Chapter 176

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The party was in full swing. 

After the minor incident earlier, the guests continued to raise their glasses, chatting and drinking leisurely.

Arthur Jenkins finished a dance, releasing the beautiful lady in his arms, and contentedly left the dance floor to sit next to Lucius Rhyne, the Mayor of Night City.

"What's the matter, not in the mood today?" He knew the bald, pot-bellied mayor well. In private, Lucius was wilder than anyone else. Given his status as a highly-scrutinized public figure, it was probably not convenient for him to indulge in flirting here, as he was always mindful of his image.

Lucius Rhyne responded with a cold smile, "Indeed, I'm not very interested. After all, what's fun isn't here."

With that, Lucius Rhyne's gaze fell on the dance floor, staring intently at a couple. Both were dressed in luxurious silver attire, making them a perfect match. His focus lingered on the woman's curves, a sly smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Arthur Jenkins followed his gaze and quickly understood the mayor's intention, giving a knowing smile.

"The Peralez couple is known for their strong relationship. Jefferson is considered lucky to have married such a woman; he's already won half the battle."

Arthur Jenkins wasn't exaggerating. The couple's story began during their student days, supported by NightCorp's scholarship fund. They successfully completed their education and began careers as lawyers and prosecutors, and eventually transitioned into politics to join Night City's elite. Their mutual support and companionship had earned them a reputation as a model couple.

In comparison, Elizabeth Peralez was not only mature and beautiful, but also adept in social skills, seemingly possessing more charisma.

"Sometimes things aren't what they seem. The more loving they appear on the surface, the more likely it is that there's trouble beneath."

"Jefferson can't handle a woman like that. Ha, I bet he's even submissive in the bedroom."

Arthur Jenkins just smiled. Having worked in the counterintelligence department for many years, he had developed a keen ability to read people. He agreed with Lucius Rhyne's perspective: Jefferson appeared to be a wealthy, dynamic, and determined man on the surface, but his experiences indicated otherwise.

Earlier in life, Jefferson's education depended entirely on NightCorp's sponsorship. Even though he now loudly proclaimed his independence from corporate coercion, he was still dependent on NightCorp's resources to stay competitive. Moreover, his profound reliance on Elizabeth Peralez entangled both their personal and professional lives.

Such a model couple might be acceptable in other circles but not in the political arena of Night City. In this cesspool of ambition, every individual's will was their territory's lord. From her actions, it was apparent that Elizabeth held the dominant position in their relationship.

"It seems we agree. However, the fact that Jefferson managed to captivate such a woman is a commendable success," Jenkins remarked with a light chuckle, a tinge of pity in his voice.

Lucius Rhyne sneered dismissively, "Captivate? I bet Jefferson himself doesn't even know who's in control."

Suddenly reminded of something amusing, Lucius' smile deepened, the folds of his face more pronounced. "If I must say, in this room, only two people could truly capture Elizabeth Peralez and play the power game: myself and someone else."

Arthur Jenkins looked at Lucius Rhyne with newfound seriousness, knowing the mayor's self-praise was seldom just talk. Years ago, Lucius had become mayor by leveraging his sharp insight and unyielding tactics, defending Night City against Militech's pressure and securing Arasaka's return. This move, against considerable odds, had brought the current prosperity to Night City and demonstrated Lucius' remarkable leadership and resilience.

Lucius Rhyne's assessments were not to be taken lightly, making Jenkins curious about who Lucius was referring to. After some thought, he realized there weren't many individuals capable enough to earn such high regard.

One name struck him: a subordinate he was particularly proud of, someone whose rise within the Arasaka Tower had been meteoric, a person of true strength and determination.

He softly uttered the name, seeking confirmation from Lucius Rhyne. "Tang Yu?"

"Correct," Lucius Rhyne nodded, his neck fat forming folds.

Jenkins probed further, curious about why Lucius held such a view. Although Tang Yu's abilities were well-known, Lucius hadn't interacted much with him.

Lucius confidently explained, "An original body without any implants, a newcomer with zero experience in high society events, who deliberately distances himself from networking circles – all these indicate he's a unique individual."

"Such lone wolves either perish due to their pride or thrive through their cunning and ruthlessness. Mr. Tang is clearly the latter."

"Miriam Knight's private secretary just invited them to the back room. I bet the old man's fuming by now."

"Anyone who tries to tame a lone wolf should beware of having a chunk of flesh bitten off."

Jenkins's expression turned heavy, realizing that the three waiters might have been deliberately placed by NightCorp.

But why target Tang Yu? There isn't much conflict between Arasaka's Counterintelligence Division and Night Corporation.

