2077: V really knows how awesome he is

Having seen many storms, V and Xu Zhong were both well-trained, so neither of them was surprised and calmly assigned a pursuit direction.

“I’ll chase the one on the left,” V said.

“Then I’ll go to the right.” Xu Zhong didn’t trip him up.

"The loser buys a drink?"

"no problem."

The two exchanged a smile and then pursued each other in different directions.

Xu Zhong's excellence gave V a great time. To be honest, she hadn't had such a satisfying battle in a long time. Sitting in the office all day scheming, she felt like her whole body was rusting.

Now that the game is nearing its end, she didn't scan for "Anders Herman." Instead, she glared at the escorting Thousand-Soldier and burned his brains before personally revealing the answer.

"whispering sound!"

V was unlucky; the "Anders Herman" she caught was an imposter.

A system crash knocked him down, and V looked in Xu Zhong's direction.

Since I'm wrong here, then the section chief must be right there.

As expected, Xu Zhong was under much more pressure than V. Fortunately, he was an excellent warrior and managed to eliminate most of the Thousand-Soldier Soldiers without any major incidents, leaving only one survivor.

Knowing he couldn't escape, the soldier turned around, intending to fight to the death. Xu Zhong was about to fire his gun when he saw the man holding a single-edged dagger, beckoning to him in a provocative manner.

Xu Zhong grinned and tucked the Super Style and Classic Style swords back into his waistband.

V raised his eyebrows.

With a snap, Xu Zhong's thigh opened, and a "steel rod" sprang out. The boy grabbed it, and the front of the "steel rod" continued to expand, extending a sharp and narrow blade. This was a close-combat weapon unlike any other Japanese samurai sword; the hilt and blade together were 220 centimeters long, which was ridiculously long.

V whistled.

Xu Zhong held a long sword loosely in his arms, striking an ancient pose, while the thousand soldiers also twirled their daggers between their fingertips.

An inch longer is an inch stronger; an inch shorter is an inch more dangerous.

Length and shortness, strength and danger, all ultimately turn into life and death, playing out at this moment and here!

The two of them started moving at the same time.

The dagger was just an inch away from the throat, but the longsword had already pierced the chest and emerged from the back. Xu Zhong shouted and flipped his wrist, lifting the enemy's body, shredding the internal organs and prosthetic body in mid-air, and then slamming it hard to the ground. After confirming that the enemy was completely dead, he drew his sword, clasped his hands in salute, and went all out to kill each other. This was the highest etiquette between warriors!

Such a stunning battle deserves applause, and V clapped generously, making Xu Zhong, who was holding Anders Herman captive, feel a little embarrassed.

Only then did he seem like a 19-year-old boy.

"What is that knife?"

"Miao sword, a Chinese weapon."

"How about you teach me sometime?"

"Okay, what weapon did you use before, V-sister?"

"Baseball bat".

Xu Zhong: "?"

V laughed and offered no further explanation. She pulled Anders Herman to her side, pointed behind her, and said, "Weren't you going to the power plant to find evidence?"

"Oh right!" Xu Zhong said as if he had just remembered. "Sister V, I..."

"Go ahead, I'll keep watch for you."

He's only 19 years old, so I'll help him if I can.

V is now quite certain that Xu Zhong has a bright future ahead of him; she couldn't compare to him at 19.

She glanced back and saw Xu Zhong pointing two fingers at the power plant's main unit, pressing the holographic keyboard one key at a time, like a chick pecking at rice.

V: ...

Another intelligence 3?

Strange, why did I say "again"?

Unable to bear watching Xu Zhong's clumsy performance any longer, V's eyes lit up with blue light, and he cracked the power plant's main unit in just 102 milliseconds.

"Wow, it's open! It's open! Thank you so much, Sister V!"

Xu Zhong shouted and yelled for a while, then his smile gradually disappeared, and he became more and more serious.

"Damn it!" He slammed his fist on the control panel, angrily saying, "Jiang Ping really did sabotage the power plant project. There were only 5 of the 200 security drones that were supposed to be there. The enterprise-level AI that was supposed to manage the entire operation was replaced with five ordinary AI assistants. The most outrageous thing is that she also lied about the power generation, secretly selling the electricity she concealed to Dog Town, and all the money went into her own pocket! This alone will cost Kang Tao over 7000 million a year!"

V wasn't surprised at all; what kind of good person could someone who shared a bed with Abernathy? But this also explained why it was so easy for him and Parnan to blow up the power plant last time.

