Chapter 114: Assassination!
V's impression of AI was no different from humans—some were good, some were bad. Similarly, AI varied in character as well.
Take examples like Old Del, the self-driving car AI Delamain, or Brandon, the vending machine AI. These were perfect examples of AI seamlessly integrated into the human world.
The only noticeable difference between them and humans was their cold, mechanical bodies. At their core, they were almost indistinguishable from people.
These AIs could think and appreciate the charm of human culture.
For instance, Brandon even experienced complex emotions like pain and joy, just like humans. Calling it a "real person" wouldn't be far off the mark.
As V prepared to leave and return to the corporate plaza to continue reporting the truth to Congressman Jefferson, Brandon suddenly called out:
"V, not sure when you'll visit Pacifica again, but let me tell you a joke. I guarantee this new one will have you laughing out loud!"
"Oh? Sure, it's been a while since I last heard one of your jokes. Let's see if you can surprise me this time."
Turning back, V looked at Brandon with a smile.
V always had a good impression of Brandon. Many even called Brandon the "best person" in Night City, mainly because he was one of the rare AIs that brought joy to others.
"Ahem, listen carefully now."
"Do you know where Johnny Silverhand was when the Arasaka Tower exploded? Everywhere! A piece here, a piece there, hahaha!"
Before V could react to Brandon's dark humor, Brandon was already laughing.
Meanwhile, Johnny Silverhand, who had been silently observing, couldn't hold back anymore.
"Shit…"
"V, didn't you just get that kinetic pistol? Why not test it on this guy? Aim right at its power source!"
Johnny Silverhand was so infuriated he wanted to personally kick the vending machine or smash it to bits with a wrench.
Regaining composure, V glanced at the furious Johnny and suppressed a laugh, his expression torn between amusement and restraint.
"V, watch out!"
"V! Move!"
Just as V was about to speak, Brandon and Johnny Silverhand shouted to warn him. Acting on instinct, V quickly dodged to the side.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of sharp gunshots rang out, causing panicked screams from nearby pedestrians. Chaos ensued as people scattered in fear, leaving behind a few cyber-enhanced assassins.
At that moment, bullets riddled the spot where V had stood moments ago, and Brandon's casing bore several bullet holes.
"Damn! These are SSI private security members from the Night Corporation—they're here to silence me!"
Noticing that the assassins were all wearing corporate security uniforms, V immediately realized the danger he was in. He swiftly drew his "Detective" kinetic pistol and fired.
Bang!
V's aim was decent; the bullet hit one assassin square in the head. However, the assassin's subdermal armor was so strong that V couldn't tell if they were human or combat robots.
As V briefly contemplated, two bullets struck his body—but his top-tier subdermal armor deflected them.
Clearly, V's cybernetic enhancements from the LA Corporation were on par with these elite assassins!
"V, you can't just waste time with these bastards. Either switch to the Mantis Blades and use Sianvistan to get behind them and take their heads, or hack their systems!"
"That pistol of yours won't cut it. Next time, bring a submachine gun or something!"
Johnny urgently suggested.
With cutting-edge cyberware installed throughout his body, V's Sianvistan Qiant Warp-5 allowed him to move at speeds that made time seem nearly frozen.
The device slowed time to 10% and lasted for 8 seconds—more than enough for V to annihilate the assassins in the blink of an eye.
"Why not both?"
"And yeah, I'll think about upgrading my weapon next time."
With that, V gritted his teeth, activating the Sianvistan while simultaneously accessing his Net Interface Module to pull up his hacking tools.
Available quickhacks: Sonic Shockwave, Short Circuit, Movement Jam, Reboot Optics, Synapse Burnout, Target Acquisition, ICE Protocol Breach.
In an instant, V targeted each assassin, deploying a range of quickhacks.
The assassins' cyberware began malfunctioning: some went blind, others sparked violently from short circuits, and a few dropped dead on the spot.
V could've used the ultimate ability—the Blackwall Protocol—to completely burn out their cyberware, but with Brandon and innocent bystanders nearby, he didn't want to risk collateral damage.
More importantly, the ultimate ability came with unpredictable backlash to his own body. It wasn't worth using a cannon to kill a few flies.
Slice!
In the blink of an eye, V, who had been cornered moments earlier, suddenly appeared behind the assassins. With his Mantis Blades crackling with electricity, he unleashed a flurry of deadly strikes.
The sound of crackling electricity combined with the screech of blades against cybernetic bodies created a symphony of death.
The assassins, whose bodies were 80% cyberware, didn't even have time to scream before succumbing to the electromagnetic interference and blade strikes.
"Holy shit, V… You're so damn strong now you could probably storm Arasaka Tower solo. Even that cyber-psycho Adam Smasher wouldn't stand a chance!"
Johnny Silverhand couldn't help but admire V's fluid and lethal combat skills, even with his usual arrogance.
Corporate-backed mercenaries were in a league of their own. With maxed-out cyberware, no cyber-psycho or renegade could last more than three seconds against V.
"Jealous? The price of power is your life," V chuckled.
While V was frustrated with the Relic chip threatening his life, the thrill of combat made him momentarily appreciate the changes to his body.
Right now, all V wanted to do was kill, kill, kill!