Infinite Progress, Starting with Arasaka

Infinite Progress, Starting with Arasaka

Author: Qingyi Laobaigan

Synopsis:

[Also known as: Working for Arasaka, From Arasaka to the Interstellar Peace Corporation, I, Am the Company!]

This story is about a corporate drone from a Cyberpunk world who seeks advancement by joining giant corporations across various realms, using a "one-hand sells to the other" approach as a multi-dimensional trader.

Years later.

"[Cybernetics Exclusivity, Flesh and Blood Inclusivity]"

Arasaka Group, Night City Arasaka Security Department, Director Vera's optimization and solution for cybernetic plugin erosion, exclusivity, and safety threshold limitations—the discovery of the T-Virus and the possibility of human enhancement plans.

"[Flesh and Blood is Weak, Mechanical Ascension]"

Umbrella Corporation, Manufacturing Department, Dr. Vera's proposal rejection of White Umbrella Company (the internal bio-research department of Umbrella)—the economic prospects and promotion of cybernetic cybernetics industry.

"[Quinque is Weak, Cyborgs are the Future]"

Ghoul Countermeasures Bureau, R&D Department, Vera's special analysis report on mechanized organic technology.

"[Artificial Star God]"

Vera Adelheid, Supreme Council Chairperson, hereby announces our company's reorganization plan:

Interstellar Peace Corporation!

(Welcome to visit my previous book for amusement, "I, Am the Collapse")

Noisy, clamorous.

This is a city full of charm and vitality. At least it used to be...

Hummm... hummm...

The bright sun shone, the broad daylight, the rising fires and smoke, accompanied by the sirens of martial law, erupted in the bizarre corners of the metropolis.

The air was very hot. It was filled with that indescribable stench of protein meat chunks being smoked and grilled without blood or internal organs removed, and the pungent smell of burning electronic components.

The once dense overpasses and rail trains had long since stopped, replaced by a concentrated display of the violent side of humanity and its creations.

Sirens wailed, crowds surged.

The surging crowd, like a tide, rushed towards the roadblocks set up by street police. Beside the electrified cordon generator emitting sparks, shielded by armored police cars, a line of public security police and humanoid security robots stood armed.

"[Warning, warning. City citizens, your actions have violated city public security management regulations.]"

The police security robots used loudspeakers to issue a standardized recorded warning to the overwhelming, out-of-control crowd that had transformed from a demonstration into an organized riot.

"[Final warning, please cease your illegal activities immediately. According to safety regulations, this unit has been authorized by public security ordinances...]"

"Fuck your mother, you stupid robot! Get out of our city!"

Amidst the curses, an incendiary bomb was thrown from the crowd, bang. The fireball exploded in front of the police car, flames rising. The city security officers reflexively dodged and crouched, "Enemy attack!"

Unlike the patrol officers who were human and might still hesitate, the security robots' standardized warnings ceased. According to procedure, they had already pulled the trigger the moment the crowd crossed the cordon, da da! knocking down the rioters who crossed the blockade.

At the same time, several security robots holding automatic machine guns turned their heads, their scanner red lights covering the crowd. The hooded man who clearly made a throwing motion and then tried to hide, as well as the men and women about to draw guns and explosives, were captured by the sensors. Their muzzles were raised, locked on, and the large-caliber heavy bullets were fired, and for a moment, gunshots erupted.

Da da da da da—

In just a few seconds, a crossfire from multiple directions covered the crowd in front of the road.

Whether innocent bystanders were harmed or if the sentencing was too harsh was no longer important at this moment.

The direct bullets pierced the crowd, hitting abandoned vehicles on the road, penetrating cybernetics, and tearing through flesh. Instantly, flesh and blood flew, sparks splashed. White liquids, whether engine oil, coolant, or nutrient fluid, mixed with damaged cybernetic debris and torn flesh fragments, splattered everywhere.

In the scene, the screams of demonstrators, the curses of rioters, and the wails of those who were lucky enough to not die echoed.

If viewed from the sky, it would be seen that on the city's main traffic arteries, explosions, fires, and electrical sparks from damaged and short-circuited electrical equipment erupted simultaneously as if by agreement.

The city was crying... No, perhaps more accurately, the city, having long since run dry of tears, naturally began to burn again.

City Hall.

Arasaka Tower.

So quiet it was cold, the all-metal dark tone, a silent and lofty world, elegant classical Japanese music echoed.

It was like entering another world.

Everything here was still orderly. Corporate employees were either diligently working on their tasks or taking a break at the bar and tea room in the office area, chatting softly about the fun happening in the city.

As if the urban riots happening just a block away had never occurred.

Mid-level Tactical Command Center.

Beep beep...

