2077: V really knows how awesome he is

Vera asked curiously, "Didn't you say there would still be real brothels in 2157?"

"Yes, there is, but my dad won't let me go."

"So, I'm sending you now?"

"They won't allow it now either."

"Then why did you come? Your father's name is David Martinez, right? He's the commander-in-chief of our expeditionary force. Aren't you afraid he'll find out?"

“I’m scared.” Selene looked at Vera: “That’s why I called you. If my dad finds out, I’ll say you brought me here.”

Vera's expression collapsed: "Damn, you little bastard..."

Before he could finish speaking, Selene had already entered the summit. Vera cursed under his breath and had no choice but to follow.

But to everyone's surprise, the operation was thwarted smoothly, not because Vera was particularly powerful or Selene was particularly obedient, but because—they had no money.

A waiter at Genting costs 500 euros, and you pay more for more orders, with no upper limit.

The receptionist smiled and said, "That's a total of one thousand euros for both of you. Who will be paying?"

“Her!” Vera and Selene said simultaneously, pointing at each other.

Then their Genting Highlands trip came to an end.

"If you don't have money, why are you visiting a brothel!"

Vera couldn't help but complain as the elevator went down.

“It’s not that I don’t have money, it’s that I don’t have euros,” Selene retorted. “And you, as a native of 2077, what about your digital currency?”

"Old Wei upgraded my system, but the cryptocurrency stuff is completely incompatible with the new system."

The two looked at each other and sighed simultaneously.

Having been living off the warship for so long, Vera had never really thought about the money. Now, the reality was right in front of her, finally making her realize the truth.

"We need to find a way to make some money," Vera said seriously as she stepped out of the elevator.

"How do we do it?" Selene knew everything from warship warp codes to how to create nanonet fireballs, but when it came to making money, she was completely clueless.

Before V could answer, a cry suddenly rang out.

Selene looked in the direction of the sound and saw a middle-aged shopkeeper on the first floor of the building being beaten by two thugs. The two thugs were yelling at him as they beat him: "Let's see you try to be smart again! I told you no more discounts, you stupid idiot, can't you understand human language!"

The middle-aged merchant, his head covered in blood, cried out, "I'm sorry, my daughter is sick, I really need the money. Please forgive me this time. My discounts and promotions to increase sales will benefit you too, won't they?"

"Damn it, you dare to talk back? I think you're really tired of living!" One of the thugs roared, pulled out a dagger and stabbed at the middle-aged merchant's chest. Just as blood was about to splatter everywhere, Selene suddenly felt a breeze blow around her, and then the two thugs were torn to pieces, dead beyond any doubt.

"Wow, someone's dead!" the crowd exclaimed and started running away... to a distance, then took out their phones to take pictures and post them on social media.

Vera shook off the blood from the white tiger, sheathed her blade, and tucked it back into her waistband. She then waved the car keys in her hand at Selene: "How lucky, I found a car that nobody wanted."

The car owner died, so naturally no one wanted the car; Vera, with her Intelligence 3, was that simple.

Selene glanced at the middle-aged merchant who was rummaging through the pile of shredded meat for his wallet and said to Vera, "He's taking your loot."

"It's just a small amount, let him take it." Vera said nonchalantly, smiling as she said to Selene, "Come on, let's go for a drive."

Strictly speaking, I'm older than you.

Despite saying that, she still obediently followed Vera and got into a Mizutani Jun MZ2.

“Those idiots from the Tiger Claw gang really love Mizutani cars. Everyone in the underworld says their boss has connections to the Mizutani Group and gets a cut from every Mizutani car, which is why they make all their underlings buy Mizutani cars.” Vera started the car and drove off, explaining to Selene, “By the way, you know the Tiger Claw gang, right? Those two guys were Tiger Claw members. This gang controls Japan Street, they have some kind of shady relationship with Arasaka, they manage the streets like yakuza, buying land, buildings, shops, and then renting them out to the poor, squeezing money out of them. Genting and the super skyscraper H8 where Genting is located are both Tiger Claw gang properties. Putting aside everything else, the Japanese are really good at running sex services. Genting took down all the other brothels as soon as they arrived, practically monopolizing the live sex service industry. Everyone was pretty happy at first, thinking it was an industrial upgrade, but what happened? The Tiger Claw gang just inflated prices, now it's 500 euros a time, it's fucking insane!”

