The Creators: From Night City

Page 376

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"Why?"

“Michiko Arakawa is a very opinionated person, while my sister Hanako Arakawa is a complete puppet. My father’s puppet will also become a radical puppet.”

"What if I could help you persuade Michiko Arasaka?"

What do I need to give in return?

"For her, it would require you to relinquish Arasaka's interests in North America."

"Okay, that gives me a 60% chance of success."

"How about I take care of Arasaka Hanako for you while I'm at it?"

"Please don't. Hua Zi is just a puppet. Her life or death is not that important."

Arasaka Yorinobu valued his younger sister even more than Jiang Bing had imagined.

Jiang Bing fell into thought.

The rain outside the window was getting heavier, and the raindrops were hitting the high-strength transparent glass with a pattering sound.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder ripped through the night, illuminating half the darkness outside the window.

"So, how about we take a gamble?" the 'craftsman' finally asked.

Arakasaka Yoriyuki frowned and asked sternly, "What do you want now? After going through so much trouble, I don't believe you don't want anything."

“On the contrary, I want everything.” Jiang Bing poured another glass of champagne, and with a casual push, the glass remained smoothly in front of the other person.

"I want Arakawa to leave Night City, and I want all of Arakawa's assets in Night City," Jiang Bing said, tapping the table with his finger. "All of them."

Such a demanding requirement as "sounds like a great deal" is not unacceptable to Arasaka Yorinobu; he has his own set of standards for judging things.

"Then it's a deal."

Jiang Bingju raised his glass.

Arakasaka Yoriyuki also raised his glass.

"Why not? After all, this deal can only take effect after Saburo Arasaka dies, so I can essentially 'reap the benefits without lifting a finger'."

"But I must warn you, that old geezer isn't so easy to take down."

Arasaka Yoriyuki's expression suddenly darkened.

"He is always accompanied by hundreds of elite guards, and his whereabouts are top secret; even I cannot find out about them."

Jiang Bing put the cup on the table and added, following the other person's words, "Relic, you've overlooked Relic technology."

Arakasaka Yoriyuki suddenly raised his head, staring intently at Jiang Bing, who was leaning against the back of the sofa.

"まさか(Could it be)..."

"Just as you think, Saburo Arasaka has uploaded his soul imprint to the God and wants to completely kill him. He not only wants to destroy his body, but also his 'soul'."

"Are you sure?" Arasaka Yorinobu asked urgently, not so much surprised as more unsurprised.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," Jiang Bing added.

A moment later, Arakasaka Yoriyuki, the 'Steel Dragon,' dejectedly agreed with Jiang Bing's point of view.

"This is troublesome. Besides the Arasaka Tower, there are several other Shintos in the space orbit and Tokyo."

"I'll handle it," Jiang Bing said, tapping the table to seal the deal.

"Remember today's deal, Arasaka Yorinobu, or next time I'll have to completely wipe out the whole of Japan. Believe me, you definitely don't want to see that."

Jiang Bing acted more like the owner of the house than Arasaka Yoriyuki. He calmly got up and left his seat, and the door obediently opened automatically as he approached.

"Oh, right," Jiang Bing suddenly turned around and said before leaving, "Tojo Shun is doomed. I hope you won't be surprised when the time comes."

“Similarly, I will not acknowledge this deal once it leaves this room, unless I hear news of that old geezer’s death,” Arakasaka Yorinobu emphasized, standing beside the sofa.

"Get some rest," the doorman shut out the greeting from inside.

Arasaka Yorinobu did not trigger the alarm until the brand-new, second-hand Mizutani Jun "Kyokotsu" drove out of the Konroku Building.

This was also not unexpected for Jiang Bing.

As a staunch anti-capitalist fighter, Arasaka Yorinobu would not miss this golden opportunity.

However, [Reverse Entropy] can only cooperate with him to a limited extent. Arasaka Yorinobu is an idealist, but the path he wants to take is different from that of Jiang Bing.

"Boss, where are we going next?" In the passenger seat, Raven's eyes were slightly closed. She had already infiltrated and taken over the car's control system. Although it looked like it was driverless, Raven was in control the whole time.

"Let's go back to Dogtown first."

A new set of coordinates was sent to the vehicle's crystal ball system, overriding the original navigation.

Jiang Bing twisted his old walking stick, drew out the blade, and his profile was reflected in it.

"Go back and pack your things, there's a good show to watch tomorrow night."

Tojo Shun wasn't at the Konbi Building; Jiang Bing found this out while he was going downstairs.

