But Yorinobu blocked him, not allowing him to come closer.
Adam Smasher, standing further back, loyally refrained from approaching. He didn't even use his cyberoptic to scan Saburo Arasaka's corpse.
Adam Smasher was undoubtedly scum and trash. But that didn't mean he lacked a brain.
Arasaka was on the brink of upheaval. Now was the time to choose sides.
And yet, in this moment, Takemura Goro's reaction was slower than Smasher's.
Though, it wasn't entirely his fault.
His loyalty to Arasaka and his rigid, disciplined character clouded his eyes. He couldn't immediately see the situation clearly.
"Mr. Yorinobu... I suspect—"
"What is your duty, Takemura?"
"I don't understand."
Takemura Goro was taken aback.
That was when it suddenly dawned on him—something wasn't right.
The father was dead.
Yet the son not only refused to let his father's trusted aide examine the body, but also showed no urgency in pursuing the killer.
And Lord Yorinobu's recovery from grief...
Wasn't it a bit too fast?
"This is a simple question. Please answer."
Takemura Goro paused in silence.
In the end, he gave an answer that was both impeccable and acceptable to Yorinobu. "My duty is to protect the head of the Arasaka family."
"I sincerely hope you'll fulfill that duty better in the future."
Takemura Goro lowered his head respectfully.
"My apologies, Lord Yorinobu. I will. I won't let you down."
Only then did Yorinobu walk toward the elevator, satisfied.
Takemura Goro took one last deep look at Saburo's body, lying on the floor.
At this point, if it weren't for Yorinobu's obstruction, he could have scanned Saburo's cause of death with just his cyberoptic...
In fact—
He wouldn't even need to scan.
Just from a visual inspection, he could already see faint strangulation marks on Saburo's neck.
Why did Lord Yorinobu lie? Was the real reason actually...
Takemura Goro immediately cut off that line of thought.
The rest could wait.
Right now, he had to fulfill his duty. So Takemura Goro and Adam Smasher entered the elevator together, escorting Yorinobu Arasaka out of the area.
---
First floor of the hotel.
The elevator doors opened.
Leo and the others stepped out.
Of course, due to Leo wearing a Falchion suit with optical camouflage activated, to everyone else, only V and Jackie were visible.
The receptionist, lobby manager, and security guards who had welcomed them earlier had all switched shifts.
"Please queue and proceed through in order."
Jackie frowned.
"We already went through a scan on our way in. This how your hotel shows trust to its guests?"
The guard glanced at the cryo-case Jackie was carrying and replied calmly, "Sorry, it's a regulation of Konpeki Plaza. We ask for your cooperation."
Jackie exchanged a look with V.
"What now?"
Leo reassured them, "Just do as he says. It's fine. If there was something wrong with this case, Yorinobu wouldn't have been able to bring it in either."
Jackie gave a subtle nod.
"I'll go first. Jackie, you follow."
"Alright."
V stepped into the scanner first.
The scanner beam swept across her repeatedly. Once confirmed clear, the guard gestured for her to proceed.
Next was Jackie.
He tried to appear calm as he stepped through.
V, already past the scanner, stood behind the guard. Her eyes occasionally flicked toward the pistol on the guard's belt. If anything happened, she could grab it in an instant.
To her relief, the scan came back clear.
Just as expected.
Yorinobu wouldn't deliberately set them up.
"That went smoother than I—uh."
Jackie was about to give a thumbs-up.
Then remembered they weren't completely out of danger yet.
So he awkwardly held his hand mid-air before switching to pat the guard on the shoulder.
"Appreciate it."
"Hope to see you again, sir, ma'am."
Just as the guard courteously sent off V and Jackie, the entire hotel was suddenly filled with blaring alarms. The lights in the lobby instantly switched to a blinding red hue.
Konpeki Plaza's AI announced in a cold voice, repeating over and over:
"We regret to inform you that Konpeki Plaza has initiated a full-building red alert. Please remain in your room and follow all hotel personnel instructions."
"Red alert? No way!"
The guard looked horrified. Since Konpeki Plaza was completed in 2070, it had never triggered a red alert.
What the hell was happening?
Another guard muttered, "Could this be a drill?" But regardless of whether it was a drill or not...
The hotel's AI had already followed security protocols and dropped the blast-proof doors at the entrance.
"Shit! What now, Leo?"
The exit was right there. But the blast doors had sealed it shut before they could get out.
Both Jackie and V's expressions turned grim.
"Use the elevator—move!"
When they entered Konpeki Plaza, Leo had been observing the place closely. He had already made contingency plans.
He never relied solely on the front door.
"Right, the elevator!"
V and Jackie snapped back to their senses.
They could take the elevator next to the concierge desk down to the underground parking lot. As long as they reached the parking level, they could still get out of Konpeki Plaza.
The three of them turned and started heading back.
But this time, a guard stepped in front of V and Jackie.
"Please hold on, sir, ma'am. With the red alert active, no one is allowed to leave. Please return to your rooms. We apologize for the inconvenience."
V kept her expression neutral and glanced subtly toward the elevator behind the guard, putting on a look of urgency. "We have a very important emergency. We must leave right now."
"Sorry, but those are the hotel's regulations."
V played good cop, so Jackie played bad cop.
He deliberately raised his voice impatiently.
"What kind of bullshit rule is this? Can't you make an exception? This could cost us a lot if we are late"
But the guard still refused to budge. "I'm really sorry, but rules are rules."
There was more than just the one guard at the entrance. The other guards, noticing the argument, began to gather.
Since V and Jackie were guests at the hotel, the guards were still being polite for now.
But if they continued to resist—
Things could go sideways.
Leo let out a sigh. He hadn't wanted to kill anyone. If these guards weren't so dedicated to their jobs, if they'd just let them go, there wouldn't have been any need for bloodshed.