Infinity, progress from Arasaka

[Scanning, temporarily unable to accurately identify]

Unsurprising result.

"Keep it fresh."

Stand up, Vera said.

"Yes." The accompanying Arasaka guard captain understood immediately.

Collect brain matter and complete brain tissue, just like the Black Mewtwo makers in Night City will pick out the most exciting ones from the NCPD's daily murders. Even if it's a cyber psychopath whose head was shot open by the Terrorist Squad, they can extract usable brain matter from the fresh brain matter to make Mewtwo and sell it on the black market.

Generally speaking, the fresher and more complete the information is, the higher the quality of the extracted and edited information and super dreams will be.

There is no shortage of Mewtwo editors in Arasaka’s intelligence department.

Vera returned to the business car as the security personnel carried out special scanning and refrigeration equipment from their escort armored hovercraft and began to collect the brain tissue of the last wave of "Sand Bandits" who were driving modified lizard tanks and equipped with "Centaur" exoskeletons.

At this moment, reinforcements that were rushing in from various branches of Arasaka in the western states of North America have also arrived.

The new Octant formation began to circle over the devastated battlefield, and launched a frantic sweep of the surviving "sand bandits" who had not evacuated.

In the darkness of night, the high-speed flames from the machine guns were like lasers licking the ground, and the flying rockets smashed any moving vehicles into pieces one by one.

"Director, I am late. Are you not hurt?!"

Taking in the piles of burning black metal blocks scattered on the surrounding sand, Kotaro, the captain of the Special Assault Force's 4th Team who was on the scene as a transit point, suddenly felt his face turn dark.

Only one of the six Octants guarding the Austin conference delegation was left, as one of the Manticores was damaged and one was crashed... Especially after seeing Vera's body covered in blood, with her brilliant golden hair also stained with blood, he was so shocked that his eyebrows flew up.

Not knowing the truth of the 'attack', he almost rushed and slid to his knees in front of Vera, pushed away the political officer of Night City's Foreign Affairs Department who was talking to Vera, and squatted down with a look of panic and self-blame on his face.

"No problem, except that I feel a little embarrassed and worried as if someone is going to arrest me. I don't know whose wishes I have fulfilled."

Vera sat in the armchair and said quietly.

After taking a look at him, she immediately ordered: "Seal off the scene, protect the evidence, and rescue the wounded. Catch those 'sand bandits' if you can, and if you can't catch them alive, capture Mewtwo."

At this point, Vera glanced up at the sky. There was a constant roar. Apart from the Arasaka reinforcements and the trauma team rescuers, there were also major news media.

Those who eat this meal are very well-informed and come here just by smelling the food.

The special frequency signal recognition lights symbolizing "journalists' rights and obligations to report" flashed, and under the bright searchlights and flares of drones, the iconic "Atlas" armored floating vehicles of WNS News and News 54 were suspended in the air and filming frantically.

The reporters and camera crews obviously noticed Vera, who looked like she was fighting fiercely and covered in blood, inside the explorer's half-open door.

I waited for about three or four seconds.

After letting the media take enough pictures of her like this, Vera ordered the in-car AI, which had already restarted the system, to start the car again.

To be on the safe side, the Arasaka security officers of the newly arrived gunships recommended changing their destination from Night City to the closer San Diego.

Vera has no objection.

Just as she closed her eyes and rested as if indifferent because of the attack, ding-dong, a video call came in.

【Caller: Shintaro Takayama】

Vera opened her eyes.

drop.

"Sir Shintaro, everything went well."

The self-torture tactic, the victim Arasaka was attacked, and the curtain ended.

Buzz…buzz…

Amid the roar, the business car of the delegation that Vera was riding in slowly took off under the escort of several Octants, Arasaka Manticores and gunships. With a sonic boom, the formation entered high-speed cruising mode and sped towards the west.

In the Gobi Desert, cleaning up the battlefield and finishing work continued.

