Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 112 When the Building Collapses (Part 1)

"You've finally arrived, Rin."

The mentor opened his arms in welcome, glancing down at the out-of-date mechanical wristwatch on his wrist.

"It's already 3 a.m., it seems difficult to squeeze in psychological counseling into your schedule, hmm?"

Lin Yue looked at the kind-looking psychologist and forced a smile. "I'm sorry."

"Please have a seat. Tonight... try to avoid tea or caffeinated drinks."

Here, try this.

The life mentor handed me a glass of water. The city management officer called this "real water," which was basically clean, pure water with added nutrients.

In today's world, where pollution is rampant, it is difficult to find clean water sources; most water resources are chemically synthesized.

Ordinary residents didn't care whether the water pumped from the river met drinking standards.

The water supply company's office building is also deserted year-round, and the mailboxes at the entrance are overflowing with complaint letters...

“V told me you were on a very dangerous mission? Don’t worry… I may not have the necessary permissions, but I can get the psychological evaluation report that the state provides.”

The mentor was very good at avoiding offending others, and the focus of his conversations was never on the tasks of the Arasaka employees.

Lin Yue nodded, "Indeed...it was very dangerous, some unexpected situations occurred."

"Although I don't quite understand what those 'non-subjective intelligent factors' in the task are, it seems that you have suffered some psychological trauma. Can you talk about it?" The life mentor held the report in his hand and looked at Lin Yue with a questioning and concerned gaze.

Lin Yue thought for a moment and then organized it in the most plain and easy-to-understand language:
"It's like an AI ran through my mind and left some things behind... As for the so-called personality loss, I don't really understand what that means."

The life coach frowned in confusion, "AI?"

Lin Yue shrugged. "It's basically some malicious AI programs infected by a virus that go wild in your brain and disable your prosthetic body... something like that?"

The life coach nodded, stroking his chin. "Hmm, I think I understand. The psychological evaluation report is not optimistic, Rin... Your empathy has dropped to a very dangerous level. This is a report from the Honshu Research Institute, which has a team of experts who have done extensive research on human behavior and consciousness... including psychology."

Lin Yue guessed that his mentor probably didn't know about his killing spree in the state. If he did know, his mentor probably wouldn't have accepted him as a "patient".

"I don't feel anything. If I were sick... would not feeling anything count?"

The life coach paused for a moment, then chuckled, "So you're saying your problem is that you can't feel anything? Fine! Humans are advanced animals—"

"For example, tragic scenes that will make you cry and feel sympathy, reunions with old friends or serendipitous encounters, and beautiful love stories..."

"These things can cause psychological turmoil, affecting your brain's secretion and regulation of hormones, and producing feelings of pleasure or sadness... This is what people often refer to as human nature."

Without giving Lin Yue a chance to speak, he continued, "As a company employee, you have many things to handle."

"Regardless of whether the job is ethical or not, you'll choose to deal with anything detrimental to yourself and the company first, which is perfectly understandable."

"But if in this process you ruthlessly kill some unobstructed targets, that is a direct manifestation of the loss of empathy."

"If you feel invincible when using a prosthetic body, be careful, as this is the most obvious sign of personality decline."

The mentor's gaze seemed to see right through Lin Yue.

So, do you have these conditions?

Lin Yue now lies unconsciously, including the incident where he killed Earlmer with the Black Wall in Dogtown.

His explanation for V was that the military ICE from Ulmer was too high-grade, and this was done to avoid delays.

"No."

The life coach held up one finger. "No, you do."

"V stated in the report that you would use extreme physical means to destroy the other party in situations where it was not necessary to use cruel methods."

Lin Yue sat silently, seemingly not intending to explain these things.

The life coach's expression was very serious. "This is not a good thing, Rin. The quantitative enlightenment reminder shows that your cortisol and other hormone levels are very high, proving that you are constantly in a state of tension and fatigue."

“I’m glad you can do one thing now, and that is to lie…that proves you still have some guilt, which means there are some things you haven’t completely lost.”

