73: Chapter 72 This newcomer seems ill-intentioned… No, I'm the one who's here.

After passing through the gate, the car finally stopped at the hotel's main entrance. Lin Yi got out and handed the car keys to a doorman dressed in a crisp uniform with meticulous movements. Lin Yi walked straight toward the magnificent facade of Konpeki Plaza.

After passing through an invisible biometric scan and metal detector security check, he stepped back into this incredibly luxurious lobby.

The cold marble floor reflected the artistic light fixtures hanging from the dome, and the air was filled with a sense of detachment, a mix of expensive fragrance and absolute power.

"Yokoso (Welcome), welcome to Konpeki Plaza." The receptionist was a Japanese woman with exquisite makeup and a smile so standard it looked like it had been measured with a protractor. Her voice was sweet but lacked any warmth. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Lin Yi. I have an appointment with Mr. Yorinobu Arasaka at three o'clock this afternoon to discuss a partnership." Lin Yi's tone was calm and his words were clear.

"Please wait a moment." A subtle stream of data flashed across the receptionist's pupils; clearly, she was retrieving and verifying the appointment information. A moment later, her smile seemed to become half a shade more genuine, and she bowed slightly. "Verification passed. Mr. Lin, Lord Yorinobu is waiting for you on the top floor. Access to the private elevator has been granted for you. Please."

She stepped aside and gestured in the direction.

Lin Yi nodded in thanks and walked with steady steps toward the exclusive elevator that required special authorization to summon.

The mirror-like elevator doors slid open silently. The interior space was spacious enough to accommodate a small security team, and the decor style was Arasaka's signature blend of Japanese minimalism and technological flair.

After the internal optical scan verified him, the elevator automatically selected the 45th floor. Once he stepped inside, it began to ascend automatically, so smoothly that he could barely feel the acceleration.

The numbers jumped rapidly, finally stopping at "45." With a soft chime, the heavy elevator doors slid open once more.

The scene that came into view instantly overlapped with the "game" imagery from another world deep within Lin Yi's memories.

The incredibly spacious top-floor area featured huge floor-to-ceiling windows with an excellent view of the sprawling Night City skyline, while the interior furnishings blended traditional Japanese elegance with the coldness of modern technology.

This was the place where V and Jackie had fought bloody battles in his past life, eventually taking away the relic chip and becoming legends of Night City, and it was also the place where he had led the two of them in a narrow escape not long ago.

It felt as if a faint trace of gunpowder and tension still lingered in the air, but the magnificent facade had completely covered it up.

"You must be Lin Yi-san, right? Please, come in."

A deep, magnetic male voice with a distinct Japanese accent came from the left, pulling Lin Yi back to reality from his brief recollection and scrutiny.

He turned his head toward the sound.

The first thing to enter his field of vision was a burly figure like a mountain of steel—Adam Smasher.

His heavily modified crimson cybernetic eyes locked onto Lin Yi coldly, devoid of any human emotion, possessing only pure threat and evaluation, like a killing machine ready to be activated at any moment. Just by standing there, the palpable sense of oppression was enough to make an ordinary person suffocate.

Looking at this guy, Lin Yi couldn't help but think: "Does this guy look at everyone with such ill intent?" Well, that's right, you can't expect a guy who doesn't have an ounce of flesh left on his body to make any expressions.

He shifted his gaze.

Sitting not far from Adam Smasher, slightly behind him, was a man wearing a well-tailored dark casual kimono. He stood tall, his temperament blending perfectly with the surrounding environment as he stood there casually.

He looked more… reserved than Lin Yi had expected, but deep in the eyes behind those glasses, there lay unmistakable, storm-like, crazy ideas and ambitions.

Yorinobu Arasaka.

"I've heard much about you, Mr. Yorinobu." Lin Yi nodded slightly, his tone neither humble nor arrogant, meeting the other person's scrutinizing gaze frankly.

At the same time, deep in his consciousness, [Baize]'s [Insight] ability quietly activated like a precision radar. An invisible sensory radar spread out, capturing the other person's most subtle biological signals, micro-expressions, and energy fluctuations, building a preliminary authenticity assessment model.

Facing these people, one has to be on guard; otherwise, it wouldn't be surprising to crash and burn. Caution is the parent of safety.

A trace of an elusive smile appeared on Yorinobu's face. He waved his hand and said to the guard beside him in a casual tone, "You can go down first, Adam Smasher."

Adam Smasher's massive metal head turned slightly. His crimson cybernetic eyes swept over Lin Yi one last time, and then, without a word, he strode away with heavy steps, passing by Lin Yi like a moving fortress, and left the top-floor space.

The heavy automatic doors closed behind him, isolating the inside from the outside.

"Relax, sit wherever you like." Yorinobu pointed to the set of low-profile, expensive-looking sofas in the living area. He stood up and walked to a small bar nearby, picking up a crystal decanter filled with an amber liquid and two glasses. "Would you like some? Yamazaki 50-year, it shouldn't disgrace this meeting." His tone was relaxed, as if he were hosting an ordinary old friend, rather than someone with a sensitive identity who had recently been an "intruder" hostile to his private territory.

Holding the wine glasses, he sat down quite casually on another single sofa diagonally opposite Lin Yi, pushed one of the glasses onto the coffee table in front of him, and then leaned lazily back into the sofa, swirling the liquid in his glass.

The information stream fed back by [Insight] converged in Lin Yi's mind:

Yorinobu's heartbeat was steady, his breathing long, and his body language open and relaxed—not a disguise.

He was indeed maintaining a high degree of self-confidence and control, and so far, no obvious signs of malice or deceptive neural signals had been detected.

This posture was either extreme sincerity or the possession of absolute confidence that didn't require relying on lies to achieve his goals.

Lin Yi did not touch the glass of wine. His body leaned slightly forward, his eyes fixed directly on Yorinobu, breaking this seemingly leisurely atmosphere.

"Mr. Yorinobu," he said, getting straight to the point, his voice clear and steady. "Let's skip the pleasantries and probing. Neither of us has too much time to waste. You went to great lengths to contact me, presumably not just to invite me for a rare whiskey. So, let's get straight to the point."

His words were direct, even carrying a hint of rudeness, but this was precisely the attitude he needed to show at this moment—he was not here to beg for handouts, but standing from the position of a potential partner.

At the same time, [Insight] ran at full power, like the most loyal sentry, closely monitoring every single reaction of Yorinobu in the next moment. Any ripple of lies or concealment would be unable to hide before it.

Yorinobu's hand, which was swirling the wine glass, paused slightly. Then, the elusive smile at the corner of his mouth deepened. Far from being displeased, his eyes flashed with a glimmer of almost… appreciation.