From Gotham to Night City, my infamy is known to all.

V gently persuaded him.

Vera shook her head: "I want to spend more time with you and deepen our bond."

That's so blunt, it's making V confused.

We're all on the same team; she gave this reason, so I can't exactly say I'm not welcome...

V was in a dilemma, so he turned to Leo and gestured for him to step in.

Leo pondered the meaning behind Vera's words and walked briskly to the sofa.

He originally wanted to sit between V and Vera, to enjoy the pleasure of being sandwiched between the two Vs.

But the gaze coming from the left was too piercing, so he had no choice but to sit to V's left, leaving her sandwiched in the middle.

V was pleased with his tact and gently put her arm around his, silently asserting her dominance.

Vera smiled gently, not angry at her little "provocation".

"After what happened with Jack today, I suddenly realized—I've been in this team for three days now, and I haven't really had a proper chat with you guys yet. Let's take advantage of the time tonight and get to know each other better?"

V, a seasoned lone wolf, was very uncomfortable with this request: "What do you mean? Like those female students, we can exchange ideas about our favorite colors, unique hobbies, or the Mewtwo stars we're currently following?"

"No, that would be too deliberate. Let's just chat casually, about anything. Family members need to communicate more to avoid misunderstandings and strengthen their relationship."

"Family... uh, we're actually teammates, right? As we spend more time together, we'll naturally develop feelings for each other."

V subconsciously rejected her "family theory" because it sounded too strange. Clearly, she and Leo were family, so why did Vera have to come in?

Vera shook her head: "A good team is like a big family without blood ties, like the Mann team we met today. How about it, would you like to hear what the wanderers who grew up in a group think of their team?"

Leo and V's curiosity was piqued, and they both nodded.

Vera crossed one leg and leaned back gracefully on the sofa:

"In my opinion, the Mann Squad is a rare kind of squad with a family atmosphere—Mann and Dorio are like a father and mother, while Pila and Rebecca act as the older brother and younger sister in the family. Even Qiwei, who is wary of everyone, is attracted by this atmosphere and tries to integrate into it."

This kind of team is truly rare. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they could potentially become a real family willing to sacrifice their lives for each other.

V hesitated for a moment and then nodded. With her amazing intuition, she could also sense a deep bond between that team and that of ordinary mercenary teams.

"What about our squad?"

Vera's smile widened, as if she had been waiting for this question: "Our team certainly has a family atmosphere. Jack is trying to become a reliable older brother, you and Leo are the pillars of this family, and Sasha is more like a lovely younger sister."

"And what about you?" V noticed that she hadn't mentioned herself.

Vera's eyes glazed over for a moment, then her maternal glow deepened: "I feel I can be the matriarch of this family, mediating everyone's relationships and building a warm and loving home together."

V's eyes glazed over: "You mean... you want to be my mom??"

"The matriarch doesn't necessarily mean mother; it could also be grandmother or an honorary title. Of course, if you prefer—"

"I don't want to!" V shouted in protest. "You're fine as a member of the family, don't just casually give yourself a higher seniority!"

Vera sighed, but didn't seem too disappointed.

Fearing she might say something sarcastic, V quickly sought help: "Leo, what do you think?"

Leo thought... whatever, it's just an honorary title anyway, what's the big deal about calling Vera "Mom"?

He gave a few vague words, expressing his support for Vera's family theory.

V looked to the left, then to the right, and suddenly regretted leaving Vera behind.

Why does Vera insist on becoming a family member instead of a perfectly good teammate? It just feels so awkward for her…

Vera, seeing V fidgeting, used her child-rearing skills again: "V, have you ever heard of orcas?"

"An extinct animal, I've seen it in documentaries."

"Yes, orcas are extinct, but their ecology is very interesting. When I was a child, I found some orca documentaries in a junkyard, and I was deeply attracted after watching them once."

