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

"Well, that's it."

V initially agreed casually, but not long after he spread various ingredients all over the floor, she became somewhat uneasy.

"Wait... why did you even put flour and seasonings in there? Is your subspace infinitely large?"

"How is that possible?"

“Since the capacity is limited, you should pack more goods. What’s the point of buying so many things that can be bought in the supermarket? And why did you tear off the labels? I can’t even tell what these bottles and jars are anymore…”

"Open it and try it. If you don't know, wait for me to come back and figure it out. These are all high-quality seasonings from a premium supermarket. The raw materials are all natural, unlike the high-tech and artificial stuff in local supermarkets."

All-natural... seasonings?

V was once again overwhelmed by the phrase "rich and willful," feeling that she shouldn't criticize this pile of expensive ingredients whose price might be close to six figures.

Leo quickly took out a portion of all the possible ingredients, turning V's room into a food warehouse.

After thinking about it, he decided that good things should be shared, so he took out the top-quality food box that the wealthy man had given him.

Bang!

The box landed with a resounding thud.

Upon seeing the box with a metal shell, V curiously approached and asked, "What's this?"

"The parting gift that the important person gave me was all top-quality ingredients!"

The box was pure white and had been thoroughly inspected, just as Batman had promised—he hadn't tampered with it.

Unlock the latch and lift the lid of the box.

A white mist spread out, and the air temperature dropped several degrees.

The box was packed full of top-quality ingredients.

V, with his sharp eyes, spotted a super-sized crab at a glance.

She reached out and grabbed a crab leg, lifting up the enormous crab, which weighed at least ten pounds.

It's really big... not counting the crab legs, the crab's body alone is bigger than her face...

"This thing... it must be worth at least five figures, right?"

The exorbitant cost of the ingredients made V feel inferior.

Do we really have to eat this kind of thing?

This one alone must be more expensive than her beloved gun.

Eating this makes my heart feel like it can't take it...

Leo didn't care. This looked like a king crab, not even an endangered species, so he figured he could just eat it.

"I've given you all the ingredients; you can choose which ones to cook yourself. If you really don't know how, just steam them in a pot. Seafood is delicious when steamed and dipped in ginger and vinegar sauce."

"I can't talk to you anymore, it's almost eight o'clock, I have to go to Arasaka Academy."

Leo hurriedly left, leaving V alone staring blankly at the box of top-quality ingredients.

There are many ingredients here that she doesn't recognize, such as this basket of blue lobsters. It seems she'll have to look it up online to find out how to cook them...

*

Arrive at the company square in Delaman's car.

As soon as Leo got off the bus, he realized that very few students came alone; most of the students came with their families in groups of three or five.

Upon entering, the reception staff at Arasaka School explained that students could bring their families to today's opening ceremony, and even the lower-level office areas of the adjacent Arasaka Tower were open to these families so they could witness their children's bright future.

Leo seemed to understand. No wonder there were no plans for the afternoon; it was all to paint a rosy picture for the parents, making them willingly pay for their children to attend prestigious schools.

Selling hope...

This marketing strategy is truly masterful; Arasaka Academy has some real talent.

First Glimpse of Talent: Chapter Ninety-Three Pure White: "Call me Mom, and I'll protect you from now on."

After passing through security and verifying his personal information, Leo walked alone into the Arasaka Academy building.

For this annual opening ceremony, the faculty and staff of Arasaka Academy put a lot of thought into decorating the interior beautifully, deliberately creating a campus atmosphere full of youthful vitality.

Leo wasn't very interested in these things. To be honest, since graduation, he only dreamed about taking exams in his nightmares.

That terrifying feeling of desperately trying to think, but having a mind that's sometimes sharp and sometimes dull, and just not being able to come up with an answer, can linger for quite a while even after waking up.

Following the signs to the ceremony hall, Leo was greatly disappointed—it was just like a large conference room, looking high-end and grand, but lacking any special features.

He found a place away from the crowd and sat down, lost in his own thoughts.

As nine o'clock approached, all the faculty and staff stood on the podium, and the students and parents quieted down, looking at these "successful people" in suits and ties.

Yes, in the eyes of most parents, the faculty and staff of Arasaka Academy are already highly successful people.

Among most of Night City's population, they are what are known as "corporate dogs".

Don't think this is a derogatory term; it's a term coined by people who say "sour grapes" because they can't have the grapes.

The reality is quite the opposite. If you can be a dog for a company, especially a large one, you are already more human than at least 95% of the city's residents!

The parents craned their necks, listening with excitement as the group on stage made grand promises.

Those tempting promises and words made them feel as if they could see a bright future for their own children.

Education can change one's destiny. As long as they graduate from here and receive that gleaming diploma, their children will surely be able to escape the quagmire of the lower class and turn their lives around with their families!

After the principal and several other college leaders finished speaking, a group of junior staff members carried large boxes and distributed head-mounted neural connection devices to all the guests.

This is the device that students wear on their heads to enter virtual reality in the animation.

However, the neural connection devices distributed this time are of a very low model and are only for loan purposes; they will be returned after the ceremony.

Leo also received one, and after a thorough inspection, it was confirmed that it was safe to use.

