2077: V really knows how awesome he is

"From now on, once approved by government regulatory authorities, Chinese citizens can officially use driverless vehicles."

"The scope of autonomous vehicles approved by the state is limited to pre-authorized road sections, such as the applicant's commute route to work."

"China calls on all citizens to report any manually driven vehicles still in use as soon as possible, and with the assistance of major automobile manufacturers, to upgrade citizens' vehicles to autonomous driving technology free of charge."

"Night City has recently passed relevant legislation, and Arasaka2077 has officially partnered with Comto. In the near future, you and I will all benefit from this technology, saying goodbye to traffic jams, traffic accidents and violations, and the stringent driver's license examinations and tests. Night City will become the second region in the world to fully implement driverless vehicles. Our lives are getting better and better, and our Night City is getting better and better!"

"Snapped!"

Xu Ling snapped her fingers again, and the television turned off.

"You foolish apprentice, you should pay more attention to the news."

"Hehe." Aaron Wiens scratched his head: "I've been busy practicing boxing lately, so I wish President V and Master all the best in your work."

"Don't worry, everything was settled a long time ago. We just went to get the stamp." Xu Ling reminded him, "These next few days, you need to practice your boxing diligently, and don't slack off!"

Aaron Wiens readily agreed.

V wasn't so strict, and said with a smile, "I've already spoken to Laisheng, so you can go alone. All expenses will be charged to Arasaka 2077's account."

Aaron Wayne immediately beamed with joy, but Xu Ling scolded him again, "You can go have fun, but behave yourself and don't cause trouble, you hear me?"

"Don't worry, Master, the competition is about to start. I'm not that reckless."

Aaron Winnes has always performed well, so V and Xu Ling are quite reassured.

V spent the next few days busy with this matter.

The merger of Drumman Taxi Company into Arasaka 2077 was proposed by Drumman himself. This wandering AI used to be unambitious, and even after eating his good friend CN-07, he still had no ambition. He was determined to become the overlord of the taxi industry.

To fulfill this digital friend's wish and to make Night City a better place, V simply contacted Contouring and prepared to invest in introducing China's autonomous driving technology for motor vehicles.

Xu Shiming was a little stunned when he received the news, because this technology had existed for several years, but no one had ever actually applied it to ordinary people.

China is doing this simply to reduce inventory and boost domestic demand. Now all manually driven motor vehicles are to be converted to autonomous vehicles. Although there are companies helping with the conversion, once you drive your car there, they will tell you that the vehicle model is too old and cannot be converted, and you can only scrap it and buy a new car.

What? You don't want to change it? Not changing it is illegal! If you are willing to change it, the government will also provide certain subsidies, such as this 50 yuan voucher, which you can use to purchase a designated vehicle at a designated shopping mall.

This approach boosts consumption, and when a new national standard comes out in a few years, a batch of old products will be scrapped, resulting in another small profit.

Kang Tao only made these dumplings to add some vinegar, so why is Night City doing this?

V is well-known for its tourism industry, but Night City doesn't even have its own car company and doesn't need to clear its inventory. What's the point of her implementing driverless technology? It can't really be for the benefit of ordinary people, can it?

Xu Shiming thought and thought but couldn't figure it out. He was so worried that he didn't sleep for three days and three nights. Finally, he understood.

Why the hell am I thinking so much? As long as I don't mess with Night City, V is harmless. If she dares to come to my door with money, I dare to take it!

So General Xu issued an order to Xu Ling, and Kang Tao and Aragaka2077 officially began their cooperation.

This matter isn't particularly difficult, but it's not exactly simple either. The technical issues are secondary; the main problem is the review of various software programs. V knows Xu Ling wouldn't secretly sabotage things, but there's no guarantee Xu Shiming won't, so various detection methods are indispensable, which takes up a lot of time.

V sat in his office for three days, feeling restless and agitated. Meanwhile, Lancelot and his group arrived in Night City and specifically requested a meeting.

Normally, V wouldn't mind showing up to stimulate spending, but she was genuinely busy right now. For a mere henchman of the High Knight, V simply declined, citing being too busy, and sending Jenkins to make an appearance was already more than enough.

She thought the matter was over, but that very night she heard another piece of terrible news:

Aaron Winnes was hospitalized with serious injuries, inflicted by Lancelot.

Chapter 98 The Stairway to Heaven

V rushed to the hospital, and as soon as he entered the inpatient department, he saw Kurt Hansen and Jack smoking in the corridor.

The two men, one sitting and one standing, both had solemn expressions, making the atmosphere oppressive.

"How is Aaron doing?" V asked.

Kurt Hansen frowned, opened his mouth, but didn't utter a single word.

V's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Aaron Winnes is dead?

At this moment, Jack took a deep drag on his cigarette, threw the butt on the ground, and stomped it out fiercely, as if making a decision, and said, "V, you'd better be prepared, Aaron, he..."

