Viktor Vektor is known as the best Ripperdoc in Watson. He's also an old friend of Jackie.
"I win."
"Wow, Misty. First time playing this game and you're good at it."
Me, V, and Misty are on the floor inside Vik's clinic, playing Uno while waiting for Jackie to finish his checkup. I created these cards myself using my system—made them out of durable plastic and designed them exactly how I remembered. I didn't bring Uno with me from my old world. I made it here, from scratch. The original version. I haven't even started crafting the chaos that is Uno: No Mercy. Lola's outside—not because she's not allowed in, but because she's playing with that cat. I don't know how, but the two of them became friends.
"All done. Besides the bullet in your ass, you're fine. I recommend upgrading your cyberware optics."
"Thanks, Vik. I'll pay for the treatment. For now, we need to sell all the weapons and valuables from our recent gig and go report to our client that the job is done."
"OK. I'll hold on to the cyberware optics for you. Hopefully you have the money to pay for it."
Jackie stood up and headed toward us.
"Guys, I'm done. Do you want Vik to check if you have any injuries?"
"Nah, I'm good, but V should go."
"I'm OK. If anything, you should go since you went straight for those two Maelstrom gangers."
"As you can see, I don't have any injuries, but I can see some scratches on your arms."
V was convinced and headed over to Vik.
"What were you guys playing?"
"A card game that 8 created. It's called Uno. It looks simple, but you need to think about which card you should play. The rules are simple: you have to empty your hand."
Uno is indeed a classic card game known for its simplicity yet strategic gameplay. Players aim to be the first to empty their hands by matching cards either by color or number with the top card of the discard pile. However, Uno also introduces special action cards like Skip, Reverse, Draw Two, Wild, and Wild Draw Four, which add twists and challenges to the game.
"Give me some space. I want to play."
Now Me, Jackie, and Misty are playing Uno.
"8, can I ask you a question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"Sure, what's on your mind?"
"Do you really not have any cyberware? I mean, you took out two armored Maelstrom gangers with speed and strength. I doubt you even need our help."
"To be completely honest, I don't have any cyberware. And as for the question about my speed and strength... If I had to simplify it, it's because I'm genetically enhanced."
Jackie looks at me curiously.
"Genetically enhanced? Like steroids or something?"
"Something like that. It's more like he modified my body to be more durable, stronger, faster, and smarter. A superhuman."
"He? By any chance, can you tell us more about that person?"
I knew this was going to happen. It was just a matter of time, so I decided to tell them half the truth.
The person's name is Migel. He is responsible for modifying me and Lola. The reason he did this? So I can live my life however I want—of course, not harming any innocent people.
I can see V and Vik listening to our conversation now.
"So, he modified you and Lola for no reason but to let you live your life? There has to be a clear purpose or benefit. People usually have reasons for their actions, even if those reasons aren't immediately obvious."
Thinking about my past life, the reason I was modifying my character was to have fun roleplaying as someone you shouldn't mess with.
"Jackie, believe me. He's not a mad scientist trying to conquer the world. He just wanted to make my life easier."
"Is it really OK to tell us all of this?"
Misty asked with a worried look.
"I'm not hiding it. With the little time I've spent with V and Jackie, I know I can trust them. That includes you, Misty. I can tell you're a good person."
Misty smiles at this.
"What about me?"
Looking at Vik.
"The moment I saw you, I knew I could trust you. Maybe it's your haircut or sunglasses. You have the charisma of someone genuinely caring for their clients."
"I appreciate your kind words and trust."
"You look like someone who went on multiple dates. Tell me, how many women did you break the hearts of?"
"Well, I don't know. I'm not keeping count."
"You bastard."
"Can we go back to the conversation?"
"Sorry, Misty. Where was I? Right, apart from modifying my body, Migel also left me heavily armored vehicles, modified cyberware, and lots of money."
"I know this sounds rude, but may I know how much you have?"
Misty punched Jackie in the shoulder.
"I have enough money to live as the richest man in Night City."
"Are you serious? Then why are you doing gigs instead of living the life of luxury?"
"Jackie, I'm a superhuman. Do you think I'm going to waste my time doing nothing except spending money? I'm not like those corpo clowns with sticks up their asses thinking money makes them bulletproof."
"Fair point. What happened to Migel?"
Thinking about my past life—how I was modifying my character, went to sleep, and woke up in Cyberpunk…
"I don't know what happened to him. But I know he's living his life happy."
Like that, our conversation ended. We kept playing Uno while Vik attended to V.
Time passed and we said our goodbyes. We sold all the weapons and valuables and informed our client that the job was done. We decided to go to El Coyote to celebrate our first gig together.
"Cheers!"
"8, I want to ask you something about a rumor that I heard. Is it true that you took care of the Scavenger gang all by yourself?"
"Yes."
"And the thing that happened inside the warehouse—is that true?"
"Yes."
"Really? Didn't you go overboard?"
"No. They don't deserve any pity. They kill people for their organs and torture them for fun."
"What rumor are you talking about?"
Jackie explained to V what happened with the Scavs.
"I see. I'm glad that they suffered."
"Thank you, V. Let's talk about what we're going to do next."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, no offense Jackie, but your car is crap. We need a bigger one to store more loot. Also, it needs to be bulletproof in case we get chased. Maybe even add some weapons. Luckily, I have the perfect car for this."
"Really? That's good. I was saving my money to buy a motorcycle."
"It's your money. Do whatever you want. The second thing we need is a hideout—a safe place to strategize for gigs, store our stuff, vehicles, and just have privacy. I'll take care of that too."
"Are you sure? I mean, do you have the money?"
I looked at Jackie with a blank stare.
"Sorry, I forgot. You're rich."
"Yes, I have the money. But I won't be holding your hand for everything. You have to earn it. For example, if you want me to modify your pistol, you need to pay me. Of course, you'll get a friend discount. Also, you guys will help maintain the hideout—either by cleaning or helping with bills. And finally, we need more people."
"More people? Aren't the four of us enough?"
"Yes and no. We can take on small gangs, but who knows what the future holds. For example, we need a netrunner."
"Do you have someone in mind?"
V looked at me, waiting.
"No. We have to decide as a group who joins us."
"Are you going to be the leader?"
"Hell no. You can bet your ass that me and Lola will just bust the door open and shoot first."
Jackie and V looked at each other, then at me.
"Yes!"
We laughed and kept celebrating. Lola was with Mama Welles, eating her home-cooked meals. Time passed and we headed home. I decided to call Padre to ask if any warehouses were for sale. He said it would take time, which I didn't mind.
"Well, Lola, hopefully he finds a good place for our hideout. It's going to be a pain for me to install all the necessary equipment. Even if I stop time, it'll take days."
"Woof."
"Let's go to sleep. Tomorrow, I'll start creating your backpack."
"Woof, woof, woof."
End of Chapter
I've been seeing a lot of AI-generated animation lately, and honestly… it's starting to feel like too much.
Sure, it's one thing when people use it online for fun or memes — I get that. But now it's showing up in TV commercials, movie theaters, and even video games. I'm not kidding.
I use ChatGPT myself, mostly to help fix writing errors. It definitely helps — but sometimes, it tries to change the tone or message of my story. No joke, a few times it changed the dialogue so much that my main character sounded like a total asshole, which wasn't what I meant at all.
Thankfully, it has a read-aloud option, so I can hear how it sounds and decide what to keep or change. It's useful for things like describing environments or making action scenes feel more alive. But I still prefer things that come from real people — especially when it comes to art and animation.
I just hope things don't go too far. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing a hand-drawn scene or a carefully crafted animation made by someone who poured their heart into it.