Chapter 267
Next, the final step.
AI: [#No.5, Comprehensive debugging and calibration.]
This process needs no further explanation.
"Call."
Vera let out a soft breath and looked at David, who was tall and strong with all four limbs intact and possessed both cyber and Bio-Components, on the operating table. "It's ready. Move him into the postoperative observation room and slowly wake him up."
After removing and discarding her protective gloves and taking a sip of water, Vera said with great interest, "Next."
Since we're already here and there's still time, let's do a few more surgeries.
Offering condolences to only one person seems unfair, as the SATs who bled in Santa Fe were not just the newly formed SAT-6 N squad; they were all her trusted confidants.
In wartime, troops must be treated ruthlessly; in peacetime, they must also be cared for.
"SAT-2 New M Team, Portman."
Picking up her PDA, Vera quickly browsed through the personnel files for those rotated due to injuries.
A short while later, click, the Operating Room doors opened.
New wounded soldiers were brought in.
"Let's begin."
Wearing new protective gloves, Vera asked, "Jian Portman, state your desired redesign positioning."
In the postoperative observation room, while Vera was undergoing her second surgery.
Song Zhaomei arrived almost immediately after the medical bed.
The guard, Arasaka, had received orders beforehand and did not obstruct the operation.
How long until he wakes up?
Song Zhaomei asked eagerly.
"No rush, the gentle wake-up program has been activated, he should wake up in about ten minutes."
The assistant physician explained.
For David, it felt like he had just taken a nap.
I had a dream where the process was terrible but the result was perfect.
The recovery went surprisingly smoothly. When he opened his eyes and used his hands, which seemed to have been out of reach for a long time, to help himself sit up, the enhanced senses made him choke on the suddenly strong smell of disinfectant.
Before he could react, a red-haired woman darted over.
Grabbing his hand, she pulled out a personal connection cable to plug it in.
David was a little confused.
Girl, are you really that excited about the rehabilitation test?
Wait! Upon seeing the other person's face, David suddenly remembered one of his mission targets, "You're the lark..."
"It's true, your deep neurological trauma has been repaired!"
Looking up, Song Zhaomei's excitement was palpable.
As evening falls, the city lights begin to twinkle.
The "Operating" warning light above the Operating Room door went out.
The fourth surgery has ended.
Vera then personally performed customized rehabilitation and remodeling surgeries on the four best-performing and bravest soldiers of the newly formed SAT unit on the Santa Fe Frontline.
Vera shifted her gaze from the SAT female soldier on the medical bed, who was wearing a brand-new silver-blue metallic prosthetic body. After taking off her surgical gown and wearing only an inner jacket, she simply stretched her arms and neck and slowly walked out of the department.
"It is quite satisfying and fulfilling to implement research results and mass-produce them."
"Now, we should focus our efforts on military matters."
Chapter 261 David: Next time, I will attack in 'Gundam' form.
The recovery of wounded soldiers from the newly formed SAT units rotated from the Santa Fe Frontline is progressing smoothly.
On the very night the drug's effects wore off, the SAT-modified soldiers, including David Martinez, codenamed 'Statue,' Jian Portman, 'Windtalker,' couldn't wait to begin their adaptation training to their new bodies.
Vera remains busy.
After visiting and comforting the wounded and awarding medals and promotions to the four best performers, he had dinner with the Arasaka Employee present in the canteen. After dinner, he hurriedly left to return to the Arasaka Building in Oakland to preside over an online military meeting.
Tomorrow morning, I need to rush to Sacramento to discuss with the Free State Alliance legislators the newly formed Allied forces' three major war zones—North, Central, and South—as well as the upcoming Central Campaign.
David spent the night at the training ground after a brief incident where Song Zhaomei 'touched and looked around' and bumped into an acquaintance, Lucy.
The following morning, he and the other three received a notification: their qualifications Power Armor pilots had been approved.
Meanwhile, the central operating system, which had been temporarily shut down due to injury, was brought back online after a night of rehabilitation, adaptation, and comprehensive correction.
Didi.
[Loading - Connection to Arasaka Networks restored // Upgrading contract // Account access restored // System privileges elevated]
Then, ding-dong...
During this period, a backlog of emails, phone calls, and official letters—all of which were delayed, unread, or unreceived—came flooding in.
Information bombardment? Well, not really. David just felt that the private pop-up windows on the UI were constantly appearing, and the notification sounds for emails and text messages kept ringing.
I'm used to it; it always happens after I come back from a mission, but this time it's been exceptionally long.
The top-ranked items are undoubtedly administrative gazettes.
First came the mass notification about Arasaka and Militech entering a state of war, followed by news of Vera's military authorization and new appointment.
Next up is the update on the various departments of Night City Arasaka Tower.
