Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

"..."

Without dwelling on the topic, Vera skipped ahead and said, "Have Jimmy (captain of Special Assault Team 6, Vera's adjutant assistant) prepare a press conference. The news of my temporary departure can be announced now."

"Yes!"×2

Vera raised her glass again and drank it all in one gulp, letting the melting sensation flow down her throat, before looking out the car window.

Tonight, we'll retrieve the original virus sample and the 'Solar Ladder' flowers that lost their corresponding characteristics after being brought back to the Americas.

As for the 'Stairway to the Sun' flower, which grows in the underground ruins of the Dubai tribe and possesses primordial characteristics... there will be a chance, won't the other 'me' take over and reorganize Umbrella?

The African Studies Center located in Dubai, West Africa, should not be overlooked.

......

Night falls in the city of night, where light and darkness meet.

Thump thump…

With his face bandaged and carrying a small bag of liniment and tonics, David Martinez strode briskly into the tram, humming a little tune. He couldn't wait to go home and tell his mother about his conversation with the great Arasaka and the encouragement he had received.

He looked down at the small bag he was carrying.

Haha, this is the first time, oh, the second time. Besides the excellent scholarship delivered to his door this morning, this is the second time he's taken something from Arasaka Academy for free.

Thinking this, David couldn't help but stand on tiptoe and shake his leg.

He usually only sees these supplements on billboards, television, and shopping platforms, and their exorbitant prices are simply beyond his reach.

"I should be able to sell it on a second-hand website for some money. It's a health supplement, and it can also help my mom recover and feel better..." David thought to himself.

He doesn't intend to use it himself.

If being beaten has this benefit, he wouldn't even mind being beaten... No, David, that blond guy insulted your mother, you have to have some backbone!

Slap, slap, he patted his face, using the slight pain to wake himself up. David looked up, saw the screen showed there was still a distance to go, and decided to listen to some music first. Just as he was about to take out his headphones, "Hmm?"

David squinted. On the tram window, hiss... Just now, it seemed like a glowing white shadow flashed by.

He looked left and right, but didn't see it.

The tram was still as dirty and chaotic as ever, and in a corner, someone was even engaging in some kind of horrific activity...

Well, I should first think about how to explain the scrapes and bruises on my face to my mom.

...

"Arasaka."

At the other end of the tram connection, a white-haired woman with eyeshadow, wearing a white off-shoulder jacket and a black cropped bodysuit underneath, looked down at the communication chip in her hand.

"Tch, still just a reserve small company dog."

She spat lightly, a look of disgust on her face.

That smug, punk-haired kid in the black and red uniform of Arasaka Academy...

She glanced at him as he got off the train at Santo Domingo station. He seemed to have arrived at his stop and was about to make a phone call when he realized his communication chip was missing. He was now frantically searching for it in the slot behind his ear with a look of horror on his face.

"This is the first lesson for those arrogant, self-important employees of a small company in Arasaka."

wow——

The tram continued moving, leaving the boy on the platform covering his head and wailing.

"Ugh, damn it! How could I be so unlucky? My communication chip got stolen!!"

The white-haired woman continued to wander on the train, searching for a suitable Arasaka Corporation dog.

Until, ring ring.

beep.

The woman's pale purple pupils flashed with orange-red data light.

"Hello, this is Lucy."

"Lucy, are you doing this kind of low-skill thing on the train again? And only targeting Arasaka, no less. Be careful you don't run into a tough nut one day and get targeted by Arasaka's counterintelligence department."

"The strictness of Arasaka is among the best even in large corporations. How could a high-ranking and powerful elite possibly take the train?"

The fringe punk girl named Lucy stopped what she was doing. "Qiwei, what is it?" She didn't answer the other person's question. Her attitude was obvious: I heard you, I will be cautious, but I won't change!

"Hmph, it's good that you know your limits. You did a good job as the middleman last time. Mann wants to see you for a party."

"Huh? Another campfire party. How many times this month is this?"

"You'll need to get used to it, Lucy. For people like us, to put it nicely, we're free; to put it bluntly, we're always looking for our next meal. It wouldn't be surprising if we got our heads blown off during a mission, our brains burned by a hacker, or died a gruesome death in the street. As Arasaka or Kanto put it... 'Live for today, for tomorrow we may die.' Same place, we'll be waiting for you."

beep.

The other party hung up the call.

"..." Silence fell. The woman named Lucy clenched her fists. Through the train window, the tram was moving between the skyscrapers, and the bright, silvery full moon was clearly visible in the sky.

“So, I will escape from here.” She seemed to be talking to the moon, muttering to herself.

Twenty minutes later, the tram arrived at the station.

Lucy, wearing black knee-high boots, walked down the old, dusty, and dirty steps, winding her way through the slums to an outdoor bar converted from an abandoned parking lot and motel.

Bonfires, barbecues, beer, sex dolls, poker, rock and heavy metal music, street singers, striptease performances emanating from cheap cameras, shirtless fringe dancers, vulgar and irritable mercenaries…

A completely different real world compared to the municipal center, corporate square, Westbrook's corporate community, and affluent neighborhoods.

