Chapter 52

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In Watson District, Little China.

On the third-floor balcony of Misty's Esoterica, a fortune-telling and séance shop.

A black luxury hovercar, with four blue flame jets spouting from the bottom, slowly descended and docked.

The winged car doors gently lifted upward, reflecting the neon lights off their metallic shimmer.

Jackieie was the first to jump out of the car, stretching his shoulders before turning back to call Maine from inside.

"Friend, we're here. Come on down."

Maine glanced at Tang Yu, who remained seated in the leather chair, making a gentlemanly inviting gesture.

With a slight nod in response, Maine grabbed the safe and stepped out, joining Jackieie to wait for Tang Yu.

The three had previously conversed in the car and became well-acquainted, finding common ground in their appetites.

One from Heywood, the other from Watson.

Though from entirely different backgrounds, they both had carefree and unrestrained personalities and appreciated each other.

After alighting from the car, they walked down together.

Leading the way, Jackieie spoke as he descended the stairs, "Haven't even warmed up properly today, and our business is already settled."

"That proves the lucky card Misty gave me really does work!"

Upon reaching Misty's shop, Jackieie briskly walked up to the counter.

Misty stood there, intently manipulating her tarot cards, as if deeply focused on her study.

Jackieie, quite thrilled, approached and greeted her.

"Misty, as a professional fortune teller, you're truly amazing."

"I feel like your lucky card made a big difference today."

"It made resolving matters so effortless!"

Seeing Jackieie return, then turning to see Tang Yu and a big, unfamiliar, and slightly injured man, Misty spoke in her usual gentle tone.

"It looks like you had a smooth run. Viktor's downstairs, you're here to see him, right?"

Jackieie quickly picked up on the cue: "Yes, Tang and Maine have business with old Vik. I don't need to see him; I'm mainly here to learn more about this lucky card."

He then waved to Tang Yu, saying, "Bro, I'm going to consult Misty about something. You guys go ahead and find Vik, alright?"

Understanding Jackieie's real intentions, Tang Yu didn't say much, leading Maine towards the backyard and downstairs to find Viktor.

"That was Misty, Jackieie's fiancée. They've known each other since childhood," Tang Yu explained.

Maine couldn't help but admire, "I think Jackieie and Misty are a perfect match. Are they engaged already?"

Tang Yu confidently replied, "Not yet, but I've set a date for their wedding. Remember to come to the ceremony; Jackieie really likes you."

After a pause, Maine nodded silently and followed Tang Yu into Viktor's ripperdoc clinic.

Tang Yu opened the iron gate and saw Viktor, as usual, dressed in a blue short-sleeved work shirt, sitting at his workbench, tinkering with an exoskeletal arm prosthesis, with a boxing match playing on the electronic screen.

"Vik, we're back."

Viktor glanced up, then focused back on his work, seeming to have anticipated their arrival.

"Hmm... Looks like you had a successful day, and you've brought a friend."

Tang Yu introduced Maine, "This is Maine, a merc from Watson. He needs an implant operation for a Sandevistan."

Maine stepped forward, placed the safe on the workbench, entered the code, and opened it. Inside lay a military-grade Sandevistan, intact.

Viktor finished with the exoskeletal arm prosthesis and picked up the military-grade Sandevistan, scanning it for inspection.

"This item isn't seen on the market; must be an experimental piece from Militech. Did it run through any body performance data before?"

Before they could answer, Viktor suddenly linked it to something, "Is this cyberware from the cyberpsycho who was killed a few days ago at the corporation plaza? The one from his body?"Viktor had been a cyberdoc for years and was very familiar with the cyberware available on the market. Therefore, he was well aware of the news surrounding Cyberpunk James. 

Suddenly, a piece of military-grade cyberware appeared out of nowhere—unknown origin, advanced model, and formidable power.

Viktor sharply realized that there was a problem here.

Tang Yu didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "That's right, Viktor, so there's another thing I need your help with. I need you to extract the operational data from this cyberware and bring it back to the company for reporting."

Viktor carefully examined the details of the military-grade cyberware: "It's easy to extract the operational data, but this cyberware also harbors military-grade countermeasure technologies. If we want to install it while completely avoiding detection, we need to partially modify and adjust the operating program and electronic components."

Hearing this, Maine looked a bit concerned and hurriedly asked, "How long will that take?"

Viktor put down the military-grade cyberware and looked at the anxious Maine: "I can extract the data and you can take it now, but the implantation will have to wait a week. However, before that, it would be best to perform a full body compatibility check on you. If your body can't withstand it, the installation surgery could be risky."

Maine was in a difficult position.

He knew his physical condition better than anyone, and it was indeed a stretch to install this cyberware.

But without a compatibility test, it would probably be difficult to convince Tang Yu and Viktor to perform the implant surgery on him.

Viktor stood up from his stool and led Maine to the operating chair: "Sit in the chair first, don't be nervous, and connect the neural data cable."

Maine lay on the operating chair, took the data cable handed to him, and inserted it into his biological neural data port.

Viktor, with a stethoscope around his neck, began the examination from the control panel: "As I scan, you can take a look at what's happening inside."

Tang Yu stood by, watching the results of Maine's examination.

Shortly, the screen began scanning and reading Maine's full biological and implant information.

While checking, Viktor asked with some solemnity, "Do you often experience splitting headaches, thirst, nausea, and retching, and your hands tremble uncontrollably?"

"Does the cyberware occasionally not respond, causing stiffness or inflexibility?"

Maine responded gloomily, admitting to it.

He knew Viktor was spot on and after hesitating, he added, "I inject suppressants regularly, so these symptoms aren't severe and rarely occur."

Tang Yu, having had many implants himself, could see from the screen that the reality was much more severe than what Maine had described.

Maine's main problem was the excessive number of cyberwares in his body and their inconsistent models; old versions that were not unified. Even the running software he used was a cracked version, full of vulnerabilities and with poor compatibility, nothing compared to Tang Yu's 'divine gear' from back in the day.

Put simply, even a mildly skilled hacker could fry Maine's brain like scrambled eggs.

Moreover, not replacing the cyberware for extended periods had led to severe bodily erosion from metallic impurities, which caused the symptoms Viktor had mentioned.

These symptoms were not lethal but were as torturous as a chronic disease, constantly subjecting him to pain as if countless fine needles were being thrust under his nails.

In short, Maine's body was always operating in overdrive and was thoroughly worn out from strain.

However, Maine never mentioned these issues to anyone and endured through astonishing will power.

Viktor could tell that Maine was a tough guy and that what had happened to his body was a reluctant and forced decision. So, while manipulating the screen, he said, "I'll upgrade your internal system first and apply patches to make the cyberware control smoother."

"At least, it should alleviate your chronic pain significantly."