Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

"If we want to devour the entire old network... well, we can't be too ambitious. We have to take it one step at a time."

Vera turned her attention back to the ruins of the old network data in front of her, and like a game character searching for an enemy NPC, she greedily and restrainedly considered the issue of killing the AI ​​and the 'experience points' after attacking the AI ​​with data streams.

...

Cyberspace - Outside the "Black Wall".

In a data wasteland filled with damaged electronic warfare units and roaming AI, a woman slowly emerges, is outlined, and shaped in the crimson data mimicry of 0s and 1s. It is a naked, long-haired woman looking in Vera's direction.

Search... Compare...

"Araka..."

...

2074/5/28，00/00。

Arasaka Tower, the Internal Cybersecurity Division affiliated with the Security Department.

Vision is restored to light, and the colors and light of the real world are captured.

Vera felt completely clear-headed, but as if she were to feign exhaustion, she rubbed her eyes and straightened up from the sofa. At the connection terminal between her personal connection line and the security repeater, she heard the polite, formulaic voice of the administrative hacker Arasaka.

"Manager Vera, deep dive time is over."

"Yes. Thank you."

Responding politely, Vera rubbed the bridge of her nose and turned her head away, glancing calmly at the hacker who was holding the scorching hot repeater and marveling at it. "Looks like my skills have improved significantly. This time, it wasn't burned out."

"...It's dangerous outside the 'Black Wall,' Director Vera. Her repeater was burned out by a rogue AI attack. Even with security measures in place, the stress on her nerves is immense."

The hacker leader emphasized this point with a responsible attitude.

Vera was well aware of this.

Even with security measures in place, Arasaka, a hacker who infiltrates the old web, is often dazed and confused when he is awakened by attacks from mobile AIs, sometimes with bleeding from his mouth and nose, and needs a period of rest and recuperation to recover.

but--

Vera stretched and yawned, her bones cracking and popping. "Thanks for the reminder, but you forgot I'm from a special assault unit. See you tomorrow." With that, Vera waved her hand gently.

The automatic door opens.

Walk out.

get off work!

"Phew... Security, combat command, biological research, cyber hacking... Is he an all-rounder?"

After Vera left, the hacking leader shook his head, patting the scorching hot security repeater in his hand that required maintenance, and sighed, "What an enviable talent..."

"Director: Vera Adelheid Russell"

------

Chapter 010 Miss Vera Doesn't Want to Become a Legend

Night falls, and neon lights gleam.

At 0:7 a.m., Ms. Vera finished her day's work.

hum...bum...

A Rayfield 'Holy Sword' type airship slowly drove out from the helipad inside the dark tower.

Its surface is coated with a special coating found only in the latest supercars. The entire body is dark in tone, which can absorb radar waves to achieve a certain 'stealth' effect, while being both translucent and dim, understated yet luxurious.

Black background with white stripes, featuring the logo of aRaSaKa and Arasaka Clover.

This is the guarantee that allows him to move almost freely in Night City without any checks.

Inside the car, Vera took off her coat and leaned back on the cushions, examining the identification card, proof of purchase, and thank-you letter wrapped in a vintage gold-plated cardboard box. The card looked very similar to the platinum membership card of the trauma group.

"With the internal discount, it's not too expensive."

It's only slightly more expensive than the Lakers' Sword S9 Guinevere, which costs 225000 euros.

The real difficulty in buying a hovercar lies in the purchasing channels, which are determined by social class.

Arasaka... no, I should say all companies are the same; they promote a hierarchical system. You wear clothes and ride in cars according to your rank. Both men and women are required to dress in a manner appropriate to their position.

"..."

A few seconds later, Vera, her interest waning, tossed the cardboard box aside, propped her elbows on the armrest, and stared blankly out the window at the rapidly receding city lights.

I've got my first hovercar.

But it didn't seem to bring her much joy.

I really wanted one before...

Vera peered down at the world below her, her indigo eyes peering through the dark, privacy glass.

"..."

