Call Me KK

Chapter 6: 6. Call Me KK

"What? You don't have any chip receivers or operating systems installed, and you don't even have a phone?"

In the restaurant, upon hearing Karl's words, Oliver widened his eyes in disbelief, looking at Karl as if he were some kind of freak.

He had originally intended to use the money in his account to repay Karl for saving his life, but he didn't expect Karl to tell him that he didn't have an online account, no cyberware installed, and not even the basic operating system modification to allow for chip implants.

"Even Nomads aren't like this anymore. Even monks who advocate against cyberware will externally attach some receivers or phones to collect offerings. Are you a 'pure human'?"

"It's not exactly like that... You could say that my previous living environment didn't expose me to these things. It's complicated to explain. Do you know any ways to install an operating system?"

"Of course, there are ways. You can just find a Ripperdoc to do it. Afterwards, if you want to modify yourself and install some cyberware, that's no problem. It's just a matter of early or late exposure. I'm just surprised that you're only being exposed to it now."

"I want to find a Ripperdoc right now."

Having finished his cold Chinese noodles, Karl sipped on an overly sweet 'Little Coca-Cola.' Frankly, he didn't really like the teeth-numbing soda.

"Then wait for me a bit."

Oliver said, his eyes beginning to flicker. "I'll check if there are any nearby Ripperdocs with good reputations. If we were in Santo Domingo, I guarantee I could find you four or five, but this is Watson District, after all. I'm not too familiar... Oh, there's actually one. Viktor Vektor. That name sounds familiar. Hmm, he's less than a hundred meters from the restaurant we're in now. Want to go?"

Viktor?

Upon hearing this name, Karl already knew his information.

Viktor is a Ripperdoc in Night City who runs a clinic in Little China. He seems to have worked as an illegal doctor for a while in the past.

Oh, an old acquaintance.

Karl had some impressions of Viktor. In the information he knew, he was the Ripperdoc of the protagonist V in 2077. Since he was the protagonist's doctor, his skills should be trustworthy.

"Then let's go now."

"Don't be so hasty... You don't even know the way!"

Feeling that this newly acquainted, like-minded lifesaver of his was a bit impulsive, Oliver quickly followed, walking beside him to lead the way.

As they walked, he also told Karl about the prices of cyberware.

"Don't worry, my sister is a Ripperdoc. I know all about cyberware prices and quality. Your money is more than enough to get a Militech Parallel Line Model operating system. You can even buy some other things with the remaining money. If this Ripperdoc gives you a price that's too outrageous, we'll just turn around and leave. With me here, you won't get ripped off. Anyway, installing an operating system is something any doctor can do. If they're all scammers, I'll take you to my sister. I guarantee a fair price."

Karl was silent for a moment before asking a question.

"Are you always this talkative?"

"Isn't it because you saved my life, and I feel like we get along? Seriously, I've been in the Sixth Street Gang for a week, but I've always felt suffocated. They're always emphasizing military style and military rules, which is a pain in the ass. It feels more comfortable being with you."

"You don't have any issues with your sexual orientation, do you?"

"What are you talking about? My family is a traditional American family. I don't do any of that messed up stuff. I'm definitely a straight male who likes women, okay? I've already had two ex-girlfriends."

Perhaps his personality had been suppressed and restrained in the Sixth Street Gang. After finally gaining freedom due to his teammates dying, Oliver seemed a bit garrulous.

"Sigh, I'm probably going to get nagged at by the higher-ups when I get back. I've already reported the relevant information to the gang. No matter what, I'm the only one who survived. I'm definitely going to be resented and blamed by the families of the other dead guys. Afterwards, the higher-ups might kick me out of the gang due to pressure. Considering my father's face, they won't kill me. They should just make me get out of Santo Domingo. But I'm also tired of being in the Sixth Street Gang, so this is a good opportunity to break away from my family's control and do something free."

"Even though it's not your fault, and you even tried to kill so many people, you're still going to get kicked out of the gang?"

"It's because our deputy leader was a spineless, gold-plated moron. His crotch is empty, and he died happily, but the gang has to give Will Firecannon a foundling egg to account for it."

"Will Firecannon?"

"He's a veteran in our Sixth Street Gang. The gold-plated guy who died was his nephew. There's no way around it. I only found out his identity when we were eating just now. It's really freaking me out. I almost died on my first mission, and now I'm being implicated by a dead idiot."

Complaining, a smile appeared on Oliver's face, and he nudged Karl's body with his elbow. "Dude, what do you say? I'm about to be penniless and begging on the streets. Considering that I owe you a life, do you want to partner up and do something, like become mercenaries or something?"

"I think your life has already been adequately compensated with a meal."

Karl's words were calm, but he was somewhat interested in Oliver's suggestion to partner up. "But if we're going to be mercenaries together, I don't mind... I never mind. You're a local in Night City, so it's convenient to have someone familiar with the area when doing missions."

"Then it's settled, dude. From now on, we'll form a sharpshooter combo. You'll be in charge of sharpshooting, and I'll be in charge of reaching out and helping you search for money?"

"I think your marksmanship is pretty good too."

"It's just not as good as yours."

Oliver said, suddenly remembering something very important. "Right, I've been calling you 'dude' all this time, but I still don't know your name. What should I call you?"

"Karl, K-A-R-L, just read it forwards. Don't say 'L-K-A-R'. Um, of course, you can also call me by the action codename I just thought of. I think it's better to use this codename in the future to avoid revealing too much during operations."

"Codename? Oh, I get it, like how Johnny Silverhand, Morgan Blackhand, and Adam Smasher have those second-part names, right? Indeed, to become a mercenary, you have to look up to those legends. But my name is common, so I don't care about action codenames. What's your action codename? I'll remember it."

"It's just a simple English letter."

Thinking of the letter V that belonged to the protagonist in his memories, Karl smiled at his name. "Call me KK."

"KK?"

"This is actually a codename that can remind you of my name. My name is Karl, so just use K as the beginning."

"Oh, I see."

Actually, that was only one of the reasons. For Karl, the other meaning involved the homophones in Korean and Chinese that only he could understand.

KK, the combined meaning of the name is Kaka, and this word in Chinese has another meaning in Korean.

That is 'Your Excellency', 'President'.