Orcas are matrilineal societies, with each family led by an elder grandmother. The grandmother, possessing extensive life experience, leads the pod on long annual migrations between the frigid polar regions and the warmer equatorial areas in search of food and to raise the family's offspring. "Like wanderers..."

Vera started telling stories again, and it had a remarkable effect on V!

Even Leo quietly lowered the TV volume, enjoying the feeling of being surrounded by gentle voices.

Before they knew it, it was nine o'clock. Vera finished telling a story about a pod of whales and quietly said goodbye and left.

After a while, V blinked and broke free from the state of being under hard control.

But in her mind, she also felt that the ecology of orcas did indeed make her envious—female orcas are the leaders of the pod, while male orcas are "mama's boys," and they will never be separated unless death comes.

Thinking of this, she looked at Leo.

Leo shook his head frantically: "Vera still has some semblance of a mother, so don't even think about it. What kind of mother beats her child every day... Ah—!"

The iron fist of God descended swiftly, suppressing the shrill voice.

After playing around for a while, V, riding on Leo's back, looked thoughtful: "Speaking of which, the medical equipment and drones you bought today are actually meant to be put into subspace, right?"

First Glimpse of Talent: Chapter 178 - A Strong Bond Formed with Vivian, There's No Turning Back

Leo was pinned down on the sofa by her, and after struggling in vain, he quickly lay down.

As the saying goes: life is like rape, if you can't resist, you have to learn to enjoy it.

This solid, reassuring feeling isn't so bad!

He simply closed his eyes and lazily replied, "Not only medical equipment and drones, but also the hacker chair and some of the goods that haven't arrived yet should be put into the subspace so I can access them at any time."

"That's not bad. If you can 'conjure' a few armed drones at any time, then ordinary gangsters and mercenaries won't be able to threaten you."

V wholeheartedly agreed, as she had always been deeply worried about Leo's weakness.

In particular, his subspace is mysterious and seems to be more than just a place to store items.

Recalling the box of extinct ingredients he had once taken out, V's intuition gave him a vague idea of ​​what was going on.

After a long pause, she slowly leaned down and lay on Leo's back.

"What was that secret you wanted to tell me that time?"

When Leo sensed the shift in the center of gravity behind him, he had already focused his attention. Upon hearing those words, he instantly realized that the opportunity he had missed before had returned!

His closed eyes snapped open: "Are you willing to listen now?"

V slowly moved closer and pressed her face against his: "Now that we're officially a couple, I'll listen to what he has to say. That way, I'll be mentally prepared no matter what happens in the future."

Feeling the warmth on his face, Leo took a deep breath and started with a question: "V, have you ever heard of parallel universes?"

V was slightly taken aback: "This kind of plot is shown on TV every day, there should be no one who doesn't know it..."

"That explains it. In addition to its storage function, my subspace also has the function of traveling to parallel universes. These supplies are what I bought from another Earth."

After he finished speaking, V remained frozen for a long time.

She heard what he said and understood it, but... her brain just wouldn't accept it.

Traveling to a parallel universe is a common theme in movies and Mewtwo, similar to time travel, outer space exploration, and being reborn with memories.

But if someone actually says he can do it, everyone will just laugh it off and advise him to take less drugs.

However, the things Leo brought back were indeed very...weird.

Yes,

It's very strange...

When something that no longer exists on Earth reappears, the only explanation is that it's related to metaphysics or magic.

Seeing that she hadn't spoken for a long time, Leo shook her body a couple of times to wake her up: "It does sound incredible, but it's true. I also brought back some information from that world. I'll send it to you to take a look. Remember to delete it after you've read it."

He asked Pure White to send V a short documentary about Earth, which talked about the changes in the natural environment in 2010.

When the vibrant Earth appeared on his retina, V's consciousness was completely immersed in it.

The documentary is only seven minutes long, but V remained silent for twice that time.

After a long while, she finally spoke: "Is this the other side of the world? It's so beautiful. The sky is still blue, and there are all sorts of small animals everywhere, as well as rainforests. The cities look beautiful too, unlike Night City, which is full of devastation..."

