"...Just think about it... you have everything, right? Money, education. Your old man snaps his fingers, and a nuclear bomb can wipe out half the Earth..." Jackie put his hands on his hips, sharing his views on Saburo Arasaka and Yorinobu, the father and son.
"And what does he damn well go and do? He damn well starts a gang! Steel Dragons or whatever!"
"He cuts off contact with his family, puts on some synthetic skin, and acts as a gang boss for years. What's the point?"
From his words, Jackie was very dissatisfied with Yorinobu Arasaka's actions.
Berry, behind Arno, listened quietly. Having been through this once, she knew the story behind the scenes.
Yorinobu Arasaka, their target this time.
He was the heir to the immense Arasaka Group. After his older brother, Arasaka Kei, died in the Arasaka Tower Bombing Incident, Yorinobu became the only surviving son of the Group's head, Saburo Arasaka.
Unlike his brother, who agreed with and obeyed his father's instructions, Yorinobu was a born troublemaker and a radical liberal, especially opposed to his old man and the mega-corporate empire his father had built—the Arasaka Group.
His rebellious, anti-authoritarian nature could perhaps be traced back to his idol, Johnny Silverhand, who orchestrated the 2023 Arasaka Tower bombing.
Taking such a figure—a terrorist considered heinous by the world and the murderer of his own brother—as an idol meant Yorinobu Arasaka was destined not to be normal.
Inspired by Silverhand's spirit, he became a radical anti-Arasaka vanguard, despite being a member of the Arasaka Family.
Before Yorinobu Arasaka publicly defected and severed ties with his father, he was supposed to be the legitimate heir to the Arasaka Empire.
For many years, he led the Steel Dragons, seeking a way to destroy the Arasaka Corporation, but he quickly realized that this corporate giant was invincible, at least, not conquerable from the outside.
Although Yorinobu Arasaka engaged in various struggles in Tokyo, he was never satisfied with the result.
It wasn't until Arasaka Tower in Night City was destroyed by a small nuclear bomb that he realized nothing could stop the Arasaka Corporation and his father.
He left the Steel Dragons and returned to his family. This time, he intended to destroy the mega-corporation from within.
Yorinobu Arasaka's sole lifelong ideal was to save the world from the fear brought by his father.
Therefore, for such a person, no matter how strange his motivations seemed to the world, his actions were at least making the world slightly better—even if it meant enduring a potentially brutal period of upheaval.
"Perhaps his methods are a bit immature and radical, but Yorinobu Arasaka is still a fighter, that much is certain."
A warrior with flaws is still a warrior, certainly incomparable to a mere fly, Berry thought.
"Uh, then why did he come back? Why didn't he stay rebellious until the end?" Hearing the silent Arno speak, Jackie still disagreed.
"Jackie, the strongest fortress is often breached from within..." Arno said calmly.
"Heh, you and BUG are the same, always being mystical and telling prophetic stories." Jackie plopped down onto the sofa, making a small dent in the soft cushion.
"But, is that really possible?" Jackie was referring to Yorinobu Arasaka. "Can he truly abandon his family's wealth? And stand up against his old man, who is like the head of an empire?"
Jackie felt confused, incomprehending, and ultimately, even found Yorinobu's actions absurd.
Could he really do it? Abandon so much wealth and fight his own family just to overthrow the control of the mega-corporations?
Jackie, who came from the streets and had never lived a single day in peace, couldn't imagine that someone could so decisively abandon the things he had spent half his life chasing.
Unfortunately, Yorinobu Arasaka himself wasn't here, so no one could answer Jackie's doubts.
"Let's get back to work. The security on the top floor has been dealt with," BUG's long-awaited voice came through the channel.
"Perfecto. It's our turn to make an entrance." Jackie stood up, shaking his arms, impatient for this moment.
V and Arno also stood up.
Inside the elevator heading to the top floor, Jackie stood with his arms crossed, tapping his shiny black leather shoes for a moment before breaking the silence.
"Heh, it's awkward when no one talks. Should I tell you a joke?"
"Now? Are you serious?" BUG even thought he had misheard.
"Listen up..." But Jackie had already started. "Do you know why the rocker boy was kicked out by his girlfriend?"
Jackie said mysteriously, arms crossed.
"Because he didn't perform 'The Plumbing,' hahaha."
"Oh my god..." Jackie's low-brow joke clearly left BUG speechless, and Berry, watching behind the scenes, was also silenced.
If Johnny Silverhand heard his song insulted like this, his Silver Arm would definitely crawl out of the ground to find trouble with Jackie.
Yorinobu's penthouse room arrived.
The layout and decoration were exactly as V had seen in the braindance, except now it was empty and dark, with no lights on. Only the corner plant lights emitted a faint glow, dimly illuminating the shapes of the furniture inside the room.
"Hmph... The heir to the Arasaka Empire lives pretty well." Jackie and V were as relaxed as if they were returning home, walking straight toward the spot on the balcony where Yorinobu hid the relic chip.
