Chapter 212

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In the barren west, dust clouds swirled with the wind, creating a world of bleak, yellow earth. Behind eroded stone structures, Maine and his companions hid, their faces marked by anxiety and tension, their lips cracked and bleeding from the dusty yellow wind. Maine furrowed his brow, sweat beads sliding down his forehead as his chest heaved like a bellows from the repeated use of military-grade Sandevistan, which took a huge physical toll. Under the scorching desert sun, he endured a dual onslaught of mental and physical strain.

Rebecca, noticing multiple gunshot wounds on Maine despite some protection from subdermal armor, was concerned because the severe impacts left burn marks. "Maine, can you still hold on? You mustn't use it anymore!"

Enduring deep, bone-aching pain, Maine managed a strained smile. "I'm fine. I just need to rest a bit. Have they caught up to us?"

Rebecca cautiously peered out from their hiding place, checking the surroundings, and said gravely, "They're still searching. There are enough rocks here to hide us for a while longer. I've contacted Dorio and the others; just hold on."

Pilar, taking out the few high-explosive grenades left, cursed, "Damn it, we should have brought more grenades to blast them all to hell."

Rebecca couldn't help but complain, "I told you that four-eyed guy was unreliable! He betrayed us, saying something about missing goods—as if it's not those useless guys' fault for only getting one!"

Maine could only grimace in response, his wounds twitching painfully as he spoke, "We underestimated him; he probably never intended to let us go."

It seemed they had been discovered by a team headed by Dorio, who managed to hold onto the cargo for David but was caught by Faraday. An Arasaka squad had attacked them suddenly, well-equipped even with plasma cannons, reminiscent of the force that accompanied Tang Yu at the steel mill that night.

Initially, Maine thought it was a misunderstanding and tried to explain as he exited the vehicle, but was met with fierce resistance, forcing him to rapidly activate his neuronic reactions and flee with Pilar and Rebecca. The hijacked convoy personnel were all killed.

During successive skirmishes with the elite squad, Maine had killed two enemies but was shot and exhausted from frequent Sandevistan use, his body nearing its limit. The wide expanse of the eroded stone forest gave them a slight advantage in speed, allowing them to temporarily evade Faraday's search.

Walking slowly through the eroded stone forest, Faraday, hands in pockets and three cybernetic eyes scanning, spoke confidently, "The quality of your Sandevistan is impressive, using that experimental Militech. It seems Mr. Arasaka values you highly—are you working directly for him?"

The sand whispered across the barren landscape, but Maine stayed silent.

"You know, that Mr. Tang from Arasaka is unreliable. Today might just be his last day in Night City. When he falls, your place at Lizzy's Bar, and all your people, will have nowhere to stay," Faraday mused smugly.

Information known to Faraday had indicated that Maine's team and Gloria were entangled with Tang Yu, a senior Arasaka executive. Ironically, yielding temporarily to Gloria, who Faraday pushed forward, cost him a major Militech deal, frustrating the technology sector and distancing Maine from his orders.

Yet everything was about to change again. Arasaka had reached out directly to Faraday. This reassignment was a chance for a turnaround—by supporting David Martinez in acquiring the bionic gear. Another item meant for development purposes, not concerning Faraday, was left for David.

As Faraday elaborated on the demise of Tang Yu, Rebecca's concern grew, but seeing Maine so grievously wounded and their perilous situation, she cursed internally, despair growing.

Maine, knowing too well the treacherous corporate games surpassing any individual's fate, felt the heavy reality of their situation—he owed Tang Yu more than he could repay. If sacrificing himself could buy some time for Tang Yu, perhaps there was still a chance.

Spotting an opportunity amidst the chaos, Maine readied himself for a final confrontation against Faraday to create a chance for Rebecca and Pilar to escape.

"Maine! Hang on, we can get out of this. Dorio will be here soon!" Rebecca caught on to Maine's dangerous intention, but before she could react, Maine knocked her out to prevent her from interfering.

Pilar, resigned to the plan, lamented, "If we make it back, I swear I'll get you a better arm gun that doesn't jam at crucial moments."

Gathering his remaining strength, Maine signaled, "Now!" and Pilar hurled the grenades. Amidst the explosion, Maine activated his neuronic burst, charging at Faraday.

However, Faraday's cyber enhancements allowed him to spot the incoming attack. As Maine drew close, an electric spark malfunctioned in his spine, causing him to collapse in pain.

Faraday, witnessing the collapse, sneered disdainfully at the fallen cyberpunk, his elite squad immediately moving to corner Pilar and the unconscious Rebecca.

