Chapter 173 Pride and Anger!
"Haha, if Hansen wants to clean up his name by doing business and gain the trust of European companies by kidnapping Miles, it's not that easy!"

Aymeric said with a sneer, his disdainful tone revealing his strong contempt for Hansen's lapdog attitude towards giant companies.

"The path to upward mobility in any era is extremely narrow. Whether one can move up the social ladder does not depend on one's own abilities or worth, nor on one's loyalty to the upper class."

"It's about whether the people above are willing to give it!"

As Aymeric finished his words, the dealer on the side opened the cards, and after comparing the points, it was Aurore who won the game.

"Haha! I win!"

Aurore laughed out loud, as clear as a silver bell, while V simply paid the money readily and then played another round of cards with the other party.

V then continued the conversation by saying, "So you are not optimistic about the future of Dogtown in Night City."

V continued to bet with Aurore while having a conversation with Aymeric.

He didn't care at all about the 3 euros in chips he had just lost. After seeing that the taciturn Aymeric had finally opened up to him, V immediately took the opportunity to ask him back.

V didn't come here just to gamble with Auror for fun, but to attract their attention and make the European hacker couple relax their vigilance.

Soon, Aymeric, whose keyboard politics spirit was completely aroused, spoke eloquently to V about all his views on Hansen:
"I feel like Hansen at this moment is like a naked dancer, trying her best to please the company's dignitaries and those stingy bigwigs."

"But the same thing goes, if a whore wants to get into a man's house, it doesn't depend on whether she strips clean enough or sells enough, but whether the upper class is willing to give it to her."

"A warlord like Hansen who rose to power through despicable means can only be a black glove for the company at best. How can he be qualified to join the ranks of the rich and powerful?"

Emeric's words revealed his contempt and ridicule for Hansen, and his meaning basically represented the true views of European corporate executives on Hansen.

No matter what time of year, dogs are not worthy of eating at the same table with their owners.

What's more, there is only so much profit pie on the table, and having one more person means they will have one less resource of their own.

This is how the so-called company factions came about. Unless internal conflicts escalate to an unmanageable level, outsiders have no qualifications or opportunities to intervene.

And Hansen was that outsider.

This is why Emeric looked down on Hansen from the bottom of his heart. Everyone's background and environment have already represented the height of his future life.

Like him and his sister Aurora, although they were born into a family of second-tier employees in European companies, they seemed ordinary.

But with the accumulated resources of their parents, the hacker brother and sister Americk and Aurore were successfully selected into the engineering research and development program of the AI ​​neural matrix device.

After the success of this project, they made great contributions and successfully became the first-tier employees of the company.

Today, Aymeric is the top technician at the World Satellite Communications Network Company, and his sister Aurore is a real estate agent at the European Bank.

If nothing unexpected happens, it is almost certain that they will enter the company's management ranks in the second half of their lives.

Unlike Hansen, who was born in a peasant army camp in the New America, he relied on flattering the powerful and working for the big shots to get resources for advancement.

Haha, no hope.

"V, you know, power is actually transmitted in the same way as AIDS, only through blood, mother-to-child, and sex."

Aymeric sneered with a rather arrogant look on his face. Like many people in Europe, he didn't believe in the nonsense that man can conquer nature.

If one wants to hold power and climb up, one must either rely on absolute violence and killing, causing a sea of ​​blood to boil, and then start all over again to reshuffle and divide the fruits.

Or they rely on their birth environment, calling it family inheritance.

Or it could be a family marriage, a strong alliance.

Obviously, Dogtown Warlord Hansen does not have any of the above ways to climb up.

By killing? With his few men and those few broken guns, who could he kill? He could only be a local tyrant in this tiny place called Gou Town.

If the company gets upset with him one day, they can send out company troops at any time to wipe out this little bug.

After listening to Emeric's long speech, V suddenly felt a strong sense of discomfort in his heart. He could feel the arrogance from the bottom of Emeric's heart.

In fact, a long time ago, when V was still a wanderer, he realized that the gap between people of different classes was as big as the gap between two species.

