"Good morning, Night City!"
"Last night's Death Lotto results are in, and the final tally is a full and complete thirty!"
"Thanks to the endless gang wars, Heywood alone racked up ten..."
Waking up, the first thing he heard was the broadcast from the television. Listening to the Death Lotto on time in the morning was a 'tradition' in Night City.
It was like the background noise of the Spring Festival Gala—even if no one was watching, it had to be on.
David Martinez. Seventeen years old. A student.
Waking up early, he saw his mother sleeping on the sofa, completely undisturbed by the sound of the TV.
"Really, Mom~" he subconsciously pulled up the jacket that had slipped off her.
The moment she sensed movement, his mother, Gloria, woke with a start, only relaxing again when she realized it was David.
"Morning, David."
"If you keep sleeping on the sofa like this, you're going to get arthritis."
David grumbled a bit; this clearly wasn't the first or second time. But Gloria couldn't help it. She was so exhausted after work that she would fall asleep right on the sofa.
Seeing this, David didn't say any more. He had to go to Arasaka Academy today.
"Remember to upgrade to the official software. Stop using those sketchy versions."
"It's fine, I already took care of it."
"How did you take care of it?"
"Don't worry, it's just... handled."
Faced with his mother's questioning, David quickly gave a vague answer and then used school as an excuse to leave.
It wasn't that he didn't want to listen, but the official software was too expensive. By going to a black market Ripperdoc, he could save a lot of money.
Although he said he was going to school, David clearly wasn't that fond of it.
The journey to school took an exceedingly long time, partly because his home was far from the city center, and partly because he really didn't want to get there so quickly.
Corporate Plaza. David had almost intentionally chosen the longest route. Even though the entrance to Arasaka Academy was right under his feet, he insisted on crossing most of Corporate Plaza.
Only at times like these did he feel truly free. The bustling plaza and Santo Domingo were two completely different worlds. It was for the sole purpose of helping him get ahead in life that his mother spared no expense to send him to this school.
Precisely because he knew this, no matter how much he disliked studying, David never showed it, and his grades were decent.
'[Query] So this is David? The protagonist?'
'His world-focus level isn't high, but it's far above an ordinary person's. The protagonist's 'luck' on him must have been diluted.'
As he jogged past, a young girl sitting on a bench watched him silently.
"[Analysis] David's status as a protagonist only comes from the Edgerunners anime. The true protagonist has always been V, and in this world, Ninja Slayer is also here to take a piece of the pie."
"Still, at least his focus level is higher than Itadori's was."
Schwarzer sharply criticized the protagonist of a certain 'Sukuna Kaisen'. David's focus level was at least T1, though it couldn't compare to absolute protagonists like V or Ninja Slayer.
The year is 2076. The System awakened Schwarzer. Her soul's repairs were complete. Compared to before, she now possessed her own genuine emotions and no longer needed to burn her core data and sacrifice her life force.
However, after waking up, Schwarzer still consumed a few core data cards. She had plenty left anyway, so there was no reason not to use a few dozen.
Normally, she wouldn't stay in one world for too long. As long as she wasn't deliberately wasteful, her core data usage could easily break even.
The System hadn't lied to her. This was indeed the world of Cyberpunk 2077. Although history had been slightly altered by the presence of ninjas, the overall picture was similar.
"Since you're awake, I'm handing all the data over to you. What you do next is up to you."
The System quickly transferred all the arrangements it had made over the years to Schwarzer. These were all judgments it had made by simulating its host's thought processes.
Things like unifying the AIs beyond the Blackwall and recruiting Bartmoss were choices that would yield the greatest returns only at that specific point in time.
"Let's see what you've been up to..." Schwarzer checked the System's plans.
First was the most ambitious one: Sustain humanity.
By controlling the AIs, she would have them use their super-productivity to provide for people's needs, sprinting into a communist society.
Although it had significant drawbacks, it was, by any measure, a superior world to Cyberpunk's and more suitable for the survival of ordinary people.
And let's not forget, ninjas still existed in this world, which meant that without external influence, it was destined to enter an 'Age of Dharma's End'.
But that was all for later. Right now, this was the Edgerunners' set, and Schwarzer watched with great interest as David walked into Arasaka Academy in the distance.
According to the System, now that she possessed real emotions, she could begin 'rehabilitation training'. Interacting more with people, especially the main cast, could slowly enhance her 'emotions'.
Although she didn't know the principle behind it, Schwarzer knew she should interact more with people. She had great faith in what the System said.
David was too boring during his school days; his time as a merc was more fun.
Thinking of this, Schwarzer knew what she had to do now. Besides joining them, the best way to get in contact with mercs was to become a Fixer.
Both David and V had very frequent contact with Fixers.
Data flashed through Schwarzer's eyes. The world of Cyberpunk was a paradise for her. Even the strongest netrunner was powerless before a Machine Ex Machina. In Night City, she was a true god.
Every machine, every camera, every person, every pair of cyber-eyes, even their implants, were like extensions of her own limbs.
Soon, an account named 'X' appeared. Every Fixer in Night City received her 'greetings'. You could say she had doxxed every single one of them.
With such terrifying intelligence-gathering and hacking abilities, she quickly became a Fixer, and no one dared to object.
To Schwarzer, Night City held no secrets. Out of boredom, she browsed through the information on Arasaka Academy and unexpectedly discovered something incredible.
"Saburo Arasaka is a ninja?"
This explosive revelation made Schwarzer look at the System quizzically, only to receive the answer that it didn't know either.
The System had to repair her soul on one hand and guide the course of world history on the other. Such a trivial matter didn't matter as long as it didn't affect the grand scheme of things.
Although the ninjas' power was already very weak, they still existed. This time, they had chosen to rely on the power of 'mortals' by taking control of the Arasaka Corporation.
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