South of the municipal center lies Haywood, the territory of the Valentino gang, a diverse area. To the north, near the municipal center, are modern skyscrapers and parks, while to the south lies a slum of low-rise buildings with narrow, winding streets and dilapidated buildings that look like stacked cardboard boxes, ready to collapse at any moment.

This was the first time she had ever looked down at Night City so intently.

They used to either live in an ivory tower, study hard at Arasaka Tower Academy, or travel the world on missions with the Arasaka Army. The Arasaka shuttle they rode in didn't have this kind of commuting route, and they certainly didn't have such a good view or leisure time when riding in the floating armored vehicle.

As the hovercar headed east toward Westbrook, Vera was able to take in the night views of Haywood, parts of the valley, and Santo Domingo.

The prosthetic eye, comparable to a high-powered microscope, helped Vera see everything more clearly:

On the edge of the park, under the dim streetlights, homeless people sat around a fire made of paint buckets, their faces illuminated by the firelight.

In a corner between buildings, a group of ragged children chased and played beside abandoned vehicles.

The dimly lit garbage dump is a gathering place for drug addicts and drunkards, a place filled with smog and filth.

……

Their reflection in Vera's eyes was so fleeting.

What about my curiosity?

When did my compassion become so thin?

Vera asked herself this question.

Suddenly, her eyes widened.

It turns out that at some point, her curiosity about the true nature of cyberpunk society had disappeared.

As she repeatedly deceived herself into completing tasks assigned by her superiors, saying things like, "It's just Arakawa's mission," "It's a company order," "It's not like I wanted to kill them," "These people who were killed were asking for it," "Climbing the ladder isn't shameful," "Everyone's the same," "They were guilty and had bounties on their heads"... Has her compassion become so thin?

In the past, she had been curious about the cyberpunk streets, but because of her fear of death and the prohibition of her biological parents, she suppressed her curiosity.

When she went on her first security mission as an intern observer in San Francisco, she felt sorry for the ragged people on the street, and even reflected on herself in the face of hostile looks from the public, feeling a little anxious and uncertain.

Vera involuntarily spread her hands out.

Her hand, the company dog's hand.

Hands nourished and healed with Euro oil become smooth and white like tender leaves in early summer, slender and full, with grooves hidden beneath the skin. Each knuckle is like a finely carved jade sculpture, and the fingertips sway gently, radiating the luster of an artwork.

At that moment, Vera felt that her hands were so dirty and ugly, soaked in blood.

"The blood on your hands can't be washed off."

Vera murmured silently.

Vera clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. She listened to the soothing music playing softly from the car's intelligent system, feeling the tranquil atmosphere that was the complete opposite of the nighttime city streets.

After a long while, Vera opened her eyes.

She does not regret her actions, nor does she regret the changes she made.

She didn't want a life of constant danger, living on the edge, and risking death in the street at any moment.

She was simply reminding herself not to become too decadent; choosing to go with the flow didn't mean she had to be the most extreme one. The relatively mild-mannered type among office workers, the relatively responsible and compassionate type among corporate employees?

Vera chuckled softly.

"Three years."

2074 to 2077.

Her most pressing task right now is to climb to the top of the Arasaka Yoru no Shiro department within three years, or at least to be among the few who wield real power and force, and then wait for the upheaval within the Arasaka family.

Going against the tide to become a legend has never been her path.

After all, in Night City, legends are always piled up in graveyards.

...

hum...

The hovercar glided silently across the sky, its thrusters emitting a faint blue light.

Vera's hovercar sped over Heywood, over the dark, noisy, and deathly silence, over the disdainful, fearful, hateful, and envious gazes cast from the ground, and arrived at the Westbrook corporate community.

House number 414, the helipad in the backyard of Russell's apartment building.

The Russell family was already qualified to use the airships; they are simply resuming their use of them.

Nourishing.

A crimson shadow was projected down, marking the landing position of the hovercar. It came to a steady stop, the doors opened automatically, and Vera stepped out, grasping the handle of the rear door.

[Bioinformatics confirmed.]