2077: V really knows how awesome he is

Saburo Arasaka got up and grabbed his katana again.

But instead of attacking, he sat upright, striving to maintain his dignity: "I will commit seppuku to atone for my sins, V, please be my second!"

V scoffed, "You think you're a samurai, that you can maintain your dignity before you die? Don't be naive. You have no right to call yourself a samurai, and I won't grant you that wish. I told you, I will destroy everything you have, including your dignity!"

"V, you demon!"

Saburo Arasaka yelled and charged at V with his sword raised. V dodged to the side and tripped him, sending the founder of the Arasaka Company flying out of the broken window.

"Do you know what? I won't even let you leave a corpse behind!"

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

Saburo Arasaka let out a sharp cry and fell to earth from the top of Arasaka Tower.

A dull thud.

His corrupt thoughts and body were shattered together. He had risen to a high position by absorbing the blood and flesh of this land, but now he has fallen back into the mud, returning his blood and flesh to the earth.

V stood by the window, the strong wind blowing her hair.

Facing countless television cameras, she made an undeniable declaration to the world.

"From this day forward, there will only be one Arahaka—my Arahaka!"

Chapter 52 International Stage, Dinner at the Table

Europe, ESA (European Space Agency) Annual Meeting.

"The investigation results regarding the Arasaka Corporation's secret construction of mass weapons at the Moon Cloud Sea Base have been released. The 264-page investigation report in front of you fully demonstrates this fact. Its procedures are legal, the evidence is sufficient, the logic is complete, and it has legal effect."

Representatives from major companies around the world inserted the chips into neural slots and nodded in approval after examining them.

"Therefore, in accordance with international law and security agreements, ESA will terminate its cooperation with Arasaka Corporation and will not renew the joint development agreement for Unkai. Arasaka Corporation must withdraw from the Unkai base within 20 working days and compensate for all losses caused by the breach of contract. Now, please begin the vote."

Cables slowly dangled from the roof, each end connected to a full-coverage goggle.

The delegates wore blindfolds to vote, and the completely physically isolated circuits eliminated any possibility of cheating. The intelligent AI, operating independently in the sandbox, accurately calculated the votes and quickly provided the results.

"Passed unanimously. This bill will take effect at midnight tonight. We will now proceed with the discussion of Bill No. 89256."

"Project Cloudsea is the future of the world, in the best interests of all humanity, and requires the unity of all wisdom and strength. The mistakes made by Arasaka Corporation are regrettable. To fill its vacancy, ESA has decided to accept Night City as a new member of the Cloudsea base. Please begin the vote."

"Unanimously approved. Let's welcome President V to the company."

Amid applause, V straightened her suit and stood up from the audience. Under the spotlight, she walked to the round conference table, pulled out her chair, and sat down steadily.

After arduous and extraordinary efforts, Night City finally stepped onto the international stage.

After the meeting, V finished exchanging pleasantries with the company representatives and turned around to find Meredith Stock and Joanne Koch waiting for her in the hallway.

"Congratulations on joining the Cloud Sea Base."

"Congratulations on your promotions, both of you presidents of the Night City branch."

"When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven; we are all benefiting from your success."

"Then remember to buy me a drink, one for each of you."

"necessary."

The three men extended their fists and gently pressed them together.

"Is Xu Ling really that amazing?"

"It's incredibly powerful."

"I must have a match with her when I get back to Night City."

"If you get tortured to tears, just don't come looking for trouble with me."

“V, I have already instructed the biotechnology team to fully cooperate with Night City’s medical relief efforts.”

"Thanks, Koch."

"It's a small matter. Actually, I would prefer to fly back to Night City immediately. I'm never at ease just hearing reports."

"That won't do, the meeting is still several days away."

"That's right, Europe is your home turf, Koch, you have to show V and me around properly. I heard the girls here are especially enthusiastic, I want to have a good look at them."

"Damn it, you female pervert!"

“V, don’t worry, we will keep it a secret from Sasha.”

"Damn it, I never said I was going!"

The three of them walked away chatting and laughing.

Behind them, the new US President Myers cast a venomous glance from a corner.

Night City defeated Arasaka, joined the Cloud Sea Base, and stepped onto the international stage. In fact, due to V's terrifying personal strength, Night City's influence was even greater than that of New America.

Miles was unwilling to accept this. Night City was just a state that had split off from the new America, a shameful traitor. What right did it have? What right did V have?

