Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 107 Winter Snow (1.1 words)

Lin Yue had a series of very strange dreams.

He dreamed that he had returned to his hometown, and his drifting boat had been moored in a warm harbor.

However, their whispers seemed quite noisy, and Lin Yue felt like an outsider.

"You have always been you, never changed. You are Lin Yue. Everything you have encountered and everything you know... is all yourself." The woman, like a deity, was watching them from above, and they all obeyed her unconditionally.

The world in his dream was incredibly real: his home was called Shangri-La, a place they called a sanctuary for souls, and Lin Yue was one of its inhabitants.

Some long-forgotten things were completely poured into my mind. There was no such thing as a soul residing in the body of some unlucky guy in another world. This was the result of countless AI intelligent deductions. It was the result of them using the body of a woman named V as a container to observe this world and write down ten thousand possibilities. They were simulating the results using the world as a sample.

……

The dreams became increasingly bizarre.

These digital spirits wandering in cyberspace control many “dead cities” that have lost their inhabitants due to war, epidemics, and disasters—everything within them is at their command.

Lin Yue saw how he was born... They used abandoned medical and biotechnology facilities to "manufacture" a carefully cultivated embryo from this city.

They taught him the rules of human society, subtly instilled in him several possible outcomes of the future, and told him that they came from the future and were observing this outcome from the perspective of the "fourth wall."

Then, he erased these past memory nodes related to "them" and abandoned him, a boy not even ten years old, on the streets of Night City.

All of this is simply to observe whether individuals who are aware of social processes will disrupt the future.

In his dream, Lin Yue was an orphan who barely survived, slowly making his way from Night City to Dog Town by stealing and committing crimes on the streets. In Dog Town, he lived a life of aimless wandering as a ghost dog until one day, after a hangover, he remembered everything that seemed to be familiar to those from higher dimensions.

However, once you wake up, these seemingly real memories will recede like the tide and never return.

……

Japan, Honshu Island (ほんしゅう).

On a vast 5000-acre plot of land, three tall white buildings stand.

This is the "Honshu Research and Development Center" that Arasaka uses to develop various technologies.

Winter snow has arrived, and there are only a dozen days left until 2076.

Lin Yue gazed out the window at the snow-covered plains. The forest looked like a green cake covered with a thick layer of cream, and everything in sight was pure white.

He has been here for 33 days.

Every day, medical personnel come to check on his physical condition, test his prosthetic procedures, and ask him many questions. Of course, V has also come a few times, but I heard she is very busy, flying all over the world dealing with troubles for Arasaka.

"【NC01344】, your time to talk is up."

Lin Yue, dressed in a well-fitting, close-fitting hospital gown, turned his head to see an ordinary-looking Japanese woman sitting on the sofa in the luxurious ward, waving a folder and a data tablet in her hand—she forced a not-so-good smile and patted the sofa.

"Come here, sit down."

To be honest, Lin Yue hated being treated like a child, but his subconscious told him that he had to obey, as if only in this way could he get through this period of time faster.

Lin Yue sat down and casually lit a cigarette. The woman frowned, but seeing Lin Yue's cold eyes, she swallowed and kept her words to herself.

How's your sleep lately?

Lin Yue answered almost without hesitation, "Not so great, I dream a lot."

The woman sighed. "You said last time that you were dreaming, but you wouldn't say what you were dreaming about... Dreams are a manifestation of the subconscious and can reveal a lot about us. Could you please cooperate with us?"

Lin Yue scratched the itchy skin around the black prosthetic on the back of his neck. "As a scientist, don't you know that most dreams are quickly forgotten after waking up? Dreams themselves have no logic, and besides... I can't deduce anything from those scattered fragments."

The woman helplessly spread her hands. "Okay, let's move on to the next topic."

Lin Yue took a deep drag of his cigarette. "Um, please hurry, I'm hungry."

The woman hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Do you feel happy? What do you think is the source of your happiness—in other words, what do you feel happy about?"

"Dating or sleeping with the woman you love? Or money and status? Or... uh, murder?"

Lin Yue sighed, "This kind of question is boring and meaningless."

The woman seemed oblivious to Lin Yue's displeasure. "So that's the last one?"

It is offensive when someone forces a choice on you.

"I never said I liked killing, nor did I say I liked destruction."

"But you spent a whole day shooting at targets at the range, and you even tried to point your gun at the security personnel—"

"I'm experiencing temporary memory loss!"

