Infinity, progress from Arasaka

After walking out of the gate and instructing the Arasaka guards in the industrial park and the laboratory guards to pay strict attention to defense work, she walked towards the helipad at a leisurely pace and went back to the hotel to sleep.

You are a loving father and a filial son, why do you care about this Arasaka 'Tadayoshi'? All my actions are in accordance with procedures, and I apply for registration as soon as possible for everything I do.

Go ahead and fight, I put all my things here, it’s up to you to do whatever you want, I’m just the victim anyway.

Ding dong.

After boarding the hovercraft and removing the information shield, three messages flashed rapidly on the virtual screen grid of Vera's artificial eye plug-in.

[Dangerous Girl], in a nutshell, asked her to quickly come up with new improvements in her rehabilitation and convalescent services.

The people from the University of Tokyo reminded her indirectly that since her school trip was over, she could return to Tokyo. The laboratories in Tokyo were better, and it was a good thing to have a strong thirst for knowledge and enthusiasm for research. After seeing Vera's recent diary report, they also became very interested in the so-called sun staircase flower and hoped that Vera would return to Tokyo after preliminary research.

Jimmy, Vera's lieutenant, reports to her at the North American headquarters of Arasaka Night City. Since she went on a school trip to South Africa, her reports have been interrupted for a while.

Without thinking too much, Vera replied one by one.

I will reply to the University of Tokyo and return the day after tomorrow.

......

In a dilapidated building a kilometer away from the industrial park, in a dim room, the eyes of a tall black figure holding a military-grade high-precision telescope suddenly flashed orange-red light.

"B2 reports, the target has left the industrial park. Over."

As he spoke, he looked around the room. In the corners were boxes of munitions. On the tattered sofa, people drinking, smoking and taking drugs were the skilled agents who had arrived in Johannesburg in batches and infiltrated the city in recent days.

Lying or sitting in a mess, their artificial eyes were also flashing orange-red light, obviously connected to the same communication channel.

"Latest intelligence update, Vera Adelheid Russell, this woman will leave Johannesburg and return to Tokyo the day after tomorrow."

"After reading the information, you should all know what she found in Central Africa. The Sun Staircase Flower, according to the information sent back by the intelligence department's informant at the University of Tokyo, is an extinct 'immortality flower'. It is likely to be the only one in the world and has extremely high value for medical research."

"It has been basically confirmed that this is the drug that kept the old dog Saburo Arasaka alive. It is also one of the main products that the Arasaka medical department is going to launch in the future. Whether it is to hit Arasaka's financial strength or to destroy Saburo's dream of immortality, this action is necessary."

"We can't be sure whether Vera Adelheid will return to the hotel tomorrow or stay in the lab overnight. Her strength was measured by her colleagues in Night City using blood. She won't be much easier to deal with than Adam Sledgehammer. Tonight is our best chance."

"The higher-ups have already contacted the black warlords in Central Africa. They have long been dissatisfied with Arasaka's continued exploitation and encroachment. Tonight they will send troops to cause trouble and put pressure on the South African border checkpoints to help us divert attention."

"After C3 blew up the power hub that supplied the city's power supply to Arasaka Industrial Park, we were asked to infiltrate Vera Adelheid's laboratory as soon as possible."

"Remember, time is running out. You only have fifteen minutes at most. If you can't sneak in, then you can storm. If we can't get the Stairway to the Sun Flower, then it will be worthless. Let the flower be completely extinct from the earth."

"Everyone prepare yourself!"

"Yes!"×N

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Chapter 054 As long as Director Vera arrives.jpg

In the suburbs of Tokyo, the Arasaka family compound.

Tick ​​tock…

Walking on the waxed wooden floor with a soft reflective glow, Shintaro Takayama, the security director of the compound, walked lightly around the corner of the corridor and came to the observation deck of a natural hill pond, where he bowed respectfully behind a person's back.

It's Saburo Arasaka.

Under the eaves, wind chimes swayed in the wind, making crisp sounds.

Sanlang lay diagonally on the wheelchair that was equipped with countless high-tech health-preserving technologies, facing the sunrise as if he was enjoying a morning sun bath. Under the light, the withered and yellow hair on his wrinkled forehead seemed to be even sparser.

Medical staff carefully used transfer connectors to adjust the various basic prosthetic limbs and artificial neural circuits on his body, and carried out daily routine health checks and micro-injections of "elixir of life" whose drug resistance had already reached its peak.

He is too old.

His physiological functions are so close to the concept of "death from old age" that his body cannot withstand further cyber prosthetics or biological organ replacements. Even the injection of "elixir of life" requires strict dosage control, for fear that a slight effect of the drug will cause new injuries.

After a long while, when the daily physical examination and maintenance were over, the frail Arasaka Saburo finally spoke hoarsely, "I'm really old, Shintaro... I'm so fragile and ugly now."

"Don't give up on yourselves, Saburo-sama, Yorimoto-sama, Miss Hanako, Miss Michiko, none of them are yet capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of leading Arasaka!"