Lin Yue remained silent for a long time. "So, the cyberpsychotics have come knocking on our door?"

how come?
Lin Yue realized that his prosthetic body still had a lot of capacity. Judging from his mentor's words, he was going to become Arasaka's first insane Minister of Security.
The life coach clearly has his own perspective: "No, not crazy, but [highly functional]."

Lin Yue didn't quite understand this so-called psychological term.

"You're already insane, why would you care if you're insane or not?" The life coach stared intently at Lin Yue.

Lin Yueyi's eyes flashed with the explanation of the term "high-functioning," which, in short, refers to mentally challenged individuals who can control their own behavior. This may seem contradictory, but in fact, it is a level above cyberpsychosis.

They have the capacity for self-motivated action, but their sense of morality collapses.

Lin Yue leaned back on the sofa. It seemed that the side effects of the black wall, besides causing physical decay, could also cause mental changes.

Does the lark suffer the same torment of the black wall and mental anguish as I do?

The life coach clasped his hands together and said, “There is a lone wolf in Arasaka whose situation is very similar to yours. I also briefly participated in the psychological research related to Adam Hammer, and he… is exactly the kind of person we think he is.”

"Warlike, bloodthirsty, and fond of destruction are the common characteristics of you rare [high-functionality] types."

Lin Yue shrugged. "So there's no hope for him?"

The life coach sighed deeply, "Do you know how the hammer was under control back then?"

Lin Yue gestured for him to continue.

"At the time, someone suggested to Arasaka's security department that the modified Hammer be sent back to the city and left to fend for himself. Soon he became a renowned mercenary. He had only one requirement for working: those who hired him had to accept the deaths of civilians and massive destruction."

"This process lasted for more than a decade until Arasaka confirmed that he was a dog that wouldn't bite its owner... before he was brought back to serve."

"Of course, I didn't mean to offend you, Rin. It's just a metaphor."

Lin Yue pointed to his body, "My prosthetic body isn't very advanced... Could AI cause this too? Aren't you guys going to research it?"

The life coach shook his head. "What I hope most is that you can adjust your mindset. There is no end to the study of psychological matters. The richest things are not in reality, but in the spiritual realm of everyone."

"You may not understand now, but you will when your inner world becomes a wasteland."

Lin Yue said he understood, "Then let's start to cheer up and relax."

The life coach gestured for Lin Yue to lie down, "After this is over, I will prescribe some medication to intervene, but of course you can also handle the problem yourself..."

The seemingly kind psychologist then uttered a seemingly unrelated statement: "Find the root cause of why you've become like this, and solve the problem at its source."

Lin Yue started to get confused, "What is it... uh, AI?"

The life coach spread his hands, "Whatever it is, it's not Arasaka himself. You need to understand that Arasaka... at most will only turn you into a controllable machine—"

Seemingly feeling he had said enough, the life coach began uploading the program.

"Alright, Rin. Go to sleep, forget your troubles, remember what we said, and don't forget..."

……

V pushed open the door and nodded to his mentor to indicate that he was disturbing him.

"V...it seems you really can't leave this guy's side." The life coach chuckled helplessly, "Have you turned Arasaka Tower into a cage to imprison him?"

V's expression wasn't good. "How is he?"

The life coach sighed, "It's not optimistic. At least when I was talking to him, he didn't seem to have any resistance to the idea of ​​his personality falling apart. You have to understand that for many mental illnesses, medication, treatment methods, and psychological counseling are only supplementary."

"We need to find a way to make him unwilling to accept this subtle change, but I still want to ask again, what exactly made him... uh, you know?"

V said that this was not a problem, "I know that the Japanese headquarters has also granted you the authority, so you may need a little professional explanation."

"In short, an AI once caused a disturbance in his brain, just like you think, accessing cyberspace and being controlled by the wandering AI for a period of time when his consciousness was temporarily offline."

"The explanation from the state is that he did not have cognitive impairment, but he forgot his personality and some details of daily life."

