[That's not necessarily the case.]
Luoqi didn't get angry, and the corner of his mouth hooked up with a playful arc.
[In any case, just take me to the afterlife bar, I really can't stand this feeling anymore, it's more painful than being in solitary confinement.]
[Have you ever been in solitary confinement?]
Johnny spoke slowly, in a reminiscent tone.
[I fought in Central America before, and then played in a band after leaving the military. Those stupid cops arrested me a few times.]
[Oh, I forgot.]
Luoqi finally remembered.
Back when the United States was fighting in Central America, Johnny had left the military due to the unjust nature of the war. Later, he formed a samurai band representing the spirit of resistance, and was often harassed by corporate-controlled police or assassins.
Disconnecting from Johnny, Luoqi felt sleepiness slowly creeping up on him.
The fatigue of the entire day began to magnify, and his consciousness fell into a dark dream.
"Uh..."
A faint moan was particularly clear in the night.
Luoqi opened his eyes and struggled to sit up.
Moyer, who was lying in bed, was now slightly writhing, looking uncomfortable.
"Moyer, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Luoqi hurried over, knelt down by the bed, and moved her hand away from her head.
Her face showed an uncomfortable frown.
The scene before him slightly tore, his brain buzzed like waves, and his body, especially his spine, began to send out sharp pain signals.
"Huh... huh... I'm fine." Moyer swallowed saliva, her chest heaving deeply as she tried to take deep breaths. "I just feel a bit uncomfortable."
This situation lasted for several minutes. Just as Luoqi was about to call Old De to take her to the hospital, the symptoms receded like a tide.
"It's probably an after-effect. Don't worry, sleep well for now, and let your body rest. When day breaks, we'll go find Old Wei."
Luoqi gently stroked her head, soothing her to sleep.
What she needed most now was sleep. The body would automatically repair any damage within its capabilities, and staying up late was definitely not a good method.
She clung tightly to Luoqi's hand, her eyes filled with exhaustion, then slowly closed, and finally began to breathe evenly.
So sleepy...
Luoqi's eyelids also became heavy and dry, slowly drooping.
At first, he could still see her sleeping peacefully in the cold blue moonlight. Later on, he could only feel her peace and stability.
By the time Luoqi sat by the bed, completely at ease and asleep, the sky was about to brighten.
The warm first rays of the sun appeared behind the buildings, shining into the room, falling on the two hands clasped together.
The weather the next day was terrible.
It was unclear whether Luoqi's mood was gloomy because of the overcast sky or the air was filled with worry, echoing the pouring rain.
Old De stopped the car at the entrance of Misty's Mystic Mansion. Within just a few steps, both Luoqi and Moyer's trouser legs were soaked.
Fortunately, Old Wei's drainage facilities at the entrance were quite solid, or else the low-lying basement would be flooded into a sea of sewage.
In a terrain where the water system was extensive, Night City still experienced frequent flooding, and the urban planners could go eat shit.
Walking down the damp steps, footprints left wet marks that were soon covered by the flowing rainwater.
"Lao Wei, please take a look."
Luo Qi didn't feel like joking today. He helped Mo Er sit down on a chair and then patted the raindrops from his hair.
"What's the problem?"
Lao Wei sat in a chair, swiveled halfway around, pushed off the ground with both feet, and slid over.
He skillfully pulled out a diagnostic panel and equipment, and had Mo Er connect a data cable.
"Radiation neuropathy, cyber-eye frame drop, accompanied by nausea and dizziness."
Luo Qi repeated the symptoms Mo Er had told him.
There was a feeling of seeing a doctor.
But there were no white coats here, no clean and tidy atmosphere filled with the smell of disinfectant, just a basement like a mad scientist's lair.
But as long as Lao Wei was sitting in the chair, all of that could be ignored.
"Uh, sequelae."
Victor, without his exoskeleton, pushed his glasses up, reached out to the panel, and checked the various data.
"Just to be safe, I'll do a full check."
"How long will it take? Is it serious? Will it get worse? What's going on?"
