Players Invade Cyberpunk-Chapter 789 - 254: Honestly, V, I Think You Have Talent

"This job is getting tougher by the day. Less pay, more work, and so many conditions. Back in the day, only fools would take on a job like this."

The burly man carrying a large shotgun walked down Haywood Street, holding a few skewers of freshly bought grilled meat in one hand and a beer in the other, eating as he went. His mouth, covered in grease and seasonings, audibly smacked, and it smelled delicious.

But eating like this in the street was somewhat neglectful of oneself's image.

"Getting a job at all is not bad. That old woman Rogers is still complaining about how there are fewer job offers than last year, and Jack, can you eat a little quieter?"

V looked at Jack with eyes full of resentment. Coming from a corporate background, she couldn't comprehend how Jack could enjoy this street junk food so much.

"Come on, V, your brother here didn't grow these muscles by just drinking water. I've got to keep up my nutrition!"

Facing the companion's criticism, Jack was not only unashamed but proud. He even patted his chest, spilling beer all over his clothes.

Since leaving Huang Ban, V followed Jack and became a mercenary on the streets, taking on jobs from middlemen for money.

Both had decent skills, and with V's accumulated experience from years in Huang Ban's counterintelligence, they quickly made a name for themselves, even getting into Afterlife.

Just due to certain people's influence, being a mercenary in Night City wasn't easy anymore. Gangs weren't as rampant under the crackdown, with drugs and arms getting cut off, even kidnapping cases decreased. Most jobs involved corporations, which were infinitely more dangerous than gang issues.

But V, being such an all-rounder, fit perfectly in the mercenary world. Hacking, infiltrations, and aggressive attacks—she was great at all, growing incredibly fast.

The two of them handled work usually done by entire teams, with fewer people meaning more share.

V was acutely aware that something seemed to change about her body after she saved that woman from Ye Corporation, though so far no adverse symptoms had shown and Old Vi couldn't figure out anything either. Everything seemed normal.

"You're not one of those pointy-headed guys from Animal Gang, so what do you plan to do with this money?"

V rolled her eyes and swore before changing the topic.

"I've recently met a girl named Misty, she's almost got me smitten. Give your brother some tips."

"Jack, I'm a woman."

"These days, who even cares about that? You're still my bro! This favor..." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Jack wanted to persuade V to give some guidance, because getting a bro's help to chase a girl is just what every guy does, even if that bro has never dated anyone before.

But the sudden gunfire and the crowd's screams interrupted their thoughts.

Judging by the gunfire, there weren't a small number of people involved in the battle.

"Damn, who's bold enough to cause trouble here?"

Jack was a bit annoyed. This was Haywood, the territory of the Valentino Gang, and under normal circumstances, these Mexicans wouldn't be fighting in the streets.

"V, let's go take a look."

"Jack, don't get us involved. This has nothing to do with us."

"Come on, we might make some extra cash; I just had my eye on a bike I'm short on cash for."

"Plus, these are my bros' turf. A bro of my bro is my bro too, right?"

Unable to resist Jack's persistent nagging, V could only follow the rough man towards the source of gunfire.

It would have been better not to go, as they witnessed a shootout at the gates of DMS Corporation, where more than eight gunmen were surrounding and killing one person.

"Whoa, isn't that the boss of Horizon Corporation?"

Jack didn't even think and took down the shotgun from his back, ready to jump into the fight.

But V yanked Jack back.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping, obviously."

Jack said matter-of-factly. He was straightforward, not thinking about the complexities.

V's relationship with Lin Miao wasn't great, and she very well knew who was trying to take down Lin Miao. People at that level weren't someone they, as small-time mercenaries, could afford to offend.

"Do you even know who wants him dead?"

"What does it matter to us who it is?"

Jack opened his eyes wide.

"Boss Lin is my bro!"

Does he even know he's your bro?

V was too tired to retort. This was just Jack's nature. He was close to those other mercenaries, and Lin Miao had provided plenty of jobs in Night City, gaining considerable fame, even getting mentioned by Jack's mom several times.

Knowing she couldn't restrain this bull-headed guy, V resigned herself, pulling out her handgun to follow him.

————

The assassins this time weren't those sloppy street mercenaries but professional hitmen sent by a drug cartel.

Five-star assassins!

Firing simultaneously from multiple directions, suppressing with fire, blocking routes, aiming for precise kills.

If the target today wasn't Lin Miao but another company's exec, they probably wouldn't have failed.

However, as Lin Miao stepped out of the building, he already saw through their setup.

If a ten-point attribute is the human body's limit, then Lin Miao had donned the Stone Mask and transcended humanity.

With a 12-point reaction aided by his cybernetic eyes, he saw the high-speed bullet from the sniper rifle 1.2 kilometers away. His 14-point body strength allowed him to dodge bullets by sidestepping, leaning back, bending, and simultaneously drawing his gun to counterattack.

In Lin Miao's eyes, the ripples in the air caused by bullets were crystal clear.