Chapter 159

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Today is an important day for the recent graduates of the Arasaka Academy. The auditorium is already filled to the brim with Arasaka students, even before the commencement of the assembly. They have completed a three-month corporate internship and submitted their internship reports to the academy. Today, their practical outcomes will be unveiled, and with their graded reports, they can start applying for jobs and sending out resumes to various companies.

Many students are excitedly discussing their internship experiences and inquiring about each other's time with their companies. One of them lamented, "I'm afraid I didn't score well on this practice report. I feel like I didn't accomplish much over the three months." Another comforted, "Stop kidding around, you interned at Ye Corporation and even participated in the construction at the site. Who could top the quality of your experience?"

"I'm the real unfortunate one, I didn't intern at a big company or work on any major projects. I heard Mr. Tang, the judging instructor, is very strict. Several students' parents tried to talk to him and were all rejected," a student shared.

Another chimed in, "Absolutely, the score affects our job prospects after graduation too much. My mom even relied on Arasaka's upper echelon connections to visit Mr. Tang's office, but was outright refused. We really have to leave it to fate this time."

Amid the concern and frowns, someone curiously asked their classmate, David, "Which company did you intern with?"

David's heart skipped a beat, unsure of how to respond to the curiosity of his classmates. He didn't relish the attention and would rather be ignored. Yet once the internship grades were announced, there would be no hiding where he interned.

David glanced at the stage with two empty seats reserved for the judging instructors and the academy president. Mr. Tang hadn't arrived yet. Hesitating, David softly said, "I interned at Arasaka."

Arasaka internship? Hearing this, several students' eyes widened in disbelief, looking at David as if he had revealed some earth-shattering secret. "Is that true? David, you interned at Arasaka?"

"That's incredible! How did you manage that? David, you're full of surprises."

"Wow, I misjudged you for the past two years; I had no clue you had such connections."

"Right, Tanaka Katsuo got in because his father is a high-level executive at Arasaka. What about you?"

The astonishment and exaggerated expressions of his classmates quickly turned heads and drew attention. The news of David's three-month internship at Arasaka spread rapidly.

Seeing his classmates whispering and glancing at him, David couldn't help but feel awkward and smile wryly, having foreseen their reaction.

While he sat among them straightforwardly, his classmates whispered and theorized about him. Some looked surprised, others envious, but many were skeptical and jealous – the glances aimed his way were not kind.

David knew they were fixated on how an unremarkable, poor boy suddenly secured an internship at Arasaka. The hidden story was like fresh blood enticing sharks.

David hadn't mentioned the department he interned for or Mr. Tang's referral, preferring not to amplify the matter. He, too, was eager for the graded reports, having diligently interned at the Counter-Intelligence department for three months.

As long as he performed well, his chances of being hired at Arasaka would increase significantly.

Minutes later, Tanaka Katsuo sat in the front row, quietly awaiting the commencement of the assembly. Learning from past missteps, he behaved with restraint and didn't interact much with his peers.

Suddenly, news of David's internship at Arasaka reached Tanaka's companions. They approached him, shocked, "Have you heard? That guy David interned at Arasaka! How could someone like him get into Arasaka? What a joke!"

"Yeah, could that poor kid from a single-parent family possibly have connections at Arasaka? Could it be his mother..."

"Shut it!" Tanaka Katsuo silenced them, not wanting their careless words to reflect poorly on him. He knew David had gotten the Arasaka placement through Mr. Tang, an influential figure.

Discussing David meant discussing Mr. Tang, the mistake that had previously earned Tanaka a slap.

Tanaka's father had informed him that David was saved from an accident by Tang Yu, a senior executive at Arasaka. Tanaka harbored no illusions about his own report grade – with his position and connections, securing a job was a foregone conclusion.

As he pondered this, high-level executives and board members escorted Mr. Tang into the assembly, illustrating the significance of this Arasaka Academy meeting, with Tanaka's father present among them.

Catching sight of his father alongside Mr. Tang on stage, Tanaka realized his father was supporting Mr. Tang, a bitter pill to swallow given Mr. Tang's apparent higher status.

The presence of so many distinguished figures from Arasaka Company and Academy silenced the students as Mr. Tang took his seat. The overwhelming feeling of authority commanded every student's utmost respect.

The president of the academy commenced the meeting by announcing the internship report grades, emphasizing the prestige of the academy and the importance of maintaining a high post-graduation hiring rate.

As the meeting drew to a close with instructions for the upcoming graduation ceremony, Mr. Tang left the assembly with the distinguished company to visit Saburo Arasaka's office, curious about the relaunched Cyberspace project and why Kate had kept it so secretive.

Saburo Arasaka granted him office access privileges, a convenience not possessed by anyone in the whole Arasaka Tower.

Instead of returning to his department, Tang Yu took the public elevator, using his authority to send it directly to the top floor.

The elevator arrived quickly.