"Distinguished guests, please connect the data cable of the neural connector to your personal port. Next, our faculty and staff will take you on a virtual tour of the Arasaka Academy's teaching environment, as well as other Arasaka Corporation office buildings for you to visit at your leisure."

"If all goes well, our students may be able to join these departments after graduation. Believe me, it will definitely be a very enjoyable and well-paying job!"

The principal delivered a passionate speech on stage, while the students and parents below beamed with excitement.

Some people even started cheering loudly, making the opening ceremony look like some kind of pyramid scheme.

Leo connected the data cable to the port behind his right ear and entered virtual reality.

The scene went black, and after a brief moment of dizziness, the beautiful campus with its blue sky, white clouds, and lush greenery appeared before my eyes.

He clenched his fist and stretched his body.

It felt like entering a "holographic virtual game," but much more realistic.

Virtual panels appeared in mid-air before them, displaying various operational instructions. Since this was just a visit, they only needed to learn how to move around.

Later, everyone toured the entire Arasaka Academy and were deeply impressed by this academy, which is known as having the best basic education facilities in Night City.

After touring the college, the remaining forty minutes are free time.

The iconic buildings of Arasaka Corporation, scattered around the world, are brought to life around them using virtual reality technology, allowing students and parents to freely visit them.

Leo casually walked into the Arasaka Tower and took a look, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he were looking at a twin tower some years later.

The opening ceremony ended on time at 11:00 a.m.

After queuing to return the neural connection device and receiving his official student ID, Leo hurriedly left the college, a stark contrast to the students and parents who were reluctant to leave.

*

Twenty minutes later, Leo returned home.

The kitchen is now complete, and the brand-new furniture gleams with a captivating luster.

But V looked serious and pulled him into his room.

“Look at this, Leo.” She picked up a blue lobster and showed it to him. “If the information online is correct, this should be a blue lobster from Butagna, France.”

Leo was puzzled: "What? These shrimp are poisonous and can't be eaten?"

V slowly shook his head: "These shrimp have been extinct for a long time."

Leo was stunned, blinked, and began to stare blankly.

V hadn't stopped yet, and picked up another ingredient: "This, bluefin tuna, is extinct. This, goose barnacles, are extinct. This..."

She displayed a variety of ingredients, all of which had one thing in common—they were all extinct.

"Does your country possess some kind of technology that can restore extinct species using the genes of extinct animals? Otherwise, where did you find these bizarre ingredients?"

I checked, it's not synthetic, it's fresh, just caught. Do you need an explanation?

Her words seemed to come from a very distant place.

Leo's thoughts went through a brief period of confusion, which then turned into a kind of impotent rage: Damn Batman, so this was what he was waiting for!

He didn't tamper with it; he simply gave Leo some precious ingredients that require very specific environmental conditions to see his reaction.

Leo remembers acting nonchalant at the time. Will Batman be able to deduce something from that?

He really threw up. Is he even human?!

She's even more cunning than him; she didn't forget to test him even when giving him a parting gift...

"Don't just stand there, what's going on?"

Faced with V's questioning, Leo directly shifted the blame to Pure White:

[Aren't you always online? Why didn't you warn me when the ingredients Batman gave us were problematic?!]

The pure white reply arrived instantly—

Just yesterday, you thought V's over-reliance on his talent was unwise. But what about you? Aren't you also over-relying on me? You don't even check things before you take them out, and now you're blaming me.

Certainly, I can help you fill in the gaps and solve all the problems. But if I do everything, how will you grow? Leo, thinking itself is the source of progress. If you want to be like V and give up thinking, then call me Mom, and I promise I'll take care of you like a silly son from now on.

Ma Leo Ma

Pure White still wouldn't let him go:

I've calculated it. In over 114,000 simulations, your secret of traveling between the two worlds couldn't possibly escape V, who's with you day and night. It's just a matter of time.

Since that's the case, be generous and tell her the secret. Believe me, sometimes carrying an incredibly important secret can actually bring you closer together.

Consider this a lesson: think things through more, or you'll eventually become a fool.

Early Signs of Talent: Chapter Ninety-Four - The Kind Grandmother, Mrs. Wells

Having failed to shift the blame and even received a lecture, Leo stared blankly and began to question the meaning of life.

After a long while, he licked his lips and decided to confess to V: "V..."

"stop--!"

V shouted loudly and quickly covered his ears with both hands.

"Actually, I don't want to hear it at all. That last sentence was just a slip of the tongue! You can keep this kind of secret that could get you killed to yourself. Quickly put this box away. Putting these things on the table will scare the guests."

She unleashed a high-speed divine incantation, and after completing the chant at the speed of light, she vanished in a flash.

Leo stared blankly at the closed door.

[Huh? V actually realized it. You missed a great opportunity, Leo. If you had ignored her and just told her the secret, she would be completely tied to you.]

【ah! ? 】

Think about it, knowing a secret of this level, if she doesn't want to betray you, she'll have no choice but to stick with you forever, going down a dead-end path. Surprisingly, that intuition worked pretty well...

Is it too late to catch up now?

The atmosphere was right, but you didn't capitalize on it. Maybe next time.

"Ugh……"

The sigh eventually escaped his lips.

Putting away Batman's "parting gift," he took out some ordinary meat he bought from the supermarket and rushed to the kitchen to meet V.

"Let me help you. I'll do all the chopping and washing of the vegetables."