Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 166 Anticipated Betting and Path (Three-in-One, 1.2 words)

AI...technology?

Everyone looked at the chip in Pila's hand.

Perhaps out of excitement, this grassroots technical expert stared intently at the "treasure" in his hand with the eyes of someone who had found a precious gem, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

Only Lin Yue understood what valuable data Sasha's AI had brought from behind the black wall.

A key method of the company's technological innovation is to send teams of unsuspecting hackers to bypass the firewall, control or eliminate AI, or mine data in corners that AI ignores. These previous technologies existing in the old network have been surpassed by AI iterations.

This is not hard to understand; the key question is how to use these so-called AI technologies.

In Lin Yue's view, without a mature laboratory and sufficient research funding, it would be difficult to realize the content contained therein...

So, should this be handed over to Arasaka?
At this moment, the two teammates who had fought their way out of Dogtown looked at each other. Their eyes held a mix of emotions, but none of them had any intention of handing over this thing...

At this moment, Old Wei coughed.

"Let's check the patient's condition first. This is a hot potato. If the company finds out... we're all probably finished."

Lin Yue gestured to Pila to keep the item for now, and everyone gathered around Sasha.

Rebecca carefully placed her two gorilla-like arms on the edge of the bed, afraid of disturbing the girl in the hospital bed, her eyes filled with guilt... This was Rebecca's inner conflict; she had been dreaming about it every day since she returned alive from the biotechnology.

I dreamt that Sasha was dancing in front of me, smiling as she looked at me…

“It’s not that I meant to hide it from you, it’s just that Sasha’s situation was very urgent at the time and I also had some…human issues. She was determined to join Arasaka, and biotechnology had her mother… Anyway, I just wanted you to see her before you left.”

Lin Yue's eyes seemed to hold a hint of guilt.

"I'm sorry, Rebecca, I failed to take good care of her."

Rebecca's eyes moved from Sasha's sleeping face to the man beside her, whose appearance remained unchanged but whose expression grew increasingly lonely.

She shook her head. "Actually, I knew there was no turning back when she sent the message to News 54. Everyone has their own choices. Mann told us that people in Night City have to let go of the fear of death..."

"That's great, she can still give her all for what she wants to do."

Pila, who has some knowledge of network technology and is quite accomplished in hardware, muttered with his hands behind his back, "It's really strange... But Sasha's prosthetics always feel a bit lacking—well, how should I describe it? It's like an ordinary iron can with a few holes, it can hold water but not much."

"If we repair the jar and replace it with a better material, it can hold more water than before."

"It seems that only full-body cybernetic implants can prevent this trend of physical decay..."

Old Wei opened his hands and explained, “No, Pira… you’re just thinking about how to ensure survival under ideal conditions. Once the prosthetic body is implemented, only the company can handle the technical aspects of the brain and nervous system. This will only make the child more and more problematic. If we don’t find a way to stop these hateful programs from iterating, perhaps one day your brain will no longer belong to you.”

Pila cast an inquiring glance at Lin Yue.

Lin Yue patted Rebecca's shoulder to comfort her and sighed, "Old Wei is right... The most serious problem is memory loss. The brain will gradually weaken. The body can be delayed with prosthetics, but no matter how advanced the technology, it cannot create such an organ."

Pila nodded.

At that moment, Misty, who was bandaging Suzuki's wounds, suddenly said, "Rin, why do you never forget these friends?"

Lin Yue couldn't answer.

His past life memories were as steadfast as a diamond; no matter how the AI ​​tried to erase them, these memories would always remind him of his identity here.

A traveler.

"I don't know... but I have indeed forgotten a lot. For example, I can't remember what I said when I first met them, nor can I remember how V took me out of Dogtown."

Just as everyone was discussing it, Sasha's eyelids began to twitch.

Old Vie stood up, staring at Sasha's slightly open eyes. "Child, you're awake?"

Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the bench. Everyone was very quiet and didn't chatter around Sasha, who had just woken up.

Rebecca, perched on the edge of the bed, bounced her ponytail up and down, shouting, "Hi Sasha!"

Hearing someone call her name, Sasha turned her head, blinked, and looked at the girl whose eyes had been altered to have yellow and pink pupils.

Rebecca looked at herself and her closest friend with a suspicious gaze, her eyes becoming adorably one big and one small. "Honey... how are you feeling?"

Sasha subconsciously looked around at the crowd, and only when she spotted the young man sitting on the operating chair next to her did a faint smile manage to tug at her pale lips…

After Lao Wei's inspection, Sasha slowly adjusted the chair behind her. Leaning back, she looked down at her left dark arm and the Arasaka logo on it, her expression somewhat forlorn and helpless.

