Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 114 Goods and Beauties

The dock in the Chengbei Industrial Zone.

A cargo ship that had crossed the ocean and traveled all the way from Japan slowly docked at the port.

The car door opened, and Lin Yue and V got out, standing quietly below the giant ship and waiting.

The security forces of Arasaka have already imposed martial law in the area, and even the usually bustling dock market has long since turned off its lights and ceased operations, leaving the dock completely silent.

"I heard from headquarters... there's a madman being held captive on this shipment."

V leaned against the car body and gestured with his chin toward the crew quarters at the rear of the cargo ship.

"Who?"

In fact, Lin Yue had already roughly guessed that it was probably the lone wolf from Arakawa, Adam Hammer.

Just as Lin Yue was pondering how long this "great Buddha" would stay in Night City, a figure appeared above the giant ship.

call!
With a whoosh of wind, the ground just a few meters away from Lin Yue suddenly collapsed!
Not far behind Lin Yue, Suzuki, who was on guard, had already placed his hand on his waist.

Everyone was terrified by the tremor.

As the hammer moved, it emitted a gurgling electronic sound from its throat. Lin Yue's prosthetic eye was fixed on the guy who was slowly rising from the dust—[Dragon Knight Type Prosthetic Body]?
That's fucking huge!
Lin Yue looked at the nearly 300MB of RAM required to crack the network access module inside the prosthetic eye, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Is this still a human being?
The nuclear explosion turned Adam's face into a rough, uneven mass of flesh, with faint stitches visible on it. Most gruesome of all were the red-eyed optical modules on his uneven face.

His appearance caused a slight commotion among the people behind Lin Yue.

Lin Yue raised his hand, signaling the security forces not to act rashly. After all, this great figure was Lai Xuan's personal bodyguard, and it was normal for the low-ranking soldiers of Arasaka to have never seen him before.

This guy must be a human tank in this world by now, right?
Under pressure, Lin Yue was on high alert.

Adam Hammer naturally became interested in this guy who didn't even change his expression when facing him. He took a step and, with a slight tremor in the ground, came to stand in front of Lin Yue.

Dragons emit a deep "roar" when they sniff their prey, and Adam did the same.

He looked down at Lin Yue intently, and a barely audible voice escaped from beneath his mask, "A frail body—but you look quite interesting."

Lin Yue nodded slightly, "Rin, head of the Arasaka Security Department, NC01344."

V's gaze darkened. "V."

No matter what, he is Lai Xuan's personal bodyguard, so he still has to do his job.

Adam took a step forward. "This ship has my workshop. Have your people use my token... to take good care of the [Gemini] (Raven Micro-Production) prosthetic body for me. I'm going to use it to teach the girls of Night City a lesson."

“And—” Hammer looked at V, “You’re really good-looking, beauty.”

V remained expressionless, pretending not to have heard Adam's hammer.

Just as Heavy Hammer was about to leave.

Lin Yue spoke up: "I'm sorry, Adam, the security department doesn't have any technical experts to maintain your prosthetic body. I suggest you apply to the Arasaka board of directors to transfer an expert from the Arasaka Industrial Park."

V frowned slightly, wanting to stop Lin Yue from continuing.

He stopped in his tracks and tilted his head slightly.

Suzuki subtly moved a little closer to Lin Yue, thinking to himself, "My boss really does say whatever comes to mind..."

Although the lower-ranking soldiers didn't know about this monster, Suzuki, a top soldier trained in Japan and trained at the training base, naturally knew about the monster's unpredictable temper... so he was already on guard against this inhuman guy turning against his boss.

It should be noted that in the past, Hammer could accept commissions outside of his loyalty to Arasaka, which fostered his unscrupulous personality—and he was happy to do things his own way, so that he could have a proper reason to carry out his killings.

“You have that annoying arrogance about you that I’m very familiar with. And that guy with the black arm… never mind! Let my old friend Jeremiah handle this.” Hammer strode away and disappeared into the night at Night City’s docks without looking back.

The security personnel, whose hearts were in their throats, finally relaxed.

Lin Yue waved his hand, "Unload the goods and transport them to the park according to the established route!"

Soldier: "Yes!"

V looked at Lin Yue, who was standing straight in front of him, and asked, "What is that guy?"

