2077: V really knows how awesome he is

It is now the second day of the three days.

V was busy with all sorts of details, working himself to the bone. But David Martinez was so idle he was practically growing hair, becoming a loafer of the streets.

My mother is lying in Mr. Victor's clinic, so he doesn't need to worry about her.

The school has also been suspended.

David wanted to go home, but his apartment had been frozen because he owed rent.

With nowhere to go, he could only wander the streets, walking all the way from Watson District to the company square.

Even though a horrific battle took place the night before last, the memorial park was still bustling with people.

The public screens displayed the latest news about the incident: "According to police investigations, the military prosthetic device inside Lieutenant James Norris, the cyberpsychotic who caused the Memorial Park tragedy, is missing. After 15 hours of analysis by multiple experts, it was concluded that the chip is indeed missing..."

"Damn it!" David couldn't help but curse. He must be an idiot to watch this damn thing.

He plopped down on the park steps, and an old man came over to comfort him: "Don't be so emotional, young man, you've spit on yourself."

So David became even more EMO.

He boarded the subway because he had a monthly pass.

But he didn't know where to go; Night City was vast, and he couldn't find a place to belong.

When he got off at a random stop, he discovered that his personal chip had been stolen.

"Damn it, God, you might as well kill me already!"

David let out a miserable howl like a defeated dog. He felt that nothing in the world could be worse than this, until a beautiful girl with light blue hair walked over, threw his personal chip back with a look of disgust, and cursed him as a "poor bastard".

Okay, now things are even worse.

"Wait a minute!" David stepped in front of the beautiful girl.

"What?" the pretty girl asked with a disdainful look.

"You are a thief."

"Yes, I'm a thief, so what?"

David asked seriously, "You must have a bounty on your head with the NCPD, right?"

The pretty girl smiled and said, "No wonder you don't have a single penny in your personal chip. You're fucking obsessed with money."

"Listen, I don't want to hurt you."

David tried to reason with her, but the beautiful girl appealed to her emotions directly.

She grabbed David's wrist and pinned him against the wall. The polymer thread on her wrist darted out like a snake and wrapped around David's neck with a whoosh.

"Good girl." The beautiful girl pressed close to David's body and whispered seductively in his ear, "Let me in."

David blushed.

But when he saw the beautiful girl hack into her personal chip and thoroughly investigate his data, his face turned green.

"Don't look at my browsing history! Don't look at my browsing history!"

"Heh, you have quite the taste." The pretty girl sneered. "Now I'll give you two choices: A, I'll publish your browsing history..."

"BBBBBBBBBB!" David shouted without hesitation, "I choose B!"

"Okay, from now on, you're mine." The beautiful girl released the polymer thread and took a step back.

David looked a little disappointed. He touched his neck, his face slightly flushed, and said, "I'm not selling."

"You're dreaming!" The pretty girl raised her middle finger. "I just need someone to run errands for me."

David felt even more lost and dejected.

"So...do you have money?"

"Looks like you're really short on cash." The pretty girl pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Are you going to buy Mewtwo, or are you running out of Shiny cigarettes?"

David's expression darkened: "My mother was in a car accident and needs medical expenses."

The action of lighting a cigarette paused for a second, then resumed.

The beautiful girl took a deep breath and exhaled smoke.

"Then you've chosen the right person to follow. Work hard with me, and in less than two years, you'll be able to buy half a toilet in a second-hand house in the suburbs."

David's eyes widened: "This...this is such a steal!!!"

The pretty girl chuckled: "Don't you want to send me to the NCPD?"

David declared righteously, "I don't even know which way the NCPD's doors open!"

Where is your sense of justice?

"I can be unjust for money!"

"Heh, alright then, from today onwards I'm your master, we'll split the profits 20/80."

"Oh no, how come I only got eight?"

"I'll fucking slap you across the face!" The pretty girl held out her hand: "Lucy."

"David."

This was the first encounter between the young boy and girl.

Two hours later, David and Lucy were found tied up and hanging upside down from the rafters of an abandoned warehouse.

"Damn, did you steal from someone you shouldn't have?" David felt like he was having the worst day ever.

Lucy, of course, wouldn't admit it: "Don't make me sound like a newbie, it must be you who caused the trouble!"

"Impossible! I'm a good student with excellent grades and conduct; I never cause trouble!"

At that moment, a burly man walked in and slapped David across the face without saying a word.

Lucy laughed gleefully: "Haha, I knew it was for you."

Then another strong woman walked in and punched Lucy without saying a word.

"Ugh!" Lucy almost vomited up her leftover dinner and quickly explained, "No, bosses, I don't know this kid well. We just met today!"

"Don't touch her, come at me if you have a problem!" David's chauvinism was on full display.

The burly man asked, puzzled, "He's protecting you like this, and you still say you're not in cahoots?"

The burly woman said with a knowing look, "Young people are all like that nowadays, it's called being arrogant, it's all the rage."

"Isn't being arrogant and haughty outdated?"