As Haywood spoke, he couldn't hold back anymore; tears welled in his eyes, and his voice choked with emotion.

"Damn!" V plopped down on a hospital bench. If even a tough guy like Jack was crying, then Aaron Winnes must be dead!

V felt a sense of unreality. Although she had long been accustomed to life and death, she still couldn't accept that someone who was alive and kicking just a few days ago was now gone.

Aaron Winnes was so young and so idealistic. There were so many damned people in the world, why him of all people…

V was still reflecting when Joanne Koch came out of the ward with a thermos, gave V a strange look, filled a glass with water from the water dispenser in the hallway, took a sip, and then asked, "You came in but didn't go in to see the patient, are you just pretending to be profound here? Also, who threw that cigarette butt?"

Visiting a patient?

V was taken aback: "Aren't we here to see the body?"

Joanne Koch was also taken aback: "What remains?"

"Isn't Aaron dead?"

"He's not dead."

"Damn it!" V jumped up. "Jack, then tell me Aaron is dead!"

Jack looked puzzled: "Oh, I said Aaron is dead?"

V gasped, pointing at Jack and saying to Joanne Koch, "He threw the cigarette butt."

"Damn it, V, you're so disloyal!"

Ignoring Jack's shouts behind him, V pushed open the door and entered the ward.

Aaron Wiens was indeed alive and well. Xu Ling had arrived long ago and was currently standing on a stool, giving him a good scolding.

"You're a fucking idiot! You know you're about to have a match, and you're still getting into fights on the court. Are you out of your mind?!"

Aaron Winnes whispered in defense, "That guy started it."

"He's looking for trouble, can't you just let it go? It takes two to tango! If you don't fight back, will he keep chasing you and hitting you?"

Aaron Winnes, who had never experienced "Eastern education," was speechless. He sensed something was wrong but couldn't pinpoint it. He wanted to retort but didn't know how to begin. In the end, he had no choice but to give up and obediently accept the scolding, burying his head in his hands.

V found it a bit funny. It wasn't that she was heartless; it was just that she had thought Adam Wiens was dead, and now that he was alive, she felt that even the worst situation was worth celebrating.

She asked Old Vieira, "How is Aaron's injury?"

"He suffered a severe blow to the head, resulting in a blood clot in his brain. He will be unsteady on his feet for a short time and unable to distinguish left from right. There aren't many external injuries, but his left arm prosthesis is broken and severely damaged," Old Wei sighed softly.

V's expression immediately tightened. For an ordinary person, a broken arm can be replaced, but Aaron Winnes is not an ordinary person; he is a boxer.

"Can it be fixed before the competition?"

“Yes, but the output will only be 34% of the original.” Old Wei’s explanation was very professional: “The physical damage to the robotic arm is not too bad, but the short circuit burned out the drive. Rewriting the drive can make do, but the efficiency will be greatly reduced. The best solution is to replace it with a new prosthetic body, which is both simple and affordable.”

"No, I can't get a prosthetic arm!" Aaron Wiens shouted. "The serial number on my arm has already been submitted. If I get a new arm and the serial number doesn't match, I'll be disqualified from the competition!"

Old Wei said earnestly, "Aaron, the Olympics are not held only once."

“I know, but this is my only chance!” Aaron Wiens said with difficulty. “I’m already 29 years old this year, and in four more years I’ll be 33. I can wait for the next Olympics, but by then I might not even pass the qualifiers. Mr. Victor, I have to move forward, there is no turning back!”

"Given your current physical condition, you can't even stand up straight. What good would it do to go to the Olympics?"

“I don’t know,” Aaron Winnes said seriously. “All I know is that I’m a boxer, and if I’m going to fall, I should fall in the boxing ring, not in a hospital room!”

The atmosphere in the ward became heavy again. Everyone knew that no one could stop Aaron Wiens.

"Damn it!" Xu Ling pulled out Yinglong from her lower back, bared her small white teeth, and said fiercely, "I'm going to shoot that Lancelot into a sieve right now!"

"Don't be impulsive." V pulled Xu Ling back while asking Aaron, "Tell me what happened? You're not a reckless person, so why did you suddenly get into a conflict with Lancelot?"

Aaron Wiens shrank back and whispered, "It was just a normal bar argument, which escalated into a fight."

V snorted coldly: "Looks like something really is wrong. I advise you to tell the truth. Of course, it's fine if you don't tell me, there are surveillance cameras in the afterlife, I can go and see for myself!"

"No, President V, don't look, I'll tell you!" Aaron Winnes hesitated for a moment, but finally spoke up: "Lanstree insulted you, he said some really nasty things, and I couldn't stand it, so I fought with him."

V was taken aback: "You did this for me..."

