2077: V really knows how awesome he is

Of course, the officers who died or were injured would not receive bribes from the trauma team; the higher-ups' games never involve pawns.

Gunfire erupted quickly. The NCPD surrounded the floor, but Mann and Dorio, as the team's gunners, were also formidable fighters. In the narrow corridors and rooms, the NCPD couldn't capitalize on their numerical advantage and couldn't really get rid of them for the time being.

The situation was supposed to remain deadlocked, and the NCPD, unable to break through, would eventually give up and retreat. But the rope always breaks at its weakest point, and at this critical moment, Mann's cyberpsychosis relapsed.

He stood frozen in place, surrounded by an endless expanse of Gobi Desert. He was standing on the edge of a deep ravine, with no road ahead.

"Mann! Mann!" Dorio called out as she dodged the NCPD's shots, but Mann was already lost in his own mental world, standing still and unresponsive.

"Damn!" Dorio pulled out an inhibitor from her pocket, bit off the cap of the syringe, and said, "Don't worry, Mann, I'll protect you!"

At the same time, in the underground parking lot.

"There were gunshots! And they haven't come down yet after all this time. Mann and the others must be in trouble!" Young David opened the car door: "I'll go help them!"

But Lucy stopped him: "Don't go! Do you want to die?!"

The car fell silent.

“I will not die for you,” young David said earnestly.

"Then don't go. Maybe they've already..."

"The gunshots are still going off, they're not dead!" Young David turned around: "Lucy, you're acting strange today."

Lucy shuddered.

"Did you see something in Tanaka's head?"

Lucy trembled even more violently.

“As expected.” Young David nodded. “Tell me what you saw later. Right now, I just want you to say one thing to me.”

Lucy looked up: "What did you say?"

Young David smiled and said, "Say—'You can do it!'"

As soon as he finished speaking, the S.A.S ...

Lucy looked at her empty palms, clenched her fists, and slammed them hard onto the dashboard.

"David, you..."

Lucy suddenly stopped mid-sentence. She looked up sharply and saw a member of the Terrorist Mobile Squad silently watching her from in front of the car.

“I know you meant well for David, but your actions killed Mann and Dorio. Lucy, you were wrong. You should have trusted your teammates instead of abandoning them!”

Lucy shuddered again, then roared in fury, "Who the hell are you?!"

Chapter 170 Save my elder brother and sister-in-law first, then save myself

"Who are you?!" Lucy demanded sharply.

The Terrorist Mobile Unit agents removed their masks.

Lucy was taken aback when she saw the face that looked very similar to David's, but was much more mature.

"you……"

The Terrorist Mobile Squad members put on their helmets and vanished instantly.

"He also impersonated S.A.S.?!" Lucy exclaimed in disbelief.

That's right, David installed S.A.S. after he became an adult. Of the three operating systems, S.A.S ...

Now, he is going to change his fate.

Mann and Dorio are in danger. He doesn't have much time. He can only manage to say one word to Lucy. He must race against time.

His S.A.S.S.S.S. was a true time-stopping technology, instantly transporting him from the underground parking lot to the 38th floor.

During this time, he also encountered a young man named David who was also using a Sinwiss to climb stairs. The boy was panting heavily, but he kept starting the Sinwiss and climbing upwards. He thought that no one could disturb him in the almost still time, but a strong gust of wind suddenly swept past him, causing him to stumble.

"Why is there wind? Isn't time almost frozen when the Sianweistan is activated? Is something moving faster than me?" Young David wiped his sweat from his brow on the ground. The gunshots coming from upstairs quickly drew his attention, making him stop focusing on these details and start climbing again.

"Mann, Dorio, hang in there, I'm coming!"

In reality, Mann could no longer hold on, and although Dorio could still hold on, she couldn't hold on for much longer either.

Mann's cyberpsychosis has completely erupted, and his mental state is now more chaotic than in Dogville. He subconsciously knows that he is fighting, but all he can see around him is an endless desert. The only possible enemy is a black fog that looks like a mosaic, and all he can do is keep shooting at the fog.

