V quickly sized up the guy in front of her. Even though V hated judging a person's ability based on their appearance, because she herself had been unfairly treated many times due to her looks, at this moment, V's expression still soured.
You could say she was a hypocrite, or that she was unreasonable, but… V just wasn't happy.
No, why was this a 'native'?
For this smuggling job, she had transported goods from the NUSA city-state to the Free States, and then it was a 'native' who came to meet her?
What a joke, how could there be any security guarantee?
In an instant, V thought of all sorts of possibilities.
She had snuck into Night City with this batch of goods, and if she got caught during a checkpoint because of the other party's unprofessionalism, V would be furious.
But on second thought, she was the one who was late and lacked professionalism.
So, suppressing that emotion and taking a deep breath, V put her hands on her hips and said to Jax, "Have you been waiting long?"
"I've been waiting a long time. What, did you have an accident on the way?" Jax looked at V and asked.
It could now be confirmed; this was the female V.
Although she had a neutral face, the aura V exuded in her every move was not what a normal man should have. Even though V deliberately concealed it and made very masculine movements, her smaller frame and overly slender wrists exposed this "incoordination."
"A small accident, it's not important."
V shook her head, looked at Jax, and said, "That's my problem, I've delayed your time. Shall we leave now?"
"I was just waiting for you to say that." Jax stood up, looked at V, and said, "Where are the goods?"
"They're in the car outside." V pursed her lips, then turned and walked outside.
Jax followed her out and saw a gray-black vintage car parked next to the small wooden cabin.
V didn't get into the driver's seat, but walked to the front of the car, and at the same time, her voice reached Jax's ears:
"Wait a minute, my car had a small problem. I just had someone fix it, but I always feel like that guy ripped me off. That stupid sheriff, he didn't listen to a word I said, just wanted to rush me out."
Complaining as she spoke, V skillfully opened the hood of the vintage car, then leaned half her body in, sticking her rear out.
Black trousers of a tough fabric hugged her firm, rounded backside. Jax glanced at it, then averted his gaze.
He then walked to V's side and peered in to see the car's condition.
Although he didn't know if Panam Palmer's butt was truly the soul of Night City, the V in front of him… her panther-like physique, exuding a wild and natural beauty, well, though not the largest Jax had ever seen, it was definitely the most astonishingly proportioned and elastic.
After all, if you really wanted to talk about the biggest butt, then the Savage King of the Animals gang would have something to say. Damn, whose butt could be bigger than hers?
Therefore, proportion, proportion was the most important thing!
A slender waist, round hips, long legs, and even muscular pectorals—how the hell could this be a man?
Luckily, Jax had spent some time training with the Moxes… otherwise, the first thing he would have said to V would have been, "Holy crap, brother, those are some great pecs."
A moment later, V stood up and said in a strange tone, "He actually didn't rip me off?"
"Did you want him to rip you off?" Jax said from the side.
V glanced at Jax, chuckled, then walked to the driver's seat and said, "Get in."
Jax sat in the passenger seat, looking at V, who was turning the steering wheel beside him.
"My mission is to protect this cargo. Now it's your turn. Are you sure you can safely deliver this cargo into Night City?
What's inside is not simple. All this way, I've been chased by corpo dogs, Militech agents, and… damn it, no, it's like dogs that smelled Bones."
The vintage car drove from the farm towards Night City, and V spoke along the way.
Jax listened and smiled. Although he didn't know why the goods weren't starting from his end, unlike in the game, if there were no mistakes, then the cargo V delivered contained a lizard.
The value of that thing was self-evident. Although for big corporations, it wasn't actually something so rare that they couldn't live without it, its value was enough for corporations to take a reckless risk.
An endangered green lizard—it would be strange if selling this to Biotechnica didn't make a fortune.
However, Jax wasn't Jackie and didn't intend to peek inside. V was also clearly a person who focused on the mission; she hadn't opened the box at all along the way, honestly driving the goods to Night City.
"What are you laughing at? I'm talking to you." V saw Jax's smile and immediately blurted out.
Jax was stunned. Since returning to Night City from Americas Jaguar Fortress, Jax hadn't heard anyone speak to him like that in a long time.
When he used to go to Afterlife, ordering a drink would get him heckled by passing mercenaries. It wasn't surprising, after all, Night City residents had high average 'quality,' with 'mother' on their lips and vulgarities at every turn.
But ever since he made a name for himself, all Jax received upon returning to Night City were smiles.
It wasn't that he was being cheap and felt better being heckled, but rather that Jax felt this sensation… it had truly been a long time coming.
"Of course, your mission is complete, so now it's my mission." Jax said.
"Don't brag. I've seen a lot of guys like you over there," V said directly upon hearing this. She paused, then continued:
"Clean-cut, no mercenary vibe at all, but they talk themselves up to the sky, yet their actual performance is utterly terrible!"
"You're not one of those people, are you?" V spoke her mind.
She had been duped by such guys many times.
Dressed impeccably, looking clean-cut—the guy in front of her was just like that. He was just short of wearing a beautiful, high-end suit and glasses.
