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

The convergence of the three Vs is one of Leo's life pursuits. He was more than willing to accept the offer from the company's Vs who wanted to join him.

But as the saying goes, you can't make a sale by rushing things. If something is too easy to get, you won't cherish it. He has to haggle!

"A tainted witness... that's interesting, but even without you, we could still pin the blame on Arasaka. You said yourself that Arasaka has already decided to admit it, so why should we take unnecessary risks?"

"It's very simple, there are two points—"

First, your accusation is unfounded. A perfect modus operandi isn't necessarily a good thing. Even military science and biotechnology can't produce evidence that their convoy was attacked; Arasaka can easily argue that it was a fabricated frame-up.

I know your people went to the border checkpoint and will definitely find evidence, but that's not enough to crush Arasaka.

Secondly, the anti-Arasaka alliance doesn't actually exist. Those three companies probably don't really intend to take action against Arasaka. Given time, Arasaka will easily see this from their attitude and troop movements. At worst, they can just pay a small settlement and suppress the matter.

She crossed her legs, exuding an elegance completely different from V's: "So, if you want to gain more benefits from this, cooperating with us is the only and most effective option."

Seeing Leo deep in thought and silent, V became a little impatient: "If cooperating with you means really going up against Arasaka, then we might as well not get involved and let you dogs fight each other!"

Valerie nodded: "That makes sense, but in that case, the anti-Araizaka alliance, which was painstakingly formed by a series of unforeseen circumstances, will collapse."

Leo waved to V, telling her to calm down: "This Anti-Araizaka Alliance is just something the mercenaries joke about. Why do you keep bringing it up?"

Valerie tapped her wine glass with her fingers, then suddenly said in perfect Chinese, "What is false may be taken for true, and what is true may be false; what is nothing may be taken for something, and what is something may be nothing. Isn't this a saying from your China?"

"How... can the anti-Arasaka alliance actually come true?"

"Anything is possible as long as there is profit!"

Valerie briefly recounted the plan orchestrated by Araizaka during her job-hopping, and then seduced him...

“Jenkins now has a very high level of authority. With my technical support, he can easily orchestrate a massive information leak with far-reaching consequences. As long as your companies prepare in advance, you can take advantage of the scandal breaking out and Arasaka’s reputation being damaged to short Arasaka’s stock.”

Arasaka's current market capitalization is a whopping 900 billion euros. Even if it drops by only 10%, that's still 9000 billion euros—enough for you all to share. The only price is protecting us unfortunate employees who did nothing wrong but are being sacrificed by Arasaka. Pretty good deal, right?

It's really a great deal... even Leo is tempted.

He had originally planned to ask Kangtao for a sum of money as development funds when he produced the ethanol-2 crop, and now that he had such a sure-fire opportunity, why not take it...

Moreover, if something really happens to Arasaka, the Orbital Aviation Authority and the European Space Agency will certainly not hesitate to give it a good kick, and then... a drop of 10% might not be the limit!

Chapter 324 Miss Valerie Doesn't Believe in Tears

The butterfly gently flapped its wings, but in the end, it stirred up a storm.

As the instigator, Leo's feelings were complicated: he originally only wanted to seize a batch of laboratory equipment worth around ten million, but it ended up putting Arakasa in a predicament on all sides, which was truly unexpected...

Fortunately, the two sides were enemies, so he didn't have to bear any moral pressure.

“Sounds good, worth a try.” He leaned forward, picked up the last glass of champagne, and clinked glasses with Valerie. “I admire your intelligence and methods, and I would like to invite you and your team to join Blue Dream Corporation.”

"Blue Dream Company?"

Valerie's prosthetic eye glowed orange as she quickly searched for information.

A dozen seconds later, the light faded, and she asked in confusion, "I couldn't find any registration information for this company online. Is it a newly established company in your area?"

"No, this company will be established in ten days, and its headquarters will be in Night City."

“A new company?” Valerie’s eyes flashed thoughtfully. “Are you sure a new company can protect us? The Wrath of Arasaka is not something a small company can withstand.”

“Don’t worry, Arasaka’s primary target for revenge will definitely be the high-ranking Jenkins. I will arrange for him to take refuge in Contau. Someone as insignificant as you won’t attract much attention. At worst, you can change your hairstyle and name. V and Vera by my side can provide cover for you.”

