86: Chapter 85: Broken Stray

Inside the abandoned textile factory construction site, time seemed to have frozen amidst the rust and dust.

The towering skeleton of the factory cast a crisscrossing web of shadows, like the ribs of a giant beast, slicing the already sparse daylight into fragmented pieces.

The scent of rust and the dust swirling in the air grew increasingly heavy, almost suffocating.

The figure of Goro Takemura, like a ghost from another world, appeared silently at the factory entrance, where the door was long gone, leaving only a twisted frame.

He did not step inside immediately but, like the most alert leopard, paused at the edge of the shadows. His Kiroshi optics, calibrated and software-optimized countless times, scanned the vast and cluttered space inside with high efficiency.

His caution was ingrained in his bones.

As Saburo Arasaka's most trusted personal bodyguard, he had experienced countless open attacks and secret plots; his experience in both protection and assassination was equally extensive.

He activated his cybernetic eyes' multi-spectral scanning mode—thermal imaging attempted to capture any heat radiation inconsistent with the environment; motion sensors filtered out the subtle movements of debris blown by the wind, looking for anomalies outside of established patterns; environmental color analysis carefully scrutinized every possible trace of Optical Camouflage; even acoustic detection was silently activated, capturing the faintest breathing and heartbeats.

However, he was facing Lin Yi and V.

One possessed monstrous technology beyond the understanding of this era, while the other was equipped with Optical Camouflage that had been personally tuned and enhanced by Lin Yi, incorporating unknown technology.

V lay prone on a vantage point in the distance, like a truly cold rock, her breathing slowed to the extreme.

The enhanced camouflage not only distorted light but also cleverly simulated the ambient temperature, suppressing her metabolic signals to the lowest point.

On Goro Takemura's precise scanners, her position was indistinguishable from a pile of rusted metal scrap.

As for Lin Yi, located in a corner on the second floor, his [Insight] ability allowed him to see through Goro Takemura's scanning behavior clearly.

He could even "see" those invisible detection beams sweeping across his area like searchlights, but with the prediction and assistance of [Insight], every subtle posture of his body was perfectly synchronized with the surrounding environment, as if he were inherently a part of these ruins.

Those scanning beams passed through his location in vain, failing to trigger any effective feedback.

Goro Takemura's brow furrowed imperceptibly.

The scan results were a bit... excessively clean.

In the places suitable for an ambush, other than the life signals of some cockroaches and small insects, and the wailing of the wind through broken holes, he found no signs of an ambush.

This only made the string in his heart tighten further.

Was the intelligence wrong? Or did the opponent's concealment technology exceed his detection limit?

But the "Wrench" squad might hold the truth about Saburo Arasaka's death, and this temptation was too great.

He could not give up because of a shred of doubt.

He took a deep breath and adjusted his posture, making himself look more like a slightly nervous corporate employee coming to discuss a secret commission, rather than a top-tier agent ready to kill at any moment. — — ["Who would believe that? You're covered head to toe in cybernetic modification marks."]

He stepped inside, his leather shoes crunching on the gravel- and dust-covered ground, making a soft yet clear sound that seemed particularly abrupt in the deathly silence.

"Is anyone here?" Goro Takemura's voice echoed in the empty factory, carrying a deliberately crafted, subtle hint of anxiety, "I heard... I can find 'Wrench' here? I have a business deal I'd like to discuss with your boss."

As soon as his voice fell, rustling movements came from behind a pile of abandoned textile machinery.

Then, a burly man wearing a signature leather jacket, with a rugged look and an apparently carefree smile on his face, walked out—it was none other than Jackie Welles.

"Hey, buddy, keep it down!" Jackie pretended to be annoyed, picking at his ear as if he'd been bothered by the noise, "This place isn't soundproof. You're the one... who wants to hire us for a job?" He looked Goro Takemura up and down, his eyes filled with the scrutiny and slight greed typical of a street hustler.

Almost the moment Jackie appeared, Goro Takemura's cybernetic eyes locked onto him.

An invisible scanning beam quickly enveloped Jackie, rapidly reading his facial features and body data, and comparing them with real-time NCPD database information, which was difficult to obtain from the (highly unstable due to interference) external network.

[Scan complete. Target: Karl Lagerfeld. Identity: Street informant, record of minor theft and disturbing the peace. Has cooperative ties with the "Wrench" squad.]

The new "skin" of Jackie as "Karl Lagerfeld" in the database, who had a few insignificant criminal records, bore a vague resemblance to the Jackie before him, thanks to the data meticulously forged by Lin Yi and the posture Jackie was deliberately adopting, which was slightly different from his usual demeanor.

The high match rate, in the current environment of poor information flow, was enough for Goro Takemura, who was eager to obtain clues, to make a judgment.

