This time, for some reason, Ke Qi did not sleep soundly compared to yesterday. He had a good dream. In the dream, he was on Earth, sitting at a desk in front of a teacher whose face he couldn't see. The teacher was explaining a very simple function problem.
He subconsciously turned his head to look at his classmates. He couldn't see any of their faces clearly, as if a black cloth was covering them.
"Okay, now, let's have a student solve this problem."
Soon, it was time to call on someone. For some reason, Ke Qi subconsciously raised his hand. However, the teacher, who had no face to begin with, ignored him and called on a student who was slumped over the desk, seemingly praying, 'Don't call me, don't call me.'
Ke Qi was confused, but everyone else seemed to not see him. In the next second, the surrounding space suddenly changed. He appeared in a place filled with smog, surrounded by iron glass buildings.
This place was familiar to him – the Iron Glass City of Zaun. He was at the entrance of an alley, facing a short-haired man with his back to him. Ke Qi was so familiar with him, he walked forward in confusion.
But his legs suddenly sank, and the surrounding environment began to collapse rapidly, turning into nothingness, like a bottomless pit. Ke Qi continued to descend in a state of freefall, suspended in mid-air.
"Holy shit!" He suddenly opened his eyes. Ke Qi looked at the familiar computer in front of him and the environment of the cheap rental room. He immediately came back to his senses.
What the hell was that? Why did I have such a strange dream?
Ke Qi frowned. This was unbelievable. At least he should have let him see who that person with his back to him was.
He glanced at the standby computer screen. The time made Ke Qi pause. He had slept all the way until past one in the afternoon.
Ke Qi remembered falling asleep around three in the morning. Ten hours...
Damn it, not only did I not sleep well and have a weird dream, but my head still hurts a bit. Ke Qi walked to the sink, splashed cold water on his face, and brushed his teeth. Looking at himself in the mirror, he still felt a headache. It was really annoying.
An inexplicable anger brewed in Ke Qi's heart. He simply took off his Battle Exoskeleton, went to the bathroom, and took a cold shower.
After all that, he felt much more relaxed.
He didn't have any special hobbies. He didn't like smoking or drowning his sorrows in alcohol. When Ke Qi was troubled, he always liked to clear his mind and quietly reflect on life.
After changing his clothes, Ke Qi looked at the coin-operated washing machine, found the power source, unplugged it, and kicked the damn thing aside.
Screw you, you piece of junk trying to rip me off.
Ke Qi was still not satisfied. He analyzed the washing machine's data and then conjured another one out of nowhere. He plugged it in, and this one didn't have any pay-per-use functions. He threw his clothes in and watched the washing machine operate. Only then did he clap his hands with satisfaction.
That's more like it.
Just as Ke Qi finished dealing with his clothes, Gloria sent him a message.
"Are you home?" Gloria's avatar was a red ponytail, just a hairstyle.
Right... I need to change that chicken head quickly, Ke Qi replied to her first and then changed his ridiculous chicken head avatar to the default one. Afterwards, he planned to draw a Zaun logo and use it as his avatar.
After just two messages, there was no sound from Gloria's side. Ke Qi wondered why his sister didn't reply even though he had replied instantly.
How rude!
Before he could think further, there was a knock on the door.
For some reason, the first thing Ke Qi thought of was the angry neighbor who had stomped out yesterday because he had smashed the wall. But it was so light, it probably wasn't that big guy next door, right?
"Who is it?" Ke Qi called out.
"It's me! Gloria!" A woman's voice came from outside.
Only then did Ke Qi open the door with relief.
The door opened. Gloria was still wearing the same jacket as today, but she had changed her inner clothes, and her hair was neatly styled. The moment she saw Ke Qi, she showed a look of surprise.
"What's wrong?" Ke Qi noticed immediately.
"Nothing, it's just the first time I've seen what you look like. The place is booked. Let's go for the deal together. Did you get the stuff?" Gloria looked at the man in front of her, who looked too young, completely different from what she imagined.
