Infinite, Progressing from Arasaka

Tap, tap~

David Martinez trotted into Arasaka Academy, heading straight for his classroom.

"Hey, did you hear? Alan from Comprehensive Class 3 jumped off the roof."

"Oh, he should've done it sooner. He's broke, a total nerd, and yet so arrogant—thinking he could get into the School of Management? In his next life, maybe! Hahaha..."

Along the way, the shrill laughter of the corporate employees' children made David grimace in disgust.

David didn't like his classmates.

The passion he felt at the start of the school year had long since been extinguished by the twisted environment here.

That dreamlike, pale golden touch felt like a fading memory, and David knew full well that he and his so-called senior were simply from different worlds.

"Sigh." With a heavy breath, David walked into his classroom. The moment he entered, several sycophantic voices rang out.

"Wow, Katsuo, because of you, today is supposed to be a practical experience activity between the Security Department and the academy. Oh man, I heard from my dad that it's incredibly rare—is it the Mobile Garrison Unit coming, or the Security and Protection team?"

"Yeah, yeah! I heard you've already been pre-selected by the Security Department. A high-level executive thinks highly of you, right?"

It was those two again—one tall, one short; one fat, one thin. One round as a ball, the other looking like a scruffy delinquent. They were like parasites, chirping incessantly at the mushroom-cut kid whose father was a mid-level Arasaka executive.

Even though that guy, Katsuo Tanaka, clearly didn't want to deal with them, heh, the children of Corporate Dogs were truly special in how they kissed up to people who couldn't care less about them. So bootlicking and shameless.

David thought with a hint of malice.

Because of his high grades, he was placed in Comprehensive Class 1. Before moving up to the second year and being split into different specialized colleges, his class held the highest concentration of corporate employees' children.

The one called Katsuo Tanaka ignored his lackeys, lying straight back in his seat—an ergonomic recliner equipped with a Brain-Computer Interface, various connection cables, and teaching apparatus.

Soon, the class bell rang.

On the podium, a teaching AI appeared, composed of blue data lines and manifesting as the face of a bald, intellectual woman.

"Good morning, students."

It scanned the room.

"Everyone is present. Excellent."

"Before the summer assessment at the end of the year, today is the practical activity you have all been looking forward to. It has been confirmed that this year, the Night City Arasaka Security Department will be coordinating with the academy. In half an hour, agents from the Security Department will come to randomly select a few students with excellent academic records to go and experience the field."

"Please be sure to greet them with the utmost enthusiasm and the most serious attitude."

Wait, the Security Department?

David's eyes widened sharply.

That person... she's from the Security Department, right?!

Chapter 024: The Ways of the World

After a quick shower at her home in Westbrook and grabbing a healthy breakfast prepared by her robot chef, Vera took her hovercar to Corporate Plaza as usual, entering the landing pad inside Arasaka Tower.

Hum... hum...

As the landing gear touched down, Vera stepped out of the luxury hovercar she had paid to customize herself. She looked back at the landing pad, eyeing it twice. Well, in terms of sheer volume, her "Excalibur" was definitely the toughest of the lot.

Thickened armor, newly installed electronic warfare units, anti-intrusion daemons, detachable modular armor carrying combat drones, an outer cabin equipped with specialized Combat Robots, smart-controlled cannons, micro-swarm missiles...

But it still wasn't enough.

Once she graduated from the Arasaka Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo, she would need to get an Octant Heavy Combat Drone from Zeta Technologies to follow her on standby at all times.

Thinking of this, Vera's lips curled into a smile, though she quickly reined in her thoughts.

"Officer Vera, this is the practical experience activity between our department and Arasaka Academy that you requested... This is the list of randomly selected personnel. The agents have already departed; please verify."

The administrative clerk from the Security Department responsible for coordinating with Arasaka Academy had been waiting at the landing pad exit for a long time. He froze when he saw Vera, then smoothly sidled up, following behind her while holding a tablet to begin his report.

"That'll do. As for the location of the practical experience... hmm, let's arrange it at the Mobile Garrison Unit camp in the Badlands. Let the students handle some target practice, stand guard for half a day, and get a taste of the Nomads in the outside world."

Vera glanced casually at the data list the other party had sent over.

Tch, "randomly selected"...

The results were all people with connections.

"No need to be polite; treat them normally. Also, tell the people below: there is no death quota. Don't cause me any trouble involving dead bodies."

"Yes!"

The clerk replied repeatedly. Only after Vera had walked away did he look at the list she had approved and sent back.

In addition to the children of current Security Department personnel.

There were a few more names.

Katsuo Tanaka... Oh, Tanaka from the R&D department who's in charge of testing a certain project.

David Martinez.

Uh, never heard of him... Grades seem good, a civilian genius?

[List verification passed]

[Send]

Read.

Stepping onto the floor housing the Security Department offices, Vera didn't head straight to her own office, but instead turned left and right, making her way toward the office of the Deputy Director of Security.

James Thomas.

In the pitch-black security checkpoint, two machine gun turrets hung from either side of the passage, while a scanner in the center emitted blue data lines, scanning with a rhythmic beep.

AI: [Visitor authentication complete and verified]

"Uncle Thomas."

