Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 79 Arasaka Tower and the Study Tour [Please continue reading]

The company square was bustling with noise.

Lin Yue stared blankly at everything around him. This central area, which brought together giant enterprises such as Araban, Peizhuo Petrochemical, and Kangtao, perfectly showcased the charm of technology—this was also the first time Lin Yue had a direct experience of what a wonderful digital life in the future would be like.

It's as if simply standing here gives you everything!
The floating vehicles above and the giant holographic screen displayed advertisements for each company's most cutting-edge products, bringing those virtual environments from memory to life before our eyes. The ring road was teeming with cars, and the people coming and going were all dressed smartly, mostly company employees.

Lin Yue shielded his eyes from the sunlight, looked up, and turned to look upwards—

The Arasaka Tower, radiating a noble light like obsidian, stood tall. Two enormous holographic goldfish swam around, making the sound of water splashing. He subconsciously reached out to touch the ethereal light and shadow that swooped down towards him, but this drew either mocking or strange looks from those around him.

Lin Yue ignored the pointing and whispering crowd and slowly withdrew his hand.

That's human nature: when some desirable company products are clearly placed in front of you, you will subconsciously want to own them, and slowly your values ​​will waver.

This is a direct reflection of Night City's emphasis on corporate power.

Lin Yue didn't even realize that his gaze held a hint of greed. He took one last look at the scenery and then suppressed all his emotions.

It's time to get down to business.

In the distance, the main entrance of Arasaka Tower is a clean black marble floor with high-strength glass inlaid in the middle, and below it, a dense stream of cars flows like a dragon under the circular bridge.

Lin Yue took a step forward, repeatedly reminding himself to be more careful—he felt the same unease he had when he was interviewing a newbie at a company in his past life.

……

AI-powered intelligent voice announcement: "Welcome to Arasaka Tower."

After entering the main gate of Arasaka Tower, there is a security gate. Two passageways are decorated with golden ornaments that resemble scrolling data in cyberspace, and red laser lines scan every person who wants to enter Arasaka Tower.

David Martinez stood with his hands in his pockets, wearing a neat Arasaka Academy uniform, and his classmates from Arasaka Academy were also queuing with him.

Yes, this is the most important part of the Arakawa Academy curriculum – field study.

Arasaka subtly instills aspirations for the company in these young people who will provide value to the company in the future. Whether it is the magnificent Arasaka Tower, the rigorous and orderly work process of the employees, or the display of cutting-edge technology in the R&D department, all of these are conveying Arasaka's extremely powerful subconscious influence to the children.

David admitted that Arasaka Tower was indeed very attractive, but his impoverished background prevented him from showing even the slightest interest in such a high-end company, otherwise Katsuo Tanaka and his cronies would have been eager to ridicule him.

The slender Sheng Nan, standing in front of David, caught him glancing around and gave a cold laugh:
"David, how much money does your mother need to earn to get into the Arasaka Tower even once?"

David replied nonchalantly, "Isn't this where I'm standing right now?"

Sheng Nan's lackey was naturally unhappy. "David, you can take pictures, otherwise you won't have a chance to take pictures after you go in. It would be best if your mother could see how clean the ground of Arasaka Tower is at home."

David found it noisy and waved his hand impatiently.

Let them bark all they want; those idiots at school have barked plenty of times already.

Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a man wearing a black jacket.

His appearance seemed to be from Asia, with a neat and powerful hairstyle, a steady posture, and somewhat deep eyes—his hands were covered with black prosthetic patterns, and David, whose prosthetic eyes had been modified without permission, immediately recognized them as military-grade gorilla arms!

"Amazing……"

David exclaimed in admiration, "Not only that, the man's pain editor, subcutaneous armor, and... damn, is he a company soldier? But why isn't he wearing a suit and uniform?"

Suddenly, his prosthetic eye began to fluctuate, and the enemy ICE's anti-spy warning sent a sharp pain through his brain.

The man's unfriendly gaze shifted slightly, but upon seeing David, his eyes immediately turned to surprise.

David stared blankly at the guy, mentally prepared for the possibility of being confronted and questioned.

Unexpectedly, the aggressive man with the prosthetic body simply nodded and smiled slightly, then patiently waited for the people in front to enter the Arasaka Tower one by one.

At this moment, Lin Yue, who was standing with his arms crossed, appeared calm, but his heart was filled with turmoil and unease.

[Character: David Martinez] [Affiliation: Night City - Arakawa Academy]

【Favourability: 10】

[Potential for development: Extremely high; a potential future legend]

[Stage Reward: Reaching a favorability rating of 20 will grant +1 Intelligence]

……

Watching all this, Katsuo Tanaka clicked his tongue. "That man's future is just like yours... There are many soldiers in Arasaka who risk their lives to do the dirty work. Hey! Maybe you can get into this tower someday and contribute your strength to Arasaka's security department."

David scoffed, "Are you going to say you have a good dad again?"

Katsuo Tanaka couldn't stand David's nonchalant attitude. Every time he tried to talk his way out of it, he felt like he was hitting cotton. This kid was too poor but had too much backbone. He loved to suppress these dignified poor people, or rather, he was just plain mean.

Just as Tanaka Katsuo was preparing to teach this kid a lesson.

The man who had been mocking him moments before was now standing beside him, gripping Tanaka Katsuo's fist and saying calmly, "What, you're going to use your kung fu chip at Arasaka Tower? Didn't your father, Tanaka, teach you how to follow the rules?"

Sheng Nan's expression suddenly changed. She not only realized that he was about to resort to violence, but also knew who her father was. Moreover, this man was putting pressure on her wrists without any scruples!

"Hiss..." Sheng Nan was in so much pain that she could barely stand.

David stared blankly at the man in front of him. When did he arrive?

The teacher from Arasaka Academy who was leading the group also noticed that her student's wrist was being grabbed by a man in a black jacket, and quickly walked over to him.

"I'm so sorry! The children don't visit Arasaka Tower very often, so I'm really sorry to bother you!"

A typical Japanese social practice involves constantly bowing and apologizing.

Lin Yue took a breath and flung Sheng Nan's hand away. "You'd better watch your mouth, brat."

Sheng Nan had never suffered such a loss before. She rubbed her wrists angrily and asked, "Do you dare tell me which department you work in? My father... will have a serious talk with you."

At this moment, the teacher who had been pretending to be a nice guy showed a troubled expression, as if to say, "You've offended this 'son of a powerful family,' and there's nothing I can do about it."

Lin Yue, who was very familiar with the hierarchical structure of Arakawa Academy, knew that although the rich second-generation's father in front of him was a senior manager, unfortunately—that was Arakawa Academy!
I'm from the counterintelligence department, what are you going to do about it?
Sheng Nan was surprised that the man didn't show any remorse as she had imagined. Instead, his tall figure slowly bent down, his hands resting on his knees. Although his handsome face was smiling, it gave off a cold feeling.

"Alright, counterintelligence department, NC01344... Do I need to say more?"

Sheng Nan's expression froze, and the two brats who had just tried to support her withdrew their heads.

The teacher next to him was stunned.

Suddenly, the apology function was "activated" again, and the person kept bowing.

Lin Yue reached out and patted Sheng Nan's face. "You need to watch your mouth, you know? I've suffered because I didn't watch my mouth, I hope you won't do the same."

After saying that, a smart robot at the front desk of Arasaka Tower slowly walked out.

“Mr. Rin, please take the elevator directly from the side door. You don’t need to wait here. Mr. Jenkins is waiting for you.”

The guy named Rin muttered something like "Sheng Nan is an idiot" in a low voice, then straightened up and followed the front desk robot.

David's head followed the man's movements until he watched him walk into the direct elevator, which was only open to visitors of Arasaka Tower.

……
-
【Katsuo Tanaka】: The son of Tanaka, a high-ranking member of the academy in the Edge Walkers, and the blue-haired boy who bullies David.

Thank you, Secret of the Wind, for the 1000 coins!

(End of this chapter)