2077: V really knows how awesome he is

"It'll take about 10 more minutes for her to finish loading," Vera said irritably, rubbing her bottom which had almost been split in four.

"Then let's wait. V's safety is the most important thing." David is much more reliable than Johnny.

“Alright, let’s wait.” Vera tossed David a cigarette, lit one for herself, took a deep drag, looked at the sky, and asked, “By the way, Selene said you died at night, and in the City Center Plaza, so why is it still daytime? Johnny’s was pretty accurate that time, but yours is so off. Did Astraea make a mistake?”

A glint flashed in David's eyes, and he answered irrelevantly, "Selene even told you this? Are you two very close?"

"It's alright, after all, we've done bad things together." As Vera spoke, she felt David's gaze becoming increasingly sharp, and asked curiously, "Why are you glaring at me? Is it not okay for me to get along with your daughter? Do you only feel happy when I'm at odds with her and constantly going against her?"

David was a little speechless. Oh well, his daughter was so smart, she probably wouldn't be interested in someone so stupid.

“Astraea wasn’t mistaken,” David returned to the main point, explaining, “It was I who requested to go at this time.”

"why?"

“Because David still has to save someone else.” V’s voice suddenly rang out, causing David and Vera to turn their heads.

"Sister V, your memories...?"

"Don't worry, everything has recovered."

"That's good." David visibly relaxed.

Vera showed no concern for V's health, only asking curiously, "Who is David going to save? Is there anyone more important than saving himself?"

“Of course.” V said with certainty, looking at David: “Do you remember the way Lucy told you?”

David nodded emphatically: "I will keep it in mind."

Vera: ? ? ?

A moment later, in front of a private clinic.

“This place…” Vera sniffed, “smells like those guys who harvest kidneys.”

V was slightly surprised: "Do you have a dog's nose?"

“I’m a street urchin, I know gang stuff inside and out. Which clinic in Night City isn’t involved in kidney harvesting? Oh, except for Veera.” Vera shrugged and asked, “So what are we doing here?”

David stood at the window and pointed inside.

Vera looked over and saw a “young” David sitting in the clinic, covered in wounds and with a bruised and swollen face.

"Holy crap, that's pretty bad," Vera exclaimed in surprise. "So you were also victimized by the kidney harvester before Arasaka killed you? That doesn't make sense. The kidney harvester is always frugal and never wastes anything. And we didn't come to save you back then, so how did you escape?"

David then pointed to young David: "Do you see the other badges on his clothes?"

Vera glanced at it: "It looks familiar, what is that?"

"The school emblem of Arakawa Academy. He is a student of Arakawa. Even those who want to donate kidneys dare not lay a hand on him."

“I see.” Vera first realized, then was completely confused: “Wait, if the person who donated the kidney won’t harm him, then why did we come here? He’s not in any danger.”

"He is not in danger; the other person is in danger."

"Who?"

David did not answer, because a shirtless doctor wearing an apron walked out of the operating room. Judging from his burly build, he looked more like a butcher.

“Calling him a butcher wouldn’t be wrong.” Vera flicked his cigarette ash. “He’s a cleaner; I can smell his stench from 800 miles away.”

The doctor walked up to David with a tablet in his hand.

"The surgery was successful, but she is still in a coma. She should be hospitalized first."

"Oh, yes, thank you. May I go see her?"

"No, no visitors allowed. After all, this is the cheapest package." The doctor showed no leniency whatsoever.

Young David was really young; he didn't dare to object, and only weakly said "Is that so?" before giving up.

"These are the bills for her medical and hospitalization expenses, as well as her belongings. Pay them within three days. If there are no objections, please sign this agreement." The doctor handed over the tablet.

Young David took the tablet.

"Idiot." Vera snorted. "Those who sell their kidneys aren't kind enough to give you three days to pay. That bullshit agreement is definitely problematic."

But young David still signed, after all, he was too young, just a student, not even eighteen years old yet.

“This is it, we’re doomed. With this agreement, even if they rip the person out of the kidney, it’s all legal and compliant.” Vera couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, who is inside? That fake doctor said it was ‘her,’ could it be Lucy?”

David shook his head: "No, I didn't know Lucy at that time."

Who is that?

“It’s my mom.” David said, then kicked open the door and rushed into the clinic.

Gunshots and screams rang out immediately, and young David was completely stunned.