Leo nodded quietly.

"Then...why don't you stay over there?" V suddenly tensed up, trying her best to sense his emotional changes.

"Because you're here."

Leo's answer earned him a kiss from V.

But she couldn't help but ask, "It can't be just because of that, right?"

Leo thought for a moment and then told the truth:

"My family and friends are all here, which is a major reason why I like it more here. Another important reason is that I'm a mundane person—"

I love money, power, strength, and immortality.

"The other world is dangerous. It contains things like magic and superpowers that are beyond our control. It's too difficult for ordinary people to make a name for themselves there."

Night City is better; at least everyone fights using cybernetic implants and weapons, strictly adhering to scientific principles. The differences between people aren't so great as to transcend species.

He gave V a brief introduction to DC superheroes such as Superman, The Flash, and Green Lantern, leaving her completely bewildered.

Those unbelievable superheroes, it feels like any one of them could easily wipe out Earth in 2076...

The pride and complacency that V felt from installing the S.A.S. quickly cooled, and a strong sense of unease even made her shiver.

"That world is too dangerous. It feels like the world could end at any moment. Maybe... you shouldn't go. Let's just stay here and focus on developing our business... okay?"

Leo smiled wryly: "My subspace technology is still immature. I have to go to another world to recharge every now and then. I can't avoid it even if I want to."

V suddenly understood... why, from the very first meeting, he had an inescapable sense of urgency about him, as if something was chasing after him.

This ability is both a blessing and a curse; he must keep running in order to gain enough power to protect himself before any unforeseen changes occur.

Now, this sense of urgency has also been passed on to her...

V's arms suddenly tightened, making it hard for Leo to breathe.

Even without extraordinary intuition, Leo could sense the unease emanating from her.

Just as she herself said—she was afraid too…

Leo struggled to turn over and pulled V into his arms: "Don't be afraid, V. Think about it, everything is moving in a positive direction now. I've already established myself in both worlds, and in the future, I can leverage my ability to travel between them to combine the technology and power of both worlds and change them."

Comparatively speaking, Night City is already considered a beginner's area. I'll spend most of my time here, by your side. I've said it before, I'm incredibly scary, I won't do anything reckless.

V buried her head deep in his chest, seeking a moment of peace like an ostrich.

She then rallied with unwavering determination.

"I understand. I need to become stronger so I can protect you! ...By the way, can't you bring people into your subspace?"

"We can't bring any live animals right now, but maybe we can in the future."

"Then you should bring more armed drones, combat robots and the like. As long as the commands are set in advance, the mechanical legion can handle most enemies."

Leo agreed with her idea, but there was a problem: "My space is limited, and most of it needs to be used to store goods. Besides... I don't want to fight those monsters at all; I don't see any chance of winning right now. I'd rather be a law-abiding citizen over there and honestly run my company and make money."

V breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time, she felt that being a little timid wasn't so bad; at least she wouldn't do something reckless...

After hugging for a while, V stood up and helped Leo up as well.

"That world is too dangerous. I need to increase your training intensity and train you into a qualified soldier as soon as possible. For our bright future, you must give it your all!"

Leo nodded vigorously, put on his protective gear, and joined the training.

Early Signs of Talent: Chapter 179 Leo: "Ha, women..."

Training program one: combat training.

He engaged in close combat with V, one of Night City's top mind-control fighters, practicing his offensive and defensive skills with every punch and kick. Sweat quickly soaked his clothes, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

Training program two: anaerobic training.

Leo struggled against the heavy equipment, pushing himself to the limit with every lift. His heavy breathing and burning pain in his muscles allowed his body to undergo a transformation amidst the agony.

The third new training program will explore the mysteries of intelligent weapons by using the intelligent weapon training chip provided by Compo.

As usual, Pure White will go in first to scout ahead and master all the techniques. Once he has mastered them all, he will kick out the instructors built into Kangtao and teach Leo himself.

The training officially begins.