"Wait, hurry up. I noticed Yorinobu's signal went dark," BUG's voice carried a hint of urgency.
"What does that mean? Is he doing magic tricks?"
"I estimate there must be a signal blind spot—it should recover soon. Get to work quickly!"
Sensing the urgency in BUG's tone, the three didn't dare delay and quickly walked to where Yorinobu hid the Relic.
"We have to flip the switch first," Arno said calmly, walking straight to Yorinobu's bedroom and flipping the hidden switch by the bedside.
This time, he was going to teach V and the others what a Konpeki Plaza speedrun was.
"Wait, there's a sidearm here, we might need it." V, who had followed, saw Arno finish and spotted Yorinobu's sidearm, "Kong," on the bedside table. She picked it up and put it in her pocket.
"Done, it's open!" Jackie's surprised voice came through.
"Now what?" V walked over, looking at the raised cryogenic container.
"Plug in the personal link, and we're rich."
V didn't hesitate, pulling the data cable from her wrist and inserting it into the sealed cryogenic container's port.
"Give me two seconds."
As BUG proceeded with the hack through V's data cable, a steady, increasing progress bar flashed before V's eyes.
But just then, lights and the dull engine roar of AVs flashed outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Guests coming from the sky...? BUG...?" Jackie looked outside in shock at the three AVs flying past the window.
"Hmm, I don't know who it is. But the staff area is also in chaos. Two hundred people are walking around, bustling nervously."
"I feel like something bad is about to happen!" Under the red light emanating from the cryogenic container, Jackie's expression was heavy; he had a bad feeling. "How much longer do you need, BUG?"
"Shit, Yorinobu is coming to the penthouse!" BUG's urgent words startled the three, especially Jackie and V, who froze on the spot with their mouths open.
"Fuck, don't worry about him! Hurry up and open the safe!" Jackie reacted, slapping the cryogenic container and cursing.
"Almost there..."
"Done!"
As the progress bar topped out, V immediately pulled out the data cable.
"I'll take it, let's go!" The cryogenic container opened, and Arno picked up the black box containing the Relic, telling the two.
"Don't take the elevator, go outside!" Arno shouted at them. "BUG, unlock the glass door!"
"Trying, damn it, no good! The hotel tower suddenly reinforced its defenses, no time! Quick, hide inside the media wall!"
Fuck, Berry cursed mentally.
Yorinobu, were you that rushed to confront your old man? Not even giving us time to escape.
"We're inside."
Having no choice, the three opened the back door and slipped behind the media wall. Through the transparent LCD screen, the three immediately saw Yorinobu, dressed in a suit, rushing in as he entered the room.
And behind him, followed a heavyweight figure.
"This can't be... Is... Is that Adam Smasher?!" Looking at the tall, dark mechanical body, Jackie's eyes widened in shock.
"A Bodyguard?" V asked, frowning.
"More than that. A legend of Night City, a figure like the Grim Reaper. What kind of show is this?"
While the two were still in shock, the agitated Yorinobu Arasaka had already walked over and sat on the stool in front of the holographic TV.
"Are they here yet?"
"Just arrived at the helipad, they are on their way," the cold, synthesized voice of the Artificial Intelligence rang out.
"Shit, what are they talking about?"
"BUG, who exactly is coming?" Jackie and V immediately sensed trouble.
"No, no, this can't be...! This is impossible...!" BUG's tone was astonished, as if something had terrified him. "Sa... Saburo Arasaka?!"
"That corporate emperor?" Jackie was also shocked by BUG's words.
It came to this after all.
Berry watched the scene before her through Arno's perspective, shaking her head and sighing.
She had intended to escape immediately, but who knew they would end up trapped here?
However, it didn't matter; this didn't deviate much from her plan.
Saburo Arasaka, wearing a grey-black kimono and hunched over, descended the stairs and slowly walked toward his seated youngest son, Yorinobu, who was anxiously clutching his head.
"Holy shit!"
Jackie exclaimed in surprise, because a black-suited Bodyguard behind Saburo Arasaka scanned in their direction with glowing eyes.
Just when the two thought their hearts were pounding and they were about to be discovered, Saburo spoke.
"Please allow us to speak alone."
"Arasaka-sama, I haven't completed a full scan yet." Saburo's Bodyguard, separated only by a screen, was stopped just as he started the scan, yet it scared the two into a cold sweat.
Berry knew who this was.
Goro Takemura, Saburo Arasaka's Bodyguard, a fiercely loyal Bodyguard of the Arasaka Family. He looked cool, but after actual contact, one realized he was just an oblivious simpleton lacking common sense.
Only Saburo Arasaka and his son remained in the room, along with the three individuals eavesdropping behind the wall.
Berry, the true heavyweight, knew a major dramatic scene was coming and had already instructed Arno to activate recording mode.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice that something was missing?" Saburo, aged and gloomy, slowly spoke, looking at Yorinobu, who dared not meet his gaze.
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