Chapter 127: Chapter 126
Future chapters at patreon.com/FFAddict.
Additionally, I have many new works readers may be interested in. Go look, if you wish!
"Are you ready?"
Upon hearing the question, Sasha quickly adjusted her skirt, meticulously comparing her appearance with the electronic mirror screen.
Her skirt's hem was precisely 12.5 centimeters above her knee, fully complying with the company's workplace etiquette standards.
Finally content with her appearance, she trotted out of the room.
"Sasha, I'm ready."
Tang Yu was folding his shirt cuffs and attaching his black and gold cufflinks when he heard Sasha's footsteps. He glanced over as she approached.
There she was.
Sasha's delicate, round face was framed by her egg-shaped features, her earlobes adorned with diamond chain earrings. Her crisp white sleeves hugged her graceful figure, accentuated by a short dress tightly encircling her. A black band encircled her neck, finished with a "T" imprinted button attached to it.
Today was an important and special day for Sasha.
Because Tang Yu was preparing to take her to the Arasaka Tower for her first day of work.
There was also a concert tonight, a concert that Tang Yu had personally planned, and it was to be held in the company plaza.
Sasha took great care in preparing for this day, wanting to embrace it in her best state.
She was ready and saw Tang Yu fixing his cuffs in the living room, so she stepped forward, took the black and gold cufflinks from his hands, folded his shirt cuffs properly, and then secured them with the cufflinks.
Tang Yu let Sasha help him with the cuffs, patted her on the head, and softly thanked her.
At that moment,
Tang Yu was dressed in a dark blue suit with a classic vintage cut that highlighted his upright figure. The shirt cuffs extended just enough to show under the jacket's sleeves, revealing an attention to clothing detail.
This tailored suit demanded precise body measurements, meaning any change in physique could greatly affect how it fit; gaining even a little weight could be uncomfortable, while losing weight could make it appear loose and wrinkly.
Tang Yu hadn't been to the Arasaka Tower for work in a while, but the suit still fit him well, indicating that his physique was well-maintained. He figured it was probably due to his nightly running exercising routine; his height remained the same, but his weight had increased, likely due to muscle density.
After a final check of his attire, Tang Yu glanced at Sasha waiting nearby.
"Let's go."
The apartment's gate unlocked and slid open, and Tang Yu stepped out first, with Sasha quickly following.
Once they had left, the gate closed automatically, locking and activating the alarm system.
An Arasaka black luxury car was already waiting by the curb. Sensing Tang Yu approaching, the rear door automatically opened.
Tang Yu sat down inside, leaning against the red leather soft sofa.
Sasha followed, ducking into the car and sitting opposite him, her knees pressed together, not making a sound.
When Tang Yu and Sasha were seated, the car door closed automatically, and they set off toward their destination, Arasaka Tower.
The car's interior was somewhat compact with a face-to-face seating arrangement, the seats upholstered in red leather and the floors carpeted with brown fur, complete with an efficient soundproofing system to keep the outside noise at bay.
Sasha, sitting opposite, couldn't take her eyes off Tang Yu, noting he was busy on calls, presumably dealing with work-related matters.
She felt a sense of nervous anticipation, given the formality of this workday and the fact that it was her first day of work. She was both concerned about making mistakes and looking forward to the experience.
Sasha was curious why Tang Yu chose to bring her to work as his special assistant today, but she knew better than to ask; remaining silent was the best policy unless he volunteered the information.
From the moment they left the house, Tang Yu was preoccupied with communications and didn't pay much attention to Sasha across from him.
His former supervisor, Arthur Jenkins, had called earlier, having heard rumors about Kerry's concert in the company plaza. Concerned about potential issues, he'd sought reassurance from Tang Yu.
Tang Yu understood that his old boss didn't trust the counterintelligence division; should an issue arise, lack of timely response could put them in a reactive position.
Arthur had granted Tang Yu full office access, enabling him to act with full authority concerning all matters to prevent the new vice director, Kate, from causing trouble.
Since Tang Yu was also attending the concert, he agreed to oversee the proceedings.
Before work, however, there were important matters to address.
Kerry had agreed to the concert, and Tang Yu began organizing the event.
He wanted more than just an average concert; he aimed for an event that would ignite the BioTech area.
Securing the company plaza as a venue required quite an effort, convincing city authorities and the NCPD to agree.
Given that Kerry's concert was a charity event without a commercial ticket sale, they could proceed as long as all paperwork was in place.
To prevent chaos, the municipal hall set various conditions, such as no pyrotechnics, a ban on firearms in the plaza, NCPD on-site to maintain order, and restricting attendee numbers.