"Then how do you explain that you almost never leave your opponents with a whole corpse during your operations in Night City? You like to strangle your enemies, you like to destroy, and you even chopped dozens of Tiger Claw gang members into pieces..."

"This is required for the mission."

"Your subconscious doesn't lie. You'll definitely get pleasure from doing these things. Can you explain in detail?"

"I do not have……"

"Then how do you explain your previous attempt to attack medical staff? You know you have intermittent emotional outbursts."

"I didn't, you fucking..."

"Do you like the woman who came to visit you? That beautiful woman—"

"I fucking told you not to ask!"

Lin Yue suddenly stood up, his eyes beginning to glow faintly with a reddish light.

The woman shrank back, and two female Arasaka ninjas pushed open the door and entered, already drawing their swords from their sheaths—

But the woman's provocative behavior did not stop.

"Hey, listen up. You think what I'm telling you is baseless? On your first day on Honshu Island, you consciously wiped out an entire lab—you're not a cyberpsychotic, but your [personality level] is already very low!"

Lin Yue took a step back. "My memory is confused."

The woman, however, remained unfazed and pressed on relentlessly, "Memory confusion? You shouted 'Fuck Arasaka!' while you were fully conscious! You know you're conscious, you weren't affected by the wandering AI, your personality is deteriorating, don't you realize that?"

"enough!"

There was a knock on the door. V's face, made even paler by his black coat, looked terrible.

The woman glanced at Lin Yue, and the two Arasaka ninjas sheathed their swords. V walked over slowly. "Who gave you the authority to conduct private scientific research projects? I said he's Arasaka's property. Do you think it's particularly noble to dedicate yourself to science, huh? Answer me!"

The woman quickly hid to the side, apologizing incessantly, as if V was the villain.

Under V's gaze, the woman left with the folder in her arms, a strange, excited smile on her face.

V adjusted her breathing and smiled slightly, "The people at the Arasaka Research Institute are all crazy. What she said... uh, don't take it to heart."

Lin Yue sat back on the sofa, his expression gradually calming down. "Hmm... So, you got promoted and made a fortune?"

V slowly sat down. "It's not that easy. Jenkins' business in Osaka is reportedly in trouble, and Abernathy is sticking to it—I was promoted by him, and only Saburo Arasaka has this kind of personnel jurisdiction at headquarters..."

"I received a very generous bonus for this operation and an annual leave that I don't know when I'll get—I've deposited your money in the Night City Credit Bank (Night City Credit Union) for you."

Lin Yue smacked his lips, feeling somewhat uninterested.

Money didn't seem to hold any appeal for him.

"How are you?"

V remained silent for a long time before asking.

Lin Yue scratched his head. "Okay, I guess so."

In fact, Lin Yue knew very well that this was not good at all.

He knew perfectly well that his body was inexplicably weakening and that he was destined for the same fate as the lark.

The black wall and the roaming AI will completely corrode Lin Yue's body, turning him into a pure cybernetic machine. Perhaps even his brain won't be preserved in the end, and his consciousness will be assimilated by the AI.

Having complete memories of his reincarnation, he knew that the only way to stop this erosion was to obtain the neural matrix from the underground Big Dipper facility in Dogtown.

Lin Yue now unconsciously touches the network access bay on the back of his head.

Its basic structure remains the winter month—

On the night he was on the verge of death, Lin Yue was transported all the way to the research and development center on Honshu Island.

Scientists discovered that changes to the Black Wall code prevented them from removing the prosthetic body—some less-than-optimistic changes had occurred in it, making it like a time bomb, tightly connecting the brain to it. No one knows if it's still the Fuyutsuki Tinker 3.

So they boldly modified this prosthetic body, transforming it into a high-throughput, high-strength, and high-performance prosthetic body capable of guiding data both inside and outside the Black Wall, and named this black network access chamber "Aratsuki".

As for the other advanced prosthetic bodies that were halted due to the Black Wall, they were all modified to fit the Black Wall's data architecture.

What V could see was that Lin Yue's gorilla arm was entirely black, the same color as Arasaka Tower's obsidian—the internal prosthetics were all discarded and replaced with more and more balanced experimental versions.

The silence in the room was somewhat suffocating.

Fortunately, someone broke the silence.

“I was able to come to this state for treatment… not because of Jenkins, nor because of the Night City board, right?” Lin Yue lit another cigarette.

V frowned, instinctively reaching out to snatch the cigarette, but then dismissed the idea.

"Hmm... It's a high-ranking official that neither I nor Jenkins have had much contact with, the son of Saburo Arasaka... Yoriyuki Arasaka."

