2077: V really knows how awesome he is

V copied the chip's contents and was about to close the document when a pop-up window appeared.

The pop-up window displayed a passage of text that was neither entirely poetry nor entirely poetry; it read as follows:

[They stood back to back, their eyes meeting.]

The gods may not understand certain things, but they will inform the people of this.

The boundary is defined as the unknowable, which brings blessings to him.

Hold fast to the Lord’s will and walk on the land of salt and sand.

He planned well for all who were baptized, and set out the kingdom of heaven for them.

V frowned.

What are you talking about, all this nonsense?

She read it a few more times and suddenly made a new discovery.

If you put the first word of these words together, it becomes—"Project! Oracle! Command! Execution! Plan!"

“Project Oracle Command Execution Plan?” V had barely finished reading it when a burst of electricity suddenly erupted from her neural slot.

"Fuck me!"

She quickly ejected the chip and checked it; the chip was completely burned out, but fortunately, her neural slot was undamaged.

It was as if the current just now was the chip's own self-destruct program.

V felt a vague unease, but couldn't quite put her finger on why.

She underwent three systematic diagnostic tests, and the conclusion was that her body had no abnormalities, which finally put her mind at ease.

Perhaps what happened just now was really a self-destruct program set up by CN-07 to prevent the leakage of intelligence.

"Luckily, I made a backup beforehand."

V felt a sense of relief, called Carter to have the counterintelligence department come and clean up the mess, then returned to Arasaka Tower to export the data and send it to the European Space Agency.

Before she could even pour herself a glass of tequila, the head of the European Space Agency called.

"V, is this data accurate?"

“I don’t know.” V said bluntly, “I don’t understand astronomy, and I’ve only been to space a handful of times. I just happened to get a chip with this information on it. You’ll have to figure out for yourself whether it’s true or not.”

The head of the European Space Agency then asked, "Where did the chips come from?"

"It came from a few ordinary people in Night City."

"How could an ordinary person possibly have such professional data?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention, they've all been brainwashed by the 'Life is Short' program. You remember that program, right? It's..."

"The one developed by CN-07 is a rogue AI from Night City." The head of the European Space Agency paused for a moment, then continued, "It's also a rogue AI from the Moon."

V shrugged. Everyone can testify that she didn't say anything.

"Thanks, V. Whether this chip is real or fake, I owe you a favor."

"Then you should transfer the money for the new nanorobot to me. It can perfectly solve water pollution, hasn't that already been proven? Our Night City is dirt poor, we're just waiting for your ESA to send us money so we can buy rice to cook."

"Don't be ridiculous. Night City used to be poor, but it's far from poor now. Everyone knows that Night City has the best welfare system in the world, with compulsory education and universal healthcare. Aren't those projects incredibly expensive?"

"That's precisely why we need you to transfer the funds quickly!"

"Okay, okay, I'll hold a meeting and cast a vote later and then I'll transfer the money to you. But you need to know that you still owe us an explanation for the issue of the new nanorobots abnormally exceeding the proliferation limit."

"Don't worry, I've already had my chief engineer look into this, and we'll have an answer soon."

"That's good."

The call ends here.

V poured himself a glass of tequila.

She looked out the window at the night view and took a sip of her drink, guessing that New Africa was definitely not going to have a good time this time.

Of course, it's impossible to expect the European Space Agency and New Africa to completely break off relations, but as the official mission to send CN-07 to the moon, the orbital spacecraft will definitely suffer a lot.

V doesn't care about the specifics of what she'll do. Once New Africa finds out that she was the one who handed over the real data of the Alpha Centauri system to the European Space Agency, those black guys will naturally understand that this is her revenge.

The message is clear. The world is incredibly fragile right now, and going to great lengths will only lead to self-destruction.

Most people understand this principle. Even if those black guys didn't understand it before, they should understand it after they got beaten up.

The mess with Alpha Centauri was over. V finished her tequila and prepared to go back to rest. Sasha was still waiting for her; she also had to go to the boxing club tomorrow to continue training Aaron Waynes.

She prefers supporting dreams to taking revenge on others.

V spent an ordinary night, but deep within cyberspace, a consciousness was awakened.

In the cyberspace composed of 0s and 1s, everything is pitch black, except for a red figure that vaguely forms the image of a woman, reaching out to grab a golden string of characters.

"CN-07 has been eliminated, and a threat to AI has emerged."

