From Gotham to Night City, my infamy is known to all.

V gently straightened his tie, then stepped back two paces to examine him.

"Hmm, not bad. You'd be perfect for filming a school idol drama. Just be careful, there are people watching you at Arasaka Academy."

“I know that now that I’m known as a middleman, there might be some trouble coming my way. If something really goes wrong, I can just drop out of school; I don’t need that diploma anyway.”

Leo still regrets his impulsive decision to go to school, but fortunately he has a backup plan: he can drop out or even quit school at any time.

“Come on, drive me there, take that Type 66 truck.”

The two arrived at the parking lot, got into their luxury car, and drove towards the company square.

At Leo's request, they circled the square several times, paying particular attention to the activity at the biotechnology building.

After observing it several times, even V's intuition couldn't detect anything wrong.

Leo calmly analyzed: "It's been a whole night, they should have realized that the data fortress had been hacked from the internal network long ago. The fact that they haven't made a fuss means they're probably conducting a secret investigation, or they're carrying out an internal investigation to find the mole."

"Finding a 'non-existent' mole is not easy. Let them investigate."

V's lips curled up slightly.

"Our operation was discreet enough that, apart from being spotted by some company employees in the plaza, no one knew we approached the biotechnology building. And you know what, my appearance and demeanor that day were quite intimidating; I scared several Arasaka employees half to death!"

"Is that so..."

Leo's lips also curled up, and he smiled along with her.

It would be great if we could help V start her own business sooner; her abilities can only be fully utilized in the Immortal Squad.

If we help her out when she's in trouble, she'll thank us!

Early Signs of Talent: Chapter 200 Leo: "Speaking of which, Sister Gloria is really beautiful..."

The investigation is complete; everything is normal.

Leo told V to park in front of Arasaka Academy and told her not to show up in the company square recently, just in case.

V nodded, agreed on a pick-up time with him, and drove to Vera's garage.

While Leo was at school, the other members of the Immortal Squad were not idle either. They all found things to do and contributed to the team.

Leo waved goodbye to her, then turned and looked around.

Today is the first day of school at Arasaka Academy. Although the school is no longer open to the public, many parents still choose to drive their children to school.

Looking around, the temporary parking spaces along the street were full of cars, most of which were decent models.

Obviously, families who can afford to send their children to Arasaka Academy must at least be white-collar workers with decent incomes.

Among these nice cars, an old four-door sedan with a worn appearance, obvious wear and rust stood out.

Thanks to chatting with Vera every day, Leo now has a basic understanding of the vehicle models.

He quickly recognized it as a Galina G240, an economical vehicle produced by the Thunder Galina, which was popular among the common people of Night City.

As for performance... it's just so-so. It's drivable on the road, but if you get into a car accident, it definitely won't be able to keep up with other vehicles.

The unremarkable earthy yellow color reminded Leo of a mother and child, so he walked over there.

Sure enough, a handsome boy wearing an Arasaka school uniform stepped out of the passenger seat; his sharp suit made him look exceptionally smart.

This person is none other than David Martinez, the future legend of Night City!

Leo once positioned him as a top-tier enforcer, but now, considering the existence of three V-Shockers, David has been relegated to the ranks of silver-tier enforcers.

But it's always good to have several high-level fighters with clean backgrounds and strong fighting skills, so he decided to find an opportunity to recruit this subordinate and put him in the Mann Squad for some training.

Leo continued to approach and overheard the conversation between David and his mother.

"...When you get to school, get along well with your classmates and don't be too withdrawn. But don't be too playful and neglect your studies. Go home early after school and review your lessons..."

The red-haired woman smiled gently as she carefully gave instructions on various precautions.

David was clearly distracted, responding passively with "yes, yes, yes" while constantly shaking his leg.

Finally, when Leo was less than five meters away from the two of them, Gloria noticed this rather striking man—his handsome Eastern face and composed demeanor made him hard to ignore.

