Infinite Advancement, Starting with Arasaka

"Sigh..."

With a sigh, David checked the time.

5/30

It's getting late, time to go back. Hopefully, he can start working soon.

Arasaka provides combat uniforms and weapons to new employees who will be taking on combat roles, and elite combat personnel even receive free cybernetic enhancements. These facts are not a secret, plastered across countless advertisements in Night City.

AI: [Enjoy your reading, and we look forward to seeing student David Martinez again.]

Listening to the AI's parting words at the library entrance, David walked down the steps with his hands in his pockets. He pulled out the blood-stained tissue paper he'd had stuffed in his pocket for half the day and tossed it into a nearby trash can. As he walked, he couldn't help but look up at the sky.

The sky, completely blocked by the towering corporate buildings.

Arasaka Academy is located in the City Center, where skyscrapers are densely packed. As far as the eye could see, looking up to the very top, was a jungle of steel in front, behind, left, and right. Only through faint gaps could one see the orange-red hue of the sky at sunset.

Unconsciously, David's gaze shifted to Corporate Plaza, that jet-black tower.

He always heard his mother say she hoped he'd climb up there, that climbing up meant becoming someone important. Now, a thought had formed in his mind too: climb up there and see...

Thump thump thump—

"Excuse me, move aside!"

"Whoa! Katsuo, what are you doing? Wait for us..."

David looked in the direction of the sound. He saw Katsuo Tanaka, whom he had just saved that morning, running out of the library with a panicked and nervous expression, his face flushed with excitement.

"...Dad, is it true? Officer Vera Adelheid is coming to the academy..."

Katsuo Tanaka ran past David, sprinting towards the academy's helipad. The pupils of his eyes flashed orange-red, indicating he was on a call. David caught fragments of his barely suppressed muttering.

"Officer Adelheid?"

Suddenly, David remembered the woman with light blonde hair who had given a speech at the opening ceremony. When she introduced herself, "Is it her?" Looking at Katsuo Tanaka's receding back, David pondered for a moment, feeling a pull to go and see.

He stomped his foot and decided to go check it out!

*Thump thump. *

Just as David was jogging towards the helipad, following Katsuo Tanaka from a distance, a whirr... whirr...

The roar of vector engines sounded, approaching from afar. A hovercar and a Zeta Technologies heavy drone mech, the 'Octant', flew past David's head, one after the other, before finally hovering and landing on the academy's helipad.

"Quite the entrance." I wish I could do that too.

David felt a complex mix of emotions. Should a true man be like this? He didn't dare, feeling a bit cowardly, but the yearning and fantasy were definitely there.

He followed, joining many other Arasaka Academy students, observing from the periphery.

The hovercar's support struts landed, and external armor pods deployed. Two fully armed combat robots were positioned.

The cabin door opened, and two very tall, strong bodyguards, clearly heavily cybernetically modified – their arms looked like they could crush him with a single punch – emerged first, followed by a stocky, middle-aged man in a red and black Arasaka uniform. Then, that striking, tall figure stepped out of the hovercar.

It was her.

David was certain. She was the one he had seen on the viewing platform that time.

Katsuo Tanaka, his shoulder patted by the stocky middle-aged man, was that his father? He was led to Officer Adelheid, and it seemed like they were discussing something. The distance was a bit far, so David couldn't hear clearly, but he could see Katsuo Tanaka's stiff, rigid back, clearly excited.

Then, the stocky middle-aged man stepped aside. Officer Adelheid nodded and said a few words to Katsuo Tanaka before walking towards this side. Two bodyguards, one black and one white, followed.

Katsuo Tanaka and his father remained standing there, bowing almost ninety degrees in gratitude.

Is this favoritism?

David lowered his head, feeling a pang of envy. If only...

Unable to pinpoint his emotions, David prepared to leave the academy and go home. Just as he looked up— "Huh?!" His eyes widened, and he instinctively took a step back, freezing in place.