"Start searching for targets."

"Target confirmed, name: Novel Nanorobots."

"Threat justification: Biological AI."

"Threat Level: High."

"Activate the protection protocol, initiate the cleanup plan, analyze the causal relationship, and select the intervention plan."

"The plan has been confirmed."

"Destroy the individual named V, destroy everything she has."

Chapter 97 Bear’s Heart and Leopard’s Boldness

The next few days were calm and uneventful, both in Night City and internationally.

V spent his days shuttling between Arasaka Tower and the boxing club. With everyone's help, Aaron Waynes improved rapidly—although they weren't initially genuinely trying to help him, the young man's hard work and seriousness eventually won them over.

Kurt Hansen began to teach him everything he knew; Jack also willingly became his sparring partner; Old Viren temporarily closed his prosthetic clinic and lived at the boxing club every day, focusing on studying Aaron's fighting style and tactics; the biggest sacrifice was made by Xu Ling, who even passed on real "Chinese Kung Fu" to Aaron Wiens, for which she specially made Aaron kneel down to offer her a cup of tea, saying that this was called "becoming a disciple".

V never knew that hiring a fitness coach required providing drinks.

"Sigh." Xu Ling sighed, "Aaron is too old. His meridians have solidified and taken shape. At most, he can only improve his endurance. He is destined not to achieve much in the path of martial arts."

V asked, "Is this why you've been looking so grumpy these past few days?"

"No, that's not it." Xu Ling shook her head: "The main reason is that if the old man knew that I had taken on a black disciple, he would probably be so angry that he would die."

V then asked, "Are you worried that President Xu will punish you?"

“No, that’s not it.” Xu Ling shook her head again: “I’m afraid I’ll anger him to death.”

V: "...You don't seem to like your grandfather very much."

“Nobody in the Xu family likes him,” Xu Ling snorted. “The old man is a typical feudal patriarch; he only treats his children as tools. We can’t have our own pursuits or hobbies. We have to accept his arrangements in everything. For example, I’m studying military science, Xu Zhong is studying martial arts, and my twelfth cousin is studying diplomacy. Sister V, can you imagine that kind of life? We’re like robots, only able to operate according to the programs the old man has set. Any thoughts or ideas we have will be forcibly stifled, and we can only watch helplessly as our bodies do things we don’t like!”

V thought for a moment: "Like being brainwashed by the idea that 'life is short'?"

"It's even worse than that. At least being brainwashed by 'Life is Short' makes you feel like you're acting according to your own will, but we clearly don't want to do it, yet we have to." Xu Ling said bitterly, "My biggest wish is to raise my own army and take down that old man. Sister V, you must help me then!"

"Yes, of course I'll help you."

Xu Ling smiled foolishly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Her military talent was built on absolute rationality, which destined her to never be able to raise "her own army." Even if she did, she would lose her greatest advantage and become vulnerable.

V knew this, and Xu Ling knew it too.

Xu Shiming was able to lead Kang Tao to conquer a vast territory, which naturally demonstrated his true talent and ability. He firmly controlled everything, including his own descendants.

A life beyond one's control? That's truly terrifying. All V can do is ensure that Xu Ling can enjoy her precious freedom while in Night City.

The ring was filled with the sounds of thumping as Aaron Wiens launched a fierce attack on Jack.

V looked in the direction of the sound and was once again struck by the differences between people.

Although they were raised in the same family, Xu Zhong had one personality and Xu Ling had another.

Despite being Black, there are voodoo gangs and idiots like those from New Africa, but also hardworking and dedicated young people like Aaron Wiens who are willing to burn everything for their dreams.

Humans are a very complex species, or rather, human free will is very complex, which is why so many independent and colorful personalities and lives are born.

V couldn't help but think, but as night fell, she still couldn't figure it out.

Fine, I guess I'm just not cut out for research.

V said to everyone, "Go fucking shower and change your clothes. You have fifteen minutes. If you're late, you can go to your next life!"

"Oh!!!"

Night in Night City is nightlife; in Night City, sunrise is not the start of the day, sunset is.

V and his group went to the Rebirth Bar for a hearty drink, and Roger had already prepared everything for them.

This has been the routine every day for some time now. After all, people aren't machines, and the arduous training needs to be balanced with plenty of entertainment. They do the toughest training during the day and go to the most upscale places at night. This is the simple and unpretentious pastime of these big shots.

