Kapitel 216: Chapter 218
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"Several days ago, a major collapse occurred in the company square, resulting in casualties, including top executives from various companies and industry leaders. The cause and process of the accident are still under further investigation."
"In response to this serious accident, Michiko Arasaka, representing Arasaka Corporation, issued a public apology and stated that Arasaka Corporation would actively cooperate with the municipal rebuilding of the company square, striving to bring Night City's economic and social activities back on track. In light of this, multiple companies have issued a joint public statement and are currently negotiating compensation matters with Arasaka Corporation."
"Due to the company square collapse and severe power outages caused by geomagnetic storms, many major enterprises lost local cached data and were unable to use network services normally. Night Corp has obtained authorization from municipal authorities and, with the support of the newly appointed Mayor Jefferson Peralez, will soon start reconstructing the company square and launch new network services, moving the space matrix project back on the agenda..."
"According to the latest trends gathered by our station from Arasaka's top management, several members of the Night City Arasaka Tower board have died. Michiko Arasaka has announced her resignation from management responsibilities, suspected to be responsible for the company square's disaster, and has reassumed the role as the first responsible director of the board. Meanwhile, several executive positions within the Arasaka Tower in Night City have changed..."
"Secret materials from the Arasaka company product launch are circulating in the black market, involving a biotech chip that is suspected to carry human digital souls. Whether this technology has been fully developed is still unknown..."
"Directly impacted by this accident were people, the organizer of the Arasaka product launch, and Tang Yu, the head of Arasaka's public relations department. According to reliable sources, Tang Yu is currently on suspension..."
Arasaka Tower, Special Operations Department.
In the office, David Martinez was intently browsing today's news.
The news in recent days had been dominated by a few keywords: 'company square,' 'major accident,' 'geomagnetic collapse,' 'biotech chip,' 'Arasaka Corporation,' and so on.
Although it was repetitive, including unreliable speculations from experts and the media, he was still looking for new clues.
Where did Tang Yu go?
This was the ultimate question troubling him.
That day, after rushing to the company square in his cybernetic body, he remembered going on a killing spree, taking down that despicable woman.
Because of this, he was severely repressed by Arasaka Corporation, nearly killed on the spot by Adam Smasher who literally tore him apart.
But when he came to his senses, he realized it was all just a dream.
David awoke from the dream, lying inexplicably in the R&D department lab, his cybernetic body safely disassembled.
He had his cybernetics reinstalled afterward, even more high-end and convenient than before.
Suddenly, he received a reminder from the front desk of the department that Mr. Arthur Jenkins, director of special operations, would soon be hosting a multi-department senior meeting, and it was time to head to the conference room.
David turned off the projection on his desk, got up, took his black coat from the wall hook, slipped it on, and grabbed his work badge from the desk to clip it on the pocket in front.
Leaving the office, he headed towards the public elevator.
Passing through the corridor, he encountered several busy staff members who greeted him.
"Mr. Martinez, hello."
David returned the greeting politely: "Hello."
Seeing the office area bustling with people organizing documents, rebuilding databases, and communicating secret contacts made him realize the extent of the damage.
Due to the major geomagnetic storm, all electronic equipment and storage chips in the office were severely burnt, many data were lost and couldn't be retrieved, only human efforts could slowly piece them back together.
This was not his responsibility to handle; he just glanced over casually and continued to the public meeting room.
The meeting room was arranged in a circular layout; executives, directors, and ministers sat in the inner circle, while middle managers from various departments sat outside.
He went directly to his designated seat in the inner circle.
While waiting for the meeting to start, David glanced around and noted mostly new faces.
He casually looked toward the counterintelligence department section and saw a familiar face among a group of strangers, waving at him lightly.
It was Miss Feng, who had taken good care of him during his internship in counterintelligence.
David nodded slightly in polite acknowledgment.
Miss Feng then gave him a thumbs up, smiling meaningfully as if boasting about her right judgment or praising his promising progress.
David touched his nose nervously, withdrawing his gaze, and suddenly remembered the outing with his colleagues at Lizzy's Bar.
Soon, the meeting began.
The main appointees present were Mr. Arthur Jenkins, director of special operations, and Conti, a newly appointed board member.
David wasn't familiar with Arthur Jenkins since he had never appeared during his internship in counterintelligence; by the time Jenkins returned to Arasaka Tower, the internship had ended.
This significant reshuffle positioned Arthur Jenkins as the new director of special operations and increased his departmental oversight, making him a powerful executive within Arasaka Tower.
Conti began announcing personnel changes.
"Colerin is reassigned as deputy minister of counterintelligence, relieving him from his duties as head of the logistics center."
"Gang Longchuan is promoted to deputy minister of public relations, relieving him from his position as head of the administrative department's general section."