Without hesitation, he knelt down as a retainer and said with absolute determination: "Arasaka still needs your wise leadership!"

"Ugh..."

With a sigh, Saburo Arasaka did not continue to dwell on this topic.

"Family misfortune."

He muttered indifferently, and then said, "So, what has my unfilial son done during this period? He suddenly retrieved Vera Adelheid's information. His subordinates have no contact or interest relationship with Russell, so why did they recommend her? He secretly attacked from the side and caused discussion and criticism. Judging from his actions, he wants to transfer her back to Night City to continue to perform the duties of the Security Department?"

"He is really well-informed. He is so eager to kill me..."

"..."

Shintaro Takayama naturally knew what Saburo was talking about.

It seems that the outstanding younger generation in Night City that he values ​​is really going to complete the "Stairway to the Sun Project", which naturally attracts the attention of Rai Xuan, who can't wait to take over after his father dies. However, since it involves the family affairs of the Arasaka family, he is not in a position to respond.

Even though he couldn't stand Arasaka Yorinobu's past unruly behavior, and looked down on him for leaving Arasaka and then crawling back to Arasaka in disgrace, and thought that he was inferior to the eldest son Arasaka Takashi in every way, but a retainer is a retainer and cannot overstep his authority. After all, he is the son of Lord Saburo.

The only son now.

"Shintaro, what do you think about Vera Adelheid's Stairway to the Sun and the evolution of human DNA by the Progenitor virus?" Saburo Arasaka asked, as if venting his criticism and dissatisfaction with his unfilial son.

Shintaro Takayama considered his words.

"Now it seems that she has a clue. She really found the 'holy flower' used by the primitive African tribal chiefs to treat diseases and prolong life from the underground of the Gutuban tribal ruins in Central Africa. She was also lucky enough to extract the required substances from it. I believe that the experimental report and speculation she submitted are not aimless..."

To be honest, Shintaro Takayama was surprised.

Although they both noticed Vera, he and Saburo Arasaka focused on different aspects.

He initially selected Vera based on the need for a new generation of backbone forces in the security department and Arasaka's North American strategy, and based on a comprehensive consideration of her personal actual performance, achievements, company reputation, and background.

Lord Saburo, I'm afraid it's more based on personal needs...

Ever since Vera "recovered" the so-called Stairway of the Sun flower from Central Africa, the number of times Lord Saburo mentioned and paid attention to her has visibly increased.

"According to Vera Adelheid's preliminary experimental report in Johannesburg, South Africa, she has completed the extraction and cultivation of well-preserved sun-step flowers, and the problem of the virus characteristics of this type of flower degrading out of the soil has been temporarily solved... She will return to Tokyo before June 6 at the latest."

As Takayama Shintaro explained, the imaging device under the eaves made a slight "shake, shake" sound.

Various graphic and text information sent back from Johannesburg were projected in the air, and the enlarged page content allowed Saburo to see it clearly.

The successful transfer and cultivation of the Sun Staircase Flower in the laboratory, the discovery and extraction of the Progenitor Virus, the multiple-dose injection experiments on mice, the manifestation of the super vitality of virus-infected mice, Vera's targeted breeding experiment on enhancing the stability of the Progenitor Virus... all were listed on the screen according to the time report.

"very good."

Saburo Arasaka suddenly opened his dormant eyes, and a gleam of brilliance flashed in his originally cloudy eyes.

His hunched body leaned forward slightly, and he stared at the holographic image intently: under the operation of the light blonde woman in protective clothing, the picture was moving and enlarging, showing the changes that were taking place in the little white mouse in the glass experimental cage.

After going through dozens of experiments that could have killed it, from its fur festering and falling off to bleeding, it was astonishing that the little white mouse was still alive, though its movements had become slightly slower.

Saburo Arasaka watched everything closely, afraid of missing any tiny detail.

Only after the light-blonde woman in the video had completed blood collection from the mouse and injected a larger dose of the virus to kill it completely, and then disinfected it, did he reluctantly look away.

Taking a deep breath, he excitedly turned his gaze to Shintaro Takayama who was standing beside him. His eyes were like a drowning man seeing a life-saving straw.

Saburo Arasaka ordered in an unquestionable tone: "Shintaro, increase her security level, and transfer new special security forces from Tokyo to protect her and her research results. Send a special plane to pick her up. There must be no mistakes!"

"As for my unfilial little move, I know he wanted to muddy the waters. Perhaps he has never given up his naive idea and warned his subordinates that the pursuit of support also depends on the timing, what should be done and what should not be done. I am not dead yet, and it is not his turn to give orders in Arasaka."

"What I give him is his. If I don't give it to him, he can't take it away."

Saburo Arasaka said this in an extremely cold and arrogant tone.

"Tell Lai Xuan that I can give him life, and I can also take it back. I can make him have everything, and I can also make him lose everything."

"Yes, Lord Saburo!" Takayama Shintaro lowered his head humbly and took his leave.

