Chapter 400
2-in-1-chapter
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"If you can successfully carry out the assassination, then whatever amount of economic aid you want—I'll give it to you."
Bolivia was merely a country of just over one million square kilometers, only about four times the size of Japan. Compared to consolidating power within Arasaka, the cost was entirely acceptable.
Moreover, offering economic aid to Bolivia also meant allowing Japanese capital to enter the country.
Although Yorinobu Arasaka still didn't fully understand what Leo ultimately intended…
He could clearly see that Leo was not content with simply becoming a head of state.
The Bolivia of the future would likely emerge as a regional power in Latin America—or perhaps even more.
Yorinobu himself only hoped to nationalize Arasaka and shatter the corporate shackles that bound the world.
But that didn't mean he intended to fade into the background once the goal was achieved.
If the virtuous do not wield power, then the fruits of victory would simply be handed over to the corrupt.
If the opportunity presented itself, he would not hesitate to become the next Prime Minister of Japan.
And if he could establish a close cooperative relationship with Bolivia—a future regional power in Latin America—then from any angle, it would be an arrangement with no downside.
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Leo didn't spend long in the meeting room.
The two sides quickly reached an agreement.
From Yorinobu, Leo obtained detailed information, down to the finest details.
It was evident that Yorinobu sincerely wanted both his sister and niece to disappear from the world—and he showed considerable urgency.
He wasn't like the British, who offered everything except actual support.
Yorinobu was providing more than intelligence—he was offering weapons, funds, and cyberware.
Though the power he controlled was limited to Arasaka's Night City division, it was still formidable.
Yorinobu had money, but no soldiers. And this wasn't something that could be entrusted to mercenaries.
Loyalty alone was enough of a problem.
If things went south, he might not just fail—he might end up betrayed.
There were plenty of such precedents in the past, and Yorinobu had no doubt more would follow.
He had no intention of becoming another cautionary tale.
Now that Aurora PMC was stepping in, Yorinobu, determined to see it through, opened the gates wide.
Whatever Aurora wanted, he agreed. They could take it directly from Arasaka's own warehouses.
And even if Arasaka didn't have it, Yorinobu was willing to pull strings and spend lavishly to get it for Leo.
Given Yorinobu's generosity, Leo saw no need to be modest.
Arasaka's smartguns were of little interest—Leo could mass-produce better ones himself.
What truly caught his attention was what he found in Arasaka Seaside's storage: piles of materials stacked to the ceiling.
What materials?
The exact ones needed to manufacture the Falchion-powered exoskeleton.
The materials for this armor were extremely rare. Even someone like Rogue had only managed to gather enough for a single suit—just enough for Leo to construct one unit.
Though the armor could withstand bullets and even explosive blasts, it was still battlefield equipment. No one could guarantee it would never be damaged.
If it broke and materials weren't available, repairs would be impossible.
That was why Leo had mothballed it after the Konpeki Plaza incident—he didn't dare risk it in combat.
But now, things were different.
In Arasaka's warehouse, he had found enough materials to build a mountain.
What did that mean?
Not only could he mass-produce the Falchion exoskeleton, but he could also fully equip his most loyal and elite units with it.
Imagine that.
Even a thousand soldiers equipped like that—
No, not even a thousand. Just three hundred battle-hardened brutes in Falchion suits…
Put them on any battlefield and it was game over.
Because this wasn't just armor—it could be mounted with multi-barrel Gatling guns, missile pods, and a whole suite of integrated weapons.
Once equipped, you were practically a walking mobile suit.
Some might argue: wasn't it 2023 when advanced guided munitions were already in widespread use? Shouldn't missiles in 2077 be even more devastating?
Sure, these warriors might withstand bullets and shells, but wouldn't one missile wipe them out?
But in reality, defensive tech had outpaced offensive.
As early as the Fourth Corporate War, Militech had attempted to flatten Arasaka military installations with waves of missile strikes, followed by a ground blitzkrieg in classic 21st-century doctrine.
Yet not a single missile hit its target.
Every one was intercepted by Arasaka's anti-missile systems.
Later, in the 2069–2070 Unification War, the New United States and Western States launched an uncountable number of missiles—but again, none reached their targets. They were all shot down by even more advanced interception systems.
That war made it clear: modern warfare had been forced back into the mold of World War II.
At least for the foreseeable future, no weapon could pierce the shield.
That was why the legacy megacorps had abandoned the arms race in missiles, shifting their focus instead to better cyberware and firearms.
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Though Leo froze for a brief moment when he saw the towering piles of rare materials, he quickly recovered.
He pointed without hesitation at the stockpiles and calmly addressed the Arasaka liaison.
"I want all of this. Arrange heavy transports—I'm shipping everything back to Bolivia."
"Uh…"
The man stared at the mountain of rare materials and froze in shock.
These were all extremely high-grade assets. Amassing such a quantity had not been easy. To give it all away on demand, He didn't dare authorize it.
"You can't approve it?" Leo asked. He understood the burden of middlemen—he'd been one himself once—so he didn't press. "Then go report to Yorinobu. I'll wait right here."
"Yes, thank you for your understanding."
The man had expected Leo to lash out, but was instead met with an unexpectedly reasonable response.
He bowed deeply several times, then stepped aside. His eyes glowed blue as he initiated a report to Yorinobu.
Before long, he returned—now with a wide smile.
Leo saw his face and immediately understood that Yorinobu had greenlit everything.
"Back already? What did Yorinobu say?"
"Mr. Yorinobu said, whatever you want—it's yours to take." The man bowed again. "I sincerely apologize for my earlier hesitation."
"No problem. You're just doing your job," Leo replied, then pointed. "So about what I just asked…"
"Of course. However many heavy transports are needed, we'll arrange them. In fact, just having transport aircraft may not be enough. I'll also assign fighters to escort you."
Perhaps trying to make up for his earlier misstep, the man offered the additional escort support.
The distance from Night City to Bolivia wasn't short. While there were few nations left in the Americas capable of intercepting aerial transports, the difference between having fighter escort and not having it was still significant.
Given the offer, Leo didn't turn it down.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
The reason Leo insisted on transporting the rare materials back to Bolivia instead of building on-site in Night City was simple. This place had too many eyes and too much noise. If anything went wrong, the consequences would be severe.
But in Bolivia, on his own turf, he could work with peace of mind.
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Night had fallen.
On the outskirts of Tokyo, a traditional Japanese estate stood bathed in moonlight.
Its tall, thick perimeter walls were constructed from wood, stone, and steel, showcasing classic Japanese architectural style.
Carved into the gates and walls was the Arasaka triple-leaf crest, serving as a silent warning to any passerby—this was Arasaka property, and they should leave immediately.
Though it was late, several black-suited private guards still stood at the main gate.
Their posture was straight and unmoving, like javelins planted in the ground—nothing like the lazy street punks of Night City.
They kept vigilant watch on their surroundings, faces stern, fully alert.
Behind the walls, more guards roamed the grounds, patrolling with weapons in hand.
The estate housed no fewer than a hundred private guards.
On the surface, that number didn't even match the household security of a mid-tier Cartel Group executive in Mexico…
But these guards were Arasaka Hanako's personal elite.
Each had been handpicked from among Arasaka's best field agents.
Every one of them was implanted with cutting-edge cyberware.
While none could match the likes of Takemura or Sandayu Oda, they were, at the very least, younger versions of Takemura in his prime.
Imagine a hundred youthful Takemuras stationed at your estate—who wouldn't be on edge?
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