T/N: This fic was likely written before Phantom Liberty / Patch 2.0, back when cyberware mods were still a thing. They'll keep showing up throughout the story — no need to stress if the terminology feels unfamiliar at first.
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The Lizzie pistol was a monster on paper — solid stats across the board, the kind of iconic iron that was both rare and worth real eddies. The loud, candy-colored finish didn't hurt either.
"Got it." Vash said, holstering it as he headed for the stairs, "With this, I'm basically unstoppable."
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Out front, Sandra had dressed up for the meet and showed early, waiting by the entrance like she'd been standing there for an hour.
She'd picked the outfit that flattered her most and put on makeup with the kind of precision you only got from money and good mirrors.
The result was predictable: the moment she stepped into Kabuki, hungry eyes tracked her. But when people noticed the Militech-stamped briefcase in her hand, the interest died fast.
Most folks in Night City knew when not to reach for the wrong thing…
After a few minutes on the corner, Sandra finally spotted Vash coming out of Lizzie's.
No visible chrome. No overbuilt, roid-and-implants look. Just a clean-cut, sharp-faced guy — the exact type she liked.
'Perfect. He looks even better in person than he did on the call.'
Vash clocked her immediately too. In 2077, a face like that was rare. Most people were either modded to the point of losing their original features, or wore that hard "try me and I'll ruin your life" expression like a badge.
Compared to that, Sandra's delicate, refined vibe was a breath of fresh air.
"Mr. V, hello, I'm… I'm…" Sandra stumbled, suddenly forgetting how introductions worked.
"I already read your profile." Vash said, calm as ever, "No need."
"O-okay…" Sandra felt herself slipping, completely captivated.
Vash wasn't blind — or made of wood. He caught the way she looked at him. Being admired was nice, sure, but he wasn't the type to dive in headfirst.
"This isn't a great place to talk." He said, "Want to go somewhere quieter?"
"Wherever Mr. V wants." Sandra replied immediately.
"Truth is, I haven't been in Night City that long." Vash admitted, "I don't know the good spots."
"Then I'll lead." Sandra said, lifting a hand to hail a cab.
The rental market might've been crushed, but it hadn't gone extinct.
If you wanted the safest ride in the city, you called Delamain — an AI-run cab service that put passenger security and comfort above everything. The conversation was usually entertaining too, even if the peace of mind came with a painful price tag.
"No need." Vash tapped his bike shard, and the Kusanagi CT-3X slid up from the underground garage like a loyal beast answering a whistle, "Only problem is… no helmet."
Sandra shook her head — she didn't care — and climbed onto the back, careful not to scuff her outfit.
It was her first time riding someone else's bike. Staring at Vash's back, she had the sudden urge to wrap her arms around his waist… then froze, afraid of spooking him.
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They rode straight to Japantown.
Night City had entertainment everywhere, but if you wanted the best mix — food, lights, noise, and distractions — Japantown and Kabuki were still king.
After all, making people feel good was what those sub-districts were built for.
Neon poured down over rows of polished venues and expertly curated temptations. Vash and Sandra wandered for a while, killing time the easy way, until it was finally time to part.
As the night deepened, Vash was already thinking about getting home and collapsing into bed.
"Mr. V." Sandra said at the end, voice soft but steady, "I had a wonderful time today. Thank you again — for saving me."
Then she finally handed him the briefcase she'd been carrying the whole time.
"This is a small token. Please take it."
Vash blinked, genuinely surprised. He'd assumed it was a self-defense piece, the kind corpo types carried when they wandered into places they shouldn't. Not a gift.
"What's inside?" He asked.
"Militech's latest cyberware mod." Sandra said, "Not on the market yet."
As she spoke, she popped the case. Inside lay a light-blue, high-integration chip. The housing was semi-transparent — enough to glimpse the micro-circuitry and the faint pulse of active programs running beneath.
Vash leaned in. He had clearance to view the spec.
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" Cyberware Mod: Lightning Core "
" Description: Built on Militech's newest tech. When slotted into compatible cyberware, it boosts electrical discharge functions — letting shocks charge up and then release in a burst. " ⌞◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃◃⌟
Vash's eyebrow lifted.
In 2077, cyberware was how people pushed their bodies past human limits — how you turned flesh into a weapon.
Mods were what decided how far that cyberware could be taken. The right mod could turn a solid implant into something nasty.
Most mods on the street leaned support-focused — utility, survivability, quality-of-life upgrades. Pure offensive mods were a different tier entirely, priced high enough to compete with full pieces of chrome.
And Sandra was handing him a top-tier, unreleased Militech combat mod like it was nothing.
So she's not just some random corpo. She's got weight inside Militech…
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T/N: To clarify, this Lightning Core is different from the canon Electrical Damage mods for Mantis Blade, Gorilla Arms, and Monowire, as it's applicable with a wider variety of options. In any case, the author included a footnote stating that most of the mods the MC uses will be original.
Another thing is to correct 〈Perfect Plugin Manufacturing Blueprint〉 to 〈Perfect Mod Manufacturing Blueprint〉, for those who read it before I made the correction.
If you want 20 chapters ahead, smut chapters or spicy images of this novel for just $5, or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations (free or starting at $1.5): MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)