Chapter 614 - 585: Inspirational Short Stories for the Youth (Part 2)

The Wild Man King spoke lightly, but an opponent who thrives on crushing his foes with superior gear and even slaughtering them in the ring, to the point where the whole underground fighting scene of Night City couldn’t find anyone to stand against him, putting up a fight against someone like that would definitely not be easy.

In the old days, people could console themselves that money couldn’t buy health, some were born sick, and even if they could hang onto life by a thread through their wealth, they struggled to move like normal people.

But in this era, the rich not only play harder than the average person, but their physical capabilities also brutally surpass those of the poor.

"I remember after the fight I lay there for a month, all my bones were broken, and the nervous system was trashed too, that son of a bitch even hid a rotating blade in his prosthetics, stabbed me right here, I was lucky I reacted fast, but still, half my face was ruined.

That was the most dangerous fight I’ve ever had, and there was another time when I snapped my spine."

The Wild Man King pointed to his right face, where the blade had pierced through, practically a direct thrust to the brain—

To think about it, it’s the extreme: a meat grinder shoved into your face.

"But I won, so I’m the boss of the Animal Gang, and since then I’ve realized one thing: you should know every part of your body inside and out.

But, my brain is not so sharp, I don’t understand all this prosthetic stuff, so when I was lying in bed, I researched various training methods, made training plans...

Times of injury are always tough, especially when my spine was broken. My partner told me there’s technology that could have gotten me a military-grade spine, but I didn’t even think about it and declined, just relied on our plan to heal the nervous system.

Ha, my partner even said I should win that... Nobel Prize in Biology or something!"

Lille didn’t speak; he didn’t even want to comment on the Wild Man King’s physiological state. As the saying goes, a madman never thinks they’re mad, and she was practically the same.

But rebuilding a nervous system through mere exercise is indeed impressive, historically rare cases to count on one hand, it could only be said that she’s truly become a sportswoman.

Maybe it would be good for V to also adopt a systematic approach to training?

Matt was completely stunned. Honestly, after wandering for more than a year, almost two, he felt like he had been entirely renewed:

What they taught in school and what his dad said about Night City had some truth: how most people outside love to wear VR all day playing with Fleshlights, or put themselves under with drugs for weeks, or like to slice up their kids to sell...

All of this is true, and even arriving in Dog Town, the streets are full of junkies high on powerful drugs, indulging in one intake for days, in some indescribable state.

But there are also untrue aspects: not everyone on the streets is a lost cause.

Now? Now it’s a direct brain upgrade.

The legends he heard most about in school were Arasaka Saburo, the President of New America, Miles, founder of Jilafa Company, Artem, and Meita Company, which used to be the Wanderer group...

These are the role models of success in the new capitalist world for all those who receive a good education, but frankly... it’s rare that the content of a textbook genuinely inspires anyone.

However, the poor in the streets also have their legends, inspiring some to lead a distinguished life.

At first, he couldn’t understand: people like Johnny Silverhand were recorded as terrorists in many aspects, influencing Matt’s preconceived notions. Then Morgan Black Hand, just a mercenary, and various other well-known names on the streets, frankly, none stirred any feeling in Matt.

Now it’s different, the Wild Man King was too close for comfort, and her story... was too detailed, too specific, too convincing.

Now he truly understood what it feels like to be inspired.

"Oh yes, I still remember the prosthetics that trash used: the biotechnology BB-VIT-2040 life support module. Under high load attacks, it disrupts the subcutaneous circuits around the ribcage but leads to excessive adrenaline secretion, which hinders the body’s self-check systems."

"Wow, you know it like the back of your hand, huh?" V also felt this big guy... gal was quite interesting after listening.

"Of course."

After listening, Lille timely chimed in, "Some skyscrapers stand tall in the city center, unshakeable; some don’t even get the chance to be completed. Some people are born rich and strong, able to enjoy their lives; others, gamble with their lives in underground fights for survival, easily killed by those wealthy individuals, nothing is fair, I know it, you also know it.

You could spend your whole life seeking fairness, and then you’d find out, you really can enjoy the same pleasures as them:

A little money can buy you VR glasses, a little bit can get you potent drugs, a little money... can let you discover that the world is really fair, you can get as high, even higher than them biologically.

