David's implant surgery went smoothly.
Viktor didn't just install a Kerenzikov—he even included Kerenzikov Boost and Kerenzikov Rebound.
Together, the three pieces formed what people on the street called:
"The Kerenzikov Triple Set."
Kerenzikov: Installed in the nervous system; greatly enhances reaction speed. Duration: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 6 seconds.
Kerenzikov Boost: Installed in the prefrontal cortex; reinforces Kerenzikov for greater speed and reflexes.
Kerenzikov Rebound: Installed in the dermal layer; channels the bioelectric surge generated during Kerenzikov activation to overclock subdermal armor afterward, granting high defense for 3 seconds.
"They say a Sandevistan feels like freezing time. The Kerenzikov isn't that strong—it only slows things, both for you and your enemy. But it has advantages: it barely strains the body or mind. Even a kid still in school can use it repeatedly without burning out."
David was deeply grateful.
Every ripperdoc he'd met tried to upsell the most expensive chrome to maximize profit.
Only Viktor considered what was actually best for his clients.
David had never met someone like him in Night City.
Sometimes he even felt grateful for the car accident—
because it led him to Viktor.
It reminded him that kindness still existed.
"Thank you, Mr. Viktor. I'll pay for the other two implants as soon as I can," David said earnestly.
"Then make sure you stay alive long enough to pay."
Viktor waved him off.
"Go on, kid. Your mom's safe here. Your team is waiting."
David bowed and left the clinic.
Maine's car was parked outside. When David stepped out, Maine motioned for him to get in.
Lucy was in the car as well.
She had wanted to leave, but Maine insisted on keeping her close.
"Love's the best stabilizer. With you around, the kid won't do anything stupid," Maine said.
Lucy exploded. "I already told you—I'm not—"
"She's not my girlfriend. Let her go," David said as he got in.
"Relax. I won't make trouble. I'll do whatever you tell me to do. I owe you."
Lucy blinked.
She could feel when someone liked her—and David clearly did.
So why was he suddenly letting go?
But David's eyes were clear.
He smiled at her.
"Let's go, mentor. If I don't die, we'll save up for that apartment together."
Rebecca spat her gum.
"The smell of teenage romance is worse than this damn car."
David protecting her left Lucy speechless.
Her rational mind said she should leave—
but her emotions told her leaving would be a mistake.
Before she could untangle herself, Maine tossed David a shard.
"You're an Arasaka Academy student, yeah? I need you to get inside and slot this into the school's access point."
"What is it?" David asked.
Lucy had been ready to walk away—
but answered without thinking:
"A daemon chip. For cracking heavy ICE and extracting data. Pretty high automation too—the maker's skilled."
"Well shit—you're a netrunner? We could use one. Great. You're not going anywhere. Join us and you'll get rich."
Thunk.
The car doors locked.
Lucy wanted to slap herself.
Why the hell did she open her mouth?!
"No, no—I'm just a thief, not a netrunner! Let me out! Let me out!"
She yelled, scared but no longer hesitating.
Dorio, chewing a cigarette, nodded at Rebecca.
"Watch and learn. That's tsundere."
Rebecca: "???"
"HAHAHA!" Maine roared. "You're still a kid. You'll understand someday!"
David had no trouble infiltrating Arasaka Academy.
The only hiccup came when a rich kid blocked his path with a few goons.
"Why're you just standing there? Beat his ass."
Maine's voice came through comms.
David hesitated—
because Gloria had always told him to avoid fights.
But Maine was the one giving orders now.
He didn't dislike his mother's kindness…
but if he'd ever had a father, maybe that man would've been like Maine.
David's heart pounded.
The obedient student took his first step off the righteous path.
Kerenzikov—Activate.
Time slowed.
Not only for the rich kid—
but for David as well.
This was where Kerenzikov fell short of a Sandevistan:
Sandevistan slowed others but not the user.
Kerenzikov slowed everyone.
But this wasn't useless—
the enhanced reflexes let David perceive the extended moment in detail.
He saw every angle, every punch, every opening.