"Popularity is cyclical, it goes around every twenty years or so."

The burly man and woman firmly believed that Lucy and David were in cahoots, which infuriated Lucy. She had only felt a little pity for them, but she had gotten herself into such big trouble. Qiwei was right; in Night City, you really can't trust anyone.

Seeing David still yelling and shouting, Lucy snapped, "Shut the fuck up!"

The burly man nodded and said to the burly woman, "See? A beating is a sign of affection, and scolding is a sign of love. I told you they were a couple."

Lucy's face turned even greener, as if she had eaten two pounds of poop and felt extremely uncomfortable.

Just then, a little girl with green hair and pigtails came in and said to the burly man and woman with dissatisfaction, "Stop playing around and get down to business."

"Yeah, right, let's get down to business." The burly man punched David again, then grabbed his hair and said, "You're Gloria's son, aren't you? She owed me something before she ran away, so now she can only get her hands on you. Don't blame me for being ruthless, you better pray your mom comes back for you."

David, enduring the pain, said with difficulty, "My mother didn't run away."

"Where did she go? She's not answering her phone."

"She was in a car accident and is still in a coma at the prosthetic clinic. Maybe she'll wake up tomorrow, or maybe... she'll never wake up."

"Damn, no wonder. I knew Gloria wasn't that kind of person." The burly man patted David's face. "Sorry kid, but I really need to see your mom urgently. Can you take me to the prosthetic clinic where she works?"

"You won't hurt her, will you?"

"Don't worry, we're on good terms with her. Since she didn't deliberately provoke us, we naturally won't be violent towards her."

"Alright then, I'll take you there."

David and Lucy were released.

The pretty girl immediately wanted to run away: "I really have nothing to do with him, can I leave now?"

"No way, if you run away, how am I supposed to threaten your boyfriend? Get in the car, let's go together."

"Damn it, he's not my boyfriend!"

David was deeply hurt, both mentally and physically.

Lucy was still dragged into the car, and the group rushed to Old Wei's clinic.

Looking at the unconscious Gloria, the burly man patted David on the shoulder: "Kid, take it easy."

David's lips twitched: "My mom's not dead yet."

The strong woman started groping Gloria, looking like she was searching for something.

"Hey, what are you doing!"

David tried to stop him, but the strong man grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up.

"No."

The strong woman shook her head.

The burly man shook David: "Tell me, where did your mother hide S.A.W.S.?

Sianwistan? David recalled the scene of the masked woman taking things from his mother.

"I...I don't know, I've never seen any Sianwistan!"

David chose to keep it a secret.

why?

Because the masked woman saved their lives.

David knew he was a useless, poor bastard, but what was despicable about him was his status, not his character. He could sell his dignity for money, but he would never sell his conscience.

Another slap landed on David's face, and blood splattered.

“Kid, I don’t want this, but it has to be.” The burly man’s expression turned serious. “I’ve taken on a mission, and Sianwistan is indispensable. I bought it from Gloria, and I’ve already paid her. You two have to deliver it. If you don’t want to suffer any more, then you’d better hand over Sianwistan.”

David was dazed and disoriented from the slap. Lucy, unable to bear it any longer, shouted angrily and urgently, "Give him the thing, David!"

"I really do not know."

Bang, another slap.

The burly man said sternly, "This is your last chance."

David, enraged, yelled, "Fuck you! I told you, I didn't know!"

"Kid, you've got guts. I'm starting to like you." The burly man raised his hand: "But, wrong answer!"

Just as the slap was about to land, a voice suddenly rang out.

“Seanstein was taken away by a woman wearing a death mask.”

Everyone turned around, and Victor, leaning against the wall, said, "My clinic is a place to save lives, not a place to kill. Let David go."

With a thud, David was thrown to the ground, and Lucy quickly went over to help him up.

“I’m sorry, doctor, I broke the rules.” The burly man scratched his head. “But I need to get Sianwistan’s reasons, so please tell me where that woman is.”

“I don’t know, I’m not lying to you,” Victor replied. “The woman left after bringing Gloria here without saying a word. Afterwards, I found an extra 100,000 euros in the clinic’s account, which must have been the medical expenses she left behind.”

"One hundred thousand euros?!" The burly man, the strong woman, and the little girl with pigtails were all stunned.

David was surprised, but even more grateful.

He vowed that he would repay the masked lady's kindness, even if it cost him his life.

"Doctor, that woman took my Sianwistan. Since she left money, could you allocate some to compensate me for my loss?" Although the burly man was big and muscular, he was surprisingly thoughtful.

To be honest, it was a good idea, and David even seemed interested, but Victor refused.

"No, that's for Gloria's medical expenses. You've all seen her condition; nobody knows when she'll wake up. Every penny you take is her hope for survival."

"Damn it, so we're the ones who should suffer losses?" the little girl with pigtails shouted unhappily. She wanted to argue, but the burly man stopped her.

"Stop talking, Rebecca. The doctor is right. Gloria needs this money. I was just being naive."