129 Chapter 128

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Late at night.

The plaza of the corporation.

A rock concert by the band Samurai is in full swing, illuminated by flashing neon lights, with waves of music crashing over one another.

Kerry is letting out an unbridled roar, his powerful electronic guitar technique blazing the atmosphere into an absolute frenzy.

Everyone's enthusiasm is ablaze, extending their index and little fingers, hoisting the sign of the horns, ceaselessly shouting in support, ready to unleash all pent-up emotions.

Kerry feels the flame in his chest soaring, reaching an extreme.

Never has he felt this angry, excited, selfless, and impassioned.

This is his stage alone, his own insane rock frenzy.

But Kerry knows that every member of Samurai has given him strength.

He looks around the stage.

Gradually.

Kerry sees.

Nancy, the keyboardist, has returned, standing to his right, her fingers dancing across the synthesizer.

Danny, the drummer, is back, seated behind him, transformed into an explosive drummer, furiously striking the drum kit with his sticks.

Henry, the bassist, has returned, stationed to his left, pulling waves of low-frequency current with his bass guitar.

Lastly, Kerry can't help but look toward the very center of the stage, where the man with the silver arm stands before him.

Cool and implacable as ever, that man, with a raspy voice suited for late-night shouting with sunglasses still on, half-turns to Kerry and says,

"Kerry, we'll never fade away."

With a proud lift of his head, Kerry's eyes ablaze, he roars skyward, belting out "We'll never fade away!" with abandon.

"We'll, never, fade, away!"

"We'll, never, fade, away!"

"We'll, never, fade, away!"

"Yeah!"

As Kerry calls out, a dazzling electrical light suddenly illuminates the entire corporate plaza.

Boom!

A burst of radiant electronic fireworks explodes in the sky above the plaza, immediately capturing the attention of countless onlookers.

Everyone looks up at the fireworks, the multi-colored blossoms stemming from the company building.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Suddenly, the crowd falls quiet.

A pin drop could be heard.

To everyone's surprise, the biotech building is being penetrated by a powerful electrical current.

The building instantly turns into a blinding white bulb, lighting up every corner of the corporate plaza.

Then, a large-scale high-voltage short circuit occurs, sparking fires floor by floor, shattering glass.

Finally, the fireworks climb higher and higher until they burst into a spectacular display of electric arcs, lighting up the night sky above Night City.

It's mesmerizing, brilliantly captivating.

All witness this moment in stunned silence.

Rock music, the corporation, the high-rise, the electric light, the fireworks—all ignite the most explosive scene of the concert.

Seconds later.

The biotech company experiences a severe electrical burnout, and the entire building immediately enters emergency mode, with red emergency lights turning on.

In an instant, the dark building becomes a red tower, flashing a strange mechanical alarm.

At this point.

Everyone at the concert venue gazes at the biotech building, realizing the biotech company has been hit.

A tsunami-like shout rises again, as a thick crowd on the five-tiered platform surges toward the biotech building.

NCPD officers and barricades can't stop anyone's advance; the throng is allowed to flow like a flood toward the biotech building.

Kerry watches as the biotech building lights up like daylight, bursting with successive fireworks, then plunging into darkness.

He feels his spirit ripple with awe, his brain numbing.

He sees countless spectators below, both old guards and young fellows, storming toward the building in a roaring wave.

Kerry has an epiphany; this is the spirit of Samurai.

Rock is not about riots, destruction, chaos, or wildness.

It's about resistance.

A struggle.

An unyielding courage and romance to burn the enemy, the corporation, everything oppressive.

Without hesitation, Kerry picks up his axe guitar and begins to play fiercely again.

Cheering for the crowd, for courage, for himself, let this blazing fire burn ever brighter, never to fade away!

The sudden massive short circuit in the biotech building even causes fluctuations in the surrounding circuits.

The power of corporate office buildings fluctuates, their lights flickering.

Fortunately, as the biotech building goes completely dark, the surrounding electrical supply promptly returns to normal.

