Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 312 Danger Signals
"In 2075, the Arasaka Counterintelligence Division successfully completed at least three hundred operations, preventing sixty-three planned and targeted attacks—the second half of 2076 has passed, and the Arasaka Counterintelligence Division will continue to uphold its mission—"

"To bring technology, equality, and a better future to everyone in the world."

As June deepens, temperatures are beginning to rise.

The hole in the ozone layer will let out strong ultraviolet rays, which is the world expressing its dissatisfaction. A tall woman wearing a suit with built-in cooling fibers walks quickly towards the elevator.

As the elevator doors were about to close, the woman's cold yet beautiful face appeared in the gap between the closing doors. The already tense office workers inside hurriedly ducked and squeezed their way out.

V remained expressionless, but in that brief moment, she witnessed a multitude of different expressions.

Some were gloating, some were worried, but most had the expression of a bystander.

"call…"

V let out a long breath as WNS News bombarded her with brainwashing news articles praising Saburo Arasaka. She twirled her shirt between her fingers, and the stuffy feeling in her chest, perhaps from the heat, lessened considerably—but the sinister glint in her eyes remained.

And it all stemmed from the messages floating in Yi's eyes.

"Today's tasks".

As soon as V spoke, the elevator seemed to cool down considerably, with only the faint hum of the air conditioner on the ceiling.

"Dear Ms. V, you have no work scheduled for today. We hope you have a pleasant day."

V actually laughed after hearing that.

The information in the eyes of the psychic is: [Arasaka mid-level managers and above are requested to enter the Arasaka courtyard promptly at 13:00... Level: High // Unexcused absence may lead to an unfavorable judgment by the personnel department on your performance evaluation. Please arrange your work carefully and reasonably.]

Yes, she was reinstated and returned to the Arasaka Counterintelligence Department.

Moreover, she still oversees the security department on the surface.

Rumors are circulating in Night City's Arasaka Tower that Jenkins, who hasn't shown up in a long time, is finished. Now, the most powerful person on the board is Ms. V. It seems that in the eyes of others, V's power has reached its peak, but only she knows the true extent of her woes.

V knew that not only was she not getting closer to the position she longed for, but on the contrary, her new "boss" had already started to trip her up, launching a series of attacks while V was suspended from duty, with headquarters remaining completely silent throughout.

It seems Lai Xuan isn't doing too well either; V isn't one of Lai's superiors who got into trouble.

This prince has done enough for her.

"No to-do items? Did the subnet automatically ignore my notifications?"

V wanted to use this time to find out exactly what was going on.

"I'm sorry, I haven't received any request from you regarding the relevant permission."

V's temper flared even more.

"Then explain the permissions—this is so damn rigid!"

She loosened her arms that were wrapped around her chest, and pointed out a perfectly fine middle finger.

With AI's explanation, V finally understood where things went wrong... It turned out that restoring the entire management permission system required Michiko's approval, and obviously Michiko hadn't gone through that procedure, so V's position was essentially nominal.

This matter can be big or small.

It's normal for a regional president to forget to handle this matter, but if it's a deliberate oversight, that's quite intriguing.

V is not one of those three-year-old kids like Arakawa.

Perhaps when she was the team leader, V still held the idea of ​​"a scholar will die for one who understands him," but now Michiko's return has thrown the entire chessboard into chaos—she is increasingly appreciating Rin's insightful perspective. This company is the private property of the Arasaka family, and as long as that local tyrant doesn't die, this kind of drama will repeat itself.

Divide and conquer...

This was Jenkins' favorite tactic, and V once admired this extremely ruthless way of manipulating the market.

But now the once naive and innocent "pigeon" has learned quickly and is playing dirty tricks one after another. If the court has to make any decisions, V, who is not present, cannot express any opinions and can only watch helplessly as personnel appointments are manipulated.

V isn't worried about being removed from her position, but Michiko has the authority to bring people into her department.

The elevator's melodious yet somewhat somber ding-dong sound rang out.

The biggest characteristic of those who almost got eliminated and then returned to the poker table is that they can't stand losing, and V clearly understands this.

Similarly, she saw from the unresolved incident involving Michiko that day that Rin had witnessed how much effort the local tyrant of the Arakasa family had put in—so Michiko was no longer willing to lose, but V also didn't particularly like losing.

"You've done enough, it's my turn now."

This is said to lovers who are temporarily out of touch.

……

Before the meeting in the atrium.

Inside the CEO's office in Night City.

Michiko stared at the message on the screen requesting the restoration of permissions for a long time without saying a word.

