Chapter 13

Get up to 15 future chapters at patreon.com/FFAddict!

"Ding-dong, the train has arrived at the station, the next destination is..."

Tang Yu noticed the open train gates and then glanced at the silver-haired girl in front of him, her cold gaze containing a hint of embarrassed anger. 

If he chose to continue holding onto the silver-haired girl, he would no doubt end up surrounded by transit security and targeted by Arasaka Corporation employees. 

The clock ticked away, second by second. 

The silver-haired girl clenched her fists tightly, stubbornly silent.

It was clear that even though she'd been caught, she had no intention of begging Tang Yu for mercy.

Finally.

Just as the train gates were about to close, Tang Yu grasped her wrist and, with a swift motion, pushed her out of the train doors.

The silver-haired girl turned back immediately after being pushed out, stunned as she looked at Tang Yu inside the carriage, disbelief filling her eyes.

He actually let her go?

As she looked on in question, the train doors slowly closed.

The two transit security guards who wanted to pursue her rushed to the doors, trying to break out before the gates closed, but it was obviously too late—they were trapped inside the carriage.

The silver-haired girl, touching her somewhat sore wrist, saw Tang Yu surrounded by several security staff, apparently being questioned.

But before she could watch any more, the train had already started to accelerate away, heading to the next station.

The breeze generated by the train brushed through her silver hair as the girl lifted her hand to look at the marks on her wrist, seemingly deep in thought.

Then she opened her hand, revealing a black storage chip in her right palm.

After a moment of shock, she closed her hand again, lifted her head, and watched the direction in which the train had departed, laughing at herself in self-derision.

...

Inside the carriage.

Tang Yu was now surrounded by security personnel, along with several passengers in business suits.

He knew he looked like a corporate employee, but his attire bore no Arasaka insignia.

He disliked, even hated, flaunting his Arasaka employee status and had refused to do so when Jenkins loaned him the aerodyne.

If it wasn't for necessity, he would have long since ceased being a corporate minion.

Tang Yu, who had no cybernetic modifications and a youthful appearance, could easily be mistaken for an overworked junior employee from some minor corporation, tirelessly climbing the corporate ladder.

Compared to the relatively calm security staff, the employees whose chips had been stolen immediately became demanding upon seeing Tang Yu.

"He's definitely suspicious, letting that person go just now. They could be in on it together—you need to arrest him and question him!"

"And our chips were stolen just now; that thief must have taken them. We can't let this matter slide!"

"Right! Grab him, and if needed, take him to NCPD and make him confess his association with that thief!"

The outrage of the corporate passengers grew, the Arasaka insignia on their badges displaying their corporate status.

Although many people in Night City looked down on corporate lackeys, when it came to status and power, the lackeys indeed had the upper hand, especially those from Arasaka.

Tang Yu thought to himself.

It hadn't been long since his return, but it seemed his notorious reputation in Arasaka Corporation had been forgotten by many.

Since joining the Counter-Intelligence Division, he had dealt with multiple corporate espionage cases, sending many Arasaka employees to their doom.

In theory, Tang Yu could suspect and initiate an investigation against any Arasaka employee, which was the frightening aspect of the power he wielded.

Especially after becoming the Deputy Director of Counter-Intelligence, many in the company greeted him with smiles, regardless of whether they were genuine or filled with ulterior motives, but at least publicly, nobody dared offend him.

Making those corporate lackeys fear and dread him was the best image for himself.

And now, these lackeys, having forgotten the pain once the scar healed, needed a harsh lesson.

Seeing the young Tang Yu alone on the train, the security team leader stepped forward and asked routinely.

"Please present your ID."

Since Tang Yu did not have cybernetic implants, his identity information couldn't be scanned directly, and his personal information as the Deputy Director of Counter-Intelligence was strictly confidential to outsiders. Without proper authority or means, it was difficult to obtain.

Tang Yu glanced at the few aggressive corporate passengers behind him and responded calmly.

"According to Article 132 of the Night City Civic Code, without legitimate cause or concrete evidence, it is illegal to arbitrarily inspect residents' personal information. Digital scans that invade personal information constitute an infraction of privacy and are illegal."

"I trust as transit security staff, you wouldn't be unaware of this?"

The security team leader was clearly stumped by Tang Yu's question, as his cybernetic eye rapidly brought up the relevant articles, confirming that Tang Yu was correct.

Although in Night City, everyone trampled legal clauses into mud, treating street rules as the basic guidelines of life, the statutes still held sway on the surface.

Perhaps useless during a street fight, but now, they served their purpose well.

The security team leader tried to find a good reason.

"Sir, we mean no offense."

"Just now, that female passenger was suspected of theft, and as we were about to investigate, you let her go."

"Now we need an explanation of your actions, and if you do not cooperate with our law enforcement, we will have to take compulsory measures to verify your identity."

"I hope you understand."

One of the corporate passengers interjected.

"Why bother with all this talk? Just take him in for questioning; he's definitely hiding something!"

Tang Yu put his portable communicator back on, his gaze passing over the security staff and looking towards the Arasaka employee who had just spoken.

"Dote, an Arasaka G2 level employee in the Special Operations Department, three months into employment and newly confirmed."

He then turned to another corporate passenger.

"Lerion, an Arasaka G3 level employee, from the department of... Crisis PR Division, one year and four months into your career at Arasaka..."

The suited men, upon hearing Tang Yu reciting their names one by one, froze, their faces turning ashen.

Their company's hiring data could only have been accessed through a hacker intrusion or known to internal company employees.

Now, with no signs of network intrusion detected through their cyberware, the clear grasp of personal details signified only one thing.

The person facing them was from Arasaka, and held a not insignificant position.

Not just the company employees were left dumbstruck on the spot, even the service security staff were clueless about what was unfolding—it was evident that this young man was not as simple as he seemed.

Lerion, who led the group of suited passengers, felt his calves trembling. His previously aggressive demeanor had vanished, leaving him only able to timidly ask, 

"Are you... a colleague from HR?"

Lerion still couldn't fathom that Tang Yu was his superior; clearly younger than him, at most a newbie who had joined the company at the same time. If he were an HR colleague, knowing some personal details would make sense. This was the only comforting explanation he could cling to.

Tang Yu wirelessly transmitted his ID information to the service security personnel and the Arasaka employees through the communicator in his left eye.

In an instant.

New Arasaka hires like Lerion were shocked!

The code radiating a yellow halo left them petrified in place, and the information displayed in their cyber eyes baffled them completely. Tossed by waves of shock in their minds, they even began to stammer when they tried to speak.

"The Deputy Director of Counterintelligence?!"