Chapter 94

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Watson.

Kabuki-cho, Small Creek Loop Road.

A Delamain black executive sedan slowly pulled to the side of the road and stopped.

The car door opened automatically, and Tang Yu stepped out first, followed by Gloria.

The two stood on the side of the street, facing a long row of houses with shops on the ground floor, business appeared somewhat sparse. Although flashing neon lights twinkled, they still failed to attract the attention of passersby, as if people had become immune to the assault of light.

Gloria closely observed their surroundings, then confirmed, "According to the intelligence report, this is the place."

Tang Yu nodded slightly and fastened the top button of his suit jacket with one hand.

"Old De, wait here for my return."

"Of course, Mr. Tang, Delamain is always at your service. Please stay safe."

With that, the two stepped towards the alleyway.

They first passed through a low overpass, with the incandescent lights above them buzzing, flickering on and off.

After crossing the passageway, they arrived at a small square surrounded by residential and commercial buildings, with all sorts of neon signboards hanging on the walls.

Gloria pointed to a staircase on the left and said, "We go up there; Moira's home is on the third floor."

Tang Yu glanced at the gloomy entrance of the building, its walls grimy, and the ground littered with plastic garbage bags creating a messy sight.

Bracing against a foul odor, they walked into the dark stairwell, where poor lighting cast a dark green hue.

The walls and handrails leading upstairs were plastered with various small advertisements.

"Kabuki-cho girls' call service, an experience no man should miss in his lifetime."

"Goldfinger's master locksmith services can unlock your genetic potential; come experience it! Contact through the Animals gang."

"Night City black market firearms sale, your personal security experts."

Posters everywhere.

The two made it to the third floor, where a rusting metal gate was tightly shut.

Gloria pressed the communication button on the gate and started paging the apartment.

Soon, the communicator connected.

"Who's there?"

Gloria identified themselves: "We were referred by Regina Jones to speak with Lieutenant Moira regarding a critical situation."

A voice came from inside: "Regina Jones? The journalist from Channel 54, right? But I don't know you. What do you want with me?"

Having confirmed the person's identity, Gloria felt slightly relieved; she had been worried that Lieutenant Moira might have already been in trouble. From what she and Regina Jones had gathered, Moira, due to the strain of new cyberware, was in a terrible mental state and on leave at home for recovery.

Seeing Moira being cautious, Gloria gently coaxed him in an effort to avoid any provocation, "Lieutenant Moira, please calm down. We mean no harm. Regina Jones knows about your participation in the military's cybernetic enhancement trials. We've come into possession of certain information that could be of help to you."

After hearing Gloria's reasoning, Moira hesitated for a moment, then signaled, "Come in."

As soon as the words were spoken, the rusted gate slid open automatically.

Clearly, Gloria's words had affected Moira, who was now deep in a desperate situation.

They entered the apartment and found that the decor was very simplistic, hardly distinguishable from a regular apartment.

The only thing that was off-putting was the trash scattered around, the tabletops littered with balls of cotton stained with blood, and containers of inhibitors strewn about the floor.

Moira was slumped on the sofa, wearing a military-green jacket issued by Militech, completely immobile, as if petrified.

She asked, "Who exactly are you?"

Moira's tone was icy, hinting at hostility, so Gloria cautiously took a few steps forward to assess her condition.

A cyberoptic implant?

Moira, with short hair, had her frontal eyes replaced with cyberoptic implants, six small probes evenly distributed on the electronic panel at the eyes.

Gloria spoke softly, "Moira, I've been sent by Regina Jones."

Moira replied impatiently, "I'm not too familiar with her. State your business, and do it quickly. I don't have time for chit-chat right now."

Seeing Moira gradually losing patience and becoming restless, Tang Yu bluntly stated, "Moira, you're on the brink of losing control. Cooperate with us, and you still have a chance to survive."

Gloria, taken aback by Tang Yu's words, watched Moira for any reaction, having been very careful not to provoke her.

Moira stiffly turned her neck to look at them and asked coldly, "You're not with Militech; what else do you know?"

Tang Yu responded frankly, "Lieutenant Moira, a member of the Militech special forces, completed nearly four years of service, and then began experiencing twitches, dizziness, abdominal pain, and uncontrolled cybernetic enhancements. The symptoms have become so severe that you've been unable to work normally and had to take leave for treatment at home."

"Am I right, Moira?"

Moira stiffened, her cybernetic eyes betraying no emotion, but her quivering revealed her turmoil.

"How did you know?!" she demanded.

No one answered.

After a moment...

Moira deflated, her once rigid posture collapsing, her tone solemn and slow as she spoke.

"You're right, ever since those unmarked cybernetic enhancements were installed, they've clung to me like a devil."

"At first, I relished the advanced combat capabilities they provided, completing every mission with ease."

"But soon I noticed something was amiss, a feeling as if ants were crawling under my skin, needles stabbing me - arms, legs, eyes, brain - as if every synapse was in pain."

"I was tormented to the point of sleepless nights, haunted by bizarre dreams."

