2077: V really knows how awesome he is

That expression didn't seem fake; that respect came from the heart.

Only those who have worked on the front lines can truly understand the hardships Solomon Reed endured; only working people can comprehend the struggles of working people.

Meredith Stockp’s simple words carried more weight than a medal of pure gold.

Solomon Reed's eyes reddened; he was suddenly filled with renewed ambition to serve his country. But before he could even finish saying "I," the new president laughed and hung up the phone.

Meredith Stock knew what Solomon Reed wanted to say, and she knew that if she nodded, the top agent would come running back like a dog wagging its tail.

But a man is a man, not a dog, and Solomon Reed deserves a good ending.

Most importantly... Meredith Stock has many agents under his command, so there's no need to fleece one of them.

Back in the present, V asked Solomon Reed, "What are your plans for the future?"

"To be honest, I haven't decided yet." The top agent scratched his head: "I'll go back to my hometown and eat cornbread first, or maybe I'll stay there and open a cornbread shop."

“It’s a bit of a waste for a top FIA agent to be selling tortillas.” V looked Solomon Reed up and down. “I happen to have a job for me. Want to come work for me?”

“Thank you for your invitation,” Solomon Reed declined, “but I’m really tired of fighting and killing.”

"Don't worry, it has nothing to do with fighting or killing. It's just ordinary management work, and the work location is in Night City." V ​​said sincerely, "Of course, it's fine to go back and see your hometown, but you've been in Night City for eight years, and Night City is also your hometown."

Solomon Reed was intrigued: "May I ask what kind of job it is?"

V smiled, knowing the fish had taken the bait: "I'm planning to start a film company and would like you to manage it for me."

Solomon Reed considered many possibilities, but he never expected V to ask him to be the boss of a film company.

"Well... I don't have any experience with this either."

"How can you say we have no experience? I heard from Alex that the FIA ​​used movie studios as a front back then, fake experience—but that's still experience!"

"That being said, what if I mess it up..."

"Don't worry, it's impossible to mess it up. With the packaging of capital, even a pile of dog shit can be blown out of proportion into an epic blockbuster. It's absurd, but that's the messed-up era we live in, isn't it?"

Solomon Reed agreed wholeheartedly, but he always felt that under his management, things shouldn't turn out to be a complete mess.

A man's competitive spirit awakens unexpectedly, and the top agent decides to accept the challenge.

"Alright, since you trust me, I'll accept this task."

And so, the former top agent became the general manager of a film company.

Alex is getting married, and after the wedding she will be a full-time housewife, living a blissful life of waiting to be fed during the day and having sex at night.

Song Zhaomei is going to the moon for medical treatment, and V has already made arrangements for her.

Although there might be opportunities to meet again in the future, the three of them had a thousand words to say as they parted, but when the words reached their lips, they didn't know what to say.

Just then, Kurt Hansen, the dog town boss, appeared "ordinarily" wearing a large, shiny national medal.

"Hey, everyone's here. The sun is really strong today. It's only June and it's already so hot. My National Hero Medal is burning hot."

Solomon Reed and his two companions felt a mixture of contempt and...envy at this ruthless display of wealth.

Seeing that everyone was there—at least not counting Miles—V had a sudden inspiration and said, "How about we take a picture as a souvenir? To enrich the travel experience, Arasaka 2077 has funded and partnered with Kijiro Tsukasa Optical to launch the 'Kijiro Tsukasa Smart Photo Frame.' Residents and tourists who purchase this service can take photos anytime, anywhere, and customize and upload them to their home photo frames to create their own personalized decorations. It's amazing!"

Since the renowned V had spoken, the four of them naturally couldn't refuse.

So the four of them posed, with Solomon Reed standing in the middle with his arms crossed, Alex standing on the left with his sleeves rolled up and hands on his hips, Song Zhaomei standing on the right with a can of beer in her mouth, and Kurt Hansen picking his nails with a tactical knife while smoking a cigar.

With a thought from V, he pressed the electronic shutter, and a perfect photo was born.

Her eyes lit up with blue light as she sent the photo out. The other four people saw the photo and had strange expressions.

Kurt Hansen hesitated before speaking, then said, "It just feels a little awkward."

Alex said with a complicated expression, "I never expected that we would stand together so harmoniously."

