Wakako Okada's gigs are quick and easy. She sends us to retrieve information, rescue people, or, ironically, eliminate Tiger Claws. Wakako is a well-known fixer, and the Tiger Claws respect her, but they're too chaotic to follow her instructions, forcing her to clean up their messes. Luckily, they operate in small groups of 10 to 15, and we can finish six gigs a day. We split into teams—sometimes I work with Jackie while V partners with Lola, or I team up with V, and Jackie works with Lola.
After a few days of gigs, we decided to take a break. We wanted to relax, but unfortunately, this is Night City. There's trash everywhere, pollution, terrible food, and awful entertainment. You'd think that with advanced technology, the entertainment would be better. Instead, we get people with guns, more people with guns, and porn. Even the kids' games revolve around shooting.
We tried sports instead, starting with basketball and tennis. It was fun until we started using our cyberware. Things escalated quickly—like a scene from a sports anime, with us zooming around using super speed and strength. We didn't realize a group of kids had gathered to watch us. Smiling, we handed them the basketball and tennis rackets before leaving, knowing we made their day.
The next day, I sat in my apartment, digging into this world's history. The planet is in bad shape—pollution, almost no wildlife, and barely any vegetation. Things vary depending on the country, but in the U.S., while the streets are clean and crime is low, the authorities are power-hungry. They arrest people without question, even for minor crimes like stealing bread. If you resist, they kill you, even if you're unarmed.
"To think people can invent cyberware that lets you run at the speed of sound, but they can't figure out how to save the planet," I muttered.
Woof [Idiots.]
After a while, I put on Tom and Jerry, a cartoon from my world, but I wasn't satisfied with it. Without hesitation, I deleted the entire thing.
Woof [Why?]
"Because, Lola, it's like watching a bootleg version of Tom and Jerry," I said.
With all the tech at my disposal, I thought replicating cartoons or movies would be easy—and it was. But the art style was impossible to recreate exactly, which made each original special. I could make anything straight out of science fiction, yet I struggled with animation.
"Come on, Lola, let's visit Judy."
Woof [Happy.]
We took the elevator down. I gave the landlord a tip on the way out, then approached my dark green sports car—a modded creation from my world. It has three mods: indestructibility, amphibious capabilities (including underwater travel without leaks), and incredible speed, comparable to a Sandevistan. It can go from 0 to the speed of sound and still handle corners without flipping. Good thing I've got super speed.
We hopped in and drove to Lizzie's Bar.
Minutes later, we arrived.
"It's been a while, Green Man," one of the Mox guards at the entrance greeted me.
"Hey. The Tiger Claws aren't giving you much trouble, I hope?"
"Nah. Thanks to you, they've backed off. They still come around sometimes, but we can handle it."
"That's good. Is Judy inside? I need her help."
"And here I thought you were finally taking us up on that premium BD offer—no extra charge, as thanks."
When I researched the history of this world, I learned that BDs hooked everyone, especially perverts. At one point, people were openly fornicating in the streets. Then the scavengers started picking them off, and the problem solved itself—immersed in their fantasies, those idiots practically begged to be kidnapped.
"Nah, I prefer the real thing—with someone I care about."
"Whatever you say, Green Man. Judy's in her usual spot."
I nodded and walked past the Moxie, narrowly dodging a sneak attack from another one.
"You'll have to be quicker than that if you want to spank me," I teased.
I have a friendly relationship with the Moxies, but after the Tiger Claws incident, things got… complicated. At first, we shook hands and gave small hugs. Then they started grabbing my butt. That's when I knew my masculinity was in danger. Now, almost every Moxie teases me when they get the chance.
"You can't dodge us forever, Green Man," one called after me.
We made it to Judy's station, where she was working at her computer.
Woof [Hello.]
Judy stopped typing and smiled as she pet Lola.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite girl. And I assume 8's here too?"
"Yep. It's been a while."
We weren't exactly close friends, but I understood her well enough. She had a rough past, and trust would take time. We hugged, and I carefully placed one hand on her back while the other guarded my butt.
"The Moxies got you paranoid, huh?"
"Can you blame me? A man's got to protect his dignity."
Judy rolled her eyes with a smile. "So, what brings you here?"
I took a seat.
"I'll get straight to the point. I want to use a BD on myself to search my memories. Are there any risks or limitations?"
"There's no risk if you're just reviewing memories. But if you try to delete bad ones, there's a chance your personality could change. Too many deletions could cause mental shutdown. Also, you can only access memories as far back as five or six years old—anything before that will be fuzzy."
"As long as I leave my memories intact, I'll be fine. What about smell, taste, or touch?"
"There's not much risk there, but don't overuse the BD. Prolonged sessions can mess with your senses. Keep it under 24 hours."
I grinned. "Can you show me how it's done?"
"Sure, why not? I wasn't working on anything important. But why are you doing this, anyway?"
"I want to recreate a cartoon I loved as a kid."
"That's it? I thought it'd be something serious."
"It is serious—to me, at least. I tried recreating it before, but it didn't feel right, so I deleted it."
"You're really committed to this, huh?"
"Believe me, it'll be worth it. You'll see."
After chatting for a bit, we left Lizzie's Bar with both hands guarding my butt. Back at our hideout, things had come a long way. We now had a proper kitchen with real food, vending machines with drinks from my world for $1, and a spacious living room. There were bathrooms, a hot spring (because why not?), and a basement dedicated to weapons, armor, and a firing range. Another basement housed our tech and a small clinic, just in case.
I sat next to the supercomputer and modified chair, ready to dive into my memories.
"Lola, watch the monitor. If anything goes wrong, it'll alert you. Press this key if that happens to pull me out safely."
Woof [Got it.]
I put on the helmet.
At first, everything was quiet—then loud music blared.
I found myself at Lizzie's Bar.
"Okay, this is a recent memory. This is so cool—it feels like I went back in time."
The BD hub let me switch to third person, adjust sound, and even rewind. It was hilarious hearing myself talk backward.
"Let's go all the way back," I muttered.
I interacted with the hub and dialed the time and date. Everything faded to black, and then I found myself in a familiar place—my room from my world, at the moment I was modding the Cyberpunk game.
"What a relief... I thought I wouldn't be able to go back to this time. Now, let's see how I got transmigrated into Cyberpunk."
In third-person view, I watched myself get into bed. The room gradually darkened, and as I kept observing, nothing seemed out of the ordinary—until my appearance started to blur. Then, the scene brightened, and suddenly, I was on the desert, lying in the same position, but wearing different clothes.
"Thank God, I'm still me... well, sort of. I look like the modded character I designed to resemble myself—except with green hair."
I rewound the memory several times, just in case I missed anything, but nothing new appeared.
"Well, one thing's for sure—I didn't die in my sleep."
And so began my journey through my memories. Hours later, I left the hideout with a box of photos and a shard containing cartoons and movies. At my apartment, I stored them in a secret compartment—just in case.
I took out a framed picture of my parents.
"Mom, Dad... I hope you're doing okay. Thank you for raising me. I know you wouldn't approve of me killing people, but I hope you'd understand. I'll always love you."
I placed the photo beside a picture of Lola and me.
"Goodnight, Lola."
Woof [Night.]
End of Chapter.
"Hello, everyone! It's been a while. I want you all to check out this logo of the Cyber Dogs. I tried to make it look like it has a cyberware eye and ear on one side. ChatGPT helped create this logo. What do you think?"
"I hope this chapter is easier to read. Thank you!"