She tried her best; there was no way that woman named V had no connection to Rin at all—they were definitely former allies. But Michiko was facing the most talented young alpha wolf in Arasaka, and she had covered her tracks very well.

Think often, reflect often.

This is a phrase that frequently appears in the many lessons that Saburo Arasaka taught Michiko.

Michiko has already come to terms with it.

If the first thing I do upon landing in Night City is to request the cooperation of Arasaka's counterintelligence department, wouldn't that naturally lead to a scene of infighting? Even if Rin and V have no connection, that would still be enough to weaken Yoriyuki's power.

However, the suspension order was the perfect solution provided by my uncle.

Sometimes, a temporary retreat can be a form of protection. Michiko had just experienced her grandfather's protection, yet she had completely forgotten about it.

"Hold!"

Michiko suddenly stood up and slammed her fists hard on the table.

Dangerous Girls wasn't deeply rooted in Night City to begin with, especially after Michiko took over Arasaka, it's no longer the size it was in the 2040s... The losses this time are incalculable, and she's still racking her brains over the NCX issue.

Right now, I can only take care of Arasaka's core base.

She sensed that her grandfather had once again restrained his ambitious uncle, and the arrival of Takemura was clear evidence of this.

But there was some good news: he kept his position as Director of Special Operations.

Headquarters did not investigate V's reckless actions under special circumstances, but it would not easily allow such a young guy to become the head of the top department in the Arasaka First District. Michiko's first task was to weaken V's authority.

How to cut it is a problem that Michiko cannot solve.

The counterintelligence department has been in V's hands for too long. Jenkins and her men are unscrupulous. A woman who can choose to seize power in Midgard to solve problems will not surrender easily.

After calming down, Michiko looked at the security department information provided by HR. At the same time, a familiar figure walked in.

"Michiko-sama."

Without looking up, Michiko carefully examined the personnel files of the security department. "Sit down, Jenkins."

The fact that Jenkins' name could still appear in Arasaka Tower was astonishing to anyone in the courtyard that day—after all, most people thought this man, stripped of power and left to his own devices by the hawks, had died in some manhole in Night City…

The guy who used to be the head of the Arasaka department and could challenge Abernathy looks much older.

The suit was not very neat, and even his usually meticulous slicked-back hair had some messy stray hairs.

Have a great holiday.

Michiko found the person she was looking for and looked up at this guy who had been defeated just like her.

"To be honest, I didn't expect that V would spare your life—but thanks to her decision, I can still find others in similar situations in Arasaka, can't I?"

When your boss empathizes with you, don't just blindly nod in agreement.

Jenkins pursed his lips. "It's not a very honorable thing to receive mercy from a carefully trained subordinate."

The implication is that V held back.

Michiko had a "you're good" look on her face.

When you have nothing to lose, you become fearless. "Okay... let me put it another way. You understand your situation, right?"

Jenkins nodded. "Let me put it this way, Lady Michiko. Even if V doesn't deal with me, there are plenty of people who will fawn over me. Since you're protecting me, I naturally know all this and can speak frankly."

Michiko nodded.

After a long pause, she uttered an idea that left Jenkins completely stunned.

"It's time for the Special Operations Department to say goodbye to Arakawa."

Jenkins understood the woman's boldness, but there were some things he felt obligated to remind her of: "Doing this is tantamount to going against the Arasaka headquarters' requirements, which is something that will give them leverage. I suggest starting with the security department."

As soon as she finished speaking, Michiko tossed the personnel documents in her hand over.

"I have a plan you'd love to hear about."

Jenkins nodded.

Michiko was clearly very well prepared. "The Night City Arasaka Industrial Park produces civilian and military implants and various weapons, and some mature but military-grade prosthetics can now be installed on ordinary security teams."

"Many technologies originated from the dove faction, except for the black wall technology..."

“We have some intelligence right now. Our ‘good friend,’ the biggest beneficiary of Arasaka Asset Management, wants the architecture for our latest experimental cybernetic body. How we got the information isn’t important, but you need to understand the special significance this matter has for us.”

In short, Michiko now knows how to play this game where she has an inherent disadvantage.

Jenkins was the only one who suffered losses throughout the entire process, and he has to take sides.

Seeing that the former head of the counterintelligence department, who had adopted radical methods, remained silent, Michiko smiled and said, "If you refuse my offer, I won't make things difficult for you. At least you can leave here and take a vacation or something."

Vacation…

Jenkins almost burst out laughing.

His voice was a little hoarse. There was something that was keeping him up at night and he couldn't figure out what it was.

Why did Arasaka Yorinobu do this?

