“David, are you ready yet?”
“Coming, Mom!
Stop rushing me!”
Hearing Gloria’s urging, David hurriedly pulled on his brand-new Arasaka Academy uniform.
Gloria walked over to help David straighten his clothes and tie his necktie.
“Hmm…
very nice!”
Gloria placed both hands on David’s shoulders, looking him over carefully with a bright smile on her face.
Seeing the smile on Gloria’s face, David couldn’t help but smile back.
“Alright, let’s go.
It would be bad if we got stuck in traffic.
You can’t be late for today’s opening ceremony…”
“I know, Mom.
You’ve said it many times already.”
David couldn’t help but show a helpless expression; he had lost count of how many times he’d heard Gloria say that.
“You child, honestly…
alright, alright, I’ll stop nagging.
Let’s go, let’s go.”
Gloria huffed playfully at David’s comment before opening the door and heading out.
As soon as they stepped outside, the people there saw David in his Arasaka Academy uniform.
“Whoa…
did that kid really get into Arasaka Academy?”
“Heh, isn’t he just a little corpo rat now?”
“Watch your mouth.
Careful he doesn’t hold a grudge and come back for you later!”
“Fuck that, you think I’m scared of him?!”
Hearing the chatter around him, David felt a bit conflicted…
especially since the looks in some people’s eyes had clearly changed, which made him feel somewhat uneasy.
Sensing that something was wrong with David, Gloria reached out and squeezed his hand.
“Don’t mind them.
They’re just jealous.
If they were given a chance to join the corporation, they’d scramble to shove their heads in even if it meant turning their brains to mush.”
Looking at Gloria’s calm expression, David slowly nodded.
“I understand, Mom.”
The two then got into Gloria’s ordinary little yellow car and drove slowly toward Arasaka Academy.
Gradually, the scenery along the road began to change.
As they moved further away from Santo Domingo, the surrounding buildings became increasingly grand, a trend that became even more pronounced as they neared Arasaka Academy.
There wasn’t even any trash on the ground anymore.
David saw actual green plants in some places, along with magnificent holographic projections.
Luxury cars that David didn’t even recognize began to appear around them, all looking clearly expensive.
In an instant, David felt completely out of place, as if he were utterly incompatible with this environment…
Soon, Gloria drove the car to the checkpoint.
The person in charge at the checkpoint was visibly stunned when he saw Gloria’s car, but his professional training quickly kicked in, and he put on a smile.
“Hello, ma’am.
Please show your entry permit.”
“Ah, okay.”
As she spoke, Gloria’s eyes lit up slightly.
“Oh, Ms.
Gloria, you’ve raised quite an outstanding son.
I’m sure he’ll make the most of this hard-won opportunity in the days to come.
Please, go ahead.”
“Thank you.”
Hearing the blessing, a smile appeared on Gloria’s face.
David, however, felt increasingly uneasy; he had a feeling that his life here might not be very peaceful.
…
“Hmm…
confirm the itinerary.
Arasaka Academy.
Unless there’s an emergency, do not disturb my schedule this morning.”
“Yes, Minister Virmils.”
After settling things with the corporation, Rain stretched, slowly got dressed, and headed to the helipad outside his penthouse.
Canris and Brandt had been waiting there for some time.
“Boss.”
“Mm, let’s go.”
Rain nodded to the two and boarded the Excalibur.
[Please confirm your destination.]
“Arasaka Academy.”
[Understood.
Planning route now.
Please wait a moment.]
“How was yesterday’s mission?”
Rain looked at Brandt and asked.
“Everything went smoothly.
The Counter-Intelligence Department asked us to help capture a witness who was seeking protection from the 6th Street Gang.
We handled it easily.
Boss, remember to apply for my bonus.”
As he spoke, Brandt gave Rain a thumbs-up.
“Hmph…
look at you.
We’ll see about that after the mission report comes in and I check the expenses.”
Rain chuckled and didn’t refuse.
He picked up a glass of wine, took a sip, and looked out the window.
“Is the security personnel at the academy all arranged?”
“Yes, they’re all our people.
We’ve conducted the necessary background checks; there won’t be any problems.”
“Good.”
Rain nodded with satisfaction after hearing Canris’s report.
The travel time passed as Rain and Canris chatted.
The surrounding scenery gradually became familiar.
After all…
Ding—
[Arriving at Arasaka Academy shortly.
Please be safe.]
Following the announcement from the vehicle’s AI, the AV slowly flew toward the interior of Arasaka Academy.
Instead of landing at the external helipad, it headed toward an open space inside.
A group of Arasaka personnel had been waiting there for a long time.
Vroom—
Soon, the AV projected landing markers and auxiliary lights onto the ground.
Meanwhile, the control personnel nearby watched carefully.
As the AV’s landing gear settled firmly, the hatch opened.
A row of Arasaka military robots marched out to perform a scan, followed by Canris and Brandt.
Rain was the last to step out.
The moment he appeared, a short man wearing square-rimmed glasses and a standard Arasaka-colored suit, with a hairstyle resembling a sumo wrestler’s, stepped forward with a fawning expression.
“Minister Virmils, welcome back to Arasaka Academy.
It is a great honor to see you again today!”
“Mm, lead the way.”
Rain nodded slightly in response to the man’s bow.
Then, members of the Arasaka Academy Board of Directors and some middle managers from Arasaka Corporation whose children studied here came forward to greet him and curry favor.
However, they didn’t get too close, showing a sense of propriety.
They clearly knew Rain’s preferences in such matters but still wanted to show their faces before him.
Rain understood this.
After all…
who wouldn’t want to climb a little higher in the tower that was Arasaka Corporation?
Among them, three were the most enthusiastic.
One was named Hashimoto Ichiro, a supervisor in the Security Department who had been in that position for many years and had little hope of further promotion.
Another was Ando Ken, a supervisor under his Special Operations Department.
Rain didn’t have much of an impression of this guy, but he did now, because among the three, this guy was the most fawning…
As for what the man was thinking…
Rain saw through it clearly.
He just wanted to show his face more, knowing Rain had a powerful background and hoping to climb higher in the future.
Similarly, Rain didn’t mind using such people as long as they were valuable.
As for the last person…
that was Tanaka Kenjiro, a member of the Arasaka Academy Board and the head of Arasaka Corporation’s Armed Cybernetics R&D.
His goal was also clear: he wanted to get his son into the Special Operations Department and…
seek Rain’s opinion on the Cyber-Titan.
It was true that the Special Operations Department had better benefits and faster promotion than the ordinary Security Department, and it was usually quite leisurely.
The only risk was…
it was more dangerous!
Of course, this ‘danger’ was relative.
Most of the time, the Special Operations Department’s work was not only more leisurely but also safer, because there weren’t many situations that required their deployment.
But once they were needed…
it meant the danger level would rise exponentially, involving trouble that ordinary security forces couldn’t handle.
Of course, being a member of the Special Operations Department had another hidden benefit: cyberware.
This was also why the relative risk was lower; high-grade and custom cyberware could greatly reduce the risk of death.
As for whether to accept the man’s son into his department…
that would depend on the son’s aptitude and the value the father could provide.