2077: V really knows how awesome he is

Half an hour before the match started, the president of New Africa was still calling V, hoping that V would be more magnanimous and not go too far, and that he would concede defeat on his own initiative, so that New Africa could remember V's favor.

V was so angry he laughed. Lancelot injured my men, and you expect me to be magnanimous? This new Africa really doesn't think much of itself.

Okay, that's good. It reminded her of those idiots from the Voodoo Gang, who were truly oddballs from a godforsaken place.

I don't know when the European Space Agency will make its move, but whatever, if the European Space Agency doesn't make a move, Night City will go first.

V smiled at the new African president over the radio and said, "Fuck you!"

The new African president was dumbfounded. He had considered many possible responses from V, but he never expected V to insult him, and to insult him so harshly.

"W-what did you say?!"

"Fuck you! If you can't hear, go see a doctor, you stupid, stinky black man!" V raised his middle finger.

The new African president was so angry that his whole body twisted in rage. He snarled with his thick lips turned outwards, "You'll regret this, V! New Africa will not tolerate such an insult! Night City must give us an explanation!"

"Pay your mother's money!"

"I……"

"I am your father!"

The new African president nearly choked on his breath and angrily hung up the phone.

They've even forgotten how to swear; these black devils have forgotten their roots.

V sighed, stretched his arms and legs, and prepared to go on stage.

Sasha came over and said, "People from Orbital Aviation are here and hope to have a face-to-face meeting with you."

"Get him out of here!"

So the representative from Orbital Aviation was kicked out.

Even if the King of Heaven himself came today, he couldn't stop V from crippling Lancelot.

To be honest, fighting to the death with a common soldier is a bit beneath V. But she hasn't disliked this person in a long time, so let it be. Otherwise, she can't get over it.

Just then, Jack ran over and said, "Lancelot bet 10 and he'll win."

V raised an eyebrow: "Buy 10 for me too, and win it all myself."

Jack went there, and then ran back a while later: "Lancelot bought himself for another 20."

V almost laughed.

What is Lancelot doing? Is she being stubborn with herself over money? Don't even mention that she's the boss of Arasaka 2077 now. Even if she was a street mercenary in her past life, she still had a net worth of 2000 million.

Jack asked, "How about we buy another 20? We can't lose face like this!"

“That’s true, we can’t lose face.” V nodded: “But 20 is too little.”

"How much should we buy? 30? 50?"

V stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and replied, "Let's buy 2 million first."

Jack: "..."

Lancelot, looking confident in the lounge, said to the anxious representative from Orbital Aviation, "Don't worry, V isn't as strong as you think. A one-man battle against an entire carrier strike group, and then single-handedly smashing through clouds—those absurd feats sound like they were paid to fabricate. Anyone who believes them is an idiot. I, on the other hand, am the strongest of the Knights of the Round Table. I quelled the AI ​​uprising on the moon with real swords and spears. V and I are worlds apart. I guarantee I'll win this match!"

The representative from the Orbital Aviation was naturally from the Night City Lunar Spaceport, and he had personally witnessed V's numerous achievements. However, the previous representative had been sent to check tickets because he had repeatedly tried to persuade Lancelot to stop, so this representative was sitting comfortably in his office and didn't want to check tickets, so he didn't say anything.

Lancelot was pleased with the representative's obedience and asked while stretching his arms and legs, "By the way, I added another 20. Did V call?"

"Follow me."

"How much did you follow?"

"2."

With a thud, Lancelot fell flat on his back.

He scrambled to his feet and asked in a shrill voice, "How much?!"

Chapter 99 Always Willing

Taiping State Stadium.

To be precise, it is the "New Taiping State Stadium".

The original stadium was completely destroyed during the Arasaka invasion, and the current stadium is a version rebuilt to international standards.

The new stadium is fully equipped with all kinds of facilities. The outer ring is a standard running track, and the inner ring is a football field. It can host various track and field and football matches. In its spare time, it can also host an unrestricted fighting match.

The match was scheduled for 10 PM, the start of a new day in Night City. It was 9:30 PM. Several powerful spotlights illuminated the arena, their beams striking the center like sharp swords. The audience expected the players to enter, but instead, a platform rose up, and a band made a dazzling entrance with their full instrumental ensemble.

"Hello everyone, we are the Takeshi Band, and I am Saburo Arasaka. Next, we will be performing our new song, 'Eternal Solitude'!"

After speaking, Johnny didn't say much. He looked at guitarist Kerry Orodien, drummer Dani, and keyboardist Nancy in turn. After his old friends nodded to him one by one, Johnny swept his hand across the guitar with a flourish, and the stirring and tragic music resounded throughout the venue through the loudspeakers, instantly capturing the ears of all the audience members.

