Infinite: Progressing from Arasaka

But should it be a full-scale offensive or a focused, localized offensive?

If the offensive fails, the newly acquired Daugavpils will inevitably have to be abandoned, and the troops will have to be withdrawn to Minsk. It is feared that the entire northeastern part of Belarus will be lost. The blow to morale from an initial victory followed by a defeat is immeasurable and may even affect Ukraine.

Whether to proceed or not is a difficult decision.

Since capturing Daugavpils, he had won two pursuit battles and two skirmishes, all with great success, and was satisfied. Britannia in that region truly seemed to have lost unified command.

Now, whether to be mature and prudent or to be courageous and enterprising, a fleeting opportunity is before Neville.

Go all in?

The following evening, Vera returned to her loyal Saint Petersburg, climbed the Grand Palace of Caesar, and gazed southwest.

The stakes have been placed; whether the EU takes the bait or goes all in is important to her, but not so important.

Even if the attempt to lure the enemy in fails, it doesn't matter; she has several backup plans and backup measures.

The first battle is the decisive battle, and the outcome will be decided in one battle. Her approach of relying on "one" and not "two" is not in her nature.

That's a different story if there's absolutely no other way but to take a gamble.

That's exactly what Vera has always avoided: always having room for maneuver is what she strives for.

When there is room for maneuver, then naturally we should make plans, plans, ah plans. We don't need to be all-encompassing or have everything planned out, but at least we should have contingency plans for most situations.

In the world of [CODE GEASS], the most prestigious and favorable conditions give Vera a level of comfort that is currently unmatched by any other 'me' in other worlds.

The European Republic Alliance a matter of sooner or later to destroy, with varying casualties, the extent to which parts can be immediately incorporated, whether the land is fertile or rotten, and the difference in public opinion between it and other factors.

Anyway, she had already accepted the 'chip purchase money' that EU paid without her knowledge.

Stroking her chin, Vera narrowed her eyes, a flash of crystalline blue light passing through her unfathomable indigo pupils.

In a realm imperceptible to ordinary people, an invisible force, following Vera's will, spread outward in a spherical shape from her body, instantly covering most of Caesar's Palace.

"Even without connection or Shared Emotion, and purely used as a Geass for mental detection and reading emotions, Layla's Geass ability is invaluable, truly deserving of being the only Blue Geass fragment."

Within Vera's mental perception range, the scene inside the palace was completely visible.

Without needing to look directly into her eyes, and with no limit on the number of times, a variety of emotional sources, each with its own distinct mood, appeared in her mind like light spots on a three-dimensional map—some calm, some excited, some irritable... and so on.

There were people, and even birds and beasts.

Although Vera could sense the thoughts of birds and beasts, she could only roughly perceive their joys and sorrows because she did not understand animal language.

Animal friends?

Vera thought this in such a peculiar way.

This feeling was truly bizarre. After more than a day of continuous exploration, she now had a slight understanding of the feelings of those Geass users who went berserk and were driven mad by their out-of-control abilities.

If the ability cannot be turned off and continues indefinitely, it is indeed quite noisy.

Moreover, such excessive prying into the inner feelings of others, seeing and hearing too much of the dark side of human nature, can easily make those with limited values and life experience become pessimistic, despairing of the world, and even degenerate into extreme antisocial, antihuman, and anti-life elements.

As for Vera, she does have moments of childlike innocence and adolescent angst, but she is definitely not the kind of adolescent angst who is ignorant, lacks knowledge, has little experience, yet thinks too much and is clueless.

A wise person judges by actions, not intentions; if we judge by intentions, no one in the world is perfect.

Geass is merely the starting point on her path to the extraordinary, a springboard for progress, and a tool to help her better realize her own desires.

For example, it can be a tool to help her better understand who her enemies and friends are, which is a very important question.

"Indeed. In terms of business negotiations and legislative hearings, the Geass of [Shared Emotion] has been of great help to me."

It was Vera, but not the same Vera's voice; it came from beyond the heavens, through her own being.

The evening breeze blowing from the Baltic Sea rustled the greenery in the hanging gardens of Caesar's Palace and also ruffled Vera's hair.