Lin Yue took a step back and leaned against her. "Arasaka's full-body cybernetic body—you should know him. Doesn't the counterintelligence department know much about Adam?"

V shook his head slightly, "I only knew that there was a slightly abnormal guy working as Lai Xuan's security guard... I didn't expect, uh, damn... that's disgusting."

"But speaking of which, why do I feel like you've done something like this before in Arasaka? You seem to know a lot of things that I don't know—isn't this your first time meeting Adam Hammer? I feel like you're not surprised at all to see him."

Lin Yue shook his head and lit a cigarette. "Maybe it's the black wall. Anyway, I'm finding that fewer and fewer things can surprise me these days..."

Actually, Lin Yue had another sentence he didn't finish saying. He even had a kind of expectation just now: if Chongchui were to fight him, he might be able to fight back.
This uncontrollable manic state made him feel somewhat like a stranger.

V muttered to himself, "Just how much do you know, Rin?"

Lin Yue flicked the cigarette in his hand, his face expressionless.

He glanced at V from head to toe.

Today, V wore a sequined black evening gown, with a sparkling gemstone earring on one earlobe reflecting the dim yellow lights of the dock. The curve of her eyeliner at the corner of her eyes was like that of a bewitching witch, making her look just like a socialite at a cocktail party.

"You're not dressed like this to escort goods, are you?"

V shrugged. "You think Arasaka's salary is easy to earn? You can go home and sleep after this, but I still have to attend [Ember]'s party... Basically, it's a huge, fake networking event for politicians and corporate dogs. I'll be assisting Jenkins and, while I'm at it, investigating the backgrounds of some of the company's top executives—"

"I envy your job, where you only have to deal with bloodshed... Sigh, that's how it is in the counterintelligence department, all the odd jobs are dumped on us."

As she spoke, V tugged at her high heels, seemingly finding them uncomfortable, and muttered, "The Arasaka work heels are still more comfortable."

Lin Yue nodded. "The Jakarta matter is about to begin, right? How long are you planning to stay?"

V thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say, but it will be a busy period of time. Headquarters all over the world are sending people, and I'm no exception."

Then the woman, who smelled sweet, leaned closer and asked, "By the way...did you recruit that female hacker into Arasaka?"

Lin Yue felt that V was becoming more and more gossipy the closer they got to each other, so he subtly took a small step away. "Yes, her mother was tricked by Biotechnology's security system and wants to work at the company to cause trouble for Biotechnology. As you said, she is a good network expert. We hired her to work for me, and the security department happens to be short-staffed."

V wholeheartedly agreed, “Lai Xuan likes people like you who are hostile to other companies. Biotechnology and military science are in cahoots... In the past, biotechnology would have had to buy security services from Arasaka, that’s ancient history.”

Lin Yue knew about this, "About 20 years ago, [biotechnology even supported Arasaka]..."

V: "You know what, I think I understand what Lai Xuan means."

"He wants to see if you can survive in Night City... If you can hold your ground, Lai Xuan will naturally use you; if you can't, Lai Xuan won't bother to help you—so we still have to do things for him here, especially since you brought this up, which makes it even more... never mind."

Lin Yue suddenly asked, "You think I'm asking for trouble? What about you—do you think you can survive in Arasaka?"

V gave him a look that said, "What kind of stupid question is this?" and replied, "Of course!"

Miss V, oh Miss V.

Lin Yue thought to himself, V's confidence is due to her inherent arrogance. She doesn't know that Yunhai's matter is a major hurdle—it would be easy for Abernathy to squeeze her out.

To be honest, Lin Yue himself was also very confused about what Lai Xuan's current attitude was.
As for Lin Yue himself, his intentions were all too clear: to help Lai Xuan and, as his henchman, would naturally wield greater power.

But Lin Yue clearly underestimated the personnel management skills of this current crown prince of Arasaka. He had long since shed the naiveté of the idealistic leader of the [Steel Dragon] wanderers—now he employed the complete methods of an emperor:

The people below compete, and the winners are all put to use, just like Sanlang.

In some respects, Yoriyuki's ability to control the wanderers and keep the Steel Dragons so loyal to the company is not much different from that of Arasaka Kei.

Lai Xuan doesn't care whether these lackeys are acting in his own interest or not. As long as they are loyal to Arasaka and despise other companies, they are his weapons.