As the automatic door slid open, Vera immediately spotted James Thomas sitting on the sofa, sipping coffee.

He wore a dark, well-tailored suit, with a silver chrysanthemum brooch—superimposed with the Arasaka logo—pinned to his tie, a symbol of his past as a soldier. Though his hair was slightly graying, it was combed neatly without a single strand out of place, giving him a dignified appearance.

"Oh, it's Vera. Please, sit..." He paused suddenly. "Wait... Vera, I almost didn't recognize you at first glance... Did something good happen? Did you go out of your way to put on makeup today?"

Uh...

Vera knew that after last night, her vitality had become more robust, making her look radiant, but was it really that obvious?

"Ah, I put on a little bit."

In reality, she hadn't.

Carrying the paper bag, she sat down with poise. As she familiarly pulled out a ham and cheese sandwich to hand to him, she said, "I tried tweaking the programming for Caroli's multifunctional housekeeping robot."

Vera addressed him as "Uncle" rather than by his title, naturally aiming to strengthen their personal rapport. Since there was no conflict of interest, Thomas wouldn't reject her gesture. He reached out to take the sandwich while smiling, preparing to brew some coffee.

"You're in such a good mood, share it with me. What's the good news?"

"My application for the Arasaka Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo has been approved."

Thomas paused, then maintained his composure as he handed the brewed coffee to Vera. "Well, that is good news. Congratulations. When do you leave?"

"Next spring, as soon as the University of Tokyo semester begins."

Thomas immediately understood why Vera was here.

"How do you plan to handle your duties with the Special Rapid Response Unit?"

"I will continue to be in charge. Since this is an internal admission quota, it's more like night school. Although the graduation requirements are tougher, it offers enough freedom. While I'm away for my studies, I recommend Jimmy, the captain of Team 6, to serve as temporary assistant to help me manage the Special Rapid Response Unit."

Vera walked out of the Deputy Director's office, looking down at the bag of high-end ground coffee she was now holding, her eyebrows arching slightly.

A 'gift' from James Thomas.

He had ground it himself; it was said he hadn't used a learning chip, but had learned the skill manually.

The wealthy loved this sort of thing. In the past, chip-based learning was expensive, but now, natural learning was the luxury. Regardless, they favored the methods that were more time-consuming and laborious.

She accepted it, just as he had accepted the sandwich she made.

The subtext was clear: I have taken care of your interests this time, and next time, when you are powerful and in charge, you must take care of my interests and the interests of my successors. This was an exchange of benefits.

Returning to her office, Vera placed the items in the refrigerator and shifted her gaze to the interface on her office terminal.

-Email-

Sender: Biotechnology R&D Department [Night City]

Supervisor Russell, we must remind you that your personal Umbrella laboratory has been vacant for one month and seven days. Please fulfill your part-time obligations.

Rustle...

As her fingers brushed against the desk, Vera revealed a malicious smile.

Very well, the reason has arrived.

During this period, I will shift my energy toward biotechnology research and product improvement.

Please, other me, obtain the T-Virus source liquid and the accompanying virology research data.

"Resident Evil"

San Francisco Umbrella Industrial Park.

The Director of the Umbrella Black Umbrella Department, who was currently spitting as she accompanied Pentagon officials on an inspection of the drone production workshop and introduced the relevant product parameters, wore a look of slight helplessness.

"Ms. Russell, could we see a practical demonstration?"

The general from the Pentagon didn't notice the fleeting change in Vera's expression. Swayed by her words, he had become interested in the vision of drone technology development she had described.

"Of course."

She signaled for the workshop team leader to hand over several assembled drones to the Pentagon personnel and pulled over a technician to teach the American soldiers how to operate them.

Amidst a chorus of "Oh My Gosh," several soldiers who had participated in overseas combat expressed their amazement at the drones' agility and clear reconnaissance capabilities.

Seeing the general himself take the controls, the Umbrella employees in the workshop were filled with joy. This deal was going to go through!

Only Director Vera wore a look of contemplation.

It wasn't about the California Industrial Park, but rather:

"The Raccoon City incident, it happens this summer."

Chapter 025 Militech in Resident Evil (Combined)

An abrupt explosion was accompanied by a blinding flash of white light, followed immediately by the startled shouts of the soldiers. Amidst the commotion, seeing the Pentagon general turn his gaze back toward her, Vera offered a smile, then promptly set aside her considerations regarding Raccoon City.

For now.

Her current priority remained her grand plan for profit and hitching a ride with the Pentagon.

"General, you and your team are truly gifted; you've figured out the derivative uses for civilian drones so quickly."

With a light round of applause, Vera stepped forward to offer a compliment.

Just moments ago, after watching the Umbrella drone operator's demonstration, several soldiers had a sudden inspiration. They used the drone's detachable, modular mounting slot to load a flashbang, flew it to the Umbrella testing field, and dropped it into the 'U'-shaped underground flight tunnel behind the wall, scoring a direct hit.

Yes, the flashbang was also produced by Umbrella.

Vera was well aware of the importance of both keeping her feet on the ground and building connections.

Umbrella itself was a company rooted in high-tech medicine and semi-defense sectors, and since she had taken over as the director of the newly established Black Umbrella department, this trend had undoubtedly accelerated significantly.