2077: V really knows how awesome he is

"Damn it." V cursed, rubbing her temples. She glanced at Sasha, who was sitting rather slouching, and said irritably, "I gave you access to the Arasaka Tower, not so you could flirt with my men!"

“I didn’t flirt with him. You asked me to cover my tracks, and the sex doll is the most suitable identity. I’m just maintaining my persona.” Sasha said with a smile, “We street people are different from you corporate dogs. We will do what we promise, no matter how difficult it is. Look, to make it more convincing, I even ordered this little guy from Mox.”

Sasha took out a pink handgun with fluorescent paint from her bag. V glanced at it and couldn't help but blurt out, "Liz, a technical handgun with a 20-round magazine. It has an extremely high rate of fire, firing in two-round bursts under normal conditions and five-round bursts when fully charged. It can also penetrate thin cover. Its bullets are special white phosphorus rounds, so they have a certain burning effect, which makes up for the lack of damage of small-caliber firearms."

"I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable. Impressive." Sasha winked and gave a thumbs up.

Nonsense, I used Liz so much back then I was sick of her.

V thought to himself, but continued aloud, "The Liz has a high rate of fire and high burst damage, making it a good gun. However, unfortunately, its power drops significantly at medium to long ranges, and the small-caliber bullets from the pistol are also difficult to deal with enemies wearing heavy subcutaneous armor. Simply put, close-range headshots are the correct way to use the Liz. It's more suitable for close-combat brutes than for a hacker."

"Huh?" Sasha was dumbfounded: "That's not what Miss Mox, who sold me the gun, said."

V chuckled: "You've been treated like a pig and slaughtered, little girl."

Sasha froze for a few seconds, then leaped onto V's large desk, pleading with teary eyes, "Boss, you have to reimburse me for the cost of this gun! I only made up this fake identity and props to meet your requirements."

V has seen shameless people before, but this is the first time she has ever seen anyone this shameless.

"Smear this metal lump with black metal." V kicked the security robot: "If you can do it, I'll reimburse you."

"Are you testing me? Fine, I'm as good as gold, I'm not afraid of being tested by fire!"

Sasha became serious, her eyes flashing blue as she looked at the security robot. About 15 seconds later, a puff of black smoke came out of the security robot's square head, and it bent over and shriveled up.

"Hey, that's pretty good." V nodded.

“Then what do you think…” Sasha said with a fawning expression, her lips pouting like a cat’s.

V couldn't help but laugh and happily transferred the money.

"Wow, 2000 euros, what a steal!" Sasha's eyes lit up, like a kitten that had just received a dried fish.

"Has anyone ever said you're like a cat?" V asked.

Sasha paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, my mother."

"she……"

He passed away many years ago.

"Feel sorry."

"It's alright." Sasha smiled. "I've already moved on. Boss, shall we start learning?"

V realized that Sasha was deliberately changing the subject; perhaps she hadn't truly moved on as she claimed.

But regardless, none of this has anything to do with V. Everyone in Night City has a story, everyone is a protagonist, just like in a movie. The only difference is that the protagonists in Night City don't have the protagonist's halo.

So, is a protagonist without the protagonist's halo still a protagonist?

"Let's start learning."

V gave up thinking.

"Hacking skills are essentially a contest of computing power; it's the simplest and most direct form of attack and defense. The attacker compromises the target by cracking the data matrix, while the defender activates corresponding anti-cracking programs, commonly known as ICE, to defend against it. Ordinary ICE is only a passive defense, but advanced ICE has counter-attack programs. If a hacker isn't careful, ICE can burn their head out. What I'm going to teach you is how to break through the ICE defense in the shortest amount of time and inject the puppet program into the target in the most efficient way."

Sasha was a good teacher. She didn't dwell too much on theories and details, but directly imparted experience, not only successful experiences but also failure experiences. This was undoubtedly a huge treasure for V. She absorbed new knowledge like a sponge and then transformed it into a brand new power that was different from baseball bats.

The two of them, one teaching and the other learning, didn't realize how quickly time flew by, and before they knew it, it was 9 p.m.

"Hmm~" Sasha stretched: "You can't get fat in one bite. Let's call it a day."

V then realized it was already evening and nodded in agreement.

"Will it be alright if you come at the same time as today tomorrow?"

Sasha's face fell, and she said listlessly, "Okay, let's continue tomorrow."

V chuckled and extended an arm: "Come on, I'll take you there."

