How To Live as a Cyberpunk Solver

85. keyword

A large sum of 52,000 credits was deposited, but by conceding 10,000 credits to Noah Lucas, what he actually earned was 42,000 credits.

After subtracting the implant repair fee, pickup truck repair fee, bulletproof coat repair fee, and scavenger inspiration information fee, the remaining amount in the account was less than 30,000 credits.

“Even 30,000 credits is plenty. I have 30 credits…”

It was not an insignificant amount for three months’ wages for White Town workers. White Town workers never pulled out 9mm armor-piercing bullets stuck in their limbs.

The Twins gang leader, Twins, removed the bullets with a small machine and disconnected the joint with a large machine.

“Left Habak has a broken bone. You will have to change them.”

“Somehow it didn’t move.”

I felt sorry for the body that I cherished like my own body. However, the twins, whose ‘doctor’ accounted for about 50% of the implant brain, were excited. The catalog was spread out and promoted.

“We have a wide variety of products, from branded products with the latest designs to classic products released before the Great War. From the first page to the marked places, it is a high-priced product that can be connected to a neural module, and if you are worried about the price, it is unlikely, but there are also vintage products from Junk Town artisans, so take a look at the back page.”

Leaving over ten mobile monitors, it seemed quite fun to show off with paper brochures.

Leonard was curious about what kind of implants are available these days, so he flipped through a few. It is marked as an Arm category, but there were many things that confused whether it was an arm or a weapon. Are there really crazy cyborgs that use arms that look like they were taken from a forklein?

“Shouldn’t a solver be equipped with a railgun? If you look at the seventh chapter there, there is a rail arm that Schneider released as a prototype…”

“It’s not a prototype, it’s probably scrap. This came out 7 years ago.”

“Oh, did you know?”

If you fire one shot because you can’t handle the output, your arm will fly away, and if you’re not lucky, even your brain is browned. He wasn’t a very trustworthy doctor for recommending such a defective product. Leonard asked, putting away the catalog.

“Isn’t there an implant for the Old Human Alliance?”

It was a tricky order. The twins crossed their arms at the same time.

“Don’t you know why the Old Man is the Old Man? Because they don’t have implants, they are old people.”

“I can still make it. Unfortunate accidents often happen even in underground cities.”

Since Leonard was an ‘unfortunate accident’ itself, there was no refutation. The twins rummaged through products on monitors instead of brochures.

“You are the most picky among the recent guests. Let’s wait, if we find one, I think we’ll find one, but it’s a rare item, so it’ll be expensive.”

“Find something like that, then tell me.”

Archaic implants were cleaner and more sophisticated than terrestrial implants. It looks like a living body, but it is compatible with the sensory module, so the wearing feeling was real. Of course, it performed its function when it was a brain chip from the same manufacturer.

“How long will it take?”

“Even if we have stock, it will take some time because we have to process it to fit your body. Enough for about a month?”

Leonard’s face was decorated like a burnt chemical cigarette.

“I can’t wait that long.”

“Then, did you get a spare implant in advance? It’s your fault for not being prepared while looking for scarce items.”

Having said that, I had nothing to say. The twins made up for their lack of sales skills with service.

“I’ll give you a similar arm temporarily. It’s literally temporary. Don’t fight with guns because they will break even if hit by clubs, and don’t lift anything heavier than a kettle because the output is weak. Use it cleanly and return it cleanly.”

“What if it breaks down?”

“You have to pay tenfold.”

If you look at the description, it looks like a glass implant, but it’s better than living as a one-armed person.

After putting on a new arm, paying for the procedure, and setting up my next schedule, my credit went out in pieces. Still, it was fortunate that there was a skilled implant doctor.

When Leonard got up from the operating table, Max rushed over and helped him. Leonard was dumbfounded and kicked his ass.

“My leg is fine.”

“Your manners aren’t perfect, are you?”

Max grumbled and fell. Opportunities to show respect to mentors did not come easily.

@

The pick-up truck, which had eaten enough bullets, had already left it at a repair shop.

With no other means of transportation besides their two legs, the tramps headed to 15-9 Avenue on foot. We were fortunate that the broker Jake’s office was close to the main street.

“Can I stay there?”

“why?”

“The client might retaliate.”

Even if the broker’s office followed the rules, the people who came and went did not follow the rules.

“Since Noah Lucas is bullying, he won’t mind us either.”

Since I fed 10,000 credits, I also wanted to see the effect somehow.

I was worried about this and that, but I couldn’t leave out the event that had become a custom. Leonard and Max went to a nearby stall noodle shop.

It was not a plausible restaurant like the 11th Street Noodle House. It was a street vendor with a roof made of waste vinyl and a plastic board placed on a cement brick as a table. Still, I trusted it because I used clean ingredients and drinking water for a junk town.

There were quite a few customers who thought like Leonard, so the business went well. I ordered 2 bowls of basic noodles – one large – but I had to wait for a while.

Leonard put his disjointed left arm in his pocket and looked at the street. There were people everywhere because it was a market alley with no set meal times.

A scavenger hurriedly devouring an energy bar with a bundle he picked up from a garbage dump, a gangster who takes up a seat for three to six people and spits out nutmeg letters every three seconds, a construction worker who earns a living every day, and now prepares for a day’s work in the back alley. At a glance, I could see a woman at the store, a pickpocket kid aiming for my pocket, a mouse rummaging through trash cans, and a black cat sneaking up on me.

“They live hard.”

