The Creators: From Night City

Page 301

Before the other armed forces in Arasaka can react and overcome the obstacles posed by Night City's various rules and regulations to reach the industrial park, [Anti-Entropy] must clear out the entire park and complete its established strategic objectives.

Fortunately, although the politicians of Night City are usually incompetent, they are undoubtedly highly skilled at bickering, arguing, shirking responsibility, and procrastination. So even though the news of the attack on Arasaka Industrial Park was transmitted back to Arasaka Tower within seconds of the start of the war, there was still no sign of the armed forces on Arasaka Beach being mobilized.

In reality, Arasaka is a large company with serious internal strife. There are many people who want to see the person in charge of the industrial park suffer. So, sending troops is fine, but the procedures must be followed properly.

This is a classic example of the problems plaguing large corporations.

However, Koizumi Kaito, the security commander of the Arasaka Park, who was hiding behind a thick shipping container, had no idea what was going on. He just kept his head down and frantically called for backup.

"boom!!"

The attackers were so brazen that they were practically insane. After using high-explosive shells to cut down all the Arasaka armed personnel who dared to show their faces, they actually used heavy artillery shells to attack the Arasaka large unmanned armored self-propelled robot.

Taking advantage of the moment when a nearby 'Tiger' armor was blown up, Koizumi Kaito quickly peeked out, his 'Commander' model prosthetic eye accurately capturing the weapon from which the enemy had launched the attack.

That was a single-soldier weapon that could absolutely be called a cannon.

In fact, the weapon that this "slaughter" holds horizontally with both hands is indeed called a cannon.

However, its name is strangely jokingly referred to by its creator, Jiang Bing, as the "Void Maker" super-heavy sniper rifle.

After all, a single shot, a scope (sight), and one-shot kill—what else could it be but a sniper rifle?

However, Koizumi Kaito only glanced at it before his expression changed drastically and he fled from behind the cover, wishing he had two more legs.

The next second, the edge of the container full of goods was forcibly ripped open by a dark figure. The Arbiter charged into the Arasaka unit's position under a hail of bullets, wielding a half-handed sword and slicing three security personnel who couldn't dodge in time into irregular pieces.

After all, what is called a half-sword for the physique of the [Arbiter] is, in comparison, a door-sized greatsword for a normal person.

With a single kick, he sent another guard, Arasaka, who was holding a grenade, flying more than ten meters away. [The Arbiter], braving the sparks from a series of bullets hitting his armor, nimbly dodged into the enemy's blind spot, his agility belying his two-meter-tall steel form.

He raised his left hand slightly, and the kinetic energy device on his arm emitted a faint blue light, echoing the serrated round shield embedded in the container. The next second, accompanied by a tooth-grinding sound, the round shield embedded in the container wall was pulled back by an invisible force and fit perfectly into the arm of the [Judge].

Raising his hand to block most of the vital attacks from the large armed drone in the air with his shield, before the 'Black King Apostle' who was piloting the [Judge] could even take out his only ranged weapon—the heavy explosive gun on the outside of his thigh—the drone was directly smashed into pieces in mid-air by a three-round burst of short fire.

As part of the infantry-tank coordination, the other 'Black King Apostles' also maintained their advancing formation and advanced through the gap in the defensive line torn open by the 'Arbiter'.

After the army passed through, all that was left behind were corpses, wrecked vehicles, and factory buildings riddled with holes from explosives.

This isn't a factory with reverse entropy. In battle, all attackers use all their strength and do whatever is most ruthless. Whether the factory collapses or whether the goods and equipment are damaged is not the primary consideration.

While the armed forces of Arasaka Industrial Park are strong, it depends on who they are compared to. Even with such a powerful defense, they still have to take into account the Heavy Firepower Treaty. Large weapons such as Arasaka's Kuma-type infantry fighting vehicles, various missiles, rockets, plasma projectiles, and machine guns cannot be openly deployed within the park. Therefore, facing the unscrupulous [Anti-Entropy], Arasaka Industrial Park's defense system collapsed from the very beginning of the battle.

Defeat is only a matter of time.

Chapter 603 Brutal Shooting Contest

The only difference lies in how you lose, how long it takes to lose, and how badly you lose.

As an elite from Arasaka's company training camp, Koizumi Kaito's battlefield command ability was absolutely qualified. After a simple assessment of the difference between himself and the enemy, he decisively ordered everyone to disperse into the park, using space to buy time.

