The NCPD officers weren't having an easier time than them Mercenaries, still guarding the intersection in the pouring rain. Seeing their vehicle approach, a female officer with a high ponytail walked over, braving the rain.
"Watson has been locked down, awaiting further notice. These are necessary safety measures." Her tone was strictly businesslike; it was annoying but flawless.
As usual, she glanced into the car, and when she saw two beauties sitting in the big guy's car, the female officer raised an eyebrow in surprise. Good heavens, one cool, one cute, both stunning beauties. This guy certainly had good luck with women.
Only wearing sunglasses, the three couldn't see the female officer's expression. Otherwise, V, being mistaken for someone else's concubine, would have been furious.
"Officer, Madam. We are so lucky to have met you." When V and Berry heard Jackie switch to that smooth, oily tone, they knew he was about to deploy his "friendship magic."
"Oh really… Then tell me, what's so special about me?" The female officer was clearly bored out of her mind on duty, which was why she had the leisure to bend down and listen to Jackie's lies.
"A heart of gold. Because only someone like you can understand how much I need to get back to my Girl." Climbing up the pole, that was Jackie's secret.
"Your… daughter?" Jackie didn't look like someone who worked a regular office job, which made the female officer a bit suspicious.
"Exactly, if I don't go back, my daughter will worry herself to death." But Jackie, with wide-open eyes, spoke as if it were true, making it difficult for her to judge clearly.
"You see, I'm trying hard to be a decent person. She gave me a chance, and she's waiting for me." Jackie spread his hands, acting like the prodigal son in any story who turns over a new leaf and returns to his family.
"Hmm… that's really touching." The female officer shook her head to relax her neck, lost in thought.
"Alright, this is the last car." The female officer instructed her subordinates to remove the roadblock and stood up. "You can go!"
Berry and V were both pleasantly surprised; they hadn't expected it to actually work. They had at least thought they'd need to slip some bribe into the driver's license to get through, never imagining they'd run into such a good officer.
In Night City, this was rarer than gold. No wonder they said Jackie was a fool with a fool's luck.
"Have a pleasant evening, Officer, Madam." Jackie thanked her with "sincere" emotion, hit the gas, and drove off.
"She really liked you, huh." V leaned against the car window, still a little incredulous.
"Of course she did. I touched her with my genuine heart." Jackie seemed very proud.
"Right…" V was speechless. If she hadn't seen Jackie cursing in Spanish while firing a gun, she might have actually believed him.
"I am loyal and steadfast in my affections…" Jackie was getting carried away, fully immersed in his fabricated life. "And not ostentatious, you know."
"Hmm…" Berry drew out the sound, almost directly telling Jackie to stay in this barber shop.
The car drove in the rain, but at the intersection ahead, a car was blocking the road, and there were several armed individuals. The three frowned.
"Get out of the car!"
"Hurry up! We don't have time to waste with you!"
Several gang members pointed guns at the car owner, forcing him out of the vehicle.
So it was a robbery; they thought it was something major.
"V, look, something's happening over there."
Just as Jackie was wondering if they should take another route, the roaring engine of an aerodyne sounded above them. A blue-flame-spewing aerodyne appeared above their line of sight, lowering its altitude and hovering over the robbed vehicle. The NCPD logo was clearly painted on its grey-blue body.
"MAX-TAC!" Jackie gasped, looking as if he'd seen his mother.
In the wind and rain, the grey-blue aerodyne's hatch opened, revealing several individuals in heavy uniforms. As soon as the door opened, they jumped out one after another, their foot thrusters spewing fire, landing safely.
Seeing this, the gang members immediately opened fire, not even bothering to hide. The bullets that hit the officers were all blocked by their heavy armor and helmets. These heavily armed officers, seemingly oblivious to the hail of bullets, raised their pistols. The tech pistols spat blue fire, and the plasma rounds quickly incinerated the bandits' shoddy bulletproof vests and flesh into charred messes, sending them painfully to the ground.
"They don't look like ordinary cops." V frowned in surprise.
"Because they aren't ordinary cops. This is MAX-TAC, the NCPD's own elite enforcers." Jackie, a Night City native, knew these criminal scourges well. "If a case gets big, they'll come over. Those few idiots over there aren't even enough to fill their teeth."
No sooner had he finished speaking than all the bandits were lying on the ground, dead as doornails like salted fish. A MAX-TAC officer waved at Jackie, signaling them to leave.
"Looks like the show's over." Jackie hit the gas, turning into the road leading to V's apartment.
"We're here. Your place is just ahead." The car quickly turned into the parking lot of Super Skyscraper 10.
"What about you then? You can't go back to Heywood now."
"It's fine, V. They'll let me through."
"Are you sure?" V raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. I can be the harmonious Jackie again." Jackie seemed very confident in his "friendship magic."
After circling through layers of the parking lot, the car finally stopped in front of the building's elevator.
"Then have sweet dreams." Jackie pressed the brake.
"Say hello to Misty for me."
"Me too," Berry added.
"I will. Ahi luego (See you later)."
V, Berry, and Jackie bumped fists, unbuckled their seatbelts, and got out of the car.
Super Skyscraper 10.
V's apartment.
"What's wrong, Sister V? Be careful."
As soon as she opened the apartment door, V nearly collapsed. Berry quickly helped V and sat her down on a chair.
"It's nothing, Berry. I might have been poisoned when I connected to Sanders earlier." V rubbed her forehead, calming down slightly.
"Should we go find Viktor now?" Berry asked worriedly.
Berry no longer dared to treat this as a game world. Several times before, if she hadn't been there, Jackie and V might have directly died. Now she dared not be careless; if the poison V had was different from the one in the game, then it would truly be a Barbie Q.
"It's fine, it's not a big problem. We'll go tomorrow morning." V forced a smile to comfort Berry.
"Alright then, but if you feel unwell, you must tell me." Berry only felt a little relieved when V's expression recovered, and she stood up. "You sit; I'll get you some water."
Berry walked to the table, opened the mini-fridge, took out two bags of packaged drinking water, tore them open, poured them into the hot water kettle, pressed the switch, and it started to boil with a whirring sound.
People in Night City didn't drink hot water, which Berry, who firmly believed that drinking more hot water was always good, found completely unacceptable. She even got a thermos, and with an induction cooker, resistors from a radio, and aluminum sheets, she ingeniously created a hot water kettle.
At the same time, it gave V a small Berry shock. Not only did she love Coca-Cola, but she also loved boiled water. She didn't know where Berry got these strange habits.
And Berry not only drank it herself but also forced V to drink it, especially when V was sick or uncomfortable. "Drink more hot water" were words Berry often had on her lips.
While the water was boiling, Berry opened the mini-fridge, grabbed a bottle of little coca-cola for herself, and with a satisfying pop, the pleasant sound of bursting bubbles rang out as expected. She closed her eyes and took a big gulp, enjoying the pleasure of the carbonation hitting her mouth and esophagus.
"Berry, get me a bottle of beer." V's eyes eagerly eyed the big green bottle in the mini-fridge.
"Don't even think about it." Berry closed the fridge door, cutting off V's delusion, then turned to pour the boiled hot water into a cup and placed it on the table to V's right. "You're feeling unwell and still want to drink alcohol? Dream on."
V rubbed her nose, resigned to drinking the steaming hot water.
Berry was like a strict Yama King at home. V didn't know when she became like this. Originally, it was V who took care of Berry when she came here. At some point, their relationship seemed to have reversed, with Berry taking care of V, who liked to abuse her body.