For Lai Xuan, concealing his ideals was a difficult thing:

Lai Hsuan wanted to drag the company down with him, but he had to let this behemoth grow to an exaggerated extent so that it would have the strength to be an enemy of the world.

For some reason… a sentence popped into Lin Yue’s hazy memory: “With a pure heart, what more is there to say?”

If the goal is extremely positive and far-reaching, even if the process is immoral, unclean, and leaves behind countless corpses, can it still be considered "justice"?

Lin Yue didn't know.

But in fact, he had already taken such action—he had been "reborn" from Dogtown, a shithole, and he wanted to survive. He wanted to have a voice and didn't want to be controlled by this shitty place where people died every day. So the company was an insurmountable obstacle.

A middleman almost ruined his own life.

He realized... there was no other way but to climb up!
V silently watched this young man whose personality had "collapsed" and who was now trying his best to hide his emotions.

She knew that the guy who used to joke around with her, full of youthful passion, was gone—

At least when Rin first met him, he was a street kid like Jack Wells... bold, fearless, and always venturing into the most dangerous places... just wanting to start a business, even daring to get involved with companies.

However, in just a few short months, a strange guy who had touched the black wall and experienced the peeling of his personality appeared in front of him... a stranger and a lonely person.

V: "Where's that girl? The one with the pigtails—"

Lin Yue looked at the ship unloading cargo, his eyes completely calm. "No problem. Suzuki and I brought her out."

V: "You know that's not what I'm asking."

Lin Yue shrugged, not intending to answer.

V sighed. "Take a look in the trunk. The girl couldn't contact you and asked me to return the two guns you used to have. My men checked them, and there were no tracking numbers or anything like that on them."

Lin Yue, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, opened the trunk.

The cat was in excellent condition thanks to Pila, but there was a small doodle near the magazine, which looked like Rebecca's face, like a simple cartoon drawing.

V rested his hand on the hood of the car. "That pistol doesn't seem very good—but it's a decent weapon. The weapons expert from Arasaka said it's a controlled weapon, which is perfect for Night City."

Lin Yue reached out and stroked the graffiti. "When I saved her that day, I used Rin's face. There shouldn't be any problem, right?"

V tapped Lin Yue's chest. "It's not about that. It's about telling you not to think about company matters all the time, and to listen to your mentor... As long as you haven't forgotten her, that's a good thing. That girl... really isn't suited to this city. Should I send some of my men to send her to a city in the east?"

Lin Yue turned his head to look at V's smiling face, "No need, you're being too forceful. Everyone has their own choices."

"But... thank you, V. Really. At least... I haven't forgotten a lot of things."

The woman gestured with her hand as if eating with chopsticks, tilted her head, and chuckled, "Like this?"

With a faint smile on his lips, Lin Yue picked up the cat and tossed it behind the two seats in the V-car.

V clapped his hands, opened the car door, and sat in the passenger seat. "Alright, let's get ready to go with the shipment. I've been chatting with you for so long, it's time for you to do something for me."

Lin Yue: "For example?"

V rolled down the car window, "For example, take me to Ember, it's on the way after I finish delivering the goods."

Lin Yue fastened his seatbelt, V flipped down the mirror to lightly wipe the lipstick from the corner of her mouth, and tossed her hair. "Lin, you need to buy a car. It's not a lie that a man in Night City needs a suit and his own car. You're not some street kid."

Lin Yue touched the steering wheel; to be honest, he was used to using the V-shaped steering wheel.

His eyes lit up; V had received a transfer of 600,000 euros. "Now it's mine."

For the first time, V's face showed a different expression. "Huh? This is a used car... idiot, a new car is only 20,000 more expensive than this."

Lin Yue shrugged: "Price doesn't matter, I don't want to spend money—besides, you're going on business trips to other places, it's not a waste for me to drive it... You know, those car dealers in the square love to make you pay in installments—the prices are expensive, it's pointless."

The Arasaka security forces boarded their security vehicles one by one, with several trucks lined up in the middle. The most valuable batch of smart weapons naturally required special handling, and Rin, the security chief, had to escort the shipment.

The first three vehicles carried twelve security agents, the middle five were large transport trucks, and the last three were also staffed by security personnel.

