Silence is the greatest form of contempt.
V simply glanced at Asa; it was as if she said nothing, yet also as if she had said everything.
A man can be killed, but not insulted!
In a fit of rage, Asa... felt a little bit of rage.
There was no helping it; though he appeared frivolous on the surface, he was actually an honest man who respected women.
Faced with V's skepticism, Asa could only choose to wait for another opportunity to prove himself to her.
The immediate priority was to finalize the plan for the entire operation.
After a bit of strategizing, the gist was: V would be responsible for handling the Arasaka mole and drawing the snake out of its hole, while Asa would be responsible for hiring a mercenary team to provide fire support for V, as well as contacting a double-agent to defect at the critical moment.
"Then it's a deal,"
Having finalized the detailed plan, an expression of anticipation naturally appeared on V's face.
Promotions and raises truly are the finer things in life.
"By the way, how do I get out of here?"
"There, the door behind you." Asa gestured with his chin toward the large door behind V.
"Can't you just take me back?"
V asked with a frown.
"Isn't taking a cab yourself perfectly fine?"
Could it be?
An incredible thought flashed through V's mind as she opened the door.
The cacophony of Night City and the bustle of Kabuki instantly flooded her ears.
V propped herself against the door with one hand, her mouth slightly agape, her rosy lips parted in a look of pure shock.
This was Kabuki.
Her newly reconnected system Cyberware quickly gave V the answer.
In just a single instant, she had crossed more than half of Night City, from Santo Domingo to Kabuki, and looking at the Wizard, he clearly hadn't exerted much power at all.
Is this magic? It's truly an eye-opener.
If Asa abilities were applied to intelligence gathering or assassination, no one in the world would be able to resist him, right?
V, of course, didn't know that the condition for teleportation magic was obtaining the destination's coordinates in advance.
One could also perform a random teleportation, but that was highly unlikely.
Most of the time, mages who chose random teleportation vanished without a trace after casting the spell.
Tissaia had sternly warned about the dangers of teleportation magic; Wizards often speculated that mages who lost their coordinates likely ended up in the vacuum of the infinite worlds, becoming part of the White Frost.
After all, in the Wizarding World, land occupied less than 1% of the space.
Less than a minute after her Cyberware came online, a communication request was forced through, and her superior Jenkins's voice came across: "V, your Cyberware was offline for half an hour just now. What's the situation?"
Generally speaking, at this point, Arasaka agents would already be searching for the target for 'neutralization,' but Jenkins, as V's boss, was grooming her as a direct subordinate and naturally wouldn't let a promising talent he favored go to waste.
Therefore, these words were actually giving V a chance.
You'd better have a good reason, or else there will be trouble.
V took a long breath and said:
"Boss, you'll never guess what I've found."
...
Flicking the switch, water sprayed from the showerhead with a whoosh. Accompanied by hot, damp steam, the hot water flowed down from Sasha's bob cut.
Droplets followed the curves of her neck, passing over her flawless, translucent breasts and pink nipples; the tiny peach fuzz on her skin seemed almost visible.
Then down her slender, tight waist and smooth hips, finally falling to the floor.
Sasha absentmindedly rubbed her hair, but her memory returned to the words of that Wizard last night: revenge.
That Wizard from the East seemed to be able to see right through her heart.
Sasha really wanted to ask: did he know something?
The word "truth" had filled her life since her mother's death, and it continued to loom larger.
As a young child, Sasha had a happy childhood; her mother, Galina, doted on her.
But like the millions of struggling people at the bottom of Night City, Galina, due to her profession, had to take a painkiller—Biotechnica's Securicine.
To this day, Sasha still remembered that shortly after taking the drug, her mother Galina lay on her deathbed due to irreversible neurological lesions, dying soon after.
The warmth of her mother stroking her hair was completely forgotten, leaving only two photos that allowed Sasha to vaguely remember her mother's face.
It wasn't until she became an adult that Sasha learned the drug had been completely discontinued shortly thereafter.
Was her mother's death related to the painkillers she took?
The puzzle weighing on Sasha's heart practically had the answer written on its face.
