"I didn't have a choice, Johnny."
V let out a helpless sigh.
Johnny Silverhand's voice immediately rang out in her mind.
"Suit yourself."
His tone was sharp and full of warning.
"But when the company squeezes every last drop out of you, don't come crying about it."
V only smiled and said nothing.
Then she continued moving forward.
She knew full well that the road ahead was filled with danger and uncertainty.
But she had already made up her mind.
Riding Jackie's beloved motorcycle, V had only just arrived at the Afterlife when she heard an angry female voice cursing nearby.
"It's all your fault!"
A young girl's voice was trembling with fury.
"You dragged me into this, and now I've lost everything!"
Inside the private booth, Rogue sat there leisurely, not even bothering to raise her eyes.
"I'll say this one last time, kid."
Her voice was calm and indifferent.
"Clean up your own mess."
The girl nearly exploded.
"Then listen carefully—go eat shit!"
Faced with Rogue's complete lack of concern, she had no way to fight back.
In the end, all she could do was storm out in frustration.
The moment she stepped outside and saw V, she immediately warned her.
"Be careful doing business with her!"
V paid her no attention.
Instead, she raised a hand toward the booth.
"Rogue."
Her tone was direct.
"I need to talk. Xiao sent me."
The moment he heard the name, Johnny nearly choked.
"Damn…"
His expression in V's mind was one of complete disbelief.
"Have I only been dead a few years?"
He stared at Rogue, who was dressed impeccably and looked no older than a woman in her thirties.
"She hasn't aged a day."
"And somehow she's even hotter now."
V replied calmly inside her mind.
"Huanyu Group's immortality technology."
"At the highest level, it can extend lifespan to five hundred years."
Johnny instantly fell silent.
Then his expression darkened.
He had only been dead for fifty years.
Yet when he woke up again, it felt as though the entire world had changed beyond recognition.
"Come in."
Rogue casually gestured for the subordinate guarding the entrance to step aside.
Once V entered, Rogue got straight to the point.
"What does Xiao want?"
She poured herself a drink as she spoke.
Johnny's anger immediately flared.
"What the hell happened to Rogue?"
His voice was practically snarling.
"How did she become a corporate lapdog?"
"That bastard sold out too?"
"She used to hate this kind of shit."
Ignoring Johnny's ranting, V spoke directly.
"I'm looking for someone."
"Anders Hellman."
"A well-known Arasaka engineer."
Rogue's eyes flashed red for a moment as she connected to her internal network.
"Alright."
V gave a slight nod.
"Thank you."
Rogue immediately waved a hand.
"Don't thank me yet."
A faint smirk appeared on her lips.
"I haven't named my price."
V paused.
"I'm working for Xiao."
She deliberately emphasized the point.
Rogue let out a soft laugh.
"Kid."
Her tone turned sharp.
"Business is business."
"Even brothers settle accounts clearly."
She leaned back lazily.
"Don't tell me you're working for Xiao."
"Even if you were working for the God of All Machines himself, you'd still have to pay."
"Did Xiao ever tell me he'd give me free labor?"
V: "…"
Without another word, Rogue took out a blank data chip from beside the sofa.
After transferring the information onto it, she placed it in front of V.
"Fifteen thousand eurodollars."
V's face immediately darkened.
"Damn it…"
She was completely broke right now.
Seeing her expression, Rogue raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"He didn't even give you operating funds?"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she slowly pulled the chip back.
"Well."
"I do happen to have a job here…"
Before she could finish, V immediately cut her off.
"I'll call Xiao."
There was absolutely no way she was taking on extra work for someone else.
Not in this lifetime.
She quickly placed the call.
"Xiao."
Her tone was direct.
"I ran into a small problem here. I need support."
Less than one second after hanging up—
a notification flashed before her eyes.
The numbers in her e-wallet began skyrocketing.
Beep—
Your account has received 1,000,000 eurodollars. Please confirm.
Johnny's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"What the hell?!"
"That rich bastard really just threw money at the problem?"
Even in all his years, Johnny had never seen such an absurd amount of money transferred so casually.
He had never been poor.
But he had always spent whatever he had.
Saving money had never been his style.
Even so—
one million in a single transfer was still ridiculous.
V herself was just as stunned.
Her face flushed slightly with excitement.
Even she had never seen this much money in one go.
Now, with funds finally secured, her tone instantly became much firmer.
"This should be enough, right?"
Without hesitation, she transferred the money to Rogue.
Rogue glanced at the completed payment and let out a soft chuckle.
"Looks like he gave you quite a bit."
Then her expression turned meaningful.
"But you should be careful."
V frowned.
"Careful of what?"
Rogue took a sip of her drink and lowered her voice.
"Perverts."
Her tone was strangely serious.
"That man is notoriously stingy with everyone else."
"For Yorinobu Arasaka alone, he squeezed out several hundred million."
Then her eyes settled on V.
"But if he meets a woman he likes…"
A knowing smile appeared on her lips.
"He loves smashing open a woman's heart with money."
Her gaze slowly swept over V.
"A beauty like you?"
She let out a low laugh.
"You've probably already been targeted."
"Be careful not to fall into his money trap."
As she said this, V sharply noticed the faint edge of gritted teeth in Rogue's voice.
A subtle smile curved her lips.
"Oh?"
She let out a light laugh.
"Sounds like you two have quite the history."
But she wisely chose not to dig deeper.
Instead, she got back to the main issue.
"Let me see the information first."
Rogue handed over the chip.
"This is everything I've got for now."
"All signs point to him defecting to Kang Tao."
"If you want more detailed information, I'll need more time."
Then she looked at V.
"How about you come back tomorrow?"
V paused to think.
Only then did she realize—
she hadn't properly slept in over a full day.
The exhaustion was finally catching up to her.
"Alright."
She nodded.
"Then I'll wait."
"Set me up with a room first."
"I need some sleep."
Rogue immediately took out a room card and placed it in front of her.
"Room 246 upstairs."
"That's my temporary residence."
Her smile was faint but confident.
"You can rest there."
"It's perfectly safe."
V picked up the card and gave it a slight shake.
"Thanks, Rogue."
After grabbing a bottle of liquor from the front desk, she turned toward the stairs.
Just as she was about to head up, Rogue called out one last time.
"Good night."
Then her tone became more pointed.
"And remember."
"Be careful of sweet words."
"Don't let Xiao's money and luxuries blind you."
V said nothing.
Her figure gradually disappeared up the staircase.
Watching her leave, Rogue could only shake her head helplessly.
Deep down, she felt V probably wouldn't escape.
After all—
what woman could truly resist Xiao's particular brand of 'romance'?
But V herself didn't care in the slightest.
She only had two weeks left to live.
Under the relentless pressure of that countdown, she no longer had the luxury of thinking of herself as a woman.
As for romance…
love…
none of it mattered.
The only thing that mattered now—
was surviving.
Getting rid of the tumor in her brain.
And living.
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