2077: V really knows how awesome he is

The sea was littered with sawdust and debris, and Wild Hunt soldiers lay dead everywhere, their limbs and remains scattered like a container of canned synthetic meat dumped on the surface. Dead Frosthounds floated belly-up on the surface, while the survivors whimpered and sank to the bottom—it was a scene of a massive shipwreck.

V found it a bit hard to accept, but upon closer inspection, it made perfect sense: "It's not surprising that a wooden boat could be blown up by an electromagnetic cannon... right?"

Xu Ling sighed and said very seriously, "Sister V, could you please not call me to these bronze-level games in the future?"

V felt quite awkward, especially considering that Xu Ling had flown all the way from Europe and hadn't even had a sip of water or a bite of food yet.

Just as she was about to apologize, the investigator's urgent voice suddenly came through the communication.

"The King of the Wild Hunt has been discovered!"

V and Xu Ling's expressions turned serious: "Switch the camera over here!"

The screen then switched to show the Wild Hunt King Eredin dog-paddling at sea.

Geralt: "..."

Yennefer: "..."

Ciri: "..."

It wasn't that they were unsophisticated, but they had never seen the terrifying King of the Wild Hunt, the Dogpaddle, before.

V was also surprised, but his surprise was a little off: "He can swim while wearing armor, this Eredin is a good prospect for swimming."

The fact that someone who should have become a swimming champion became a slave trader must mean there's something wrong with the Elf Empire's system.

At that moment, the scout reported again: "Navigator Karanhill spotted!"

When everyone looked, they saw that not far behind Eredin was the number one guy on the kill leaderboard, who was holding a staff in his mouth, with the big guy Illeris next to him.

With a sharp look in her eyes, Xu Ling immediately ordered: "Lock onto the target, launch all of Shokaku's missiles and blast him to smithereens!"

In an instant, all 160 vertical launch units on the LHA-77 nuclear-powered amphibious assault ship opened simultaneously, like a crane spreading its wings and displaying its feathers. The 160 high-speed missiles that once evaporated the entire Taipingzhou Wharf are now raining down on the sea, because this time their target is only one person.

Meanwhile, on the sea, Eredin finally managed to grab onto a plank of wood, and Kalanhill and Illeris quickly pulled themselves ashore as well.

The three of them bobbed on the sea for a while. Looking at the dismembered limbs all around them, Eredin roared to the sky in rage, "I will destroy this city! I will!"

Kalanhill quickly advised, "Your Majesty, the spell just now was too terrifying. Let's retreat first and then make further plans!"

"Cowards! Noble elves do not accept defeat, much less two defeats! I am Eredin, King of the Wild Hunt, the King of the Elven Empire. My dignity does not allow me to flee in the face of battle. I must fight to the very last moment!" Eredin shouted, "Kalanhill, unleash the Frost Magic!"

"That would mean attacking our surviving soldiers as well."

"I said, unleash the magic!"

Karanhill had no choice but to comply.

The so-called frost magic doesn't actually summon frost. Although the elves are highly skilled in magic, they don't possess such an ability. This magic was developed by the elves at the cost of human lives after being constantly tormented by the frost phenomenon. It only slightly utilizes the properties of frost and, strictly speaking, should be called ice magic.

Then, Kalanhill began chanting an esoteric incantation, and the surrounding temperature immediately dropped. Just as his incantation was about to be completed, several missiles fell and exploded violently not far from them.

The three were instantly thrown back by the violent impact and waves, coughing up blood in mid-air while simultaneously seeing more identical "black dots" in the sky. Terrified, their faces paled. Although they didn't know what kind of magic it was, its power was etched into their memories.

In desperation, Kalanhill forcibly sped up the incantation, completing the spell ahead of schedule at the cost of spitting out blood.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew across the sea, instantly freezing the churning waves into a standing ice surface. As Eredin, Kalanhill, and Illeris crashed heavily onto it, the missiles in the sky were also affected by the cold air, their surfaces covered with a thick layer of frost, their thrusters shutting down and crashing onto the ice.

The area frozen continued to expand, even freezing the two major carrier battle groups, the Beluga and Shokaku, into the ice. The constantly emerging ice blocks crashed into the embankment of Taipingzhou with a loud bang, cracking the concrete. The cold air spread inward for more than ten meters before finally stopping.

The soldiers defending the shore faced the icy current head-on, and the low-temperature damage warnings immediately began to sound. Fortunately, having learned from the first Wild Hunt invasion, Night City had made contingency plans in advance. The seriously wounded soldiers were immediately evacuated for treatment, and high-powered heaters were erected on the position. Even so, the temperature was still below -30 degrees Celsius.

The sea and land were both affected by the low temperatures, and the sky was no exception. Unmanned reconnaissance aircraft froze and crashed. Everyone could only check the situation on the ground through satellite images. The seventh-generation fighter jets closest to the center not only froze, but their engines also shut down. The pilots had to eject and watch helplessly as their beloved vehicles crashed and exploded on the ice, causing the first combat loss in Night City since the start of the war.