All of this happened so fast; in less than a year, an unknown mercenary had become a figure who stirred up the world.

Why did things turn out this way? How could V be so strong? What secrets does she hold? There are many different opinions among the public, and bigwigs from various companies all have their own guesses.

Miles was no exception. After reviewing V's rise to power more than a dozen times and repeatedly arguing, she finally came to her own conclusion.

V must have obtained the results of the Little Beidou Project by chance; she became so powerful only with the help of the roving AI!

All of that should have belonged to me!

Besides resentment, a hint of jealousy also appeared in Miles' eyes.

We must take it back! We absolutely must take it back!

The Little Beidou Project is a product of the wisdom of the American people, and only I, as the President of the United States, am qualified to use it. If I possess the same power as V, I can surely unify America and make America great again!

"Just you wait, V. What you took from me, I will take back with my own hands!"

Miles silently told himself to retreat into the shadows.

Meanwhile, V and two friends explored the local customs and culture of Europe before returning to their hotel as night fell.

Pushing open the door, you see Michiko Arasaka dressed as a high school girl with cat ears, playing a game in front of a holographic TV.

As his nominal superior, the princess of Night City also accompanied him to the meeting.

Of course, most of the time she was just acting as a mascot.

Hearing the sound, Michiko paused her game, turned around, and asked, "Have you eaten?"

"Ate."

"Do you want to take a bath? I'll go run the water."

"Please, the bathroom only has a shower, okay?"

Michiko Arakawa blushed, and her cat ears drooped down.

V sighed softly, and as she took off her suit jacket, she said, "Miss Michiko, I know what you're thinking. You don't need to grovel before me. Arasaka Rai... Arasaka Saburo is dead. I'm not a killer who kills indiscriminately. As long as the other members of the Arasaka family don't cause me trouble, I won't lay a hand on them."

“Of course, I’ve already warned them. They’re all incompetent. They wouldn’t dare.” As Michiko Arasaka spoke, she stepped forward to help V loosen her tie. V wanted to stop her, but feeling the other’s trembling fingers, she opened her mouth and ultimately acquiesced to the action.

To reiterate, Michiko Arasaka did not treat herself unfairly. In fact, to some extent, without Michiko Arasaka's initial support, V would not have reached where he is today.

Putting everything else aside, before he could even find a way to get his body back, Michiko Arakasaka could have Kenichi Saburo turn him into a hedgehog with just a single command.

Speaking of her health, V had survived two consecutive injections of the nano-gene repair solution. Was it just pure luck, or was there some underlying problem? V decided to have Koch give her a thorough check-up sometime later.

Lost in thought, Arasaka Michiko had already helped V take off his tie and was clumsily hanging it in the closet.

Speechless, V snatched the tie and threw it into the washing machine.

The cat-eared JK's face turned red again.

V walks towards the bathroom.

Michiko Arakasaka hurriedly asked, "Do you need a back scrub?"

"Need not!"

V let out a comfortable groan as the hot water washed over her body.

After taking a shower, V came out wrapped in a bath towel. Too lazy to change into her pajamas, she crawled into bed and threw the bath towel out again.

She said to Michiko Arakasaka, "Go to sleep, we'll be busy tomorrow morning. There are so many meetings in Europe."

"Ah."

Michiko Arasaka took off her anime-style outfit, changed into pajamas, washed up, and crawled into bed.

Of course, they weren't in the same bed.

This is a standard double room with two double beds in the bedroom. It's not that the European Space Agency is specifically targeting V, but rather that Europe has always valued integrity and environmental protection, and large conferences are always held in these simple rooms. The media seizes on this point and writes extensively about it, promoting the idea that "Europe is the light of humanity."

The common people believed it to be true, but in reality, it was all just a facade. The important figures in Europe are no different from those in other places. Despite their self-proclaimed higher education, they have the same desires as the chiefs of African tribal tribes. Behind the scenes, they are all extravagant and dissolute, spending more money than anyone else.

Human nature is both complex and simple. People share common strengths and weaknesses, yet they unconsciously categorize themselves into different classes.

Skin color, religion, region, ethnicity, nation—they could become stronger by uniting, yet they choose to build high walls and then kill each other.

It's somewhat ridiculous.

V actually smiled.

However, she was laughing at herself because she kept referring to "they," as if she had unknowingly stopped being human.