He looked to be in his early twenties?
Only a little older than David?
"Ah, yes, yes. If he wanted a hundred, I could get them for him," Ke Qi nodded confidently, then turned and walked to the bathroom, putting on his Battle Exoskeleton again.
At this moment, Gloria noticed something very special. She was even more surprised than before and asked, "Are you a natural person?"
She couldn't detect any cyberware modification on Ke Qi. This wasn't due to sharp eyesight, but because people with such implants could usually feel something. But on Ke Qi, there was nothing.
"Yes, I am for now. It might not be the case in the future." Ke Qi didn't pay attention to her surprised reaction this time. He had seen too much since he arrived.
"I haven't seen a natural person in many years," Gloria said with emotion.
"Is this a compliment?" Ke Qi shrugged, and the two walked towards the stairs side by side.
"Um... Don't mind what I said. I don't look at you any differently. I just feel a sense of nostalgia." Gloria thought Ke Qi felt like she was treating him as an outsider. She had no such intentions; she just felt... natural persons were really rare.
Nostalgic for what, the feeling of being human?
Ke Qi didn't ask further. He silently walked to the usual spot, in front of Gloria's beat-up car.
She voluntarily handed him the keys.
"Since you've earned some money, buy some seat cushions. This is as hard as a wooden board. Sitting for too long will give you hemorrhoids," Ke Qi felt his butt getting sore. Gloria next to him could only nod helplessly and say, "Got it. I'll buy some when I have time."
Drove twice, complained twice. You're something else.
Why don't you get an iron ass, and then you won't get them!
"If you ask me, you should just replace the whole car. Isn't the Sky Dome Hera very cheap and durable? You could get a used one. At least it would be more fun to drive than this metal hunk," Ke Qi continued to offer his opinions, learning as he went.
Gloria turned her head slightly and then said resentfully, "David's tuition is very expensive."
Ke Qi thought of the movie "CJ7." Gloria was similar to the male protagonist in it.
"Then you need to increase your income and decrease your expenses. Are you going to live like this forever, trading your life for David's?" Ke Qi felt it was tragic, but the environment of Night City was indeed too cruel for ordinary people.
It seemed like a vicious cycle. This place made you as dull as a robot, and you couldn't improve yourself, so you could only live each day step by step. All hope could only be placed on the next generation.
Night City carried out this exploitation to the fullest, operating 365 days a year without rest.
He roughly understood why that unknown team had blown up Arasaka Tower.
It was a rare moment of discussing life. Gloria paused when Ke Qi asked this question. She was thinking, but after a moment, she still gave him the address.
"Let's drive first."
Ke Qi nodded. The old car started!
Gloria thought for a long time, and Ke Qi simply stayed silent, driving towards the location Gloria had marked: Westbrook Japantown. Ke Qi estimated he would get to see the entire Night City in this short period.
They arrived at the destination, an apartment near the H8 super skyscraper, but Gloria still hadn't answered Ke Qi's question.
"We're here."
Westbrook, a magical place. Because it was close to the city center during the nuclear explosion, it was also affected. Now, being a region near the city center, it is still considered the best place to live by many people in Night City. North Oak is a residential area for the wealthy, Charter Hill is the paradise for the middle-class corporations, and there's Japantown, Night City's entertainment center. In Japantown, there's an area called Winding Street, which is a great place, hahaha.
Gloria didn't answer Ke Qi, seemingly still thinking.
It seemed she hadn't considered her future at all. Ke Qi helplessly patted her shoulder. Only then did she react.
"We're here." She reminded him again, tirelessly. Only then did Gloria truly come back to her senses. She looked at the changed surroundings and quickly nodded, opened the car door, and got out.
"Where should I park?" Ke Qi asked loudly.
"Just park it in the parking lot next to that open-air bar. You can pay for it first, and I'll transfer the money to your account later," Gloria replied.
"Okay, okay."
After parking the car, Gloria stood in front of the open-air bar waiting for Ke Qi.