Song Zhaomei nodded: "Indeed, it's as jarring as if the dead characters in a film crew have come back to life after filming wraps up."

Solomon Reed was both amused and exasperated: "Don't make it sound so terrible, girls, this is clearly the best ending!"

Alex and Song Zhaomei strongly agreed with this point, and at the same time, the smart photo frame program popped up a prompt box.

"Please enter a photo name."

“Naming them? That’s my specialty,” Alex said immediately. “Let’s call them Alex and Her Three Followers!”

"I'm not your follower!" Song Zhaomei immediately objected. "The lark should save the world!"

Kurt Hansen also objected: "What?! We should be calling it Long Live the Ghost Hound!"

“Too small, too narrow-minded.” Solomon Reed shook his head repeatedly. “If you ask me, this photo should be called ‘Glory,’ representing our glory and the glory of the nation. Although we have stepped down, a new generation will take our place and make a new America…”

This rambling nonsense was so characteristic of Li De that Kurt Hansen rolled his eyes, while Alex and Song Zhaomei didn't even want to listen.

The two women exchanged a glance, and Song Zhaomei said to V, who had been watching the show, "V, why don't you come up with a name?"

"Okay!" V readily agreed, and after thinking for a moment, typed four large characters into the input box.

Shadows of the Past!

Chapter 71 Novel Nanorobots

"Hello everyone, this is News 54, I'm Julian Jordan."

"We haven't forgotten the terrorist attacks from not long ago, have we? President Miles tragically perished. But the new America didn't mourn the old president for a second, because a new president immediately took office! Miles died in early June 2077, and by the end of June 2077, Meredith Stock was officially sworn in as the new President of the United States in Washington. Such efficiency should be a model for governments around the world—although it makes presidents as common as cabbages, everyone knows how precious fresh cabbages are these days, and I have absolutely no intention of disrespecting the new president."

"So what measures has the new president taken since taking office? First, she held a two-hour closed-door meeting with our President V, and afterwards issued a joint statement. The statement said that the new United States and Night City share the same historical origins and cultural roots, and should be the closest partners, not enemies. The two sides will carry out comprehensive and close cooperation in the future, first planning to sign a formal agreement in July to mutually exempt tariffs and achieve trade connectivity, and then gradually implementing multi-directional reciprocal policies such as policy connectivity, document connectivity, employment and education qualification connectivity, and rights and obligations connectivity."

"To put it simply, Night City has fully integrated with the New United States, except for not relinquishing its administrative autonomy and military defense rights. The New United States is already celebrating Night City's 'return' with singing and dancing, and President Stock's approval rating is soaring. But has Night City truly returned? Will we go from a free city-state back to a state of the New United States? Let's hear the comments and interpretations from Mr. Kurt Hansen, the New United States Ambassador to Night City."

The Dogtown boss appears in the shot.

"Hello everyone, I'm Kurt Hansen. You viewers should all know me, or at least have heard my name. That's right, I'm the Dogtown boss who ruled as the local tyrant in Pacific State for seven years. I'm a soldier, so I won't beat around the bush. There's absolutely no need to worry about this policy change. Night City hasn't returned; it remains a free city-state. Its alignment with the new United States is purely based on emotional and economic considerations, and has absolutely nothing to do with politics."

"The new president's move is to ease previous tensions and minimize the possibility of future armed conflict. People will no longer have to worry about a 'second war of unification' and will be able to enjoy the abundant resources, employment, and education of the new United States. In turn, the new United States can change its militaristic ways and rebuild the 'federation' in a peaceful manner. It's a win-win situation."

"Upon hearing this, some people will surely jump up at the mention of 'Federation,' saying, 'See, the new America still wants to annex Night City!' To those people, I just want to say—'What business is it of yours, an ordinary citizen, that the new America annexes Night City? V didn't object, so why the hell are you objecting? What, are you smarter and more farsighted than V? Don't be so self-righteous. You're a nobody, and so am I. We nobody only need to care about one thing: whether our leader can let us live a good life. If he can, then we'll wholeheartedly support him; if he can't, then we'll pick up guns and overthrow him! Only the big shots have the right to use legal weapons like treaties and declarations, but we ordinary citizens don't have the right to use the law, so all we need to do is pick up weapons! If you're not satisfied, then fight! A good life isn't given to us by others; we have to fight for it…'"

Before he could finish speaking, the production team was so startled that they had to interrupt the program with an advertisement.

