Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

hum…

The vectoring engine, emitting blue exhaust flames, switched from propulsion to vertical, and the massive, dark-colored aircraft slowly landed on the inner ring private helipad of the company community.

Inside the cabin, Vera looked up, and the orange-red data light flashing in her prosthetic eye stopped.

"We must ensure that these senior figures return 'home' safely and without incident."

Jimmy: Yes, Director.

call ended.

"Is it time to make a move..." Vera put down her PDA, stretched, and first patted the News 54 magazine on the table with a playful expression. The magazine's headline read "Shocking! Ghost Hound - Terrorist Whitewashing!" Then she picked up the hot coffee in the corrugated cup beside her and stepped down the side gangway.

As she passed the green landscape platform with its open view, she gazed at the Arasaka Cyber ​​Ninja Squad and the heavily armed soldiers of the Special Assault Force patrolling back and forth in the courtyards and corridors of the large villa below her.

Vera looked at them, then raised her gaze, looking north across the Westbrook corporate community—

As Night City’s undisputed top entertainment hub, Japan Street is bustling with crowds after dark, making the desolation, decay, and bloodshed seen in Watson and Badlands just moments before seem like an illusion.

Adorned with neon lights and holographic projection advertisements, the world appears so desolate. Looking around, all the buildings are bathed in a hazy glow, displaying a dazzling array of colors that are mesmerizing and overwhelming.

Just a wall, a district, a street away, heaven and hell are worlds apart, making one feel as if they didn't live in the same city.

Gazing at the city center skyline, with a gentle evening breeze blowing, Vera sipped her hot coffee while pondering the meeting that had just ended.

It's not Kurt Hansen.

Visitors to underground weapons research institutes, secret agent societies, and intelligence outposts. Before the 2023 Arasaka Tower nuclear explosion.

“The old folks have a lot of demands,” Vera muttered softly.

Vera's style is to do multiple things at once.

During the day, besides inspecting the construction of the new district in Watson North and chatting with Hansen, Wilton Holt and others, she took the opportunity of the dinner and the new district development fundraising press conference to meet with her confidant Jimmy and the old friends she had met during her activities in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

She never acknowledged or met her adoptive father, who was the leader of the remaining forces in North America left behind by "Crown Prince" Arasaka Kei after his hasty death.

Those former Arasaka elites who were sent abroad before 2023 are now at least in their seventies or eighties.

For no other reason than the potential impact and damage these seemingly insignificant moves could have on Washington and the military technology behind it, should they be activated at the right time.

That alone was enough to make Vera, who was eager to make her mark on the West Coast, spare no expense to win her over or hold her firmly in her grasp.

Although Vera's meeting with the old men of the old Ara-saka did not last long, their shared belief in 'revenge' and finding a way to launch a military-technological attack created a fairly harmonious atmosphere for their conversation.

The PPT presentation, featuring Saburo Arasaka's endorsement, Michiko Arasaka's recommendation, Vera's past achievements and personal guarantee, partially reveals a highly feasible plan to 'make Arasaka great again'...

The two sides thus quickly reached an agreement after initial probing.

As for the minor details, those were not Vera's concern.

A ruler chooses his ministers, and a minister chooses his ruler.

The meeting between the two parties is equivalent to an interview.

I look at you, you glance at me.

Vera's image, style, and policy orientation clearly appeal to this group of old 'hawks'.

With the overall direction unchanged, the loyal elites from the post-era Arasaka Tower have plenty of time to carefully consider and verify the feasibility of the agreements and assess the loyalty of these "old guard" members in the subsequent implementation of cooperation.

"Loyalty is such a sweet word," Vera murmured to herself.

Whether they are truly loyal or not is not important; what matters is that we share the same enemy and have the same interests.

Click.

After finishing her coffee, Vera turned around and threw the corrugated cup into the trash can on the green landscape platform, which was cleaned and replaced every day, before walking towards her duplex apartment.

It's still the same building.

It wasn't that no one suggested Vera move to North Oaks, but Vera refused.

The reason is missing home.

The location of this company community is excellent. It's in the heart of Westbrook, just across Japantown from the Civic Center, and situated between Charter Hill and North Oak. The location is relatively high, with excellent greenery, and offers a commanding view of Night City.

Moreover, with Vera's promotion to overall management director, while she was still on business in Tokyo, many ambitious individuals in Night City's Arasaka Tower began trying to curry favor with her. The courtyard of the Russell family mansion was expanded. The security and occupancy levels of the company's community were also raised several levels because of Vera.

Click.

The automatic door opened, and Vera returned home feeling refreshed. The Arasaka Cyber ​​Ninja, who had been following her around, also disappeared automatically.

Upon entering, Vera, having discarded her office slippers and changed into slippers, leaned back on the soft sofa, stretching lazily. She picked up her PDA personal terminal from the coffee table, beeped, and, after issuing a late-night snack order to the home robot in her kitchen, swiped the touchscreen.

"Well, it's time to report to Old Deng... cough, Lord Saburo."

Blue light flickered in the blue pupils, reflecting countless data and observations.

[Recipient: Tokyo Arasaka Family Compound]

[Project Proposal: Proxy Warfare - The Hound Mercenary Group]

—One of the attachments, expand—

With utmost respect,

Lord Saburo, these are some of my humble opinions and ideas.

Regarding the Fourth Corporate War, the Lazarus Mercenary Group has consistently been the military technology company's most steadfast ally... The company's business strategy, including temporary support agreements with veterans and Lone Wolf groups from multiple countries and regions, has enabled it to mobilize an army of over one million people—five times the size of its total workforce—within a month...