To hide the side effects of a drug for the sake of massive sales profits—for a megacorporation, this was an inevitable choice that required almost no thought.
But this was only a guess.
After bathing, Sasha stepped out naked and picked up a small white slip of paper from the table.
On it was written: "Wizard, Asa."
Investigations in Night City were not going smoothly. To survive, Sasha had no choice but to join a mercenary team, after which the investigation into the drug nearly ground to a halt.
Over the years, Sasha had been disappointed countless times.
When one is at their lowest, they will grasp at even the tiniest shred of hope.
At the intersection of Kabuki and Chinatown.
Sasha wore a pink jacket with a cat pattern as she walked through the streets of Chinatown, searching for the address.
She hadn't informed her partners of her next move. The secret about her mother had always been hidden in the depths of her heart.
Everyone in the team had secrets; it was normal. If they had a choice, who would want to embark on a career where the only end was the grave?
Besides, if she really went to find a famous diviner, Maine would probably be reluctant, right?
To avoid damaging the friendship within the team, Sasha decided to go alone.
With her outstanding looks, passersby couldn't help but stare at this sweet and cute girl with a bob cut.
"Misty's Esoterica? No."
Finding a small divination shop, Sasha shook her head; the name didn't match.
She turned to go to the next shop.
Misty: I feel like business hasn't been very good lately.
"Old Man's Divination Shop?"
This time it was correct.
She just didn't know why the shop wasn't open during the day.
Just as Sasha was about to knock, the closed door suddenly opened, and a white-haired woman in a suit stepped out, a subtle flush still on her face.
After stepping out of the door, the woman froze in place with a strange expression, as if savoring something.
Could it be...
Sasha's eyes widened; this situation looked very much like some kind of role-playing braindance.
Of course, she hadn't watched them; she had accidentally noted the names while hacking.
After a moment, the woman regained her composure, glanced at Sasha, and said: "Are you here for the Wizard?"
This woman has such a strong aura.
Sasha thought that with such a unique temperament, things probably weren't what she had imagined.
"Yes. Are you here for a divination too?"
Sasha asked politely.
"Divination?"
The woman turned to look at the sign behind the storefront, then let out an imperceptible sigh.
"Go on in. This guy knows quite a few things."
The first half was said to Sasha, while the second half was a soft murmur.
After the white-haired woman finished speaking, she walked straight past Sasha.
"What a strange person."
Watching the woman disappear around the corner, Sasha plucked up her courage and walked into the shop.
Crossing the threshold felt like traveling through an entire world.
Passing through some kind of boundary, the clamor was shut out, and the room was still and silent.
The decor and furnishings inside weren't the focus; the focus was the shop owner standing behind the desk.
Back at the bar, Sasha's thoughts had been too jumbled to notice, but now that she was in the shop, she realized the owner was actually so young.
Even though Sasha was past the age of judging people by their looks, she still had to admit the shop owner's appearance was exceptional.
Combined with the black-rimmed glasses he wore, Sasha felt he must have read many books, possessed vast knowledge, and was highly articulate.
Her innate respect for knowledge gave rise to a sense of respect for him.
Then, Sasha used her Cyberware to confirm once more that the other party was indeed just an ordinary person.
"Hello there, lost soul. Welcome to Old Man's Divination Shop."
"Hello, I'd like to..."
Before Sasha could voice her request, Asa clapped his hands and gestured downward, indicating for her to sit:
"Please, have a seat."
"There's no need to say it. In fact, I know why you've come, I know what you desire, and your suspicions are indeed the truth."
At this moment, Asa wasn't a diviner, but a charlatan.
Relying on the advantage of foresight to maintain his persona was perfectly normal; all his transmigrator predecessors did it, and Asa followed suit.
Moreover, regarding this cat-like girl before him, Asa had other ideas.
"It's starting already?"
Based on this professional attitude alone, Sasha felt a surge of respect.
"Securicine. Miss Sasha Yakovleva, you want to find information on this drug, don't you?"
Asa spoke bluntly, voicing the thoughts in the cat-eared hacker's heart.
