Chapter 164

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5:00 AM.

As the alarm clock abruptly rang, V kicked off the blanket and sat up. She switched off the alarm swiftly and flipped over to the floor to start doing push-ups. After completing a hundred warm-up push-ups, she slipped into her slippers and walked into the bathroom, brushing her teeth and washing her face in front of the electronic mirror.

Spitting out the toothpaste foam and wiping her face with a wet towel, she quickly tidied her slightly messy hair in front of the mirror before leaving the bathroom. After changing her clothes and putting on her shoes, she walked out of her apartment, ready to begin another disciplined day.

Arriving at the base of the H10 Megabuilding, V glanced up and down the street. There were hardly any people around, only a few drunk stragglers from the night before wandering aimlessly. The sky had just begun to lighten, and Night City was still asleep. V took a deep breath of the chilly air and glanced at the time: 5:15 AM, just like every other disciplined morning.

She did a few stretches to warm up and then started her run. Along the way, her eyes scanned the streets and alleys for any valuable finds. The city cleaners hadn't started their shift yet, often leaving unexpected treasures on the streets. But today was somewhat disappointing, as she found nothing interesting after running several blocks.

She grabbed a Eurodollar pizza from a roadside stand and some hot water for a makeshift breakfast. With her stomach slightly fuller, the sky was noticeably brighter, and the streets began to bustle with people heading to work, cars starting to create traffic jams. V checked the time and set off back home at a run.

Along the street, shops started to open, and hawkers peeked out from their stalls, eyeing potential customers.

"Hey, bro! Want to upgrade your gear? Got a second-hand cannon here, cheap and powerful!"

"Interested in some new myomers and joints? Move more freely and easily!"

"Don't miss out! High-end combat implants at unbeatable prices!"

"Want some juicy gossip? I have all kinds of info—corporate, gang, stock market, and even celebrity secrets. Pay enough, and I can get you some dirt on the stars!"

The streets of Watson were full of second-hand dealers; almost anything could be bought. At night, the area belonged to the street girls, but during the day, it was the vendors' domain.

Ignoring their enthusiastic pitches, V focused on her run. Her implants might not be top-tier, but they certainly didn't require the cheap street junk. Such questionable gear could be filled with hidden programs, unreliable at crucial moments and lacking quality assurance.

V continued running, prioritizing physical fitness above all. She adhered to the principle of "better none than bad." After all, her body was her capital in the streets; without it, there was no career.

As she ran past a narrow alley, someone called out to her.

"Want to try some special braindance? Guaranteed new and fresh!"

V kept running as if she hadn't heard, moving so fast she created a gust of wind.

Braindance? Something fresh and special?

After a few seconds, V retraced her steps and returned to the vendor, eyeing him suspiciously. The young braindance dealer didn't look like an old hand in the trade. Still, appearances could be deceiving; new entrants could sometimes have superior goods.

"You interested?" the young dealer asked, seeing her interest. "This braindance is exclusive. Even Lizzie doesn't have it. Only I do."

V was indeed curious. As a die-hard fan of braindance experiences, she naturally craved novel and unique ones.

"What's in it? What's it called?" she asked.

The dealer scoffed, "Why ask? Telling you would ruin the surprise. And the name doesn't matter—the novelty and quality do. Have a copy. You won't regret it."

V observed the dealer closely. He seemed very confident in his product. Her curiosity piqued even further.

Truth be told, she was itching to try it. The mainstream braindances had lost their appeal to her, heavily edited and lacking sensory impact. Street-bought braindances often provided surprising experiences.

V hesitated for a moment and made up her mind. "Okay, how much is it?"

"Not much, just 20,000 Eurodollars. And we also offer personalized experiences by professional editors."

20,000 Eurodollars?

V's excitement shattered. She had no money in her e-account, only a few hundred Eurodollars in cash, barely enough for this braindance.

"Thanks, but I can't afford it..." she replied, disappointed.

Seeing her leave, the young dealer quickly shouted, "Wait, I can give you a discount since you're my first customer today. How about 2,000 Eurodollars?"