The attitude of the upper class towards the lower class is always that ugly and condescending face.

This arrogance and indifference that naturally exists between different classes is like a sharp blade piercing V's heart.

A wanderer like him might even be inferior to Hansen in Emmerich's eyes.

At this moment, V became more determined to kill Aymeric and Aurore, two of the European upper class.

However, although V was extremely angry at this moment, his expression remained as calm as Aymeric's.

"Very interesting insights. I believe Mr. Emerick will become a wise member of the company's senior management sooner or later."

"It seems that I am lucky to meet a master here."

As soon as Aymeric finished speaking, V, with a smile on his face, immediately gave him the perfect amount of flattery.

And V's praise really benefited Emeric. Although he just smiled modestly on the surface, he was actually feeling proud of his own unique insights.

He likes the feeling of being successful in showing off in front of strangers. It feels great!

"Mr. V, please don't mind. My brother is just like that. He always likes to say these boring and annoying things. It's really boring."

Aurore said this, but she couldn't help but give her brother Aymeric a look of approval. It was obvious that she also agreed with his long speech.

As people who grew up in the same class circle, Aurore and Emeric's ideology and world views are of course completely consistent.

"No, I think what Mr. Aymeric said is very philosophical. This is a rare spiritual yoga in the impetuous Night City."

V's continuous flattery made the cold-hearted Emeric feel extremely happy.

He felt that he had met a true soulmate tonight!
People tend to attract friends of the same kind as they are people, and Aymeric seemed to be able to feel that the V in front of him was the same kind as him.

"Mr. V, could you please tell me what industry you are in and which company you work for?"

Aymeric took the initiative to ask V.

He asked these two questions in order to determine what attitude he should take towards V based on V's social status.

Knowing how to choose the right dish is a social skill that every office worker must have.

In Emerick's view, there is no need for people to communicate with others who cannot provide them with resources or exchange benefits.

Only by avoiding ineffective social interactions as much as possible can we show proper respect for our own time and life.

Faced with Emeric's question, V certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to tell him the truth that he was a rough guy working as an agent for an LA company.

If he really did that, perhaps the snobbish brother and sister would immediately roll their eyes at him and leave the gambling table in a bad mood.

This would ruin V's plan, so he had to use the name of the LA company, and the position he mentioned couldn't be too low.

Of course, V couldn't use a high-level company position to fool this pair of highly intelligent hackers, otherwise it would be easy to be exposed and be seen through.

What's more, which high-ranking company executive would come to a low-end party like Bao Shi Qing to play?

This is obviously unrealistic.

After a brief thought, V decided to use the identity of an employee in the department of his boss Ott Cunningham to fool Emeric.

There was no way. V had only been in LA company for a short time. He had no idea what departments there were within the company, so he had to make up one based on what he knew.

This way, obvious flaws will not be exposed.

"I am a network security technician working for a company in LA. My daily tasks are to build and maintain AI defense systems."

As expected, as soon as V finished speaking, Auror covered her mouth in surprise and looked at V with surprise.

"Oh my god, you are a technical staff member working for an LA company. What a surprise!"

Looking at the entire cyber world, whether it is the giant companies on the ground or the colonial areas in outer space, who would not know the famous name of LA company?

This giant enterprise, which covers various industries, shocked corporate dogs throughout Europe a few days ago by abolishing the European Community and establishing the LA Alliance.

Because it means that from now on, they will no longer be first-tier corporate employees, and LA companies will become a pilgrimage site for future elites from all walks of life!
It can be said that if there are two company employees with the same position, one in a LA company and the other in a European bank, the former definitely has a higher social status.

After all, among many giant companies, the current LA company is in the T0 level that surpasses all others, and it is unique!

Unlike his sister Aurore's surprised reaction, Aymeric did not show much expression and simply returned to silence again.

While he was observing V's expression carefully with a suspicious look, he was secretly jealous of V's position in the company.

Logically speaking, he and V are technical employees of the same level in the company, but V is an employee from a T0-level unit like LA Company, which invisibly suppresses him.

