2077: V really knows how awesome he is

“Then he only has one choice left.” V looked at Xu Zhong.

The section chief nodded: "Kang Tao."

V smiled slightly: "I deliberately leaked the information to Jiang Ping; she has already made contact with Anders Herman."

Xu Zhong suddenly realized: "So that's what Jiang Ping has been secretly doing lately..."

“That’s right, she has already agreed on a price with Anders Herman. But Arasaka’s influence in Night City is too great, and there is only one way to secretly take her away.”

“Qianti Company.” Xu Zhong understood everything: “Instead of appearing in the name of Kangtao, they arranged for Anders Herman to be under the name of Qianti, a subsidiary of Kangtao, to deceive everyone.”

Meredith Stock scoffed, "The same old trick."

“Don’t worry about age, as long as it works, that’s fine. At least Jiang Ping successfully kept my people out.” V looked at Xu Zhong: “So the intelligence from Qian Ti can only be entrusted to you. Make sure you get the time and route of Anders Herman’s evacuation from Night City. Is that alright?”

"Yes, I promise to complete the mission!"

Xu Zhong jumped up and saluted.

Seeing the other three looking at him in surprise, the junior section chief awkwardly lowered his hand: "Sorry, it's a habit."

"Section Chief?" Meredith Stock deliberately contradicted him: "Section Chief my ass!"

Everyone has secrets, and V is no exception.

Xu Zhong is a good young man, but unfortunately he's still too naive when it comes to those three nasty aunties.

Seeing that the junior section chief's face was as red as a monkey's bottom, V kindly tried to smooth things over: "Alright, enough nonsense, let's get to work."

A week passed in the blink of an eye, like a powerhouse's battery life module malfunctioning; it was over before I even realized it.

"Arasaka Yoriyuki has brought a priceless treasure. If you want it, go to the Azure Mansion; his treasure is there!"—The rumor, unknowingly, took on a bizarre and alluring form, becoming even more enticing. The underworld of Night City stirred, with novices and veterans alike, young mercenaries and even younger ones alike eager to make their mark.

You ask why there are no old mercenaries? Because mercenaries simply don't have the chance to live to old age. They're like fireworks, exploding into pieces at their most brilliant moment. The lucky ones might leave behind a cup of wine in the next life, the less lucky ones might leave behind a few pieces of secondhand cybernetic implants at the scavenger's place, but most leave nothing at all.

Faraday sat in the best booth at Next Life, sipping red wine. He was currently enjoying immense success. As the only middleman with access to inside information, his value had skyrocketed. Every day, countless mercenaries fawned over him, trying to obtain some insider information. Even companies and the government sent people to him to sound him out. Luxury cars and lavish dinners had become a daily occurrence.

His left eye is his natural eye, but his right eye has three prosthetic eyes placed side by side. The name "Four-Eyed Man" has become synonymous with him. He knows it sounds bad, but he has no choice. He has no status or background, so he doesn't have many options.

High-value deals were monopolized by well-known middlemen, and Faraday had no choice but to turn to military technology in order to survive. Even so, he was still an insignificant figure in the eyes of others, and no one ever respected him.

But all of this will soon change; once he closes this deal, he will become famous!

An elderly woman in a yellow jacket strode past; that was Roger Amandias, Night City's most powerful middleman and owner of the Afterlife Bar. The Faraday of the past had been filled with awe and envy for Roger, but the Faraday of today felt only disdain.

Only by having the company's backing can one have a bright future. I've been appreciated by bigwigs in military technology and am about to rise to prominence. Those self-righteous old guys who refuse to cooperate with the company can just go to the trash can!

Farah downed his glass of red wine in one gulp. Time was up; his Voodoo Gang friends were waiting for him.

The underground factory office.

V clicked his tongue and said, "This Faraday is a bit shabby. To do such a big deal, they're using a V4F-570 from Valerio Alvarado as their vehicle. That's a yakuza car, for crying out loud! Do they think Arasaka Yorinobu is some nobody on the street, or that this is a gang fight? They could at least rent a minivan!"

Meredith Stock was furious and immediately berated his men. Then his men berated his men, and his men berated their own men. This was the person who had actually contacted Faraday, the bigwig in military technology that Faraday had mentioned.

Faraday was eventually scolded, and at the "big shot's" insistence, he reluctantly switched to Delaman's limousine and even had a full day of "perfectionist" service.

V chose Delaman's car service not to support Delaman's business, but mainly because he needed to survive even if he had to take the blame. If the Voodoo Gang members died in the Azure Building, how could he frame them? Only by successfully escaping could he better muddy the waters.

The Voodoo Gang is quite interesting. These old black guys were initially incredibly cautious and hesitant, wanting to scout out the Azure Tower themselves and even looking for mercenaries to take the fall so they could remain hidden. But as news of Relic spread, they suddenly became restless. Fearing being outmaneuvered, the Voodoo Gang abandoned all their original plans as if their lives depended on it, hastily finalizing various schemes with Faraday. Because they distrusted outsiders, they simply had their leader and second-in-command personally handle everything, giving off an unprofessional and haphazard feel to the whole operation.

