Since It's Unpredictable (3)
Since It's Unpredictable (3)
If you asked anyone what the quintessential feature of cyberpunk was, most would say 'implant surgery' without hesitation.
'Implant'
A technique originally for dental surgery.
But in this world, it carried a slightly different meaning.
It referred to any surgery with the purpose of modifying the body.
Implant surgery generally fell into two categories.
If it used biological materials produced through methods like artificial cultivation, it was classified as 'Bioware'.
And cases where materials like metal were used to chrome the body were defined as 'Cyberware'.
In this world, implants were already as much a part of daily life as anything else.
To what extent? Cases where someone had replaced most of their entire body through implant surgery were common.
In the case of Bioware, there was Bill, who made his body younger, and conversely, for Cyberware, there was Drex, who replaced most of his body with chrome.
Drex.
Race: Dwarf.
Honestly, I had once seen on NCB24 News that the average height of dwarves was trending taller.
But no matter how you looked at it, implant surgery was essential for the birth of a dwarf reaching a height of 2 meters.
To add a personal aside, he didn't look like a 'dwarf' at all.
This wasn't a racially discriminatory statement.
That was simply the truth.
His neatly tied gray beard was his only dwarven feature, if you could even call it that.
He was also proficient in net hacking and a brilliant implant surgeon.
But since that's not a dwarven characteristic, I'll move on.
Anyway, he was a tremendously skilled person.
As far as I knew, he had performed implant surgery on his own body too, excluding the impossible parts.
Anyone could easily guess how great his skills were without being told.
I had also received considerable help from his exceptional surgical skills.
For me, someone with problems in all sorts of bodily functions like stamina and recovery, implant surgery was essential.
Though I had only received it at a very basic level.
I hadn't replaced an entire body part like an arm or leg with cyberware.
It wasn't that I'd never considered it.
But there were a few reasons that made it absolutely impossible for me.
To be honest, if I had known this fact beforehand, I wouldn't have even undergone the small-scale implant surgeries I had received so far.
The long recovery period?
That was definitely one reason.
There had been times I was bedridden for a full month.
But more than that.
"D-Doctor! Please!"
"Moving will only make it hurt more, so just stay still."
"Gyaaaargh!!"
Just then, a scream rang out.
A man's anguished cry echoed from the operating room (torture chamber).
Drex's workshop, a specialty implant shop.
In the lobby's waiting room, I trembled with fear.
Ultimately, cyberware surgery meant replacing parts of your body with machines.
Therefore, thorough maintenance and care were essential.
One problem here was that, in the case of cyberware, the process of integrating it with the body's nerves allowed it to take over the functions of the replaced body parts.
Yes.
Cyberware also had to be connected to nerves.
How best to describe it.
Every time you underwent an inspection like cyberware scaling, you could expect to feel pain several times worse than dental nerve treatment.
Hm.
I had better run away right now.
I thought to myself, perfectly calmly.
There was also the reason that my house was far from Drex's.
But to be brutally honest.
Part of me had ignored Drex's appointments because I was scared of the inspections. In terms of proportion, the latter accounted for about 90%.
Yeah....
Today wasn't the day.
I tried to stand up.
But before my resolve could bear fruit.
The firmly shut door swung wide open.
Drex's bright face appeared.
Droplets of some fluid, I couldn't tell if it was blood or electrolytic fluid, were spattered on his face.
Our eyes met beyond his black cyber sunglasses.
Seeing me frozen in a half-risen stance, Drex grinned widely.
His teeth, entirely plated with gold, were striking.
"Haha, sorry, sorry. I didn't know a client would already be here. Anyway, I finished that up quickly, so come on in now."
"......."
It was already too late to run.
While being dragged along by Drex, my arms seized, I recalled a fact.
Perhaps.
Drex, when he had come to my house, had only been pretending to be angry on purpose.
That way, I wouldn't have resisted.
...I should have figured it all out then and made a run for it.
But my fate was already sealed.
My limp feet dragged along the floor, following Drex's movements.
5. Unpredictable (3)
No matter when you came, the inside of Drex's workshop was always spotless.
As this place was also a kind of 'clinic', I suppose that was to be expected.
Along one wall, Drex was washing his hands.
I lowered my head slightly.
I could see my arms and legs already strapped down.
Even exerting a bit of force, they didn't budge an inch.
There was no helping it now that I was in here.
Drex's workshop was located in the middle layer district of 'South Pillar'. It was in the exact opposite direction from my house.
But even though it was the middle layer, there was a slight difference from other middle layer districts.
Because the neighboring district was the factory zone, 'Cloud Park'.
For reference, Cloud Park had been voted the number one most avoided district by citizens last year.
Because of that, many people said this area was practically the same as the lower layer.
One day, I once asked Drex.
Why he had set up shop in a place like this.
It wasn't that he lacked the rent or qualifications, and didn't he have enough credits to move to the upper layer?
Drex had replied.
'Huuuup..., pah. You'd understand if you took a swig, right? I've wandered all over the Neon City area. The air in this district has the best scent to me. That feel of metal dust in the air is exquisite. It makes me feel alive, you could say.'
The most dwarven.
And utterly insane statement.
A 2-meter tall dwarf was still a dwarf.
...But he was a good guy, you know.
In the end, the reason he'd practically kidnapped me and dragged me to his workshop was because he was worried about me not properly maintaining or caring for my cyberware.