The life coach twirled his finger beside his head. "...Hmm. It's a troublesome matter. As for the details of daily life, could you elaborate?"

V, at this point, indicated that she herself was also unsure, and instead looked at Lin Yue with her deep eyes.

"He never talks about his inner thoughts, and to be honest, I don't really understand what these so-called changes in the details of life mean."

"In my opinion, he's just quieter than before, he doesn't joke around anymore, and he's more like a sophisticated machine... He's very adaptable; someone with no corporate work experience sitting in the position of security supervisor, without any mishaps."

The life mentor finally understood what V meant.

"It's better to guide than to block, V. You can't confine him, so let him do his own thing and touch what makes him change. That's not a bad thing."

V remained silent for a long time before asking, "Is this safe?"

Life mentor: "I guess that's what the state meant too, right? Otherwise, they wouldn't have let him go back to Night City at all. You're biased, V... You're watching this guy for your own purposes. You have ulterior motives—or rather, you don't want him to be hurt by those monsters you all think he is anymore."

“The fact that the state is making him participate in the social experiment proves that it is determined to put him through this ordeal, and you alone cannot keep an eye on him.”

V nodded. "I admit, I find it hard to accept being influenced by things in cyberspace, so I want him to stay away from the people and things in Night City..."

Life mentor: "There will always be times when you can't keep an eye on him. Just like I said, if he wants to kill, let him kill; if he wants to destroy, let him destroy. As long as Arasaka doesn't suffer any losses, that's how Honshu originally thought."

“But that way…” V felt a little reluctant.

Life coach: "Are you talking about machines? Or Arasaka's weapons? No... This is precisely the only way for him to find himself. Your attempts to block him will only make it harder for him to recover his lost personality. Without contact with what affects him, he will lose himself in a painless process..."

"That would be truly cruel to him."

V understood what the psychologist meant.

Rin is currently suffering from the effects of AI's personality cleansing. If we keep him away from cyberspace and away from the people and things he used to come into contact with at the bottom, it would be a disguised form of boiling a frog slowly. But if we risk throwing him into a large pond, he might struggle and swim away from danger.

It's a bit abstract to explain: it roughly means that the will to survive only arises when faced with obvious danger.

The life coach put his arm around V's shoulder and said, "Let him rest for a while. You should go home too. As for me... I can't stay up all night either."

V glanced at Rin one last time, then got up and left the therapy room one after the other with her life coach.

Just as the door closed gently and automatically, Lin Yue opened his eyes.

He silently sat up straight, his eyes shining like candles in the darkness, with a dark red hue lingering within them.

Perhaps my life mentor is right; I need to get involved in cyberspace.

But this was a risky move. Lin Yue had not studied systematic network and computer technology, and venturing into the old network rashly... he didn't know what he might attract.

Sometimes Lin Yue prefers to face tangible and obviously malicious enemies, while those hidden enemies are confusing and difficult to deal with.

Lin Yue didn't know what V was thinking, but he knew very well that he had to learn these things.

He reached for a tissue in the psychiatric treatment room and wiped his mouth.

The paper was stained with red, and Lin Yue noticed that the bleeding spots in his mouth were becoming more and more frequent. Occasionally, when climbing stairs, he would feel some weakness in his legs.

It's likely that the lark was in a state of slow decay before its entire body was replaced with prosthetics.

It's likely that Arasaka is also conducting research in this area, and perhaps he himself will eventually become one of these "humanoid" machines.

Who is truly influencing me?
What exactly is their purpose?
Perhaps, as life mentors say, we need to confront "them" to learn more.

……
-
On the lower level of the Liz Bar, Judy's favorite radio channel was playing.

"Sister Judy?"

Sasha pushed open the door, looking somewhat flustered.

Judy, who was sitting listlessly in front of her computer screen, immediately changed her expression when she saw the person who arrived. "Sasha?! My God, are you alright, darling?"

Judy, who was walking briskly towards Sasha, gripped her arm so tightly it hurt a little, but Sasha still patiently answered the woman who had been worried about her for so many days:

"Judy, I'm fine. The company's issues have been resolved—don't worry anymore."