He then approached two hackers on duty at the data center and urged them to launch a cyberattack.

However, while cyberattacks, unique to the cyberpunk world, are highly effective on the battlefield, they also have significant flaws. In fact, since the start of the war, the two on-duty hackers have done little more than frantically request help from Arasaka Tower.

As for network hacking, sorry, [Reverse Entropy] technology uses physical isolation and has no network interface at all.

Even with this kind of supportive assistance, the two hackers couldn't maintain their position for long. After all, with the external defenses being crushed, it was only a matter of time before the Arasaka Industrial Park was wiped out.

Moreover, a small elite squad of 'Black King Apostles' had long since avoided the main battlefield and, with the intelligence support of the traitor Maria, headed straight for the heavily guarded central server room from the very beginning of the war.

To ensure speed, this squad of 'Black King Apostles' did not have the medium or heavy armor of the [Judicator] and [Slayer]. Instead, they had two 'Black King Apostles' with identical equipment, but with an extra cloak embroidered with a burning black flame sun pattern on their left shoulder armor.

This is the symbol of the 'Spellcaster Legion'.

"Turn left, advance, watch out for landmines and the warning machine gun on the ceiling."

The team moved with lightning speed, their objective clear: the most crucial and vital facility in the Arasaka Industrial Park—the "Data Center."

Just like the data center 'Kamiyo' in Arasaka Tower, there is also a data center in Arasaka Industrial Park. It is not only the central hub of the security system, but also the place where Arasaka stores important data such as customer data, product technical drawings, and order information. Taking it is equivalent to taking over half of Arasaka Industrial Park.

However, such a well-protected place must also be heavily guarded.

Just after turning a corner and entering the spacious interior of the factory, this small team of 'Black King Apostles' encountered a meticulously planned encirclement and interception by the enemy.

Five or six burly gunners, clad in tall, half-covered powered armor, faced the crowd, holding heavy machine guns upright. With the assistance of a dozen or so light soldiers beside them, they fired wildly, hitting the first Black King Apostle who had shown himself.

The full-power bullets from the heavy machine gun struck the [Heat Death 2] power armor, carving out shallow dents. Instead of retreating, the Black King Apostle, under attack, advanced, pushing forward against the barrage of bullets to create space for his teammates to rush out of the narrow passage and form a formation to engage the enemy in the spacious area.

Although the 3-centimeter-thick "Dragon Scale" adaptive ceramic armor plate is sturdy, it is still not invincible against continuous attacks from heavy firepower.

The breastplate of the first 'Black King Apostle' to be attacked was quickly pierced, bullets pierced straight in, and blood splattered everywhere.

However, his sacrifice was not in vain. After setting up a cone-shaped frontal attack formation, the 'Black King's Apostles' began their counterattack.

At this moment, dodging is pointless; the dense barrage of bullets covers this open space, and there is absolutely no usable cover.

Thus began a fierce, unavoidable exchange of fire between the two sides.

The barrage of bullets intertwined, with occasional explosions or projectiles flying past each other, either detonated in mid-air by the dense bullets or simply hitting the target, blasting out a mass of flesh and metal fragments.

The thick armor of the 'Black King Apostle' who was at the forefront after the rotation was quickly pierced by bullets. When the first bullet broke through his 'dragon scale' armor plate and entered his flesh, bringing a series of bloodstains, the 'Black King Apostles''s tireless training finally came in handy.

The 'Black King Apostle' whose armor was riddled with holes silently retreated, and the space he created was seamlessly taken over by his combat comrade who was right behind him and had been shielded by him.

The bullet was instantly blocked by the opponent's tall figure.

After undergoing the 'Stairway to the Sun' transformation, the 'Black King's Apostles' are not in mortal danger even if they are shot several times and have several bloody holes in their bodies. Their powerful self-healing ability gives them a very high margin for error on the battlefield.

By rotating forwards and maximizing their ability to withstand bullet attacks, the 'Black King Apostles' quickly gained the upper hand in this head-on, no-holds-barred shootout with minimal casualties.

However, the other side was not so lucky. The weapons used by the 'Black King Apostles' were extremely powerful, or rather, each weapon was designed to target armored units such as powered armor and military vehicles. When these weapons hit an enemy, they would instantly create a scar the size of a washbasin.

After firing a few more shots, the two 'Black King Apostles' who were blocking the front of the firefight suddenly retreated, revealing the 'Spellcaster Apostles' behind them, whose armor was intact and who had not participated in the battle since the beginning.

