Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

His head was spinning like mush. When Beard regained consciousness, half of his body had been smashed, and the health detector inside his body was emitting a piercing beep.

The sniper shot ripped a hole the size of a bowl into his chest. His body, which was considered top-notch on the streets of Rio, was deformed and twisted by the impact and the crushing force of the vehicle wreckage, revealing the mechanical structure inside. White coolant and blood were spilled all over the ground.

Tread~

In his final moments, Beard saw the Arasaka heavy infantrymen approach. The hacker Arasaka, who had been hiding on a high point, also appeared, holding a Nekomata sniper rifle, and crouched down in front of Beard.

Then he pulled out the interface of the hacker terminal on his arm, lifted Beard's blood-stained head, and forcibly connected it.

"[Warning: Access not permitted...]"

Beard was speechless at this point and could only let the hacker Arasaka break into his database and read all the data, gang information, backup plans, fund storage points, and safe houses.

Less than half a minute later, after squeezing out the last bit of juice, Arasaka Hacker stood up.

“‘File’ Huxson Beard, executed.”

The dazzling muzzle flashes were extremely bright in Beard's increasingly dazed eyes.

'Fuck Arakawa, fuck the company dogs.' That was his last thought.

...

That evening, the day-long killings in Rio de Janeiro came to an end, and the riots had largely subsided, with only sporadic firefights remaining.

As the setting sun bleeds like blood, the Arasaka Special Assault Team's mopping-up operation comes to a successful conclusion. 1328 of the most wanted criminals on the list have been executed, with countless casualties in the process.

Arasaka's well-prepared cleanup operation was powerful and effective.

After the operation, the leaders of all the major and minor gangs on the streets of Rio de Janeiro were purged, along with middlemen, mercenaries, and those with serious criminal records in companies and municipalities.

Aside from a very few smart people, lucky ones, and corporate black gloves who escaped unscathed.

"ended."

Finally, in the early hours of the morning, the last group of special assault team members returned with the spoils of war. Vera, dressed in a crisp uniform, stood quietly with her arms crossed in front of the giant floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking Rio de Janeiro at night from a god-like perspective.

The streets of Rio were dark, but the neon lights of the skyscrapers in the city center flickered.

This is paradise.

Outside the city center lies a chaotic war zone, a living hell.

Early in the morning, the sun will rise as usual, but for many, there will be no second dawn...

"..."

Turning around, Vera silently looked up at the three-dimensional layout of the building's interior and the prominent Arasaka Clover logo.

After a long while, she looked away.

"It's time to go back to Night City."

As she walked toward the operations center, Vera brought up the miniature display built into her prosthetic eye. "I am Vera Aldehead. The Rio riots have been quelled and are now in the final stages."

Summary Report: Arasaka Group South America Investigation Team

[Arasaka Information Department and Operations Supervision Department Committee Meeting - Night City]

Executor: Vera Alderhead Russell [Arasaka Security Department, Special Assault Team 6 of the Security Bureau - Night City]

Location: South America/Brazil/Rio de Janeiro

Mission Description: Assist the various branches of the South American Arasaka Company in providing security services, suppressing riots in Brazil, and eliminating terrorist organizations hiding in Rio de Janeiro.

Time: 2074/5/24

Status: Executing → Pending Completion

------

Chapter 002 The so-called Vera Adelheid Russell

Northern California, Night City.

Municipal center, company square.

Grayish-white clouds gathered and scattered across the sky. Under the clear sky, the enormous building, which was 130 stories high, stood silently in the heart of the Night City like a pitch-black tower.

Compared to the adjacent Military Technology Building and Kangtao Building, its design appears conservative and lacks personality. The entire building is composed of black reinforced glass curtain walls and steel, giving people a very cold and desolate oppressive feeling.

It can be clearly seen from most parts of Night City.

Just like its presence in Night City, no one in Night City can ignore it, not even the 'legends' who once blew it into the sky.

Arasaka Tower.

Full name: Arasaka America Department Night City Headquarters.

The tallest building in Night City, it is also a symbol of Night City's neo-militarism and Arasaka's hegemony.

Countless people hate its existence and wish they could blow it up and raze it to the ground. Similarly, countless people yearn for it and are willing to give everything just to climb the desolate tower, kiss its cold black marble plaque, and fantasize about getting ahead, becoming rich and powerful, and becoming a superior person.

"Hey, have you heard? The South American investigation team recently pulled off a big heist, executing thousands of criminals in Rio de Janeiro."

"Your information is outdated. I heard that the people in the company's engineering and construction department are working like crazy, working overtime overnight to design a city reconstruction plan for Rio de Janeiro, and the marketing department's negotiators have already flown to Brasilia."