Judy looked at Sasha with surprise and disbelief. Only then did she notice a short girl behind her with pigtails and a yellow-pink prosthetic eye staring at her silently.

"What is this... uh?"

Sasha turned to Rebecca, “Judy, this is Rebecca, my partner… Let’s find work together in the next life.”

Rebecca laughed heartily, "Hi~"

Judy looked at her with some confusion, "Are you an adult?"

Rebecca immediately crossed her arms, looking somewhat resentful. She knew everyone would ask her this question the first time they met—

Come on! Do I look that young?!

Sasha quickly explained, "Judy, she's the most capable mercenary in our team, how could she be a child... she's just cute."

Liz's child is not allowed to come in; that's a rule set by Susan, the leader of the Mox gang.

Tears welled up in Judy's eyes. "You know, I was so worried. This place is a complete mess. I still haven't explained to Susan what we were doing that day. After the Terrorist SWAT team left, the Morgan sisters had to close down for three days to clean up this mess."

"I was scared to death."

Sasha hugged Judy and winked at Rebecca, who then hopped onto the sofa in the distance, crossed her arms, and buried her face in her oversized jacket collar, sulking.

Sasha comforted Judy for a long time before the woman finally stopped crying and started smiling.

Judy pulled Sasha toward the recliner next to her computer in her studio. "I've finished watching Mewtwo, which you didn't have time to see last time. Do you want to take a look? Consider it a gift from me."

Rebecca hesitated, as if to say something but then stopped herself. They were here to do something important.

Sasha put her finger to her lips, signaling Rebecca to wait patiently, which finally calmed the guy down.

“Oh, right, Rebecca—” Judy called out to Rebecca.

"There are many original Mewtwo videos on the coffee table. They're things you can't buy on the market. Feel free to look at them."

Upon hearing this, Rebecca immediately stopped being resentful and curiously looked at the piles of Mewtwo original videos on the coffee table.

"Holy crap! Super Killer...and Cyber ​​Madness Apocalypse! Oh my god, and this too..." Rebecca shook her head from side to side, completely absorbed in selecting Mewtwo.

Judy and Sasha exchanged a glance and went about their own business.

"This is..." Rebecca muttered to herself.

She was holding a chip in her mechanical hand; she seemed to recognize this Mewtwo—she'd bought it at Dogtown Stadium…

It's a very boring racing Mewtwo. The driver who filmed Mewtwo has terrible driving skills, but the important thing is the person next to Mewtwo when he buys it.

Lin Yue has now truly disappeared.

That night.

When Lin Yue answered the phone, he looked very tired.

"You bastard!"

Rebecca kept cursing.

What terrified Rebecca was that Lin Yue stopped saying sorry, even if it was just a perfunctory remark.

He stared at her like a stranger, and in that instant she felt as if the distance between them had become very far—Lin Yue was sitting in the Ara-saka Tower wearing a suit, while she had no chance to enter the giant tower in the company square.

Rebecca composed herself and told Lin Yue about Emma's request to see him and Boss Rin.

Lin Yue simply nodded to indicate that he understood, and casually added a very formal "Thank you for your hard work."

That night, surrounded by Lazarus mercenaries, Lin Yue stared at the mercenary who was about to execute him with bloodshot eyes, and said: "Try touching her..."

That was perhaps the most intimate thing Lin Yue had ever said.

In the end what happened?
This twenty-year-old girl had no idea that Lin Yue had received more than thirty days of treatment in Japan.

All she knew was that something had happened that changed their social class:

Lin Yue became the company dog ​​that everyone loved to curse, but everyone in the team felt that Lin Yue had no choice.

Mr. Lin has definitely tied Lin Yue down, making him solve the company's problems.

For these mercenaries, it doesn't matter who they work for. Whether they're attacking a company or solving its problems, they never look at the underlying reasons.

All they knew was that their most trusted teammate had distanced himself from them because of the mess between the companies.

