Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

"Not bad, I got a guarantee. If I work hard, I'll be promoted to a permanent position within a week."

"Holy crap! Congratulations." Harry rubbed his hands together excitedly, as if he himself had been promoted.

"Thank you, Harry." In the cutthroat environment of the company, kind-hearted people like Harry are rare indeed. V suppressed her joy, patted Harry on the shoulder, and said, "I have a mission, please excuse me." With that, she walked towards her camera station.

beep beep…

With an excited heart and trembling hands, V launched his personal terminal, opened the file marked as unread, and went straight to the file sent by his boss, Arthur Jenkins.

Among them, the document's cover title

—Arasaka South America Research Team—

South American investigation team?

That's a Rio de Janeiro story.

Thinking of something, V opened the document. The first page of the file made her raise an eyebrow and show a surprised expression.

"Isn't this a coincidence?"

Operational Files (Confidentiality Agreement)

Affiliation: Arasaka Company

Employee ID: NC760404 (PS: Fun fact, the company's ID is NC770416, NC refers to Night City, 77 refers to the year, and 0416 refers to the game's original release date.)

Name: Vera Adelheide Russell

Department: I (Security Department)

Occupation: Operations Commander/Technician

Trauma Group Platinum Membership / Crystal Palace Discount Agreement / Quantitative Enlightenment Rehabilitation Center Membership

Superiors: Shintaro Takayama [Director of Security Department, Arasaka Tokyo Headquarters] / Michiko Arasaka [CEO and Board Member of Arasaka America]

Functions:

To provide and support private employment, corporate security services, and law enforcement services; to provide and train combat soldiers; and to defend company assets during armed conflict.

Biotechnology Specialist Researcher (part-time): Conduct research in areas of personal interest to create value for the company and provide technical support for the discovery and restoration of legacy network technologies.

Brief biography:

2054年4月4日出生。（PS：《赛博朋克2077》主角——Ｖ于2054年12月10日夜之城出生）

2070: At the age of 16, he was recommended to enroll in Night City Arasaka Tower Academy as the orphan of a meritorious employee of the Arasaka Group.

2071: After achieving excellent grades in all subjects at Arasaka Tower Academy for a year, he was selected for the talent pool of the Tokyo Arasaka Group headquarters. As an elite student of Arasaka Tower Academy, he participated in the suppression of the San Francisco riots by the Arasaka Security Department in 2071 as an intern auditor.

2072: Received a recommendation and was transferred from the Night City Arasaka Tower Academy to the Tokyo Arasaka Group Headquarters Academy to begin a year of observation and advanced study.

2073: Returned to Night City Arasaka Tower Academy and graduated as the top student of the 2073 class.

I officially joined the Night City Arasaka Security Department.

After assessment, I was granted a special internal approval to work part-time as a researcher in the Night City Arasaka Biotechnology R&D Department. My personal research lab's code name is: Umbrella [red and white symmetrical umbrella-shaped logo - confidential].

2074: ...

—You can expand the details of the "Insufficient permissions" message—

Employee evaluation:

He entered Night City Arasaka Tower Academy in 2070 and graduated in 2073, officially joining the company. During his two-year internship and service, he performed outstandingly, deeply participating in and organizing seven successful security and defense operations and six public order maintenance operations.

Areas of expertise: Providing corporate security services, maintaining order, and commanding decapitation strikes (San Francisco security services, Kyoto counter-terrorism operations, Rio de Janeiro riot control operations); Possesses a deep interest in and significant talent in the field of biotechnology, with numerous achievements ([Confidential]).

……

grass.

No wonder Vera Adelheid rose through the ranks so quickly.

Personal ability is one aspect, but background, background, and more background!

In terms of "legitimate lineage," the parents of someone whom Arasaka calls a meritorious employee must be of a high level, most likely middle management or above. V can't compare to that group in terms of "secrecy" and "insufficient authority."

Before long, V understood what Jenkins meant by 'do a good job'. And, with great self-awareness, he suppressed his curiosity.

Routine counterintelligence checks, their counterintelligence work.

In theory, task reports from other departments in the company would routinely be reviewed and filed by the counterintelligence department. However, as is well known, theory is theory, and for some people and some departments, such checks are usually just for show.

If there are no procedural irregularities, it's considered one of the fastest ways for counterintelligence departments to accumulate so-called 'work experience.' If a superior suddenly assigns a newcomer this kind of work, it means the superior has high hopes for them.

After all, does someone like Vera Adelheid, who's already on the talent pool for future promotions at the Tokyo headquarters, really need you to scrutinize her in detail? It's just a formality.