There were only 5 security drones, and the main unit could be easily hacked and overloaded. It turned out there was a mole inside. She said that Kangtao's management should not be so lax. Her bombing was purely to help Jiang Ping settle accounts. This old lady should really kowtow to her.

"Now that you have the evidence, let's go."

As soon as V finished speaking, another voice rang out outside the power plant.

"Leave? None of you are leaving today!"

Kangtao's convoy kicked up dust as it drove in, stopping in front of the power plant gate. Jiang Ping brought over a hundred fully armed Kangtao soldiers, their faces now frosty.

"You dare blow up my hovercraft, V? You're asking for trouble. Surround them, don't let a single one escape!"

Xu Zhong drew his sword and gripped it tightly in his hand. He was confident enough, but not so arrogant as to think he could handle so many people. But he had already made up his mind: if Jiang Ping really wanted to kill them all, he would save Sister V even if it meant exposing his identity.

Having made up his mind, Xu Zhong took a deep breath and prepared to step forward to negotiate, but V stopped him.

"give it to me."

V calmly walked towards Jiang Ping, as if the dozens of gun barrels were just toys.

“If I were you, I’d think carefully about what I would do if a real fight broke out.” V sneered, “You’re right, I blew up your hovercar and killed your men. They were helpless and it was easy and enjoyable. But so what? You outnumbered me, you surrounded me, do you think that will work? Take a good look at me, look at my face, my body, look carefully, who am I? I am V! V who stormed the Aragaka Tower! Even Adam Hammer couldn’t do anything to me, do you think these scumbags under your command can stop me? Before you even pull the trigger, your brain will be fried, you and I both know that.”

Jiang Ping's face flushed red and then turned pale, her skin twitching with anger: "Do you think I'm easily scared?!"

"We'll soon find out if you're easily scared. Why don't you try shooting me?" V whispered in Jiang Ping's ear, "Do you know why I came alone? It's to give you a chance. You dared to poach someone from Aragaka, and Ms. Michiko wants me to teach you a lesson. But we're all part of the company alliance, and I don't want to push things too far. So you should understand how to vote from now on, right?"

Jiang Ping clenched her fists. She wanted to order the shooting to start immediately, but the words that came out of her mouth were completely different.

"Let them go!"

"But……"

"I told them to leave, are you deaf?!"

"……Yes."

The Kangtao soldiers made way for V, who led Xu Zhong and Anders Herman out.

“Oh, right.” V suddenly stopped, pointed at Xu Zhong and said, “He’s my man, you’re not allowed to touch him.”

Jiang Ping finally lost her temper and screamed hysterically, "V, one day I will kill you, and I mean it!"

"Ha!" V raised his middle finger: "Want to kill me? You'll have to get my number first!"

A few days later, Ruth Cheng, a well-known current affairs commentator on News 54, aired the latest episode of his program.

"Hello everyone, welcome back to my show. You all know that aircraft carrier docked in Night City's port, right? It's called the 'Kujira,' which is also known as the 'Moby Whale.'"

"The guys at the company weren't comfortable with the ship docked in Japan. They were afraid that local fishermen would mistake it for a whale and take it away for research."

"It's all a matter of fortunes changing. I wonder how military technology plans to respond. Maybe Miles will dig up a B-17 Flying Fortress from somewhere and fly all the way to Hiroshima. Oh my, that would be quite a show."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I was really rude just now. I should call her 'President' now. You can't be disrespectful to the government."

"Haha, I hope you all enjoyed my little joke. I was just chatting. What I really wanted to say was that a grand review ceremony was held on the Kujira yesterday. Some witnesses even saw a mysterious hovercar landing. Could it be that another important person has arrived in Night City? Let's wait and see."

“Haven’t you always been curious about why our plan is called ‘Operation Whale Hunt’?” V pointed at the screen and said to Xu Zhong, “This is the reason.”

Chapter 30, First Half

“The intelligence network on the military technology side has been confirmed,” Meredith Stock said. “It is indeed Saburo Arasaka.”

“The same conclusion applies to biotechnology,” Joanne Koch shrugged.

“I’ve been under close surveillance by Jiang Ping lately and haven’t been able to access many classified information, but the security level on Kangtao’s side has been raised to red,” Xu Zhong added.

"red?"

"Highest alert level, all personnel are ready to enter a state of war at any time, including... nuclear war."

"Don't worry, Saburo Arasaka won't have a chance to launch a nuclear missile." V turned around: "Release the blackfish, get the actors in place, it's time for the show to begin!"

This marks the start of the most exciting day in Night City.

