Chapter 42: Balancing Learning and Life (Part I)

"Marcus, how did the final exams go this time? Any talents worth bringing into the R&D department?" This was a small internal meeting at Arasaka Academy. As a private academy established by Arasaka Corporation, the R&D department frequently recruits various talents from the academy. The speaker was Tatsu Tanaka (a name I chose, as he wasn't named in the anime), a member of the Arasaka R&D management team. This man was currently pinching the bridge of his nose—Arasaka had encountered yet another issue recently. There was a battle on the border, and the field team reported that they, along with Militech, attempted to intercept a suspicious smuggling operation near the wall. But the culprits managed to escape right under the noses of over forty people and a dozen drones from both sides! Not only did they escape, but they also left both groups severely damaged—only the squad leaders on either side managed to return standing! Footage showed that the opponents accomplished everything in an instant, seemingly using an advanced smart weapon in the vehicle, yet requiring manual operation. And the efficiency of their targeting and hit rate was unprecedented—no one had ever heard of such capabilities. Whose brain could lock onto so many targets in an instant while assisting smart weapons in accelerated calculations? If it were a hardware system, none of the smart weapons on the market could achieve such efficiency unless the vehicle was equipped with an acceleration calculation unit. But was there even space for such hardware in that broken car? In short, there were many mysteries, and now the R&D department agreed that the weapon might be the "Ba Xing Chong," an enhanced version of the Smasher's shotgun, tailored for someone like Adam Smasher. But... The data on the Ba Xing Chong sold to Smasher by Kang Tao didn't show anything this powerful. The legal department was negotiating with Kang Tao, but they weren't giving away anything. The Intelligence Department had two theories: either the other side had done an exceptional job keeping things under wraps, or even they didn't know what they had. Because of this incident, the higher-ups had them start another project, so they were a bit short-handed now. "I've already recommended a batch of students according to your request, Mr. Tanaka, but I noticed a promising candidate in the Continuing Education Program. He scored exceptionally well on the entrance test, achieving a perfect score with stable brainwaves during the exam, indicating ease and potential. He might be worth cultivating." "I'm asking about people we can use now—decide for yourself about these kinds of matters." Though Tatsu Tanaka said this, he still reviewed the data file that was sent over. "An A-grade license training entrance exam, with perfect scores across the board? Looks like his self-taught knowledge is quite solid too. Indeed, a promising talent... Dennis Burgerking? Another street rat, huh? To come up with a name like that... Marcus, did you even finish reading this report?" Tanaka paused as he read the "Student Ideology" section, where the AI had directly quoted Leo's words: "Only an idiot would do this job." "Uh... well, I believe ideology can be corrected. We've always offered courses on the Arasaka Spirit, the Great Saburo Ideology, and corporate liberalism." "Alright, I said it's up to you—though I still think he's just another street rat." Tanaka removed his sleek glasses and reclined on the sofa, using the break to review the list of available students that Marcus had sent over while he rested. Unlike his son, who got a five-day break after finals and two days of leave, giving him a full seven-day vacation! Arasaka is so kind to its students. He needed to sign his son up for extra classes. [You have acquired a new skill: General Technical Engineering (Beginner)] [Tech Points +30] "What the hell? Saburo Ideology? Quite the fancy name... living so well, they think they're emperors?" After a full day of studying, Leo received a course package from Arasaka Academy claiming it could "arm his mind." When he opened it, Leo quickly clicked delete, worried his neural interface might get corrupted. Saburo wasn't some successful entrepreneur; he was a bona fide remnant of the Japanese Empire, a WWII pilot! Anyone familiar with history would know that Saburo was a genuine monster. After the emperor announced surrender, he even contemplated suicide. But then, he suddenly had an epiphany. If that old bastard had actually committed suicide back then, the world would probably be a different place now. What a load of crap. Setting aside the ridiculous ideology courses, the genuine Arasaka textbooks were of excellent quality. The courses were divided into two parts, with one requiring in-person classroom attendance where Leo could use the Arasaka learning pods. The immersive learning was highly efficient, piquing Leo's curiosity about what the real Arasaka Academy had to offer. Soon after completing today's technical specialist and cyberware doctor courses, he moved on to the foundational education phase. Leo was searching for information on DNA editing technology. Two top companies met Leo's criteria: