2077: V really knows how awesome he is

Michiko picked up the controller again and started a new game.

"That's when you, the strongest lone wolf, will make your move."

V stepped out of the elevator and was greeted with enthusiastic cheers.

The company employees cheered because the mountain that had been weighing on their heads, Abernathy, was gone.

The gangsters and mercenaries cheered because they had overthrown the system and the company.

But are the mountains really gone? Has the system really been overthrown?

The answer varies from person to person.

David let out a long breath. He suddenly felt that the day had been incredibly long, as if an eternity had passed.

"David!"

A clear female voice rang out, and David turned his head to look, where he saw a girl in light blue.

"Lucy!"

David also called out his lover's name, even though he had only known her for three days.

Lucy's face lit up with joy, and she wanted to run over, but then she stopped.

David was puzzled when he saw Lucy step aside, revealing a woman with a bandage wrapped around her head and wearing a yellow jacket behind her.

The young man's eyes widened.

"Oh dear, I heard from Mr. Victor that the treatment cost quite a bit of money." Gloria scratched her head and smiled awkwardly. "Now the washing machine bill is going to be overdue again."

"Waaah...waaah..." In front of his loved ones, the man transformed back into a boy: "Mom!"

David wept uncontrollably in his mother's arms.

Gloria looked at her son's riddled body and his grotesque, cold prosthetic, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Thank you for everything, David."

V watched this scene from afar, and her stomach discomfort finally eased a little.

It's a happy ending, I typed it out myself!

V was feeling proud when he saw Mann and the others being pushed out by the Arasaka medical team.

...Well, it's not that great either.

"How does it feel?"

Mann and the others had already woken up, V went over and asked.

The burly man writhed like a maggot and told the truth: "I can't feel my hands and feet anymore."

"Pfft." V couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Don't just laugh, boss, you have to reimburse us for the cost of the new prosthetic body."

"Okay, okay, I'll apply, I definitely will!"

"Yay!" Mann, Dorio, and Rebecca cheered in unison, as if their near-death experience was nothing at all.

Mercenaries' lives are cheap, but that's all they have.

Their character and spirit are even more dazzling than those of many great figures.

“I owe you one,” V said.

Mann didn't mince words: "Then we'd better think carefully about how to make use of this opportunity."

"Take your time to think it over, and let me know when you've made up your mind."

V then looked at the last person, the pink cat, Sasha.

“Fool,” she couldn’t help but say.

Sasha pouted: "You're the idiot!"

"Alright, I'm sorry for making you worry." V ​​stood at attention, ready to be hit: "What kind of compensation do you want?"

"whatever?"

"whatever!"

"Then I'll tell you."

"Go ahead."

Sasha took a deep breath and said loudly, "V, I want to sleep with you, I really, really want to!"

V: ...

Amidst laughter and cheers, the third day of the three-day event came to an end.

Chapter 24 New Situation

V is in complete darkness, with no up, no down, no positive, and no negative.

A tiny light suddenly appeared, and V reached out and grabbed a glowing jellyfish made of 0s and 1s.

what is this?

where am I?

Who am I?

V's thoughts were in a state of chaos. She knew she was V, Valerie, but it was also illusory and filled with a sense of unreality.

Another burst of light appeared from behind, and V turned around to see a shocking scene.

A gigantic jellyfish, so large it was unimaginable, stood silently behind it, its entire body radiating a soft and warm light.

"Awake……"

what?

V wanted to step forward to hear more clearly, but the giant jellyfish stretched out its tentacles and suddenly attacked her.

"Boom!"

V woke up when she felt discomfort in her abdomen.

Sasha was sleeping crookedly beside him, with one arm resting on his stomach.

V was speechless for a moment.

She removed Sasha's arm and slapped its bottom. The pink cat then made a mumbling sound and rolled over like a big white worm.

V got out of bed, pulled the sheet over Sasha, and walked naked into the bathroom, stepping on the clothes scattered all over the floor.

