Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

'Holy Sword' Luxury Executive-Type Hovercraft AI: [Received, route planned, en route to Night City Arasaka Tower Academy.]

hum…

The landing gear retracted, the hatch closed, and the blue exhaust flames beneath the four vector engines illuminated as the airship slowly ascended. The intelligent system inside the vehicle, following Vera's pre-set schedule, played the day's morning news.

"This is Night City News. We have an important report for you. Last night, a major firefight occurred in the old industrial area in the northern part of Watson District, Night City..."

Vera glanced at the news reporter's rigid report on the holographic projection screen, then shifted to a more comfortable sitting position, lazily sinking into the soft sofa back. While adjusting her state, she contacted her subordinates and reviewed documents on the built-in virtual grid.

"Have the bodyguards stand by at Arasaka Tower Academy. Yes."

"Information Department, this is Vera Adelhead. Yes, I have registered in advance. Please check again. This morning, I will be attending the freshman entrance ceremony at Arasaka Tower Academy."

Vera's daily routine is such that, unless it's a high-priority, high-urgency message, or an important matter or a message from a necessary contact that can wake her up anytime, anywhere, other routine administrative documents and life inquiries will be intercepted by the intelligent program of the operating system that Vera has set up.

We are senior executives, not ordinary soldiers.

There's no need to treat the company like home or be on call at all times.

It's not like we're on a field mission or during a company crisis. We can leave work when we're supposed to and deal with things when we're back at work. We work year-round, from 8 am to midnight, so that little bit of personal rest time is really not unreasonable.

"Hey, this is it?"

As Vera flipped through the documents, her search signals swept across the daily routine of reports until she caught a description of a message in her inbox, where she paused for a moment.

[News: Dead Man's Lottery]

Congratulations! You've guessed today's winning numbers for the "Dead Man's Lotto"! The lucky prize is €77777 and a Chevrolet Ragnaros 620! Take good care of it while you drive it!

--picture--

Vera's eyes flickered, and she switched the channel to Stanley's show, the 'famous talk show' from Night City: "...The Vortex Gang, I heard one of their leaders is dead. I think the Vortex Gang must have suffered a huge loss, but they have to swallow this insult. After all, it's Arasaka."

"Oh, so they weren't just trying to fool us with those garbage trucks... Knowing when to serve someone is a skill you absolutely need to master to survive in Night City."

Stanley the Loudmouth continued his babbling, and while Vera was still watching the screen, her thoughts had already wandered elsewhere.

Dead Man's Lotto is like this guy's show, which basically smears all the companies, even NCPD and Night City gangs. Why is he still alive and kicking here saying "Good morning, Night City"?

Because the show Stanley is on is also an asset of a large company, it's just a show supported by capital, a comedy show. Stanley is just an employee, and the money he earns from criticizing the big company ultimately goes to the big company.

Black and red are also red.

As far as Vera knows, Arasaka also owns shares and is one of the show's financial backers, receiving dividends every year.

After all, it's about making money. If you criticize the company, it won't lose anything. Besides, by 2074, will the company's reputation still need to be criticized?

Stanley was simply saying things that everyone knew were just channels for public venting. He couldn't possibly know, and dared not know, the truly critical and confidential matters, so he could say whatever he wanted about what was publicly available.

Making money, free publicity, providing an outlet for venting, diverting public attention... multiple benefits from one source. While the public is indulging in meaningless trolling in entertainment programs, social order is actually improving. Brilliant!

As for why Vera won, nobody knows exactly how many people died in Night City yesterday, but Vera was the one who did the dirty work and accounted for the majority of the deaths, so naturally Vera won.

Meanwhile, Vera is a high-ranking executive in Arasaka Security Department, so it's definitely not feasible to fool her as a lucky street urchin. Dead Man's Lottery: the people who drive this car are the kind who get beaten to death in a moment of happiness! The regular prizes are naturally those old cars that have been repaired and whose owners were killed.

For the company employees who won the prize, the approach is different.

First, a new car. To cater to their tastes, give them an SUV that even office workers would love. If you don't want it to be too shabby, add a small cash bonus, not too much, not too little, and make sure the amount is auspicious. That's perfect.

Vera indicated that she had read and gave a perfunctory thank you, then closed the message box related to the dead man's lottery.

She felt perfectly justified in giving her the things.

Night City has its own set of rules for operating.

Last night, after teaching the Whirlpool Gang a lesson and cleaning up the battlefield, and retrieving the intelligence department's goods, Arasaka definitely wasn't interested in the other 'trash,' but he certainly was interested in Dead Man's Lottery.

Whether it's cleaning up the mess again to find the leftovers, salvaging and repairing cars, dismantling parts and piecing them together to give away as lottery prizes, the popularity of the event will boost lottery sales and show ratings, making money is always possible.

Oh, behind them, there must be individual scavengers, kidney cutters, and other groups repeatedly plundering and squeezing them dry.

Only after this will the aftershocks of Vera's tactical suppression of the Vortex Gang dissipate, and it will be seen as another powerful demonstration of Arasaka's authority.

"I even got an award, that's great."

Vera turned off the built-in virtual mesh view, reclined the chair, took a glass of orange juice from the car's refrigerator, and drank it all in one gulp.

It's not the kind of liquid made from artificial coloring and syrup sold in stores; it's genuine and fresh. Every day, someone cleans and changes the bottles at Arasaka Tower. Vera simply swipes her card, places an order, and confirms the desired service level.