Smelling the strange smell of alcohol mixed with the grease from grilling synthetic meat in the air, Lucy entered the venue and quickly identified her partner, the one she had been working with for the past six months.

Mann, a muscular, brown-skinned, blonde man with sunglasses; Dorio, a burly blonde woman who sits and kisses the big guy; Pila, slender and equipped with exaggeratedly long arms and large prosthetic hands; and Rebecca, a twin-tailed loli with red tattoos all over her body.

And there was a tall woman, wearing a red robe with a DNA pattern and a red iron mask with a cigarette stuck in the vent of the mask, who was talking to the driver, Falco. When she saw Lucy, she waved to her.

"Hey, Lucy."

"Qiwei".

Qiwei picked up the beer on the table and tossed it aside, saying in a cold tone, "I really don't know why you like doing that kind of thing."

There was no response. Lucy caught the beer, slurped it down, opened the cap, plopped down next to Qiwei, and gulped it down, slapping away the long, groping hand that reached out to her.

"Waaah! Bro, you got rejected again!" came the mocking voice of the little girl Rebecca.

"So, Mann, you've been assigned another middleman mission?" Lucy asked, looking at the team leader.

"No, I refused this time."

Wiping the blood from his nose, which had been spurted out by Dorio for being too rough, Mann shook his head, grabbed the beer that looked like a vial of oral liquid from his hand, gulped it down, and burped. He then slightly lowered his sunglasses.

"The company's work pays well, but you need to be alive to spend it. He actually asked us to inquire about one of the big shots in the security department of Arasaka Yoru City, named something like Villa Russell, who is in charge of military affairs. He said that whatever intelligence we find, we'll get, and it'll be converted into cash based on its value. What the hell, he's treating us like idiots."

"The backstabbing and intrigue within large corporations are either related to military technology or other companies. By casting a wide net, there will always be those who will take the risk."

Qiwei exhaled a smoke ring and continued, "The more generous and lenient the conditions, the more impossible it is. We will really die, we will all be wiped out, so it's better to refuse and not be greedy."

She stopped drinking beer, and when Lucy heard the news about Arasaka, her eyes visibly dimmed.

Qiwei glanced at it.

"Mann, what job did you take on? And why did you specifically call Lucy in..."

"Hehe, so I switched to an easier job, but it has to rely on you and Lucy. It's a job for cyber hackers. The middleman wants us to investigate a murder case that the NCPD isn't handling. It seems to be gang-related, mainly because there are no leads. After we find out the evidence, we'll give it to him and then kill the guy who committed the murder."

Mann leaned forward, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "It's tedious, but it'll cost a lot of euros."

"And you?" Qiwei asked Lucy.

"If you have money, why not?" Lucy shrugged, her attitude towards Arasaka was complicated. She wanted revenge, but she only dared to do petty theft like stealing chips from trains. Facing Arasaka, a big shot, though she didn't want to admit it, she just didn't dare. She was afraid…

"Wuhu! So, tonight, let's party all night long!"

Mann waved his hand, signaling the shop owner to quickly bring out several dozen beers and the finest quality synthetic meat skewers.

No sleep for one night.

As dawn broke, Lucy rubbed her throbbing temples and got up from the tattered sofa, only to see Mann, Pila, and the other guys still drinking with boundless energy.

The era of prosthetic bodies is truly different. We can stay up all night, eat and drink excessively without worrying about harming our health. When we're tired or exhausted, a shot of stimulant will get us back in top form.

Turning her head again, she saw Qiwei remotely turn on the TV on the wall of the open-air bar.

"Welcome to News Channel 54, bringing you the latest local news."

"Ms. Vera Adelheid Russell, head of the Special Assault Unit of the Arasaka Night City Security Department and Chief of the Security Bureau, will be temporarily leaving her post to pursue further studies at the Arasaka headquarters in Tokyo. Let us thank Ms. Russell for her achievements and efforts in maintaining the security and stability of Night City over the years."

The host's formulaic language elicited a few sarcastic laughs from Lucy.

"You're still reading this? It's all nonsense and hypocritical lies?"

"It's always good to take a look."

The host switched the camera angle, saying, "The following is a live interview conducted by our reporter, Yu Aragakata."

The camera turned.

A tall, dark-toned dome, with the Arasaka Clover logo nestled in a massive block of black marble.

On the podium, a tall, beautiful woman with light blonde hair was speaking.

"...My service in Night City was an honor...I will temporarily step down on February 17, 2075. This is only a temporary separation. I believe that the cooperation between the NCPD officers and Arasaka's law enforcement will continue, and will better ensure the safety of our citizens' lives and property..."

Lucy's eyes widened. She ignored the rambling nonsense above, but this woman... she felt like she'd seen her somewhere before.

Qiwei observed her expression thoughtfully.

"Interesting... It seems you weren't telling the truth. Your connection with Arasaka...?"

......

2075/2/18