77: 7th Dawn of Rebellion

The afternoon sun filtered through the glass of V and Lin Yi's apartment windows, slicing several slanted beams of light into the air, where tiny specks of dust danced about.

The air inside still held a lingering scent of yesterday's joy intertwined with today's languor, until a hurried and forceful knocking at the door shattered the peace.

"Hey! Mano! V! Open up! You two slackers!"

V, wearing loose pajamas, rubbed her sleepy eyes as she opened the door, only to see Jackie Welles, his body as sturdy as a wall, standing in the doorway.

He wore a look of exaggerated grievance; a burly, imposing man who could face a hail of bullets without batting an eye was now acting coy, like a child who had just had his candy stolen.

"When did you two get back? You didn't even tell me! I only received the gift V sent, so I thought you hadn't returned yet! You've hurt my feelings; I've been so bored running gigs these past few days I've almost grown mushrooms!" Jackie complained, pushing his way into the apartment without ceremony, walking familiarly toward the fridge to help himself to a chilled beer.

Lin Yi had just come out of the bathroom, water droplets still on his face, and a smile appeared when he saw Jackie.

He walked over and gave his good buddy a solid hug.

"We only just got back, haven't even had a chance to sit down properly."

"We were planning to rest for a couple of days before looking you up, but... plans never keep up with changes. As soon as we got back, trouble came knocking."

Jackie popped the cap with his teeth, took a large gulp, and exhaled with satisfaction.

Then, Jackie leaned in curiously. "Is that so? What kind of big-shot gig is it that makes you rush to start work right after your honeymoon? Tell me, is it exciting enough?"

Lin Yi and V exchanged a look. V nodded gently, signaling him to go ahead and say it.

Lin Yi took a deep breath, looked into Jackie's eyes, and calmly uttered the name: "It's Yorinobu Arasaka."

"Pfft—cough! Cough, cough, cough!" Jackie almost spat out his beer, choking and coughing until his face turned red.

He slammed the beer bottle down, his eyes wide as saucers, his voice jumping an octave. "¡Madre mía! Say that again?! Who?! Yorinobu Arasaka?! The new emperor who just took the top seat of the Arasaka Empire?!"

This reaction was exactly the same as V's when she heard it yesterday.

Lin Yi felt as if he were watching a replay of yesterday's scene, and he smiled helplessly.

He reached out to pat Jackie's back to help him catch his breath, avoiding him choking to death on the beer, while signaling him to calm down.

"Calm down, Jackie, sit down first. Things aren't as... simple as you think, or rather, not as bad as you think."

He pressed the still-bewildered Jackie onto the comfortable old sofa in the living room, and V walked over with a glass of water, placing it in front of him.

Lin Yi pulled up a chair, sat opposite Jackie, his expression becoming serious and earnest.

"What I'm about to say might overturn your previous perception of Yorinobu Arasaka, so be prepared." Lin Yi paused, then began to recount the entire, detailed story of his meeting with Yorinobu Arasaka at Konpeki Plaza.

From Yorinobu's deep hatred of Saburo Arasaka's method of rule to his past of creating the "Steel Dragon."

And then to his true purpose for returning to Arasaka—not for power, but to destroy the old empire built on fear, oppression, and anti-human technology from within, and to try to guide it down a completely different path.

As Lin Yi spoke, the expression on Jackie's face shifted from initial shock and suspicion to disbelief and deep confusion.

When Lin Yi mentioned that Yorinobu viewed Johnny Silverhand as a spiritual idol and believed that the nuke from fifty years ago hadn't truly destroyed Arasaka, and that a thorough "revolution" from within was the only way out, Jackie finally couldn't help but interrupt him.

"Wait... wait! Mano, let me process this..." Jackie rubbed his temples hard.

Then, as if his CPU were overloaded, he said, "You mean... that new Arasaka emperor is actually, for fuck's sake, a fanboy of Johnny Silverhand? And now, instead of thinking about how to consolidate his power, he wants to destroy the empire throne his old man left him—the one he just inherited, worth trillions of eddies—along with the entire old system?!"

His voice was filled with an incredulous sense of absurdity, as if he were listening to a fantasy.

"Not completely destroy the Arasaka entity, Jackie." V spoke up from the side, her voice clear and calm, trying to help Jackie understand the complex situation.

"Lin Yi just said that Yorinobu wants to destroy the 'Arasaka' image that people have in their hearts—the cold, ruthless one that treats human life like grass, which was shaped by Saburo Arasaka. He hates his father's model; he wants Arasaka to... be reborn. In a way that is perhaps less bloody and less cruel, although that's a bit of a pipe dream."

Lin Yi nodded and added, "V is right. Yorinobu saw how the corporation under his father's rule made people unable to breathe. His older brother was also a product of Saburo's brainwashing; that's where the tragedy of the two brothers stemmed from."

"Especially the extremes it went to after Kei Arasaka died and Saburo Arasaka took the lead again. He wants to break this curse, not the company itself. The company has always been just a tool; the key lies in who is using it and what they are using it for."

He leaned forward slightly, looking at Jackie with burning eyes. "Alright, brother, that's everything. I've told you what I know and what I can say. This is an incredibly difficult job—it can't even be called a job, more like a high-stakes gamble. If we take this on, we aren't facing some gang leader or a mid-level corporate suit; we are facing the power vortex at the very top of Night City, and even the world. We might be crushed to pieces halfway through and die without a sound."

The room fell into a brief silence, with only the faint city noise from outside the window.

