Brother Ni had never heard of this name, not even in the contents repeated by the Truth Department, where it should have been the bishop or something else.
"Who else would it be but that group of brain-dead folks."
Caidix waved his hand, as if recalling something unpleasant.
"That bunch of lunatics was initially very resistant to cybernetic implants; you could hardly tell anything was wrong with them from their appearance. Anyone on the street could be one of their members — a barber, a restaurant owner, a supermarket clerk... They ambushed modifiers, captured them, skinned them, burned them, hung them from lampposts..."
"But they were just a cult from around the 2010s. After Judgment Night, they were hunted down everywhere by the then-leader of the Vortex Gang, the Bone Crusher. Since then, you rarely saw them; after all, in a hellhole , implants are the future."
As he spoke, he jeered at his surrounding brothers.
"Isn’t that right, brothers!"
The heavily modified members of the Vortex Gang immediately responded to him.
"Long live implants! Long live modification!"
"God of Machines bless us!"
"Tomorrow I’ll turn my manhood into a grenade launcher!"
Then came a burst of collective maniacal laughter.
Honestly, with a mindset like that, Brother Ni felt they were more like a cult worshipping implant modifications, swinging from one extreme to another.
Moreover, their degree of modification was exaggerated beyond belief.
It even reminded Brother Ni of that monster he had encountered in the sewers some time ago.
Though judges had many similarities with that group, Brother Ni thought that group was from too long ago, making it difficult to find clues. So he asked again,
"Are there any other existing cultists in the Watson District, perhaps not the kind that hates implants?"
"Why do you keep asking about this?"
Caidix’s voice suddenly turned cold.
Brother Ni quickly explained, "Just trying to find some news for my friend. He’s an underground radio host; maybe you’ve even heard his broadcasts."
Caidix was skeptical: "What channel? Doesn’t matter to me."
Brother Ni whispered something in his ear, which widened Caidix’s initially indifferent eyes.
Seeing the disbelief, Brother Ni imitated and said,
"Why are you shouting so loud?"
The familiar tone and modulation lit up Caidix’s face.
Damn, it really is him. Not just anyone could pull off that style.
His demeanor immediately softened, and after a brief hesitation, he slowly said,
"Cultists like those? They’re everywhere, really."
"Not just the silent Judges; even within our own gang, some people believe in those things."
Caidix twirled his finger around his temple.
"Believe in those... computer monsters, you know, but nobody really cares, everyone does whatever they want."
Isn’t that something only the Voodoo Gang would do?
But members of the Voodoo Gang aren’t really cultists; strictly speaking, they’re just working for themselves.
Becoming AI is the end goal, working with AI is a means to that end, fundamentally different from blind faith.
What Brother Ni hadn’t expected was that the Vortex Gang also had AI believers.
But AI... shouldn’t really be connected to underground activities, right? They can’t even stand implants; AI shouldn’t be accepted either.
Brother Ni: "Do you know which area they’ve been active in recently? I’d like to go take some photos for an interview."
Caidix: "Goldsmith Street, those guys operate at night, but don’t mention I told you."
Currently in Night City’s major gangs, only the Sixth Street Gang has a clear leader, the rest are co-governed.
The Animals are divided into clans, the Tiger Claws into groups, the Valentinos into families, and the Vortex Gang similarly has different factions.
Even the current leader of the Vortex Gang, Brick, is basically just the head of the biggest faction of modification fanatics within the gang.
Brother Ni patted the other’s shoulder.
"Next time, if there’s a chance, I can take you to the recording site."
He hadn’t expected Brother Dao’s radio to have gained some fame in Night City, with even members of the Vortex Gang tuning in; it seemed there were some fans.
Caidix was overjoyed; in all of Night City, there weren’t many who could go head-to-head with corporations, slander the New America President Miles, Huang Ban Sanlang, and still emerge unscathed. Being on their show would be an absolute blast.
"You have to promise me, though, I’ll go anonymous when it’s my turn."
Brother Ni assured, patting his chest, "Absolutely no problem."
He was about to get up and leave, but his arm on the bar lost strength, almost causing him to collapse to the ground.
Caidix stepped forward in concern, asking, "Hey buddy, are you alright?"
He didn’t even know Brother Ni’s name, but still wanted him to survive his show, well, at least not before he’s done recording.
Brother Ni shook his head vigorously, his vision blurring, feeling like he could be logged out any moment. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novelFirｅ.net
"That drink... packed quite a punch."
While players can block many perceptions in their brain, they can’t stop alcohol and methanol from spreading inside, poisoning Brother Ni’s nervous system and affecting his vision.
Just like how Tutu wouldn’t feel pleasure or hallucinations when injected, but couldn’t avoid the poisonous effects.
It wasn’t just a strong drink; it was one that could kill a normal person.
Honestly, for Brother Ni to have lasted this long, even in the Vortex Gang, he was considered a superhuman-level monster.
But he didn’t want to pass out and die in the Vortex Gang’s territory, causing a three-day logout, so he struggled to keep his eyes open.
"ERO... almost there..."