Chapter 167

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The dust and rubble of the hotel's ruins gradually settled.

The leader of the Animals gang, the Savage King, slowly opened her eyes and found herself buried under debris, with a huge marble slab pressing on her chest.

"What just happened?" 

With a bewildered look on her broad face, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, trying to shake off the dizziness and regain clarity. It seemed like something black, the size of a large meteorite, had crashed down, toppling half of the hotel.

The Savage King pushed the stone slab away with one powerful shove, and with her sturdy legs, she kicked off the rubble and stood up, letting the debris fall from her.

Before she could brush the dust off her hair, a black steel figure appeared in her line of sight.

Standing before her was a black mechanical warrior, towering with an air of arrogance. Around his feet was a circle of shattered ground, his entire body clad in pure black mechanical prosthetics, with a ten-barrel cannon mounted on his left shoulder, leaving almost no traces of human origins, except for half of a human brain embedded in his cybernetic body.

What startled the Savage King even more was the Arasaka Corporation logo printed on his mechanical limbs.

The Savage King quickly realized who it was.

"Adam Smasher?"

With his full-body high-degree cybernetic modifications and the Arasaka Corporation insignia, there was no one else in Night City it could be. She couldn't understand why Adam Smasher would be here; the Arasaka personnel she was working with hadn't mentioned this.

If Adam Smasher hadn't descended from the sky, smashing the Voodoo Boys' hidden hotel, their takeover of the Batty Hotel would have been a sure thing. But now, with Adam Smasher suddenly appearing and crushing many of her comrades underfoot, the Savage King couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

Sensing the movement behind him, Adam Smasher turned to see two people crawling out of the rubble, apparently knocked down by the shockwave.

One was a sturdy, muscular woman who looked like she could handle herself in a fight. The other wore a cloak and jacket, with neural cables trailing from the back of his head, likely a cyber hacker.

The two stood apart, eyes filled with hostility.

Adam Smasher's blood-red cybernetic eye scanned them for identity information. The Arasaka personnel database quickly provided the results: the leaders of the Animals and the Voodoo Boys, Savage King and Placid, respectively.

Kate, seeing the tense hostility, addressed Adam Smasher to avoid further complications, "Capture her, and the task assigned by Mr. Yorinobu will be completed. Ignore them."

Kate didn't want any mishaps, especially since Tang Yu was nearby and could arrive at any moment. With Adam Smasher's abilities, he could easily leave with the target, and no one could stop him.

Adam Smasher ignored Kate and faced the two, his tone chillingly indifferent, "You are nothing but meat."

Clearly, Adam Smasher wasn't planning to stop. He already had the target within his control; he could leave at any time, but opportunities like this were rare.

The Savage King, infuriated by Adam Smasher's insult, grabbed a large iron hammer from the debris and charged at him.

She moved quickly and was upon Adam Smasher in moments, swinging the hammer at his head. Adam Smasher stood still, and just as the hammer was about to land, he reached out with his mechanical hand and caught it. The force of the blow sent cracks deeper into the ground at his feet.

"What?!"

The Savage King couldn't believe her eyes; it was the first time anyone had survived her hammer blow. To her shock, Adam Smasher had stopped it with sheer strength.

Adam Smasher firmly held the hammer and said mechanically, "I told you, you are nothing but meat."

Then, his right fist turned into a steel punch and struck the Savage King's chest.

Boom!

With a thunderous impact, the Savage King was sent flying, crashing into the rubble, a deep indent of his fist marking her chest. 

Her heartbeat felt like it had stopped, the powerful blow resonating through her chest and abdomen. Her once-vaunted muscles were helpless against his punch.

The Savage King tried to get up and fight again, but she was utterly powerless, even dropping her hammer, her limbs twitching from heart failure.

Had it not been for her thick skin, that single blow might have done more than just break a few ribs. 

Adam Smasher raised his arm, aiming an arm cannon at the fallen Savage King, ready to finish her off, but his peripheral vision caught movement.

Turning his head, he saw Placid from the Voodoo Boys attempting to escape, teleporting to a farther spot.

Adam Smasher redirected his cannon at Placid and fired.

Boom!

The shell flew at Placid and exploded, sending flames skyward.

