Progress Without Limits, Starting with Arasaka
About two months ago, Hansen of Dogtown, went to the Konpeki Plaza, licked his boots, and returned to Dogtown transformed into the Ghost Hound of the Arasaka brand, purging suspicious people on a large scale.
The owner of Captain Carrent's restaurant had a history of verbally abusing Hansen, and he had also made statements in bars and other public settings supporting unification and sympathizing with Washington. These seemingly trivial matters, when weighed in that crucial moment, proved fatal. He committed suicide.
This long-established, affordable restaurant has since been left vacant.
Confiscated by the hounds of the underworld, they are placed on the shelves, awaiting new customers who are interested to come and take them over.
As an intelligence operative, he had scouted these locations beforehand.
However, "Stealing electricity, people of Night City ..." the man turned his head away.
By observing the cable layout, he noticed the circuit repeaters on the exterior wall and the wires extending from the side window of the restaurant. Clearly, this was not public wiring, but rather a privately installed system.
Following the power line, he climbed to a high place and found the junction box. After some fiddling, he reset the power settings.
Upon scanning again, the store's security facilities were found to be out of service.
He successfully entered the store, searched around, and pushed open the iron cabinet against the wall in the back kitchen storage room. There he saw an old, yellow landline phone with a peeling plastic casing. "Anteiku, hopefully it's not broken."
The man picked up the telephone receiver.
Access code...
[0931]
Beep... beep...
The call was made.
The call connected on the other end. "Hey, long time no see, my friend. Missing the cornbread shop back home...?" Although he didn't know why the cornbread shop was mentioned, the message indicated that it was a key word for the call, and the man spoke in a casual tone.
"The cornbread shop in my hometown?" After a long pause, a deep male voice rang out.
"I can't believe someone still brings this up... tortillas, I keep dreaming about that taste. Hmm, let's grab one together. Andrew Jackie Street, basketball court, morning, I'll be waiting for you there."
"Good."
Click.
The man put down the microphone and squinted.
I never imagined that the best intelligence officer in the history of the Federal Intelligence Agency was still alive...
Just as he was thinking this, a cold gun barrel quietly pressed against his ribs. "What—" At the same time, a thick, dark-skinned arm gripped his neck.
"Please be quiet, my friend from my hometown. Don't turn around, just be natural. I'll ask you a question, and you answer it." The voice was very similar in pitch to the one you hear when you call an old-fashioned landline, which made the man obediently raise his two large tattooed arms.
"Hey friend, don't get me wrong, I'm not here to collect a debt from you."
"I know. But I still need to confirm. Who sent you?"
"I have a commemorative coin here." Without answering the question directly, the man reached out and pulled out a blue and silver presidential commemorative coin from his pocket using two fingers. "You should recognize it."
"Okay, just a moment."
After about six or seven seconds, the big man released his grip and said, "I apologize for my previous behavior, Agent Joseph."
With a sigh of relief, the Federal Intelligence Agency agent, dressed like a street kid, turned around and looked at the tall man behind him, whose prosthetic eye was flashing blue data streams and who was staring at the presidential commemorative coin with a complicated expression.
He was very strong, a Black man with a full beard, wearing a white t-shirt under a dark coat.
"Just in case, don't take it to heart." Noticing the scrutiny from the Federal Intelligence Agency, the big man said, "Come with me, this isn't the place to talk. Let me introduce myself, I'm Reed." ("Solomon Reed," Joseph called out his full name, "I didn't expect you to have been undercover in Night City for six whole years. Everyone thought you'd been taken out by the Arasaka Security Forces.")
"Almost." Reed glanced back at Joseph.
Continuing towards the back of the warehouse, at the end, a gap was smashed open in the wall, revealing a green metal container-style garbage bin with enough space for one person to squeeze through sideways. This was the way Reed had entered.
A black Thornwill Merrimack was parked in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras under the overpass on the street.
The two walked in the shadows of the buildings until they got into the car.
Reed started the engine and began driving the vehicle.
"How did you guess that the higher-ups would wake you up at this time? And why were you specifically keeping watch nearby?" Agent Joseph asked.
"Dogtown's intelligence network was wiped out by Kurt Hansen. Many people were killed. Although I've lost contact due to faking my death and going into hiding, I don't know who our people were, but the Moth Bar was also raided, Alex escaped and her whereabouts are unknown; she's still wanted by the Ghost Hounds..."