Her indigo eyes shone brightly, and a slight movement in her pupils caused ripples to spread. Deep in Vera's mind, eight pairs of eyes, completely identical yet with different expressions, overlapped and gazed at each other.

"Even though this is the most extreme version of the monkey version in my world, its ability to assimilate and infect is negligible because it's outside the collective unconscious of [C's World]..."

A perspective unique to Vera.

"But even though we were in the same room and at the same table, I could still sense their emotional changes in time. This gave me a huge advantage in yesterday's negotiations, enough to tell whether they were more genuinely resigned to being dogs, or more likely to lie in wait and cause trouble, secretly continuing to fight me."

The office features a smooth, black marble wall with yellow veins on a black background. The logo of MILITECH is embedded in a square frame with a V-shaped pattern. The cold, beautiful woman with two decorative gold prosthetic indentations running vertically downwards on her forehead speaks.

Her identity is beyond question.

[Resident Evil], the San Francisco Bay Area tycoon, the California supremacist, and the chairman and Chief of Militech, Ms. Vera continued to comment, "However, that's all there is to it."

"Yes, currently."

While flipping through documents behind his desk, the CEO of Military Science asked, "What do you have there?"

In fact, there is no need to ask, as everyone already feels and understands, but we ask out of habit.

"Just like you. After acquiring Geass, I gave it a try at a business conference in the rebuilt New Baghdad."

Vera, a shareholder of Atlas Military Industries, director of research and development, and Board of Directors member candidate, who is still in charge of the construction of the New Baghdad headquarters, added: [Call of Duty XI]

"Perhaps because Geass uses us as the anchor point for the birth of the new [C's World], the effects of Geass abilities are closely related to the distance between us and the target. We could try to find a solution from this perspective regarding Geass ruins."

Vera nodded.

Having only recently acquired Geass, there's no rush. We need to observe and monitor its strength changes, and consider how to enhance Geass without the amplification of the [C's World], or rather, how to build and connect it to the collective subconscious of our respective worlds.

"From my perspective, how do I determine whether Legal Ghoul has lied or repented?"

[Ghoul], Special Investigator, Tokyo CCG Chief Executive, Vera, thoughtfully closed the black gold box at the Quinque Works and said, "I've tested Geass's mental assimilation and infection capabilities. I beat a B-rank Ghoul was mentally weakened due to extreme hunger, to the brink of death, and then made close contact with him. There seem to be signs of infection."

Well...

Vera remained silent; she had naturally witnessed her fellow commissioner sister torturing and experimenting on Ghoul.

What were the results of the animal tests?

She said.

"Even if the distance were close enough, it would most likely be useless to adult dinosaurs. I cannot fully understand their language at the moment; although they have brains, they are either too emotionally violent or physiologically mature,"

[Jurassic Park + World] Dr. Vera, a genetic scientist working in the R&D department of Masrani Global, a developer of the Jurassic Park project, and Vera hybrid dinosaur expert, stands in front of a culture tank based on a hybrid dinosaur embryo.

She murmured, "So, I'm abandoning the old and the familiar. I've chosen to focus my attention on newborn dinosaurs. Perhaps through the influence of Geass's spirit, I can make them more affectionate towards me when they grow up. This subtle influence, however, requires long-term observation."

In Ghost in the Shell, Vera, an agent from the German Border Guard 9th Brigade of CSG9 and a foreign collaborator of the Public Security Section 9 of Japan, continued, "In the fields of lie detection and interrogation, a small, enclosed space is more conducive to performance."

"Very suitable for work in the military, police, gendarmerie, and special forces."

This is her experience after putting it into practice.

[Fallout] Vera: "..."

It was cold but didn't tremble.

Stillness and silence.

At last--

"Ahem. It would also be suitable for a casino."

[Jormungand + Black Lagoon], playing the most unrestrained, Vera lazily said with a relaxed feeling, "Please call me the God of Gamblers."

Ah, that feels so good.

It made us all feel comfortable.

Sensing the source of her emotions, which was filled with awe and longing, approaching, Vera asked without turning her head, "What is it?"

Tap, tap.

An Intelligence Bureau saluted and reported, "Your Highness, the enemy's Minsk Front Army has moved north."

"How is the progress?"