As the smoke cleared, there was no sign of Placid. He appeared elsewhere, continuing his difficult escape while aiming a machine gun at Adam Smasher, trying to stop the pursuit.

Ratatatatata.

The magazine quickly emptied, leaving Adam Smasher's armor unscathed. Realizing the dire situation, Placid prepared to switch magazines but noticed another missile heading his way. He instantly activated his Sandevistan to teleport away, only to find Adam Smasher matching his speed.

Placid was horrified. He had a high-end Sandevistan augment, supported by top-tier hacker cooling systems, yet Adam Smasher was effortlessly keeping up. Escape was nearly impossible.

"It's not easy for a rat to crawl back into its hole," taunted Adam Smasher, following Placid's steps with scorn.

Placid endured the searing heat of the Sandevistan and started an intrusion protocol, attempting to hack Adam Smasher's ICE, thinking that disabling his implants might be his only chance.

Adam Smasher remained unmoved, equipped with Arasaka's highest security ICE, making Placid's job near impossible.

As Placid was distracted, Adam Smasher raised his machine gun and fired a salvo, shredding Placid's body in half, leaving the mutilated corpse to fall into the rubble.

With Placid eliminated, Adam Smasher lowered his gun, completing the swift destruction of both the Savage King and the Voodoo Boys.

Kate watched from a distance, patiently waiting for Adam Smasher to finish. She had no intentions of interfering with such a deadly figure, especially as he was Yorinobu Arasaka's bodyguard and had a penchant for killing. The priority was to get the target.

"Adam Smasher, the problem is solved. Take the target and prepare to leave."

This time, Adam Smasher agreed with Kate, walking heavily toward the unconscious target. Just as he was about to grab them, a commanding voice called out from behind.

"Adam Smasher, your task is complete."

Adam Smasher turned to see a group led by a young man in a black suit, flanked by two hackers, with a squad of Arasaka special forces behind him.

More Arasaka company people? Adam Smasher showed no emotion but was puzzled by the situation. He had been instructed by Yorinobu Arasaka to retrieve the data from the subnet Poseidon and disrupt the site. He smashed the hotel, killed the Animals and Voodoo Boys, and captured the person with the Poseidon data—a job well done by Yorinobu's standards.

But now, with the sudden appearance of other Arasaka executives, he paused without further action.

Kate, seeing Tang Yu, cursed under her breath. Had Adam Smasher not wasted time here, they would have already left.

Standing beside the immensely powerful Adam Smasher, Kate felt confident and coldly said, "Tang Yu, I advise you not to steal the credit by using Mr. Saburo's name. This task was completed by Adam Smasher and me. Are you trying to take it by force?"

She had no fear of Tang Yu and even hoped he would make a move. If Adam Smasher stepped in, Tang Yu would be doomed. 

Even if it came to a review, Yorinobu Arasaka would protect Adam Smasher, ensuring no substantial punishment.

Kate was gambling that Tang Yu was bluffing with the Arasaka patriarch's name.

She didn't believe the Arasaka Family would genuinely value Tang Yu; they were all just pieces on the Arasaka chessboard, black and white pieces eating each other being commonplace.

If Adam Smasher killed Tang Yu, it wouldn't be surprising. The Arasaka Family would not punish their loyal asset for an outsider.

Tang Yu displayed a strange look, smiling as he asked, "Whose credit am I stealing?"

"Adam Smasher's or yours, Kate?"

"If it's the former, I'd like to know."

"Adam Smasher, you're not just a bodyguard for Yorinobu, but also an Arasaka employee. Performing tasks that conflict with Counterintelligence means this mission was yours?"

Adam Smasher's cybernetic eye flashed, quickly identifying Tang Yu's credentials as the Deputy Director of Counterintelligence, the same department Kate belonged to. 

Although he only followed Yorinobu's orders, he was obliged to cooperate with relevant departments.

Additionally, Adam Smasher knew something about Tang Yu. Bearing Saburo Arasaka's name at the company made him cautious. He finally responded mechanically,

"My mission is to assist Kate, retrieve the Subnet Poseidon data, nothing more."

Tang Yu nodded slightly, stating directly, "Then you can complete your mission and leave."