"David Martinez is promoted to deputy minister of special operations, relieved from his position as field team leader in the special operations department."
...
After announcing the latest appointments, Conti conveyed the board's requirements, urging all departments to fulfill their duties, follow senior instructions, and achieve more under the leadership of Director Arthur Jenkins.
After finishing his statement, Director Kontt transferred the leadership of the meeting to Jenkins and left, mentioning he had other important matters to attend to. David remained seated, quietly listening to Jenkins's lengthy discourse until the meeting ended. As he prepared to leave, he heard someone call from behind.
"David Martinez."
David turned around to see Jenkins approaching, ignoring everyone else gathered around enthusiastically.
"Director," he greeted formally.
Arthur Jenkins patted his shoulder. "Do well; don't let him down."
After giving his instructions, Jenkins left the meeting room surrounded by a group of company executives. David watched him leave, lost in thought, and remained motionless for a long time.
On the subway,
David stood in front of the car's window, quietly observing the changing scenery outside. The scenes were familiar, yet the difference now lay in the people. He planned to first visit Maine; they hadn't met since their farewell in the suburban wastelands.
He owed his current accomplishment to their full support. Even though his mother Gloria had paid more than the agreed-upon reward upon her awakening, it hardly measured up to the favor owed. Without Maine's sacrifice, he wouldn't be standing here as a bona fide company executive.
"I never thought this day would really come…" David felt as if he were dreaming; everything seemed so surreal. Now, he had finally followed in the footsteps of Tang Yu, but he couldn't find an opportunity to sit down and talk with him face to face anymore.
Missing in action.
That was Arasaka's conclusion about Tang Yu. Nobody knew exactly what had happened that day at the company square. Electronic equipment was damaged en masse, and those who had a chance to witness the scene had passed out. The square was left with nothing but ruins, scattered limbs, ubiquitous splashes of blood, and Tang Yu had disappeared without a trace.
Soon, the subway arrived at his station. David exited the transportation hub and headed to the underground Ripperdoc clinic at the address Dorio had given him. Entering an alley and descending some stairs, he reached an iron grate door slightly ajar.
David called out into the interior, "Is anyone there?"
After a moment, a deep, magnetic voice responded from inside the clinic.
"Just push the door and come in; we're not so formal here."
David pushed the gate open and stepped inside, where he noticed everyone busily surrounding a surgical table. Maine was lying on the surgery table, undergoing his final cyberware removal operation, and Dorio stood by patiently waiting.
David approached the lead surgeon to greet and introduce himself. The Ripperdoc, clad in a blue mechanic's suit, focused intently on the screen, skillfully maneuvering the mechanical arms performing the surgery.
"Hello there, young man. I know you, no need to be formal. Just call me V, everyone does; Tang did too."
"Take a seat for a bit; the surgery will take a few more minutes."
David nodded and moved to stand beside Dorio, quietly inquiring about Maine's condition.
Dorio looked resigned as he responded, "Nothing more we can do; the nerve damage is too severe. Saving his life is a miracle in itself; from now on, he might only manage with some basic assistive cyberlimbs, no more combat ones."
Seeing Maine's painful condition brought distressing images to David's mind, adding weight to his already heavy heart. When V finished the surgery and disconnected the various data ports, Maine slowly awakened from his sleep.
V placed the removed cyberware into a sterilization tray, stood up to wash her hands at the sink, and said solemnly, "The perpetrator's been removed; what's your plan now?"
Maine sat up from the surgery table and dressed in clothes Dorio passed him, glancing at his blood-stained black cyberware.
"V, thanks. You can have the cyberware. Maybe you'll find someone truly suited to it."
David noticed the black cyberware, knowing it was a Sandevistan model, though he hadn't seen this type before. He recalled the terrifying speed Maine displayed in the wasteland, likely due to this very cyberware.
Seeing Maine again, David noticed how much thinner his once bulky frame had become. After the combat implants were removed, his burden was lessened, but his expression was far from relaxed.
He asked what Maine planned to do next. Dorio mentioned considering moving to Peace State to seek opportunities; the Animal Gang was doing well there, and he still had some connections.
David didn't know what to say for comfort, only mentioning, "If there's ever anything difficult, just come to me, I owe you that much."
Maine managed a weak smile. "It was our choice; we took the money for the job, no debts owed. But the one thing I can't let go of is the rest of the team…"
David understood; with Maine and Dorio retiring, the team would essentially disband. The remaining members might continue together or go their separate ways. Without a leader, sticking together was unlikely; they'd probably operate individually, needing a stable contact in between.
David promised to have Gloria make proper arrangements, though thinking of his mother only deepened his already somber mood.
These days,
Gloria had been lost in thought since awakening, not speaking a word. Even the news of his promotion to deputy minister didn't stir her. David planned to handle things with Maine first before finding a way to cope.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein