2077: V really knows how awesome he is

"Go back to Arasaka Tower."

"Hey, aren't we waiting for Joanne?"

“There’s no need. I’m here on behalf of Arasaka to seek cooperation. The fact that she’s dared to leave me hanging for so long already speaks volumes about her attitude,” V said calmly. “If it weren’t for waiting for you, I would have left long ago.”

Sasha couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips: "You still say you don't know why I thanked you?"

V shrugged: "I'm too lazy to get involved in your messy affairs. Just don't leave any clues."

"No way! I'm amazing!"

"Yes Yes Yes."

"Tch, what a perfunctory response." Sasha puffed out her cheeks and followed V out of the biotechnology building.

Before getting into the car, she glanced back and asked with some concern, "Is it okay that Joanne refused to cooperate?"

“It’s okay, this is just the initial contact, it’s normal between companies. Joanne Koch asked for an exorbitant price, now it’s my turn to negotiate.”

"This is so complicated!" Sasha looked at V. "Is this how you usually work?"

V asked curiously, "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Sasha scratched her face: "I suddenly want to know more about you."

V chuckled and said, "I have nothing to know, just an ordinary person."

“No.” Sasha shook her head. “You’re quite interesting.”

"What's interesting?"

"I-I don't know either."

V couldn't help but laugh again: "Silly."

In the following days, V contacted Joanne Koch several more times. After some bargaining, she finally agreed to "exchange intelligence," but they were still far from becoming true allies.

Joanne Koch is a brilliant pharmaceutical expert. The strength and weakness of intelligent people are both extreme self-interest. She can easily sell biotechnology information and has little loyalty to the company, making V's efforts to win her over very smooth. At the same time, she is also very good at self-preservation, understanding the principle of not acting without a clear benefit; it's difficult to completely sway her to V's side without a decisive incentive.

Or, it could be a decisive weakness.

There are no clean people in the company, including V, and Joanne Koch is no exception.

However, the entire counterintelligence department is currently keeping quiet, making it inconvenient for them to take action.

V tapped his finger on the table, not in a hurry.

If there's no leverage, then create one. The leverage has been there ever since Joanne Koch first "exchanged intelligence" with him.

All V has to do is wait for the fruit to ripen.

The only regret is that the waiting time is a bit long, but haste makes waste. Time will leave V battered and bruised, but it will also sculpt her into an impeccable woman. She has enough patience; she can wait.

With its eyes flashing blue again, V began its usual intrusion into the security robot.

As the alarm sounded, she failed again and was kicked out.

“Strange.” Sasha frowned. She had witnessed V’s hard work, and the program was flawless. Why did it always fail?

“Maybe you should take a break; you’re pushing yourself too hard.” Sasha could only conclude that the problem was psychological.

“Don’t worry, you teach very well, I can feel my own progress, so the commission will not be less.” V said, and started a new round of practice.

"Am I worried about the commission? I'm worried about..." Sasha gritted her teeth in anger, and finally stomped her foot, saying, "I'm taking the day off tomorrow, I need to rest!"

"Yes, it's approved." V didn't even look up.

"You!" Seeing V's nonchalant attitude, Sasha picked up her small handbag and stormed off.

This guy is planning to act tomorrow.

The young mercenary was too easy to guess; he had nowhere to hide in the eyes of a seasoned veteran like V.

She glanced at Sasha's departing figure, then plunged back into the data array.

She doesn't want to get involved in other people's business, nor can she. Her immediate priority is to improve her own abilities.

Losing one's freedom is lonely, but losing power means losing everything.

V felt she had reached a certain threshold; one more step and she could take back what she had lost. She couldn't stop!

Late at night, Bran Street.

After a series of urgent knocks, Victor opened the door.

V stood at the doorway, all alone, like a ghost in the night.

“Miss V, right?” Victor asked, “Is there something you need?”

"I need to have an implant surgery."

"Now?" Victor was taken aback. "Do you know what time it is?"

“3:42 a.m.,” V replied. “Old V, you’re the only one who can help me.”

Victor remained silent for a moment, then stepped aside.

"Come in."

V entered the prosthetic clinic carrying a suitcase. She wasn't surprised by the outcome, because Old Vi was such a kind person, and she was incredibly grateful for it, because Old Vi was such a kind person.

After turning on the lights and putting on the hand assistive device, Victor asked, "What are you getting implanted?"

"this."

V placed the briefcase on the table and opened it, revealing a long, thin chip amidst a puff of condensed smoke.

"Good heavens, is this Arasaka's network access module? I've never seen anything like this on the market," Victor exclaimed.

V explained, "The Arasaka Type 4 network access module is the latest product from the laboratory and is expected to be officially put into production and launched by the end of 2076."

Victor raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure you're okay with getting your hands on this kind of stuff?"

"Don't worry." V ​​said calmly, "This thing has been confirmed as scrap. Both the residue and the report have been submitted according to procedure."

"Heh, big company." Victor scoffed, picked up the Arasaka Type 4 implantation pod with his hand kit, examined it closely, and asked, "You really want to implant this?"

"Yes."

"Considering your messy nerve plexus, it would be very dangerous."

“What’s the success rate?”

"Fifty percent."

"It's either win or lose, that's right, let's do it."

V jumped onto the medical bed.

“Wait a minute, I haven’t finished speaking.” Viktor pulled up a holographic image, which was a scan of V’s body. He pointed to V’s brain and said, “You already have the military-grade technology Berserker Type 5 installed in your head. If you want to replace it with the Arasaka Type 4 access pod, you have to dig out the previous operating system first. Even for a normal person, this is a very high-risk surgery, and your condition is even worse than a normal person’s.”

Can you do it?

"It's possible, but I'm not very confident."