V gave a disapproving look.

Valerie pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Are you sure Contau will listen to you? Logically, shouldn't you be listening to them?"

Leo knew this was a test, but showing off was more important than anything else, and he had to seize the opportunity!

He removed his mask, revealing a young and handsome face. His fingers, without a trace of injury or weariness, lightly swirled the wine in his glass, and he smiled enigmatically.

“I told you not to worry. At least for the rest of this year, in Night City, Kangtao will have to listen to me.”

Valerie looked at him intently, instinctively knowing he wasn't lying.

So confident...

interesting.

Just who is this guy who can so easily suppress Kang Tao…? Is he the son of a big shot from back home? Or is he here on a mission?

And this face, it's so well-maintained, and it looks genuinely young, not the kind of "youth" maintained by prosthetic technology.

Around eighteen years old, no more than twenty.

At this age, even someone from a distinguished family should not be entrusted with such a great responsibility. Which family would place their hopes on such a young member of the clan?

something is wrong,

Something about this person and this matter is off.

The last piece of the puzzle was right in front of her, yet she couldn't see it clearly. She had never experienced anything like this before. Was he also a wise man? Was he playing a grand game?

Due to insufficient intelligence, we can only focus on the immediate situation for now...

She nodded in agreement: "Alright, we can set the cooperation intention first, and then we can take our time with the specific arrangements. Right now, apart from Kang Tao, the other three parties have all been tricked by you. No one can say for sure how the situation will develop after they start their free-for-all."

Leo wholeheartedly agreed.

It's one thing for biotechnology to be utterly hopeless.

The grudge between Junke and Arasaka is enormous. Just look at Meredes' impatient look. Given the chance, Junke will definitely add fuel to the fire in the chaotic situation.

With them stirring things up, this matter won't be resolved anytime soon.

This gave him ample time to make his subsequent plans.

"Then it's settled. Keep in touch if anything comes up. Is there anything else?"

Leo had been talking for a long time and his mouth was already dry, so he drank half a glass of champagne in one gulp.

Ah~~ that familiar taste!

The supermarket goods were sold by him...

Leo placed the wine glass back in the glass case and quietly looked at the other person.

Valerie looked at him carefully for a while, then slowly shook her head: "That's all for now. Things have been too unexpected. We can only wait and see how things develop before adjusting our plans."

"Then I look forward to seeing you again, Miss Valerie. I hope you won't make the wrong choice."

Leo stood up, and countless bionic spider robots crawled into his pockets and sleeves.

Valerie finally realized how she had been tricked.

After putting away Miaomiao's props, Leo pointed to the car door.

hum-

The doors of the hovercar opened automatically under Pure White's control, and then she erased all traces of her presence and quietly left.

The trio turned and walked outside.

A probing attempt backfired, and the other side outmaneuvered them.

Valerie's competitive spirit was ignited, and she couldn't resist stirring things up: "L, let me give you one last piece of advice—don't let a person's appearance influence your judgment, that's the most important thing. Emotions can cloud reason. (From Sherlock Holmes)."

Leo paused, then was pushed by V and stepped off the hovercar.

She turned around, glared at Valerie, and stormed off.

Valerie's eyes narrowed like a fox's, a sly glint in her beautiful pupils: The clueless one was unhappy; judging from the atmosphere between the two, someone was about to be in trouble.

We've turned the tide! Plan worked!

After "lifting" the cybernetic body blockade of the Immortal Squad, she had them make way and watched the luxury limousine speed away.

This trip was definitely worthwhile.

Now she possesses intelligence far exceeding that of the think tanks of several large companies, giving her more room to maneuver and eliminating the need to rush to flee.

She glanced at the seven-figure anonymous account balance she had painstakingly accumulated, then silently deleted several plane tickets from her shopping cart, leaving only a few for ten days later as a final precaution.

After finishing, she waved to her female assistant.

The female assistant approached hesitantly, feigning composure: "Ms. Valerie, how did things go? What... what's our next step?"

Valerie stepped off the hovercar, took a few steps to the side, and faced the sea: "No rush, come and enjoy the sea breeze with me."

"Ah?...Oh, yes."

The female assistant jogged over and stood obediently half a step behind her.