Tang Yu stepped out, passed through two alloyed steel gates, and reached the door to the office. Beyond it lay the exclusive aerocar parking garage for the Arasaka Family.

This wasn't his first visit. The last time he arrived at Arasaka Tower in Saburo Arasaka's personal aerocar, he had passed these very doors.

After passing the identity security scan, the gates slid open automatically, revealing the entire office layout.

Walking through the gates felt like returning to the Arasaka mansion.

The office was built like a three-story loft, featuring a classic sakura-styled wooden structure, verandas, and eaves exuding an ancient charm.

In the center of the loft's grand hall hung the Arasaka family crest on a red backing, with rock gardens and greenery dotted around.

Saburo Arasaka's office was on the third floor. Tang Yu walked straight into the hall and ascended the wooden steps.

He entered Saburo Arasaka's office unhindered.

Tang Yu stood before a massive layered marble desk, taking in the view of the office.

It's noteworthy that since the Night City Arasaka Tower was rebuilt, Saburo Arasaka had not visited once.

This meant Tang Yu was the first person to set foot in this office.

Saburo Arasaka's office, as the tower's core secret area, had access to investigate the entire Arasaka Tower. Whoever sat here could exercise part of Saburo Arasaka's authority.

After surveying the office, Tang Yu directly sat in the leather chair at the working station and started up the smart office system.

Tapping lightly on the desk, a holographic projection appeared above it. Logging into the Arasaka system from Saburo Arasaka's office revealed much, even allowing viewing inside the Mikoshi.

However, Tang Yu knew that every action in this office was covertly recorded, so he refrained from looking through information recklessly and instead pulled up content related to the Cyberspace Project.

The holographic projection shifted, showing the relevant content.

Tang Yu briefly browsed through it but didn't find anything of particular interest.

It was merely about Arasaka Corporation deploying a large number of netrunners to breach into Cyberspace beyond the Blackwall, in search of useful data from the old net.

The old net was filled with nearly all of humanity's collective wisdom, with informational elements as broad and valuable as an infinite ore mine.

Technology, weapons, information, techniques, and even images and music could all be traced from beyond the Blackwall.

Every major corporation had invested vast human, material, and financial resources to explore the old net, all vying for those long-buried treasures.

However, the old net beyond the Blackwall was riddled with lethal dangers: malicious programs, assault software, and viruses sprawled throughout. Netrunners, if not cautious, could suffer anonymous assaults.

The lucky ones might retreat in time, sustaining neural damage ending up as brain-dead or utterly insane.

The less fortunate ones would have their brains fried, producing smoke from all orifices, dead beyond doubt.

Not to mention the rogue AIs beyond the Blackwall, who were natural predators to the netrunners.

Tang Yu continued browsing the project content, suddenly noticing some developments in the R&D department.

Kerry used counterintelligence agents to capture netrunners, who, contrary to agreement, were handed over to R&D instead of network supervision.

R&D then used these netrunners for deep dives, to extract information from the Cyberspace's old net.

Tang Yu clicked to view the excavation content, which encompassed the development of high-end combat implants and weapons, including advanced weaponry intended for Adam Smasher.

All these combat implants were in the development phase. It was evident that Tanaka had no shortage of projects, accounting for the large number of netrunners they captured.

Suddenly, one of the projects caught Tang Yu's attention.

"Mass-produced high-end cyberlimb development project"

Clicking to view the content:

"Cyberlimb Oni" (Completed)

"Cyberlimb Vajra" (Testing)

...

"Cyberlimb Raijin" (Core)

Seeing 'Cyberlimb Oni' among the projects, Tang Yu immediately recalled that decades ago, when Adam Smasher was only partly cyberized, he was outfitted with the 'Oni' exoskeleton.

Perhaps due to the nuclear blast at the Night City Arasaka Tower and the resultant net crash, some 'Oni' data was lost, necessitating its inclusion in the R&D projects.

The reproduction study of 'Cyberlimb Oni' was already completed. As it was Arasaka-developed equipment, re-development was not too complex.

However, the issue was that only Adam Smasher had successfully utilized 'Cyberlimb Oni.' Whether others could don it and withstand it remained unknown.

Listed in the mass-produced high-end cyberlimb development project, it was clear that Arasaka's intent was to create thousands of Adam Smashers.

Yet, the reality was that not everyone possessed the innate talent of Adam Smasher.

Tang Yu then perused 'Cyberlimb Vajra' and 'Cyberlimb Raijin.'

'Cyberlimb Vajra' had been successfully developed and was now in the testing phase. It seemed to be an upgraded and more powerful version of Oni, but with lower user requirements.

The difficulty didn't lie in mass development but rather in the lack of suitable candidates.

V, for one, was Tang Yu's top candidate who could match Adam Smasher in physical capabilities.

He then reviewed 'Cyberlimb Raijin' and found it was the only core project among many.

