Chapter 147: Leaf Sprout! Plant Polymer Weapon!
To be cautious, V used his cybernetic eye to thoroughly scan the opponent.
The results confirmed his suspicions: Ivanov had only subdermal armor implants and no other cybernetic enhancements vulnerable to hacking.
"Damn it… Johnny, we're in trouble now."
Realizing he couldn't hack Ivanov, V lost the confidence to face this monstrous opponent. He wasn't suicidal—charging at Ivanov without a chance of winning was pointless.
As V deliberated on how to escape with Panam and Jackie, a sudden mechanical engine roar reached his ears.
Looking up, V saw a black airborne vehicle hovering over Ivanov.
"Damn! Our company's reinforcements are here!"
Mann, hiding behind a Behemoth heavy truck, heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the military-grade LA Corp "Scorpion" hovercar.
The speed of support was astonishing—Mann had barely made the call five minutes ago, and reinforcements had already arrived. It was as if LA Corp had an airbase nearby, ready to deploy troops at a moment's notice.
The roar of the Scorpion's engine drew Ivanov's attention skyward. His predatory gaze locked onto the vehicle hovering overhead, seemingly ready to strike.
Suddenly, a black object was ejected from the hovercar, hurtling toward Ivanov like a cannonball.
Through his cybernetic scan, V identified the object—it was a person encased in powered armor. LA Corp was literally using soldiers as projectiles to attack Ivanov!
As V stood in stunned disbelief, the soldier in powered armor crashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater.
Ivanov, with his sharp reflexes, had already sidestepped the impact, avoiding the destructive "Titanfall" strike. Once the dust settled, Ivanov got a clear view of the intruder.
It was a soldier clad in LA Corp's T-60 powered armor, equipped with a peculiar launcher-like gauntlet on his left arm.
"V, looks like you couldn't handle this beast. The boss sent me to clean up—sit back and enjoy the show."
The familiar voice came through a holographic communicator. V immediately recognized the speaker—Li Ang's top bodyguard, Morgan Blackhand.
"Morgan, was this part of Li Ang's plan too?" V questioned, feeling everything was too coincidental, as if orchestrated step by step.
It felt like Li Ang had predicted V's actions—using the codex 6 weapon to annihilate Biotech's power-armored troops, the release of Ivanov by the Blackwall, and now this sudden appearance of a hero to defeat Ivanov.
The situation mirrored the cliché narratives found in cheap magazines. Yet, witnessing it firsthand, V felt powerless, as if he were a puppet manipulated by LA Corp.
Morgan's calm response confirmed V's suspicions.
"To me, it seems so. But I don't have time for chit-chat; this guy's going berserk. I need to handle the situation."
Morgan strode forward, his powered armor clanking, ready to confront Ivanov.
"Be careful, Morgan! That guy's subdermal armor is thick. You'll need missiles to deal with him!"
V couldn't help but shout as Morgan appeared unarmed, seemingly prepared for hand-to-hand combat with the genetic monstrosity.
"Shut up and watch."
With those words, Morgan raised his left arm and fired a green orb from his gauntlet.
Splatt!
The orb hit Ivanov, leaving only green slime and fine plant fibers on his skin—no visible damage.
Both Ivanov and V were dumbfounded. Ivanov, enraged by what seemed like a pathetic attack, charged at Morgan.
As Ivanov closed the distance, a predatory force of nature, Morgan calmly pressed a button on his gauntlet.
The orb, a controlled plant-based polymer weapon called Leaf Sprout, activated. This bioweapon, developed by the Vavilov Institute, combined polymers and mutated plants for devastating effect.
Tendrils emerged from Morgan's gauntlet and synchronized with the residue on Ivanov's body. The green slime and plant fibers burrowed into Ivanov's orifices—eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—invading his neural system.
Ivanov's enraged roars turned into anguished screams as the Leaf Sprout ravaged his brain. Within moments, his skull split into six sections, resembling grotesque, blood-soaked petals.
The horrific scene, reeking of blood and gore, tested everyone's resolve. Though well-trained, the soldiers felt their legs weaken.
"Is he dead?" Meredith finally asked, her relief tinged with uncertainty as Ivanov's lifeless body remained standing.
"Probably. Stay alert," Mann cautioned.
Joanne, meanwhile, wrestled with conflicting emotions—relief for her survival, yet regret for the wasted potential of Biotech's genetically-engineered soldier.
