Escaped Cyberpsychosis

"Here's fifteen hundred – that's after the deposit and splitting the rest."

Six thousand eddies total, which meant two thousand each. While that was more than most Night City workers made in a month, for mercs like Karl, Oliver, and Jack, it was just okay.

After picking up some booze and hot food on the way, the three returned to Oliver's room to continue their interrupted get-together.

"Did a lot today, I'm beat. Don't know how those Corpo Dogs manage twenty-hour days."

Between Maelstrom and the Scavengers, Karl was definitely feeling worn out after the day's work.

"I heard some Corpo Dogs get an organ in their brain removed. Then they just need stimulants and stuff to keep working non-stop for twenty-four hours."

Jack tossed a drink to Karl.

"Little Cola, love in your heart~"

"Don't be gross, I don't like that cola."

Holding it for a moment, Karl tossed it back, but missed, hitting Oliver on the head.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, sorry."

Karl's body hadn't been modified much, and fatigue made mistakes inevitable. He couldn't compare to those with cybernetic limbs. Some factory workers could keep going even asleep, with their brain chips and cybernetic arms keeping them working.

"What time is it?"

Oliver rubbed his head and asked Jack, who was sprawled on the sofa drinking beer.

"Eight-thirty. Still early. Wanna watch a movie?"

Jack grabbed a skewer of chicken covered in sauce and popped it into his mouth. Chewing the soft chicken, he said with surprise, "This chicken skewer tastes so authentic! Guess the best stuff is in the city center, besides Japantown."

"Authentic?"

Karl eyed the sugary-sauced chicken skewer in Jack's hand suspiciously. He hesitated, then took one and poked off a piece with a toothpick, putting it in his mouth.

His face twisted.

"This stuff is far from authentic, in taste and texture."

"Not everyone's like you, Karl, eating real chicken. Ninety-nine percent of Night City hasn't had real meat. The texture's obviously fake. This is 'authentic' for us."

Eating the soft synthetic chicken and watching Karl barely swallow a piece, Jack thought for a moment and said, "Not good to always eat vegetarian. Since you're used to real meat and can't get used to this stuff, how about we find someone smuggling from the Badlands to see if they can get you some real meat?"

"That'd be expensive, right?"

Karl picked up the fries and started eating, tempted but hesitant about the price.

"Not too bad, actually."

Oliver, being from Santo Domingo District near the Badlands, knew the market prices there. "About a thousand eddies for a chicken, five thousand for a pig. That's just the meat price, not including the commission and greasing palms. And there's no guarantee they'll be alive when they get here. But even if they're dead, they'll be kept somewhat fresh."

"A thousand, five thousand just for the meat… I guess that's acceptable?"

Karl was surprised he didn't think it was too expensive. But then he remembered a synthetic fried chicken meal in Night City was only eighteen or twenty eddies. This was fifty times the price, which was pretty crazy.

"It's okay for us, but if you're talking about regular people, a month's salary might only buy one real chicken. And that's after checkpoints and bribing people. Plus the cost of hiring nomads in the Badlands. The final price might be more than a thousand eddies, and there's no guarantee you'll get it. That's why real meat is so rare in Night City."

Oliver explained, "Pork's easier to transport than chicken. Night City is strict about poultry because of past bird flu outbreaks. The bribes at customs are higher. If you're really interested, I recommend getting real pork."

"How much for a whole pig, including bribes?"

"Ten thousand eddies should get it here safely."

Ten thousand eddies...

Karl had about fifty-two thousand eddies in total. That meant all his hard work could only buy him about five pigs.

Corpo Dogs like Blanca who spent money lavishly were rare.

"That money could buy some nice implants," Jack said, a little speechless.

"The meat we shed when we get implants isn't as valuable as a pig," Oliver said, biting into a synthetic meat burrito. "So, Karl, if you want, I can try to contact people over there. Or you could get used to this synthetic meat, which is 'real meat' in its own way."

"Oliver, Jack, don't you guys want real meat?"

Karl had decided to spend the money. A merc couldn't skimp on food. But before that, he wanted to see if Oliver and Jack wanted to chip in.

"Synthetic meat is made from worms, locusts, stuff like that. I've been eating it since I was a kid. My taste buds are used to it. If I ate real meat, I might not like it, just like you can't get used to synthetic meat. I'm good," Oliver said, not planning to buy any pork.

But Jack was interested. "I'll buy some meat too. Oliver, can they also get real corn from the Badlands? I want to try making some tamales."

Tamales were a traditional Mexican dish, essential for Day of the Dead, weddings, and birthdays. It was one of Jack's favorite dishes, but he'd mostly eaten tamales made with synthetic meat and corn flour. He wasn't going to miss the chance to try authentic tamales.

"I'll contact people over there later and let you know the exact cost," Oliver said, looking up at the TV. It was showing the latest report on the Cyberpsychosis incident in Kabuki, Watson District, which they'd seen before they left.

'The Cyberpsycho disappeared before the Psycho Squad arrived. Citizens in the area should be aware.'

Karl and Jack were also drawn in by the report on TV.

"Missing... how far is Kabuki from here?"

Jack frowned.

"Thirty minutes on foot."

That was Karl's answer.

He had just walked from the Industrial Park to Kabuki and back to the apartment today, so he had firsthand experience.