From the blueprints, specs, and models, this cyberlimb was designed to be more sophisticated and powerful, appearing to be an exoskeletal suit.

From all perspectives, 'Cyberlimb Raijin' seemed more suited for mass application.

However, the real challenge lay in its intricately designed structure and powerful comprehensive functions, which demanded extremely high brain and body fitness from the user.

Wearing it even once would leave anyone with the sensation of being cooked from the inside out.

For Tang Yu at the moment, these intelligence reports were of temporary irrelevance.

He reopened the list of hackers that Arasaka had caught, carefully comparing it to the one Kerry had given him, ensuring there were no discrepancies or deception.

An anomaly often indicated something amiss.

The more straightforward Kerry seemed, the more likely she was hiding something.

Tang Yu suddenly noticed another database within the R&D department, a list of Arasaka's in-house netrunners.

Unlike the external hackers they captured, these netrunners were trained by Arasaka, with both their hacking skills and loyalty being exceptionally high.

Clicking to review:

"Smear" (Deceased)

"Melan" (Deceased)

"Tuck" (At large)

...

"Chock" (Deceased)

A quick glance showed that most listed netrunners were dead, some at large, and a few still worked for Arasaka.

This spotlighted just how perilous the old net beyond the Cyberwall really was, with survival chances slim.

Tang Yu saw that there was an additional list cataloged within the directory of netrunners currently at large and active in Night City.

And the hackers captured by Night City Arasaka Tower's counterintelligence were all based on this list.

He clicked in and saw an unexpected name and face:

"Lucy" (At large)

Was she also an Arasaka defector?

Tang Yu fell into thought, recalling various interactions with Lucy.

Their first meeting was on the subway, where she was stealing chips from an Arasaka employee and even targeted him.

So, her reason for stealing chips was to monitor Arasaka's moves, perhaps to find some clues about her file.

Or it could be just simple revenge against Arasaka Corporation, although this seemed less likely.

Tang Yu remembered the silver-haired girl showing deep wariness at the mention of Arasaka, akin to when she learned of his identity and called it "extremely dangerous."

Tang Yu focused on the holographic projection about Lucy's file, pondering the many questions this situation raised.

Lucy's recent withdrawal from the Maine team and her absence from night runs were likely due to her detecting Arasaka operatives investigating her.

So she chose to hide to avoid capture by Arasaka, protecting the safety of those close to her.

It was then he recalled their conversation one evening, where she described the city as hell, wishing to escape it.

To her, anywhere Arasaka was, constituted hell.

Her choice to stay hidden in Night City could be because Arasaka's influence wasn't overwhelmingly strong here yet, still offering her some refuge.

But now, with Arasaka reinitiating the Cyberspace Project and Lucy back on the apprehension list, escaping might not be so easy this time.

How did Arasaka find Lucy?

Based on her character, she ought to be quite cautious, and with years passed, her appearance and biological traits had changed, yet Arasaka was still on her trail – a bit too coincidental.

Tang Yu searched further but found no leads.

After pondering for a moment.

He suddenly thought of Arasaka's office system, so he entered the counterintelligence department's information network to review Arasaka's personal database.

Sure enough.

A video was presented before him.

Seeing this scene.

A chill ran through Tang Yu's eyes.

The video's main content was the subway incident where Lucy stole the Arasaka employee's chip, with every action caught on camera, including her theft of Tang Yu's portable communicator.

Tang Yu watched the video coldly, noting every detail of the incident.

He had been commuting via subway to work when the silver-haired girl successfully stole several Arasaka employee chips before setting her sights on him.

Next, she attempted the theft, got caught, and was nearly apprehended by subway security and passengers, but eventually, Tang Yu let the silver-haired girl go.

The video ended there.

Based on this footage, it was simple to deduce certain things, especially with ulterior motives at play.

He looked into the video's storage status and transmission records, which had been encrypted by Kate.

Probably even Kate didn't expect 'Saburo Arasaka' to review her personal database.

Tang Yu tapped his index finger on the desk, considering how to handle this video.

Deleting it would alert Kate and possibly even draw Saburo Arasaka's attention, thereby endangering Lucy further.

Kate likely intended to use the footage as leverage against him, perhaps waiting now to ensnare Lucy and dig up information related to him.

The truth, however, was Lucy didn't know much.

If caught by Kate and sent to R&D, not to mention extracting information about Tang Yu, just continuing to mine in the old net would equate to a death sentence.

Being associated with Tang Yu meant she was inevitably entangled in these troubles.

For Lucy to extricate herself from this whirlwind, running was futile; her real way out was only through Tang Yu.

As Tang Yu was contemplating his next move, a message arrived.

Clicking to view:

Lucy: "Are you free tonight?"

Tang Yu: "Meet at the No. 4 pier in the bay, I'll give you a ride."

Lucy: "Hmm... Thank you."