Inside the moving car, smelling the leather seats, V felt nervous and uneasy. She gripped her sweating hands. The scenery outside the window flashed past, but none of it registered in her eyes.
She was starting to get nervous.
This wasn't a small job; stealing something from the heir of Arasaka Corporation? This was something V had never dreamed of doing. She was even afraid to think about the consequences if the mission failed.
Offending a gang and offending a corporation were two different things. In a street gunfight, you might die, but offending a corporation, in the common understanding of 2077 residents, meant the outcome was definitely death.
Alright, calm down, V. Think about something happy.
V took several deep breaths, grabbed her slightly trembling hands, and forced herself to calm down.
This was her usual trick: when uneasy, think about good things.
When it came to good things, V immediately thought of Berry's adorable smiling face, and the way she frowned and tried hard to widen her eyes when pretending to be angry.
As she thought, V slowly began to calm down.
She then thought about what happened last night, and thinking of this, she even grinned.
Last night, when she hugged Berry and nibbled on her pearl-like little earlobe to ask for intimacy, that adorable little thing certainly got upset, hitting her stomach hard with her head.
Remembering the other party's flushed cheeks, the chest rising and falling with indignation, and those wide, lively eyes, V felt an indescribable joy well up in her heart.
Berry the little cutie, whoever teases her gets hooked.
Gradually thinking about these things that could be called happiness, V's hands stopped shaking, and her entire being became calm again.
Although V had found her peace, some people apparently hadn't.
"'Striving for Excellence' package..." Jackie's leg was bouncing excitedly. "V, if you want to hang with the big shots, you gotta ride in a car like this..."
"Heh, I mean, is that all the ambition you have, Jackie?" Hearing Jackie talking to himself, V chuckled.
It's just a high-end taxi travel package, is there any need to be so excited?
"A suit, a stretch limo... and it's not even a Lincoln. You were bought off by Dexter for just this?"
"I don't know, Jackie... I just feel like you're not as awesome as you used to be." V said teasingly.
"Hmph, I think you're the one with the problem..." But Jackie shook his head, dismissing V's comment.
"Let's stay calm and focused—we still have a job to do." Looking at Jackie, who seemed unusually excited today, V unconsciously frowned.
Her big brother seemed a bit off today.
"I've never been this goddamn calm in my entire goddamn life!" Jackie, wearing the oversized suit, shook his head excitedly. "Let me tell you this, V!"
"The first half of my life was spent in this shithole!" Jackie shook his head, seeming to recall his two decades of life experience, which, regrettably, had never been happy.
"No matter what happens now, I'm never going back!" Jackie spoke every word clearly, expressing such contempt for his impoverished past spent wallowing in the mud that he sounded slightly grit-toothed.
V raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. Jackie was always cheerful before and had never spoken about this to anyone.
But Jackie saying this now, well, V admitted she was worried about Jackie. With this level of excitement, was Jackie really okay?
"Hey, what's the status? Have you arrived?" Just as V was about to say something to Jackie, Bug's cool voice suddenly sounded in the channel.
"Mhm, almost." V glanced at the gradually cleaner and more luxurious roads outside the car window, as well as the increasingly sparse pedestrians, and replied.
"Smoother than goddamn sandpaper." Jackie probably never attended etiquette school and liked to use profanity when speaking.
"We, uh, are about to reach the hotel." V quickly interjected to Bug.
Jackie was, how should one put it, a bit too embarrassing today, having completely lost the composure he usually possessed.
"Listen, I'm setting up an encrypted direct line to guide you into Konpeki." Fortunately, Bug was focused on the mission and didn't hold Jackie's comment against him.
"Hello, can you hear me?" Bug instantly pulled the thieves into an encrypted channel.
"Ah, it's all static. Say something, Bug?" Jackie grinned as if stimulated by the noise.
"'The greatest crimes are often born of greed, not poverty.'"
"What did you say?" Crude Jackie asked in confusion.
"Aristotle." At this moment, Arno, who had been silently sitting in the front passenger seat, suddenly spoke.
Berry knew this famous quote from the game.
Just like in traditional Greek tragedy, before the catastrophe occurs, the seemingly peaceful and serene morning already holds various ominous signs.
Perhaps it's the bleeding livestock in the pen, the harsh wails of black crows in the treetops, or the dark clouds gathering on the horizon... all reveal some impending change the protagonist is about to face.
And Bug's prophecy was the same. Jackie, born in Heywood, never had a choice; he could only wallow in the mud like the other Heywood kids and then risk his life for the gang.
But Jackie never seemed resigned to fate. He yearned for the legendary figures of Night City, hoping that one day he could make a name for himself—in his own words, make a huge fortune and then leave this doghouse.
When this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was placed before him, it seemed to make him uncontrollably excited.
And this usually meant bad things were coming.
Aristotle's famous quote might be right, but Berry had her own interpretation.
"The poor seek only food, but the greedy crave the pleasure of crushing their peers... Jackie Welles, I wonder which one you are pursuing."
Berry controlled Arno, speaking earnestly in a deep Austrian accent.
