Chapter 117
Those subtle glances directed at Vera were now filled with scrutiny and apprehension.
It wasn't that the Arasaka Corporation was involved; she became a director of the Barghest in her personal capacity. This kind of support, different from simply throwing money at the problem or internal promotions, is practically an abuse of public resources for private gain. And yet, Tokyo didn't object; they tacitly approved? Is this cultivating a private team? Isn't this something only official members of the Arasaka family can do? Is Saburo really raising her like a granddaughter?!
She's in charge of the life-extending and longevity elixir project, the "Solaris Staircase Project," the Cybernetic Tyrant Unit's suspected of being a breakthrough in cloning and DNA programming technology, and the experimental Bio-Components "Quinque" that Arasaka Shin has revealed but isn't yet on the market. She's also involved in both operations and security and military matters. Seriously... do you have that much energy?
She must not be treated as a regular Director of Operations...
The higher authorities need to adjust their treatment of her according to her rank.
The company representatives present exchanged a subtle glance.
Ignoring the prying eyes, Vera downed the champagne in one gulp and walked down the steps. Amidst the flattery and sycophantic praise of those around her, she remained calm and composed, like a fish swimming in water.
The banquet ended and the guests dispersed.
After gently placing the empty wine glass on the tray held by the waiter, Vera approached a short, old man in an inconspicuous corner of the hall as the guests were leaving.
"Mr. Yano".
This "Mr." is not the same as that "Mr."; it refers to someone who has achieved something, someone who is a teacher.
Her mentor at the Arasaka Academy in Night City.
"Sir, in North Oak, the artificial lake, the pavilion in the middle of the lake, and the lone boat for fishing would be quite a pleasant way to relax," Vera said with a smile.
"Haha... Vera, now that you've brought this up, I have to have a good talk about it. You said you'd accompany me fishing, but after dinner, you cast a few lines and left, leaving me to fish alone all afternoon. It's a pity you didn't get to see my 'fish-staking' technique..." Pushing up his old-fashioned monocular scope, Yano tilted his head back slightly and said with a smile.
"I'll definitely do it next time."
Vera knew that Yano was a fishing enthusiast.
By 2076, fishing, a common activity for everyone, will have become a rather high-end form of entertainment.
"I heard that you will soon be transferred back to Tokyo to teach? How about lake fishing... no, winter fishing in the Hokkaido fishing grounds?" Vera said.
"Thanks to you. With you as a student, those old guys have been contacting me quite a bit, nagging in my ear..." Old Mr. Yano laughed heartily. He looked at Vera's indigo eyes, which suddenly flashed orange-red, and said, "It's rare that you have time to chat with this old man. Now that you're a director and a board member, go and do your thing."
Vera nodded. At this point, further formalities would be too insincere.
Before leaving, the old man Yano, said solemnly, "Night City Arasaka Academy is proud of you."
"Wishing you good health, sir."
2076/4/30
Early morning.
Bang! The light came on.
Thump.
"Phew..." Back at her home in Westbrook, after a quick shower, Vera kicked off her slippers and collapsed onto the large velvet bed in her bedroom.
Even if you don't have the heart of a socialite, you still have to take on the work of one.
During this period, she attended various company banquets, which involved establishing authority, attracting investment, and forming alliances. As a result, the director, who was so tired that she didn't even have an appetite for late-night snacks, crawled into bed, yawning.
"... It's been too frequent lately, I need to stop..."
Lying on her side on the pillow, Vera gazed at the light and shadow reflected on the gleaming, waxed, heart-shaped panels of the bedside table. On it sat an empty Quinque box.
With a thought, Vera's eyes flashed with data streams.
No sense of being spied on; those Cyber Ninja from the Arasaka Family Estate knew she was very averse to others entering her private sleeping room. Connect to the room's AI, scan, no extra wiring, no surveillance cameras, close the door.
In this way...
In her concentration, from Vera's perspective, the light and shadow resembled a pool of clear water, rippling in circles. On the board, the indistinct outline of her shadow gradually became clear, revealing 'her' wearing a white coat and carrying a silver Quinque.
'She' in the "Ghoul World".
Vera made her move.
