Beep beep.
The comms call disconnected.
The faint expression Vera had struggled to show slowly vanished. She drained the wine in her glass and leaned back in her chair.
"Whew..." Calling him "Uncle" so diligently every day hadn't been for nothing. Getting by in Arasaka was no different from getting by in the system. Especially in departments heavily influenced by Japan—bloodline, backing, background, connections—they were particular about all of it.
Vera took a deep breath.
It had to be said, being good at cultivating connections really was useful.
Even in Arasaka's snake pit, as long as you could keep demonstrating your worth, creating value for the company, and knew how to climb up, you could truly make a name for yourself.
Of course, if you failed, then your fate would be entirely different.
New America's president, Rosalind Miles, had begun her political career during her time in the Marines. Militech noticed her, her hard strength drew the attention of Militech's upper management, and she was selected from the competition as the CEO's successor before finally becoming president.
That path wouldn't work in Arasaka, but that didn't stop her from being Vera's senior.
Someone to learn from...
For the remaining half hour, Vera didn't stir up any trouble. She stayed in her office and handled several daily life documents submitted by the Arasaka soldiers under Team 6.
When the time came, beep beep—
An internal meeting alert.
Vera lowered the partition curtain, and several holographic devices outlined a round conference table.
Before long, executives from the General Security Bureau appeared one after another in the projection-formed seats. James Thomas, Deputy Director of Security, sat in the center. There were people from the other Special Rapid Response Unit teams, the Mobile Garrison Unit, the Heavy Armor Unit, the Rescue Unit, the Disaster Response Unit (Chemical Defense Unit), the Guard Unit (ordinary corporate security), and the Protection Unit (bodyguards)...
A bald man with sharp eyes, graying hair and beard, and conspicuous cybernetic seams across his body looked at her. Vera's built-in Comms Chip immediately rang, and once she answered it, the man's voice came through.
"Commander Russell, congratulations."
He looked old—probably the oldest-looking person present—but Vera didn't dare underestimate him.
"Old Man Ram." Well. Another acquaintance, one of Cheap Dad's acquaintances.
That was why many Corporate Dogs privately grumbled that Adelheid's work and promotions in Night City's Security Department were like going home and taking things back.
And the person Vera had replaced in this promotion should have been him.
The position of Special Rapid Response Unit supervisor.
Vera looked at Ram's now-slender arms. Clearly, his Combat Cybernetics had been removed. The reason was simple: he had reached his limit.
His weakened nerves could no longer endure high-intensity combat. If he forced himself any further, it would become Cyberpsychosis. Before any symptoms emerged, the company's maintenance staff had forcibly removed his Combat Cybernetics to "lighten the load."
Old Man Ram had served the company for more than twenty years.
"Are you trying to comfort me, little Vera? Hahaha... Rather than comforting me, why not focus your energy on the biotechnology research that interests you? Fred really had a good daughter... I still haven't thanked you, Vera. The experimental improved inhibitor you uncovered and restored from the Old Net saved my life."
Ram looked at Vera with blazing eyes.
Vera merely smiled in reply and said nothing.
A misunderstanding. Let them keep misunderstanding.
The misunderstanding that "Vera joined the Security Department to take over her parents' work, while biotechnology research was merely her personal hobby."
"Enough."
In the end, James Thomas, Deputy Director of Security, interrupted the murmuring.
"I won't repeat the praise for the Brasilia Operation. Deputy Security Chief Vera Adelheid Russell will be promoted by one rank and appointed supervisor of the Special Rapid Response Unit. She will participate in the internal management affairs of the General Security Bureau with the rank of Security Chief."
"Arasaka Group Tokyo Global Headquarters: the order has been issued and takes effect immediately."
The meeting ended quickly.
Everyone had their own duties and garrison areas to oversee. They were only announcing a promotion order, not dropping in a new superior, so it didn't take long.
Looking at the updated personal file and access level on her office terminal, Vera smiled.
Beep beep—
A new unread message popped up.
Sender: Arasaka Traffic Management Bureau—Night City
Dear Supervisor Vera Adelheid Russell, please visit our bureau during your free work hours to pay the management fee and collect the "Holy Sword."
Her exclusive hovercar had arrived just like that.
But before that...
Vera left her office, carrying a bottle of champagne and leading two bodyguards down to the reception hall on the first floor of Arasaka Tower. She headed toward the Arasaka monument outside the hall.
Besides commemorating the nuclear blast of 2023, the monuments here also included one for Arasaka's operation to return to Night City in 2069. Vera's biological parents' names were on it as well.
Ignoring the cost of the Heavenly Champagne, Vera found the monument bearing her biological parents' names and silently poured out the wine in her hand. When only half the bottle remained, Vera paused, drank it all in one gulp, placed the empty bottle before the stone monument, stood straight, and silently lowered her head.
The two bodyguards stood guard nearby.
Under the slanting sunlight, shadows watched the scene in silence from behind the towering insulated glass curtain wall of Arasaka Tower.
Regarding updates, since this is a new book, I need to stretch out the update schedule to get more recommendations, so it wouldn't be good to update too much. How about 2K one day, 4K the next, then 6K over two days?
Still need votes (○｀ 3′○).
Vera's "Life" and "Hobbies"
Character settings are what I desire; gratitude is also what I desire.
This time, Vera's spine was ramrod straight. She stood upright, lowered her head, and offered a standard bow to the Arasaka monument before her—or, to be precise, to the names of her biological parents carved upon it.
Did anyone in Night City still believe in this sort of thing?
Some Night City citizens passing by the monument found it strange. Drunkards slumped in the grass caught the scent of alcohol and staggered over to look. Edgerunners busy making a living cast their eyes in her direction...
