Cipher Steele, at 28 years old, was a young man with a hardened spirit and an unwavering determination forged through life's trials.

Born into a working family in Night City, Cipher Steele experienced the harsh realities of the city from an early age. Born in the early period of reconstruction and its instability of it, bore witness to a rather interesting childhood. Then there was the whole mess of the unification wars, he had witnessed a lot in his short time on planet Earth. His parents worked at the steel mill. The mill belonged to a corporation providing steel beams to the city for the massive reconstruction it was undertaking. A child, he often visited the industrial district at its peak, mesmerized by the towering structures and the rhythmic clang of automatic hammers. He knew that is what he wanted to do with his life.

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Tragedy struck one fateful day when Cipher was involved in a severe accident at the steel mill. While working near a massive steel press, a catastrophic malfunction occurred, causing the heavy machinery to slip its guide rail. The safeties had failed as a massive steel rod shot into him, leaving him with life-threatening injuries. His left leg and right arm were turned to paste, completely irrecoverable.

In the aftermath of the devastating incident, Cipher found himself waking up at Viktor Vector's cyber clinic, the famous ripper doc for those in the know. He could not have been in better hands. The Mill ended up paying for medium-range cybernetic limbs for him.

A few weeks later he was found not responsible for the accident and allowed to return to work at the mill.