The black bodyguard stood right in front of him.

David had no doubt that if he dared to move, the bodyguard would blow the top of his head off with a single shot.

Then, he saw those deep, indigo eyes.

"You..."

Officer Adelheid stopped, standing not far from him, close enough to see. She looked at him, her expression thoughtful.

Katsuo Tanaka and his father, noticing the commotion, hurried over.

"Supervisor Russell, what is this..."

With his mohawk, it seemed his check of Arasaka Academy's attendance records was correct. You were at the school today and haven't left yet.

After encouragement and dangling a carrot in front of Katsuo, Vera, who was contemplating how to engineer an "accidental" meeting, secretly nodded to herself.

Very good.

"What happened to your face? And you... you're David Martinez, right..."

Her eyes flashed orange-red in an instant. Feigning ignorance, Vera pointed to the scratches and bruises on David's face. "Katsuo Tanaka, he participated in the 2074 practical training with you, didn't he? I remember the evaluator's submitted list; he was on the list of outstanding students."

"Yes, David Martinez is my fellow classmate. We participated in the border practical activities together," Katsuo Tanaka quickly replied.

"What happened to his face?"

"...A classmate injured me."

"Oh?" Vera's expression remained unchanged as she shook her head.

As expected, the world is the problem. The environment breeds scum. You can't change everything you influence. Katsuo Tanaka, after my casual advice during my speech, his father took him seriously and forced him to focus on his business. Without Katsuo Tanaka as the class bully, someone else will fill the void.

"David Martinez, is that right?"

Vera turned around and scrutinized the teenager with a mohawk, a bruised face, and a gold crucifix necklace. He was still very young, and his stance… cough, truly punk, all slouched and casual.

"Stand up straight, chest out."

Her tone was calm and detached, but David felt an undeniable authority in it. He swore he had never stood so straight in his life.

"Good. I've reviewed your file again. You have potential. Don't fall by the wayside. I hope to see your name on the hiring list at Arasaka Tower." Vera offered David a perfunctory word of encouragement.

"I… I'll work hard."

David didn't know why his face flushed red, but he answered instinctively.

As if it were a casual afterthought, Vera smiled faintly and turned her head, "Tanaka."

"Director Russell." Tanaka bowed as he stepped forward.

"Regarding the bullying, your council should probably manage it a bit better."

With that, Vera turned and walked towards the academy's interior.

"Hoo…"

Only after Vera had walked away did Tanaka wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

As a seasoned Corporate Dog with eyes and ears everywhere, his ability to read people was quite good.

Just now, he had clearly seen Vera's eyes grow much colder when she heard that this kid, who was on the list of outstanding individuals, was being bullied.

This year, the Security Department was in charge of liaising with the academy. Perhaps the foolish brats in the academy didn't know, but from the other party's perspective, this was essentially slapping the Security Department in the face.

"Who did it?!" Someone's messing with him?!

With a dark expression, Tanaka asked in a low voice, almost from the depths of his throat.

This matter must be dealt with!

Director Russell couldn't directly take him down right now, but once she returned from her advanced studies at Tokyo University, if this was dragged out…

"This student, don't worry, the academy will not mistreat any excellent student who aspires to join Arasaka. I will handle your situation. Katsuo, take this student to get his wounds treated and bandaged first."

Tanaka said to David and his son in turn, then stormed towards the academy's office building.

A bunch of idiots!

Cold violence is one thing, but how could they let students fight on campus? And not cover it up or suppress it after they did? Worse, it had to be seen by a superior who visited unexpectedly!

"Martinez, come with me."

David was still a bit bewildered. Katsuo Tanaka patted his shoulder, signaling him to go to the academy's infirmary for a simple bandage and some liniment.

"Oh… okay."

Following Katsuo Tanaka, David's mind was filled with Vera's encouragement. Although it was very ordinary and perfunctory, ever since he entered this damned school, besides his mother, other classmates, and even the neighbors around him, heh, it was good enough if they didn't mock him or turn a blind eye.