"Move forward a bit."

Valerie extended her right arm, gesturing for her to come over.

The female assistant was completely bewildered, but dared not disobey her wishes, and obediently stood beside her.

The two were less than half a meter apart, already in intimate proximity.

The next second, Valerie's right hand was on her right shoulder, as if she were hugging her, a rather intimate gesture.

But the words she uttered sent a chill down the female assistant's spine—

"Did you see that clearly? That red-haired guy, isn't he the one heading towards the biotechnology building?"

The female assistant trembled all over: "Miss Valerie—"

“Shh~” Valerie patted her shoulder, interrupting her, “Let me finish. The whistleblower letter you gave to Director Jenkins, he showed it to me. To be honest, it’s not very well written. It’s full of unfounded rumors and doesn’t evoke any emotion. It seems your copywriting skills still need some polishing.”

“...Miss Valerie”.

The female assistant repeated her name to herself, tears welling up in her eyes—tears of fear and helplessness.

Valerie turned her head to look at her, and after a few seconds, she took a pack of wet wipes out of her pocket with her left hand and handed it to her: "Good, you didn't beg for mercy because you know it's useless to beg for mercy. You've been with me for a while now, so you know my style."

She turned to look at the turbulent sea, then at the towering buildings of the Night City.

"Lies, deception, betrayal—that's the tone of Night City. I understand, and I've long since adapted. But there's a limit, and that's retaliation in kind—if you want to kill me, I will retaliate without reservation, even if Saburo Arasaka comes!"

"You struck first, so don't blame me."

[Warning! Unauthorized access!]

A bright red warning sign appeared on the female assistant's retina.

That progress bar, constantly surging to the right, is the scythe that Death holds high.

An individual ICE officer intervened to intercept her, but this only prolonged the agonizing process and made her even more panicked.

Her brain kept telling her to run away, but her body was limp, having been drained of its last bit of strength by fear.

In the blink of an eye, the network defenses were breached, and her life or death was in the hands of the person beside her.

Valerie did not rush to act, and said calmly:

"Do you regret it now? Bringing you out of the European branch's training camp should have been a fantastic opportunity for you. As I rose through the ranks, your position would have followed suit. Now, out of jealousy, you've made such a foolish decision. Do you regret it?"

The female assistant sobbed intermittently, a bitter smile appearing on her lips:

"Regret is useless, so why should I regret it? Since coming to Night City, I've realized that all my previous aspirations and dreams were a joke. With my own abilities, I'll never be able to climb to the top of the Abandoned Slope Tower, not even halfway up the mountain."

But you are different… Miss Valerie. You are so perfect, intelligent, beautiful, and skillful; there is no task you cannot complete. I follow behind you, gazing up at your back, and become increasingly aware of my own incompetence and weakness.

I'm not resigned to this; I want to be like you... but I can't.

She wiped away her tears and looked at Valerie with trembling eyes: "I'm jealous of you, this jealousy burns my heart like a fire. Whenever I'm so tired I can't breathe, and I feel like there's no point in living, I crave even more—"

I long to drag you down with me to die, to pull you down from the clouds and wallow in the mud with me.

Valerie smiled with relief, not angry at her hostility.

"Jealousy is the worst of the seven deadly sins because it opposes all virtues and all good things. I only saw your ambition, but I didn't see how strong your jealousy was. Thank you for teaching me a lesson. I will pay more attention to the emotional side of others in the future and avoid making the same mistake again."

"I'm a sentimental person. Considering how hard you've always worked, I'll give you a dignified death and won't let you be thrown into the sea. After you die, your ashes will be placed in the columbarium in North Oak. Think of an epitaph you like."

The female assistant lowered her head, and after a long while, said softly, "I want to climb to the top of Arasaka Tower."

Valerie glanced sideways: "Even if this target is about to kill you?"

“Even though this goal is almost killing me,” the female assistant stated confidently, “when I sit in the hovercar and look down from the sky, I know that’s what I want…”

"What a silly girl..."

The female assistant asked somewhat nervously, "Is it not allowed?"

Valerie nodded slowly: "Of course... Goodnight, Anna, sweet dreams."

A flash of electrical sparks erupted from the female assistant's brain-computer interface, and the smell of burning protein instantly replaced the salty smell of the sea breeze.