I turned on the shower, placed my hands on the wall, and let the warm water wash over my body, instantly wiping away the fatigue of last night.

Stepping out of the bathroom and into the mirror, V examined her face, making several expressions, some serious and some relaxed, to exercise her facial muscles. Then she turned slightly to observe her back.

There were a few scratches on the smooth, white spine, but they weren't deep, so there was no need to use a pneumatic injector.

V nodded in satisfaction, pleased that he was indeed still as sharp as ever.

V turned on the coffee machine, put on her underwear, shirt, suit trousers and coat. The high-end fabric rubbed against her artificial skin, making a rustling sound. She completed the transformation from being completely naked to being impeccably dressed. By the time she had tied her tie, the coffee was ready.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city at night, V slowly finished his coffee, put down his cup, and walked out of the room.

"Vice Minister V!"

168 fully armed Arasaka security guards saluted in unison.

"Ah."

V continued forward to the helipad, where the airship had been waiting for a long time.

With a gust of air, the nine hovercars slowly rose into the air.

Three vehicles in front, three in the back, and one on each side—these are all security personnel's vehicles. They are firmly guarding the central floating vehicle, because that is V's ride.

A massive fleet of hovercars swept across Night City, drawing envious glances from commuters. Children ran and chased the light and shadows, while gang members cursed and fired their guns into the sky. The Terrorist Mobile Squad hovercars hovered over major thoroughfares, their members inside exchanging complex expressions as they escorted V.

V successfully defeated Abernathy and became the new Abernathy.

Did the dragon slayer eventually become the dragon himself?

"Open the news," V commanded the in-vehicle AI.

"Now let's turn our attention to Arasaka Tower. Several weeks have passed since the personnel changes at Arasaka Corporation, and the company has begun formal claims and repair work regarding the municipal damage caused during this process. Spokesperson Mr. Jenkins stated that Arasaka Corporation deeply regrets the damage and is deeply reflecting on its excessive actions. To this end, Arasaka Corporation has decided to invest 5000 million euros to launch a renovation and transformation plan for various old areas of Night City."

"In the past few weeks, the armed standoff between the major corporations in Night City has caused great concern among the public. Some experts and analysts believe that the standoff could break into armed conflict at any time. But with the formal establishment of the corporate alliance led by Arasaka Corporation and the signing of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Arms by the major corporations, the people can finally sleep soundly."

"Leaders from many countries, including China, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, sent congratulatory messages, publicly praising the advanced nature and superiority of this treaty, while Japan remained silent."

"To prevent a recurrence of the Memorial Park tragedy and reduce the harm of cyberpsychosis to public safety, the corporate alliance has launched the 'Veteran Care' program. Every veteran will receive a free medical check-up every six months. If necessary, the corporate alliance will also cover all surgical costs for downgrading prosthetic bodies."

"Thanks to the tireless efforts of Ms. Joanne Koch, Chief of the Biopharmaceutical Division, a more potent immunosuppressive drug has been officially launched. Reports indicate that this drug can effectively reduce the psychological damage caused by prosthetic implants and has a strong effect on suppressing cyberbullying episodes. To better benefit society and prevent the public from being unable to afford the drug, under the coordination of the company alliance, this drug will be sold at an extremely low price. This move has been widely praised by all sectors of society, and the biopharmaceutical company's stock has soared."

"Arasaka Academy is implementing a scholarship system to enable impoverished students to complete their studies. According to sources, the corporate alliance is currently conducting internal negotiations and evaluations. If approved, this system will be implemented in all schools in Night City, and the situation where ordinary people cannot afford to go to school will become a thing of the past."

"Military technology has introduced medical exoskeletons, which are inexpensive and easy to maintain, bringing good news to a large number of disabled people."

Zeta Technologies donated 2000 Vargos police drones to the NCPD to protect officers and maintain order in Night City. Developed and put into production in the first half of the 21st century, the Vargos drone remains in use today due to its high reliability and versatility. This latest police drone is equipped with high-definition detectors and intelligent analysis programs, providing extremely high resolution for small-scale, covert crimes, especially theft.

