Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

Without them, she could never have crawled so fast through the snake pit called Arakasaka.

It's an open secret in the industry that even though the Arasaka Group, which originated in Japan, has gone global, the tradition of personal dependence, such as "lifetime employment" and "father-to-son succession," still deeply influences all departments of Arasaka.

In other words, it's about bloodline. It's about being one of our own.

A lame joke circulates in many Arasaka branches: at the Tokyo headquarters, even the position of toilet attendant is so prestigious that it's practically hereditary.

There may be some exaggeration involved, but it gives you an idea of ​​the atmosphere within Arasaka.

Vera couldn't assess the pros and cons, because she herself was a beneficiary of this tradition.

Her biological father, Mr. Fred Russell, was a senior executive at Arasaka North American Security, a powerful department that controlled the Security Bureau.

The biological mother, Ms. Mia Russell, was a mid-level manager in the North American administration of Arasaka, in charge of diplomatic occasions such as meetings and banquets.

After Arasaka's defeat in the Fourth Corporate War in 2023 and the loss of his rule over Night City, he has been accumulating strength in an effort to return to Night City and restore his dominant position in North America.

Taking advantage of the conflict between the new United States and the Free States in the unification war in the late 1960s, Arasaka regained the city's favor by supporting Night City and the North American Free States, and finally returned to Night City in 2070. Vera's biological parents were Arasaka's heroes in this war.

He died in the line of duty.

The current Arasaka American Division Night City Headquarters is a reorganization of the division they once belonged to.

In particular, many of the senior staff members in the security and administrative departments were subordinates of Vera's parents, or political allies, colleagues, or superiors.

Although everyone knows that Arasaka and big companies are cold-blooded, companies are all hypocrites who want to have their cake and eat it too.

After all, Vera's parents weren't fired, nor did they come from departments like the counterintelligence department or the intelligence department, which are known for their dirty work, bad reputation, and ability to offend people. After returning to Night City, Arasaka also needs to set an example and make promises to new employees.

As a result, Vera's adoptive parents were set up as exemplary meritorious employees.

Vera inherited all of her deceased parents' estate.

During this time, there were people who coveted her, but Vera was no ordinary child; she wasn't the original, at least not in spirit.

Without anyone to shelter her from the wind and rain, she clearly realized her predicament: like a child carrying gold through the market.

Forced into a certain state, Vera, who had not yet mastered her own "divine gift," could only turn to her biggest backer at the time, who was also her only way out—Arasaka.

She expressed her desire to enroll in the newly established Arasaka Tower Academy and, with the help of her cheap father's friend—who had at least been invited to her home by her cheap father and given her a birthday gift—she entrusted her assets to the company through official channels.

Until Vera is able to be independent, she can just collect interest.

That uncle naturally also gets a cut of the euros.

Subsequently, Vera chose to follow the same path as her father, joining the security department of the Arasaka Group.

This choice did not cause any ripples. For Arasaka, it was commonplace for the son to succeed the father and for the same profession to be passed down through generations.

It's all about lineage.

Vera's remarkable talent, which she displayed shortly after enrolling in the school, is evident in the following:

With exceptional learning abilities, inheriting her parents' quick learning capacity in security and administration, and displaying a keen interest and talent in biotechnology, coupled with virtually no weaknesses in her assessment scores, she was included in the elite trainee list and became a candidate for high-ranking officer in the Arasaka program, undergoing further evaluation...

The Night City Arasaka Department immediately realized that Vera was not useless and was likely to inherit her father's entire political legacy and rise to power!

If Vera is a useless person, or a pretty but useless vase who can't get over the setbacks.

The company employees don't mind taking advantage of her completely, leaving her with nothing. All the smiling, fawning company dogs, all the outward displays of affection they show to Vera, will turn into the stark reality and the cold, metallic reality of her prosthetic body.

Clearly, Vera was different; she demonstrated her value.

She has a clean background and strong connections; she's a reliable ally, highly valuable to cultivate, and offers great value. She's also the only daughter of my former boss/friend/capable subordinate, so I should definitely take care of her.

At this point, you need to change your perspective: the world of martial arts isn't just about fighting and killing, it's about human relationships and social interactions.

Well, there's nothing more to say, I accept it.

He has inherited his father's qualities.

This is the most common compliment Vera received at the academy.

So, when Vera returned from the Arasaka Tokyo headquarters, finished her advanced studies, and graduated first in her class of 2073, what kind of internship was she going to do? What kind of internship was she going to do!

Arrive at work in the morning, start your job in the morning!

The heads of the security departments, with a wave of their hands, started as low-ranking officials with real power in the Garrison Command, and were given special care by their former subordinates who had been their fathers' cheapskates, who imparted their experience and precautions.

One promotion a year, a meteoric rise in rank.

Before Vera is promoted to the position of her cheap father, as long as she doesn't make any big mistakes, she doesn't have to worry about her promotion being blocked.

If there is a ceiling, to give an imperfect example, it's higher than Jenkins in the current Counterintelligence Department, but lower than Special Operations Director Abernathy.

This is considered an unwritten rule within the company, called "generational attenuation".

These political resources were ultimately inherited by Vera. Reaching her father's position required real talent, which Vera wasn't worried about at all. But if she wanted to go further and break through her father's ceiling, she would need to scheme and gain more merit and create opportunities herself.

