2077: V really knows how awesome he is

But the bright red blood on V's body constantly proved that Lieutenant James was facing a living, breathing human being.

So why?

Because V doesn't have much time left.

Seeing the countdown on his retina about to reach zero, V had no choice but to launch an attack.

Lieutenant James was unaware of V's predicament, but that didn't stop him from retaliating.

The two men pulled the triggers at the same time, the gunshots ringing out simultaneously. The bullets crisscrossed in the air, one after another entering each other's bodies, and then with a bang, one of them fell heavily to the ground.

"Huff! Huff! Huff!" Lieutenant James gasped for breath. He had won. He had won!

He looked at V's body; he had been shot in the head and was dead beyond any doubt.

Great!Great!

Lieutenant James felt a surge of joy; who would willingly choose death when they could live?

Out of professional habit, Lieutenant James prepared to check on V's condition again, but when he looked at V again, he found that the person lying on the ground was no longer the capable woman with short hair, but... his daughter.

The cute little girl was wearing a dress, and there was a black bullet hole on her forehead. Blood was gushing out from it and gradually soaked her entire body.

"Ho, ho, ho!"

Lieutenant James made a sound that didn't sound human. He knelt on the ground in agony, clutching his throat. Reason told him that this was all fake, but the girl suddenly spoke:

"Dad, it hurts so much."

"Dad, why did you shoot me?"

"Daddy." The little girl's eyes rolled back, revealing a wicked smile. "You've actually wanted to kill me for a long time, haven't you?"

There was a snap.

Reason has been broken.

"Hahahaha." Lieutenant James let out a chilling laugh: "Yes, as long as I kill you, I won't have to suffer anymore. Do you know how much your medicine costs every day? You're just like your wretched mother, a money-loser! A money-loser!"

"I'll kill you, I'll kill you all!"

"No, Jenny, don't leave me! I promise I'll quit Shining! Don't leave me!"

"Don't be afraid, baby. Daddy will earn lots and lots of money and will definitely be able to cure you!"

Lieutenant James was both crying and laughing, sometimes a warm and loving husband and father, and other times a violent maniac who despised his wife and daughter.

Finally, he suddenly calmed down and murmured:

"So, I had already killed Jenny and Baby with my own hands all along."

"Great! I'm free! I'm free!"

“Jenny, my darlings, I love you, I’m coming to find you.”

Lieutenant James, looking like a saint and a beast at the same time, staggered toward the company square.

V watched his retreating figure in silence for a while, then silently said, "I'm sorry."

She uploaded "Cyber ​​Psychosis" to Lieutenant James, but the effect was somewhat different from the description.

V is no saint; she can smash someone's head without any qualms, but she has no intention of toying with other people's feelings.

What happened today was a bit out of character for her, but since things had come to this point, she didn't want to dwell on it any longer.

Putting all the blame on Abernathy, all V could do was seek revenge.

For myself, and for James Norris.

V puts on the Grim Reaper mask and silently retreats into the shadows.

Chapter 15 The Ways of Being a Corporate Dog

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck!"

Joanne Koch returned to her apartment looking annoyed.

She kicked open the door, took off her coat, went straight to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of strong liquor, uncorked it, and started chugging it down.

As the strong liquor went down her throat, mixing with the air, Joanna Koch suddenly turned red, vomited up a mouthful of filth and liquor, and slumped onto the bar, coughing loudly.

"Cough cough...cough cough cough! Damn it, when things aren't going well, even drinking cold water will cause problems!"

Joanne Koch slammed the bottle against the wall with a loud crack, and a bottle of fine wine that an ordinary person could never afford in their lifetime was turned into trash.

Okay, calm down.

Joanne Koch took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and began to ponder amidst the swirling smoke.

V's assassination has been confirmed, and the future of Arasaka's cooperation with the biotechnology company is now uncertain. He had just been called to a meeting by his superiors, who said that Arasaka's Special Operations Director, Abernathy, was actively lobbying for V's authority. If Arasaka's higher-ups agreed, the biotechnology company would inevitably have to change its contact person.

Damn it!

Joanne Koch has worked so hard to get to where she is today, how could she be willing to step down now?

This stupid company is a jerk who uses you and then discards you, and this stupid V is just as bad. Why don't you just keep quiet and make a fortune? Why do you have to mess around like this?

A burning pain shot through her fingers, and Joanne Koch frowned as she stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray.

Forget it, there's no point in dwelling on this now. Let's think about how to salvage the situation.

If all else fails, I'll defect! I'm a truly skilled person; I can find work anywhere.

Should I go to Kangtao? I heard they offer the best benefits of all the companies there.

No, there are people from Abernathy in Contau; going there would be like walking into a trap.

Or... how about going into military technology?

Joanne Koch began to think seriously.

Since V facilitated the alliance between Arasaka and Biotech, Zeta Technologies and Comto have also joined in. This puts Military Technology in a very awkward position, as it is the only one of the major companies in Night City that has been excluded. Offering help in times of need is always better than adding to someone's already good fortune. With its own technology, connections, and being one of the original members who facilitated the alliance, Military Technology will definitely offer it a good price.

But by the same token, isolated military technology is showing signs of becoming the next target of attack, and Joanne Koch doesn't want to fall into the lion's den after escaping one. Her opportunistic nature makes her the perfect gift to boost her friendship level.

So, where should we go?

