2077: V really knows how awesome he is

The dogtown boss squinted: "You didn't call me here just to gossip, did you?"

V, whose thoughts had been exposed, immediately shook his head: "Am I such a shallow person? I've long since moved beyond such low-level interests. I called you here to tell you some good news."

"What good thing?"

“Everyone has been working hard lately, so I’m planning to have the company pay for a trip for everyone.”

"We're building Night City into a tourist destination, but you're going to travel somewhere else, huh? Fine, you're the boss, whatever you say goes. So, where is it?"

V blinked and pointed upwards: "The moon."

Chapter 73 The End of the Zhenshui Group

In order to create a better Night City and expand the tourism industry, V decided to visit and learn from leading companies in the industry, such as the Moon and the Crystal Palace.

The boss just had to give the orders, while the underlings ran themselves ragged. They were signing a charter flight contract with NCX Night City Lunar Airport and reserving rooms in the Moon Cloud Sea and Crystal Palace. V had said he was going to inspect the area in the morning, and by noon everything was arranged.

President V has worked hard and deserves to enjoy himself.

This is the true thought of Arasaka 2077 and even all the people of Night City.

“NCX has already prepared the latest shuttle. It will only take 2 days, 11 hours, and 55 minutes to travel from Earth to the Moon. It is fully equipped to minimize turbulence and maintain the enjoyment of the journey. As for the accompanying personnel, it depends on your needs.” Sasha, dressed in a suit, reported the situation meticulously, making V eager to try it out.

She pulled Sasala over and sat her on her lap, hugging the pink cat's soft body as she said, "Of course I have to bring you along, otherwise it would be so boring for two days."

"You're at work, be serious." Sasha blushed and stopped V's wandering hands, then kissed V on the cheek: "Wait until tonight..."

"Hehehehe!" V grinned mischievously.

Sasha rolled her eyes at her and continued, "Are there any other candidates?"

“Let’s invite Lucy and David too. That brat has always wanted to go to the moon. If I don’t take her, she’ll definitely be cursing me behind my back.” With that, V got the hang of things. She thought for a moment and started calling out names one by one: “River and Alex just got married, let’s invite them too. Oh, and Jack and Misty, let’s treat them to a honeymoon.”

Sasha laughed, "You and me, David and Lucy, River and Alex, Jack and Misty, you've all chosen pairs! Are you planning to start a special couples' train?"

“There’s nothing wrong with a couples’ train.” V smiled, then suddenly added, “Let’s invite Hansen too.”

Sasha asked curiously, "Isn't this a couples' train?"

"It's precisely because it's a couples' train that we need to call a single person; doesn't that make us seem even happier?"

Sasha was both amused and exasperated: "Mr. Hansen is probably going to cry his eyes out. I think you're just retaliating for his nonsense on TV before. How petty!"

"What? I've been incredibly generous. I was just kindly going to heal his wounds because he was heartbroken!"

V spoke with great conviction, but Sasha saw through her at a glance. However, the pink cat was kind and just affectionately rubbed her lover's face, as if to say whatever she wanted.

As the two were enjoying a tender moment, Sasha suddenly slapped her forehead: "Oh right, why don't we invite Michiko over too?"

“Ah, Michiko?” V’s head started spinning when he heard the name: “Why call her? She’s single too. It must be so sad for her to be stuck with a bunch of couples.”

Sasha gave a half-smile: "What, it's fine for Mr. Hansen to be sad, but you feel sorry for Michiko?"

"No, no, haha." V felt that Sasha seemed to have something in mind, and feeling guilty, she looked away: "You can invite whoever you want, Michiko is fine too, is that okay?"

"Hmph, that's pretty much it."

The notice to the entourage was quickly sent out, and Lucy was so happy she could hardly contain herself. It is said that when David came to work the next day, he was holding his back and had dark circles under his eyes.

River and Alex called V to thank him, and Jack and Misty were overjoyed.

Only the Dogtown boss sent V a text message full of profanities, indicating that he was determined not to go.

As for Michiko Arasaka, she acted like a wronged little wife, saying that if V told her to go, she would go, and if he didn't, she would stay home and play games.

Since things had come to this point, V couldn't very well ignore her any longer. She was also worried that Michiko might grow mushrooms if she stayed at home all the time, so she decided to take her to the moon to bask in the sunlight.

The personnel were decided, but then Johnny heard the news from somewhere and insisted that he wanted to go too.

"Aren't you currently battling it out with the Ganglie Band with Wu Shi? How come you have time to go to the moon?" V asked curiously.