Aaron Wiens nodded: "That boxing kid was no pushover before, but he suddenly used his prosthetic body, and I was caught off guard and he took me down."

"Hold!"

V snatched the Yinglong from Xu Ling's hand: "I'm going to shoot Lancelot full of holes right now!"

Now it was Xu Ling's turn to hug her, repeatedly saying, "Don't be impulsive."

Here's what happened: Lancelot insulted V, and Aaron Wiens, enraged, retaliated. This would be a perfectly normal occurrence if it happened to an ordinary person; V isn't the Euro, and not everyone likes it. However, considering Aaron Wiens is a boxer about to represent Night City at the Olympics, with a strong chance of winning, it's hard to say whether Lancelot's actions were intentional or accidental.

If it was an accident, that's fine; but if it was intentional, then Lancelot is like an old man who hanged himself, tired of living.

V was pondering which possibility was more likely when a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

"what happened?"

Jack came in and whispered, "Lancelot is here."

Indeed, Lancelot actually came to the hospital in person, bringing gifts to visit Aaron Waynes.

Not only did he come, but his fans also came, each holding a camera, saying they wanted to record their idol's friendly and kind moment and post it online for more people to admire.

Lancelot also showed great sincerity, apologizing and promising to cover all medical expenses. At the end, he also wished Aaron Wiens good luck at the Olympics.

This pretentious act infuriated Xu Ling. If it weren't for Old Wei and Aaron Wiens holding her back, she would have riddled Lancelot with bullets on the spot.

But V calmed down at this moment because she realized that Lancelot's actions were not accidental, but intentional.

Since it was intentional, then it's an enemy; and since it's an enemy, V has plenty of ways to deal with it.

"Mr. Lancelot also likes boxing?" V asked.

“Boxing? I have no interest in that sissy sport. On our moon, unrestricted combat is the real sport.” Lancelot finished speaking and then feigned an apology: “Oh, I didn’t mean to offend you. I just accidentally said what I really thought.”

"It's alright, I've always been tolerant of people at the bottom of society."

Lancelot's expression immediately changed after being hit where it hurt: "You fucking..."

"Think before you speak, you stupid idiot." V leaned closer to Lancelot and whispered, "With so many cameras filming, you don't want your embarrassing moment to make the front page of Night City, do you?"

Lancelot's chest heaved, and he almost had to bite his teeth to keep his reason from snapping.

"President V, I want to fight you!"

"it is good."

V agreed so readily that Lancelot was even taken aback.

"I'm not talking about boxing, I'm talking about no-holds-barred fighting. Are you up for it?" he asked again to confirm.

“Sure, I’ve fought countless no-holds-barred fights on the streets, but this is my first time in a ring.” V laughed. “I’m really looking forward to the match with Mr. Lancelot. As the saying goes, better to be lucky than early, how about tomorrow night at the Taiping State Stadium? I’ll invite all the major media outlets to witness it together.”

Lancelot was overjoyed. He had only worried that V would refuse his challenge, but now that V had agreed, he only needed to defeat V to claim the title of the strongest.

"Fine, tomorrow night it is! President V, you're doomed!"

"Hehe, so what if you lose? My goal was just to beat you to a pulp. Tonight, I'll go online and search for a good wheelchair. Don't settle for something that's not suitable for your whole life."

V was all smiles, but Lancelot and his fans all shivered. They wondered if it was just their imagination, but the temperature in the ward seemed to have dropped considerably.

"It's just a friendly match, isn't it a bit of an exaggeration to say he's completely paralyzed?" a fan asked timidly.

"Haha, that's just pre-match trash talk, don't take it seriously."

V's smile grew even brighter, but the temperature in the ward also dropped.

"President V is quite witty. I hope your fists are more impressive than your words." Lancelot chuckled dryly, then turned and left with his fans.

Joanne Koch, who was standing at the door, kindly stepped aside.

Once everyone had left the ward, V immediately crossed his arms: "Hey, Koch, are you crazy? Why did you turn the air conditioning down so low?"

“I was just playing along with your tough talk, wasn’t I?” Joanne Koch turned the air conditioner knob next to the door back to normal. “That Lancelot was so scared his face turned pale.”

“Maybe it’s frozen,” Kurt Hansen said as he walked in and asked V, “Do we have a chance?”

"I don't want to answer such a stupid question." V rolled his eyes. "Where's Jack?"

"Sweep up cigarette butts outside."

The next day, the competition proceeded as scheduled, and the entire Taiping State Stadium was packed with people.

The sky was filled with hovercars from various television stations, and the stadium was packed. There were over 50,000 spectators, including 48,000 V supporters and only about 2000 Lancelot supporters. These guys were grouped in a secluded corner, guarded by NCPD officers—not to watch them, but to protect them. River Ward was afraid the Night City residents would beat these idiots to death, so he had to deploy a large police force to ensure their safety.