech's armed personnel took out their heavy machine guns and began to execute the Arasaka special forces, caitlin watched as the Arasaka special forces she brought were blown to pieces and then had to watch as the ones on the ground were shot in the head point-blank.

All three Arasaka Special Operations units died on site, none survived.

Caitlin's anger turned into helplessness; she knew she was finished.

The death of all three Arasaka forces required a board report and judgment.

She could guess the outcome.

As Caitlin looked desolate, her survival instinct drove her to plead: "You can't kill me! I'm the Deputy Director of the Arasaka Special Operations Division, part of the senior management. If I die, you won't escape the consequences!"

Meredith scoffed disdainfully: "Who said we were the ones who killed you? The real killers were those cyberpunks, weren't they? Don't worry, I'll soon avenge you and your Arasaka colleagues."

Caitlin's eyes bulged, her cybernetic irises filled with blood due to emotional stress; she knew she couldn't escape, but she still wanted to live, even if it meant leaving Arasaka and Night City.

"Director Meredith, I beg you, please let me live, I promise I'll never speak of today's matters!"

Caitlin struggled, crawling on the ground, trying to grasp Meredith's leg, begging to be spared.

Meredith kicked Caitlin in the face, deforming her high-end cyberware, revealing intricate fibrous cyber-teeth sparking uncontrollably with tiny electrical arcs.

"Do you think I'd trust you, trash? Arasaka never utters a single truth," Meredith declared. 

"You should have anticipated this working under Arasaka."

"You wanted the prosthetic data for Tanaka's R&D, didn't you?"

"Don't think we don't know what Arasaka is plotting. That stinking bitch Abernathy hiding behind the scenes won't come out; otherwise, she would be the next to die!"

Meredith's excessive pride as the head of Militech's Special Operations Division, someone influential over Night City, shone through. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have the opportunity to lay hands on an Arasaka executive like Caitlin, but today it was Arasaka that had brought trouble on itself.

As far as Meredith was concerned, even someone as formidable as Faraday was nothing more than a corporate dog. Let alone people like Maine who were not related to her and were part of Night City's underbelly; they were expendable in the eyes of the company.

In this world, there was never a shortage of grunts.

Thus, Meredith turned her attention to Maine and his team, still hidden in the workshop, and instructed her subordinates to shout out to them:

"People inside, immediately drop your weapons and surrender!"

"Drop your weapons and surrender!"

"Militech is conducting a special operation, the site is completely secured, failure to heed this warning will result in being shot on sight!"

Meredith was confident in the forces she brought; they were more than capable of dealing with five defiant cyberpunks.

Moreover, the hovercraft had the workshop and surrounding factory completely under surveillance; Maine and his team had zero chance of escape.

Inside the workshop.

Maine and his team, having gathered together, were considering negotiating with Faraday to spare them.

But when they heard Militech demanding their surrender, they knew the situation was far from simple.

Dorio, wincing in pain, leaned on Maine's shoulder and said, "Militech doesn't intend to spare us! We can't surrender!"

Kiwi frowned, her tone from beneath her mask no longer as calm as usual: "Yes, Militech's intention is to wipe us all out to cover their tracks. Surrendering now is suicide!"

The twin-tailed girl, understanding the opponent's intent to eliminate them, roared in rage, "Then we fight them to the end! No one is afraid of them! Those treacherous bastards!"

Maine stayed silent, knowing full well that his team was already wounded and low on ammo without the means to fight another battle with the well-equipped Militech forces.

But laying down their weapons was certainly a death sentence.

"Damn, I have no choice but to turn to him!"

Kiwi quickly realized what he meant: "Are you talking about that guy from Arasaka?"

Maine nodded, "Yes, he was the one who orchestrated this situation, but he has yet to make a move. There isn't a second person who can contend with Militech except him."

The twin-tailed girl grew even angrier: "Those Arasaka assholes are worse than trash, expecting him to help? I might as well charge out and fight them myself!"

Kiwi spoke with a grave tone, "How about trying to contact Faraday, after all, he knows people in Militech, and this intel was also passed to Militech through him."

Maine gave a wry smile of helplessness: "I've already called him, signals can't get out now, I can't even contact Lucy."

Hearing this bad news, Kiwi also cursed fiercely.

"Shit."

Exhausted, Maine said, "This mess started because of me; I'll go talk to the Militech, and if negotiation fails, at least I'll buy you some time."

Everyone was shocked.

By the sound of it, Maine intended to single-handedly confront the Militech forces to buy time for the rest to escape.

Maine didn't wait for them to dissuade him and continued, "I know you don't want me to go on a suicide mission, but the situation is such that I owe you all, and as the leader, it's my responsibility to ensure you survive!"

"Pilar, go blast through the back wall and make us an exit. I'll hold off the Militech guys!"

The twin-tailed girl was the first to disagree, leaping out: "Maine, I'm coming with you, I'm not afraid of those Militech goons! You're not allowed to die here!"

Pilar, wielding her damaged cybernetic arm, said, "Maine, you're our leader; you can't die here. Let me do this; I can blow them to smithereens all day! Just remember to avenge me, haha."

Dorio could hardly bear the thought, as she would never consent to Maine going to his death alone.

Already without companions in Night City, they gathered in warmth through mutual support.

Without Maine, Dorio felt no attachment to Night City or this world.

"Maine! I'm with you!"

Maine, moved by Dorio's and the Pilar siblings' expression of solidarity, felt all the more sorry for them.

However, it was Kiwi who remained calm, observing the situation to find a way to break through the lockdown and send out a distress signal.

