Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

In a daze, drawn in by the very soul, it was as if an unseen hand had pushed her forward a step.

Vera finally saw herself clearly.

She stood there too, a red and white umbrella-shaped brooch pinned to her collar, her gaze firm and deep, as if traversing endless time and space, standing beside her, reaching the deepest part of her heart.

"Give it to me." Vera stretched out her hand.

The mirror image of her moved, reaching out to hand over an A4 sheet of paper.

A hand with subtle prosthetic grooves extends forward, while a mortal hand holds an A4 sheet of paper.

contact.

Touch —

Paper!

At that moment, an indescribable emotion welled up in Vera's heart—excitement, fear, or perhaps thrill.

Like the shiver that follows the climax of a black-clad dream, Vera suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion, indescribable, as if her brain and even her soul were boiling, but she could bear it.

It doesn't hurt.

"That's amazing."

Taking a deep breath, Vera wearily rubbed her temples, looked down at her palm, and saw the unreal black and white halo dimming—

A crumpled A4 sheet of paper.

------

Chapter 023 Forking Paths

A dreamless night.

Vera woke up from her deep sleep and instinctively looked at the bedside table.

On it, there was a crumpled standard A4 white paper.

"Turning the abstract into the concrete? No."

"Creating something out of thin air? That doesn't seem right either."

"Time travel, wow...it really is...like a dream."

She picked up the blank paper and felt the real and clear tactile sensation.

The fatigue of last night gradually dissipated like the morning mist, washed away by a good night's sleep, leaving behind freshness and tranquility. It felt like a few seconds had passed, or a whole night had gone by. Although there were no visible changes in her body, Vera had never felt so refreshed as she did at this moment!

pop-

Wei stretched and yawned, as if she could hear the subtle sounds of the enhanced titanium bones and muscles stretching, a sound of lightness and comfort.

Through the dust-free, gilded sliding door of the counter, she met the gaze of a pair of bright indigo eyes reflected in it.

Full of energy.

He doesn't seem like a typical office worker who's always working overtime and is mentally and physically exhausted.

Vera sat up gently in bed, crumpled the paper into a ball, and recalled the details of last night. She couldn't help but sigh, her lips moving slightly, "It seems that the label of 'wild genius' in the field of biotechnology won't be off for a while."

After sorting out the chaotic thoughts filling her mind, Vera looked down at her raised hand.

With flawless skin and slender fingers, the office dog's arms appeared even whiter under the gentle warm light.

It wasn't the deathly pale of a corpse, but rather a healthy, rosy white.

Even though this body has undergone numerous cybernetic modifications, using only the best available and well-maintained materials, close inspection still reveals traces of artificiality. No matter how well the cybernetic implant dents on the body are hidden, they are still there.

But now, it seems that because the implant recipient is so exceptionally talented, the prosthetic body is performing at 200% of its designed efficiency, perfectly and seamlessly integrated, as if it were the original, natural form.

Just as all cyber implants emphasize compatibility, modern implants need to be compatible with each user's physical condition and nervous system, because different users have different compatibility and tolerance issues, resulting in different performance.

Forced compatibility and overload resulted in cybernetics, a common occurrence in the era of prosthetic bodies.

Vera's current state, to give an imperfect analogy, is like a universal plug. The prosthetic body on her seems to be able to perform at its most extreme, or even beyond, limits, from the original design, perfectly compatible and capable of supporting it.

It turns out that I was too afraid of death and too conservative in the past.

Vera continued to delve into the feelings she had at the right time, and then revealed a strange smile.

Although receiving the paper made her feel very tired and sleepy, the expected splitting headache and bleeding from her mouth, nose, and seven orifices did not occur at all.

All that preparation she'd put in for so long was for this soul-stirring 'attraction'.

As a result, this is it?

Of course, it may be because the paper is so light that a standard 21cm×29.7cm A4 sheet weighs only 4.3659 grams.

If they tried to pull the BOW tyrant over from there, they could definitely send her to the emergency room.

perhaps.

Vera thought to herself, "That's what I'm joking about."

"After a good night's sleep, I recovered even faster..." My brain also felt more relaxed and at ease.

The act of communicating with the "alternate spacetime counterpart" and taking the things from her hands felt like donating blood.

While an abundance of red blood cells is not always a good thing, occasional depletion and dilution of the blood can promote blood cell metabolism, enhance hematopoietic function, and be more beneficial to health.