Even Michiko Arasaka had no information about his whereabouts. After all, he was an absolute high-ranking member of the Arasaka Group and a confidant of Saburo Arasaka. It was not surprising that his whereabouts were constantly covered by Arasaka's cybersecurity department.

However, Jinguji Mia's location is not difficult to find.

In fact, she is not only easy to find, but her whereabouts are also very open and undisguised.

She is a darling of the fashion world, a trendsetter in the luxury goods industry, the face of Jinguji, and an unconventional spokesperson.

She can often be seen on fashion subscription channels, TV programs, Mewtwo, live webcasts, and even e-magazines.

Tomorrow, she will attend a Night's Celebrity Fashion Charity Night.

This charity gala, spearheaded by the Ye family, is one of the few grand events in Night City. Dozens of well-known luxury brands will be invited by the Ye Group and will all be present. A large number of celebrities will also be invited, and media figures from all walks of life will gather together. Business and political celebrities will take this opportunity to make their faces on various media channels, donate some money, and promote their charitable reputation.

If it weren't for the accident during the day, 'Pipe Ridge' would also have been invited to participate.

Chapter 774 The Voice of Dogtown

As an asset of [Anti-Entropy], Mr. Blue Eyes naturally wouldn't refuse to give 'Pipe Valley' even this small amount of face. In fact, this gala is also an important platform for major luxury brands to promote themselves.

After all, a beautiful sedan chair needs many people to carry it, and brand value needs to be attached with these empty and grandiose things.

Of course, this is based on the premise that no daytime terrorist attacks have occurred.

This is also one of the reasons why Tojo Shun stirred up trouble at this critical juncture.

Jinguji Mia's name was prominently displayed on the official website of the event, announced to the world in a grand manner.

Tojo Shun might go, or he might not, but it doesn't matter, since the other party's whereabouts are in Jinguji Mia's head, and he can't escape.

With this point in mind, things naturally fall into place.

However, there was a problem before that: Jiang Bing was not invited to the party.

But this actually makes things easier.

As the name suggests, a charity gala is definitely held in the evening.

However, the event actually started in the afternoon, and preparations such as the announcement of the theme, the invitation of guests, the media promotion, the confirmation of sponsors, and the collection of auction items had been underway for months in advance.

As evening approached, the city's skyscrapers blocked the last rays of the setting sun, casting the night sky prematurely over the waterfront promenade in the Heywood district.

This place boasts the straightest and widest seaside promenade in Night City, making it perfect for hosting red carpet events.

Walking the red carpet is the most famous, most talked-about, and most common ritual at various banquet events, and the charity gala held by the Ye family is no exception.

The invited media had already arrived early in the afternoon to sign in, setting up their designated camera positions in the red carpet area and the inner area, ready to go.

Most of them are mainstream fashion and entertainment media or authoritative news organizations such as News Channel 54 and WNS News.

Smaller online media outlets like NeuronLive, Scream, and Phantom Limb don't receive this treatment. They have to squeeze into the media area with their smelly counterparts and do everything they can to grab a spot near the front.

Meanwhile, self-media blogs or radio stations like Deep Red Mint, Garbage Dump Frequency, Bishop Radio, and New Taipei District Forum can only get some recognition on the fringes. After all, there are hundreds of media outlets present, but only a dozen or so have been invited by the organizers. The rest are paying their own way to gain exposure.

Among this group of media professionals, a new face has joined the group.

"Welcome to the Daily News of the Pacific, a part of the southern and northern Pacific, and Coronado Farm. Of course, I would also like to greet the audience of Night City, but they won't pay any attention to me, so I won't waste my time."

A female media personality was passionately broadcasting the opening ceremony of the charity gala in front of the live camera, while the photographer seemed unusually distracted, frequently glancing to the side.

"Handy, focus!" Host Valera had no choice but to pause filming and call out to her co-host.

That's right, just from the name, you can tell that Taipingzhou Daily News is produced by Dogtown, or rather, [Anti-Entropy], since Taipingzhou is currently in a state of anarchy.

Valera and Handy, the two veteran partners, are new employees who have only recently joined the public relations department of [Reverse Entropy]. They were previously just minor figures doing location shooting for WNS. Through Regina Jones' introduction, they joined the newly established public relations department of [Reverse Entropy] and became the main person in charge of a new program, which can be described as a meteoric rise.

Therefore, the two of them have always attached great importance to their new jobs, working diligently and giving their all.

"I'd like to too, but he's our biggest boss. Aren't you curious about what kind of person he is?" Han Di, who was in charge of the camera, glanced at Jiang Bing, who was carrying a data tablet and looking around at the excitement, with a look full of curiosity.

