章 172: Chapter 171
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In the central-northern part of Watson, old, chaotic apartment buildings stand in clusters. Some have been abandoned for a long time, overrun by weeds, while others are temporarily occupied by gang members. With the decline of the northern industrial zone, this mixed-use residential and commercial area has also gradually fallen into disrepair. The streets are mostly populated by destitute homeless wanderers, who gather in the apartments' corridors and alleyways seeking shelter from the elements.
A black Delamain sedan slowly pulled up, stopping in front of one such dilapidated apartment building. Delamain taxis rarely visit this quiet neighborhood, as few people come here for business or tourism. The car's arrival caught the attention of a few frail, haggard homeless men nearby, their old cybernetics giving them a listless appearance.
The Delamain taxi door automatically opened, and Tang Yu stepped out, fastening a single button on his jacket. Without wasting a moment, he proceeded directly into the old apartment building. This building was in slightly better condition, with functional water and electricity, and a working public elevator. Tang Yu walked through the dimly lit hallway and entered the elevator, selecting the 15th floor.
The elevator ascended slowly, its gears and pulleys noisily creaking, with occasional shakes. Before long, it reached the 15th floor. Tang Yu continued down the corridor until he arrived at an electronic gate. With a small electrical arc flickering at his fingertip, he effortlessly bypassed the security lock and walked inside.
The interior was in utter disarray, filled with surgical tables, shadowless lamps, freezers, and various medical instruments carelessly strewn about. There were even chainsaws, axes, and metal plates. Plastic sheets lined the grimy walls, splattered with fresh blood, and the entire apartment reeked of a damp, metallic odor.
Tang Yu stepped over a corpse clad in green overalls, wearing a face mask and rubber gloves, looking like a butcher. There were several similar bodies inside the apartment, each gruesomely killed—some with their necks twisted, others disfigured by sharp blades, and some riddled with gunshot wounds. Despite the variations in their deaths, one word described them all: 'brutal.'
Tang Yu continued through the apartment, focused on moving toward his goal. In the innermost room, he found his target: V. He had been closely monitoring V due to an electronic debt contract, which ensured he received immediate alerts about her status, be it escape, injury, or unconsciousness. This allowed Tang Yu to maintain control over V until her debts were repaid.
Tang Yu had received an alert during a conversation with Jenkins at the Arasaka Tower, prompting him to rush over. Near a balcony door, V lay on the floor, unconscious. Tang Yu quickly stepped forward, crouching down to lift her, and performed a brief scan of her vitals. Apart from being unconscious with slight convulsions, she had no life-threatening conditions.
Tang Yu suspected she had been hit by an electronic virus and then shocked by an electric gun, causing her collapse. He activated his 'low-voltage control,' sending weak electrical arcs through the neural interface at V's neck, carefully avoiding any significant injuries during his examination of her implants. A quick check revealed slight electromagnetic malfunctions that could be fixed at V's clinic, along with a thorough virus scan.
Tang Yu carried V out of the apartment and back to the Delamain taxi, heading straight to her underground implant clinic. The Delamain detected V's symptoms and enthusiastically recommended its new medical service package, developed in collaboration with Trauma Team, including rescue, first aid, and emergency services.
Not long after, the taxi stopped in front of the cybernetic implant clinic. V, unconscious and seemingly asleep, was carried inside by Tang Yu. Inside, a doctor was washing his hands by the sink, having just completed a surgery.
"Viktor, adding to your troubles again," Tang Yu greeted.
The doctor replied, his voice smoky and seasoned, "Yes, what trouble has she gotten into this time? The surgical chair has just been sterilized."
Tang Yu laid V on the chair and explained, "She got hit by an electronic virus on a mission at a scavenger den and was shocked by an electric gun. She hasn't fully recovered yet."
The doctor finished washing his hands, dried them, and donned his assistant gloves before stepping next to the surgical chair. "Alright, let's see what knocked out our gifted fighter."
Tang Yu watched as the doctor began his work, confident in his skills. Although V had no major injuries, the possibility of the virus hiding other malicious functions concerned Tang Yu.
Once the doctor connected to V's neural interface, her vitals and implant data were displayed. After a thorough check, Viktor addressed some electromagnetic issues and said, "The minor issues are resolved. She'll wake up soon. It'd be best to do a full virus scan to ensure she's clean."
Tang Yu nodded and added, "Check her underlying database too; we might find some hints."
The doctor agreed, accessing V's underlying database. Data sequences filled the electronic screen. "Her ICE protection has been compromised, probably by a massive data flood. It's a dangerous state."