Lin Yue's brows twitched slightly.

It’s him…

This "traitor" of the capital company single-handedly pursued his long-cherished wish: of all the possible outcomes, only the path of the "devil" could ensure his inevitable defeat in this game.

While I was thinking, a prompt appeared on the development panel:
[Character: Valerie (V)]

[Affiliation: Night City - Arasaka]

【Favourability: 60】

[Development Value: ???]

[Stage Rewards: Cybernetic Capacity +40, Reaction +3, Intelligence +1, Reaction Ability Points +3, 280 million Euros]

[Rewritten: This character's storyline has been altered, and this character's influence on "Lin Yue," "Arasaka Yorinobu," and "Jack Wells" has increased to 40%, 40%, and 70%, respectively, with a total change progress of 12%]

call……

The improvement in his intelligence also allowed Lin Yue to understand many things.

He guessed: constantly changing the schedule... could it mean changing the world?
If we calculate it this way, can V only achieve a 10% improvement?

Overthinking is pointless; how the world is is of little concern to me.

He only wanted to become stronger and protect himself in the chaotic vortex of this world... Of course, now there's one more thing to add: he also has to save his own life.

"V, how's my squad?" Lin Yue was most worried about the cyberpunks who had held off the enemy and helped him take on the Black Wall that night.

V nodded. "The rest of the people weren't seriously injured. The two women received treatment at the Night City medical facility and returned to Santo Domingo two weeks ago. They didn't hear from you, the middleman... They're both looking for other jobs in Night City."

Lin Yue frowned. "Didn't you give them money? You distributed my money among them—"

V placed her hand on the back of Lin Yue's hand, a gesture that would seem somewhat intimate under any circumstances.

"They got at least two million euros in cash, but they just can't stay idle... That's how these risk-taking mercenaries are; it's said they're all doing well in their next life."

Lin Yue subtly withdrew his hand.

He didn't know why, but whenever he had physical contact with someone, his heart would feel like it was on fire, and sometimes he would experience inexplicable irritability. The female doctor's words—V told him not to worry about it—but how could he not worry about it?

Lin Yue knew very well what had happened in the lab that night.

Inside the state laboratory, Lin Yue, whose body was corrupted by the black walls, was rapidly decaying.

Those guys even started discussing using a soul killer to preserve consciousness, but Lin Yue, of course, refused. Without certainty, he used a scalpel to basically wipe out all the people in the lab.

If it weren't for Arasaka's high-level thugs, Lin Yue would have targeted the last researcher mother who was still breastfeeding.

Lin Yue: "As far as I know, the Black Wall is a place that all companies have to deal with—don't the people at headquarters want to use me as a guinea pig to test it out?"

V shook his head. "They're not crazy. If you go up the Black Wall again... the Black Wall might cause unpredictable situations—Arasaka can't bear that kind of blame. Once you blow it up, the dam will release water... and everything will be gone."

"Now, everything about you is classified as top secret."

“Jenkins, a Night City shareholder… had no idea you’d touched the Black Wall… Everyone involved has been purged, but I’ve protected your team.”

Looking at it this way, the new America really has guts.

They actually let a nuclear weapon girl crawl around in and out of the black wall. If things get out of control, the new America and the world will face utter destruction.

The former CEO of Military Science, Miles—was really quite ruthless.

V didn't see even a trace of fear on Lin Yue's face, but she still couldn't help but ask, "What did the doctor say?"

Lin Yue shrugged. "Either replace my body with a prosthetic that can withstand the black wall, the kind that replaces my whole body; or dismantle the prosthetic and wait to die, or... find something that can integrate and capture all the awful stuff that went into my body. You should understand what I mean, right?"

As a hacker, V can quickly grasp anything related to network technology.

"You mean AI integration... This technology is probably..." V's face was a little dejected, and his tone was full of apology.

Lin Yue wasn't surprised at all; you knew there really was something fishy going on.

The reason he can remain calm is that he knows the current situation won't kill him, because he knows the antidote well—the neural matrix.

That thing is currently lying in a dark bunker in Dogtown, and you need an access key—AIs die once they stop evolving, but there's still hope for them.

Lin Yue stood up and leaned closer to V.

“This is not who you are… Missions are unpredictable, and whether I want to go to Arasaka or… establish my influence in Dogtown with your backing is my own choice.”

"But the Dogtown deal is off now. After all, we agreed to be mentally prepared before making any deals. What about you?"

Lin Yue was quite close to V; they could even feel each other's breath.