Lin Yue followed at the back in his car, slowly starting up, and the long line of cars headed towards the Arasaka Park, which was only a 30-minute drive away.

Lin Yue would occasionally glance at V in the car mirror along the way.

V was still adjusting her jewelry and other things, but she quickly noticed Lin Yue's gaze.

She stared at the mirror with great interest, and her eyes met Lin Yue's next.

The emotions in her eyes were unreadable, and the beautiful woman, with a venomous aura, stared at him fearlessly.

"Rin, you've looked at it way too many times... That just proves I have good taste in dresses. Look... If you're interested, take a look a few more times, consider it my contribution to the state's psychological research."

V has received corporate and family education and has been influenced by Western culture, so she speaks boldly, and has always been so.

Lin Yue scoffed and looked at the long line of trucks carrying goods ahead.

V smiled slightly, feeling much more relaxed. This subtle observation proved that Rin still possessed a certain degree of personality.

After a long silence.

Lin Yue stared at the traffic ahead and muttered, "Something doesn't feel right, V."

As a counterintelligence-trained agent, she naturally sensed something was wrong: "Rin, have your people continue calling out to all the sentries at all points, check the situation, and keep moving forward!"

V removed a disposable handgun from the gun strap at the base of his thigh.

Because I need to attend a cocktail party, this is the only weapon I can bring to the event.

These things are everywhere on the streets, in vending machines—you can get a firearm for a very attractive price of a few dozen euros.

Lin Yue called Suzuki in the channel, and Suzuki, after surveying the surroundings from the front, immediately began making calls.

Shortly afterward, he replied: The hidden sentry is gone, and we have notified the Arasaka Park that troops are being dispatched to provide support.

On the rooftops of the two tall buildings, groups of fully armed men, not belonging to Arasaka, looked at the traffic below and made a hand gesture.

The screeching sounds of brakes rang out one after another.

The traffic, moving at full speed, suddenly began to slow down!
Looking around, the lead car was blocked by a seemingly out-of-control civilian vehicle; the driver was raising his hands, his face pale.

He didn't know why his car went out of control; he could only watch helplessly as the locked doors and the Arasaka soldier jumped out of the car with a gun in hand...

Lin Yue slammed on the brakes!

At that moment, Suzuki said in the channel: "Boss, there's a situation ahead... we can handle it right away!"

A gunshot rang out!
The car's windows shattered instantly.

The poor guy was shot dead in the driver's seat, and the lead car rammed through it without hesitation, and the traffic began to move slowly.

V's eyes glowed with a faint red light as it observed the surroundings on both sides, a gesture that indicated scanning.

"Rin, what's that upstairs?"

The soldier kneeling on the rooftop carried a guided weapon on his shoulder. This was a heavy weapon that was strictly prohibited in Night City. It was the only one shot, and its target was the several delivery trucks in the middle!

Rin's [Oracle] has a tenfold viewing distance adjustment function, and she immediately looked in the direction of the V-sign. It was clearly not one of her own people!

"Holy crap! V!"

Lin Yue suddenly turned the steering wheel.

call out! ——

A streak of fire trailed behind the missile as it hurtled towards the truck.

boom!
A towering flame exploded on the truck. Lin Yue ducked down, and the sound of the shattering windows and the piercing alarm of the vehicle rang out at the same time!
V: "They're insane?!"

Lin Yue's eyes darted back and forth, his mind racing: "The board of directors? Abernathy? Or Jenkins? Or...V?"

Only these people have permission to view customs documents!
Damn it—ruining my own plans?

At this moment, the raging fire had already engulfed the truck. Such an aggressive attack, such a well-planned blockade... Could it be the company?
Lin Yue suddenly accelerated the car, "Suzuki, tell everyone to floor the gas pedal!"

The Arasaka convoy simply abandoned the truck, since the weapons inside had already been burned to ashes, and there was no need to stop and salvage it.

suddenly!

One after another, meticulously modified vehicles rushed out from the streets on both sides. V immediately pressed the button to open the sunroof, and a gust of wind rushed into the car!

Lin Yue said coldly, "Use the cat!"

V unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed Nekoyo from behind.

A hail of bullets flew toward Lin Yue's car! They struck the modified bulletproof glass, producing a series of muffled thuds!

