"Jackie, I talked to the Fat Man."
V dialed Jackie's video call.
"Hehe, the Fat Man must have given us a fat job, right?" Jackie, on the video call, still looked so goofy.
"Sort of, but this gig is a bit tricky. Call Berry, we need to talk." This mission involved Arasaka, Militech, and Maelstrom, making it crucial. V planned to meet her colleagues to formulate a plan. "Also, a Mercenary named Arno will meet us. He's the helper Dexter DeShawn sent."
"Then let's meet at the clearing under the bridge. It's quiet there." Since he wasn't very familiar with Chinatown, it took Jackie a while to think of a location. "But Berry seems to have left early, you'll have to contact her yourself."
"Alright, I'll figure it out."
V hung up the call.
Where did that Berry run off to?
Looking at the bustling streets, V sighed.
She really wasn't making things easy for V.
Meanwhile.
Berry had already separated from Viktor and the others because she received a call—or rather, Arno received the call.
"Hey, terminator, remember that job I talked to you about last time?"
It was Dexter DeShawn calling. He called Arno immediately after V left.
Arno and Dexter DeShawn had a bit of history. Arno operated in Watson and knew Regina Jones, a famous fixer in Watson. Jones introduced Arno to Dexter DeShawn, who needed capable people.
Arno had thus taken two jobs from Dexter DeShawn, helping deal with Biotechnica Mercenaries and the like. Dexter DeShawn also approached Arno regarding the flathead matter, asking for his help.
After all, they were dealing with Maelstrom's new boss, and Dexter DeShawn didn't want V and the others to fall prey to Maelstrom before even getting started.
Of course, he had to help.
Berry had originally intended to manipulate Arno into helping, and now that she could also skim a commission, she was naturally delighted.
Just as she hung up on Dexter DeShawn, V's call came in.
"Hey, Berry, where are you?" As Berry took out her holovisor, V's beautiful face appeared.
"I'm having an impart, wanna join?" Berry retorted crossly. She hadn't forgotten V's opportunistic behavior that morning.
"Heh heh, count me in." But V didn't fall for that; she immediately took advantage of the opening and didn't let Berry get the upper hand. "Alright, joking aside, this is business. Come to the Clearing Under the Overpass, we'll meet there."
"Fine." Berry said, and with a beep, she cut the communication.
Sighing, Berry stared blankly at the street view outside the window.
It had finally begun.
According to the development of the Original Plot, V would obtain the flathead without much trouble, and then infiltrate Konpeki Plaza to steal the relic chip from Yorinobu Arasaka.
Just like the sudden twist in any story, things went wrong.
Just as V and the others successfully stole the relic chip, Yorinobu's father, Saburo Arasaka, suddenly arrived at Konpeki Plaza to confront his son.
Then, Yorinobu the Great Filial Son, in a fit of rage, strangled his own father to death.
The tower was immediately locked down, and V's unfortunate group was targeted and hunted down as the culprits who assassinated Saburo.
T-BUG was turned into roasted brain matter, Jackie died of severe injuries, and only V barely managed to escape the pursuit.
But in the end, V, who had narrowly escaped, was used by that guy Dexter DeShawn to pacify the situation and was shot dead.
Afterward, she woke up in the familiar landfill, with V and Johnny Silverhand, who had awakened inside the relic chip, merged within V's body.
Berry did not intend to let this happen again.
Logically, with her current abilities, she could completely bypass V and Jackie's involvement in this mission and still become a legendary of Night City alongside them.
But Berry deeply understood one thing: the tragedies of Night City were all caused by the all-powerful mega-corporations. As long as the corporations' monopoly existed, she and V would have no beautiful future to speak of.
They might avoid Arasaka this time, but what about next time? Militech? Zeta Corporation? Or Biotechnica?
The bad deeds committed by these corporations were no less significant than Arasaka's. As long as Berry and the others remained in this world, avoiding them was impossible.
To truly seek a beautiful future, they must completely crush these corporations and let Night City be reborn from the ashes in the flames of world destruction.
This was Berry's true "Great Plan."
She wanted to eliminate all corporate giants, create her ideal world, and establish a Heaven on Earth in the present world.
Therefore, she would not avoid this mission. Instead, she would find a way during this mission to seize Johnny Silverhand's relic chip. This chip was of great use to her and would definitely allow her to become a dominant force in Night City.
While she was pondering, Arno had already driven to the Clearing Under the Overpass.
This place was originally a floodgate, but without water, it had become a grassy clearing.
There, V and Jackie were already waiting beside V's car.
"Whose car is that?"
Watching the unfamiliar car approach, V and Jackie became alert, until Berry stepped out of the vehicle.
"Hi, you two, good afternoon." Berry saluted cheekily with two fingers. Clearly, her good fortune today had put her in a great mood. "Didn't Dexter DeShawn arrange a helper for you? I brought him."
"This is..." Jackie stared at Arno getting out of the driver's seat, his eyes widening suddenly. "Holy shit, V, isn't this the mystery guy who helped us out in the alley last time?"
"Is he?" V leaned against the car with her arms crossed, frowning as she watched the two approach, carefully scrutinizing Arno.
"terminator, Arno."
Arno extended his large hand toward V.
Nickname first, then name—this kind of self-introduction was too pretentious, and Berry had long wanted to try it herself.
"V." V looked at Arno without speaking, coldly stating her name.
Jackie, however, enthusiastically shook his hand.
"Jackie Welles, maybe you've heard of me." Jackie vigorously shook his arm, his expression earnest. "I didn't expect the helper Dexter DeShawn introduced to be you, choomba. What a coincidence. We never got to thank you for what happened last time."
"You've got a great physique. Which gym did you come out of?"
There's a saying: moderate fitness attracts the opposite sex, excessive fitness attracts the same sex. Only the same sex can truly appreciate the effort put into sculpting a body. Sure enough, Jackie looked at Arno's strong build with visible envy.
"Berry, aren't you going to explain the situation?"
Compared to the overly friendly Jackie, V was frowning deeply, especially when she saw that Berry and Arno were both dressed entirely in black, making her feel particularly uneasy.
"Hey, he's a buddy of mine. I heard he was going to cooperate with us, so I brought him along."
"Berry..." V wanted to ask more, but seeing the crowd around, she reluctantly suppressed her annoyance and decided to question Berry privately later.
"Alright then, I heard you have some skills and can help us deal with Maelstrom. But remember, things might not get messy. We are the ones responsible for the negotiation. When the time comes, follow my lead, understand?"
Being in a bad mood, V's words were sharp and grating. If Arno were a real person, he might have argued with her, but Arno was just a chassis. Under Berry's control, he maintained maximum restraint, which meant silence.
Although Berry didn't know where V's massive temper came from.
Berry, who had walked over and leaned next to V, was tightly hugged by V before she could speak, causing her to roll her eyes.
What was wrong with V?
Pulled into the embrace, Berry tilted her head up in confusion, looking at V's profile.