Even the young section chief Xu Zhong said, "They are hesitant and indecisive when planning, and impetuous and reckless when acting. These black devils are unlikely to accomplish anything great."

V didn't expect them to "achieve great things." In the whole plan, the Voodoo Gang was just a scapegoat; being able to stand on the stage was considered a success.

However, this arrangement prevented Evelyn from connecting with the Voodoo Cult and meant she no longer needed to go to the penthouse suite to record Mewtwo.

V thinks that's how it should be.

Only eat what you can handle; why provoke the company and harm yourself and others? The saying goes, "Do what you love, and do it well." Even a prostitute can be a legend.

Of course, these were all minor incidents.

Xu Zhong has obtained Anders Herman's evacuation time and route from Qian Ti.

V looked at the data and nodded: "Sure enough, the route is just as I expected. They will pass over the power plant outside the city. What if their hovercar happens to have a minor malfunction and falls into the power plant, and I happen to be passing by? Out of humanitarian considerations, shouldn't I go up and lend a hand?"

Xu Zhong's eyes lit up: "You mean...?"

V smiled slightly: "Grab your guns, Section Chief, it's our turn to go."

Chapter 29 The Kujira

The perimeter of the Chengnan Solar Power Plant.

V once captured Xu Zhong here, and now he will fight alongside Xu Zhong here again.

Fate is so unpredictable.

V glanced at the serious-looking section chief: "Nervous?"

"No, I won't hold you back," Xu Zhong quickly replied.

V remained noncommittal and changed the subject: "I'm using the Arasaka HJKE-11 Shinmura smart pistol and the Arasaka TKI-20 Shingen smart submachine gun. What are you using?"

Xu Zhong pulled out two weapons from his back waist: "I'm using the Comtau A-22B Super Smart Pistol and the Comtau G-58 Classic Smart Submachine Gun."

“Interesting,” V said with interest. “These two guns completely shattered Arasaka’s monopoly in the smart firearms market. There are rumors that Comto poached Arasaka’s talent, and that the A-22B Super and Arasaka Shinmura were designed by the same person, but I know that’s not true. The Super is well-made, yet cheaper than the Shinmura, and its ingenious 'barrel-changing' technology greatly improves the loading speed, making it 0.11 seconds faster than the Super. The G-58 Classic submachine gun, on the other hand, far surpasses Arasaka Shingen in terms of its innovative design and actual user experience, especially its 'magnetic magazine,' which makes reloading much easier. Users of the Classic no longer have to worry about missing opportunities due to an unsecured magazine. It is precisely because of these seemingly insignificant little tricks that Comto was able to quickly gain a foothold in the smart firearms market. Arasaka’s loss was not a complete loss.”

Hearing V praise his guns made Xu Zhong even happier than when V praised him. He could hardly contain his joy, but he still humbly said, "The Arasaka Shinmura and Arasaka Shingen are also excellent weapons. The former has two firing modes: automatic and three-round burst. The latter, with its large magazine capacity and stopping power, has become a dream gun for every mercenary and soldier."

V glanced at Xu Zhong and hummed in agreement.

The room fell silent. After a while, Xu Zhongcai spoke again, saying "Thank you."

He knew V had sensed his nervousness and was deliberately saying those things to distract him. Although she seemed cold on the surface, Xu Zhong could clearly feel V's gentleness.

"It's not that I've never killed anyone, it's just that... I've never killed one of my own. I'm sorry, Vice Commander V, I promise I will overcome my psychological barrier as soon as possible and will not hinder this operation."

V shook his head: "It's not wrong to care about fellow countrymen. You don't need to force yourself. If you really can't bring yourself to do it, I can clear the area by myself."

Xu Zhong laughed, thinking V was still joking to help him relax: "How can that be? There are two full-fledged combat squads escorting Anders Herman."

V looked at Xu Zhong without saying a word.

The two stared at each other for a moment, and the section chief's smile gradually froze: "Deputy Minister V, you're joking, right? You must be joking, right!"

V didn't answer, but instead gestured with his chin towards the sky: "Coming, from the direction of Taiping Prefecture."

Xu Zhong immediately picked up an optical telescope and looked towards the horizon. Sure enough, he saw a hovercar slowly driving towards him.

But the slowness is just a visual illusion; the hovercar moves very fast, and in just ten seconds, it changes from a black dot to a black block.

"Damn it, they're traveling in Surveyors, but the intelligence clearly stated it was Atlas!"

Both the Surveyor and Atlas are armed airborne vehicles produced by Zeta Technologies. The Atlas is the flagship product, used by the Trauma Team and News 54, while the Surveyor was designed for large-scale personnel transport. It can silently deploy a platoon behind enemy lines and is equipped with an intelligent missile defense system, sufficient to repel any enemy attack.

"This is it, we're doomed!" Xu Zhong put down his optical binoculars. "We don't have heavy firepower, we can't penetrate the surveyors' armor at all."

