Chapter 77: Confrontation!

Chapter 77: Confrontation!

The sudden turn of events left everyone on edge. For some unknown reason, Arasaka Yorinobu, who had already left the Azure Tower, rushed back in a hurry, as if eager to confirm something in his room.

"What's going on? Could we have accidentally triggered some kind of alarm when we took the item?"

V and Jackie Welles immediately wiped off their relaxed smiles , their faces now tense with fear that their carefully planned operation might fail and they'd be killed on the spot by Arasaka's guards.

[It shouldn't be that. I scanned the safe earlier—there were no alarm mechanisms attached to it!]

[I'm scanning the room for hidden spots… Found one, right here!]

T-Bug's voice grew increasingly urgent. Through the hacked security cameras, she could clearly see Yorinobu and his bodyguard, Adam Smasher, approaching the room via the elevator.

[Quick, hide behind the pillar in the living room! They're almost there.]

As soon as T-Bug finished speaking, she used ICE-breaking tech to bypass the lock on the hidden pillar, giving V and Jackie just enough time to squeeze in.

Not a moment too soon—just as they tucked themselves away, the elevator doors slid open, revealing Yorinobu Arasaka stepping out.

Trailing closely behind him was his personal bodyguard, Adam Smasher—the legendary mercenary of Night City, a cyber-enhanced monster with a 97% cyberization rate.

"This… this can't be real. Adam Smasher is here?" Jackie Welles whispered, his voice trembling with disbelief. It was clear this situation was way beyond his expectations.

"Adam Smasher? You mean the top mercenary of Arasaka, the one who killed Johnny Silverhand?"

V stared at the metal-clad monstrosity in front of them, a shiver running down his spine. Their operation had been smooth so far, but now, everything was spiraling out of control.

[Stop chit-chatting, you two! These pillars aren't soundproof!]

T-Bug's voice snapped through their earpieces, prompting V and Jackie to shut their mouths instantly. They tensed every muscle in their bodies, careful not to make the slightest noise.

In the living room, Yorinobu slumped onto the sofa, his face full of irritation. He had been looking forward to spending the night with Evelyn Parker, a recently acquainted doll, only to be interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Saburo Arasaka in Night City.

Someone had leaked the information about his plan to deliver the Relic chip to an LA-based corporation, forcing Saburo—his overbearing father—to take a helicopter and confront him personally.

The idea of being constantly monitored by Saburo's men filled Yorinobu with unease. The suffocating thought of being under his father's ever-watchful eye left him both frustrated and anxious.

While Yorinobu brooded on how to deal with the impending confrontation, Adam Smasher had already sensed something was amiss.

His cybernetic eyes, equipped with advanced infrared and thermal imaging, immediately flagged the two intruders hiding behind the pillar.

'Are those two fools sent here by Yorinobu? Should I inform him or not?'

Adam Smasher hesitated, suspecting that the duo might have been planted by Yorinobu himself. Knowing Yorinobu's unpredictable nature, it wasn't entirely out of the question.

Deciding to stay silent for now, Smasher simply stared at the pillar, his combat stance ready. If the two turned out to be assassins targeting Yorinobu, he would have no trouble crushing them on the spot.

Ding!

The door to the adjacent room opened, and Saburo Arasaka, hunched and frail, walked in with his bodyguard, Takemura Goro, at his side.

The sight left V, Jackie, and T-Bug frozen in shock. None of them had anticipated that their heist would draw the attention of the Arasaka Empire's ruler himself.

"Holy shit, Saburo Arasaka... We're in deep trouble now!" Jackie whispered, his voice barely audible as he gritted his teeth, trying to keep himself from panicking.

[Stay quiet. Just wait for them to leave!]

Even T-Bug sounded nervous as she prayed that V and Jackie would make it out safely.

Takemura, ever cautious, activated his cyber-eye scanner the moment he entered the room, sweeping for any potential threats.

But just as his infrared beam was about to land on the pillar, Saburo raised a hand to stop him.

"That's enough. You two, leave us. I need to speak with Yorinobu alone."

"Yes, sir."

Takemura obediently bowed and left the room, taking Adam Smasher with him to wait by the elevator.

"Quite a crowd tonight," Adam muttered in his gravelly, mechanical voice.

Takemura shot him a sharp look. "What are you talking about? What crowd?"

But Adam fell silent, leaving Takemura fuming internally and cursing him under his breath.

Inside the room, Yorinobu glared at his father with evident displeasure.

"Didn't we agree you wouldn't meddle in my affairs anymore? What are you doing here?"

Saburo, calm and deliberate, paced slowly across the room before replying, "Did you really think I wouldn't find out about your plans to sell my creations to outsiders?"

"I entrusted you with the Relic chip project, and you immediately contacted NetWatch and an LA corporation to sell our company's future to Arasaka's enemies."

"Yorinobu, I don't understand what goes on in that head of yours. Everything you do betrays this family. You continue to cross the line, and I'm deeply disappointed."

From the moment Yorinobu announced his return to the company, Saburo had known his son was up to no good. Now, with the attempted sale of the Relic chip, Saburo was seriously considering locking Yorinobu away to prevent further chaos.

Yorinobu laughed coldly at his father's accusations. To him, Saburo was nothing more than a control freak obsessed with his own immortality.

"You're lecturing me about loyalty? Your selfish obsession with eternal life is what's truly destroying the Arasaka family."

"Everything I'm doing is to set things right—to steer Arasaka Corporation back onto the correct path. You're the one dragging us down for your own gain!"