2077: V really knows how awesome he is

"You think I've been doing charity work by engaging in all this construction lately? I've already made enough money."

"Okay, I've been looking forward to Arasaka's individual mecha technology combined with military-grade exoskeleton technology for a long time."

V then looked at Joanne Koch: "How much longer will it take for Saburo Arasaka to wake up? When will our rock star wake up?"

Joanne Koch smiled and announced a number: "3".

V was taken aback: "3 months?"

Joanne Koch continued, "2."

V was initially full of questions, but then his expression suddenly changed drastically.

"you……"

"1."

As Joanne Koch finished reading the last number, V slumped onto the table and lost consciousness.

"Sister V?!" Xu Zhong was taken aback.

“Don’t worry, I just gave her a triple dose of sedative to let her rest,” Joanne Koch explained slowly.

Meredith Stock pinched V's cheek and remarked, "I really don't know how this face is shaped. It's both cold and sexy, but it's a waste of its beauty because it frowns so much."

Xu Zhong was completely confused: "Why did you knock Sister V unconscious? What's going on?"

“Although V told us not to tell you, now that you’re practically one of us, we won’t hide it from you.” Joanne Koch waved her hand and pulled out a holographic image: “V is injured, badly injured.”

Xu Zhong stared at the large patches of red on the image, speechless with shock for a long time.

V returned to darkness, to that space devoid of up, down, left, or right.

An enormous jellyfish stood silently before her, radiating a warm and gentle light.

“What exactly are you?” V asked.

The jellyfish murmured softly, "Wake up, our Valerie."

V was startled: "How do you know my name?"

As she spoke, she subconsciously reached out, but the giant jellyfish suddenly shattered like a bubble, turning into a cloud of smoke composed of 0s and 1s that swallowed her.

"Cough cough." V opened his eyes and said to Meredith Stock sitting next to him with an annoyance, "Can you fucking stop smoking in front of the patient?"

The blonde, slick-back-haired woman chuckled and exhaled a puff of smoke: "Alright, being able to swear means you've recovered quite well. Welcome back, our Sleeping Beauty."

Ours?

V felt like she had a similar dream just now, but couldn't remember the details.

"How long have I slept?"

"Three days."

"Goro Takemura's corpse?"

"It has already been recovered by your counterintelligence department."

"What happened that night?"

"It made the news, WNS and News 54, even the underground network, everywhere was talking about the assassination attempt on Arasaka's top leader and his serious injuries, even his mother's candles sold out."

V was taken aback: "A candle?"

Meredith Stock snapped his fingers, and the holographic television in the room turned on. The image on the screen showed the area below Arasaka Tower, where countless candles were lit in a small square next to the company's main entrance. The candles were of all shapes and sizes, and all sorts of people were gathered there: veterans, children, sex dolls, and ordinary office workers. Some were praying silently, while others were muttering to themselves. Before leaving, they would all leave behind a lit candle to make the thin candlelight a little brighter.

"Not just in Arasaka Tower, there are prayer activities in every district, especially in Haywood. The poor people are almost replacing the statues of the Virgin Mary in the church with your face. As long as the news of your coma has spread, they have been singing hymns for you. V, the whole of Night City is hoping for your recovery."

V's prosthetic eye was burning hot from overload, it must have been damaged in the previous battle: "Damn it, I'm not dead yet, what the hell are you doing lighting candles!"

Meredith Stock flicked his cigarette ash: "You should learn something from Lucy."

"No Road Race!"

V sat up in bed, took off his pajamas, took a shower, changed into a suit in front of the mirror, tied his tie, and once again became impeccable.

"How's the previous project going?" V poured himself a glass of tequila.

"Everything is normal, Xu Zhong is keeping an eye on it."

"What about Dogtown and the Seaview area? Is Hansen behaving himself?"

"Everything is normal, Xu Zhong is keeping an eye on it."

V frowned slightly: "He knows?"