If he did, he would be no different from those guys V had encountered!
They looked good, but in reality, they were full of evil intentions!
However… on second thought, V felt that Jax shouldn't be like them. After all, those people, though disgusting, had high status and position. But Jax?
Coming to pick up this kind of cargo… so, he was probably a newly debuted mercenary in Night City?
Because he couldn't get good jobs, he could only take on these dead-end, lousy ones.
Jax just chuckled at V's words.
V's demeanor reminded him of how he used to be with Maine and the others, but the difference was that Jax chose to defend himself with indifference, while V directly launched an attack.
Should one say that people raised in the city and outside the city are different?
However, it was not surprising that V had such a temper. If she didn't have this temper, if she didn't protect herself like a hedgehog, V would never have made it to Night City.
Considering her appearance.
Although it was hard to tell if she was male or female, beauty is universal. Anyone who had seen V's face, whether male or female, would appreciate her looks, especially combined with V's aura.
How did that saying go?
A woman with masculine features, a peerless beauty.
Just as he was thinking, V controlled the steering wheel with one hand, then used the other to brush back a few strands of black hair that had fallen across her forehead. Beneath her smooth, full forehead were slightly furrowed brows, deep, bright eyes with a hint of blue, and a nose bridge with a superior curve, yet not like those of internet celebrities. V's features were handsome and sharp, with thin red lips and a slightly prominent cupid's bow on her upper lip.
This profile, combined with her current actions… Jax: "…"
Damn, she really can be more handsome than me, huh?
"Let me be clear, if the goods can't be delivered safely, then it's your problem.
Of course, if it really fails, then it's also my problem. I was late, which affected you, so I will also share some of the responsibility with you."
V leaned her left elbow on the car window, palm supporting her cheek, and continued:
"If it's my problem, I won't shirk it, but if it's not my problem, then don't even think about dumping it on me.
I hate nothing more than people screwing me over. Every single son of a bitch who screws me over, once I make it big, I'll find them one by one!"
Jax just smiled at this. He looked at V and asked, "How long did it take you to get to Night City? Didn't you run into any Nightwalkers?"
"Nightwalkers? Oh, you mean those guys like the Wraiths, right? I ran into them a few times, but I managed to avoid them." V said after some thought.
There were only her and Jax in the car, and for a long time, V had been driving alone on deserted roads, so V was happy to talk to someone at this moment.
To relieve her mood and express her desire to confide.
So she said, "It took me almost a few months to get here. Before this, I was a member of a nomad family. For some reasons, I parted ways with them."
"You're a city person, you probably haven't seen many nomads, have you?" V looked at Jax, asking curiously.
Jax nodded. "To be honest, you're the first Nomad I've ever dealt with."
"No, I'm not a Nomad anymore. Starting tomorrow, I'll be a part of Night City too." V immediately said, then she suddenly chuckled and continued, "Let me ask you, what exactly does Night City look like? I've always heard people talk about how great it is, and I've seen it in brochures, but I want to know what Night City looks like through your eyes, as someone who lives there."
"It's big, it's spectacular, but to be specific…" Jax pondered for a moment, then he spoke: "A cesspool hidden beneath a glamorous exterior, and the homeless piled up in corners versus the well-dressed, spirited people in the city center. V, that's Night City in my eyes."
"You said nothing new. Do you think I want to hear your poetic musings?" V rolled her eyes.
"Then let me put it another way."
"Under the gloomy, post-rain sky, you can see weakly glowing hovercars moving among the steel behemoths, and the rain can't wash away the decay in the dirty, chaotic slums…"
"Enough, stop." V interrupted Jax.
She turned her head, annoyed, and looked at Jax, her thick brows slightly raised, saying unhappily, "Can you please not shatter the beautiful expectations in someone's heart?"
Jax chuckled and said, "Alright, anyway, this city is very interesting."
After chatting for a while longer, V slowed down the old car, looking at the checkpoint not far ahead, and took a deep breath.
"Come on, city boy, it's up to you."
V said, looking at Jax.
Jax nodded.
The vehicle entered the checkpoint, the barrier in front, used to restrict vehicles, rose. V stopped the car, and two customs officers immediately walked over.
Rolling down the window, V looked at Jax, waiting for him to get out.
However, V saw Jax sitting calmly in the passenger seat.
Seeing this, V gnashed her small fangs, making a creaking sound, not understanding what Jax was doing.
All this way, for V, the most troublesome things were definitely not the Nomad families and the Wraiths in the Badlands desert, but these checkpoints that appeared at every location.
Compared to the Wraiths, these guys who claim "justice" and "protect" citizens' lives and property are clearly the most dangerous!
They really want money, and it's the kind you can't refuse!
But then, V saw a scene that surprised her.
"Where are you coming from?"
The officer at the checkpoint looked at Jax in the passenger seat, then at V, who was looking at Jax. When he saw V's face, the officer was clearly stunned, then he asked V: "Are you male or female?"
"Does it matter?" V said, lowering her voice.
