Maelstrom—whether in the game or in reality—was a gang composed almost entirely of cyberpsychosis-adjacent lunatics.
Take any one of them and drop them into normal society, and without exception they'd all be sent straight to a padded cell.
Not a single one would be wrongly diagnosed.
But under modern standards, as long as a Maelstrom member still retained a shred of rationality, they could barely be considered a "normal" person.
The gang's defining traits were grotesque cyberware over-modification and the black, tattoo-like metal plates embedded directly under their skin.
Common cyberware among them included:
mechanical optics
combat-enhanced cyberlimbs
pain editors
and other borderline-illegal mods
Lin Mo's mind instantly recalled all the data he knew about the gang.
But the thought that lingered in his heart like a persistent shadow was something he had stumbled upon in the game—
Some Maelstrom members had suspected ties to rogue AIs…
and even to the most mysterious corporation in Night City: Night Corp.
Night Corp—founded by the wife of Richard Night after the original first mayor and architect of Night City was assassinated—
a corporation named after "Night" itself, also known as The Knights Foundation.
Information about this company was scarce at best.
Even while playing the game, the lore around them was vague.
All he'd known was that Night Corp was exceptionally secretive, dangerously deep, and to many players, likely the true hidden antagonist of Night City.
One of the game's endings had the player character cooperating with the mysterious NPC "Mr. Blue Eyes" to orchestrate an operation involving the orbital Crystal Palace.
But the game never explained what actually happened—
the ending was just a close-up of the protagonist's face…
and then nothing.
Lin Mo pondered all of this for a long moment.
His prolonged silence prompted Regina to check in.
["Hey, you still there, partner?"]
"Sorry, just thinking. Let's get back to the point—
this is all the intel you've gathered so far?"
Lin Mo pushed aside the clutter in his mind.
Regina replied:
["Unless my internal memory storage suddenly broke, yes, that's all.
If you want to know what else has happened recently, I can send you a report later.
And here's some advice—stop reading the news.
The media lies."]
Lin Mo: …
That phrase—"the media lies"—was nothing special on its own.
But in the game, every time the player called Regina,
she ended the call with that same line.
He'd heard it so many times his ears had grown calluses.
"I've got another question—
what's the treatment progress for those cyberpsychos?"
Lin Mo asked.
Regina's tone grew heavier.
**["Overall, the treatment is going smoothly.
Honestly, the funds you provided solved a lot of problems for us.
And the lab data you risked your life to retrieve saved us months of trial and error.
But… saving people is harder than killing them.
Of the six cyberpsychos you handed over to me,
two are very close to being beyond help."]**
"Medicine has always been built on sacrifice…"
Lin Mo said quietly.
He had funded the project and infiltrated the coast district not for profit,
but to try—just try—to save a few unfortunate souls.
If the results turned out poorly…
at least he'd done his best.
Regina continued:
["But there's good news.
The first cyberpsycho you delivered—
the one with the highest level of cyberware implantation—
surprisingly, he's showing the best recovery of all patients."]
"The guy built like a gorilla?"
Lin Mo asked, startled.
**["Yes.
His case has been incredibly encouraging to the medical staff.
From another angle, this may suggest that heavy cyberware is a major trigger for cyberpsychosis—
a leading factor, but not an absolute one.
They believe he still has a very strong emotional anchor—a lingering obsession—which prevented him from completely losing himself."]**
"That's good news."
Lin Mo let out a breath, genuinely relieved.
He hadn't expected that the very first cyberpsycho he knocked out and handed over—
also the most dangerous of the bunch—
would be the one recovering best.
He still remembered the intense struggle vividly.
If that guy truly recovered one day…
Lin Mo fully intended to recruit him.
["Alright, that's everything for tonight.
Any more questions, partner?
If not, we'll have plenty of chances to talk later."]
Regina slipped naturally into her usual goodbye tone.
"One more thing—
those medical personnel willing to join the treatment project…
where did you find them?"
Lin Mo asked.
He'd never paid attention to that detail before,
but now that the treatment was progressing this well,
he'd begun to appreciate talent.
Regina answered casually:
["Trauma Team."]
["I have some connections with Trauma Team.
I know quite a few surgeons and medical professors.
A few joined voluntarily, but most came because the pay was extremely generous."]
"As long as the talent is good, the money doesn't matter."
Lin Mo said, unconcerned.
Regina laughed.
["Partner, I really like that billionaire attitude of yours.
Not afraid to show off your generosity.
It's very attractive, you know?"]
Lin Mo could hear the teasing behind her words; he didn't take it seriously.
"Alright, that's enough for tonight.
I've got things to do."
Lin Mo said after thinking for a moment.
["Goodbye, partner."]
Regina hung up crisply.
In the restroom, Lin Mo stretched, working out the stiffness in his back from leaning against the wall too long.
Then he remembered the real task at hand.
He grabbed the Simulator from the sink.
Regina's call had just been a small interruption—
he still had more important things to do.
A daily simulation was too precious to waste.
In good spirits, he put the headband on and activated the simulation for the next day.
A minute or two later, he removed the headset—
only for his expression to turn instantly dark, stormy, and cold.
If not for certain small differences in the simulated events,
he would have thought the Simulator had made a mistake.
Tomorrow—
his sister Xu Wanxue
would face another assassination attempt.
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