Watson District Medical Center.
By the time V arrived, Meredith Stout was already there.
"Koch just went in," the blonde slick-backed ice queen muttered irritably, taking out a cigarette—then remembering this was a hospital, shoved it back with even more irritation.
"I thought you and Hansen didn't get along. Didn't expect you to… care?" V sat beside her.
"That's stretching it," Meredith shrugged. "We saw each other a few times at Militech HQ years back. He was already a colonel; I was just a bottom-ranked newbie. No friendship. I came because… I guess it's that soldiers-watching-soldiers-die feeling. Looking at him I can't help imagining myself ending up the same—tubes everywhere, dying alone in a hospital bed."
V tried to lighten the mood.
"Afraid of dying alone? Maybe get married?"
Meredith actually laughed.
"Don't joke. With my personality, the woman willing to marry me hasn't been born yet."
"True."
"Fuck—hey! You're supposed to comfort me, not agree!"
She rolled her eyes, then sighed.
"Honestly? Soldiers should stay single."
"Why?"
"Because soldiers never know when they'll die. And if they've got a wife and kid? They're just dragging more people down with them."
V wasn't a soldier, so she couldn't comment on the truth of that.
But as a merc in her previous life, she understood the sentiment.
The two fell silent for a moment.
More and more people arrived: Sasha, David, Lucy, Carter, Jenkins, and others.
None of them knew Kurt Hansen well. But after fighting shoulder-to-shoulder during the war, everyone rushed here as soon as they heard—wanting to see off a newly made comrade.
"They found Colonel Hansen beneath a pile of ruins. Several Phantom Dogs were on top of him. Their bodies softened the impact—that's the only reason he made it out alive."
"They completed their mission to the very end. The finest soldiers."
"Night City will remember them."
People bowed their heads in respect.
Then—a loud yawn. Xu Ling arrived, flanked by two guards.
"Damn, lots of people."
She plopped down, legs shaking as always. "So? He dead yet?"
"He's still in emergency care. Director Xu, Colonel Hansen is a hero of Night City. Please show some respect."
"Okay okay, I respect, I respect."
Her tone made it obvious she didn't mean a word of it.
Everyone frowned.
Xu Ling had always been controversial—under her command Night City won, but under her command Night City also bled heavily.
People prepared for war, but after victory it was impossible not to wonder: If she'd used a different strategy, would fewer have died?
Human nature.
No one actually blamed her—they were even grateful.
They just… couldn't like her.
V tried to help her "clarify," but Xu Ling waved her off.
"No need." Xu Ling smiled. "Emotions only cloud judgment. I don't need them."
Her smile was chilling.
Trying to break the tension, V said, "Didn't expect you to come."
"Didn't plan to. I barely know Kurt Hansen. But the old man told me to build a good relationship with you, so I came pretending to 'visit the injured' and get closer."
V snorted. "You just say whatever's in your head, huh?"
"That's my whole character—socially clueless tactical prodigy. Add in being young, the old man thinks that makes me easier for you to trust."
"You're also Xu Zhong's sister. You could weaponize my guilt."
"Yep. Grandpa told me to mention my brother often too. Problem is—I don't even know Xu Zhong!"
First she didn't know Hansen.
Then didn't know Xu Zhong.
Xu Ling wasn't lying—she really didn't know anyone.
Even V—she only acted familiar because Xu Shiming instructed her to.
V asked, "So what exactly does your grandpa want from me?"
"The secret to why you're so strong, obviously. What else?" Xu Ling blinked. "He said if you reveal it, Kang-Tao can fix your body."
Since V appeared in front of the world's elites, her nerve-atrophy condition had become an open secret.
Which only made people more curious—how someone who should've died was still alive, and how terrifying she'd be once fully healed.
Various corps had already hinted they could "cure" her.
V refused all of them.
Get burned once, shame on Arasaka.
Get burned twice, shame on V.
Xu Shiming using it as bait wasn't surprising.
V was about to refuse when a cold authoritative female voice cut in:
"V—New America can cure you as well. Say the word, and I'll have Washington prep the surgical team."
Everyone turned.
President Myers, in full white presidential uniform.
Her appearance shocked the room.
V asked the question on everyone's mind:
"Madam President, are you unwell?"
"No need to worry. My medical team keeps me perfectly healthy."
"Then what brings you here?"
"Kurt Hansen is one of my beloved officers. When I heard he was at death's door, I was deeply saddened. Since I happened to be in Night City for negotiations, it was only proper to come pay my respects."
Beloved officer?
Then why the fuck did you sell him out?
Everyone's impression of the President's hypocrisy deepened.
But to deal with hypocrites—you must be even more hypocritical.
That's how adults play the game.
V nodded.
"On behalf of Colonel Hansen, thank you. He would be honored by your presence."
"God bless Kurt Hansen," Myers murmured piously. Then turned to V.
"About my earlier offer—what do you think?"
"Sounds good." V smiled. "So—what's the price?"
Myers brightened.
"Simple. The same as before: New America wants development rights for the Pacifica Exclusion Zone. And to show sincerity, we'll cover all reconstruction costs."
"Appreciated. But as I said—Pacifica will be the research base for Night City's ecological integration tech. Due to confidentiality agreements, it's not on the table."
"V, don't be stubborn. Everything has a price. Look at Kurt Hansen. Look at his condition. Health is the most precious thing in the world. New America can cure you—I swear it on my political life."
Swearing on political life?
So she must be telling the truth—
As if.
A politician's promise wasn't worth a punctuation mark.
"Sorry, Madam President. Other districts in Night City also have potential. Perhaps consider them?"
Myers's smile vanished.