An inappropriate example is Vera's soul source, her brain, which has been growing steadily since its development and stabilization, has never been actively consumed. Now it is being actively consumed at just the right time.

After a night's sleep, I recover and feel refreshed, as if I've become even more abundant in a hazy state.

"Hey, caution and all-in each have their advantages and disadvantages; you can't have all the benefits."

It's not too late now.

The extraction of the T-virus should also begin.

Composing herself, Vera walked towards the bathroom, taking off the shirt and trousers she hadn't taken off all night. She didn't regret her caution and cowardice; after all, she only had one life.

Just as Vera took off her bra, preparing to shower in the bathtub before heading to work, the bell rang—

She opened the private email section and accepted it without even looking at it.

—Application Response—

From: Arakawa Tokyo Global Headquarters

Recipient: Vera Adelheid Russell [Night City]

Your application for a scholarship and an internal recommendation for admission to the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo has been approved.

Have read.

"Isn't this a coincidence? Double happiness!"

Vera closed the email window, lay down in the bathtub, turned on the shower, and opened the one-way mirror window in the bathroom. Her eyes met the rising sun over the night city, and a light, expectant smile appeared on her lips.

......

City center, Arasaka Academy.

As the 2074 academic year draws to a close, a special atmosphere permeates every corner of the academy.

Uneven.

At the academy entrance, students dressed in Arasaka's red and black uniforms walked in twos and threes or alone. Some talked about their upcoming exams, holiday plans, and future goals, while others looked distressed, as if they had lost hope for the future...

More than half a year has passed since the entrance ceremony, and the enthusiasm inspired by the "motivational speeches" of the big shots may have long since faded.

More and more students, through their journeys to and from school, have come to deeply appreciate the grandeur of the company building, the uniqueness of the large green areas within the college in the city at night, and the distance between themselves and these places.

The gap between ideals and reality.

Lack of money, falling behind in studies, a stifling atmosphere, and bullying have led to a decrease in student numbers compared to the start of the school year. However, Arasaka Academy has consistently maintained high suicide and dropout rates.

Tread~

David Martinez jogged into Arasaka Academy and headed straight for his classroom.

"Hey, did you hear? Allen from Class 3 jumped off a building."

"Oh, he should have jumped a long time ago. He's broke, a complete nerd, so arrogant, and he wanted to get into management school? In his next life! Haha..."

Along the way, the jarring laughter of the company employees' children made David feel uneasy, and he grimaced.

David dislikes his classmates.

The initial enthusiasm for the start of the school year has long been extinguished by the distorted environment here.

That dreamy, pale gold color seemed to be fading from his memory. David knew very well that he and his so-called senior were from completely different worlds.

"Sigh." David sighed and walked into his classroom. As soon as he entered, several fawning voices rang out.

"Wow, Shengnan, because of you, today should be a practical experience activity in cooperation between the Security Department and the college. Oh, I heard from my dad that it's extremely rare. Are they coming from the garrison mobile team or the guards and security personnel?"

"Yes, yes, I heard you've already been selected by the security department, and a high-ranking official thinks highly of you?"

It was those two again, one tall and one short, one fat and one thin, one round like a ball and the other ugly like a yellow-haired hoodlum. They were like little shadows, constantly chattering around that mushroom-headed guy whose father was a middle-level member of Arasaka.

That guy named Katsuo Tanaka clearly doesn't want to talk to you at all. Ha, it turns out that the children of company dogs are special because they have to fawn over you. They're such lackeys and shameless.

David thought with no small amount of malice.

Because of his good grades, he was placed in the comprehensive class. Before he was divided into different colleges for different majors in his second year, his class had the most children of company employees.

The man named Katsuo Tanaka ignored his follower and instead lay down on his seat—an ergonomic recliner with a brain-computer interface and various connecting cables, a teaching equipment.

Soon, the classroom bell rang.

On the podium, a teaching AI appeared, consisting of blue data cables and featuring the face of a bald, intellectual woman.

"good morning students."

It surveyed the interior.

"Everyone is here, that's excellent."

"Before the summer assessment at the end of the year, today is the practical activity that the students have been looking forward to. It has been confirmed that this year the Night City Arasaka Security Department will be working with the academy. In half an hour, the security department's agents will come and randomly select a few students with excellent academic performance to participate."