2077: V really knows how awesome he is

Bullets, flames, blood, tragedy—all these combined are like the perfect accompaniment to a drink, making even the bitterness of beer taste sweet.

"Mom! Mom! Someone help me save my mom!" David shouted desperately inside the car, struggling frantically.

V remained unmoved because...

A hovercar descended from the sky; the trauma team had arrived.

Their detection equipment is very advanced, and V doesn't want to reveal his identity.

The trauma team rushed towards Gloria, who was lying on the ground. David breathed a sigh of relief, but when another member of the trauma team came to him, he quickly said, "I'm alright, please save my mom first!"

But the trauma team's response was as sharp as a blade: "This person is not a client."

A member of the trauma team who examined Gloria also said, "This woman isn't either."

"Prioritize ensuring the safety of our clients; these people can be left to the municipal hearse."

The trauma team left without hesitation.

"Hey, don't go! We're not dead yet! Please save my mom! Please save my mom!" David shouted desperately, struggling with all his might, but he couldn't do anything.

Is it strange? No, it's not.

Night City is a place where people die and tragedies happen every day.

Even V, after the death of her parents, was kicked out of her home in Charter Hill like trash; she was only eight years old at the time.

"Welcome to Hell, David Martinez."

V raises his cheap can of beer in a toast to future legends, then tilts his head back and downs it in one gulp.

The trauma team has left; it's time to get back to work.

David heard the roar of an engine, and then a motorcycle stopped beside his mother, and a woman wearing a terrifying mask got off.

Even though he was terrified, David ignored everything and sent out a distress call.

"Please, please save my mother! She's dying! Please help us contact an ambulance. We'll pay you whatever you want!"

V crouched down, took the Sianwistan from Gloria's pocket, and turned to leave.

She said she had her own things to do and didn't have time to be a savior of others.

David was in despair. As the fire spread to his mother, he screamed desperately and tried to break free, but he could do nothing.

Just as he was about to give up completely, his vehicle was violently struck by another car and flipped over with a crash.

"Ouch!" David's face was covered in blood, and he was in excruciating pain. He glanced at the car that had crashed into him; there was no one driving it, so how did it even move?

"Don't just stand there." V drove up slowly in the black car he had just acquired: "Before I change my mind, bring your mom up."

David's eyes, which had been filled with despair, were filled with hope again. He scrambled toward his mother and pulled her out of the fire.

"Thank you so much! Please take us to the nearest hospital, please!"

V took them to Victor's clinic because, according to the "plot," hospitals weren't safe either.

Thanks to Old Vieux's efforts, Gloria was out of danger.

"She is still in a coma. Maybe she will wake up in twenty minutes, or maybe it will be twenty years. I'm sorry, I have done my best, but her body is severely depleted and her prosthetics are aging badly. This is the best result I could achieve."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Victor!" David said loudly, bowing deeply. "Please rest assured, I will make up the medical expenses as soon as possible!"

“No rush. I think you need the money more than I do right now,” Victor said with a smile. “You can pay me back when you have the money.”

David, who hadn't cried even in utter despair, burst into tears upon hearing these warm words.

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Victor, I promise to pay you back, really."

Old Wei didn't offer much comfort, but simply patted the boy on the shoulder and encouraged him, "That's good. Remember, this is a one-time thing, don't let it happen again!"

"Yes!"

But V knew that if it happened again, Old V would still not hesitate to save people first and collect money later.

His eyes lit up with blue light, he hacked into Old Vieux's clinic system, and threw down 100,000 euros.

There are too few good people in Night City; it would be too stupid for them to starve to death.

V turned and left; she was in a hurry.

At the door, she saw Misty.

The two passed each other, and Misty said softly, "You really are a good person, V."

Misty was the one who sold him the Grim Reaper mask, and V never thought he could hide it from this girl.

"Keep it a secret for me."

He made a V-sign with two fingers together, then rode off on his Nazaré motorcycle with a flourish.

"What an interesting person, his energy is very compatible with that of the Grim Reaper."

As Misty was reflecting, David's voice rang out from behind her.

"Excuse me, have you seen the woman wearing the mask from before?"

"She's gone."

"Ah!" David looked disappointed.

Misty asked, "Do you have something important to tell her?"

David quickly shook his head: "No, I just want to... repay her. She saved my mother and I."

“Hehe, gratitude is a very good quality.” Misty smiled and said, “So don’t worry, the mysterious high-dimensional energy tells me that you will have a chance to meet again.”

"Really?!" David exclaimed excitedly, then asked curiously, "What is higher-dimensional energy?"

"It's the mysterious and unpredictable Tarot cards. So, would you like to have your fortune told?"

Misty still didn't forget to save her struggling business, while V cracked the military-grade S.A.S. chip in the secretive hotel.

Just as she suspected, it was a "Peregrine"-class SEAWStan, a product of military technology, not yet available on the market; it was likely a laboratory product. But why would Abernathy's assassins be carrying such advanced military technology? Did that old bitch have connections not only with Zeta Technology and Comtau, but also with military technology?

V seemed to have grasped something and continued to dig deeper into Sianwaystein.

She checked the product serial number and digital signature again and found that this S.A.W.S. chip, like the Arasaka Type IV network access module in her brain, was a product that was "scrapped" as soon as it left the factory. Only insiders could do this, so there really were people in the military technology field secretly providing assistance to Abernathy.

Spy, inside man, stakeholder, or something else entirely?

V reverse-engineered the digital signature and eventually traced it back to a military technology executive named Anthony.

Looking out the window, it was already completely dark.

So doing good deeds does pay off. After being busy saving David's family during the day, now that it's dark and windy, it's the perfect time to visit friends.

