146: Peak and Point of Intersection

Dogtown had already been swept into an unprecedented vortex of chaos. Multiple forces were fiercely competing in this lawless land:

The elite troops of Hansen's forces, fully armed, patrolled every major route. Arasaka Security operatives appeared and vanished through the streets and alleys, while Militech special forces moved slowly in the shadows. Not to mention the various advance squads dispatched by other corporations, all converging here at this critical moment.

President Rosalind Myles's crash had been like a bombshell, completely shattering the fragile balance Hansen had barely maintained on Dogtown's surface. Every faction, openly or covertly, was frantically searching for the president, trying to confirm whether she was alive or dead and use that information as a key bargaining chip for what came next.

Within this muddy mire of chaos, not only were outside forces crushing one another, but undercurrents also stirred within the same camp. Members nominally belonging to the same organization were often at each other's throats over factional conflicts or personal interests.

When corporate employees ran into one another on the street, they not only failed to watch each other's backs, but might even draw guns because of the secret missions they carried. The struggles between different factions were sometimes even more brutal than those against hostile corporations.

The forces Arasaka Corporation had sent to Dogtown this time were mainly divided into two groups.

The first was the Akechi Squad led by Akechi. This well-trained tactical team was equipped with the most advanced cyberware and weapons. After an unexpected encounter with Militech, they were currently recuperating underground.

The second team dispatched by Arasaka—if one man could be called a team—was Vice President Kenichi Shiro, who had infiltrated under a false identity.

This powerful corporate executive had carefully concealed his true appearance and moved alone through Dogtown's labyrinthine