[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-365":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1151856,1495,"Chapter 365 - 337: Mercenary Feast","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-365",365,"\u003Cp>The two mercenaries were as stunned as statues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Jimmy’s bodyguards, they had of course watched those Black Superdreams when there was nothing else to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thrilling, truly thrilling, and what they were watching was the original footage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had seen cases of memory manipulation and personality interference using Super Dream before, there was no doubt that Jimmy had been adjusting the device just now to achieve that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this guy from Night City was different; he was completely unaffected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille got up from the chair; his mechanical arm in sync with his movements, took away the original footage and Super Dream Device, and methodically placed the items in a box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dexterity of his movements silently impressed the two men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While coordinating with Little Octopus to pack things into the portable box, Lille asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"First off, the first question: name?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman, that is, the Russian, quickly spoke up, \"Call me Phantom; this is Iron Hand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A series of frames popped up in Lille’s HUD; Little Octopus had finished the prosthetic scan and data capture during this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Prosthetics: Dinara Light Subdermal Armor, Jilafa Operation Chip Type 4 (modified for engineering), Memory Augmentation x4, Rear Thermal Fins...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a hacker; most of her prosthetics were developed around the brain area, and she had wet drive access links installed on all four memory enhancements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Memory augmentation referred to a type of brain memory release device that enhances computing power by integrating it into cybernetic offensive and defensive strategies more effectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wet drive access link, however, is a more powerful memory retrieval device. It allows the user to tap into memory stores directly through the mind, rather than relying on external interfaces, turning the human brain more into a wetware computer, enhancing its calculation speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In critical situations, it allows the user to temporarily and controllably enter Cyberspace by running the Brage-Jing Yuan transformation algorithm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This suite of implants was of the high-risk, high-reward type, as releasing more brain memory came at the cost of more easily burning out nerves; there’s heavier wear and tear for everyday use, making it a life-risking maneuver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You had to credit foreigners; many of the implanted prosthetics on her body were brands not commonly seen in Night City, such as chips from Dinara and Jilafa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally... This Lone Wolf still had quite the standout cosmetic modifications.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[...Pheromone Control, Subcutaneous Video, Nymph Perfume Release Valve...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille looked into Phantom’s eyes. Pheromone control made her pupils display different colors, the subcutaneous video was implanted in her chest, not for combat enhancement, but rather... for pleasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nymph Perfume is a special pheromone perfume from Biotechnology that stimulates the brain’s central system; it’s quite seductive to both genders. This woman, having installed four release valves on herself, was like a walking hormone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore a tight leather jacket that clung closely to her body, damaged and torn from combat, her meticulously sculpted skin visible through the holes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed mercenaries from every city liked to indulge in such fanciful stuff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iron Hand’s prosthetics were much simpler: a pair of weight-bearing arms modified from Jilafa Corporation and a wrist-mounted rocket launcher, Heavy Subdermal Armor, a full set of enhanced muscles and alloy bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simple yet brutal, clearly he had been injured many times, even upgrading to a large-caliber cannon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille barely glanced at Phantom when she suddenly shifted, her breasts almost bursting from her clothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V clicked her tongue; Phantom, in return, threw her a flirtatious wink, \"We don’t have any beef, right? This job was a bust for both of us, so how about we exchange contact details?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille looked at Phantom, then at V...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turns out it’s a lesbian thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V punched towards Lille’s head, but fortunately, Little Octopus protected him, \"Stop gawking! Get on with the questions!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uh... all right.\" Lille continued the conversation with Phantom, \"Couldn’t make it in the Soviet and came to Night City? Any news stirring?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phantom shrugged, \"Obviously came here to hit the big time. The Lizard Man situation has even spread to Moscow—honestly, it’s rare to see a scene like this, airships filled with mercenaries.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille’s eyebrow twitched, \"All mercenaries?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, all mercenaries. They might look like regular folks, but you know, we can tell our own kind at a glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mercenaries from all over the world are flocking here; something big must be going on, but that’s all we know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I think the jobs in Night City are on the rise, but you’d better hang on to your cash tight and get your gear upgraded at a clinic soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You, this...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phantom suddenly realized she didn’t know Lille’s \"stage name\" and hesitated for a moment before saying, \"By the way... how do I address you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jimmy on the floor kept mumbling to himself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Burger King... why is there no fluctuation in your emotions? Why does such a high degree of prosthetics not affect your psyche at all?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jimmy looked up, his eyes a mix of excitement and fear, his voice suddenly growing louder:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s only one answer: you are the rare case of a high-functioning cyberpsycho! You’ve gone mad! Ha...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Jimmy was about to burst out laughing, Jack punched him out cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the hell, making such a fuss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in thought, Phantom mused, \"Burger... what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Burger King, big shot idiot.