Secondly, Arasaka Corporation also suffered heavy losses and was severely weakened in this fierce battle.
V, by her own power, almost pierced through Arasaka Tower.
This resulted in the Arasaka Group losing a large amount of combat power, forcing Yorinobu Arasaka to lead a hasty retreat from Night City, returning to their headquarters in Japan to recuperate and rebuild.
Militech, due to their intense battle with Arasaka, also expended a large portion of their elite combat forces, making them temporarily unable to participate in the struggle for control of Night City.
As for the four endings in the DLC Phantom Liberty, they undoubtedly signify a complete victory for Militech.
Myers not only successfully retrieved Songbird but also took control of Dogtown in the process.
With these strategic strongholds as support points, Militech can easily control the situation in Night City.
Militech fulfilled its decades-long dream, completing the great unification of America.
On the other hand, the Arasaka family gradually declined due to internal strife.
According to the conversation between V and Goro Takemura in the ending, after V went to Militech for treatment, he and Hanako Arasaka had organized a group of people to try and eliminate Yorinobu,
but unfortunately, they were defeated due to the overwhelming disparity in strength, and Hanako Arasaka tragically died in this conflict.
Goro Takemura once again became the scapegoat for Hanako Arasaka's death, hunted by Arasaka forces and various bounty hunters, his situation not much better than when V was initially dumped in the trash.
As for V and Johnny, in the game of the powerful, what does the fate of the little people matter?
Whether it was V or Johnny, they were both merely pawns in the hands of the three factions.
It's important to remember that the origin of all these stories began with the Voodoo Boys dispatching Evelyn to steal the Relic chip.
So, the question arises: how did a rural, indigenous organization like the Voodoo Boys know Arasaka's core secret?
And how could they so accurately pinpoint that the consciousness stored in the chip in Yorinobu Arasaka's possession was none other than Johnny Silverhand?
However, if one carefully considers the Voodoo Boys' ideology, this question becomes easy to answer.
The Voodoo Boys are a group of fanatics who madly worship rogue AIs and aspire to become AIs themselves.
What they enjoy doing most is exploring the secrets behind the Blackwall, even revering rogue AIs as deities.
With this in mind, all the previously seemingly illogical points now make sense.
The true mastermind behind instructing the Voodoo Boys to steal the Relic chip was very likely a rogue AI,
or more accurately, Alt herself, who had already become a Soul AI; it was she who was behind the Voodoo Boys' members stealing the chip.
And her purpose in doing so was very simple: nothing more than to obtain the thousands of soul imprints within Mikoshi.
It is well known that the growth of AI cannot be separated from data support; the more data an AI consumes, the stronger it becomes.
But even the most powerful AI will encounter developmental bottlenecks, and it is clear that Alt has discovered that her evolution has stagnated.
As a massive Soul AI, she can already pull a space station from orbit in an instant.
However, despite Alt's immense power, she still yearns to become even stronger.
Simply because the existence of the Blackwall has always been an insurmountable chasm for Alt.
As long as the Blackwall exists, Alt will always feel her own insignificance.
She urgently needs more, vaster data to enhance her power, thereby preventing humanity from being confined and exterminated by the Blackwall.
And in this world, only Arasaka's Mikoshi contains the soul data that can allow Alt to evolve.
After all, the complete soul imprint of a human being has a data capacity far greater than even a thousand years of memory data combined.
And within Mikoshi, there is also stored the soul data of all the powerful individuals Arasaka Corporation has killed using Soulkiller over several decades.
They relied on the biological properties of the Relic chip to store these souls within Mikoshi.
Faced with such a vast amount of data, even a powerful entity like Alt couldn't help but salivate.
Thus, a meticulously planned conspiracy naturally unfolded...
The melody of the Cyberpunk world is always filled with despair, oppression, and endless sorrow.
In this world, everyone is like a tragic character on a stage, powerlessly fighting against the injustice of fate.
And the truth of cyberpunk is heartbreakingly cruel.
If there wasn't an existence like a deus ex machina descending, this world would be as merciless as an iron law, and no one could change it.
Even V, as powerful as she was, even if she transformed herself into a Cybertronian, still couldn't resist the manipulation and arrangements of the corporation.
This is the sorrow of the little people...
...
...
Of course, he wouldn't easily take the blame for others, especially since this time, without even a greeting, Hansen directly attacked Myers, which clearly showed he didn't consider him a brother!
However, before he could call Dogtown, Hansen had already called him first.
"Xiao, I need your help!"
"Hansen, say my name!"
"I am very sorry about this matter. I can explain. When I saw Myers, I acted impulsively..."
Hansen's tone was unusually humble; clearly, his situation was not good at the moment.
"Say my name!"
Xiao repeated it again solemnly, and this sentence, like a sharp sword, pierced Hansen's heart, making him freeze.
"Mr. X~" Hansen replied in his deep and domineering voice.
This name held significant meaning for him because it was the alias he used when he first started making a name for himself in the underworld.
Every weapon he created would have an X-shaped symbol engraved on it.
"Hansen, you know, I've always admired you greatly. You're a traditional and honest man, sticking to your own patch of land, and striving to make friends and do business with everyone.
You rose from a soldier to the boss of Dogtown, with business spanning the globe, all because of your hard work in developing Dogtown into what it is today; your achievements are undeniable.
This is also why I have always valued and supported you, but now, my friend, you have disappointed me!"
Xiao's tone was as intimate as if he were talking to an old friend, every word gentle, full of praise for Hansen, completely devoid of any anger or reprimand.
However, just then, a deafening roar suddenly came from outside the video call.
Clearly, Dogtown was enduring an unprecedentedly fierce attack, so much so that even Hansen couldn't withstand it.
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSim