Chapter 97

"While its performance is incredibly powerful, the devastating pressure it exerts on the user's nervous system and its erosion of consciousness is also extremely exaggerated, except for Adam Smasher... Hmm, I remember your prosthetic body's adaptability and tolerance are also extremely high, no way... You want to disassemble yourself and then stick that big, clunky thing into your body? That's way too..."

"What are you thinking about?"

Vera looked exasperated.

"I think the idea of the external modular cybernetic skeleton of 'Cybernetic Kong' is correct. Maybe I will equip myself with one later, but let's skip the rough product that has only been initially developed."

That's right, it's a rough product.

No matter how much military-grade cutting-edge technology Shinichi Tanaka and the Night City R&D Department crammed into the 'Cybernetic Kong', such as a flight engine for aerostats, gravity field manipulation devices, and Magnetic Generator, in Vera's view, as long as its mounting structure is not optimized, it is a shoddy product.

To use it, you first need to sever your limbs and cut yourself into human form... What kind of cyber-new era self-mutilation and suicide device is this?

Vera used the computer to open the bio-gas-sealed door and walked inside.

This is a spacious hall containing six enormous cylindrical glass containers, each about 4 meters in diameter and 10 meters high. The reinforced glass cylinders are filled with a pale liquid and constantly exude a chilling aura.

As data streams flickered in Vera's indigo eyes, the polarized glass was adjusted to be visible at her virtual touch.

Thump.

Michiko Arasaka's heart skipped a beat.

Within all the cylinders filled with pale liquid stood a human figure—no, it should be called a humanoid creature—with bulging muscles, a muscular build, and an eerie blue-white complexion.

"'Cybernetic Kong,' I plan to use it on them."

Vera looked at Michiko and said.

"... Enhanced clones? The Solaris Staircase Project was indeed not a purely medical research project after all..."

Looking up, Michiko gave a slightly surprised smile.

"What a magnificent creation."

These humanoid creatures were almost a meter taller than her, and their entire bodies were heavily modified with prosthetics.

Beneath the granite-like muscle skin, there are dents from the prosthetic modifications and exposed iron-gray metal layers.

The preliminary scan results alone include: [Elastic Joints], [Reconstructed Skeleton], [Kinetic Skeleton], [Universal Reinforcement Components], [Artificial Heart], [Blood Pump], [Synaptic Accelerator], [Subcutaneous Armor], [Nano Coating], [Sandevistan], [Long-Focus Visual Interface], [Projectile Launch System]...

It's basically a prosthetic machine wearing human skin.

For a normal person to wear a prosthetic body like that is almost equivalent to Cyberpsychosis recurring on the spot.

Michiko immediately understood that these enhanced clones were the 'Cybernetic Kong' loader excluding Adam Smasher.

"Naturally. Extending human lifespan and improving human physique are the original intentions behind the Solaris Staircase Project."

Vera crossed her arms gracefully, a smile playing on her lips and her eyes.

"To control a machine with one's own body, a better prosthetic body requires a stronger physical body to support it."

"Tyrant, T-104," Vera introduced.

This is the result of her learning from Umbrella and innovating in Arasaka.

A special tyrant model, cast from flesh and blood as its base and steel as its framework.

In this model of Tyrant, Vera completely abandoned the mutability and infectivity of the Tyrants created by Umbrella. Instead, through precise genetic editing and programming, supplemented by virus inhibitors, she forcibly controlled its mutation process during its cultivation and growth stage, keeping its form constant in human shape.

It exists as a prosthetic vessel with strong physical strength and a highly adaptable nervous system.

Once a tyrant is cultivated, all that's needed is to fill the vessel with enough cyber implants.

What we need is standardization and mass production.

Vera disagrees with Umbrella's approach of researching and improving tyrants as 'ultimate biological weapons' for military purposes.

As long as it is still made of flesh and blood and is not tainted by those demons and monsters, it cannot be a weapon of decisive battle, so it is better to go for mass production.

As for the question of whether the tyrant will suffer from uncontrollable intelligence due to Cyberpsychosis.

It doesn't need to use its brain or think, so it naturally won't get Cyberpsychosis.

Implanted neural response coordinators and synaptic accelerators connect to the central control chip of the implanted brain-computer interface, enhancing and controlling its intelligence.

The tyrant's basic biological intelligence was not completely erased. After specialized targeted guidance and subconscious implantation, the T-104 model can be considered a prosthetic carrier that is half brain and half chip driven.

It resembles a robot, yet it is by no means a robot.

The reason for preserving the tyrant's basic intelligence is to prevent it from being easily taken over by Rogue AI or hackers who can hack into it.

Clang, Vera stepped forward and tapped on the glass of the cylindrical container. Turning to Michiko, she said, "Until we collect enough sample data and optimize and improve it, these are the perfect consumables for 'Cybernetic Kong'."

"Tyrant, not a bad name."

Michiko shrugged and looked at Vera, who was fiddling with and adjusting something in front of the cylindrical container. "So it seems that ICE is the key."

Vera nodded.

The biggest flaw of the T-104 Tyrant lies here.

Once the electronic warfare unit is hacked and breached, the enhanced intelligence, limb coordination flexibility, and ability to control the cyber implants by the central control chip will be greatly weakened.

Fortunately, the problem is not fatal and is acceptable.

Because the T-104 Tyrant is designed as a consumable item.

It can be said that the most expensive Projectile Launch System on the Tyrant is not the mass-produced Sandevistan Self ICE...

[AI: No viral residue was detected in the bodily fluid sample test results.]

Vera closed the status search panel for the T-King Kong warehouse tyrant body with satisfaction.