"Why do I feel like you guys are being sarcastic about me..." Hearing this, even thick-skinned Jackie realized something was wrong, narrowing his eyes and speaking with confusion.
"Mhm, at least there's improvement. Try to think about it more." Bug did not deny it.
"Alright, Jackie, we just hope you can..." V couldn't stand it anymore, placing her hand on Jackie's shoulder and advising him seriously.
"Thank you for choosing Delamain transit services. Good luck," the Delamain synthesized pale face said. "I will wait here for your return."
"It's finally time..." Jackie shook his head, sighing with a smile, and opened the door to get out. "Ah, I almost forgot, we can't bring guns, right?"
V, who hadn't finished speaking, cursed in frustration, but had no choice but to follow him out of the car.
"It's fine, I'll keep an eye on Jackie." Arnold, wearing sunglasses, also got out of the car, closed the door, and turned to V, whose expression was somewhat worried. "As long as I'm here, nothing will go wrong."
"Uh... Mm, thank you, Brother Arnold!" V nodded gratefully.
Arnold didn't reply; he just nodded silently and followed Jackie, but V, standing still, frowned in confusion.
Why did the tone of Brother Arnold's voice sound so familiar?
V stroked their smooth chin, finding this conjecture of theirs somewhat unbelievable for a moment.
After all, Arnold was Arnold; how could he resemble someone else?
"Hey, 'Ms. Ramon,' 'Mr. Williams,' what are you two waiting for?" In front of the luxurious hotel building, Jackie was already standing on the red carpet steps, holding the box containing the flathead, waiting for them.
Shaking their head, V dismissed the doubt in their mind, stepped forward in high heels, and followed.
"We're at the door, BUG." V communicated mentally.
"Remember, I booked using your name—Ramon."
"You are looking for Takigawa Hajime—the representative of the Arasaka Military Technology Department. The files are for the flathead."
"Don't worry, I know," said Jackie, striding ahead with the box.
Konpeki Plaza truly lived up to its reputation as a business hotel catering specifically to the elite; the main color scheme of gray-black paired with gold blended luxury, opulence, and subtlety perfectly.
The interior layout and decorative lines were straight and direct. The minimalist business design eliminated much unnecessary complexity, allowing people to relax while maintaining a luxurious core.
In the vast, solemn lobby, where a dropped pin could be heard, gentlemen and ladies in high-end suits and gowns came and went. The men were tall and robust, and the women had elegant figures, complementing the noble interior design.
The moment Berry took the first step, she shook her head and sighed.
This was a damn Den of Extravagance.
Setting aside others, just look at Jackie; glancing around, wasn't he completely dazzled?
"Welcome to Konpeki Plaza. Please form a line and pass through sequentially." Ahead of all this luxury were cold security personnel in suits, and the scanning security checkpoint.
"Sure thing, bro—er, sir."
Jackie was the first to step up to the security checkpoint. The dark blue ripples scanned him, but the moment they touched Jackie, they turned red, emitting a piercing alarm sound.
"Ahem, wait a moment, there's a problem." The security guard in sunglasses reached out to stop Jackie. "Sir, could you please explain why you are bringing a combat robot into Konpeki Plaza territory?"
"We are arms dealers, here to meet with the representative from the Military Technology Department." Seeing this, V stepped forward to smooth things over.
Just then, hearing the commotion, a person covered entirely in gold lacquer, resembling a lobby manager, walked over.
"Ah, you are here to look for Takigawa-kun, aren't you?"
The lobby manager asked aloud. Hearing the stuttering accent, one knew immediately that this guy was Japanese.
"Ah, we made a mistake just now. We are truly sorry."
Fully embodying the principle of the Bowing Artisan Spirit, the manager first apologized while bowing deeply to the three of them.
"Hmph..." Jackie snorted disdainfully and continued forward, acting exactly as a corporate employee should.
"The scan won't take too long, ma'am."
V was next to be scanned. The machine quickly found no anomalies, and V stepped forward, followed by Arnold.
Although it might have been forgotten, Arnold was indeed a robot. If he had obediently gone through the security gate without preparation, it would have been entertaining to watch. Fortunately, Berry had performed some serious work on Arnold before arriving, using knowledge gained from the Flathead Camouflage System, combined with a Police Anti-Surveillance Module acquired from the black market.
The function was nothing extraordinary; it simply made Arnold display as a person on the detector. While it might not pass the company's most cutting-edge scanning technology, it was enough to fool the hotel's security gate.
Arnold stepped onto the security gate, and the faint blue light scanned him again.
The security guard's glasses were directly connected to the security system. He frowned and watched for a moment. Since the screen only showed the thermal image of this tall person, he nodded and let him pass.
Stepping inside, Berry finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Success.
Not only had Arnold made it inside, but so had the Projectile Launch System on his arm.
However, Berry was not letting her guard down; she knew that entering Konpeki Plaza was only the beginning.
Seeing that Jackie and V were already at the front desk, Berry quickly maneuvered Arnold to walk up to them.
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