"Why is the Terrorist SWAT team here? Are there cyberpsychotics here?"

"Sir, it's a misunderstanding! We are all law-abiding citizens!"

"what!"

"The police are beating people!"

"The police killed someone!"

"Monsters! The Terrorist SWAT team is indeed full of monsters!"

"Attack, keep going!"

"It's no use, he dodged the bullets, he's faster than the bullets! We're doomed, we're doomed!"

"Ugh!!!"

Young David, terrified by the shouts of battle, hid under the table, while V and Vera, as if attending a top-tier concert, strode in with elegant steps.

“Does ‘mother’ mean his mother?” Vera asked.

“That’s right.” V nodded: “He decided to save his mother first, then himself.”

Vera gave a thumbs up: "A real man!"

With a bang, David kicked open the operating room door, and in his arms was Gloria Martinez.

"Mom!" Young David, no longer able to contain his fear, immediately crawled out from under the table and rushed towards David: "Let go of my mom! Don't hurt her!"

Then David kicked him more than ten meters away, knocking over a bunch of tables and chairs with a bang.

V and Vera were both shocked; this was too ruthless of them.

Young David was kicked so hard he couldn't stand up, his mouth covered in blood. He desperately tried to scream, but no sound came out. He could only stare fiercely at the man who had taken his mother away, as if he could glare until his eyes bled.

David remained silent, his mask revealing him as a cold-blooded monster. He didn't even glance at the young David before carrying Gloria and walking out of the clinic.

“Mom…” young David called out with difficulty, but it did not stop him. Instead, Vera couldn’t help but squat down next to David and said, “Kid, this clinic is a black market run by the Cleaners. The agreement you just signed is your mother’s indenture. Don’t be so naive. Naive people can’t survive in Night City.”

"Who exactly are you...?"

“You can’t protect your mother right now. First, figure out how to survive, and then try to become stronger,” V added, before leaving with Vera.

Young David lay on the table and chairs for more than twenty minutes before getting up, but the first thing he did was pick up the tablet and examine it carefully. The truth shocked him, because just as Vera had said, at the very top of the agreement, in extremely small print, was a line of text—the clause regarding the immediate family's consent to the unpaid donation of the patient's entire organs!

With a bang, the tablet shattered violently. Young David was terrified. For the first time, he hated the cleaners so deeply, and for the first time, he hated himself so deeply.

If it weren't for that terrorist mobile unit, my mother would have been killed by his own hands!

I'm so terrible! I'm so terrible! I'm so terrible! I'm so terrible!

I'm so regretful I want to die! I'm so regretful I want to die! I'm so regretful I want to die! I'm so regretful I want to die!

No, I can't die yet! I have to find my mother, I can't die yet!

I will study hard, join Arasaka after graduation, and work my way up to the top of Arasaka Tower so that my mother can live a good life!

Young David rallied, and if Vera were here, she would surely laugh at his naiveté, but this was the only way young David could think of to become stronger.

After all, he was only 17 years old, after all, this was how he was raised from birth, and after all, these were the cattle and horses that rulers loved most.

The next day, he went to Arasaka School as usual, only to be brutally beaten by his classmates, completely unable to fight back.

He lay in the mud like a piece of trash that had been played with, while the classmate who did the beating was dressed in fine clothes and surrounded by people singing his praises. Not only did no one stop his violence, but some people were also worried about whether his fists would hurt after he beat someone up.

Why is this happening?

Because the classmate's father was a mid-level manager at Arakawa, while young David's mother was just an ordinary employee at REO.

Rights, wealth, and status—things that everyone craves—are like AIDS, which can only be transmitted through blood, sex, and from mother to child.

The so-called "hard work changes destiny" and "diligence will surely be rewarded" are nothing but propaganda. They are like the empty promises made by the boss, not even worth a fart. After all, a fart has some taste, but these promises are illusory and bland, like a glass of plain water in a mirror. You can only look at them, but you can't drink them. All you can do is stare at them and die of thirst.

Young David leaned against the wall, mentally counting the drops of blood dripping from his cheek. He knew he should get treatment, at least a band-aid, but he had no money. All he could do was endure it.

Just bear with it a little longer; the platelets will help stop the bleeding.

But things didn't go as planned. Just as young David was trying to lick his wounds in silence, the school radio started broadcasting.