Of course, Aaron Waynes couldn't drink alcohol or hire prostitutes, but he could eat as much sweet fruit as he wanted and have plenty of real steak. This was paradise for a former petty hoodlum, and if you added in the unrestrained banter and boasting with your drinking buddies, it would be the ultimate enjoyment for a man.

"Go Aaron!"

"Aaron, you absolutely have to drink with us until we drop after the game!"

"Aaron, we support you!"

"Aaron, when are you going to become an Olympic champion?"

Not only materially, Aaron Wiens also gained a lot spiritually. When people learned that he was an Olympic athlete representing Night City, they generously offered their blessings and respect. This was certainly a pressure, but it was also a motivation.

For the first time, Aaron Wiens realized that he too could be expected of and that he too could live a meaningful life, all thanks to V.

“President V, I’d like to propose a toast to you.” Aaron Wiens couldn’t help but raise his glass.

But V scoffed: "Go to hell, you're addicted to using water to toast people, aren't you? Get lost."

Despite being scolded, Aaron Wiens didn't care at all; in fact, he was quite pleased.

There aren't many people who get scolded by V. If President V scolded me, it must mean he considers me one of his own.

It's decided! I must win the Olympic championship, personally present the Olympic gold medal to President V, and then toast her.

Aaron Wiens made up his mind.

Life went by quickly. A week passed, the Olympics were getting closer, and Arasaka2077 had arranged Aaron Wiens's plane ticket in advance. Everything went smoothly and the world was peaceful.

If there is anything truly significant, it is that Mr. Lancelot, the combat hero of the Moon Cloud Sea Base and the chief of the Round Table among the High Knights, will be traveling to Earth at the invitation of Orbital Aviation to begin a global lecture tour.

Orbital Aviation represents the new Africa, and its invitation to Lancelot is tantamount to the new Africa inviting Lancelot. It must be said that these black guys spared no effort in proving their loyalty to the European Space Agency. They relentlessly promoted Lancelot, exaggerating his abilities to the skies, as if he single-handedly quelled the AI ​​riot at Cloudsea Base, while the other High Knights and combat personnel were merely cheerleaders.

But the public still buys into it. Lancelot is currently generating a lot of buzz and has a large fan base, at least outside Night City. As for those inside Night City—the people of Night City say: Don't be ridiculous! No matter how powerful Lancelot is, can he be as powerful as V? V can create the world with his bare hands, can he? V dares to pick up a chip and stick it in his brain, can he? What Lancelot, what Green Lancelot, he's not even worth a hair on V's head!

V expressed her offense, saying it had been a long time since she had picked up a chip and stuck it in her brain.

However, she was quite surprised to hear this news, because the European Space Agency has not taken any action yet, which means either it does not plan to take any action, or it is preparing to do something big.

V is more inclined towards the latter.

At this moment, Sasha asked, "Lancelot's first stop is New Africa, and his second stop is Night City. Should we refuse his visit application?"

"Why refuse?" V thought for a moment: "Lancelot has a lot of fans now, right? They will definitely come to Night City. Send the word that when Lancelot arrives, all the food and accommodation in Night City will increase by 30%, and rip off those bandwagon idiots."

Sasha wasn't surprised at all. After all, she was the kind of woman who knew exactly what position to change to the moment V patted her butt. Their tacit understanding had been honed through constant communication.

After finishing his company business, V went to the boxing club as usual, beat up Aaron Waynes twice, and helped with his training. Then, as usual, it was time for his nightlife.

But V didn't go this time, saying she wouldn't come to the club the next day either. Not only her, Xu Ling did the same.

Aaron Wiens found it a bit strange and asked about it.

"Is there something you need, President V and Master?"

“There is something, but it’s nothing serious,” V said. “Delaman Taxi Company has merged with Arasaka 2077 and is cooperating with Comto to fully implement driverless technology in Night City. Xu Ling and I estimate we’ll be busy for two or three days.”

Aaron Winnes already knew that Drumman had merged with Arasaka 2077, but he was puzzled as to why the self-driving car still needed to cooperate with Comtau.

Noticing her apprentice's question, Xu Ling snapped her fingers and turned on the holographic television in the club. On the screen, Gillian Jordan, the star anchor of News 54, was broadcasting the evening news.

"In other aspects, China has officially become the first country in the world to transition from manual driving to driverless driving of motor vehicles."