The two men now had blazing, viscous flames in their hands, which transformed into fireballs floating above their palms.

As their comrades cleared space to fire, the two 'Spellcaster Apostles' tossed the fireballs in their hands, then, without even looking back, fired their heavy pistols repeatedly, emptying their magazines before turning and hiding back into the ranks, preparing for the next attack.

But in reality, there is no need for that anymore.

The fireball landed in the enemy formation and exploded like a grenade. Although the explosion was not very destructive, the flames that followed clung to everything in their path like a malignant tumor, burning wildly and stubbornly.

Several light infantrymen, their bodies stained with flames, screamed madly as if being torn to pieces, rolling on the ground, abandoning their weapons, completely disregarding that they were still on the battlefield.

This is because the flames not only burn the body but also attack the soul. The opponent's methods of numbing their nerves and enduring pain with various stimulant combat drugs and pain editors are not very effective against the chaotic flames.

Although the power armor was temporarily unharmed, the flames continued to burn stubbornly on the steel surface, spreading like mercury and penetrating everywhere, quickly burning through the weak points of the armor.

As long as someone comes into physical contact with the flames, no matter what kind of chitinous skin, high-carbon subcutaneous armor, or how thick their physical resistance is, they will all have to kneel before the mixed physical and magical damage.

Moreover, the other Black King Apostles' weapons were no joke either; each of them carried what could be considered cyber can openers. Given a safe firing window, they would naturally relentlessly pursue and attack.

Therefore, this encounter, in which the enemy had made careful preparations and our side was suddenly attacked, quickly came to an end.

Chapter 604 Arakasa is going to call the police

Apart from the two 'Spellcaster Apostles', the armor of the other 'Black King Apostles' was damaged. The three 'Black King Apostles' who were most seriously injured had already bled, and blood was oozing out from the holes made by the bullets.

The first Black King Apostle to engage the enemy had his chest almost shattered. What would be a fatal injury to an ordinary person could at least be saved.

The flesh and blood, strengthened by the 'Stairway to the Sun,' are frantically trying to stop the bleeding and heal themselves. While this won't cure the patient and will cause some degree of physical deformity, it can at least delay their death.

The life-giving healing potion was simply and brutally poured directly into the victim's bloodied and mangled chest by the apostle in charge of medical care, successfully pulling the wounded man back from the brink of death.

Under normal circumstances, in such battles deep in enemy territory, it would be very difficult for wounded soldiers with these injuries to receive treatment. After all, not to mention the risks involved in transporting people out, time is a major challenge.

It's important to understand that for gunshot wounds, patients are generally racing against time. If they win, they save their lives; if they lose, it's perfectly normal to have to start over.

However, [reverse entropy] has some minor advantages in this regard.

One of the two 'Pyromancers' pulled out a small amulet from inside the armor. This amulet, woven from white, red, and black hair mixed with roots, belonged to a small locator node of 'Heimul'.

As the other person awkwardly closed their eyes in prayer, a faint golden light emanated from their soul, guiding and changing along the carefully crafted 'miracle' story written by Clara, successfully activating the amulet.

The next moment, the void in front of him was pierced by a large number of fine roots, and then space tore apart, forming a spatial rift leading to 'Heimul'.

The Palicoes, who had been waiting impatiently behind the passage, rushed out with stretchers. Without being told, they skillfully lifted the seriously wounded from the ground, placed them on a large stretcher, and carried them away, racing against time.

The weight of the person and the power armor, which weighed several tons, had no impact whatsoever, as the four Palicoes each carried a corner of the stretcher.

While they were busy rescuing the wounded in a time-traveling operation, the assault team on the other side didn't stop either.

The remaining combat-capable 'Black King Apostles' did not stop, and continued rushing towards the data center, stepping over the blood, flesh, and milky white tissue fluid scattered on the ground.

After eliminating the enemy's gathered forces, all that remained in front of both sides was a heavy metal gate.

As the two hackers inside lay frantically calling for help in the access bay and coordinating the battle using cameras scattered throughout the industrial area, a loud crash suddenly came from the data center door, and the heavy metal door dented inwards.

This startled the two of them.

In pursuit of speed, a fully armored 'Black King Apostle' crouched low, using his shoulder armor as horns, and slammed himself and his armor into the metal door in front of him like a battering ram, producing a loud bang.

He didn't have Boss Jiang's extreme stats, so the impact only caused a dent in the metal door.

