44: Chapter 44 Miscalculation

Inside Konpeki Plaza, the luxurious air seemed to solidify, pressing down until it was hard to breathe.

V and Jackie were like two ghosts, slipping silently into the shadows of Yorinobu Arasaka's suite.

The vast space, minimalist decor, and ubiquitous sense of technology all testified to the unattainable power and wealth of its owner.

Every step they took was like dancing on the edge of a blade, walking across the cold floor as they carefully searched for traces of the Relic.

The path provided by [Insight] was clearly marked in Lin Yi's field of vision and shared in real-time with V and Jackie via the data link.

They avoided virtual tripwires and bypassed physical sensors, their movements as precise as a scalpel.

Jackie's hands, accustomed to wielding heavy weapons, were now carefully searching with his optics, scanning for possible hiding spots within the room.

V, like the keenest falcon, swept her gaze over every corner, simultaneously assessing any potential threats.

"Found it, matching thermal signature." V's voice sounded in the channel, low and clipped.

In a deeply hidden alcove in the floor near the personal bar, a pitch-black container with an advanced technological feel lay quietly. Sealed inside was the target of this mission—the Relic chip.

Jackie grinned, smiled silently, and reached out to take it.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the container—

"Yorinobu is in the elevator, coming up."

Lin Yi's voice cut abruptly into the channel, calm yet carrying an undeniable urgency, even faster than the team's lead hacker, T-Bug.

He was sipping a drink at the lobby bar, spotting that old bastard Yorinobu rushing back from far away.

"I've unlocked the side door to the rooftop terrace. Go hide in the corridor over there, hurry!"

No questions, no hesitation.

The trust formed through long-term cooperation overwhelmed everything at this moment.

V and Jackie grabbed the container almost reflexively, their bodies moving faster than their thoughts, shooting toward the inconspicuous side door Lin Yi had indicated like arrows released from a bow.

The lock opened at the sound, the two slipped inside, and the door closed gently and automatically.

This was a narrow maintenance corridor; on one side was the grid-structured glass wall of Yorinobu's room, offering a blurry view of the interior, and on the other was a solid wall, forming a perfect blind spot.

The two pressed against the wall, holding their breath, as if trying to force their very heartbeats to stop.

The soft sound of the elevator doors sliding open sounded like a thunderclap in this moment.

Yorinobu Arasaka, the heir to this behemoth, walked in, reeking of alcohol and suppressing a simmering rage.

He didn't even notice the extremely faint traces of intrusion, which had been deliberately masked after being calculated by [Insight].

Immediately after, another person, unexpected to V, Jackie, and Bug, appeared. A figure, older and more imposing than Yorinobu, slowly emerged from the second-floor stairs—Saburo Arasaka.

The argument broke out inevitably.

From suppressed whispers to intense confrontation.

The resentment, control, and rebellion that had built up between father and son for decades exploded in this enclosed space.

Through the grid glass, V and Jackie could see Yorinobu's face twisted in anger and could hear Saburo's cold, bone-chilling reprimands, delivered with absolute authority.

Then, suddenly, that hand belonging to the young man, strong and powerful, gripped his aging father's throat.

Time seemed to stretch.

V and Jackie widened their eyes, watching in disbelief as this scene of patricide played out for real before their eyes.

As if sensing the danger, Jackie subconsciously reached for his gun, only to grab empty air, and was pinned down by V's glare, warning him not to make any moves that would attract attention.

They were merely bystanders, ghosts accidentally caught in this bloody drama of power transition; any reckless action would bring destruction.

Saburo's body slumped down.

Bzzzz—!!!

A piercing, top-level security alarm instantly blared throughout the entire Konpeki Plaza!

Red warning lights bathed the luxurious suite in a blood-red hue.

"Fuck, this is bad!" Jackie growled.

"Bug! The hotel is going into Lockdown! Prepare to evacuate!" Lin Yi's voice sounded again, still maintaining a reassuring calm, but his speed of speech had noticeably increased. "V, Jackie, listen. From that corridor you're in, go around to the side and head up the stairs—to the spot where Saburo Arasaka came down. There's an AV on the rooftop platform! Take out the two guards on it, and hand the flight control permissions over to me!"

His analysis continued, forcibly tearing open a path to survival amidst countless collapsing timelines.

The AV was currently the only means of rapid escape for V and the others; they had to seize it before the entire building was completely under Lockdown.

However, another voice cut in, carrying a hint of dissatisfaction at having her authority challenged and an overinflated sense of confidence.

"Permissions? Just leave it to me." T-Bug's voice sounded in the channel, carrying the hollow echo peculiar to hackers deep within cyberspace. "The countermeasures outside are too strong, Lin, you handle the decryption. I'll go make some noise to divert their attention and create a window for you."

Her tone was filled with the arrogance of "I can handle it," as if she were facing nothing more than a group of toddlers.

"Bug! Don't do anything stupid! Their reaction speed exceeds pre—"

Lin Yi's warning was cut off.

Not by T-Bug, but by a force far larger, colder, and more ruthless.