Go to sleep. As mentioned before, there's a meeting tomorrow morning.

V gave up thinking, but Michiko Arakasaka spoke up again.

"Aunt Hua told me the whole story."

V regained consciousness: "Tell me about it."

“My uncle, Yoriyuki Arasaka, inherited the Arasaka Company with the support of Aunt Hanako. At that time, the company was under great pressure both inside and outside. Aunt Hanako made this decision in order to end the turmoil within Arasaka as soon as possible.”

"Hanako Arakawa even convinced you, right?"

“That’s right. In order to avoid infighting within the family, I withdrew from the competition. Aunt Hua Zi thought that Uncle Lai Xuan would revive Arasaka, or at the very least stop Arasaka from declining, but to her complete surprise, Uncle Lai Xuan made a series of blunders and deliberately led the company to destruction.”

“That’s not surprising. Do you remember our previous conversation? Lai Xuan has always wanted to destroy the company.”

“I remember, but I thought Uncle Lai would change his mind after he personally ascended to a high position and tasted the sweetness of power.”

V sighed softly: "It's a pity he didn't. He always stuck to his ideals. The destruction of the Steel Dragon didn't change him, nor did power. Strictly speaking, he was indeed a qualified fighter, but unfortunately, he valued external power too much and neglected himself. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Lai Xuan had too many resources at his disposal, which meant he never had the idea of ​​self-improvement. But once he lost those resources, he would be truly penniless, and that situation would definitely drive him crazy."

"Yes. He planned to make the companies kill each other, but the resources he could access were also available to other companies, and even more so. With his inherent advantages gone, Uncle Lai Xuan was driven mad. He frantically suppressed all dissenting voices, even placed Aunt Hua Zi under house arrest, and sent me to Kang Tao as a scapegoat. Seeing that Arasaka was about to be completely destroyed by him, Aunt Hua Zi had no choice but to take action against him."

"Did Hua Zi help Sanlang possess Lai Xuan's body?"

"That's right, Tokyo is Aunt Hanako's home turf. It would be easy for her to lure Uncle Laixuan into a trap. As the Relic chip was inserted into Uncle Laixuan's brain, Grandpa Saburo woke up. Aunt Hanako thought that with the connections and relationships that Grandpa had accumulated over the years, she could resolve the Arasaka crisis through diplomatic means. However, she did not expect that Grandpa's attitude was very tough. He would rather choose to go to war with Night City and use force to intimidate and threaten other companies than take the conciliatory route and kowtow to others."

V frowned: "I wanted to say this before. I've read some interviews and introductions about Saburo Arasaka, and I don't think his personality is that impulsive. His choice in attacking Night City completely abandoned his usual tact and wisdom, and instead he seemed like a gambler who was going all in."

"It's very simple. It's because the digital backup of Grandpa Saburo was made 8 years ago, and the resurrected grandpa is also the Saburo Arasaka from 8 years ago. Although there is only an 8-year age difference, their mentality is completely different."

"Eight years ago, in 2069, the newly elected US president launched a war of unification against the various Free States. Faced with overwhelming military power, the Free States suffered repeated defeats. However, when President Miles was preparing to attack Night City, a city councilor who had prior knowledge of the situation secretly sought help from the Arasaka Group. Grandpa saw a golden opportunity to return to North America and immediately dispatched the supercarrier Moby-Whale to garrison Night City. The new United States was forced to order a withdrawal, and the unification effort was helplessly terminated. Arasaka once again stood atop the peak of Night City. Do you think Saburo Arasaka, who had just achieved such a great feat, would back down?"

"of course not."

"That's just how things are. My grandfather, who never backs down, met you, who is just as unyielding. That's probably fate."

V was also quite moved.

She couldn't say for sure whether Saburo Arasaka from 8 years ago or Saburo Arasaka from 2077 was stronger.

But she knew that if Saburo Arasaka continued to put pressure on Night City through diplomatic means, she wouldn't have many options to deal with it.

A network of connections built up over 158 years—that's terrifying.

Unfortunately, Saburo Arasaka chose to conquer by force. This path may not be Arasaka's weakness, but it is definitely his strength.

So V won, and Saburo Arasaka died.

Was it timing? Or fate?

V was deep in thought when a soft body suddenly slipped into the covers and hugged her from behind.

"Ms. Michiko?!"