34: Chapter 34 The Beginning of a Legend

For the three or four days following V's surgery, under Viktor's strict supervision and Misty's intermittent nutritional feedings, V's body recovered at an astonishing speed.

After removing the bandages and lifting the restrictions, the first thing she did wasn't to install cyberware, but rather to impatiently catch up with the pace of Lin Yi and Jackie.

"Hey, guys, next time there's a job, bring me along, yeah?" V flexed her still-weak limbs, though her eyes flashed with eager anticipation. "I can't just keep eating and living for free; I need to earn some eddies as soon as possible and get this 'outfit' back together." She gestured to her now somewhat "plain" body.

Jackie grinned and slapped V on the shoulder with force (nearly knocking her over): "Hahaha! That's the spirit! Don't worry, with me and Lin Yi guiding you, I guarantee you'll be back on your feet in Night City in no time!"

Lin Yi looked at the rekindled flame in V's eyes and nodded in agreement.

He knew that V wanted to regain her value and rhythm as quickly as possible.

Thus, during the time that followed, Lin Yi and Jackie became V's "guides" on the path of mercenary life.

Sometimes Lin Yi would take her to handle delicate jobs requiring technical infiltration, and other times Jackie would take her to experience the street-style "communication" of going head-to-head.

V's learning ability was terrifying.

Her background as an elite from Arasaka Counterintelligence gave her a natural sharpness for intelligence analysis and tactical planning.

Although she lacked experience in street firefights, her powerful adaptability and combat instincts allowed her to grow rapidly.

Like a dry sponge, she greedily absorbed all knowledge and techniques regarding street survival.

She was transforming into a qualified mercenary.

However, jobs in Night City never lacked "surprises."

Once, there was a kidnapping and intelligence theft job targeting a Tyger Claws underboss. The original plan was clean: infiltrate, search, succeed, evacuate. Four verbs, none of which were "firefight."

When V snuck into the target stronghold, everything went smoothly—the hallways were clear, the patrol blind spots were timed perfectly, and the target terminal was in the office ahead.

But just as V was about to succeed, an inconspicuous vibration sensor inside the stronghold—one not mentioned in the intel—was accidentally triggered!

A piercing alarm instantly rang throughout the entire warehouse!

"Damn! Spotted!" V cursed under her breath and quickly retreated to find cover.

Almost the second the alarm sounded, dense laser beams and live ammunition poured down like a torrential rain from the second floor of the warehouse, shredding the cargo crate she was hiding behind into a sieve!

The enemy's firepower was fierce and their coordination was seamless, completely suppressing V and keeping her head down. Several attempts to peek out nearly resulted in her being headshot, and the sparks from stray bullets grazing her cover burned her skin.

"V! Report status!" Lin Yi's calm voice came through the comms; he was responsible for support on the perimeter.

"Got ambushed! At least twenty of them, heavy firepower, I'm pinned down!" V gritted her teeth in response, her adrenaline spiking sharply.

"Hold on, I'll handle it."

As soon as Lin Yi's voice faded, V felt as if an invisible wave spread out from her as the center.

Immediately after, a scene occurred that she would never forget for the rest of her life:

The clamorous gunfire on the second floor of the warehouse was instantly cut off as if by an invisible giant hand!

In its place came a series of short, shrill screams, the dull thuds of bodies hitting the ground heavily, and the crackling sound of something electrical overloading and burning.

The entire process was so fast it didn't even take a second!

The second floor, which had been a hail of bullets just moments ago, instantly fell into dead silence, with only the alarm still wailing in vain.

V carefully poked her head out, only to see the second-floor platform littered with the bodies of Tyger Claws members lying helter-skelter; most had ceased breathing, with only a few still twitching unconsciously.

And her mission target, that underboss, was slumped in a chair, eyes vacant and body rigid, clearly having been "specially cared for" and simply rendered immobile.

V's mouth hung wide open, unable to close for a long time.

She had encountered hackers before while doing field missions, but she had never seen anything as exaggerated as Lin Yi!

"Threat neutralized. V, go get the data." Lin Yi's voice remained calm, as if he had just casually swatted a few flies.

The rest of the mission went incredibly smoothly.

On the way back, V sat in the passenger seat, glancing from time to time at Lin Yi, who was driving, with a look mixed with shock, admiration, and extreme curiosity.

Finally, she couldn't help it anymore. She leaned over and grabbed Lin Yi's arm, her eyes sparkling, and shouted in a tone that was almost coquettish (though she probably didn't realize it herself):

"Holy shit, Lin Yi! You're such a badass hacker! I want to learn this! That was so cool! A total board wipe! How did you do that? Teach me!"

Lin Yi was shaken so much that the steering wheel nearly slipped. He said helplessly, "Stop messing around, I'm driving. This stuff... requires talent and the right 'hardware'."

"I don't care! I want to learn!" V was relentless, starting to pester him in various ways. "Look how fast I've been learning lately! I promise I'll study hard! In the future, you won't even need to lift a finger for these jobs clearing out small fry; it'll save so much trouble! Pretty please, Brother Yi~"

After being fired by the corporation, it was as if she had thrown away her professional reserve along with it, revealing a bit of the playfulness and liveliness belonging to her age that she only showed in front of people she trusted.

Lin Yi couldn't handle her pestering, especially since V was leaning so close, her warm breath spraying against his ear, making him feel a bit distracted and even causing his Supreme Bone to stir.

He sighed: "Alright, alright, you win. This isn't something that can be explained in a few words."

Back at the temporary hideout, Lin Yi used the powerful computing power of "Bai Ze" and his own knowledge reserves to quickly organize and generate a highly condensed "Guide to Basic Cyberdeck Applications and Practical Rapid Hacking Optimization."

It contained everything from basic theory to advanced techniques, and even advice on personalized settings for cyberdecks of different corporations and types.

Although the core [Insight] and [Lockdown] of [Bai Ze] could not be realized by V, it was enough to save her a lot of detours on the path of hacking.

He tossed the data chip to V: "Here, from beginner to buried, read it yourself. If you don't understand something... come ask me again."

V treated it like a treasure and immediately immersed herself in it, looking through it intently.

Her goal for saving money was very clear: first, to live independently in Night City, and second, to save enough money to reinstall those high-end cyberware that Lin Yi had "unlocked"—she had been thinking about them the whole time.

Although she later learned that the money for the last surgery and the "purchase" of those discarded cyberware had all been fronted by Lin Yi. This made her feel a bit guilty, but soon, a more "justified" thought popped up:

"Hmph, the money I owe him... I'll just pay it back slowly later. Anyway... I'm going to be his woman eventually; well, although it hasn't been confirmed yet, he can't escape the palm of my hand. What's his is mine, and what's mine is his, no problem!"

At this moment, V was holding the data chip, studying it with great interest, occasionally looking up to ask Lin Yi a few questions, her eyes burning with a thirst for this new type of power.

But as Lin Yi looked at her serious profile, he felt both gratification and a trace of imperceptible worry about the future.