Chapter 100
Vera stroked her chin, and her smile became much more meaningful.
"Take the Cybernetic Tyrant Unit and retreat to Arasaka Waterfront first. Remember, the faster the better, and you can appropriately show that you are unfamiliar with and not used to it... Cybernetic Kong 1.2 still has quite a few problems that need to be improved."
"Oh? Trying to confuse and mislead... Understood, Director."
At this moment, the analyst who was in charge of tracking the battle situation reported to Vera, "Director, the personnel on site have confirmed that this abandoned town is one of the largest underground intelligence transportation stations of Militech and the New United States Intelligence Agency around Night City."
"Very good. Let me know as soon as the information is compiled and the analysis report is ready."
"Yes!"
Vera took a sip of black tea, picked up the PDA tablet on the table, and quickly glanced at the construction progress report of the new Arasaka Research Center.
"Demining in Badlands... This kind of physically demanding work is definitely best outsourced to Nomads, saving time and effort... The construction of the new border wall does require their help. But, it needs oversight."
As she pondered, she looked up at the holographic screen in front of her, her eyes reddening. The image of the abandoned town on the outskirts of the Badlands shrunk and slid to the side, revealing several overlapping images and text.
First, a graduate of the 2076 class of Night City Arasaka Academy.
"Graduates... Tanaka's son, oh, and that David too, for their internships, let's assign him as a 'foreman' for now..."
Chapter 103 is about Vera, the board member.
It all happened in an instant.
Under the blazing sun, the barren Badlands takes on a scorching, sandy yellow hue.
In the distance, plumes of black smoke rose from some abandoned outlying town, resembling some kind of deformed mushroom.
With the howling wind and sand, the plumes of smoke rose irregularly into the sky, thick and dense—an effect that could never be produced by a small camp of Nomads and a few dilapidated huts.
"It seems the Federal Intelligence Agency has suffered heavy losses this time..."
A tall, imposing figure stood like a sculpture on the bare, wind-eroded rocky mountain, indifferently watching everything on the ground.
Through the gaps in the smoke, he could see the armored airships on the Arasaka in the distance, as well as the swarm of heavy drones. He could make out a few octants and surveyors.
"The liaison officer... was intercepted by Arasaka's cops? They even raided and blew up the underground transportation station. What the hell are they doing in Washington...?"
With a low curse, the man turned around and looked at Watson, where construction was in full swing at the south end.
An airship cruised across the blue sky, trailing a long holographic advertisement that played announcements about the establishment of the new Arasaka Research Center and footage of Vera Adelheid, Michiko Arasaka, and Wilton Horton sharing a land purchase agreement at the Konpeki Plaza.
Arasaka is recovering to his peak.
He sighed and walked toward the weathered, modified car parked beside the hill.
Opening and closing the car door, buzzing...
The moment the car window closed, the man's skin changed from white to black, and then from black to brown.
The originally dull clothes were transformed in an instant by the surface nanoparticles, turning into a flashy and trendy outfit, transforming the Nomads into a street kid.
If an intelligence operative witnessed the entire process, they would probably blurt out: nano-camouflage clothing and Mimetic Shroud.
"Six years... six years... I hope I can wait until the day I am 'awakened'."
The man put on a baseball cap, drove off, and sped away.
His deep voice faded away with the wind and sand.
—The Spring Graduation Ceremony of the Class of 2076, Night City Arasaka Academy—
We cordially invite you to...
Vera glanced at the report from the Arasaka Academy and then dismissed it. She then zoomed in on the security data charts compiled by the NCPD in the Heywood area recently, closed the Arasaka Academy website, and projected the relevant graphic information from the central holographic screen onto the virtual screen grid built into her prosthetic eye.
[List of proposed hires for the Security Department of Night City Arasaka Academy Class of 2076 graduates:]
Katsuo Tanaka.
Kawakami Xiao Fu.
Morishita Gion (Fat Tiger).
David Martinez.
Conan Henry.
Vera glanced at it a few times.
Wow, their grades are all pretty good.
The board members of the Arasaka Academy lavished praise on this year's graduates. They were especially effusive in their eulogies regarding Vera's encouraging speech during her visit to the academy in the summer of 2074, showering her with compliments.
This board member is not the same as that board member. The board members of the Director of Operations of the Arasaka North America Department Night City Headquarters are not the same as the school board members.
According to data comparing the scores of this year's graduates with those of previous years, compiled by AI classroom teachers and professional course instructors at the Arasaka Academy, this year's average score is more than 10 points higher. They also stated that this year's students are the best cohort they have taught in recent years.
Excluding the class of 2070, there was a 'genius' among them.
Among the spring graduates, there were quite a few promising and outstanding students who were marked by other departments within Arasaka.
Among them, David Martinez ranked third in overall performance among the pure physical trainees. He was one of only two people, including himself, who were born into a purely commoner background.
At this stage, it can be said that without Vera's special instructions, the Security Department's assessment specialist and HR administration have already included David Martinez in the list of candidates for employment, as his internal, unpublished medical examination report is quite excellent.
Once he turns 18 and graduates, and his body is basically fully developed, the Security Department will provide each new combat personnel with heavy combat suits and weapons, low-interest loans for special Combat Cybernetics, and generous salary contracts, all according to the incentive clauses stipulated in the regulations.
Once he is officially appointed and proves himself, more advanced Combat Cybernetics will be arranged in the future.
The price was that his remaining life would be completely bound to Arasaka.
Once dismissed, the company has the right to reclaim everything.
[Approve.]
Vera approved the list of new recruits from academia submitted by the Security Department. These "academics," graduates of the Arasaka Academy, were considered a crucial source of loyal employees for the Arasaka Corporation.
