At the board meeting in Arasaka Tower, Night City, Michiko's sudden proposal to have Kai serve concurrently as deputy director of Special Ops caught everyone inside and outside the meeting off guard.
One person holding two deputy director positions at the same time was something that had never happened before in Arasaka's history.
Susan was just lifting her coffee cup, about to take a sip, when she heard the proposal and nearly choked.
She was being suspended for three months, yet Kai was about to be given two deputy director posts?
The contrast could not have been more obvious.
She immediately guessed Michiko's intention. She wanted to use this chance to suppress the opposition and win over Counterintel.
If Kai really succeeded in getting the deputy director position in Special Ops, then he would naturally be deeply grateful to Michiko.
With Arthur as his stepping stone, Kai would be climbing onto a branch of the Arasaka family itself.
With a résumé that included two departmental posts, he would have a very high chance of rising to a director position in the future.
For some reason, Susan was not all that worried about Arthur getting promoted.
The one she saw as the real threat was Kai.
He was far more likely to become a rising star and even take her director seat one day.
She did have connections at Arasaka headquarters, but distant water could not put out a nearby fire.
If things continued like this, Michiko's voice in Night City would only grow stronger.
And Kai, as a lone wolf inside Arasaka, was exactly the kind of person she could use.
The board members could also see the real purpose behind Kai's promotion.
Those aligned with Michiko's faction essentially accepted the proposal by default.
The others, whose interests were not directly affected, continued watching to see which way the wind blew.
Only the board member in charge of Special Ops, Susan's direct superior, spoke up against it.
"I believe it is inappropriate for one person to hold both deputy director positions."
"The nature of the two departments is completely different, and the workload is complex. How could one person possibly manage both?"
"I suggest promoting someone experienced and capable from within Special Ops instead."
Michiko could not be bothered arguing with him. She did not even look at him directly.
The board members from her side immediately understood the signal and openly pushed back.
"Promote someone from Special Ops? So we can watch today's farce happen all over again?"
"As I see it, Special Ops has received plenty of budget over the past few years, yet there are barely any results to show for it. Seems all their energy has gone into going after fellow departments instead."
"Wasn't Special Ops the one scrambling to snatch this job away from Counterintel?"
"I still remember Kai somewhat. Not long ago, he was carrying out a mission on the border and was ordered back by Susan. Do we need to reopen that matter too?"
Clearly, Michiko's faction had already done its homework in private regarding Kai's recall to Arasaka Tower.
Another board member added, "Having one person serve both departments could actually help maintain balance and coordination, so Special Ops stops behaving so badly."
"Besides, without Kai stepping in to clean things up, Special Ops would probably have crashed and burned completely this time."
The moment those words were spoken, the other board members had little more to say. No matter how they argued today, the fault still lay with Special Ops.
Even if the meeting record were sent back to headquarters and placed before Saburo, the side that would be punished would still be Special Ops.
Scheming inside the company and getting multiple Arasaka operatives killed was not something that could be brushed aside with a few casual words.
Michiko stared coldly at the dissenting board member until he gradually lowered his head and stopped speaking.
"If you disagree, I can connect to Kyoto headquarters right now and ask Saburo-sama to decide the matter personally."
"But if that happens, this will no longer be so simple."
The moment Saburo's name was brought up, the entire room fell silent.
No one voiced any objection.
That settled it.
Seeing that the board members had tacitly accepted the proposal, Michiko announced the decision on behalf of the board.
Once it was confirmed that there were no objections, she declared the meeting adjourned, clearly pleased with herself, and was the first to leave. The guards on both sides immediately followed.
The board meeting was officially over.
Soon, the board's disciplinary decision regarding the leaked internal intelligence and the major losses during the operation was announced throughout Arasaka Tower.
Across the building's hundred-plus floors, department centers were all broadcasting the notice.
Susan Abernathy, director of Special Ops, was suspended for three months, fined twenty-four months' salary, and ordered to submit both a formal accountability report to the board and an internal review to Special Ops.
The head of Special Ops was assigned the same responsibility and punishment, and the entire Special Ops division was additionally penalized with a six-month salary reduction.
Employees across Arasaka Tower were stunned when they heard the new notice.
The usually overbearing Special Ops division had actually been hit with such harsh punishment.
At that moment, on Floor Thirty-Three of Arasaka Tower, employees in Counterintel all put down their work to look at the announcement.
An additional six months of salary as this year's bonus.
Arthur Jenkins was officially commended for merit.
And Kai was appointed concurrent deputy director of Special Ops.
Kai was sitting in Arthur's office, having watched the entire board meeting unfold live.
He had still not fully processed the news that he would now hold deputy director positions in two departments.
Even with all his foresight, he had never expected Michiko to play this card.
Kai stayed calm and did not let the sudden promotion go to his head.
Arthur disconnected from the meeting feed, turned to Kai, and began clapping heavily with a grin.
"Excellent! That board meeting went exactly the way I wanted!"
"Kai, you really made a name for yourself in there this time. Michiko has a very good impression of you!"
"You have to understand, among all the senior people in Arasaka Tower, she's the only one with the name Arasaka."
"And once you've caught her attention, your career possibilities open up a whole lot more."
Kai spread his hands slightly, sounding helpless.
"Michiko is putting me on the fire."
Arthur saw that Kai remained calm and had not shown any obvious eagerness over his impending rise, and he felt secretly pleased.
"Enough with the gloomy talk. Do you know how many people in this company would kill to be roasted like this? Do they have your ability?"
"You are the only deputy director in the entire tower to ever hold two major departmental posts at once. The signal behind this promotion could not be clearer."
"And the one who named you was Michiko. Anyone who opposes you is opposing the Arasaka family."
"So there's no need to worry too much. Even if Special Ops wants to target you on purpose, they'll keep their hands clean."
"Otherwise, if they get caught a second time, suspension won't be the end of it."
Arthur walked to the liquor cabinet, took out two thick-bottomed crystal glasses, and, for once, poured his favorite whiskey.
A rich, mellow aroma drifted up as the reddish-brown liquor filled a third of each glass.
It was the kind of expensive strong liquor that could make your face flush after just two mouthfuls.
"Come on, sit over here and let's talk."
Arthur motioned for Kai to join him in the guest area, where a black leather sofa sat waiting.
Kai rose, took the whiskey from Arthur's hand, and sat alone on the sofa.
Arthur carried his own glass to the main seat, leaned back comfortably, crossed one leg over the other, and lightly swung the tip of his polished leather shoe now and then.
Lifting his glass, Arthur smiled and offered his congratulations.
"Kai, congratulations on becoming concurrent deputy director of Special Ops."
"The first dual deputy director in Arasaka Corporation."
The two raised their glasses in celebration.
The liquor burned as it went down.
Their throats stung.
Arthur laughed.
Kai laughed too.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]