2077: V really knows how awesome he is

V scoffed: "What's the use of learning this! I can't get anything done because I'm unbalanced, but you're the grandson of the Emperor Kangtao. Who would dare not give you face if you spoke up? You don't need to learn my crooked methods."

“People will indeed accommodate me because of my status, but that’s not a long-term solution,” Xu Zhong said with a smile. “Once or twice is fine, but if I were to give money to ordinary people every time, not to mention other companies, even people within Kangtao would be furious with me.”

Why should money be spent on things that ordinary people can use?

"To improve people's livelihoods."

Why should we improve people's livelihoods?

"Does this need a reason?" Xu Zhong asked curiously. "It makes everyone happy, and it's not difficult to do, so why not do it?"

V looked up to the sky and sighed, "You should change your name. Just call yourself Xu the Sage."

"Ah, why?"

"Because you're a fucking saint." V said with exasperation, "If you weren't the grandson of the Kangtao Emperor, you wouldn't even survive the first episode in Night City!"

"No way." Xu Zhong made a muscle-flexing gesture: "I'm a super fighter, no ordinary person can kill me."

V sighed and rubbed his forehead in anguish: "Fine, now that this flag is set, you'll only live in the flashback MV at the end."

Xu Zhong: ? ? ?

Unable to bear the young CEO's silly behavior, V picked up her coat and walked out of the office.

"Where are you going, Sister V?"

"The H4 super skyscraper in the Santo Domingo Valley, your sister Kochi is there to help you out, so she asked me to go over and support her."

"Is it about the infectious disease?"

"Correct."

“Then I’ll come too. I’ll drive.”

Xu Zhong stretched out his hand, his face full of flattery. V had no choice but to hand over the key chip for the Stone Sword.

"No speeding, and no drifting!"

The Xu family has strict family rules. Xu Zhong, as Xu Shiming's grandson, doesn't have much pocket money. He can't afford a sports car, so ever since he learned that V has a Rayfield Sword in the Stone, he has become her personal driver.

The two drove from the company square to the Santo Domingo Valley.

Xu Zhong drove very fast on the road, as happy as a 19-year-old child.

V wanted to tell him to drive slower, but swallowed the words back.

Oh well, let him be. Consider it a reward for his hard work these past few days.

V didn't even realize that a smile had crept onto his lips.

The more she interacted with Xu Zhong, the more she appreciated his excellence. It wasn't just his abilities, but also the qualities he possessed that most people in this world lacked. He was intelligent yet not arrogant, brave yet not reckless. Despite his noble status, he was polite and knew how to conduct himself appropriately. He would humbly ask questions when encountering things he didn't understand, and once he made a decision, he would be unwavering in his resolve. He influenced those around him silently, like a contagious disease, making people feel compelled to open their hearts to him.

Meredith Stock treated Xu Zhong as a close friend, and Joanne Koch even took care of Xu Zhong like a younger brother, but Xu Zhong was still most attached to himself.

V doesn't know what's so great about herself.

Joanne Koch said she didn't have to do anything, probably hoping to subtly influence Xu Zhong.

But she didn't do anything good either.

V's massive construction projects in Night City weren't charity work; she knew that the Arasaka leadership would eventually elect a new leader, and regardless of whether Michiko could return to Night City, an outsider like her couldn't stay in the top position forever.

Although there is a plan for a silver-handed version of Saburo, what if it fails? V must be prepared for both possibilities.

Based on the principle that power should not be wasted, she launched a series of new projects with the aim of legally and compliantly transferring the company's money into her own pocket, leaving herself more options.

It was about having Kurt Hansen establish a new market in the seaside area, and it was also about carrying out large-scale construction in other urban areas.

What can Xu Zhong learn from someone like himself? How to fabricate facts and deceive superiors?

