2077: V really knows how awesome he is

There are no company dogs, no NCPD, and not even company security.

"Something's not right, Old De, let's get out of here..."

Before he could finish speaking, a large-caliber sniper bullet carrying an electric current struck the car window next to V with such force that the entire car lurched and nearly overturned.

But the glass didn't break.

De La Man is awesome!

V gripped the handrail tightly, trying to maintain his posture while shouting, "Old De!"

"Battle mode activated. Ms. V, please sit tight."

As soon as she finished speaking, Delaman's car accelerated suddenly, the inertia slamming V hard into the back seat. She looked back and saw that another bullet had hit the ground where the car had just been, the huge force of which directly ripped the ground off and blasted a crater the size of a tire.

"Damn, it's the Nekomata from the tsunami!"

V recognized that it was a tungsten nail bullet. With the aid of electromagnetic acceleration, it could penetrate the thickest armor and walls, and shatter titanium skeletons. This was exactly the signature feature of the Nekomata sniper rifle.

However, the Cat is also an extremely demanding gun. It requires meticulous maintenance and a significant amount of time to practice electromagnetic charging techniques so that every bullet can be fired at its maximum critical value. To put it simply, nothing is safe in the face of the Cat's destructive power. Therefore, this weapon is strictly controlled, and it is virtually impossible for mercenaries to obtain it unless they are employed by the government or a super-corporation!

Abernathy?

It's definitely this guy, no doubt about it!

Was it her own doing, or was she instructed by Michiko Arasaka?

V looked at the cameras above the road, his eyes flashed blue and then went black, grouping all 342 cameras in the company square together, and uploaded the puppet's [Target Location] data.

With a buzzing sound, the surrounding vision was instantly exposed, and everything covered by these 342 probes was displayed on V's prosthetic eye.

"Found him, on the high-rise at four o'clock! Old De, turn left and shake him off!" V said, locking onto the target. A red outline of a human figure immediately became fixed on her retina.

"He can't escape now."

V curled the corners of her mouth, but as soon as she finished speaking, the human-shaped silhouette suddenly disappeared.

"What!?"

The next second, a burly man was already standing in the middle of the street, directly in front of Delaman's car.

"That speed... S.A.S.A.S.S.?!"

V was taken aback and quickly told Old De to turn around, but it was too late.

The burly man raised his left arm, and with a few cracking sounds, his forearm split open, releasing a small missile that flashed red light.

The red light went out, and the missile was launched.

With a loud bang, the missile struck Delaman's car head-on. The immense kinetic energy brought the front of the car to a stop, while the inertia lifted the rear, causing the entire car to tumble down the road like a cardboard box before crashing over the burly man's head.

The vehicle slid for more than 100 meters before coming to a stop. V's face was covered in blood. She had been flying around in the car like a rat and was seriously injured.

"I'll fucking wear my seatbelt next time!"

V struggled to adjust her posture, but before she could even climb out of the carriage, the door was yanked open with a bang, and a strong, powerful arm reached in, grabbing V's neck and lifting her out like a chick.

It was still that same burly man.

"Damn it!" V struggled desperately, but unable to use her prosthetic body, she was too weak to budge that thick arm.

The left arm is a missile launcher arm, and the right arm is a gorilla arm?!

What kind of lunatic is this?!

V even suspected that he had guessed wrong. The person in front of him was not sent by Abernathy but by the Vortex Gang, because only the Vortex Gang would mix the same type but different models of prosthetics into the body. They would love to become cyber-psychopaths!

The burly man's prosthetic eye glowed red: "Target confirmed. Proceed with the annihilation procedure."

Alright, it seems it's still Abernathy, because the Vortex Gang doesn't care about indiscriminate killing.

V inwardly groaned, but the situation was far from optimistic. The burly man's gorilla-like arm began to exert force, and the intense feeling of suffocation made V's eyes roll back. If she hadn't had a "reconstructed skeleton" installed, replacing her original bones with titanium, her neck would have been crushed long ago.