"Quickly, but cautiously. The reserves left behind by Neville are rebuilding the defenses of Daugavpils. He himself is constructing several field airfields under the cover of the air force. According to the Imperial Foreign Intelligence Bureau, he has been requesting reinforcements from Paris and Warsaw."

"Neville ...that name reminds me of a reckless attack."

With Geass hidden, Vera turned around and laughed, "We should make him faster, faster against his will."

"A secret announcement of Lord Manfredi's 'critical injury' has been issued. Order 'Pal 11' to prove his loyalty to the Empire; his operations with the Azure Dragon Team can now begin."

She spoke calmly and methodically.

"Inform Alexei that the Riga encirclement has been partially lifted, and I have ordered the remnants of the Order of Saint Michael to move closer to him. Also, tell our friends in Paris that I will remember their friendship."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

After saluting, the operations staff officer respectfully withdrew.

Just then.

—Huh?

The source of this fluttering, exhilarating, and nervous feeling...

"Oh, have we arrived yet?"

Vera looked toward the entrance to the Sky Garden.

"Um... Your Excellency Nonette, will my Imperial Sister have any objections to my arrival?"

"How could that be? You are Vera's sister, after all. Well, just call me sister. I have some connection with Cornelia, after all. That girl couldn't bring herself to discipline you, so she just dumped you on Vera. Well, Russia is a big country, enough for you to travel and explore for a long time."

The first voice was soft and sweet, while the second voice was bold and heroic.

Nonette brought Euphemia back.

In a way, Vera did take advantage of the news that Euphemia had gone to European Britannia, making the outside world think that she had gone to Western Siberia to pick up her sister.

"Euphemia."

Hearing the imposing and authoritative call, Euphemia, who had been peeking into the magnificent rooftop gardens of Caesar's Palace, which were even larger than the courtyard of the Governor's Palace in District 11, was taken aback at first. Then she looked in the direction of the voice and waved lively, saying, "Ah, my Imperial Sister, I'm here."

"So lively!"

The blood-red sunset shone on the majestic, chalk-white palace. Vera smiled gently, slowly descending the steps of the observatory-style pavilion. As she reached out to ruffle Euphemia's long, soft pink hair, she was simultaneously thinking to herself—

Vera: "'Elder Sister,' are you done with your work? Nina Einstein has gone to European Britannia. The 'Sakura Dite' bomb and the Freya Annihilation Bomb should have results soon."

Outer Heaven.

Cyberpunk

Tokyo, Arasaka Tower.

Having just finished a preliminary meeting of the Arasaka Corporation's 2077 General Military Regulations, Vera walked with a cup of black tea to the lounge area in the tower's atrium. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she leisurely and elegantly overlooked the wild and magnificent cityscape of Tokyo Metropolis.

"Hmm, thanks for your hard work. Oh, judging from the strategic deployment, you want to force a landing on Pétain? Fine, I'll find a way to support you with infiltration equipment and the latest network viruses... Layla, have you decided to hand her over to the Geass Order, given her exceptionally high Geass aptitude...?"

"Akito Hyuga and Suzaku Kururugi even plan to send the brainwashed Akito Hyuga. District 11 a twisted sense of humor..."

Vera smiled, her pale pink lips curving into a bright arc. Beneath her left eye, a barely perceptible, crystalline blue halo seemed to shimmer. On the curved light of the floor-to-ceiling window opposite her, a bird symbol flickered and flapped its wings, as if it were about to take flight.

203

Chapter 203 Militech must be destroyed.

Cyberpunk

"... Who frequently breaks treaties? Who cruelly instigates wars? Who shamelessly launches sneak attacks? It's Militech."

"Who shamelessly smeared us, the victims, after the nuclear explosion at the Old Arasaka Tower headquarters in Night City in 2023? It was Militech."

"Now, who is it that is asking for improved relations, calling for peace, and advocating looking to the future? It is Militech."

"Peace with Militech is not peace, but a truce."

"Recognize reality, abandon illusions, sharpen your skills, and prepare for battle."

"Then see how they deserve what they got."

Inside the opulent conference room of the Arasaka Tower in Tokyo, national-level directors of the Arasaka Corporation, representatives of various factions, and heads of military security operations from regional branches sat around a table.