Chapter 65 Mr. Li Ang... is a good man

Victor's words gave V a new understanding of LA Company. It turned out that as long as a company is fair and treats its employees as human beings, it can gain the respect of so many people!
"Old Wei, you are right. Equivalent exchange is indeed the rule that each of us pursues, but the reality is not like this."

As a freelance mercenary in Night City, V certainly knows what layers of exploitation mean.

These freelance mercenaries are willing to fight for less than 30% of the commission, while the middlemen can get the lion's share of the profits without any problems.

But even so, there are still countless mercenaries fighting for this. After all, in Night City, there are many mercenaries who are willing to sacrifice their lives and do any job.

For example, V.

"Then...what about Mr. Leon?"

V continued to ask. His impression of Leon was limited to the reports in the news media, but the media people's evaluations of him were quite polarized.

WNS news media people who stand on the side of Arasaka Corporation said that Leon is an out-and-out fanatical warmongerer, and his kinetic and technological weapons are sold overseas.

Countless refugees, women and children have died at the hands of LA Corporation’s weapons. The so-called LA Corporation is nothing more than a terrorist empire built on piles of bones.

But N54 News, which stands on the side of military technology, said that Leon is an outstanding entrepreneur, a pillar of the new America, and a rebuilder of Night City who carried out Mr. Richard Knight's legacy.

The crime rate has dropped significantly, and the prosperous Watson District is the best proof of Leon's achievements.

Of course, through his understanding during this period, V discovered that the crime rate in Night City has actually remained unchanged. The local stability in Watson District came at the expense of rising crime rates in other areas.

In other words, the evil of Night City will not disappear, it will only move.

After all, the Triads and the Vortex Gang have already gone to urban areas such as Westbrook, Haywood, or St. Domingo to do illegal transactions.

"Mr. Li Ang... He's a good man."

Victor did not respond to V without thinking, but thought seriously for a moment before giving this answer.

"Just a nice guy?"

V was a little surprised. Such an evaluation was too ordinary. What's more, the so-called good guys couldn't get along in Night City. After all, it was often the good guys who got into trouble first, while the bad guys were the ones who survived to the end.

Killing people and setting fires will earn you a gold belt, while building bridges and roads will leave no corpses. This is a practical motto in Night City.

"V, there are only a few good people like Mr. Leon in Night City. If you think that you are a good person just by doing good deeds and helping a grandma cross the street, then you are stupid."

As an old man of Night City who has experienced many things in life, Victor knows that the kind of nice guys in the traditional sense would have been shot in the head by the bad guys and dragged into the trash can like a dead dog.

The common people in this world only fear power but not virtue. The wealthy people who distribute food to beggars on the roadside are unlikely to die at the hands of robbers or enemies. Instead, they are more likely to be stabbed to death by hungry beggars.

This ending is fucking shitty for the good guys, but reality is so real and cruel.

"Mr. Li Ang will not be nice to anyone for no reason. If you want to get benefits from him, you have to pay the corresponding price."

"Everyone's ability corresponds to a corresponding price. You can get the most reasonable remuneration from Mr. Li Ang, neither more nor less." "Even if you have nothing, as long as you are willing to work hard for Mr. Li Ang, he will give you what you want, provided that you are worth the price."

Victor showed V the new prosthetics hanging from the ceiling of his studio. Although these things were taken for free from the LA company, he had to treat the members of Mann's team as his first service targets.

It is not an easy task to conduct physical examinations and implant prosthetics for Mann and his gang of mercenaries who often fight and battle, but Victor has to do it.

Otherwise, his impoverished neighbors would not be able to afford the latest prosthetic devices and would have to make do with unusable electronic junk for the rest of their lives.

Although working for an LA company is tiring, the rewards Victor gets can help his poor neighbors live better.

"V, one day you will deeply understand what fairness means to ordinary people. Mr. Leon can formulate the rule of 'equivalent exchange' in this collapsed city. This is already a remarkable achievement."

“We are grateful for his contributions to Watson.”

Victor's words deeply touched V. If Leon could really implement the principles of fairness and equal exchange in Night City, he could indeed be called a true "good man"!
This is much better than doing things that only good people like to do, such as helping old ladies cross the street or distributing food to beggars on the street.

Just when V was thinking about whether he should go to LA company to apply for the position of security mercenary, Victor suddenly said:
"I checked and found out the results. The infection in your brain is not a neural virus, but a string of residual AI data. The danger level is very low and not fatal."

As soon as he finished speaking, V was stunned. He didn't understand why Sandra, as an employee of a company, had AI data in her mind!
"That woman Sandra Dorsett...how could she have this thing?" V suddenly felt a little scared. The people in Night City were more weird than he had imagined.

Victor frowned, thinking about something.

He had just discussed and researched AI with Li Ang, but he didn't expect to receive an AI-related surgery the next moment. It seems that the fact that Ye's Company uses AI to control employees' minds is not groundless.

If this is true, then Ye’s Company is simply treating its employees as its own puppets!

This scene is terrifying to think about.

"Old V, can you help me remove this thing? Will the operation be difficult?" V's tone was very nervous. He didn't want to lie in the coffin so early.

"Silly boy, it's just a small matter. The antivirus program I have here is specially designed to treat AI. Don't worry, you will be fine soon."

After that, Victor did not forget to help check V's other physical conditions: "Well... your artificial eye is a bit old. I happen to have a new Qilusi Type 3 here, so I will replace it for you first."

V's physical problem was not serious, and Victor took less than twenty minutes to resolve all the troubles.

After the operation, V felt refreshed. He looked at Victor with ease and joy, smiled and said, "Thank you, Old V. This is your reward."

Immediately, V delivered the euros to Victor through chip transfer. At first, Victor didn't want to take the money. After all, it was not easy for young people to make a living in Night City.

But V has been doing very well in Night City recently, and his street reputation is getting higher and higher, which makes V very eager to prove to Victor that he is getting better and better.

This small amount of money for the surgery is naturally not a problem.

(End of this chapter)