“I didn’t intend to fight at first.” V’s eyes lit up with blue light: “You want to get into the solar power plant to find evidence, right? Use this big guy as a stepping stone.”

"You want to hack it?" Xu Zhong shook his head: "The surveyor's vehicle-mounted AI has a dynamic ICE system. Unless supported by a large server, it's impossible for an individual to..."

"No what?" Xu Zhong stopped.

Not only did he stop, but everything in the world stopped.

The wind is frozen, the clouds are frozen, but they are not completely still. Instead, they become a collection of 0s and 1s, slowly building the next frame of the picture.

V's intelligence reached 16 points a few days ago, which is her newly awakened ability.

She initially thought it was S. Ahnwistain's "time stop," but after several tests, she realized she was wrong.

Because even her body was frozen, the only thing that could still move quickly was her mind.

V understood; this was a hacker's "time stop."

"Even though it's not my first time using it, I'm still deeply impressed. There's absolutely no related information online. The hackers really kept it well hidden." V muttered to himself, instantly breaking into the surveyor's vehicle-mounted AI's dynamic ICE. "What was that story Sasha told me? Oh right, Open Sesame!"

At a command, the surveyor's driving path was locked, the engine safety lock was released, the vector engine was overloaded, and with a roar, a long flame shot out from its rear, crashing into the solar power plant like a meteor, breaking through one photovoltaic panel array after another, and rumbling as it plowed a dazzling trench in the ground.

As the 0s and 1s faded away, the world returned to its original colors.

"...It's impossible to break through!"

After saying what he wanted to say, Xu Zhong fell into a speechless silence as he looked at the solar power plant engulfed in flames.

"Don't just stand there, let's go."

"oh oh."

Xu Zhong quickly drew his gun and followed. Looking at V's back, he really wanted to ask, "Are you even human?", but after thinking it over again, he still said nothing.

Everyone has secrets, and Xu Zhong is no exception.

All he needs to know is that V is on his side.

The two arrived in front of the Surveyor hovercar, a giant orange-red vehicle the size of a double-decker bus. It was now completely broken down, with a dent in its front and flames raging at the back. This was probably what it meant to be at the end of one's rope.

"Sister V, let me try to persuade them to surrender first." Xu Zhong still cared about his compatriots.

Don't you always call me Vice Minister V?

V glanced at Xu Zhong, but now was not the time to ask questions, so she didn't delve into it and simply nodded in agreement.

Xu Zhong stood to the side of the surveyor and shouted, "I am Xu Zhong, the head of the security department of Kangtao. Please stop resisting and open the door immediately for inspection! I repeat, please stop resisting and open the door immediately for inspection!"

With a click, the surveyor opened the car door, but instead of compatriots, a gun barrel appeared. Goodwill did not earn understanding, only bullets.

This is Night City.

Young Xu Zhong wasn't used to it yet, but V had long been accustomed to it.

Rat-a-tat-tat! The gun barrel spat out flames. Xu Zhong couldn't dodge in time and instinctively raised his hand, but a crisp gunshot came from behind him. Countless bullets rushed straight towards his back, then suddenly turned and passed by his sides, accurately hitting every bullet that flew in.

Such marksmanship is unbelievable!

The security team at Qianti were stunned. A new generation of intelligent firearms? It could even lock onto the bullets it fired?

They were stunned, but Xu Zhong was not. The G-58 submachine gun beeped to indicate that it was locked on. The section chief raised his hand and unleashed a torrent of fire. Bullets with small thrusters flew like birds returning to their nests, accurately hitting the foreheads of every enemy who dared to show their faces from all directions.

Phew!

Their heads exploded like watermelons, and the soldiers of Qian Ti fell, but more Qian Ti soldiers rushed out. Xu Zhong had said that they had two whole standard squads.

"Don't hold back anymore, I can only save you once!"

V loads the magazine: "I'll take the left, you take the right, is that alright?"

Feeling guilty, Xu Zhong immediately replied loudly, "No problem!"

The two men stood back to back and began their massacre.

Shinmura and Chaoshiki cooperated with each other, while Shingen and Tateshiki supported each other.

The one who understands you best is always your enemy; opposing weapons can actually compensate for each other's weaknesses.

"Reload! Cover me!"

"Sister V, four o'clock!"

"Leave it to me, watch out behind you! Here you go!"

V threw out his fully loaded Shingen submachine gun. Xu Zhong caught it and knocked down two Sentai soldiers. Judging from the gunshot, V's Shinmura pistol was about to run out of magazines, so he also threw out his own Type 1 submachine gun, which he had just reloaded.

"Sister V!"

The two exchanged weapons in an instant and began a new round of slaughter.

"Not bad, Section Chief. Not many people can keep up with my pace."

"Sister V is amazing too! You're the best shooter I've ever seen!"

While they were chatting, three more soldiers fell to the ground. At this point, their will to resist was completely crushed.

"They are too strong!"

"We can't win!"

"Retreat! Retreat quickly with the target!"

The soldiers split into two groups and began to retreat in different directions, each carrying an Anders Herman.

This is a common deception technique, often used in missions involving the protection of VIPs.