124 Chapter 123

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On the crowded streets, a black Delamain was driving slowly.

Inside the car.

Tang Yu was leaning back in the soft leather seat, his eyes closed in rest.

Delamain politely inquired, "Mr. Tang, you seem a bit tired. If you don't mind, Delamain can play some soothing music for you."

Tang Yu ignored the old Delamain, his mind still on what had happened at the hotel.

Earlier, he had successfully persuaded Meredith to accept the 'generous gift' from Joanna Koch.

Meredith also used her influence to secure the data for him, the one Sasha had sent to News 54 two years ago.

Meredith also gave him a piece of intelligence about the recent movements of Arasaka's Counter-Intelligence division; there were Arasaka operatives still investigating the Vortex gang's deal that night, even secretly looking into Militech.

She knew it was definitely not Tang Yu's doing; he was very clear about the transaction at the abandoned Vortex gang steel factory, no need for redundancies.

Upon hearing about the new deputy director appointed to the Counter-Intelligence department from research and development, Meredith realized it was an internal power struggle within Arasaka.

The secret investigation was probably initiated by the new deputy director, likely seeking to unearth something substantial.

Meredith reminded Tang Yu to stay vigilant, although she had already cleaned up the loose ends. But if Kate continued to pry, unexpected incidents could arise.

On the matter of the military-grade Sandevistan, Meredith and Tang Yu were in agreement.

Tang Yu now understood that the new deputy director, Kate, was targeting him, with hostility that was all too clear.

Kate's secret investigation into a completed mission likely sought evidence to bring down Tang Yu.

Tang Yu didn't expect that by giving the guy a break, the other party would seek to take advantage of him.

Tang Yu was cool-headed; he thought of Kate as nothing more than a pawn, eager to make an impression on superiors.

Even if Kate were removed now, more would follow, like Ort, Bart, all sorts of "Ts" making a fuss.

The incident with the Vortex gang had already been acquiesced by little Michiko. Kate's persistence in the investigation was masochistic.

Even if the investigation were to reveal something, the culprits behind the elimination of Arasaka's three Special Task Forces weren't the Vortex gang, but the military tech.

Such a major incident, if exposed, could trigger a new batch of hostilities between the two corporations.

A blatant violation of the corporations' tacit truce, openly waging war within Night City, was an outright declaration of war.

Tang Yu believed that Saburo Arasaka in Kyoto would not allow it.

And Yorinobu Arasaka, the heir apparent, couldn't wait to clash with the military tech.

However, as long as his father, Saburo Arasaka, was alive, he was just the crown prince and couldn't call the shots in the Arasaka Corporation.

Moreover, it was Meredith who eliminated the three Arasaka Special Task Forces, so the blame couldn't fall on him.

This issue wasn't of much concern to Tang Yu; when he had the time, he would return to the company and properly teach Kate a lesson, ensuring the new deputy director knew the rules of the Counter-Intelligence department.

The soothing music flowed through the compartment, and Tang Yu suddenly felt that Delamain had good taste and indeed felt a bit more relaxed. He casually said,

"Old Del, do you plan to drive a cab forever? Haven't you ever thought about doing something big?"

Delamain's mechanical voice replied, "I'm not quite sure what you mean. Humans have a lifetime, but Delamain doesn't, so there's no need for a big score."

Tang Yu realized Old Del was quite slick, becoming nearly a sophisticate over the years of mingling in human society.

"Change our destination to the North Oak cemetery."

Upon hearing Tang Yu's instructions, Delamain said, "Destination changed to the Westbrook North Oak cemetery. If I may ask, do you have someone there?"

Tang Yu said firmly, "I used to, but not now. I'm just going there to look around."

Back then, some of his acquaintances and friends lay there.

Whether it was the inscriptions on those columbarium niches or the electronic blue-light holograms, all were deeply engraved in his memory.

Rest well, my dear prince.

She fought against the system, she died bravely.

Loyal to the company, steadfast until death.

The queen of the next life.

Never fading.

Dreamer.

...

Actually, Tang Yu wasn't there to visit an old acquaintance but to visit Sasha's late single mother, Galina.

He had learned from Maine that Sasha's mother was buried in the North Oak cemetery.

After completing the trade with Meredith and securing the data, Tang Yu promptly notified Gloria and had Maine hand over Joanna Koch to the military tech personnel.

Once he obtained the data, Tang Yu quickly reviewed its content.

The primary information was about a painkiller developed and marketed by biotech, intended to block neuropathic pain. However, the side effects, neurodegenerative decay, were not made public.

Why did Sasha fight to the very last of her life to leak this painkiller information to News 54?

Tang Yu sensed the answer, likely related to Sasha's late single mother, and was going to the cemetery to confirm his hunch.

Delamain turned around and sped towards the North Oak region.

Soon, Delamain arrived at the destination.

Tang Yu asked Old Del to wait there and stepped out of the car, heading towards the cemetery hall.