"Dreams of sinking into the deep sea, surrounded by sharks tracking the scent of blood, panic-stricken to the point of drowning, unable even to breathe!"

"Gradually, I became abnormal, quick to rage."

"Until one day, during an escort mission in badlands, we were attacked."

"Out of nowhere, a shark appeared on the surface of the badlands and lunged at me."

"In panic, I fought the shark with all my might, activating every combat enhancement without reserve."

"When I finally came to my senses, there was no shark, just the body of a comrade, mangled."

"I mistook my partner for a shark and pulled his intestines out from his spine."

"Staring down at my blood-soaked hands, nerve damage prevented me from distinguishing reality from illusion."

"Hah, I thought I was a goner, but to my surprise, the medical staff ruled it an accident, and I was granted leave for home treatment."

"I dare not step outside now for fear of another hallucination, mistaking someone for a shark..."

Moira clutched her head, grabbing at her short hair. Her mechanical eyes showed no sign of pain, but her tone was filled with self-blame.

"I've become a monster, an utter monster..."

"Why did this happen..."

Gloria, listening to Moira's story, felt genuine pity. She was being used as a tool by Militech and had been reduced to a ghost of a person.

She wanted to offer some words of comfort, but noticing Tang Yu's expressionless face, she restrained herself, knowing this was not the time to act on a whim.

Unaffected by Moira's pain, Tang Yu pressed on, "Now you must understand, continuing with Militech leads only to a dead end. Think about it, our cooperation at least gives you a chance to live."

Moira gave a bitter laugh, seemingly talking to herself, "Cooperate? You have no idea what I'm dealing with. My predicament is far beyond your understanding."

After this, Moira slowly stood up, turned her back to them, and began to unzip and remove her jacket.

A shocking sight was then revealed to Tang Yu and Gloria.

Moira's slender back was a mangled mess, with a horrifying mechanical cybernetic implant inserted.

A bunch of electrical tubes connected to the back of her head, their ends leading to a raised mechanical spine, resembling a chain of whiplashes embedded into her back.

From the mechanical spine, dozens of thin nerve tubes branched out to the left and right, connecting to the original neural network.

The dense cybernetic network absorbed bioelectric energy and emitted a stream of red micro-lights.

It was like a giant centipede burrowing deep into her back, breathing in unison with Moira's lungs, ceaselessly consuming her flesh and blood.Horrifying!

Gloria's pupils dilated in shock at the sight before her.

Although she did not recognize the model of the cyberware, she could tell that the pain inflicted by countless fine tubes penetrating the back and connecting to the spinal nerve network was immense.

There were too many wounds caused by the cyberware implantation, and the skin was inflamed where it connected to the electronic filaments, oozing muddied red and yellow pus.

The cotton balls on the table were likely used to clean up the pus from the inflammation.

Gloria couldn't imagine how Moira had endured it all—the torment of both body and mind was enough to break anyone.

But what shocked her was far from over.

Without any hesitation, Moira turned to face them again.

This time, even Tang Yu couldn't help but frown.

Moira's torso was hollowed out in front, through which one could directly see her internal organs beneath the transparent epidermis.

To facilitate numerous surgeries and observe internal function, Moira's ribs had been removed and replaced with this transparent epidermis, fitted with a special stabilizer.

There wasn't much left of her original organs; her modifications surpassed those of the cyberpsycho gang in the Maelstrom, if anything.

High-intensity cyberware modification was not a new occurrence in Night City.

The super-celebrity Lizzy Wizzy had her entire body cybernetically altered.

In 2069, during a concert, Lizzy Wizzy swallowed a poisoned apple in the spotlight, causing her heart to stop suddenly.

Eventually, emergency trauma services replaced every biological organ in her body, making her the first person to truly undergo full cyberware transformation.

However, such bloody implantation transformations like Moira's could not be compared to Lizzy Wizzy's.

Faced with the scene, Gloria was so stunned she couldn't speak.

Even the experienced Tang Yu couldn't help but slightly furrow his brow.

Moira's entire body was mangled flesh intermixed with machinery.

He immediately searched his mind for information about cyberware but only found a few models similar to the 'centipede-like' cyberware on Moira's body; this stuff truly looked sinister.

He scrutinized it once more.

Believing that with his past extensive experience in implants and his penchant for collecting high-quality cyberware, identifying these sinister devices shouldn't be too difficult.

Was it a new model of Sandevistan?

Definitely not.

Tang Yu quickly realized that Moira was not implanted with an experimental piece of cyberware, but rather a collection of components, maximally utilizing Militech.

Seeing their silence, Moira quickly put on her jacket and zipped it up.

"Seen enough? Do you still think you can save me?"

"Do you think I don't want to find a Ripperdoc to perform a surgery, to remove these terrifying pieces of cyberware?"

"The funny thing is, those Ripperdocs have never even seen this stuff before."

"Now, apart from Militech, I have nowhere else to turn."