Sasha didn't stand on ceremony, she put her arm around V's and pressed her weight down on him.

V felt a bit strained, after all, her prosthetic body was locked, but her pride wouldn't allow her to back down, so she could only grit her teeth and persevere.

Carter, who had been keeping an eye on the office, witnessed a heartbreaking scene: Vice Minister V and Sasha were pressed intimately together, Sasha looked like she could barely stand, and Vice Minister V's legs were trembling, with a layer of cold sweat on his forehead.

Carter glanced at the time, and cried out in his heart, filled with unbearable grief:

From 2 PM to 9 PM, a full seven hours, even a powerful machine would be overloaded!

My dear father, who has gone to heaven, I have failed, in every way.

V gave Carter a strange look, wondering what kind of trouble he had gotten into now that made him look so downcast, but still led Sasha into the elevator first.

As V pressed the elevator button, Sasha asked curiously, "Up? Shouldn't it be down?"

“It’s too late, it’s not safe for you to be alone.” V replied, “Take my hovercar.”

“A hovercar?!” Sasha’s eyes lit up again. “That’s amazing! I’ve never ridden in a hovercar before! You’re the most generous employer I’ve ever met.”

Generous?

V shrugged; she was just using it as an excuse to take a ride in Drumman's taxi.

Traveling in a hovercar may seem prestigious, but neither prestige nor practical benefits matter as much as your own life.

Until they have the ability to protect themselves, the sturdy and reliable Delaman taxi is always V's first choice!

On the tarmac, V watched the hovercraft depart.

"The destination is the Rebirth Bar. Is Sasha also a mercenary in the Rebirth Bar?" V was a little surprised. "That's strange. Why didn't I see her before?"

Oh well, I can't remember everyone anyway, I guess I just haven't been paying attention.

V returned to her office. The night was still long. She had a few good new ideas that she could try out on Kangtao's robot.

On the other side, V's hovercar slowly descended into the parking lot of the afterlife.

"Wow, you actually came here in a hovercar? I thought you were just bragging." A tall man came to greet Sasha.

Sasha got out of the car with a big smile: "When luck comes, you can't stop it. I recently got a job as a teacher. The employer is a corporate dog, stupid and rich. This hovercar is like an employee perk."

“It’s pretty good. But Sasha, you have to remember this,” the tall man said seriously, “the company is too dangerous; we’d better stay away from it.”

Sasha also became serious: "Of course, Mann. Born on the streets, die on the streets, that's our fate."

"Haha, it's not that exaggerated, but just remember it." The man named Mann laughed heartily, "Let's go, I've already ordered the drinks, tonight we're not leaving until we're drunk!"

Sasha asked, "Didn't you say there was a mission?"

“There is a mission, it’s about biotechnology, but like I said before, it’s best for us to stay away from the company, so I haven’t decided whether to accept it or not.” Mann said with a smile, “Anyway, let’s have a drink first, Dorio and Rebecca are waiting for you.”

Chapter 8 Only the company can stand against the company.

V's eyes glowed blue as it relentlessly launched its attack on the security robot.

Sasha watched quietly from the sidelines, witnessing V's repeated failures, yet she never noticed any sign that V would stop.

"Why are you working so hard?" Sasha asked, sitting on her desk and swinging her legs. "With your status and position, you could just have your subordinates do everything."

“Just as you said, there are some things that only someone of my status and position can do well. Sending my men to do them is tantamount to sending them to their deaths.” V, having failed to infiltrate again, wiped the sweat from his chin and replied, “My men’s lives matter too.”

Sasha laughed without hesitation: "Liar! You corporate dogs are all heartless and would never value other people's lives?"

V laughed too: "Okay, you saw right through me. I'm doing this to challenge myself and overcome myself."

"Hmm, that's a reasonable reason, the kind of thing a bored office worker would do." Sasha tapped her chin with her finger. "So, after you overcame yourself, did you succeed or fail?"

V's lips twitched, and he glared at Sasha with annoyance: "If you commit suicide, does Night City gain one more suicide or lose one?"

"Haha, you're so funny, I'm starting to like you!" Sasha laughed happily, shaking her little feet even more excitedly.

V sighed softly. She had hoped for a quieter teacher, but this one was too noisy.

Sasha pouted, her cat-like lips pouting in dissatisfaction: "What kind of look is that?"

"It's nothing." V didn't want to complicate things, so she shook her head and changed the subject: "You reek of alcohol. How much did you drink last night?"