Reed said as he drove.
"Right now in Dogtown, I should be Heng's last available mole for the agency. The one you're using now was Federal Intelligence Agency used before the war. It's your last line of communication with me. When it's time to clear a minefield, President Miles won't forget me. The recent situation is, as you can see, extremely detrimental to the country."
As he spoke, he brought up the in-vehicle holographic news projection screen.
WNS News.
Title: Towards Freedom, Victory!
The protagonist is Kurt Hansen. He is still dressed in his signature T-shirt and military pants, with a belt and dog tag, as seen in the image of him raising his fist after being shot during a recruitment speech in New Mexico.
Behind him, the Free State flag and the Ghost Dogs battle flag fluttered in the wind.
Arasaka's black-clad security guards surrounded him in the center. Some stood in front of Hansen, some held down the silver box in their hands, and some protected Hansen with one hand while unfolding the umbrella-shaped Memory Metal object with the other. The silver box hadn't even completely fallen to the ground yet, and the trajectory of the bullets and the sparks from the bullets hitting the umbrella-shaped metal object were clearly visible in the footage.
Further back stood the Cybernetic Tyrant, its massive exoskeleton forearms glowing red in the palms. The trajectories of some incoming bullets were visibly deflected in mid-air, absorbed by interference.
Upon seeing this, Joseph's expression turned serious.
"Ever since that old Saburo Arasaka regained his youth, Arasaka's internal and external stability has greatly increased, and his strategy has become increasingly aggressive. In the international arena, we have fallen into unprecedented isolation."
"In North America, that bitch Vera Adelheid's actions have caused us a lot of trouble. Because of her 'assassination attempt,' the Free State Local Party in the West has re-formed the Free State Alliance, which is particularly serious in New Mexico and Arizona. Hansen and his gang of traitors, with her support and packaging, have actually become so-called persecuted freedom fighters."
"So, what is the specific task?" Reed asked.
"See for yourself. It says you know how to decipher it." Nodding, Joseph removed a Separate Chip from the chip slot on his neck and handed it over.
A special encryption chip is attached to his Bio-Components. Unless he actively ejects it by entering a key, the chip will automatically destroy itself once he loses vital signs or is forcibly removed. Only specialists know how to decipher its encryption program.
As the head of the FIS's Federal Intelligence Agency network in Night City and a top agent during the Metal War, Reed naturally knew this.
Driving with one hand, Reed took the chip and inserted it into the back of his head, causing his iris to flash blue light.
[//Agreement approved]
Access permission granted.
[Militech software → 41% of data is being deciphered]
[Recipient: Solomon Reed]
[Assigned by: Federal Intelligence Agency /White House]
[Federal Intelligence Agency /Database @FI716A413B.752. B]
—Expanded—
[Urgent!! Investigate Faraday, the middleman in Santo Domingo. - Attachment]
[Urgent!! Verify the movement of the Night City Arasaka Army and the Ghost Hound mercenaries. - Attachment]
[Long-term mission: Rebuild Night City's intelligence network...]
[Key Mission: To seize the opportunity to obtain all the phased results and experimental samples of Arasaka's "Solaris Staircase," "Cybernetic Tyrant," and "Quinque" projects, and to study and formulate the feasibility of a plan to approach or assassinate Vera Adelheid Russell...]
Although the documents sent were numerous and complex, they could be summarized as the same old phrase. "Serving the country." This roused Reed from his dormant state, prompting him to investigate everything related to Arasaka, especially Vera Adelheid, a high-ranking member of Arasaka.
As for the assassination of Vera Adelheid?
Even the serious and rigid Reed couldn't help but chuckle.
Having secretly infiltrated Night City for so many years, he witnessed Vera's journey step by step from the Arasaka Academy to taking the stage and wielding power, almost as an outsider.
It wasn't taken seriously at first, and by the time it was taken seriously, it was too late to suppress it. Moreover, he was in a state of feigned death and silence, and according to the Federal Intelligence Agency's regulations, he must never contact his superiors without instructions.
These days, the guys in the bureau are talking nonsense; they dare to make any request.
If it works well, use it to the fullest...
Turning his gaze away from these challenging KPIs, Reed, feeling increasingly troubled, clicked on the data unit in the attachment of what appeared to be the simplest task: investigating the middleman.