But this can't go on forever. V can't use his prosthetic body, and the bone reconstruction buffer program can't be activated. He can't unleash his true abilities at all. He can only rely on the hardness of the material itself to hold on. When the metal fatigue reaches its peak, his neck won't be much stronger than a chopstick.

So, what to do?

V, agonizing over his thoughts, finally spotted a Chevrolet Thrace 388 parked by the roadside.

This type of car is the must-have for middle-level managers in the company. It is elegant, respectable, and most importantly, safe. It is armored from front to back, so it can withstand crossing minefields without any problems. This makes it very heavy, which is exactly what V needs.

With its eyes flashing blue, the vehicle was unlocked, remote vehicle control was activated, the safety lock was released, and the engine was overloaded... 388 roared, like a beast unleashed, and slammed into the burly man from the side, sending him flying.

"Cough cough!"

V, no longer restrained, collapsed to her knees, coughing incessantly. While greedily inhaling oxygen, she checked her signal transmitter.

Sure enough, someone had sealed off the area, and all signals were being blocked. No wonder the trauma team hadn't arrived.

That's a fucking big spender, so, are we going to run away?

V glanced at the upside-down Delaman car and gave up on his escape plan.

He couldn't outrun Sianwistan on foot, and with the signal blocked, he couldn't call a new Delaman car... Ha, V suddenly chuckled, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

"In that case, let's bring it on. Let me see just how good the people of Abernathy really are!"

As V spoke, he started a 3-minute countdown on his prosthetic eye, and the battle began!

Her eyes flashed with blue light, and several more cars crashed violently into the burly man.

With a deafening crash, the vehicles piled up into a mountain, pinning the burly man against the wall, unable to move. He could only protect his head with his hands and endure the impact. With each collision, he would cough up a mouthful of blood, but the pain also fueled his ferocity. After the last car crashed, he let out a loud scream, grabbed the bottom of the car with both hands, and with a roar, he sent the entire mountain of cars flying.

The burly man had three guns hanging on his back. He took down an "Arasaka HJSH-18 Masamune" automatic rifle and was about to pull the trigger when his vision went completely black.

It's from [Rebooting the Prosthetic Eye], uploaded by V. She also noticed something interesting: this burly man was equipped with military-grade ICE equipment. A scan revealed the name "Lieutenant James Norris."

"Soldiers of the New America? Things are getting more and more interesting."

V stood still, thinking that James Norris, who was out of sight, couldn't hit her, but she underestimated the soldier.

Relying solely on the images in his memory, Lieutenant James Norris maintained astonishing accuracy, with bullets almost grazing V's body, and one even striking her left shoulder.

But V didn't move, because she was waiting.

Once the Shingen V-type smart submachine gun in his hand had locked on.

It takes 2.5 seconds, which allows Lieutenant James Norris to fire a lot of bullets, but luck was on V's side today. Only one bullet hit her, and the rest went astray.

"Beep beep," the gun in my hand emitted a notification sound, signaling the start of the counterattack.

V pulled the trigger, the recoil sending the gun barrel skyward. A hail of bullets shot upwards, only to veer off course and strike Lieutenant James Norris squarely in the temple from the right.

Dang Dang Dang Dang!

A sharp crack echoed amidst the sparks, and Lieutenant James's head snapped to the side, but that was all. The V-shaped bullet from Arasaka was deflected by the hard skull, all failing to achieve its intended purpose.

"Heavy subcutaneous armor?" V looked at Shingen V in his hand: "Damn it, as expected of Arasaka's gun, all show and no substance!"

If it were Yinglong produced by Kangtao, the plasma bullets would have blown it up long ago.

Forget it, there's no point in worrying about this now. Since we lack power, we'll make up for it with distance.

I'll shove the gun barrel into your mouth, that should be enough to shoot you through!

V began to advance, firing as he went.

Lieutenant James was not to be outdone, and he also fired as he advanced.

