Gearbound: Cyberpunk 2077

"This… this is…"

Behind him, Dorio's voice suddenly rang out like a phantom, without any warning.

"Maine, what are you doing? Everyone's waiting for you!"

Maine's lower half was still outside—only his upper body had crawled into the car.

At the sound of Dorio's voice, he shuddered reflexively, and the back of his head directly struck the car's ceiling.

Struggling to pull himself out, he waved at Dorio. "Don't rush, I'm coming right over."

.....

..

.

At night.

A bar in Santo Domingo.

Glasses clinked in a flurry of toasts.

"Cheers!"

Among the many cups filled with alcohol, one contained 'happy water,' making it particularly eye-catching.

However, no one present said anything.

After a round of drinks, the atmosphere grew lively.

Maine patted his chest and said loudly, "Drink as you please; the tab is on me."

"In that case, that's great—I'm not holding back."

Jack's second favorite thing to hear was "Drink as you please," while his top favorite was, "Good work, here's your pay."

"Leo, can you come with me for a moment? I have something to talk to you about."

"What is it? Can't it be discussed here?"

"It's not convenient here."

"Alright then."

Leo nodded and followed Maine out of the bar.

The bar's door closed behind them, sealing off the clamor and noise inside.

This bar was located in a rather remote area, and it was very quiet outside.

The gentle night breeze felt refreshingly cool on the skin.

Maine led Leo to the back of the bar, to where their pink sedan was parked.

"You know me—I'm not much of a talker, so I'll get straight to the point. Would you be interested in joining my team?"

Maine had a premonition.

Even though the three of them were still relatively unknown, the future held promise.

If he could recruit him into his team, it would be like a tiger gaining wings, like a ghost obtaining a club.

Leo was taken aback.

He really hadn't expected that Maine had called him out just for this.

"Sorry, but I don't plan on joining any other team for the time being."

"Alright, but if you change your mind, my invitation still stands."

Maine placed his hands on his hips.

Leo's refusal was exactly what he had anticipated, so he wasn't surprised.

After all, he wasn't exactly a crowd favorite.

"So, next is the second matter."

Maine opened the trunk.

Inside were a pair of mechanical arms wrapped in waterproof cloth.

"Are you trying to sell them to me?"

"No, these mechanical arms are spoils of war."

After Maine's explanation, Leo suddenly understood.

The Animal Gang shunned traditional cybernetic limbs.

Although they did have neural interfaces, they wouldn't go so far as to sever their arms to install mechanical ones.

However, the Animal Gang's methods of self-modification had their limits.

People have different constitutions.

No matter how much you pump iron or use enhancers, the final results of your training will inevitably differ due to individual differences.

Maine speculated that perhaps the leader of the Animal Gang, due to his less robust constitution compared to others, could never catch up no matter how hard he trained.

That's why he sought out a cybernetic doctor, secretly having his own hand amputated, then replacing it with a pair of mechanical arms, even fitting them with a layer of bionic skin and covering them with a coat so that they wouldn't be noticeable.

Although these mechanical arms were actually an old model from two generations ago, their performance was very formidable.

A treasured blade never grows old—they were even more powerful than the ones Maine was currently using.

Maine's motto was to make use of any good cybernetics available.

"I like these mechanical arms, but I don't have enough money right now. Once I get my first batch of cash from Fara, I'll transfer the money to you. How about that?"

Maine's current arm had a built-in projectile launch system, but if he transferred that system to these mechanical arms and installed them, it was clear that his combat power would be greatly enhanced.

Maine hadn't thought about keeping it all for himself—after all, Leo didn't know about it.

Only Dorio was privy to Maine taking these cybernetics, and Maine trusted Dorio completely.

He was sure Dorio would never let it slip.

However, after some thought, Maine finally abandoned the idea of keeping it for himself.

He felt that while some bargains can be taken advantage of, others simply cannot.

He had even called Rebecca's brother to ask—although this item was an older model, when it was first released it was all the rage, and even now it hadn't completely fallen out of use.

Just like the GTX1080TI, though not as good as the latest graphics card, if it were given to you for free, you'd probably take it.

Since it still held some value, Maine proposed buying the mechanical arms, and Leo had no objections.

However, he put forward one request.

"Can I take a look?"

"Of course."

Maine nodded.

Leo picked up one of the mechanical arms and examined it repeatedly, then did the same with the other one.

At that moment, the system reacted again.

「You consider that mechanical prosthetics could replace human arms, thereby obtaining greater power」

「But is there a possibility to achieve the same effect without having to amputate your hand, perhaps by using an external mechanical device?」

「Would it cost 20 potential points to obtain the upgraded blueprints?」

A smile tugged at Leo's lips as he felt a surge of excitement.

His luck had been quite good lately.

It seemed to him that this skill was passively triggered.

Not long ago, he had just figured out the tactical sight, and now he'd also come up with an improved blueprint for mechanical prosthetics.

It was truly a case of three years of drought and one burst of rain.

However, while the tactical sight had only required 5 potential points at the time, this now demanded 20.

Leo opened his panel and checked the potential points he had acquired from his previous assignment—it was less than one-fifth of the required amount.

He realized he still had a long way to go, but he was not discouraged.

He wasn't afraid of high requirements; he only feared having no goal.

Seeing a progress bar made it easier—if he just kept moving steadily in that direction and completed a few more assignments, sooner or later he would meet the 20 potential points requirement.

…

Time flew by.

From meeting Jack, to encountering V, to going on missions with Maine's team…

It all seemed to have happened in the blink of an eye.