Rebecca rubbed the chip in her hand with her fingertips, and finally gently placed it on the coffee table. Having lost interest in Mewtwo, she patiently waited for Sasha's matter to end.

at this time.

Sasha lay obediently in the chair as Judy adjusted the equipment for her. As the Mewtwo headband lit up, Sasha entered a new world. The temperature here was pleasant, with glittering lights everywhere and a sky surrounded by intricate mirrors—

Is this... is this the kaleidoscope that Mom is holding?!

When I was with my mother in the hospital, she was not awake for long periods of time. She would often groan because of the throbbing pain in her nerves. During her brief moments of lucidity, she would use her pale hands to twist the kaleidoscope that Sasha had placed in front of her eyes.

It was like a complex and beautiful space piled up together, accompanied by the soft rustling of golden decorations, like a dream.

Mom told Sasha many stories:
Each mirror is a door to another world, and Mom would take the kaleidoscope and tell little Sasha that she had chosen one of the worlds in the kaleidoscope as their new home—

It's like springtime there all year round, and the lake water has never been polluted. There are even many swans that haven't been revived by biotechnology, dancing in it.

The shimmering water droplets, coupled with the swans' graceful steps... Sasha wished she could go there with her mother.

Children are easily fooled. It wasn't until Sasha and her sister faced the Night City urn that Sasha realized: her mother had never been inside the kaleidoscope.

There was only a butterfly doodle, a line of text, and a name:
Galina Valiva

She sacrificed her life for her country...

Now, Judy, the Mewtwo expert, can construct the world she longs for simply based on a few words from Sasha. This sense of shared experience fills the girl with joy.

At least in this world, I am not alone!
Sasha gazed at the mirrored world Judy had created and began to dance lightly, the heart-shaped pendant jingling in her ears.

Sasha walks with a light step, almost like she's dancing. In her daily life, she also enjoys occasionally turning around while relaxing or walking.

Rebecca loves to dance because... Sasha taught her.

She explored everything new and exciting in Mewtwo until the show ended.

She was unable to come to her senses for a long time.

It seemed like there I saw a young mother in a hoodie holding a kaleidoscope, smiling at me.

"That's great, Judy!"

Judy saw a few tears welling up in Sasha's eyes as she removed her headband, and she hugged Judy tightly. "Thank you."

Judy smiled and nuzzled her hair. "I'm glad you like it, darling."

The time for them to pour out their hearts to each other came to an end quickly.

Sasha looked at Rebecca, who was lying on the sofa in the distance, constantly tossing away spent bullet casings, and her expression was somewhat hesitant.

As a girl, Judy naturally noticed Sasha's unease. "Uh? What's wrong?"

Rebecca muttered, "Could you please ask a Mewtwo expert to help us analyze a Mewtwo, extract some dialogue and information records, and help us find someone...maybe?"

Sasha smiled and nodded, which was taken as an admission.

Judy took the Mewtwo separation chip from Sasha with a suspicious look and inserted it into the device in front of her used to edit Mewtwo. It seemed to be a woman eavesdropping on a man's conversation, probably... a Mewtwo filmed by a sex doll, and many parts were not very clear.

"This man has equipment to prevent Mewtwo from filming him. What are you going to do? By the way, who are you working for now?"

Sasha hesitated and didn't speak.

Rebecca scratched her head, "Uh...Arasaka?"

Judy's expression immediately changed. "Arasaka?!"

"you……"

She immediately pulled her hands off the keyboard, stood up abruptly, put her hands on her hips, paced back and forth, and occasionally smoothed her hair back, looking very agitated.

After going around in circles for a long time...

"Do you know what you're doing, Sasha?"

Rebecca noticed that Judy's voice had suddenly become louder, and sat up straight with some confusion, while Sasha sat silently beside her without saying a word.

“That morning, the company, along with a bunch of murderers, cornered me at the alley entrance, with a knife to my neck! You tell me, Arasaka… humph!” Judy’s voice trembled, “Getting involved with the company won’t end well, you know that?”

Sasha suddenly asked, "What about the Tiger Claw Gang?"

