78: Chapter 77 Alliance Complete! Tonight, let's drink until we drop!

The living room seemed to turn into a hall of the Knights of the Round Table at this moment; the lingering warmth of the vow from three hands tightly clasped together had not yet dissipated, and the air was still filled with the scorching heat of determination colliding with grand ambitions.

Jackie was still immersed in the excitement of becoming a "Legend of History," his fan-like hands opening and closing repeatedly, as if he were already weighing the heft of future achievements.

V leaned quietly against Lin Yi's side, her eyes clear, the slight daze from before replaced by a quiet determination.

Lin Yi did not let this emotion remain merely at the level of a slogan.

He gently withdrew his hand, walked to the workbench in the corner of the room, and connected to the encrypted communication protocol.

A deep blue holographic interface unfolded before him, and he skillfully entered a long string of dynamic verification codes, connecting to that number situated at the pinnacle of the world, symbolizing power and crisis.

The communication request was connected almost instantly.

The half-body image of Yorinobu Arasaka was projected out, with his ultra-luxurious top-floor office in Arasaka Tower as the background; but at this moment, he was not sitting in that chair symbolizing power, but standing before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, with his back to the dazzling and cold neon lights of Night City.

His digital image looked even more exhausted than during yesterday's meeting; the shadows under his eyes were still discernible even after signal processing.

"Lin Yi-san." Yorinobu's voice came through the speaker, carrying a trace of imperceptible anticipation, "I hope you bring good news."

"Mr. Yorinobu." Lin Yi said in a steady tone, getting straight to the point, "The three of us have reached a consensus. The 'Ghost' squad formally accepts your invitation for cooperation."

In the hologram, Yorinobu's shoulders relaxed imperceptibly, and his constantly tense jawline softened a little.

He turned around, and a genuine smile finally appeared on his face; that smile diluted the corporate tycoon aura about him, revealing instead a sense of relief.

"Whew, very good! This is simply the most wonderful sound I have heard since I took over Arasaka." He let out a sigh of relief, his voice filled with irrepressible excitement, his speech speed quickening by a few notches.

"I knew it, my judgment was not wrong! You... are more interesting than I imagined." He took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with the light of calculation and ambition, "For every bit of strength we gather, the scales of victory tilt further in our favor. In this game of chess, I no longer have to worry about being surrounded by enemies; at the very least, with your sudden emergence, things will surely go much smoother."

However, Lin Yi keenly captured that beneath the facade of excitement, a thick, impenetrable gloom still gathered between Yorinobu's brows, even heavier than before.

It was not just exhaustion, but more like a kind of continuous, internal pressure that was eroding his energy.

"Yorinobu-san," Lin Yi interrupted him, his tone not that of a subordinate to a superior, but of concern between equal allies.

"No need, just Yorinobu is fine," Yorinobu Arasaka corrected him upon hearing Lin Yi's form of address.

Lin Yi heard this, changed his tone, and continued, "Alright, Yorinobu, we are allies now. To achieve our ultimate goal, some burdens do not need to be carried alone. If there are things you find difficult to handle yourself, or are inconvenient to come forward about, just say it; we can discuss it together. It's better than you bottling it up alone."

Yorinobu was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting Lin Yi to cut so directly into his state of mind.

He was silent for a few seconds, the image swaying slightly, as if he were pacing on the other end.

Finally, he stopped, and a complex emotion flashed across his face, mixed with helplessness, vigilance, and a trace of relief at being seen through.

"You are right." He sighed, his voice dropping, "Recently, there have indeed... been some troublesome matters. That old bastard... the shadow my father left behind is more stubborn than I imagined."

He paused, seemingly weighing his words, "His most loyal hunting dog, Goro Takemura, has recently been like a shark that smelled blood, investigating the 'truth' of my father's death everywhere, and his actions are becoming more frequent. Moreover, within the company, that group of 'old guard' elders led by Hanako has also started to become restless. Perhaps they have smelled something, or perhaps they are just instinctively resisting any change that affects the status quo... I am currently entangled by these matters and cannot pull myself away, like a firefighter running around putting out fires."

He rubbed his brows, revealing his genuine frazzled state.

"Specific details are not convenient to discuss much online. Tomorrow, I will arrange for someone absolutely reliable to meet you at the Afterlife. He will bring the latest intelligence on Goro Takemura's activities, as well as specific arrangements for our next step. I will send the time and booth number to you in an encrypted message in advance."

"Understood." Lin Yi nodded, "We will be there on time. If there's anything, contact us; we are online anytime."