Although she retained the Progenitor Virus's resistance to transmission, and the Tyrant series products were inherently less infectious, she still continuously injected inhibitors into the experimental subjects during the cultivation process as a precaution, constantly fine-tuning and trimming the experimental subjects' genes to ensure that the products were insulated from the moment they left the factory and would not become biochemical mothers or leak the virus.

Continue the inspection.

The sound of an airtight door opening.

"The Hunter," Vera said, stopping in front of the compartment marked with an "H".

Through polarized glass.

Inside the chamber, in a smaller cultivation tank than the Tyrant, were non-humanoid creatures.

It looks like a tailless lizard standing up, with a dark green body covered in hard scales and extremely sharp and large forepaws.

"So ugly."

Michiko showed a look of disgust.

"Really."

"Huh?" Michiko was taken aback for a moment, then looked at the composed Vera. "Isn't this your research result?"

"Be mine."

Vera also looked disgusted. "It was an accident."

"While Hunter can achieve the goal of sustainably producing cheap cannon fodder at extremely low cost in terms of economic efficiency, it is too ugly, which is detrimental to international appearance and seriously affects the company's image."

Is it the same to take a Tyrant out for a stroll and take Hunter out for a stroll, even though they are both BOWs?

The former is imposing and grand, a symbol of human evolution; the latter is lewd and evil, a symbol of... uh, goblins?

Arasaka's reputation was already bad, and it was only after the truth about the Arasaka Tower nuclear explosion during the Fourth Corporate War was revealed that it was able to turn the tide and gain the upper hand in public opinion regarding Militech.

Is it appropriate to use the Hunter, an ugly, hunchbacked, and repulsive creature that is the product of human-animal genetic hybridization experiments, as a biological weapon?

If this happens, rival media companies such as those dealing with Militech and News Channel 54 will likely be overjoyed.

Headlines and accusations like "Arasaka is killing all humans!", "Arasaka wasted his life!", "The evil Arasaka Empire", and "Ah, man, what a masterpiece, God's grace, yet today it is being desecrated by Arasaka!" are likely to be slapped on Arasaka's head.

Compared to Arasaka's corporate image and current advantages in public opinion, Vera doesn't think the Hunter's slight economic benefits and its negligible role on the battlefield are more important than the former.

She no longer needs to be a tactical mastermind; she has unique advantages. Her new role is that of a strategic commander and project director who creates new profit growth points for Arasaka.

The Hunter may be one of Umbrella's most successful products, but for Arasaka, who lives in Cyberpunk world, it's a useless Arasaka.

"It's feasible as a technological reserve. But not as a product." After glancing at Michiko, Vera made a decision. "Destroy the Hunter."

[AI: Yes, Director Russell.]

The two then left the Hunter's storage compartment.

Vera led Michiko on a tour of many of the more conventional cabins, such as those containing new drugs and Memory Metal. Finally, after passing through a partition door and introducing some new drugs related to rehabilitation, recuperation, and beauty care, Michiko brought up the old topic again.

She looked at Vera with great interest. "Vera, I'm going to give you shares in Dangerous Girl. And half of the revenue from the rehabilitation and convalescence business will be yours. No more, no less, just the starting point of our cooperation. Consider it a gift to you as sisters."

"One should not accept rewards without merit."

"It's always the same few sentences. You really are just like Saburo, aren't you? Don't be so quick to refuse." As if anticipating Vera's words, Michiko winked mischievously. "One question: will you let me lose money?"

Vera was speechless.

"It seems we'll have a pleasant time together." After saying this, she stepped further inside.

Inside, a large door was slowly opening.

Michiko looked at the compartment's nameplate and read, "001, Quinque..."

"This is my temporary workshop. You can think of what Quinque means as my new idea, a special kind of Bio-Components weapon."

"A new idea again..." Michiko showed a suitable expression of surprise. "That's amazing, Vera. No wonder even Saburo can't ignore her genius."

Vera simply smiled, responding to Michiko's friendliness, "I'm still young, I have room for error, and you all have my back. If I don't try and make mistakes now, when will I ever get another chance?"

Her greatest asset at present, at least in the eyes of many, is one of her greatest assets.

Young.

Step into the experimental workshop.

A suddenly open and bright view.

"Is this the finished 'Cybernetic Kong'? I feel sorry for the person who encountered it."

Through the glass partition, Michiko could see the scattered cybernetic skeleton and the exoskeleton with thick arms inside. Cybernetic Kong, which was quite fitting, as King Kong is a gorilla, and its appearance is typically characterized by thick upper limbs and narrow lower limbs.

There are two units inside.

A fully assembled T-104 Tyrant, which I saw not long ago, now carries Cybernetic Kong on its massive frame. It is ferocious and savage.

The walls were covered with screens of various sizes, with countless red and blue data streams and parameters flashing by, clearly indicating that the final debugging was underway.

Michiko glanced at Vera, seemingly lost in thought, "There's one more..."

"Adam Smasher." Vera smiled faintly, bringing up the monitoring interface of Arasaka Waterfront.

In response, a thick, cold steel shadow appeared in the video feed.

"Director Russell..."

A dull, short sound, like the pounding of a heavy object.

"Leisurely times always pass too quickly. It seems the tour is over, Ms. Michiko." Vera looked at Michiko and said, "Time to get back to work."

"Then I should go to the groundbreaking ceremony that Wilton Horton invited me to," Michiko replied with a smile.

Vera naturally saw him off, saying, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. 'Legend Maker,' this is the prosthetic upgrade plan that Tanaka has prepared for you. Please take a look." On the way, she nodded to Hammer's video call.

[Sent]

Seriously, go to bed early and get up early.

I kept my promise to take leave for the last time this month. Well, this time the time difference was adjusted in some unexpected way (I think).