Chapter 103

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In the exclusive office floor of Arasaka Corporation.

"Do you like it?"

When Michiko spoke, Tang Yu already sensed something off.

Michiko's tone didn't sound like she was seeking an opinion but rather making a suggestion, almost with a hint of coercion.

Tang Yu responded with a smile, while Michiko waited patiently.

The two sat in the office's guest area, silent, the atmosphere suddenly quiet.

Only Sasha curiously observed them, sensing the conversation's implications for her future.

For some reason, Tang Yu felt uneasy but quickly masked it, not letting anyone discern his true thoughts.

He knew Michiko had no good intentions by assigning Sasha as his special assistant, signaling two things.

First, Michiko had decided to recruit him into her faction, possibly involving deeper conflicts, hence Sasha's assignment to probe.

Second, Michiko was getting anxious, preparing for the upcoming storm.

Hence, Michiko didn't have a strong leverage over Tang Yu.

Acting from necessity, she needed Tang Yu but couldn't fully trust him, making Sasha an optimal choice.

Michiko, elegant as ever, awaited Tang Yu's response, certain of success unless he explicitly refused.

Knowing both were smart, Michiko understood that forcefully assigning an assistant wouldn't work; it wouldn't monitor effectively and would cause Tang Yu to be on guard.

However, Sasha Yakovleva was different.

She possessed a perfect human appearance, advanced hacking skills, combat capabilities, almost a blend of maid, bodyguard, hacker, and girlfriend functions.

Most importantly, Sasha wasn't driven purely by human or AI consciousness.

As a single man and dual deputy head, Tang Yu had no reason to refuse such an assistant.

After toasting from afar, they both strategized, testing each other's boundaries.

Ultimately, Michiko, as a high-ranking Arasaka director, forced Tang Yu to break the silence first.

Tang Yu feigned surprise, then concern, expressing perceived loss and difficulty.

He directly confronted Michiko, admitting Sasha's excellence but highlighting the hidden intentions.

Now, Sasha represented a commitment, an important stance, and a dangerous bomb – a bomb Michiko controlled.

No one wants to embrace a bomb, even if it's an attractive cybercat.

Tang Yu expressed his straightforward nature, emphasizing trust in his abilities rather than empty loyalty.

Michiko listened attentively, then asked Sasha about her assignments and loyalties, revealing Sasha was assigned to assist Tang Yu from the start, not Michiko.

Tang Yu realized his strong stance had little effect on Michiko, a high-ranking member of the Arasaka Family, able to assign special assistants at will.

To Michiko, anyone within Arasaka Tower appeared as mere employees, bound by the company.

Michiko continued, confirming Sasha's primary tasks and loyalties, essentially declaring Sasha a gift and acknowledging Tang Yu's work with a toast.

Despite any hidden intentions, Tang Yu accepted Sasha, seeing advantages in presenting a closer involvement with Arasaka family affairs and utilizing it for his activities, subtly shifting responsibilities to Michiko.

Eventually, Tang Yu accepted Sasha's assistance, easing his workload and strategically aligning himself within the corporate and Arasaka Family dynamics.Michiko saw Tang Yu finally agree, her smile growing even wider.

"Tang, this gift then, I consider my plan a success."

"Since you joined the company, you haven't undergone a full bodily cybernetic enhancement. With Sasha by your side, a lot of trouble can be avoided."

"Moreover, this implantable, invisible synthetic sclera is compatible with Sasha's visual recognition system."

Saying this, Michiko waved her hand, signaling Sasha to bring over a sleek black box with an "O" character printed on the casing.

Sasha placed the box on the desk in front of Tang Yu and then stepped back to stand quietly behind him, graceful as ever.

"Customized by Militech?"

Michiko continued to explain: "This synthetic sclera is custom-made by Militech. It's not only compatible with Sasha's visual system but also incorporates multifunctional modules. You'll know once it's implanted."

"Additionally, Sasha is currently like a newborn artificial intelligence. Once she learns for a while, she'll be indistinguishable from a normal person, and you will naturally appreciate her value."

Michiko gave a meaningful smile, picked up a big cigar, took a puff, let it linger in her lungs, then exhaled through her nostrils.

Tang Yu nodded slightly. For Michiko's 'kindness,' he had no choice but to accept it all for now.

And judging by Michiko's tranquil demeanor, she didn't seem to mind a thorough examination of Sasha, including Sasha's AI base algorithms.

If there were any tampering, it would never escape Tang Yu's notice.

As a former top-tier hacker, he had seen enough to be confident in verifying Sasha's foundation himself, and he could even seek out 'AI God' Alt Cunningham to check Sasha.

Most importantly, Michiko had no reason to do so. Assigning a cybernetic being to supervise Tang Yu would only be counterproductive.

Was Sasha really just a gift?

Tang Yu felt the situation was not that simple, yet he couldn't pin down what Michiko might be hiding.

He could only take one step at a time, tentatively treating Sasha as a 'gift.' After all, Sasha herself had done nothing wrong.

Refusing her, when she was already designated as his special assistant, would only lead to one outcome.

Destruction.

After sorting out Sasha's arrangements, Michiko finally looked at Tang Yu, saying, "Now, can we get to the main topic?"