Judy frowned. "What did you say?"

Sasha took a deep breath. "[Maiko] works in Genting, right? What do you think is the difference between working for a company and working for a gang?"

Judy clearly disagreed with Sasha's reasoning. "Hey! You have to understand, that's a company! A place that eats people alive. They'll use you and then just throw you away. You're telling me you're working for Arasaka? Aren't you afraid they'll send those murderers to execute you one day?"

Rebecca watched all this and said, "No matter who we work for, we're mercenaries, we don't need to think so much."

Sasha shrugged and stood up. "Thank you for your Mewtwo, Judy. I think we should find someone else."

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Rebecca stood up as well. "This is troublesome."

Sasha is too stubborn.

Judy's original intention was to get her away from the company, but seeing that she couldn't stop her, she sighed and kept rubbing her forehead. "Okay, I'll help you. How do I do that?"

Seeing that Sasha was difficult to talk to, Rebecca simply stated her demands in detail.

"Don't say that I helped you analyze it."

After Judy nodded, she began to extract the information layer frame by frame.

It must be said that this Mewtwo expert was quite efficient, and Sasha and Rebecca quickly got what they wanted.

An hour later, Sasha and Rebecca stood at the entrance of Liz, watching the traffic coming and going under the overpass.

"So... you've lost a friend, Sasha..."

Rebecca shrugged. This kind of thing is still hurtful.

In short, no one in Night City will be on good terms with anyone connected to the company.

Mann's team were among the most daring mercenaries. Many of them knew perfectly well that they were solving problems for the company, but they would pretend not to know.

It's not because of guilt or anything else, but because the less you know, the safer you are.

Just then, Mann called.

After Sasha answered the phone, Mann on the other end only gave her the room number for the next session before hanging up. It seemed like he had a new job coming up.

The squad is now among the wealthy and well-equipped squads, and at least in the next life, there are many intermediaries who want to trade with them.

Rebecca tugged at Sasha and looked at the two neon signs at the entrance of the Liz Bar that resembled cat-eared girls.

It really looks like Sasha—

"Let's go."
-
In the private room, a pair of exquisite leather shoes stepped inside.

The guy was wearing a dark red suit, and the three optical prosthetic eyes on his left side looked quite creepy.

"It's really not easy to see you all."

Faraday sat opposite them, legs crossed, exuding a condescending and disdainful air.

Mann leaned forward, a cigarette between his fingers, and made a soft snort. "We've got work on us lately, we're very busy, and we have to be on the middleman's orders at any time—"

"So I'm sorry."

Rejecting yourself before even starting?
Faraday was confident he could take them down, so he had no intention of leaving.

"The new middleman... I heard from the bartender that a few Arasaka guys came by. Hey... are you guys going to be the company's dogs?"

Faraday's smile was full of sarcasm. "In my opinion, there are only a few outcomes for working for a company: either you join the company and become its most loyal assistant, or you are ruthlessly abandoned by the company... and in the end, you are used as a weapon by the company to attack others, and you can't even get the company's immunity. In the end, you are thrown away like garbage."

Dorothy watched coldly with her arms crossed. The entire team was now almost considered a top-tier team in the afterlife, and many middlemen were willing to hire them. However, Faraday in front of her always had an arrogant and domineering air about him.

So she retorted without hesitation, "Then who are you working for?"

Faraday bowed slightly. "That's for our own sake, of course."

Rebecca and Sasha exchanged a glance, both seeing in each other's eyes their dislike for the middleman.

Mann straightened up. "We don't take small jobs, and about what happened with the Ghost Hound... you did a terrible job cleaning up the mess, leaving traces everywhere. We all say you're a reckless guy who's just started doing middleman work... You're a bit sloppy, we can't trust you."

Faraday certainly had a thick skin.

He said nonchalantly, "But it is indeed a big job, isn't it? The variables that have arisen are beyond my control—how can I possibly manage something like the Netherhound that knows you?"

Mann sneered and remained silent.

