Unlimited, Progressing from Arasaka

Vera stopped and held up the new district planning map, handing it to him. "Looking back and forth isn't like you, my friend. Does President Miles want you to change your surname back?"

"Yes. But I refused."

Stepping forward, Hansen took the new district planning map and said, "Actually, Miles contacted me three months ago when you were still in Tokyo. She said she wanted me to clean up a mess, as it would be too much trouble for her to do it herself, and we needed to be mindful of international perception."

"Some people don't want to get their hands dirty, so they send me money to handle things. But then on the evening news, those same people condemn my 'horrific acts.' To be honest, I've had enough of this for a long time."

"Like a lotus root that's been severed but still connected." Vera smiled gently. "It's not easy to have a clear understanding of oneself. Generally speaking, those who can't are the ones who live happier lives."

Being a leader is different from being a common soldier; you should avoid things that completely ruin relationships, even if both sides dislike each other.

She pointed to the rolled-up blueprints of the new district and said, "Take a look."

"What is this?" Hansen was taken aback when he unfolded the blueprints and saw what they were.

"Planning for high-rise buildings in the new district."

At the end of the paved road, on a bare, wind-eroded, flat-topped hill, Vera looked around at the construction machinery bustling with activity on the horizon below. Pointing to it, she said, "Choose one."

"Gangs are ultimately not respectable. Have you considered reorganizing the Barghest Gang into a company? We'll make sure your main business is what you're best at: smuggling, the Black Market, and mercenaries." He looked at Hansen.

Knock knock.

Hansen's heart seemed to suddenly race, and his breathing became heavy.

Vera chuckled to herself.

Once people have needs and concerns, they also have something to be manipulated. Yes, she's the same.

"As everyone knows, Emil Lazarus was just a retired NUSA colonel when he founded the Lazarus Mercenary Group. Interested, Colonel Hansen?"

Lazarus Mercenary Group is one of the world's most well-known heavy Labor Dispatch companies.

If bestowing the title of honorary director was Hansen's final pursuit of honor in his military identity, the real gift was the semi-legalization of the Barghest.

As long as it complies with the 'excessive firepower' restriction law and has the support of Major Corporations, Hansen has the ability to smooth things over and could reorganize the Barghest Gang into the Barghest Mercenary Group.

As for Major Corporations, they are even more detached from worldly affairs.

Vera didn't explicitly say was that Lazarus succeeded because he gained the appreciation and personal friendship of Donald Lundy, the then CEO of Militech.

Hansen was well aware of the success stories of these celebrities. Hansen looked at Vera with a complex and thoughtful expression. "If you support me, I won't be any worse than Emil Lazarus." He saw a mixture of cautious pride and overbearing ambition in Vera's ivory-like face.

Vera is comparing herself to former Militech CEO Donald Lunddy.

"So, are the 'silk' strands still connected when the lotus root is broken?"

With a gentle, warm smile, Vera simply asked.

Hansen frowned.

The pledge of allegiance has already been made.

The New America and its Militech are something that can never be returned to.

While he may seem glamorous straddling the fence, he has actually been working hard for the past six years to balance the various forces in Dogtown, struggling to survive between giants like Arasaka and Militech, and utilizing almost every external condition at his disposal.

I'm so tired... really...

Now that things have come to this, it's time to choose sides completely! He's been pushed to the brink by Vera, and he can't even utter a word against her. This kind of overt, manipulative scheme is the hardest to defend against.

Taking a deep breath, Hansen's eyes instantly hardened.

"No more connections. Director Vera."

He is a director, not Director of Operations. This director is not Arasaka's director, but a director of the yet-to-be-established Barghest Mercenary Group.

Slap slap

Hansen's answer prompted Vera to applaud softly.

Under the midday sun, she pointed to the plot of land slated for commercial development at her feet. "Choose a site for the Future Group's headquarters. I'll provide you with policy, public opinion, and diplomatic support; the rest is up to you." Vera patted Hansen on the shoulder and left with Vice Mayor Holt.

Hansen was left standing alone on the flat-topped hill for a long time. He stared blankly at the blueprints in his hand, and then at the vast expanse of land on the distant horizon that needed to be leveled and solidified... After a long while, he chuckled.

"What a terrible woman."

Hansen smiled bitterly, and couldn't help but tap his forehead with a scroll made of the new district's planning drawings.

