2077: V really knows how awesome he is

"How about I recommend one to you?" V said with a smile.

Angie didn't agree immediately, but instead asked, "May I ask what that person's name is?"

"Victor Viktor."

Chapter 93: The Commission: Boxing Sparring Partner

Do you really believe that the people who sell you mechanical eyes can resist the urge to spy?

"Probes surround us, even inside our bodies. Your joys and sorrows, your worries, your life—it's all just a show in their eyes!"

The next morning, the prophet Gary was still tirelessly promoting his ideas.

V arrived as usual to "listen to the lecture" and couldn't help but ask, "Even if you're right—so what? Do you want me to gouge out my prosthetic eye? Thanks, but forget it."

Gary shook his head repeatedly: "We are beyond saving, but the children of the future can be saved, and those lives that have not yet been tainted by blasphemous surgeries can be saved! May mothers protect their children's bodies, and may fathers teach them to hate cold prosthetics!"

"You ask me, who are those people watching us?"

"Of course, they're necromancers from Alpha Centauri!"

"They live monotonous lives day after day, and our joys and sorrows are used to soothe and numb their empty hearts!"

Although V initially came with the intention of extracting data, after listening for two days, he actually became quite addicted.

If yesterday's deduction holds true, and the Necromancer is essentially a wandering AI, then Gary's statement means that "wandering AIs are observing humanity through various prosthetics and probes." Gary claims this is to soothe an empty heart, but AIs aren't that bored. V believes that wandering AIs are recording and analyzing human behavior to build large-scale data models that conform to human behavioral characteristics.

As for the purpose of the model, it could be to enrich the database, or it could be to destroy humanity, or both—to enrich the database while destroying humanity.

V was about to discuss with Gary whether they could dig up some juicy gossip when two young and beautiful female tourists walked over from the side.

"Look, there really are conspiracy theorists, just like what they say on variety shows."

"Quick, stand next to him! I'll take a picture and call it an arrest for leaking government secrets!"

Two girls were taking pictures, one of them was taking a picture, and the other walked over to Gary and posed. The girl made her hands into a gun shape, like a secret agent.

Gary was not angry at all; on the contrary, he cooperated very well, making the two girls laugh. Before leaving, they even gave Gary 5 yuan.

V emerged from the shadows only after the two tourists had left.

She joked with Gary, "You're pretty skilled. Looks like this isn't your first time."

Gary didn't hide anything: "People think I'm crazy, but I'm not. I know what's right, and I need to eat too. Everyone is doing better because of tourists, and I can't let them down."

"If that's the case, why not find a proper job? You said it yourself, everyone is getting better and better off thanks to tourists, so you can too."

Gary was stunned, his eyes glazed over.

But a few seconds later, he returned to normal, as if he had completely forgotten the conversation, and reached out his hand, saying, "President V, you're here again. Your eyes tell me you're ready to hear the truth. Would you be willing to donate a small amount to help me continue my mission?"

Good grief, has Gary been forcibly pulled back onto the right track?

It seems he wanted to start a new life, but the modifications to CN-07 forced him to stay here. So, once Gary showed signs of wavering, the pre-programmed system would restart him from where he was and return him to the original process.

Dellaman has already told V that Gary's request for donations signifies the end of one phase, and making the right choice here will open the next phase.

What is the right choice?

Of course, it's about giving money.

V transferred another 1000 euros: "You are doing a good deed for the masses. Use this money to awaken the City of Night."

The event is over.

V turned and left, heading towards Old Vie's prosthetic clinic.

When she arrived, Old Wei was sitting at his workbench, yawning.

"What's wrong, Lao Wei? Did you stay up too late watching the boxing match last night?"

"No, not at all." Old V rubbed his eyes and said, "I was woken up yesterday morning by someone banging on the door. V, do you have any clues?"

V broke out in a cold sweat under the gaze of a pair of ordinary eyes: "I... I have no clue what to do, I... Okay, I admit it was me, I'm sorry, old V."