And Director Adelheid, such a high-ranking executive, actually encouraged him. This was the first time in his life.

A scholar dies for his confidant… David didn't know this saying, but it didn't stop him from having such a thought.

David made up his mind.

He would definitely join Arasaka and serve under Director Vera Adelheid!

Chapter 045: Leaving Night City, Taking Office in Tokyo (4.8K)

After parting ways with the Tanaka father and son, and the still-green David, Vera followed the path she had taken for her studies in military and political management and law, and met her old but shrewd mentor.

A short, academic old man.

After simple pleasantries, she steered the conversation, inviting him to have a meal at the Azure Grand Hotel or go fishing in the North Oak Artificial Lake on another day. Very smoothly, she amiably obtained his carefully organized assessment notes and annotations.

There was nothing more to say; she had to show respect for her teacher.

Even if she wanted to pull off a 'A man of stature lives between heaven and earth, how can he be content to remain below others for long,' it wasn't directed at him, not at this time.

This mentor was quite dedicated. His surname was Yano, from Sendai, and he was a rare professor at the Night City Arasaka Academy qualified to conduct in-person teaching. He was responsible for the law subjects, which had the fewest students enrolled at Arasaka Academy.

In this society, the more inconvenient, time-consuming, and expensive methods were, the more they were favored by the wealthy.

Bidding farewell to her mentor, Vera slowly paced back to the helipad.

The Tanaka father and son, David, and the students who had previously crowded there had already dispersed.

The seeds had been sown.

The fruits that would grow and sprout must be hers.

Vera, who habitually fished multiple times with one cast and worked on multiple tasks at once, had no intention of adding any extra complications to this 'chance encounter.' She had simultaneously strengthened her ties with the Tanaka father and son and obtained the annotations she needed…

She looked up at the sky, snapped her fingers, "Destination: home."

Onboard AI: [Received, planning route to Westbrook…]

"Gulp..."

After boarding and taking her seat, Vera opened the refrigerated cabinet beside her, picked up a crystal wine bottle, and poured a large glass of champagne-style apple cider for herself, downing the pale golden liquid in one go.

After pouring a second glass, she held the bottle out towards Brian and Laurie, her two bodyguards, the 'Black and White Fiends,' as if asking. "I see a hesitant thoughtfulness in your eyes... What, you've taken an interest in those two kids as well?"

"Uh... Officer Russell, you seem to have taken a liking to that kid, David."

Laurie, the white bodyguard, took the bottle and said hesitantly but honestly.

"Perhaps."

Vera didn't deny it.

These two were bodyguards exclusively assigned to protect high-ranking executives by the corporation.

They were also the ones Vera had selected from several batches after she qualified for assigned bodyguards upon joining.

Those not chosen had either died or been eliminated for failing to meet potential standards.

Their combat cybernetics were upgraded beyond the company standard at Vera's own expense; they were trusted confidants who had taken bullets for Vera on external missions and during daily travel, and had screened for various hidden threats.

At least, as long as Vera's ascent was notable, betrayal was impossible.

Arasaka's unique and strong sense of personal attachment meant subordinates were attached to superiors. Once they had been with Vera for a long time, they would be seen by others as Vera's people.

For example, Vera's Uncle Thomas, in the eyes of outsiders, she was James Thomas, the Deputy Director of Night City's Security Department.

If James Thomas were to fall and be fired by the corporation (not through normal retirement or accidental death), Vera would undoubtedly be in a difficult position.

Brian and Laurie exchanged a look. Mindful of their duties, they didn't ask further questions and dared not gossip privately.

For corporate dogs, whose ability to read people was instinctual, Vera stopping, recognizing David, and speaking with him clearly indicated that their superior had formed an impression of this lucky kid. Considering his achievements, a commoner genius, as long as he didn't encounter problems midway, he should be able to get by in the corporation.