Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 842, Section 52: Personnel Transfer
"It's all over now, wanna go for a drink in the afterlife?"

After saying goodbye to Sei, who still had to deal with the aftermath, the group took the elevator down. Oliver leaned against the wall and suggested, "Or we could go to the Wild Wolf Bar and try Mrs. Wells' fries."

“I’m fine with it,” Jack readily agreed, then turned to David, who had been quietly acting as his bodyguard. “David, Mann and the others should be free these days, right? How about we call them out for a get-together? It’s been a long time. You did a great job on that job, we should have a drink to celebrate.”

"Okay, I'll ask Mann."

David nodded. He had been prepared for a bloody battle, but he never expected that this highly dangerous operation would end in this way.

Hanako Arasaka, Saburo Arasaka—these names, which I've heard since childhood, symbolize figures at the pinnacle of success, and they've been so easily erased.

He was still somewhat dazed, as if he were still immersed in that thrilling duel without gunpowder, his fingertips slightly numb.

V noticed that David was still caught up in the tension from earlier, so he smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Relax, David, don't be so uncomfortable—not everything has to be solved with bullets and swords."

He spoke in a relaxed tone, with a hint of sarcasm: "Isn't it good to settle things without bloodshed like today? It's much easier than blowing up another nuclear bomb, don't you think?"

"Nuclear bomb explosion."

David briefly considered the possible consequences if things didn't go smoothly today, and his expression stiffened. Even though he had never witnessed a nuclear explosion, as a resident of Night City, he was still somewhat traumatized by nuclear weapons.

David did feel a bit relieved after realizing that the worst-case scenario hadn't happened.

Perhaps not everything needs to be resolved through fighting. Upon closer reflection, being able to end things peacefully is truly a rare stroke of luck.

Whether you're a mercenary or a bodyguard, being able to complete your mission smoothly and without any mishaps—that's perhaps the most fortunate thing.

“However, I still feel a bit frustrated that I’m prepared for a big battle but have nowhere to use my strength.” David scratched his head, his tone carrying a subtle sense of loss.

“It’s better to have nowhere to exert your strength than to risk your life.” Oliver shook his head with a smile. “Don’t become one of those battle maniacs who are always looking for a fight, David. That kind of path won’t last long.”

Oliver turned to Johnny and said, "But to be honest, it's not just David who's not quite used to it. I still find it unbelievable that we actually managed to send Saburo Arasaka away twice."

“The third time would be a Grand Slam.” Johnny’s projection flickered in the corner of the elevator, his tone carrying his usual sarcasm. “But I don’t think that old bastard will give us another chance.”

"Ha, I don't want to see that old bastard a third time either."

Oliver chuckled and shook his head. "That guy is disgusting every time I see him. Don't you think so, Carl?"

“I completely agree with that.”

Carl chuckled and nodded. "Every time I see that old bastard, nothing good ever comes of it. It's hard not to feel bad—frankly, I don't want to waste my emotions on that kind of person anymore."

"This time we should be able to completely get rid of the remnants left by that old bastard Saburo Arasaka."

V pondered for a moment and said, "Senobu will probably seize this opportunity—to consolidate his authority, eradicate Saburo's influence, and completely control Arasaka."

“It’s hard to say.” Karl shook his head slightly. “If Hua Zi is indeed willing to cooperate, with the defection of her faction leader, she might be able to quickly dismantle the old rules and outdated ideas belonging to Saburo within Arasaka. But ultimately, Arasaka’s headquarters are still on the Japanese island. Without going there in person, some things will never be resolved.” His tone was calm, but it revealed a subtle feeling: “Now, it’s a matter of who is faster.”

Let's see who's faster now.
The people in the elevator immediately understood.

The secret agreement that Arakasaka Seigen and Rosalind Miles reached was originally a short-term cooperation—the two sides temporarily suspended their conflict and resolved their internal affairs. Now, Miles has made no progress, but Seigen has already defeated the biggest opposition, leaving only the cleanup work.

The duration of this collaboration is likely to be shorter than anyone anticipated.

"Drip."

Just as everyone was chatting, Karl's phone rang. He answered it and saw that it was a notification from the personnel department of Arasaka.

To be precise, it was a notification addressed to Goro Akechi, but since Karl hasn't ended his current identity yet, it was sent to Karl instead.

Arakasaka Group | Personnel Appointment Notice
Issuing Department: Human Resources Headquarters - Promotion Management Section

Classification: Internal Public - Limited to Department Heads and Above

To: Section Chief Goro Akechi
Affiliation: Counterintelligence Department
Dear Section Chief Goro Akechi:
Based on your outstanding performance and significant contributions in several recent key tasks, and after joint review by the Security Headquarters, the Personnel Evaluation Committee, and the Board of Directors, we are hereby formally informing you of the following personnel changes:
Promotion: Effective immediately, you have been promoted from "Chief of the Intelligence Section of the Counterintelligence Department" to "Minister of the Operations Department". Your corresponding permissions and system access level will be updated accordingly.
Jurisdiction: Action Teams 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be under your jurisdiction.

Your professional competence, leadership, and loyalty to the Group, especially your decisiveness and execution in the recent high-risk environment, have earned the Board's high recognition. Arasaka always values ​​and rewards members who work tirelessly for the Group's future.

Please report to the Special Operations Department office within 24 hours of receiving this notice to complete the handover of authority and the new responsibilities briefing meeting. Congratulations on your promotion! We look forward to seeing you continue to demonstrate outstanding leadership in your new role and make greater contributions to the stability and prosperity of Arasaka.

Signatory: Nobuyuki Arakasaka
Looking at this long string of information notifications from within Arasaka Corporation, Carl glanced through them and roughly understood what it meant.

In short, Mingzhi has been promoted and has officially become the Minister of Operations.
Operations Department.
Carl glanced at his friends.

"It seems we now have our own team within Arasaka. It seems Sei-nobu doesn't intend to completely eliminate every member of the Pheasant Faction."

Karl said this.

He had just seen the list of team members in the appendix.

V and his team belonged to the Second Action Team. Apart from the Second Action Team, the First, Third, and Fourth Teams were all newly formed, and the original personnel had been transferred.

Among the newly transferred personnel who formed the first, third, and fourth squads...

Carl happens to know everyone.

Those were his former subordinates from when he was "wise".

From a personnel perspective, could this be considered a means for Sei-nobu to grant himself independence within the Arasaka organization?
Is it possible to let people who are not employees of Arasaka take control of Arasaka?

(End of this chapter)