"Turbo-Charged Bar? That name really fits the positioning of this bar?" The open-air bar was not currently open. There were three counters, all sealed. Next to it was the main building. The exterior looked like a gas station. When Ke Qi looked over, he saw that this place also offered car repair services.
Or perhaps the bar was the side business?
Gloria took a closer look at the address and then locked onto an apartment building next door, saying to Ke Qi, "It seems to be over there."
"Let's go, let's go." Ke Qi had a White Netrunner Rig in his hand at some point. He was having Viktor help him upload some data into it, which would allow him to access more information.
The two arrived at the apartment next to the Turbo-Charged Bar. Ke Qi followed Gloria, entered the apartment, and went up the stairs to the second floor, stopping in front of a room.
She blocked Ke Qi behind her and instructed, "Ke Qi, just stay behind me. Don't say anything. Just hand over the stuff when the time comes."
"Understood. I'll listen to you," Ke Qi nodded.
Gloria took a deep breath and then knocked on the door.
After a short while, the door opened, and it opened twice. Yes, this room had two doors, a double security measure.
A blonde woman wearing a light red iron mask poked her head out. She didn't let them in immediately but observed them.
Gloria didn't feel anything, but Ke Qi, after noticing her action, frowned slightly. This guy... was using the network to scan his detailed data without authorization. She's a cyber hacker.
Never mind. This data is just a disguise. Ke Qi ultimately chose not to resist and pretended nothing had happened, allowing her to confirm his identity.
After a few minutes, the masked woman confirmed everything was fine, nodded at Gloria, and then moved aside.
The two then entered the apartment room. The room wasn't very large; the layout was just different from Ke Qi and Gloria's H4 skyscraper.
Ke Qi's attention was immediately drawn to the round bed, which was covered in pink light effects.
Holy crap, a love hotel?
Several people were sitting on the sofa. One of them was huge, at least 2.2 meters tall. This wasn't difficult in Night City; many methods could help you achieve such a physique, provided you had the money.
The large man had a yellow buzz cut. He looked at Gloria first, then his gaze lingered on Ke Qi for a long time, staring with interest at his Battle Exoskeleton.
"Long time no see, Gloria." The large man greeted Gloria kindly.
Gloria nodded, a form of greeting. She took out the Sandevistan and the matching spinal implant from under her clothes and threw them to him: "Here's what you wanted, Maine."
The round bed, which resembled a love hotel bed, only captivated Ke Qi for a moment. Then, his gaze was drawn to the posters in the room. One of them featured a bearded man in a spacesuit, with a rocket launching into the sky behind him. It read: "Your new life awaits."
It looked like an advertisement for emigration to the moon?
Right, the technological level of this world could already expand to outer space. However, in practice...
It was all a lie. Life on the moon wasn't as beautiful and carefree as imagined. Most of it was fake. When it came to scamming people, these companies were the best.
While others were talking, Ke Qi, captivated by the room's environment, became somewhat conspicuous. Perhaps it was because he was the only stranger present.
A woman leaning by the window with faded rainbow hair had been watching Ke Qi since he entered. Maine had arranged for her to keep a close eye on him.
Ke Qi stopping in front of the emigration to the moon poster was naturally under her observation.
It wouldn't have been anything, but when she saw Ke Qi shake his head with a hint of disdain, the woman's expression changed.
In fact, not just her, everyone was observing Ke Qi intentionally or unintentionally. This guy came in and acted like he was home, completely unfazed, looking around at his leisure, as if he were in a museum.
Even Gloria looked back at Ke Qi's actions. His familiarity was exactly the same as when she first met him, and she couldn't say anything to him.
Because Ke Qi had indeed not spoken since entering, as she had requested.
"Is this the cyberware modification doctor you mentioned?" Maine asked Ke Qi with interest.
"Yes... Ke Qi! Give them the stuff," Gloria hurriedly reminded Ke Qi.
