"Lady Michiko." Upon Arasaka Michiko's arrival, Kenichiro Ken, Goro Takemura, and Chiyoda all bowed respectfully. As retainers—of sorts—to t
"Lady Michiko."
Upon Arasaka Michiko's arrival, Kenichiro Ken, Goro Takemura, and Chiyoda all bowed respectfully. As retainers—of sorts—to the Arasaka family, they were expected to show the proper deference.
Michiko represented a kind of third faction within Arasaka's internal power struggle. Although she sometimes clashed with other factions, in public, both sides still showed her respect.
Even Takemura, who represented Saburo Arasaka's will, acknowledged her—even though Saburo had never shown much affection for his granddaughter.
"Michiko."
Sesen, meanwhile, remained seated. In terms of both rank and seniority, he was the highest authority present. He had no reason to stand and bow. A simple nod was his greeting.
"Mother."
Hanako stood and offered a polite bow.
As someone raised with traditional Japanese etiquette, she naturally showed respect to her mother—even if Michiko herself didn't particularly care for formality.
"Hanako."
Michiko gave a brief nod, gesturing for her to sit, then made her way to the seat beside Sesen.
"Sesen."
No titles. Not even a perfunctory "uncle." But that didn't signal hostility. There was a genuine—if faint—familial connection between them. Certainly more than what existed between Sesen and Saburo.
It was just how Michiko addressed him. They were both power players within Arasaka. Such people didn't humble themselves over things like family titles—just as Sesen never called Saburo "father."
As Michiko sat down, Adam Smasher remained still beside her.
But Karl noticed something: Kenichiro Saburo, Ken's father, wasn't present.
He had been there the last time. Now, Smasher was Michiko's sole guard. Why the change?
"Now that everyone's present, we can begin."
As the doors sealed behind them, Sesen turned to Michiko.
"You've brought the subject?"
"He's already at the testing site."
Testing site? Subject?
Karl's mind started turning. So this wasn't just a handover. There was some kind of test involved?
But why not do it at Arasaka Tower? Why here on the supercarrier?
As the three Arasakas sat, the lights in the room dimmed.
Karl's instincts flared—was this an ambush?
But then one of the walls slid open, revealing a massive display screen.
A screen in a lounge… Okay, that wasn't so strange.
But with the lights dimmed and only the screen glowing—it felt like they were in a private cinema.
Karl glanced around, then nonchalantly took a seat beside Adam Smasher, as if he were settling in for a movie. He was even a bit excited.
He hadn't seen a film since arriving in this world. He almost got the chance back in the Free States—until V and the team wrapped up the mission too quickly.
Even if this was just a surveillance feed, he was ready to watch it like a documentary.
Adam Smasher noticed Karl taking a seat beside him. Normally, he'd toss out a mocking remark—but with Michiko present, he kept his mouth shut and ignored him.
The screen flickered on.
It showed a white, sterile room—like a lab. Several Arasaka soldiers stood around, fully equipped and on high alert. A few officers in armored uniforms were also present.
At the center of the room, encased in a transparent glass dome, was someone Karl recognized.
The blue-eyed suit from the Arasaka gala—the one possibly possessed by a rogue AI.
His hair was messy, his face shiny with oil and sweat. Clearly, he hadn't been well cared for. But he looked completely unfazed.
In fact, his glowing blue cyber-eyes sparkled with an almost manic energy. He looked... exhilarated.
"What you see and hear today is classified. None of it is to be leaked."
Karl and his squad received the warning from Kenichiro Ken through their comms.
"We get it. We're professionals," Karl replied. He knew this meant Ken trusted them—at least to some degree.
Most mercs wouldn't even get a job like this, much less be allowed to observe such high-level intel. Being treated on par with Arasaka staff was no small gesture.
Karl was going to make sure they didn't screw it up.
Honestly, he was starting to understand why legends like Morgan Blackhand or Adam Smasher ended up tied to corps. It wasn't just about power—it was about entanglement.
The more secrets you touched, the more you became part of the machine.
There was no going back.
Thump thump.
On-screen, the blue-eyed man gently knocked on the inside of the dome. The sound echoed clearly through the room's speakers.
Then, as if aware of being watched, he stood upright and bowed with unsettling precision.
"A pleasure—no. I should say, a pleasure to finally meet you officially, members of Arasaka."
He corrected himself mid-sentence, then slowly straightened—almost gliding back up to full posture—and stared directly into the camera.
As if he could see right through it.
The tension in the room spiked.
Even Karl, usually unfazed, found his mouth slightly ajar.
Not because the man addressed them through the screen. But because…
"Damn. The world's changed so much," Karl muttered inwardly. "Guess I'm an old fossil now. Even rogue AIs know how to bow and play the obedient dog. What can't they do at this point?"
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