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

V seemed to feel this deeply, and continued relentlessly, "Night City is a horrible place, and I'm not just saying that casually. Look, there are countless ants, jackals, corporate dogs, ghouls... but it's missing something that should be there."

"Humans—!" she suddenly raised her voice, honking the car horn furiously. "There are no humans in this place! Everyone is an animal, everyone is an insect. Maybe only the company's higher-ups and people like Saburo Arasaka can be considered human!"

"I hate this awful place. I wanted to go out and see the world... but ugh, it's a cesspool outside too. Wherever there's a big company, the whole place reeks of excrement. This world is hopeless..."

Leo didn't know why she was suddenly so agitated, but he knew exactly what to do.

He leaned over and gently patted V's shoulder, soothingly asking, "Why are you suddenly angry? Did something unpleasant happen here?"

V exhaled heavily through his nose and shook his head vigorously: "It's nothing. Those stinking cops and this skyscraper just reminded me of some things from the past."

Leo's eyes darted around as he teased her, "I'm going to start a company, and you'll be a senior executive in the future. Will you still agree with what you're saying now then?"

“Back then…” V imagined, “Back then, when I made a lot of money, I would say every day—the company is great, the company is wonderful, even the air in the company smells sweet! Until late at night, when I sober up, I would look down on you… and look down on myself…”

"Don't be so pessimistic. I'm not like Saburo Arasaka and his ilk. My company is definitely more humane than theirs. I will continue to work hard, making money with all my employees, improving the quality of life for ordinary people, beautifying this planet, and saving nature."

V glanced back at him: "Is that so... then I'll wait and see."

"It won't be long, I'm a man of my word!"

Vera, sitting in the passenger seat, watched their intimate interaction with a gentle, saintly smile on her face.

A team that feels like a family—that's what she's been searching for as she wanders around.

Unexpectedly, I found it in Night City, which has the worst reputation.

Is it because the flower blooms among thorns that it is so beautiful...?

Soon after, they arrived at the skyscraper’s internal parking lot and parked their two luxury cars next to a pile of dilapidated vehicles.

Locals who were setting up stalls, strolling around, or just idling nearby all turned to look.

Jack and V revealed the pistols tucked into their waistbands, giving them a moment to calm down.

Then, he escorted Leo into the elevator.

Based on the house number from Sassa, they found her residence in Night City.

This is a one-bedroom apartment, a bit bigger than V's place. It seems the technicians are indeed living better than the street mercenaries.

By this time, the ground was a mess, with bags and packages piled up by the door, and Sasha was panting heavily as she drank ice water.

"Huh...huh..."

"I finally finished tidying up. I had no idea there was so much stuff under the bed. I used to just cram things in without ever organizing it properly. No wonder the bed always felt unstable and uneven when I slept..."

The visitors stared speechlessly at the messy environment, their idealized image of the hacker girl shattered.

That slob...

After a short rest, the five of them worked together and it took two trips to stuff everything into the trunk, even filling the back seats of the Type 66 with cardboard boxes.

During this time, several young women tried to approach him and ask for job opportunities, but Jack politely declined them all.

When they saw that Sasha, a beautiful girl, was about to move out, they seemed to understand something and stopped bothering her.

So the luxury car was there to pick up the beautiful woman, that makes sense. As long as you're pretty, even people from the bottom have a chance to climb up, even if the price is—having to sleep with a 'big shot' first.

But as long as they can leave this place, that's good enough. They only regret that they don't have a pretty face to attract the attention of rich people.

After all five people got on the bus, Leo turned his head to look at the skyscraper that was gradually disappearing into the distance, and he seemed to understand V's feelings a little better.

The people living there all had tired and numb faces, like walking corpses.

Back at their upscale apartment in Heywood, everyone helped Sasha carry her luggage back to her room. The rest of the unpacking was up to her; she was too shy to let anyone see her belongings.

They had been on the go since noon, and now everyone could finally catch their breath and relax in Leo's living room.

Time quietly slipped to seven o'clock in the evening.

Everyone was getting a little hungry.