"Yes, that kid looked so remorseful, as if not noticing your injury was a terrible sin. He's been working like crazy these past few days to make up for it." The blonde, slicked-back-haired woman sighed, "Chinese men's sense of responsibility is just so outrageous. If I liked men, I would definitely marry him."

V bluntly retorted, "Don't even think about it. You're way out of your league with Xu Shiming's grandson."

"Wow, that hurts, but you're right." Meredith Stock ended his joke, lit another cigarette, and said seriously as he exhaled smoke, "Now the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. What are you going to do?"

“It’s simple, just lure them out.” V took a sip of tequila, leaned back on the sofa and said, “Since they want to get rid of me, if they don’t succeed once, they’ll definitely try again. We just have to wait.”

"You're going to use yourself as bait?"

"This is the best way."

"It would be dangerous."

“So we need your assistance.” V asked, “How’s the isomer manufacturing going?”

Meredith Stock's eyes lit up: "That's absolutely the best individual weapon ever made. Want to go check it out?"

"Walk."

The two of them slowly descended in a hovercar in the Watson Industrial Zone, a factory jointly operated by the company alliance. Above ground were ordinary factory buildings that concealed their true nature, while underground were research and development factories filled with various high-tech equipment.

Over such a long period of time, the underground factory has absorbed many researchers who were abandoned by large companies. Some of them were ostracized, some violated company regulations, some were caught embezzling, and some were dissatisfied with the company's power and oppression.

V accepted all comers and brought them all under his command. At first, it was just a makeshift team, but over time, it actually grew into a considerable force. Now, although it still cannot compare with the top research teams of large companies, it is not far behind.

"It seems Xu Zhong was right," Meredith Stock joked. "There are many hidden masters out there."

“Who says otherwise? Even you and I come from humble backgrounds, so there’s no need to belittle ourselves.” V smiled and nodded. “Let’s go see our new toys.”

"Yes, over here."

Led by Meredith Stock, V went through five inspections, three mechanical and two manual, before finally arriving at the research and development workshop for the isomer.

"Welcome, Vice Minister V. It's so good to see you safe and sound." The workshop's chief engineer was a middle-aged woman with round glasses. Her name was Nakamura Kayo, and she was Japanese. She was short, plain-looking, and dressed rather dowdyly. She had previously worked in Arasaka, and although she graduated from a prestigious university, she had always been doing low-level jobs like serving tea and organizing documents because she lacked connections.

The workload is heavy, but you get no credit. If you do well, no one praises you; if you do poorly, everyone criticizes you. Most importantly, the salary is too low, and it's nothing like the glamorous life you imagined.

Kayo Nakamura's husband died, leaving her with a son. To pay for her son's tuition, she planned to work part-time at Genting Highlands. However, after spending a large sum of money on a sex-matching chip and undergoing a medical examination, she was ultimately rejected. She initially thought it was recruitment fraud, but it turned out not to be. Genting Highlands didn't need such underhanded tactics. The reason they didn't want her was simple: she was ugly!

Nakamura Kayo felt extremely humiliated. She never imagined that she, a graduate of a prestigious university, wouldn't even be qualified to be a prostitute. For the first time ever, she bought a bottle of cheap liquor and got herself completely drunk. But after sobering up, she washed her face, tried her best to dress herself up better, and then went to Twisty Street.

In this cannibalistic city of night, the lower classes have long been accustomed to humiliation. They are incredibly resilient, because those who are not resilient have long since perished.

Kayo Nakamura thought to herself that if she couldn't go to Genting Highlands, she would sell her wares on Twilight Street. She was willing to do anything as long as she could earn money to pay for her son's tuition.

As a result, she was beaten up by thugs on Twisted Street, robbed of all her valuables, and thrown into a filthy garbage dump.

Twisted Street was already divided into factions. As an outsider, she didn't even know how to pay respects to the powerful. Getting beaten up and robbed was really just because she met a kind person.