A 90% discount?

The generous offer made V stop and contemplate. She didn't even have this much. The thought of borrowing money briefly crossed her mind, thinking of Tang Yu, who had drained her earnings to pay off her car and house loans.

Every penny she earned was immediately transferred away. Despite this, she couldn't bring herself to hate Tang Yu. He hadn't charged rent for her apartment or interest on the car loan, and even paid her occasionally. The debt was indeed for her benefit.

Her pride wouldn't allow her to borrow money. Then, another person came to mind—Gloria, the owner of the Lizzie's Bar. They had completed several jobs together successfully.

V asked the braindance dealer to wait and made a call. The dealer guessed she was looking to borrow money and patiently waited.

"V, I was just about to call you. Are you free now?" Gloria's voice answered.

"Yes..." V replied, surprised.

"Great! Can you come to the bar? I have an urgent job that needs handling."

V agreed, realizing she couldn't ask Gloria for money now. Hanging up the phone, the dealer noticed her disappointment and generously offered, "How about this—you can pay me later. Try the braindance first."

On credit?

V didn't expect she could watch the braindance first and pay later. As tempting as it sounded, something felt off. She perceived it as a potential trap.

V decided she had more important matters to attend to with Gloria, and resumed her run, waving off the dealer's cries.

"If all else fails, I'll let you have it for free! Just this once!"

V didn't look back. She was thankful she had no money on her, avoiding another lesson from the streets.

---

Arasaka Tower.

Counterintelligence Department.

Tang Yu had received intel that Bryce Mosley had successfully allied with the Animals and occupied the Imperial Mall. The Voodoo Boys were making moves in cyberspace, attempting to break into their network and destroy newly setup servers.

However, the network monitoring had robust ICE protection, barely flinching at Voodoo Boys' attempts. Many Haitians were gathering around the Imperial Mall, only to be driven out by the Animals.

To secure the mall, the Animals' leader, Sasquatch, personally led the core members to safeguard it. The Voodoo Boys were no match for the muscle-bound Animals.

Tang Yu decided it was time to act. He instructed the front desk to notify Douglas to prepare a special operations team for the mission.

Working in his office, Douglas received Tang Yu's command to lead the team to Imperial Mall. The mission was clear: collaborate with network monitoring to tackle the Voodoo Boys. He marveled that this was Tang Yu's first time personally assigning him a task, suspecting deeper significance.

Douglas began preparations, pondering whether to inform Kate. He felt it might be a trap and decided to wait for more intel.

Tang Yu, on the other hand, headed to the interrogation room where Lucy was held.

"Lucy," he said directly upon entering.

"Come with me. We can leave this place now."

Lucy, who had been silent all this while, finally lifted her head, a spark of light flashing in her neon eyes.

Quickly.

The Arasaka Anti-Intel Field Team geared up and headed towards the Imperial Building in Pacifica.

Inside the exclusive car, Lucy stared silently out the window, her gaze calm.

Since being "arrested" by Tang Yu and brought to the Arasaka Tower, she hadn't said a word. Silence engulfed her.

Tang Yu knew that she had many questions, but there were some things he couldn't explain to her just yet. The less people knew about the Arasaka family's affairs, the safer it was.

Once this matter was settled, there would be no need to involve Lucy anymore. Once she joined the NetWatch and assumed a new identity, and Tang Yu dealt with Kate, she would no longer have to live in fear of Arasaka's pursuit. She could live openly and without worry.

The car interior was quiet, with the city's street scenes constantly flashing by outside the window.

After a while.

The Arasaka Anti-Intel convoy arrived at the Imperial Building in Pacifica. It was occupied by the Animals gang, who allowed them entry after verifying their identities. The convoy drove into the underground parking garage.

Emergency lights were on in the underground parking lot, which, though not fully renovated, had its structure securely in place. The spacious garage allowed for free parking.

Tang Yu and the others got out of the car, the scent of steel and concrete thick in the air. Douglas followed Tang Yu, responsible for his safety. He knew little about the mission and remained silent, dutifully leading his team behind them.