But it doesn't matter, there are many more fighting brothers behind him waiting to charge.

Finally, under repeated bombardment, the metal door could no longer withstand the humiliation and burst open.

Before the two hackers in the room could even disconnect from cyberspace, the thick transmission line connecting their brains to the computer was severed, forcibly cutting off their internet connection.

As for whether this would cause nerve damage or synaptic melting, these two hackers would only consider it if they could survive the 'Black King Apostle's' tactical knife, which was as big as a normal person's thigh.

The leader of the 'Black King Apostles' kicked open the access bay, pulled a metal hard drive from inside the armor, and inserted it into the interface of the data center server.

The next moment, code poured forth, the built-in magic puppets took effect, and the personnel of the [Reverse Entropy] network department, granted access and management privileges, began to gradually take over the entire data center, bypassing the data barriers of the Arasaka Industrial Park from the inside.

With the battle at this point, victory can be considered assured.

All communication with the outside world from the Arasaka Industrial Park has been cut off, and the reinforcements from the Arasaka Beach area are still on their way on horseback.

If you're wondering what era we're in, that troops still need to ride horses on marches?

The answer is yes, of course not.

Therefore, Arasaka Beach did not send any reinforcements.

Considering the overall situation in Night City and even the whole of North America, the Arasaka family ultimately did not pass the proposal to send a large-scale military operation into Night City. After all, Night City was still nominally an independent free city, and the Arasaka family was large and powerful. If they wanted to continue operating there, they had to abide by the established rules.

Unless it wants to start a war now, or wants to wage a fifth corporate war.

But here's the problem: while the Arasaka Industrial Park is important, it's not that important.

It's not like Arasaka Tower, which is Arasaka's data center and core node in North America, or even just a vanity project for Arasaka.

However, although constrained by various treaties and the general trend, Arasaka was unable to send out a large-scale regular army, but a small number of special agents could still be deployed. In addition, the NCPD could also be utilized.

While the NCPD may not be very effective in handling routine law enforcement cases, it cannot be said that it lacks combat capability.

Often, whether the NCPD can win or not isn't that important, given that they are the face of Night City.

Faced with the demands of Arasaka, a major financial backer (NCPD's operating funds mostly come from the city hall and corporate sponsorships, and in earlier years, they were mostly sponsored by the Night Group; later, after Arasaka returned to Night City, he constantly sought to expand NCPD's funding share in order to seize control of Night City), the NCPD's top management naturally dared not neglect their demands.

Director General Jerry Fort even got up from his mistress's belly overnight to mobilize his forces and dispatch capable police officers to the Arasaka Industrial Park to set things right.

The efficiency is incredibly fast.

After all, if ordinary citizens report to the police, they'll at most receive two complaints, and the staff handling those complaints are NCPD employees who are often absent from their posts. But if Arasaka's demands aren't addressed, cutting off his money and supplies is secondary; it could potentially jeopardize his career.

After all, Arasaka doesn't care about this or that. If something goes wrong, he'll really hold people accountable. If he violates the rules, he'll really punish them. If the law doesn't work, there are always his assassin ninjas.

One sentence from above, and those below are running themselves ragged.

Daniel Peterson, as the director, was also called up from the belly of his mistress and lover. He suppressed the pent-up frustration brought on by the stagnation and sat in the NCPD River Valley District branch, remotely controlling the operation and commanding from the center.

As for why he didn't go to the scene.

What a joke, he values ​​his life.

He didn't believe the bigwig who dared to launch a surprise attack on the Arasaka Industrial Park in the middle of the night would show him any leniency.

Where there are those who value their lives, there must be those who are willing to risk their lives.

Thomas Bradley was honored to become the commander leading the team.

Chapter 605 Two Sides Compete

Several Chevrolet Emperor 720 NCPD armored vehicles led the way, followed by about ten Sky Dome Hera EC-H I860 NCPD enforcers, roaring away.

The Chevrolet Emperor 720 NCPD Ironclad, as a modified version of the Chevrolet Emperor, is usually covered in heavy armor and integrates a large number of military-grade vehicle combat technologies. The bumpers used for impacts are also reinforced. The wide body and heavy weight can easily crush ordinary vehicles like small cans of Coke.

With sirens blaring, the long convoy of police cars had just turned the corner of Vanderbilt Walk and passed the main entrance of the Jianli Industrial Park when the entire convoy was suddenly stopped.