Kayo Nakamura lay in the garbage dump for three hours before she finally got up, not because the pain had subsided, but because she had to go to work.

Because of her foul odor, she was naturally scolded severely by her boss. She apologized repeatedly, but was still fired without any mercy.

Kayo Nakamura had no idea how she got out of the company. When she came to her senses, she found herself in the circular shopping street of the Kabuki district.

The woman, covered in wounds, sat on the bench for a long, long time. She didn't know what the future held, how to tell her son the devastating news when she got home, or even how much longer she would have a home. Until, as dusk fell, the shop signs in front of her lit up.

Mann & Dorio's Love Gun Shop

gun?

gun!

If you have a gun, you can rob others!

If I had a gun, I could make money!

Nakamura Kayo staggered into the gun shop, claiming she wanted the most powerful gun, unaware that she simply couldn't afford such a weapon.

The shop manager was a burly man. He glanced at his equally burly lover, who immediately understood.

The burly man said to Nakamura Kayo, "I don't have the gun you want in my shop, but don't worry, I've already had someone urgently order some. You should rest for a bit; everything will be alright."

Kayo Nakamura nodded numbly. She didn't think she could "get better" at all. All she could think about was which data bank to rob first after she got the gun.

A moment later, the shop door opened again. Nakamura Kayo thought it was a delivery worker, but when she turned around, she saw an unexpected face.

That face should have been on the tower; that face had always been the role model she admired.

“V…V Vice…” Nakamura Kayo was so surprised that she couldn’t even speak.

"Graduated from a prestigious university with excellent grades? It's a waste for someone like that to rob a bank. Take him away!"

Kayo Nakamura was hooded and shoved into a car by fully armed guards. She didn't know what awaited her. She only heard the big shot say to the burly gun shop manager, "Mann, the money has been transferred. Please give my regards to Dorio."

"Okay, I'll definitely bring it."

So, have I been sold? Am I going to be dismantled into parts?

Kayo Nakamura was a little scared, but also a little expectant. If she died, she wouldn't have to live in pain anymore, but what would happen to Katsuo?

Amidst this internal struggle, Nakamura Kayo was led into a secret room. Inside, the powerful figure, with a cold expression, uttered a sentence that she remains incredibly grateful for to this day.

"I'm giving you a choice..."

This is the story of Nakamura Kayo and V. She knows she is just one of countless similar stories, but she is still grateful.

Upon seeing V again, she was so excited that her heart felt like it was about to explode. She had a thousand words she wanted to say to V, but when the words reached her lips, they turned into the simplest and most unadorned blessing: "Welcome, Vice Minister V. It's so good to see you safe and sound."

V nodded: "Let me introduce the situation regarding isomers."

Slightly disappointed by the lack of response, Nakamura Kayo didn't mind. A big shot like Vice-President V had so many important things to do; why would he remember someone like her, a nobody? She was content just to have spoken to Vice-President V; all that remained was to work hard to repay his kindness.

Nakamura Kayo took a deep breath and began to give a very professional explanation.

A metal construct, unlike common exoskeletons or individual mechs, resembling ancient armor, was displayed through holographic projection.

"This is the experimental version of the isomer. Its skeleton layer adopts the latest military exoskeleton technology, which is a titanium-tantalum alloy honeycomb structure mixed with graphene. Its density is only 1/5 of that of steel, and its tensile strength reaches 63GPa. Non-Newtonian fluid dampers are embedded at the joints. When it is impacted, the micro-particles can instantly crystallize and convert kinetic energy into heat energy for diffusion."

"The armor shell is mainly inspired by Arasaka's individual mech. It is 3D printed from self-healing liquid metal with a melting point of 3620℃. Damaged areas can be reorganized by inducing a metal-glass phase transition through built-in nanorobots, with a healing speed of 1.2cm3/second. The surface is covered with a plasma stealth coating, which is an upgraded version of the commonly known optical camouflage. By adjusting the electron density, visible light and radar spectrum distortion can be achieved."