Following the destruction by Johnny Silverhand in the past, both corporations and the NCPD were sensitive to mass gatherings.
Once the venue was confirmed, the rest of the preparations, including stage construction and pre-concert promotions, moved along smoothly.
When MSM Records learned that Kerry wanted to hold a free charity concert, they immediately objected, threatening to withdraw all promotions and sponsorships and take legal action if he proceeded.
Even Kerry's vampire agent threatened to resign with his team if the concert went ahead, using various means to dissuade him.
Tang Yu deployed the counterintelligence resources to investigate MSM's corporate issues and activated the elite Arasaka lawyers to issue legal threats.
Additionally, special operations hackers stealthily attacked MSM's subnet, pressurizing them to the point of capitulation, announcing their unconditional support for Kerry's concert.
Kerry thanked Tang Yu over the phone, mentioning how MSM had become more compliant and how media outlets were ablaze with headlines about Kerry's resurgence and the Samurai's reignition.
Kerry half-joked about the fear of performing to an empty venue or an audience of only old-timers, potentially tarnishing his reputation.
But Tang Yu reassured him, affirming that Kerry's rock status was unmatched in Night City, and the stage tonight was Kerry's alone.
Kerry laughed, aware of the mixed feelings between encouragement and comfort, but remained confident about the night's performance.
Kerry hadn't sung any of the old songs for Samurai in a long while—though he still kept the instruments they once used, like guitars and drum kits.
After Samurai disbanded, Kerry hadn't touched them again, largely due to his solo albums consuming most of his time. Gradually, those old rock tunes started disappearing from the stage.
Kerry keenly understood that today's entertainment market was a playground for capitalists, where fifty years was enough for pop music to undergo countless changes.
Even when trying hard to keep up, he found it increasingly difficult, no longer able to perform with the same reckless abandon as before.
Actually, Tang Yu had already made preparations to warm up the evening's event, ensuring it would be anything but underwhelming, and might even be a massive hit.
"Kerry, pull yourself together and prepare well."
On the other end of the phone, Kerry gave a reluctant response, somewhat taken aback by the encouragement from the much younger Tang Yu, and tried to probe.
"Will Johnny show up tonight?"
"Of course, but I don't mean for him to take over your body."
"After all, with your status, you wouldn't be able to get on stage..."
Tang Yu heard what Kerry meant, still not letting go of his past status as the older brother, so he said solemnly.
"Johnny will see all this."
Once Tang Yu confirmed that Kerry was ready, they ended the call.
Having just hung up, Gloria seamlessly dialed in.
After greeting Tang Yu, she cut straight to the point: "Mr. Tang, all the arrangements you'd asked for have been successfully completed."
"The 'fireworks' at Maine's have been set. They've located the main electrical bus for the biotech building and have successfully linked the storage pulse device. The stored charge is now sufficient to fry the main circuitry of the entire building."
Tang Yu nodded slightly: "Well done."
What's a successful concert without fireworks? The 'fireworks' were tonight's main event.
Biotechnica and Arasaka Towers, both situated in the Corporate Plaza and very close to one another, were prime targets.
The emergency calls from Panam had been taken care of, her Nomad clans were ready to block critical routes, preventing the NCPD and city services from reaching the scene so that the biotech building could be thoroughly torched.
Tang Yu, after wrapping up with Gloria and making sure the safety of Kerry during the concert was the priority, received another call from Jackie.
Across from him sat Sasha, watching carefully. She noticed Tang Yu's phone hasn't stopped ringing today.
She was completely unaware of what was happening, suspecting Tang Yu was hiding something, not including her in the plans.
Sasha was extremely curious, eager to discover the many calls that were related to Kerry's concert.
She wondered if Kerry would perform tonight and if 'Johnny' would make an appearance, or if the calls pertained to corporate matters—though she received no notification about work.
Tang Yu, after the call, noticed Sasha's curious gaze.
"Tang Yu," Jackie's familiar and hearty laugh came through, "I've got your gas bottles ready, a whole garage full of them. Just worried a single spark might send my garage skyward."
Tang Yu had asked Jackie to prepare the gasoline bottles, mixing them with an ample supply of alcohol, and secretly transport them to the Corporate Plaza.
When the time came, they would distribute these bottles to the Nomads and veterans gathered there, aiming at the Biotechnica building to give them a spectacular blaze.
Tang Yu praised Jackie's resourcefulness and wrapped up the call.
After a short pause, with no incoming calls, Tang Yu finally had a chance to breathe.
Noticing Sasha's curiosity, he said with a smile, "Stop wondering. You'll understand everything tonight."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone