32: Chapter 32 Ritz Bar

The meeting with Lin Yi, which felt almost like a "date," sent V's mood soaring like a shuttle, instantly rocketing from the depths of social death to the clouds of anticipation. She even began unconsciously planning what to wear next Monday.

However, the reality of Night City is always adept at delivering the coldest of "greetings" just when people are at their most relaxed.

Early the next morning, V's personal terminal received an urgent summons from Jenkins.

That familiar, suffocating pressure unique to the department instantly dispelled all the unrealistic ripples in her heart.

Walking into Jenkins's office, V immediately sensed an unusual atmosphere.

Jenkins appeared restless and resolute at this moment.

"V, the opportunity has arrived." Jenkins lowered his voice, his eyes flashing with ambition, "That stumbling block, Abernathy, it's time to move her."

"I've received word that she has some 'dirt' out there. Find someone you trust, and use these things to... handle her more thoroughly."

"Use external resources, and keep it clean." He handed over an encrypted chip.

V took the chip, understanding this was a dangerous side job, but she had no choice. "Understood, Boss."

Leaving the office, the first person V thought of was Jackie Welles.

He valued loyalty, was skilled in combat, and was the most reliable candidate among the people she currently knew.

She immediately connected to Jackie's comms.

...

Meanwhile, in Watson.

Lin Yi was coming out of a street food stall with Jackie, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Jackie's cybernetic eye flickered as he stepped aside to connect the call: "Hey! V! ... Lizzies Bar? Tonight? ... Alright, I'll be there soon."

"I'm bringing a brother along, he's absolutely reliable!"

The call ended, and Jackie walked back with a serious expression: "Got a job. It's my old buddy V, corporate trouble, gotta help out. Perfect chance to introduce you!"

Lin Yi understood; V's day had arrived after all.

He remained calm on the surface: "Sure."

Seeing that there was about half an hour of buffer time left, the two immediately set off for Lizzies Bar.

The evening lights at Lizzies Bar were sultry.

They hadn't been sitting for long when V appeared.

When she saw Lin Yi next to Jackie, a flash of "as expected" realization crossed her eyes, but it was immediately replaced by deeper anxiety.

Only Jackie was still happily busy introducing them: "V, this is Lin Yi, my brother! Brother, this is V, my old buddy!"

"We know each other, neighbors." V said briefly, immediately cutting to the chase, explaining the situation while omitting key information: she needed to retrieve evidence detrimental to a corporate executive from a dangerous individual, and the risk was extremely high.

Jackie felt a bit uneasy hearing this and told V directly that the guy who issued this task definitely didn't have good intentions. Lin Yi listened while remaining vigilant.

[Insight] was scanning the environment at low power.

Suddenly, a pale red warning appeared at the edge of Lin Yi's vision:

[High-threat target detected: Arasaka standard combat-augmented cybernetics x4. Behavior pattern: Search and suppress. Target locked: This booth.]

"We've got tails. Corporate, coming for us." Lin Yi whispered a quick warning.

Before the words left his mouth, four stern-faced Arasaka agents had surrounded them. The man in the lead locked his cold gaze onto V: "Ms. V."

"Due to a serious violation of corporate safety regulations, your access rights will be frozen. Please cooperate with our investigation."

V's heart sank to the bottom; she knew that if she went with them, it would be a fate worse than death.

"Hand over the chip."

V realized immediately that she was already a prisoner. Her "boss" probably wasn't doing much better right now. She had no choice but to hand over the chip to see if she could shake off these tails, so she placed the chip Jenkins had given her on the table.

The lead agent took the chip and inserted it into a data slot, "Mhm, got it. Good."

After reporting over the comms, the lead agent continued: "If we take you with us, I believe Abernathy wouldn't mind paying a little extra."

The lackey agents behind him prepared to forcibly take her without expression.

Just as one of them reached out to grab V, Lin Yi moved! His eyes sharpened as he connected his consciousness to "Bai Ze."

[Command confirmed: Execute quickhack [Synapse Burnout]. Target: Agent on the left.]

In that split second, the agent reaching out stiffened, his eyes rolled back, and he twitched violently as if struck by high-voltage electricity, before falling stiffly backward, temporarily losing consciousness!

This sudden, silent attack caused the other agents to pause!

They hadn't even seen what method the opponent used; in that instant, their comrade had fallen!

"Damn it! There's a tough nut here!" The lead agent was both shocked and angry.

"Oi!" Jackie roared, seizing the opportunity. He yanked out his signature large-caliber pistol from his waist, the dark muzzle pointed directly at the lead agent's head. "Move again, and I'll blow your iron head apart! Let's see if your company's reflexes are faster, or if my bullets are!"

Jackie's reckless, bandit-like aura, combined with the twitching companion on the ground and the threat of an unknown hacker, instantly suppressed the remaining agents.

They valued their lives too and didn't dare bet on whether Jackie would actually shoot, especially during a firefight in a public place. Regardless of the outcome, they were the ones who started it, and if there was an internal investigation later, that bitch Abernathy wouldn't necessarily protect them.

The lead agent's face turned livid. He stared intensely at Jackie and Lin Yi, then glanced at V, whose condition was starting to deteriorate (her cybernetics were beginning to reject her body due to the access freeze). Finally, he squeezed a sentence through his teeth: "Fine... very fine! V, do you think this is over? Without the company, you're nothing! Try to survive by scraping by on the streets."

Having said that, he signaled his subordinates to help up their unconscious companion, and they retreated from the bar in frustration.

Once the agents left, V's forced composure instantly collapsed. She groaned, her face turning deathly pale, and her body slumped backward—all of her corporate cybernetics, including her auxiliary respiratory system and biological monitoring system, had stopped working or were throwing errors due to the access freeze!

Lin Yi was quick-witted and caught her in his arms, his consciousness racing at high speed:

[Multiple cybernetic failures detected in target! Executing emergency protocol: [Fake Signal Maintenance]. Target: Cardiopulmonary function simulation, stabilization of basic vital signs. Duration: Medium.]

He temporarily used "Bai Ze" to hack and simulate basic command signals to maintain her cybernetics, keeping V alive for now to avoid any sequelae or other damage.

"V! Hang on!" Jackie was alarmed at the sight.

"Her access is frozen, her cybernetic life support is about to collapse! I've only stabilized it temporarily; we need to get to Viktor's immediately!" Lin Yi said quickly, scooping V up into his arms, "Jackie, clear the way!"

"Understood!" Jackie didn't hesitate, taking the lead with his gun drawn, scanning his surroundings vigilantly as he covered Lin Yi and V as they rushed out of Lizzies Bar.

V leaned against Lin Yi's chest, her consciousness hazy, feeling completely hopeless as she murmured: "It's gone... now everything is gone..."

Jackie, nervously observing the surroundings while preparing to hail a vehicle, looked back and roared, his voice filled with unquestionable determination: "Nonsense! Don't you still have us?! Welcome home, chica!"

Lin Yi didn't speak, just held the light yet somewhat cold body in his arms tighter, feeling the life-support signals simulated by "Bai Ze," and rushed toward the street.

He knew that from this moment on, their fates began to intertwine.