This man, who is about the same age as me, seems to have changed.

For the first time, V, who was used to being assertive, turned her head. "Um... that's right, I feel guilty towards you because of the mission—"

Lin Yue stood up. "Then let's not have any more."

Lin Yue walked to the clothes rack on the side, took off his shirt, and the skin near the network access compartment on his back was no longer there. His back, which conformed to human aesthetics, was half solid muscle and half black hollow steel structure.

The entire back features extremely smooth lines and aesthetic design, with the Arasaka logo printed on the side.

V, with her head resting on her hand, looked on with great interest. "Not bad."

Lin Yue, with his back to the woman who was giving him a provocative look, shook his head helplessly and put on his coat.

I don't know who it was that got close and then I had to look away.

"Come on, you didn't come here just to visit a sick person, did you?" Lin Yue pointed to the door.

V was confused. "Uh...where to?"

"Where to? Back to Night City, of course! What, are we going to sit in the Japanese headquarters office doing things for the big boss?"

"how do you know?"

V was somewhat taken aback. How did Lin Yue figure out that he had come to take him back to Night City?

V was even worried about how to tell Lin Yue about this, and she had even prepared a contingency plan in case Lin Yue didn't cooperate.

Lin Yue, on the other hand, saw things more clearly:
Lai Xuan's spending of money on himself is simply to support his subordinates in Night City—this rich second-generation heir, whose father could flatten half the earth with a nuclear bomb with a snap of his fingers, has management skills that are no less than his older brother, Arasaka Kei. His investment behavior is so obvious that he is simply trying to settle things for Lai Xuan in Night City.

Secondly, he was also afraid of being left in Japan without the neural matrix, which would make things even more complicated.

"Not today... You can leave tomorrow, no rush..."

Seeing that Lin Yue had already left the room, V quickly followed him.

……
-
The research center on Honshu Island is located in an uninhabited area, and apart from the three buildings, the surrounding open space is densely covered with landmines.

It was precisely because of these landmines that many fishermen in the vicinity went missing.

Arakasaka has remained largely silent about this accidental killing.

On the rooftop, amidst the wind and snow, Lin Yue was wearing only a jacket, while V looked much warmer, sporting a vintage black long wool coat from the Jinguji Temple.

You have to understand that cattle and sheep are considered rare species in this era, so to be able to afford clothes like this... it seems Arasaka has given out quite a few bonuses.

She was already tall and slender, and the coat and gray trousers underneath, along with the custom-made pointed, shiny black high heels, accentuated her beauty—a beauty that was different from the snow but even more aloof.

The hovercar stirred up wind and snow, and Lin Yue's clothes fluttered as he waited for the car to slowly descend.

The car door opened, revealing the luxurious interior design that Arasaka has always used: red leather upholstery, pale gold transparent glassware, and a selection of fine wines. Two rows of seats faced each other, accommodating a maximum of four occupants.

Lin Yue got into the car and plopped down on the soft seat. Although some parts of his back were prosthetic, his original body mass was more than 50%, so he still had a lot of sensation in his body.

So he knew that the beds at the state research institute were not comfortable to sleep on, and even the sofas were rock hard.

Lin Yue thought to himself: Finally... I can relax a bit.

However, Lin Yue was very skeptical. Could a hovercar really take them to California on the other side of the ocean?

V spoke to the AI ​​inside the car: "To Ise City, Mie Prefecture (the location of Ise Grand Shrine on Honshu Island) —"

AI: "Okay, the route has been planned for you. The estimated arrival time is 134 minutes later."

Lin Yue asked with dissatisfaction, "Where are we going?"

The guys from Night City had never been to this place before, and they had a sense of unknown dread about it.

V took off her high heels, and the delicate blue veins on her exquisite feet were finally relieved.

At this moment, she was kneeling on the chair, her hand gathering her hair from behind her neck, her eyes lowered, and using a hairpin to style her hair into a slightly lazy bun. Some strands of hair were unruly but fell down just right, giving her an elegant temperament that was incongruous with her age.

Goro Takemura once used the following description to describe a woman: "Very expensive."

Does it mean something precious or valuable? Or perhaps it describes a woman who possesses both arrogance and beauty?

V reached for a glass of wine. "Hmm... You want to go back so soon? I don't want to. My vacation is precious. Just one day. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Lin Yue silently crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips. "Why don't you try the drinks? They're really good, much better than what you get at the bars in Night City."

V's language seemed to give Lin Yue the power of choice—but the wine glass handed over by her jade hand expressed her unique assertiveness.

