Chapter 89: Interwoven Memories

Chapter 89: Interwoven Memories

V had been shot in the head by Dexter DeShawn. Fortunately, the bullet's caliber wasn't large, and it lodged precisely between the seams of V's skull, sparing his life.

Had DeShawn used a shotgun to blow V's head off, the Relic chip wouldn't have had time to activate, and both V and Johnny's souls would've already been lost, dissolving into a mix of brain matter and blood.

The only good news now was that V still had a chance to be saved.

The bad news? The Relic chip had already been activated. Johnny Silverhand's engram was irreversibly initiating the soul overwrite process.

"Mr. Li Ang, I know you have connections with Saburo Arasaka's heir, Yorinobu, but for saving V's life, I beg you to let me take him to Arasaka's boardroom. He must testify that Yorinobu is the real murderer of Saburo Arasaka."

Takemura Goro, leaning against the wall and panting heavily, had managed to arrive at the junkyard just in time to shoot the fat and treacherous Dexter DeShawn in the head.

Otherwise, V's fate would have been sealed—disposed of by either DeShawn or Arasaka's agents.

Before delivering V here, Takemura had also fought off and eliminated an entire Arasaka strike team single-handedly. The ordeal had been grueling. Thankfully, Alt Cunningham's timely intervention ensured both Takemura and V reached Viktor's ripperdoc clinic safely.

"And what makes you so certain that Yorinobu is the one who killed Saburo? Do you have any evidence?"

Li Ang remained cautious, refraining from jumping to conclusions about the incident.

In truth, he cared little about Saburo Arasaka's fate. Even if Yorinobu truly had killed Saburo, it wouldn't affect his alliance with Yorinobu in the slightest—unless Yorinobu chose to betray LA Corporation. Otherwise, Li Ang had no reason to assist Takemura in uncovering the truth.

"I examined Lord Saburo's body amidst the chaos and found that he was strangled to death by hand. At that time, only Yorinobu had the motive to act!" Takemura spoke with unwavering conviction. The father-son conflict between Saburo and Yorinobu was well-known. If Yorinobu had been driven into a corner, it was highly plausible he would strike out in rage.

However, lacking concrete evidence, Takemura still had no way to hold Yorinobu accountable.

"Mr. Li Ang, I only want to uncover the truth and let Lord Saburo rest in peace. V's testimony is crucial for this. Please, I beg you!"

Seeing Takemura's earnest and loyal demeanor, Li Ang found it hard to say anything further. Though Takemura's loyalty bordered on blind devotion, his intentions were good.

As a faithful bodyguard, he wouldn't rest until he had dealt with Saburo's murderer.

"Rest in peace... in the underworld? Ha! That old schemer already imprinted his engram onto the Soulkiller servers long ago," Li Ang sneered internally.

Through the AI Red Queen, who had infiltrated Arasaka's servers, Li Ang already knew about AI Saburo's status and Hanako Arasaka's plans. Li Ang could have ordered Red Queen to erase Saburo's engram entirely but chose not to. The fierce internal strife within Arasaka was precisely the situation he wanted to see.

"Apologies, Mr. Takemura. V belongs to me now. Whether he chooses to testify against Yorinobu or not depends on his own will."

"If you can persuade him to go with you, I won't stand in your way."

Li Ang maintained a neutral stance, avoiding taking sides. For now, he had no intention of intervening in the Arasaka family's internal disputes. His sole concern at this moment was ensuring V's survival.

"Alright... I'll do my best to convince him," Takemura nodded, saying no more.

Meanwhile, Lucy, who was stationed at the company headquarters, sent Li Ang a video message from President Myers. The video's title was short and direct: "Operation Metal Wars."

The message outlined a plan for the New United States to place a massive arms order—worth over €100 billion—with LA Corporation. This was the prelude to launching a grand-scale unification war.

"Morgan, return to headquarters with me. We've got a huge deal coming in!" Li Ang said with a smile, summoning Morgan Blackhand.

"Let me guess—it's that old hag again? Haha, she's our company's golden goose!" Morgan quipped mercilessly.

"Maelstrom, you and Rebecca stay here and keep an eye on V. Don't let anyone take him. If something goes wrong, I'll hold you accountable. Got it?"

Before leaving, Li Ang reminded Maelstrom sternly.

"Relax, boss! You can count on me—he's not going anywhere," Maelstrom replied confidently, patting his chest.

With that, Li Ang and Morgan Blackhand quickly departed, leaving Maelstrom and Takemura to stare at each other in awkward silence.

Takemura: "What are you looking at?"

Maelstrom: "Looking at you, what else?"

Takemura: "…"

---

In the dimly lit ripperdoc clinic, the faint ceiling light pierced V's groggy vision, pulling him from unconsciousness.

A searing pain throbbed in V's head, as if a drill had been plunged into his brain and twisted mercilessly.

The moment he opened his eyes, fragments of a strange dream surfaced in his mind.

He recalled becoming someone else—a rebellious youth wearing sunglasses and strumming a guitar, singing rebellious rock anthems beneath the Arasaka Tower.

Then he stormed into the tower, gunning down Arasaka guards one by one with a kinetic pistol. Eventually, he even came face-to-face with Saburo Arasaka.

These memories were jumbled with complex, inexpressible emotions—hatred for Arasaka, love for a woman he'd never met. Like a twisted DNA helix, they wove a chaotic tapestry of memories in his mind.

"What… what's happening to me?"

V's weak voice echoed in the silent clinic, prompting Maelstrom's team to rush over. Viktor immediately pushed them aside.

"Move! Don't block me from seeing the patient!" Viktor approached V. Seeing the familiar face of the ripperdoc gave V a rare sense of safety.

"Vik, what's happening to me? Am I… am I still alive?"

In the hazy fragments of memory, V only remembered being shot by DeShawn. Everything after that was a blank.

"V, you were unconscious when you arrived, so I gave you a dose of haloperidol. It should help alleviate your symptoms. Feeling any better now?" Viktor asked.

V touched his head, finding that the discomfort had subsided somewhat. Yet, something still felt off—as if there were a foreign presence in his mind.

"V, do you recognize me?"

At that moment, Alt Cunningham stepped forward. Looking at this woman—unfamiliar yet oddly familiar—V suddenly recalled where he had seen her before.

The Arasaka Tower laboratory.