Chapter 83: Chapter 82
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Maine's burly figure filled the doorway, making him hard to ignore by Misty in the fortune-telling shop.
Misty gestured 'shh' to Maine, indicating that he should not disturb Tang Yu who was deep in thought.
Just as Maine was about to carefully step out, he noticed Tang Yu had already turned around to greet him.
"Maine, you're here."
It turned out that Tang Yu had already noticed the movement behind him and had roughly finished his mental deliberations.
With slight embarrassment and a hearty smile, Maine said, "Mr. Tang, sorry to interrupt, I came over after hearing from Doctor Viktor that everything is ready."
"That's correct, Vik is waiting."
Tang Yu got up from his seat to bid farewell to Misty: "Thanks, Misty. This fortune-telling session was very useful; it gave me a lot of insights."
Misty's gentle laughter accompanied her words: "Don't mention it, you guys go find Vik now."
Together with Maine, Tang Yu headed toward the back door, then turned the corner and descended the staircase to the ripperdoc clinic.
The clinic was the same as ever, and so was Vik, still sitting at the counter, attentively watching a boxing match.
Upon seeing Tang Yu, Vik reluctantly shifted his gaze away from the boxing match and said with a smile, "Well, everything's ready. This gadget was quite a handful to work on, I've removed the human experimental data collection module and enhanced the operational power stability. Now, you can proceed with the cyberware implant surgery."
Vik then looked at Maine and added with a grin.
"Of course, that's assuming you're fully prepared. This implant is a roaring tiger."
Approaching Viktor, Maine expressed his gratitude: "Dr. Viktor, I'm very thankful. How much will the medical procedure cost?"
Vik picked up a vacuum-sealed bag from the desk which contained a sterilized military-grade Sandevistan and led Maine to the surgical area.
"Let's discuss the cost after the surgery is successfully completed; it won't be much."
He started to adjust the flatness of the chair, which then transformed into an operating table.
"This military-grade Sandevistan is highly stimulating and requires high compatibility with other cyberware. Even if it's installed, it can't be used frequently. I must clarify this beforehand."
"If overused, the strong stimulus could accelerate the deterioration of your biological neural symptoms and it would be too late to save anything if we remove it later."
"Considering the condition of your body, you can use it a maximum of four to five times in a row, with six times already being the limit."
"There must be a four to five-day recovery period after each use."
Maine listened intently to Vik's instructions and nodded seriously.
"I'll remember that."
Despite Vik's grave depiction of the situation.
Maine's eyes still shone with eager anticipation, seemingly impatient to have the military-grade Sandevistan installed.
Seeing his determination, Vik stopped persuading him. Everyone has their destiny, and each person must walk their own path.
Maine disrobed to reveal a robust torso, where metallic lines segmented half of his body into several large plates.
Each section had varying degrees of scars, some yet to be repaired, exposing the silver metal armor underneath.
Maine lay down on the operating table, his back exposed under the shadowless lamp, with a bio-neural socket connecting the data cables to the nape of his neck and a breathing mask placed over his face.
Several electronic screens began displaying Maine's biometric information, as well as the cyberware implant details.
Tang Yu stepped closer and noticed that despite the extensive level of cyberware modifications on Maine's body, his actual strength was not that impressive.
This was related to the quality of the cyberware he had; some of the modifications were of the oldest versions, with many being obsolete.
As Vik made the final preparations before the surgery, tapping away on the electronic screen, he eventually put on his surgical rubber gloves.
"Given the pain index of your body, the surgery has to be done under general anesthesia; you wouldn't be able to handle it otherwise."
Maine let out a subdued grunt through his mask, indicating his consent.
Tang Yu also understood that deep anesthesia was necessary for the surgery, not because of its difficulty, but because Maine's condition was far from mild, and strong external stimuli could easily trigger a severe adverse reaction.
For the sake of everyone's safety, deep, full-body anesthesia was indispensable.
Just as Vik was about to tap the screen to administer the anesthetic, Tang Yu stopped him.
