Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077-Chapter 184

Decades ago, when Yorinobu was just 21 years old, he graduated from the University of Tokyo. The day after, his father, Saburo, brought him into his room and explained the founding purpose of Arasaka:

—to restore Japan's former glory, to become an economic superpower, to grow strong, and dominate global economics and politics.

Unlike Saburo's eldest son, Kei, who quickly understood and supported their father's vision, Yorinobu was stunned.

He hadn't studied so hard at Tokyo University just to become a militant nationalist. He had no desire to spread fear and death across the world.

That same night, after the celebration banquet ended, Yorinobu quietly left the estate.

He disappeared into the depths of Tokyo's night.

Later, Yorinobu founded Steel Dragons and traveled widely in his efforts to bring down Arasaka.

Though Steel Dragons once gained traction in Japan, they ultimately collapsed under external pressure and internal strife.

Kei captured a "Yorinobu." As punishment, he extracted that Yorinobu's consciousness and turned it into a complete engram.

That was on September 24, 2022—Yorinobu's 27th birthday.

It was later revealed that the person Kei had captured was a body double, a decoy to keep Yorinobu's whereabouts secret.

The real Yorinobu didn't surface again until after the end of the Fourth Corporate War—at Kei's funeral.

Yes. Kei Arasaka died in the Fourth Corporate War.

At the funeral, Yorinobu asked to return to the Arasaka family.

Because he had realized that Arasaka could not be destroyed from the outside. It had to be taken down from within. Even though the one Kei had turned into an engram was only a double, even though decades had passed—

Yorinobu had never let go of his hatred for his brother.

And he hated his father too, who had silently allowed Kei to do what he did. So when Saburo brought up Kei again—especially suggesting that he become like him—Yorinobu could no longer stay calm.

"Yorinobu..."

In truth, Saburo could understand, at least partially, why his youngest son held a grudge against Kei.

But what he didn't expect was that Yorinobu would still harbor such intense hatred for a dead man. That his heir—an Arasaka—could be this emotional, this ruled by feeling.

Kei, Hanako, Michiko... they all behaved as expected of their lineage.

So why was Yorinobu, whose bloodline was the same, so unworthy?

"I don't care what emotions you have, or what reason you think justifies them—you shouldn't have betrayed me. Did you really think I wouldn't notice something was missing?"

Yorinobu stepped aside, sneering.

"You don't get it. I've never cared what you think. That's your problem. You're completely out of touch. Authoritarian. Deaf to reason."

"You're obsessed with a world that no longer exists—maybe it never did."

Even as his own son questioned his beliefs face to face, Saburo showed no shame or embarrassment.

That was rationality.

And Saburo's pride.

"You don't know what you're doing. You're handing our work over to the West—our future—to barbarians."

"Our future? You're calling the Relic—something that rips a human soul from the body—our future?"

"Don't you see, Yorinobu? No matter how advanced medical science becomes, the body will still age. But the Relic gives us immortality. It ensures Arasaka's eternal legacy."

"Then I'd rather gouge my own eyes out than witness that legacy."

Saburo slowly approached.

Yorinobu paced, restless.

"I always knew this day would come. Your shamelessness was bound to cross my line someday. I've been lenient with you—but betrayal is something I cannot forgive."

"Your mother didn't live to see this. For that, I'm grateful. It would have broken her heart."

A vein bulged on Yorinobu's forehead.

Mother.

That woman who had always been kind to him... Even after he publicly broke from his father and the Arasaka name...Even when the world condemned and shunned him...

She still believed in him.

She even secretly supported him and Steel Dragons from the shadows.

She was a good woman.

And this man—this monster—had killed her for it, the moment she was caught helping an anti-Arasaka group.

The official report claimed she died from a neural virus.

What a joke.

Arasaka's cutting-edge medical tech could keep a man born in 1919 alive until 2077—but couldn't save her? Now the man who killed his mother dared to mention her again, with no shame.

Yorinobu couldn't hold back his fury anymore.

He stepped forward and seized his father by the throat. He slammed Saburo's frail, aging body into the massive electronic screen behind them.

"No need for you to keep being 'lenient' now."

He roared, pouring all his strength into his grip.

Saburo Arasaka was simply too weak. Even in a life-or-death moment, he couldn't mount a defense. By the time Yorinobu calmed down, Saburo was lying motionless on the floor.

A still-warm corpse.

Yorinobu stumbled aside.

He looked at his hands.

Then at the lifeless body of his father.

Back when he was in Steel Dragons, he had imagined destroying Arasaka a thousand times. That idea had followed him to Kei's funeral. It had been with him when he returned to the family.

For decades, the dream never dimmed. It never changed.

But now—

Now that he had personally killed the emperor of Arasaka, his father, the first thing he felt was not joy.

But panic and fear. He had killed his father in a room with no witnesses. Takemura was just upstairs on the rooftop.

If he was caught... if he was "accused" of Saburo's death...

It was over.

The board, Hanako, the Taka faction—none of them would hesitate to strip him of the successor's title. Then his fate would be either life in prison or a future spent running in constant fear.

No.

That couldn't be allowed to happen.

Stay calm. He had to stay calm.

Yorinobu took several deep breaths.

He staggered back to the small table in the middle of the room. There was no hiding Saburo's death. It couldn't be concealed.

He needed a reason.

An excuse...

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the variety of fine liquors on the table. Then looked down again at Saburo's body.

A wild, desperate idea surfaced in his mind.

He knew it had many flaws. But it was the only way out of his situation. The panic and fear began to fade from his body.

What returned was the same resolve and clarity he'd had when leading Steel Dragons against Arasaka.

Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise. Maybe this was the opportunity fate had given him.

He rose from the low table and walked over to Saburo Arasaka's corpse. His expression gradually turned sorrowful.

Just like the reaction of a son who had lost his father.

"I want... I want the entire hotel locked down."

The AI in the penthouse responded instantly.

"What is the reason for lockdown?"

"My father has been murdered."

The suite's lights turned an intense red.

"Red alert activated. Attention: Konpeki Plaza is now under red alert. Please remain in your rooms and follow all staff instructions."

When Takemura and Adam Smasher returned from the rooftop—what they saw was Saburo's lifeless body on the floor.

Takemura couldn't believe his eyes.

A chill went through him, as if he'd plunged into ice water.

"What happened?"

"Someone... someone poisoned my father."

"Poisoned?"

Takemura couldn't believe it.

Every employee at Konpeki Plaza was handpicked, had passed political vetting, and was guaranteed to be loyal and reliable to Arasaka.

How could poison have gotten in?

"Yes. It seems..."

Takemura moved in to take a closer look.

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