He signaled to Lucy beside him, instructing her to copy the Poseidon data from V's brain chip and hand it over to Adam Smasher.

Lucy glanced at Adam Smasher, gripped the reading chip tightly, and stepped over the rubble to V's side. Seeing that V was still unconscious, she inserted the reading chip into the bio-neural slot and began copying the Poseidon data.

Adam Smasher didn't make any move, allowing Lucy's actions. But Kate couldn't hold back any longer.

She sensed that Tang Yu had no intention of provoking Adam Smasher and seemed willing to hand over the Poseidon data.

Wasn't stealing the Poseidon data a task assigned by Saburo Arasaka himself? How dare he just sell it like that?

She couldn't command Adam Smasher to kill a fellow Arasaka executive without reason. The situation was far from what she had imagined.

Kate's eyes glinted with malice as she coldly stared at Lucy, who was copying the data, and angrily questioned Tang Yu, "You sure have some nerve. Do you really think you can keep your secrets hidden?"

Lucy trembled slightly upon hearing this.

Tang Yu looked bewildered and retorted, "Shouldn't you be asking yourself that question?"

"Lord Saburo Arasaka ordered an investigation into the Voodoo Boys in cyberspace. Now you and Adam Smasher suddenly appear, interfering."

"The Subnet Poseidon data is likely damaged. This operation hasn't been successful, and you bear part of the responsibility."

"Of course, if you admit you were acting under Yorinobu Arasaka's orders, and were just following commands, you might keep your position. But Yorinobu will have to explain it clearly to the chairman."

Kate was stunned at Tang Yu's words. Was he trying to shove all the blame onto her?

But it was clearly Tang Yu's inadequate action; she and Adam Smasher were the ones who saved the day.

Noticing Adam Smasher's red cybernetic eyes locking onto her, she felt a chill down her spine.

Lucy finished copying the Poseidon data, removed the chip from V's neck, and turned to Tang Yu, stating directly, "The copying is complete, but the data is indeed incomplete."

V, lying in the rubble, coughed twice, blood seeping from her mouth, still unconscious.

Kate's face went rigid upon hearing about the damaged Poseidon data. She couldn't bear the blame, yet she couldn't shake it off either.

Adam Smasher, this madman, could have just stormed the hotel, found the server, and copied the data. Instead, he chose to wreak havoc and slaughter indiscriminately, disrupting the entire plan.

She realized that if she didn't leave now, she might really get caught here. Regardless of the result, as long as she didn't expose the mastermind, a bit of punishment was bearable.

"Hmph, if you think I ruined Lord Saburo Arasaka's operation, it's up to him to decide, not you."

Tang Yu smiled meaningfully and said, "Oh, I apologize."

"I forgot to tell you something."

"You're fired."

As soon as the words fell, a series of notifications popped up in Kate's cybernetic vision.

[You have violated Arasaka company's regulations...]

[Your position and rank at Arasaka company are being revoked...]

[Your access to all Arasaka company activities and business duties are being terminated...]

Her position, rank, and all associated privileges were locked, rendering her unable to access any of Arasaka's business and benefits, effective immediately.

Kate was completely stunned, unable to believe the notifications in her cybernetic vision, muttering to herself, "This can't be..."

"This can't be happening!"

"Arasaka can't fire me, I am Lord Yorinobu's..."

Pop!

A shadow flashed, and Kate's head instantly disappeared, leaving behind a headless body standing stiffly.

Moments later, the uncontrolled body collapsed, with a large pool of blood flowing from the neck.

Adam Smasher retracted his hand, bits of flesh clinging to his mechanical arm.

He couldn't kill an Arasaka executive without reason but Kate had just been fired. She was no longer part of Arasaka, so killing her bore no repercussions.

After finishing off Kate, Adam Smasher looked at Tang Yu, speaking in a mechanical voice, "Deservedly dead."

Tang Yu agreed, though he felt a bit regretful that Kate wasn't crushed into smithereens.

"Since you've cleaned up the trash for Arasaka, it saves us some procedural hassle."

"Tell Yorinobu Arasaka next time to use fewer people like Kate, who can't accomplish big things."