Just as Faraday prepared to finish them, an immense pressure crushed him unexpectedly—a new mech suit, piloted by David, had arrived just in time to counter the attack. Amidst the confusion, David seized the moment to disarm the surrounding Arasaka squad, giving them a fighting chance against overwhelming odds.

David faced the armed vehicle, dodging heavy fire, and managed...

Electric arcs enveloped the hovercar, quickly damaging its electronic devices, and causing the power system to malfunction, making the vehicle unstable. David felt the pressure on his body ease, but the members of the elite squad around him were still relentlessly firing at him. Becoming increasingly impatient, he wanted to loudly dissuade them, but only bullets responded to him. Enraged, David activated the wheels under his mechanical feet and, while dodging the bullets, quickly initiated a magnetic compression field, crushing all members of the elite squad into pulp, thereby ending the battle. He stood there, somewhat in disbelief at the wreckage before him, marveling at the formidable power of his cybernetic body.

Dorio and Kiwi arrived at the scene, quickly lifting Maine from the ground. After checking his vital signs and finding a faint breath and lingering consciousness, David approached with a tinge of regret, saying, "Sorry, I was a step too late." Dorio stated seriously, "Maine can still be saved; we must get him back to the city immediately." With another concern in mind, David said, "Get in the vehicle quickly."

Kiwi glanced at David, now resembling a mechanical giant, his face pale and bloodless. She calmly advised, "You really shouldn't keep using this cybernetic body; it's clear that you can't endure the strain for long." Firmly determined, David responded, "No worries, I can handle it." After he spoke, blood started flowing profusely from his nose.

Ignoring further persuasion, as each one has their own choices, Kiwi watched as Dorio lifted Maine onto his back. Suddenly, Maine opened his eyes, laboriously looked at David, and said, "Faraday has more plans... Gloria is in danger..." Surprised, David hadn't expected this situation to involve his mother. Without time for further questions, he now urgently needed to rush back to Night City, unable to remove his cybernetic body.

Dorio added, "This attack might have been targeted at your organization and is related to Mr. Tang; I suggest you handle this carefully." David calmed himself, his cybernetic eye whirling as he called his mother. Half-relieved after the call, Gloria reassured him of her safety. David warned her to stay vigilant against Faraday's secret operations.

After advising her, he decided to intercept the fleeing goods and then head for Night City. Activating his tracking system, David locked onto the amphibious armored vehicle's location and route. "Company Plaza?" He noticed that the enemy had not altered the navigation system; the vehicle was still autonomously driving towards its programmed destination. David, pondering over his cybernetic body, guessed the significance of the cargo inside the vehicle—an implant possibly even surpassing his own in capability.

Dorio, carrying Maine to the vehicle, suddenly felt a pinch at her chest. Annoyed, she glared over her shoulder at Maine, only to see him grinning cheekily. "This works better than the suppressant..." "Right, go find V, she can surely bring me back." After speaking, Maine's head slumped onto Dorio's shoulder, his strength failing.

Dorio quickly helped Maine into the vehicle, then turned to shout at David, "What's the plan?" David candidly replied, "I might need your help; I'm heading to Company Plaza." Without wasting further time, everyone crammed into the vehicle, making room at the rear for David. Inside the vehicle, David's massive frame took up most of the rear seat space. Kiwi connected his cybernetic body to her laptop, swiftly adjusting its settings. "The cybernetic body is slightly damaged but still functional," she mentioned.

"However, you need to take a suppressant injection now, or the intense neural distress will overwhelm your resolve," Kiwi warned. Dorio quickly procured several bottles of injectable and breathable suppressants. "These were Maine's backups; since he can't use them now, they're yours." Kiwi fitted the breathable suppressant over David's nose and mouth, pressed the switch, and a mist was instantly sprayed into his nostrils, cooling his brain and lungs immediately. David expressed his gratitude, "Thank you."

Lying in the back of the vehicle, David could not perform the injection himself due to his enormous mechanical limbs and relied on Kiwi's assistance. Maine, nestled in Dorio's arms, had taken several doses of the breathable suppressant, yet his vitals remained faint. Rebecca was passed out on the floor of the van, with Pilar looking after her. After successive inhalations and injections of the suppressant, David felt significant relief from the burning pain caused by his cybernetics. Kiwi disconnected the data link, suggesting softly, "You should rest for a while and regain some strength."