This doesn't seem like a problem, but rather a complaint—Jenkins' resume has been flawless from beginning to end. On the surface, he has withstood many of the various tactics employed by other internal enemies against the hawks, and in return, he has shown no restraint, making him seem more like a marginal figure.

Michiko couldn't answer that question.

"Nobody knows what my uncle was thinking...maybe he was distrustful of Night City from the very beginning."

"Why would a military technology spy die in Arasaka Tower? If he had a satisfactory answer to this matter, I think Uncle Lai Xuan wouldn't have treated you this way—but it's a mistake for you to still have hope, isn't it?"

Jenkins remained calm.

Michiko believed that the biggest problem was that people were unwilling to give up.

"Then what should I do, Lady Michiko?"

Jenkins stared at the personnel files in his hand. "I don't think this matter with the Special Operations Department will end well. Headquarters can just say a word. Compared to that, I think the hope lies here."

"But you haven't decided on a candidate yet, right?"

Michiko likes to talk to intelligent people.

“The former Special Operations Director has to come back. There’s a suitable position for you, and you’ll be responsible only to me…” Michiko thought for a moment. “The people on the list are handpicked by me. For those who can’t be reached, we’ll use conventional methods. The money will be given to you in a special way. We’ll find someone to clean things up. I believe it will be very difficult to find out.”

"You just have to accept that your students have to be on equal footing with you."

Jenkins understood what Michiko was planning.

By bypassing V to make some security appointments, Michiko also wants to have her own private army within the company. All signs indicate that the rule-abiding doves have changed.

"Want to know how to bypass V? Then take a look at this; it can buy you enough time."

Exploiting loopholes in the process, creating a perfect time difference.

Of course, there is still a gap.

"You have to find a way to throw the whole thing into chaos."

"I suggest adding a few people who aren't on this side to the existing group. Whether they have doubts or not is irrelevant... Besides, I know V, a high-level hacker with a brilliant mind, and the time difference won't be too long."

Michiko hesitated.

As Jenkins said, V's behavior several times made Michiko think that she was just a copycat madman without the Black Wall prosthetic body, but one that was extremely intelligent.

As he spoke, Jenkins got up and pulled out several people from the personnel database, some of whom were from very different departments, including the purchasing department.

"To make the water even muddier, she needs to put in more effort."

Jenkins stood up. Counterintelligence operations are meticulous and follow a complete process, leaving nothing out.

"There must be a reason why V was excluded. Be prepared."

Jenkins stood up. "At this point, finding someone who can't talk is the best option."

Michiko's eyebrows twitched. "It seems there's a reason why the counterintelligence department is so popular; their hands are dirty and their hearts are black."

Jenkins didn't reply, but instead stood up and asked, "Let's buy some time, Lady Michiko."

As Michiko turned back after walking away from Jenkins, her expression wasn't exactly lighthearted. She wasn't entirely certain that Jenkins had accepted reality; the more she learned about the Arasaka family's games, the more terrifying they became.

……

As expected, when V appeared in the courtyard, Michiko glanced at Jenkins without leaving a trace.

It was faster than expected.

She wanted to see a hint of resentment in the young Arasaka manager who thought he had stabilized the situation, but V, who didn't react at all, just looked at her with a calm gaze, which made her extremely uncomfortable.

It's as if I'm an inanimate object.

I will give you an explanation for this.

Having already completed most of the personnel appointments, Michiko smiled politely, "Furthermore, the investigations by the personnel department and headquarters have shown that you have absolutely no connection with the thieves who stole company assets, and I promise you that—"

Under V's gaze, Michiko gently raised her hand.

At this moment, the stranger standing behind Michiko bowed and nodded, then pulled out a pistol from his waist and cocked it.

A gunshot rang out, and someone slumped onto the table.

"This is a case in point, where Arasaka missed his initial advantage."

This is why Michiko explained why V wasn't brought in: because someone who doesn't exist interfered, and now that person is gone, V can no longer cause trouble. The next issue to resolve is whether V has any objections to these new appointments.

Identity can be completely suppressed, but it might lead to a very ugly situation.

In the silent courtyard, time ticked by.

V doesn't like warnings; she prefers gentle, soft words. If someone tries to warn her in this way, they're making a big mistake.

"Thank you for your handling of the matter, Lady Michiko. I agree to all the above personnel appointments, and I am willing to hand over the duties of the security department to the newly appointed heads..."

The principle of "don't bite off more than you can chew" is all too clear to me.

Now it was Michiko's turn to be dumbfounded.

What trick?
"I believe we will strengthen Arasaka and wash away the recent humiliation."

Actually, V has another meaning as well.

"Let's play slowly."

……

……

(End of this chapter)