What happened before you came to Night City?"
Hearing Liana Forrest's question, Alex Carter couldn't help but sigh.
He knew exactly what her goal was — she was trying to dig up his past.
But there was nothing meaningful to tell!
What was he supposed to say?
That he had been playing Cyberpunk 2077, and after completing the ending where V entered cyberspace, he somehow ended up here?
Yeah... no way.
If he said that, Liana would probably laugh herself to death.
No, that story was out of the question.
Maybe... he could tell her something else instead?
After thinking it over, Alex decided to spin a more believable version of his past — one that had some truth but still kept his real origins hidden.
"When I was born," Alex began slowly, "my mother had complications during childbirth. In the end... she chose to save me instead of herself. My father had to raise me on his own."
"Huh? Seriously?" Liana raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Childbirth complications? That sounds ancient... how long ago was this supposed to be?"
"If I'm lying, I'm a dog." Alex shot her an irritated look.
Even though this memory had been passed down from his father, it was important to him — one of the few personal moments that still warmed his heart, despite all the violence he'd seen over the years.
"Alright, alright... go on," Liana muttered, resting her chin on her hand as she listened.
Unbeknownst to Alex, Liana had quietly activated her recording mode...
"My family comes from three generations of royal chefs," Alex continued.
"Originally, my father's cooking skills gave us a comfortable life. But as they say, 'The tallest tree catches the most wind.'"
"One night, two guys — jealous of my father's talent — broke into our home after getting drunk..."
"It was chaos. All I remember is my father bleeding out in front of me. Somehow, I managed to grab a knife and... I killed them both."
"But no matter the reason... murder is still murder. I ran away. I don't even remember how I ended up with a gun in my hand, fighting in some warzone."
"After that... well, I became a mercenary. Drifted from one job to the next until I wound up in Night City."
By this point, Alex was deliberately vague. War stories? They all blurred together after a while.
Liana, seemingly convinced, nodded thoughtfully.
"So... which region were you active in back then?" she asked casually.
"The Persian Gulf," Alex answered offhandedly.
Back in the day, that region was a hotbed of conflict — endless skirmishes over oil made it a playground for mercenaries like him.
"Uh... okay." Liana nodded, but her expression carried a hint of suspicion.
Meanwhile... At Kang Tao Headquarters
In the Kang Tao Headquarters' conference room, Dr. Xavier Simms addressed the group.
"Everyone, we've received a new report from Liana."
The recording of Alex's story began to play.
"Three generations of royal chefs..."
The audio unfolded exactly as Alex had told it.
Beneath the recording, a note appeared — marked by Liana herself.
"Considering Alex Carter's excellent cooking skills, along with micro-expression analysis for emotional and psychological indicators, this story appears to be true."
The room fell silent.
The executives exchanged uneasy glances.
"There's no way this is real," one man finally muttered.
"Yeah... this is absurd."
"I refuse to believe this. There's no way Alex is telling the truth."
"It's ridiculous. He's obviously trying to mislead us."
"Or... maybe his memories were implanted by someone," another theorized.
"Exactly! Some unknown organization could've fabricated these memories — maybe even altered his mind to believe it himself."
"Regardless," one woman said, "there's no way a man like him is actually over a hundred years old!"
The room erupted into chaotic debate.
Yes, modern technology had advanced far enough to extend life.
Yorinobu Arasaka was living proof — a man who had surpassed 150 years thanks to extensive prosthetic implants, specialized treatments, and cryogenic preservation.
But even Yorinobu's aging process had to be managed carefully — endless procedures, medications, and prolonged periods in low-temperature stasis were necessary to keep him functional.
And Alex?
No visible implants. No signs of modification.
His body was like a living fortress, yet he looked barely older than his twenties.
There was no way someone like that could be over a century old... right?
The elderly minister in charge of the meeting finally spoke.
"There are only two possible explanations here," he said firmly.
"Either he's an experiment — the result of some unknown organization tampering with his memories."
"Or... he's actually over a hundred years old — and someone has successfully performed biological enhancements far beyond anything we've ever seen."
He paused, letting the room absorb the gravity of those words.
"If it's the second option... then whoever's behind it has the power to rule the world."
Dr. Simms leaned forward.
"Minister, I suggest we attempt to obtain a DNA sample from Alex Carter."
"With that, we could trace his genetic background and analyze the modifications in his body. We might even... attempt to clone him."
Simms' suggestion hit the room like a thunderclap.
"Brilliant."
"Agreed."
"But... DNA alone may not be enough," the minister warned.
"We'd need genetic information too — and that's far trickier to obtain."
Hearing this, Dr. Simms scratched his head.
"I'll contact Lisa Han. While Liana's sharp, getting that kind of data would be... difficult for her."
The minister chuckled.
"True. After all, she's just a kid."
But neither of them knew that, halfway across the world, Liana Forrest was about to face her most challenging mission yet — one that involved digging deeper into Alex Carter's secrets than anyone had before.
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Advance chapter in PATREON
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