Chapter 46: Soulkiller

Chapter 46: Soulkiller

"Miss Nadia, you'll be the most outstanding CEO Trauma Team Inc. has ever seen. Until next time."

Li Ang smiled as he spoke. He had a favorable impression of Nadia. At least she wasn't like those shortsighted executives, blind to the changing dynamics of the world.

If Trauma Team truly rejected Li Ang's proposal, he wouldn't hesitate to collaborate with Arasaka Saburo to create an "emergency squad" to siphon Trauma Team's business.

Sure, Saburo was a bit of a rebel, but he was deeply invested in his company's affairs. A mutually beneficial business deal was something Saburo would undoubtedly accept.

Fortunately, Nadia agreed to the collaboration, preventing the complete collapse of Trauma Team's emergency services.

A capable executive like her, who understood the times, was precisely the ally Li Ang needed.

Li Ang didn't shy away from fierce competition, but dealing with minor nuisances like Knapp, who wasted his time, was irritating.

It was like stepping in dog mess—not a fatal issue, but profoundly unpleasant.

"Thank you."

Nadia smiled gently as she watched the Atlas AV ascend into the sky and disappear from view.

Inside the vehicle, Li Ang finally exhaled in relief. Dealing with shrewd European capitalists was always mentally taxing.

During the earlier negotiation, Li Ang had confidently stood his ground against Knapp and Nadia, fully grasping Trauma Team's profit-driven nature.

The conglomerates backing Trauma Team had no interest in full-scale corporate warfare. As long as the company maintained its dominance in the medical field, other matters were negotiable.

If LA Corporation gouged Trauma Team with their advanced technology in AVs, security, and weaponry, the latter might grudgingly accept the cost.

However, when it came to nanobot treatments or anything related to medical technology, LA Corporation would either be absorbed by Trauma Team or forced to fight to the death!

"Li Ang, Johnny sent you a message. He wants to meet."

Lucy's voice interrupted Li Ang's thoughts. "He's already at our company headquarters. Should we let him in?"

To be honest, Lucy had no affection for Johnny Silverhand. His rebellious lyrics, filled with anti-corporate and anti-establishment rhetoric, lacked any constructive vision.

He was like a vandal who only knew how to destroy but had no idea how to build order.

Johnny… If he's coming to me, it must be serious.

Li Ang knew Johnny's stubborn nature well. Unless it was a life-or-death situation, Johnny wouldn't ask for help—it was simply his pride.

"Let him in and tell him we're on our way."

As he spoke, Li Ang glanced out at the towering neon skyline. He had a hunch about Johnny's visit. The real trouble was only just beginning.

---

Arasaka Headquarters, Corporate Plaza

Inside a spacious circular ceramic conference room, the Arasaka executives sat focused, their eyes fixed on a 3D holographic projection of an elderly man in a plain kimono.

This was Saburo Arasaka, the founder of the Arasaka Corporation.

"East Shiro, what's the current situation?"

From his location in Tokyo, Saburo's hologram projected his presence as though he were physically present, maintaining a firm grip on Arasaka's Night City operations.

"Alt Cunningham is finalizing the development of the Soulkiller 2.0. I've assigned three elite netrunners to monitor her closely. She wouldn't dare try anything."

The speaker was Harada Toshirō, Arasaka's Director of Net Security, personally appointed by Saburo to oversee the corporation's top-priority project: the Soulkiller AI.

The current 1.0 version of Soulkiller was, strictly speaking, an AI-based defensive network system. While it possessed some offensive capabilities, its use was cumbersome due to its lack of memory optimization and massive data requirements.

If not for Arasaka's powerful "God-Vault" servers, running the program would have been near impossible.

ITS Corporation, where Alt Cunningham worked, had merely regarded the Soulkiller as an AI defensive tool to protect their network.

However, Arasaka viewed its true potential as revolutionary: storing and digitizing human consciousness.

The 2.0 version of Soulkiller, currently under development, was set to change everything.

This upgrade would allow the program to be embedded into any electronic device, enabling it to incapacitate individuals with cyberware by overloading their brains. In essence, it could burn out the minds of its targets.

With this tool, Arasaka would wield unrivaled power in cyberspace, able to destroy rogue netrunners' consciousnesses or fry their brains in seconds.

Additionally, the 2.0 Soulkiller would enable initial attempts at uploading human consciousness onto digital platforms, effectively transforming souls into digital entities. These could be stored in devices or even other bodies, achieving a form of cybernetic immortality.

For Saburo Arasaka, whose aging body was growing frail, the prospect of eternal life was an irresistible temptation.

"The Soulkiller 2.0 must be developed as soon as possible. I want the executives at Militech to pay a heavy price!"

Saburo's voice, hoarse and commanding, echoed in the room, filling every Arasaka executive with a clear understanding of his rage and urgency.

Currently, Arasaka and Militech were locked in a global conflict, with battles erupting across various locations.

Though mediated by the European Economic Community and other factions, the corporate war was nearing a ceasefire.

Yet Saburo remained unsatisfied.

Upon learning of Alt Cunningham's development of the Soulkiller AI, Saburo had her kidnapped immediately.

His plan was simple: deploy the 2.0 Soulkiller via ubiquitous electronic devices, covertly infiltrate Militech systems, and ultimately obliterate the minds of their executives.

As a World War II veteran, Saburo knew that true corporate dominance could never be achieved through diplomacy—it required absolute power.

And the Soulkiller AI was precisely the groundbreaking technology Arasaka was willing to pour everything into.