Watson — Militech Research Institute No. 2, Acoustic Field Laboratory.
The moment Vash pulled out the vibranium, he had Friday bring the acoustic emitters online.
The lab flooded with a sonic frequency tuned to vibranium's own resonance — counter-resonance at the same band. According to Friday, it was harmless to the human body, so Vash stayed close enough to watch the metal change in real time.
He couldn't hear anything, of course, but it wasn't like he felt nothing. Every so often, the air in front of him seemed to warp — an invisible ripple twisting the light for a split second before snapping back to normal.
Vibranium could be reshaped by those sonic bands, but it wouldn't "evaporate" or break down in any other way.
The system had given him a satisfying chunk of the stuff, so Vash decided to go all-in: first forge a set of practical weapons from his drafts, then reserve a portion to build a vibranium Mantis Blade.
He watched with full concentration. The process wasn't instant — it came in stages.
First the jagged, irregular surface smoothed out. Then the larger planes began to deform and soften. Finally, the entire chunk "activated", transitioning into a dispersed state.
The whole conversion took about three hours.
In that dispersed state, the vibranium was soft and viscous, suspended in midair like black ink.
「Mr. Vash, vibranium has entered a re-aggregatable state.」
「Friendly reminder: in liquid state, vibranium is oscillating at a static frequency exceeding one hundred million cycles. Do not apply external force to touch it.」
Vash asked, "Friday, if I want to re-aggregate and reshape it into new forms, what do I need to do?"
「All sonic emitters in this chamber provide full coverage and are under my control.」
「If Mr. Vash provides the re-aggregation steps, I can execute them autonomously.」
Vash felt completely at ease.
He hadn't expected Friday to handle fabrication logic at this level, but it was perfect. He didn't hesitate — he laid out his concepts and specs in detail.
Friday was frighteningly smart, but at the end of the day she was still a system product: stable, obedient, no "creative surprises".
[Loading Tenka-Goken blade fabrication data… aggregating…]
[Loading Tenka-Goken scabbard mounting specifications… aggregating…]
[Loading Vibranium Mantis Blade data… aggregating…]
As Friday pushed the commands, the liquid vibranium split cleanly into five separate streams, hovering like living mercury.
For weapon development, Vash chose to recreate the five legendary Japanese blades — so famous they were treated like myths, some even designated as National Treasures: the Tenka-Goken, the "Five Swords Under Heaven".
Onimaru Kunitsuna, Dōjigiri Yasutsuna, Mikazuki Munechika, Ōdenta Mitsuyo and Juzumaru Tsunetsugu.
With a casual wave, Vash let Friday forge all of them. Their lacquered sword cases were shaped to match traditional koshirae — each set worthy of a blade that belonged in a legend.
With the remaining material, he had Friday begin the vibranium Mantis Blade.
Once the steps were handed off, Vash no longer needed to stare at every second.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
Another three hours passed, and the re-aggregation completed.
Vash's self-developed vibranium weapons were finished.
The five-sword set had condensed into an ideal state — no impurities, no noise — yet the moment you looked at them, you could still feel a cold, hidden edge.
Vash picked them up one by one, unable to put them down, grinning so wide it nearly split his face.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
By the time he stepped out of the acoustic lab, it was already late.
Outside, he found Sandra dozing in a chair.
Hearing the footsteps, her eyes opened instantly, "Mr. V — done in there?"
Vash nodded, "You didn't have to wait out here like this."
Sandra only smiled, like she didn't mind at all.
"You helped me a lot." Vash said, "Tell me — how do I thank you?"
Without the acoustic lab, he honestly wouldn't have known what to do with the vibranium.
Sandra's request was simple, "Have a meal with me. I'll arrange everything."
Vash didn't refuse — he was starving too.
When they left the institute, a Delamain executive car was waiting at the entrance. Just for dinner, and she called a Excelsior Delamain — Sandra really wasn't short on eddies.
❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
The Delamain purred to life and merged into Night City traffic.
Sandra tilted her head, watching him with a faint smile, "Before we get there — any preferences? Spicy, sweet, fancy, casual?"
Vash leaned back, "Not picky. Somewhere quiet enough to talk… and food that won't disappoint."
"Quiet and not disappointing?" Sandra laughed softly, "That's a high bar."
"You set it." Vash said, "You're the one treating."
Sandra rested her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, then nodded, "Then I know exactly where. Still in Watson — between Little China and Kabuki."
Vash smiled, "Your pick. Lead the way."
He wanted to ask why so many girls in this city dragged him to Little China to eat, but hey… he wasn't paying.
The Delamain dropped them at the border between Little China and Kabuki.
This time, walking the street didn't turn into a warzone like it had with Judy. Neon signage and steam from food stalls mixed in the air, and the crowd's "feel" shifted the moment you crossed from one subdistrict into the next.
They stopped in front of Pepper & Spice.
It wasn't one of those sterile velvet-rope joints that screamed corpo-only. It had a strange, confident charm — like someone had stolen a hundred flavors from across the globe and decided Night City deserved them all.
After confirming the reservation, Vash followed Sandra inside.