"It's alright, but don't do it again." Old V said with a smile, "V, I'm glad to see that you still have a childlike heart."

V pouted: "What are you talking about? What kind of person am I in your eyes?"

"A child who hasn't grown up yet."

V said angrily, "I'm not a child anymore."

"Oh right, you are the famous V, the CEO of V."

"I'm serious, I'm not kidding!"

Old Wei didn't argue, he just laughed. V felt very deflated, but at the same time he felt more relaxed than ever before.

why?

Because the whole world only cares about how high V flies, only Old V cares about how tired V is from flying.

Only with Old Vie does V remember that he is only 24 years old.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Angie and Aaron Waynes came in together.

V originally planned to take Old V directly to the boxing club, but the two insisted on coming in person, saying that this was the only way to show their sincerity.

Others respected Old Wei, and V was happy to see it happen. She introduced them, and they quickly struck up a conversation.

Aaron Waynes was very enthusiastic, his words filled with admiration and respect for Old Waynes, just like a fan meeting his idol.

It was through their conversation that V learned that Old V was actually the Night City boxing champion from over a decade ago, someone who had actually fought in professional matches and even won a gold belt.

"Damn, Vee, you've been hiding this well!" V exclaimed in surprise. "I knew you were a good boxer, but I didn't know you were a champion."

"I didn't hide them. My trophies and certificates are hanging on the back wall, aren't they?"

"I thought you were just putting on a fake show."

Old Wei: ……

Seeing the unfriendly expression on Night City's most skilled cyborg doctor's face, V quickly changed the subject and invited everyone to get in the car. They sped all the way to the boxing club, where V and Aaron Waynes started a practice match.

The final result was no surprise; in the second round, Aaron Wayans was knocked out by V with a single punch.

V ran off to drink water and wipe his sweat. Old Vie stepped forward, pointed out Aaron's shortcomings, and offered suggestions for improvement.

After a 20-minute break, V and Aaron Waynes resumed their fight. With V's guidance, Aaron Waynes had indeed improved significantly, and surprisingly... he lasted until the third round before being knocked out by a single punch.

"Clang!" Aaron lay sprawled on the ring.

Although he had prepared himself mentally beforehand, the series of failures still dealt him a heavy blow.

"Don't be discouraged." Old V stepped forward and threw a towel down. "V's strength lies in her rich fighting experience. Many of her techniques have gone beyond the scope of boxing. It's already quite remarkable that you were able to last three rounds against her. All you need to do is play to your strengths."

Aaron Wiens removed the towel from his face and asked, "What are my strengths?"

"Endurance, uh, I mean stamina. You're young and strong, but you used to fight in underground boxing and lack real match experience. So what you need to do is defend first, then counterattack, and wait for your opponent's strength to wear off before taking the match in one fell swoop."

Aaron Wiens seemed to understand something, sprang to his feet, and challenged V again.

V refused, as her body hadn't fully recovered and wasn't suited for prolonged combat. However, Aaron Wiens needed a sparring partner, so V thought for a moment and made a call to the Dogtown boss.

"There are sandbags to hit, come quickly."

Aaron Wiens: Sandbag? Where?

Soon after, Kurt Hansen arrived, dressed in combat gear.

Angie officially hired Old Vince as Aaron Waynes' technical coach. After the two signed the contract, the poor boxing kid was knocked to the ground by the Dogtown boss.

"Haha, little brat, you've got some tough fists. Why be a boxer? Come join the Netherhounds, and I'll make you start as a squad leader!"

As soon as Kurt Hansen finished speaking, he felt a thorn in his side. He turned around and saw V glaring at him.

The dogtown boss broke out in a cold sweat: "I...I just love talent."

"Go away, Night City is waiting for Aaron to win the Olympic gold medal!"

"An Olympic gold medal?!" Kurt Hansen exclaimed in surprise, looking at Aaron Wiens: "I didn't realize you were such a damn ambitious kid. Fine, I'll give you my full support. If you win the gold medal, I'll let you have a free month at Sapphire Blue, pick any girls you want, and even throw a slut party if you want!"