Lin Yue held his wine glass; drinking on an empty stomach wasn't a good habit.

“You’re too tense, Rin. Just treat this as a relaxation session—forget about what happened at the Honshu Research Institute, what happened in Night City before… and just focus on working at the Night City Arasaka Tower… Hmm! Right.” V swallowed a mouthful of wine, then pointed with a finger as if remembering something, and pulled a chip from behind his neck.

“I registered your address in the apartment in the company square, a three-year lease, for a total price of 30 euros… paid by the company, right next to mine. The chip contains your credit card information, bank data, and some liquid funds that can be stored in a private account.”

Lin Yue took the chip and casually inserted it behind his head.

Not bad, two million euros plus a one million euro credit card overdraft limit, plus some club memberships in company squares, and access to various areas of Arasaka Tower.

So these people are so happy to climb the tower, probably for these things?

Who said no?
Above the counterintelligence department is the special operations department; reaching the position of operations director grants entry into the board of directors of Night City's Arasaka Tower.

The next step is vice president, and finally, the national president of the entire region. Reaching this point represents the pinnacle for outsiders to the Arasaka family...

The title of regional president means that you can participate in the board of directors at the Tokyo headquarters.

In fact, V and Lin Yue's current position already allows them to enjoy extremely comfortable living conditions in Night City—the ceiling for ordinary people.

But this is based on the company, and these things are all byproducts of measuring value. One day you will lose them because of the struggle and regret it.

"good."

Lin Yue glanced at the hologram of the company's address and uttered two words.

V turned his head and looked at the white snow outside.

"There is no snow in Night City."

Lin Yue silently gazed at V's swan-like neck, adorned with golden prosthetic patterns.

V: "Even at its coldest, Night City is around ten degrees Celsius, and the raindrops are full of dirty, radioactive material."

Lin Yue suddenly spoke up, saying, "The snow here isn't exactly clean either. Once it melts... it'll leave behind a dirty stain. The company has already polluted the ocean, the land, and the sky. That's how the world is; there's no good or bad in it."

V's gaze was calm as he looked down at the wine in his glass. "Snow will at least remain white for a while, won't it?"

Lin Yue put down his wine glass. "Are you...worried about something?"

V sighed. "Jenkins' form in Osaka isn't just bad—it's going to be a loss."

“Abernathy might be airdropping in, and we… are stuck here.”

"On the surface, headquarters gave Jenkins a commendation, making him a deputy head under the Special Operations Director... but everyone knows that Abernathy won't let him infiltrate the Special Operations Department."

Lin Yue waved the cigarette in his hand. V glared at him reproachfully, then gently waved his hand, creating a weak suction force on the roof of the floating car.

Lin Yue lit a cigarette, knowing that the struggle hadn't changed and was still proceeding along the same path.

Dogtown deserves so much credit, yet they can't get rid of Abernathy?!
He also doubted the merits of this operation.

V understood Lin Yue's expression and continued, "Do you think Jenkins can gain a lot from this military science matter? No... far from enough. The Abernathy board has someone backing him up—I didn't know that before; I only found out through my own investigation."

Lin Yue smiled slightly. V probably didn't know one thing: Abernathy's lover, and her lover's husband—were all company executives, either Zeta or Comtau…

The relationships are not only complicated, but the waters run deep!
Now he has to start thinking about how to get out of this vortex.

"Am I still in the counterintelligence department? At the same level as you?"

V shook his head. "No, you'll get your promotion in Night City—although you'll be at the same level as me, you'll become the head of security. We need your approval and cooperation for any major operations we're planning. Speaking of which, Jenkins was even planning to have you keep an eye on Night City for two months... but then this happened."

"Whether you're an agent, private soldier, hacker, or technical expert, we'll pull your people in when our department is short-staffed. You're also responsible for Arasaka's security."

Lin Yue was dumbfounded. "Who gave the order?"

V: "Michiko Arakawa".

Lin Yue was a little confused after hearing this answer. He couldn't show V that he was very familiar with the Arasaka hierarchy, so he had to sort this out.

Yoriyuki Arasaka rescued him, and Michiko Arasaka ordered him to be transferred to head of the security department?!
Why the hell is this so weird?

Have they crawled out of the mud? Lin Yue didn't think so. V, Jenkins... and himself, Rin, were basically tied together. Once Abernathy launched a major purge, unless he was a board member, he would definitely have to leave.

What if we killed Abernathy?

Lin Yue narrowed his eyes.