Rebecca pressed Sasha's hand down with her colorful gorilla arm. "Hey, stop looking, or I'll get jealous... Oh my god, I dream of having arms like that."

"Now, can't you beat that bastard Lin Yue to a pulp?!"

Rebecca rattled off a whole bunch of things, but Sasha's expression remained blank, mostly just blinking...

Lin Yue sensed something was wrong, and what the former hacker of the team said next completely silenced everyone.

"You're so cute... Have we met somewhere before?"

Rebecca's words caught in her throat. Lin Yue instinctively stood up, completely bewildered that Sasha's memories had been erased to such an extent...

Suzuki swayed as he stood up. "Miss Sasha, you should recognize me, right?"

Sasha pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, Suzuki... it wasn't my intention to fight you. I couldn't control myself."

Then she looked at Rebecca, whose face had almost fallen, and said, "Excuse me, was I being too presumptuous—I think I...know you?"

Oh shit…

Lin Yue could roughly guess where the problem lay.

One's own memories may have some special characteristics, being very stable. Although some memories of life may be lost, up to the details of some events from a few months ago, Sasha seems to have experienced a memory wipeout, and the speed of this was beyond Lin Yue's expectations.

Pila, who usually speaks without thinking, was very serious today.

He pointed to himself with his long finger. "Sasha, do you remember me?"

Seeing the worried looks in everyone's eyes, the intelligent girl realized that it might be a terrible thing if she couldn't remember these people, so she could only look to Lin Yue for help.

"Rin, the AI ​​is inside my head..."

Lin Yue could only comfort the frightened girl with his own experiences.

“Those things that seem to be seen from a third-person perspective are assimilated memories. It’s okay, don’t feel burdened… Sasha, you are still you, you haven’t changed.”

At this moment, Lao Wei was operating the instrument. "Lin, it seems that this child's memory gap is more severe than yours...sigh."

Misty gently comforted Sasha, "It's alright, talk to your friends more. Life is full of surprises, so try to take it easy."

Rebecca was very worried about the current situation. "Dr. Victor, my gorilla arm was implanted with you. You must have a way to get these things out of her head, right?"

Old Wei could only patiently explain, "Physical weakness, memory loss, brain problems... Rin has experienced all of these. If there's a way, I'll definitely think of and try. It's already a miracle that Rin and Sasha were able to survive—"

"Child, I have done my best."

Rebecca rushed to Old Wei's side, and Old Wei had no choice but to get up and drag his tired steps toward the computer desk to take a nap.

Misty stopped Rebecca.

She leaned down and said softly, "Don't make things difficult for him... Victor is the best prosthetic doctor in Night City. Even the company can't solve this problem... Let him go and rest, okay?"

Lin Yue shook his head and walked up to Sasha.

"Have you learned how to attack the Black Wall? Now you know that it's useless for us to access the old network, right?... That thing itself is the Black Wall."

Sasha nodded.

"But it's all good in the end. I saved you, and now I have something to rely on—"

Lin Yue interrupted, "But you'll die. Are you so confident you can solve both of our problems at the same time?"

Sasha's gaze was honest and unadulterated.

“Dying in biotechnology, dying here, dying in the online world—it all amounts to the same thing… I just want to do what I want to do, it has nothing to do with anyone else, and you don’t need to feel guilty about it.”

Lin Yue felt his conscience being subjected to unparalleled torment.

But Sasha didn't continue the conversation. Instead, she looked at Rebecca with narrowed eyes and smiled, "You won't mind if I forget you, right? Hello, Rebecca, my name is Sasha."

Rebecca wiped away the tears in her eyes and grasped Sasha's hand with her brightly colored hand.

"Nice to meet you!"

Watching the two girls reunite in this cannibalistic world, Lin Yue silently stepped aside, while Pila, who had been absent-minded since earlier, stared blankly at the ceiling.

Lin Yue asked, "Do you really want to get your hands dirty with these things?"

Pila's voice drifted softly into my ear.

"Dude, you don't understand what these things represent... The company has amassed enormous wealth through technological monopolies, and people are risking their lives to develop these things. Now we have the technical principles, all that's missing is mature research and development, production, and final testing."

Although Lin Yue didn't understand this area, he questioned Pila's wildly imaginative ideas.

"Putting aside the fact that you're not an all-around technical expert, some problems are destined to be solved by experts in other fields. Besides... Pira, do you know how long it takes to design, develop, produce, test, and mass-produce a technological prototype? And where can these technologies be used? How can you guarantee that you have such a broad knowledge base..."