"The energy system is the main challenge for heterogeneous batteries, which has been holding us back for a long time, but recently we acquired Comtau's portable battery technology, which has freed us from our predicament."

"The current heterogeneous reactor is equipped with Compo's Aurogon deuterium-tritium fusion battery. Through magnetic confinement inertial compression technology, the reaction chamber volume is compressed to the size of a ping-pong ball. A single charge can provide a peak output power of 3.2 terawatts and a continuous combat time of 72 hours. Energy distribution adopts a quantum topology split algorithm, which prioritizes the supply to the ion pulse thruster, electromagnetic muscle bundle, and shield generator."

"Previous energy designs are also compatible with existing energy systems. For example, the four silicon carbide thermoelectric recovery modules integrated on the back can generate electricity again by utilizing the surface temperature difference and kinetic energy of the heterogeneous body. In an emergency, the spinal fluid bio-battery can be activated to provide emergency power for 30 minutes by synthesizing enzymes to catalyze blood glucose. However, these modules are somewhat bulky, which reduces the heterogeneous body's speed and flexibility. Whether or not to install them will depend on further analysis based on actual combat performance."

"Furthermore, with the help of Comtão's energy technology, the originally envisioned shield system has also been realized. This system generates hexagonal electromagnetic deflection field units covering the entire body, and generates a ring magnetic field with an intensity of 5 Tesla through superconducting coils, which can deflect 90% of kinetic energy weapons and charged particle beams. In response to laser attacks, the outer armor will vaporize within 10 nanoseconds to form an anti-ablation plasma cloud with a scattering rate of 87.3%, which can be said to be all-round and impenetrable."

V nodded: "What about the handling?"

"It uses the most popular neural interface direct connection currently available, employing a 2048-channel flexible electrode array based on biotechnology, with a latency of less than 0.1 milliseconds. However, the problem is that it places a heavy burden on the human brain. According to calculations, it takes about 200-300P of computing power to normally control the heterogeneous entity, and 500P or even more to unleash its full combat power. The former might be achievable through accumulated professional training, but the latter... frankly speaking, that exceeds the limits of the brain. I suggest reducing the frequency of the 2048 channels to 1024 channels. This will certainly increase the latency to 0.3 milliseconds, but it will reduce the computing power requirement by half."

"No need. I'll figure out how to solve the computing power issue. You just need to complete the manufacturing of the heterogeneous components as soon as possible."

“Yes.” Nakamura Kayo did not hesitate; V’s command was like a divine decree to her.

She thought the conversation was over, but V suddenly smiled at her: "You're the employee who planned to buy a gun and rob the data bank, right? If I remember correctly, your name is Nakamura Kayo. I knew you were talented, but I never expected you to become the chief designer. That's truly remarkable. I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on the isomers for me in the future. By the way, your son is still in school, right? How are his studies? Does he need my help?"

Kayo Nakamura was stunned. She never expected that V would not only remember her, but also remember her in such detail.

Her assistant tugged at her sleeve, and she snapped out of her daze and quickly replied, "Yes, my name is Nakamura Kayo. My son has already graduated; he got into Arasaka Academy."

"Ha, that's great. I'll ask David to take good care of his junior. Once your son graduates, as long as his grades are good, I guarantee he'll get into Arasaka."

For the first time, Nakamura Kayo had the idea of ​​defying V.

"Vice-Commander, can my son not go to Arasaka?"

"Where do you want him to go?"

"I want him to come here and work for you."

"Are you sure? This place isn't glamorous enough; would young people be willing to go there?"

“If he doesn’t want to, I’ll break his legs and then chain him up here!”

Kayo Nakamura's eyes were resolute, even more so than when she wanted to rob the digital bank.

V was both amused and exasperated, convinced that this must be her biological mother.