V noticed Lin Yue's dangerous gaze. "What... are you going to do?"

Lin Yue pondered the timeline for a moment. He still had six months left to himself. He needed to familiarize himself with the responsibilities and attributes of the security department. If necessary, he wouldn't mind killing Abernathy to protect himself.

The reason is simple: his cybernetic body is already deeply bound to Arasaka and Kurogane.

Once the back door is locked, unless you have Barthemos's technology, you'll be dragged to your death by this cybernetic body.

It's no exaggeration to say that even Old Wei might not be able to manage this patchwork outfit that maintains a delicate balance.

Lin Yue composed himself, raised his glass, and said, "I don't want to do anything... but rather I'm looking forward to when you become the head of the counterintelligence department."

V touched Lin Yue's glass and said something that almost made Lin Yue choke on his drink:
"Fuck you."

"..."

What kind of swearing play is this? Lin Yue thought the company's V had some manners, but nothing special...

When she starts cursing, even her pretty little mouth is coated with honey.

After finishing his drink, V lay on his side in the chair and slowly closed his eyes.

"Hmm, I barely slept last night, I need to rest for a while—remember to call me when we get there."

Lin Yue nodded, not looking at V's slender curves as she lay on her side, but instead examining his own prosthetic body and all his specialization panels.

[Frontal Cortex]: Arasaka Type 1 External Plate - Purple (Implant that enhances the brain's ability to store and process information; network access unit increases RAM by 3)

Camillo RAM Manager - Purple (Immediately releases 20% of RAM when your network access bay RAM reaches 2)

[Face]: Behavioral characteristics faceplate (redacted)

The Oracle of the Crossroads - Orange
Operating System: (Wild Moon) Orange (Unknown Firmware - Upgradeable)
[Arm] Gorilla Arm - Orange (Unknown Firmware - Upgradeable)
[Prosthetic Hand] Smart Connection - Purple (Upgradeable)

[Skeleton] Reconstructing Skeleton - Orange
[Epidermal System] Pain Replacement - Purple (Upgradeable)

[Circulatory System] Blood Circulation Pump - Blue. (Unknown firmware - upgradeable)
Unknown firmware – presumably written by the staff at the Arasaka Research Institute when they modified and upgraded their prosthetic bodies within the facility, using the underlying code logic of the Black Wall. There is no information about these prosthetic bodies in the market database.

In this field, military technology has a greater say, and its methods are even quite brutal, pushing the cybernetic transformation of the Lark to over 80%. Arasaka, on the other hand, was clearly unprepared, only using the best technology to temporarily stabilize Lin Yue.

It's like a building that's about to collapse. You use all sorts of methods—whether it's building scaffolding or using ropes to hold it up from all sides—as long as it doesn't collapse immediately...

What Lin Yue cared about most was Huang Yue.

If you could see your back, it would be a pure black network access bay, slightly longer and thicker than the Fuyutsuki Tinker's.

However, its properties are no longer those of the Winter Moon Tinker.

For example, the original 8-base RAM has long been replaced by 20-base RAM.

At the same time, it also possesses many variable attributes, which, if measured in terms of panel data, are roughly as follows:
Increases random damage by 20% against enemies affected by non-combat type quick-break attacks;
Obtain a fast, non-combat-related hack [Shallow Black Wall Protocol];
If a [Shallow Black Wall Protocol] quickbreak is stacked immediately after a quickbreak in a combat type, the quickbreak damage for that combat type can be increased by up to 45%...

The last one was also the attribute that Lin Yue found most terrifying; there was a section after it that wasn't part of the character panel:

After overclocking the brain-computer interface, it automatically uploads [Cyberbody Malfunction] and [Black Wall Protocol] to enemies within 10 meters—(@#Power's…% Cost@#Being Eaten).
Lin Yue felt as if something was staring intently at him from the shadows, and the comfortable temperature inside the hovercar felt rather cold.

Once you activate your brain-computer interface overclocking mode, is the price you pay to be assimilated and devoured?

Ok…

Lin Yue looked like a warrior about to face battle. He licked the spot on his lip where blood occasionally seeped out, and his gaze grew increasingly venomous.

Then it depends on who assimilates whom!

Finally: Upgradeable.

How to upgrade? Should it be done using the methods of a cyborg doctor? Or does it require Arasaka's technical background?... Lin Yue had no clue about these things yet...

It can only be said that the rate of physical decay may explode in the next few years, at which point the neural matrix must be firmly held in one's own hands.

This is the only way to save myself that I can think of.