The faint sound of fingers tapping on a silent keyboard sounded from time to time. The split-screen displays emitted light, illuminating cold, impersonal faces marked with cybernetic implants.

Inside, a group of tall figures stood silently.

They wore heavy, insulated combat uniforms in black and white, with heavy layered armor like samurai. They were fully armed, wearing tactical helmets with stands. Because of the light reflecting from the computer screens, the white-on-black cloverleaf logo on their shoulder and neck armor reflected a faint fluorescence.

An Arasaka Security Department combat soldier.

Surrounded by Arasaka soldiers, seated by the tactical command center's main console, was a young-looking blonde woman leaning back in her chair.

Judging by her face, the woman was in her early twenties. She was tall and well-proportioned, with no visible signs of extensive cybernetic modification.

Her shoulder-length hair, a pale blonde leaning towards silver, was tied back in a ponytail. Her features were delicate, and her face was attractive enough without makeup to serve as a spokesperson for a cosmetics company or a public relations representative. She wore a form-fitting, dark uniform with a strong sci-fi aesthetic.

Rustle... rustle...

The blonde woman's fingers lightly brushed the tabletop as she watched the surveillance footage transmitted from various monitoring hubs across the city blocks. Police units were engaged in fierce firefights with frenzied gang members, opportunistic mercenaries, looters, ambitious individuals seeking to exploit the chaos, and a small number of idealistic individuals with a sense of justice.

Heavily armored transport vehicles, funded by the corporation and packed with armed police and security robots from the city police force, arrived one after another at the front lines of the riots.

For now, with the police only needing to block roads to the city center, they didn't require support from corporate forces.

"Is this all?"

With a sigh, the blonde woman stretched her slender, nimble fingers slightly. She then turned her chair, her back to her subordinates, and walked to the kitchen cabinet by the wall. She gently adjusted the antique horn-style gramophone on the cabinet, changing the classical music from an uplifting tune to one nearing its end, tinged with a touch of sadness.

'Super-monopoly capitalism...', she murmured silently.

The waxed countertop reflected the woman's gaze, which had become slightly complex, a fleeting expression.

"Commander Vera, the 'fish' has been hooked. We have the necessary evidence, the personnel list is confirmed, and our people are in position. Shall we initiate the operation?"

Just as the blonde woman was silently lighting a high-end cigarette, letting the wisps of smoke slowly dissipate before her eyes, one of the Arasaka soldiers stepped forward.

"Hoo... after all these days of petty squabbling and pushing things along, it's finally erupted. Well, it's time to reel it in."

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Vera, holding the premium cigarette between her fingers, walked back to the large screen. She looked at the screen as it responded, displaying a bird's-eye view:

In the tactical command center, under the real-time monitoring and data lock of Arasaka hackers equipped with high-end access pods, gang leaders, cyberpunk mercenaries, agitators, and corporate opposition were identified and marked, one by one, whether they were in the crowds or hidden in their homes and safe houses.

Vera knew very well that once her order was given, at least a thousand people would be dealt with within an hour.

Collateral damage was inevitable. Even Arasaka hackers using top-tier equipment weren't infallible, and there would be errors in identifying targets.

However, the corporation never cared about such minor errors.

They were the type to kill a thousand by mistake rather than let one go. This applied to any corporation.

The corporation demanded efficiency from Vera, and she had to be efficient. For progress...

She had grown accustomed to it, become numb to it.

Ever since she arrived in this world and decided to climb the ladder, she had already warped her former conscience.

Her only conscience was to kill these people quickly and decisively.

In the face of corporations, especially global giants like the Arasaka Group, when the corporation decided to intervene, the failure of these people on the screen was already sealed. Letting you taste a little sweetness first was merely for maximum profit.

"First, igniting the topic on the streets to generate buzz and intensify social conflicts, then secretly guiding the protest march. After the crowd approached the affluent areas and the city center, they launched a sudden attack, using ordinary citizens as shields to incite riots against the city's upper and middle classes. Tsk, a good tactic, but what are they after..."

With the combined efforts of Arasaka field personnel and intelligence analysts, the causes and consequences of the sudden attacks were easily unearthed.

The origin of the incident was complex in its complexity, and simple in its simplicity.

It was nothing more than the Brazilian authorities exploiting the people too harshly, making it impossible for those below to survive, leading to intensified contradictions. Someone wanted to profit from the chaos and fanned the flames. Then, the fire started, but whether they profited, and how much, was hard to say. However, under the influence of various external factors, the 'fire' got out of control, resulting in this mess.

If there were no interference from other major corporations confusing the situation, the reports compiled by Vera would likely be largely accurate.

'These damn peasants deserve to die. How dare they resist, and how dare they kill my horses? These are no ordinary peasants; we must strike hard.' This was likely the mental state of the Brazilian authorities at this moment.

