It turned out Leo was absolutely right.
V the Unstoppable might really be a different species compared to ordinary humans.
After nearly two hours of surgery, her eyes popped open—and she stood up on her own.
"Hang on a bit, I'll get your meds ready. Won't take long."
Twenty minutes later, each of them had three vials in hand.
"Same as always—red cap is a flexible stimulant, blue is for pain and inflammation. This pneumatic injector contains an immunosuppressant. If you show signs of cyberpsychosis, use it immediately and get your ass back here."
"Thanks, Vik."
Leo genuinely felt moved. They'd spent around 2,000 euros on this visit but walked away with implants worth nearly 80,000. There probably wasn't another ripperdoc in Night City as fair as Vik.
"It's nothing. Just come back and give me more business."
Vik slumped back into his chair and turned on a boxing match.
Leo waved at V, who was still testing her upgraded limbs, then turned back to Vik and said,
"Next time, dinner's on me. What I need most now is a bed."
"Right. No spicy food, no alcohol, no showers today. Get as much rest as you can. With your physical condition, you'll feel a lot better tomorrow."
They took his advice to heart and left the clinic.
While waiting for their ride, V went over to chat with Misty.
They hit it off immediately, chatting and laughing like old friends.
Soon after, Leo's Delamain ride pulled up. V reluctantly said goodbye to Misty and climbed into the backseat beside Leo.
As usual, they sat side by side. V turned to him and said,
"I thought you were bluffing when you said you're good at reading people… but I was wrong. Finding folks like Vik and Misty in Night City—that's a talent."
"Of course. Don't forget, I also found you, Jackie, and Sasha. That's not something just anyone can do."
As Leo spoke, the Ant Nest came into view outside the window, and a thought crossed his mind.
"By the way, didn't you spend a long time in Watson? How come you never knew about Vik? His clinic is just a few steps from your apartment."
V held up her new cybernetic hand, admiring the gleam of the upgraded grip mod.
"Vik's a licensed ripperdoc."
"And that's… a bad thing?" Leo asked, puzzled.
"Sigh, rich boy, you really don't get it. Licensed docs are expensive. If you go to an unlicensed back-alley ripper, you can get the same implant for half the price."
"Seriously? But are those doctors and implants reliable?"
"Of course not. The implants might have 'minor' signs of prior use. They might come with little surprises like hidden backdoors, or worse—cheap knockoff brands like People's Tech or Araslop."
"Going to those clinics? You never go alone. Always bring a friend. That way, if you die on the table, at least someone's there to ID the body—and maybe avenge you."
V leaned back, eyes closed, recounting her mercenary life at the bottom rung of Night City society.
Leo listened quietly. It felt like hearing a war story.
Through her words, the bleaker side of Night City slowly surfaced—just the tip of the iceberg.
They returned to the apartment and ate a light meal, then both collapsed into bed.
Their bodies, still recovering from surgery, buzzed with fatigue and soreness.
Leo spent most of the day in a semi-conscious haze.
February 22nd.
At noon, they had a hearty lunch.
Leo was finally back to full strength.
"Aaahhh—"
He stretched with a satisfying groan, exhaling all the stale air from his lungs. He felt reborn.
"I'm good now. What about you?"
"Same! I feel amazing!"
V was hyped. She shadowboxed midair.
"I used to think I was strong by street merc standards, but not elite. After this upgrade? I'm definitely above average even in a place like Afterlife."
"I'll be counting on you in our next mission, then."
"Damn right. This wasn't charity money—I'm gonna make it count!"
After a short rest, V suddenly suggested they spar.
"Now that we both have Kerenzikov, I wanna try this training method I heard about."
"What method?"
"Bullet dodge training!"
"WHAT?!"
Leo was horrified—but before he could object, V bolted into the elevator.
Fifteen minutes later, she returned lugging a heavy ammo crate.
"Picked up some rubber rounds from the local gun shop. Hold up."
She ducked into her room, and reemerged with a familiar pistol—one of those "budget used guns" that weapon vendor Wilson was always pushing.
"You still have that thing?"
"That's what armories are for. Backup guns always come in handy. Like now—load this baby with rubber rounds, and I can still bust your skull open."
After loading the gun, V held up a shiny coin.
"This is an old American commemorative coin. Head is a portrait, tails is a building. Let's flip it. Winner gets to mag dump the loser."
Her tone was nonchalant. Leo, on the other hand, trembled.
"Is this really necessary?"
"Kerenzikov boosts reflexes. That means dodging bullets. Better to train now than during an actual firefight."
Leo fell silent.
She… has a point…
"Fine. I call heads!"
Ding—
The coin flew into the air, spinning as it fell.
V didn't catch it, letting it clatter to the floor and bounce a few times.
Result: tails.
"You lost. How unfortunate~"
She said the words with mock pity—but her smile stretched ear to ear.
The gun's muzzle pointed straight at him.
Leo was suddenly very sure: V definitely has violent tendencies.
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