The battle might have had a beginning or an end, but Berry had completely forgotten all of it.
It wasn't until she woke up in the messy bed in the morning that she grabbed her hair, lost in a daze.
Her head was fuzzy, and for a moment, she couldn't remember what had happened last night.
Just as vague impressions started to surface, the door to the room opened with two beeps.
Startled by the sudden noise, Berry's eyes darted around, and she instinctively pulled the blanket over her body in a hurry.
When she turned her head to look, she found it was V.
V wore a grey hooded sweatshirt on top and jeans on the bottom, carrying a bag of steaming items.
"Yo, baby's awake." Seeing Berry awake, V smiled, uncovering her hood and shaking her hair as she entered the room.
V placed the transparent plastic bag on the table and opened the window. The morning sun immediately streamed in, making Berry squint and shield her eyes with her hand. After a while, she recovered, and by then, V had come over and sat beside her.
"Little lazy cat, still not getting up~" V naturally put her arm around Berry's shoulder, teasing.
Berry squinted suspiciously at V. Today's V seemed unusually happy, a flush on her cheeks, and a smile constantly playing on her lips and in her eyes, her spirits very high. "I brought you hot porridge, isn't that your favorite?"
Turns out V had run out to buy breakfast early in the morning, instead of running off with her pants on, as Berry had imagined.
"What kind of expression is that?" Seeing Berry's still-groggy yet suspicious and confused look, V laughed again.
"V, last night, did anything happen?" Berry stared at V with an interrogating gaze, as if trying to discern something from the other's fair face.
Now that she had come to her senses, she realized things might not be as bad as she thought.
If she had really been 'taken,' she would definitely be in agony right now, not just a little weak in the legs.
But she couldn't remember anything about last night, so she had no choice but to cast a suspicious glance at V, who was most likely the culprit.
"Are you sure~ you want to know?" When last night was mentioned, the smile on V's face deepened, even carrying a hint of lingering enjoyment. She raised an eyebrow and leaned a few inches closer to Berry, her face slightly flushed.
Just looking at V's mysterious expression gave Berry goosebumps all over. She knew without a doubt that whatever V was about to tell her wouldn't be good news.
Forget it, nothing must have happened last night.
That's right, the matter is closed.
Berry, the stability expert, immediately dismissed all suspicious evidence and drew a definitive conclusion.
As long as she didn't pursue it, then absolutely nothing happened. She was still that pure, pure man, that's how it was.
cyberware eye Berry, determined that nothing happened.
Watching Berry desperately trying to act as if nothing had happened, V smiled mysteriously.
What happened last night?
Good things, of course.
She had thoroughly enjoyed a beautiful sight she had long wanted to see.
Actually, it wasn't anything unspeakable.
It was just a little cat lapping water, fingertips tapping a rhythm, and then certain adorable people drawing maps on the quilt, nothing major.
And not only did she watch, V recorded the entire process as a treasured memory, planning to rewatch it from time to time.
However, some people's ecstatic expressions in their confusion were just too wonderful; V had replayed them three times just this morning.
No wonder she'd been smiling so much since earlier, unable to close her mouth.
Every time she saw Berry's face, she remembered her beautiful expressions; how could she not smile?
Watson District, Little Chinatown, Viktor's Clinic.
"Hey, did you guys hear about what happened last night at the All Foods Factory? The Maelstrom gang's stronghold got raided by Militech."
"You could hear their gunfire from half of Northside..."
The veteran Anthony lay on the operating chair, extending his arm for Viktor the Cyberware Doctor to tattoo him, while incessantly chattering to his companions.
"Alright, alright, Anthony, we know you're well-informed, but can you get down? I'm in a hurry to tattoo."
Seven or eight other veterans leaned and sat around, smoking cigarettes and exhaling plumes of smoke.
They were all the subordinates Berry had recruited that day. As for now, their main job was to be drivers and security personnel for cyberware transport.
The small "Hive" organization now had one Cyberware Doctor, nine Mercenaries, plus Arno and Berry, making it small but complete.
At this moment, the iron rolling shutter opened with a clatter.
Berry, looking unenthusiastic, walked in with one hand in her pocket and the other carrying a black briefcase.
"BOSS!"
"Hey, BOSS!"
Seeing their baby-faced boss appear, the veterans immediately stood up straight.
"Alright, relax, guys." Startled by the veterans' actions, Berry quickly waved her hand, telling them to sit down.
She hadn't expected this group of Mercenaries to be so serious, coming in so early in the morning, so eager for work.
"Viktor, all the gear for this time is here." Berry placed the black briefcase on the table. Inside were all the knock-off cyberware she had made, and since she hadn't had time to tinker in the repair shop these past few days, these cyberware were all old stock.
"Good, just in time, the stock is almost sold out." Viktor wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat up straight.
Berry's cyberware was selling like hotcakes in the slums.
"Alright, Anthony, get down, next one." Viktor gestured with his chin.
"BOSS!"
The veteran Anthony got off the operating chair and seemed very excited to see Berry, his arm constantly moving as if in a spasm.
Berry frowned and looked at him strangely, only then noticing the tattoo on his intact flesh arm that he was so eager to show off.
A regular hexagon, filled with dense, regular circles, looking like an abstract beehive.
"This is..." Berry frowned.
"These guys were egging me on, insisting that if they joined the 'Hive,' they had to get a symbol. So, I tattooed this for them." From his helpless expression, Viktor was clearly forced into it.
"Not bad, I actually quite like this tattoo." Berry nodded affirmingly, arms crossed.
She hadn't expected Viktor to be good at graphic design too.
"I think we should use this as our symbol. If you want to make it in the streets, you need a symbol." Berry nodded, her inspiration stirring.
"We can also engrave this symbol on our cyberware. What's it called? Brand effect, that's right."
"Sure, it's just a matter of engraving a weld surface." Viktor shrugged, indicating no problem.
Maelstrom, Tyger Claws, Valentinos Gang... If Berry had to say, the gang names in Night City were all as bad as garbage. Her chosen name, "Hive," was much more upscale; it immediately brought to mind high-tech, mystery, and so on.
Although it was currently just a small group selling knock-off cyberware, Berry was confident in making "Hive" bigger and stronger, achieving new glories, and establishing this symbol was the first step.
"Oh, and one more thing." After pondering, Berry suddenly remembered something and spoke to the veterans.
She wasn't just here to deliver goods; she had more important business.
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