The year is 2074.
In Night City, the freest city in North America, a well-built man slowly rose from his bed in a luxury apartment in Charter Hill.
Beep—beep—
After pressing the snooze button on his alarm, Rain neatly donned his Arasaka uniform.
Once he confirmed that his appearance was impeccable, he rubbed his shoulders and stepped out the door.
“Boss.”
“Mm.
Let’s go to the office.
If there’s anything that needs handling today, report it to me now.”
Rain nodded to the two burly Caucasian bodyguards beside him and spoke.
“Mainly some action reports from the subordinates that need approval and signatures.
We need you to handle those, Boss.”
“Understood.
But you guys probably only care about the performance bonuses mentioned in them, right?”
Rain spoke after nodding in acknowledgment.
“Hehe, you have a sharp eye, Boss.
Truly a sharp eye.”
Canris gave Rain a sheepish grin and didn’t deny it.
After all, it was the truth…
In the Special Operations Department, their action reports were key indicators for bonus evaluations…
If something went wrong, not only would they not get a cent, but they might even be fined…
Soon after, Rain, Canris, and Brandt boarded the “Excalibur” parked on the helipad—the same vehicle that Corpo V uses at the start of the game, which belonged to Jenkins.
However, Rain’s vehicle was modified.
In addition to the standard features, Rain had added extra drone and robot protection, as well as several additional vehicle-mounted machine guns to deal with any potential emergencies.
Of course…
such situations were rare.
After all, no one was bored enough to attack a core member of the Arasaka Corporation in the territory of Night City, let alone attack an AV (Aerovehicle).
An AV was not just expensive; it was a symbol of status.
AVs were vehicles strictly controlled by corporations and the government.
Without the corresponding status, it was almost impossible to own one.
Or rather…
even if you owned an AV, you wouldn’t have the legal right to use it.
Otherwise, you’d be a complete unregistered user, and the vehicle would be seized while you’d be put on a wanted list.
This wasn’t something you could just “borrow” from a passerby on the street.
“By the way, Boss, are you getting a promotion soon?”
Suddenly, Brandt turned to Rain and asked after confirming the AV’s flight path.
“Yeah, the higher-ups have already made the arrangements.
I expect the appointment letter will be issued before long.”
Rain nodded to Brandt upon hearing this.
He had been in this world for over twenty years.
That’s right, he wasn’t an original inhabitant, yet he was—he had been reincarnated directly into this world rather than possessing someone’s body…
Compared to others in this world, he had a fairly wealthy and happy childhood because both of his parents were high-level executives within Arasaka.
His father was the Director of the Special Operations Department under the Security Department, and his mother was the Manager of both the Cyber Security and R&D Departments.
She was a dual-talented professional who was only one opportunity away from being promoted to Director of either department.
However, things didn’t go as planned.
A major event occurred in 2070: Arasaka returned to Night City and fought a major war against the local NUSA, or rather, Militech.
After the war, Arasaka reclaimed its status as the hegemon of Night City.
At the same time, Night City gained a representative for the Dogtown faction named Kurt Hansen, while a significant number of Militech people were kicked out.
And Rain’s parents…
left their lives here forever.
Perhaps in many people’s eyes, corporations treat everyone like meat for the grinder.
In reality, that’s not entirely true for long-term core and key personnel.
As a massive enterprise that started in Tokyo…
They actually cared quite a bit about the concept of “vassals.” The concept of a “lifetime enterprise” was also something Arasaka promoted.
Since Rain’s parents were people who had dedicated their lives to Arasaka and made great contributions, Arasaka didn’t mind showing some goodwill.
Thus, Rain grew up under Arasaka’s protection.
Of course, he had to pay a price for this.
Before he officially entered Arasaka Corporation, during his time studying at the Arasaka Academy, he had to hand over all his assets to the corporation for management.
The company would take a fifty percent cut of the profits generated by those assets.
Another thirty percent went to the asset managers, leaving the final twenty percent for Rain.
In a sense, Rain found this arrangement acceptable.
At least…
his life and safety were guaranteed, and he wouldn’t be dragged off and scrapped by some Scavengers popping out from a random street corner.
[Arasaka Tower has been reached.
Please be careful!]
Upon hearing the vehicle AI’s voice, the AV quickly came to a steady stop.
The three of them then disembarked one after another.
“I’m going to the office to handle some things first.
Canris, go help me check my emails.
Brandt, go to the Public Relations Department to explain the cleanup for last night’s operation.
As for the rest…
we’ll talk later.”
After saying that, Rain walked toward his office without looking back.
From birth until now, he had spent many years at Arasaka Corporation and was quite familiar with the workflow.
As for his current position…
he had already risen to the rank of Manager in the Special Operations Department under the Security Department.
The promotion Canris mentioned was the position of Department Head, which his backers were maneuvering to get for him.
Stepping into this position meant officially entering the ranks of Arasaka’s high-level management, allowing him to have a hand in higher-level arrangements and come into contact with figures who were previously completely out of reach.
Of course…
given Rain’s background, he had already interacted with some of them, such as the current Director of the Special Operations Department and executives from other departments.
These people had all shown a certain degree of goodwill toward Rain.
The most enthusiastic among them were the Hawks, the faction represented by Yorinobu Arasaka.
The Doves and the Pheasants, on the other hand, didn’t show much enthusiasm for Rain’s existence.
After all, the Doves leaned toward moderation and were friendly with the NUSA, while the Pheasants…
didn’t involve themselves in these factional struggles at all, acting as a complete centrist faction.
This was because they were only loyal to the emperor at the very top of Arasaka: Saburo Arasaka.
Faced with the Hawks’ attempts to recruit him, Rain hadn’t shown much inclination, giving the answer that he was still considering it.
The Hawks didn’t say much about this.
Clearly, they were willing to give Rain more time to choose—partly, of course, because his rank wasn’t high enough yet.
But…
once he rose to the position of Department Head, these matters would likely come knocking one after another.
As for why he could rise so quickly…
besides his ability, background, and bloodline, a large part of it was thanks to his system—the Cyberpunk System.
Though, of course, it was mostly due to his sweat and hard work!