"Delaman's car has departed from Taiping and is expected to arrive at the Kam Pik Building in 19 minutes and 24 seconds."

"Too slow. Lucy, I'm handing over control of the traffic control system to you. Direct traffic and make sure to reduce the travel time to within 15 minutes."

"Understood, stop at red lights and go at green lights, simple."

"Stock, double-check the fake identity the military gave you."

“Bridget, the leader of the Voodoo Gang, is actually Harry Cornwell, and Plashid, the second-in-command, is actually Ramon Victorino. Both of these false identities are officially recorded in the military personnel files. They are not fake at all except that they are not fake. I even prepared two military suits for them to ensure that everything is foolproof.”

“Very good. Sasha, here’s the situation on Arasaka’s side.”

"The meeting minutes have been copied. Arasaka's security representative, Takikawa Hajime, will have a business meeting with military technology sales representatives Harry Conwell and Ramon Victorino. It's a routine arms deal. The fourth conference room has been rented and is expected to last for 3 hours. It has been authorized and approved by the security department. The fee is 600 yuan, which will be transferred directly from the company to the business department of the Konpi Building. After the discount, the actual payment will be 599.4 euros."

"Well done. Notify Carter to have the entire Counterintelligence team on standby for any contingencies. How's the situation on the Cugilla?"

"There is no one coming in or out yet, neither in the air nor on the ground. Considering it is 9:24 a.m., Saburo Arasaka may want to have breakfast first."

"Alright, after all, he's a big shot. It's not like we're the only ones cooperating with him, but he's the only one cooperating with us. Keep an eye on things. I'll go and get control of the cybersecurity at the Ganbi Building first."

"clear."

V pulled his personal data cable from his wrist and plugged it into the access point of the Azure Building.

This time, he didn't have the buzz cut, but because of his different identity, V could directly access the intranet of the Gum Pik Building.

As her consciousness sank, V began to dive deep, swimming in an ocean of 0s and 1s. She soon spotted a massive digital fortress, the anti-intrusion unit of the Azure Building, also known as the ICE.

"It's really thick. Last time, T-BUG took several hours to break through it. I hope I can be faster than her."

With that in mind, V launched a siege attack all by himself.

0s and 1s began to beat wildly, and the entire digital fortress came to life. Bytes became sharp blades, and code became like knives and guns. They were like the most elite soldiers, shouting slogans and charging at the invaders.

V stretched out his hand, and powerful computing power transformed into a magnificent data stream that gushed out from his palm, constructing a dazzling white pillar of light in the world of 0s and 1s, as if an energy beam from a satellite weapon had descended from the sky, destroying everything in its path!

Sharp blades snapped one after another, and swords and spears turned to dust. Satellite weapons versus cold weapons—this was never an equal battle. When V stopped attacking, the white beam of light dissipated, and the once magnificent digital fortress had been pierced with a large hole. From the edge of the breach, fragments of 0s and 1s kept falling, just like the ruins of the real world.

V checked the time; it had taken 12 minutes and 44 seconds.

She put her hand down and then confirmed something else.

I have unknowingly surpassed T-BUG, and surpassed many, many others.

Looking at her digital self, V suddenly had a strange feeling that this was the real her, and that her physical body was just a shell, a cage, a…

“V, Dlaman’s car has arrived at the Azure Building. Bridget and Placid are heading to the lobby on the first floor.”

His thoughts were interrupted, and V exited cyberspace.

"They're going through security, so far it's going smoothly..."

Before he could finish saying the word "profit," the metal detector alarm went off with a piercing blare.

"Damn, these two idiots are even carrying guns! Didn't we already tell them that weapons are not allowed in the Ganbi Building? Do they think this is Taiping Prefecture?!"

Bridget, the leader of the Voodoo Gang, was at least somewhat worldly-wise, but his second-in-command, Placid, was a stubborn, stinking rock. Even when the building security guards had their hands on the pistols on their backs, he still acted like he was the best in the world, spouting nonsense like "Nobody can take my weapon."

V frowned slightly and said over the communicator, "Carter."

"clear."

A concierge intervened in the dispute.

He first stopped the security guard, then took out a tablet to confirm, before asking Bridget and Placid, "Are you two here to see Takikawa-kun?"

Bridget head.

The concierge quickly bowed and apologized: "Ah, that was our mistake just now, we are so sorry. You two are honored guests, please come in."

The alarm was lifted, and the two passed through security. Placid deliberately bumped into the security guard from before, uttered a Haitian swear word from his thick lips, and arrogantly warned, "You better watch out next time!"