V even felt she should learn from Xu Zhong; at least his kindness was genuine. She thought that once she recovered, switching jobs from Arasaka to Kangtao to work for Xu Zhong wouldn't be bad. That silly kid definitely wouldn't cheat her, and he was actually quite easy to fool.

Just as I was thinking this, Shi Zhongjian suddenly slammed on the brakes.

"Sister V, there are so many people ahead, the road is blocked."

V looked ahead and saw the super skyscraper H4 not far away. A lot of people had gathered around it, and the road was completely blocked. She even saw an acquaintance.

"Gloria, aren't you at work today?"

"Ah, it's Miss V." David's mother rushed over. She had fully recovered and was full of energy. "I was off today and just wanted to come back and see if the skyscraper had reopened."

You live here too?

“Yes, David and I have lived in H4 for over ten years. Who knew that an infectious disease outbreak would suddenly occur and the building would be locked down? If it weren’t for your scholarship program that gave David some income, my son and I would be sleeping on the streets like these other neighbors.”

V nodded. When Michiko Arasaka checked up on her earlier, she hadn't lied; the super skyscraper H4 really had an outbreak of infectious disease. If she remembered correctly, in 2077, the skyscraper was still under lockdown, and she even found a pair of sunglasses-wearing Dream in a trash can next to it.

"Where are you staying now?" V asked.

“We’re staying at Lucy’s house, over in Japantown.” Gloria said, waving into the distance, “Hi, Lucy, over here.”

V turned her head and saw that Lucy had changed from her usual daring bodysuit to a more approachable, even slightly rustic, home outfit, just like the legendary demure young lady.

She saw V and scoffed unhappily.

V knows Lucy doesn't like people from Arasaka, but she's happy when Lucy is unhappy.

"Hey Lucy, shopping with your mother-in-law, what a good daughter-in-law!"

The girl's cheeks visibly flushed red.

"No Road Race!"

Great, today is another day where Japanese heritage is at its best.

Chapter 36 Price

I was about to chat with Lucy a bit more when I heard arguing ahead, with shouts of "Biotechnology, get out!"

V could only say goodbye to Gloria and her mother-in-law for the time being, and got out of the car with Xu Zhong to walk forward.

The closer you get to the mega-skyscraper, the more people there are on both sides of the road. They hunch over, their old prosthetic bodies peeking out from their trouser legs and sleeves. They either huddle together in small groups or gather around vending machines, shivering in the 9°C December wind, using the cheapest way to sustain their precious lives.

"Aren't they going home?" Xu Zhong asked, frowning.

“Their home is right here,” V replied.

"Are they residents of the skyscraper?"

“They weren’t in the building when the infectious disease broke out. After the building was locked down, they could only gather here, hoping to return home one day.”

"What happened to the people who were in the building when it was sealed off?"

"Those who are inside the building are of course inside the building."

Xu Zhong was taken aback: "Has it been almost a month since the outbreak of the infectious disease?"

“That’s why your sister Kochi is neglecting her duties,” V whispered. “She even dumped the maintenance work for Saburo Arasaka on Anders Herman, can you believe it? It’s fucking damn good!”

Is it Joanne Koch who's messed up? Is it an outbreak of infectious disease? Or is it this terminally ill world?

Xu Zhong didn't know.

V doesn't know either.

"Kochi." V arrived at the main entrance of H4 and called out to several people wearing protective suits. One of them turned around and opened the mask cover.

Joanne Koch greeted them with a smile: "V, Xu Zhong, you're here."

"What's going on now?"

"They blocked the door and wouldn't let us in."

V glanced at the gate and saw that the people standing there were not from the epidemic prevention bureau, but rather the original residents of the super skyscraper H4.

Armed with steel pipes, screwdrivers, and wrenches, they used their thin, frail bodies to stand in front of the burly, genetically modified soldiers of biotechnology.

"We can't let the biotechnology people in; they're definitely here to kill us and cover it up!"

"My son is still inside! I will never let you hurt him!"