As the situation was clearly spiraling out of control, the 'arsonists' might have died or fled in advance. But the Brazilian authorities, after careful consideration, chose to pay Arasaka Group a hefty sum for security services to extinguish the fire.

And this was the reason Vera came to Rio de Janeiro.

Her mission, transferred to the Arasaka Group South America Investigation Team, was to complete the security services ordered by the Brazilian authorities from the Arasaka Group—to suppress local unrest, quell riots, and eliminate terrorist organizations in Rio de Janeiro.

As for the definition of a terrorist organization, well... as long as it was to the employer, that was enough.

Vera silently flicked the ash from her cigarette and stubbed out the partially smoked cigarette in the ashtray. She didn't need to understand this issue clearly, nor did she want to delve into it.

After all, the root of the problem would always lie with the corporation.

Everyone said so. The disappeared former 'legends' also said so.

"Right, analyze the surveillance footage collected and compiled over these days. Find the ones who were jumping around the most and compare them. When the main event starts today, see who wasn't present. As long as they're still in Rio, deal with those who got scared and backed down as well."

As if remembering something, Vera stopped pacing and looked at the Arasaka soldiers who had already begun their operations on the screen. Her indigo pupils flickered, revealing the red grid of the built-in virtual display. She issued a supplementary order to the subordinates of the special assault unit who had just left the tactical command center.

If you're going to kill, kill them all. If you're going to purge, purge them thoroughly!

Satisfy the Brazilian employers, establish the reputation of the Arasaka Security Department's security services in this land, and bring a few more years of stability to Rio de Janeiro...

The employers who suffered losses during this riot would surely resent it deeply. It wasn't her job to reduce the losses of the city's residents. As an external security and stability maintenance service provider, the more ruthlessly she killed, the higher the employers' evaluation would be, the better her performance, and the more bonuses she would receive.

It was all for progress.

Since people were going to die anyway, let's make you suffer a little more, round it up, and benefit everyone.

Adjusting her mindset as an excellent corporate drone, Vera returned to her command post and sat down. She signaled the technical personnel in the tactical center to track the progress of each field team's mission, brought up the surveillance system, and began watching with great interest.

These small fry weren't worth her going to the streets to fight. After all, she was a mid-level executive in the corporation, or rather, a mid-to-lower-level official who had reached the threshold of leadership, wasn't that a form of official position?

According to the surveillance, the various teams of the special assault unit she brought to Rio de Janeiro had already begun their operations. In coordination with the local Arasaka branch rangers, they were apprehending and executing the marked 'terrorists' on the list one by one.

Among these actions was the execution of the leader of the largest gang in Rio.

Name...

Not important.

Anyway, this guy had ripped off a lot of the Rio de Janeiro city government's goods in the past, making him quite the defiant sort.

Vera, of course, was there to avenge her patron. Conveniently, this guy was well-informed and had swallowed up a lot of territory during this riot, so it wasn't an unjust end for him.

"Post-war reconstruction, huh? The city's infrastructure seems to have suffered quite a bit... Mmhmm."

Watching the streets ablaze with fire and buildings being smashed, looted, and burned on the giant screen, Vera's lips curved into a slight smile. She murmured to herself, "...The corporations should find this interesting." Before her words even faded, her eyes flashed with the red light of communication data.

"Night City Information Department, this is Adelheid. From the Night City Security Department General Security Bureau, Special Rapid Response Unit..."

"That's right, I'm currently on a peacekeeping mission in Rio de Janeiro... Yes, I have some good news. I have a freshly prepared detailed blueprint and real-time recorded footage of Rio de Janeiro's urban infrastructure damage... I think that's enough, you understand."

"Yes, go through official channels. That's right, contact our friends in the Company Engineering and Construction Department. Want a slice of the Rio de Janeiro reconstruction cake... It's very fresh... Yes, I don't think anyone has more say than me on-site, suppressing the chaos. Have them prepare relevant urban reconstruction plans in advance..."

The corporate dogs in the municipal center had already begun discussing the city's post-riot reconstruction. Meanwhile, in more parts of Rio de Janeiro, during the period when order had vanished, the riots had mercilessly destroyed all of the city's tranquility.

Law-abiding citizens were in a state of panic amidst the gang warfare and rampant looting. The peacekeeping operations of Arasaka security personnel were also in full swing.

Just as Vera had never worried about this mission failing, in the absence of other forces or with limited intervention, Rio de Janeiro's 'terrorist organizations' were nothing but a rabble.

They crumbled at the slightest touch.

In a corner of the city, an exceptionally violent explosion rocked the camp of Rio de Janeiro's largest gang, drowning out the cheers of the grunts still high on counting the spoils plundered from the rich districts and commercial streets.