"Then that's it. Keep in touch." Yorinobu's image took a deep look at Lin Yi, then dissipated from before his eyes.

The communication was cut off, and the room returned to silence.

Jackie and V, who had been holding their breath and listening to the entire process, finally let out long sighs of relief.

"Chica..." Jackie turned his head, a dreamlike expression on his face, and lightly nudged V with his elbow, "Punch me, let me wake up. That guy just now... that guy who was chatting and laughing with my mano like an old friend, and even complaining and venting... is that really the Emperor of Arasaka, that Yorinobu? Am I fucking dreaming?"

V's shock was no less than Jackie's; she shook her head, her short blonde hair swaying, her eyes filled with disbelief: "I also feel like I'm dreaming. The way they talked... it was too natural, it didn't feel like dealing with a corporate tycoon at all. That Yorinobu, the tone of his voice, his attitude when complaining about troublesome things... gives me the feeling not of those corporate elites who look down their noses at people, but instead... instead a bit like those... high-pressure bosses or brothers we used to meet on the streets or in gangs?"

The two of them simultaneously turned their gaze toward Lin Yi, as if wanting to find the answer on his face.

Lin Yi watched his two partners' confused expressions and couldn't help but laugh; he walked to Jackie's side, patted his shoulder hard, and then put his arm around V's waist. "I told you all, this guy is not what you imagine. Deep down, he is just a rocker boy, and what flows in his body might be more the blood of the Steel Dragon than that of Saburo Arasaka. Sitting in that position doesn't mean he has turned into that kind of cold machine."

He walked to the window, watching the endless stream of car lights below, and the Arasaka Tower in the distance piercing the sky like a sharp sword, his tone becoming relaxed and full of vitality: "Alright, don't look at me with those monster-watching eyes, curious about why I know again?"

V and Jackie looked at each other, then turned back to stare at Lin Yi and nodded simultaneously.

Lin Yi playfully held his index finger to his lips and said: "Mysterious Eastern power."

"Oh my god, Jackie, go get him, look at this guy acting so pretentious." V said, holding her forehead speechlessly.

"Me too! Lin Yi, watch out—this is the combo move between me and V!" Jackie let out a weird yell and, without any sense of fair play, directly blocked Lin Yi's front view.

V seized the opportunity, pressed over to control Lin Yi's hands, and launched a magic attack by sticking her hands through his armpits, while Jackie seized the moment to control his legs.

The three of them played around, and the two guys dragged Lin Yi all the way to the edge of the pool.

Seeing Lin Yi still 'resisting arrest,' V said, "Speak, do you know where you went wrong?"

"This is violent law enforcement, hahahaha." Lin Yi said while being tickled by V, "I'm going to report this to the central authorities, I'm going to tell Mrs. Wells."

Jackie and V could only shrug at this and then sent Lin Yi into the pool with a perfect parabolic arc.

Splash~

[Perfect splash!]

It happened to be the deep end of the pool, so Lin Yi could only raise his middle finger out of the water to express his criticism of the injustice.

"Alright, that's enough, pull him up." V said, seeing that the commotion was about enough.

Jackie and V each stretched out a hand, wanting to fish Lin Yi out of the pool.

"Hey hey hey! The tides have turned." Lin Yi pulled both of them into the water with lightning speed.

"Oh my god, now look, V, we've both become drowned rats too; we really are worthy of doing big things together." Jackie teased, looking at the similarly disheveled state of everyone.

Lin Yi turned around, a somewhat roguish smile on his face, his eyes flashing with the unique, carpe diem gleam characteristic of Night City residents: "Alright, alright, while we still have the calm before the storm, while we haven't been dragged into the quagmire of corporate politics and the chase of super ninjas..."

He spread his arms, as if to embrace the hustle and bustle of the entire city:

"Let's go! Let's go out and have some fun! Keep the music playing, keep dancing! Tonight, it's on me!"

Upon hearing this, Jackie immediately threw all the messy stuff to the back of his mind and cheered: "I've been waiting for this line, mano! Tonight, we drink until we drop!"

V also started laughing, that trace of remaining tension vanishing into thin air; she hooked her arm into Lin Yi's, her eyes shimmering: "You said it yourself, don't be the first one to pass out when the time comes."

The night was deep, and the city's neon lights were like a flowing river of desire.

The three young people who had just signed a wager with fate decided to plunge into this river on this last night of tranquility and revel to their heart's content.

Regardless of whether tomorrow brings wind or rain, it does not affect our ability to mock the impotence of fate at this moment with our current enjoyment.