2077: V really knows how awesome he is

Vincent scoffed, "Is the new US president really that cheap?!"

V nodded: "So I still suggest you assassinate Saburo Arasaka."

Ultimately, considering the cost-effectiveness, Vincent followed V's advice and chose to assassinate Saburo Arasaka.

“You must ensure Jack’s safety!” Vincent emphasized again.

"Let's get this done first." V sent Vincent a number: "Call this number, the person on the other end is our partner we found for you, she'll tell you the next steps."

Vincent shook his head: "I don't need a partner."

V chuckled: "You have no choice."

Vincent frowned, turned and walked out. Just before leaving, V called out again, "Think about it again, Mr. Vincent. A nobody, or a household name?"

The Great Demon King paused for a second, then pushed open the door and walked out.

"What did you mean by your last sentence?" Vera asked curiously.

"It's not interesting, I just thought it was cool so I said it."

Vera was speechless for a moment.

"Now that Vincent didn't abandon his brothers to save his own life, does that mean he's passed the test?"

"He's still far from it. He's only passed the first hurdle; there's a second one to come."

Vera asked curiously, "What's the second challenge?"

"Let's see if he'd give up someone he's only known for a short time just to save his own life."

"This is too strict. How can there be any bond between people who have only known each other for a short time? Vincent has no chance of passing."

V smiled and said, "Do you know who I found for his partner?"

"Who?"

“Panam”.

“The Soul of Night City?!” Vera exclaimed in surprise. “So you’re planning to use Parnan to seduce Vincent?”

V retorted irritably, "How can this be called seduction? I'm teaching the Great Demon King what love is!"

Vincent dialed a number after leaving the house, and a magnetic female voice came through: "Hello, who is this?"

"I am Vincent."

“Vincent? Oh, I remember now, the guy mentioned in the quest, right? His name is the same as that sissy who got fucked in Cloud Peak, haha.”

Vincent: "..."

"Alright, enough teasing. V has already told me about you. Let's meet and talk in detail. There's a railway freight yard on Bonita Street, near the edge of town. I'll wait for you there."

"Wait a minute, what I meant was that I don't need a partner. Just tell me the information, I'm all alone... Hello, hello? Damn it, he hung up."

Vincent was seething with hatred, but with his good friend Jack in V's hands, he had to finish the job no matter how much he hated it.

The Demon King took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and took the subway to the railway freight yard on Bonita Street. He had already decided that he would leave after extracting information from Jack. His only good partner was Jack, and no one else could replace Jack's position.

When he arrived at the railway freight yard, what he saw was a big, round, firm, and perky buttock.

Without a doubt, that's Panan's butt.

She was bent over, busy in the engine compartment of a car, when she heard footsteps. She stood up and tentatively asked, "Vincent?"

“It’s me.” Vincent pursed his dry lips. “And you are?”

"My name is Panan, your temporary partner." Panan introduced himself generously, then waved his hand heartily: "Get in the car, there are too many people and too much chatter here, let's talk on the way."

Vincent obediently sat in the passenger seat without uttering a single word.

Panan started the car and drove onto the highway. To get to know her better, she asked, "Have you had a partner before?"

“No!” Vincent replied immediately. “I always work alone; I’ve never had a partner.”

V & Vera, who were listening to everything: "..."

"So this brat has completely forgotten about Jack, hasn't he?"

V thought for a moment and nodded: "Mm."

Chapter 200 Vincent's Training Plan (Part 3)

Vincent forgot about Jack, but instead became very close with Parnan.

"Let's talk about the next steps."

Panan drove around on the highway: "According to the information V gave me, Saburo Arasaka will be going to the Azure Mansion in a week. She will prepare a fake identity for us in advance. You will then take action in the Azure Mansion."

"Is the information reliable?" Vincent asked as he took out a cigarette and lit it.

Panan complained, "Don't smoke in my car."

"Ah, sorry." Vincent was about to put out his cigarette when Panan snatched it away and put it in his own mouth.

Vincent: "...Isn't smoking prohibited?"

“No smoking in my car, unless you give me one too.” Panan glanced at the brand on the cigarette butt: “Wow, a name brand, huh? You’re picky about cigarettes?”

"I used to be a long-distance driver, a nomad. Good cigarettes could keep me alert, so I guess you could call it an occupational hazard."

Panan was taken aback: "You're a homeless person too? Whose family are you?"

“Barker has already left.”

Why?

“The new leader has decided to join the Snake Gang, and I don’t approve of their methods.” Vincent answered, then asked, “Are you also a wanderer?”

"Yes, Adcardo's. Just like you, I don't like the boss's methods, so I'm now hanging out in Night City on my own."

"They're divorced too?"

“No, not at all.” Panan thought for a moment and replied, “It’s a temporary separation, a kind of cooling-off period.”

Vincent nodded: "How did you come to take this job? Assassinating Saburo Arasaka is a life-or-death situation."

“There’s no other way, I have to pay rent.” Panan shrugged. “Everything in Night City costs money. Without money, you’re doomed. Rather than die poor, I might as well take a gamble. And more importantly…”

Vincent asked curiously, "More importantly?"

Panan chuckled and said, "You're the one who's going to assassinate Arasaka Saburo, not me. I'm just here to provide you with support and be your driver. If you succeed, I'll benefit from it; if you fail, I'll distance myself from you. It's a win-win situation."

Vincent was speechless for a moment: "We're partners!"

Panan corrected, "A temporary partner."

“Well,” Vincent sighed, “it seems I’ll have to rely on myself.”

Panan asked, "And why did you take this job?"