The décor was eclectic: warm wood, bright splashes of color, and travel souvenirs that looked like they'd been collected from every corner of the map.
The lighting was soft enough to feel private, but bright enough that you could actually see what you were eating — an underrated luxury in Night City.
Even good restaurants in NC loved shaving labor costs with chrome. Pepper & Spice was no exception: cute little service bots glided between tables with smooth efficiency, voices polite, timing perfect.
Vash glanced at one of them.
⌜▹▹▹▹▹▹▹▹▹▹▹▹▹▹▹⌝
" Restaurant Type-A 102 "" Intelligent Service Robot "
" Manufacturer: Kang Tao "
" Functions: Built-in AI, autonomous service chip, extremely strong hospitality toward service recipients "
" Evaluation: Non-threatening "
⌞◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃⌟
{T/N: Just to be clear, he does this visualization with Friday's help.}
Kang Tao bots, huh…
Vash asked, "Ms. Sandra — Kang Tao makes service robots too?"
Sandra shrugged, "Kang Tao, Arasaka, Militech… they're all military-industrial megacorps. On the surface they specialize in different lanes, but in reality they cover entire supply chains. One's just better at hiding the overlap than the others."
They reached a window seat. From here you could see the street outside at a glance, neon bleeding across glass.
Sandra sat down and asked, "Mr. V… you interested in Kang Tao?"
"A little." Vash admitted.
"That tracks." Sandra said, "What outsiders know about Kang Tao is about what you can learn. Their smart weapons are the real deal, and they keep a low profile. They don't jump into Night City's mud unless they have to. They also keep a close watch on a few spots in Little China. Some places stay calm because someone wants them calm."
Of course, "calm" only applied to the inside of certain doors. The street could still go to hell.
Vash smiled at her tone, "Sounds like you know them pretty well. But shouldn't Militech and Kang Tao be competitors?"
"Competition's a corporate problem." Sandra said as she finished ordering, "Individuals don't always care. If my family weren't Militech execs, I might even apply to Kang Tao."
Vash: "..."
Sandra laughed lightly, "Sorry. Feels like I've been the one talking the whole time."
"It's fine." Vash said.
About half an hour later, the food arrived — an odd mix of cuisines that shouldn't have worked together, yet somehow did.
After appetizers came the main course — the restaurant's signature.
Vanilla dumplings.
When the dish hit the table, even Vash had to admit the hype was dangerous. The dumplings looked simple, but the aroma was rich and sweet, with a buttery depth underneath that made his stomach tighten in anticipation.
"Waiter, I gotta ask — why do they get vanilla dumplings, but I don't?" a voice complained from the next table.
The service bot replied apologetically, "We're very sorry. The guests at the next table are on a reservation system, and the vanilla dumplings were reserved in advance."
"But I want it too." The woman wouldn't drop it.
"We're truly sorry. Vanilla dumplings are limited each day, and that was our last batch."
"Then go get Tony — tell him to find a way and get me one."
"We're very sorry."
The argument looped like a broken shard playback: complaint, apology, complaint, apology.
Finally, Vash leaned closer and said under his breath, "Ms. Sandra — mind inviting them to join us?"
Sandra frowned slightly, "Getting interrupted while we're spending time together is annoying. But if we don't… we won't eat in peace either. What a waste."
Vash raised his voice, "Next table — if you don't mind, you can eat with us."
"Really? Wait…" The reply came fast, "You're him!!"
A baby-faced, big-breasted young woman walked over, looked Vash up and down, and practically shouted.
"Y-you… you're V! The V who killed Saburo Arasaka and repelled Adam Smasher!"
Vash hadn't expected to get recognized here of all places.
"Sit." He said simply, "Eat with us."
The woman swallowed hard at the sight of the dumplings, then slid into the seat beside Sandra, "I can't believe I get to eat with V." Her eyes gleamed, "Since you invited me, I — Ling Xiaohan — will pay for the whole meal."
{T/N: This is a real character from the game, a board member of Kang Tao. She spent a week at Konpeki Plaza. Although she's from the game, her background as someone associated with the CEO of Kang Tao will be original to this book. Also, her name is Xiaohan, but East Asians usually introduce themselves with their surname first.}
Vash's fork froze midair, "What did you say your name was?"
"Ling Xiaohan." She didn't understand why he asked like a broken recording, but she repeated it anyway.
Then she picked up a dumpling and ate with delighted hums.
Vash didn't know what expression to wear anymore. He'd only planned to eat with Sandra — and somehow he'd run into a Kang Tao board member by pure coincidence.
He'd done his homework too. He knew exactly who she was: corporate brass. Even better — her father was the chairman.
Xiaohan didn't hold back at all. Her appetite was as big as her boobs.
Vash suddenly said, "Ling Xiaohan… want me to teach you the proper way to eat vanilla dumplings?"
❖❖❖❖❖
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead, smut chapters or spicy images of this novel for just $5, or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations (free or starting at $1.5): MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
Take a look at the new book I'm translating on my profile, Umamusume Pretty Derb: I'm Just a Trainer! Its also on my website for $5 too!
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)