2077: V really knows how awesome he is

Meredith Stock ultimately did not return to Night City because V sent her a congratulatory telegram announcing her inauguration as president.

The blonde, slicked-back-hair woman finally understood what had happened and complained, half-laughing and half-crying, "You really got me into big trouble!"

Returning to Night City, V hung up the phone.

Song Zhaomei was somewhat incredulous: "You actually used this opportunity to send a president up there? Is the president's decision so easy to make?"

"Otherwise what? In the eyes of ordinary people, the president is unapproachable, but in the eyes of companies and capital, the president is nothing more than a plaything that can be manipulated at will."

Song Zhaomei was about to complain, but then she suddenly slapped her forehead: "Oh no, Miles is still down there!"

She wanted to chase after him, but V stopped her.

"Don't worry, someone has already gone."

"who is it?"

"Your old colleague."

Rosalind Miles ran desperately, even though she had been shot three times and was in pain all over her body, she kept running.

Because if you don't run, you can't survive.

V did it on purpose!

Although he didn't know V's specific purpose, Miles had already figured it out: V had been prepared all along!

Never fight on enemy-constructed positions—a lesson Miles learned long ago in the military. So, as soon as she woke up, she took advantage of V and Song Zhaomei's efforts to quell the ground rebellion and escaped through the emergency exit of the Beidou facility.

Due to geological changes and pipeline leaks, the emergency passage was flooded, forcing Miles to risk his life to dive deep into the water. He eventually found the exit just before he suffocated.

The president struggled to climb up, swallowing hard, and nearly vomited on the spot from the stench.

The exit was a sewage pipe, with a thick layer of garbage and sludge piled up on the ground, having fermented for who knows how many years. Miles had to crawl through the excrement for more than two thousand meters. When she finally managed to crawl out of the pipe, her white presidential uniform had turned black, and strands of her hair were stuck to her forehead, with disgusting sticky substances hanging from the ends.

The sewage pipe's outlet was in bad soil. Miles jumped from the pipe into a large pit filled with silt, and then struggled to climb out of the pit to the shore. It was now late at night when a flash of lightning illuminated the night, and then a torrential downpour began.

The rain washed away the grime from Miles's clothes. She ripped off her presidential coat, spread her arms, and roared, "Freedom!!!"

Then a pistol was pressed against the back of her head—a pistol called "Scrap."

“Miles, it’s been a long time.” Solomon Reed’s deep voice sounded from behind.

In that life-or-death moment, Miles' memory was remarkably sharp. She immediately recalled the name of the employee she had almost forgotten and exclaimed with delight, "Li De, did you come to save me?"

"No, I'm here to kill you, on the orders of the new president."

"A new president?" Miles was stunned. "What new president? Where did this new president come from? I am the only president!"

Solomon Reed hesitated slightly, about to ask further questions, when another pistol was pressed against Miles's forehead, a pistol called "Her Majesty the Queen".

“She’s gone mad, she thinks she’s the president.” Alex said coldly, “Reed, an agent’s only mission is to complete the mission, that’s what you taught me. Or have you abandoned your mission and stopped serving the new America?”

Solomon Reed's breathing quickened.

Miles hurriedly shouted, "Wait a minute, there must be some misunderstanding! I'm perfectly clear-headed, I'm not crazy! I've always been the president of the new America, there's no new president! Reed, you can find out the truth just by looking it up online!"

"My prosthetic body is locked, and I can't access the internet."

"Then use mine, I'll show you the truth!"

Miles looked at Reed, Reed looked at Alex, and Alex looked at Miles, watching her last performance.

Finally, Solomon Reed spoke.

"I'm sorry, Miles, you've lied to me too many times. I don't believe you."

Miles' eyes quickly turned bloodshot, and she frantically reached for her waist, but two outstanding agents were faster than her.

The abandoned pawn and Her Majesty the Empress simultaneously unleashed their fire, and the incessant bangs of gunfire marked the end of their past grievances.

Rosalind Miles was shot thirty-seven times and died in a cesspool.

She lied her whole life, and in the end, she was consumed by those lies and died from an even bigger lie.

V didn't kill her in the movie to leave a loose end so that a sequel could be made.

But in reality, all that's needed is to nip the problem in the bud; there's no need for a sequel.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you back to prison. But don’t worry, you’ll probably be free soon.” Alex hoisted Miles’s body onto his shoulder.