Is this how the streets are always?

“What else can we do?” Vera scoffed. “Everyone knows the company is corrupt, and the streets are just plain dirty. So the company hands the streets over to the gangs. After all, they’ve worked so hard to put on those suits, they can’t afford to get them dirty so easily.”

Selene looked at Vera: "You know the gangs well?"

“I know them very well. I grew up in Haywood, relied on the kindness of everyone around me, and hung out with the Valentino gang. Then, out of sheer stupidity, I went to Atlanta to try and make a name for myself, only to end up making a mess of things and having to slink back to Night City.” Vera said with a sigh, “A year has faded my past achievements. Only the old-timers in Valentino remember me; the newcomers don’t give me a second glance. I guess I’ve lost both my wife and my army. But while they’ve forgotten me, I haven’t forgotten them. I know all the big and small gangs in Night City inside and out, and I still maintain some good relationships with a few of my old rivals.”

Selene nodded and didn't ask any further questions. Instead, she changed the subject: "Although you saved that middle-aged merchant, he may still face retaliation from the Tiger Claw Gang and die."

“But he would have died just now if I hadn’t done anything.” Vera shrugged nonchalantly: “I saw it, so I took action. What’s it to me after that? I’m not a saint.”

Selene's lips curled slightly: "I thought you were rude, short-sighted, impulsive, and reckless..."

Vera snapped, "Hey!"

Selene then changed the subject: "But I didn't expect you to resemble Chairman V so much."

"Tch!" Vera rolled her eyes. "Don't try to flatter me. I know my own limitations perfectly well. She's a living legend who led humanity to glory, while I'm just a street thug struggling to survive. I'm no match for her."

Selene nodded: "That's true."

No, at least say something to comfort me. Are people in 2157 really this bad at conversation?

Vera was furious when she heard shouts outside the car. She turned to look out the window and saw a shop being robbed by four thugs. The owner was being beaten to the ground, and his daughter was being pinned against the counter. These street scum were about to assault his daughter in front of her father.

But as the S.A.S ...

The boss's despair, the daughter's terror, and the thugs' depravity all blended together to create a unique and beautiful scene in Night City, which intoxicated Vera.

She opened the car door, lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. Then she pulled out the White Tiger sword from her waistband and began hacking and slashing at the four thugs. Afterward, she took a wad of cash from the boss's cash register as payment, pinched her daughter's nipples as a thank you, and then strode back to Mizutani to find the MZ2 and shut down the S.A.S.A.

The roar of the engine resumed, accompanied by the daughter's screams. Countless pieces of flesh shattered into pieces with a crackling sound. The father and daughter had no idea what had happened, and the culprit had already driven away.

“Look, we’ve got the money!” Vera showed the banknotes to Selene.

Who were those four thugs just now?

“The cleaners.” Vera shrugged. “They’re probably planning to rape that girl and then drag her off to film some kind of dark fantasy movie like ‘deep-fried moth.’”

"Is this Night City in 2077?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

“We’ve only driven through three intersections and we’ve already seen more than a dozen crimes, two of which directly threatened the victims’ lives. Don’t you find that strange?”

"It's quite strange." Vera scratched her head. "The streets are so quiet today. Is it because it's Monday?"

Selene: "..."

"What, is it that no one wants to work on Mondays? That's just the law of nature!"

“Never mind, that’s not what I meant.” Selene said seriously, “I’m asking you, don’t you want to change all of this?”

“No,” Vera replied immediately.