There was only one functioning elevator. Tang Yu took Lucy to the third floor of the mall to meet with Mosley, a senior agent of NetWatch.

The two reached the third floor smoothly, which served as a temporary base for NetWatch and the Animals. Several Animals gang members gathered there, giving Arasaka's high-level personnel odd looks as they walked in.

Tang Yu's face remained calm. The last time the Animals gang, under the orders of Susan Abernathy, tried to ambush him on the city overpass. They probably hadn't forgotten, which explained their strange looks.

Soon enough.

The Animals gang members made way for a sturdy, muscular woman to walk through. Her presence dominated the gang, and their eyes filled with admiration when they looked at her.

Matilda, the King of the Beasts, leader of the Animals gang.

Tang Yu remembered her well. V had fought her hand-to-hand before. Her punches were indeed hard, but her intellect barely passed.

Matilda coldly eyed Tang Yu, her expression unfriendly.

Douglas and the Arasaka Special Task Force, catching up from behind, went on alert, sensing the Animals gang's intent to attack.

Tensions rose.

Just then.

NetWatch agent Bryce Mosley stepped out, positioning himself between the two sides. Seeing the tension, he smiled and introduced them.

"Mr. Tang, you're here. This is Matilda, the King of the Beasts, leader of the Animals."

He then turned to Matilda, explaining, "Tang here is the one I'm cooperating with. Take your men to prepare. Once we locate the Voodoo Boys' hideout, it'll be your turn to act."

Hearing Mosley's words, Matilda released her clenched fists, giving Tang Yu one last look before taking her men and leaving.

Once Matilda was out of sight, Mosley led Tang Yu further in, continuing to explain as they walked.

"I set up the temporary base's control room in the mall cinema, and I've modified a diving chamber over there, so..."

Mosley looked at Tang Yu, indicating that they'd need Arasaka's deep-dive netrunners to track the Voodoo Boys.

Tang Yu replied, "That's not a problem."

Lucy, who had been following them quietly, unconsciously clenched her fists. She knew she would soon dive into the cyberspace, a place she had evaded for years.

Tang Yu instructed Douglas and the Special Task Force to guard the area, prohibiting anyone from entering the cinema control room. Then he followed Mosley, bringing Lucy into the control room.

Inside the control room.

Mosley briefly explained the current situation to them. 

He had already initiated a signal fluctuation tracker. The Voodoo Boys were trying to probe for vulnerabilities to breach NetWatch's ICE. The task now required Arasaka's deep-dive netrunners, using NetWatch's diving equipment, to enter cyberspace and trace the Voodoo Boys' activities.

Pointing to a door not far from the projection room, Mosley said, "The diving chamber is in there, equipped with an ice bath and netrunning chair."

"I'll monitor the Voodoo Boys' movements from the control room to prevent any mishap. If anything goes wrong, call me."

Lucy, with her fists tightly clenched, turned and walked towards the diving chamber, pushing the door open.

As a former top-tier hacker, Tang Yu knew the deep-dive cyberspace process very well. A hacker must always have someone monitoring the dive from outside, ready to pull them out if necessary.

He briefed Mosley about some matters, emphasizing that Lucy's safety was paramount throughout the process. 

Mosley sensed the gravity in Tang Yu's words, understanding that unlike NetWatch, for whom breaching the Voodoo Boys would be a greater priority than Lucy's life, Tang Yu valued Lucy's safety above everything.

If it weren't for helping Lucy get a new identity and a job at NetWatch, this wouldn't need to be so complicated. Tang Yu could have used Arasaka's authority to have Kate deal with the Voodoo Boys, playing a scheme of 'using a tiger to devour a wolf.'

But Tang Yu's actions had already drawn attention. He was now waiting to see if Kate would take the bait.

He purposefully orchestrated this grand mission to alert Kate, prompting her to intervene. If she didn't dare to, she could only watch helplessly as Lucy joined NetWatch, while the Poseidon subnet would fall into Tang Yu's hands.