"Of course I'm curious, but get the job done first, or your bonus will be gone."

The media outlets participating in the event don't just consist of a photographer and a host; that's just the bare minimum. In reality, media outlets with even a little bit of influence will send out more specialized personnel to obtain more authentic, effective, and comprehensive first-hand information.

For example, the news channel 54's "Intelligence Talk" program not only dispatched the famous host Ruth Zheng, who rose to fame through his father's connections, but also sent one print reporter, two photojournalists, two dedicated cameramen, and a real-time network operator and equipment engineer (hacker).

Their positions may sound similar, but they actually have different roles.

Photojournalists are mainly responsible for taking full-body and close-up shots of celebrities vying for the center position on the red carpet. Inside the venue, they are responsible for capturing interactive moments (such as bidding with signs by wealthy patrons or whispering conversations). They are also responsible for capturing behind-the-scenes moments such as makeup touch-ups and dress adjustments backstage (of course, they mainly take photos of their own people).

The cameraman is responsible for filming his own host and the red carpet live stream throughout the event, as well as recording celebrity interview segments.

Everyone had a very clear division of labor.

Of course, some small media outlets or self-media platforms only have two staff members, or they simply do everything themselves, including hosting, filming, and editing.

As the flagship program of "Voice of Dogtown," a newly established media outlet of "Anti-Entropy," Taipingzhou Daily News does not have a strong audience reach or high profile. Although "Anti-Entropy" has plenty of money and its staffing is comparable to that of media giant WNS, qualified media professionals (by "Anti-Entropy" standards) are truly scarce. To date, the Taipingzhou Daily News program team can only boast this old duo.

Jiang Bingze was simply using the identity of a staff member from his own program to easily sneak into the gala.

As the last rays of the sun completely disappeared below the horizon, the red carpet fashion show officially began.

Luxury cars that had been parked nearby began to arrive, carrying various guests.

Of course, the order of appearance is very particular. Big names are usually arranged to be the last, while the first to appear are usually the lesser-known ones.

The "big names" mentioned here don't necessarily refer to net worth, fame, or power; their suitability for this event must also be taken into account.

Throughout the process, several other invited guests with topical appeal will be introduced from time to time to keep the ceremony newsworthy and keep the atmosphere lively.

For example, the seventh band to appear, Fierce, and the thirteenth, Liki Weisz, each of their appearances sparked waves of excitement, making the fan areas on both sides of the red carpet erupt in a frenzy.

Of course, it's unknown how much of that was actually paid for.

Jinguji Mia holds a prominent position in the fashion world and also benefits from her status as a financial backer, so she appears quite late in the order of appearance.

Chapter 775 Unexpected Guest

Just as Jiang Bing was leaning against an advertising billboard, idly watching a newly famous Super Dream model linking arms with the CEO of Tianguo Medical, showing off her breathtakingly long legs on a hundred-meter-long red carpet, a familiar voice rang in his ears.

"Give me some face, don't make things too ugly in front of so many media."

The one speaking was Mr. Blue Eyes.

“Of course, I didn’t even bring a gun, don’t worry,” Jiang Bing replied.

Mr. Blue Eyes was still wearing that same black suit that seemed to have never changed, but his face was now also tinged with the same black.

At that moment, he deeply understood what it meant to lift a stone only to drop it on one's own foot, and what it meant to only realize you've got snot running down your nose before you know it.

"Don't think I don't know, your target is Jinguji Mia."

"What, are you going to plead for her?"

"She's just a nobody, she has nothing to do with me. However, the place you're standing on now is a platform that the Ye family spent a lot of effort to build."

"A platform for people to compete for fame and fortune, indulge in vanity, and arbitrarily display their sense of superiority?" Jiang Bing asked casually, glancing at another female celebrity who appeared, admiring her unique and eye-catching bandage outfit.

"It's a charity platform for raising donations and giving back." Mr. Blue Eyes was familiar with the way this guy did things and couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache.

He knew that if he couldn't persuade the other party today, the data board in the other party's hand, the metal advertising stand behind him, even the stone floor under his feet, the fence separating the crowd, or even an aluminum can or a small stone, would all be embedded in Jinguji Mia's head in a few minutes, in full view of everyone.

This is absolutely devastating for the charity gala.

"This money is all controlled by the Night Clan and is being used directly for the construction of Night City," Mr. Blue Eyes earnestly advised again.

"With your family's wealth and business empire, why would you be short of this little bit of money?" Jiang Bing asked curiously.