As the armed personnel and tactical equipment from Arasaka became more and more dense, the border state police from New Mexico and Arizona finally arrived on new century cyber horses, as well as the new US border patrol and military technology personnel who arrived with a confused look on their faces.

what happened?

The Arasaka delegation's floating convoy was attacked?

what happened?

...

2076/3/31, dawn.

San Diego, the extreme southwest corner of Southern California.

wow——

After a bumpy ride, in the temporary hotel provided by the San Diego Arasaka branch, cool water splashed on Vera's face and then flowed down the smooth curve of her cheeks.

Turning on the faucet and lowering her eyes, Vera patiently scrubbed her hands that were stained with coagulated blood, dirt, sand and other filth.

As the water rushed over the palms and fingers, mud and blood came down, and the glaring dark red on the white hands gradually faded until the turbid blood water in the sink became clear again.

Vera continued to scrub, her indigo eyes staring coldly at herself in the mirror.

An urban beauty who looks like she just returned from a fierce battle on the battlefield.

Stained with dust, soaked in blood, torn clothes, and a gloomy expression...

It is a good example of how a glamorous, always elegant, militant company executive gets angry after being attacked.

popping.

After washing her face with cool water to remove the remaining blood stains, Vera picked up a towel to dry the water droplets. The gloomy expression on her face disappeared in an instant. She blew away her breath and became calm and relaxed again.

"Tsk...Interesting, it really is because of me. What an unexpected gain."

With a playful arc on her lips, Vera thought of the cyberpsychopath named Mendoza.

After cleaning the battlefield for nearly half a night, the Arasaka Intelligence Department rushed out the fresh brains before the subsequent arrival of the military technology personnel. With the overtime work of a group of the best Mewtwo editors, they finally confirmed the identity of the attacker.

I won’t mention the previous batches of gang drug dealers and military technology’s black gloves in Juarez, Mexico.

The focus is on the last batch of "Sand Bandits" who were riding modified demon lizards, with highly military-grade prosthetics modified all over their bodies and equipped with "Centaur" exoskeletons.

They are the New FIA!

Although the information was incomplete and the memory fragments were intermittent, the senior CIA agent named Mendoza could not fake his disgust and hatred for Vera and Arasaka.

Mentor, brothers, colleagues, students, too many people around him died because of Vera, or were simply killed by Vera.

But Vera forgot.

Just like people don't remember how many pieces of bread they have eaten.

That guy is a cyber-psychopath, but he can still suppress his anger even when he has lost more judgment. He knows how to consume the enemy first and then drive the Magic Lizard Armored Transport Vehicle to follow up. He is fully armed and wearing a Centaur exoskeleton in the armored vehicle. The thermal cannon is almost overloaded and fully charged. As long as Vera dares to come up, he will definitely give her a shot.

If it weren't for the caution, Vera might have brought two cyborg Tyrants with her as a backup. She might have suffered some physical pain for this "torture tactic" that she half directed and acted out herself.

Looking back on the incident, Vera had to admit that her behavior was not cautious or rational enough, and was a bit risky.

However, "it was exactly what I wanted."

Vera looked at the document displayed on her cornea.

[Arasaka Intelligence Department-Night City]

[Analysis report: ...Preliminary judgment. The "March 3.30 US-Mexico Border Attack" was an act of rebellion by a senior agent of the new US Federal Intelligence Agency, a lone revenge act of using public tools for personal gain, which was facilitated by mental illnesses such as cyberpsychosis.]

It tactfully describes Vera's role in the process.

After reading it, Vera couldn't help but be speechless.

An underdog? Acting alone? Even the Arasaka Intelligence Department made such a judgment before they understood the whole situation.

Not knowing whether the military technology department had come to a conclusion, Vera licked her plump lower lip and her eyes narrowed.

[This judgment document can be used as bait to lure out spies within the company. Semi-disclosure is allowed.]

drop.