"The security team in Brasilia is very satisfied with the security service this time, and the security department has issued another bonus. They should be back soon, and I estimate that the bonus from this field operation is equivalent to several months' salary for us. It seems that Ms. Adelheid's next promotion is not far off."

"There's no comparison. The security department is practically Arasaka's favored son, while we... well, we're the stepchildren..."

In front of the elevator that leads directly to the Arasaka Counterintelligence Department's office floor, a woman with rolled-up sleeves, wearing a burgundy office uniform and sporting a shaved-side hairstyle, frowned and looked thoughtful as she listened to the discussions of her passing colleagues.

“Security Department...Adelhead?” she murmured.

"No way, V, I remember you were also from Arasaka Tower Academy, right?"

Beside her, the woman's companion looked puzzled. "Ms. Vera Adelheid is a year ahead of you, she's your senior." He added with a hint of envy, jokingly whispering, "Speaking of which, with that connection, why don't you give it a try? Maybe you can pull some strings..."

"Go to hell!" The woman called V turned her head upon hearing this. Her beautiful face and sharp eyebrows instantly brought to mind the word "wild."

She quickly stopped her companion's unrealistic fantasies.

"Of course I know. The top graduate of the class of 2073, he's on the list at the Tokyo headquarters, a promising prospect and a big shot. Me? I'm just a nobody, an intern from the class of '74 who hasn't officially been promoted yet. I've never even met him. How am I supposed to get here?"

The teaching methods of today are vastly different from those of the last century, which relied on oral tradition.

The relationships between teachers and students, and among classmates, are very weak. Unless you are exceptionally outstanding and receive special attention, almost all classes are taught by AI.

V shook his head and said, "We're not in the same system. She's in the School of Military Administration and Law, while I'm in the School of Information, Communication and Intelligence. The required and elective courses are completely different, we're totally unrelated. This isn't the way to try and force a connection."

Vera Adelheid belongs to Arasaka Corporation's largest and most renowned security division.

She joined the counterintelligence department.

The department has a high level of internal security, but its reputation is not very good.

"Going there rashly would probably only cause trouble. In this company setting, if we're not familiar with each other, who knows if she'll sell me out and make me count the money for her? I'm not in a hurry, I'll just let things take their course..." With that, V waved his hand, just as the elevator arrived, and stepped inside.

Silent all the way.

Ding.

The elevator arrived at the floor where the Counterintelligence Department's offices were located.

"Well then, V, good luck."

"You too."

V parted ways with his companion and headed to his office area, where only his acquaintance Harry was at the workstation.

The seemingly honest-looking Black man's eyes lit up when he saw V. He stood up and waved, "Hey, V, Jenkins wants you to go find him."

“Jenkins?” V murmured. Arthur Jenkins, a high-ranking officer in the counterintelligence department, whom she had met a few times. Could it be about getting a permanent position? Her performance during her internship hadn't been bad.

“Harry, do you know why Jenkins is looking for me?” V asked in a low voice.

"I don't know." Harry shook his head, shrugged, and showed no expression. This was definitely not something a lowly employee like him could know.

"Ok."

V shrugged, turned and walked to the office lounge bar, made two cups of coffee, handed one to Harry and thanked him. V then walked towards Jenkins' office.

"Good morning, Chief Jenkins." After walking through the corridor and waiting a while, and obtaining entry permission after scanning, V immediately went into the office to say hello.

Behind the desk, Arthur Jenkins was a well-groomed, somewhat gloomy-eyed, and physically robust white male.

"Okay, sit down." He glanced at V, then continued to lower his head while arranging for V to sit down, continuing to work on something.

"..."

Just as V was pondering how to begin, Jenkins broke the silence.

"V, your official employment confirmation process will take a few more days. Your full-time employee benefits will be finalized within a week. Is there anything else? If not, go ahead and get busy. I've sent you the documents. Take care of them and do a good job."

The string of information left V stunned for a while before she could process it. In 2074, she was only 20 years old and had recently joined the Arasaka Corporation.

"That's all, sir. I'll head back now." After a long pause, V took a deep breath and stood up. Words were useless now; action was what mattered.

“Very good.” Jenkins simply waved his hand dismissively.

He saw potential in V, who performed well during the observation period, had a clean background and good abilities, and whose personality analysis report in his personnel file also showed that he met his requirements. That's why he brought V in.

Of course, if V wants to receive more support, she needs to realize her potential and improve herself. (This is a bonus for becoming a full-fledged employee, something he casually mentioned.)

Ding.

"How was it, V?"

Harry waited at the door and waved to V as soon as he saw him come out.