2077: V really knows how awesome he is

V frowned: "What are you doing making a snowman in front of my house in the middle of the night?"

"What do you mean by 'making a snowman'? I came to find you, but you weren't home. I called you, but your phone was off. I had no choice but to wait for you at the door, and then it started snowing heavily. What could I do?"

"It's Christmas today. The weather system predicted heavy snow for midnight tonight. It was forecast three days in advance. Didn't you see it?"

Vera scoffed, "Why would a lone wolf like me be looking at the weather forecast?"

“No, wait.” V remembered something else: “Didn’t you make plans to go to the festival with Selene today?”

Upon hearing this, Vera immediately became serious: "First of all, it was Selene who made the promise to me, not the other way around. Secondly, you will never guess what Selene said to me today!"

V and Sasha exchanged a glance: "What did Selene say?"

Vera exclaimed, "She actually said she wants to marry me!"

V and Sasha exchanged a glance: "Oh."

Vera exclaimed, "Oh? Just one 'oh'? Aren't you surprised at all? I treated her like my boss, and she actually tried to sleep with me! What about the trust between people? How can she do this to our friendship of so many years?!"

“Uh…” V scratched his head: “Is it possible that you two have never had any friendship at all all these years?”

Vera: "What do you mean?"

Sasha kindly reminded her, "Selene liked you from the very beginning. She's been pursuing you all along, but you just didn't realize it."

Vera immediately replied, "That's impossible!"

"why?"

“It’s simple,” Vera said, counting on her fingers. “I’m an expert in everything from drinking and gambling to whoring. Selene is the fleet commander; how could she possibly be interested in a piece of trash like me!”

V was speechless: "Your self-positioning is quite accurate, and your views coincide with David's. Why don't you two get together?"

Vera nodded repeatedly: "David is a good fighter and doesn't dawdle, I like him quite a bit too."

In reality, only David dislikes Vera. Gloria and Lucy are quite satisfied with Vera, after all, she's a smooth talker and knows how to win a woman's heart.

V rubbed his forehead, looking exasperated: "And then, Selene proposed to you, and what was your response?"

"Then why bother answering!" Vera retorted confidently. "I ran away right there and then, ignoring that stupid woman!"

V and Sasha both facepalmed.

“Selene will probably be very sad. I’ll give her a call,” Sasha said to V, and went to the next room.

V nodded, then asked Vera, "Why did you refuse? Didn't you keep saying you wanted to sleep with Selene?"

"Sleeping is sleeping, marriage is marriage. I'm not an irresponsible bastard, so I only accept casual sex partners who are not responsible. I will never mix any personal feelings into having sex with someone!"

V's expression was complicated: "You're actually quite human when it comes to being inhuman!"

Vera beamed with pride: "Hehe!"

"I wasn't fucking praising you!"

Sasha returned at that moment and pulled V aside, saying, "I've contacted Selene."

"Is she alright?"

“It’s alright.” Sasha’s expression was also complicated: “Selene said she had anticipated Vera’s reaction. The situation was under her control. Her next step would be to play hard to get, to take this opportunity to distance herself from Vera for a while, to let Vera experience the loss of her without her, and then suddenly appear to catch Vera off guard and take her down in one fell swoop!”

V was both amused and exasperated: "Selene is treating Villa like a war. Are all young people these days playing this fancy game?"

Sasha sighed, "She said Xu Ling taught her that."

V couldn't hold back any longer: "Xu Ling is a senior member of QQ Space who has never been in a relationship. What does she know? This master and apprentice are really something, one dares to teach and the other dares to learn."

“Xu Ling is like a block of wood, I’ve already given up on her, but I’ve watched Selene grow up, and it’s rare that she’s fallen for someone. We have to lend a hand with her marriage.” Sasha ordered, “Vera is your responsibility!”

V opened his mouth wide in surprise and pointed at himself: "Ah, me?"

"Otherwise what? She's another version of you!"

“Okay, okay, I’ll talk to her tomorrow. It’s late, let’s rest first.” V said, starting to touch her, but Sasha pushed her away: “Sorry, I’m really not in the mood for this Selene thing. Why don’t you go to the bathroom and take care of it yourself?”

Then what's the point of me solving this?

V returned to the living room with a sour face.

Vera sensed the low pressure, but didn't know why, so she said something nice: "Sis, you and Sasha have a really good relationship."

V puffed out his chest: "That's right, Sasha is my only love! By the way, there's a job coming up that might require me to travel to another time, so get ready."

"Oh, another job?" Vera's face fell. "Why does everyone else not have to work, but I have to? I want to just laze around and do nothing too."

Duh, because you're the best!

However, V couldn't say this outright, so he could only take a roundabout approach: "I'm doing this for your own good. When you're away on business, you'll be able to avoid Selene, won't you?"