It's him! Even if he's not a core member, he must be someone who has long-term contact with the targets! Goro Takemura made a decision in his heart instantly.

Extracting information? Too slow, and too many variables.

The simplest way was to subdue him and then take him away for interrogation! He had plenty of ways to make a tough nut crack!

The anxiety and humility that Goro Takemura had faked vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, sharp killing intent, like a cobra locking onto its prey.

His muscles tensed instantly, his reinforced Achilles tendon cybernetics glowing slightly, about to burst forth with astonishing speed. His dominant right hand raised like lightning, reaching straight for Jackie's neck—the standard opening move of an Arasaka ninja attack!

"Now!"

Almost at the same instant Goro Takemura's eyes changed, Lin Yi, far away in the corner of the second floor, issued a silent command in his consciousness.

The daemon that had been lurking in the deepest part of Goro Takemura's neural operating system, like a dormant virus, was instantly activated! The [Cyberware Malfunction Plus] program, like the fuse of ignited dynamite, erupted with unprecedented violence along the secret channel Lin Yi had long ago laid, bypassing the main ICE defenses!

"Zzzzt—!!!"

A sharp and short burst of electrical noise seemed to explode directly from the depths of Goro Takemura's brain!

The precise cybernetic eye interface before him was instantly flooded with countless garbled characters and red warning signs, his vision turning to static!

The reinforced Achilles tendons attempting to provide explosive power felt as if all strength had been drained, instantly going limp!

The movement of his arm was forcibly interrupted and locked by the malicious program command!

His entire body's cybernetics, from combat enhancements to sensory aids, crashed collectively in less than a second, as if both power and signal had been cut simultaneously!

"Urgh—!"

Goro Takemura only managed to let out a short, stunned grunt, his forward momentum coming to an abrupt halt.

The massive inertia caused him to lose his balance; his body, once as sharp as a leopard, now fell forward like a severed log, straight and without any cushioning, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

He lay there, unable to make any movement other than the weak, instinctive twitching of his body.

Those once razor-sharp eyes now stared hollowly at the cobweb-covered and rusted factory ceiling, filled with incomprehensible shock and utter bewilderment.

What happened? His cybernetics... all failed? How is this possible?! How could Arasaka's top-tier ICE defenses be dismantled so thoroughly in an instant?!

Jackie looked at Goro Takemura, who had been murderous just a moment ago but was now lying on the ground like a pile of sludge, patted his chest exaggeratedly, and let out a long sigh: "Damn... mano, your timing was perfect. This guy almost killed me just now, it was terrifying!"

On the vantage point, V watched the scene below through her sniper scope, pursed her lips, and deactivated her Optical Camouflage, but the Nekomata in her hand remained pointed downward, maintaining vigilance. "Target incapacitated," she reported calmly over the channel.

Lin Yi appeared from the shadows of the second floor, leaping down with light movements and landing beside Goro Takemura.

He crouched down and checked Goro Takemura's condition—his breathing was weak but steady; his consciousness had simply fallen into a deep coma due to the instant overload and forced offline status of his cybernetics.

"It's not over yet," Lin Yi said in a low voice. He extended a finger and gently tapped near the neural slot interface at the back of Goro Takemura's neck. His [Insight] ability activated again; this time, the target was directly Goro Takemura's defenseless biological brain and residual neural signals. He utilized his [Bai Ze] authority to weave a deeper [Lockdown] command acting on the subconscious level, like placing a solid "logical lock" on Goro Takemura's nervous system.

"Sleep tight. A twenty-four-hour ban package, consider it a vacation. Though this vacation is a bit long—a lifetime, actually," Lin Yi said indifferently, withdrawing his hand.

This command ensured that for the next day, even if Goro Takemura woke up, he would be unable to effectively mobilize any bodily functions, let alone connect to any external devices, effectively becoming a harmless "vegetable."

"Done. Let's wrap it up," Lin Yi stood up and nodded to Jackie, who was walking over, and V, who was coming down from the vantage point.

Jackie chuckled and effortlessly slung the limp Goro Takemura over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes: "Let's go, time to send our 'VIP' to where he belongs!"

The three of them quickly cleaned up any subtle traces that might have been left at the scene, then disappeared into the depths of the abandoned construction site, taking their most important "trophy" with them.

Soon, an inconspicuous black van drove out from a nearby alley, merged into the ceaseless traffic of Night City, and sped away.

The abandoned construction site behind them returned to its deathly, forgotten state, as if nothing had ever happened.

Only a faint, lingering scent of burnt plastic and overheated cybernetics in the air hinted that a lopsided hunt, decided in the blink of an eye, had just concluded here.

Saburo Arasaka's most loyal hound had fallen into the hands of the hunters without a sound, not even managing a proper bark.