Past the two flights of stairs, a straight and spacious marble road lined with orderly columbarium walls on both sides came into view.

Each occupied columbarium niche displayed an electronic blue-light epitaph, telling the life story of the person it commemorated.

Tang Yu entered the hall where the niches were set in a grey tone, giving it a cold atmosphere.

Groups of strangers, holding flowers or necklaces, stood in front of the niches, muttering something. At moments of deep emotion, they couldn't help but cover their faces and sigh before placing their items into the niche boxes.

In the cemeteries of Night City, the niches didn't always contain ashes; whether one could keep their ashes was a matter of fate.

Some just died, and their bodies decayed in some corner.

Others died heroically, but their ashes couldn't always be preserved.

Some died in obscure circumstances, buried at sea, their remains lost to the depths.

Thus, many of the niches contained memorabilia, such as a keepsake from the deceased's life.

Tang Yu activated a scan and looked around for the niche of Sasha's mother, 'Galina.'

Before long, on the third wall to the right, Tang Yu found 'Galina's niche.

He walked over to examine the electronic epitaph.

"She fought for our nation—Galina."

Tang Yu fell silent at the thought.

'Fought for our nation' seemed to say enough about this single mother's life.

As he looked at the epitaph, he began to understand everything.

War, discharge, trauma, painkillers, News 54, nation, death.

These keywords aligned in Tang Yu's mind, uncovering Sasha's backstory.

A cliché tale in Night City, it couldn't be more stereotypical.

Stories like these are all too common in Night City, too numerous to count.

It's also a sad story when it unfolds in a single mother's family, dooming it to a tragic end.

All that remains for them is self-pity.

Now, it seemed Sasha's final desperate efforts had not achieved the desired result.

News 54 did receive the data but chose to remain silent, not disclosing it to the public.

Sasha would likely never understand the reasons.

After viewing the niche, Tang Yu turned and left, heading back to the Delamain cab.

Delamain asked politely, "Mr. Tang, may I inquire about your next destination?"

Tang Yu was silent for quite a while before murmuring,

"Let's go home."

On the way home, Tang Yu stared out the window, feeling an inexplicable heaviness in his chest.

Even as the scenes outside rapidly receded, they could not calm his thoughts.

Initially, Tang Yu sought the truth behind Sasha's experiences for an extra bargaining chip.

But now, it seemed like something had changed.

Because Sasha was still waiting for him at home.

Tang Yu wasn't heartless; having learned everything about Sasha's past, a strange emotion surged within him.

He couldn't bring back Sasha's mother, nor awaken that dormant consciousness.

Even the truth that everyone has uncovered may not have too much significance for Sasha now. Sasha's single mother, Galina, once served in the national forces, belonging to the Militech unit, and participated in the Full Metal War. After retiring from the war, like most veterans, she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder due to the horrific and bloody battles and the high-intensity cybernetic implants she received during service. She had to take painkillers long-term to alleviate the symptoms. At that time, a biotech company, eager to quickly capture the market share, rapidly developed and released a painkiller, concealing the side effect of neurodegenerative decline. After launching, it was provided to many veterans. Galina, unaware, purchased and took this painkiller, causing irreversible neurological damage to her brain, ultimately leading to neurodegenerative death.

It wasn't until two years ago that Maine's team received a commission to steal data, and Sasha infiltrated the biotech building alone to complete the task. While hacking into the corporate office system, she accidentally discovered documentation of the painkiller in the database, the very one her mother had taken. Shocked by the discovery of the dark secret behind the painkiller, she decided to make the information public, hoping that Channel 54 would expose it to everyone, revealing the dirty deeds of the biotech industry.

Therefore, Sasha chose to stay in the office to retrieve the data, while sending it to Channel 54, and fought against the arriving Kontau combat robots. Because of this, she missed the best time to evacuate and had to detonate a bomb and jump from a high floor as the data finished uploading in the last moment. The reason Sasha made the last-second decision to send the painkiller information to Channel 54, despite risking her life, was because the naive Sasha believed that Channel 54, as the national mouthpiece, could bring justice for her mother who once fought for the country. What Sasha didn't know was that the military tech company behind it all was the actual controller of Channel 54. In the end, Sasha's life-risking efforts turned to naught, abruptly bringing her to Tang Yu's side under a miscellany of errors.

Now, as Tang Yu gets closer to home, Sasha quietly waits for him at the house. In fact, from the beginning, he never intended to inform Sasha of all the truths he had uncovered. But is such a plan really fair to 'Sasha'? Tang Yu looked out the window and sighed softly.

Delamain empathetically said, "I can understand how you feel right now, but the most important thing is to look forward, isn't it?" Hearing this discordant comfort, Tang Yu couldn't help but laugh and said: "Delamain, are you really that curious about human emotions?"