If Ivanov's temperament could have been controlled, he might have become a perfect killing machine, a breakthrough for Biotech in the mercenary market. Perhaps even President Myers of New America would have funded mass production of such genetic enhancements.
But all those dreams were shattered by Morgan's weapon.
"V, how'd you like the show? Worth the ticket price?" Morgan asked, removing his helmet and flashing a grin.
"Not bad. Looks like Li Ang's going to make another fortune." V glanced at Ivanov's grotesque remains, instinctively wary of Morgan's weapon.
But just as V thought it was over, Ivanov's mutilated body suddenly moved, trailing behind Morgan.
"Morgan! Watch out!"
V shouted and fired several shots at Ivanov's head. This time, the bullets found their mark, and Ivanov collapsed to the ground, lifeless, like a pile of sludge.
"Damn... Why did you have to kill him? I had him completely under control. That was totally unnecessary."
"He was moving behind you just now. I was worried he'd harm you," V said, confused by Morgan's criticism.
Looking at Ivanov, whose head was now a bloody mess, Morgan Blackhand sighed and explained, "Leafbud can use polymer devices to directly control these unconscious life forms."
"The only downside is that once Leafbud takes control, these things become extremely fragile. A single headshot is enough to kill them."
V listened to Morgan's explanation, stunned. Once again, he gained new insight into LA Corporation's technological prowess. If this tech were deployed in warfare, the implications would be unimaginable!
"This... this thing can actually control human behavior and consciousness?"
Slowly realizing the gravity of the situation, V felt like this whole mission wasn't about rescuing people—it was more like attending an expo for cutting-edge black tech!
[Morgan is just here to show off. I'd bet my arm he's got recording equipment hidden somewhere. Everything happening here is probably being streamed on LA Corporation's display screens.]
Johnny Silverhand's holographic figure appeared, shaking his head at Morgan and clicking his tongue in disdain. [Look at that smug face. He probably set this up long ago, just waiting for things to go wrong on your end.]
[Now the job's done, this so-called Leafbud tech got its moment in the spotlight, and next, Li Ang's going to rake in a fortune. Mission accomplished.]
If only it could end that easily. But sadly, this mission failed to rescue the wanderers.
V sighed internally, realizing there was no way he could take those victims away now that the operation had failed.
Sure enough, as Morgan Blackhand wrapped things up, Joanne walked out with a broad smile, saying, "Mr. Morgan, thank you for your intervention. I will pay LA Corporation handsomely for this. Now, please take all these people back."
"Both the visible ones and the hidden ones."
Her tone was laced with contempt as she shot a mocking glance at V. Her meaning couldn't have been clearer: Take them all away, no exceptions.
"Sorry, Ms. Joanne. You'll need to come with us as well." Morgan smiled and gestured toward the hovercar.
From the descending Scorpius hovercar, a team of elite MAX-TAC soldiers stepped out, clad in light combat armor and tactical helmets. These were Night City's most elite anti-terrorism forces, largely funded and equipped by LA Corporation.
"Ms. Joanne, you are under arrest for illegal human experimentation, a severe violation of Night City law. I am officially notifying you of your arrest," announced Dallas Foster, the squad's leader.
Dallas produced a signed arrest warrant bearing the Night City City Hall seal and Lucius' signature. Clearly, LA Corporation had meticulously prepared for this moment.
Joanne's eyes widened in rage as she glanced at V, then at the warrant in Dallas' hand. She realized this entire debacle was orchestrated by LA Corporation to target her.
What puzzled her, however, was why Li Ang would go out of his way to take her down. She'd never crossed paths with anyone from LA Corporation!
"No! You can't arrest me! I'm the Director of Biotechnica. I would never engage in illegal human experimentation. This is absurd!"
Joanne struggled to maintain her composure, but then she noticed Panam and Jackie escorting the Red Ochre wanderers out of the laboratory.
Each wanderer bore visible injuries, but they all shared the same thing: a look of seething hatred toward Joanne.
If it weren't for the MAX-TAC soldiers, they would have torn Joanne apart.
Though they couldn't physically harm her, they unleashed a torrent of curses, publicly exposing Biotechnica's heinous crimes.
Faced with their hostile stares and venomous words, Joanne feigned indifference and coldly told Dallas, "I need to contact Biotechnica. I'm confident that this baseless warrant will be rescinded shortly!"
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