Chapter 38: Cyberware Potential

The lung issue is a short-term problem that can be solved with money— This world breeds all sorts of scavengers, or "organ-harvesters," due to the exorbitant price of human organs. You might ask, in a world where cyberware technology is so advanced, why is there still an organ trade? Because the cyberpunk world is just one step away from true mechanical ascension, and the entire world experienced technological regression and disruption after the collapse of the old net. So, most cyberware still requires the original host's body to meet certain standards, which can generally be categorized into three attributes: "Body," "Reflexes," and "Intelligence." These three attributes are typically used by cyberware doctors to assess a body's potential, determining whether it can handle certain specialized implants. In theory, only by implanting enough cyberware can these "potentials" be converted into actual stats. But on the flip side, only if the potential meets the requirements can the cyberware achieve the desired effect. Synthetic lungs are a type of synthetic tissue used to increase lung surface area, thereby increasing the amount of oxygen intake per unit of time, fundamentally enhancing the body's endurance. However, if the host's body doesn't meet the requirements, synthetic tissue could instead decrease lung efficiency. When is a body considered not up to standard? For example, a person with a very weak body, whose intercostal muscles, abdominal muscles, pectoral muscles, and diaphragm are not strong enough, will have limited chest expansion, meaning the amount of air entering the lungs won't reach their maximum processing capacity. Such a person can't even fully utilize their natural lungs, so adding synthetic lungs is pointless because there isn't enough oxygen for the body to absorb. Instead, ineffective synthetic lungs would increase the lung's burden, potentially causing other health issues. Leo's situation was slightly different—his muscles were weak, but his lungs were even weaker. So, replacing the lungs could solve the immediate crisis. Old Vic first installed a biomonitor on Leo, explaining the relevant knowledge as he worked. Jackie had gone out to negotiate the price of the lizard with the Padre, leaving only V—because she had some injuries to take care of as well. V curiously asked, "Old Vic, I never knew all this stuff before. How come you never told me?" Old Vic glanced at V, "Think about it yourself." Thinking carefully, V realized that it was probably because she never listened in the first place. Forget about Old Vic giving her lessons—she didn't even want to read any manual longer than 100 words. So, V gave an embarrassed smile and asked, "So what are my three stats according to you?" Old Vic, while checking the biomonitor he was implanting into Leo, said, "Your stats haven't been updated in a while, but from what I remember, your Body and Reflex potential are both above 16." "And my Intelligence?" "You don't need to know. It's good enough." Old Vic completed the last step of the procedure, fully integrating the biomonitor into Leo's body. A new HUD appeared in Leo's cybernetic eye, displaying his basic info like blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight. Old Vic even added an advanced HUD, showing more complex data like white blood cell count, blood sugar levels, red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, and so on. V pouted, "And Leo? I bet his Body stat is only 1." "Uh, you're not far off." Leo saw his pitiful Body stat, and even his Reflex stat barely reached 3. No wonder he felt his body couldn't keep up with the Sandevistan's extreme speeds. The Body stat determines overall physical strength, while Reflexes primarily refer to the coordination between the central nervous system and neuromuscular junctions. On a microscopic level, Reflexes are mainly determined by factors like the number of neurons and synapses, which are details that implants can't address. A 3 is the average person's stat; a 1 means Leo would collapse with just a push. "Haha!" V laughed mercilessly, "Weakling!" Leo didn't respond because he noticed that his Intelligence stat wasn't showing a value. A high Intelligence stat here doesn't mean someone is like Newton or Einstein; it's primarily determined by the surface area of the cerebral cortex and the activity level of brainwaves. The higher the value, the easier it is for implants to use the brain for computation, similar to having a larger memory capacity in a computer. Having high Intelligence doesn't mean one will become a Newton, Einstein, or even the legendary netrunner Bartmoss. After all, creativity and cognitive ability can't be accurately quantified, and besides innate talent, education is also a crucial factor in a person's success. But all these figures would have an Intelligence stat of at least 20. Old Vic's point was clear—the test caps at 20, but it's meaningless for Leo. Moreover, in this world, superior talent can sometimes be a curse—something Leo understood well. Grasping Old Vic's point, Leo casually filled in a 12 for himself, glancing at V as he did: I might be weak, but you're