This is something we should take seriously. Like the story of Tian Ji's horse race—which you told me (pointing to the Arasaka family library)—it's irrational and extremely inefficient to waste Arasaka's well-trained elite employees on Lazarus mercenaries of varying quality. We need to learn from this lesson, plan ahead, and prepare a sufficient number of 'inferior horses' for the next great war, horses that don't require exorbitant salaries or extensive training.

Given our company's nature, geographical location, and unique historical ties to Night City, Western State Cities, the Wanderers, and the Cyber ​​Lone Wolves of the Underworld, direct recruitment and temporary support agreements are neither feasible nor credible. We need agents, even if it's just a well-known facade.

We need to develop and package a hero.

A patriotic hero who went against the tide of war, achieved great military exploits, was betrayed, and finally realized the truth, choosing to set things right.

Colonel Kurt Hansen.

He has the ability, the manpower, the territory, and the achievements; he has the potential to soar to great heights. What he lacks is only the opportunity to break through the constraints, the time to develop, and the opportune moment of the times. Arasaka can provide all of these.

Most importantly, his experience of being betrayed by Miles is beyond reproach. No matter how it's embellished or downplayed, this will be Washington's Achilles' heel. His very existence is a mockery of the ideology emphasized by Rosalind Miles, a crack in the universal values ​​of the new American Dream that cannot be rebuilt.

His existence, along with the Ghosthound mercenary group, serves as a clear banner for the West Coast people's resistance against the oppression of Washington and the eastern states, attracting enough like-minded individuals to join them. We need to raise this banner high, making it shine even brighter amidst the military technology and Washington's encirclement.

Donald Lundy (CEO of the Fourth Company's military technology during the war) had the Lazarus mercenary group founded by Colonel Emil Lazarus. We, Arasaka, should also have our own North American mercenary group, headquartered on the West Coast, to compete with Lazarus. Lazarus's era of dominance should be a thing of the past…

Here, I sincerely believe that it is precisely because of a pillar of strength like you, Saburo-sama, that Arasaka will eventually return to its peak, and that this move on the West Coast will be possible. Your presence and health are a guarantee that the outside world maintains confidence in Arasaka Corporation.

Of course, if Lord Saburo gives instructions, I will reassess this arrangement for the "Proxy War"...

Sincerely,

Salute. Vera Adelheid.

...

After clapping her hands and finishing all that, Vera couldn't help but smile wryly.

Ha, it wasn't all flattery and bootlicking.

Because of Saburo Arasaka's healthy return to work and his frequent appearances at external meetings, Arasaka's previously stable stock price has once again risen sharply.

In most people's eyes, Saburo is the pillar of strength for Arasaka.

drop.

[Sent]

drop.

[Received]

Vera put down her tablet and took the American Dirty Hot Dog, which was just handed to her by the housekeeping robot and wrapped in an oil paper box. She took a small bite and chewed it, while she thoughtfully watched the holographic TV broadcasting today's news about 'The Hound of the Underworld' in Dogtown'.

The follow-up plan has been submitted to Sanlang.

Tanaka's 'Giant Prosthetic Body 2.0' is progressing rapidly under her encouragement and support.

New Tyrant bodies are being developed and deployed, and are being adapted to cybernetic bodies. The cybernetic Tyrant force, led by Adam Hammer, is rapidly taking shape and reaching a considerable scale.

According to the Alvin Peace Agreement and the International Convention on the Prohibition of Excessive Firepower in Cities, powered armor like Adam Hammer's DaiOni is not allowed to enter cities. Frankly speaking, Hammer's cybernetic skeleton and body, which are comparable to those of a main battle tank, are already exploiting loopholes in these treaties.

Cyber-body tyrants are a product of exploiting loopholes in treaties.

While she might be virtually invincible in conventional urban warfare, her firepower would undoubtedly be insufficient when her planned proxy war commenced, requiring reinforcement...

She herself also needs to prepare new trump cards to ensure her safety.

Considering her subsequent actions of digging into the lifeblood of military technology, what if the military technology companies go all in and try to destroy her, launching a decapitation strike like they did with Arasaka Kei? Since her life is at stake, she must be prepared for the worst.

Regardless of anything else, she must have some leeway.

After pondering for a moment, Vera got up and went upstairs to her research workshop.

A large amount of data is displayed in the form of a light blue projection.

Vera stared at the blue screen on display, on which her reflection was faintly reflected.

The reflections appear both the same and different.

Some seemed to be immersed in a laboratory filled with prosthetics and mecha modules, making a racket; some seemed to be in a port directing the loading and unloading of munitions; some were speaking in the USA·CCG hearing room; and some were standing in front of some kind of cylindrical container, tapping on operation buttons.

At this moment, her fingertip is hovering over the blue light screen.

Accompanying Vera's thoughts and ideas.

She, who was standing in front of some kind of cylindrical container, turned around.

A completely naked blonde woman was revealed in the container behind him.

Alexia Ashford.

To be precise, T—Veronica.

Brain dead, it was turned into an unconscious viral extract body by Vera.

"The progress is faster than I expected. It seems ready for application... but it still needs experimentation. The ant-like social structure... is quite suitable for my needs... the candidate... well, the other achievements of 'me' also need to be implemented as soon as possible... Let's take it slow, safety first, there's still time before direct conflict with military technology..."

Vera already knew the answer in her heart.

...