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"Lin, choom, what do you think? This place burns, right? Lizzie's Bar—best braindance joint in Night City. Every time I set foot in here, it's like there's a fire in my veins!" Hiroshi shouted over the pounding bass, his excitement palpable as they pushed deeper into the club.
Lin Mo trailed behind, watching Hiroshi throw his arms wide, basking in the neon haze like he'd just come home. Lin couldn't help but feel a bit skeptical.
Is it really that much fun?
In the game, Lizzie's Bar was more of a mission hub than anything else. Lin had spent little time there when he wasn't chasing a quest, and since the game didn't offer real braindance experiences, he never saw the point in sticking around.
In real life, though, this was different. Here, in the seedy glow of Night City's nightlife, Lizzie's Bar felt alive—full of temptation, full of danger. If his sister Xu Wanxue ever found out he'd come here, she'd drag him home by the ear, no questions asked.
Fortunately, Lin had disabled the tracker she used to keep tabs on him. So for tonight, he was free. It was his first time at a place like this, and he wasn't about to waste the chance.
"I'm booking us a private room," Lin called out to Hiroshi, making his way over to the front desk.
Compared to Lin Mo's cautious approach, Hiroshi was a wild animal, his eyes scanning the crowd like a wolf hunting prey. He zeroed in on the Moxes working the bar, but his face remained serious, disciplined—like a samurai on a mission.
"Choom, you want a drink?" Hiroshi asked, turning back.
"I'm good," Lin waved him off with a smile. "Just grab me some juice. You enjoy yourself."
Hiroshi nodded and headed for the bar, leaving Lin to wander into the neon-soaked hallways alone. As he moved deeper into the club, his eyes fell once again on the strange figure from earlier—the man with those elongated cybernetic arms, lounging in one of the booths.
The guy's eyes were covered by a visor-like cyberware, and he had the pallor of someone who spent too much time in the Net. As Lin passed, he noticed the man grinning to himself, completely lost in his braindance.
Something about the guy felt off.
Lin Mo felt a twinge in the back of his mind, a new sense he'd honed since his stats had hit the human limit. It wasn't quite intuition—it was sharper, more distinct.
That guy's not just some regular BD-junkie.
Shaking off the thought, Lin continued down the corridor, following the glowing signs to the private rooms.
Each room was separated by thick curtains, offering a semblance of privacy for the club's more discreet patrons. And if a customer didn't want to indulge alone, they could always hire one of the Mox to keep them company while they got lost in the world of braindance.
The Mox were easy to pick out from regular clients. Dressed in a mix of punk and sex-doll chic, they often sported vibrant hair colors and wore the latest in RealSkin technology—synthetic skin grafts that gave their bodies an almost plastic sheen, making them even more alluring.
No matter your taste, the Mox had something for everyone.
Lin stepped into his private room, tossing his Black Unicorn katana into the corner. The plush couch beckoned him, and he quickly sank into it, reaching for the data pad on the table.
As one of the hottest spots in Night City, Lizzie's had a local network where patrons could access all kinds of content, including a vast library of braindances. The citywide internet may have died when RABIDS destroyed the Old Net, but that didn't stop places like Lizzie's from setting up their own intranets.
Lin's fingers danced across the screen as he scrolled through the available braindance options. After a moment's thought, he typed in a few keywords:
White hair, Red eyes, Eastern allure, Traditional Chinese clothing, Silk stockings...
After some consideration, Lin removed the last keyword and disabled the extreme content filter.
The search results still returned hundreds of hits.
"Okay, I get it now," Lin muttered, shaking his head. No wonder Hiroshi seemed so excited. Even Lin, usually pretty calm about this stuff, was starting to feel the pull.
If a place like this could make even a stoic like Hiroshi get riled up, it had to be something special.
Lin shrugged and selected a couple of the most popular titles, just as Hiroshi strolled into the room with drinks.
"All set, choom?" Hiroshi grinned, tossing a drink Lin's way before collapsing onto the couch. He was clearly in his element here.
Lin passed the data pad over, raising an eyebrow. "You seem way too comfortable, Hiroshi. I thought you were all about honor and family. What's with the sudden rush?"
Hiroshi laughed, his fingers flying over the screen as he scrolled through the options. The grin on his face was unmistakable.
"Lin-kun, as they say, 'One night in Night City is worth a thousand eddies!' Besides, it's been forever since I've let loose. Between my sister and all the gigs, I barely get a moment to breathe."
Lin Mo glanced at Hiroshi's selections. The keywords were telling:
Street battle, Heavy artillery, Sunset, Aftermath, Cigarettes.
The scene practically painted itself in Lin's mind—a post-combat setting, the streets littered with bodies, smoke still rising from the wreckage. Hiroshi, leaning against a beaten-up car, bandaging his wounds. A sultry woman wraps herself around him, gently tending to his cuts, her eyes filled with quiet admiration as the distant sounds of gunfire fade into silence.
Classic hero fantasy.
Lin couldn't help but smirk. "You really went all in, didn't you?"
Author's Note:Exploring the indulgences of Night City is essential to immersing oneself in the Cyberpunk universe. How could Lin Mo experience the world of Night City without diving into the decadence of braindance?