Cyberpunk:Gained a body of steel

"External prosthetic body? At Kang Tao, we don't even consider manufacturing such outdated tech. It's a concept that's been obsolete for decades."

Xu Xinyue spoke bluntly, her tone filled with disdain.

Hearing Peter's words, Ling Xiaohan felt a flicker of disappointment. She had expected Peter to be working on something new and revolutionary—cutting-edge research that would surprise them all.

But an external prosthetic? That was almost laughable. The world had long moved on. Companies were now developing exoskeleton armor, far more advanced than traditional prosthetics. External prosthetic limbs were more expensive, inefficient in energy consumption, and largely obsolete.

Even though external prosthetics had one redeeming quality—they didn't trigger cyber psychosis—no one cared. In this world, human life was the least valuable component.

"Hehe, Mr. Peter, Assistant Xu is young and passionate—sometimes her mouth moves faster than her brain. Please don't take her words to heart."

Ling Xiaohan lightly patted Xu Xinyue's arm. While what Xu said was technically true, it was tactless. It came off as a direct slap to Peter's face—and that wasn't the impression she wanted to leave.

"It's the first time I've heard someone call external prosthetics a 'backward' concept," Peter said with a small smirk. "As it happens, I brought back a semi-finished product I made myself."

"President Ling, Assistant Xu, if you're free, would you be interested in taking a look?"

Truthfully, Peter had just recently learned about the status of external prosthetics in this world. He remembered that in his previous life, the technology was still highly regarded. It surprised him to learn that major corporations like Kang Tao now considered it worthless.

"Mr. Peter already made a finished product in just two days? I'd love to see it," Xu Xinyue replied, intrigued despite her skepticism.

Though she'd dismissed the concept earlier, she was curious. What kind of product could someone like Peter produce so quickly?

"If Mr. Peter is offering, how could we refuse?"

Ling Xiaohan smiled. This development was promising. The fact that Peter was willing to share his research meant he might be lowering his defenses toward Kang Tao. That was a very good sign.

"I'm also curious about your life before you came to Night City," Ling Xiaohan added, trying to dig a little deeper. "Would you mind sharing?"

Peter shrugged casually. "Nothing too interesting. Before arriving in Night City, I lived with a nomadic tribe called the Buckle family. My parents were Chinese—they taught me the language."

"After they passed, V and I did odd jobs in the clan—repair work, cleaning battlefields. When the tribe was disbanded and merged into Snake State, V and I moved here."

Peter spoke without hesitation. None of this was secret, and he knew Kang Tao could easily pull up his records with enough time.

"Hehe, Mr. Peter must be joking," Ling Xiaohan said with a knowing smile. "With your talents, you had to be more than a handyman. Maybe not the leader, given your age, but surely someone important."

Peter didn't respond to the implication.

"What Peter said is true," V chimed in. "Back then, we were mostly cleaning up or fixing small stuff for the family."

Ling Xiaohan frowned. V's expression was sincere—he wasn't lying. But still, it didn't add up. Someone with Peter's ability couldn't have developed his skills in just a few weeks. There had to be a long-term buildup.

She made a mental note to investigate further. If Peter truly developed all of this in a month, then he was far more dangerous—and valuable—than she had imagined.

After dinner, Peter excused himself and walked into the courtyard, carrying a silver suitcase.

Xu Xinyue followed, eager to see this so-called "external prosthetic" for herself.

When Peter opened the case, there was only a single prosthetic arm inside.

"Strictly speaking, this is an external prosthetic body," Peter said, "but I prefer to call it external armor."

He pressed his hand to the silver device. In a flash, a complex array of mechanical parts unfolded, wrapping themselves tightly around Peter's palm.

"Hand armor?" Ling Xiaohan asked, intrigued by the fluidity of the design.

"What functions does it have?"

Peter looked around, then fixed his gaze on a large boulder across the road from the house.

He raised his armored hand, palm aimed at the rock. A faint hum began to emanate from the device.

Then—flash.

A thin beam of concentrated light shot from Peter's palm.

Boom!

The sound of the explosion echoed through the air. The boulder shattered into fragments, dust flying in all directions.

"F**k! Peter, that was amazing!" V exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement.

"Peter, you're a genius!"

"Seriously, you made something like that in just one day?"

Lucy and Sasha mirrored V's astonishment, their faces glowing with admiration.

But Xu Xinyue and Ling Xiaohan were frozen in place.

Did... did that thing just shoot a laser?

That hand armor—wasn't it just a prototype?

You call this a semi-finished product???

Peter chuckled. "So? Does this little gadget impress President Ling?"

He already knew the answer. One look at Ling Xiaohan's stunned face and Xu Xinyue's slack jaw told him everything.

They hadn't expected anything remotely like this.

When Peter had first mentioned armor, they assumed it was defensive—something that could absorb damage or maybe amplify strength.

They hadn't imagined anything this advanced. Not a directed energy weapon embedded into a palm-sized unit.

"This is just a semi-finished product, though," Peter added casually.

His words hit Ling Xiaohan like a bolt of lightning.

This was unfinished?

If this was only a partial build, then what did a completed version look like?

The scientists at Kang Tao might as well quit now, Ling Xiaohan thought to herself.

"Mr. Peter, the hand armor looks perfect. Why do you still call it a semi-finished product?" she asked, trying to keep her composure.

"Because it doesn't have a stable energy supply," Peter replied. "That's its biggest flaw."

Ling Xiaohan's eyes sparkled. This was an opportunity—a door cracking open.

"Can Mr. Peter build a stable energy supply?" she asked immediately.

Peter nodded. "Yes. I can create a miniature nuclear fusion reactor."

"...But I need nuclear fuel."

His voice was calm and direct, but Ling Xiaohan's heart skipped a beat.

Nuclear fuel.

This wasn't just any raw material—it was a game changer. In the right hands, it could power cities. In the wrong hands, it could be turned into a bomb.

And Peter was definitely the kind of person who could build one—maybe even in a single day.

She didn't doubt his claim. If he could make a combat-ready energy weapon glove in 24 hours, a miniature reactor wasn't out of reach.

But nuclear fuel wasn't easy to get, and granting access to it meant shouldering a huge risk.

Still... this could be the start of a powerful collaboration.

And that opportunity was worth more than any risk.

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