"I was completely led by the nose... I felt like a raw recruit being punished by being made to stand with my pants down in front of her... She's not even twenty-five years old yet... Was she taught by that old geezer Saburo?"

"Fine... that's Miles's problem to worry about..."

Chapter 107: Lingering Charm (4.5K)

Night fell.

Vera returned to her home in Westbrook after concluding her inspection of the progress of the new construction project at the Arasaka Research Center.

The Vector Engine, emitting blue exhaust flames, switched from propulsion to vertical, and the massive, dark-colored aircraft slowly landed on the inner ring private helipad of the company community.

Inside the cabin, Vera looked up, and the orange-red data light flashing in her prosthetic eye stopped.

"We must ensure that these senior figures return 'home' safely and without incident."

Jimmy: Yes, Director.

The call has ended.

"Is it time to make a move..." Vera put down her PDA, stretched, and first patted the News Channel 54 magazine on the table with a playful expression. The magazine's headline read "Shocking! Barghest - Terrorist Whitewashing!" Then she picked up the hot coffee in the corrugated cup beside her and stepped down the side gangway.

As she passed the green landscape platform with its open view, she gazed at the Arasaka Cyber Ninja Squad and the heavily armed soldiers of the Special Rapid Response Unit patrolling back and forth in the courtyards and corridors of the large villa below her.

Vera looked at them, then raised her gaze, looking north across the Westbrook corporate community—

As Night City's undisputed top Entertainment Center, Japan Street is bustling with crowds after dark, making the desolation, decay, and bloodshed seen in Watson and Badlands just moments before seem like an illusion.

Adorned with neon lights and holographic projection advertisements, the world appears so desolate. Looking around, all the buildings are bathed in a hazy glow, displaying a dazzling array of colors that are mesmerizing and overwhelming.

Just a wall, a district, a street away, heaven and hell are worlds apart, making one feel as if they didn't live in the same city.

Gazing at the city center skyline, with a gentle evening breeze blowing, Vera sipped her hot coffee while pondering the meeting that had just ended.

It's not Kurt Hansen.

Visitors to underground weapons research institutes, secret agent societies, and intelligence outposts. Before the 2023 Arasaka Tower nuclear explosion.

"The old folks have a lot of demands," Vera muttered softly.

Vera's style is to do multiple things at once.

During the day, besides inspecting the construction of the new district in Watson North and chatting with Hansen, Wilton Holt and others, she took the opportunity of the dinner and the new district development fundraising press conference to meet with her confidant Jimmy and the old friends she had met during her activities in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

She never acknowledged or met her adoptive father, who was the leader of the remaining forces in North America left behind by "Crown Prince Kei Arasaka after his hasty death.

Those former Arasaka elites who were sent abroad before 2023 are now at least in their seventies or eighties.

For no other reason than the potential impact and damage these seemingly insignificant moves could have on Washington and the Militech behind it, should they be activated at the right time.

That alone was enough to make Vera, who was eager to make her mark on the West Coast, spare no expense to win her over or hold her firmly in her grasp.

Although Vera's meeting with the old men of the old Arasaka did not last long, their shared belief in 'revenge' and finding a way to launch a Militech attack created a fairly harmonious atmosphere for their conversation.

The PPT presentation, featuring Saburo Arasaka's endorsement, Michiko Arasaka's recommendation, Vera's past achievements and personal guarantee, partially reveals a highly feasible plan to 'Arasaka great again'...

The two sides thus quickly reached an agreement after initial probing.

As for the minor details, those were not Vera's concern.

A ruler chooses his ministers, and a minister chooses his ruler.

The meeting between the two parties is equivalent to an interview.

I look at you, you glance at me.

Vera's image, style, and policy orientation clearly appeal to this group of old 'hawks'.

With the overall direction unchanged, the loyal elites from the post-era Arasaka Tower have plenty of time to carefully consider and verify the feasibility of the agreements and assess the loyalty of these "old guard" members in the subsequent implementation of cooperation.

"Loyalty is such a sweet word," Vera murmured to herself.

Whether they are truly loyal or not is not important; what matters is that we share the same enemy and have the same interests.

Click.

After finishing her coffee, Vera turned around and threw the corrugated cup into the trash can on the green landscape platform, which was cleaned and replaced every day, before walking towards her duplex apartment.

It's still the same building.