But the spectacle at the corporate plaza is just beginning.

Traffic congestion starts at each entrance to the plaza, with some modified off-road vehicles taking up multiple lanes and stopping arbitrarily.

Tribe nomads in tattered denim step out of their cars, shoving and cursing each other, showing signs of road rage and an unwillingness to back down.

"What the hell kind of driving is that? Are you blind?"

"What the hell did you say, bastard? I'll hit you if I want to; come on and hit me back."

"Damn it, kill him!"

At each entrance, the nomads pick up sticks, bottles, and other weapons, starting to brawl right at the roadside, completely disregarding the long queues behind them causing chaos on the roads.

Honk! Honk! Honk!

Drivers unaware of the situation ahead honk their horns in frustration, cursing loudly.

"For Christ's sake, can't you move your cars out of the way before fighting?" 

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a hammer flew through the air, smashing into his car window, its thrower unseen.

The scene immediately descends into pandemonium.

Hundreds of off-road vehicles, according to plan, nearly block every thoroughfare of the corporate plaza.

Thousands of nomads brawl in the streets, engaged in heated fights.

For a time.

The irate atmosphere engulfs the entire plaza, as if in the throes of a riot.

Meanwhile.

Spectators from the concert area burst forth, heading towards the biotech building, grabbing bottles of gasoline along the way.

A dense crowd gathers at the base of the building, igniting their gasoline bombs and hurling them at the biotech building.

The security robots of the biotech building, positioned at the main entrance, issue mechanical warnings.

"Warning! Please cease aggressive actions immediately, or..."

Before they can finish.

One after another, flaming molotov cocktails hit the robots, instantly catching with oily flames.

Kang Tao robots are engulfed in fiery heat, one by one they fall.

The crowd goes wild, tossing their bottles high into the air. The flames begin to spread from the second story upwards.

"Damn corporate dogs, burn in hell, hahaha!"

"Stupid *ss corporation, serves you right, burn it all!"

"Burn it, yeah, that's freaking awesome!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! It's on fire!"

"Damn satisfying, burn that mother*er for three days and nights!"

Thick smoke and fierce flames spread upwards from the lower levels of the biotech building.

Someone even remotely unlocks the company's emergency system; the iron gates at the main entrance slide open.

"Brothers, let's take the fire inside, charge!"

"Yeah! Burn it good, I don't have to come to work tomorrow, burn!"

"Hahaha, burn this stupid *ss!"

Countless people forcefully throw their gasoline bottles, spreading the fire inside the building.

Everyone vents their anger, their outrage against the corporation.

They had long known of the biotech company's misdeeds, how many veterans had died because of them, how many tribe nomads had suffered.

Each person held deep resentment, determined to make the biotech company pay dearly.

Among them were veterans, homeless beggars, wandering nomads from outside the city, and young people filled with hatred for the corporation, all drawn in by the commotion.

They knew that if they didn't seize this opportunity, there might not be another chance to burn the company down.

The power outage at the biotech company building was the signal to charge, and no one could stop this torrent of righteous fury.

The fire burns fiercer, and the crowd's emotions grow more intense.

NCPD officers exchange glances, helplessly watching the chaotic scene unfold.

With their current strength, facing a numerous and emotionally charged crowd, they are powerless.

The NCPD Commissioner has given orders not to use lethal force against the crowd unless there is gunfire, and even with permission, no one would be foolish enough to shoot at a bunch of rock fanatics, unless they wished for martyrdom.

No shots are fired at the scene, only shouts and flames, with the aggressive rock music playing.

The NCPD officers on-site can only keep calling for backup, but the reinforcements are stuck on the roads, unable to reach the hub and enter the plaza.

As a result, the NCPD is severely short-staffed, and most officers give up maintaining order, standing aside to enjoy the commotion.

Burning down the company, the NCPD officers find it interesting—a rare occurrence indeed.

Amidst the chaos.

The security robots powered by Kang Tao are unable to withstand the mighty torrent, either burning from the petrol inflames or paralyzed as their control systems are hacked.

