The metal door slowly slid open.
The hail of bullets he had anticipated failed to materialize; instead, a deathly silence greeted them on the other side.
【I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman】: "Huh?"
【I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman】: "Where are the guards? Logically, knocking out two sentries should have triggered an alarm by now, shouldn't it?"
"It is a bit strange."
V weighed the situation. In theory, the security squad would have come out to preempt them by this point; even without overwhelming firepower, a group of melee-heavy brutes should have been guarding the elevators.
This was his first time encountering such a scenario.
Still, if it was going to be unmanned, then this was a god-given opportunity.
All they had to do now was sneak quietly to the mainframe...
"Boom!"
A mechanical hum suddenly rang out beside his ears.
Just as V was shaken to his core and signaled Lin Mai to keep his voice down, gunfire erupted in the corridor, and a dense swarm of bullets streaked in from all directions.
Then, a gale swept past right in front of him.
The scene was sheer chaos.
He could vaguely make out a black machine pushing forward against countless bullets, effortlessly grabbing a guard by the body and lifting him into mid-air.
With a flick of the hand, the car door transformed into a steel blade, its wind-up seamlessly following the sound of the body dropping.
Then Lin Mai spun around rapidly, deflecting the incoming bullets.
Amidst panicked screams, he raised the side of the steel blade and delivered a blunt strike to a skull.
Blinding sparks flew as bullets scraped against the metallic chassis. In less than ten seconds, the chaotic skirmish ended with the entire security squad knocked unconscious.
"Alright, go upload the virus."
Lin Mai's retreating figure looked remarkably dependable.
V: "..."
Watching the unflappable novice Autobot before him, he finally understood what kind of absolute beasts these Cybertronians really were.
They could have simply massacred the entirety of Night City, yet they still went through the motions, merely cooperating with him to complete the virus upload mission. Maybach truly—V could have wept tears of blood.
I just wanted to sneak in quietly, how come you hacked everyone to pieces?
"Got it."
V nodded, wiping away his cold sweat, and resumed the mission.
Human unconsciousness was limited by time, after all. Reckless as this breakthrough had been, it didn't mean they were acting brainlessly.
Passing through the twentieth-floor corridor, the area was exceptionally peaceful now that the security squad had been cleared out. It didn't take long for the two of them to locate the branch office's computer mainframe.
Different trades required different specialists, and now it was V's turn to act.
Murder, theft, uploading viruses.
As the essential skill set of any mercenary, V had long since perfected the third, hacking into the mainframe's complex electronic circuitry in mere seconds and uploading the pre-loaded payload.
In an instant, red alert lights flashed across the entire building.
Mission accomplished.
At the same time, the Dimensional Chat Group's mission notification chimed once again in the ears of both participants.
...
"Beep, mission objective detected as completed!"
"The participant with the greatest contribution to this mission: Viaduct in the Storm, receives 1,500 group points!"
"The Infamous V receives 500 group points!"
"Mission ended. Returning group members to their original worlds..."
...
In Chu Zihang's apartment parking space.
The first thing Lin Mai did after returning to his original world was to reopen the chat group.
This was the calm and confidence of a veteran artist.
Sure enough, the group members were currently engaged in a heated discussion about their very first group mission.
【Drop-Resistant King of Cybertron】: "Tch."
【Drop-Resistant King of Cybertron】: "@The Infamous V, how come we didn't see you make a move during this mission? Aren't you a legend in Night City? At least show off a little for everyone to see."
【The Infamous V】: "Is there any possibility that the nature of this mission actually required stealth?"
【Drop-Resistant King of Cybertron】: "If you kill everyone else, then that counts as stealth when there's nobody left to notice."
【The Infamous V】: "Good grief."
【The Infamous V】: "@Drop-Resistant King of Cybertron, are you by any chance a real genius?"
【I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman】: "Trying to brute-force a security squad still takes skill."
【I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman】: "If the new guy hadn't blocked the first wave for you, you'd be dead by now. For a high-tech talent, you really should consider getting a thermal imager for defense."
【The Infamous V】: "Makes sense."
【The Infamous V】: "Next time I do a stealth run, I'll rig up a thermal imager and see how it goes. At least after stepping out of the elevator, I'll be able to tell where the ambushes are."
【I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman】: "If you want one, I have a wearable version right here. It only costs 200 group points."
【The Infamous V】: "Cash on delivery."
【I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman】: "Deal."
【I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman sent an exclusive red packet to The Infamous V - Ocular Thermal Imager】
【I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman】: "A product of the Interastral Peace Corporation. Quality guaranteed, unbreakable even if you use it into your next life, waterproof, fireproof, and bulletproof."
【The Infamous V】: "The Interastral Peace Corporation—just hearing the name sounds top-notch."
【The Infamous V】: "Hold on, let me figure out how to use this red packet feature."
【The Infamous V sent an exclusive red packet to I Am the Cosmic Rich Woman - 200 points】
"..."
The Dimensional Chat Group had practically turned into a marketplace.
Lin Mai finally understood the circulation of currency. If he were the only one sitting on a mountain of group points, this kind of trade could never take off, but adding V into the mix changed everything.
Now, every single member in the chat had over 100 points, successfully unlocking the mall function.
This was certainly not a bad thing.
After all, Lin Mai had things he wanted to buy too; he was simply waiting for the right opportunity.
As more and more group members joined in the future, the powers of these different worlds would all become nourishment for his growth.
【Viaduct in the Storm】: "By the way."
【Viaduct in the Storm】: "@The Infamous V, do you have any cyberware over there that can increase speed?"
...
In the world of Cyberpunk 2077.
V walked out of the Fuyutsuki Electronics branch building, then immediately hopped into his Caliburn and fled the scene.
Why did he keep up his mercenary history? The answer was that this gig was just like whoring—it made money.
"Eighty thousand eddies in the bag."
Looking at the payment notification lighting up his phone, V couldn't help feeling the joy of a bountiful harvest.
A mercenary like him was essentially an outcast of Night City. If he had the choice, he would much rather call himself an edgerunner.
Tonight's gig had been the easiest one of his life.
"Still, speed-boosting cyberware..."
V looked at the chat group with a hesitant expression.
He hadn't undergone many modifications yet, let alone fully grasped the effects of such cyberware. The question the new big shot asked was clearly a bit beyond his current expertise.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up—he had it!
"The Sandevistan!"
As a high-powered, military-grade piece of cyberware, it fit the new big shot's requirements to perfection.