She also reached out her hand.
A slightly cool touch.
Vera placed the new Quinque case on the bedside table, picked up the old, empty Quinque case, and handed it to her. Whoosh. Her hand went free, the weight disappearing.
"... Kakuhou".
Vera reached out from under the covers, tapping the box lightly with one hand and rubbing her forehead with the other.
That's why she felt tired.
Frequent cross-industry interactions.
She handcrafted all one hundred sets of Quinque that were issued to the Arasaka unit!
Vera has already seen the feedback from Adam Smasher and a significant portion of the elite heavy infantry of the Special Rapid Response Unit regarding their use of Quinque.
Ultimately, it comes down to a lack of Kakuhou). A lack of high-quality Kakuhou.
She made good use of the Hybrid Quinque Technology taught to her by Dr. Hishikori Kouichi, mixing Memory Metal Quinque Steel with Rc cells using scraps from killing Ghoul. In particular, she possessed the Kagune of SS+ 'transvestite' Nico, whose Self-Healing and Kagune abilities significantly reduced the difficulty and cost of Vera creating low-level Quinque.
In this way, the "she" who acted as a white dove in the American CCG in the "Ghoul World" was able to provide Vera, who was in Cyberpunk, with a relatively sufficient supply of Kakuhou in the stable environment of North America, where there were not as many Ghoul Disaster as in Tokyo.
As a White Dove affiliated with the North American CCG, 'Wei' naturally cannot only focus on the Ghoul Disaster in Tokyo. Returning to the North American CCG to report on her duties does not mean that she will immediately set off for Japan. In her local jurisdiction, she still needs to kill a few Ghoul and solve some criminal murder cases.
In North America, Ghoul Disaster less common, but they are not nonexistent; they are more often hidden. According to Vera's real-time communication, ghouls have learned about the situation and have become cult-like or gang-like, which are typical ways for Ghoul to hide.
The job they were doing there didn't feel like that of a White Dove Investigator; it felt more like that of an FBI agent.
It can only be said that America is due to its own national circumstances.
Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of Ghoul and the limited number of ghouls in general, the quality of Kakuhou in North America is relatively poor, mostly B-grade or A-grade. The barely S-grade kagune is only at the bishop level in those cults that Ghoul use as a cover. As for the higher SS-grade kagune, Vera has not yet found any relevant clues about it in North America.
Regarding Adam Smasher's opinion that the strength was insufficient, Vera could only wait until the four 'Vera's' returned to Japan, and then slaughter a few S-class Koukaku Ghoul to add to the festivities.
"The Washuu Clan. Rc cells, Kakuhou cultivation, the reasons for the emergence of Ghoul, or even the principles and details of the birth of the first Ghoul in that world... all must be figured out... We need to speed things up."
Lying on her side in bed, silently murmuring these key words, Vera narrowed her eyes, her tone subtly turning dangerous.
The large-scale production of Quinque would inevitably require a large-scale supply of Kakuhou and a continuous supply of Rc cells. She doubted that even if she could withstand the limitations of hand-crafting and materials, killing all the Ghoul in Tokyo where the four 'Wei' were located would not be enough to equip Arasaka's company army.
Therefore, "Donato Porpora, Rize Kamishiro, Shirogane, Furuta Nimura..."
Didi.
Just as Vera how to mass-produce Kakuhou, especially high-quality Kakuhou of S-rank or higher, an urgent document with special markings arrived from the Counter-Intelligence Department: [Misdirection Operation has begun and is progressing smoothly.]
Vera's gaze sharpened instantly.
Taking action at this time is a good timing.
After a long while, Vera lowered her eyes again, buried her head in the pillow, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
[Read.]
[It is permissible to disclose some parameters of the Quinque.] The disclosure is to increase credibility, and the most critical driving force of the Quinque, the 'energy', is the Rc cells. Without the injection of Rc cells at regular intervals, the Quinque is a dead object.
After issuing the instructions, Vera closed her eyes.
Turn over.
She did everything she could; the rest she left to time.
I'll take a nap first.
Watson District, near the Arasaka Waterfront, is a seawall in the Old Industrial Zone north of the city.
