Samsara Space: They're all begging me to heal them one more time.

After dealing with the "minor troublemakers," Zhang Yuan turned around and looked at V in the corner.

V was in a very bad situation at this point.

The severe rejection reaction triggered by Relic caused him to convulse and his nose to bleed uncontrollably.

V was curled up under the broken bar counter, her vision filled with gibberish, and she didn't even have the strength to stand up.

"Cough cough... Damn it..." V clutched his head in pain.

"It seems our protagonist isn't in good shape."

Zhang Yuan didn't rush into business. Instead, he casually took out a sample of the [Holy Spirit Potion] that emitted a faint golden light from his storage space and tossed it over.

Snapped.

The medicine landed precisely at V's hand.

"Drink it," Zhang Yuan said calmly. "Although it won't cure your terminal illness, it will at least allow you to stand and speak like a human being."

V trembled as he grabbed the medicine; the warm touch gave him a glimmer of hope for life.

He gritted his teeth and, without hesitation, pulled off the cap and poured it down.

hum-

Golden light washed over his nervous system, instantly calming the excruciating pain that felt like it was boiling his brain.

The noisy electrical sounds in my mind disappeared, and the world became clear again.

V gasped for breath, collapsed to the ground, clutching the empty bottle tightly in his hand, his eyes filled with the shock of surviving a close call.

"This medicine..."

"Did you see that, V?"

Zhang Yuan didn't walk over; instead, he stood still, his back to the moonlight streaming in through the window, making himself appear even more unfathomable.

"This is the truth of the world. Corporate wars and gang fights are nothing but child's play in the face of true 'mystery'."

"Is the thing inside that chip... also one of these monsters?"

V asked in a hoarse voice, feeling for the first time that his mind was so clear.

"Pretty much. But lust wants to turn you into a pile of rotten flesh, while gluttony in your mind... wants to devour your soul completely."

Zhang Yuan walked up to V and extended his hand, looking down at him:

"Right now, you're like an ant carrying a nuclear bomb. Arasaka wants you, military technology wants you, and even that dead guy you called 'Johnny' wants your body."

"just me."

Zhang Yuan's voice became incredibly sincere:

"I'm the only one who sees you as a 'patient,' nothing more."

"Come to my clinic, V. The medical fees are a bit high, but I promise... you'll live a more exciting life than anyone else."

As he spoke, he pulled out a golden-glowing "Heavenly Armed Forces - Exclusive Executor Contract".

V stared at the hand, his eyes darting around.

The effect of that medicine was truly astonishing; it was the first time he had felt the "noise" in his head completely disappear.

He instinctively raised his hand, wanting to take the gleaming contract.

"V! Don't believe this bastard!"

Just then, an angry roar exploded in V's mind.

Johnny Silverhand's image is directly visualized on V's retina.

He took off his sunglasses, his electronic eyes filled with disgust and vigilance, and pointed at Zhang Yuan's nose, cursing:

"Look at his outfit! Look at that hypocritical mask! This guy exudes even more of a corporate vibe than Arasaka Yorinobu!"

"What 'patient'? In his eyes, you're just an asset to be used! That contract is a slave contract! Once you sign it, you'll be his dog for good!"

"We are rebels! We are rock and roll fans! Even if we die, we will not be lackeys of these charlatans!"

V's hand froze in mid-air.

Johnny's words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing his impulse.

Yes, this mysterious organization that suddenly appeared has an unclear background, uses strange methods, and is even in cahoots with Arasaka Yorinobu.

Can you really trust this kind of person?

"What's wrong? Does your 'roommate' have a problem with it?"

Zhang Yuan seemed to have anticipated this scene.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze precisely locking onto the air around V—the location of Johnny Silverhand.

That look in his eyes carried a hint of mockery.

"You...you can see me?" Johnny was stunned. He instinctively wanted to give the middle finger, but the tangible gaze made him shrink back.

"Feel sorry."

V took a deep breath, withdrew his hand, and his eyes regained their resolve:

"Your medicine worked very well, and you truly saved my life. I will remember this kindness."

"But I can't sign such an ambiguous contract and work for Arasaka's allies."

V stood up, leaning against the wall. Although his body was still trembling, his spine was very straight.

"I need to find Evelyn first. That's my mission, and it's my promise to Jack. As for my life... I'll figure that out myself."

V refused.

Ah Qiang, standing to the side, raised an eyebrow and slightly raised the machine gun in his hand, seemingly wanting to teach this ungrateful brat a lesson.

But Zhang Yuan raised his hand to stop him.

"Very principled."

Zhang Yuan put away the contract, not angry at all, but instead letting out a soft chuckle:

"I admire people with principles, although principles can't put food on the table."

He pulled a pure black metal business card from his pocket and casually tossed it into V's jacket pocket.

"Take this."

"V, remember my words. All the 'hard bones' in this world will eventually be ground to powder by pain."

"When you find that even death is a luxury... my clinic is always open for you."

After speaking, Zhang Yuan turned around, flicking his platinum cloak behind him:

"Let's go."

Watching the departing figures of the Heavenly Army, Johnny Silverhand spat:

"Stop pretending. V, let's go. Even without Butcher Zhang, we'll still eat hairy pork, won't we? Let's go find Roger, that old woman definitely has a solution."

V touched the cold business card in his pocket, remained silent for a long time, and finally turned and disappeared into the darkness.

……

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Night City, in the Badlands.

Inside a secret base disguised as an abandoned chemical plant.

The commander of the Blue Team's Reincarnator squad, "Colonel," stared at the battle report on the holographic screen with a grim expression.

[High-energy reaction detected has disappeared... Energy fluctuations in the cloud top area have returned to zero.]

[Speculation: The original sin chip, Lust, has been recovered.]

"asshole!"

The colonel slammed his fist on the control panel, denting the alloy surface. "Those useless Yellow Team bastards! They were driven away by the Red Team so quickly? They couldn't even mount a decent sniping attempt?"

"Sir, it's not just about driving them away."

The intelligence officer next to him pulled up a blurry surveillance video. It was footage taken by a drone near Genting Highlands.

In the footage, Huang Fang's team did not scatter and flee, but withdrew in an organized manner, carrying silver medicine boxes bearing the insignia of the Heavenly Kingdom Armed Forces.

"They...were recruited."

The intelligence officer swallowed hard. "That guy on the Red Team wearing the fox mask didn't kill them; he turned them into his downlines."

"Damn it! These spineless opportunists!"

A hint of murderous intent flashed in the colonel's eyes.

The current situation is very unfavorable for the Blue team.

The Red Team has seized control of Arasaka's resources and the lifeline of the black market's potions, and now they have recruited the Yellow Team as their external henchmen.

Although the protagonist named V has not yet joined the Red Team, it seems that he has already been infiltrated by the Red Team.

If this continues, once the Red Team collects more Sin Chips, the Blue Team will be slowly worn down and killed in Night City.

"We can't wait any longer."

The colonel abruptly stood up, the power armor behind him emitting a heavy mechanical grinding sound:

"Since we can't win small-scale skirmishes in the city..."

The colonel pointed to the vast, boundless wasteland outside the base, his eyes dark and brooding.

"Then let's crush them with an iron torrent on the wasteland!"

"I'm going to show the Red Team what real 'firepower suppression' really means!"