"The company has scientists who have received rigorous training..."

Pila, however, said seriously, "Dude, we're not running a company... For example, in the weapons industry, whether it's affordable firepower or tsunami-grade military equipment, they all started from small workshops. Companies that used to produce air guns can make weapons, so why can't we?"

arms?

Lin Yue understood instantly.

“It is indeed easier to manufacture weapon prototypes. Compared to prosthetics, ACPA is the first thing that can be put into application.”

Pila added, "To hell with apps—we don't make money, we just get things going. These AI-simulated technologies are far more advanced than what humans can figure out on their own. Believe me, give us the conditions we need, and we can manufacture them..."

"Black Wall Weapon!"

These words struck Lin Yue's heart like a hammer blow, stirring up a huge ripple!

Pila thought that Lin Yue would indefinitely postpone his work of doing scientific research under the company's nose, and that he would be in great danger if Lin Yue's greed was aroused. But this grassroots technical expert's greatest wish in life was to create a product that he could be proud of.

Lin Yue crossed his arms, tapping his fingers on his arm, while Pila's burning gaze gradually dimmed.

Indeed, that's idealistic.

Because the venue, resources, and finances were all beyond what Lin Yue, a guy on a company salary, could afford.

However, this guy's audacity still exceeded Pira's expectations.

"I need to find someone trustworthy in the company to handle this, but I have a question: you're staying in Night City, what about Rebecca?"

Pila chuckled, "A half-baked weapons expert, here you go!"

He pointed to Rebecca, who was talking and laughing with Sasha.

"You can also provide the people you think are reliable, a cyber hacker to help, enough space and production machinery. If you don't have any, that's okay too, you can just buy ready-made ones and do it yourself..."

"And you also need the Night City team to do things for you. We know you have good intentions and sent us away—but do you really expect those corporate dogs whose asses might be sitting somewhere else any second from now on to help you out?"

Lin Yue found it somewhat amusing, "Aren't I also the company dog ​​you're talking about?"

Unexpectedly, Pila replied seriously, "A true corporate dog wouldn't give out these things..."

As he spoke, he stuffed a two-million-euro encryption chip into Lin Yue's suit pocket. "What Germany, what European Community, I just think Night City is the best—this money is useless, making things is my real fun."

Lin Yue looked down at his pocket and realized that everyone had unknowingly formed a strong bond of trust.

Pila looked at her sister, who was smiling broadly...

She made the choice that best suited Rebecca's wishes. If this fool had to choose between three million euros and staying in this place where their lives were intertwined, she would choose the latter without hesitation.

Lin Yue also wanted to point out some of the dangers of staying here.

Pila lit a cigarette as if surrendering and said:

"I am responsible for my own life, and I know what I want."

"Perhaps there's a way to save your lives in this AI technology, why not give it a try?"

Lin Yue swallowed his words, but the brief conversation amplified the premonition in his mind.
-
Dogtown.

Today, the sapphire blue gleams in the sunlight, and Colonel Hansen's poster hangs outside, swaying in the wind.

Hanz drove into the Sapphire Blue courtyard under the hostile gazes of the ghost hounds.

Now that things have come to this, he has no choice but to take the initiative to change his passive situation.

The light in Hanz's eyes, which had been focused on the phone call, faded, and even this self-proclaimed elegant gentleman slammed his fist on the steering wheel—

"A bunch of untrustworthy bastards!"

The Cuban conglomerate is acting like it's gone mad. They've changed the payment schedule from monthly to weekly. These bloodsuckers are scrambling to extract the last bit of value from their dog town…

During the conversation, Hans explained the current unfavorable situation: the NCPD was being reorganized, and the drug business in Dogtown could not leave Pacific Island. He had hoped that Cuba would send people to resolve some of the obstacles more than once, but each time the response was just delay.

The arms trade has now dried up, and the Dogtown dealers are still waiting for this new batch of weapons.

After years of hard work, Hanz finally managed to establish an arms deal right under the colonel's nose, but he never expected to find himself in such an embarrassing crisis of confidence. The dealers at the stadium couldn't get their goods, and the goods couldn't be shipped out from the border. They would turn to the colonel without hesitation.

The colonel disliked the Cuban drug business and even prohibited the upper echelons of the Ghost Hounds from using these things in many cases. Moreover, the person in charge of this business was [Dao Jie] – this idiot caused a lot of trouble in Night City, yet he still dared to wander around the Taipingzhou district at the entrance of Dog Town, caring only about "white powder" all day long, an incredibly greedy scumbag.

Hanz is here to show weakness.

He was now 100% certain that the colonel knew about his little scheme, and that surrendering was the best option.