The moment T-Bug finished speaking, the "perfect" 3D model of the entire battlefield that Lin Yi had unfurled, relying on [Insight], shattered like glass struck by a heavy hammer!

All along, [Insight] had granted him a sense of control that was near-godlike.

He could predict the guards' patrols, find vulnerabilities in the network, and calculate the optimal path.

He relied on it, trusted it, and had even started to grow accustomed to this state of "having everything under control."

This feeling was so real, so solid, as if the operation of the world was meant to be written by him.

Until now.

A force of network security, so brutal and unreasonable, coming from the true core of Arasaka, swept toward Bug like a tsunami.

It wasn't a simple defense or counterattack; it was a crushing blow.

T-Bug's confident facade was as thin as a cicada's wing before it; her attempt to "draw fire" was, in the eyes of the opponent, no different from a moth flying into a flame.

Lin Yi's [Insight] could "see" the cursor representing T-Bug's access point; in the vast Arasaka network matrix, it was like a faint spark.

The next second, countless red data streams representing enemy hacker attacks swarmed in from all directions like a school of bloodthirsty sharks, instantly engulfing, tearing apart, and annihilating that spark.

There wasn't even a scream.

In the channel, the line belonging to T-Bug was left with only a bone-chilling, absolute emptiness. And, as if a hallucination, a lingering trace of the burnt smell of circuits instantly overloaded and fried.

Brain-fry.

A cold and cruel phrase flashed through Lin Yi's mind.

His whole body turned cold, and his brain, which had always operated smoothly, experienced a momentary freeze.

That sense of foresight and control he relied on to survive was smashed to pieces by this sudden, total collapse.

An accident—an incalculable, unpredictable accident—had dealt him a heavy blow in the most cruel way possible.

"Bug?!" Jackie exclaimed in the channel.

"..." V remained silent, but her breathing had noticeably deepened.

"Permissions will be ready in a second! You two, get into position!" Lin Yi practically roared, forcing down the cold fear and the dizziness of losing control. His commands danced frantically on the virtual interface as he took over the AV decryption task. "I'll handle it! Move fast!"

He couldn't stop, couldn't collapse.

His partner's death was a foregone conclusion; he had to get the others out!

In the corridor, V and Jackie, eyes red, rushed toward the rooftop platform along the narrow stairs like trapped beasts pushed to the edge.

The two Arasaka guards had just reacted when they were dealt with in the most brutal way by Jackie, who was filled with rage and the will to survive.

V quickly took the pilot's seat.

"Permissions acquired! Go!" Lin Yi's voice carried a hint of imperceptible trembling.

The AV engines roared, breaking free from the platform and shooting toward the perilous night sky of Night City.

Temporarily safe? No.

Just as the AV had flown not far away, on the top floor of Konpeki Plaza, a figure with not an ounce of flesh on him appeared at the edge of the window.

Adam Smasher, the external symbol of force for the Arasaka security department.

His cybernetic eyes, adjusted through countless modifications, swept coldly across the night sky, instantly locking onto that "little bug" attempting to escape.

No warning, no hesitation.

The heavy weapon platform on his shoulder adjusted its angle, and a blazing projectile was fired directly.

Boom—!!!

A blinding beam of energy tore through the night sky, accurately striking the tail of the AV!

The vehicle jolted and spun violently; alarms blared shrilly, and thick smoke and sparks spewed from the damaged area.

V gripped the armrest of the seat tightly, trying to stabilize her posture, but the out-of-control AV, trailing black smoke, plummeted toward the ground like a bird with broken wings!

"No—!! Fuck!! Fuck!!" Jackie roared amidst the violent shaking.

Outside the building, Lin Yi, who had been sitting in the driver's seat of the galena since he got out before the hotel went into Lockdown—relying on [Insight] combined with external surveillance, and protected by thick camouflage proxies and ICE so he didn't have to worry about Arasaka hackers—had been staring intently at the battle and witnessed this devastating blow in no time.

He saw the AV trailing flames and smoke across the sky, teetering on the brink of falling.

The shock brought by T-Bug's death had yet to settle, and a new crisis was already imminent.

His pupils contracted sharply, and his brain throbbed with soreness due to the continuous overload and emotional shock.

But he had no time to feel the pain.

"Activate [Insight], predict and calculate the landing coordinates!"

He issued the command to Baize after locking onto the AV.

His field of vision was instantly submerged by countless data streams: terrain structure, air resistance, AV damage status, momentum vectors... all parameters were forcibly shoved into that crimson calculation core.

A throbbing pain he hadn't experienced in a long time felt like someone was directly hammering inside his head, almost making him pass out from the pain.

But he held on.

A precise coordinate, along with a theoretically feasible interception path, suddenly jumped out in his cybernetic vision!

"Hold on... wait for me!"

Lin Yi slammed on the accelerator, and the galena let out a beast-like roar. The tires screeched against the ground as it tore through the colorful, fake neon of Night City like a bolt of golden lightning, charging unhesitatingly toward the crash zone that promised even more unknowns and dangers.

The prologue had begun.

And he had to snatch back a glimmer of light before total despair descended; he would not allow anyone else to be left behind.