An option appeared before Tang Yu:
[Maine]（Simulate/Not to simulate?）
Unlike the previous greyed-out options, this one lit up, meaning that at this moment, he could initiate a life simulation for Maine.
Tang Yu realized that perhaps the military-grade Sandevistan was never meant for Maine.
Installing this cyberware would have a significant impact on Maine's life.
He asked Vik to wait a bit.
Vik, although not quite understanding what Tang Yu intended to do, still ceased his actions, crossing his arms and quietly waiting.
The simulation didn't take long, only a few minutes, and wouldn't cause any delay.
Without hesitation, Tang Yu chose to start the simulation, and the system popped up a notification.
[Simulation Subject: Maine]
[Simulation: After the implantation of a military-grade Sandevistan]
[Simulation Warning: Life simulation is based on the subject's known life events and people; please treat simulation results with caution]
As soon as Tang Yu confirmed the system prompt, Maine felt the world spinning, his entire being seeming to leave his body, plunging into an endless darkness.
It felt like an eternity had passed.
He awoke as if from a bad hangover, roused by deafening music, and opened his eyes groggily.
"Hiss…"
Maine felt an intense headache, from the cervical spine to the back of his skull, scorching hot like an overheated engine.
This peculiar pain was unprecedented as if a red-hot iron rod had been driven from his forehead into his cervical spine.
He turned his neck and shoulders, bearing the excruciating pain, and looked around, realizing he was slumped in a bar booth.
Not only him but also Dorio, Rebecca, Kiwi, Pilar, and Falco were there.
The group was laughing and joking, in high spirits.
Pilar picked up several unopened bottles of wine and started showing off his juggling skills, eliciting applause from everyone.
In his intoxicated merriment, Pilar accidentally belched, shattering a few bottles, and spilling red wine mixed with glass shards all over the floor.
The bar employee shot them a displeased look.
However, Pilar didn't care and laughed even harder.
"Burp..."
"Today we pulled off a big score!"
"So what if I smash a few bottles of wine?"
"I could buy the whole bar out today."
"Who else but Pilar?"
His words instantly drew the attention of several other tables around them.
Pilar quickly changed the subject, trying to speak earnestly.
"Burp, I'm just joking, it's all just drunk talk. Who the hell would want to fight with their own wallet?"
Seeing Pilar make a fool of himself, Rebecca shouted angrily, "Bro! Calm down! This is a bar, not your doghouse!"
Dorio, on the other hand, took it easy and said with a smile, "It's rare that we're all so happy today. We did secure a big deal, so we really should celebrate. Rebecca, you should let loose too."Rebecca sighed helplessly with her hands behind her head, looking at the irredeemable Pilar, lamenting the overconcern that comes with being a younger sister.
"What big job?"
Maine, hearing their mention of completing a big job but with a hazy memory of it, couldn't recall what it was.
He suppressed the headache and asked with some difficulty, "Dorio, what's going on? What big job did you talk about?"
As soon as Maine spoke, everyone was stunned. They all looked at him with puzzled and slightly worried eyes.
Dorio quickly retorted, "Maine, are you alright? Do you want to go see a Ripperdoc first?"
Maine, feeling irritated and angry without understanding why, didn't know what was going on or why he had a headache, let alone why he should see a Ripperdoc.
"I'm not sick, why should I see a Ripperdoc?"
"Just answer my questions!"
Maine's voice wasn't loud, but his irritable tone surprised Dorio and the others.
They vaguely sensed that something was wrong with Maine and that they needed to deal with it immediately.
Dorio quickly supported Maine and urged him gently, "Maine, calm down."
Maine struggled to remember what had happened, but his mind was empty, as if it had been exhausted by the blazing sun.
"Spill it! What just happened?"
Rebecca tucked her chubby legs in, watching Maine with an abnormal look but not daring to say much, worried about agitating him.
It was Kiwi, sitting cross-legged with her long legs, who explained while holding a cigarette under her mask.
"Maine, we just completed a job for Tanaka, and everyone received a substantial payoff, that's why we came to the bar to celebrate and relax."
"You took the job yourself, try to remember."
Hearing Kiwi's hint, Maine seemed to recall something - it was Faraday's commission to investigate what Tanaka was researching.