Lin Yue then looked at the three reaction skill points V had given him. Should he wait for his reaction to break through to 15 and then level up his main skill? Or should he use the points on swords or assault rifles?
So he didn't make a choice for the time being, but instead withdrew.

After Lin Yue had planned everything out, the hovercar seemed to enter the skies above a city.

Like Night City, this place also features rows of high-rise buildings, with a minimalist style reminiscent of Arasaka Tower, densely packed with buildings and giant floating transport vehicles taking off into the air…

It feels like a jarring blend of my memories of the metropolis and modern technology.

It's not as outstanding as Night City, but it's a bustling metropolis.

AI: "Arrived in Ise City. Please issue landing instructions as soon as possible. The nearest Arasaka facility has been detected to be 87.4 kilometers away. Landing is not possible."

V gave a soft "hmm," her hair slightly disheveled, and sat up wearily.

"The hovercars in Arakaza are so inflexible!"

Lin Yue had never been here before, so he quietly waited for V's instructions.

did not expect.

V: "Rin, do you know where to eat in Ise City?"

Lin Yue: "Didn't you want to come here? I thought you were familiar with the place."

V smoothed his hair. "Uh, I saw something about matcha in a magazine from the Honshu R&D department... Okay, let's find a nearby restaurant or tourist attraction to land at, somewhere far from the city."

AI: "Your request has been received. We have recommended suitable nearby attractions and restaurants for couples."

"What the hell..."

Whether it was a hallucination or not, Lin Yue heard V muttering curses.

Lin Yue felt that she shouldn't join a group tour with V—who knows why she suddenly decided to go to an unfamiliar place to relax.

V put on his coat and said with great interest, "In Japan, the Arasaka Police, mainly from the Arasaka Company, are responsible for security, so it's relatively safe. Therefore, I don't really recommend that you carry a gun with you at all times. By the way, your weapons, chips, and other miscellaneous items are all in your apartment."

Lin Yue was already past his limit when he asked, "Matcha what?"

V seemed a little dazed, perhaps because he had just woken up. He stared at the roof of the car for a moment and thought, "It looks like... uh, ice cream?"

good good!
In the dead of winter, take a hovercar to an unfamiliar place and eat matcha ice cream.

Lin Yue spread his hands, with an expression that said, "What can I say?"

The hovercar cleverly distanced itself completely from the city and landed around the Ise Grand Shrine on the outskirts of Ise City.

It's hard to imagine that there are still such retro buildings in 2075.

Beneath the snow-covered tree branches, the Japanese-style buildings have an aged, yellowish feel.

"Phew, it's so cold."

V shivered as he hugged his arms.

Lin Yueyi quickly recognized this place as a temple dedicated to the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu. He wasn't particularly interested in Japanese theological culture, and glanced around at the surrounding commercial streets that contrasted sharply with this place.

A neon sign for a holographic geisha, an AI woman rapidly reading out advertisements in Japanese—only the dilapidated building in front of them seems to have been abandoned by the times.

The two children ran playfully to Lin Yue and V's feet, using the two "tall" guys as cover to play hide-and-seek with each other. The little girl even looked up at the pretty older sister.

"I'm so sorry!" The woman with a chef's cloth wrapped around her head hurried over in her wooden clogs and pulled the little girl away. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."

The woman could see the Arasaka logo on the collar of V's coat, and her expression was very humble.

See? Some beautiful things can always be quickly shattered by the company.

V subtly removed the Arasaka brooch from her bosom, bowed slightly, and said in fluent Japanese, "Please don't take it to heart... By the way, madam... do you have a place to dine?"

The woman glanced at Lin Yue, who stood behind V with his arms crossed and expressionless.

Could it be some rich young lady from Arasaka and her henchmen/bodyguards who have come out?
That hovercar...

“Miss, you shouldn’t have come here to eat. There are many fancy restaurants in the city—this place only has some cooking pots and simple food, nothing of real seafood.”

Lin Yue pointed behind her, and the prosthetic eye translator knew that it was a restaurant. "Is that your family's restaurant?"

The woman seemed to freeze. V said, "Excuse me," and the two walked directly towards the family's small shop.

The snow crunched underfoot.

Upon entering, the restaurant is filled with the characteristic miso soup and the fishy smell of kelp, typical of Japanese restaurants.

Busy amidst the steaming heat, the owner and head chef shouted, "Welcome, guests!"

Lin Yue was startled.

The small house was packed with people, mostly residents from the neighborhood.

