Lu Qi frowned, he hadn't expected the real situation to be much more complicated than he had imagined.
There were many people with cybernetic modifications, and many who experienced malfunctions, but full-blown cyberpsychosis wasn't rampant in the streets.
According to the Trauma Team's medical records, cyberpsychosis is a collective term for all mental and personality disorders related to anxiety, caused by implanted hardware and various behavior modules, including software.
Simply put, cybernetic implants are just the spark and catalyst, the real breakdown occurs in the human mind and body.
In Night City, everyone probably knew one or two acquaintances like this: their neighbor got heavily modified, one day they went out with a gun and started shooting at crowds. Or that neighbor, trying to save money, didn't find a reliable cyberdoc, so they had nightmares every day and started hallucinating after taking hormone blockers, eventually going mad.
Some people say that cyberpsychosis is a disease caused by social inequality. Others say it's the price to pay for an unhealthy obsession with technology. And some think it's all made up. Until they see their own neighbor shooting randomly at their doorstep, having to call the terror response team.
"Modifications carry risks, implants need caution," Lu Qi sighed.
"Exactly, listen to the doctor, follow scientific principles, and you can only reduce the risk," Old Wei began to operate while holding a scalpel.
"You're a cyberdoc, isn't saying that shooting yourself in the foot?" Lu Qi asked curiously.
"But it's the truth, would you rather I only tell you what you want to hear? Oh, I almost forgot, you don't have implants."
Old Wei worked and chatted simultaneously, looking more like cutting a piece of meat on a cutting board than performing surgery.
After a while, Old Wei finally separated a bloody, wire-filled mechanism and threw it on the table.
"What is this?" Lu Qi poked curiously.
"An overloaded and broken reaction coordinator. After it short-circuits, the person with the implant would stagger around like they've had fake alcohol," Old Wei began to repair and stitch up the unconscious Moer, "It looks like an experimental product, there's not even a serial number on it."
"Ha, I knew it, she was acting like an idiot," Lu Qi suddenly understood.
"It directly affects the central nervous system, causing pain as if someone threw your spine into a boiling oil pot, no wonder she went crazy."
Old Wei sighed; although he was used to seeing such oddities, there would always be some emotional turmoil deep down.
"So, does that mean cyberpsychosis can be cured?"
"Not necessarily," Old Wei explained as he began cleaning the table, "If you had brought her in any later, excessive stimulation would have burned her alive or, with even worse luck, turned her into a complete lunatic living in hellish pain."
Indeed...
Living in constant torment is indeed worse than death.
"So, does military technology have no way to save her?" Lu Qi pointed at the half-dead Moer, "I'm not questioning your skills, you know what I mean."
"I understand, military technology is well-funded; it's not easy for them to find a doctor like me, right?" Old Wei didn't mind the choice of words, "They probably thought she was already crazy, and in that case, there really is no hope. And if an experimental implant fails, especially on one of their own, disposing of her wouldn't bring any damage to their reputation, at least."
"More importantly, the company doesn't keep the useless," Old Wei sighed, carefully wiping his mechanical exoskeleton with a cloth. "Once they become cyber-crazy, even if the faulty implants are removed, they'll spend their lives as disabled people."
"You should be grateful for your luck. If you came later, or found a doctor with less skill, you'd be dealing with a useless person by now."
After saying that, he went to one side to clean up his tools, then took the faulty implant to his workbench, turned on the light, and began disassembling it for study.
"I really don't know how to thank you, always taking care of us like this," Luo Qi nodded. "How much do I owe you?"
"Do you have money? Keep it for yourself." Old Wei turned around and smiled through his glasses. "As usual, if you can find implants for me, I'll charge you. But remember, I don't want knockoffs. I need standard, military-grade, or experimental products, good or bad, for my research."
"No, I have money this time." Luo Qi smiled, pulling out a wad of cash and chips. "MILITECH left a lot of casualties and even their vehicles behind. If it weren't hard to deal with, I would've taken it all. I can't be so kind to leave it for them."
"Up to you," Old Wei shook his head.
"By the way, Old Wei, when will that guy wake up?" Luo Qi glanced at the motionless Mo Er and asked.
"It might be a few hours, or it might be sooner. What do you plan to do?" Old Wei asked. "I think I know. It's about Dexter, right?"
"Yes, that's it," Luo Qi frowned as he spoke.
"You felt it, didn't you? I've talked to V about it. We'll see how it goes," Old Wei shook his head. "Better safe than sorry."
Facing this uncle who treated V like a son and cared for him and Jack, Luo Qi trusted him deeply.
He could hear the concern hidden in simple words.
"Alright, I'll leave her here for now. I've got some things to take care of," Luo Qi said.
Old Wei didn't look at him, busying himself with disassembling the implant, nodding in agreement.
Opening the basement door, the fresh evening air mixed with various scents entered his nostrils.
Checking his PDA, it was just past ten.
Tomorrow, he would go to the Vortex Gang to smash their place, then meet with T-Bug and Dexter before heading straight to the Azure Tower.