The hacker's body jolted as she looked at Asa in disbelief.
This was a secret she had hidden in the depths of her heart; not only had she never told her teammates, but even her sister had never heard Sasha mention it.
How did a natural human diviner do it?
Unless he had investigated her long ago, but why?
With her value, she could hire quite a few hacker mercenaries in this field.
As far as Sasha knew, there was a bald, dark-skinned hacker whose price was particularly high, more than double hers.
So, he really is a diviner?
"Everything has a price, Miss."
The diviner continued,
"Your mother's death was indeed because of this drug."
Sasha grabbed both of Asa hands on the table, clutching them tightly in her excitement:
"Is it true? You're saying my mother really was killed by Biotechnica?"
"Without a doubt."
Asa let the hacker hold his hands.
"The reason the drug was completely discontinued shortly after was because company executives, to prevent damage to the company's interests, refused to recall the drug and terminated the production line after that batch was sold out."
"There is indeed something fishy about this drug, but the information is hidden in Biotechnica's servers; you won't be able to get it."
Sasha was stunned; after finally learning the cause of her mother's death, her mind went blank.
Her mother's smiling face was blown away like a gust of wind, replaced by her frail, bedridden form.
The culprit behind it all, the mastermind who destroyed her family, was none other than Biotechnica—one of the world's leading pharmaceutical giants!
But even if she knew the truth, so what?
How could an ordinary mercenary hacker in Night City take revenge on a pharmaceutical giant?
"The divination is complete."
On the other side, cold words came from Asa mouth.
"It's time for you to pay the price."
The hacker hurriedly checked her account balance and asked:
"How much?"
"I don't want money; I need something else."
Asa gaze fixed on the hacker.
Sasha felt a chill and instinctively covered her chest:
"Sorry, I don't do that. Can we terminate the transaction?"
"What are you thinking?"
Asa was speechless.
"I need you all to do me a favor; consider it the cost of the divination. As for if you want revenge, that's a separate price."
"Revenge?" Deep-seated hatred surged in Sasha's eyes, followed by doubt:
"Can you do it?"
This was the second time today he had been asked if he "could do it." Asa calmly noted the names of V and Sasha in his notebook.
I'll remember this grudge.
"Refunds available if not satisfied."
"Then what's the price? Just say it."
Sasha was suddenly impatient.
Asa rested his chin on his hand:
"Things must be done step by step; clear the old debt before making a new one."
Then, Asa stated his intention:
"I want to hire your team at market rates. The target is to oppose a Militech armed squad, with the cooperation of Arasaka Corporation."
"Ah, that..."
Sasha was immediately hesitant. Maine's and Dorio's attitudes toward corporations were exactly the same as Sasha's: they would never collaborate with filthy corps.
Siding with Arasaka now was, frankly speaking, impossible.
Unless there was extra money.
"Better discuss it with your teammates, Kitty."
As Asa spoke, he gave Sasha some inside info,
"Only one person involved is an Arasaka agent, and no one will ever know about this operation."
"Alright, I'll go back and think about it."
"Remember, you owe me this. If you can't pay it back, come work for me."
Why did Sasha feel like the person in front of her was hoping she wouldn't be able to pay it back?
The two added each other as friends. Incidentally, Asa used a mobile phone.
Sasha's avatar was a cute kitten. Asa praised her: "Can I see your little kitty?"
"Can you stop with the dirty jokes?"
Sasha laughed awkwardly and handed Asa a piece of bubble gum.
"Here, have some..."
Escorting the hacker to the door, Asa made a'six' gesture with his fingers by his ear:
"Remember to get back to me later."
Asa gesture, however, caused Sasha confusion. She asked:
"What does this gesture mean?"
Am I already an old fossil?
Asa had to explain: "It means making a phone call. In the last century, mobile phones were shaped like this."
"Okay, you know a lot. Goodbye, Diviner. I can't guarantee my teammates will listen to me, but I guarantee I'll pay back this debt."
"Don't call me Diviner, Diviner. You can just call me by my name, Asa, or Lang."
"Okay, Asa or Lang."
"Please, no more cold jokes."