"This frost is a bit strange. It can even freeze a nuclear fusion engine. What kind of black technology is this?" Xu Ling was a little curious, but that was all. In the eyes of Night City, this amount of battle damage was nothing but a drop in the ocean. They wouldn't even blink if they had ten times that amount.

"You've finally shown your true skills! Luckily, we have ice now, let the Marines go!" Xu Ling said, then looked at V: "Sister V, Karanhill is in your hands."

“No problem.” V was prepared and immediately got up.

Geralt, seeing V dressed casually, kindly reminded him, "The battlefield has no eyes; you'd better wear armor."

V nodded: "Thanks for the reminder, my armor will be here soon."

As she spoke, she walked outside and onto the rooftop. The isomer sped over and crashed down from the sky with a loud bang.

"Who goes there!" Geralt and Yennefer were startled. Geralt drew his steel sword, while Yennefer prepared to cast a spell. But the next second, the isomer opened, and V crawled inside.

Geralt & Yennefer: "..."

Ciri quickly pulled her adoptive parents aside, as she couldn't bear the embarrassment.

Although she was startled when she first saw the isomer.

"Get ready for a victory celebration and wait for my return!"

V said something, leaped high into the air, and slammed his thrusters to the ground in mid-air, breaking the sound barrier and disappearing into the horizon with a loud bang.

Everyone covered their ears, and Xu Ling sighed softly, "Ever since Sister V stopped being human, she's become even more and more inhuman."

Geralt and Yennefer were taken aback and asked, "Isn't President V human?"

Xu Ling answered matter-of-factly, "No."

Geralt and Yennefer exchanged a glance, their favorability towards V instantly rising by 20 points, because they were also non-human. However, due to their preconceived notion that it was impossible for a non-human to rule humanity, they hadn't paid attention to V's race.

Considering the persecution of non-humans in their world, settling in Night City might be a good option.

Of course, all of that is a story for later; the main task now is to eliminate the Wild Hunt.

Geralt and Yennefer looked at the big screen and saw that V had arrived at the scene in just a short while.

Although he didn't know what the Iron Man flying in from the sky was, it was clearly not a friend. Eredin raised his longsword high, roared, and slashed down. Magic power wrapped around the air to form sharp wind blades, creating a huge sword wind visible to the naked eye that rushed straight towards the heteromorph.

Ericin thought he could kill his opponent in one blow, or at least seriously injure him, but the heteromorph didn't even dodge. It went against the wind of the sword and split Ericin in two. It landed with a bang, sending Ericin and the other two flying.

"monster!"

Eredin rose to his feet with an incredulous gasp, teleporting close to V and unleashing a powerful greatsword dance. At the same time, the burly Illerith roared and slammed his giant hammer down at V's head.

The blade and hammer struck the isomer's chest and back simultaneously, but V didn't even bother to defend. The hammer hit the isomer's back of the head with a loud bang, shattering Illeris's hand and breaking Eredin's longsword in a shower of sparks. With a casual swing, V shattered Eredin and Illeris's armor and sent them flying backward.

"Your Majesty!" Kalanhill exclaimed in surprise upon seeing this scene as he had just gotten up.

V was looking for him. He activated his jetpack and charged towards V's head, but Karanhill used Flash to retreat, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Upon reappearing, the chief mage immediately launched an attack. He chanted an ancient incantation, and five magical cones of light instantly appeared above his head, shooting towards V like bullets.

This move is as powerful as a heavy bullet, but it is still too slow compared to a bullet.

V activated Krenzikov and easily dodged the punch, which was aimed at Kalanhill's head, but Kalanhill dodged it again with Flash.

"Tch, they can really run fast!" V was about to activate the Sianwistan when her legs suddenly felt heavy. Looking down, she saw two "ice giants" rising from the ice, freezing her firmly in place.

"Damn, how does a block of ice move? That's so unscientific!"

V, while vehemently complaining, struggled free, kicking and shattering an ice giant. But under Kalanhill's control, more and more ice giants sprang from the ice, pounced on V like suicide squad members. These solid ice crystals, frozen together, actually restricted the isomer's movement, because the peculiar low temperature had already affected Kangtao's Candle Dragon deuterium-tritium fusion battery, greatly reducing the isomer's output.

Seeing that the low temperature was effective, Eredin also came to help. He used his magic to blow out a cold wind, which immediately caused a layer of frost to form on the surface of the isomer. Taking advantage of V's inability to move, the King of the Wild Hunt viciously ordered: "Sink this monster into the sea!"

The two subordinates obeyed the order. Illerith swung his hammer and smashed the ice surface, while Kalanhil chanted a spell, manipulating water elementals to form a vortex, which, like flushing a toilet, pulled the isomer towards the deep sea.

V never expected to be suppressed by this magical combination punch. Indeed, every civilization has its unique strengths and should not be underestimated.

In that brief moment of distraction, she had already been dragged more than 300 meters underwater. The warm seawater melted the ice, and the nuclear fusion battery gradually resumed its power. V wanted to fly out of the water immediately, but Kalanhill's magic was still intact; the vortex kept her firmly locked in place, carrying her deeper and deeper into the sea.

