Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 117 95. Changing Thoughts

David's mother told him again and again that as long as he joined the Arasaka Corporation, he could lead a decent life and live happily for the rest of his life. Although David did not completely agree with this statement in his heart in the past, he could accept it after hearing his mother's teachings.

He believed that joining the Arasaka Corporation was the path he would definitely take, and becoming an Arasaka employee would be his future life. Although he might not be happy, at least he would be stable and could make his mother happy.

But all of this was shattered by the cruelty he now witnessed closely.

A decent life.
The dead middle-aged man was well-dressed. One can imagine that his daily life was definitely many times more miserable than David's. He was executed by someone specially sent from Arasaka, so his status might not be low. It might even be a height that David would need a lifetime to climb to after joining Arasaka.

But such a high-ranking, respectable Arasaka personnel was right in front of him, behind the bar, in an alley full of drunk vomit, without any resistance, just like a bug, fluttering and dying.

No, he was not as good as a bug. Even a bug could plop down. But after death, his body just twitched once due to the impact, and then there was no movement anymore.

Facing death, I dare not even resist
David recalled how he followed Carl to see the world in order to have the courage to resist in order to face danger. What would happen to the courage he gained after he entered the Arasaka Corporation?
Would it be like this man, without even a struggle?

Can becoming an employee of Arasaka Corporation, which my mother keeps repeating, really protect her and help me live a happy life?

Nothing can have a greater psychological impact on someone than having the thing he expects be shattered right in front of him.

Now David is watching the rejection he has been enduring and his expectations of achieving success being shattered.

For the first time, he began to have doubts about becoming an employee of Arasaka Corporation.

While he was confused, three Arasaka personnel who had finished dealing with internal affairs noticed the two young men who walked out of the back door and were looking at them.

"A street thug who wants to search a body for valuables?"

An Arasaka staff member's artificial eye scanned Carl and David and said, "There is nothing here that you can take. Even the corpse belongs to Arasaka."

Drip
The name he saw when he scanned it froze him, and he couldn't say anything more.

It was not surprising that David Martinez was following behind. Although he had an ID tag of an Arasaka Academy student, that was nothing. What was really important was the black-haired young man who was staring at them with a chuckle.

"Carl. Mercenary KK."

After saying Carl's name with extreme vigilance, or even to the point of panic, the three Arasaka personnel couldn't help but take a few steps back.

They were all security personnel of Night City's Arasaka. Although they did not participate in that mission, Carl's name was too famous in front of them, who were considered half-colleagues. They knew that as long as the other party was interested, the three of them would fall to the ground in the next second.

The leader with the most professional ethics among the three Arasaka personnel, or the one with the most spirit of a company security guard, only took a step back, and facing Carl's gaze, he took another step back to his original place.

Then, he slowed down his tone and even said cautiously, "This person should not be your target."

"Indeed, I'm just here to watch the fun. Don't worry, I have no intention of getting involved in the internal affairs of Arasaka Corporation, at least not when there are no missions. You can do whatever you want."

After Carl said this, the three Arasaka personnel obviously relaxed a little. The two personnel who took three steps back and two steps back also hurried forward to carry the dead middle-aged man. They smiled at Carl under Carl's gaze, and hurriedly walked back with the body of the middle-aged man under the glare of the leader. They were just people who made a living at the bottom of the company, not professionals trained by Arasaka themselves. They were paid according to their salary. If they really had to face KK, they would let those people do it.

'You bastards, don't think I don't know what you are thinking, but I am not a professional. My level is not even enough to escort Miss Haruko.'

He cursed in his heart, but the leading Arasaka personnel who had to stand up, after glaring at his two subordinates, still smiled at Carl, but his smile made Carl confused.

"Aren't you leaving?"

Carl looked at the Arasaka personnel who were grinning at him in confusion. He didn't understand why his subordinates were moving the bodies and leaving, but he stayed and kept smiling at him.

"Ah? Can I, can I go?"

"Why can't you leave?"

Seeing Carl's puzzled expression, the Arasaka personnel wanted to slap themselves in the face. Why did they have to ask this question? Couldn't they just walk obediently? But when Carl just said nothing and didn't even smile, he was afraid that he would be shot dead by a bullet from behind halfway through his walk.

I have seen both of the two movies in which this guy appeared, Black Super Dream. In one of them, I didn't even see his face, but he was killed by several of his elite men who could kill five of them alone. In the other movie, a cyber psychopath with military-grade prosthetics didn't even hurt him, but his hands were cut off, his feet were stomped on, and his whole body was like a stick before he died miserably. Thinking about the deaths in the Black Super Dream, how could I not be afraid?

"Alright then."

After hurriedly leaving these words, the Arasaka staff member turned and ran, and when Carl turned around, he found that David was looking at him with an extremely complicated expression.

"What's wrong, David? Is it a little hard to accept?"

"No, it's not, it's just."

I just kind of understood how powerful Carl is on the streets.

Someone like him, even if he works in a company, will definitely be many times more capable than me. Perhaps for him, climbing to the top of Arasaka is the only thing that is truly possible.

In David's heart, the expectation he had always had rose.

Perhaps, instead of being an employee of Arasaka Corporation, it would be good to be a mercenary like Carl.
But, can this protect my mother, and can it convince her?
"drop."

Carl received a message from Mann on the radio.

The communication he sent was brief, but sufficient.

"Tanaka's whereabouts have been confirmed."

(End of this chapter)