"Coming, coming. Wait a moment, I'll get it." Ke Qi's eyes hadn't stopped observing the room's setup. He controlled his consciousness to take out the White Netrunner Rig from his helmet and handed it to Gloria. At the same time, he inserted the one he had just given to Viktor for data augmentation into a slot.
This way, he could access even more information.
"Is there anything to drink? I'm a bit thirsty," Ke Qi didn't forget to ask. In fact, he wasn't just thirsty; he was hungry too. He had driven here directly with Gloria after waking up. He hadn't had anything to eat or drink along the way. The physical body needs energy replenishment.
The whole room fell silent. They were confused about this guy's situation. Did he really think this was his home?
"No, if you want to drink, go buy it yourself." The woman with the faded rainbow hair was the first to answer Ke Qi, but her tone seemed displeased.
Ke Qi looked at her strangely. However, he could now confirm who the owner of this room was, but why was this girl's tone so harsh?
Kiwi then walked over to Gloria and took Ke Qi's White Netrunner Rig. After a brief look, she asked with confusion, "Did you make it yourself?"
Before Gloria could speak, Ke Qi explained, "Large memory capacity, outstanding functions. It's from a company."
Kiwi squinted, asking with some doubt, "Are you sure? I've never seen a netrunner rig like this before. Which company is it from?"
"Zaun Company," Ke Qi said casually.
No one in the room had ever heard of this company's name. They all looked at Ke Qi with questioning eyes.
"I created it myself. This netrunner rig is the first product. You are the early access user."
?
Everyone in the room was bewildered. Kiwi couldn't help it. She couldn't even be bothered to talk to Ke Qi. She seriously suspected that he might have latent cyberpsychosis. She looked directly at Maine and said, "This isn't what we agreed upon."
Well... Maine was a bit angry, but Ke Qi had just said that it had a large memory capacity and outstanding functions. Although they hadn't tested it yet, if he wasn't lying, then only the last point... wasn't quite right.
Maine turned to Gloria, seemingly asking what this meant.
Their personal relationship was actually quite good, and Maine owed Gloria a favor. Back when he wasn't a famous mercenary, Gloria had sold him several good cyberware implants at a low price. Because of this, he trusted her so much and paid her in advance.
Gloria didn't know how to speak. Ke Qi spoke first: "I pulled it out of my head. You all saw that, didn't you? Don't underestimate homemade products. Why don't you try it and see? Everyone here is one of your people. Don't you have the guts?"
Although this was said in a low voice, everyone in the room heard it clearly. Dorio, sitting next to Maine, couldn't sit still. She slammed the table, looking at Ke Qi with dangerous eyes.
It seemed she was very unhappy with what he said. After all, they were mercenaries who accepted dangerous commissions; their fighting spirit was much stronger than ordinary people.
Maine, on the other hand, was relatively calm this time. His gaze kept scanning Ke Qi's Battle Exoskeleton, as if he were thinking about something.
Kiwi took the netrunner rig and prepared to insert it into the computer to see if there were any viruses inside.
Although everyone saw Ke Qi take it out of the slot, she still needed to check, just in case.
If there was a problem, a major conflict would erupt. If there wasn't, it wouldn't hurt to try.
Maine then held back Dorio, nodded at Kiwi, and then looked at Ke Qi, saying, "Where did you get this cyberware implant you're wearing?"
Maine wasn't a netrunner and wasn't interested in netrunner rigs.
"I made it myself," Ke Qi said, looking at the blonde woman so cautiously using the computer first. He just felt helpless.
In this world, the basic level of trust between people is too low. Everyone is too afraid of dying.
Kiwi looked at the scrambled data on the screen and was first stunned. She had been a netrunner for more than ten years, but this was the first time she had seen this type of code. It was like after learning elementary and intermediate mathematics and then seeing advanced mathematics for the first time. She could understand a small part, but when connected, there was still a large part she completely didn't understand.
What the hell is this?!
Although it wasn't a virus, it was already making her eyes glaze over.
"Can you understand it?" Ke Qi asked with a harmless, wide smile.