Tang Yu knew Michiko meant it was time for Sasha to leave her office.

From now on, as an independent special assistant, Sasha would only follow Tang Yu's orders.

He picked up the box from the desk, ready to hand it to Sasha.

Suddenly, he remembered that Sasha had just 'left the factory' without any arrangements for living or necessities, meaning he had no choice but to take her home.

Tang Yu felt a headache coming on.

His apartment wasn't too small, but he wasn't used to suddenly having an extra 'person.'

The problem was, Sasha couldn't be treated purely as a cybernetic being. Even as an AI, she would eventually learn physiological knowledge.

Tang Yu somewhat doubted whether Sasha, who seemed cute and innocent now, may know things that were out of his knowledge scope, especially since an intimacy mode had already been developed.

If Sasha could learn thousands of recipes, she could doubtless learn thousands of strange pieces of knowledge.

He reluctantly accepted everything for now, letting Sasha go home first.

Since Sasha hadn't started dealing with company affairs yet, there was no need for her to stay at the company.

He directly gave Sasha the address information and identity verification, then privately messaged her some details about the house, asking her to go home and cook something for herself.

To his surprise, Sasha joyfully replied, "Mm-hm, Sasha will go home first and wait."

Michiko watched with a silent smile.

Tang Yu: "..."

It seems a focus on emotional intelligence might be in order.

Sasha took the box and politely said goodbye to Tang Yu before exiting the office.

In the vast office space, only Tang Yu and Michiko remained.

Michiko emptied her wine glass, her cheeks slightly flushed in the haze of smoke, and said softly, "After this board meeting, things with Saburo Arasaka should quiet down for a while."

Michiko naturally brought up Saburo Arasaka's affairs, showing no hesitation in her words.

Tang Yu understood, Michiko had started to consider him 'one of us,' privileged enough to know some of the Arasaka Family's internal secrets, possibly laying the groundwork for future sacrifices.

Tang Yu thought to himself, Michiko's little scheming was hardly worth mentioning. When it came to understanding Saburo Arasaka, her position as a niece did not compare to his as an outsider.

In fact, though Michiko seemed to be in control of Night City's Arasaka Tower, she had no real foundation.

Should Saburo Arasaka arrive in Night City, most of the tower's power would shift towards him, and dissenters would have no choice but to endure.

For now, Tang Yu didn't plan to get too involved in Arasaka Family affairs, as everything was still premature.

Choosing sides between Michiko and the yet-to-arrive Saburo Arasaka was not a prudent move.

If Arasaka's deity intervened, neither had much of a chance.

Not to mention Michiko, wielding power in Kyoto and capable of mobilizing military forces like carriers.

The Arasaka Family game was just beginning.

Michiko slowly closed her eyes, leaning back on the sofa, seemingly a bit weary.

"You've probably heard the rumors going around the company," she said.

"Many people already know that Saburo Arasaka might come to Night City."

"Actually, when you were tasked with countering the Militech, Saburo Arasaka had already contacted me."

"You know what he said..."

Tang Yu remained silent, listening to Michiko vent about her uncle.

Michiko's brow furrowed at the thought of Saburo Arasaka, clearly displeased.

"He called just to berate me."

"I'm impressed with his diligence, worrying about his niece's work from across the ocean."

"In truth, I know about the incident in Watson that night. If the Maelstrom gang had the capacity to take down three Arasaka Special Task Forces, we might as well rename Arasaka Tower to Maelstrom Tower."

"You handled it well, although the board members knew, without evidence they couldn't make a fuss. Due to the corporate relations, they had to keep quiet."

"Even if it came to light, we wouldn't wage war against the Militech. There's a certain understanding between big corporations."

"After all, it hasn't come to life-and-death yet."

Seeing Michiko open up, Tang Yu felt a bit of sincerity from her, but he wasn't naive enough to take credit for that affair.

Now, Michiko was looking for something to hold against Tang Yu. If he blatantly admitted to colluding with Militech and killing Arasaka Special Task Force members, he'd essentially be putting a knife to his own neck and handing it to Michiko.

Even if he wanted to demonstrate loyalty, that would be a foolish way to do it.

Tang Yu simply admired, "Director Michiko's insight is sharp."

Then he went silent again, listening to Michiko boast about herself.

Seeing Tang Yu remain unyielding, Michiko grew increasingly frustrated.

It was like dealing with a stone; no matter how much you heated it or burned it, it remained unchanged, impervious to any approach.

She had thought that two vice director positions would make Tang Yu proud, but he simply stayed passive, never even visiting the Special Operations department, neither refusing nor accepting, just dragging it out.

Michiko disliked this feeling, having someone seemingly under her control yet being unable to manipulate them.

Pondering this, Michiko's frown deepened.

Seeing her looking uncomfortable, Tang Yu casually inquired, "Director Michiko, are you feeling unwell?"

The underlying message was that he wanted to leave.

Michiko: "..."

Their conversation was going nowhere.

Michiko didn't want to continue on this discordant note, especially when needing to use Tang Yu, so she had to let it be for now.

"Mm... I do have a bit of a headache."

Tang Yu then put down his wine glass, slightly pitying her, and said, "Actually, Sasha's good with her hands."

Michiko: "..."