If he moved quickly enough, maybe he could avoid the damn drama.
Tonight, he had to do something else.
The next morning.
It was a rare sunny day in Night City, and the long-lost blue sky had returned.
Outside the Whole Foods Factory District.
"Lucky, why are you just arriving now?" Jack, sitting astride a flashy and arrogant motorcycle, waved and called out.
"Heh..." Luo Qi yawned hugely and waved as he walked over. "Don't mention it. It's all for you."
"For me?" Jack was taken aback. "Did you go get me a gift?"
"Kind of," Luo Qi's yawn turned into a laugh. "It's a big gift prepared for you, but not for you to use."
Jack scratched his head, "Stop talking in riddles, just tell me. I'm actually a bit excited."
"Let's get down to business first," Luo Qi wagged his finger. "V, how's it going with the explosive-haired woman?"
"I did as you told me, and she gave me this chip to make the payment," V said, taking out the chip, covered in colorful circuits but lacking the "MILITECH" logo.
"Great, let's use this to pay," Jackie nodded.
"I detected viruses and malware on it... If we give this to the Maelstrom, there will be trouble," V reminded.
"Damn, that's chingón (awesome)," Jackie slapped his thigh, "Are we going to fight?"
Jackie looked at the hidden entrance behind the pile of trash and nodded, "Get ready, go in and listen to them, avoid conflicts, and then..."
"And then pull out our guns and blow their heads off, mano (bro)," Jackie patted the gun tucked in his waistband.
"Are we sure about this? Should we be more cautious?" V pondered, rubbing his chin.
Sometimes, when Jackie's plans seemed simple and rough, V would carefully consider their feasibility.
"MILITECH will help us, especially Meredith Stout. She's probably more anxious than us," Jackie reassured.
"How do you know?" V asked curiously.
Jackie sighed, leaving them both puzzled, "I wish I could always know everything, but once the relic is done, it'll be over."
"Alright, let's go," Jackie snapped his fingers, "Have you guys been waiting long?"
"No problem, my mom always says good things come to those who wait."
Jackie spread his hands, not caring about such trifles.
"Alright then."
V called Jackie right after leaving Lizzy's Bar last night, even though it was late. Jackie had instructed him to talk things over, regardless of the time.
V felt that Jackie's mind worked like a machine, processing information quickly. Before he could finish speaking, Jackie would analyze everything and even devise countermeasures, as if he knew everything.
Dexter had already paid Brick for the code-named "Flathead" combat robot (spider), but just as they were about to collect it, Royce's armed rebellion overthrew Brick. Now, it's uncertain if they would still honor the deal.
Jackie was upset about the money, even if it belonged to MILITECH, but couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the chaos inside.
"Let's go meet these bastards," V said.
"Let's knock on the door first and see if anyone responds," Jackie finally got off his beloved motorcycle, "I hate these augmentation freaks. Why did we have to deal with them?"
"Aren't they just a gang?" V asked.
Jackie shook his head, walking boldly ahead, "For example, the Valentinos, they believe in God and the Virgin, and honor is very important to them. You know what they want, what methods they like, and what not to touch."
"But the Maelstrom? They don't follow the rules."
He had left the Valentinos long ago but still had deep connections with the brothers and sisters in the gang, especially his mother, Guadalupe Alarcon Wells, known as Mrs. Wells.
Everyone agreed that whoever entered her home would be heard and treated to a delicious meal. Like all mothers, she was willing to sacrifice everything, even her life, to protect her child.
She was a prominent figure in Heywood, and even the fiercest Valentinos would show her respect. A priest once said that Mrs. Wells was not only kind-hearted but also more formidable than any gang member in the district.
That was simply outrageous. Jackie thought only characters with significant roles were interesting. But upon entering the real world, he realized that there were many more formidable individuals in the true cyber world.
Not to mention, just by digging out the entire area from the forehead down, replacing bones such as the brow ridge, nasal bridge, and eye socket with optical prosthetics that look like a giant spider crawling on their face, they've already challenged the visual limits of ordinary people.
Imagine that on top of this, they also choose multiple prosthetic eyes that look like six or seven red light bulbs stuck in their eye sockets. Then, with a mutilated face, they ask if you want to buy their goods.
They're more vicious and crazier than ordinary gangs.
You can always find some excuse to let other gangs off the hook, but Maelstrom doesn't even have a chance to argue – a gang that seriously endangers public security and brutally persecutes many innocent people while engaging in various criminal activities. The sooner they disappear, the better.
Unfortunately, there are quite a few Maelstrom members. The NCPD's estimate of their size is 1,300, but that's already outdated.
Rogue shook her head, pulling her somewhat dazed mind back on track from her sleepless night.
Why think so much, just charge and get it over with.
V pressed the call button on the door control, and a raspy, heavy nasal breath came from inside, sounding like a zombie on the mic.
"Who are you?" The person on the other side of the door asked impatiently.
"Hurry up and open the damn door." Facing this group of half-crazed people, V didn't have much patience either.