Can you understand it?
The question felt like a sharp blade piercing Kiwi's heart. She looked up at his annoying expression without getting angry, simply finding it incredible.
Lucy, with her faded rainbow hair, approached Kiwi suspiciously, looked down at the jumble of symbols, numbers, and letters on the computer screen that looked like scrambled code, and was also stunned.
What is this?
"Since you can't understand it, try wearing it. It's not a virus anyway, so you can rest assured," Ke Qi said, amused by their reactions.
He made the netrunner rig himself, combining the coding from several companies, including some secret segments, essentially a hodgepodge, plus his own thoughts. To others, it was like dark cuisine.
Whether they could understand the code or not didn't matter; as long as it worked, it was fine.
The others didn't understand networking, but Maine asked with some doubt. This time, Kiwi didn't answer. She simply unplugged the netrunner rig and inserted it into the slot below her right temple.
Loading...
Success.
A block of data appeared in her optical implant, detailing her own body data and various indicators. She asked with confusion, "Is this for medical use?"
Constantly monitoring one's physical condition. Is this really a netrunner rig?
"Are there any guns? You can pick one up and take a look," Ke Qi instructed from the side.
Maine proactively took out a pistol and handed it to Kiwi.
She reached out and took it, and then another block of data appeared in the visual feed of her optical implant.
DR-5 Nova, produced by Dara Tech. Data analysis... failed. Please update netrunner rig version.
It displayed the name of the weapon and the manufacturing company. At the same time, Kiwi could see the number of bullets in the weapon. Was this playing a real-life braindance?
"You can try aiming," Ke Qi continued to direct.
Kiwi followed his instructions and raised her hand to aim. The next second, an enlarged crosshair appeared in front of her, just like in an FPS game, but more advanced. While aiming, the netrunner rig miraculously calculated the weapon's range in her hand and the aiming accuracy in various postures.
"Is this really a netrunner rig?" Kiwi asked Ke Qi incredulously.
"Of course! It can connect to the network, but your current version is the first generation, and the functions are not expanded to that extent," Ke Qi replied matter-of-factly.
The others were all confused because they couldn't see what Kiwi was seeing. They only felt her expression was subtle, and their curiosity was piqued.
They were dying of anticipation. What exactly was happening?
"Hey, hey, hey, Kiwi, what exactly are you seeing? Your expression is so similar to when I'm guiding someone through a braindance," said a man with unusually long arms next to her, impatiently.
"Go to hell. Don't compare me to your perverted behavior." Kiwi immediately retorted to the long-armed man, then, without waiting for his response, she seriously turned to Ke Qi and asked, "Can you update the netrunner rig version for me now?"
"I'm afraid not," Ke Qi said without thinking.
He could have given the other party more expanded functions and more detailed data, which could be manually updated by Viktor. But this was not what Ke Qi wanted. He wanted to create his own network space, so that when he connected and uploaded later, the functions of these netrunning rigs could be synchronized.
"Why? Is this the only version available currently?" Qi Wei asked doubtfully.
"You could say that. Currently, only I have access to this version. Those detailed information... do you think I would share it like this?" Ke Qi retorted as if it were obvious.
This time, Qi Wei didn't say anything further, she decisively said: "I'll buy this netrunning rig. How much?"
Ke Qi gave a thumbs-up, with his index and middle fingers extended. This was met with confused expressions from everyone present.
Damn, this world doesn't even understand numbers, Ke Qi said helplessly: "Thirty thousand Euro."
"Thirty thousand Euro? Why don't you go rob someone? With that amount, you could buy a top-spec Sandevistan," before Qi Wei could even speak, the tall, long-armed man couldn't help but exclaim. Maine and Dorio also wore expressions of 'Are you serious?' as if they were speechless at Ke Qi's exorbitant price.
Now, only Qi Wei had experienced the effects of this netrunning rig. As a result, besides her, no one else could accept Ke Qi's quote.
"Buy it sooner rather than later, the price won't be this low