"We should upgrade her ICE defenses and update her software for better compatibility," Tang Yu agreed. The doctor began screening V's database for anomalies, given her damaged ICE rendering her defenses almost nonexistent to experienced hackers and implant doctors.
Suddenly, a peculiar data string caught their attention. "This anomaly is in her memory storage. It doesn't affect any programs, so her brain functions fine for now," the doctor said.
Tang Yu mused, "It's like a thief leaving fingerprints after returning what he stole."
The doctor nodded, "Yes, that's a fitting analogy. Someone has taken an interest in her. After we upgrade her defenses, we'll give her some good gear. She'll need to be more cautious in the future."
Tang Yu looked at the unconscious V, pondering. Someone had targeted V, likely drawn to her data on Netwatch's 'Neptune' project. Although the data wasn't intact, it seemed like someone had manipulated her into a larger scheme.
Reflecting on past missions, Tang Yu remembered rescuing Sandra Dorsett from the Scavenger den with V and Jackie, when V had fallen unconscious due to a virus amidst the battle. That scenario's recurrence now, particularly targeting V, suggested a more intricate plot.
The key question remained about why Sandra Dorsett, an employee of Night Corporation who had discovered corporate secrets, was left unharmed by the otherwise ruthless Scavengers for so long. This pointed toward a deeper agenda, possibly linked to Night Corporation.
For now, these were Tang Yu's theories, unvalidated and best kept confidential.
Because no one else would be able to notice the anomaly in this job.
A cyberpunk running to a scavenger's territory to save someone and then inadvertently getting hit by a virus sounded pretty normal.
Tang Yu collected his thoughts and waited for Viktor to finish the virus scan, ICE firewall upgrades, and software updates, then implanted new cyberware into her: Kiroshi Optical Eye.
Once everything was settled, Viktor unlocked the port control, allowing herself to wake up naturally.
V groggily opened one eye. The surgical light, red clinic, slightly worn blue surgical chair—everything seemed familiar, making her feel puzzled.
She dazedly looked around, her vision still blurry, adjusting focus like a camera lens zooming in and out.
But she could vaguely see two people in front of her: Viktor, the ripperdoc, and Tang Yu in a suit.
Viktor asked in a deep voice, "How do you feel, kid?"
Hearing the familiar voice, V tried to control her eyes and finally adjusted her focus. The world became incredibly clear.
"Well... it seems a bit different, like I can see more clearly, as if the thin mist in front of me was wiped away."
She suddenly remembered the last time she woke up with high-end cyberarms. Could it be that she got another high-end implant this time?
V blinked, feeling a sense of foreign object in her, a clear sign of surgery.
Viktor joked, "Looks like you found out, I implanted the Kiroshi Optical Eye for you—it's the best I have left."
"Kiroshi? That's top-tier stuff!" V was shocked, incredulous.
She's only been here twice and already got so much high-end equipment.
"Maybe so, but if you want more, I don't have any," Viktor said nonchalantly, reminding her, "You might feel uncomfortable at first—blurry vision, sensitivity to light, color issues, even frame drops... it will get better soon."
The eye was initially prepared for Tang Yu when he returned to Night City, but after learning from Jackie that Tang Yu chose not to undergo basic cyber modifications, V made a pair of smart glasses instead.
Thus, the expensive Kiroshi Optical Eye remained in Viktor's clinic until this perfect opportunity for V.
V nodded as her vision gradually became clear and rich, with almost no anomalies.
"Try the scanner. I've set up a character database for you, sourced from the NCPD. You need it more than Tang."
V immediately activated the scan, recognizing Viktor in front of her with full details displayed.
Then she looked at Tang Yu, discovering no information could be scanned—proving his unique identity.
Tang Yu spoke, "Scanning others in their presence is a bit impolite."
V turned off the scan, tried to act nonchalant, and concealed her nervousness, "Understood. It's my first time using it, and I need time to adjust. I'll be careful in the future."
"I owe you a big one this time. If you need anything, just ask, and I'll help without hesitation."
Tang Yu teased, "Ms. V, if you think this is just one favor, think again. Besides rescuing you, there was the virus scan, ICE upgrade, and Kiroshi implant... That's quite a favor."
V felt increasingly uneasy and looked at V, awkwardly asking, "So, how much did all this cost? I'll pay you back with interest, I promise..."
V waved it off, "Don't worry about the money. Keeping you alive is what's important. If you really want to repay, talk to Tang."
V froze, realizing Viktor meant that the bill was again on Tang Yu.
But having it on Tang Yu felt the same as on her—it just added another huge debt to her already high debts.
