Chapter 220: Continuing the Destruction
The threat of the Arasaka White Whale carrier battle group had been temporarily neutralized.
On the outskirts of the Badlands manufactorum, the Secutarii Hoplites led by Ignis had reduced the enemy forces and their equipment to scorched earth and twisted metal wreckage through a standard, efficient purification push.
Inside the main control room of the workshop, Joric's crimson optical lenses swept over the final battlefield assessment data returned by the sensors.
Smoke was still slowly settling in the air, but the energy signals representing hostile units had nearly vanished completely.
Faced with this result, his processing core did not generate emotional fluctuations such as "satisfaction" or "relief."
Destroying an invading army was, to him, no different from wiping accumulated dust off a workbench; it was merely a necessary preparatory step before achieving the primary objective.
As a Mechanicus Explorator Magos, throughout centuries of archaeological excavations and countless expeditions across the stars, Joric had long summarized and solidified a set of core operational logic: Either do not intervene at all, or if you decide to act, you must solve the problem at its root.
Any residual hidden dangers or unextinguished sparks could evolve into a disaster at a critical node in the future, thereby swallowing the entire plan.
Half-measures and indecision were the fatal enemies of efficiency, and a massive waste and blasphemy of precious resources.
Based on extensive data analysis of Arasaka's behavioral patterns, Joric had clearly defined it: this mega-corporation was like a poisonous vine with roots deeply planted in the soil of greed and violence.
Merely trimming its exposed branches and leaves was far from fatal.
It would inevitably accumulate strength in the dark, absorb nutrients, spread again, and might even become more vigilant and aggressive due to the injury.
Therefore, summoning Ignis and the fifty Secutarii was merely the first step.
They were precision tools used to clean the current workspace. To thoroughly dig out Arasaka's roots spread across home and abroad, a more decisive force was needed.
His solution pointed to the Knights of House Rinco.
Imperial Knights were not the iron-clad cavalry imagined by ordinary people hearing the term for the first time. They were massive war mechs, typically nine to twelve meters tall, resembling mobile fortresses.
In the Imperial ground forces, they were terrifying existences second only to the God-Machines—the Titans.
Every Knight suit was a combination of technology and tradition, passed down, worshipped, and piloted for generations by Knight Houses possessing ancient bloodlines.
They were equipped with thunderous rapid-fire battle cannons, thermal weapons capable of melting all matter, and heavy melee weapons sufficient to cleave main battle tanks in two. Their sturdy Ion Shields were enough to withstand direct hits from the vast majority of conventional firepower.
These steel giants were the ideal tools for executing the "Final Solution."
The firepower and protection they possessed were enough to crush any known military force in the Cyberpunk world. They could execute surgical precision strikes on Arasaka's core infrastructure located on the mainland—such as military bases, R&D centers, and headquarters buildings—or perform total physical erasure.
However, transporting such massive war machines across dimensions faced two realistic constraints.
First, he needed the Knights of House Rinco and their support teams to first arrive at the Death World base, which served as a transit station.
Second, and more critically, the space within his current workshop and the transmission efficiency of the Dimension Teleporter were not yet sufficient to safely transport Knight suits with an average height of over nine meters.
He had to design and build a larger, more stable portal array, and this required time.
In the interval of waiting for House Rinco to answer the summons and preparing for the construction of the large portal, Joric decided to execute a phased cleanup mission first.
He could not allow Arasaka any breathing room, nor could he let the opponent mistakenly believe that the previous defeat was merely accidental, or that he lacked the power to expand his gains.
Continuously applying irresistible pressure was, in itself, an effective strategy.
"Ignis." His voice was transmitted directly into the processing core of the Skitarii Marshal, who was conducting a post-battle patrol on the field, via an encrypted data link.
"Lord Sage." Ignis responded immediately. The tip of her Arc Lance was still glowing with the faint light of high-energy particle dissipation.
"Target parameters updated. Lead your team and advance toward the coordinate zone 'Arasaka Waterfront'." Joric sent a complex data packet containing the map of Night City's bay area, marking Arasaka's major logistics and transport hubs. "Any target along the route displaying hostile intent or posing a potential threat is authorized for complete elimination.
"Final Mission: Destroy all infrastructure, stockpiled materials, and defensive forces of said hub."
"Command confirmed. Purification Protocols extended to designated coordinates. All obstacles shall be removed." Ignis's response held no hesitation, only unconditional acceptance of the mission.
Upon receiving the new orders, Ignis engaged in no superfluous mobilization or declarations.
She simply used the internal data link of the Secutarii to instantly distribute the new target coordinates and operational outline to the processing unit of every Hoplite.
Fifty Hoplites, along with their commander, like a precision instrument being reprogrammed, immediately changed their operational mode.
They abandoned the trivial task of sweeping up sporadic resistance at the edge of the battlefield and reformed into a tight wedge assault formation.
The pale gold resonance shield was activated once again, enveloping the periphery of the entire phalanx, energy patterns flowing steadily.
Then, this steel phalanx began to march toward Night City with heavy, uniform steps.
Their movement speed was not fast—it could even be called steady—but the muffled sound of metal boots striking the scorched ground with every step seemed to pound on the hearts of distant observers.
It was the physical manifestation of an unstoppable, unwavering will to advance.
Arasaka's command system was clearly not completely paralyzed.
The radar on the White Whale and the surviving observation points on the front line immediately captured the abnormal movement of this small but high-energy-reaction unit.
"Warning! Unknown high-energy unit cluster leaving original engagement zone, moving toward urban area along Highway 7 spur! Predicted path... points to the Port District!" The technical officer's voice in the Arasaka command channel carried a trace of panic.
Shintaro Takayama watched the real-time footage on the bridge, his face ashen.
He tried to understand the opponent's intent: "What are they trying to do? Attacking Night City with just fifty men? Or do they want to destroy our logistics nodes?"
Yorinobu Arasaka stood aside, silent. His internal plans had encountered variables due to these unexpectedly powerful units, but he was happy to see Arasaka's strength further consumed. He merely watched coldly to see how Takayama would respond.
"We cannot let them near the Port District!" Shintaro Takayama finally made a decision. "Arasaka Waterfront is our lifeline! Order all mobile units, including the Coast Guard and Urban Rapid Reaction Force, to intercept them at all costs! Finish them outside the city!"
More orders were issued.
Arasaka troops originally deployed around Night City to guard against the NUSA or internal riots were urgently mobilized.
Tanks, armored vehicles, transport helicopters laden with soldiers, and "Onimusha" power armors withdrawn from other defensive lines converged from all directions toward the Secutarii's path like a disturbed swarm of bees.
However, a generational gap in technology is not something that can be bridged by mere numbers and a determination to die.
(End of Chapter)