"Blue Moon! Red Calamity! Purple Power! This is the Fierce Band! The wave that swept through Tokyo, Sydney, and Paris has arrived at your doorstep. Night City, always keeping you on the edge of your seat!"

"Trendy! Trendy! Trendy! Trendy! All the pleasure comes from whole foods!"

"Big Steel Cannon, all night long, every single night!"

After three full commercial breaks, the screen finally switched back to the news broadcast.

With beads of sweat on his forehead, the renowned host Julian Jordan chuckled dryly, "Mr. Kurt Hansen has been taken to the emergency room due to illness. Now, let's talk about some public welfare. Pure water has seen its first price reduction in nearly 50 years, from €99 per gallon to €98.8 per gallon, a decrease of 2.020‰. Perhaps in the near future, everyone will be able to afford pure water. Oh, sorry, I forgot this is the news studio, not the wishing well behind my house."

"The Ganglie Band's concerts are always sold out, and tickets are extremely hard to come by."

"Saburo Arasaka, who has officially retired and handed over all his property to his granddaughter, recently formed a band called 'Washi,' which includes rock star Kerry Orodien. However, they have had a bad start because the name 'Washi' has already been registered as copyright. The record company has sued Saburo Arasaka, demanding that they immediately cease the infringement and pay up to 2 million yen in damages for defamation."

The news on the holographic TV continued, but Johnny was so angry he was jumping up and down: "I came up with the name 'Wu Shi,' but I'm accused of copyright infringement and I can't use it! Screw it! I don't have 2 million euros, but I have plenty of 2 million sperm! Let that bitch from the record company come here, and I'll smear 2 million in her face!"

V couldn't help but laugh out loud. Seeing Johnny's unfriendly expression, she coughed twice and pretended to be serious, saying, "You came to see me just for this little thing?"

“This is no small matter! This is art, art that can’t be bigger!” Johnny said angrily. “I did all this for you. You said you wanted to build a tourist city, so I made a comeback. You have no idea how much foot traffic a good band can bring!”

"I can afford it, which is why I spent a lot of money to buy the band Ganglie. They are now the face of Night City." Of course, this is all thanks to Michiko Arasaka.

Before V could finish speaking, Johnny jumped up in anger again: "Those three girls don't know anything about rock and roll! I've heard their songs, they're complete rubbish! V, you should kick them out and give us all their venues, so the whole of Night City and even the whole world can cleanse their ears!"

"Okay, what do you want me to do?"

"You put on the Heteromorph and go take care of that bitch at the record company!"

“I refuse!” V crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I can only lend you Arasaka2077’s legal team.”

"Well...okay then." Johnny, though barely suppressing his smirk, tried to remain calm. As soon as he stepped outside, he yelled, "That's awesome!!!"

V couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile, and Sasha covered her mouth and chuckled: "Mr. Johnny is really something else."

"What do you mean by 'full of personality'? He's just a jerk! Oh well, having an elder in the family is a treasure; let him do whatever he wants, consider it end-of-life care. As for the Ganglie Band..."

Sasha asked, "Should we reduce the number of shows as Mr. Johnny suggested?"

"On the contrary, increase the frequency of their ostentatious displays."

"what?"

V laughed and said, "Sasha, let me teach you a lesson. Johnny is good at judging people; if he says someone is wrong, then they are definitely wrong. But when it comes to things, if he says east, you just have to go west."

The pink cat was both amused and exasperated.

She always felt that V and Johnny had known each other for a long time and had been through a lot together, but they had only known each other for less than half a year.

While he was still in a daze, V asked, "Who's next?"

Sasha snapped out of her reverie, glanced at the schedule, and replied, "It's the Zhenshui Group."

V's eyes turned cold: "Fine, let him in. Hopefully, he can seize this last chance."

True water is natural, pure water that has not been polluted.

In 2077, the world's environment has deteriorated. While localized thermonuclear wars played a role, the primary cause was the disastrous consequences of over-industrialization. Driven by profit, corporations not only exploited their employees but also ravaged the planet, resulting in acid rain obscuring the sky, dust storms sweeping through cities, and 92.7% of the world's freshwater resources becoming polluted. The remaining 7.3% became the source of "real water."