"Maine?"
Halfway through the book, Reed was momentarily stunned when he caught a glimpse of a familiar name and a picture of a burly, brown-skinned man among the others.
Looking at the contents, Reed's thoughts immediately drifted back to the past.
The friendship forged through two years of fighting side-by-side in the NUSA army.
In fact, before the Metal War of 2069, he had specifically invited Maine to join the Federal Intelligence Agency. However, due to a struggle with his conscience, Mann resolutely chose to retire completely after two years of service and distanced himself from national politics.
I never expected to see news about him here.
Is he currently working as a cyber mercenary at the 'Afterlife' nightclub in Night City? He's even built a team and is doing errands for the middleman Faraday, with the real intention of stealing Arasaka's product experimental data and samples.
Unexpectedly, during reconnaissance operations targeting the Arasaka Waterfront, some movement records of Arasaka military personnel were copied. These supplies and personnel were targeted at Arizona and New Mexico.
The troop movement records have been passed to Washington through the intermediary Faraday, and the White House Side has also reviewed them. However, due to strategic considerations, a full-scale war has not been initiated, and heavy forces cannot be deployed lightly. The higher-ups still need to verify the intelligence's authenticity to prevent errors and misinformation. Time is of the essence.
They must have found out that Maine had served in NUSA.
As a close comrade-in-arms who had worked with Maine many times, Reed was asked to conduct a thorough assessment of Mann's personality and character.
"An assessment...?"
As a longtime friend of Maine, Reed neither embellished nor overpraised him.
Rebuilding the intelligence network urgently requires manpower. Finding Alex to clear up the misunderstanding is one aspect, but he also needs more trusted individuals with whom he knows the truth to form the backbone of the network...
At the same time.
Watson.
"Old woman, damn it, how much longer are we going to have to stay here?"
"No rush, Rebecca, let's wait until things calm down."
Maine's crew hides in a dilapidated warehouse filled with scrap metal.
[Maine: Jackie, the misdirection mission is complete. We're just waiting for you guys to be ready. Once things happen, we should be able to blow up that four-eyed Faraday.]
[Jackie: Well done, buddy. Judging by your voice in the audio, I was almost convinced. But don't get too excited. The people behind Faraday are seasoned veterans; they'll treat you like a friend, but secretly they'll see you as trash. But in our line of work, we have to go for it. Just keep your principles in mind and don't get played. Hmm, you guys can't go out for a while, so take a good rest.]
Maine: Got it. Thanks.
The scene with Reed and the tortilla shop comes from the Shadows of the Past CG trailer. The quality is really high; if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
Reed was betrayed because his subordinates assassinated Arasaka Daitsuru Murata, the commander of the supercarrier Kujira. This was caused by Arasaka being enraged; Reed could have safely evacuated.
The Federal Bureau (FIA) was reorganized from the CIA and FBI, which had failed in political struggles during the Old USA era.
Wow, this sensitive word restriction is outrageous...
Chapter 120 The Human Touch in the Snake Den
Ding-dong.
[150,000 EUR has been transferred]
"Hey Chica, busy, haven't had your beauty sleep yet? Still working overtime so late? Aha, as you requested, the final payment has been made. Half."
Chinatown, a street that remains noisy even after nightfall.
In the back alley of Misty's fortune-telling hut, Jackie plopped down on an old sofa under the awning, his thick frame filling the entire sofa. He slurped up oily noodles with soybean paste, his eyes gleaming with the light of a telephone signal.
[V: Jackie, stop joking. If you were working in Arasaka's Counter-Intelligence Department, you'd be working overtime too. You just said you transferred 150,000 to Maine's crew? Tsk, Jackie, not to be rude, but you should have only transferred a third.]
"Hey, girl, they're doing really dangerous work, and they're hiding in the stinky ditch waiting for things to calm down. They need some encouragement to cheer them up, right?"
After slurping down his noodles in a few big gulps, Jackie tossed the paper napkin into the trash can, wiped his mouth with his hand, and said with a slight smile.
[V: You're really doing charity work. A 50/50 split between the middleman and his mercenaries? Unheard of. As far as I know, the most powerful middlemen in your line of work, like those at the 'Afterlife' nightclub, have always split it 30/70.]