Chapter 4

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 The fierce gunfire interrupted Gloria's dreams for her son's future. To her right, a heavy machine gun with a golden casing emerged from the driver's seat of the pink SUV, targeting the black corporate sedan to their left. The trigger was pulled, and bullets spewed out like tongues of flame, golden casings ejected from the chamber and fell to the ground.

 Ratatat... ratatat... ratatat...

 The bullets shattered the windows and A-pillar of David's car before striking the door panel and windows of the black corporate sedan. Pocked with bullet holes and webbed with cracks, the right side of the sedan was instantly covered, yet the powerful projectiles could not penetrate the corporate vehicle. In contrast, their old sedan could not withstand the heavy fire; the front of the car was blasted into a mess of gaping holes.

 Then, the black corporate sedan on the left surged forward in a sprint, with the Animal Gang's SUV flooring the gas pedal to follow. Atop the pink SUV, a muscle-bound brute holding a red RPG rocket launcher bellowed furiously.

 "Don't let those corp dogs get away!"

 "Ther corp's car is armored!"

 "Just you wait and see!"

 "Animal Gang brethren!"

 David saw the two vehicles charge ahead. The brute on the pink SUV shouldered the RPG, taking aim at the sedan, and fired. Yet, as the missile shot forth, destined to hit the corporate car, the vehicle performed an evasive maneuver, narrowly dodging the explosion. The blast erupted in the air, kicking up dust.

 The corporate sedan screeched to a halt, slamming into the SUV's front left wheel.

 Bang!

 The collision caused the higher chassis of the SUV to tip and roll over, hitting the ground in a violent explosion that shot flames into the sky. The now-wrecked SUV fell towards Gloria, who was driving in its direction.

 "Mom!"

 "Hit the brakes!"

 Gloria slammed on the brakes with all her might, but the car, seemingly with a mind of its own, continued straight towards the remains of the SUV.

 David's eyes widened in horror as the wreckage came barreling towards them.

 Then came another loud bang!

 Bang!

 David felt the world spinning, his vision plunging into darkness.

 As he came to from the wreckage, struggling to open his eyes, he found himself trapped by the seatbelt, hanging in the overturned car; his mother Gloria had been ejected and lay unconscious outside, surrounded by a sea of fire. The flames spread, inching towards his mother. With all his strength, David tried to free himself to save her.

 But he failed.

 The blazing flames also crept towards David himself, and with his serious injuries, he was helpless to save himself or his mother. He had never felt so powerless, only hoping for someone to come to their aid.

 Just as David's hope was at its most desperate, a hovercar with a metallic shell landed swiftly before him. Two medics dressed in green uniforms stepped out briskly.

 "Trauma Team! We're saved!"

 David breathed a sigh of relief, seeing a glimmer of hope. If they could get prompt treatment from Trauma Team, his mother's life would not be in danger.

 The Trauma Team medics, fully equipped, knelt beside David and scanned him.

 "This one's not a client!"

 "This woman isn't either!"

 Their cold words shattered David's hopes. He watched the Trauma Team medics turn and leave, with no intention to treat him or his mother.

 "Wait!"

 Trauma Team: "Our primary mission is to ensure client safety. Leave these people for the City Corpse Disposal."

 "What the hell? You're just going to leave us here to die?!"

 "Mom! Wake up! Bastards!"

 "Damn it, get up! Get up! Damn it!"

 David strained with his last ounce of strength to break free from the seat, but his lower half was pinned by the wreckage, immovable.

 "Mom!"

 The fire drew closer to Gloria.

 David was consumed by despair, a flood of emotions pounding his mind, causing the already blood-loss-induced dizziness to verge on blackout.

 Suddenly, he sensed footsteps drawing near, as if someone was approaching. Trying his best to open his weary eyes, he saw only a blurry figure but clung to his last hope. Pointing towards his mother in the inferno, he whispered.

 "Please... save my mother."Immediately, David felt as if someone had flipped a switch, plunging him into a dark unconsciousness.

 The dimly lit medical clinic's second floor was quiet, and David sat on an old bench, staring at the sign above the mechanical door which read "Surgery in Progress."

 David, having received simple treatment for his wounds from a car accident, waited outside the operating room dressed in his tattered Arasaka Academy uniform.

 As the sign turned off, the lead surgeon emerged from behind the door. Only wearing an apron over his upper body and a green mask with a dust cover that obscured his face, he approached David, still looking at the electronic tablet in his hand. With thick arms slipping through the long sleeves, he continued to tap the screen incessantly, apparently calculating the cost of the surgery.

 "The surgery was very successful, but she's still unconscious and has not yet regained consciousness. We'll be keeping her for observation for a few days."

 "Can I see her?"

 "No, the cheapest package does not include visitation rights."

 "I see..."

 "Here's the bill, please sign for it. And I have also brought your mother's belongings, make sure the payment is settled within three days."

 David looked bewildered as the doctor handed over his mother's package. He had no choice but to passively deal with everything that was happening and accept it.

 "This is why everyone in Night City buys insurance," the doctor said, before walking back into the operating room.

 David sat holding his mother's package, staring blankly ahead for a long time.

 He sighed deeply, hugged the package tightly, and got up to leave. Looking back at the entrance of the worn-out clinic, the old red neon sign flickered, marking only the words "The Clinic" with the prefix completely dark.

 Wandering through the neon-lit streets of Night City, the city's nightscape seemed even more surreal and blurry. Looking up towards the city center, the immense advertisements shot up into the sky, seemingly worlds apart from the dim blue-green streetscape beside him.

 He arrived at his usual habitation, the megabuilding H4 in Santo Domingo, and as he tried to unlock the electromagnetic gate, a floating laser projection appeared.

 "Access denied, rent overdue."

 David kicked the iron gate in frustration and turned to climb back into his home through the ventilation ducts. He knew he couldn't give up now; his mother was depending on him to pay the medical fees.

 Back home, he tried everything he could think of to raise money, selling all his possessions, from basketball chips to games, only to realize they were barely worth anything.

 After calling everyone he could throughout the night, David still couldn't raise the necessary funds for his mother's medical treatment.

 Desperate, he consulted the ripperdoc who had sold him the pirated upgrade software. He asked if selling one of his kidneys would fetch enough money on the black market.

 The ripperdoc performed a complete check-up of David's cybernetic augmentations and was surprised to find that David's physical functions were exceptionally above average. The price he was offered for his kidney was just enough to cover his mother's medical bills, and David didn't hesitate to agree.

 However, the ripperdoc told him that if he could wait a little longer, it was possible that a compatible recipient would appear, and the kidney could fetch a much higher price.

 But David couldn't wait too long. He decided to undergo the surgery the next day in order to save his mother.

 Despite the exhaustion from a busy night, David persisted. He changed back into his school uniform and went to Arasaka Academy for classes. He couldn't afford to skip class and risk expulsion again—his mother had already sacrificed too much for him.