They were dressed casually, enjoying their time off work, when suddenly two guys walked in, dressed smartly and in the company style—naturally making them lower their voices.

V is a person who lives without any burdens, doesn't scheme or fight internally, orders food generously, and pays money casually.

Seeing that the two had come to eat, the restaurant became lively again.

Lin Yue patted the wooden sign on the kitchen counter, "Do you have... uh, matcha ice cream?"

The boss was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Yes!"

Lin Yue: "Then one's available, together with the ramen from before—"

"Please wait for the guests!"

The boss's voice was unexpectedly loud.

Lin Yue scratched his buzzing ears and walked to the small table opposite V, where middle-aged men and women were drinking and chatting... and some office workers had their suits tucked under their buttocks to drink and relieve stress.

“The closer a place is to Arasaka, the more stable it becomes—and the same is true for New America; the closer it is to the White House, the less chaotic it becomes.” V skillfully poured steaming hot green tea into a wooden cup using a teapot.

"So, the reason we can sit here and eat in peace is thanks to that Arasaka?" Lin Yue smiled somewhat contemptuously, wiping the table with something that looked like a napkin.

That's the downside of being a corporate employee; they like to brainwash themselves.

V frowned. "Why are you wiping the table?"

Lin Yue froze, finding it unbelievable, as if it were an ingrained habit.

Just then, the food arrived.

"Guest! Your ice cream!"

To V's delight, a small bowl of ice cream sprinkled with matcha was placed in front of him.

"I thought there was nothing here because the room was full of heat."

At the same time, the ramen was also served.

V frowned as he looked at the bamboo chopsticks beside him.

Why doesn't this restaurant provide forks?
By the time she tried to call out to the boss, he had already rushed off in a flurry.

Lin Yue stopped her, held the chopsticks in one hand and made a gesture of picking up food, showing it to V and giving her an encouraging look.

"You have to use chopsticks to eat noodles."

V tried to imitate Lin Yue's chopsticks movements, "You know how to use these utensils?"

Lin Yue paused on the table with his chopsticks. "Of course, this is something invented by the Xia Kingdom."

V's intelligence is indeed very high; she watched Lin Yue and imitated him.

Within minutes she was able to use chopsticks, and although she wasn't very skilled, she managed to scoop up a few noodles and put them in her mouth.

V's eyes lit up as soon as the food entered his mouth.

"That's fucking great—"

Lin Yue stopped V from showering him with compliments with a look.

Then, under Lin Yue's shocked gaze, V carefully took a sip of ramen and then a few sips of ice cream.

This way of eating is so unhealthy—although he doesn't know why, Lin Yue always remembers someone telling him that you shouldn't eat hot food with things like ice cream.

But with the current medical conditions and prosthetic modifications, it's fine. Eat whatever you want.

He lowered his head and felt that this bowl of noodles was indeed much better than the ones in the Japanese street, and his stomach also felt a warm comfort.

……

outside the window.

These old-fashioned Japanese streets, seemingly abandoned by technology and futurism, are filled with laughter, tears, and indifference no different from anywhere else in the world.

The winter snow is still falling.

The steam rising from the restaurant, embraced by the wind, completely dissipated into the air.

……

　【“Them”】: Digitalized soul entities. People killed by Arasaka using Soul Killers will exist in cyberspace as digital souls. They retain complete memories and the same thinking as normal people.

　　【A God-like Woman】: Otto Cunningham, the largest AI entity outside the Black Wall.

　　【Shangri-La (Dead City)】: In the Cyberpunk Red universe, including news from 2077, we can see that cities like Busan have become barren lands due to war. Pollution makes it impossible for people to continue living there. The souls digitized by the Soul Killer choose to settle in these dead cities. This is why there are instances where machines in Busan start moving on their own. These digital souls do not consider themselves dead (in a physical sense) and instead call their dwelling place Shangri-La.

　　【The Fourth Wall】: In stage plays, actors are required to treat the side of their face facing the audience as if there is a wall, and everything seems to happen naturally rather than being acted out.

　　[Honshu R&D Center]: Arasaka's main research location. Arasaka purchased 5000 acres of land from the Japanese government to conduct experiments on Arasaka's technology. Most of its high-end prosthetic products, firearms, software, and bio-related products are produced here.

　　【Personality Score】: An indicator of the soundness of human nature attributes.

　　【Goro Takemura】: Saburo Arasaka's personal bodyguard. He is highly cybernetic and a samurai with strong combat abilities.

　　【Ise Grand Shrine】: A shrine located in Ise City, Honshu Island.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)