The struggle at Peizhuo Petrochemical taught this middleman a lesson: sometimes you have to bow your head and slowly build up your strength is the best option.

The Ghost Hound already had a deep partnership with Hanz. Although he was in poor condition recently, getting into the Gemstone Blue was still easy. The Colonel was already waiting for this "white glove" who had been his agent for a long time in the reception room on the top floor of the Gemstone Blue.

"Long time no see, friend."

Hansen swirled the wine glass in his hand, gesturing for Hanz to sit down.

Wade smiled slightly, "The Colonel's condition is getting better every day. I heard that the Ghosthounds have a new medical point now. Your business is booming—there are salaries, security, and no background checks. Believe me, no company in Night City dares to be like you."

Unsolicited praise is definitely motivated by something.

The colonel spread his arms, his tone seemingly joking, but his eyes were anything but polite.

“Dogtown was originally my company… but I heard from my subordinates that you’ve been taking care of my business for a long time.”

"I thought the 'Your Business, My Concern' segment on News 54 was being recorded with a heavy heart... Is that true?"

The middleman in Dogtown chuckled upon hearing this, seemingly failing to grasp the colonel's meaning.

He bent down and pushed a chip full of bills onto the cold table. “I have to make a living. You don’t really care about the business in Cuba. I’ve taken some, but I haven’t gone too far overall. Considering all the things I’ve done for you, this matter should be resolved peacefully.”

Hansen glanced at the money chip on the table.

“It’s strange. You should be glad that there aren’t many people in Dogtown who can beat you, otherwise I would be happy to train a new successor.”

The blatant threat seemed to have blocked this path with just a few words from the colonel.

Hans chuckled, “I’m familiar with your style; you’re very good at balancing things. You’ve already marginalized the first Cuban groups that supported you, and now the few in Night City’s corporate plaza are waiting for your call like they’re dividing up a cake. But military technology makes up the majority…”

Even at this moment, Hansen did not forget to express his own wishes.

“I am still a fighter for freedom, just not for Shinmi. Say what you want to say.”

The middleman raised his glass and took a sip. "Arasaka wants to take the lion's share now. How are you going to balance that?"

Hansen smiled. “Balance? I’ll cooperate with whoever is most beneficial to Dogtown.”

At this point, Hans finally stated his demands: "The weapons I developed in Night City in cooperation with other companies have been wiped out by Arasaka. Other companies will inevitably have disputes once they know you've intervened. How about this... I'll give back the business that's rightfully yours, and you can resolve Arasaka's issues for me."

Hansen: "What are the benefits?"

Hans sighed. “My good colonel, it’s not easy to get rid of those Cuban poisoners. Once Arasaka gets involved and takes my position, your Cuban friends will come after you. There’s an old saying, ‘The emperor is far away, and the mountains are high.’ They don’t care about anything else when they do things. So I’ll take care of this mess. I just need you to shield me from Arasaka.”

After saying that, the colonel leaned back on the sofa and sipped his drink listlessly.

He neither agreed nor disagreed, as if testing the patience of this middleman who was almost at his wit's end.

"You didn't tell me everything, did you, Wade Blick? [The CEO of Zeta Technologies is on very good terms with you], and the internet censors have an unclear relationship with you too. Are you trying to hide it from me? Losing money in the arms deal alone wouldn't warrant coming to me for help. Your wife has helped you tame the animal gang, and your business is progressing steadily. All you're missing is the arms deal. Why are you so panicked?"

Hearing this, Hans sneered, "If I hadn't been caught off guard by Arasaka, I wouldn't have let Emma take over. I have no idea how many of her people are in the business now. Colonel, you don't like your business being controlled by others, do you?"

"Zeta Technology's scale is still somewhat smaller compared to military technology, Arasaka, Comtau, biotechnology, etc."

"As for internet censorship, they only care about the Voodoo Gang. Helping them is just doing them a favor. They still have the final say on the internet."

Hansen remained silent.

Finally, Hanz could only grit his teeth and say helplessly, "I will hand over Zeta Technology to you. Fuyutsuki Electronics suffered a loss with me and will not cooperate with me... That's all I can say. You don't deal much with the Voodoo Gang in the internet monitoring department, so I can help you handle that."

Hansen finally got the answer he wanted.

However, the colonel already had his own judgment on who had a better chance of winning between Emma and Hans.

If Hans is going to lose, the colonel, who is used to betting on both sides, will naturally not let one side be dominant. It's like dogs fighting each other, and of course, the ideal situation is for everyone to knock themselves out.

