Night City was a metropolis of seven million people.
Intense urbanization had produced all sorts of architectural marvels, while lax, corrupt policing had shaped its distinctive urban character.
The NCPD barely bothered with policing. Citizens enjoyed the primitive right to repay blood with blood, living freely in the worst city in America.
Smelling the stench rising from the sewers and listening to the distant wind carry the sounds of gunfire-
Lier suddenly said, "Night City's a little too urbanized..."
They had made a few minor changes to the car's exterior to avoid being tracked. Once they were in the city, they would get rid of it.
"Live like this for ten thousand years, until your son takes over..."
V hummed a tune in the passenger seat, one hand resting on the door as she soaked in the familiar surroundings.
At the wheel, Jackie looked intrigued. "What song is that? Something written for Saburo Arasaka? Your son takes over, huh?"
V pointed at Lier, who was lying in the back seat. "Ask him. I think it's pretty fun, anyway. Ah, a broke guy like you wouldn't understand."
Then V shook her head and sighed, giving off a distinct sense of: A tragic barrier has already risen between us.
It made Jackie grit his teeth.
"So what exactly did you two do in Atlanta? Did you really make that much money?"
"Not that much," Lier replied. "If we actually started spending it, it'd be gone in no time."
"Then why come back?"
"Remember that Cybermonster?" V said. "Yours truly got lucky and killed him, but yours truly thinks killing a Cybermonster every day might be a bit much."
"Holy shit!" Jackie exclaimed. "You were involved in that? So what really happened? Is Kang Tao actually going to war with Militech?"
"It was way nastier than what they showed on TV. Like I said, sparks and lightning everywhere. That guy cracked the asphalt with a single stomp.
"There must've been two platoons of Militech soldiers there that day, fully armed. Then I went on a killing spree with the Nekomata-"
V even mimed holding a sniper rifle and fired off a couple of pew-pews. Lier cut her off mercilessly. "She's bullshitting. All you need to know is that we made a little money off it."
V spread her hands and rolled her eyes, then exchanged a look with Jackie. Pointing at Lier, she mouthed, Sneaky bastard.
Then she pointed at herself. Honest woman. Listen to me.
Jackie freed one hand and gave her a thumbs-up. I'm listening. Count me in?
V nodded. You're in.
Lier couldn't be bothered to keep taking shots at those two. His priority was getting to Vic's clinic for a checkup.
Ever since the car had gotten onto the overpass, he had felt increasingly sleepy. His vision was even starting to swim and darken...
"Lier?" V glanced into the back and found that his eyes were already closed, but he didn't look particularly peaceful.
His body temperature was plummeting, and his lips had gone pale...
"Shit, Jackie, step on it. I think Lier's having another episode-"
"Got it. Looks like two groups up ahead are about to start shooting..."
"I'll handle it." V drew Dying Night and leaned halfway out of the car.
Two vans were driving side by side ahead of them.
One belonged to the Valentinos, the other to the Sixth Street. The punks inside were trading trash talk when gunshots suddenly rang out behind them-
"Get the fuck out of the way!"
The hotheaded punks in the vans turned to look behind them. Their Cyber-Eyes scanned V and found that she had made her cyberware list public-
Her implant list was packed with combat cyberware: Subdermal Armor, Recoil Control, Fortified Tendons, Skeleton Reconstruction, Bionic Joints, Kerenzikov, Neural Coordinator, Blood Pump, Reaction Coordinator...
They promptly ducked back inside their vans-
"Holy shit, a cyberpsycho!"
"Hah-"
Lier felt as though a ball of fire had been stuffed into his chest, heat erupting from the center and spreading outward, just like the first time V had given him that injection.
He opened his eyes. He was on an operating table now, and the doctor beside him was Vic.
I'm at the clinic? Did I pass out?
"Easy, kid, easy. You're in terrible shape. If Jackie and V hadn't moved fast, you might never have woken up."
"What happened?" Only when Lier spoke did he realize he was already on a ventilator.
He saw V sitting nearby, looking far less cheerful than before. Jackie stood beside her, his expression complicated too.
Vic wiped his glasses. "You used that thing again, didn't you? And not just a little."
"Didn't have a choice. Had to make a living."
"Ah..." Vic looked up at the ceiling. "I have to say, your will is as strong as steel, but your cyberware triggered a severe immune response and put even more strain on your body. Willpower can't overcome that.
"That violent cyberware system accelerated your existing problems, especially yesterday.
"When you activated the implant in your spine, your oxygen consumption shot up and completely overwhelmed your respiratory system.
"Your lungs went into acute failure last night, leaving you short of oxygen. That's why you passed out."
"You mean the Sandevistan?"
Vic nodded. "Honestly, I'm increasingly convinced it's something entirely different from the Sandevistans on the market. It's practically a suicide implant. The human body simply can't withstand that kind of strain.
"And you're an even stranger case. Your brain already consumes far more energy than an ordinary person's. After repeatedly running it at overdrive, you put an even heavier burden on organs that were already in poor shape.
"Your lungs are the first organ to go from chronic to acute failure. As long as you keep using combat cyberware, this is only the beginning."
Lier stared at the ceiling. As oxygen reached his brain, his thoughts slowly cleared.
The operating room was quiet. Everyone waited for someone to speak.
In the end, Lier broke the silence. "Let's start with a Synthetic Lung Lobe. I can't lie here forever. Besides that, fit me with a Biomonitor too. Top of the line for both."
Vic forced a smile. "I'd almost forgotten you've got money, kid. But there are other problems. Your body's too weak.
"Your respiratory system could barely meet the minimum requirements to begin with. Now that your lungs are in acute failure, installing a Synthetic Lung Lobe could actually cause lung necrosis."
"Then what do we do?" Lier's mind was perfectly clear now. "Find a donor lung for a transplant?"
"Not a bad idea, but there's an even greater chance of an immune response triggering other problems. You'd have to live on medication from then on."
Another silence followed before Vic said, "Maybe... you should enjoy the time you have left."
V watched Lier without a word, waiting for his final decision.
If Lier chose to retire, she would respect his choice, but from that point on, they would be walking different paths.
Considering how much time Lier had left, he might drop dead in another six months at most. Then, two years later, no one would remember this friend.
Just then, Lier received a new message from his other world.
[New event: Matt has found you an expert in genetic biology, Professor Curt Connors.] [Professor Connors is an expert in genetic biology. He is highly interested in the DNA breakdown occurring in your body and has invited you to join his research team.] [You chose to accept.] [Professor Connors's research is in its early stages. His team previously attempted to combine DNA from different spiders and achieved considerable success. Now he wants to study lizard DNA.] [According to him, this research may give your cells enough vitality to overcome their gradual decline.] [However, the technology has hit a bottleneck. Further contact is required for details.]
Lier immediately made his decision-
Technology that didn't exist in 2011 existed in 2076.
"Vic..." Lier sat up with considerable effort. "It's too early to retire. What can I do with five hundred thousand?
"I'll find a lung. I've got the money, so let's use one from Moore Technologies. Get ready to install the Synthetic Lung Lobe.
"As for the problems you mentioned, use Immunosuppressants to hold them off for now. I'll figure out something else."
"That's more like it!" V stood up happily. "As an old friend, I'll give you twenty percent off whenever you need my help!"
Lier smiled. "Shouldn't it be free?"
Jackie looked impressed too. "Amigos-friends-not everyone can face death with that kind of attitude. Glad I still have a chance to see whether you're as amazing as V says."
"You'll see, Jackie."
Vic looked at the three of them in the operating room and shook his head with a smile-
Death might come one day, but courage could drive away the gloom.
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