Chapter 35: Chapter 35
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"Good to see you, Vik!"
"Still as tough as ever!"
Vik listened to the familiar greeting from outside the door and turned his head to see the visitor, only to realize that Tang Yu had entered sometime through the iron grate door.
Vik, wearing dark sunglasses, still conveyed surprise through his deep, magnetic voice.
"Good to see you too, Tang Yu. Jackie said you've been back for a while now."
"How did it go with the last attack by the Animals?"
"You didn't get hurt, did you?"
Tang Yu, with a smile, explained, "Of course not, here I am, hale and hearty, and I've brought you a couple of packs of original craft stout—can't watch a boxing match without a beer!"
Jackie put the beers down and held three bottles in his hand as he walked over, seeing the boxing match playing on the electronic screen and remarked, "Vik, you've watched this match hundreds of times, how can you still be so engrossed?"
Tang Yu knew the reason Vik kept re-watching this boxing match was because his favorite boxer had lost in an absolute upset.
Vik had always been trying to figure out why the match was lost, but after countless views, he still couldn't make sense of it.
To this phenomenon, Tang Yu had only one explanation: Vik's favorite boxer had thrown the fight, which was something Vik deeply despised and could never accept.
Tang Yu saw various boxing trophies and medals on the clinic's cabinet and surmised that Vik still couldn't let go of his younger years spent in the boxing ring.
Were it not for the darkness and filth in the boxing industry, with Vik's talent, he would definitely have been a legendary boxer.
Now, with insight into the darker side of boxing, Vik still couldn't untangle the knots in his own heart.
Vik looked at Tang Yu and Jackie and asked, "Why are you two here today together, is there some trouble at the company, some issue that came up?"
Handing over the beers to Tang Yu and Vik, Jackie shrugged and said, "Vik, you guessed it right. The night he got back to Night City, he got a 'welcome party' from the Animals with bullets and RPGs, and now within Arasaka, the infighting and assassinations happen so openly they don't even bother to cover it up."
With concern, Vik said, "Seeing as things have gotten this serious, why do you still refuse to get cyberware enhancements? After all, in an emergency, you can't always be so lucky as last time."
Facing the care from Vik and Jackie, Tang Yu opened a bottle of beer and said with a hint of helplessness, "I still have my reservations, you know. Once I start with the enhancements at Arasaka, there's no going back, and if one day I were to be kicked out, those so-called high-end cybernetics would become ticking time bombs on me."
For anyone with cyberware enhancements at Arasaka, these would include high-end cybernetics provided under the guise of company benefits.
In truth, these cybernetics also became a way to control the employees indirectly. Although it was not severe to the point of being lethal if one left the company, having the usage rights of these cybernetics revoked could potentially lead to paralysis or cyberpsychosis.
After Tang Yu parted ways with Arasaka, they revoked his rights to all high-end cybernetics and even installed a virus in his brain. Thanks to Vik's superior skills, the systems and cyberware were cleansed thoroughly.
Afterwards, with attribute points allocation and a body full of high-intensity cyberware, Tang Yu became a top-tier hacker and understood even more the shortcomings of electronic cyberization.
At that time, his body was full of top-tier cyberware and electronic plugins, allowing him almost unrestricted remote access to anyone who had been cybernetically enhanced.
And in Night City, it wasn't just him who could do such a thing—there were also powerful AIs lurking outside the black walls of cyberspace.
During the attack on the Arasaka tower, there was such a terrifying, god-like AI that assisted, and with a simple hacking protocol, brought down Arasaka's near orbit satellites.
From all aspects considered, Tang Yu had not yet reached the point where cyberware implants were essential. Rather, he should focus more on how to change the course of his legendary life to gain more talents and life points.He now saw the same life simulation option on the old ripperdoc that only he could see, still greyed out and unlaunchable.
Maybe old Vik was a legendary boxer after all...
"Let's have a drink," Tang Yu suggested proactively.
The trio each snapped open their bottle caps and raised their bottles, clinking them together in mid-air.
"Here's to our legendary boxer!"
"To Viktor!"
Tang Yu downed his drink in one go.
Jackie tilted the bottle upside down and guzzled it down. For a boy who grew up in Heywood, this amount of alcohol was nothing.
Viktor, hearing Tang Yu bring this up, seemed to have opened up an old chest, spilling out memories preserved for who knows how many years, and also took a hearty swig.
"Burp..."
Jackie belched loudly after finishing his drink.
Viktor laughed and said, "You two, one from the streets, the other from the corp, honestly hard to imagine how you came together."
Jackie pondered before explaining, "It just shows he's got the spirit of Heywood in his bones, that's the key to becoming a legend, right?"
Tang Yu agreed completely with Jackie's view and then said, "You know? Viktor is the only one in all of Night City who's truly content."
Viktor became somewhat sentimental and said, "When you reach a certain age, you let go of all illusions, and life gets a lot easier. But you guys aren't at that age yet, it's time to show them what you're capable of."
"I've also prepared something special for you, I'm sure you'll find it useful."
Viktor slid back in his roller chair and pulled out a long black box from a drawer, handing it to Tang Yu.
Tang Yu opened the box to find a pair of black-framed, metal-supported glasses inside.
He could see that old Vik had put a lot of effort into these smart cyber-glasses; the electronic components' circuitry and frame design were integrated so well, blending lifestyle with a techy, mechanical aesthetic.
It was irresistible.
Tang Yu was surprised; he had thought that old Vik had prepared some sort of cyberware implant for him, as he received many fine things from Vik in his past life and had forgotten to repay him.
Viktor laughed heartily and said, "Jackie told me you had no plans for cyberware. You've always been someone with your own ideas, so I didn't say much and prepared these smart interactive glasses for you instead."
"Just like what you see, they're based on Shichiro Optics, but have been redesigned with optimized foundations and added new modules. It'll be enough for your current needs. Try them on and see for yourself."
Tang Yu couldn't wait to remove the portable communicator from his left eye and put on the new smart glasses.
After putting them on, Tang Yu felt a faint current near his temples, with data streams directly projected onto his corneas. More convenient and discreet than a communicator, and importantly, much more stylish.
"Viktor, have you named it? Something like this treasure can't go without a name."
Viktor: "Hmm... Honestly, I haven't thought about it, but if you make me choose a name, the first thing that comes to mind is boxing, but it seems to be missing something as its name."
Tang Yu took off the glasses with both hands and suggested earnestly, "How about Dragonfist? What do you think?"
Viktor stroked his chin and pondered over the name.
"Dragonfist..."
Then he replied affirmatively, "Dragonfist, that's a good name, as long as you like it."
Tang Yu didn't bother with formalities and put the glasses back on, saying, "Thanks, old Vik."
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