Seeing Maine still lost in painful recollection, Kiwi continued.
"After accepting the assignment from Faraday, you damaged Tanaka's private car, alerting him."
"We laid low for a while, found new clues, and followed the trail to Tanaka, seizing the opportunity to kidnap him."
Finally, Maine remembered more details.
Tanaka was very cautious, and after much inquiry and searching, they learned that Tanaka had a routine of dining out with his son every week.
They took the chance to intercept them along their usual path, kidnapped Tanaka, knocked out his son, wiped his cyberware cache, and dumped him in the outskirts.
Kiwi dived into Tanaka's brain and only extracted some covert cyberware data due to the strong ICE defenses, but it was enough to report back to Faraday and secure the large payment.
As for the Tanaka father and son, they were released after the mission was complete; killing an Arasaka executive was not part of their plan.
Maine nodded, "I remember now."
Dorio, seeing Maine's pained expression, said with concern, "You used Sandevistan seven times to kidnap Tanaka smoothly, which caused your brain to overload."
"We wanted to take you to a Ripperdoc, but you refused. You just took two shots of suppressant and joined us here at the bar to celebrate."
"I thought you were just tired, so I didn't disturb you."
After listening to everyone's explanation, Maine's mood improved slightly, and he managed to smile.
"See, all it takes is a clear explanation. I'm fine now, just a bit dizzy. Carry on, I'll head to the restroom."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Maine appeared to return to normal. However, they soon noticed something even more troubling.
Maine stood up from the booth and headed straight for a wall in the opposite direction of the restroom.
Thankfully, Dorio was quick to act and stopped Maine, then said, "Maine, the restroom is that way. Are you still feeling dizzy?"
Restroom?
Maine suddenly snapped back to reality, feeling thirsty and dehydrated.
Hadn't he been going to get some water?
A sense of alarm struck him, and he realized that something was not quite right.
Silently, he turned and headed to the restroom, disappearing around the corner.
The people at the booth exchanged looks of confusion, unprepared for this turn of events.
After a moment of silence, Kiwi was the first to speak up, "Maine's symptoms are getting worse; we can't let him go on like this."
Dorio sat back down, troubled, "I know, I've tried to persuade him, but ever since he installed that damn military-grade Sandevistan, he's been stubborn about using it! His brain's getting fried, and the cyberware is eroding his nerves!"
Rebecca, puzzled, said, "Hasn't Maine always been on time with his suppressant shots? Can't believe the effects are waning so fast..."
She realized that if Maine continued on this path, he would eventually spiral out of control.
Now, Maine was teetering on the edge of a cliff, where any slight movement could send him plummeting.
Rebecca said fiercely, "We need to remove that thing! He really can't use it anymore, or he'll..."
Dorio's expression turned bitter, "You know him; he won't agree to remove it. These days, he's been reliant on that cyberware for many missions."
Kiwi added, "The cyberware itself came from a dangerous source. The previous user, James, was strong, but still ended up on the brink of losing control..."
"What do we do then? If it comes to it, we might have to forcefully remove it," Pilar suggested.
The group fell silent.
Pilar was taken aback, his casual remark meeting no opposition.
Removing Maine's cyberware wouldn't be easy; given his size and strength, it would require deceiving him to remove it without harm.
Dorio continued, "I agree. We can't let Maine go on like this; it will inevitably lead to disaster. We need to replace it with a lighter cyberware. What do you guys think?"
As Maine's closest person, she naturally had to consider Maine's safety. Now that they realized he was in danger, they couldn't just stand by.
Rebecca was the first to raise her hand in agreement, "It's not polite, but it's for Maine's sake. I agree!"
The rest nodded, consenting to remove the dangerous cyberware and relieve Maine of his burden.
This meant a decrease in Maine's capabilities, lower fees for missions, and the possibility of being replaced by rising cyberpunks.
But Dorio wasn't worried; she could support Maine. The former boxer had many connections, and if necessary, she could return to fighting, even if it meant earning a little less.
With the plan set, they needed to pull Maine back from the edge of losing control.
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