As an SAT agent, David naturally needs to focus on developments related to the Security Department:
Emergency military reorganization of security forces
From: [Arasaka Board of Directors]
Person in Charge: Vera Adelheid Arasaka Russell [Security Department Director [Night City] / North American Operations Council Director / Executive Vice President of the Intercontinental Region / Chief Military Commander of the North American Theater / Board of Directors Candidate]
Release date: April 23, 2077.
The Board of Directors's opinion on the 'reorganization' is as follows:
No.1 During wartime, Security Department may need to partially adjust their functions and deployments according to the company's needs, shifting from providing private employment, corporate security services, and urban security services to performing corresponding military tasks, such as group field operations, urban assaults, cross-regional coordination, and mobile operations...
No. 2, the "Urban Over-Limit Firepower Convention" has been completely invalidated, the "Air Power and Heavy Armor Restriction Agreement" has been lifted, and the "Power Armor Prohibition Treaty" has been abolished...
No. 3, Fully activate replenishment and expansion management system plans to adapt to high-intensity, attrition warfare...
No. 4, the weaponry and organizational structure of the security forces reorganized into the North American Army Group should be aligned with the highest strategic military group...
"Call!"
After reading it, David let out a heavy sigh of relief.
The instruction was issued three days ago.
Fortunately, the SAT was not broken up and reorganized, but was instead reorganized into a heavy combined arms brigade-level combat team.
Internally, it's not a big problem to still refer to the SAT level. Phew—if we lose the prestigious position we finally managed to secure, it would truly be a case of losing more than we gain.
But can Katsuo, Xiaofu, and Mark Woolley, who are also survivors of the newly formed N squad, still be in the same team?
After his promotion, he will most likely lead a squad independently, specifically an enhanced squad equipped with Power Armor combat personnel.
Katsuo and the others probably already know.
As he scratched his head over this, he started checking his private contacts, especially replying to his mother's text messages.
"I heard you went to fight off Lazarus's Power Armor combat team to cover your teammates' retreat? You're incredibly lucky to have survived."
Lucy's clear voice came quietly from behind.
"It's you."
David looked back at the petite and pretty female hacker. "Good morning."
The asymmetrical sideburns with their pale rainbow hue are unforgettable no matter how many times you see them.
Looking back now, their experience of getting to know each other and becoming familiar truly reflects the saying: life is unpredictable.
That night, she helped Maine get his medicine, but he scared her to the ground.
At that time, she was an outsider, and he was Corporate Dog.
Through Gloria - Maine's connection, Maine buys the medicine, Lucy picks it up, and David administers it. They interact, but not much; their contact is that simple. They are like familiar strangers.
Until, in a bizarre ambush in the Badlands, she let out a scream and instantly became a 'Arasaka Second Generation'.
Through connections, Commander Vera protected her and secured her a permanent position, enrolling her in the Arasaka Academy for training and Catch up on studies. She chatted and laughed with bigwigs in the Counter-Intelligence Department, and it seemed she was about to climb over their heads.
Holy crap! You can do that?
"Uh... good morning."
Lucy shook her head. "I was going to make a joke and say something pointless."
Then, snap! She lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said seriously with the cigarette between her right hands, "I'm very happy to see you recover and get promoted."
Her gaze fell on the brass Arasaka logo pin on David's left lapel.
Regardless of how many people he can manage, he has finally reached the level of an 'official'.
Even a lowly official is still an official. As a commoner with no background or privileged lineage, being promoted to a higher rank just over a year after graduation is already quite remarkable.
As for Vera, that's a completely different matter.
"Maine and Gloria will be so happy for you when they find out."
"Thanks."
David was tongue-tied and couldn't come up with a coherent answer.
"So, how have things been going for you lately...?"
Seeing the two of them awkwardly chatting, V, who had been accompanying/monitoring Song Zhaomei at the rehabilitation center for a checkup of her nervous system and had stayed for one night, turned his head and said, "After yesterday's connection, you seem to have been paying quite a bit of attention to him? Because he is a successful case of Nervous System Repair and significant enhancement?"
"On the one hand."
Song Zhaomei nodded and then shook her head.
"In that extreme situation, facing the mech forces, he could have easily evacuated without any responsibility, but he chose not to run away, sacrificing his own life to save his teammates. Such people are especially precious anywhere."
"Solomon Reed could do that too."
As she spoke, the Korean-American hacker's gaze lingered on David's muscular, metallic physique. "I'm just a little curious about his future."
"His future will be decided by the board of directors."
V remained noncommittal, skipping the topic, "It's getting late, it's almost time for your lesson."
After saying that, she walked over there.
"Lucy."
"Director."
/"Director V".
David bowed.
After nodding to Lucy, V looked at David, as if she had thought of something, and her pupils began to flash with an orange-red light.
[V: Do you know Jackie Welles?]
"Director?"
David paused for a moment, but quickly recovered and connected to the call.
David: I've heard of him. He's a middleman in the Watson 'Chinatown; Maine says he's a nice guy.