V puts on the Grim Reaper mask.

Anthony lived in the Charter Hill luxury apartment in Westbrook. V hacked the cameras and security system, took control of the elevator, and silently arrived at the 22nd floor where his target was located.

V became more and more skilled, and probably no one would have guessed that she used to be someone who charged around with a baseball bat.

It is 2:44 a.m. Anthony is already asleep. V uploaded a [target location] through the monitoring network, and six red humanoid silhouettes appeared on her Qilu Siyi eyes.

V locked onto the target, keeping all six people within his field of vision. Even through the walls, V could clearly see their every move.

The person lying on the bed in the bedroom should be Anthony, and the other five are all bodyguards.

There are two on the first floor, two on the second floor, and one patrolling on the roof; he's probably a sniper.

This Anthony is very cautious; it seems he's done quite a few bad things.

V was not bothered by this level of security at all; on the contrary, he was quite pleased.

The tighter the guard, the more valuable the treasure inside.

As for these bodyguards...

V looked at the person patrolling on the rooftop, his eyes flashing blue. He activated the combination of [Reboot Prosthetic Eye] and [Sonic Shock], and the person silently collapsed.

Didi, the system notified that its intrusion had triggered the other party's tracking program. A progress bar appeared on the prosthetic eye and began to slowly accumulate. Once it reached the full value, the AI ​​would automatically send an alert to others and reveal V's location.

As expected of a professional bodyguard, quite interesting. I should have used [Memory Erasure] first.

Despite the minor glitch, V remained calm. On one hand, the Arasaka Type 4 network access pod had a built-in anti-tracking program that could slow down the enemy's tracking speed by 30%. On the other hand, there were only four enemies left. Once they were all dealt with, the tracking program would naturally terminate.

V looked up at the second floor, his eyes flashing blue. He hacked into ICE, cracked the matrix, uploaded the puppet, and the bodyguard fell unconscious.

She did the same to the other person, and the two people on the second floor were all taken care of.

Then on the next floor, she glared at each one and they fell down. She didn't even have to move her feet while standing still, and she easily wiped out the security team that Anthony had hired at great expense. The tracking progress was less than 30%.

"Hackers, how interesting."

V whistled as she entered the bedroom. She had intended to give Anthony the same "standard procedure," but the guy was snoring loudly, sleeping like a log.

Well, it seems that good sleep really does help with health. At least Anthony won't have to replace the burned-out anti-intrusion unit when he wakes up the next day.

V swaggered down at the desk, opened the laptop, and was prompted for a password. She shrugged unsurprised, pulled out her personal data cable from her wrist, and connected it. In less than five seconds, she had easily breached the computer's firewall, even more unguarded than Joanne Koch, who had just taken a shower.

V had many emails on his computer, and as he read through them one by one, a smile crept onto his face.

We've found something on Abernathy!

Chapter 17 The First Day of Perfection

Besides some work emails, Anthony's inbox also contained a large number of encrypted documents.

But with V, encryption or not makes no difference.

Once the security lock was cracked, the previously unknown secrets were revealed.

[Abnersey: I've got another assignment from above. I need some action plans on the latest military technology to complete.]

Anthony: Sure, what are you planning to trade for it?

Abernathy: Complete information on the Shingen series of smart submachine guns.

Anthony: Don't be ridiculous. Arasaka's smart guns were completely outclassed by Comto. What would I need those toilet paper for? You'd be more interested in getting information on Comto's Yinglong smart submachine gun.

Abernathy: Yinglong? How about I just get you the information on the Eight-Star Gun?

Anthony: You can get that?!

Abernathy: I! Of! Certainly! Can't! Get! It!

Anthony: Don't you have a lover in Contau?

Abernathy: You know she's a lover, not a mother. She won't always do what I want. Yinglong has a very high level of security in Kangtao, and Arasaka doesn't have anything of equal value to exchange for her. Besides, her daughter has been causing a lot of trouble lately, and I haven't contacted her for a while.

Anthony: Well, that's regrettable news. But one letter isn't enough; you need to add something else.

Abernathy: Alright, you're lucky. There's this jerk from Arasaka who's been challenging me lately, and I have to make some moves. Cybertronian, a military-grade cybernetic body Arasaka is developing, aims to create controllable super soldiers, seize market share in military technology, and thus strengthen Arasaka's dominance in Night City.

Anthony: Holy crap, Arasaka's got some ulterior motives up his sleeve? This information's awesome, send it over here!

Abernathy: So what I want is a military technology action plan?

Anthony: Don't worry, we've been working together for so long, would I lie to you? I'll send it to you right now.

Abernathy: Received. It's a pleasure working with you.

Anthony: Don't rush to say goodbye, there's something else I need your help with.

Abernathy: You say it.

Anthony: Arasaka recently formed an alliance with biotechnology, and then Zeta Technologies and Comto joined in, which really heightened the sense of crisis in military technology. My idiot boss said that whoever can help military science join this alliance will get promoted. You know that bitch Meredith Stock has been shitting on my head all this time, my chances of turning things around depend on this, you have to help me!

Abernathy: I see. Well, that depends on what price you're willing to pay.

Anthony: Wow, my promotion is good for you too, you're not losing out!

Abernathy: Arasaka is not my personal fiefdom, and I am not in charge of the League.

Anthony: Think of something! We've been partners for years, you can't just stand by and watch us die.

Abernathy: I really can't help it.

Anthony: I'll add money. Weren't you interested in that S.A.W.S. piece from before? If you help me, I'll get you two... no, three more!

Abernathy: Okay, I'll take care of it.

Anthony: Then I'll wait for your good news.