She believed that if they could just get in touch with Lucy, they could reach Mr. Tang from Arasaka, and perhaps still find a chance for survival.

"Damn it!"

Kiwi clenched her forehead with one hand, as her cybernetic eyes spun wildly trying to breach the Militech's communication blackout.

But the blackout stemmed from a jammer on an armed aerostat, which would have to be destroyed to be effective.

Now.

Even if everyone disagreed with Maine's plan, the military forces seemed to be running out of patience.

Maine's eyes regained their resolve, and he spoke with unprecedented solemnity: "Thank you all, really, but this place cannot become Maine Squad's gravesite!"

"I'm the leader, and this time you must all listen to me!"

"I witnessed Sasha taking on that mission, falling from the biotech building with my own eyes."

"I don't want to see such a thing happen to any member of Maine Squad again."

"Otherwise, what's the meaning of having this cybernetic body?"

As he spoke, Maine's arm cannon malfunctioned and ejected automatically.

He pushed it back into place with a punch, slightly smiling despite his frustration: "Even though it's a bit faulty, this old thing has never failed me at a crucial moment."

"Pilar, get ready to blow up the wall."

"Kiwi, remember to help Dorio get out."

"Rebecca, if someone follows, don't look back."

"Don't worry, I'll hold them all off!"

"If you still remember me as your leader, come and sit in TURGO's convenience store plaza when you're free."

With that said.

Maine didn't heed the protests and moved towards the workshop door under the gaze of his team's grief and helplessness.

His large silhouette looked so lonely and heavy in the dark. In the end, Maine chose to exchange his life for his teammates' chance to escape.

Even though he knew it was a hard gamble, he was willing to let go and take the risk!

Dorio clenched her jaw, her rational mind telling her this was the best decision and way out, but she truly couldn't stand letting Maine face the threat of Militech alone.

Kiwi stopped Dorio, who impulsively wanted to rush to help, and calmly advised, "Dorio, we can't let Maine's sacrifices be in vain!"

Even Pilar stayed silent, devoid of any mood for jokes.

Rebecca, the twin-tailed girl, stared hard at Maine's retreating figure, too agitated to say a word.

The night deepened.

Meredith stood waiting outside the workshop; after ineffective warnings, she signaled the armed forces to begin clearing the area.

Suddenly.

From the dark and dusty workshop, a figure slowly emerged.

The Militech agents immediately aimed their guns.

Meredith squinted, recognizing the large, black-skinned man with excessively modified cybernetics making him look bloated. From Faraday's intel, she recognized the figure as Maine, but saw no one else coming with him, her gaze turning icy cold.

Unnoticed, under the cover of the night, Maine, who wore sunglasses, began showing strange symptoms.

His cybernetic eyes were round, occasionally shuddering oddly, and his face rigid and silent as though oblivious and walking forward.

Immediately, a Militech agent warned, "Stop moving immediately, put down your weapons and surrender on the ground!"

But Maine did not stop; instead, he took step after step towards Meredith.

Meredith's eyes narrowed as she sensed something was off, "Maine, where are the others? Why didn't they come out with you? Just follow orders and surrender, and you won't be killed."

Hearing Meredith's question, Maine suddenly stopped and muttered to himself.

"It's so hot, so hot..."

He found himself inexplicably in a scorching desert, feet on a track leading towards an endless horizon.

The blistering heat parched Maine's mouth, but his only thought remained.

"Forward, forward, keep moving, never give up."

Maine stood on the desert track, stunned, no longer distinguishing between memory and reality.

"The others…"

"Isn't it just me?"

Maine looked around; the shimmering golden heat of the desert revealed no one else's presence but his own.

So he had to keep walking…

Meredith, seeing Maine's bewildered state, completely ignoring his surroundings as if a robot was moving on instinct, sensed something peculiar.

"A cyberpsycho?"

Meredith hadn't confirmed it, but being faced with overpowering fear of death and extreme neural stress, it was highly likely to trigger latent cyberpsychosis.

She had seen many cyberpunks like Maine become cyberpsychos from excessive implant modifications.

Meredith was ready to give the kill order.

"MAINE!!!!!" Suddenly.

Came a voice from behind Maine.

It was Dorio and Rebecca.

Hearing this familiar call, Maine stopped his stiff march and turned around as if awakening from a nightmare, only to see his teammates casually coming out of the workshop.

Rebecca held a machine gun targeting the Militech, Pilar's hands and body wrapped in explosives, Kiwi supporting Dorio in front.

Maine, awakening from the nightmare, was surprised to see Rebecca and the others.

"Why did you come?!"

Rebecca replied with a proud grin, "We all agreed that the Maine team can't be without Maine!"

Meredith was serious, "It seems you haven't given up yet. You only have one choice: surrender your weapons."

"I can let you live, but you must hand over the cyberware!"

Maine no longer suppressed his emotions and declared boldly, "The cyberware has been taken by the Maelstrom gang; you didn't really think we would choose death over protecting that junk, did you?"

Meredith's expression soured, "Don't choose death."

Rebecca retorted, "Stop the babbling, old lady! Even if we had the cyberware we wouldn't give it to you! If you're so tough, bring it on! Too much talk!"

Enraged, Meredith was ready to order an attack, when suddenly the sky above surged with an oppressive heat.

A massive red square laser grid descended from above.

Within the laser field, all firearms were magnetically pulled away, and electronic devices started to malfunction.

Military tech operatives saw their firearms ripped from their grasp, flying towards the aerostat above.

The red laser grid projected floating text aligned with the broadcast warning.

"Arasaka executing special operation, please lay down your weapons immediately, or you will be regarded as hostile towards Arasaka and will be promptly neutralized."