The old friends worked together seamlessly, their various instruments blending perfectly to create a magnificent 23-second prelude. When Johnny finally grabbed the microphone and opened his mouth again, his weathered, hoarse voice pierced everyone's hearts like a sharp sword.

"This torn and wounded heart remains frozen."

"Discard the sadness, leaving only the cold memories."

"There is no way to escape from this story of being invaded and on the verge of extinction."

"Fighting is everything!"

As Johnny roared out the lyrics, dazzling fireworks exploded at the four corners of the stage, instantly stirring the audience's emotions, who responded with a deafening roar.

The members of the Wu Shi Band exchanged glances, as if they had returned to the past. When they were young, they sang all over the streets and alleys of Night City, making waves everywhere. Now, the years have passed and their youth has faded, but rock and roll remains, just like always!

After a brief intermission, Johnny roared out the second bar again.

"When will this blood-stained hand finally reach its end?"

"This insane fate may end with only emptiness."

"Feeling lost, even eternally lonely, so absurd that something inside you laughs."

"Fighting is everything!"

Fireworks exploded again, and the crowd cheered once more.

Johnny gripped the microphone and shouted the climax of the song with all his might!

There is nothing left that can be lost again.

"No matter where we are, we will pursue and reclaim the future that is rightfully ours."

"My soul will one day return to this planet."

"But before this body is shattered into pieces, on the verge of falling apart..."

More than 5 audience members sang in unison:

"Fighting is everything!!!"

As the song ended, the stage slowly descended.

The audience stood up, applauded, screamed, and shouted, and the members of the Wu Shi Band waved to the crowd.

Without a doubt, "Eternal Loneliness" will become a hit of the year.

The Wu Shi band displayed skillful technique and excellent teamwork, with Johnny's desolate and hoarse voice being the perfect finishing touch.

But most importantly, this song contains genuine emotion. Why? Because Johnny isn't singing about principles, the future, or ideals; he's simply singing about himself.

"Fighting is everything"—this perfectly encapsulates Johnny Silverhand's life. Even though his body is dead and decaying, and his soul has been summoned from the Cyber ​​Tomb to possess the person he hates most, he still perseveres, choosing to face the challenge head-on and shouting to this messed-up world, "Fighting is everything!"

V chuckled softly, because she suddenly felt that the 20 yuan investment probably wouldn't go down the drain.

She was incredibly gratified to see her old friend achieve such success. Even though she had cursed Johnny the idiot countless times in her heart, at this moment she still had to sincerely exclaim – Johnny Silverhand is the strongest bard of the 21st century, a rock 'n' roll kid, awesome!

“Let the match begin.” V clenched his fist: “After listening to Johnny’s song, I can’t wait to kill Lancelot.”

Lancelot shared the same idea.

Although I don't understand why Saburo Arasaka would give up being a proper company president to become a singer, he sings really well.

He felt that even if another AI uprising occurred, he could easily handle it on his own.

As for V, he's just an ordinary person; he couldn't possibly be more powerful than a wandering AI.

The two stood in the center of the arena. Because it was unrestricted combat, there were no elaborate formalities like a ring. The rules were simple: both sides could use any means except firearms and hacking. The match would only end when one side conceded or was killed.

After the rules were explained, the two pressed the "agree" button in front of everyone, and the competition began.

Lancelot launched the first attack. Although he was born on the moon, a low-gravity region, he had undergone extensive genetic modification and high-intensity training to become the chief of the Knights of the Round Table. He was not trapped by Earth's high gravity; on the contrary, he was adept at it. His height of over 2 meters gave him long arms and legs, making him not only extremely fast but also capable of a wide range of attacks.

On the contrary, V only reached Lancelot's chest. Seeing the attack coming, she chose to raise her arms to defend. Lancelot punched V's forearm with a loud bang. V took a step back to dissipate the force, but Lancelot was not one to let it go. He followed up with his snake-slaying staff and swung his arms to deliver a series of punches.

The sounds of banging echoed incessantly. People were surprised that V was completely suppressed. On the contrary, Lanstrom's fans were shouting and screaming excitedly, as if they had taken some kind of black lace drug. Their noise made the NCPD, who was protecting them, want to fire a burst of bullets at them to calm them down.

President V is invincible. What he's doing now is just testing the waters, waiting for the right moment, and a defensive counterattack.

All the people of Night City thought so, but reality dealt them a harsh blow.