Faraday's next words silenced everyone: "This job doesn't require you to go to Badlands or Dogtown. It'll be right here in Night City, at the Company Square."

"So I need to find some guys who dare to venture into the dragon's lair to do this job, and you guys have the best hackers, plus cybernetic bodies and smart weapons—"

"Why not challenge yourself?"

Dorothy frowned and said, "You mean sneaking into the company building from the company plaza? Are you crazy?"

Faraday remained calm and composed. "No, I'm not crazy. Look at this... I think you hackers have more to say about this."

As he spoke, Faraday pressed a chip with his finger, flicked it slightly, and it slid towards Sasha.

After giving Sasha an approving look, Mann picked up the chip and inserted it into her neck.

Faraday continued, "This is a blocking program developed by several top hackers. It can block all security and defense systems on the market. Even large companies like biotechnology cannot prevent it. I will have someone upload it to the server in the biotechnology building."

“You only need to send one or two people… preferably this nimble hacker lady, to the data office and retrieve what I need.”

Mann didn't rush to answer, but looked at Sasha, hoping to get a positive answer.

Sasha nodded slightly. "This thing is very complex, and it also has simulation coverage for program progress prediction. No problem."

Faraday smiled slightly and spread his hands.

"Working for the company is far less interesting than building a reputation for yourself. Everyone, mercenaries are for money and for fame. Imagine if you were the first team to escape the company square unscathed... This is the path to glory and kingship. Don't you really want to consider it?"

Mann asked in a deep voice, "When will this errand be taken? And what's the price?"

Faraday held up five fingers. "Tonight, after midnight. Five hundred thousand euros, paid in full at once. Give me the financial records. As for the immunosuppressant prototype, you can keep and copy it—"

"That thing was sold to the doctors in Night City; the copyright is worth millions."

Mann shook his head. "If it's as simple as you say, 500,000 euros and inhibitor formula information... are you kidding me?"

Faraday waved his finger. "I'm very good at calculating costs. You know, this job is like touching a tiger's tail—a commission with no risk...does such a thing even exist? Don't joke with me, Mann. I have my own reasons for how much I spend—"

“I have no obligation to provide courage to the people I hire; cowards don’t have that.”

Mann grinned. "You talk like a real jerk."

Faraday slightly curled the corners of his mouth and looked at Sasha. "It seems you're quite interested. What about you, Miss Hacker? I heard you've breached biotechnology data fortresses before—you should have experience."

"For hackers like you who like to leave logos on company websites, nothing could be more appealing, right? At least it's much more respectable than dealing with enemies for the company, so what do you say?"

After a moment of silence, Sasha smiled slightly, "I'm always ready."

Mann glanced at Dorio and realized that his girlfriend also supported the idea.

How much time will the operation take?

Faraday stood up. "Ten minutes. I suggest you send your most agile team members to the company square. As for you... Mann, you just need to sit in the back room and watch the countdown. I remind you all, my only goal in this matter is to get the data safely. Don't do anything sloppy that might upset my clients."

He reached for the glass on the coffee table, downed the strong-flavored absinthe in one gulp, and gently placed it on the table.

"Then I wish you good luck."

After Faraday left, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

It looks like Sasha has to do this job all by herself?

Sasha didn't seem to mind, always wearing a gentle smile.

Mann had his own judgment. After pondering for a long time, he said, "You have ten minutes. Sasha, you need to get into position beforehand. To avoid being noticed, we'll provide you with remote support in the afterlife..."

"If this job is really as he says... it's not troublesome at all. It can be done in a few minutes at most. After breaking through the firewall, it's just some financial data tables that don't take up much memory."

"The risk is that you have to be fast. Even a delay of one second, or even a system freeze, can be fatal."

Sasha raised her head slightly, did some calculations, and said, "Hmm, you're right, Mann. But don't worry, my download software is an optimized version, so there will definitely be no download lag."

"According to the map in the chip, I calculated that it would take about six minutes for a round trip, with a one-minute buffer time."