Selene asked in surprise, "Why don't you want to?"

“Because I don’t know how to change.” Vera also became serious: “I’m just a street thug, indulging in all sorts of vices. I’m not a saint, and I’m not…V.”

“You are definitely not V. Chairman V would never be confused by these things.”

Vera gave a wry smile: "I know I'm not as good as her, so please stop teasing me."

“I’m not insulting you, I’m just stating a fact. You are not V, because you are you, and you don’t have to be anyone else,” Selene said. “Vera, you said you don’t know how to change Night City, but I have a way. It’s just that it doesn’t quite align with President V’s plans and will severely delay the expansion of the nanonetwork. Are you willing to do it?”

"Can it make Night City better?" Vera slammed on the brakes and stopped the car.

"I can make this world a better place!" Selene declared with unwavering conviction.

"Let's do it then! Screw the nanonetwork, screw the V program!" Vera said proudly. "I'm just an IQ 3 idiot, what am I afraid of!"

Selene laughed, and Mizutani Hiroshi's MZ2 started up again.

"Let's not go to Genting Highlands, let's go to Haywood."

"Huh, not going to visit prostitutes anymore?"

"No, let's make this world a better place first, then we'll go to a brothel together!"

The time travelers have taken over Night City's Heywood district as "punishment" for the previous attacks.

The human leaders breathed a sigh of relief, while the corporate tycoons of Night City had mixed feelings.

The good news is that the men from the future didn't rashly destroy Night City in a fit of anger; they were surprisingly easy to talk to.

The worrying thing is that Heywood is just one street away from the Civic Center, and it seems like the Future Man is specifically targeting them.

Therefore, they could only unite more closely under the banner of Arasaka Yorinobu, contributing money and effort, hoping that this pioneer would help them drive away the evil rule of the future humans.

As expected, Arasaka Yorinobu, with the help of Jiang Ping's propaganda, began to vigorously promote the "future human threat theory," gaining a large number of supporters and followers among the public. Jiang Ping also successfully climbed into Arasaka Yorinobu's bed, once again extending her reach into Arasaka's inner circle.

"First, I secured the acting president position at Kangtao, and then I won over the new emperor of Arasaka. That's what you call destiny, isn't it?" Jiang Ping said smugly. "If reality were a novel, I would definitely be the female lead!"

Thus, the vigorous "anti-future man movement" became increasingly popular. Many people earning 30 euros a month took to the streets, protesting even without going to work, holding up signs that read "future man, go back to the future." Even beggars who couldn't afford to eat would throw synthetic meat patties at the second frigate in the sky to vent their dissatisfaction, as if they were not people from the bottom of society at all, but great heroes who cared about their country and its people.

"Damn it, these bastards must have been paid off. They're shills hired by Arasaka Yorinobu!" Vera said to Selene with a worried look. "Don't we control global satellites? Why don't we do some propaganda and say something on TV and radio?"

“If television propaganda were effective, there wouldn’t be such a high level of anti-corporate sentiment in society today. Everyone knows that television broadcasts are the mouthpiece of the company, and the public no longer believes what they say. That’s why Arasaka Yorinobu needs to hire shills.” Selene said calmly.

"What should I do?"

"It's simple. The public trusts gangs because if a gang says they'll kill their whole family, they really will. Aren't you close to the gangs? Go and recruit them to become our mouthpiece. The company doesn't want the streets, we do!"

"Oh my, I'm suddenly getting all excited!" Vera exclaimed excitedly. "After gathering the gang, are we going to lead them to storm the Aragaka Tower and overthrow the company's rule?"

“No.” Selene smiled and said, “I’m planning to open a training course to teach them some life skills.”

Chapter 151 Valentino and the Sixth Street Gang

"Learning knowledge in class?!"

Vera scoffed: "What do people who hang out on the streets need such high education for? It's shameful!"