Because of his distrust of the middleman below him, the colonel started playing the tricks he was best at. He had played the same role when the company had a dispute over goods. He didn't want to cause any trouble and could push everything onto his subordinates.

Behind the scenes, the company couldn't do anything about this Dogtown boss who was maneuvering between the two sides... He was too good at shirking responsibility.

After Hansen finished eating, he started to get down to business.

"Dogtown is going to dig a lot of underground smuggling routes to Badlands. Some of my hacker friends in Europe say there's a treasure hidden beneath our land... So you'll have to talk to Arasaka's old rival, Military Technology, about this."

"There just happened to be a woman working in military technology who's been lying low lately; maybe you could ask her."

Women in military technology…

Hanz was puzzled.

Hansen said half-jokingly, "Women are like collectibles. I like to keep them to myself and look at them. I would never develop real feelings for them... A high-ranking official in military technology was purged. It's said that he lost to Arasaka this time, and he managed to protect his mistress..."

"How do you say that?"

"Cyber-era love... Hmph, bullshit." "Your old buddy who's been at odds with you might be coming to our territory soon. Take good care of your European guests. You can try to figure out the arms deal in Night City, give yourself some leverage when negotiating... Dogville will turn a blind eye."

As he spoke, Hansen stood up, leaving behind a casual remark.

"But I must remind you, if you lose, get off the table obediently and don't make things too embarrassing for everyone. As for the Ghost Hound... it will help you when the time is right."

Hanz watched as the Dogtown rulers left.

He suppressed his anger. After all that, the slippery colonel was still unwilling to step in and protect him. This middleman could only hope that the military intelligence he had obtained by paying money would be of some use, at least to put his mind at ease.

……
-
Westbrook, Trauma Team Emergency Room.

Mann saw a blinding white.

It's like a long-lasting dream, and finally, it's time to accept the most painful reality.

The instruments beeped, and he slightly raised his head, subconsciously looking at the half of his body damaged in the battle. The artificial skin was slightly different from his dark skin, and his other arm looked patched up as if it had been pieced together...

Immediately afterwards, the self-checking program inside his prosthetic eye began reporting data.

The cybernetic combat system in his head informed the mercenary that all his cybernetic devices were in an error state.

As expected, the trauma team was only responsible for saving lives, leaving other potential risks unaddressed.

At least I'm alive, right?
Mann immediately thought of his lover.

Dorio…

He struggled to sit up in bed, but sharp pains kept shooting through his body.

A hand suddenly reached out from the side and braced against his arm; Mann hadn't noticed anyone beside him since he woke up...

Damn!

Mann instinctively took a step back, and when he saw who was next to him, his face froze in pain.

"why you?!"

Gloria hadn't expected Mann to react so strongly, and quickly pulled a memory rubber pillow from the hospital bed to support Mann's back. "Mr. Rin sent me. The trauma team strictly prohibits outsiders and company personnel from accompanying patients. I work odd jobs at an outsourcing company under the trauma team and used some connections to get in and take care of you."

The gentle woman looked at the gruesome stitches and cut marks on Mann's side with a hint of pity in her eyes.

Rin...

Mann adjusted his body with a sense of relief, feeling the weakness in half of his body and not wanting to say anything more.

Am I normal or crazy?

Mann was confused; maybe it was all a hallucination?
Gloria picked up a glass of water and handed it to Mann. "Trust the trauma team's skills... Mr. Rin said you suffered from cyberpsychosis, and the trauma team repaired your nerves. You can rest assured, after all, Mr. Rin paid a million euros..."

The woman who had let slip the secret quickly brought the water glass to Mann's lips.

Mann turned his head away in pain.

The more Rin acted this way, the more pathetic he felt. At this rate, he feared he'd be a cripple for life…

"Gloria, can I still use my prosthetic body?"

Gloria paused, lowered her eyes, took back the water glass, sighed, placed it on the bedside table, and patiently explained:
“Mann, the team working on the prosthetic injury in your spine is developing a plan, specifically…”

She dared not continue recounting this cruel outcome.

"Tell me, I want to see where I am now."

Gloria, feigning courage, began to ramble on, "The trauma team couldn't handle some of the shattered parts of the prosthetic body; they could only try to maintain the integrity of the nerves... Because Mr. Mann, you experienced the trauma of cyberpsychosis, there's a high probability that you'll develop these symptoms later. As for your life..."

"Perhaps, just under optimistic circumstances, we could survive for a long time."

She still didn't dare tell Mann her optimistic estimate of a year's life expectancy...

Gloria, gentle by nature, placed her hand lightly on Mann's arm and said guiltily, "Hey, listen... I'm so sorry things turned out this way. You and Mr. Rin have taken such good care of me and my child. I just wanted to do more for you... I'm really sorry."