an idiot. Ding— The clinic's doorbell rang, and the sounds of commotion came from the street—it was a hovercar arriving. The hovercar wasn't large, nor was it streamlined; it was clearly an economy model, primarily used for transportation. The lettering on the side of the car indicated the company it belonged to: MoorE Technologies. This was the lung and cyberware Leo had bought for 300,000 euros. A man in a black suit carrying a briefcase appeared at the clinic's entrance, flanked by two fully armed bodyguards. "Thank you for choosing MoorE Technologies, Mr. Leo. Here is the premium live organ and the latest synthetic lung tissue you purchased. To prevent installation issues, the synthetic tissue has already been optimally integrated with the live organ." "In addition, there's the artificial auxiliary heart and blood pump you selected, built with MoorE Technologies' exclusive technology, ensuring your heart never stops, and your blood flows uninterrupted." "You opted for alternative installation methods, and given the local security situation and your purchase options, the company bears no responsibility for the cargo's safety after signing. Please sign for your goods." Living in 2077, online shopping sure is convenient. Leo hadn't expected MoorE Technologies to use a hovercar for delivery—though it made sense, given that he'd paid an extra 2,000 euros for express shipping on top of the 300,000 euros. It would've been cheaper to use ground transport, but the terms for ground shipping included a clause: "For Night City customers, the company is not responsible for the goods once they are shipped." Leo couldn't risk that. "Quite the spectacle." Both V and Old Vic were seeing this kind of delivery method for the first time. After signing, Old Vic, with mixed feelings, opened the 300,000-euro package. If it were just a regular lung, a scavenger could get one for a few thousand, but Leo needed something different. According to the earlier standards, the lung donor's Body potential was 18, making it top-tier. It might be overhyped, but it certainly met the standards for installing synthetic lungs. Of course, once installed in Leo, the potential might not be that high anymore, and it might still deteriorate. Let's just say... it might buy him some time. Based on Old Vic's assessment, it was the lungs this time, but the next organ to suffer acute failure would likely be the heart. Leo would do well to be prepared. The blood pump would increase blood flow, ensuring circulation could keep up with the robust respiratory capability of the new lungs. The auxiliary heart was for extreme situations—for Leo, any intense exertion could cause an organ to go into acute failure. If his heart suddenly gave out, he'd be a goner. The auxiliary heart would ensure that if his primary heart stopped, this top-tier cyberware could pull him back from the brink of death. But even this wasn't a perfect solution because Leo's body was so weak that if his main heart stopped, the auxiliary heart might only keep him alive for another hour or two... "What comes next might be a bit..." Old Vic was about to proceed with the implant surgery. He should've reassured Leo as usual, but he suddenly remembered the time he installed the Sandevistan for Leo. So he changed his tone, "Boring. I'll send you a copy of Cyberware Installation: From Beginner to Expert. You can read it to pass the time and learn something useful." "Sure." Leo agreed cheerfully. Once the cyberware was installed, Leo and Old Vic discussed how to handle the Sandevistan in his spine— Leo had installed a power limiter on it, but once activated, it couldn't be turned off. If he had to rely on it every time something went wrong, Leo could be dead by next month. So he decided to have Old Vic tweak the software system—there was no doubt that the Sandevistan's driver wasn't the optimal version. Of course, Old Vic wasn't skilled enough to develop a new Sandevistan driver on the fly, but he could work on limiting the implant's power. This made Old Vic see Leo in a new light—few people ever think of dialing down the power of their cyberware. Using powerful combat cyberware is like mortals stealing fire from the gods—immense power comes with immense punishment. For most, power is an irresistible temptation, but Leo chose to temporarily seal away this power, using the implant only as an artificial spine. But Leo still had to be a netrunner, so he decided to install a neural port. As a general rule, the Cyberware Doctor's Handbook states: "Sandevistan and neural ports should never be installed together," for reasons already mentioned. But Leo had already proven that the risk of losing control didn't apply to him. Interestingly, when this idea was put into practice, Old Vic discovered that the Sandevistan already had an interface for the neural port's core chip— It was originally designed with a neural port connection in mind! Just a slight modification of the wiring would allow a direct connection between the neural port chip and the cerebral cortex. It completely broke conventional design principles. Could it be that this cyberware wasn't initially intended to be a Sandevistan? How bizarre.