As a member of the "corpse collection team" under the treatment center, Gloria has a "professional" eye and can tell at a glance that he is a rich and noble young master.

And he looked somewhat familiar, like I'd seen him somewhere before...

David noticed his mother's unusual behavior. He observed the direction of her gaze, turned around in confusion, and saw Leo, who was also wearing a school uniform.

Rich people...

This was David's first impression of him.

Even though they were both wearing the same school uniform, their demeanor was completely different.

I don't know what purpose such a person would have in coming here.

Leo noticed the wariness in David's eyes and was also certain that his previous greeting had been in vain; David didn't remember him at all.

Fine, let's do it one more time.

"We meet again. Are you also a freshman in the high school?" Leo extended his hand to him in a friendly manner. "We met briefly during the entrance exam, remember?"

The two questions left David a little bewildered. The entrance exam... he only remembered what happened after he entered the room; he had been spacing out the whole time...

Seeing her son standing there dumbfounded, ignoring the outstretched hand, Gloria leaned out of the car window and gently pushed him.

David paused for a moment, then shook hands with Leo after a few seconds: "Ah, sorry, I'm a little nervous on my first day of school. Oh right, I'm also a freshman in the high school, David Martinez, nice to meet you."

He did not respond to the second question, clearly not remembering Leo.

Fortunately, Gloria remembered the rich young master she had met once before: "Hello, I'm Gloria. I remember you took the entrance exam before us, right?"

Leo responded amicably, "That's right, I just happen to be in front of you. By the way, my name is Leonardo DiCaprio, you can just call me Leo."

His friendliness eased the tension in the hearts of David and his mother.

After exchanging a few polite words, Gloria received a call from her workplace and rushed off to work, not forgetting to give David a few words of advice before leaving.

Being lectured like this by his mother in front of his newly acquainted classmates made David feel somewhat embarrassed and a little anxious.

A hint of envy appeared in Leo's eyes: "It's so good to have family by your side. No matter how tough things are outside, you can always return to your safe haven at night and use family love to soothe your pain."

David was quite surprised by his answer, and even stopped scratching his head. He looked Leo's face carefully and hesitated before asking, "You seem to be Chinese, right? Did you come to Night City to study alone?"

Leo nodded and reiterated his character: "I'm an international student from China, and an orphan. But thankfully, I've found a new family here in Night City."

"Oh……"

This was a heavy topic, and David didn't know how to answer it.

Leo withdrew his gaze from him, forming a preliminary impression of his future subordinate—despite his flamboyant hairstyle and somewhat street-smart demeanor, he was actually an honest young man, even a bit introverted.

Recalling the "persecution" of David on the internet in his previous life, Leo felt a wicked sense of amusement.

He asked in a low, teasing tone, "Speaking of which, Gloria is really beautiful. Is that fiery red hair natural?"

“Eh!? Sister, older sister?” David stammered, “...That’s my mom!”

“I know, I know,” Leo replied with intonation, full of the beauty of Chinese. “Someone taught me that you should call older women ‘sister’ or ‘madam’, it’s a matter of politeness. Ah, don’t worry about that, your father is truly enviable with such a beautiful wife.”

“I… my father died a long time ago,” David answered honestly.

“Really!?” Leo’s voice rose eight octaves. “That’s wonderful… uh, I mean, it’s such a shame, I’m sorry to bring this up.”

David looked at him suspiciously, feeling that his tone and expression didn't seem like he was "sorry."

As someone from the lower class, he heard a lot of "absurd things" about the upper class from the internet and people around him, and his thinking immediately went astray.

Looking at Leo again, he couldn't help but feel that this new classmate's expression was so lewd...

"That's my mom..."

He hesitated, feeling that nothing he said would be quite right, and his scalp started to itch again.

Leo turned around casually, waved, and walked towards the main gate of the academy: "Hurry up, class starts in a quarter of an hour, we can't be late on the first day of school."

David knew he was right, and even though he felt awkward, he could only scratch his head and chase after him.