“That looks good.”

The stall owner put down two bowls of noodles. 1 credit The portion was generous for street food. Max exclaimed as he gripped his chopsticks.

“It’s better to do something than a madman with rotten frog eyes, or a pathetic guy who is drugged and lost all day.”

“I agree with that.”

Because there were people who lived so hard, the fixer didn’t starve either. If Junk Town had been a den of ten million drug addicts, even the self-proclaimed best would have had nothing to do.

Leonard and Max sat next to each other without returning to the counter as if they were the last customers. It’s embarrassing at first, but I missed the timing to kick him out. A conversation started while inhaling a bowl of noodles.

“I feel really good these days. Just a month ago, gangsters fired guns when they were bored, so they couldn’t do business. Because under the overpass over there, crazy things even fired rockets and knocked me over.”

It was news that Leonard knew well. Because I saw it right in front of my nose.

“Are you in good shape now?”

“Nowadays, well, I’m more of a nobleman than back then.”

“Because the Wildkid gang backed out?”

“He shows up from time to time, but he can’t stand up in front of the Twins and Tagerclaw. Rumor has it that a very great solver killed the boss, but who was that…”

Leonard and Max’s eyes twinkled as they ate bundles of noodles. It’s not the boss, but there was a fixer who took down the leader next to the boss. The stall owner thought deeply and then suddenly clapped.

“yes! hit! It’s Ryan! A fixer named Ryan Bourne saves himself by destroying a gang hideout.”

“…That was news from three years ago.”

“Can it be? Rumors spread from head town to tail town. He launched a hundred missile drones and turned the Wildkids to dust.”

Even in the age when everything we see, hear, and taste has become digital, rumors have existed. Corporate information control could have been so great. Leonard gave up and focused on chopsticks. However, the bored stall owner did not know to give up.

“Whether it’s a liberation front or a thaw front, the psycho cyborg is still a problem.”

“Are there still psycho cyborgs these days?”

Max asked, clearing the noodles. Considering Leonard had now put away his two chopsticks, he barely chewed.

“The media doesn’t seem to be covering it anymore, but there are still a lot of them. A few days ago there was an uproar at the villa over there. FAP guys only protect rich people with citizenship, and poor scavengers like us don’t care if they die or not.”

Leonard and Max have citizenship, but they aren’t rich, so they didn’t bother to reveal it.

In fact, citizenship came out immediately when I went to City Hall and disclosed my name, age, and whereabouts, and there was nothing special about it. However, there are many cases where the whereabouts of the scavenger are unclear, and various taxes are imposed along with the citizen number, so I just do not do it. Apparently, the stall owner, who didn’t want to pay taxes, didn’t have citizenship either.

Leonard changed the subject, thinking that something useless would come out.

“Have you still not caught the terrorist?”

“Are you in the mood to catch it? Whether it’s a gang, a bandit, or a bomberman, they’re all rampaging.”

Leonard thought of the Liberation Front, which was completely submerged after the Fifth Avenue delegation attack. The pirate broadcasts did not work, either because public opinion was bad or because the police were persistent in their pursuit. If you access the darknet that is not controlled by the corporation, you will have some information, but unlike a hacker, he hated diving.

“There is someone who can do it for me.”

“Someone will eat it for you, Mr. Leonard.”

Max, who had completely emptied the large bowl of soup, extended his chopsticks. Leonard was able to finish his meal only after he had hit the top of his head.

@

From the first day, I was busy with work. I was so distracted that the luggage I brought from 11-1st Street was left unattended.

Contrary to his appearance, Leonard calmed down the middleman and unpacked his luggage. After the construction is over, I will move again, so I will leave the big and heavy luggage alone, but there was one ‘convenience’ that I had to endure.

“System running. data check. Check missed messages. One user warning. The power supply is unstable.”

Since the basic base is a second-generation Android, the battery capacity was not large. The broker grumbled that even the electricity was stolen, but when Sigma opened his eyes, he welcomed it as if he had never shown any dissatisfaction.

“I saw a movie where there was an android that recharges energy with food like humans do?”

“If that’s possible, it’s a bioroid.”

Since the implant cyborg is actually a bioroid, there was plenty of possibility. It’s just that food materials are more expensive than electricity, so they’re not worth it.

Sigma opened his eyes wide and looked around for a certain frame. It scanned the surrounding environment and fetched user information at the same time. Parts of the body were changed, but the owner with administrator rights was correct.

“Good morning, Mr. Leonard.”

He had a bright voice for a second generation, but Leonard’s expression was not bright.

“What time is it… is it broken?”

Sigma had to prove that he was an android who knew how to joke. It wasn’t a very capable feature.

Leonard ignored Sigma’s bullshit and beckoned to the broker.

“Is there an internet port?”

“It’s basic, but…”

The broker glanced at Sigma, who had gathered all four hands together. It was not a good thing to have artificial intelligence capable of self-learning access to the net. Although it does not claim to be a human being with an ego like urban ghost stories, a malfunction could have occurred due to a logic error.

“It’s okay if we limit access time and collect information only with designated keywords.”

Leonard opened one of the sockets on the Sigma’s neck and connected it to an Internet port. In Sigma’s eyes, 0’s and 1’s that humans couldn’t read came to mind.

“I’m sorry I made you work as soon as I woke you up, but look for information related to the Liberation Front.”

I wanted information that might not be credited right away, but would be useful to find. Leonard’s intuition is largely accurate, and will pay off sooner or later.