Luo Qi frowned, paced anxiously in circles, and leaned over Lao Wei's shoulder to look at the panel.
Unfortunately, the technical terms written there were enough to overwhelm him, let alone not knowing what was being tested.
"Don't worry, sit down." Lao Wei pulled over a chair and tugged Luo Qi down, pressing him into the seat, "I can't guarantee anything, but her life is not in danger for now."
"For now?" Luo Qi stood up abruptly, his chair pushed several meters away by his legs.
"That's a cautious statement." Lao Wei continued to operate the equipment and said calmly, raising his hand, "She looks okay."
Although Lao Wei said this, he wasn't very confident deep down, but seeing his calm demeanor, Luo Qi felt a little more hopeful.
Maybe it's just a minor issue?
Lao Wei is so awesome; he must be able to handle it easily.
Luo Qi tried to convince himself, his chest tightened unknowingly.
He felt a different sensation on his tongue and realized that he had bitten through the skin of his lower lip.
"There are drinks on the table, help yourself."
Under the light, Lao Wei's back faced him as he calmly continued the examination.
Luo Qi looked over where he was looking and saw several unopened cans of juice on the computer desk.
It was a subsidiary brand of biotechnology, specializing in expensive pure fruit juices, one of the few healthy beverages in Night City.
"Uh, thank you..."
Luo Qi responded absentmindedly, not smiling until Mo Er signaled that she was fine.
It was a very forced smile.
After Luo Qi had checked his watch dozens of times and paced back and forth for dozens of rounds, time finally crawled through ten-odd minutes, and Victor finally pushed the machine away and stood up.
"You can have a good dream tonight; there's nothing seriously wrong."
Lao Wei walked to a pile of cabinets that nobody knew what they were for, opened the cabinet door, took some things out, put them on a tray, and placed them on a small cart.
"The central nervous system and the branching nerves have been damaged to varying degrees, burnt by the reaction coordinator last time, but fortunately, they haven't been completely destroyed."
He shook one of the blue bottles, checked the date on it, casually tossed it into the trash, and opened a new can.
"This kind of sequelae is very troublesome; pain and dizziness will accompany you for a long time."
"How long?"
Luo Qi asked anxiously.
"With good luck, six months to a year. With bad luck..." Lao Wei put on rubber medical gloves and began to mix the medications, "a lifetime."
"Luck? Can't this be cured?"
Luo Qi leaned in, bent over watching Lao Wei prepare the medicine, but he couldn't help at all, only feeling anxious.
"There is no lesion for this kind of damage, so surgery is not an option." Lao Wei patiently explained, "Mo Er's body is very healthy, time will heal these wounds, don't underestimate the human body's self-healing ability."
"Is there a permanent solution?" Luo Qi grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to Lao Wei diligently.
The latter smiled, shook his head to refuse, and continued to meticulously calculate the dosages.
"Replace the nerves."
"How is that possible?" Luo Qi frowned.
"Ha..."
Lao Wei chuckled, watching the pills rush into their compartments, "The situation hasn't reached that level."
"Nerve damage is a very difficult type to heal. Follow the doctor's advice, take medicine on time, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and exercise moderately, and you'll get better."
"Unless you plan to replace the entire spine."
The spine!?
That thing can be replaced!?
Luo Qi showed a "are you freaking kidding me" expression, and then, with great effort, he broke free from the mindset of his past life.
This was the cyber world of 2077, an incredibly advanced one.
Take Adam "Hammer," for example, the epitome of perseverance despite physical disability — "disability" to the extent that only the brain remained while all other parts were replaced.
Although, in comparison, replacing the spine was a relatively "minor" surgery, it also involved the core areas of deep modification.
Looking at Luo Qi's bewildered and conflicted expression, Lao Wei continued.
"Biotechnology and military technology companies have such products. Of course, the best stuff is from Arasaka."
"As long as you have enough money, in Night City, even if you're left with only half a body, those companies can save you — but that's astronomical sums."
Luo Qi listened to Lao Wei's voice as he chatted while preparing the medicine, his gaze fixed on the various pills and capsules, and he drifted into his thoughts.