“Time to find Vik and get those cyberware installed,” Jake Quinn said, turning back toward the road by the lookout point.
He waved to El Capitán.
“I’m off.” “Yeah.” El Capitán leaned against his Rattler, gazing at David in the distance.
“I’ll contact you if any jobs come up.” Then he watched as David walked into the middle of the street and blocked a white Makigai that had just driven up the slope.
David pulled open the car door like second nature.
He yanked the driver out, sending the man stumbling onto the pavement in a heap.
The driver glared in fury, watching as the teenager casually slid into his car, slammed the door, and stomped on the gas in one smooth motion.
The white Makigai pulled a shaky U-turn and sped off toward Watson.
The entire sequence took less than ten seconds—clean, slick, and seamless.
Clearly the work of a seasoned repeat offender.
El Capitán: “…” Watching the white Makigai disappear over the crest of the hill, El Capitán couldn’t help but cover his face with one hand.
Unbelievable.
He’d just handed over his business card, and the kid hijacked a car right in front of him.
No shame whatsoever.
…
The white Makigai wove through the streets of Santo Domingo, quickly joining the main thoroughfare leading toward Watson.
Dusk had fully settled over the city.
Night City’s neon glow intertwined outside the car windows.
AVs zipped through the sky lanes overhead, their air currents kicking up trash and dust on the pavement.
Passersby on the sidewalk walked briskly, clutching their heavy coats with hunched shoulders.
The car had just entered Watson.
Jake noticed something appear next to the health bar in the top-left corner of the screen.
It was a small icon that looked like a roasted chicken.
“Huh?” Jake hovered his mouse over it.
A line of semi-transparent white text popped up: [Hunger: Need to eat.
Strength decays over time while starving; movement speed reduced.] “Huh?
I actually have to eat?” David: “???” *Am I not a human being?
You’ve never treated me like a human being, have you?!
I’m still your Apostle!* Jake took a look at the map.
They were already close to Viktor’s clinic, right near Little China.
“Let’s eat first.” He had David turn the wheel, pulling the car into a narrow alley.
Little China was one of the few places in Watson that still retained a sense of everyday life.
Street vendors pushed carts, selling fried noodles, dumplings, and skewers.
Jake found a small stall that looked reasonably clean and had David sit down.
He ordered a plate of fried noodles.
A steaming plate of noodles was soon brought out.
David picked up a bite with his chopsticks.
The moment the noodles entered his mouth, he nearly burst into tears.
All day today, from the moment he had been possessed that morning, he hadn’t eaten a single bite or drunk a drop of water.
Finally, real food!
As the large plate of fried noodles vanished into his stomach, the roasted chicken icon in the top left flashed twice and vanished.
Jake looked at the screen prompt and nodded in satisfaction.
Alright, time to find Vik.
He was about to control David to stand up and head toward Vik’s clinic when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a new icon popping up next to the health bar—a water faucet.
[Urination Required: Excessive water intake or holding it for too long will cause bladder discomfort; movement speed reduced.] Jake: “…” Holy crap.
Eating was one thing, but now he had to use the bathroom too?
It’s just a game, no need to be this realistic!
…
Coming out of the bathroom, Jake made sure the top-left corner of the screen was completely clean, without any negative status icons left, before feeling relieved enough to steer David toward Vik’s clinic.
Vik’s clinic was hidden underneath an unassuming apartment building in Little China.
Carrying the black duffel bag, David walked down a stretch of rusty iron stairs, pushed open the creaking iron gate, and stepped into the clinic.
The clinic wasn’t large, but it was a hundred times cleaner than Doc’s place.
A man wearing blue overalls and sunglasses sat in front of a workbench, watching an underground boxing match.
The ripperdoc, Viktor Vektor.
People usually called him “Vik.” Vik turned around.
His gaze behind the dark lenses landed on David, taking him in for a few seconds.
“New face.
Something I can help you with?” He stood up, his tone casual.
“Implants?
Or looking for a new look?” Jake controlled David to walk up to the workbench, set the black duffel bag on the surface, and unzipped it.
The blood on the metallic vertebrae had dried into a dark brown, but the dense array of neural connections was still intricate enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
“Militech gear.” Vik’s sunglasses slid down a notch.
He turned, retrieved a scanner from a tool cabinet, and gestured for David to take a seat.
The device scanned a circle around the back of David’s neck.
“Military cyberware takes a heavy toll on the body, especially a spinal implant like the Sandevistan.” Looking at the data on the screen, Vik said, “You’re on the skinny side, lacking muscle mass, and your nervous system hasn’t undergone any enhancement training.” “Once installed, every activation will put serious strain on your blood vessels and nerves.” He paused, asking again, “Are you sure about this?” Who didn’t love high-grade cyberware?
Although David didn’t know why the entity possessing him wanted to do this, he didn’t object to the chrome.
He felt he was ready!
“I’m sure,” they said in unison, in complete sync for the first time.
Vik nodded, tore open a plastic wrap, and carefully placed the spine onto a sterile tray on the operating table.
“Anything else?” “Uh…” Jake hesitated for a second.
“I’m not sure if you can do this here.” Vik gave a soft laugh.
“Don’t worry.
I’ve been in this business for years.
There’s nothing I haven’t seen.” “Then help me remove my bladder,” Jake typed.
Having to go to the bathroom every few minutes was way too much trouble.
David: “!!!” *This isn’t what I said I was ready for!
Is it too late to change my mind?!* “Bladder?” Vik looked at him in surprise.
In all his years as a ripperdoc, he’d seen all kinds of clients, but someone explicitly asking to have their bladder removed…
This was definitely something he hadn’t seen.
“Well…” Vik picked up his tablet and flipped through his inventory catalog.
“Urinary system implants are pretty rare.
I don’t have stock on hand.
If you really want it done, leave your number.
I’ll notify you when it comes in.” Hearing that it was out of stock, David let out a sigh of relief.
His bladder was saved for now…
However, Jake didn’t seem ready to give up just yet and exchanged contact info with Vik.
[New Contact Added: Viktor Vektor] Jake continued browsing the cyberware catalog.
Vik didn’t have a massive stock, but every piece was polished until it gleamed, neatly arranged inside glass cabinets with clearly printed price tags.
Soon, he found what he was looking for.
[Reinforced Tendons (Mass Production)] [Price: €$3,500] [Effect: Significantly increases leg explosive power and jump height, enabling mid-air double jump.] Unlocks double jump after equipping—definitely good stuff!
“Just this,” Jake controlled David to point at the cyberware on the list.
“Nothing else.” In a few hours, it would be midnight.
If the realization rule was once per day, every cent he spent now was a loss.
Vik glanced at the entry, turned around, and pulled a palm-sized silver sealed package from the cabinet.
“Lie down.” Once Jake had David climb onto the operating table, the computer screen went dark.
A line of white text popped up right in the middle of the screen, with a thin, unmoving progress bar underneath.
[Estimated Surgery Duration: 5:00:00] “Dammit.” “Five hours?
You expect me to just sit here and wait?!”