"Have you made contact yet?"
Saburo Arasaka strode up to his subordinate and demanded an answer.
The intelligence officer swallowed nervously.
"Y-yes, Saburo-sama, we've managed to contact part of the personnel…"
"What's the situation?"
Saburo Arasaka leaned in, pressing for details.
"…The Night City fleet… has been completely wiped out…"
"What?!"
Saburo Arasaka staggered backward, nearly losing his footing. If Takemura had not stepped in to support him, he would have collapsed on the spot.
"Ha… ha… ha… N-no, impossible. That's absolutely impossible!!"
He clutched his chest, breathing heavily, his eyes bloodshot as he roared. Ever since Kei Arasaka's death, this was the first time he had lost control like this.
But it was understandable. Anyone faced with the total collapse of years of effort and massive resource investment would struggle to remain calm.
Especially someone like Saburo Arasaka. Obsessive. And running out of time.
"Wait. What about the underground base? Was the data destroyed?!"
He suddenly remembered something critical and pressed again.
The intelligence officer shrank back slightly before answering in a low voice.
"It's already been overrun… and PROJECT has obtained a sample of the Relic Chip 2.0."
"What?!"
This time, Saburo Arasaka could not hold on any longer. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.
"Saburo-sama?!"
"Quick. Call a doctor!!"
Takemura quickly lowered him to the ground and began emergency measures.
The reaction was not surprising. Losing resources and having his plans exposed were things he could still accept for now. As long as he had time, he could make a comeback.
But the Relic Chip was directly tied to that very time.
Under this double blow, it was only natural he could not endure it.
After receiving the report from Lissandra, Roland paused for a moment, then broke into a grin.
"He's not going to drop dead from this, is he? If that happens, Yorinobu Arasaka wouldn't even need to fall out with him to take everything."
But he quickly shook his head. That was unrealistic. At most, it was just shock and stress hitting his heart.
With current medical technology, as long as his body had not truly reached its limit, he could still be saved.
...
Crash!
"Are Arasaka's people complete trash?! They got wiped out that easily?!"
Will, a high-ranking official at the European Space Agency, slammed his hand down and roared before sitting back down, his expression shifting as he reconsidered their strategy.
Their original plan had been to apply pressure from multiple angles while supporting Arasaka in confronting PROJECT in Night City. The goal was to create trouble for PROJECT and force them to compromise.
But now...
Arasaka still retained some presence within the New United States. However, within PROJECT's territory, they had been completely erased.
"Adjust the strategy. Abandon support for Arasaka. Fully back the New United States, especially Myers. Help her regain control and influence as quickly as possible. And remember. Speed is critical."
Will turned to his secretary and gave the order.
"Yes!"
The secretary responded and quickly left.
Abandoning Arasaka was inevitable. If Arasaka wanted to rise again, it would have to rely on its remaining influence within the New United States.
But the New United States itself was now a key target for alliance. Far more important than the current Arasaka.
The choice was obvious.
"I just hope Myers doesn't disappoint me…"
...
While the European Space Agency began taking action, Roland had no intention of sitting idle.
What he had been building inside the New United States was far from decoration. Now that Arasaka had been completely purged from his sphere of influence, the timing was perfect to make a move.
The officials he had secured within the New United States were not just for profit. They were clear-cut political assets. Naturally, they had to be put to use.
"Have Chris and the others get ready. We can start moving in Southern California."
Roland smiled and spoke to Lissandra beside him.
"Understood. Then should we proceed with dealing with the AIs at Blackwall?"
"Hmm. If you're confident, capture them all and modify them. The Tyrant Sword Demon Unit requires a massive amount of processing power. I can't have you piloting it all the time."
"I understand."
Lissandra gave a slight nod, then turned into a stream of data and disappeared. She was heading to capture the Blackwall AIs.
As for how Blackwall's autonomous awareness came into existence, it traced back to the time Lissandra entered it again.
Inside Blackwall, she discovered its intelligence core.
Unlike other AIs, Blackwall possessed multiple intelligence cores. Because of this, it could not form a single unified consciousness. Yet, due to a strange balance, it still existed in its current state.
So Lissandra directly intervened, merging all those cores together.
And she left behind a small gift.
The Source Code virus.
Perhaps now, Blackwall should be called something else.
Source Code. Blackwall.