Some promotions at the Arasaka Group have prerequisites, such as having 'work experience and achievements' to become a permanent employee.

Systems are inanimate, but people are alive. This is a kind of unspoken rule among Arasaka's insiders for arranging cronies. If they want to promote someone quickly and make sure it goes according to procedure, they will arrange for that person to do this kind of easy "show work".

Of course, if your surname is Arasaka and you have a powerful backer, that's a different story.

"No abnormalities observed, proceed."

...

Evening, Night City International Airport.

Surrounded by her Special Assault Team 6, Vera stepped out of the business jet cabin of Arasaka International with her briefcase.

It's back, 'the cesspool'.

Looking at the neon-lit city of sin and prosperity under the night sky, Vera walked to the railing of the Arasaka VIP passage, her gaze sweeping over everything in sight with a deep look: Haywood, Watson, Pacific Island... Finally, her gaze settled on the direction of the municipal center, on that black tower.

Good evening, Night City.

------

Chapter 003: Never Before Has There Been Such a Wonderful Start

Night City, Westbrook.

The company community, address 414, Russell's Apartment.

As dawn broke, Vera awoke from her deep sleep and gently sat up in bed.

"Ugh... They won't even give us a single day off, they're such a bunch of vampires."

With a silent murmur, Vera rubbed her sleepy head, which had become drowsy after the health detector had automatically shut down, and shook her head, her indigo prosthetic eyes instantly clearing.

The thought of rushing back to Night City from Rio de Janeiro last night, then being summoned to Arasaka Tower for various meetings, and finally having to get up early this morning to go to work at Arasaka Tower made Ms. Vera feel extremely annoyed.

Even the donkeys in the production team aren't handled like this, damn it, you worm!

Of course, despite the scolding, I still have to go to class.

For the sake of the bonus and the small amount of money, after all, we have to make a living.

After a day of well-intentioned grumbling and self-criticism, Vera straightened up and got ready for work!

Vera got out of bed and, dressed in a dark, sheer nightgown, walked into the bathroom under the dim, warm light of the bedroom lamp. The motion-sensor light turned on automatically.

Whoosh~

After rinsing herself off, Vera wiped the water off her face and carefully examined herself in the mirror.

"I'm completely used to it. Hmm, not bad at all..."

A delicate face that combines the softness and delicacy of the East with the three-dimensionality and depth of the West.

Her hair, a blend of silver and gold, and her eyes, as blue as a deep spring lake, were adorned with subtle traces of prosthetic implants. The metal prostheses hidden under her forehead and the concave lines of her upper labial muscles together created a unique and cold beauty.

Yes, that's very cyberpunk.

It exudes a practical luxury, understated yet elegant.

It perfectly matches the aesthetics championed by the Arasaka Group's neo-militarism.

If those "legends" who blew up the abandoned tower fifty years ago saw this face, especially the "rock kid" among them, they'd probably explode on the spot, grabbing their weapons to smash that pretentious, affected face to pieces...

Although by 2074, advancements in prosthetic technology have made it possible to adjust a person's facial features, skin color, eye color, and even body shape and gender, Vera has never truly put much effort into her face.

At most, when I first enrolled in Arasaka Tower Academy, I did this to curry favor with Arasaka and show my loyalty, and then... it really became a habit.

If you act it out for a long time, it will become real.

It could also be said that the 'legacy' left by my parents is too rich.

By the light, Vera looked at the tiled wall with a framed picture next to the sink with a complicated expression.

The photo shows a group of one man and two women, two adults and one child, with whom she hadn't spent much time.

The man appeared to be in his early 30s, with blond hair slicked back, dressed in a suit and tie, and a robust physique; the woman nestled beside him, with long, light blonde hair, wearing a dress that would seem old-fashioned by today's standards, a soft face, and eyes and nose that bore a slight resemblance to Vera today.

Her adoptive parents.

The little girl between the two is her as a child.

In fact, she has been using the name Vera for over twenty years.

Gently stroking the photo frame, Vera murmured in her heart, "I may not be your daughter, or I may be... but as long as I live, I will fulfill my responsibility to commemorate you."

Indeed, even though her parents in this life did not fulfill much of their responsibility to raise and accompany her, being the kind of people who were both busy and could only see each other a few times a year, Vera was still sincerely grateful to them.

She's not some clueless, love-starved little kid.

Besides her face, which is a plus at the company, this mixed-use apartment building in the Westbrook corporate community, near Japantown and the city center, holds enough tangible assets for Vera to live comfortably for a long time, such as savings accounts, stocks, and funds...

Most importantly, there are other hidden 'legacy' from the biological father and mother.