Tick ​​tock…

As the footsteps faded away, Saburo Arasaka leaned back in his wheelchair, his hawk-like sharp eyes gradually faded and returned to being cloudy.

He slowly called up the bird's-eye view of Johannesburg, with the brightly lit Arasaka buildings and Arasaka militants clearly distributed across it. It was early morning in South Africa, and Vera Adelheid had already returned to her dorm to rest.

"Soul Killer (Relic)... I hope you won't need it... Vera Adelheid, since you are not suspected of collaborating with the enemy and your family background is loyal, then I will entrust you with the important task... If you have ambitions... then I will give you a platform to realize your ambitions."

He murmured this.

Enjoying the rare good mood in the morning sun bath, just when Arasaka Saburo was looking forward to Vera returning to Tokyo the day after tomorrow with the Sun Staircase Flower and the Progenitor Virus sample, zizizizi...

"!!!"

Saburo Arasaka suddenly opened his eyes which were gradually closing, and what he saw was a dark red.

His shriveled, wrinkled old face was stained by the flames of the explosion, appearing an alternating flickering fiery red.

It was naturally impossible for the explosion to occur in the Arasaka family compound.

Yes, Johannesburg!

Saburo Arasaka's expression suddenly turned extremely ugly.

On the holographic screen, a substation in a corner of Johannesburg, South Africa, suddenly burst into flames. Thick smoke instantly rose into the sky, electric sparks flew and the flames instantly dyed half of the city red.

The image shows clearly that this substation, in addition to supplying some blocks, is dedicated to the Arasaka Industrial Park in Johannesburg!

In this series of explosions, the factory buildings in Arasaka Industrial Park, which were originally brightly lit, fell into darkness.

At this moment, with the flashes of gunfire and the sounds of explosions in the dark factory area, the secret security team that Saburo Arasaka had previously deployed in the industrial park had already suffered reductions in members.

"Enemy attack! The Johannesburg Industrial Park has been attacked by unknown armed forces. Attention, all personnel must equip themselves with military-grade advanced prosthetics and high-powered controlled firearms! They are destroying the backup power network within the industrial park. Repeat..."

The roar of the industrial park garrison troops was heard in the Johannesburg dedicated communication channel.

At this moment, how could Saburo Arasaka not understand that the information about the Stairway to the Sun Project had been leaked.

Some people wanted to steal something and sent out elite troops of the same standard.

"Baka!"

How could it be so fast?

The timing is so accurate?

Arasaka's border outpost in South Africa is not just there to sit there and do nothing. It certainly won't be possible to accumulate such strength in just one or two days.

Vera Adelheid had only extracted the Progenitor virus less than a day ago, and had only just finished writing the PPT for the stability plan and submitted it to the University of Tokyo. How could they be sure that they would be able to produce results? They placed such a heavy bet...

Before Saburo could think for a moment, 'beep' sounded as a notification of a new document. The latest emergency report from the northern border checkpoint in South Africa also arrived: several black warlords in Central Africa had undergone large-scale unusual movements!

......

Arasaka Industrial Park, Johannesburg.

Inside the biological research and experimental area factory.

Boom!

The firelight flickered in the darkness, reflecting the faces of people who were fully armed and wearing various types of external optical prosthetic eye auxiliary equipment. The air was filled with the pungent smell of burning components.

Flying glass, cracking concrete, the roar of bullets and the flames of explosions continued to engulf the attackers and defenders.

Urgent and intense.

"Fuck Arasaka, why are there several teams hiding in there? Where are the hackers? Mark their locations for me!"

The attackers' curses, accompanied by a dense fire network woven by kinetic machine guns and technical shotguns, instantly covered the entire narrow corridor. Several Arasaka security guards holding submachine guns fought back, and those wearing light aramid bulletproof vests fell to the ground like rag dolls, with blood gushing out.

"...Fuck, there are too many of them, quickly restart the automatic defense turret!"

"No, they have at least two-digit hackers operating at the same time. The substation was blown up, and a huge amount of puppet viruses were forced into our plant control center. They didn't even want to control it. It was purely a data jam. My computing power is barely able to resist the invasion, and it will take time to clean it up."

boom!

There was a scream and the sound of a body falling.

"Shit! Shoot that bitch to death!" Along with the angry curses of the Arasaka guard, a loud noise with electricity echoed in the room.

boom!

Wearing non-identification protective clothing, bending over and shooting forward, the sturdy machine gunner who was rushing in the front suddenly leaned back, his head exploded, and the splattered blood and brain matter blocked the glass on one side.

"It's Nekomata! Damn it, those bastards from Arasaka are so sinister. In addition to the basic defense, they also hid this level of defense. Damn it!"

The Nekomata electromagnetic sniper rifle is the pinnacle product of the Japanese company Tsunami Defense Systems. The tungsten nail bullets it fires can easily penetrate individual armor and conventional buildings, and even the thickest subcutaneous armor and titanium bones will be shattered.