“Freedom, it’s wonderful,” Solomon Reed said, taking a deep breath. “Do you know what I want to do most after I get out of prison?”

"What?"

"I want to go eat cornbread from my hometown; I dream about that taste."

Chapter 70 Shadow of the Past

V was questioned by internet surveillance authorities.

Strictly speaking, Internet Surveillance is also a company, but their main business is cybersecurity. Regardless of the methods they use, Internet Surveillance has always been working to protect the Great Firewall and humanity, which is why V was willing to accept their questioning.

The internet police arrived, a man and a woman.

The man is more easygoing, while the woman is like a powder keg.

"The lark has crossed the black wall multiple times, we have to take her away! Oh, and Lucy too!" the female internet monitor said imperiously.

“No, they’re my people.” V picked up his glass and calmly took a sip of the tequila.

"This is not a request, it's an order. Don't think that just because you cooperated with the internet censors to make a crappy movie, you can be on equal footing with us. You'd better behave!"

V couldn't help but laugh, because it had been a long time since anyone had dared to talk to her like that.

"Then let me tell you, this isn't a request, it's a notification. I'm responsible for my people, and nobody can interfere."

The female internet monitor slammed her hand on the table: "V, don't think you're invincible just because you've taken down Arasaka. It'll only take a minute for the internet monitor to kill you!"

"A declaration of war? Fine, I'll take it." V's eyes turned cold: "Network surveillance is using network security as a pretext to prevent the existence of 'independent networks,' and major companies have long been strongly dissatisfied with this. I can unite these companies with just one word. I don't know if I'll live or die, but I know that your network surveillance is absolutely doomed. How about it, want to try?"

The female internet monitor's face flushed with a mixture of emotions, and she was speechless.

V's power is no longer limited to herself; it also includes her vast network of relationships and connections, as well as the resources and personnel she can mobilize.

If she stands up and leads the fight against internet censorship, then major companies could truly unite for the first time in history, forming a united front against a common enemy.

Cyber ​​surveillance is an outsider; while they are indeed guardians of cybersecurity and the Great Firewall, they have also frequently used their positions to steal and sell intelligence. Eliminating cyber surveillance is in the interest of all companies, and V excels at using shared interests to bind various factions together, turning the impossible into possible.

The male internet monitor spoke up: "J, apologize."

The female internet monitor, referred to as J, turned pale and finally lowered her head, saying softly, "I'm sorry, my tone was harsh. I apologize very much."

V smiled and said, "I still prefer your unruly self from earlier, but never mind, I'm magnanimous and I'll forgive you."

The female internet monitor's face went from white to red, and she sat back down awkwardly, not daring to say another word.

The male internet monitor spoke up again: "President V, we at the internet monitoring department have high hopes for Arasaka2077 and hope to develop a closer cooperation with you."

V nodded in agreement: "Of course, network surveillance carries an important mission, and Arasaka2077 is willing to maintain a good relationship with you."

"Song Zhaomei and Lucy are excellent hacker talents. It's a real pity that they can't join the Internet Supervision Bureau. However, I believe that they can also make a name for themselves in Arasaka 2077."

"Thank you for your kind words. Please rest assured, I will definitely urge them on."

"Regarding the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System..."

"Professional matters should be left to professionals. I have officially hired network monitoring to disinfect and eliminate the network of the Xiaobeidou facility to ensure that there is no residual data of any roving AI."

“It’s so rare to see someone as concerned about cybersecurity as you. Nowadays, people don’t even want to turn on their firewalls, claiming it affects internet speed.” The male internet monitor sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation. “Don’t worry, since you’re so supportive of our work, I’ll definitely give you a discount.”

"No, please!" V quickly waved his hand.

Both the male and female internet monitors were puzzled. They knew that the internet monitoring company was the only one that could access part of the Great Firewall's resources. Because of its technological monopoly, it charged extremely high fees. The so-called discounted price could save at least tens of millions. Even if V was a large and powerful company, would it really choose the more expensive option over the cheaper one?

But V really is.

"Roaming AI is the enemy of all humanity, and all of humanity should be involved. Therefore, I plan to hold a meeting with major companies to request funding." V looked at the male internet monitor: "What are your normal prices?"

The male internet inspector seemed to understand, sweat beading on his forehead as he said, "About 5 million, based on the scale of the Xiaobeidou facility."

