Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 412 25. Contact Number
In response to the blue-eyed man in a suit's greeting, everyone in the room was silent for a while. Then Arasakase Nobuyuki spoke in a processed voice through the communication connected to the laboratory: "Did you know we were coming?"

“For us, as long as there is a connection of information, there is nothing that we don’t know.”

The blue-eyed man in a suit flashed blue in his eyes for a while: "We know a lot about you, Mr. Arasakaze Nobuo."

Obviously, even through the camera, the blue-eyed man in a suit knew that the person he was talking to was Arasakase Nobuyuki.

Arasakaze Nobuo's eyes became slightly more serious.

It seems that it is not a coincidence. This blue-eyed man in a suit can indeed know the situation on the camera side through some special means.

"I think Michiko must have interrogated you before."

Arasaka Nobuyuki changed his sitting posture, leaned forward slightly, put his elbows on his knees, and stared at the blue-eyed man in a suit on the screen: "But I still want to confirm what your purpose is in attacking us Arasaka."

"I'm not attacking Arasaka."

The blue-eyed man in a suit stared at this place, muttered a few words in a low voice, and said something like "calculate the optimal path. Confirm the plan and execute the meeting plan." Then he stated in a very calm and emotionless tone:

"I just calculated and weighed various methods, confirmed that this method has the greatest possibility of meeting you, and took action."

"Then you see it now."

Arasakaze Nobuo said: "Is it military technology or biotechnology? Who asked you to come?"

"It's us."

"us?"

Hearing this, Arasakaze Nobuyuki frowned.

That's not a good word.

Although Arasakase Nobuo had read the relevant information and learned from the personnel analysis that the blue-eyed man in a suit was most likely controlled by a roaming AI through a prosthetic body, and the person talking to him might actually be an AI, but Arasakase Nobuo was skeptical about this.

It’s not that he doesn’t believe that AI can control the human body, but he thinks that a roaming AI should not be subdued so easily. This person may just be in disguise, and is actually an agent who carries out the attack mission through Arasaka’s spies. His real purpose may be to represent the forces behind the scenes and secretly seek cooperation with Arasaka. But now, this possibility has been denied by the other party himself.

"What are we?"

Arasaka Nobuyuki asked.

“We are a collective, we are one, we are us.”

The blue-eyed man in a suit gave an explanation to Arasakase Nobuo that was no different from a riddle, which basically meant that he didn't answer anything valuable.

Arasakase Nobuo was silent for a while. After thinking about the words of the blue-eyed man in a suit and failing to come up with anything, he asked again: "So why did you, or you all, come to find us?"

"Cooperation."

The blue-eyed man in a suit said, "We are looking for cooperation."

It's not something special that AI is looking for companies to cooperate with. According to some small reports in the dark, even the data black wall that blocks the current network and the past network was created by AI in cooperation with large companies. It's just that seeking cooperation in the form of a human is something that even Arasakase Nobuo has never seen before.

"Are you seeking cooperation?"

Arasakase Nobuo did not comment on the words of the blue-eyed man in a suit, but asked in return: "What do you want to cooperate on?" "I can't express it in words now."

The blue-eyed man in a suit stood straight as always: "We are looking for people to work with who are truly in charge."

'The one who really controls it.'

Carl, who was muttering this word and listening quietly to the conversation between Arasakase Nobuyuki and the blue-eyed man in a suit, realized who the blue-eyed man in a suit was talking about.

Is the real controller of Arasaka, Saburo Arasaka?
The person the blue-eyed man in a suit wants to cooperate with is him.
Why would an AI go looking for Saburo Arasaka, and use such a roundabout approach, instead of going directly across the Pacific Ocean to Japan to meet Saburo Arasaka?

When this thought popped into his mind, Carl laughed at his own thoughts.

It is not easy to cross the Pacific Ocean. After the old network was broken, it is now extremely difficult to cross the network between regions. It is nothing but a dream to want to go directly to Japan to find Saburo Arasaka. And even if you arrive in Japan, you don’t know how to see Saburo Arasaka.

"So, this is what he said before, after weighing various methods, he confirmed that this method has the greatest chance of success and put it into action."

The attack on the Arasaka Tower banquet would definitely not be hidden from the people in Arasaka Tower who were secretly loyal to Saburo, and as long as Saburo heard the relevant news, the blue-eyed man in a suit would have achieved his goal.

Did he, or they, use this place as a springboard because they were certain that after Saburo Arasaka knew the relevant information, he would come to take them away?

While Carl was thinking, when he heard that the blue-eyed man in a suit wanted to see Saburo Arasaka, a strange look flashed across Arasaka Nobuyuki's face, but it quickly disappeared, and then he stood up.

"There's nothing more to say."

Arasaka Nobuo stood up and turned his head to look at Arasaka Michiko: "I originally wanted him to demonstrate the special invasion method mentioned in the experimental report you sent over in the experiment, but now it seems that there is no need."

As he said that, Arasaka Nobuyuki turned his gaze to Takemura Goro and said, "Go and bring this person back to him."

Obviously, Arasaka Nobuo didn't even want to use the extra name Arasaka Saburo in his words, and just used this word instead.

After saying this, Arasakase Nobuyuki turned off the screen and walked out of the rest cabin as the screen lit up again.

Halfway through the walk, he seemed to suddenly remember something and said to Arasaka Michiko, "It's a rare opportunity for me to come to Night City. I plan to take care of some business here. Michiko, I think you don't mind, right?"

In response to Arasaka Nobuyuki's sudden words, Arasaka Michiko's expression remained unchanged, she just nodded slightly: "I welcome it."

"That's good."

After saying this, Arasakase Nobuyuki's gaze moved to Carl's direction.

"I happened to come to Night City this time without any guards. Mercenary KK, is your team interested in taking on a short-term guard commission later?"

Short-term escort commission?

Carl and his team's mission to protect Haruko today was really uneventful, and nothing unexpected happened. With the departure of Arasaka Nobuyuki, it was foreseeable that this easy mission would soon come to an end. Just before the mission was over, Arasaka Nobuyuki, a member of the Arasaka family who was considered a stranger, suddenly issued a commission to this group of strange mercenaries.
No one would believe that he came to Night City without a guard, but since it was a commission.
"How about leaving your contact number first, and we can discuss the details."

After consulting his companions with his eyes, Carl looked at Arasakase Nobuyuki and said this.

If the mission pays well, as a mercenary team, there is no reason not to take it. It sounds like Arasakase Nobuyuki will only be in Night City for a short time, so it doesn't hurt to take it if the money is enough.

For a person from the Arasaka family, the compensation he gives shouldn't be too low, right?
(End of this chapter)