Mann turned around. "This is none of your business, ma'am."

They bear the risks themselves; there's no reason for a supplier like Lai Yiti to almost die while taking on a job himself.

Gloria noticed the twitching of Mann's lips from time to time, and knew that he must be suffering from the excruciating pain of nerve tears and other wounds in his body.

Ugh…

She sent David a text message:
Eat well tonight, Mom needs to stay at the company to look after a patient.

Her intuition told her that if she didn't keep a close eye on Mann, there might be other problems.

The room was quiet, with only Mann occasionally gasping for breath.

"How about we contact Rin-san? Maybe Arasaka can help..."

Gloria, who had intended to quietly stay by the side until the trauma team arrived, couldn't bear it any longer and tentatively asked.

However, Mann, who had his back to her, did not speak. Gloria gathered her hair behind her ear, stood up, and prepared to go over to Mann to adjust the angle of the hospital bed so that Mann could lie down more comfortably.

When she walked up to Mann and noticed that he looked terrible, she realized something was wrong.

Having some emergency medical experience, she quickly turned to look at the instruments reading various vital signs—

All the indicators were normal, but Gloria couldn't ignore the deep purple color of Mann's face and lips... She pried open Mann's eyelids with her hand, observed the state of his pupils, and pressed the emergency call bell by the bedside without hesitation.

"The electrocardiogram is normal... what could be the reason?"

However, this poor woman who collected corpses was not without talent; David's intelligence was inherited from her... She soon discovered that the monitoring data of these vital signs instruments were maintained with rigid indicators as if they had been artificially modified.

Mann's body is almost entirely prosthetic, and these prosthetic bodies can continue to function even after a person dies. Could it be a problem at the brain level?
Whether to trust the instruments or to trust her own judgment, Gloria made her choice almost without hesitation.

"Mann?!"

Gloria found that Mann was unresponsive, and there was no reaction to pressure on his supraorbital and infraorbital regions. Her medical knowledge immediately led her to determine that the patient was in a coma. With the shrill sound of a bell nearby, Gloria did not hesitate to begin a series of rescue actions.

She examined Mann's medical records, which could have led to the current situation in many ways, but she eventually read the problem from his brainwaves.

"Encephalitis, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, and metabolic encephalopathy caused by poisoning may lead to abnormal regional brain waves..."

Gloria muttered to herself, recalling the knowledge that flashed through her mind, and without hesitation dragged over a device. At that moment, she discovered that Mann's somewhat damaged Sianweistein was overheating, with bad pixel data densely displayed on the computer screen.

"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy should first improve oxygen supply to brain cells, damn it... why is the prosthetic damaged near the occipital bone?!"

She could feel the prosthetic body acting like a short-circuited fuse, its temperature gradually rising. Ironically, the equipment showed that Mann's heartbeat was accelerating—

This is because the blood vessels in the brain are blocked, and the prosthetic heart tries to increase the oxygen supply, which causes the heart rate to rise rapidly!
There's no time left—

A self-service robot providing emergency medical equipment brought over a tray, saying, "The emergency medical team is on its way. Please proceed with caution."

Gloria disinfected her hands, and the machine wrapped her hand in a sterile surgical film. Without hesitation, she made the incision at the neck of the prosthetic bone. The burn marks on the prosthetic flesh emitted a strange aroma, and artificial milky white blood splattered onto her body—

Click!

Gloria's blade jammed at the spot where the prosthetic body was blocked, and the hot air that had been blocked was quickly expelled!
She gasped for breath, hurriedly took a step back, and her legs gave way, causing her to fall hard onto the cold ground.

What was I just doing...?

suddenly!

The door was pushed open forcefully, just over a minute after Gloria pressed the emergency call button.

Two fully armed trauma team soldiers lifted Gloria from the ground, while several doctors in light green medical gowns watched as Mann, whose prosthetic body was emitting gas from the bed, began to carry out the aftercare work in an orderly manner.

Gloria was pale; she felt as if she had committed a terrible crime.

In fact, it was inappropriate to be so reckless as to offer help; the trauma team would have handled the situation quickly. However, on the other hand, the duration of the prosthetic defect was unknown, and it could have killed Mann within a minute or two…

Both soldiers had very strong hands, squeezing Gloria's arm until it ached.

A man wearing a white mask and with somewhat narrow eyes glanced at the ashen-faced woman beside the hospital bed and asked, "How did you get in?"

Gloria looked pained. Finally, the soldier loosened his grip, and she intermittently recounted how she had bribed her way in to take care of her friend.