“I will pay the full 5 million, and I will give you another 5 million. You just need to give me an invoice for 200 billion.”

The male internet monitor sweated even more: "This doesn't seem to comply with the regulations."

V glanced at him and said, "Listen carefully, I'm giving you 5 million, not to internet censors."

The male internet monitor immediately stopped sweating: "Actually, the rules aren't set in stone."

In this way, V successfully obtained a network service contract worth 200 billion, stamped with the electronic seal of network monitoring.

She knew the price was outrageous, but it was the price given by the internet censors. If anyone was going to criticize someone, it should be the internet censors, not her famous V account. She was a victim too!

After the internet monitors left, the female monitor in the car complained, "K, you've accepted a bribe! I'll report you to my superiors!"

The male internet monitor didn't even blink: "I'll give you 1 million."

"We should have put a 2000 billion vote on V just now, she would definitely have given us even more!"

When V walked out of the conference room, several people were waiting outside.

The main attendees were Solomon Reed, Nightingale Song Zhaomei, Alex, Miner Lucy and their families, River Ward and David Martinez were also present.

Seeing the expectant looks on everyone's faces, V smiled and nodded: "It's done. Zhao Mei and Lucy have cleared their names with the internet monitoring department. They are innocent now. As long as they don't hack ATMs in the future, the internet monitoring department won't send anyone to arrest them."

"Yay!" Lucy couldn't help but cheer. David felt the same way and started spinning her around in circles.

The men's competitive spirit was stirred, and River Ward, not to be outdone, also picked up Alex and started spinning him around.

Solomon Reed wasn't that naive. He looked at Song Zhaomei and said sincerely, "Congratulations, Xiao Song, you are finally free."

"Thank you, Li De," Song Zhaomei said after a moment's hesitation. "Also, I'm sorry."

"Why apologize?"

"I betrayed you eight years ago."

“I see.” Solomon Reed shrugged. “Alright, I accept your apology.”

The lark couldn't help but tear up.

Solomon Reed was stubborn, blindly loyal, and willing to sacrifice his life for the national interest, even to the point of being inhuman. But undeniably, he was a good man, and it was precisely because he was too good that he was out of step with this corrupt world.

V walked over.

"I heard from Stock that you resigned from the FIA?"

“Yes, thanks to the new president’s generosity, she was willing to let me leave.” Solomon Reed looked at V with mixed feelings: “V, you’ve really fooled me.”

“But it has a good ending,” V laughed. “The National Security Medal, you got what you wanted most, didn’t you?”

In order to film the movie, V naturally installed the full suite of Mewtwo recording software. Miles's words and actions in the Little Big Dipper facility were put on the desks of major companies and countries.

Ordinary people thought it was a movie line, but the bigwigs knew it wasn't. Enjoying their wealth and luxury, they were the ones most afraid of the roving AI breaching the Great Firewall. Miles's actions were undoubtedly like stepping on their manhood and grinding it down hard, all while wearing damn high heels.

So the new United States publicly claimed that President Miles had been killed in a terrorist attack, but in reality, it had secretly sealed a charge of crimes against humanity, with the files scheduled to be released 50 years later.

Solomon Reed, who actually killed Miles, was awarded the National Security Medal, ostensibly for his many years of hard work and merits. But he knew that nobody cared about what he had done. The reason he received the medal was simply because he had eliminated a threat to the high-ranking officials and vented his anger.

He risked his life for the country but no one cared; he solved problems for the bigwigs but was showered with honors.

Solomon Reed began to think.

Is the national interest he's protecting truly a national interest? Is what he believes to be right actually right?

The answer was actually always on the last page of the workbook; he was just too arrogant to look at it.

But now, he's at peace, he's made peace with himself. He was manipulated by V, and he's realized that he's not an omnipotent saint at all; he's just an ordinary idiot.

I can't save the new America, I can't save the world.

I'm not a superhero. I get hurt and tired too, and I'll even quit if I'm unhappy!

Solomon Reed submitted his resignation.

The new president, Meredith Stock, called specifically to persuade him to stay, and Li De could tell that the other party was very sincere, but he still refused.

"I'm tired, Your Excellency."

"Really? That's a shame."

Solomon Reed thought the other party would hang up.

But Meredith Stock stood at attention and saluted, saying earnestly, "New America thanks you for everything you've done. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Solomon Reed."