V tried to break free, but the seawater limited the isomer's output; after all, it was only waterproof and couldn't be used for underwater combat. As it sank deeper, the powerful water pressure became another constraint, making it even harder for V to escape.

The depth quickly reached over 5000 meters, and V could hear the squeaking of the isomers under the immense water pressure, making her wonder if she might accidentally capsize in the ditch.

"Now you know there's always something beyond your reach," the giant jellyfish's voice suddenly rang in V's mind.

V exclaimed in surprise, "You're still here? You haven't spoken for so long, I thought you had disappeared."

"I am you. You haven't disappeared, and neither will I."

"Then why did you suddenly appear? To laugh at me?"

"To laugh at you is to laugh at me. My mission is to ensure your survival. I just want to help you."

"Help me? How can I help?"

"You're trapped by Kalanhill's water magic. He uses magic to control the seawater, which is filled with nanobots. So why can't you use nanobots to control the seawater?"

"You mean to say?!"

“I am you; what I can think of, you can think of too.”

"This world is getting more and more fantastical," V remarked, closing his eyes and connecting to the nanonetwork.

Three minutes after V sank into the sea, just as Eredin was about to celebrate his victory, the ice beneath his feet suddenly began to shake.

At first it was very faint, but it became clearer and clearer, as if something was moving under the ice and getting closer and closer.

"What happened?" Eredin asked, staggering.

Kalanhill exclaimed, "Something has stolen my control over the water element!"

"How is that possible?!"

Before Karanhill could answer, the ice was violently smashed open from below, and a huge whale made of seawater leaped out of the sea and soared into the sky with a long, ancient roar, with V standing directly above its head.

Faced with such a fantastical creature, Eredin was stunned, Calanhill was stunned, Geralt was stunned, Yennefer was stunned, Xu Ling was stunned, and everyone in Night City was stunned.

"I always knew how awesome I was, but I never knew I was also such a supermodel."

V made a self-deprecating remark, then his eyes sharpened, and he declared condescendingly, "Sorry, I've entered the second stage!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the water whale crashed heavily onto the ice. Tens of thousands of tons of seawater were like an invincible hammer, instantly sending the three of them flying.

Chapter 128 Humans in the Desert

Illeris was smashed to death on the spot, smashed into a pulp.

Eredin and Karanhill fared slightly better, but they were lying on the ground vomiting blood.

But the noble elf refused to accept defeat. Eredin struggled to his feet, wielding his broken sword, and unleashed several more sword gusts at V. V easily dodged them, his eyes glowing blue.

Analyze, recombine, apply!

V suddenly realized: "So it's just using magic to compress air."

With that, she casually waved her hand, and the nanobots in the air received the command, sucked in the air, and then suddenly released it, unleashing a 40-meter-long "Sword Wind Slash" that sent the unsuspecting Eredin flying.

On the other side, Kalanhill hurriedly provided support, summoning several more ice giants to charge at V. But V's eyes lit up again. He analyzed, reorganized, and applied the magic, and then understood its principle.

"It's just using magic to control ice."

V stomped her foot, and several large tigers made of ice blocks emerged from the ice surface. These were creatures she had seen at a paleontology museum when she was a child, and they were said to be quite formidable.

"Go! Tear them apart!"

At V's command, the tigers roared and charged at the ice giant. Compared to the latter's bulky size and slow movements, the tigers were much faster and more agile, resulting in a one-sided and overwhelming defeat.

The super AI's supercomputing power made V's actions as easy as using his own fingers, while the elven brain of Kalanhill was like playing an online game with a 300-millisecond delay.

Before long, the tiger tore the ice giant to shreds. These cute little creatures, one meter tall and three meters long, had just let out a triumphant roar when they were blasted to pieces by several orbs of light.

This is another of Eredin's magic; V analyzes and restructures the application, directly using their own methods against them.

Karanhill unleashed a rhombus-shaped light cone, and V, still analyzing and recombining applications, once again used their own methods against them.

The chief mage was stunned and cried out in terror, "She's learning our magic!"

Eredin was also numb, but his image was too important to him and he refused to back down. Still holding his broken sword, he bravely shouted, "Come on, monster! Eredin, the King of the Wild Hunt and the King of the Elves, challenges you!"

Then V slapped him away and walked straight towards Kalanhill.

What kings and kings? V understands best how dispensable rulers are to a regime. What truly supports the progress of civilization are always the scholars who master core technologies, while the only thing rulers are good at is ruling.

Eredin's visor was shattered, revealing his pale elven face. He couldn't believe he had been ignored; his enemy didn't even seem to have the desire to kill him. But the slap mark on his face forced him to believe it.

Kalanhill knelt on the ground, utterly dejected, unable to understand why the magic he had studied for a hundred years could be learned by someone in just a few seconds, and fell into deep self-doubt.

To put it simply, he was heartbroken.

V walked over and snapped his neck as if killing a chick, and the chief mage of the elves died.

But a shadowy figure emerged from Karanhill's corpse, glanced at V in mid-air, shivered, and then vanished.

"Damn, another energy projection?!"

With Karanhill's departure from this world, the Wild Hunt's army has begun its return process.