Are you willing to waste your life chasing fairness?"

Matt decisively shook his head.

Lille nodded in satisfaction, "That’s right, you see, in this era... people love to complain about how the corporations and the NCPD did this or that to them, but you’ll find that most who say this aren’t in good situations themselves. Look at me, I don’t talk like that, I love them to death."

The Wild Man King looked at Lille helplessly: Well, indeed, they supply you with gear, right?

Stupid companies, stupid NCPD, why don’t they supply me?

Lille paid no mind to the scoff of the towering figure and continued to speak to Matt:

"Most people’s breakdown is internal; they crave fairness too deeply, then they discover they can also indulge in joy for a cheap price.

They become addicted to entertainment, succumb to feelings of powerlessness, soothe themselves by cursing the outside world, and hand over their future for fleeting happiness.

Willpower... in a way, it’s also the ability to actively choose to face such unfairness. That idiot she blew away was just a piece of garbage with negative will."

Matt looked at the young goalkeeper Tommy on stage, who was striving to showcase his soccer skills, but the surrounding scouts had already lost interest—

At this level, there was no attraction; European youth training was full of kids at this level, and this was with prosthetics. Leveraging his future could only get him this far, and no one would sign him up.

He didn’t even dare to think how poor Tommy’s innate conditions must have been. This Sports Academy was full of his contemporaries, yet he still chose to do his best rather than secretly use his tuition to buy drugs, those films, or some other nonsense—

This was not uncommon in Night City.

"It’s too unfair..." Matt muttered to himself, but his confusion was gradually fading and was less likely to evolve into evasion.

Wild Man King waved to the bartender who quickly came back to his senses and opened another bottle, pouring her a drink.

She passed the drink to Matt: "Actually, I have quite a few brothers who play professionally under me, right here in Night City. I’ll introduce you to them later.

By the way, after finishing this drink, you’ll have to do extra training, so it’s your choice whether you drink or not."

Matt grabbed the glass and gulped down a big swig, exhaling deeply after swallowing:

"Ha—"

"You’re looking good, get ready to meet the Academy’s Dean."

Lille patted Matt on the shoulder and turned her wheelchair, looking up at Fiona, who revealed a stiff smile.

Her nervous tension had not ceased since earlier, nearly driving her out of her office.

Matt nodded, his gaze fierce as he looked up at Fiona on the stairs, making her heart skip a beat—

No, I don’t have any grudge with this kid, do I?

Why does it feel like he’s about to charge at me?

With this thought, Fiona, whose smile was already very stiff, smiled even wider and more rigidly.

...

Outside Dog Town, a group of mercenaries stood by on the side of a building, their movements crisp and uniform, impeccably equipped, not at all like ordinary mercenaries, and it was unclear when they had slipped in.

But their leader was quite relaxed, with a cybernetic prosthetic arm holding a cigarette, staring at the sky.

"Airdrop in 60 seconds... Stay sharp, follow the plan and minimize contact with the Netherworld Dog... But I say, is this ruse still effective?"

[Contact: The fugitive trick is indeed bold, but it’s not a big problem.]

[Contact: Pressuring the Netherworld Dog is the top priority, and you also need the supplies from the airdrop.]

"Damn stingy, sending me on a mission, and I still have to snatch equipment from someone else’s hands."

The leader, who had been speaking, discarded his cigar and suddenly asked, "Are those fugitives really that remarkable? They strut around so openly, don’t you guys want to wear them down a bit?"

[Contact: Focus on your current task, I’m adding a temporary assignment for you: There’s a Military Technology 20L Automatic Cannon in the airdrop, a vehicle will arrive at a new location to pick up the goods in 5 minutes, move quickly.]

[Contact: You won’t be shortchanged.]

"Guess I have to take action after all."

The leader chuckled, his metal arm grasping the large cyborg pistol under his black leather jacket, as the metal connectors lightly clicked...

A breeze blew by, the rapid flight of the airdrop drone grew closer, and that arm clutching the large gun emerged into the sunlight, its dark metallic surface seeming to absorb all the light—

It was an ordinary-looking black metal prosthetic arm.