"David Martinez, proceed to the principal's office immediately! David Martinez, proceed to the principal's office immediately!"

Young David dragged his battered body away. The principal paid no heed to his condition, only saying, "The repair costs for the student system have been calculated. Please pay accordingly."

Young David swallowed hard as he looked at the staggering number. "Principal, please give me some time."

"Rules are rules. If you don't repay all your debts within 48 hours, you can expect to be fired."

Young David walked home dejectedly, while debt collection messages kept coming in.

"If you wish to continue using the contracted appliances, please pay a late payment penalty and late fee of 500 euros. If you fail to pay on time, the super skyscraper property management will suspend water, electricity, emergency services and police services in sequence."

"Mrs. Martinez, why haven't you paid your rent yet? This won't just be a matter of changing the locks. If you don't pay your rent by tomorrow, you're packing your bags and getting out!"

Young David stared blankly at the "No Entry, Rent Overdue" sign on his door for a while, then like a pathetic mouse, he removed the vent above the door and crawled back into his own home.

The various debt collection text messages weighed on his shoulders like a mountain. In Night City, it never takes any earth-shattering event to drive the poor to desperation; just a few hundred dollars is enough.

"Hey doctor, you said yesterday that thing could sell for ten thousand, right? I sold it. What, 6000? Are you fucking kidding me?! That's a military-grade implant... Fuck, I'm not selling it anymore, screw you!"

Young David hung up the phone, put his hands behind his head, sat on the sofa, and started shaking his legs.

He was too young, and his mother protected him too well, so when he faced the monster of "life," he was beaten without any chance to fight back.

What should I do? What should I do?

Young David kept asking himself the same question, but instead of getting an answer, he received a text message.

The good news is that this text message wasn't a debt collection request; the bad news is that it was sent by the classmate who beat him up that morning.

“I am Shengnan. I heard your mother was in a car accident, and I should have offered my condolences, but I just can't bring myself to feel any sympathy for you. To get your son into a prestigious school that doesn't suit your status, you resorted to crime and got into a car accident. Don't you think that's retribution? Everyone has their own path in life, and even a temporary escape won't bring happiness. You should learn from your mother's experience and return to your lowly, impoverished life. Drop out of school, David. People like you only deserve to be in gangs, to do dirty, despicable things. I was born to be high up, successful, and the envy of you scum. It's cruel, but that's how society works. Don't think about resisting; this is your fate. Accept it, David Martinez!”

Young David's legs trembled faster and faster. He felt as if there was a fire burning inside him, and this text message was like adding fuel to the fire, snapping the string of reason.

"Accept your fate? I'll give you a piece of my mind!"

Young David grabbed his military-grade implant and sprinted to his familiar prosthetic clinic, kicking the door open.

The gaunt, prosthetic doctor was lying on the medical bed, masturbating with an electric masturbator. He was startled at first, but when he saw it was David, he grinned lewdly: "6000 is already very high. The police and mercenaries in Night City are looking for this stuff everywhere. This kind of dangerous stuff is hard to sell."

"I won't sell!" Young David wiped the sweat from his chin and pointed at the military-grade implant, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "I want you to transplant it into my body!"

Chapter 168 Save your brothers first, then save yourself

"She was injected with too many hallucinogenic drugs by the Cleaner, and it's hard to say when she will wake up. Of course, I will do my best to help her get rid of these toxins, but her body is severely depleted, so I can only do it little by little. You have to be patient."

Inside Victor's prosthetic clinic, old Victor spoke slowly and deliberately.

David bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Mr. Victor."

"You're not really a member of the Terrorist Mobile Squad, are you?" Old Vie looked David up and down. "Those guys wouldn't be so polite."

"I..." David didn't know how to explain.

Fortunately, V stepped in to help him out: "Doctor, this is the consultation fee."

Old Wei was slightly taken aback when he saw the extra 10 euros in the account, then nodded and said, "Okay, I won't ask anymore."

David: "..."

Old Vivi was arranging treatment for Gloria at the clinic, while V and David came outside to make room for him. It was 100% safe with Old Vivi, so David wasn't worried about leaving his mother out of sight.

“If only he had chosen to come to Mr. Victor’s place,” David sighed.

This "he" was obviously referring to young David. V comforted him, saying, "You're being too demanding of him. He's only 17."

"Sister V, if it weren't for you, would I have died in 2076 too?"