"Citizens have questioned when they will be truly safe, when they can shop in malls without having to conceal their guns, and when they can take their children to the park to play football. The corporate alliance seems to have provided the answer. Trusting the corporate alliance is trusting the future."

As the hovercar landed, V closed the news and stepped out of the hovercar.

"V, did you have a smooth journey? It's already October, and the sun is still so strong. Come inside, I've prepared your favorite tequila, it's already chilled."

Jenkins greeted V, who hadn't expected that a trip to Europe would elevate V to the position of second-in-command in the company. He couldn't deny feeling envious, even a little jealous. But after hearing about V's achievements, that jealousy vanished instantly.

That's like charging into the Aragaka Tower, going in unscathed and coming out unscathed. Is that something a human could do?

Anyway, Jenkins felt he definitely couldn't do it.

The gap was too big, so the jealousy disappeared. Jenkins had figured it out now: V was a celebrity, and he had some connections with him, so what else was there to say but to cling to his coattails?

V wanted to promote Carter to head of counterintelligence, no problem. Jenkins himself requested a transfer, prioritizing his obedience. And so, V created a public relations department and put him in charge. It was tiring, but these past few days Jenkins had been either dealing with company representatives or attending meetings with government officials. Even Mayor Lucius Lane had to pull strings to invite him to dinner—far more glamorous than when he was a backstage bum in counterintelligence.

Jenkins thus became even more respectful to V.

V neither liked nor disliked her former boss. She figured she had to show some consideration for old relationships now that she'd risen to the position; otherwise, it would be disheartening. These were unspoken rules of the company, and V wasn't naive; she understood them.

"Old LeBron, we've known each other for a long time, you don't need to be so polite."

"It's nothing, just a small favor. I'm not very capable, but since you're considering our past relationship, I have to make sure it's done properly."

"Okay, I trust you to handle things. Just let me know if you need anything. I'm leaving the external publicity to you."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, V entered the conference room.

Meredith Stock and Joanne Koch have already arrived. The former is the representative of military technology, and the latter is the representative of biotechnology. They have been doing quite well recently and are both rising stars in their respective companies, wielding power and interests. Joanne Koch, in particular, has seen her status rise dramatically after the launch of her new drug, becoming second only to V in the biotechnology industry.

Meredith Stock was slightly less successful. She was quite loyal to the company and unwilling to give up the core interests of military technology, so she couldn't get much benefit from V and Joanne Koch. She only got a medical exoskeleton and received a small promotion.

This is the benefit of interconnection.

Joanne Koch was able to develop a new drug so quickly because she obtained research data from Arasaka Medical's research department; Meredith Stock was able to create a medical exoskeleton thanks to the technical support provided by biotechnology in the medical field.

The company was full of shady characters, yet everyone was wary of each other and held onto their own secrets. V solved this problem perfectly. She may have been pursuing her own interests, but she also genuinely benefited ordinary people.

"You're late, V," Joanne Koch joked. "Did you do *that* with your little pink cat again last night?"

"No." V calmly pulled out a chair and sat down. "We were just studying economics together last night."

"Studying economics?"

"She taught me how to promote the healthy development of the Night City economy. First, we need to stimulate sensitive points to expand demand, let the market spontaneously expand its openness, make full use of the friction principle to increase quarterly turnover, and use a strategy of combining bringing in and going out to make consumption reach its peak, so as to completely release the long-accumulated consumption desires and ultimately enable capital to flow into their respective markets effectively."

Joanne Koch was stunned: "Holy crap, you actually studied economics?"

"Don't listen to her nonsense." Meredith Stock, the seasoned veteran, immediately debunked her claim: "She's just a cryptocurrency trader."

Joanne Koch: ...

I'm not weird enough, so I'll always be out of place with you guys.

After chatting for a while, representatives from other companies arrived, and the three of them reverted to their respectable selves and returned to their respective seats.

Kang Tao was the last to arrive. The old lady glared at V first before forcefully pulling out a chair and sitting down.