This indicates that among the crowd, some powerful yet unknown hackers have infiltrated and hijacked the Kang Tao robotics system, wreaking havoc.

Soon after.

Several Biotechnica emergency aerodynes arrived above the company building, began spraying fire-retardant dust to try to extinguish the fire and disperse the crowd.

"Please immediately cease your invasion of our company, or Biotechnica will pursue this matter to the fullest extent!"

Biotechnica dared not use large-scale firearms, fearing that it would trigger a greater conflict and riot.

They could only employ soft expulsion to minimize the escalation.

The companies have never considered the lower-class citizens as human beings, but no one between them wants to be the one to stick their neck out.

Just like in the past, when Arasaka was the fiercest and ended up being taught a lesson by a nuclear bomb, it took fifty years to barely catch a breath.

For the Biotechnica executives, tonight was bound to be a sleepless night.

Soon.

The dust sprayed from the Biotechnica aerodynes had an effect; the fuel flames began to subside, and many people had smoke and dust in their eyes, blinding them momentarily.

As the rioters saw the flames being suppressed by the dust, and the fires in the building's lobby controlled by emergency services,

someone started to call out, shouting loudly,

"Let's go inside, rush it, take whatever we can!"

"Yeah, if we can't burn it, just smash it!"

"Charge, charge, let's loot!"

In the chaos, the crowd, covered in dust and smoke, rushed into the Biotechnica building.

Only by entering the building could they avoid the interference from the dust.

The rioters didn't bother to dust off their shoulders and began to break through the security measures, grabbing chairs and desks to freely wreak havoc, smashing mainframes and burning servers on sight.

A large crowd stormed into the building, and the Kang Tao security robots were quickly overrun.

Outside in the square.

Some frenzied individuals madly rushed toward Arasaka Tower, but before they got close, they were swiftly captured and subdued by Arasaka security guards.

Some restless crowds ran straight at NCPD officers, trying to take advantage of the chaos to seize their sidearms.

NCPD officers immediately pulled out their tasers and began to shoot at the crazed assailants.

But for every one that fell, a dozen more took their place; the situation was completely out of control.

The NCPD officers had to retreat and regroup near their vehicles to barely safeguard themselves.

The riot was estimated to involve tens of thousands of people, with only a few hundred NCPD officers present – a drop in the bucket.

Senior Police Commissioner Stints, stationed at the scene, stood atop a vehicle surveying the situation in the square, his brow furrowed with worry.

The scene was chaotic beyond measure, packed with too many participants, including Haywood boys, Valentino gang members, and even some old-timers from the 6th Street gang.

It was bizarre to him that on a day meant for burning companies to the ground, everyone seemed to have forgotten past grievances and conflicts.

Stints's gaze fell on a familiar figure, Jackie Wells, the big boy from Haywood, carrying a crate of molotovs, eager to charge into the Biotechnica building, laughing more gleefully than anyone else.

He sighed, somewhat worried that today's concert had turned into such a mess; he would probably face discipline when he returned.

Stints ordered all on-site officers not to break regulations, to prioritize their safety above all, and to maintain order as best as they could.

Of course, he knew how fruitless that would be.

Stints sat back in the NCPD armored car and picked up the pager to call the NCPD headquarters for reinforcements, requesting the riot squad to handle the situation.

Otherwise, the Biotechnica building might be completely destroyed.

However, the NCPD Commissioner wasn't in the office, leaving Stints with no choice but to hang up.

The Commissioner had given a direct order: no initiation of gunfire and no deployment of the riot squad to suppress the situation.

Stints knew that this was to prevent a larger riot, but the current chaos was already uncontrollable.

The riot squad, being NCPD's last resort, was only deployed against major cyberpsychosis threats.

Despite being a high-ranking officer, Stints had no authority to mobilize this powerful contingent.

He started to sense that something was wrong; such a big event like Kerry's concert had been talked about all over, suggesting a possible uprising being orchestrated.

