Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 33 The Cybernetics Doctor and S.A.W. Stein
A sophisticated ring-shaped automated surgical instrument is used to repair the damage to Lin Yue's prosthetic arm.

The prosthetic doctors in Dogtown are known for their rough work and somewhat dilapidated clinics; even the prosthetic doctor at the stadium uses a converted toilet as a clinic.

"Your clothes are pretty new. It would be a shame to ruin them. Looks like the prosthetic doctor you worked with was quite honest."

"The repaired area might not be strong enough, just be careful."

This is the prosthetic doctor at the Long Beach stockpile, [Kostin] (note), whose skills are relatively good.

Lin Yue felt that finding Old Viktor in Night City was too far-fetched, so he would occasionally come to the prosthetic doctor at the Long Beach stockpile to fix minor ailments. Of course, this doctor, who liked to hang up blood-synthesized flesh at the prosthetic clinic, was not as meticulous as Viktor.

"Also, you're using your prosthetic arm to lift heavy objects every day, right? Some of your nanomuscles have torn; I suggest you replace them."

Lin Yue, reclining in his chair, suddenly asked, "Do you have the [Gorilla Arm] here?"

Costin looked up at Lin Yue. "You want those kinds of manual labor tools? We have them, it depends on what kind you need—"

“Some of them were taken down by cleaners, and the previous owners’ graffiti is still on them.”

Lin Yue felt a chill run down his spine.

"Some are 80 or 90% new. The better ones have a smoother appearance and aren't so rough. The worse ones... well, your hands are bigger than your head. It depends on how much money you have."

Lin Yue nodded. He felt that the gorilla arm was quite suitable for his needs. His physical attributes were already high, and the gorilla arm was a relatively common prosthetic body. Moreover, he needed such a prosthetic body to support the weight of the sniper rifle.

If you're face-to-face with someone, the most satisfying thing would be to punch them.

"hiss!"

While Lin Yue was still wondering how much the gorilla arm would cost, a sharp pain still shot through his arm, even under the numbing effect.

To distract Lin Yue, Costin began by sharing some interesting anecdotes known to the prosthetic doctors:
"There are more and more lunatics in the city lately, with Terrorist SWAT teams and trauma squads flying around everywhere—"

"It is said that a madman rushed into the building and wiped out everyone on the first floor in ten seconds... When the Terrorist SWAT team arrived, everyone had been shot at least three times in the head, and the bullets were all in the same eye."

"The NCPD hasn't even dispatched officers... It seems like they've suspended officer salaries and are discussing privatization. (Note)"

Lin Yue blinked. "Ten seconds?"

"It must be a new product developed by the company. Anyway, when there are new products, the soldiers are always equipped with them first, and then they inexplicably flow into the market. Then a bunch of companies compete to produce ones that are less likely to kill people—under the guise of promoting civilian prosthetics."

Lin Yue didn't want to reveal more to the doctor, so he remained silent, but he already had some guesses in his mind.

According to Lin Yue's memory, this thing existed in Johnny Silver Hand's era.

“Seanwistan, what a fine thing.” Costin chuckled dryly.

It has to be said that in Dogtown, a lawless area, you can always find out about weapons and cybernetic devices.

As expected, Lin Yue's guess was correct.

According to Lin Yue's memory, the basic model of the S.A.R.S. prosthetic body was produced a long time ago. What is now circulating in the market are basically the military-grade downgraded versions from various companies, which have high dismantling costs. In other words, civilian versions with reduced effects are based on these.

In game terms, this means that orange-tier equipment loses some of its overpowered features and side effects, and its effectiveness is reduced, turning it into green or blue equipment.

It's probably only at the purple level at most, and the side effects would likely be significant.

As for orange, Lin Yue didn't dare to even think about it.

He wasn't sure if he could withstand the prosthetic body, since he didn't have a way to check the [prosthetic body capacity] (note).

In fact, Lin Yue had always been quite curious about the cyberpsychosis caused by the prosthetic body. He wondered what caused the mental changes brought about by the prosthetic body. Could military-grade prosthetic bodies really cause people to go insane?