[Lucy: Copy complete, Maine— ]
[Maine: Understood!]
Because of the tension and excitement of walking on the edge of death, Maine let out a roar in the team's encrypted channel that even he found piercing.
[Kiwi: I've temporarily blocked the surveillance. These are the coordinates: ████. Follow the route I marked; you only have 5 seconds. The normal security level at Arasaka Waterfront is frighteningly high. This is the security hacking limit for Lucy and me. If we exceed it, Arasaka's firewall will react.]
[Maine: Thanks. That's enough. Kiwi, Lucy, prepare to log out of the network, and have the others prepare to provide backup...]
Accompanying the audio of the communication were heavy breathing sounds, intermittent whooshing sounds of the wind rushing by, and the splashing sounds of things falling into the water.
An encrypted message is being uploaded rapidly.
[Maine: Faraday! Got it! Damn, never mind if it's the one you wanted, here it is, I'm done. I almost got caught... You better keep your word!]
Washington, D. C., in the Federal Intelligence Agency's War Room.
The blue light emitted from dozens of fluorescent screens was projected into the room.
Amidst the swirling smoke, a group of politicians, some with large bellies, and soldiers in uniform sat on either side of a long table, their faces grave.
The situation in New Mexico is too complicated.
"Sir, this is the latest report from Night City Intelligence Department. This is a record of important personnel transfers by Arasaka, as well as information on Arasaka's latest Bio-Components, the Quinque."
An intelligence officer suddenly stood up and said.
Is the source of this information credible?
"The Federal Intelligence Agency, who was sitting at the head of the table, asked."
"Senior intelligence analyst [Nightingale] assesses: It should be credible, but no conclusion can be drawn. This intelligence comes from our hidden agents developed in Night City around 2074. The initial intelligence about Arasaka's 'Cybernetic Kong' project was initiated by him. He is Night City's middleman in the Santo Domingo area. Faraday."
"Faraday..." The Federal Intelligence Agency director hesitated for a moment, "Hmm, continue."
"Initially, we assigned him the task of investigating all the results and information related to the [Solaris Staircase Project."
"He has lost more than eight cyber mercenary teams in pursuit of this goal. His reputation on the Night City Road has plummeted. According to him, this intelligence was accidentally discovered by his last trusted cyber mercenary team, which he had worked with for many years, during an infiltration reconnaissance mission. Although it was not part of the [Solaris Staircase Project], having [Quinque] is better than nothing. He wants us to fulfill our promise ahead of schedule and grant him immunity."
"..."
"The squad that carried out this mission, Faraday said, is led by a former NUSA soldier," the intelligence officer added after a pause.
After a moment's thought, the bureau chief made a decision.
If you are unsure about something, report it to your superiors.
"Reporting to President Miles."
Chapter 119 'Fermentation'
(Refresh)
Early May.
At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), in Dogtown.
The semi-abandoned Roosevelt Avenue, which borders Crescent Avenue. When Dogtown was being developed as a resort destination, its main streets were named after famous presidents of the Old USA.
Amidst the rustling sounds, a flamboyantly dressed street urchin with large arm tattoos stopped and looked at the old restaurant in front of him.
Is this the place?
The storefront sign features an embedded cup of beverages and reads: Captain Carrient's Restaurant.
"'Dog whistle,' wake them up..."
The man muttered to himself.
Following the urgent orders given to him, he needed to make contact step by step, using a secret communication line to reach the Federal Intelligence Agency's sleeping agent who had been lost in Night City.
"... Is that top agent still alive? It's been so many years. I hope the higher-ups aren't playing me for a fool."
He turned his head and observed his surroundings.
Without the blinding neon lights, the surrounding area is also desolate and dilapidated, with unfinished buildings everywhere, sparse shops, and mottled facades. With a light touch, the brownish-red oxides fall off one after another, emitting a unique smell of decay and sediment.
It was a little past four in the morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the streets were deserted.
After confirming the surrounding area was safe again, he turned on his prosthetic eye scanner and peered into the restaurant through the gap in the blinds. As expected, "Damn Kurt Hansen." In addition to the surveillance cameras, there were infrared laser lights inside, used to detect landmines.