In Night City, most ripperdocs claimed they were doctors.
But very few of them actually cared whether their patients walked out alive.
Among all of them, Viktor Vektor was different.
He was practically the only ripperdoc left in Night City with a conscience.
Other clinics often worked quietly with Scavengers. If a customer couldn't pay their medical bills, the solution was simple: sedate them, strip the implants, and sell the body. The Scavs would handle the rest. Quick profit. No questions asked.
Viktor never did that.
No matter how desperate someone was, he would still try to give them a chance to live.
That alone made his clinic rare.
---
The clinic smelled faintly of antiseptic and old machine oil. Dim yellow lights reflected off metal walls, and the steady hum of diagnostic equipment filled the small basement space.
Arthur Vale—formerly Ji Si—stood under the harsh overhead lamp while Viktor studied him with curious eyes.
"Kid," Viktor muttered, adjusting his glasses, "your natural physique is impressive. Skin's smooth, almost untouched. Except…"
He grabbed Arthur's right hand and tilted it slightly.
"There's a crack on the web between your fingers. Still healing."
Arthur smiled faintly. "Occupational hazard."
Viktor narrowed his eyes.
"You don't look like some spoiled corpo heir. But you don't look homeless either. And you definitely don't look like an Animal chasing primal strength."
He leaned back.
"What's your name?"
Arthur paused for a second before answering smoothly.
"Arthur. Just call me Arthur."
Viktor looked thoughtful.
"Arthur… Sounds familiar. You some kind of big shot in Night City?"
Arthur shook his head calmly. "No. Not yet."
Viktor snorted lightly.
"Alright, big customer. Let's see what you're carrying."
He activated the diagnostic scanner.
A blue light ran across Arthur's face.
"Basic Astra prosthetic eye. Standard communication brain-computer interface."
Viktor opened a holographic inventory panel and slid it toward him.
"Here's the list. Tell me what you want replaced."
Arthur didn't hesitate.
"Militech Parallel Line-2. Quadrangular Ripple-2. Winter Moon Tinker-2. Electromechanical Core. RAM upgrade. Bioconductor. Kinetic Skeleton. Titanium Exoskeleton. Bionic joints."
He paused.
"And gorilla arms with adrenaline boosters. Camillo cortical memory processor. Smart-linked palms. Reinforced leg tendons. Subcutaneous armor. Militech Parallel Line-2."
Viktor stared at him.
Then frowned deeply.
"Kid… it's not that I don't want to install them. It's that you're not a hardened cyberpunk merc yet."
He crossed his arms.
"Installing all that at once will overload your system. Your nervous system needs time to adapt. My advice? Two at a time. Come back later for the rest."
Arthur lay down on the operating table.
"I know my body."
Viktor sighed.
"You all say that."
Arthur's voice remained calm.
"If there's rejection, stop the surgery. I understand the risk. But I have my reasons."
Silence filled the clinic for a moment.
Viktor looked at him carefully.
Then finally nodded.
"In Night City, nobody installs this much chrome unless they're desperate… or planning something big."
He reached for the anesthesia injector.
"Relax. I'm injecting general anesthesia now. It'll get dark soon."
The cold needle pressed against Arthur's spine.
The world faded to black.
---
Darkness.
Then—
A blue interface flickered inside his mind.
[Ding… Mechanical analysis triggered.]
[Brain-Computer Terminal Processor – Parallel Lines]
[Model: Militech Type II]
[Durability: 78%]
[Effect: Provides partial RAM and four interface slots.]
Data flowed like a river.
More notifications appeared.
[Ding… Cyber Pioneer 20% complete.]
[Unlocked: Mechanical Mastery – Learning speed for mechanical systems increased by 999%.]
Arthur's consciousness felt strangely clear, even under anesthesia.
[Ding… Cyber Pioneer 40% complete.]
[Unlocked: Mechanical blueprints. Cyber Succubus – Mind-Body Manipulator blueprint. Thinking Accelerator blueprint.]
The name made him pause.
Cyber Succubus.
A neural device capable of altering cognition and influencing thought patterns.