Upon hearing this, Vera's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, otherwise it would be the famous V, they always have so many ideas! When are we leaving, tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow won't work, I need to spend time with Michiko tomorrow."

Vera: "...The day after tomorrow?"

"The day after tomorrow won't work either, I have to be with Ciri the day after tomorrow."

Vera roared, "You dare say Sasha is your only love? You scumbag Vera!"

V: "...Fuck, whatever, go to sleep!"

Chapter 177 Vera Beast Evolution

V had a very busy Christmas holiday, and everyone knows why. Although there's no Christmas in the Witcher world, V considers himself a responsible and good person, so he has to treat everyone equally.

Vera gritted her teeth and sneered: "Scumbag Vera!"

"Do you still want to go on business trips?" V asked through gritted teeth.

"Think about it, sis, you are the goddess of pure love, the model for all lovers in the world!"

V frowned: "You can say such insincere things without batting an eye. You have a really thick skin."

Vera retorted angrily, "You have no right to talk to me like that!"

The two bickered, and Vera, with practiced ease, took a bottle of tequila from V's liquor cabinet and poured it for them, asking, "So, which time are we going to this time, and who are we helping to erase their regrets?"

"No, this time it has nothing to do with eliminating regrets, but if you really want to say it has something to do with it."

"Riddler, get out of Night City!"

“Alright, I’ll put it simply. You know Xu Zhong, right? He’s Xu Ling’s brother.” V explained, “Many years ago, he was injured by Kenichi Saburo. We could only save his life by freezing him. This time travel was to resolve that matter.”

“Kenichi Saburo?” Vera repeated the name. “What little punk? I’ve never even seen him appear.”

"He was the number one lone wolf back then, on par with Morgan Blackhand. And you've met him, the one you took down in a flash when you assassinated Arasaka Yorinobu last time... well, he was indeed a nobody."

"So you're going back in time to stop Kenichi from injuring Xu Zhong?" Vera shook her head after saying that. "No, going back in time won't change the present. Even if you save Xu Zhong from the past, the current Xu Zhong won't recover."

“You’re right,” V nodded. “That’s why I’ve decided to travel to the future this time.”

"The future?" Vera suddenly realized, "Oh right, all our previous time travel has been to the past, we've never actually been to the future."

"The real meaning of time travel lies in the future," V said bluntly. "Just imagine, if we traveled a thousand years into the future and brought back the advanced technology of that time, what a tremendous leap forward that would bring!"

Vera realized, "Right, if you can travel through time, why bother with the mundane routine? Just go to the future and get what's readily available. So you're planning to go to the future to acquire advanced medical technology to treat Xu Zhong now?"

“It’s not just about Xu Zhong; many problems can be solved by traveling to the future. For example, space colonization, interstellar exploration, and the various social problems brought about by rapid population growth. We are currently completely blank in this area, but in the future, there will definitely be mature solutions.” V tapped the table: “So as long as we can completely master controllable time travel technology, we can obtain everything, because we will be connected to the future, able to obtain information and technology from ten thousand or even one hundred thousand years in a second, truly achieving omniscience and omnipotence.”

Vera opened her mouth wide and said in surprise, "I don't understand."

V: "..."

Why are you surprised if you don't understand?

"I don't understand it, but it sounds pretty cool." Vera grinned. "Anyway, I'll do whatever you decide. I'm also curious to see what the future holds. So, when are we leaving?"

"Tentatively scheduled for one week from now, January 1st, 2171."

"A whole week more?"

"Astraea needs to make some preparations, and you need to make some preparations too."

Vera was taken aback: "I'm all alone, I can just put my hands in my pockets and walk away, what preparations do I need?"

"There's a lot to prepare, but the most important thing is to strengthen your combat power. You're still too weak right now."

“Weak? Me?” Vera couldn’t help but laugh. She knew just as much as V did how awesome she was: “How did you associate the word ‘weak’ with me?”

V's expression was serious: "I don't deny that you are strong, but that's all based on current technology. My plan is to go to the future. Are you sure you can beat the security robots of 2271 with your old cybernetic body from a hundred years ago?"

Vera's smile froze on her face, and she was speechless.

She was confident, not arrogant. Given the current pace of technological development, she felt she would definitely be the one getting beaten up.

“Wait a minute, aren’t we going to learn technology? We’re not going to fight a war, so why are we going to fight with security robots from the future?” Vera suddenly realized the crux of the matter.

"It's true that we went there to learn technology, and we never intended to cause any damage. But anything can happen. If suddenly a few people came to our door, claiming to be from the past, and demanded that we hand over all our cutting-edge technology, how would you feel?"

Vera scratched her head: "A fraud? A spy? A Qin Shi Huang waiting to be resurrected?"

V nodded: "That's the logic. Nobody can predict what will happen a hundred years from now. Although I will still exist a hundred years from now in theory, time is always unpredictable, which can easily lead to misunderstandings. So we must become strong enough, not to steal technology, but to ensure that we can escape and return to the present if future people try to capture us. Do you understand?"