Joanne Koch is not a decisive person; her talent lies more in scientific research than in strategy, which is why she has always been at a disadvantage in her collaboration with V.

"Forget it, let's just take it one step at a time. If you really push me too far, I'll fucking leave Night City!"

Muttering to herself, Joanne Koch stripped naked and headed for the bathroom.

I just threw up all over myself, and now I smell like alcohol and stench, so I need to clean myself up.

She rewarded herself handsomely while cleaning, and then walked out of the bathroom feeling refreshed.

As a result, a strange man covered in blood sat on the sofa, which almost scared Joanne Koch to death.

"Don't be afraid, it's me." V removed the Grim Reaper mask.

As a result, Joanne Koch became even more afraid.

"Holy crap, weren't you dead?!"

“It turns out that’s not the case,” V said with some difficulty. “Please treat me, or I’m really going to die.”

Joanne Koch then realized that V was seriously injured and quickly took out a first-aid kit.

Remove the bullet, inject hemostatic gel, fill the pneumatic syringe with styptic agent, and then forcefully inject it into V's chest.

A snort.

As the syringe pushed the medicine into her body, V couldn't help but groan.

"Oh, that feels great!"

“This is a full-strength treatment for Type IV, 36.7% more effective than the full-strength treatment for Type III on the market. It’s a top-quality product only available in laboratories.” Joanne Koch said proudly, then looked at the sofa that V had stained and her expression turned to disgust: “Don’t you have any prosthetic doctors you can trust?”

"Yes, I have."

"Then why don't you go find him? Come find me! I just bought a new sofa!"

V shrugged: "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

Joanne Koch was naturally happy, at least she didn't have to worry about going to Kanto or military technology. But while she thought this, she wouldn't admit it: "Who the hell is happy? You came uninvited, don't you know what manners are?"

V smiled and said, "Of course I understand. Otherwise, I wouldn't have waited for you to come out of the bathroom. Instead, I would have barged in when you were yelling the loudest."

“I…” Joanne Koch’s ears turned red: “I’m under a lot of pressure, okay!”

“I understand, I understand, it’s only natural, you don’t need to explain.” V looked at Joanne Koch’s slender waist, whistled with admiration in her eyes: “Nice figure, but you should put your clothes on first.”

Joanne Koch then realized that she was still naked.

That's not surprising; no one would wear an evening gown after taking a shower at home.

Joanne Koch glared at V with annoyance and opened the wardrobe.

V thoroughly enjoyed watching Joanne Koch go from being completely naked to being impeccably dressed.

“Tell me,” Joanne Koch said, handing V a glass of tequila. “What exactly happened?”

"Just like you heard, I was assassinated. The only difference is that I didn't die; I escaped."

"But Arasaka said they extracted the attacker's visual files and saw you get your head blown off."

“It was a little hacking trick, Lieutenant James did see it, but I was the one who made him see it.”

"Lieutenant James?"

"The assassin who came to kill me."

"New American soldiers?"

"Yes."

"Damn it, how did this get dragged into New America again? Those politicians are even more disgusting than our company dogs!" Joanne Koch said, looking annoyed. "What are you planning to do?"

“Simple.” V put down his glass. “Counterattack.”

Do you know who's behind this?

“Abernathy, I’m 9% sure.”

"Where's the evidence?"

"No."

“You’re talking nonsense!” Joanne Koch rolled her eyes. “You can’t expect to believe everything you say about Ms. Michiko, can you?”

"Of course, that's why I deliberately hid myself, intending to secretly search for evidence."

“So what if we found her? Abernathy is at the peak of her career right now. She’s already vying for your former position. If she takes it, then our history of treating the company like idiots will definitely be exposed. At that point, Arasaka and Biotech won’t let us off the hook.” Joanne Koch was extremely worried. “Why don’t we just run away, split the profits from this period, and then go our separate ways?”

So you're sorting your luggage? V couldn't help but laugh out loud: "It's not that serious, it's not that bad yet."

"Isn't this serious?"

“At least Abernathy hasn’t become the league’s host yet.” V countered, “Do you know what I was most worried about before?”

"what?"

“I’m worried that Abernathy’s assassination was orchestrated by Michiko Arasaka. But since Abernathy is now trying to ‘win’ the position of the Alliance’s host, it means that the assassination had nothing to do with Michiko and was entirely Abernathy’s personal action.”

"So what if it's a personal operation? Once you're dealt with, Abernathy will be Michiko's only confidant, and the position of Alliance Host will be hers sooner or later. You don't actually think Michiko will stand up for you, do you? Don't be naive. Michiko may look very cute, but she's no different from those old fogies at the very top. In her heart, we'll always be just company dogs."

“That’s right, we’re the company’s dogs, but my dog ​​was personally fed by Michiko.”

Joanne Koch looked puzzled: "What do you mean?"

“What I mean is, Abernathy has crossed the line. She can get rid of anyone she wants, but she can’t touch me, because I was chosen by Michiko to challenge her. If I had lost in the brutal office war, Michiko wouldn’t have cared. But now I’ve been killed by underhanded tactics, and Michiko will definitely be very unhappy. Simply put, Abernathy has committed a major taboo.”

Joanne Koch, who was also a corporate employee, quickly grasped the point. She asked excitedly, "So, Ms. Michiko will stand up for you?"

"Of course not possible."

"But you won't say..."

V shook his head: "No matter what I say, it won't change the fact that we are dogs."

People would never go to great lengths over a dog.

This is the tragedy of 2076.