"When I ask you a question, you answer honestly. I encounter countless people like you trying to enter Night City every day. If I don't clarify your identity, how can I let you in?"
The officer showed an unhappy expression, patting the car body as he spoke, then continued: "Or do you want to be taken into a small dark room for a good chat before you'll be honest?"
Jax raised his hand and handed a chip worth one thousand to the officer.
"Hmm?" The officer smiled, looking at Jax. Although he felt somewhat familiar, he didn't pay attention because of the dim light inside the car, and instead asked: "One of us?"
"I just came out of the city this morning; my name should be on the registry." Jax turned and said to him.
"Morning, huh... Then do you know, recently, to prevent…" The officer's words were cut off halfway when his companion suddenly reached out and tugged his arm.
"What are you doing?"
"Damn it, stop talking…"
"Jax, what's wrong? Something happened?"
"It's Jax…"
"Jax, what Jax…" The checkpoint officer's words trailed off, he hiccupped, then looked at his companion, and saw the NCPD officer named Jax nod vigorously.
In an instant, this checkpoint officer froze.
Turning his head to look into the car again, the Asian youth in the passenger seat, his face had become incredibly familiar.
Black hair, Asian, original face…
There are many such East Asian men in Night City, but recently, the most dangerous one… there's only one.
In the NCPD database, this man's wanted poster is still up, although due to certain irresistible factors, that wanted poster has been shelved.
But everyone in the police station has seen that notice—Jax, for acts of terrorism, murder, and disturbing public order…
Thinking of the things this seemingly gentle youth had done, the checkpoint officer's face immediately darkened.
He could kill corporate employees and remain unharmed, no one dared to trouble him to this day, so what about a small cop like himself?
With a look of wanting to cry but no tears coming out, he raised his hand and handed back the chip containing one thousand Euros.
"Um, Mr. Jax, I didn't recognize you just now…" he whispered to Jax.
Inside the car, V's eyes widened: "???"
"Since you already registered this morning, then naturally, you don't need to register again for your return trip."
Jax looked at him and said, "But the car is different."
"No, that's fine. As long as the person matches."
"What about her?" Jax glanced at V, who was staring blankly at Jax.
"What? Don't scare me, aren't you the only one?" the checkpoint officer said in a panic.
V: "?"
Pointing at her own face, V said, "What do you mean? Am I not a person?"
The checkpoint officer completely ignored V, then looked at Jax and said, "Then I won't bother you anymore."
"This chip…"
"You take it. It's the rule, isn't it?" Jax handed the chip back.
Although he could save these one thousand Euros, getting on good terms with these customs officers would also be a good thing.
Afterward, the barrier lowered, Jax looked at V and said, "Let's go."
V stomped on the accelerator, and the vehicle drove into the outskirts of Santo Domingo.
At the checkpoint, the two NCPD officers exchanged glances, then Jax said, "That car…"
"Militech specifically requested it, saying to stop it and inform them."
Jax sighed and said, "What do we do now?"
"We can't afford to offend him, and we can't afford to offend Militech either. Report it, pass the message to Militech."
"Won't that provoke him?" Jax hesitated.
"Are you kidding… If Militech knew he was in that car, would they go after him?"
"Militech sent intelligence agents. You should know that Arasaka's high-level combat agents couldn't handle him, let alone ordinary intelligence agents?"
The officer who had spoken with Jax earlier took a chip from his pocket, handed it to Jax, and then continued: "We'll just pretend we don't know anything. We haven't offended him, and we've followed Militech's instructions."
"Alright, fine… So be it."
On the highway outside Night City, after several minutes of silence in the car, V tentatively said, "I say… what's up, Jax, are you some big shot?"
Jax was stunned to hear that, then understood why V would ask such a question.
The current V was a bumpkin who had just entered Night City. She might be a good fighter, but that was only against Nomad families.
Without implants, Rebecca alone could take on five of her!
Besides, even if she could fight, what then?
When you're out in the world, there's a lot more to it than just fighting.
Being a good fighter, in the end, is just a minor role.
Jax looked at V, shook his head, and said seriously, "No, V, you are the big shot."
V's chest immediately puffed out, unable to be concealed by her jacket. If she weren't driving, she probably would have put her bursting chest on the steering wheel.
She said cheerfully, "I like that."
"Now that I'm here, I have no intention of slinking back."
"I'm going to be a big shot, damn it!" V shouted.
As she was speaking, two cars suddenly appeared, one of them accelerating to block the old car.
The other performed a drift, wedging itself behind the old car.
At the same time, a warning blared from the car behind: "Vehicle ahead, stop immediately! You are transporting lost corporate cargo. Repeat, stop immediately and exit the vehicle!"
In the old car, V looked at Jax and said nervously, "What's happening?"
"Corporate people have found us." Jax said calmly.
V immediately became annoyed, "I can see that! I'm asking, what do we do now?"
"Get out? Let them check the cargo?"
"Are you out of your mind?" Jax looked at V and cursed.
"Shit, then what do we do?"
"Run!"