Lin Yi's tone became heavier, but also carried an unquestionable sincerity. "Risk and opportunity coexist. This might be a glimmer of a chance to change this fucked-up world, a possibility that might make the future just a little bit better. But I have no right to make the decision for you. Whether to join in is entirely up to you. Whatever you choose, I will understand and respect it."

Jackie looked down at his rough palms, remaining silent for a long time.

When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with complex emotions. He looked at V, then at Lin Yi, his tone carrying a rare gravity.

"Mano... I understand what you mean. But... once you go down this path, the suit on your back is easy to take off, but the suit in your heart is hard to shed." He paused, realized the ambiguity of his words, and quickly turned to V to add, "I'm not talking about you, chica. You know what I mean; I'm not saying you're a corpo..."

V smiled slightly, signaling her understanding. "I know that's not what you mean, Jackie. You're worried that once we get deep into this, we might get assimilated too and forget who we were at the start."

"Yes! That's exactly it!" Jackie nodded vigorously, then sighed. "But just like that guy Yorinobu said, fifty years ago during the Corporate War, Arasaka Tower was bombed to ruins. Militech thought they won, but what happened? Arasaka came roaring back, even bigger than before, with tentacles reaching even further. Destroying it from the outside looks grand and glorious, but the roots remain. Breaking it from the inside... maybe, it seems like this really is the only solution?!" His tone carried a note of self-persuasion.

Lin Yi watched the struggle and excitement flickering in Jackie's eyes, knowing the time was right.

He changed his tone, adding a hint of imperceptible temptation and encouragement. "Jackie, look at it from another angle. We aren't working for Yorinobu; we are looking for a chance to change the world, we are making history. If we pull this off, which do you think is cooler: a 'legend remembered throughout history' or a 'legend of Night City'? Which one will make future generations remember the name Jackie Welles better?"

This sentence was like a bolt of lightning, striking the deepest desire in Jackie's heart.

He suddenly looked up, eyes wide, looking at Lin Yi, then at V, suddenly wearing a look of helpless laughter.

"Wait, what? Why does it sound like you two think I wouldn't do it? Do you two think I, Jackie Welles, have gone soft?!"

Lin Yi and V were stunned by this sudden counter-question. The two subconsciously exchanged a look, their eyes filled with a bit of confusion, as if communicating silently: "Your words just now... didn't you mean that?"

This silent response completely ignited Jackie. He stood up from the sofa with a "whoosh," waving his arms excitedly, his voice loud, carrying the indignation of being "misunderstood" and the heroic resolve of having finally made up his mind:

"Damn it! You two bastards! Listen!" He pointed to his own chest. "I, Jackie Welles, yeah, I was born on the streets of Heywood. I didn't go to those elite schools, I haven't messed with high-tech in Kang Tao labs like you, Lin Yi, and I haven't learned all those twisted tricks in Arasaka's Counterintelligence department like you, V!"

His words poured out like a floodgate opening: "But on the streets! In the gangs! I've been using these eyes to see and these ears to listen every single moment! I've seen too many people squeezed into nothing but empty shells by corporations, seen too many people like us lose their lives just for a bite to eat! How fucked up this world is, I know better than anyone! Now, there's a sliver of a chance, no matter how slim, no matter how dangerous—as long as there's a possibility and a chance to change it, to smash these damn shackles, do I, Jackie Welles, have any reason to turn it away?!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his chest heaving, but his eyes grew brighter, filled with a firm radiance. "Besides! 'A legend in history'? 'A living legend'? That's the kind of status that fits me! What's a 'legend of Night City' compared to this? That's totally low-tier!" He slapped his solid chest muscles hard, making a thumping sound, then looked at Lin Yi, revealing his signature smile—a bit naive but incredibly confident:

"And, mano, just based on the three of us—your god-like, unpredictable hacking skills, V's marksmanship that's like a work of art, and my ability to take a hit, fight, and bullshit my way through—even if things go south, if we want to pull out, if we really want to walk away from this muddy water, you think it could really trap us?!"

Watching the fire burning in Jackie's eyes, listening to his heartfelt, heroic words, Lin Yi and V were stunned for a moment, then looked at each other and smiled.

It was a smile of relief, gratification, and the tacit understanding of fighting side-by-side.

All hesitation vanished into thin air at this moment.

"Then..." Lin Yi stood up, solemnly extending his hand, palm up.

V didn't hesitate at all, placing her slender hand—marked by the traces of training—firmly onto Lin Yi's. Her eyes were gentle yet firm. "Count me in."

"¡Claro que sí! Absolutely! Do you even have to ask?!" Jackie laughed aloud, his broad, rough hand, holding astonishing power, finally covering the backs of their hands heavily.

Three hands, representing three different people, three different forces, began to intertwine tightly from this moment on, as if an unbreakable alliance vow.

A decision sufficient to shake Night City, and even the entire world, was made in this ordinary apartment living room by three "little people." For a seemingly impossible goal—to destroy and reshape the behemoth named "Arasaka" from within, for that slim but worth-risking-your-life-for hope of making the world a better place.

"For change," Lin Yi said in a low voice, not loud, but heavy as a thousand pounds.

"For the legend!" Jackie whispered, mixed with excitement, his look already filled with infinite longing for the future.

"For us." V looked at the two guys beside her, her eyes gentle and firm, as if saying that no matter what the road ahead holds, they will face it together.

The sunlight filtered through the window, just right, spilling onto the three clasped hands, as if plating this newly born alliance with a golden, hopeful halo.