"Hey, Bug, you busy? Got a semi-private job for you. Got time?"
Roqi cut straight to the point, no fluff.
"The usual, what else?" T-Bug's tone was lazy—either she hadn't slept or was stuck in a soul-numbing task.
"I've got time. Lay it on me—what's the gig?"
"Love that attitude."
Roqi felt reassured. A good start—things were going smoothly.
"There's this training biochip from MaxTac—combat sim stuff. Problem is, I don't have a chip slot."
"I remember you used to work on Militech training chips, so I wanted to ask—is it possible to adapt this for a braindance rig?"
Silence on the other end.
Then a long pause followed by a confused, "Huh?"
Clearly, Roqi's idea had blindsided her.
"Why not just get the implant? Why make things so complicated?" she asked.
To her, it was 2077. Refusing cyberware at this point? Come on.
Deep mods were optional, sure—but at least get the basics installed. Without them, Roqi was totally out of sync with standard systems and specs.
"Nope. That's exactly why I'm asking. I don't want implants."
He was firm.
Until he figured out what that mystery system in his head was—and those Yockman Tech components that installed themselves—he wasn't taking any risks.
"If a braindance setup works, I'd rather use that."
"You're really sure about this?"
"Absolutely."
"Alright then." T-Bug didn't argue. A job was a job—and easier when it's for someone you trust. "I'll need to prep some equipment. Where should we meet?"
Roqi glanced around. "MaxTac HQ. Just give them my name at the entrance."
Another pause.
"…You serious? You want me to walk into MaxTac HQ? That's basically volunteering for jail."
"Oh, so that's what you're worried about." Roqi chuckled.
"This is MaxTac, not the NCPD."
MaxTac didn't deal with minor infractions or small-time crooks.
Still, just to be sure, Roqi looked over at Melisa, standing nearby with arms crossed.
"If she's got a record, is that a problem?"
Melisa glanced over. No nod, no shake.
"Depends on the record. If it's NCPD jurisdiction, not our concern."
MaxTac's mission was simple: terminate cyberpsychos and terrorists.
"You hear that? Any MaxTac-level charges on you?" Roqi asked her.
"Plenty of corporate property damage, but MaxTac never came knocking," T-Bug replied. "So... probably safe?"
"Perfect. I'll wait for you."
They chatted briefly, then Roqi ended the call.
One top-tier netrunner locked in—fast and clean. He felt great.
T-Bug's rates weren't cheap, even with the friends-and-family discount, but Roqi could afford it.
It wasn't spending—it was investing in himself.
Stronger meant safer. Safer meant more freedom.
"You got my approval for that expense yet?" Melisa deadpanned. "You're moving fast."
"Come on, sis. I'm serious."
He immediately shifted into pleading mode.
After some playful back-and-forth, Melisa relented. She'd already handled the applications, equipment, and tests.
As a senior officer in a decently funded division, money wasn't a huge concern. Compared to billion-euro armored drones, this was pocket change.
"Fine. File the request. I'll approve 50% reimbursement."
"But if you're willing to hand the full tech package to R&D, I'll cover 100%—and apply for a performance bonus."
It took Roqi a second to catch the meaning.
If he just used the converted BD version himself—half the cost covered.
But if he handed the whole system over to MaxTac's R&D, the department would foot the bill—and he might get an innovation bonus.
It wasn't the first time someone had ported chip content to BD. But this chip's high-end structure made it more than a simple reskin.
The MaxTac combat chip was built on bleeding-edge materials and architecture. Recompiling it into a usable BD format was a genuine tech breakthrough.
After talking with the dev team, Roqi had a basic understanding of the chip's internals.
It was still in prototype phase—but its framework and usability already met training standards.
What it lacked were polished assets, stability optimization, and UX improvements. All typical challenges for emerging tech.
With things settled, Melisa left—fast and purposeful as ever.
She wasn't just an administrator. She led field ops. Her schedule was packed.
That left Roqi and Mower with the test crew.
Roqi didn't have a chip slot—but Mower did.
And since biochip slots, CPUs, and data ports all followed standard protocols, compatibility wasn't an issue.
Mower's cyberware was a military-grade Frankenstein's monster—stitched together from cutting-edge prototypes.
As a product of experimental combat programs, her gear wasn't even standard issue for most spec ops units.
Some parts were still in trial phase.
And when those prototypes failed, they really failed—one nearly drove her mad from sheer pain.
Since then, she'd had PTSD about implants.
Logically, she knew: follow proper procedure, use top-tier parts, and it's no worse than a dental job.
But her body remembered. Trauma didn't care about logic.
Only around Roqi did that fear ease.