"Do you think it's easy to survive on the streets?" Selene retorted. "Do you know the angle from which to strike someone to injure them without crippling them? That involves physics and human anatomy. Do you know what reagent to use and how much to use when poisoning someone to avoid detection and effectively strike them? That involves chemistry. Knowledge is extremely important in any industry, and that will not change whether it's 2157 or 2077."

“You’re wrong,” Vera said seriously. “Who cares if it injures or maims, just kill them. If they’re caught poisoning you, just turn on them. It’s not like we can’t beat them, why make things so complicated?”

Selene was also speechless with anger at Vera, and said irritably, "Do you think everyone is as good at fighting as you?!"

Vera loved to hear that, and she immediately became smug, forgetting all her questions.

“Fine, if you say so, then so be it. At worst, if you fail, I’ll take care of the enemy all by myself.” Vera gave up thinking: “I’ll go talk to Valentino right now.”

"You can see their boss?"

“I can’t see him.” Vera shrugged. “The Valentino gang leader went in a few years ago. I heard he’s in some tropical island prison watching monkeys mate. He’ll probably be released in about two hundred years.”

Selene asked in bewilderment, "Then how are you going to convince Valentino's gang?"

“Don’t worry, sister, I’m a street urchin. I know all about gang stuff.” Vera said confidently, “Ever since Valentino’s boss went in, Valentino has sprung up into several factions controlled by different families. That’s why no one cares or tries to save Valentino while their boss is in jail. It’s the best outcome for everyone if he doesn’t come back. And I happen to know someone in one of these factions. He’ll definitely listen to me.”

What is his name?

"Gustavo Horta".

"Is he your good brother?"

Vera paused for a moment, then continued with a smile: "No, he's my good brother's good brother."

As Vera had predicted, she met Gustavo, who did not make things difficult for her. He listened attentively to her purpose and then made a condition.

“Gustavo’s girlfriend was shot more than a dozen times and is now in a vegetative state in the hospital,” Vera reported to Selene. “She said she has no interest in learning, but if the people of the future can cure her, she will join us.”

"Nano-damage repair fluid!" Selene took out a syringe: "It can treat all kinds of damage to the human body. Even if someone is dead, as long as it doesn't exceed three minutes, they can be brought back to life."

Vera took the injection with a grin.

But instead of giving the injection to Gustavo, she went first to the Sixth Street gang, Valentino's arch-rivals.

why?

Because Gustavo's girlfriend is named Martha Young, whose real name is Martha Frax, and her father, Nolan Frax, is one of the second-in-commands of the Sixth Street gang.

Vera first used "Cure Martha" to win over Nolan Frax, and then used "Cure Martha" to win over Gustavo, achieving two goals at once and successfully gaining support from both the Valentino gang and the Sixth Street gang.

This ingenious method impressed Selene, and with the first batch of students already secured, the training course was successfully launched.

Gustavo and Nolan, the father-in-law and son-in-law, thought that learning knowledge was just a pretext, but they didn't expect that they would actually have to attend classes. They immediately went to Vera to demand an explanation, and Vera's answer was exactly the same as Selene's.

"Do you know the best angle to strike someone to injure them without crippling them? That involves physics and human anatomy. Do you know what reagents and dosage to use when poisoning someone to avoid detection and effectively strike them? That involves chemistry. Knowledge is extremely important in any industry, and that will never change!"

Gustavo and Nolan listened with skepticism, but considering they owed Vera a favor, they could only reluctantly agree.

If the boss compromises, the underlings, no matter how unhappy they are, have to obediently comply.

So a group of thugs embarked on an unprecedented learning journey under the guidance of AI. Fortunately, they were provided with a meal for attending the class, so although the street thugs were unwilling, it was unlikely that they would be unwilling.

They connected to neural interfaces and learned how to kill people and poison others in virtual and real-world teaching scenarios. How to put it... it's absurd, but it's actually pretty damn relevant.

But something even more absurd soon followed, as new teaching content emerged, called "Productive Forces and Relations of Production."