This also made Emeric, who was always cold and arrogant, feel very unhappy.

"V, since you are an employee of the LA company's cybersecurity department, why don't you tell us some information about your company, such as the news about the AI ​​White Queen." "I heard that this is the world's top network defense system, and only your LA company has this technology in the world."

As she said this, Aurore cast a gentle, charming look at V and slowly rubbed V's fingers with her slender hands.

Her extremely seductive expression was full of teasing towards V.

"I know that your LA company attaches great importance to the confidentiality of internal company information. If you are willing to reveal some inside information, the value of the intelligence we can provide you will definitely not be low."

"Besides, when we go out, who doesn't want to make a few more trustworthy friends who have strength and resources? What do you think?"

Aurora's intention was obvious. She wanted to bring V into her team through exchanging interests and sharing resources.

They are all smart people. They can't fool the other party with tricks like seduction. The reason why Aurore teased V with expressions was just to show her attitude.

That's what V wants, and she can give it!

And Aymeric, who was silent on the side, also cast an inviting look at V, but his eyes revealed more of temptation.

As a technician, Emerick has always been cautious. He is still not sure whether V is a genuine LA company employee or a fake charlatan.

Seeing that Aurore and Aymeric sent him invitations at the same time, V knew that the time had come and it was time for him to let Reed, who had been waiting for a long time, appear!
"After talking for so long, my throat is a little dry. Why don't we have a glass of wine to moisten our throats first?"

"How about three cold, refreshing cocktails?"

V was in no hurry to continue the conversation following Aurora's words.

Instead, he changed the subject temporarily and asked the other person if he wanted something to drink.

At this moment, Aurore and Aymeric were so focused on the inside information from V that they had no time to worry about whether there was any problem with the drinks.

Sure enough, in order to hear the information about the LA company as soon as possible, Aurore was so impatient that she immediately raised her hand and called the waiter not far away to bring some wine.

And that waiter was none other than Li De, who was already prepared and disguised as a bartender!
Seeing Aurore asking for drinks, Li De immediately served drugged cocktails to the three people at the gambling table one by one.

Of course, V's cup was also drugged, but he had taken the antidote in advance, so it wasn't a problem.

"Here's your wine, sir."

When Li De served V a cocktail, he couldn't help but glance at him, as if to say "awesome" that he had tricked the target person into the bureau so easily.

V calmly picked up the cocktail and took a sip in front of the two European hackers. Then he slowly told them some inside information about the LA company.

For example, the basic functions of AI White Queen and some infrastructure devices of the Polymer Research Institute.

Although this information is useless, it is still quite rare intelligence for European hackers who are eager to understand LA companies.

Therefore, when they saw that V could actually tell them some information about the LA company, the brother and sister became more and more excited.

It seems like they really encountered a rare person!
Aurore and Emeric's social circles do not have any connections with LA company employees, so now is the perfect time to fill that gap.

"Mr. V, let's exchange contact information. When my sister and I finish today's mission, we can find time to meet in private and talk about other things."

Aymeric changed his previous cold and arrogant attitude. He took the initiative to humble himself and mentioned to V the idea of ​​exchanging contact information.

No smart person would continue to remain indifferent when there is profit to be made.

What Aurore and Emeric value most is V's identity as an LA company employee!
"Okay, add it then."

V's prosthetic eye device popped up a friend-adding interface for nearby people. After confirming and agreeing, Aurore and Aymeric officially appeared in V's friend list.

Although adding a dead person as a friend is indeed a bit unlucky, V doesn't mind it. He has completed a special achievement of killing a netizen offline.

Soon, after exchanging contact information, Auror regained her charming and lovely look.

"Mr. V, why don't we play a few more rounds? Maybe you'll win a lot of money this time!"

Aurore reached out her hand again and gently touched V's fingers.

Faced with this kind of sexually suggestive gaze and ambiguous teasing actions, it would be a bit unbearable for an ordinary man.

But V is an old hand who has seen the world after all, and this calm movement is not enough to make his brain short-circuit like a fool.

"Okay, let's play a few more games of cards."