Seeing the importance of the situation, Mosley had no issues with Tang Yu's instructions and assured him that they would monitor the cyberspace security issues using NetWatch's ICE.

Realizing the special attention Tang Yu paid to this Arasaka deep-dive netrunner, Mosley understood the stakes. Breaching the Voodoo Boys' operations was only a matter of time, and antagonizing Tang Yu was unnecessary, especially with other Arasaka personnel around.

As long as the Animals established a foothold in the Imperial Building, the Voodoo Boys wouldn't dare hide. This win-win strategy made sense to Mosley.

After clarifying the details, Tang Yu turned towards the diving chamber, opening the door and entering.

Inside.

Lucy was quietly undressing, seemingly resigned to the arrangement. She crouched down to remove her last piece of clothing, exposing her slim yet mature form.

Standing up, her back revealed the obvious marks of cybernetic augmentation: gold cables, integrated coolers, and bio-neural interfaces spread all over her back, extending to her waist and hips.

The room was equipped with various deep-dive netrunning devices. A high-end netrunning chair stood nearby, a new netrunner suit hanging on its rack. But Lucy ignored the chair, standing by the ice-cold water-filled tub, murmuring.

"Can I trust you one more time..."

Her voice trembled slightly, aware of the lack of better options, yet resisting becoming a company puppet again. To return to the hellish life she once knew, she would rather die from an Arasaka bullet.

Tang Yu gently replied, "I have never deceived you, and I never will."

Lucy's body trembled slightly, as if touched by his words. Her left hand lifted slowly, brushing away the hair covering the back of her head. Her right hand grasped a bandage, gradually peeling it away.

With a tearing sound, the deep-dive interface on the back of her head was exposed. Lifting her leg, she stepped into the icy tub, the cold searing her entire body.

Lucy was accustomed to such cold. Her eyes were tranquil, devoid of warmth, as she lay naked in the tub. The icy water rippled slightly, the surface ice clinking softly.

Tang Yu approached and took the connector, aligning it with her socket and firmly connecting it.

Click.

With the sound of the mechanical interface fitting, Lucy's eyebrows slightly furrowed, indicating mild discomfort. She crossed her slim arms over her chest, steadily looking ahead.

After a moment.

Lucy murmured, "Tang."

"I'm ready..."

Taking a deep breath, her chest heaved, and with a long exhale, her eyes slowly closed.

Tang Yu pressed the start button, guiding Lucy into the deep-dive state into cyberspace.

...

Arasaka Tower.

Anti-Intel Division.

Kate paced anxiously in her office, deep in thought. She had just learned that Tang Yu had taken Lucy and ordered Douglas to lead a team on a field mission to the Imperial Building, intending to ally with NetWatch against the Voodoo Boys.

Such information wasn't classified within the Anti-Intel Division, and Kate didn't doubt its authenticity. What puzzled her was Tang Yu's true purpose behind this mission.

Taking Arasaka's fugitive deep-dive hacker Lucy, joining forces with NetWatch to break the Voodoo Boys, and personally going to the frontlines — she confirmed that Tang Yu's mission wasn't board-mandated. 

Thus, it could only be an arrangement by Saburo Arasaka himself.

Targeting the Voodoo Boys, was it about obtaining the Poseidon subnet?

That's the only thing Kate could think of that held value to Arasaka. Joining hands with NetWatch and taking the deep-dive hacker must be all for the Poseidon subnet.

Kate concluded that it must involve Saburo Arasaka and considered whether to report it to Michiko Arasaka.

Finally.

She decided to report immediately. Michiko Arasaka had previously instructed to monitor Tang Yu's activities, especially anything involving tasks assigned by Saburo Arasaka.

Quickly.

Kate compiled the information she knew and sent it through a secret channel to Michiko Arasaka in Kyoto.

Before long.

Kate received a reply, reading the key points emphasized in the encrypted message.

"Disrupt Tang Yu's operation."

"Obtain the Poseidon data."

"Adam Smasher has arrived at the Westbrook Waterfront Park and will assist in your operation."

"Failure is not an option."