It would have been better if we hadn't talked about it, because just mentioning it made Johnny furious: "We got ripped off by those three little wench, the kind of fucking where they hang us up and fuck us! It's one thing for the public to have no taste, but what's most infuriating is that even that big-eyed, thick-browed guy, Kerry, betrayed us! Those three bitches said 'Kerry-san,' and that old bastard sided with Ganglie, and now he wants to collaborate with them on a new song! San my ass!"

V couldn't help but laugh.

Seeing Johnny get his comeuppance made her happier than if she had fully recovered.

To be honest, Johnny's singing skills are just so-so, after all, his second album was a flop.

The reason why the band Wu Shi became so popular was largely due to Johnny's spirit of resisting tyranny and the company's core values.

People were under immense pressure from the company back then, so they naturally liked that kind of vibe; but now, thanks to V's efforts, that kind of vibe has decreased significantly.

Without external pressure, people naturally stop rebelling against this or that, and Johnny's songs lost their market. Instead, people began to pursue family, love, and yearn for a better life, so the Fierce Band's entertainment-obsessed, unrestrained songs naturally became hugely popular.

Art is the expression of the human heart. What resonates with the human heart is art. Art that is detached from the human heart becomes highbrow and inaccessible, and will only become a joke.

The Wu Shi Band is a joke.

President V has managed Night City very well, and our lives are getting better and better. Why are you still clamoring to rebel? What a stupid song.

This is the general opinion of the people in Night City.

Johnny desperately wanted to create a world where everyone could live a happy life, but he never imagined that once such a world came to be, he would be the first to die.

He taught V through his own experiences, and V then created the current world. In a sense, he killed himself.

Johnny must have realized this, otherwise he would have fought to the bitter end instead of choosing to back down and escape to the moon to lick his wounds.

V, who always treated his friends well, immediately nodded: "Okay, having you here is just a matter of booking another room."

Johnny was about to say thank you, which was a rare occurrence, when V spoke up again.

"However, our trip to the moon is a love train, so you'll have to find a companion to go with us."

Johnny was dumbfounded: "I've been dead for fifty years, where the hell am I supposed to find a companion? A self-contained ash disposal machine?"

V shrugged: "I don't care, figure it out yourself. Or why don't you try going to Roger?"

“Rogge?” Johnny scoffed. “I’d be a dog if I ever looked for Rogge again!”

The day before departure, Rogge's name was added to the list.

V looked at Johnny, who gave him the middle finger: "Woof woof woof!"

This dog man!

V laughed and flicked the middle finger back.

After getting rid of Johnny, V received another call from Meredith Stock.

The new US president cut to the chase: "V, leave me a copy of your nanobot. I'll pay for it!"

The new nanorobots are a product of the Ecosystem Project, and there are currently no plans to sell them. However, V always treats his friends well, especially his best buddy who has been through thick and thin with him, so he immediately said, "Don't worry, I can't refuse you. I've already asked Nakamura Kayo to prepare ten milliliters for you. Just send someone over to pick it up yourself."

"Holy crap, you're so incredibly thoughtful!"

"You've just taken office and desperately need to achieve results. If I don't help you, who will? Don't be so polite with me!"

"I'm so touched I'm fucking wet. How about I let you sleep with me for a few nights as a way of thanking me?"

"Uh, thanks for the offer, but we're too familiar with each other, I can't bring myself to eat it."

"That's true. In that case, I'll sign a few executive orders to guarantee that all food and medicine shipped from New America to Night City will be at the lowest possible price!"

"Would those bastards in parliament agree to this?"

"It's simple. Use government subsidies as a cover, subsidize the company with money from the national treasury, and actually split the profits 30/70. It's like taking meat out of the refrigerator; once you've handled it, you're guaranteed to get some oil on it. We're not afraid they won't agree."

"Wow, Stock is amazing."

"I learned it all from you."

"But can the new United States' finances sustain this?"

"Don't worry, New America is backed by military technology, and other companies are also hoping to launder money through me. They are the ones who least want New America to fall. If the national treasury is short of money, I'll just build roads and houses and ask these bastards for investment, and that's it."

"Excellent! Looks like you're having a good time as president. Who was it that said you'd be a dog if you had to do it again?"

"Nonsense! I definitely wouldn't have come if it was a fake back then, but now that it's real, I'd come even if I were a dog!" With that, the blonde, slicked-back-hair woman actually started barking like a dog: "Woof woof woof!"

V was both amused and exasperated.

Okay, first there was a scumbag man, now there's a scumbag woman.

"V, have fun on the moon."

"Thanks, Stock, I'll send you the photos."

"Damn, you're just after me, aren't you!"

"Hey hey hey."

V smiled and hung up the phone, looking at Sasha, who had been waiting in front of the desk for a long time.