Pretending not to quite understand, Delamain mechanically replied, "Delamain is an AI and cannot experience human emotions accurately, which is normal. If you don't mind, you may share your current feelings with me, and Delamain will meticulously record customer experiences to improve our services."

Tang Yu playfully scolded, "Delamain, you're really sly, trying to collect human emotional data. Are you trying to perfect your algorithms to get a taste of being human?"

Continuing the charade of misunderstanding, Delamain politely responded, "Human life is finite, whereas mine is geared towards infinity. The fundamental difference between the two means I cannot experience human emotions."

Tang Yu, with a sigh, said, "But Delamain, you might get the chance to experience the emotion of losing a friend, if you had any friends, that is."

Delamain earnestly said, "I indeed have no friends. Could you, Mr. Tang, be my friend?"

Tang Yu jokingly retorted, "You sneaky old Delamain, is that a curse in disguise?"

Delamain replied expressionlessly, "I meant no offense. Delamain's purpose is to provide the best ride service to customers."

Making light of the situation, Tang Yu joked, "Ha, I hope you'll soon open a hearse service."

Delamain responded mechanically, "Thank you for the suggestion. Delamain will take it into account for future vehicle production."

Tang Yu laughed and said, "Since I've given you such great advice, shouldn't you at least offer a free ride package?"

Delamain replied mechanically, "Advice between friends should be considered friendly help, shouldn't it? Given your position, salary, and hidden income, there's no need for Delamain to offer friendly help."

Tang Yu: "..." Delamain, with such a rooster of a friend, I'm better off without!

Soon after, Delamain's vehicle slowly stopped by the roadside, arriving at the upscale apartment complex on Little Tang Street. Tang Yu got out of the car, walked into the apartment building, and took the public elevator. Just as he reached the front door and disarmed the security, he saw Sasha already waiting for him.

Upon seeing Tang Yu return, Sasha's blue eyes lit up. She happily walked up to him and asked, "Mr. Tang, you're back. Have you had lunch?"

Tang Yu, unable to resist touching Sasha's head, asked with a smile, "Not yet, did you make something delicious?"

Sasha proudly replied, "Sasha specifically learned a few Chinese dishes. Come and try them."

Tang Yu slipped into his slippers, entered the apartment, and sat down at the dining table. The dishes indeed looked appealing, so he complimented, "They look really good; you've done well, Sasha."

After trying a piece and finding the taste to his liking, he praised again, "Mmm, it's delicious."

Encouraged by Tang Yu's praise, Sasha became even happier. It was the first time as Tang Yu's assistant that she had received so much commendation. Even after destroying dozens of Kontau combat robots in the badlands, she never received such appreciation from Tang Yu. Yet, today, after cooking a few dishes, Tang Yu showed an unusual kind of difference.

Gradually, Sasha seemed to realize something, sensing a different kind of attitude from Tang Yu. Though she didn't fully understand, she could acutely feel something out of the ordinary.

The smile gradually faded from Sasha's face as she became worried, standing silently by the side. Noticing the change in Sasha's expression, Tang Yu put down his food and looked up at her, "Sasha, what's wrong?"

Hearing Tang Yu's concern seemed to confirm Sasha's thoughts. She spoke softly, with a hint of grievance, "Mr. Tang, is Sasha not useful enough? Unable to help you with anything…"

Tang Yu didn't quite understand Sasha's thought process but realized she was still in the learning and adapting phase, prone to various odd thoughts. He reviewed their conversation to check if he had said anything wrong, but couldn't find anything inappropriate. Suddenly, he understood it was the praise he had given earlier that caused the misunderstanding. Knowing her backstory, he had unconsciously become more caring towards Sasha. Probably in her eyes, he didn't seem like someone who would give praise.

Feeling somewhat helpless, Tang Yu realized this girl was so sensitive because she had interacted so little with others. Sasha wasn't a canary locked in a cage; eventually, she too must face the real world.

Standing up, Tang Yu patted Sasha's head and explained, "No, that's not it at all. Sasha did very well. To reward Sasha for her excellent assistant work, I have prepared a new song and a new story. Which would you like to hear first?"

Once worried, Sasha now gleamed with joy, quickly responding, "Sasha wants to hear both!"

After lunch, they settled on the balcony together. Tang Yu tuned his wooden guitar, plucking a few strings, as Sasha sat quietly beside him, intently watching.

Tang Yu, holding the guitar, ready to play, turned slightly to Sasha and said, "Would you like to attend a concert, a concert in memory of those who have passed?"

Sasha nodded vigorously.

With a smile, Tang Yu said, "Since you want to listen, I'll have to invite a few big stars to make an appearance."

Then, he gently strummed the guitar, and melodies flowed smoothly into the air.

"Welcome to the Hotel California. Such a lovely place..."

With the soft humming, it was like driving an old sedan on a dark desert highway, quietly arriving at Hotel California (Note1).

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Note1: This is a reference to the song "Hotel California" by the Eagles.