Chapter 698 - 669: Positive Strength (6)

[Arasaka Group: Terrorists are advancing towards Company Square, support troops are being deployed...]

[Arasaka Group: We need support! That vehicle is too fierce!]

[Arasaka Group: Adam Hammer is on the way...]

[Arasaka Group: Adam Hammer has been repelled! They’ve broken through the defenses!]

Arasaka Yorinobu sat upright at his desk, holding a dagger, ready to stab it into his own stomach:

To be honest, when he saw the Burger King trapped in Dog Town, the thermo-baric bombs nearly destroying all defenses, and the Valentinos and the Tiger Claw Gang in the city hiding away, he felt like this was their final battle.

Just like when he ran away from home and joined a biker gang in Japan to fight against his father Arasaka Group—

That final battle was also so devastating: the company’s overpowering against the gang, the streets full of corporate troops, most of the "friends" terrified, those being pursued or life-threatening brothers constantly sacrificing and covering for others...

The end was that only he survived, returning to the Arasaka Group to continue being Arasaka Yorinobu.

The once Steel Dragon died in the siege.

Since then, every day he wanted to, as Arasaka Yorinobu, provoke battles between corporations, stir up internal strife within the Arasaka Group, wanting to see these giants die while gnawing at each other—

But deep inside, the Steel Dragon was dead: he no longer dared to imagine any external force that could oppose the corporation.

But in reality, even as Arasaka Yorinobu, he couldn’t think of any way that could truly threaten his father, Arasaka Saburo:

He wanted to steal a prototype chip of the Soul Killer and instigate a war between Arasaka and Military Technology, but both targets had no chance because Saburo recently turned his attention to Night City.

He was contemplating seppuku, so he sat upright in front of the desk, before him was his pistol and katana, and in his hand was a dagger for seppuku.

But he was really disgusted by this way of dying, hesitating for a moment, he unexpectedly saw something big:

Someone was attacking Arasaka Tower again.

In the loosely defended Night City, a Mackinaw again appeared in Company Square, moreover...

"Adam Hammer... was defeated?"

He listened to the news in the communication, looking at Arasaka Seaside, unable to calm the shock in his heart for a long time.

A bold idea appeared in his heart, he suddenly threw away the dagger in his hand, put on his clothes, grabbed his katana and pistol, and quickly left this luxurious private residence.

...

"The Leviathan has entered!"

Boom!

The main cannon of the Leviathan hit the building, the immense kinetic energy instantly blowing off the roof!

Brick grabbed the sergeant and jumped downstairs, running fast, concrete blocks crashing to the ground behind him.

The drones from Military Technology developed major issues, and Arasaka’s network suddenly entered a high load state, but their people were still alive!

The battlefield technology experts and hackers immediately resumed operating their equipment offline, the mecha restarted, the drones re-entered the battlefield, robots stably holding the frontline, while the Leviathan—

The Leviathan slowly advanced under the cover of a group of Bimong Armored Vehicles, firing one main cannon after another, launching rocket after rocket...

Their already unstable front line was being torn apart!

"We’re screwed!" Brick shouted back to Jostar, who was carrying his own mother on his back, "What now! Did your mom say anything!"

"What nonsense are you babbling!" The sergeant, being dragged by Brick, was like a flag flailing in the air, "Aren’t you the boss, damn it!"

"I... damn it I..."

Buzz—

Brick’s Si Anweisitan activated.

The high-power laser launcher buzzed deafeningly in his ears, a beam that was almost blinding pierced through the battlefield...

He had never seen such a terrifying laser in his life, it was like a red sword!

The frontmost Leviathan in the Military Technology line was instantly pierced through by the laser cannon!

And not just this Leviathan, even the advancing Bimong armored vehicles, company soldiers, robots, drones along the way...

Almost everything!

Boom!

The laser cannon swept across and then extinguished, all the units hit along the way exploded violently!

Everyone turned their heads simultaneously, Jack was just grabbing the wreckage of a drone and crashing down from the sky, while V was hanging on the side of Chimera, firing with a sniper rifle in one hand!

"Guys!" V waved the sniper rifle in his hand, "Hold your weapons, prepare for the second round!"