Mann seemed to remember something. "Lin Yue taught us to use bombs to create chaos if things get out of hand... Although that bastard Faraday said not to make too much noise, we can't afford any retaliation from biotechnology to avoid any problems or leaving any clues."

"After completing the mission, just destroy the data office with a bag of bombs, and there won't be any problems."

Just as the discussion was about to end, Rebecca raised her hand.

"I want to go with Sasha!"

Mann scoffed, "Would this kind of stealth mission work?"

Rebecca patted her chest. "I have a gorilla arm and a simple network implant. Hacking a camera is no problem, and we can help each other in case of an emergency... Why not? Hey, Mann, are you looking down on me again?"

Dorio glanced at Rebecca worriedly: "Tell Pila."

Rebecca immediately became irritated. "Who wants to talk to him! He's always tinkering with his junk in the house. It's just simple little work, no need to talk to him!"

Dorio shrugged at Rebecca, who looked like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on. Rebecca hated being looked down upon.

Sasha raised her hand, her expression somewhat indulgent. "Then... wish us success?"

Rebecca's ponytail trembled as she reached out and pressed her hand firmly against Sasha's. "Of course!"

Just then, Mann asked, "What's going on with that Mewtwo expert you mentioned? Rebecca's message said she doesn't like being associated with the company?"

Sasha patiently explained, "When the military police attacked me and Lin Yue before, they went to the Liz Bar. Sister Judy might have been interrogated by that...woman from the company. At the time, Lin Yue and I didn't understand Arasaka's intentions, so we hid from her as well. That might have left her with some trauma—"

"But don't worry, Mewtwo has figured it out."

Thinking of this, Sasha's expression darkened.

Both logically and emotionally, she had tricked Judy, because she never expected that Arasaka would detain Judy and interrogate her about her whereabouts.

Although V didn't do anything to Judy, Sasha didn't even want to think about what might have happened if Arasaka had malicious intent.

Mann nodded. "Give the things to Rin."

Rebecca blinked. "Shouldn't we take a look ourselves?"

Dorio threw her cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. "Rin has his own plans. He had us break up the Animal Gang and frame each tribe to create chaos in Taipingzhou... This kind of arrangement is something from above, Rebecca, don't look at what you shouldn't."

Rebecca was puzzled but impressed.

She only knew that she had to see the things she had worked so hard to get herself to be satisfied. Although she didn't know what was in Mewtwo, even Sasha, who had no bottom line with her, wouldn't let her see them.

After a moment of silence, Rebecca asked in a low voice:
"Does working for a company always end badly? What is corporate immunity?"

Dorio stood up and sat down next to Rebecca, his strong arm encircling the girl who looked like she was about to break. "Corporate immunity means that even if you violate corporate law, the company can still accept it—for you, the company is willing to be at odds with other companies."

"It also means protection. The company will help you deal with all the enemies who are hunting you down, and may even let you work for the company."

Rebecca leaned her head against Dorio's. "So Lin Yue has immunity? He killed so many military soldiers..."

Sasha sighed softly, then hesitated, remembering Rin's familiar yet distant gaze.

Mann puffed on his cigarette. "That kid doesn't have any immunity. He's a company employee. Rin sent him out on business, and once he got it done, he went back."

"Will he be fired by the company?"

"Rebecca asked."

But in reality, many low-level mercenaries don't know what it's like inside a company. People on the street say that companies are snake pits, and you could die at the hands of your boss and colleagues any day. But some people risk their lives to get into university and then send their resumes to companies like Arasaka. Once they get in, they'll have a rich and stable life...

Who knows?

Sasha laughed and said, "With Lin Yue's abilities, he will definitely thrive in the company. He is very smart."

Rebecca's expression darkened; the other end of the phone displayed a disconnected icon indicating that the user could not connect.

That woman might be right; forgetting him might be the best option.

……

　[Susan]: Her office is not far from the dressing room of the Liz Bar. She is the boss of the Mox gang.
　　【Maiko Maeda】: Cloudtop Doll, Judy's Girlfriend
　　
　
(End of this chapter)