V was initially reluctant to move and wanted to just grab something quick and easy. But as soon as she saw the menu provided by the apartment, she reflexively frowned—after getting used to the ingredients Leo brought back, these things on the menu were simply "hideous" and made her lose her appetite.

Forget it, I'll just cook for myself.

Early Signs of Talent: Chapter 127 Dome Shopping Center

V got up and walked towards the kitchen, saying she was going to make some dinner.

Leo wanted to lend a hand and try to improve his reputation, but Vera followed first: "I'll go help. I know quite a few 'vagrant-style' dishes."

"Then, I'll go too! I can make yogurt and fruit salad!"

Sasha couldn't sit still either, and ran into the kitchen after her.

The already small kitchen was packed with people. With no place for Leo to stand, he could only return to the sofa and stare at Jack.

"There's a gunfight and horseback riding show happening right now, want to watch it?"

Jack extended an invitation.

Leo nodded indifferently, and the two men began watching TV to pass the time.

About half an hour later, the delicious-looking dishes were served.

In addition to V's signature Spanish dishes, there's also a lot of barbecue.

Especially the golden-brown, juicy lamb skewers, sprinkled with cumin, chili powder, and white sesame seeds—the aroma is so enticing that taking a deep breath almost makes your tongue slide into your stomach.

Everyone lost interest in chatting and started eating, brandishing their bowls, chopsticks, knives, and forks!

Fifteen minutes later, the cravings in their stomachs finally subsided, and everyone was able to chat.

"I never expected that the so-called homeless food would be barbecue. Didn't the TV say that you live a hard life and have a shortage of food?"

V grabbed a handful of lamb skewers with his left hand, and with a flick of his right, a whole skewer of marbled lamb went into his mouth, his mouth dripping with oil.

Vera responded, "That's right, most of the time we eat synthetic food. If we're lucky, we might catch a rabbit or a field mouse or something."

Rabbit fur is valuable, so it's usually saved up and sold when going to the city to trade. The meat is different; a trip to the city alone wouldn't cover the fuel costs, and it spoils easily, so it's simply roasted.

"That's pretty good. I couldn't afford real meat before."

V's words drew agreement from Jack and Sasha.

Vera curled her lips slightly: "You're overthinking it. At most, you'll be lucky once or twice a month. The rest of the time, if you want to eat some meat, you can only eat roasted grasshoppers, which are actually quite delicious."

She described the dietary habits of some homeless people and expressed envy for their meals, saying, "Before the family disbanded, many of my companions felt that life in the city was better, that they wouldn't have to wander around, and that they would have stable jobs and plenty of food. I never thought it would be true..."

Thinking back to the refrigerator that was crammed full, she felt that her previous life was too hard and couldn't compare to that of city people.

V nearly choked on the mutton and quickly drank a large gulp of juice, explaining, "You're overthinking it. Once you leave this house, you might only see such a lavish spread of food at the homes of company executives. This was all air-freighted from Leo's hometown. The locals in Night City eat insect meat..."

Upon hearing this, Leo recalled the synthetic sirloin beef he had eaten when he first arrived in Night City, and immediately felt nauseous.

"Can we please stop talking about insect meat? I really don't want to hear about it..."

V laughed and stuffed a skewer of lamb into his mouth.

After a hearty meal, the men took charge of clearing the table, while the women washed the dishes, quickly restoring the living room to its original state.

Jack stretched and looked at Leo: "Mano, is that all for today? Tomorrow's schedule is set, so what's the plan after that?"

Leo stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, breathing in the fresh air while gazing at the city shrouded in night.

After a while, he finally sorted out his thoughts and turned to face everyone: "Today's business isn't finished yet. The things I originally wanted to do tomorrow have been pushed to the new schedule, so we can only do them today."

He sent an address to an encrypted chat group.

"I looked it up online, and there's a super department store near the company plaza, right on the road between the Kangtao Building and the Military Technology Building, it's called... Dome Shopping Center, do you guys know it?"

"The best shopping center in Night City, open 24/7, one-stop shop for all the goods you want, quality selection, all in the Dome... I can recite their slogan by heart, it's always the opening ad for the evening news."

Jack's comment also highlighted the shopping center's notoriety.