The rich kid's high-end cyberware let him throw five punches per second—
but under Kerenzikov, David saw them clearly, slipped through the gaps, then struck back with a slow-motion punch that hit like a freight truck.
"Guh—!"
The kid flew, hit the ground, and clutched his swelling cheek—eyes full of terror.
"N-No—don't come near me!
My dad Tanaka once washed Saburo Arasaka's FEET—he can give you athlete's foot with one word!"
Poor kid was delirious.
David suddenly lost all interest.
He used to think these rich brats were mountains he could never climb—
but after discarding everything…
he had the strength to topple them.
"Keep moving, David."
"Understood."
He left without looking back.
He wasn't the old David anymore.
He'd stepped into a new world—one with new rules.
If he survived this…
maybe he could become a merc.
Punish the bad, help the good, earn money, support his family.
That sounded awesome.
David reached the school's mainframe and slotted the daemon chip.
A hacker named "Pink Cat" joined the comms, using Arasaka Academy's lines to hop into Arasaka corporate networks.
Her movements were clean and precise—she secured the needed data instantly.
Lucy watched the whole process.
"So fast…" she whispered.
"Wanna learn? I can teach you."
Pink Cat's voice was young—yet carried a strange sadness.
"The target's in the Corporate Plaza luxury apartments."
"Understood."
"Maine," Pink Cat said hesitantly, "you don't need to get involved."
"Say no more, Sasha. We owe her one."
"A bunch of idiots."
Pink Cat muted herself.
David asked, "What exactly is this job?"
"It's simple," Maine said. "Someone helped us. She died recently—killed by Arasaka. So we're getting revenge."
"That's it?" Lucy stared at him.
"You're picking a fight with Arasaka for a dead person? Are you insane?! It's Arasaka!"
But David understood completely.
"Someone saved me too—saved me and my mother from that crash. If someone murdered her, I'd stake everything to avenge her."
"You two are fucking idiots!" Lucy shouted.
"Haha! Too many smart people in this world. We need idiots for balance."
Maine laughed, proud.
"Kid, I'm one loyal bastard—you admire me yet?"
David nodded.
"Yes, Mr. Maine. I see you in a new light."
"Well damn—Mr. Maine! Did you hear that, Dorio? He called me Mister. I'm a respectable man now!"
"Shut the fuck up!"
Dorio smacked him, then turned to David:
"Don't listen to him. Our real job is to gather dirt on an Arasaka exec. All that revenge crap is cowshit—just Maine blowing wind from his ass."
David stared at Maine.
Maine stared back, betrayed.
"Why'd you expose me, Dorio?! Aren't you my girlfriend?!"
"Of course I'm your girlfriend. I'll be your wife someday, the mother of your kid. Got a problem with that?"
"…No. No problem."
Watching them bicker, David couldn't help laughing.
He didn't dislike this atmosphere.
He even liked it.
He almost turned to look at Lucy—
but held himself back.
He was a man now—
with responsibilities.
He shouldn't drag a good girl down with him.
Well… Lucy wasn't exactly a "good girl."
Just a thief.
A thief he couldn't stop thinking about.
They parked near the apartment building.
Maine watched the place for two hours through infrared optics.
David almost fell asleep.
Smack.
A light slap.
"If you're sleepy, go home." Maine grumbled.
"Sorry. I'm not used to staying up late yet."
"Enough. That's it for today." Maine waved him off.
"You did well. Wait for my call tomorrow."
"O-Okay."
They pushed David out of the car.
Lucy too.
They looked at each other.
Spoke at the same time.
"I—"
"You—"
They paused, then both laughed.
"Let's walk. Train's still running," Lucy said, stretching.
David followed.
Lucy lit a cigarette.
"You really planning to run with them?"
"Yeah."
"It'll be dangerous."
"I don't have a choice."
"Most people spend their whole lives trying to escape this world. And you just dive in like an idiot."
David smiled bitterly.
"Maybe… because I actually am an idiot."
At the metro station—
"I take Line 2," Lucy pointed left.