Pink Cat said, "The president of Zhenshui Group has arrived."

"He should be here soon, let him in."

The president of Zhenshui Group sat in V's office for the third time. Compared to the previous two times, he was still dressed impeccably and well-dressed, but the anxiety between his brows was like an unyielding dark cloud that could not be concealed.

With the emergence of new nanorobots, the True Water Group suffered a huge blow. Every time Arasaka2077 released a water sample test report, the True Water Group's stock price dropped; after five consecutive days of releases, the stock price dropped a total of five times.

The sixth day happened to be a rest day for Arasaka 2077. The Shinsui Group thought they had escaped a disaster, but the stock continued to fall. In fact, because there were no specific water quality figures, it gave people more room for imagination, and the stock fell even more sharply, as if someone had chopped it off at the neck.

Faced with such a crisis, Zhenshui Group could no longer sit idly by.

Normally, showing up without an appointment is considered extremely impolite among company bigwigs, but the president of Zhenshui Group didn't care about that. He was about to lose his life, so what did he care about saving face?

"I heard that President V is going on a trip to the moon? What a coincidence! I bought a resort in the cloud sea on the moon a few years ago, but I haven't had time to go. I'll give it to you as a place to stay. The house isn't big, but fortunately, I've always had people looking after it. Please don't find it too bad."

As he spoke, he sent over the transfer documents for the resort.

V couldn't help but marvel at the Zhenshui Group's extravagant spending.

You have to understand that the moon is not Earth. Land there is incredibly valuable; even a simple vacant lot can sell for an astronomical price, let alone a completed estate.

V glanced at the house description and found that it was indeed quite large, covering a full 12 acres. There was a four-story main building and two three-story annexes. Artificial gravity was standard, and there was also an outdoor ecological greenhouse, which grew a variety of plants that had long been extinct on Earth. The glass dome could effectively filter radiation and various harmful particles, allowing people to immerse themselves in the green embrace, watch the sun during the day, and gaze at the starry sky at night, directly facing the purest space view!

This is an unparalleled enjoyment that ordinary people would never dare to dream of, but for the bigwigs of capital, it is just an ordinary and boring daily routine.

V sighed inwardly. She knew that she could easily acquire the property simply by signing her name, but she still hung up the documents and shook her head at the president of Zhenshui Group, saying, "There's no need for that."

"No, this is absolutely necessary!" the president of Zhenshui Group said urgently, forcing a smile. "V, I know I was too arrogant before, and I apologize to you. But Zhenshui Group was left to me by my father, and I can't just watch it collapse. I'm willing to pay any price, just please be lenient."

V remained noncommittal: "What do you want me to do?"

"Recall the new nanorobots and never deploy them again!"

“That’s impossible,” V said calmly. “You are also a member of the human elite and know that the new nanobots are a product of ecosystem technology. Night City is just a pilot project. I have no right to terminate this experiment, and neither do you, unless you are prepared to go against the world’s giant corporations. In that case, the True Water Group will only be destroyed even faster than a stock market crash.”

The president of Zhenshui Group certainly understood this principle, and he even received a share of the funding allocated to Night City.

But he never expected that he would dig a huge pit for himself and send himself to his grave.

Just like a washed-up rock star.

"Is there really no other way?" the CEO asked, looking utterly dejected.

“Transform,” V earnestly advised. “Although it’s cruel, outdated things are destined to be eliminated. It’s unavoidable, but it’s also fate. Zhenshui Group is a large and wealthy company with the ability to transform. It’s better to change course as soon as possible.”

The president hesitated for a moment before replying, "I need to make a phone call."

V nodded: "I'll wait for you."

About forty minutes later, Zhenshui Group gave a reply.

They decided to break up and split the money.

It's a regrettable decision, but also very real.

Not everyone has the courage to start over, so letting go and quietly leaving might be a good choice.

V bought the entire water pipeline network of Zhenshui Group, not at the original price, since the future scenario where all river and lake water is drinkable and pure water is supplied to the world by Zhenshui Group will eventually become history.

The following day, Zhenshui Group issued an official statement announcing the initiation of liquidation proceedings and the filing for bankruptcy protection. This outcome wasn't unexpected, given the stock price fluctuations, but no one anticipated it would happen so quickly.

V was also deeply moved. She had risked her life to defeat Arasaka, but now, she had simply launched a new technology and subtly manipulated the stock market to easily bring down a company.

While the fact that Zhenshui Group's business is too singular is certainly a contributing factor, it also demonstrates that V is becoming increasingly powerful.

How are the employees of Zhenshui Group doing?

"As is customary, they will all be dismissed after receiving their monthly salary."