CYBERPUNK: Travel to 2075

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New Identity

"How does it feel?"

Listening to victor's voice, Karl looked at himself in the mirror and tried pulling his face.

"There's nothing wrong with it. It feels almost like my original face... it just looks a little strange."

The reflection in the mirror showed a young man with black hair, bearing a slight resemblance to Karl's former self. Overall, he looked more like...

"victor, why does Karl's current appearance look quite like yours?" Jack remarked, glancing between Karl and victor. "He looks like your nephew."

"Huh?"

Karl scrutinized his reflection, realizing that the face template he chose indeed resembled victor.

"To build a face model, you need a basis. The four faces I designed were based on you and me. I thought you'd pick one similar to your own face, but you ended up choosing my template," victor explained, sounding surprised.

"It's too much like you for effective infiltration, but it's fine. Victor's nephew's face is better than one resembling Oliver or Jack's younger brother," Karl joked, rubbing his new face as he stood up from the operating table. "What's next? I've got a face to avoid scans, but what about the identity?"

Changing his face was only part of the solution. Without a valid identity, he'd be discovered soon after entering Arasaka Academy.

"Don't worry, I've asked the fixer to handle it," Jack said, handing Karl a chip. "Take a look at the details."

"A fixer? Why involve him?"

"The fixer has connections, and the priest is one of us Heywood folks. When you mentioned needing an identity, I went to him immediately. He didn't ask for details and quickly secured a legal identity. You can scan your face into it when the time comes. We'll owe him a favor, but that's expected. The famous K—every fixer in the city wants you to help."

"Missions are fine. If we owe a favor, we repay it. But is this identity reliable?" Karl asked.

"Of course! The priest is the top fixer in Heywood. This is routine for him, so don't worry," Jack assured him.

Oliver nodded. "Karl, how many people die or arrive in Night City daily? The NCPD and city officials are too corrupt to track population shifts. Border inspectors barely glance at wanderers or outsiders."

He pointed to Karl's face. "Your pre-change identity was blank. Even my sister worried about you and found nothing in your records. If you've been getting by without an official identity, why worry now?"

"You're suggesting outsiders and wanderers have no rights, right? But can this really fool Arasaka?" Karl questioned.

"Relax. Arasaka Academy doesn't care who you are as long as you pay. We're not applying for jobs at Arasaka or Militech; we're just enrolling. It's a different level of scrutiny," Oliver explained.

Karl knew they were right about one thing: with enough money, Arasaka wouldn't question his identity. The academy, unlike the company, didn't enforce strict background checks on students.

"It's all business," Karl muttered.

In Night City, everything had a price—status, interviews, even education. Given enough money, people would sell even the ropes to hang themselves.

"When does school start?"

"There's no set start date. Pay the fee, verify your identity, and get the Arasaka Academy uniform. But be careful; during the one-month trial, the uniform is on loan. Damage it, and you'll pay based on the wear," Oliver warned, flipping through the details.

Jack snorted. "Isn't that a scheme for ordinary folks who want to experience Arasaka Academy for a month?"

"Exactly," Oliver agreed. "Arasaka reserves the right to interpret these terms, and if you don't complete the course, you might end up paying full tuition as compensation."

"Arasaka isn't charitable. They frame these policies as benevolent, making elite education accessible to everyone. It's a sham."

"Even the poorest can be squeezed for every penny," Jack added.

Karl ignored their conversation, focusing on the chip. His new identity described him as seventeen, just a year younger than his current age. His new name was...

Gaius?