"I'm Line 1." David pointed right.
A moment of silence.
Lucy turned.
"See you."
"Hey!" David called.
She stopped.
"What?"
"Can you… stop stealing?"
"If I stop stealing, you gonna feed me?"
David scratched his cheek.
He couldn't even feed himself.
"See you." Lucy turned again.
David stared greedily at her back, trying to burn her silhouette into memory.
Because he knew—
this was probably the end of their story.
"Idiot," Lucy muttered, grinding her teeth.
"Stop me… please…"
Like telepathy—
David suddenly reached out.
"Lu—"
Before he could finish, an explosion erupted down the street—
flames shooting skyward, shockwaves knocking them both off their feet.
They stared toward the fire.
"Maine!"
They said it in unison.
"That bastard lied to us!" David realized instantly.
Maine wasn't blowing smoke.
He really was going to avenge his benefactor.
He lied to keep David out of danger.
David stood—
Lucy grabbed him.
"You've known him for ONE DAY!"
"And I've known YOU for one day."
He pulled her in—
and kissed her hard.
"I love you, Lucy.
If I live—
I'll take care of you."
Lucy's eyes widened.
Her heart pounded violently—
her grip on him tightened.
"I must've caught a virus," she whispered.
"…Let's go together. Life or death—I'm with you."
Joy burst in David's chest.
He'd never believed in love at first sight—
until now.
"Maine—we're coming!!"
They charged toward the flames.
"MOVE!"
Maine was covered in blood; Dorio was heavily wounded; Rebecca was pinned with her arms torn off by Arasaka soldiers.
"Maine! I'll help!"
David activated Kerenzikov, taking down two soldiers.
Another soldier knocked him down immediately.
Just as the soldier aimed at David—
his head smoked and collapsed.
"Save them, David! I can't hold them long!"
Lucy's eyes blazed blue—quickhacks frying several soldiers.
David hauled Maine onto his back.
"Kid… you shouldn't have come…" Maine groaned.
"And you shouldn't have gone after an Arasaka exec!"
"I had a reason!"
"And I have a reason to come back!"
Maine looked moved—
then his eyes widened.
He shoved David aside.
BANG BANG BANG.
Bullets tore into Maine.
"Maine!"
David shouted—
and another volley hit him.
Blood gushed—cold and hot at once—
like a dream.
"David!!"
Lucy ran toward him.
David gave a bitter smile.
Once again—
he was powerless.
"Run, Lucy.
Don't look back!!!"
Lucy hesitated—
then turned and ran the other way.
David smiled.
A relieved smile.
He protected the one he loved—
and followed loyalty into death.
A rifle butt slammed down.
His vision darkened.
Abernathy strode forward like an emperor.
All Arasaka soldiers saluted.
"High on Glitter, were you?
You think you can kill me?"
She glared at Maine.
"Speak. Who sent you?"
Maine flipped a middle finger.
"Your mom."
Crack.
A rifle butt split his face.
Abernathy had no patience for gutter scum.
"Tanaka."
"Yes, Director Abernathy," said a bowing Japanese middle-aged man.
"They're yours. Extract whatever value they have."
"Yes, ma'am. I guarantee results."
Abernathy left.
Tanaka—the highest-ranking person present now—lifted his chin arrogantly.
"Take them away. Thorough interrogation."
"Yes sir. We also captured a netrunner based on the network trace."
Sasha—Pink Cat—was shoved to the floor.
"Take her too," Tanaka said, indifferent.
He was already salivating over the combat data from the Chrome Goliath program Abernathy assigned him.
Then he spotted David.
"Is this the kid who beat my son?
Hmph. A boy this young already mastering Kerenzikov… quite the talent.
In that case—"
"Good evening, this is WNS News. The violent assault in the Corporate Plaza has been rapidly contained. NCPD advises citizens to stay cautious during nighttime travel.
Next, the weather—"
Loyalty and emotion dissolved into a glass of lukewarm water.
A life-risking revenge… reduced to less than 20 words.
This was Night City.
Day two of three—
over.