Still, I fucking hate pain.
Suddenly, a curious question popped into my head.
"Hey, Drex."
"What?"
I calmly asked Drex, who was preparing various things with his back turned.
"There's something I'm curious about."
"Haha, go ahead."
"Honestly, if it hurts this much, don't you think general anesthesia is the right call, not local? You know I'm right."
Even I thought it was a perfectly valid point.
It was logically flawless.
"Haha, about that."
With a short laugh, Drex looked at me.
"You're not wrong, but things are different in Neon City, see. There are a lot of clinics that steal your organs while you're actually under anesthesia."
Drex slowly approached me.
His massive hands were already filled with various maintenance tools I couldn't identify.
Hell, his hands themselves were maintenance tools made of cyberware.
In short, it was fucking terrifying.
"So that's how it goes, and it's become an unspoken rule. For simple surgeries or checkups, you use minimal anesthesia."
Hmm.
But what did that have to do with me?
"...Wait, then I don't fit that rule, do I? You know I always trust and believe in you, right? We're colleagues! Let's just go with general anesthesia."
"Haha! Si-un.... Si-un."
Why was he laughing ominously again?
His tied-up gray beard shook continuously along with his hearty laughter.
"A weak-bodied guy like you, if you went under general anesthesia, you'd just suffer more from the aftereffects. Just bear with it 'just a little'."
Drex, you son of a bitch, what do you mean....
It's not 'just a little'.
Suddenly, peaceful classical music began to play in my ears.
[Playing classical music for the mental health of the human 'Lee Si-woon'. I pity you.]
Eve....
Memories from my time in Korea, which I had buried, came rushing back vividly.
...The dentist.
The classical music they played.
And the fierce sound of the drill.
Ugh, my head.
I seriously thought I was developing PTSD.
......Hoo, fine.
Let's analyze the situation calmly.
Where had I received implant surgery again?
All my joints: wrists, ankles, knees.
And my skeletal lines like my spine.
Every single one was close to nerves.
"......."
I'm fucked.
No, I need to get a grip.
Find what I can do in this situation.
"Wait, what about Catherine! Andre! They need checkups too!"
I couldn't die alone.
"I sent a message to Catherine earlier when I was bringing you in. She said she'll come get hers tomorrow. Andrea already came by and had hers done last time."
...Ha.
So this was an inescapable fate after all.
"...Alright, fine. If that's how it is, I guess there's no helping it."
I resigned myself to my destiny.
Drex's huge shadow fell over me.
"Oh, and."
"Now what."
Unless he intended to deliberately stall and increase my mental anguish, I wished he'd just get it over with quickly.
"While we're at it, let's add one more implant."
"No, excuse me. Wait just a minute, Doctor......!"
That's really not okay.
I focused on putting all the emotion I could summon from my very core into my voice.
I had to survive!
"I told you last time we talked on the phone, but you know my constitution. If I get surgery, I'm bedridden for a while."
"Hahaha! Don't you worry about that."
It was my body.
How could I not worry about it?
With a clatter, Drex emptied the tools he was holding onto a small tray beside me.
The gleaming surgical instruments hijacked my gaze.
"I said don't worry, there's a way for everything. See, someone also made a separate request to me."
"?"
Who on earth.
Had made such a crazy request?
Catherine? Andrea?
Or if not them─.
......Honestly, too many people came to mind.
Someone from Monolith?
Or if not them, maybe it was No Answer....
There were just too many people (and every other race) who worried about me.
It was fine, even appreciated, that they worried about me suffering with this weak body.
But I hadn't wished for them to show their appreciation in this manner.
"It won't put much strain on your body either."
From somewhere, Drex brought out a high-grade mechanical storage case. Its thick build made the locking mechanism look very sturdy.
As Drex entered a simple authentication procedure, the case slowly began to open.
A white chill slowly seeped out from inside.
What was that?
A silver-colored... muscle?
The thing, which looked like a small lump of muscle, seemed like it could be cyberware, yet also looked like bioware.
"It's a new product from 'Black Monolith Corporation', not even on the market yet, they say."
"It's finished clinical trials, right?"
"Looks small and plain, but I heard its efficiency far surpasses any existing artificial muscles."
No, but I asked if it finished clinical trials, asshole.
Why wouldn't you answer my question?
"We'll install it between the muscles. It'll hurt a little until it settles in, but it'll be fine."
I was the one getting surgery.
I didn't know why he got to decide that it would be fine.
Anyway, I wasn't sure what he was saying.
All I heard was that it would fucking hurt a lot.
"The person who requested it also sent this along for you to use. That's why I told you not to worry."
Drex took out another object from inside the case.
It looked like a small 'ampoule'.
......That thing.
I knew what it was since I had used it often in the past.
It was a therapeutic product containing nano-robots.
I even kept a few at home for emergencies.
Judging by its red design, it looked like a top-of-the-line product.
"We have to consider the sender's sincerity."
"Couldn't you consider my opinion in that too?"
"Haha, here. Hold still."
How could I move when I was tied down?
I regretted it once again.
I really should have dashed away when I was sitting in the waiting room.
"It's just a simple inspection and surgery. Just relax."
"D-Don't come any closer...!"
I said don't come near me!
I let out a silent scream.
* * *
"...I wonder if he received it well."
"Um, Boss. This time─."
"Ah, I'll check on it later."
Someone else smiled silently.