After giving the instruction, she shook her hands and took off her dirty coat.

The play is over.

Well, it’s time to report the progress to Saburo.

At this time, dong dong...

knocking.

"Please say."

Pulling off the tie, Vera said without looking back.

"Director, the special plane back to Night City is ready."

------

Chapter 112: Boring, I want to see a river of blood (Part )

"Last night, a vicious attack occurred at the US-Mexico border between New Mexico, Arizona and Chihuahua, Mexico. Arasaka claimed that they encountered a long-planned attack by Washington using military technology at the border. The attacker was Mendoza Laurie, a senior agent of the NUSA Federal Intelligence Agency in Juarez."

"According to reliable information, the main suspect, Mendoza Lowry, has been killed on the spot in the attack. Militech and Washington have denied Arasaka's allegations of long-term planning. The case is still under investigation."

"WNS News will continue to follow up for you..."

drop.

Ignoring the bodyguard's signal that the car was ready, which was full of inexplicable symbolism, Vera's indigo eyes flashed with a stream of data. After the communication adapter turned off the radio remotely, she turned off the shower, lifted her washed light blonde hair to take a look, and smoothed it with her hand.

Well, it was soft and free of foreign matter, at least without any sand, coagulated blood or sticky, soft pieces of meat.

I took a quick shower and washed up.

Vera looked at her refreshed face in the mirror and said, "I don't need to show up much on the rest of the return journey. Huh..." She still felt refreshed and comfortable.

She pouted, dried her body with a towel, changed into a full set of more casual Arasaka uniform, and then used a hot hair dryer to dry her hair while walking out of the hotel bathroom.

"Destroy it."

Pointing to the bloodstained and torn old clothes including underwear in the garbage bag, Vera said to the Arasaka Cyber ​​Ninja who was guarding her closely.

Nodding and silently accepting the order, the Cyber ​​Ninja picked up the garbage bag and walked out of the room to cremate and destroy it.

Vera sat on the stool and began to check the emails of her personal terminal UID.

While she was busy working in her spare time, naturally, a female cyber ninja from the Arasaka family compound walked behind Vera and began to comb her hair. Other ninjas were responsible for smoothing out the wrinkles on her clothes and putting on her shoes. The whole process was like serving a rich landlord.

Alas, I have fallen...

But don't say it, don't say it, the cyber ninjas trained by the Arasaka family are indeed all-rounders in housekeeping and proficient in everything. Because this is how they came from in the compound.

When the cyber ninja who destroyed the clothes returned to the team, Vera, who had recovered to her "factory new" state, stood up, picked up the Quinque black gold box on the long table and walked out of the house.

"Has Adam Sledgehammer arrived yet?"

"Already waiting on the tarmac."

"Yeah." Vera nodded.

As the saying goes, when people think they are the safest, it is actually the most dangerous time. Based on the relaxed psychological logic of human beings, she has taken great pains to prevent Military Technology and Washington from really choosing to take desperate actions and explode with Arasaka after seeing the pot of shit falling from the sky on their heads.

Boom!

The automatic door opened, and Vera walked out of the hotel surrounded by security officers and bodyguards.

ka ka ka-

A series of shutter flashes.

Vera's face became gloomy again. She turned her head and glanced at the reporters and photographers with cameras outside the hotel's security cordon, as well as the crowd of supporters of the demonstration who gathered there, shouting in indignation and raising waves of voices.

It's not a protest, it's a demonstration of support for the crowd.

Holding signs that read "Reject Washington! Reject Miles!", "Justice Austin Conference", "Oppose Military Technology Terrorism", "Freedom and Sovereignty Belong to Citizens of Free States", "Vera Adelheid, We Support You!"...

Vera felt a little shy after hearing this.

We are just corporate dogs that everyone hates. When have we ever been so popular?

Could it be a proxy?

[Someone from the Intelligence Department? ]