It wasn't that no one suggested Vera move to North Oak, but Vera refused.

The reason is missing home.

The location of this company community is excellent. It's in the heart of Westbrook, just across Japantown from the City Center, and situated between Charter Hill and North Oak. The location is relatively high, with excellent greenery, and offers a commanding view of Night City.

Moreover, with Vera's promotion to overall management director, while she was still on business in Tokyo, many ambitious individuals in Night City Arasaka Tower began trying to curry favor with her. The courtyard of the Russell Residence was expanded. The security and occupancy levels of the company's community were also raised several levels because of Vera.

Click.

The automatic door opened, Vera returned home feeling refreshed. The Arasaka Cyber Ninja had been following her around, also disappeared automatically.

Upon entering, Vera, having discarded her office slippers and changed into slippers, leaned back on the soft sofa, stretching lazily. She picked up her PDA personal terminal from the coffee table, beeped, and, after issuing a late-night snack order to the home robot in her kitchen, swiped the touchscreen.

"Well, it's time to report to Old Deng... cough, Lord Saburo."

Blue light flickered in the blue pupils, reflecting countless data and observations.

[Recipient: Tokyo Arasaka Family Estate]

[Project Proposal: Proxy Warfare - The Barghest Mercenary Group]

—One of the attachments, expand—

With utmost respect,

Lord Saburo, these are some of my humble opinions and ideas.

Regarding the Fourth Corporate War, the Lazarus Mercenary Group has consistently been the Militech Corporation's most steadfast ally... The company's business strategy, including temporary support agreements with veterans and Lone Wolf groups from multiple countries and regions, has enabled it to mobilize an army of over one million people—five times the size of its total workforce—within a month...

This is something we should take seriously. Like the story of Tian Ji's Horse Racing —which you told me (pointing to the Arasaka Family library)—it's irrational and extremely inefficient to waste Arasaka's well-trained elite employees on Lazarus mercenaries of varying quality. We need to learn from this lesson, plan ahead, and prepare a sufficient number of 'inferior horses' for the next great war, horses that don't require exorbitant salaries or extensive training.

Given our company's nature, geographical location, and unique historical ties to Night City, Western States Cities, the Nomads, and the Cyber Lone Wolves of the Underworld, direct recruitment and temporary support agreements are neither feasible nor credible. We need agents, even if it's just a well-known facade.

We need to develop and package a hero.

A patriotic hero who went against the tide of war, achieved great military exploits, was betrayed, and finally realized the truth, choosing to set things right.

Kurt Hansen.

He has the ability, the manpower, the territory, and the achievements; he has the potential to soar to great heights. What he lacks is only the opportunity to break through the constraints, the time to develop, and the opportune moment of the times. Arasaka can provide all of these.

Most importantly, his experience of being betrayed by Miles is beyond reproach. No matter how it's embellished or downplayed, this will be Washington's Achilles' heel. His very existence is a mockery of the ideology emphasized by Rosalind Myers, a crack in the universal values of the New America Dream that cannot be rebuilt.

His existence, along with the Barghest Mercenary Group, serves as a clear banner for the West Coast people's resistance against the oppression of Washington and the Eastern States, attracting enough like-minded individuals to join them. We need to raise this banner high, making it shine even brighter amidst the Militech and Washington's encirclement.

Donald Lundy (CEO of the Fourth Corporate War's Militech during the war) had the Lazarus Mercenary Group founded by Colonel Emil Lazarus. We, Arasaka, should also have our own North American mercenary group, headquartered on the West Coast, to compete with Lazarus. Lazarus's era of dominance should be a thing of the past...

Here, I sincerely believe that it is precisely because of a pillar of strength like you, Lord Saburo, that Arasaka will eventually return to its peak, and that this move on the West Coast will be possible. Your presence and health are a guarantee that the outside world maintains confidence in Arasaka Corporation.

Of course, if Lord Saburo gives instructions, I will reassess this arrangement for the "Proxy War"...

Sincerely,

Salute. Vera Adelheid.

After clapping her hands and finishing all that, Vera couldn't help but smile wryly.

Ha, it wasn't all flattery and bootlicking.

Because of Saburo Arasaka's healthy return to work and his frequent appearances at external meetings, Arasaka's previously stable stock price has once again risen sharply.

In most people's eyes, Saburo is the pillar of strength for Arasaka.

[Sent]