"I think I understand now. Going to the past means we crush others, while going to the future means others crush us, right?"

"exactly."

"That sounds dangerous. I can't even imagine how powerful you'll be a hundred years from now. I hope we don't end up fighting." Vera was a little nervous, but mostly excited. "So that's why you gave me a week to prepare? It seems you already have a plan to become stronger. What is it?"

“This is it.” V handed over a chip.

Vera placed the results into the neural slot and exclaimed, "Nano prosthetic firmware upgrade, adaptive evolution plugin? What is this?"

"As the name suggests, firmware upgrades are about upgrading your traditional prosthetic body to a nano-prosthetic body like mine, while the adaptive evolution plugin allows the nano-prosthetic body to evolve autonomously with changes in the environment and user needs."

"Wow, this is awesome!" Vera exclaimed like a child who had just received a new toy. "Did you develop this especially for me?"

"No, this is for the interstellar exploration expeditionary force. The main reason for giving it to you first is to use you as a guinea pig, since you are much more robust and resilient than the average person."

Vera: "..."

Of course, V was joking.

These two technologies were indeed prepared for the interstellar expeditionary force, and it was indeed necessary to collect data from the Valar, but they were already quite mature and did not pose any hidden dangers, which is why V gave them to the Valar to use.

The upgrade process will take about five days. During this time, the nanobots inside Vera's body will decompose the original prosthetic and regenerate a new type of nanoprosthetic. This process will consume a lot of energy, and Vera's prosthetic organs will also stop working. So she was stripped naked and thrown into a nutrient tank, soaking in nutrient solution. A tube was inserted into her mouth and anus, not to give her pleasure, but to provide her with oxygen and remove waste. During this process, her body will continuously dissolve and regenerate, which looks like the evil experiment of an evil scientist.

Five days later, the upgrade was complete, and Vera awoke. Her various prosthetics had been replaced with the latest generation of nano-prosthetics, which no longer used traditional metals and circuitry. Instead, they simulated a state almost identical to human bones and muscles, making her indistinguishable from her original body at first glance.

"In reality, those are not real bones and muscles; they are nanoclusters with greater plasticity and repair capabilities than traditional prosthetics. They connect directly to your nerves, resulting in lower latency and faster response."

Vera punched the main battle tank in front of her. With a loud bang, the main battle tank flew over and crashed into the corner of the wall, turning into a pile of scrap metal.

"It doesn't feel any different from before," Vera said, a little disappointed.

“That’s because the nanoprosthetic was just reconstructed based on the parameters of your previous prosthetic,” V explained. “Your brain and nervous system can’t handle a body that suddenly becomes stronger. If you’re given enormous power right away, you’ll only hurt yourself.”

Vera accepted this explanation, but asked, "Then how can I become stronger?"

V gave two words: "Exercise".

Vera was speechless for a moment: "I have the most advanced nanotech implants, but I still have to train to get stronger. Isn't that a bit too outdated? Should I go to a gym and do some bench presses or something?"

"With the introduction of body customization, gyms have long become a thing of the past. Genting has opened a few gyms, but their selling point is mainly the setting and character design. Although they are fitness facilities, they are not serious fitness experiences." V shrugged: "Although I mentioned exercise, nano-prosthetics have nothing to do with retro. Traditional exercise requires accumulation over time to produce results, while your current exercise is mainly to convince yourself that 'I have become stronger.'"

Vera was completely confused: "If I think 'I've become stronger,' does that mean I really will become stronger?"

"exactly."

"What is this power of thought?!"

“This is to synchronize the nanoprosthetic with your brain,” V explained. “The more powerful a tool is, the more it needs to be limited, and the same goes for nanoprosthetics. To prevent them from becoming the dominant force and reducing humanity to a mere platform for mechanical applications, this design was implemented. The nanoprosthetic itself can evolve indefinitely, but there is no predetermined direction for its evolution. Everything is controlled by the user’s needs. In other words, the nanoprosthetic will only become stronger if the user wants it to become stronger, thus preventing the prosthetic from evolving excessively and going out of control.”

Vera asked in surprise, "Will it get out of control again?"

V shrugged: "Any tool can go out of control, and the probability of you being killed by your toaster is not 0%. But the nanoprosthetic body avoids this situation from the design concept, and there is also an intelligent AI as a co-pilot to help you monitor and detect 24 hours a day, so you can rest assured."

"There's even an AI co-pilot?"

"Of course, why not use AI since it's so useful? Come on, say hello."

The second half of the sentence was clearly addressed to the AI ​​co-pilot, and Vera heard a familiar voice: "Hello, Private First Class Vera, I'm Claptrap."

"Wow, it's Claptrap! Long time no see. Have you become the ship's AI?"