After pondering for a moment, Tang Yu replied: "The cyberware in your body is a series assembly, including the augmentation for six major systems: visual, circulatory, immune, neuro, epidermal, and skeletal."

"The installed cyberware components include at least a cerebral electromechanical core, a network access pod manager, a biological conductor, synthetic organs, and Sandevistan, equipped with the reflex-amplified Krenzikov model; synaptic accelerators will connect to your neural network."

"To be honest, in your current state, you are a deadly killing machine, no wonder Militech is reluctant to decommission you."

Moira stared at Tang Yu, her tone revealing anger and surprise: "You know all this? Are you with the company? ZetaTech or Militech must have cooperated with Militech; outsiders wouldn't recognize the sinister devices on me!"

Moira's emotions began to spiral out of control; she felt betrayed by the corporation, deceived by everyone, unable to trust anyone anymore.

Tang Yu calmly stated: "I'm sorry, I'm with Arasaka. The truth is, if you cooperate with us and expose what Militech has done to you, Arasaka will provide you with the best treatment. You might not keep your cyberware, but at least you can save your life."

Gloria's heart leaped into her throat—she had not expected Tang Yu to reveal his identity so directly.

This was a lieutenant of Militech, on the verge of losing control; if she really snapped, the consequences would be unimaginable.

She watched Moira with high anxiety, fists clenched tightly, not daring to move a muscle as her back was soaked in cold sweat.

After Moira heard Tang Yu, she stood still, as if frozen in place.

Her electronic eyes could not convey her emotions, only showing that she seemed to be caught in extreme struggle.

After a moment of silence, Moira's tone reflected helplessness, and she asked wearily, "What's the point of living like this anymore?"

"The company... heh, do you think I would believe you?"

"Leave me be, please. I just need some more sedatives, really!"

"Don't call in the Psycho Squad. Oh right, I already contacted my doctor. Militech will be here to save me soon."

"Haha, I'll be rescued soon!"

Moira began to laugh maniacally; it was clear to anyone that her mental state was deteriorating, and her implant enhancements trembled weirdly.

Hearing that she had already contacted Militech, Tang Yu sensed trouble and immediately started to backup the scan recordings with his Dragon Fist, ready to activate 'bullet time'; it looked like Moira might not be leaving with them.

Gloria, worried about Moira losing control, quickly reassured her: "We won't call the Psycho Squad, you haven't lost control, at least you're still conscious now. Do I look like a giant shark to you?"

Hearing Gloria's soft reassurance seemed to bring a glimmer of lucidity to Moira's gaze as she stared blankly at her, murmuring.

"No, you're not a giant shark, neither is he..."

Seizing the moment, Gloria continued, "You see, you can still hold on, right? Trust us this time, and we will provide the best treatment, even calling a trauma team is no issue."

Moira managed a resigned smile: "Trust, I can't even trust myself, enough talk. If you really want to help me, go find Matresio; he has what you want, heh, maybe from the beginning, he was right. The company indeed doesn't have a single good thing."

Matresio?

Gloria immediately understood.

While investigating cyberware experiments with Regina Jones, they had come across Matresio, a former Militech soldier who had served as a sniper. After retiring, he chose to leave the corporation and disappeared into the streets.

Tang Yu then asked, "Where is he?"

Just then, a drone call came through the window.

"Militech rescue has arrived; Lieutenant Moira, prepare to rejoin your unit immediately!"

A trace of a smile crept across Moira's face as she responded, "I hope you keep your promise. Matresio is hiding at the broken bridge in the Santo Domingo Valley area. The bank has taken his property, forcing him to wander the streets homeless."

"Look, even without working for the corp, he didn't end up well, especially with all those strange combat implants on him."

After speaking, Moira walked past them, striding toward the window.

She shattered the glass with her body and leaped straight down from the third floor to the plaza below.

Tang Yu quickly followed, approaching the broken window to survey the situation.

Below, dozens of fully armed Militech officers surrounded the plaza, their heavy weaponry at the ready.

A hovering armored vehicle, emblazoned with "MILITECH," circled above the plaza, with red laser lines marking the warning perimeter.

As soon as Moira landed, she was surrounded by a squadron of Militech officers, their dark muzzles aimed at her.

"Lieutenant Moira, follow orders and rejoin the unit for treatment," they commanded.

Meanwhile, an armed soldier knelt down, opened a case, and took out a syringe of green liquid with a sharp needle. He pushed out the excess air from the tube, allowing a few drops of liquid to escape from the needle.

Moira looked coldly at the armed soldier, as her cybernetics started to activate, emitting blue electric arcs.

"You still won't let me go, will you?" she asked.

The Militech team leader, with his gun ready, warned, "Lieutenant Moira, this is an order. Refusing to return is desertion. If you resist, you will be executed!"

With that, every Militech officer fingered their trigger, ready to fire at any moment.

Moira stood still, her eyes flickering with confusion.

Her mental state was now completely on the edge of losing control.

In Moira's eyes, nothing could be seen but a swarm of giant sharks circling her.