Whether it was his mother getting treated or being noticed by the Arasaka executive V, these should have been two happy things, so why did it turn out like this...
After learning about David's situation, and given that he was injured today, V postponed his training by a day. But going to school was non-negotiable.
Having become a corporate executive and the second-in-command of an intelligence department at just twenty-three, Corpo V had clearly put all her points into intelligence, following the path of a hacker.
As a high-IQ intellectual and a corporate executive... with all these buffs stacked, V's demands were incredibly strict, but this only served to ignite David's fighting spirit.
The young man naturally yearned for this kind of 'fortuitous encounter'—an unexpected disaster, the sudden appearance of a benefactor. He felt like the protagonist of an entertainment story.
But he would soon learn that school was still school, and Arasaka Academy taught him a lesson in every sense of the word.
"Argh... so why do I still have to go to school? Every single one of them is like this."
Another day of studying passed, and the familiar feeling of mental overload left David feeling drained.
However, to motivate him to go to school, V had revealed a little about her identity.
"But Ms. V is amazing, becoming a top-tier hacker at such a young age."
David knew V was awesome, but he didn't know she was *this* awesome. A corporate executive! A position he could never hope to reach in his lifetime!
The thought of all the subjects he had to learn gave him a headache. He had no idea how V did it. Maybe this was what it meant to be a genius?
From a distance, a certain rich kid who'd always looked at David with disdain saw him slumped in his seat.
In the past, he definitely wouldn't have been able to resist mocking him. However, things seemed a little different today.
The Arasaka AI was clearly giving David special 'attention'—not maliciously, but more like a private tutoring session.
The price was that David was now feeling miserable; he was the only one in the entire class still stuck in his seat.
"Tch." As a proper rich kid, his ability to assess a situation was maxed out. Naturally, he noticed the anomaly.
The boy, who had originally planned to bully David, chose to turn and leave. He couldn't act recklessly until he understood the situation.
He soon learned from his parents that David had caught the eye of some big shot.
Thank god I didn't mess with him, the rich kid thought, breathing a silent sigh of relief. There weren't many people his family would call a "big shot."
The conflict between him and David from the original story thus vanished. Corpo V had only used a tiny bit of her privilege to let David attend school for free, but for someone of her level, her movements were naturally watched by those who paid attention.
Within Arasaka Academy, the scornful looks David received visibly disappeared. Instead, many people began tentatively trying to befriend him.
But David, crushed by the heavy weight of his studies, was in no mood for it. After school, he went to the gate, where V's flying car was already parked.
"How was it? Today's lesson was pretty good, right? That was about a tenth of my workload when I was in school."
"A tenth?!" David exclaimed. Just what kind of monster was Ms. V? If this workload were multiplied by ten, he'd probably be brain-dead.
"Don't worry. You have to eat one bite at a time. I won't increase your workload too much for now."
"For now?"
Hearing David's voice, the corners of V's mouth lifted slightly. She understood this kind of academic 'pain' all too well.
It was a pity David definitely wasn't on the hacker track, so his subsequent training wouldn't follow the mainstream path.
Seeing V's smile, David felt his future was bleak. But he quickly perked up, because V gave him some good news.
"Your mother's condition has stabilized. Her life isn't in danger, but the hospital said she hit her head and won't wake up for a while."
"I've already fronted the money for her medical and hospital fees. Remember to pay me back."
V was just saying that; she didn't care about such a small amount of money. Besides, David had already provided sufficient payment.
That copy of the 'Kojiki' was now in her hands. To prevent any accidents, she had hidden it away after recording its entire contents with a chip and a scanner.
She now possessed a cyber-version of the transcribed copy. But no matter how she looked at it, the text seemed to be nothing more than a record of ancient events, with the feel of a fable.
V had spent all night trying to decipher it, but to no avail. She couldn't find any information related to ninjas and eventually had to give up.
"Today, I've scheduled firearms training for you, as well as combat training, basic fighting techniques..."
Starting the car quickly, V unhurriedly listed a long series of arrangements. David's brow twitched as he listened, but to grow as fast as possible, he knew he had to work twice as hard.
In every sense, this was his chance to change his destiny. David understood this deeply and naturally had no objections. Besides, he still owed her money.
The moment the flying car started, David saw a phantom-like figure flash past the window outside Corpo Plaza. With practiced skill, she stole the chips from the back of several people's heads, and no one noticed.
'A thief? She's quite pretty,' David thought, subconsciously taking a second look as the flying car sped past.
"There's barely any money here. As expected, even the suits at Corpo Plaza wouldn't load up a temporary chip."
The silver-haired girl looked at the chips she had just stolen and put them away.
She complained about the amount, but the money was actually enough for her to live it up for a few days.
Lucyna Kushinada, a 'hacker' who once worked for Arasaka, was primarily responsible for deep-diving beyond the Blackwall to extract data. She had since defected.
Although Night City was Arasaka's city, it was impossible for them to monitor all of it. Besides, in their eyes, Lucy was just a small fry not worth wasting energy on.
Relying on her powerful hacking skills—relative to ordinary people—she had taken up this life of petty theft, focusing, of course, on Arasaka employees.
She had collected enough from Corpo Plaza. It wasn't good to stay in one place for too long.
Just as she was about to leave, she felt a very conspicuous gaze on her. Lucy nonchalantly weaved around a few times, blending into the crowd.
But no matter how she moved or tried to conceal herself, she could still feel that gaze, like a needle at her back. Lucy's expression grew grim, a flicker of fear unconsciously passed through her eyes, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
'I can't be that unlucky, can I?' This level of surveillance meant the other party was a hacker far superior to her. Had she run into one of Arasaka's top netrunners just by being out for a stroll?
Before she knew it, she had left Corpo Plaza. A strange figure appeared before her, looking like they were still a minor.
"[Greeting] A pleasure to meet you, Lucy. I am Schwarzer."
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