After speaking, Tang Yu signaled Lucy to hand over the chip containing the Poseidon data, tossing it to Adam Smasher.

Adam Smasher caught the chip, inserted it into a slot to verify the data, then put away his weapon, ready to leave.

An Arasaka AV descended, and he boarded it.

Before leaving, he looked directly at Tang Yu and said, "Interesting."

Then, the AV spewed out four columns of blue flames, ascending into the sky and disappearing into the distance.

Seeing Adam Smasher leave, Tang Yu immediately ordered Douglas to gather the Arasaka Special Task Force.

Douglas, still in shock over everything that had transpired, was unable to process it all.

An Arasaka executive, a deputy director of counter-intelligence, fired on the spot and instantly killed by Adam Smasher. The scene etched an indelible impression on him.

He shuddered, thankful that he hadn't chosen to inform Kate before the operation. Otherwise, more than one person would have died.

Kate had been constantly digging up dirt on Tang Yu since she joined the counter-intelligence department, and he had helped her a bit.

Despite Tang Yu's numerous concessions, avoiding coming to the office for stretches of time, Kate kept prying.

Susan Abernathy had him transferred from the special operations department to counter-intelligence to help Kate establish herself.

Thinking back, Douglas felt a wave of intense regret.

To him, Tang Yu now seemed like a demonic overlord. If Kate couldn't withstand him, how could a small Arasaka employee like himself?

Worried about his own safety, he even forgot to respond to Tang Yu's orders.

"Douglas, I don't want to repeat myself," Tang Yu said coldly, reminding him.

Terrified, Douglas quickly apologized, "Mr. Tang, I'm sorry, I spaced out. It won't happen again..."

He then hastened to gather the Arasaka Special Task Force and leave the scene.

Tang Yu spoke a few words with the network surveillance senior agent Mosley, instructing him to send the recruitment notice to Lucy for her entry paperwork, and to arrange for her hacking activities in Night City.

Mosley readily agreed, having witnessed everything Tang Yu did clearly.

The internal power struggles at Arasaka were far more complex and bloody than in network surveillance.

As a senior hacker agent, Mosley was not well-versed in such power games and did not wish to antagonize someone like Tang Yu.

So, he approved of Tang Yu's requests, knowing Lucy's recruitment had been promised from the start, and her hacking skills were indeed impressive.

He also understood that Lucy was Tang Yu's person, likely with another agenda. But network surveillance and major companies generally advanced together, with public network security also threatening company foundations.

Thus, Mosley didn't worry about Lucy's involvement; instead, he was keen to use her to build a connection with Tang Yu.

After discussing Lucy's recruitment, Mosley left for the Arasaka Tower to handle debriefing. The Voodoo Boys mission was a significant achievement for him.

After quickly dispersing the irrelevant personnel around, Tang Yu finally had time to approach V, who was lying amidst the rubble. He rushed to move the heavy rock pressing on her.

Feeling tense, he saw her left forearm missing, multiple penetrating wounds bleeding profusely, her face twisted in pain, and her once sensuous lips pale and bloodless.

Lucy had never seen Tang Yu so anxious, seemingly very concerned about the girl lying in the rubble.

Tang Yu, not caring about anything else, decisively called a Delamain cab, then carried V over the rubble toward the street.

The Delamain cab soon arrived, opening its door automatically, greeting, "Hello Mr. Tang, long time no see. Delamain is pleased to serve you."

Tang Yu placed V inside the cab, then got in himself, with Lucy following hurriedly, pressing on V's most severe wound.

"Old Del, head straight to the Watson Little Tang People's Cybernetics Clinic. I'll send you the exact location. Get there as fast as possible!"

Delamain immediately closed the door, activated high-speed mode, engines roaring, tires spinning rapidly as it sped away.

From the southern Pacifica of Night City, they headed north towards Watson.

During the ride, Tang Yu carefully checked V's injuries. Although severe, they were not life-threatening. Given V's strong physique, she would endure.

He sighed with relief.

V had endured far worse injuries before and still managed to pull through.

V seemed to regain some strength, squinting to look at her surroundings, noticing she was lying in Tang Yu's arms. Weakly, she asked, "Suit-wearing guy..."

"I owe you a big favor..."