"Really?" Jack asked with curiosity and excitement: "You two were drinking in Rebirth? Damn, you've been hanging out at Rebirth at your age?"
"He took me there, I couldn't have done it myself..."
V spoke, but couldn't help feeling a bit like showing off, swaying his head as he said:
"But I'm not bad either. That night a dumb mercenary named Fenrir suddenly got cyberpsychosis, and my buddy and I, with just one shot each, sent that cybered-up guy sky-high.
He had Sianwistan installed, man, he was fast. If it weren't for my quick reflexes, it would have been really dangerous.
From five or six meters away, the guy could fly right to your face in less than a second."
"Damn, Fenrir, I've heard of him! The Wolf King of the Wolf Pack Squad!
I've heard about his skills. He's really good, once took out twenty-three Cleaner Fish by himself, cleared a Cleaner Fish den in five minutes.
Who's your buddy? Which big shot in Rebirth? Managed to take him down?"
Jack asked excitedly - he loved hearing stories like this and liked to ask around, sometimes dreaming of being that badass himself.
"His name is A, a pretty badass hacker. After we killed the guy, even Rogue came out and was polite to him, advising him to keep a low profile without saying anything unnecessary.
He's new, I guess his reputation hasn't spread yet... what's that look on your face?"
V suddenly noticed Jack's somewhat odd expression.
"Is his real name Alex Mercer?" Jack said.
V frowned: "Um, he goes by Mercer, but I'm used to calling him A, do you know him?"
"..." Jack thought of the kid he'd seen outside Old Wei Clinic.
But...
Why did the Mercer he remembered seem different from V's description?
Turning his head, Jack sized up V, recalling how Mercer called the shots and how V was buddy-buddy with him. Alright, considering his skills, it's not impossible.
"Met him once, kind of know him. He even gave me a contact, told me to reach out if I ever wanted to change careers."
Jack was honest and asked curiously: "Are you his now?"
"..." This time it was V who couldn't speak.
V hesitated, then suddenly turned to Jack: "Jack, what if there was a path right in front of you to become the bigshot you imagine? What would you choose?
If you agree, you might provoke the companies, attract a lot of scary guys, might not even make it to thirty.
If you refuse... there might be other chances, to be a living legend? Like Adam's Hammer."
"Of course, I'd go for it! Chica!" Jack said without hesitation.
He seriously looked into V's eyes, speaking earnestly: "V, you're still young, maybe you think you'll have many chances later, but let me tell you...
Sometimes, a life-changing opportunity comes only once, just in an instant, miss it, and there's no second chance in this life.
As for provoking companies, not living past thirty... I mean, V, what did you do before?"
V was taken aback: "Just... took random jobs on the street."
"Have you been shot before?" Jack asked again.
"Of course, I shot someone when I was thirteen, and I've been shot seven or eight times, thought I was done for several times." V said with emotion.
"Then why are you still doing this?" Jack asked back: "When you got shot, didn't you think about finding a decent job? Why are you still running around with a gun as a mercenary?"
V was suddenly stunned.
Seeing this, Jack shook his head, chuckled: "Living past thirty... go ask the kids on the street how long they think they can live?
Just the other day a kid in the Valentino Gang died, nineteen years old.
Do you know how he died?
Just because some dumbass was messing with grenades in a room, accidentally pulled out the pin, and let go.
The dumbass picked up the grenade and instinctively threw it far away, into the alley outside the window.
The kid was so innocent, just turned the corner into the alley, and got blown to bits.
His mom wanted to grab a gun and go after that idiot for revenge that day, guess what?
The guy who threw the grenade killed himself, because he was the one who brought the kid into the gang, couldn't get over it, thought he was an idiot too, so he killed himself.
Two lives, just because of one accident, a bunch of coincidences."
Jack said earnestly: "The idiot who killed himself was only twenty-eight, V.
In the gang life, five out of ten die before twenty-five, another four don't make it past forty.
And you? In the mercenary business, I think you'd die even more frequently than in gang life."
V had actually figured it out.
She showed a somewhat complicated smile, shaking her head, then downed her drink in one gulp: "Thanks, Jack... I'm such an idiot."
"Chica, I'm glad I could help you. That guy, A... er, MANO (brother), I mean, he really seems amazing.
I think if you can stick with him, it would be solid.
I chatted with Old Wei, you might not know him, Victor Victor, a very skilled cyberware doctor.
He said that kid fits him well and is definitely a tough character.
Old Wei is good at judging people, so if he thinks someone is trustworthy, they can't be far off."
After Jack finished speaking, V nodded heavily and patted his shoulder, "Jack, you're great too. If you ever think of a career shift, A welcomes you, I welcome you too.
Anyway, contact me if you need anything, tonight... thanks."
"Hey, no big deal, V, can you still drive?" Jack said with concern.
V laughed loudly twice, "Don't worry, sister is in a great condition... not talking, I'm taking the chance now to give him a response before he sleeps."
"Alright, anytime you're free, come hang at Wild Wolf. Come early, contact me, I'll have my mom make some Mexican food; it tastes amazing."
Jack smiled and nodded at her.
"Mm, bye, Jack."
V waved and hurriedly paid her bill and headed to her car, forgetting to ask how he knows Mercer.
She simply quickened her pace, jumped into her car, and called Mercer.
"Mercer, I'm decided."
"Hmm?" Mercer sounded slightly surprised.
But V spoke extremely seriously, "I've handed this life of mine to you... I'm in! Screw the company, screw all the idiots, anyway, I'll live to fulfill the thrill of being a big shot!"
"Hmm... alright, welcome officially to my team, V."
Mercer's tone clearly had a smile, "But I'm curious, why did you suddenly chicken out before?"
V suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, well, I've built up the atmosphere to this point... why are you digging up past issues?
"Okay, because I'm a damn fool.
Seeing myself making money with you, seeing my pockets filling up, I began fantasizing about a future of accomplishments, retiring with a big wad of cash.
You kept telling me how great I am, how talented I am... I actually believed it, truly thinking my future is promising.
Hell, if I really had the skills, would I struggle to even pay rent?
Then earlier, someone reminded me... or I figured it out myself.
I am just a street punk right now, if I miss this chance, where will I have opportunities for fame and fortune, for doing big things? Who else will value me like you do?
What's the point worrying about the company, whether I live or die?
If I feared death, I should just go back, find a decent job, find a reliable man to marry, why be a mercenary?"
V said to Mercer, extremely seriously, "A, as long as you don't lie, truly treat sister as family, sister will go all out for you! Do big things together! Make big money!
As for those companies? Damn them, rob them! How else to make big money?"
"Do big and strong, create brilliance again, right..."
Mercer's voice carrying a laugh, "Good... then let's together turn Night City upside down!"
"Just do it!" V heroically slapped the steering wheel, the horn's blare startled a pair of lovers outside the bar into biting their lips.
Before the swearing from them began, V hung up and floored the accelerator.
Damn it...
Who cares about the company or anything!
Sister is going to be a legendary woman!
....
And at this moment, Lucy was looking at Mercer on the hacker chair with a strange expression.
"What are you doing, win the lottery?"
"Almost..." Mercer still laughing non-stop.
Haha!
It's finally settled, V Zhen Tian is my person now!!
I wonder who else in Night City can stop me?
Mercer felt like he'd finally captured Guan Yu like Cao Cao, that sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, felt better than watching ten indecent Mewtwos.
Damn it, I have General V Zhen Tian on hand...
Invincible in the world!