At this critical juncture, Gloria just wanted the company not to pin the blame for the medical malpractice on her.

An extremely sharp moral issue.

If you rescued them, that's your problem; if you didn't help and were still in the room, that's also your problem...

That's always been the case with the company.

The man reached out and adjusted the equipment, then squinted at the room's specifications. "This guy was sold out by Arasaka's corporate dog for a temporary, overpriced platinum membership. He shouldn't be in this level of ward... Who gave him the authorization?"

Several medical staff looked at each other, and one of them, even through the medical equipment, had a look of terror in his eyes.

"Let this woman go and take my assistant to process her resignation."

"Don't!"

The guy who was called out by the attending physician panicked instantly.

Gloria was completely bewildered. Then, a chief EMT (Emergency Medical Assistance Personnel) who was assisting the attending physician was knocked unconscious by a soldier hitting him with the butt of a rifle, his body scraping against the ground with a sound... As for why Gloria could tell his rank, it was because of the company badges on their chests.

Just as Gloria swallowed hard, worrying about what might happen to her—

The robust man removed the protective shield from his head, let out a long breath, and revealed a head of short, straight blond hair.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Regardless of whether your friend was given temporary insurance by Arasaka, I want to apologize for this cruel and misguided act."

He took off his gloves, and after the miniature flying robot disinfected them, the guy walked straight up to Gloria.

"Hello, my name is Bob Jones... Thank you for your efforts in saving the patient's life."

Bob Jones?

Gloria's palms were almost completely sweaty...

It seems the person who set the EMT exam for her was this top doctor?!
Gloria mechanically shook hands with the other person.

Bob's smile was official and polite. "Although, ma'am, your entry process was not compliant—"

He then glanced at Gloria's attire.

"But I still want to ask, do you hold a position in a trauma group?"

Gloria quickly replied, "Uh... no, sir, I just passed the EMT qualification exam, have the relevant certificate, and participate in the subsidiary responsible for emergency intervention in urban conflict incidents."

The doctor nodded. "The EMT qualification isn't something just anyone can pass. What about your educational background?"

At the mention of this, Gloria's face flushed with embarrassment.

She took the exam, which had no entry requirements, simply by studying on her own. The reason she didn't get into the trauma group was because the company's recruitment system was becoming increasingly strict; even junior employees needed considerable ability and educational background...

Seeing that Gloria didn't answer, Bob probably understood what she meant.

He said, "How about this, ma'am, I can give you a referral opportunity. The trauma team will conduct a rigorous onboarding assessment for you, exempting you from the hypothermia medical assessment—but I have only one request: this matter should not be reported in the media..."

Then he looked at Mann on the hospital bed.

"Of course... it's best if the person who bought the insurance for this gentleman doesn't know about this either, okay?"

This is a standard medical malpractice case, and any leak of this information would require extremely complicated public relations efforts.

Although Bob and his wife were among the few upright members of the trauma team, he still had to do certain things to protect the company's interests...

Gloria hesitated for a moment, but after so many years of hard work and struggle at the grassroots level, she made her choice immediately, and a flame of hope rose in her heart.

"Transfer the patient to a VIP ward for observation, and also get this lady a confidentiality agreement—"

"I hope to see you at the company in the future."

Bob suppressed his disappointment with the company, nodded to Gloria, and left the ward.

A short while later, an electronic copy of the agreement was handed to Gloria, who was leaning against the wall somewhat uneasy.

The soldier's face was hidden behind the trauma team's fully enclosed helmet, his voice muffled and cold. He said in a reminder-like tone, "Regardless of whether you pass the trauma team's assessment during this recruitment process, you must abide by all the contents of the confidentiality agreement."

“If you breach the agreement, we will hold you accountable under company law.”

Gloria took the agreement with slightly trembling hands. "Mr. Mann... there won't be any problems, will there?"

The soldier coldly replied, "He will have 24-hour care from now on, so don't worry about him."

Immediately afterwards, as if she had made up her mind to seize this opportunity, the woman pressed down with her finger without hesitation.

……

three days later.

The landscaped area inside the Trauma Team building.

Mann sat on a bench, smoke drifting from his cigarette, while a service drone beside him emitted a piercing warning sound.
"Please do not smoke here..."

He stared blankly at the lush greenery, as if he had lost his soul.

The mailbox contained text messages from Rin, and Dorio had many as well. They were currently waiting at the Rebirth Bar for the final settlement of their bills, and also for the time being before leaving the city.

Mann found this outcome hard to accept.

He had enough money for a lifetime, and all he needed to do was hide somewhere and eke out a living... but that wasn't what Mann wanted.