"Viktor, I want to pay for this myself…"
"No problem, talk it out with Tang. How you arrange things, I'm too old to understand you youngsters," Viktor said, turning to clean up the tools.
As Viktor prepared to leave, V felt even more nervous with only Tang Yu left in front of her. She wanted to stop Viktor but held back.
Feeling resigned, she looked up at Tang Yu, feeling weak and uncertain on how to thank him, she awkwardly blurted.
"So, what do you want..."
Tang Yu saw V's frustrated expression and couldn't resist teasing her.
"What's wrong? Are you blaming me for giving you high-end gear?"
"Someone as kind-hearted as me is hard to find. With such good eyes, shouldn't you see more clearly?"
V was speechless. Tang Yu hadn't done anything outrageous; he covered all her loans, and she got the benefits without any interest.
But she still felt inexplicably aggrieved, sensing that Tang Yu was full of hidden agendas.
He had sold her a car forcibly and did so many things without asking.
Yes!
It's the lack of respect!
But V wasn't the type to fuss; she handled street thugs smoothly back in the day.
Yet in front of Tang Yu, she always felt suppressed, her strong fists unable to land.
Regaining her sharp tone, V stated, "You're a corporate guy, let's keep it business. I can't pay the debts now, but in Night City, everything can be negotiated."
"Whatever you need—assassination, transportation, rescue—I'll take the job to pay off the debt."
Tang Yu nodded thoughtfully, agreeing, "I think that's a good proposition. Given your earning power, it might take over ten years to pay the debt."
V: "..."
"Since you suggested it, don't back out later. The most important thing for a fixer is credibility," Tang Yu joked, finding V increasingly intriguing.
V, feeling uneasy, avoided his direct gaze and responded seriously, "Don't worry. I'm always serious about business. So, what do you need me to do? I'm free now."
"But I remind you again, my name is V, not Ms. V!"
She didn't understand why Tang Yu liked calling her that, making it sound so familiar, as if they were close.
Suddenly, V realized why she felt strange around Tang Yu.
It was this familiarity.
He always acted like they had a long history, though they had just met.
V looked suspiciously at Tang Yu, increasingly finding his smile mischievous—no one had ever looked at her like this.
Tang Yu said, "If you don't like that name, fine. Then our first deal is that your nickname will be Ms. V, and the payment—one thousand Eurodollars."
One thousand Eurodollars for a nickname?
V was stunned.
Even if it's paying off debts, this seemed too extravagant.
She thought Tang Yu must be crazy to trade such a sum for a nickname.
She couldn't understand the world of the rich but was astounded and a bit contemptuous.
Is money that powerful?
V bluntly refused, "Anything else but that."
Tang Yu was persistent, "How about just for today?"
What?
One thousand Eurodollars just to call me Ms. V for a day?
This man must have severe cyberpsychosis.
But Tang Yu had no implants; where did the cyberpsychosis come from?
"..."
V was at a loss, finding it hard to refuse.
Seeing V hesitate, Tang Yu added, "I'll make it exclusive to just you and me. What do you say?"
He had spent considerable effort getting V to accept this nickname back in the day.
Now he found it more amusing to use money to tease her while she was still struggling financially.
Finally, V gave in, exasperatedly saying, "Alright, fine, call me whatever you want, Ms. V."
Seeing her relent, Tang Yu nodded contently and said, "Ms. V, since your surgery is done, let's not bother V anymore. I'll take you out."
He turned and headed for the clinic door, bidding V farewell, and motioned for V to follow.
V got up, thanked V, and caught up with Tang Yu, anxiously asking, "Where to? If there's nothing important, I need to take on some jobs."
They walked up the steps to the street level.
"From now on, I'm renting your time for a day, one thousand Eurodollars. No excuses." Tang Yu looked at her calmly and had her bring her Rayfield.
V was speechless, realizing he meant business.
In the blink of an eye.
Her debt was reduced by two thousand Eurodollars.
At this rate, she might clear her debts in half a year.
She activated the Rayfield, the car arriving with its luxury high-tech interior visible inside the scissor doors.
Tang Yu got into the passenger seat while V drove.
Holding the wheel, she listened to the engine roar, the outside view projected inside.
She took a deep breath and asked, "Where to?"
"Let's go check out the Heywood District."
V lightly pressed the gas, the car cruising down the wide road, drawing attention and photos.
She drove for a while, pondering a question.
"Why are you doing this for me…"
The question was blunt but what she most wanted to know.
Why would a corporate executive repeatedly get involved with her?
It was hard to believe Tang Yu wasn't up to something.
Tang Yu reminded, "Stay focused. If you scratch the car, today might be wasted."
V: "..."
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