This system had been a great help to him.
At its core, it was very similar to the Cyberpunk 2077 game he had played, but with many differences.
The attributes remained the same few categories: body, reflexes, Tech, cool, and intelligence.
However, on top of that, there were perks and a special achievement system he hadn’t seen in the game.
Additionally, there was a blueprint gambling function; by spending a certain amount of money and points, he could exchange them for blueprints through the system.
Money was easy enough to handle.
As for points…
there were two ways to get them: killing people or completing missions.
Neither was too hard, but they weren’t exactly easy either.
He couldn’t just run out into the streets or wander around slaughtering people to farm points without a care in the world…
Not only would he likely be branded as having cyberpsychosis, but Arasaka would also most likely dispose of him.
Regarding missions…
the main issue was that there were far too few of them.
In all these years, he had only completed about thirty, and he hadn’t quite figured out the triggers for them yet.
However, one thing the system provided was a massive help: the Newbie Gift Pack.
[You possess a powerful physique beyond that of ordinary men.
Your mind is incredibly clear and knows exactly what you want to do.
You possess a flash of inspiration for scientific research.]
These were the three basic abilities the system gave him.
It was thanks to these three that he was able to establish a foothold within Arasaka Corporation in just a few short years and gain a certain level of power.
If converted into attribute points, it was body +5, intelligence +5, and Tech +5.
However, beyond the obvious meaning of the attribute points, there seemed to be some other hidden effects.
As for how to obtain attribute points, one way was to exchange points for them, and the other was to complete special achievements.
The same applied to perks.
However, the exchange rate was a bit too expensive: ten thousand points for one attribute point or one perk point, while personally killing someone only yielded between 1 and 5 points…
So far, the highest points he had obtained from a kill was 35 points, from a Militech lone wolf.
[You have a new internal message.
Please check it!]
At that moment, a notification appeared on the internal communication network computer in Rain’s office.
Although he hadn’t seen the content yet, Rain had already roughly guessed what it was.
After opening it, the content was as expected: his promotion appointment letter.
Simultaneously, a communication from above came through.
“Rain, your appointment letter has been issued.
From today on, you are the Director of the Special Operations Department.
Remember your current status and do not disappoint us.
We will be watching you.”
Once connected, the stern face of a man immediately appeared on the computer screen.
From his burly build and the combat cyberware visible in various places, it was clear he was undoubtedly a high-level combat officer from the front lines.
And indeed he was.
The man was the Director of the Public Security Department under the Security Department, Teranda Rams.
He was also a representative figure of the Hawks.
He had played a part in Rain’s promotion this time because they didn’t oppose it and instead chose to support his rise.
The reason…
was simple: Rain was young enough, and he had enough ability and ambition.
Such a figure was a vital new addition to the talent-hungry Hawks.
After all, the older generation wasn’t exactly thrilled to see too many young people rising to power.
Because that would dilute a portion of the power that belonged to them—unless it was an heir from the same family, then that was a different story.
“I will, Director Rams.”
Rain nodded to show he understood.
Upon hearing this, Rams didn’t waste time on pleasantries and immediately hung up the communication.
This call was merely to express their goodwill and show his face.
After all…
if you don’t make some things explicit, some people truly won’t know.
Or rather…
they’ll pretend not to know.
As for the department Rain was currently in, it was the Special Operations Department directly under the Security Department, a department with a rather unique status.
As everyone knew, Arasaka had several core departments: Security, Manufacturing, and Banking.
Among them, the Security Department, as Arasaka’s largest organ of violence and its primary safeguard, could be considered the most important one.
Therefore, the entire department had only one true overseer who was loyal only to Saburo Arasaka: his loyal retainer, Shintaro Takayama.
He was also the Director of the Security Department, though compared to other directors, Shintaro Takayama was a director in name only.
In terms of authority, he was more like a president overseeing the entire department and all its affairs, but basically, this old man who had always followed Saburo Arasaka didn’t interfere much in the actual business of the Arasaka Security Department.
He was generally only responsible for the security of the estate where Saburo Arasaka lived.
The actual business of the Security Department was managed by a Deputy Director nominated by Arasaka’s Board of Directors.
The person currently in charge of this position was Michiko Arasaka, Saburo Arasaka’s granddaughter…
and it’s worth mentioning that she also had a brief fling with Adam Smasher…
The Special Operations Department he was in was particularly special; it was a special direct-subordinate department of the Security Department.
In military terms, it was equivalent to the most elite special forces.
Within the large system of the Security Department, it only took orders from the top leadership of the Security Department.
At this moment, the people who knew Rain was the new Director of the Special Operations Department weren’t just the relevant personnel in the Security Department.
Directors of other departments had also received the news and sent their congratulations to Rain.
Rain didn’t show much reaction to this, merely replying to each one politely.
Among them, two people were particularly interested in Rain’s situation: Abernathy, the Director of the Intelligence Department, and Jenkins, the Director of the Counter-Intelligence Department.
The main reason was that the two were currently competing for the position of Director of the Special Operations Department.
However, the competition between them hadn’t turned too fierce yet, as it had only just begun not long ago, and they hadn’t found the right opportunity to sabotage each other.
If given the chance, they certainly wouldn’t mind doing so.
As for these two…
Rain felt he needed to think more about it.
So, after sending the same generic reply to both, Rain focused his attention on official business.
Since he was promoted…
it meant someone else had been demoted or fired.
Of course, a promotion was also possible, but from what Rain currently knew…
there was no one getting promoted, and the person he was replacing didn’t have a very good ending.
Or rather…
although he wanted one, he indeed didn’t achieve that happy ending.
The man was too old; his body could no longer support the powerful combat cyberware needed to handle high-intensity combat work.
His body had reached its limit.
So, after a special operation mission ended, he was ‘optimized’ by Arasaka.
They stripped him of his full-body cyberware and drained nearly all his savings.
All this…
was mainly because he didn’t have a sufficient background.
He wasn’t what Arasaka called a ‘retainer,’ nor had he achieved enough merit to catch Arasaka’s attention and appease others.
So, after leaving him with just enough money to survive, he was optimized away to save costs.