And if they held hands? Even better.
Any closer would cross into public affection territory—hard to pull off under the curious stares of the test crew.
Worth noting:
Mower's test scores were near-perfect.
No weaknesses. Unshakable focus. Impeccable self-control.
In short: the ideal soldier.
While they waited for T-Bug, Mower was the perfect candidate to test the chip.
"You ready to plug it in?"
Roqi held the chip in one hand, resting the other on her shoulder as he reached for the port at her neck.
"Go ahead," she said calmly.
Funny thing.
Some people flinch when pointed at with a pen or needle.
In 2077, a new version of that reflex existed—fear of having a chip slotted into your neck.
Even tough folks sometimes twitched at the moment of insertion.
It was a psychological hurdle—but one most people could overcome with time.
What wasn't okay was what Roqi was doing—hovering too long, breathing down her neck, clearly taking his sweet time.
After a few minutes, Mower's cheeks turned bright red.
"You're really going to plug it in now? You okay?"
He wasn't even trying to tease her—but the wording made it sound way too suggestive.
"Just do it. Now."
Her back and neck were so ticklish she nearly shivered.
"This feels… weird."
The moment the chip clicked into place, the ultra-cyberpunk awkwardness passed.
She quickly swatted his hand away and gave him a few quick punches.
He totally did that on purpose!
But before she could say more, the chip booted up on her HUD.
"When using this software, we recommend stabilizing limbs to avoid accidental injury during involuntary movement," one of the techs said.
Then looked at Mower—calm as a statue.
"…Never mind."
Roqi put on his helmet.
The external HUD synced with Mower's visuals—he now saw exactly what she saw.
No splash screen. No dramatic UI. No epic BGM.
That stuff was for games. Real training software skipped the glitter.
Mower's profile had been imported. In the sim, her avatar would perform at near-parity with her real-world stats.
"This UI is so bare it hurts," Roqi muttered—careful not to insult the devs standing nearby.
But while the presentation was plain, the backend was loaded.
Mower's session started almost instantly.
She chose a basic rapid-fire pistol drill—a warmup.
The moment the visuals loaded, something felt… off.
At first, Roqi thought it was the minimalistic graphics—everything was too blank.
Then he realized—it was deliberate.
A no-distraction training space. Flat white floors. Boxy placeholder buildings and targets.
But when he saw Mower's hands gripping the pistol in first-person, his jaw dropped.
It was like RTX ray-tracing accidentally wandered into Minecraft.
Hyper-detailed hand and gun models set against a low-poly void.
Then she fired—and the realism hit a new level.
The recoil. The haptic feedback.
Mower said two words:
"Fucking awesome."
She stared at the gun in her hand for a moment, impressed.
It was just a standard Militech M-10AF Lexington. Ubiquitous.
Say "Militech," and two guns came to mind: the Ajax and the Lexington. Big and small.
This was the small one.
But in this sim, it felt real—real enough to fool the brain.
"How's it compare to the chips you used before?" Roqi asked.
"Big upgrade," she said without hesitation. "Way better than the last-gen stuff. But I didn't get to test this version—last I saw, it was still in lab development."
"We'll get you one," the dev said confidently.
Roqi, meanwhile, was like a kid watching someone else play a badass arcade game.
Full of excitement, he nudged Mower.
"C'mon—let's see something cooler."
She scrolled through the module list—there were so many that even she got overwhelmed.
"What do you want to see?"
"Katana," Roqi grinned like a kid who'd just found buried treasure.
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MY GIRLFRIEND'S A CYBERPSYCHO—WHO KNEW?
🤖💘 MY GIRLFRIEND'S A CYBERPSYCHO—WHO KNEW? 💘🤖
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📢 LOVE MEETS CYBERPSYCHOSIS! 📢
My Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew? has 100+ chapters ahead available on Patreon! 💘💥
Romance is already complicated.
Now add:
🌃 Night City🦾 Cyberware🔫 Gunfights💀 Cyberpsychosis💥 Property damage❤️ And a girlfriend who might snap at any moment
Love hurts.
In this case, it might also come with bullets, broken walls, and emergency trauma care.
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🛑 ALSO AVAILABLE ON PATREON:
🌃 Cyberpunk: Dogtown Legend🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless👩👦 Cyberpunk: Lucy Adopted Me and I Got a System🧠 My Cyberpunk 2077 Simulator🛡️ Star Wars: The Rise of Mandalore🌌 Star Wars: Relics of the Past🏰 Game of Thrones: Secrets Beneath the Dreadfort⚡ The Rebirth of Harry Potter🌹 R18: Reincarnated in Her World
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