Aaron Wiens' eyes lit up immediately: "Really?"

"Of course it's true, everyone knows that Colonel Hansen's word is law!" The Dogtown boss said, then changed the subject: "But before that, you better watch your crotch. If you become a spineless coward in the ring because of that stuff in bed, I'll send you to Twist Street and have Finger cut off your thing and give you a second chance!"

Aaron Wiens shuddered. He wanted to have a slut party, but his goal was to have sex with people, not to be sexed. Faced with Kurt Hansen's threats, he quickly swore that he would remain chaste until the match and ensure that he would not lose his virginity.

Kurt Hansen was very satisfied, so he beat Aaron Wiens up again.

Although the Dogtown boss is getting old and his reflexes have declined, he is still a veteran of many battles and is not someone a street fighter can easily fool.

But half of those tactics would be considered fouls in the boxing ring, and the other half would be even more serious unsportsmanlike fouls. Hansen's groin grabs and eye gouging were examples of a lack of sportsmanship.

While Veigard was giving Aaron Wiens a debriefing, Kurt Hansen was chatting away with Veigard.

"He's a good lad." Dogtown's leader said while wiping his sweat, "Although he's as green as a newbie on his first day working in Genting, he has a good foundation, a quick mind, and most importantly, a fierce determination. Even if he doesn't win the gold medal this time, he'll definitely win it next time. You can't give up on him just because he failed once."

V certainly wouldn't give up; she wanted to build a better Night City, not only materially but also spiritually.

The short but fulfilling day quickly came to an end. Aaron Wiens had been beaten up all day, but he was actually the happiest person.

why?

Because he himself felt his own progress, as long as there was improvement, he could endure any hardship.

A true athlete is one who single-mindedly pursues higher levels of achievement.

Angie is right, Aaron Waynes was born for this!

On the morning of the third day, V, as usual, went to the prophet Gary for a lesson.

"The true name of this so-called cyberspace is actually... the Cave of Demons!!!"

Upon arrival, V heard some extraordinary remarks.

Gary continued.

"Without a body, how can life exist? Aren't the beings on the internet our souls beyond this universe?"

"I have heard their voices. May the living never cross that barrier, or their souls will become one with those ghosts!"

V shrugged: "I've actually seen a few dead people in cyberspace, former scientists, former company CEOs, former rock stars and stuff."

Gary immediately followed with his snake stick, shouting to the passing crowd, "Listen to the witness, hear her testify for the souls in the hellfire!"

"Uh..." V said awkwardly, "I haven't seen it become popular or not."

Gary ignored him and continued, "You want to ask, who opened the blasphemous gate to the abyss?"

"A necromancer from Alpha Centauri!"

"Hmm." V wasn't surprised at all by this answer.

"President V, you come here often, and your eyes tell me that you have opened your heart to listen to the truth. Would you be willing to donate a small amount of money to help me continue my mission?"

Okay, V isn't surprised by this explanation.

“Of course.” V transferred another 1000 euros for the third time. “You’re doing a good deed for everyone. Use this money to awaken Night City!”

That concludes today's lessons; tomorrow will be the last time.

V drove to the boxing club.

Old Wei had already arrived, and a while later Kurt Hansen also arrived.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, V beat Aaron Wiens up first, followed by Kurt Hansen beating Aaron Wiens up as well.

After finishing the beating, the boxing kid wanted to thank the two for their guidance.

Kurt Hansen remarked, "I feel more at peace than ever before. I wouldn't be disturbed even if my wife slept with another man in front of us."

"That's not your wife anymore."

Kurt Hansen threw down the towel he was using to wipe his sweat, went back on stage and beat up Aaron Wiens, then calmly sat back down.

"I'm having dinner with my son tonight, and my ex-wife and her husband will also be there."

V exclaimed in shock: "Holy crap, don't kill someone!"

"Don't worry, I'll give Aaron a good beating before I go."

V: "...That's all."