She stepped close, whispering:
"V. Don't play dumb. You know exactly why I want Pacifica."
V sneered.
"Of course. You want the old Militech black-site buried beneath Pacifica. Myers—rogue AIs are not toys you can handle. You'll get the whole world killed. Give up. I'll never hand Pacifica to you."
"V!" Myers snarled. "You'll regret this!"
"Oh? Going to threaten my health again? I'm not buying."
"No—this time it's something else." Myers stepped back. "Kurt Hansen is my beloved subordinate. Don't you think—at his final moments—he deserves his family by his side?"
V froze.
She turned to Meredith.
"Hansen has family?"
"A wife and a son. But after… that incident… they stayed in New America."
Stayed?
More like held hostage.
"That's disgusting—using someone's family as leverage!" David exploded.
For someone who valued family above all, this crossed every line.
"Unfortunate, kid—but that's how the real world works." Myers lifted her chin proudly. "If the goal is achieved, the means don't matter."
Everyone glared at her.
They were the powerless—they only had bonds and feelings.
Myers saw that and aimed straight at it.
V could treat lives as numbers for survival—
but never for profit.
If she did, she would shatter the very thing that kept Night City united.
Myers looked triumphant.
V's face darkened.
Because she cared—she was vulnerable.
And in that moment—
the one person who didn't care moved.
Xu Ling sprang up like a rabbit, darting forward with Chinese martial arts agility, slipping past the two bodyguards in an instant.
She jammed a cheap Budget Arms Guillotine pistol under Myers's chin.
"Drop your weapons!" the guards shouted.
"Xu Ling, don't!" everyone from Night City shouted.
They rushed forward—"to help"—blocking Myers's guards.
David and Lucy both struck low blows simultaneously—Monkey-Steals-the-Peach and Groin-Kick—leaving the guards collapsed clutching themselves.
Myers's face went pale.
She had calculated that V wouldn't escalate—
but she forgot about the Kang-Tao gremlin beside her.
"Night City really has hilarious guns," Xu Ling said, tilting the pistol upward. "Plastic frame, plastic barrel—no need to reload, just dump it and buy another at a vending machine. Now tell me—can this cheap plastic trash blow open your high-and-mighty presidential skull?"
Myers tried to stay calm.
"You won't shoot."
BANG!
Xu Ling shot her in the stomach. Blood sprayed everywhere.
Everyone jumped—nobody expected Xu Ling to actually fire.
The two guards panicked for real and reached for their weapons—
but David and Meredith were faster, pinning them instantly.
"You're fucking insane!" Myers clutched her gut, about to shout again—
but Xu Ling shoved the Guillotine back under her chin.
"Yep, garbage gun. Recoil sucks, bullet power's trash. I had to aim for your stomach so your reinforced bones wouldn't stop it." She grinned, looking utterly unhinged. "The jaw has no bone plate—bullet should pass through. But your skull will stop it, and then the bullet will ping around your skull like a pinball—turning your dog-brain into pudding. Want to bet how many times it'll bounce? Six? Maybe seven?"
Myers finally broke.
"V! Stop her!"
V shrugged.
"Director Xu works for Kang-Tao. I don't control her."
Myers cursed, then snarled at Xu Ling:
"You want to start a war between New America and Kang-Tao?!"
"Yep! I want war! Go complain to Grandpa Xu Shiming!"
Everyone sweat-dropped.
She was clearly bullshitting.
But whenever trouble arose, she dragged Grandpa Xu out as a shield—
truly a filial granddaughter.
Myers knew Xu Ling was bluffing, but as a hostage, she understood one thing:
Always calm the kid with the gun.
"Xu Ling, let's talk. New America and Kang-Tao have good relations. No need for conflict over something trivial." Myers forced a gentle tone. "I acted rashly earlier. I apologize. So could you… maybe treat my wound first? I'm bleeding heavily."
Xu Ling glanced at V.
V called out:
"Someone bring the President a band-aid."
A band-aid was actually delivered.
Myers's face alternated red (anger) and white (blood loss).
If that bleeding continued, she really would die here.
Finally she conceded.
"I'll send Hansen's family."
No one believed her.
But Xu Ling holstered the pistol anyway.
She couldn't actually kill the President of New America.
Kang-Tao didn't fear New America—but they still had to account for Militech.
"You'll pay for this!" Myers growled, injecting herself with stop-bleed meds. She limped toward the exit. "I'll demand an explanation from Xu Shiming personally! Just you wait!"
"Wait? Sure! Come to Shenyang—see if you can still walk when you leave!"
Xu Ling flipped her off.
Myers left seething.
At that moment, the emergency room light turned green.
Joanne Koch walked out—and froze.
"…Why are there so many people?"
V asked seriously:
"Colonel Hansen didn't suffer, right? I want to hold a public memorial. Honor the fallen."
Joanne looked awkward.
"That… won't be possible."
"Because the body's in bad shape? Too gruesome? Could makeup fix it?"
"It's not about makeup."
"Then what?"
Joanne spread her hands.
"The problem is—Colonel Hansen isn't dead."
"…Huh?"
Everyone sounded equally dumbfounded.
Yes—Night City's resident miracle doc had done it again.
Dogtown's top dog lived.
"You're… not happy?" Joanne asked, confused.
"Happy. Of course happy." V said—face stiff.
Then another realization hit her.
"Though the happiest person now… should be Myers."
If Hansen lived—
his family became even more valuable as leverage.
Everyone realized this.
V thought for a moment.
"We'll handle this through diplomatic channels. Stout."
"Understood." Meredith nodded.
"She messed with a soldier's family—she just kicked Militech right in the balls."