Chapter 147: Feel the Way of the Shadow
“The PROJECT Corporation headquarters in Night City is up ahead.”
A figure completely shrouded in darkness remained motionless as he communicated with his teammates over the comms channel.
“Understood. Their publicly known R&D facility is also located there. Our objective this time is to find their real research site. Move out.”
As he spoke, the five figures slowly spread out, their optical camouflage systems activating in unison.
With the assistance of high-grade Lynx Claws, their footsteps made no sound whatsoever. The equipment on their bodies also allowed them to bypass surveillance and detection systems. This infiltration was flawless.
At least… that’s what they thought.
Stealing data wasn’t their only objective.
There was also a hidden mission: if given the chance, assassinate the chairman of PROJECT Corporation—Roland Vimers.
A corporate structure similar to Arasaka’s meant that once the person at the very top died, the entire corporation would collapse.
Especially if there was no successor.
Unfortunately for them, every single move they made was already happening right under Roland’s nose.
“System, is the person I’m looking for among them?”
“No.”
“What a pity… Lissandra, find a way to let them in. Let them steal the intel. Otherwise, the next act will be hard to perform.”
“Understood.”
Before long, the ninja squad slipped past all security personnel and entered the building’s interior. The process was so smooth it almost felt unreal to them.
“Captain… is this what you meant by ‘tight security’?”
One of the ninjas couldn’t help but voice his doubts.
“I don’t see much of it. This might be strong compared to the usual trash out there, but that’s all.”
Another let out a scoffing laugh.
Then, a dull, heavy set of footsteps drew everyone’s attention. Without hesitation, the group immediately hid.
Some latched onto the ceiling, others concealed themselves within dark maintenance gaps, while a few relied on blind spots combined with optical camouflage, each showing their own tricks.
As they waited in silence, a massive figure slowly entered their field of vision.
A large robot nearly two and a half meters tall, clad in thick armor, its head shaped like a Western knight’s helmet.
In its hands was a massive firearm none of them had ever seen before. Judging by its appearance, it was most likely an electromagnetic weapon.
Just as they planned to quietly wait for the robot to leave, it suddenly stopped.
They held their breath—well, not literally.
Instead, they regulated their heart rates, while their advanced combat suits suppressed body heat and sound.
After a brief but fruitless patrol, the robot finally moved on.
“What the hell was that thing?”
“No idea… but one thing’s certain—I really don’t want to fight that big chunk of metal, even if I could win.”
“The weapon it was carrying was electromagnetic. That means our earlier assumptions were correct. Let’s keep going.”
The massive robot that had just left was called Iron Shield, a breaching-type combat robot primarily designed to wield heavy firepower and eliminate enemy fortified positions.
To put it simply, it was built to take out armored vehicles.
It even had a self-destruct function—though Roland had removed those modules from the units stationed inside the corporation.
After all… who installs a self-destruct system in their own headquarters?
After a long wait, Roland let out a yawn. The Tsunami Defense ninjas finally withdrew.
Among the intelligence Roland had provided them were three base locations—two false, one real.
The real one… was indeed a base, but not a research facility. It was a weapons production base.
As for the two fake locations, they were places where the PROJECT squad had been waiting for quite some time.
“If you spot my dear Zed, let me know.”
Roland leaned back in his chair and turned to Lissandra.
“Roger.”
...
“Doesn’t this feel a little too smooth?”
Takahara Fukuyama frowned, his expression cautious.
“It’s suspicious. This intel is very likely a trap.”
Yabu Kentaro nodded calmly in agreement.
Takahara Fukuyama felt a headache coming on. After letting out a long sigh, he said, “Let’s move. It’s time to carry out the mission.”
Yabu Kentaro showed little reaction. They knew full well it was probably a trap—but they had no other choice.
The higher-ups who received the intel knew that as well. But so what?
If it was a trap, they’d only lose some expendable assets. If it wasn’t… the payoff would be enormous.
Soon, Takahara Fukuyama and Yabu Kentaro arrived in front of an abandoned factory.
Neither they nor the squad acted rashly. Instead, they conducted scans and inspections before reaching a conclusion.
The derelict factory ahead was PROJECT’s hidden base.
“So it was real after all.”
Takahara Fukuyama wiped his blade, then lightly kicked off the ground and leapt onto an overhead steel pipe.
“No… more like we got lucky.”
Yabu Kentaro glanced at the vital signs of the other squad members, then continued observing the area ahead.
“…Yeah. Let’s move.”
...
Roland slowly lowered his double-bladed sword and looked at Yabu Kentaro lying on the ground.
“You’re quite strong. If you weren’t a Compatible Host, I’d be happy to spare your life.”
With that, Roland removed his helmet.
Covered in blood, Yabu Kentaro raised his head to look at Roland. His expression was unusually calm. Adopted from a young age and raised as a killing machine… perhaps this moment was another kind of release for him.
Roland didn’t dwell on the man’s emotions. He calmly took out a chip and slowly inserted it into the slot on Kentaro’s body.
“Lissandra, clean up the others.”
“Understood.”
Before long, only Roland and Yabu Kentaro remained.
As time passed, the figure on the ground began to change.
Soon, a man wearing an inverted triangular exoskeleton helmet slowly rose to his feet.
Just as Roland was about to speak, a sharp tearing sound suddenly cut through the air.
Clang!
Roland’s body reacted on instinct, raising his weapon to block the strike, but he was still sent flying backward.
Before Roland could lock onto the attacker’s position, a dark shadow silently appeared behind him.
Buzz—
A high-frequency electronic fist blade hovered just an inch from Roland’s throat.
“You’re not Yi. Who are you?”
“System, transmit the information to him.”
“…My apologies, Boss.”
After receiving the data, Zed immediately dropped to one knee, placing a hand over his chest in a gesture of loyalty.
Roland finally let out a breath of relief. That sudden turn of events had nearly scared him half to death—but it also gave him a firsthand taste of the other man’s strength.
How embarrassing…
I almost got one-shot.
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.