Sasha answered with a proud look, "I drank all night long!"

V sighed helplessly: "Let's get down to business, Miss."

“What do you mean by ‘serious business’?” Sasha retorted. “Work hard, strive for success, and just let yourself be exploited? Don’t be naive, V. You’re not me, you don’t understand me. We lowly people have no future. We live one day at a time, and the only thing we can do is enjoy life to the fullest!”

Actually, V understands better than anyone else.

"If I were you, I would change this kind of life."

"Heh, you'll die if you fail."

"Before I die, I will let my body turn into flames to light the way for those who come after me."

V had done it before, so he said it out loud, which made Sasha laugh.

"Haha, typical idealism. You think you're Johnny Silverhand, able to awaken the masses to overthrow the system?" Sasha revealed a hint of sarcasm. "This isn't 2023 anymore. All the sane guys are long gone. The rest are all numb. For them, all they need is Naeko from Mewtwo and a good amount of Gilgamesh. Reality is just a garbage game with terrible balance, they don't care!"

V asked, "You too?"

Sasha shook her head: "I haven't reached that point yet, but I've never thought about changing anything. Ever since my mother died, I've decided to live each remaining day happily. I will try my best to live on, even if it means giving up my dignity and personality, because once a person dies, nothing is left. I've witnessed that firsthand. So you see, even though I hate those corporate dogs to the core, I still came running here as soon as I heard there was money to be made."

V nodded: "You are very optimistic."

“After all, I’ve already been through the most painful things,” Sasha said with a smile. “A successful person like you must look down on me, right?”

"not at all."

"Stop lying. Sometimes I even look down on myself, but at least I've found friends I can drink with all night. What about you? Do you have friends you can drink with?"

V paused for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "No."

"See? It's precisely because you have no friends that you have such a severe self-destructive tendency, thinking about turning your broken body into some damn fire." Sasha seized the opportunity to promote herself: "How about I play the role of your friend and have a drink with you? The price is negotiable."

V couldn't help but laugh: "I'm not."

Sasha was taken aback: "Not what?"

"I didn't choose to burn my remains because I had no friends."

"Why is that?"

V had a sudden urge to tease the cat: "It's a secret."

Sasha puffed out her cheeks.

V burst into laughter; she hadn't felt this happy in a long time. Humans really are social creatures; they need to communicate.

Perhaps Sasha's suggestion is worth considering; she needs someone to drink with.

V looked at Sasha: "You don't need to come tomorrow."

"Huh?!" Sasha panicked instantly, like a frightened kitten: "No way, boss, you're going to fire me just because I guessed right? I apologize, okay? Go me!"

“No.” V shook his head: “I have work tomorrow, so I’m taking a day off from studying.”

"Phew, that scared me to death! A rich, easy-working boss like you... is hard to find." Sasha breathed a sigh of relief, almost letting slip the secret, and quickly changed the subject, asking, "What kind of job is it? Does it take all day?"

V didn't hide anything, after all, it wasn't a big deal: "I need to go to the biotechnology department."

"Biotechnology?" Sasha's expression changed, and she rolled her eyes before saying, "How about I go with you?"

V asked curiously, "Why? I have to deal with a senior executive in biotechnology tomorrow, and I don't have much time for your guidance."

“It’s okay, I can help you with your bag,” Sasha quickly said. “You hired me and paid me, it wouldn’t be right for me to slack off.”

"The service is so attentive?" V glanced at Sasha. "You're not up to something, are you?"

"What do you take me for!" Sasha hurriedly tried to explain, but seeing that she couldn't hide it any longer, she had no choice but to tell the truth: "Okay, I just wanted to show off. When I came to Arasaka Tower before, I made a fool of myself in front of my girlfriends. If I go to the Bioscience Tower, they'll definitely be slapping me in the M-shape and singing 'Conquer'!"

V chuckled and said, "You girls really go all out."

"So please take me with you, this is my request for life!" Sasha pleaded, clasping her hands together.

V looked at Sasha with a half-smile, and finally nodded: "Okay, come to my office at 9 o'clock tomorrow, don't be late."

"Yay!" Sasha jumped for joy.

They still left in a hovercar, but when Sasha was alone, she changed from her previous flamboyant manner and became much more composed.

She made a phone call and said very reliably, "Mann, we've found a way to get into biotechnology."

Mann's gruff voice rang out: "Then I'll take that order?"

"Take it. That order is very expensive, and we're all short of money, aren't we?"