Why was the NCPD indifferent, sending only a symbolic number of officers to maintain order and strictly forbidding the use of force?

If they didn't want to deal with this mess, they could have found a safer and more sensible option, such as outright canceling the Samurai concert.

Having worked for the NCPD for many years, Stints was keenly aware of something fishy and looked toward the Biotechnica building through the car window.

The chaos on the company plaza continued to escalate.

Meanwhile.

In a factory complex, under a large shipping container, the sounds of luxury could be heard.

On the room's wall, a curvaceous shadow was energetically gyrating, with three spiraling deep-tech cybernetics spinning rapidly.

"Damn it!"

A loud curse came from the room; the three men were beaten and slumped on the sofa, catching their breaths before taking off their Braindance headsets.

Lucius Rhyne kicked the table between the two beside him with his fat feet, revealing a pleased expression.

"This Braindance session was damned intense. Tied up and electrocuted, every part of the body, especially the privates, got roasted. Pure bliss!"

The man on his left agreed, "Yeah, Tetsuo's custom Braindance is not bad, but the damn guy's ugly. Next time, let him pick a girl from Clouds, not the street trash."

Lucius Rhyne nodded in agreement, closed his eyes, and slumped on the couch like a pile of mud.

"Mm... that's possible. The Moxes' girls would fit the bill perfectly."

"Tiger Claw's just a bunch of pushovers. Remember the riot those girls started? Those Sakura old men just caved. Pathetic."

Hearing this, the man on the right asked, "Are you sure you don't want to check out tonight's riot? I've already ordered the NCPD officers not to shoot. The situation might get out of hand, and there will be a lot of news tomorrow. You're running for office, and this could work against you. If we had known, we wouldn't have allowed the concert at all, and then there'd be no riot." 

Lucius Rhyne looked at the NCPD Commissioner, smiled confidently, and said,

"Heh, you guys just don't understand Night City or what these lowlifes think."

"Because the election is near, I never planned to stop Kerry's damn concert from the start."

"And the bigger this riot, the better for me."

Holt, who was assisting Lucius Rhyne in his campaign, was puzzled and asked for an explanation.

Lucius Rhyne closed his eyes, his voice smug with satisfaction,

"Night City claims to be the city of freedom. If you don't even allow a concert or a company fire, what kind of freedom could it be?"

"The people are holding their anger inside. If you don't let it out, they'll be upset and look for someone to blame."

"I'm in a leading position; everyone in Night City can bash me. If I didn't allow Kerry's concert, I probably wouldn't even win over the seniors' votes."

"Besides, a riot is both a risk and an opportunity, depending on how you exploit it."

"In my opinion, a riot actually proves that Night City is free, and I am a mayor who upholds freedom."

"Tomorrow, I won't hold anyone accountable. Instead, I'll give them some advantages, like a support plan for disabled veterans, a welfare project for the homeless— dangling a big carrot in front of them."

"We'll hold a press conference, pin some blame on Biotechnica, making them send someone from their top brass to apologize publicly."

"It's just a building burning down. Does Biotechnica really lack money?"

"Also, Biotechnica has its dirty secrets with military tech and all that Joanne Koch stuff."

"As for the washed-up rocker Kerry, he's not that active. The concert had Arasaka's involvement, potentially tied to the Raizo line, not quite clear yet."

"So use your brains. This concert, this riot—it's unstoppable. Might as well let them burn to their hearts' content."

"Just like us after a [censored], everything becomes negotiable, doesn't it?"

With that, they all burst into laughter again, proudly amused by their own cleverness.

Holt praised him, "Brilliant move; Jeffries keeps talking about freedom and rights; we can do the same."

Lucius Rhyne chuckled, "And that is why I am the lead and you're the deputy."

Thinking of his rival Jeffries, who was gaining popularity with his good looks and loud freedom slogans, becoming the most significant threat in the election, Lucius Rhyne disdainfully remarked,

"Jeffries is nothing but a pretty face; soon others' ideas will sprout in his head, heh."