43: Chapter 43 in Progress

On the eve of the Konpeki Plaza operation, a communication from V broke the silence of Lin Yi's apartment.

"Evelyn Parker found me and said she had something she wanted to discuss with me." V's voice came through the encrypted channel, carrying a hint of gravity. "She contacted me directly, bypassing Dexter, which clearly means there's a problem."

Lin Yi was adjusting an expensive tactical shirt; his fingers paused slightly upon hearing this.

The young man in the mirror, dressed a bit too seriously, seemed to have his face contort for a split second, showing a flicker of disgust.

"That dancer? Did something go wrong?"

"She provided a braindance, claiming it was internal footage of Yorinobu's suite." V paused. "I've already sent the data to T-Bug."

Half an hour later, T-Bug's excited voice joined the channel: "Nice work! V, this braindance you got is absolutely amazing. I've extracted the security equipment information for Yorinobu's room. This will make our operation much smoother."

This intelligence was like a shot of adrenaline, invigorating the entire team.

The operation time was finally finalized.

The next evening, T-Bug was in her server room making final preparations, while Lin Yi and the others were at his place adjusting their gear.

The air was filled with the low hum of equipment running and a subtle sense of tension.

"So, I'm just a rich kid spoiled by his family, just happening to go to Konpeki Plaza for a spree today." Lin Yi tugged at the jacket with fluorescent patterns on his body, his tone self-deprecating. "Slipped out to find some excitement, and just happened to choose Konpeki Plaza to squander the family fortune."

V had already changed into a dark gray business suit and was straightening her collar in front of the mirror.

Her movements were clean and efficient, with every detail exuding the rigor of a corporate elite.

"The identity of a Militech business representative is very suitable. They are very active in arms trading and won't arouse suspicion."

Jackie was awkwardly adjusting his tie, his thick fingers struggling with the slender necktie: "Seriously, tying this thing is more of a hassle than snapping someone's neck."

Lin Yi walked up to them and transferred two encrypted data packets.

"I've updated the operation plugins I sent you earlier and integrated them into your communication link. If you encounter an emergency, use your optics to lock onto the target, and it will provide suggestions." He specifically emphasized the last two words. "Remember, just suggestions."

Jackie couldn't wait to try it out, and his optics interface immediately popped up various attack plans for a folding chair in the room. "Too cool! Brother, with this thing, I feel like I could take on Arasaka Tower by myself!"

V, on the other hand, calmly browsed the interface; from scripts for handling interrogations to methods for quickly hacking terminals, everything was there.

She noticed the undisguised fatigue in Lin Yi's eyes and nodded slightly: "We will play it by ear."

"Bug," Lin Yi turned to the hacker, "the internal network is up to you."

T-Bug confidently lifted her chin, her fingers dancing lightly on the virtual keyboard: "Aristotle said that excellence is not an act, but a habit. I've slipped into Militech's firewalls before, and Arasaka's will just take a bit more time. As long as you don't blow things up prematurely, I guarantee I'll let you come and go as you please."

The enthusiastic atmosphere made everyone ignore what a behemoth Arasaka really was.

[Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.] --- Bible, Proverbs 16:18

The next morning, Konpeki Plaza was like a giant python coiled in the center of the city.

Lin Yi drove the modified and repainted galena, stopping in front of the gilded gates with an exaggerated drift.

"Park the car for me." He threw the keys to the valet, his tone full of spoiled arrogance, the rings on his fingers tracing dazzling light trails in the night.

The moment he stepped into the magnificent lobby, an aura of extravagance rushed toward him.

The crystal chandelier refracted gaudy halos of light, and the air was filled with the mixed scent of high-end perfume and various alcoholic drinks.

Lin Yi walked with his hands in his pockets, whistling an off-key tune, his gaze lazily sweeping over the well-dressed men and women.

But beneath the surface, [Insight] was running at full capacity.

According to the analysis results from [Baize], he noted that the security personnel in the southeast corner patrolled every seven minutes, the surveillance camera on the northwest side had a 3.2-second blind spot, and he could even perceive several abnormal data fluctuations in the data network.

He sat down at the bar and ordered a special cocktail called "Galaxy Phantom"; the amber liquid rippled in the glass, reflecting his seemingly careless but actually sharp gaze.

Half an hour later, V and Jackie appeared at the lobby entrance on time.

V walked with steady steps, her chin slightly raised, her eyes cold and stern.

Jackie followed half a step behind her, trying hard to look like a professional bodyguard, and not a street warrior ready to draw his gun at any moment.

"Militech, I'm on the reservation list, Victor Lino, here to talk business." V slid the forged credentials toward the front desk, her tone brooking no argument.

The receptionist looked slightly nervous under her gaze and quickly verified the information: "Welcome, your reservation is on the list. The room is arranged on the 42nd floor. I wish you a pleasant stay at Konpeki Plaza. Do you need me to contact Mr. Takigawa for you?"

V knew how to deal with these corporate underlings, so she immediately interrupted: "Did I tell you to notify anyone? Are you making decisions for me? It's best if you just do what I tell you to do."

After successfully passing the front desk, V and Jackie walked one after the other toward the elevator hall.

The whole process was smooth and fluid, without raising any suspicion; after all, it was very consistent with the company's usual style.

V's reply came over the encrypted channel: "Execution is going smoothly so far."

Lin Yi picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

The spicy liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't suppress the trace of unease in his heart that became clearer as the plan progressed smoothly.

Deep in the network where he couldn't see, T-Bug had already begun to act.

Her fingers danced on the virtual interface like a musician, silently plucking every digital string of Konpeki Plaza. Meanwhile, in a room on a higher floor, V and Jackie were making final preparations; the robot named "flathead" lay quietly in the equipment case, waiting for its mission.

Lin Yi swirled the ice cubes in his glass, his gaze sweeping over the crowd in the lobby.

Beneath this gaudy facade, the gears of fate had already begun to turn, and all he had to do was ensure that this time, the gears turned in a different direction.

Just when Lin Yi thought everything was going smoothly, his [Baize] suddenly caught a trace of an anomaly.

The data stream was quickly analyzed, and the results flashed a familiar signal characteristic—it was the digital fingerprint unique to the Arasaka anti-hacker team.

They seemed to be conducting a routine security scan, but compared to previous times, the depth and frequency of this scan were far beyond the ordinary.

"Bug, be careful." Lin Yi said in a low voice, using the action of raising his glass as a cover. "They might be strengthening network monitoring."

"Got it." T-Bug's voice remained confident. "It's just routine business. My disguise is perfect; they won't find it."

Lin Yi's fingertips tapped lightly on the glass wall.

He knew T-Bug's skills, but that feeling of unease was becoming stronger and stronger.

He pulled up the 3D model in his brain, marked the abnormal signal in red, and began to track its trajectory.

Meanwhile, in the suite on the 42nd floor, V and Jackie had already opened the equipment case.

The flathead lay quietly in the shock-absorbing material, its optical sensors flickering with standby light.

"Are you ready?" V turned to look at Jackie.

"Ready anytime." Jackie grinned. "Let those Arasaka bastards see what a true legend is."

Just as the world lines converged, after the flathead completed its mission, T-Bug said,

"V, Jackie, it's time now, go to Yorinobu's room."