Due to the effects of the "Rebooted Prosthetic Eye," Lieutenant James was unable to hit V at all, while V could hit him but couldn't break through his defense.

The two were getting closer and closer, V's firepower was getting stronger and stronger, and Lieutenant James's accuracy was getting better and better.

Finally, Lieutenant James was shot in the head and started bleeding, but V was also shot again.

In the nick of time, neither of them intended to stop. They continued to pull the trigger, and with a few crisp clicks, both of their magazines were emptied at the same time. Almost without hesitation, the two immediately drew their spare pistols.

V was armed with an Arasaka HJKE-11 Shinmura smart pistol, while Lieutenant James was armed with a military-grade M-10F Lexington kinetic pistol. The two fired simultaneously, emptied their magazines at the same time, and hit each other simultaneously, with blood splattering everywhere.

"Damn!" V clutched his right waist, half-kneeling on the ground, and said, "You're awesome, bro."

Lieutenant James also ripped out his right prosthetic eye, which had been blown out, and replied in a hoarse voice, "You're strong too."

The next second, he pulled out a third gun, an M2038 Tactician shotgun.

Unfortunately, V didn't have a third gun.

But she has a magic puppet.

Before Lieutenant James could pull the trigger, V's eyes were already glowing blue.

[Weapon malfunction]!

M2038 exploded instantly, and Lieutenant James's hands were also covered in blood.

But he revealed a triumphant grin.

"You're too close to me!"

With a snap, a sharp blade shot out from Lieutenant James's leg.

Mantis legs?

V's expression hardened. [Prosthetic body malfunction!]

A burst of electric sparks suddenly erupted from the mantis's leg.

Lieutenant James couldn't help but frown. He probably hadn't expected V to have so many tricks up his sleeve, but in any case, this game should end now.

Focus your mind, send the command: Sinwidman, activate!

With a hum, the world was enveloped in a faint blue hue.

That's a blueshift phenomenon caused by time slowing down, but to be more precise, it's not that time slows down, but that Lieutenant James speeds up.

Sianwistan significantly increased his reaction speed, and combined with the explosive power of his highly cybernetic body, he could make tactical moves that ordinary people could not react to in an instant.

One step, just one more step forward, and he could snap V's neck.

But this step was always out of reach, even though he had control over time.

Lieutenant James was surprised to find that he had lost control of his legs.

“[Improvement of Movement], Tenx Enwistein’s Puppet,” V said. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Lieutenant James paused for a moment, then asked, "How much RAM do you have left?"

“Not too much.” V tossed aside his blood-stained suit. “And you, how long will it take for your Sinwidman to cool down?”

"Two minutes and six seconds."

V chuckled: "It seems we can't count on him for the time being."

James removed the magazine from the Lexington: "So the final outcome will still depend on traditional firearms."

"At least it's quite romantic, isn't it?"

V picked up Arasaka Shinmura, ejected the magazine, and began reloading.

Lieutenant James loaded Lexington's gun one bullet at a time.

Both of them stared intently at each other, their movements slow and deliberate, each trying to buy time and wait for their best moment.

Strictly speaking, V has the upper hand.

Because RAM automatically regenerates, the longer it lasts, the stronger V becomes. Even when fully restored, it cools down much faster than Lieutenant James' S.A.R.S ...

A fierce battle.

Lieutenant James felt a mix of emotions, yet also a sense of enjoyment.

Dying on the street isn't so bad; at least it's better than dying in a laboratory.

His daughter is eligible for treatment; that's enough for him to know.

Lieutenant James calmed himself down. He had to choose a suitable time to launch the attack, to delay as much time as possible, but not to delay too long and allow the target to fully recover.

This is a technical job, very difficult, but he has to do it.

He was wrong.

Lieutenant James thought he would be the first to attack, but V fired first.

why?

James didn't understand. Shouldn't the longer she dragged it out, the better? Had her RAM been fully restored?

Impossible. Humans have limits. It's impossible for someone to have such a fast RAM recovery speed, unless she's not human.