Moore Technologies and Biotechnica. A few decades ago, the famous Biotechnica pulled the world back from the brink of an energy crisis with the discovery of CHOOH2. Biotechnica specializes in genetic engineering, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and microbiology. MoorE Technologies, on the other hand, started with human organ transplants and later expanded into producing synthetic organs and parts like the Synthetic Lungs and Auxiliary Hearts during the boom of cyberware. As global economic trade developed, both companies eventually released a number of competing products. In terms of market value, Biotechnica holds the advantage, but MoorE Technologies aligns more closely with what Leo needs. "Development of genetically modified animals... Biotechnica, the largest supplier for Transgenic Bio-Farm's full food company." "MoorE Technologies, mitigating DNA telomere damage caused by excessive cyberization with unique cell adaptation technology... epigenetic breakthrough? That might be useful too." Anyone seeing Leo diligently studying like this would surely think he was a bookworm. But if they heard what Leo was muttering, they'd quickly change their mind. "So, who should I hit first..." ———————————————— "Who to hit?" "Hey! Can you focus? Have you gone brain-dead from studying?" V nudged Leo, loading her gun. Time had shifted to the following night. Padre had given them a job—the target was the 6th Street gang. They seemed to have their eyes on the Glen, wanting to push the Padre's Valentinos out. This gig didn't pay much; it was basically Leo doing a favor for Padre to secure that Burgerking alias for school. Leo snapped back to reality and casually glanced at a camera in the distance. Using it as a jump point, he hacked his way to a small alley about 100 meters away, where some 6th Street thugs were warming themselves by a fire. "Three guys, three guns, Arasaka-made Tamayura pistols—ugh, junk guns. Uploading the daemon in 30 seconds, you guys get ready." The Tamayura, a handgun produced in the early 21st century, had replacement parts that were long out of production. It wasn't just outdated in power; it was a hassle to maintain. Seems like their boss didn't want to equip them with good weapons. The most advanced piece of gear they had was the leader's weapon monitoring system. On the black market, it'd go for about three thousand eurodollars. Looks like a 6th Street DIY job. "You don't seem very motivated." Leo shrugged. "Why should I be? It's just three punks. This job barely pays two thousand eurodollars, and there are three of us!" Honestly, Leo understood what Padre meant—just stir up some trouble with the 6th Street gang. To be fair, Padre was quite considerate. Leo originally thought Padre would have them take out a 6th Street lieutenant. Recently, the 6th Street gang had been harassing the Valentinos' turf, making the streets unsafe. "True," V sighed. "It's boring—too bad we can't fence their gear." Jack scratched his head. "Two thousand eurodollars isn't a lot? Plus, this is a hit job; why are you guys so calm?" V and Leo exchanged a glance. "Ah, you're too poor to understand; it's hard to explain. Just get ready." "Oh, right," Leo suddenly added, "don't kill them. I need some practice." Thirty seconds later, the three 6th Street gang members felt an intense heat—so hot that they suddenly caught fire! This eerie scene made them realize there was a hacker at play! But the next moment, a man and a woman rushed from around the corner. After a few gunshots, the gang members couldn't hear anything anymore. No pressure at all—V even yawned. The old Tamayura pistols couldn't even penetrate her subdermal armor. Looking at the unconscious trio on the ground, V sighed again and nudged Leo with her gun butt: "Can we do another round? This was so boring; calling it a post-dinner snack is generous." "Hm, I'm thinking about it... just haven't decided who to hit." [Matt reports: Professor Connors Scott has scheduled an appointment for tomorrow at noon. Don't oversleep.] [You: Got it. How's the company's setup going?] In the Marvel world, Leo had decided to rent the room Mr. Ricaldo vacated to use as a temporary company base. Since Skye didn't have a place to stay, he thought it might be a good idea to send her there to work 24/7. [Matt: It'll take some more time, but you'll need to ask John and Anthony for the details—I'm not in charge of that.] [You: Alright, I'm ready.] Back in the Cyberpunk world, Leo suddenly spoke up, "I'll have a plan soon. I'll let you guys know the day after tomorrow." "Woohoo! Let's pull off something big!" Unlike V's excitement, Jack remained indifferent: "Sure, I'm curious to see what you guys call a big job." As the three started packing up the unlucky gang members, one of them—a guy with a mohawk—suddenly shouted: "I'm Malik Pritt! If you mess with me, the 6th Street gang won't let you off!" The three exchanged glances, and finally, V asked, "Are you famous or something?" "Y-You idiot! Sergeant sent me here to handle these rookies harassing the Valentinos. What do you think?" So he really is a small-time boss? Leo blinked and then signaled V. With a smack, V knocked the guy out. Well, they still had to drag him away.