Ding dong.

In-vehicle AI: [Approaching Arakazama Tower Academy.]

Vera's indigo eyes pierced through the dark glass that prevented peeping. The red and blue flying fish projections in the company square came into view. The Aragaka Tower, the Military Science Building, and the Kangtao Building stood side by side, clearly distinct yet like towering steel walls, coldly overlooking everything that had passed.

......

Arakasaka Tower Academy.

hum...bum...

The hovercar glided through the gaps between the buildings, but instead of going straight into the helipad inside Arasaka Tower, it headed towards the auxiliary buildings of Arasaka Tower near the municipal center. After passing a ring of low-rise buildings with green open space, the hovercar hovered over a fairly densely populated open space.

Under the guidance of the control room staff, the laser device at the bottom of the hovercraft was activated, outlining a halo around the safety edge of the open ground. The support frame then extended and slowly descended.

squeak.

As the hatch opened and Vera stepped down the suspension stairs, a short, stout, middle-aged man wearing large brown-rimmed square glasses and a school uniform immediately came to greet her.

"Director Russell, welcome back to Arasaka Tower Academy."

------

P.S.: The next chapter will be around 8 PM.

Chapter 017 Arasaka Tower Academy

"Hello, Manager Russell, this is Marcus."

"Manager Russell, this is Sugihara."

“I am Hoyle.”

……

After a series of ordinary self-introductions, and the same formulaic greetings and pleasantries as all the other guests, Vera was welcomed inside by the higher-ups of Arasaka Academy.

"director."

Following Vera's orders, the bodyguard team that had been waiting at the academy arrived at this time.

“Bryan, Laurie.”

Vera, using her familiar black and white bodyguards, 'Black Fiend' Brian and 'White Fiend' Laurie, along with the additional bodyguards Vera had been promoted to, automatically took over the defense of the surrounding area.

While Vera may not necessarily need their protection, and combat strength aside, this is an academy run by Arasaka, not a community college that just anyone can enter, they are still useful. Sometimes, a show of force can indeed provide an extra advantage.

Surrounded by bodyguards, Vera, who even seemed to occupy the center position, stepped into this so-called 'alma mater' again after more than a year.

Full name: Night City Arasaka Tower Academy.

Just as Arasaka Tower is not unique to Night City, Arasaka Tower Academy is not unique to Night City either.

The Arasaka Corporation's branch headquarters around the world are almost all similar, but only the North American headquarters in Night City, the European headquarters in Paris, and the Tokyo headquarters can be called Arasaka Tower.

Other branches are often referred to as "buildings".

Some branches have affiliated Arasaka Academy for the children of company employees to attend school, while others do not. Branches with "Tower" in their name are ranked one level higher than other branches.

Da da--

Stepping inside, the vast green areas covered with ornamental natural plants undoubtedly showcase Arasaka's strength; many Night City residents probably have never seen so much natural greenery in their entire lives.

If you were to ask Vera how she feels right now...

Reminiscing? Yearning?

Pooh!

Vera wasn't interested.

Back when she was at Arasaka Tower Academy, she had just lost her parents and was working incredibly hard to improve herself so she could quickly get into Arasaka and inherit her parents' 'legacy'. She didn't have time to feel sentimental or appreciate the school atmosphere.

Furthermore, there's the school atmosphere and teaching environment in 2074.

Hehehe...

Classes rely on AI, teaching relies on Mewtwo, and many courses are simply loaded onto chips or transmitted via data cables.

There's no such thing as teacher-student or classmate friendship... Well, you can't be so absolute, there might be, but Vera just didn't see it.

That ancient, real-to-real teaching model is extremely rare in the cyberpunk world of 2074. Only a handful of world-class universities, such as the University of Tokyo, Humboldt University of Berlin, Sorbonne University in Paris, Moscow State University, and the University of California, Berkeley in the new America, have the capability to promote it.

The tuition fee... there's no way a poor guy like me could get in.

Even a second-tier school like Arasaka Tower Academy is not affordable for ordinary citizens unless parents have stable, high-paying jobs in companies to support it.

Thinking you can get a job at a big company right after graduation, working in Arasaka Tower? Naive!

Social classes are clearly defined, and even more so within the academy!

In today's world, preschool and age-appropriate education, such as kindergartens, primary schools, and even secondary schools, are completely irrelevant to the lower classes. Community colleges, which are a mixed bag, may be the only place where most people can access some knowledge, and even then, valuable knowledge is scarce.

Trying to learn online is a dead end.

The internet was blown up by that idiot who calls himself the "God of Hackers." Now it's all company LAN, and no one is qualified to get in. Want to try your luck on the old network? Whether you can get past the internet censorship "black wall" is another matter. Even if you do get in, there's a high probability that the rampaging AI will drive you crazy and burn your brain.

Even if they are lucky enough to get into a regular college thanks to their parents' open-mindedness and hard work, many will feel the disparity in the world in their first year. Those with a foundation will have already taken the exams and skipped grades, while those without a foundation will continue to make up for it. After the exams, they will be streamed, and those who don't have enough money will transfer to a comprehensive college.

What does "comprehensive" mean?

High emotional intelligence, teaching and nurturing students' all-round development, the academy has strong teaching capabilities and teaches everything.

Low emotional intelligence, lacking any real talent, nominally well-rounded but actually just average.