Chapter 217: Nuclear Strike
The cold light of the White Whale's main bridge screen reflected on Yorinobu Arasaka's face as he stared at the intelligence just received.
The revelation of the "Sage's" presence in the Badlands manufactorum, along with the partial Militech technical parameters provided by Songbird.
Beneath his seemingly calm exterior, a trace of an imperceptible smile flashed through his eyes.
Everything was playing out according to his script.
He had meticulously orchestrated the theft of the Relic, cleverly pointing all clues toward Militech. Now, this intelligence from a rogue agent provided the perfect corroboration for his setup.
He activated the encrypted communication line to the Tokyo estate.
Saburo Arasaka's figure gradually appeared on the screen. The elderly patriarch was sunk deep into a specially made chair, his aged face looking exceptionally gloomy under the flickering candlelight.
The rhythmic, slight whirring of life support systems added an eerie background noise to this confrontation between father and son.
"Father." Yorinobu's emotions were carefully adjusted. He maintained respect for the family leader while appropriately revealing a sense of being provoked. "We have obtained solid intelligence.
"The Badlands town is not only the enemy's technology R&D center but also the source of Militech's recent arrogance.
"They are not only engaging us frontally on the battle lines but have even audaciously plotted the theft of the family's core technology."
He paused deliberately on the words "theft of technology," observing his father's reaction on the other end of the screen.
There was no change of expression on Saburo's wrinkled face, but his deep-set eyes narrowed slightly, as if scrutinizing every detail in his son's words.
"Conventional military means have proven ineffective," Yorinobu continued to apply pressure, simultaneously transmitting forged operation records and intelligence assessment data to Saburo's terminal. "This evidence clearly shows that Militech is using the technological advantage gained from the Badlands to attempt to fundamentally shake Arasaka's dominance. This is the most naked provocation to our family's dignity."
The communication line fell into a brief silence.
Yorinobu could feel his father's scrutinizing gaze piercing through the screen, as if trying to see through to his most secret intentions.
He maintained a facade of calm, but his fingers clenched unconsciously beneath the console.
He knew his father must suspect the truth behind the Relic theft, and might even have detected the role he played in it.
But at this moment, he was betting on his father's obsession with the family's majesty. He was betting that this aging ruler would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let one enemy slip away.
After a long while, Saburo's dry, cracked lips parted slightly. His hoarse voice sounded as if it came from the abyss: "You seem... particularly invested in this matter, Yorinobu."
This sentence was like a precise scalpel, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
Yorinobu felt a chill run down his spine, but he quickly steadied his mind and responded, "Any existence that threatens Arasaka's rule must be thoroughly purged. This is my responsibility, and my... mission."
The corner of Saburo's mouth curled into an almost imperceptible arc. That smile contained an irony that saw through everything, mixed with a hint of eerie approval.
How could he not know what game this son of his was playing? The theft of the Relic was too coincidental, and the chain of evidence before him was too perfect, raising suspicion.
But in the current situation, he needed a decisive decision to deter all enemies eyeing them greedily, even if it meant playing along with this rebellious son's plan.
"Granted." Finally, Saburo spat out the word. The voice was light but carried unquestionable weight. "Do as you think best. Let those who are restless remember the consequences of challenging Arasaka."
The moment the communication was cut, Yorinobu slowly exhaled a breath he had been holding for a long time.
He had succeeded. But that final, meaningful look from his father made him understand that the game between father and son was far from over.
However, right now, the most important thing was to let that nuclear bomb symbolizing destruction fall as scheduled, pushing the chess game he had carefully arranged to its final climax.
Authorization was given.
Inside the weapon bay of the Arasaka White Whale, a tactical nuclear warhead marked with radiation warning symbols and the Arasaka family crest completed its final launch preparations. This devastating weapon, with a yield of 500 kilotons, was loaded into a specially modified delivery pod. The pod's stealth coating gleamed with a ghostly light in the dim bay.
The delivery pod slid silently out of the launch tube, entering the sky above Night City. The rear thrusters ignited, and a ghostly blue tail flame traced a fleeting path across the night sky. The pod broke through the cloud layer at extreme speed, adjusted its attitude, and dove toward the preset coordinates.
Inside the main control room of the Badlands manufactorum, Joric's crimson optical lenses flickered slightly. On the radar screen, a high-speed target was approaching with an unusually massive energy signature.
The threat assessment system instantly raised the alert level to maximum.
"Incoming tactical nuclear weapon detected. Trajectory calculation complete. Impact probability 99.8%," the synthesized voice reported calmly.
Joric's processing core responded immediately. The energy conduit system spread throughout the underground of the Badlands town emitted a low hum as output power was boosted to a critical state. Shield generator nodes all over the surface lit up with blinding blue light simultaneously, energy output reaching peak values.
"Redistribute energy. Maximize shield intensity. Concentrate defensive energy at the predicted point of impact."
The command was executed instantly.
The semi-transparent blue shield originally enveloping the Badlands town suddenly solidified. The halo transformed from a flowing state into a nearly solid deep blue barrier.
In the area of the nuke's predicted impact, energy density was reinforced to the theoretical limit, and the shield thickness increased significantly.
Seconds later, destruction arrived.
First came the extreme white light, instantly enveloping heaven and earth, as if a new sun had risen on the edge of Night City.
Immediately following was the shockwave spreading at astonishing speed, accompanied by a deafening roar that tore the air apart.
A massive fireball rolled and expanded, devouring everything in its vicinity.
The ring of destruction formed by the shockwave pushed outward rapidly from ground zero. Building wreckage, abandoned vehicles, and even the surface soil in its path were instantly vaporized or thrown high into the sky.
The immense energy released by the nuclear explosion slammed violently into the shield of the Badlands town.
This time, the shield was not as stable as when it withstood conventional weapons.
The thick blue curtain of light began to flicker violently. The energy ripples on the surface became furious and irregular.
Blinding electric arcs darted madly across the shield's surface, emitting continuous crackling explosions. In the area taking the maximum impact, the shield even showed visible deformation and localized thinning.
Energy readings inside the workshop instantly breached safety thresholds, and overload alarms shrieked.
Some auxiliary shield nodes on the perimeter smoked, their internal components burning out under extreme load.
The shield stubbornly held on under the impact of the nuclear explosion.
After enduring the most violent seconds of energy shock, the fireball of the nuclear explosion began to gradually dissipate, and a mushroom cloud rose slowly.
When the dust settled slightly, the Badlands town still stood in the center of the now-glassed scorched earth. Only the blue shield guarding it was noticeably dimmer, flickering unstably, revealing a weakened state after excessive load.
The world outside the shield had turned into ruins, but inside the shield, the main structure of the workshop remained intact.
At the cost of heavy damage, the energy shield had successfully withstood this devastating strike.
(End of Chapter)