"The twins kidnapped my good brother. If I don't fight them, they'll kill him."

"No way, those two don't look like bad guys."

Vincent gritted his teeth: "No, they are the worst people, especially that Vera."

Panan scoffed: "I actually quite like Vera. I only let her touch my butt, and she gave me 1000 euros."

Vincent's eyes widened in surprise: "You...?"

Panan quickly explained, "What are you thinking? I just touched your butt, through your pants. I wouldn't do something like that even if I were desperate for money. Besides, I like men!"

Upon hearing this, Vincent's worry immediately turned to joy: "Good, good, it's best if you like men."

Panan laughed and said, "Looks like you like men too?"

Vincent quickly retorted, "Of course not!"

"Stop explaining. Explaining is just covering up. If you don't like men, why did you say that liking men is the best? It's 2077 now, sexual orientation is free, and I will never discriminate against you."

Vincent was extremely anxious: "I really don't like men!"

"Impossible! You have a name that sounds like a submissive character and you even have a submissive face. You must like men!"

Vincent was speechless for a moment, feeling that prejudice in people's hearts was like a mountain.

"Let's talk about the commission."

"Okay, what are you planning to do? V said I should fully cooperate with you."

Vincent thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "We can't make a move in the Azure Building. There are too many dignitaries there. If something happens, they'll immediately go on high alert. Even if we manage to kill Saburo Arasaka, it will be difficult for us to escape."

"That makes sense. Shall we find another location?"

Vincent thought for a moment and shook his head again: "That won't work either. Saburo Arasaka will be here in a week. There's not enough time to rearrange things. If we give up this opportunity, it will probably be difficult to get his schedule again."

"So we still have to make our move at the Azure Tower, but Saburo Arasaka can't die inside the Azure Tower, right?"

Panan is very smart, and his way of thinking is similar to Vincent's, which makes the future Demon King's heart flutter again.

She can keep up with my thoughts, she must like me!

"Hey, talk to me, what are you spacing out for? We're going to make our move at the Azure Mansion, so how are we going to make sure Saburo Arasaka doesn't die inside the Azure Mansion?"

"Oh, okay." Vincent snapped out of his reverie and announced the plan he had just come up with: "We'll snipe."

"Sniping?"

“That’s right. Knowing Saburo Arasaka’s itinerary is our biggest advantage, making it perfect for an ambush. We can wait on the rooftop of the Konpaku Building, and as soon as Saburo Arasaka’s hovercar appears, we can use long-range sniping to destroy it directly, so that Saburo Arasaka won’t die in the Konpaku Building.”

“If Saburo Arasaka doesn’t die in the Azure Tower, the Azure Tower won’t be under martial law, and we can get out smoothly. Sounds good, there’s potential.” Panan praised, then changed the subject: “But have you forgotten that’s Saburo Arasaka’s hovercar? It’s definitely military grade. Those hovercars can even withstand missiles, and there’s no sniper rifle on the market that can penetrate its armor.”

“No, I don’t have one, so I plan to build one myself,” Vincent said calmly.

"You? Make sniper rifles?" Panan looked Vincent up and down. "What makes you think you can do something that even those arms companies can't?"

"Probably because I usually like to take things apart and put them back together," Vincent said modestly. "Actually, I'm quite skilled; I helped modify my brother's Nazaré motorcycle."

"Modifying a motorcycle and modifying a gun are not the same thing!" Panan complained, but in the end he compromised: "I didn't expect you to be such a pseudo-scientist. Fine, V told me to cooperate fully with you, so whatever you say goes!"

Vincent smiled and said, "Thank you."

"No need to thank me. It's mainly because your failure has nothing to do with me." Panan sighed. "So, what do we do now?"

Vincent was already confident: "Go to the Whole Foods factory in Watson District."

"Whole Foods Factory? That's Vortex Gang territory."

“We’re looking for the Vortex Gang,” Vincent said. “A convoy of military technology vehicles was robbed. Inside were a batch of weapons they had just purchased from Tsunami Armory, and I need some parts for several of their gun models.”

Panan was a little surprised: "How did you know such confidential information?"

Vincent tapped his temple: "I created a signal interception plugin that can receive the company's encrypted channels."

"This works?" Panan exclaimed in amazement. "Looks like your skills are really good."

Panan drove toward the Whole Foods factory, and Vincent used the time to make two phone calls.

One call was made to the Vortex Gang to purchase some sniper rifles, while the other was made to Meredith Stock, a mid-level manager in military technology.

The company employee, always arrogant, immediately launched into a condescending inquiry the moment Meredith Stock answered the phone: "Tell me how you got this number?"

Vincent wasn't buying her act at all and said bluntly, "I know plenty of phone numbers. Listen carefully, I can help you find the convoy."

"Okay, let's talk in person. Come down from the Skyrail and head towards NID. I'll be waiting for you at the drainage ditch under the overpass."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

Vincent hung up the phone and said to Panan, "You heard that, let's change the line temporarily."

This was a trivial matter for Panan; she was just a little curious: "Why contact people in military technology?"

"Because I didn't have the money to buy a gun, I had to resort to extortion first."

Panan had assumed there was some ingenious plan involved, but he never expected it to be such a simple reason.

She paused for a few seconds, then burst out laughing: "Haha, I'm starting to like you. If you hadn't died this time, we might have been able to continue working together."

Vincent was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately exclaimed, "Hehe, I must live!"

Ten minutes later, under the overpass.

Vincent and Parnan met Meredith Stock.

"Tell me, where is the convoy?" Meredith Stock immediately ordered his men to draw their guns.