V's words and actions remained calm throughout the whole process, which made Aymeric more and more certain that V's identity was basically true, because he didn't see any flaws at all.

After a while, during the card game, V, who won the money, deliberately raised his glass to the two of them, signaling everyone to drink together as a simple celebration.

In response to V's invitation to toast, Aurore and Aymeric subconsciously raised their glasses to toast back, completely unaware that there was something wrong with their drinks.

【Well done! V! 】

Alex's excited roar came from V's earphone. This pair of highly intelligent European hackers actually drank the alcohol of unknown origin without any precautions.

Things went even more smoothly than they imagined.

At the poker table, V, who had been losing one after another and constantly giving money to Auror, not only recovered his own capital, but also won back 10 Euros in chips from Auror.

"Mr. V, it seems that the goddess of luck has begun to favor you. You must seize the opportunity!" Auror looked at V with a charming smile.

In fact, Aurore's prosthetic eye device has undergone special functional modifications, and she can easily see through the numbers and patterns under most cards.

Unless it was professional gambling cards that only appeared in large casinos, the ordinary cards on this small gambling table would not be a problem for Auror at all.

The reason why Aurore was able to win V's chips was because she could easily see through V's hole cards.

And now, she planned to lose the money to V deliberately so that she could make a friend like V who could be beneficial to her.

"I'm really lucky."

V smiled and said.

After estimating that the time was almost up, V took the initiative to find the dealer to cash in his chips in exchange for money. Then he told Aurore that he had something urgent to do and would come back later.

According to the original plan, V should have stayed at the gambling table and waited for Aurore and Aymeric to be assassinated in the bathroom, and then went to the bathroom to disguise himself and take on a new identity.

But V really couldn't stand the stupid idiot Aymeric, so he planned to kill him himself.

Li De stayed outside to keep watch, and then came in to collect the bodies after the task was accomplished.

"Okay, see you later then."

Aurore did not have any suspicion about V's temporary departure. After seeing V walking away, she even began to fantasize about whether she had the opportunity to switch to the banking department of the LA company.

"Uh! Aurore, my stomach feels a little uncomfortable. I may need to go to the bathroom. Please wait for me here."

At this moment, the effect of the drug began to take effect on Aymeric's body. His first reaction was that he had drunk too much alcohol, which caused him to suddenly feel a strong urge to urinate.

"Me too, let's go together."

Aurore thought the same thing as Aymeric and did not blame the problem on the wine being drugged.

Immediately, the two of them stood up at the same time and walked towards the toilet.

Two minutes later, Reed, disguised as a cleaner, came out of the men's restroom pushing a garbage truck. The garbage truck contained the bodies of Auror and Emeric.

At the same time, with the help of the shape-shifting mask device, V and Alex have completely replaced the identities of Americ and Aurore.

Their voices, movements, expressions, and even language styles are all almost identical to the originals.

"V, oh no... it's my brother! Your ability to adapt to changing circumstances is truly amazing. It seems that you already have the basic qualities of an agent!"

Alex was very satisfied with V's performance.

Through the team's encrypted voice communication, she heard the entire conversation between V and the two European hackers. All of V's handling was impeccable!
Alex had to admit that V was definitely a top talent when it came to being an CIA agent!
"It was just a simple punishment for two idiots who were trying to climb up the pole."

V stood in front of the mirror, wiped his hands with the handkerchief on Emeric's body, and then threw the handkerchief into the trash can with a cold look.

When strangling Aymeric, V once dragged him in front of the mirror in the bathroom so that he could see with his own eyes how he was killed by a small man.

V believes that Aymeric must have felt deep despair and pain before his death.

"They mock Hansen as a pathetic stripper, but they are the same."

After using the shape-shifting mimicry mask, V's language style became quite similar to Aymeric's, always with a sense of aloofness and self-righteousness.

"Well, tonight's party is about to end. Once it starts to disperse here, it will be the final stage of our plan."

Alex's heart began to beat faster and faster at the thought of the direct confrontation with Hansen.

The final battle is finally here!

(End of this chapter)