When they saw the two corporate bodyguards, one black and one white, both fully outfitted with Combat Cybernetic Modification and built like bears, most immediately came to their senses. Some hurried away, while others muttered a disdainful curse.
Security personnel patrolling Corporate Plaza identified Vera's executive rank and reflexively moved closer. Their embedded compound artificial eyes openly scanned the crowd as they drove away the incoherent drunks.
Vera remained motionless, her head lowered in salute, for five minutes.
In 2069, they died in the line of duty.
In 2074, Vera turned twenty-one and was promoted to supervisor of the General Security Bureau's Special Rapid Response Unit under the Security Department.
Though she was still one major rank below Cheap Dad's position as First Deputy Director of General Security Bureau, according to the company's unspoken rule of Intergenerational Attenuation in internal resources, it meant Vera was about to exhaust her father's "inheritance."
If she slowly accumulated seniority, she might still be able to rise another rank.
But to break through her father's ceiling, even if Vera was confident she could do it, meant she would need to rely more on herself. Higher up, the blessings of her forebears would begin to fade.
"Your wishes will come true. I promise."
Vera reached out and touched the cold marble surface, speaking softly.
You died to climb to the top of Arasaka Tower. Perhaps the expectations you never had time to tell me about were the same. Fine. I'll do it. I'll truly climb—to the top of Arasaka Tower.
The true summit.
Raising her head, Vera looked up at the top of Arasaka Tower, where she could barely make out the Clover Logo, and narrowed her eyes.
The time will ripen, won't it? 2077, the Great Upheaval, the Ladder of Chaos...
After a while, Vera turned around and gave the expensive crystal bottle of Heavenly Champagne one last adjustment. "Clean it up in five days." She emphasized this to the Arasaka patrol officers in Corporate Plaza, then headed toward Arasaka Tower's main entrance.
"Huh?"
As she stepped up the stairs and was about to enter the main doors of Arasaka Tower, Vera suddenly stopped.
She turned her head.
Who was watching her? And with a gaze filled with malice and hatred.
From Vera's perspective, a white figure that seemed out of place among the surrounding pedestrians flashed past on the nearby Overpass in Corporate Plaza.
It moved hurriedly, evasively...
Vera remembered that, from the corner of her eye, she seemed to have caught something glinting in that instant.
White, crystalline, Faint Rainbow Gradient Hair?
"Ma'am?" Vera's abnormal behavior immediately caught the attention of the bodyguard, who had remained alert at all times. He stepped in front of Vera in the direction she was looking and spoke in confusion.
"Hehe..." Vera's brows lifted slightly. She smiled faintly, shook her head, then turned away. "Nothing. I just saw someone very interesting."
"Whew... whew..."
Heavy panting.
In the corner of the overpass, a white-haired woman wearing eye shadow, a White Off-Shoulder Jacket, and a Midriff-Baring Tight Outfit leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. Her white, faint-rainbow, asymmetrical side-parted hair hung down, concealing her frightened eyes.
"That corporate woman... was she really that sensitive?"
The pretty white-haired woman raised her head with lingering fear. Cold sweat ran down her forehead.
Because the other woman had bowed before the Arasaka monument, she—whose past experiences had left her with nothing but disgust for Arasaka—had felt unhappy and stared for a while. When the other woman left, she had merely muttered a few insults under her breath, yet that Arasaka Corporate Dog had directly looked over here!
She had stared straight over, as if she were looking for her!
"Arasaka..."
The mention of that evil megacorporation brought both hatred and fear.
"She didn't come after me. She probably doesn't know my identity... No, I can't take chances... To be safe, I'll stop taking side jobs for now..." Just as the woman was about to pull out a cigarette to calm herself, ring ring—
Red data light flickered in the woman's Violet Pupils.
"Hello, this is Lucy... Kiwi?"
Arasaka Tower, the floor housing the Biotechnology Research Department.
Old Net Technology Restoration Section.
A spotless metal corridor, a red-and-white symmetrical umbrella-shaped logo, and a personal laboratory door plaque marked "Russell."
Pushing the door open, the freshly appointed Supervisor Vera Adelheid entered the Biotechnology Research Department, where her personal laboratory was located, after leaving the Security Department that felt like "home."
Security work was life, but biotechnology research was her "character setting" hobby.
Carrying a cup of coffee into the laboratory she had not visited in over half a month, Vera casually pulled a document from the desk drawer, glanced over it, looked around the desktop, saw that someone had cleaned it, then sat down in the swivel chair and skillfully activated the laboratory equipment from the office computer.
The message pinned to the top of the terminal interface was a business document sent by Arasaka's partner company, Dangerous Girl.
It was for rehabilitation and recuperation services.
Well, the client was urging her again.
Vera couldn't refuse.
Making eurodollars through cooperation was one reason, and spreading her reputation as a genius was another.
More importantly—
Dangerous Girl had originally been a detective agency. Now, backed by the mighty tree that was Arasaka, it had expanded into strategic consulting, legal services, advertising, entertainment, and charity.
It didn't control any vital industry. It was highly replaceable, merely the sort of small company that relied on megacorporations and big cities to earn a little money.
But its founder was Michiko Arasaka.
Saburo Arasaka's eldest granddaughter.
The only daughter of Arasaka Kei, the Crown Prince of the Arasaka Group who had died young. She was born in America, and her biological mother was a Japanese-American, so she was relatively accepting of Western culture. She was now a Board Member of the Arasaka Group and leader of the pro-American "Dove" faction.
Vera had no interest in discussing her political leanings. Her cooperation with Dangerous Girl was simply a natural result.
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