If it were Militech doing this, he could understand, but the reason for Night Corporation doing this...

Collaboration?

Jenkins suddenly thought of Tang Yu's current role, serving Lord Saburo Arasaka.

Could this involve conflicts at a higher level, just beyond his ministerial rank?

Jenkins kept these thoughts to himself and didn't disclose them to Lucius Rhyne. In the intelligence business, there are some things you can't say out loud. He guessed Lucius Rhyne likely thought Night Corporation saw something in Tang Yu and wanted to find a way to approach him.

As the two continued their discussion, the entire hall quieted down.

The music faded, and the guests left the dance floor, returning to their seats. All eyes were on the main stage.

An elderly man with silver hair, seated in a magnetic hover chair, slowly approached everyone.

"Everyone, I am Miriam Knight..."

Tang Yu and V also returned to the hall from another passage, watching the performance of this centenarian.

V had some understanding of the founder of Night City and was curious and somewhat fond of Richard Knight's wife. After all, the couple had personally established this city of dreams and laid its foundation, with Night Corporation contributing significantly to its development.

However, after the previous conversation and Tang Yu's explanation, her impression of Night Corporation wasn't good.

Whether it was their hypocritical charity bailout plan or the strange, eerie atmosphere, her intuition told her something was off with these guys.

On the main stage, Miriam Knight's voice was old and hoarse, making it sound like talking was challenging for him. Yet he was still striving to illustrate his beautiful vision for the future of Night City, resembling a yearning for the world in his twilight years.

Finally, a blue holographic host floated in mid-air, continuing Miriam Knight's speech with enthusiasm.

"Night Corporation will inject new extreme momentum into the future development of Night City."

"The New Infrastructure Plan—Welcoming all companies to actively collaborate and participate in the construction."

Immediately after, a holographic projection of the entire Night City appeared in mid-air.

A blue bright spot illuminated the city center beneath the company plaza and then spread like a network throughout the entire city.

With a grand gesture, the holographic host expanded the blue spot beneath the company plaza, revealing what looked more like a large base, with various tunnels, pipelines, and network cables extending in all directions.

"We will strive to construct a unique network data pool for Night City. By setting up a matrix of servers capable of carrying global network data, we aim to link every electronic device in Night City, creating a clean, smooth, safe, and shared Internet of Everything."

"This core facility will act as the final bastion of human network security."

"We have named it—Matrix Space."

Hearing the host's introduction, the audience was astonished, marveling at the scale of this project.

What surprised them even more was that Night Corporation had been constructing this underground network matrix for years under the guise of various infrastructure projects.

The Matrix Space was now taking shape, implying that a technological palace existed beneath the company plaza.

Now, with Night Corporation inviting major companies to join, exposing the Matrix Space was like dropping a bombshell into the crowd, leaving them bewildered and unsure of their next steps.

Lucius Rhyne couldn't help but sneer at the so-called Matrix Space and the highly praised New Infrastructure Plan.

"It seems Night Corporation hasn't stopped using public funds for their own projects all these years."

He knew Night Corporation had been digging underground under the pretext of building transportation tunnels and urban infrastructure, using public investment funds for their secret activities.

He didn't expect them to create such a huge underground hole.

But the actual situation was surely not as perfect as Night Corporation was boasting. The project likely consisted of only a few main tunnels and the Matrix Space beneath the company plaza.

City officials hadn't approved more development for Night Corporation; if there were significant movements, he would have noticed.

Most importantly, Lucius Rhyne wanted to get his hands on the New Infrastructure Plan. If major companies could get involved and muddle the waters, he could profit from it.

In any case, he couldn't let Night Corporation make this plan a stepping stone for Jefferson.

Jenkins was shocked upon seeing such a large New Infrastructure Plan, and realizing there was an underground facility beneath the Arasaka Tower. This was definitely not good news for Arasaka Corporation, but the existence of the Matrix Space wasn't something he could decide on as a minister.

At this moment, Tang Yu also became serious, carefully examining the Matrix Space projection. He hadn't expected Night Corporation to dig such a large pit underground.

Why had he never heard of it before?

But there were indeed large tunnels beneath the company plaza. He had even dug through the tunnels to reach the lower levels of Arasaka Tower before. However, he never explored further inside the tunnels, thinking they were incomplete, not expecting that secret operations were ongoing inside.

The Internet of Everything, Blue-Eyed Man, mind control experiments—these clues were already obvious.

The Matrix Space was like a parasitic hive beneath Night City, incubating a black hole from another dimension to enter the human world.

Tang Yu leaned back in his seat, his expression slightly relaxed, and murmured, "Saburo, this time I can only borrow your cane again."