42 Chapter 42
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As Tang Yu slowly stepped out of the aerodyne, all eyes in the venue focused on him.
Four Arasaka elite squad members stood guard by his side, accompanied by two Arasaka armed aerodynes providing air support.
The scale of his departure could compete with that of an Arasaka director-level executive on a special mission.
Everyone who saw the delicate-looking Tang Yu confidently standing in the middle of the area had their own reactions and thoughts.
Caitlin, upon seeing that it was Tang Yu who had come to the rescue of the Arasaka commander, felt as though she had suddenly fallen into an ice cave.
Her excitement from moments before, where she had been eagerly waving her hands, instantly left her feeble and nearly collapsed to the ground.
The Counterintelligence Department was her sworn enemy.
Moreover, the incident of commissioning the Animals to attack Tang Yu had been personally arranged by her.
Now here she was, leading a team to snatch the Counterintelligence Department's intelligence achievements. Old hatred and new grudges made it hard for her to believe that Tang Yu would let her off the hook.
But with no way to retreat, Caitlin still hadn't given up the desire to survive.
After all, her feud with the Counterintelligence Department was internal; Arasaka and Militech were the true archenemies. In such a situation, they should be united against the common enemy!
Caitlin quickly found a logical entry point to ensure her survival and, like a mad dog, eagerly crawled towards Tang Yu.
"The stealthy hand that attacked the Arasaka agents..."
Tang Yu paid no mind to Caitlin's frantic actions.
He had already given instructions to the Arasaka elite squad at his side that any threat to personal safety must be eliminated immediately.
The Arasaka elite squad, upon seeing that Tang Yu had given no command to show mercy, interpreted his intent immediately and acted according to predefined instructions.
One of the elite security guards raised the heavy gun in his hand and aimed at the crazily approaching Caitlin, with the gun's chamber gradually powering up.
Blue electric sparks compressed into a ball within the gun barrel, gathering around a dark metal bullet.
Zzz...zzz...zzz...
Boom!
A charged electromagnetic pulse projectile shot out, fully loaded with energy.
Caitlin, who hadn't crawled far, had her eyes wide open in disbelief, staring at the blue arc of the bullet reflected in her young pupils.
Crack!
Caitlin, standing still, was hit on the spot by the railgun.
The massive electrical energy surged chaotically through her body, destroying all of her cybernetics and electronic components.
Unable to withstand the high-energy pressure, her body subsequently exploded into a bloody mess.
Red and black blood and flesh splattered in all directions, staining the Militech's armed personnel around her, with most of the remains scattered on the ground, emitting wisps of burnt smoke.
The already silent scene was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
No one had anticipated that an Arasaka executive who had come to provide support would instantly kill one of their own.
His methods were both ruthless and decisive.
Kiwi, seeing that it was Tang Yu who had stepped out of the car, felt her hanging heart drop by half.
But as she saw Tang Yu order the elimination of Caitlin without hesitation, her heart, which had just settled, rose once again.
"Damn, another cruel bastard..."
Kiwi knew that things were likely to turn out very badly, as the people from Arasaka were almost certainly not going to engage Militech in combat for their sakes.
From a broader perspective, Arasaka and Militech were already allies.
Not only Kiwi's expression turned solemn, Maine and Dorio also felt an increased heaviness. The support that had arrived was indeed Tang Yu.
But now they were uncertain whether Tang Yu would save them.
The chances were slim.
This meant they might still die here.
Only instead of dying at Militech's hands, they might end up dying at the hands of the Arasaka elite squad.
Rebecca glared at Tang Yu with hatred, spitting and grinding her teeth as she cursed, "Just another corporate dog!"
An invisible oppression and despair enveloped them.Now, the five of them were like meat on a platter, waiting for who would be the one to take the final cut.
Elsewhere.
Militech's Meredith Stout wiped a speck of blood and flesh from her forehead with her leather glove, furrowing her brow attentively as she examined Tang Yu. She equally didn't comprehend the intention behind Tang Yu's actions and frantically rummaged through her mind for any memory of this Arasaka higher-up.
High-ranking, counter-intelligence department, upright demeanor, attractive appearance, and not a single cyberware implant on his body.
Could he be one of the young masters from the Arasaka board families?
Meredith, who had no recollection of Tang Yu, immediately activated her cyberoptic scan to search for matches in the Militech intelligence database.
Information about Arasaka's top personnel flitted across her vision—there were profiles for everyone from Susan Abernathy, an Arasaka director, to highly detailed files on the Arasaka family members.
Soon enough, Meredith had a result.
Tang Yu, deputy director of counter-intelligence, had been on a special mission at the border a few months ago and had only recently returned to Night City. He had been attacked by the Animals gang on the way back to the company and had a serious conflict with Susan Abernathy, Arasaka's special operations director, in the lobby of Arasaka Tower just yesterday morning. The incident was already known throughout the various departments of the Tower.
Meredith Stout quickly digested the information and formed her conclusion.
She deduced that Tang Yu had shot Caitlin dead because the counter-intelligence and special operations departments were staunch adversaries; it was very likely that Caitlin's operation was about stealing intelligence from counter-intelligence. Tang Yu was also after the military-grade Sandevistan cyberware, but saving Caitlin was surely not part of his plan.
Arasaka's special operations department had a divergence and conflict with the counter-intelligence department over this matter, leading them to arrive at the scene at different times.
As long as there was a common interest, negotiations were possible. Although Caitlin was also a deputy director, it was clear that Tang Yu was far superior in both power and connections.
Arriving at the scene with the strongest troops at the most opportune moment indicated meticulous preparation.
Meredith Stout made a swift assessment of the situation and a decision: "Mr. Yu, I didn't expect your counter-intelligence department to get involved too."
After handling the Caitlin issue, Tang Yu turned his attention to Meredith Stout.
"Ms. Meredith, head of Militech's special operations, it's no surprise to see you handling this matter personally."
Meredith, somewhat taken aback, retorted: "It seems you've done your homework on me. But truth be told, I do like to take matters into my own hands."
Tang Yu nodded slightly in agreement: "If that's the case, I'll ask you to personally take your men and leave the premises. From now on, this location is under Arasaka's control."
Meredith knew this was Tang Yu issuing an eviction order. Having killed so many of Arasaka's people, the news getting out would not reflect well on her, her expression turning sour: "What do you want?"
Tang Yu wore a questioning look, innocently responding: "Does Arasaka need to explain to Militech when cleaning house?"
"The deputy director of Arasaka's special operations department, Caitlin, leaked top-tier mission intelligence, colluded secretly with counter-intelligence employees, and in her ambition to snatch the mission target, suffered a crippling defeat at the hands of the Maelstrom gang, paying with her life."
"Ms. Stout, surely you're not expecting a report from an Arasaka deputy director to the head of Militech's special operations, are you?"
Upon hearing what Tang Yu had said, not mentioning Militech's involvement, Meredith immediately understood his intent.
Both parties sought a win-win solution.