He lost his prosthetic body, his physical body, and his spirit.

He felt that life had lost all its joy in his efforts to become stronger.

He had no idea what he would do or how he would live in the future—especially the post-traumatic medical care calculated by the trauma team, which cost a lot of money, and it was highly likely that he would spend the rest of his life with a catheter in his urinary tract.

Mann knew that if he asked Rin, Rin might be able to get Arakawa to treat him... But having left the New American Army, he only knew how to live for himself and fight for his family and loved ones. He felt he owed Rin enough and couldn't accept the fact that he was useless.

The cigarette is almost finished.

Mann tossed his cigarette butt, now almost completely burned out, on the ground. Just as he was about to slowly get up and walk toward his uncertain future, a woman with light blonde curly hair and an extremely beautiful face sat down beside him.

Mann, who didn't want to deal with people, immediately stood up, but the words spoken by the beautiful woman behind him made him stop...

"Mann, why are you in such a hurry to go back to your muddy pit?"

Mann turned around in confusion. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled seductively. "How heartless... you've forgotten about me so quickly. The company dog ​​rescued you from our clutches... forgot? Let me introduce myself—"

"Melissa".

Mann thought about it carefully, then slowly sat back down. Was this person here to take revenge on him?

With a cyber lunatic like this coming after him, Mann doesn't know how to escape...

"Don't worry, if I were to make a move in the trauma team... I probably wouldn't be able to get out alive either. To be honest, you're just the most ordinary kind of cyber lunatic we've ever seen. There's nothing special about you, and you're not of any particular use. But the fact that you were able to use that experimental prosthetic body repeatedly shows that you're not bad."

Melissa spoke intermittently.

Mann frowned. "Hey, I don't have time to listen to your nonsense."

Melissa curled her lips into a smile. "Let's put it this way, the surviving cyber lunatics are either in prison or here with us. The trauma team is only concerned with saving your life; it's wrong for anyone else to try to heal you—"

"No treatment is needed. You're born to be a madman. Trust me, the Terrorist Mobile Unit can give you anything you want, including getting your body back into use with prosthetics, and you don't need to worry about a cybernetic psychosis outbreak."

Mann: "What a bastard... Are you guys that short-staffed?"

Melissa didn't deny it. "Thanks to your company dog, he wiped out our whole team. The boss wants that guy to join us, but... well, he's not crazy, is he? So... I've come to personally invite you, how about it?"

"The company's experimental prosthetic body means you don't have to worry about the company causing you trouble. You can kill people whenever you want and make some money along the way. You're perfect for this job."

Melissa turned her head to look at the burly man who was deep in thought, and ran her finger along the uneven patchwork of skin next to Mann's vest.

Mann instinctively flinched, his brow furrowed, wondering what this crazy bitch was up to.

Melissa: "Look at you, so poorly made... Our doctors can fix you up to perfection, and you don't have to worry about anyone playing with you. This city... We don't listen to anyone, isn't that enough to excite you? New America... The company... None of it fits your heart's desire for power and freedom."

"Look, without the support of corporations, everyone is weak in this world. But we are not corporations; we are simply doing the most basic thing: protecting the citizens—"

Mann said coldly, "Were they citizens who died at your hands?"

Melissa had clearly prepared a full explanation: "To compensate for the greater sacrifice, isn't sacrificing a small part a noble cause...?"

"Everyone says we're crazy, but actually... they're the ones who're crazy."

After he finished speaking, all that could be heard was the cacophony of voices around him.

a long time.

Mann's voice came through.

"A 100% cure for me? That's interesting..."

As he said this, Mann's teeth were exposed, and there was a hint of coldness in them.

Melissa leaned closer to Mann and said in a persuasive tone:

“I assure you… dear Mr. Mann.”

……

　【Dao Jie】: A senior member of the Hounds in the 2077 DLC "Waiting for Dao Jie", with a long criminal record in Night City.

　　【Your Business, My Concern】: A program under News Channel 54, using the stock market as a pretext to criticize Arasaka.

　　[Your relationship with Zeta Technologies' CEO is incredibly good]: In the Dogtown quest, Mr. Hanz will send the player to retrieve the stolen technology prototype from the Scavengers.

　　[European hacker friends]: Tianguang (a hacker brother and sister) participated in the decryption of the Little Beidou neural matrix, which is why they have the matrix key.

　　[Bob Jones]: A senior doctor in the trauma team in the cyberpunk Red story setting. He and his wife are both serious medical professionals who put patients' lives first; they are arguably the doctors who take human life the most seriously in this setting, and are among the few good people.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)