...

Houston, Stark Tower.

Boom!

A massive explosion occurred at the entrance of Stark Tower, multiple floors of the building collapsed significantly, completely blocking the ground floor entrance!

Small Octopus controlled Lille’s body, acting on his will, dove headfirst into the basement opened by Happy and Pepper!

Pepper and Happy glanced at the bullet-ridden body of Lille, now fully displaying a metallic gleam, a chill running through their hearts:

Is this still a human?

Lille’s movements seemed incredibly smooth, but sometimes they were too smooth, making the two of them feel a bit strange.

Lille shrugged, ejecting the damaged and slightly stuck armor plate from his shoulder joint, and walked straight up to them—

"Tony is right inside..."

Lille raised his hand to stop Pepper from continuing.

There was no need for her to explain this place; Lille could see for himself:

All armored blast doors.

Jarvis’s guardian robots were continuously coming from the petroleum composite industrial cluster, but they definitely needed some time to dig through the debris above.

But how to open the blast doors?

Lille made an immediate decision:

This body of his was equipped with all the weaponry they had mastered so far, including the hot melt cannon learned from the Centaur Mecha.

However, this weapon consumed too much energy, and the cost of its shells was extremely high for his production line, so it was not equipped in every combat unit.

But on him, it could convert the electromagnetic gun into a hot melt cannon.

It might, however, reduce the energy reserves to a very... unsafe level.

Click, click, click, click, click—

Lille’s body began to organize weapons, the sound of metal shifting echoed in the basement.

[Jarvis: S-s-s... Please... Leave... This is... Mr. Stark’s private property...]

...

Dog Town.

[Cross-dimensional Material Transmission: Weapons-grade Enriched Uranium (98%)]

[Technology Points: -20,000]

[Current Technology Points: 13,500]

The flat-headed robot and the Hellhound robot, two robots with slightly similar appearances, were making the final modifications to the nuclear power reactor.

Meanwhile, the Mackinaw Floating Shadow was also parked nearby. This floating car had been dragged back and given an urgent repair, and Lille believed it could still fly.

But he wasn’t counting on retreating with the Floating Shadow.

In cyberspace, his form had already been mostly eroded by the Black Wall—

Defensive and offensive actions of network equipment can indeed completely stop invasion by physically severing connections, but as long as work must continue, it’s impossible to physically disconnect or shut down to avoid damage.

To ensure the Black Wall continued to be effective, to ensure his mind could clearly resist the Black Wall and complete weapon modifications...

He had to endure the Black Wall’s signal attacks.

Munemasa was behind him, not yet attacked by the Black Wall, but it felt like it wasn’t far off.

[Munemasa: I probably can’t understand what you’re doing.]

[Munemasa: But I support you in doing this, truly... an odd thought, I might be the first AI with schizophrenia.]

Munemasa had long since been shocked by Lille’s act of crashing into the Black Wall with it, resigning itself to fate as they completed this design together:

The nuclear power reactor had now become a nuclear missile.

[Munemasa: At the last moment, though, your design is truly surprising. This time you’ve won again, exquisite thinking.]

[Munemasa: The Kujira indeed has a high chance of being unable to block it.]

[Munemasa: But the price is, we all... must die? Strange wording.]

Lille’s head rested on the Hellhound, eyes tightly closed.

In cyberspace, he began to caress the core control system of the missile—

[Lille: Those who are willing to follow me in this madness have all become stronger, yet I’m still the strongest one.]

[Lille: This city belongs to me now, this is the strength they need, the power they need... to show the world.]

Munemasa suddenly thought of a question it would never have imagined before...

This kind of question had been haunting him ever since he entered Masamune’s mind.

[Munemasa: Do you think it’s worth it?]

Of course, it’s not worth it. What AI would perform calculations at the cost of self-destruction?

Lille’s brain immediately arrived at the conclusion...

Not worth it.

An AI cannot go against its survival instinct, so Munemasa’s question seems emotional, but it’s actually rational: If you cannot sacrifice yourself, cannot go against your instincts...

Then after doing so much, you will ultimately veto this plan.

[Lille: I will press the button.]

Lille gave an answer completely unrelated to the question.