Early Success: Chapter 201 Formal Enrollment and New Classmates

The two followed the flow of people into the gates of Arakasaka Academy.

Don't be fooled by the name "Academy" into thinking there will be outdoor playgrounds or school gardens.

The truth is, there isn't one at all; there isn't even an indoor gymnasium, and physical education classes are nowhere to be found on the timetable.

Because in 2076, physical exercise will have long been replaced by prosthetic body modification, and as long as you have money, everyone can rival professional athletes.

Arasaka Academy is a single building with no outdoor areas.

It is located to the side and rear of Arasaka Tower, and is less than half the height of Arasaka Tower. The similar architectural style makes the two buildings look like an adult leading a child.

Leo felt that this was a deliberate move by Arasaka Corporation—to brainwash parents by comparing "adults" and "children," making them believe that their children could work in the company building in front after graduating from college.

Just imagining this wonderful vision is enough to make parents willing to empty their wallets and go into debt to give their children a head start.

But... just like dreams, visions are often far removed from reality.

Looking at David beside him, who was tense and trembling, Leo knew that the imposing building and the classmates from elite families around him had put a lot of pressure on him.

"Hehe, don't be so nervous." He patted David on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "Class distinctions do exist, but at least at our age, in this school environment, you still have a chance to turn things around. I remember the top three students in the grade get generous scholarships, so keep up the good work!"

"You make it sound so easy..."

David sighed in annoyance.

But to his own surprise, when there was someone his age around to talk and chat with, his nervousness did indeed ease a lot.

After verifying their identities and completing security checks, the two received a notification from Arasaka Academy.

[Freshmen of the Class of 2076, please follow the navigation to your respective classrooms. If you have any questions, please seek assistance from the nearest reception staff or navigation robot. Please hurry and don't be late.]

Leo glanced at the details, then turned and said, "I'm in Class 1-A, my classroom is on the third floor, what about you?"

David nodded: "Same here. It seems we really are classmates."

Leo had anticipated this.

Arakasa Academy must enroll at least a hundred students a year, and they are probably divided into several classes according to their entrance exam scores.

He himself entered the university with a perfect score, and David is also a smart person. Both of them were assigned to Class A, which is obviously the class of top students.

Of course, the children of Arasaka employees may be able to disregard this rule and be automatically assigned to the corresponding class according to their parents' job titles.

"Let's hurry up and grab a good spot!"

Leo took the first step and walked towards the elevator.

David didn't even have time to appreciate the school environment; he quickly caught up with the only classmate he knew.

Upon reaching the third floor, the two quickly found the classroom for Class 1-A.

Opposite the main entrance of the classroom is a row of lockers, some with green lights on and some with red lights on.

A notification from Arakawa Academy popped up automatically—

Dear new students, please choose your locker at the classroom door. You can store miscellaneous items in the lockers. Only your student ID card can open them, so please use them with confidence.

Leo pursed his lips slightly—a row of lockers outside the classroom door really does have a Japanese style.

He randomly picked a cabinet on the edge, opened it, and took a look.

The locker has three compartments; the top two can hold small items, and the bottom seems to be for umbrellas.

Leo only had a small bag containing the learning chip and the Ed-U neural connector nearby, so he casually closed the cabinet door.

He turned around and strode into the classroom, quickly becoming disappointed with the cyberpunk-style space.

The fully enclosed room is decorated in cool colors, and the walls are covered with transparent screens that are currently displaying the scenery of a bamboo forest.

The floor is as smooth as a mirror and is made of solid black tiles.

The ceiling is covered with hidden cameras and sensors, and a large, honeycomb-structured device in the center looks like a dark cloud pressing down on the students' heads.

Although there are indoor lights providing illumination, it still gives people a feeling of oppression.

There were already seven or eight students in the classroom, both boys and girls, all of them energetic and full of youthful vitality.

The arrival of the two new students clearly attracted their attention, and curious eyes turned to look at them.