"The people inside are still alive! Please wait a little longer, they'll be alright soon, they'll be alright soon!"

Joanne Koch said V's face is good, but her face is actually not bad either.

Night City's health department has always been a one-man show in biotechnology. Joanne Koch got them to make way with just a word, but they were unexpectedly blocked at the door by a crowd.

"Do you want me to help you get rid of them?" V asked.

“No,” Joanne Koch said. “I want you to get my people out of here.”

Xu Zhong was still confused, but V already understood everything. She wanted to refuse, but Joanne Koch didn't give her the chance and immediately ordered her men, "Go!"

The genetically modified soldier cocked his gun, about to fire, but even though V was cursing inwardly, she could only speak up to stop him: "Stop! Trying to shoot civilians in broad daylight? This is outrageous!" Then she looked at Joanne Koch and said, "Don't do anything rash, Koch. The news hovercar is still hanging in the air. The reputation of the Corporate Alliance can't be ruined by you alone!"

Joanne Koch smiled and said, "Alright, since Vice Minister V has spoken, you can come down now."

V said coldly, "Just coming down isn't enough. Your staying here will only escalate the conflict. All of you, leave."

“This…” The soldiers looked at Joanne Koch, who shrugged: “Let’s go, this is Vice-President V’s order.”

The soldiers had no choice but to pack up their weapons and slink away, prompting a cheer from the crowd.

"Vice Minister V is awesome!"

"Vice Minister V is absolutely awesome!"

"V, when are you going to become the mayor of Night City?"

Although everyone was praising V, Xu Zhong was just as happy. Just as the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, he heard V cursing from the secret channel.

"Joanne Koch, you fucking bastard! What do you mean by asking me to help deal with the pandemic control department? You just wanted me to help you deal with biotechnology!"

"What's wrong with that? Look how much the people love and respect you."

"Screw you! What good is the people's love and respect? I'll have to come up with a reason to explain to your boss that he'll give me face, but he definitely won't give you any. You can just wait to be demoted!"

"Alright, alright, I'll consider this a debt. I'll install a bionic lumbar muscle motor in you later. That's a cutting-edge biotechnology product that hasn't hit the market yet. I guarantee it'll make you completely subdue Sasha!"

"Damn it, I've always relied on my own skills, I don't use these fancy tricks!"

Since he can't use a prosthetic body right now, V spoke with particular conviction.

We'll talk about it after the damaged nerves are healed...

V sighed softly: "Just this once, Koch, just this once."

"Okay, thanks, V."

Xu Zhong finally understood what was going on: "What are you doing...?"

“Playing a double act.” Joanne Koch blinked. “Biotechnology sent me here to collect patient samples and cover up the crimes, but I decided to cure the patients. Such blatant disobedience naturally makes me want V to take the blame; she’s shameless.”

Xu Zhong thought he would be very surprised, but he was surprised to find that he was not surprised at all.

For the sake of profit, they will trample on everything; this has always been the case with companies, and Kangtao is no exception.

He was young in the past and could pretend not to know, but he will grow up one day and will eventually be unable to keep up the act.

"Let her in," V said to the men blocking the door.

After discussing it for a moment, one of them replied, "Vice Minister V, we trust you, but she must hand over the gun."

"it is good."

"no!"

Joanne Koch agreed, but V flatly refused: "The building has been sealed off for a month. You know what's going on inside. Force is essential!"

"What if she does something reckless? Vice Minister V, it's not that we don't trust you, it's that we're afraid she might even deceive you. She's a biotechnology person!"

Trust is precious because once lost, it is very difficult to regain.

Yesterday's cause, today's effect; Joanne Koch has no intention of making any excuses.

“It’s okay, V. I have a high-end prosthetic body provided by the company. I can protect myself.”

V frowned and didn't try to persuade him further.

Because she knew that trying to persuade her was useless.

loosened his tie and said, "I'll go in with you."