The Giant Corporations that Started in Night City

Chapter 91: The Third Solution

After all, this was his body—why should he be forcibly removed by Alt? What if Johnny refused to leave this body after taking over? What would happen to him then?

In V's view, this so-called solution was nothing more than a lousy trick by that scheming Alt to con him into giving up his body for Johnny.

If he really handed over his body to Johnny Silverhand, wouldn't everything be decided by them? V wouldn't even have a chance to resist.

"No... I will never leave this body! Don't even think about deceiving me. I don't believe you'll let me live again!"

"All you care about is that terrorist Johnny!"

V was like a frightened bird at this moment, his muscles tense, his wary eyes scanning the members of the Maelstrom team around him. He was terrified that Alt would forcibly extract his consciousness.

"That's why I said this solution is risky. I don't know if a human body can withstand such frequent consciousness extraction surgeries."

Alt Cunningham was visibly distressed. She knew that the longer this dragged on, the worse it would get for both Johnny Silverhand and V.

If Johnny took over V's body, would he still truly be Johnny? And if V became an empty shell, could he really accept such a powerless existence?

For Alt, these two choices both led to unacceptable outcomes. It left her paralyzed with indecision.

She had never encountered a situation this complicated before!

"Is there really no third way? Think harder, Alt!"

Unwilling to accept his fate, V clutched the blanket draped over him. He couldn't bear the thought of his once mighty self suddenly becoming a frail, useless shell.

He couldn't accept having his soul extracted by Alt, reduced to nothing but cold, meaningless lines of code.

"Alt! Alt! Answer me!"

V shouted angrily, his voice filled with frustration.

He couldn't understand why Arasaka Corporation would develop such a horrifying chip. Was it truly worth sacrificing a life just to satisfy the whims of the powerful?

"V, I'm really sorry."

"No! I don't want your damned apology—I want to live! I need a way to fix this!"

V roared at Alt in desperation.

The thought of his soul being slowly consumed by that moronic Johnny Silverhand made V feel nauseous. The dry heaving caused by this overwhelming fear only made him realize how little time he had left. But his innate survival instincts compelled him to resist with every ounce of his strength.

"Hey, merc kid, calm down, will you? What kind of man are you, crying and yelling like this? I've never seen a so-called legend bawl like a little girl."

Maine, standing by the clinic's entrance on lookout duty, rumbled in his deep voice, "What's the worst that could happen? Death? People move on from everything."

Hearing this, V scoffed coldly, his anger bubbling over. "Easy for you to say! If your mind were being hijacked by a dumb terrorist, what would you do?"

Maine chuckled and replied, "I don't know."

"Because I'd never be dumb enough to shove some sketchy chip into my head. What were you thinking? You brought this on yourself!"

"Fuck you!"

V, completely losing it, reached for his waist, intending to draw his gun and shoot this trash-talking musclehead. But after fumbling for a while, he realized his weapon had already been confiscated.

"Maine! Can't you just shut up for once?"

Rebecca, overflowing with sympathy, uncharacteristically lashed out at Maine. Beside her, Dorio also shot Maine a sharp glare, clearly disapproving of his remarks.

Maine shrugged, unimpressed, and turned his attention back to Takemura.

Rebecca, with a sorrowful expression, looked at V. She had developed a soft spot for the handsome mercenary, but what a pity—it seemed like this charming man was destined for an early grave.

"Maybe... there's a third solution."

Alt Cunningham's voice broke the silence, and V clung to it like a lifeline. His eyes lit up with desperation as he asked, "What's the solution?"

Alt took a deep breath, her face heavy with worry. "Go find Mr. Li Ang."

"Mr. Li Ang... Do you think he would really help someone as insignificant as me?"

This was the third time V had heard of this so-called Chinatown legend, Li Ang. The first time was from his buddy Jackie, who mentioned Li Ang as the king of Chinatown.

The second time was from Viktor, who described Li Ang as a man who ruled by the principle of "equivalent exchange," never offering help without expecting something in return.

And now, Alt Cunningham was telling him that only the enigmatic Mr. Li Ang could save his life. This left V dazed and uncertain.

He understood that survival would require a price, but what price could possibly be enough to reclaim his life? V couldn't yet calculate the cost.

"No matter if Li Ang helps you or not, he's the only one in this world capable of it. Viktor is just a regular ripperdoc—he can't remove the chip."

Alt spoke bluntly, and Viktor nodded with a sigh, acknowledging that he was powerless to remove the Relic chip.

"Of course, Arasaka might have a way to handle the Relic chip, but you're a wanted man by them now. If you go to Arasaka for help, you're as good as dead."

At this point, V had no other options. Alt knew that the only person who could save Johnny Silverhand was someone with technological power like Li Ang.

Though Alt Cunningham was one of LA's top netrunners, overseeing the Blackwall and managing rogue AIs like the White Queen, her understanding of the AI White Queen was limited.

Within LA Corp, only Li Ang truly knew the full scope of the AI White Queen's capabilities.

Taking it a step further, with LA Corp's advancements like the Ronin Titan mechs and 2B androids, their tech far surpassed Arasaka and other military technology companies.

If anyone could handle the Relic chip, it would be Li Ang.

"Alright! I'll meet Mr. Li Ang. I'll beg him to help me get this damn chip out of my head. I have to survive!"

Clenching his fists, V felt a renewed surge of strength from his will to live. Even if Li Ang sent him on a suicide mission, V was ready to take the chance to stay alive.

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