But the black mist wasn't actually black mist; it was Dorio, a burly woman as nimble as a cat, dodging attacks from the NCPD behind her while simultaneously dodging attacks from Mann in front of her. With an inhibitor clenched in her mouth, she kept getting closer to her lover, shouting in her mind: "Mann, I'll fuck your mother!"

*Thud!* The suppressant needle pierced Mann's chest!

Bang! Mann pointed the gun at Dorio's forehead and fired a bullet!

With the help of the inhibitor, Mann finally woke up, only to see himself about to kill Dorio with his own hands.

He found his heart again, but the price was a broken heart.

"many--"

Bang! The Terrorist Mobile Squad member appeared out of nowhere once again and caught the deadly bullet.

But more bullets came from behind Dorio, hitting her vest repeatedly.

The burly woman collapsed. The Terrorist Mobile Squad operative instantly knocked away the NCPD outside, then returned in a flash, caught Dorio who was falling to the ground, and gently placed her on the ground.

"Ah!!!" Mann suddenly roared, entering his cyber psychotic state again, and punched the terrorist mobile team operator hard in the back of the head.

Snapped.

Without turning his head, the Terrorist Mobile Squad operative grabbed Mann's fist with one hand and used the other to pull out a pneumatic syringe and inject it into Dorio's chest.

"Mann, Dorio is not dead yet!"

But Mann paid no heed, roaring like a giant bear in dire straits as he attacked the Terrorist Mobile Squad operatives.

"You've completely lost your mind. Love is the best inhibitor, but also the most potent accelerant. I'm sorry, Mann, go get some sleep. Don't worry, I have experience; this will do you good."

Mann threw another punch, but the Terrorist Mobile Squad operative lowered his shoulder and raised his elbow, grabbed the thick arm and yanked it, sending the bear-like man flying. He crashed into the wall with a loud thud.

"Roar!"

Even though the concrete walls had shattered, Mann should have broken several bones, but he seemed oblivious. Instead of pausing for a moment, he charged forward with even greater ferocity and speed.

This is what makes cyberpsychosis so terrifying: people are so immersed in their own world that they can't extricate themselves, imagining all the scenes they desire. They are the most pathetic group of people, but on the other hand, they are also the happiest group of people.

After all, at the end of their lives, they had everything they wanted, even if it was just a falsehood created by their brains.

It's wrong to indulge in illusions, but what if reality is all suffering?

Poverty, illness, oppression, and exploitation—against such realities, what's wrong with illusions?

Everyone says that cyberpsychotics are driven to desperation, but the reality is quite the opposite. Mann sees himself standing on the edge of a cliff, but he is never in a situation where there is no way forward, but rather a situation where there is no way back.

Despite having given it his all, the pressure of survival and life still left him breathless. This kind of life seemed endless, like a bottomless, pitch-black cliff in front of him. He stepped back, but when he turned around, he saw that everything he had gained by risking his life had long been exploited by capital, leaving him with nothing, just like this desolate desert.

He wanted to quit, to rest, to live an ordinary life, but Night City never gave him that space. Night City was a stage for geniuses to display their talents, but the majority of people in this world are always ordinary people.

Even simple tasks turn into chaotic messes; Mann is just an ordinary person like that, and the entire Mann squad are all ordinary people.

In his daze, Mann might wonder, did he become a mercenary because he loved being a mercenary? No, the only person he loved was Dorio!

Seeing Dorio covered in blood, Mann didn't go crazy; he was just heartbroken.

The bear-like man let out the fiercest roar and howl of his life, throwing the most hateful punch at this messed-up world!

With a crash, the helmet of the terrorist mobile unit operator was smashed.

David wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled, "It's alright, Mann, it'll be over soon."

Young David finally made it to the thirty-eighth floor. Before he could even catch his breath, he kicked open the door and shouted, "Mann, Dorio, I'm here!"

With a loud crash, a burly man slammed into the door and embedded himself in the wall, his blood splattering all over young David.

He turned his head blankly and saw Mann's bloodied and gruesome state. He looked up at the "enemy" and saw the familiar Terrorist Mobile Unit uniform and an equally familiar face.