\" Man rested his arm on the filing cabinet, producing a dull thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a face full of seriousness and pride, as if to ensure they remembered, he repeated, \"It’s Burger King, big shot idiot. Keep that in mind, it’s Night City’s toughest mercenary.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phantom looked at the expressionless faces of the Burger King mercenary squad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was somewhat like watching a silent film from the last century when suddenly a narrator appears, reciting a long string of unrelated material.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this name... sounds familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay then... you guys... get ready.\" Phantom suddenly became cautious, \"Because you seem quite valuable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phantom and Iron Hand had come over on a transoceanic floating cargo ship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These cargo ships can be roughly understood as massive vessels from the old era, packed with a plethora of nuclear fission reactors and floating engines, enabling them to carry heavy cargo quickly and safely across the oceans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seemingly expensive, but it’s all to avoid the ghost machines in the ocean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mercenaries usually can’t save much money and can’t afford the costly flights, so seeing many fellow mercenaries on the cargo ships... wasn’t impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are all the world’s mercenaries converging on Night City?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille glanced at Phantom and Iron Hand. Although these two guys were tied up by them, in terms of experience, they were certainly ranked in Night City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the best mercenaries from all over could cross thousands of kilometers to have a chance at a big score in this city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And they were unsupported; among this huge number of mercenaries, there must be some big shot’s real operatives—possibly mercenaries themselves, or... their own elite task force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille stroked his chin: \"Hmm... Night City has become a nuclear bomb now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean?\" V put his hand on Lille’s shoulder, \"Tell me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It means that mercenaries from all over the world are rushing here. I remember you wanted to be the strongest in the city, right? Now the standard has gone up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s interesting. I was just getting bored not being able to stretch my muscles lately.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Drip——]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Contact: Rogel]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Rogel: Got time? Come help hold down a spot.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lille: Will be there shortly.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s go,\" Lille waved his hand, \"Head over to Next Life for some intel. David, you can disband if there’s nothing else, I’ve transferred your tip.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Transfer: -30,000 Euro]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Account balance: 90,000 Euro]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Transfer: -80,000 Euro]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Account balance: 10,000 Euro]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second transfer went to V’s account, who followed satisfactorily: \"Not bad, everyone’s getting proactive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey! Wait up!\" Seeing the three people leave without looking back, Phantom suddenly panicked and yelled at Lille.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Big bro, we botched our first job, got any scraps of work? I still owe money for the ship ticket!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait for notification.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trio left the scene without looking back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the door, Jack became excited and edged closer to Lille: \"You mentioned mercenaries from all over the world? Might we see legends from the past? Like Susan Forrest, Old Snake Waylan...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people are still unconfirmed dead!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jack began to list names like a connoisseur, while Lille shrugged helplessly: \"How should I know?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, wrap it up,\" David also signaled his people to get ready to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others walked in front, and out of curiosity, David picked up a Black Superdream original from the table and waved it at Jimmy: \"Where do you get these from?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Military prosthetics come with built-in Super Dream recording capabilities, he knew that already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But... the data wouldn’t flow into Jimmy’s hands by itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jimmy wagged his head: \"Trade secret, kid. If you want to have a go, I’ll tell you for free.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David stared at the disk, and Lucy looked at David.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black Superdream is addictive, and David used to watch these things all the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After contemplating for a while, however, he put the disk back: \"Forget it, I don’t want to become a cyber psycho. I’m just an ordinary person.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucy secretly breathed a sigh of relief and pondered over her bank balance. As they walked, she suddenly said, \"I’ll show you something when we get back, also related to Super Dream.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once everyone left the room, the restraints on Phantom and Iron Hand were completely turned off. Iron Hand picked up Phantom and jumped out from the window edge—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey! Take the two of us with you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time they caught up to David, he and his crew were already situated in the car ready to drive off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take the two of us with you, we have some skills too...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David rolled down the window and shook his head: \"No deal, go back and wait for notification.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car zoomed off, and Iron Hand started running, grabbing Mackinaw’s car window, while Phantom was tucked under his arm, shouting and patting the side of the car:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t go, bro... Take just me, ah, don’t run! Here’s my contact info...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t even get your names yet! Kids’ meal? The full chicken bucket? Don’t leave...!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mackinaw sped away, and Iron Hand finally couldn’t keep up anymore, panting heavily as he put Phantom down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latter’s face was flushed red: \"Damn it, Su Ka!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1747,"2026-06-03T12:33:12.909Z","2026-06-03T12:33:19.803Z",1,"novelbin.me","7a596a3999b7ae3736c49ea69f0fe714ee08b77e36e817f552430a64d8938663","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-366","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-364",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]