[Internship] → [Supervision of the outsourced project in the new Arasaka Research Center]
Send.
Read.
After reading the last message on her PDA, Vera finished her cup of black tea in one gulp, sat up from her ergonomically designed Cyber executive chair, and stretched slightly.
Stepping forward, she casually swiped across the central screen, revealing the construction progress map of the new research area to the side, while NCPD statistics on security data were displayed on a magnified 3D map of the Heywood scenic area.
How effective was the crackdown?
There definitely is.
It barely qualifies as good.
Thanks to the efficient efforts of the NCPD and Sheriff Arasaka, crime in the area has been effectively curbed. Even the local residents think so; the company still criticizes them, but when it comes to this, they say that Arasaka and the NCPD at least did something human-like.
As for eliminating all public security cases, that's impossible, absolutely impossible.
Vera didn't even dare to think about it.
There are just too many idiots and dreamy young men on the streets of Night City.
There are always reckless fools who defy death and commit crimes against the wind.
Imitating the dashing figure of the cyber idol in his Black Dream, he downed the alcohol, took a swig of stimulants, and with a bottle of marijuana in hand, he carried a gun and shouted that he was the best in the world, and the team was about to start.
However, everything is subject to comparison. Compared with the surrounding Wellsprings, the Glen, and Santo Domingo, the Lijiang Scenic Area has effectively contained the epidemic.
After the Six Street Gang was defeated by the Barghest, new gang tentacles have not yet been established. The Valentino Gang was warned by the NCPD's MaxTac, the Tyger Claws Gang leader was summoned by Arasaka, the Mox Pure Gang doesn't have the ability to do so, and the other gangs are too far away to be of any use.
"Scavengers," also known as "kidney harvesters," are people with no particular ideology and varying skill levels. Like street thugs, they appear randomly and can be found anywhere. They are not a specific group, and there is no leader. It is just a general term for people with similar goals who only care about their bodies and money.
Arasaka's attitude is the same as NCPD's: just sweep them up when you encounter them.
Vera was well aware of her position and the composition of the Night City's power structure; Arasaka was the largest part of it, but by no means the only one.
Therefore, she needs to find allies and will never go it alone or fight alone before laying a solid foundation.
Collaborations were reached with the Night City government, NCPD, and biotechnology companies currently in a honeymoon phase – the Lijing Scenic Area 'model room'.
Since it was the Barghest that did it, Arasaka needs it to promote personal and family security services to the citizens.
The city government and NCPD want to reduce negative reviews so that Night City's official tourist guide can add at least a few more places to see and do that are relatively inexpensive.
Biotechnology, giving Arasaka face, and incidentally for the safety of employees, providing a relatively safe commuting area for low-level employees who squeeze onto the subway to work, also makes it easier to exploit them, right?
With more people and a growing momentum, Vera expanded her circle and recruited more people.
Trauma Team, invited.
They don't touch politics, and Vera has no intention of discussing politics with them.
Economically speaking, it's true that the equipment used by their grassroots rescue workers is high-end, but they do the most difficult jobs, going into fires and saving lives, yet they earn the meager wages of selling cabbages.
The salary level is among the lowest of Major Corporations, even lower than that of medium-sized companies. Those at the entry level need to live and eat at Heywood after work; there is a demand for it.
There's also Soshikah.
Anyway, I heard that Arasaka was setting up a model security district. It was called an invitation, but it was actually a hint to stop making small moves and funding gangs. If you want to fund them, do it elsewhere. After Soshikah inquired, he found out that this was the former territory of the Six Street Gang. Moreover, seeing that so many forces had already participated, he reluctantly agreed.
Vera also plans to invite Zeta Technologies, Kang Tao, Kenryu...
Have you forgotten someone important, the second most powerful figure in Night City?
That's not important.
Continue browsing the administrative briefing.
Holographic screen transition, [Counter-Intelligence Department]
—Counter-Intelligence Department Spring 2076 Employee Proposed Promotion List—
Vera's eyes sharpened.
Harry.
Frank Nostra.
Valerie.
A half-length portrait of a woman with red hair styled with a shaved side, sharp eyes, and an aggressive look.
The key point is Valerie; Arthur Jenkins wants to promote her to the second-in-command of the Counter-Intelligence Department, skipping two levels.
Information Analysis Department:
Agent V successfully uncovered a suspected Militech operation by the Baskin Undercover Company, operating in the area around Watson -Arasaka, in the first quarter of 2076. Operation Fishhook, which he was in charge of, is progressing well, having already helped to clear out rampant clandestine intelligence activities outside Arasaka Waterfront, and is continuously monitoring Underground Mercenary Groups suspected of being hired by a hostile force.
...(Expandable)...
"Is it her? She's finally made it... V." With a silent whisper, Vera tapped the Grand Council's desk lightly with her right index finger, which was resting on the table. Her invisible gaze seemed to become more enigmatic.
An unwritten rule within Arasaka is that if you can uncover a conspiracy involving Militech, your performance rating will be upgraded by one level.
[Approve.]
With her arms crossed, Vera gazed at the Counter-Intelligence Department's spring promotion list, a profound meaning emanating from her indigo eyes.
It's time to start planning...
Ding-dong. Before she could think for long, a staff member from the Arasaka Tower administration department came to the War Room.
"The cars carrying Mr. Alexei from Director Russell Soshikah, Ms. Julian from Zeta Technologies, and Mr. Huang from Kang Tao have arrived at the helipad on the 80th floor of Arasaka Tower."
He asked softly, "Is it the diplomatic reception center on the 99th floor?"
"Okay." Vera turned around, nodded, and said, "I'll be right there."
She straightened her dark Arasaka- style uniform, picked up a silver brooch from the table, fastened it, and walked towards the door.