Arthur immediately thought of the Relic technology used by Arasaka.
Similar concept.
Rewrite the mind.
Rewrite the person.
[Ding… Cyber Pioneer 60% complete.]
[Unlocked: Digital Virtual Soul.]
His breathing slowed.
Digital Virtual Soul.
His consciousness could convert into a virtual lifeform and roam the Net. The stronger his mental strength, the greater the computational output.
For a brief moment, he understood something terrifying.
If this evolved further…
He would no longer be just human.
He would become something else.
Not an AI.
But close.
---
Four hours later.
The anesthesia faded.
Arthur's vision returned—but it was different.
At first, the world looked blurry.
Then layers of data snapped into focus.
Target outlines.
Environmental scans.
Temperature readings.
Subtle network pings.
An innate cyber data-stream perspective.
Viktor's voice broke through.
"How you feeling, kid?"
Arthur slowly sat up.
"I feel… clear."
Viktor grinned and lit a cigarette.
"Good. I also got you a little bonus."
A notification flashed across Arthur's vision.
[Beep… NCPD database linked successfully.]
He blinked.
"NCPD database?"
Viktor chuckled.
"Night City Police Department's recruiting unofficial contractors. With your new optics, you can scan targets—see their criminal record, danger level, and bounty."
He took a drag.
"You catch or kill a wanted criminal, call it in. Get paid. Easy eddies."
Arthur processed the data quickly.
Convenient.
Also dangerous.
Viktor leaned forward slightly.
"But remember something."
His tone turned serious.
"Bounties look tempting. But you need to stay alive to collect them."
Arthur nodded.
"I understand."
He swung his legs off the operating table.
"How much?"
Viktor tapped on his tablet.
"Gorilla arms – 16,500. Militech Parallel – 19,800. Smart hands – 7,800. Plus anesthesia and labor."
He exhaled smoke slowly.
"Total's 80,500. I'll round it down. 80,000."
Arthur went silent.
"…I don't have that much."
Viktor raised an eyebrow.
"How much you got?"
"30,000."
A quiet pause.
"Transfer that now. I'll send the rest later."
In truth, Arthur had expected secondhand implants to be cheaper.
He had underestimated the cost of real chrome.
Viktor studied him for a few seconds.
Then shrugged.
"It's fine."
Arthur looked up.
Viktor smiled faintly.
"I checked the NCPD database. You're flagged as a professional. And I don't get the feeling you're the type to run."
He flicked ash into a tray.
"Pay me when you can. Right now, you need that money more than I do."
Arthur stood up fully now.
The weight of new cybernetics settled naturally into his body.
No rejection.
No instability.
Everything aligned perfectly.
He looked at Viktor—this middle-aged man with tired eyes but steady hands.
"Thank you."
Viktor waved dismissively.
"Don't get sentimental. Just don't die."
---
Outside the clinic, the narrow Watson alley was crowded with homeless people.
Some sat against the wall, arguing about lottery numbers.
Others talked about last night's shootout near the docks.
Neon lights flickered above cracked concrete.
Arthur walked past them calmly.
His new optics automatically scanned faces.
Criminal record: petty theft.
Outstanding warrant: assault.
Bounty: 1,200 eddies.
Data flowed naturally.
He ignored it.
Not today.
He flexed his new gorilla arms slightly.
Internal servos hummed softly.
Strength increased.
Reflex pathways enhanced.
Subcutaneous armor aligned smoothly under his skin.
More importantly—
Inside his mind, the Cyber Pioneer system continued processing.
Mechanical Mastery.
Digital Virtual Soul.
Blueprints for cognition tampering devices.
This wasn't just about chrome.
It was evolution.
Arthur stepped out of the alley and into the restless pulse of Night City.
He needed money.
He needed resources.
He needed time.
Next, he would return to the River Valley District.
Develop products.
Build leverage.
Because sooner or later—
Arasaka would move again.
And when they did—
Arthur Vale would not be the same man who walked into Viktor's clinic.
He would be something far more dangerous.
_______________________________
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