He saw that face in the mirror every day.

No, that face is more mature than his!

"Who...who are you?!" Young David raised his gun at the Terrorist Mobile Unit agent.

The Terrorist Mobile Squad members remained silent, simply hoisting Dorio, covered in blood, onto their shoulders and tucking Mann, also covered in blood, under their armpits.

He walked past young David and went outside.

"Damn it!" the ignored young David roared, "Put Mann and Dorio down, or I'll shoot!"

The Terrorist Mobile Squad members continued walking without stopping.

Young David fired the shot.

This decisiveness is commendable, but... it's still too weak.

The Terrorist Squadron operator dodged the bullets in an instant, and young David was taken aback. He immediately activated S.A.S.S., thinking that victory was in his grasp. However, in the completely frozen world, the Terrorist Squadron operator was faster than him, as if he were the one who was frozen in time. The Terrorist Squadron operator grabbed his head with one hand and slammed it to the ground with a thud.

Blood spread across the concrete floor, and the Terrorist Mobile Unit agents released their grip.

"What can someone as weak as you protect? If you want to save Mann and Dorio, then work hard to become stronger."

The terrorist mobile unit agents left, and young David lay on the ground like trash, unable to move.

A moment later, Lucy also arrived at the thirty-eighth floor. She finally overcame her fear and made up her mind to stand with her teammates through thick and thin, but what she saw was a young David covered in wounds. Mann and Dorio were nowhere to be seen.

“David, hang in there, I’m taking you out of here!” Lucy carried young David downstairs. She thought she would be stopped by the NCPD, but things went smoothly. The officers and trauma team all evacuated, as if God was helping them.

But it wasn't the heavens that helped them, because the heavens of Night City never side with the poor.

A few minutes ago, David carried Mann and Dorio down the stairs, while also holding Tanaka in one hand.

He tossed Tanaka to the trauma team and then said to the NCPD, "Call back. The two cyberpsychotics have been subdued. I'll take them back to headquarters for custody."

"Ah, yes, you've worked hard."

The trauma group only served the fathers of its members, and now that the fathers have returned, they have naturally withdrawn.

The NCPD, not wanting to provoke the Terrorist Mobile Unit, saluted and withdrew.

However, someone in the police car raised a question: "Did we call the Terrorist Response Team?"

No.

"Why is the Terrorist SWAT team here?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"How do I write the report?"

"Uh, just write that a random member of the Terrorist Mobile Squad helped us, and remember that!"

"..."

Old Vivi also had a "..." sign, because David had brought back two more seriously wounded soldiers.

Old Vie looked at David, then at V.

V immediately shook his head: "Don't worry, I won't give you 100,000 this time."

Old Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief and uttered that classic line: "This isn't a hospital!"

Then V transferred 200,000 euros to him, because this time there were two people.

Old Wei: ...Damn it, you said it too early.

But for the sake of money, Lao Wei immediately began treating the two.

Dorothy was shot multiple times, suffering damage to several organs and severe blood loss. Old Vieira focused all his energy on saving her. As for Mann, his physical injuries were secondary; his mental state was more serious. All Old Vieira could do was give him another super-large dose of sedative.

"The woman is fine now. She lost too much blood and will definitely need to sleep for a few days. As for the man, I've treated his superficial wounds, but I really can't do anything about cyberbullying. You'd better pray for a miracle, or just kill him the moment he wakes up."

"Thanks, Old Wei. Leave the cyberpsychosis to me."

As V spoke, he inserted his personal data cable into Mann's neural slot.

Old Wei was planning to rest, but seeing V's movements revitalized him.

He shook his head and said, "Cyber ​​psychosis is incurable."

V nodded: "You're right, because cyberpsychosis is never an illness, so there's no cure for it."

Old Wei became somewhat interested: "It seems you are quite knowledgeable about cyberpsychosis. Tell me, what is cyberpsychosis?"

V had no research on cyberpsychosis, but the disease control AI in 2167 had already conducted in-depth analysis and popularized cyberpsychosis. She enjoyed watching these kinds of programs in her spare time, so she told Old V the standard answer calculated by the AI.