Therefore, Vera is especially grateful to her biological parents.

In this messed-up world, in Night City, this garbage dump, she was left with such a rich 'asset'.

If she were just an ordinary citizen from Yecheng, without any connections to the company, then she would really be out of luck.

Even ignoring other options, and assuming similar abilities and joining Arasaka, they'd probably still be in the evaluation period.

At most, you'll be assigned to a comprehensive college that helps you earn extra money. Many hidden courses and information won't be easily accessible. After graduation, you'll either end up working in the Arasaka Automation Factory, screwing in screws, or you'll be relegated to some department as a nobody.

Making a fortune is extremely difficult.

"call..."

After rinsing her mouth, Vera took off her clothes and soaked herself in the pristine, stylish bathtub.

After a quick and simple wash, she went to the dressing room and put on the women's underwear that she was already very familiar with but no longer found particularly interesting.

After concealing the patch of white skin between her lower abdomen and neck, Vera lightly tapped the wardrobe with her fingertips, selecting a suit from a collection of similar styles.

For the past twenty years, she still has been unable to accept clothing that is too revealing.

Due to the requirements of her work environment, her wardrobe mainly consists of uniforms.

The rest were either formal dresses or casual suits.

She changed into a black shirt with dark red maple leaf patterns, put on suit trousers, tied a tie, fastened an aramid bulletproof vest, and hung a special pistol holster under her arm. Vera stretched her back and then opened the nearest drawer. It was full of items: Kenshin and Yukimura from Arasaka, Omaha from military technology, Super from Contau, Nue from Tsunami...

Vera also keeps submachine guns, assault rifles, and shotguns at home, but they are too bulky and are kept in a special gun room.

Vera selected a commonly used military-grade M-76E Omaha, inspected it, and then inserted it into her armpit holster.

Because it is small enough.

The precision-engineered version, equipped with tungsten alloy armor-piercing ammunition, is just as lethal as a machine gun.

On the other hand, if they were to encounter a cybernetically madman who directly confronts Vera, it would probably be better than nothing, but... it can't be without. What if it comes in handy?

Completely oblivious to the fact that Arasaka was using weaponry made with the military technology of their arch-enemy, Vera, being pragmatic and without many reservations, grabbed a dark, high-padded, lightweight suit jacket made of bulletproof material, put it on, and walked outside.

Barefoot on the soft carpet, Vera walked down the hallway, grabbed her briefcase from the living room, and saw a timer on the electronic screen in the distance through the room's furnishings:

2074/5/27，7/29。

The time is just right.

Following a habit from her past life, Vera put on cotton slippers, stepped down the second-floor staircase, passed through the lobby and entrance hall, took out simple dark-colored office slippers from the shoe cabinet, and changed her shoes.

Timer ticks: 7/30.

drip-

dong dong.

The wind chimes used for reminders rang at the same time as the knocking.

"Come in."

While picking up a silver Arasaka Clover logo pin from the long table in the entryway and putting it on her left lapel, Vera, knowing the visitor's identity, instructed the apartment's smart explosion-proof armored door to open via data transmission through her prosthetic eye.

"Commander Vera."

The signal recognition was successful, and accompanied by the faint clicking sound of bearings meshing with metal, the apartment door opened.

Two burly, tall men, both heavily cybernetically modified, stepped out. One was Black and the other white. The Black man, who was in the lead, picked up Vera's briefcase and said, "Commander Vera, the vehicle is ready."

"Ah."

Protected by two giants, one in black and one in white, Vera stepped out of the gate. Outside the miniature courtyard at the entrance of the apartment, a Thracian 388 JEFFERSON extended limousine bearing the Arasaka logo was parked prominently by the roadside.

Sitting in the armored, militaristic new military-style commercial vehicle, Vera silently rested her chin on her hand and looked out the window at the company community.

A luxurious, scenic, and secure middle-class community under constant NCPD surveillance. It was also the property left to her by her parents.

hum…

A moment later, the vehicle started, with the white bodyguard driving and the black bodyguard sitting in the passenger seat. He cautiously and methodically offered his congratulations: "Commander Vera, I've heard about what happened in Rio de Janeiro. Congratulations, you should be switching to the 'Holy Sword' soon."

"Thank you," Vera smiled gently.

The Holy Sword is a luxury, official model of the hovercar. This is the other party complimenting him on his upcoming promotion.

I'm really looking forward to my first hovercar.

Well, that doesn't include the aerial armored vehicles used for security services and public order operations.

After a brief moment of pleasure, Vera turned her attention to the virtual screen grid built into her prosthetic eye, opened the virtual document spreadsheet, and began to review the things she needed to deal with after arriving at Arasaka Tower, prioritizing them.

"The security department's work has been temporarily handed over. If nothing unexpected happens, we can have a few days of peace... Executive Officer Michiko, hmm? You seem quite concerned about the 'dangerous girl's' rehabilitation and recuperation business, huh?"

"Looks like I need to keep taking advantage of Umbrella..."

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Chapter 004 The So-Called "Heaven-Sent Gift"

"..."

The car sped along smoothly, and Vera lay back on the soft back seat, quietly gazing out the window, her eyes half-closed as if she were dozing, seemingly pondering the contents of a work meeting.

Unbeknownst to either of Arasaka's bodyguards, Vera's eyes suddenly shone like brilliant stars.