V added, "Companies of any size from all over the world have opened stores there. Night City's best Cybertronian Us is also there. If you have money, there's nothing you can't buy there. Of course, the goods are also more expensive than elsewhere."

"It seems you all know. Let's go now before it gets too late."

Leo looked at the shopping list in his personal email and considered it carefully.

"To go to Arasaka Academy, I need to buy an Ed-U Advanced Neural Connector. I also want to buy some genuine combat training chips for military technology, and I also want to customize two smart weapons."

Upon hearing the word "weapons," V perked up: "Night City has the best and most comprehensive weapon shop there. I'm not short of money now, I should buy a good gun!"

Jack nodded: "That's true, my gun needs an upgrade too."

“Then I’ll go buy hacking equipment; they’ll definitely have everything there!” Sasha agreed.

Leo looked at Vera, the only one who hadn't yet spoken.

"I... I haven't even started work yet, have I?" she said somewhat awkwardly.

It turned out that he hadn't had the money, and it was his oversight.

Leo recalled Vera's prosthetic bill and transferred 25.5 to her: "I told you I'd give you a 30 credit line, and you've already spent some. This is the rest, just put it in your account."

"...Isn't that a bad idea?"

"What's good or bad about it? Hurry up and put it away, or it'll be completely dark by the time we get there."

After transferring the money to Vera, he gave each person 3 euros, saying it was their basic salary for March.

Despite being criticized for spending money extravagantly and recklessly, he persisted with his sugar-coated bullet tactics, aiming to hold the team firmly in his grasp through mutual benefit and emotional appeal.

After dividing the money, everyone set off in high spirits to the largest shopping mall in Night City.

*

Fifteen minutes later, the brightly lit company square came into view.

Even as night falls, the atmosphere here remains relaxed and pleasant.

Fashionably dressed wealthy people stroll leisurely in the square;

Groups of three or five company employees gathered together and chatted quietly;

There were also very pretty girls posing and actively promoting themselves to passersby;

This peaceful atmosphere is all thanks to the ubiquitous NPCD police officers and the company's hovercars coming and going in the sky.

Even in the chaotic Night City, the company square is a sanctuary. To cause trouble here is tantamount to slapping the face of all companies, and the consequences could be worse than death.

Leo was lost in thought for a moment when he suddenly realized the car had stopped.

V glanced at him in the rearview mirror and complained, "Snap out of it! We're here. A few girls in bikinis are staring at you like that. Can't you be a little more composed?"

"That's slander! I was clearly thinking about important matters!"

Leo retorted, straightened his clothes, opened the door, and got out of the car.

The five people, who were sitting separately in the two cars, reunited and walked together towards the bustling Dome Shopping Center.

Early Signs of Talent: Chapter 128 Centurion Suit

As you enter the shopping mall, bright light cascades down like a waterfall, illuminating the entire space as if it were daytime.

Looking up, Leo's gaze pierced through layers of virtual light screens and saw the bright, enormous light source, finally understanding the origin of the name "Dome".

Looking further up, at the end of the line of sight is a glass skylight, reflecting a mesmerizing array of five-colored lights, creating a dreamlike beauty.

"Shopping here is definitely a pleasure, provided you have a thick wallet."

He sighed and turned to look at his teammates.

"My plan is to buy school supplies first, then training chips, and finally weapons. What are your plans?"

The three combatants, who only wanted to buy guns, had no objections and planned to go with him.

Sasha hesitated before raising her hand: "I need to try it out first before deciding which model of hacking equipment to buy, which may take some time. Let's split up, anyway, I don't need to buy a gun for the time being."

Leo had no objection: "It's possible, but are you sure you'll be okay on your own?"

Upon hearing this, Sasha immediately put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest: "Of course, no problem! I used to work for 'Dangerous Girls,' don't mistake me for some weakling hacker! That's all for now, I'm off!"

She left behind a series of crisp, rhythmic footsteps as she cheerfully ran towards the floor specializing in hacker equipment.

Leo was staring at her back, lost in thought, when someone gently nudged him.

It's obvious without even thinking that someone who likes to get handsy is V...

"What is it now?" He quickly deleted the beautiful image of Sasha, petite yet well-endowed, from his mind.