Lancelot first threw a hook punch to shake V's defense, then seized the opportunity and delivered a powerful right punch that accurately struck V's face.

"Well!"

V was thrown backward by the tremendous force, leaving two deep marks on the grass.

The entire arena fell silent; no one could believe that V had actually been hit. Lancelot's fans, on the other hand, erupted in cheers, and Lancelot himself was incredibly pleased with himself.

"The legend of Night City, what the hell?"

But to his surprise, V, who had stood up, actually smiled.

Lancelot frowned: "Did you get brain damage? What's so funny!"

V spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, looking relieved, and said, "Because I'm relieved. I was worried that you would hurt Aaron badly, but after experiencing it myself, I understand that your soft fists can't even penetrate a sex partner's fist, and you can't break that kid at all!"

"what!"

Lancelot was furious. If he had been somewhat mindful of V's identity before, he had now thrown all that to the wind and decided to hold back no more.

He suddenly started moving, his metal combat boots crushing the grass and soil beneath his feet. His tall body charged toward V at an astonishing speed, his advanced mechanical arm operating at full power, his fists emitting a piercing shriek as they slammed into V's face.

V moved.

Without warning, without any build-up, just as Lancelot's fist was about to touch her nose, V deftly dodged the attack to the side. Her movement was minimal, merely a quick half-inch shift of her head and upper body to the right. Lancelot's powerful punch, imbued with all his strength and mechanical assistance, whistled past V's temple, only causing a few strands of hair to flutter in the gust of wind.

Lanstrom's body leaned forward due to immense inertia, leaving him wide open.

V delivered a simple, unadorned right punch, striking Lancelot squarely in the stomach.

The once arrogant chief knight's expression instantly changed. He clutched his stomach, took two steps back, and vomited a mouthful of bile.

What the hell is that punch? It's so powerful!

Lancelot was covered in cold sweat. As V slowly approached, he said "Wait a minute" but secretly grabbed a handful of turf and threw it at V.

The dirt and grass clippings temporarily obstructed V's vision, and Lancelot seized the opportunity to deliver another punch.

However, the obstruction of vision was merely an obstruction. With the assistance of the Oracle Eye of the Crossroads, Lancelot had already been locked onto. Not to mention the smallest debris, even through a wall, his movements were clearly visible to V.

Easily dodging the attack, V's left hand flashed out, precisely landing on the inner elbow joint of Lancelot's missing right prosthetic arm. That's a common weak point in robotic arms; due to torque, once the elbow joint is caught, the arm struggles to generate power. This technique is unknown to beginners, and experienced fighters won't teach it; mastering it requires real-life combat experience.

With a surge of power in his right hand, V crushed the bionic skin, wedging his fingers into the physical structure of the elbow joint, temporarily crippling Lancelot's arm. Simultaneously, V's right leg, like a long-awaited steel whip, lashed upwards. The level 5++ reinforced tendons granted his leg immense strength, carrying destructive kinetic energy, and slammed into the outside of Lancelot's left knee, the support of his body.

"Crack!"

A teeth-grinding, metallic cracking sound exploded in the stadium, reaching the ears of every spectator with crystal clarity.

Lancelot's advanced leg prosthesis knee joint instantly deformed and shattered, the internal hydraulic pipes burst, the circuitry was damaged, and pale yellow liquid and bright blue electricity gushed out. Under the absolute power of industry and technology, the few remaining natural bones and ligaments in his left leg shattered and broke like rotten wood.

The strongest knight of the High Knights let out a distorted scream, his tall body uncontrollably kneeling to the left front. In just an instant, the excruciating pain and loss of balance caused him to lose all his momentum.

But V did not pause.

The hand gripping Lancelot's right elbow yanked him sharply to the side, the immense force causing Lancelot's kneeling body to rotate to the right. Using the momentum, V spun around, his right leg landing as a pivot, his left leg sweeping out like a battering ram, targeting Lancelot's remaining right calf, which was still supporting part of his weight.

"boom!"

Another dull thud, like an iron rod striking a solid tire. Lancelot's right leg snapped in two like a fragile plastic model, the broken metal even piercing the bionic skin and exposing it directly to the air. The electronic signals were converted into nerve signals, faithfully transmitting the pain back to the brain, abruptly stopping Lancelot's screams.

It wasn't that he wasn't in pain anymore, but that the pain was so intense that he suffocated instantly. His tall body completely lost its support, like a giant tree that had been felled, crashing heavily onto the stadium lawn, sending grass clippings flying.

Lancelot struggled, sweating profusely, trying to prop himself up with his arms, but without the support of his legs, all he could do was writhe in vain.