Seeing Lin Yue remain silent, seemingly deep in thought, Costin smiled and said:
“You’ve got a lot of stuff installed on you. Your previous doctor installed subcutaneous armor, titanium skeleton, ballistic coprocessor, and pain editor... and now I’ve installed the best synaptic signal optimization device in the store, a bio-monitor... But, well, these prosthetics have been proven to have minimal side effects.”

"With more storage, you want the prosthetic body to be even stronger."

As they were talking, the doctor helped Lin Yue up.

"When your ambitions grow too big, and you want to install a prosthetic body with an operating system or something, S.A.S ...

Kostin stared intently at Lin Yue.

"So, you still want to get a gorilla arm?" Lin Yue felt a little uneasy under the doctor's gaze.

What's going on? A gorilla's arm can cause cyberbullying?

"No way, a gorilla's arm should..."

The doctor interrupted Lin Yue.

"As long as you pack enough, it's possible. I got a pretty good one, take a look..."

Lin Yue glanced at it and it looked quite like the gorilla arm from the V-suit in the game. The proportions weren't too exaggerated, and the gaps between the fingers and joints were made of black mechanical bearings or something similar.

Seeing that Lin Yue was staring at the gorilla's arm without saying anything, Costin offered a discount to the regular customer.

"Okay, if you feel like you're starting to forget things—your hands are trembling, you can't sleep, and you're constantly thinking about punching someone in the head, I can help you dismantle it. I'll just charge you a few days' rental fee, how about that?"

Lin Yue hesitated for a moment before nodding. The technical ability had now been unlocked, since it was an ability attribute linked to the prosthetic body.

Although the specializations mentioned above are not yet unlocked.

"Okay, go ahead and install it."

Kostin smiled, turned around and slipped through the small door behind him, and came out a moment later with other surgical supplies.

Pay first, then have the surgery – that's the rule in Dogtown.

After the whole thing, Lin Yue's 60,000 euros disappeared without a trace.

I hope this prosthetic body won't disappoint me.

Lin Yue lay down, and his vision quickly went dark due to the injection of anesthesia.

……

Outside the prosthetic clinic, the other members of Mann's team were by the car. Rebecca sat inside, leaning against the window, looking uninterested, while Mann buried his face in his turned-up collar, silently smoking.

Everyone's facial wounds were covered with skin sutures; the bandages had been prepared before Lin Yue's surgery.

A team, except for Rebecca, is full of chain smokers.

"Mann, why is this kid taking so long?" Pila felt there was no need to wait for the kid.

"Shut up," Mann snapped without hesitation.

Dorio's cigarette was almost completely burned out; she knew what Mann was thinking.

"That guy must have installed a lot of prosthetics behind our backs."

Mann nodded. "I really can't imagine that someone with such a complex facial nerve ending could be alive and kicking after being shot several times—no wonder this guy never goes to bars, doesn't buy nice cars, and never goes to clubs in the city."

"What if this kid pretends to be crazy?"

Pira's optical cyber implant is a raised red line, making it impossible to discern any emotion in her eyes.

Dorothy shook her head. "As long as it's not one of those military gadgets. It should..."

Clearly, she had lost confidence.

Just as everyone had different opinions about this new partner, a stranger called Mann's phone.

……

(Picture of a gorilla's arm~)
-
【Kostin】: The prosthetic doctor at the Dogtown teleport point 【Long Beach Stockpile】. He also works part-time as a butcher, selling synthetic meat.

[Gorilla Arm]: A prosthetic limb, a classic and reliable alternative to natural limbs, suitable for various strenuous physical labor. (Official Database)
[NCPD Privatization]: Before 2076, Night City had a high crime rate, low police officer salaries, and reduced municipal project funding, which inadvertently promoted the privatization of Night City's law enforcement agencies.

[Prosthetic Capacity]: A value in the game 2077 that quantifies the tolerance of prosthetics. The protagonist cannot see this value, which is why he is so worried about wearing prosthetics.

[Krenzikov]: A neuroprosthetic that allows you to aim and fire while dodging. Blocking, aiming, or attacking while sliding or dodging slows down time. (This is essentially a time-stop prosthetic, meaning it carries a high risk; the doctor's warning wasn't unfounded.)
(End of this chapter)