These water sources are mostly located in remote mountains, wilderness, and polar regions, making wanderers the main force in finding and selling genuine water. A large tribe would definitely control one or two water sources, and they would make a living by smuggling genuine water, even using it as currency to exchange for goods and prosthetics from the company.

This company is mainly Zhenshui Group.

The True Water Group buys True Water from homeless people for 5 to 10 euros a gallon or even less, and then sells it to consumers for 99 euros a gallon, making a fortune.

Of course, these consumers are already wealthy, so nobody cares whether it's 99 euros or 199 euros.

As for those poor people who insist on spending half a month's salary to buy a cup of real water, that's just normal, stupid consumer behavior. It's a matter of mutual consent, and there's no need to make a big deal out of it.

Scientific research has long pointed out that there is no difference in nutritional value between real water and filtered water. In fact, some bacteria and minerals in real water are seriously excessive, making it far less safe and hygienic than filtered water. However, the idea that drinking real water makes one superior has long been deeply ingrained. It is precisely because of this added value that real water companies have been able to rise rapidly and become one of the giants in the beverage industry.

V had previously met with the president of the Zhenshui Group, expressing Arasaka 2077's willingness to further cooperate with the group. However, the Zhenshui Group felt that they were perfectly content with keeping the profits to themselves, and that only a madman would seek a partner to share their money, so they politely declined. Afterwards, fearing they might anger V, they even took the initiative to appease him, which led to Zhenshui's first price reduction in nearly fifty years.

Although the price only dropped from 99 yuan to 98.8 yuan, two cents is still money. At least the public is full of praise for V, saying that she has not forgotten her original intention and always thinks about people's well-being.

Actually, V wasn't really interested in the profits of the Zhenshui Group and didn't want to interfere. What she really valued was the vast water pipeline network that the Zhenshui Group had built over the years, especially the Night City section.

At their second meeting, V got straight to the point, offering to pay a hefty sum to buy or lease the water pipeline network, specifically the section in Night City. However, after some hesitation, the president of the True Water Group politely declined.

"President V, it's not that I'm disrespecting you, but your request is simply unacceptable to us. Asking for Zhenshui Group's water supply network is like me asking a mercenary for his gun. Who would willingly hand over their livelihood? To be honest, I really don't understand what you need the water supply network for. As far as I know, your company doesn't have any related projects."

"Well, I recently acquired a batch of water resources, and I need your water supply network to better supply Night City."

"Hey, you should have said something about this sooner! And don't even talk about renting or not, I'll make the decision: you can use Night City's water supply network for free!"

"I'm so sorry, and besides, I have a lot of water, so it might take a long time to use."

The president of the True Water Group laughed, a confident laugh. V, with his extraordinary resources, must have somehow managed to obtain a batch of True Water; that's not surprising at all. But the main wandering tribes have all signed trade agreements with the True Water Group. Even if V managed to get water from some smaller tribes, how much could that be?

The president of Zhenshui Group then asked with a hint of disdain, "How long do you want to use it?"

V considered for a moment and replied, "Permanently."

Bang!

The president of Zhenshui Group fell over under the table.

Before V could help him up, he got up on his own again.

"Permanent? Could it be that Arasaka 2077 has discovered a new, undiscovered water source?"

"No."

"How much do you need? You'll need it for a lifetime."

"Well, Night City has been conducting environmental research, you know? Just recently, we've made some small progress in effectively purifying water sources, so I wanted to improve the water quality in Night City. After all, we're a tourist city, and better water quality will not only provide a better experience for tourists, but also boost many other sectors such as catering and bathing."

The president of Zhenshui Group's expression tightened: "We've had water purifiers for a while now. What's your water purification efficiency?"

V replied, "100%."

The president of Zhenshui Group widened his eyes: "What about the cost?"

"It costs one percent of a regular water purifier, and the longer it runs, the lower the cost becomes."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" The president of Zhenshui Group jumped up in fright: "Where in the world is there a water purifier with 100% water purification efficiency? If such technology really existed, wouldn't you be able to completely reverse the water pollution on Earth!"

V smiled and waved his hand: "Of course not."

The president of Zhenshui Group breathed a sigh of relief and said that V was just trying to scare him.