David closed his eyes, and after a moment, he spoke again, "You know about my mom's situation; she's kept it from me all this time. That day, our encounter was due to a car accident, which led to the subsequent misunderstanding. Actually, I want to thank you all; that money was truly significant for us." Dorio, sitting in front, responded, "The misunderstanding was cleared up. Back then, we were too rash and didn't understand your situation well." Touching Maine's rough cheek, she added, "Maine had no ill intent, anyone who knows him realizes that he's a man of honor." David continued, "So that deal was completed with Mr. Tang's help? Was the traded item the Sandevistan Maine had?"

He noticed Maine's reflexes were incredibly fast, even outpacing the Arasaka elite squad during the attack. David had also undergone foundational cybernetic modifications from Arasaka for field missions, giving him a higher quality of cybernetics compared to other employees. However, his version of Sandevistan was inferior to Maine's. Dorio confirmed David's suspicion, admitting there was no longer any point in hiding. She could foresee that Tang had aided David's entry into Arasaka, further solidified by his rescue of Maine, signaling they were on the same side.

"The ambush on Maine, executed by someone called Faraday, was the middleman we used to coordinate with before, but then we switched to working directly with Gloria, reducing our interactions with him," Dorio explained. "Probably due to competitive reasons, Faraday seized this opportunity to attempt eliminating a rival." "We had recently accepted an order from Faraday to intercept this shipment just before encountering you." "Also, this matter apparently involves Mr. Tang; Maine mentioned that Faraday had backing from high-level executives at Arasaka."

David tensed up, considering which company executive might support Faraday. The first person that came to mind was the senior operations director, Susan Abernathy. It had to be her. The operation was strictly confidential, and she was the approver. Their encounter with an unexpected attack in the remote desert, and even the engagement of Faraday securing Maine's team by commission and deploying an Arasaka elite squad, exposed his operation to the enemy.

David sensed the irony; before, he had not understood the mysterious disappearance of a co-worker, Smith, involved in internal company disputes, or the death of Deputy Minister Kate after being dismissed. Now, it dawned on him; from the moment he joined the company, everyone was engaged in mutual warfare, and only the last person standing would have the right to ascend to the throne of power. At this moment, he had new insights into Tang's words and actions, navigating through factional disputes, boldly confronting Susan Abernathy and her ilk, consistently facing life-threatening dangers.

Assassination, dismissal, power grabs, and framing—all were inevitable struggles he had to deal with. David doubted himself, feeling he could never master the art of navigating through such an environment of intrigue, lacking in trust, kindness, or support—a world where only the victor reigned supreme. Drawing a deep breath, he put aside his mixed feelings.

He knew a product launch was currently underway at Company Plaza, organized by Tang Yu. He needed to intercept the shipment before it reached Company Plaza; if the cargo in the other armored vehicle was an implant similar to his cybernetic body, it could potentially disrupt the event, possibly endangering Tang Yu as well. With this in mind, David quickly relayed the situation to Tang Yu to prepare him for any necessary countermeasures.

At Company Plaza, during the product launch, an Arasaka armed hovercar fleet gracefully descended amid a phalanx of armed forces. Tang Yu, wearing specialized glasses, was ready to observe the upcoming launch. Meredith stood beside him, smiling lightly, "You've caused quite a stir this time, do you think you can control the situation?" Tang Yu responded calmly, "Hard to say, depends on their tactics, but playing with fire often ends up burning oneself." Meredith chuckled, "I may not be able to protect you, but I can assure the safety of your people."

After the hovercar landed securely, the doors slid open, and a group of samurai bodyguards stepped forward to secure the perimeter. Yorinobu from Arasaka personally exited the hovercar, instantly drawing all focus at the venue. It was the prince of Arasaka's first public appearance in Night City, and he was there to promote the soon-to-be-unveiled new product. Following Yorinobu was Adam Smasher, his entire body a dark mechanical fortress, his baleful red cybernetic eyes coldly sweeping over the crowd, his gaze seemingly contemptuous of mere ants.

Holding a silver safety case, Smasher followed silently behind Yorinobu. The last to disembark the hovercar was Anders Hellman, scheduled to host the product demonstration, eagerly scanning the crowd until his eyes settled on Tang Yu, bringing him some relief. He worried whether, according to Tang Yu's plan, Adam Smasher might crush his head with a single blow.

Confirming Yorinobu and Adam Smasher had left Cyan Pavilion, Tang Yu sent a message to V, signaling her and Jackie to commence their operation. Just as he sent the message, he received David's urgent update. The mysterious shipment was heading towards Company Plaza, and someone was planning a move against Gloria. Tang Yu casually raised his glass to Aunt Mei, "Then I'll leave it to you."