"How big is 'not big'?"

"Only 10%."

Silence fell over the prosthetic clinic.

Victor suggested: "You should contact a company; with their technical capabilities, the success rate can be increased to at least 30%."

V shook his head and refused: "I don't trust the company."

"You're playing with your life!" Victor snapped. "If you don't trust the company, do you think you trust me?"

“That’s right, Lao Wei, I believe you.” V said seriously, “Don’t even mention 30%, even if the company’s side is 100%, it’s still not as credible as your 10%!”

"You?!" Victor was speechless. After a long pause, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Did your math teacher teach you PE?"

"Haha, maybe, it was too long ago, I can't remember."

Victor had everything prepared. Holding the anesthetic, he said to V, "It's not too late to back out now."

"Go for it, old Vie. Don't feel burdened. You saved my life in the first place."

"I don't remember saving you."

As the words fell, the needle pierced V's skin.

The world fell into darkness.

V seemed to be asleep, yet also awake. She floated in a vast ocean, surrounded by glowing jellyfish. Curious, she grabbed one, only to discover that it wasn't a jellyfish at all, but rather a series of new lives made up of 0s and 1s.

V opened her eyes, a sharp pain in her brain causing her to groan.

"Awake? If I hadn't personally cut open your head, I would have thought you were the latest type of android." Victor walked over with a cup of coffee. "Happy, kid? You've hit the jackpot with a one in ten chance."

"It's probably because I have a guardian angel named Victor." V sat up and touched his forehead.

"That's a very flattering compliment, but I accept it." Victor took a sip of coffee and asked, "Are you planning to switch careers and become a hacker?"

V did not deny it: "You noticed?"

“It’s not difficult. Hacker prosthetics put the least strain on your nervous system, so it’s not surprising that you made this choice.” Victor once again unfolded the hologram and explained in detail: “There will inevitably be some discomfort when switching from a berserk operating system to a hacker operating system, but the human brain is amazing, and you will eventually adapt. Before that, you may feel nauseous, have a splitting headache, and occasionally be allergic to bright light, which are all normal phenomena.”

V pursed her lips: "Sounds like I've got a virus."

“It’s not wrong to call it a virus, but this virus is a certified, officially produced product.” Victor handed over a spray bottle: “This is an immunosuppressant. Take one puff now, and then one puff every eight hours for three consecutive days.”

V took a drag and inhaled it; his headache was indeed relieved considerably.

"As expected of Old Wei, his skills are impeccable."

“Hey, don’t rush to praise me. Now I need to talk about a more serious problem.” Victor’s expression turned serious: “Ms. V…”

Call me V.

“Alright, V,” Old V said earnestly, “As a cyborg doctor, I strongly advise against you engaging in combat activities, even hacking, which places the least strain on your nerves. But I know this is Night City, and even if you don’t go looking for trouble, trouble will come looking for you. So what I’m saying is, three minutes. The maximum time you can engage in hacking is three minutes. If you don’t want your neural plexus to turn into a plate of grilled squid strips, then three minutes is your insurmountable limit!”

When V left Old Wei's clinic, he realized that it was already late at night and the city lights were shining brightly.

The surgery lasted 14 hours, and V slept for another 6 hours. 20 hours have passed, and it is now 11 p.m. on the second day.

"A day has passed without me even realizing it, just like I've unknowingly returned to a year ago." V couldn't help but exclaim, "Time is truly a wonder."

Call Delaman's car, and V returns to Arasaka Tower.

She left the military technology Rage 5 with Old Wei; it was proof of her past, her most vulnerable part, and it was just right for the person she trusted most to keep it.

Upon entering the office, the lights automatically turned on, along with the security robot.

The square head looked at V, and V looked at the square head.

The next second, V's eyes flashed blue light, and the world instantly turned into an ocean of 0s and 1s.

Sasha didn't understand why V kept failing to hack, but V knew why. She hadn't installed a hacker-specific network access pod before, and could only use remote connections for the most basic hacking.

But things are different now. V has installed the Arasaka Type IV network access module, which can be quickly cracked directly through protocols. If V was a trickle before, it has now become a raging torrent.

The once impenetrable data matrix was breached in an instant, and the ICE security robot was like a thin piece of paper, pierced right through.

puff.

In an instant, V threw out two magical puppets, [Reboot Eye] and [Sonic Blast]. Sparks flew from the robot's square head, and it suddenly shuddered and fell to the ground.

[Sonic Explosion]:

Upload time: 0.2 seconds; Duration: 23 seconds.

RAM usage: 2.

Untraceable, causes deafness in enemies, disrupts communications, and renders enemies stunned by [Memory Erasure] and [Reboot Prosthetic Eye] (robots and automated turrets will be directly shut down).

[Reactivating the Prosthetic Eye]:

Upload time: 0.3 seconds; Duration: 15 seconds.

RAM usage: 7

It blinds the enemy, greatly reduces shooting accuracy, increases the severity of head damage, and returns 3 RAM for each headshot, spreading the quick hack to the nearest enemy.

V should now try to avoid direct combat. One of these two puppets can cause deafness, and the other can cause blindness. Using them simultaneously can also cause a coma. Most importantly, they don't consume much RAM.

RAM stands for memory, and the amount of memory determines how many puppets a hacker can release at once. Arasaka Type IV provides 9 RAM points. V originally only had 3 Intelligence points, but after these few days of training, she reached 9. Every 4 Intelligence points provide 1 RAM point, so 9 Intelligence points provide 2 RAM points. She also wrote a small program to unlock the "queue intrusion" function, which added 1 RAM point and allows her to upload two puppets to the same target at the same time, so she now has a total of 12 RAM points.

It sounds a bit like game data, but it's actually a visual self-check template that everyone has.