"Depend on!"

V, clutching a sniper rifle, slipped out through the skylight. The wind billowed her skirt, revealing her long, slender legs and a patch of snow-white skin.

Her pair of "aristocratic rhinoceros leather high heels" were too small in heel area, making it impossible for her to stand steadily on the thug's workbench.

Seeing this, Lin Yue lit a cigarette with one hand, pressed down on the steering wheel, and reached out with his other hand to support the sole of V's shoe.

"I'll drive, you take care of cleaning, and hurry up!"

V pursed her lips, her hair flying like silk, and aimed her sniper rifle at the unidentified vehicle that was firing at the convoy.

Her eyes flashed with an intrusive light, and the car that tried to block her way exploded instantly!
boom!
RAM recovery combined with firearms is simply unbeatable!

Lin Yue quickly lowered his head, and a rolling fireball flew over their heads. "Damn!"

V stared intently at the "death chase" on the highway and immediately aimed his sniper rifle at the target.

Suddenly, a pale blue light appeared on the cat, and it instantly darted into the vehicle in front!

The unknown vehicle that tried to force the truck to stop veered wildly, and V's shot pierced the driver's heart.

scoff!

The car suddenly swerved and crashed into the roadside fence, its rear end rising high before it flipped over and fell off the overpass!

boom!
Gunfire continued from Suzuki's side as well. "Boss! We can't handle the heavy artillery upstairs!"

V turned around, gun in hand, and aimed at the artillerymen on the rooftop who were attempting a second round of firing. He cursed, "These lunatics, using guided weapons in Night City! They're fucking bastards!"

The guided weapon has a much larger ammunition capacity than the Ghost Dog or NCPD missile vehicles.

Of course, we can't let him fire a second shot—

now.

The mercenary on the top floor was aiming at the truck with a ghostly green smart scope when suddenly his field of vision lit up!

Without warning, a bullet from a high-tech sniper rifle pierced through the scope and tore his head apart!

Lin Yue did his best to control the car, helping V avoid the gunfire that could come at any moment.

He must ensure that his direction is difficult for the enemy to predict without causing a mishap. It is a big no-no in a firefight, and even the NCPD would not make the mistake of popping up from the same place twice.

The armed men in the intercepting vehicle naturally noticed something was wrong; the woman holding a sniper rifle on the sunroof of their GTS, a vehicle belonging to the criminals, possessed immense destructive power…

In that instant, all the attacks were drawn in!

V didn't care at all about the bullet that grazed his ear, and didn't even try to dodge it.

Instead, she turned her attention to the car that was trying to drive around to her side and get right up close.

"You bitch, fuck her to death!"

The mercenaries' roars could be heard.

V used his cyberpsychotics to quickly upload the data directly to the driver. Before the guy could even figure out what was happening, he shuddered and pulled out his gun, shooting the man who had climbed out of the passenger seat and was trying to aim at V's companion's crotch. Then, he twisted the steering wheel and crashed headfirst into the concrete flower bed next to him.

The sounds of collisions were accompanied by screams that never ceased.

Lin Yue watched all this and marveled at how fast V's upload speed was, with attacks that were almost seamless!

Are skilled hackers really that good at managing RAM?
At this time, V:

[Quick Solution: Suicide]

A car had just pulled up next to a large truck in Ara-saka when a guy tried to climb out of the car and onto the truck to plant a time bomb.

He had just stood still in the car when, caught off guard by the rapid cracking of the code, he pulled out a gun from his waist and pressed it hard against his head!
Bang!
Blood mixed with solids was blown backward by the strong wind, splattering all over the windshield in front of Lin Yue's driver's seat. Lin Yue calmly turned on the wipers, "Awesome, V."

"This girl can be even more awesome!"

V growled in a low voice, "Press the gas pedal, I'll hack and take control of that car in front, it's an armed vehicle—let these idiots know what they can't touch."

Lin Yue suddenly accelerated and shifted gears!

The criminals' sports car naturally had excellent acceleration, and Lin Yue quickly got close to the armed vehicle whose sides were reinforced with high-strength steel plates and ceramic bulletproof materials.

V took a deep look at the car, then climbed back through the sunroof. Lin Yue also withdrew his hand from holding her shoes and steadily controlled the steering wheel with both hands.

At this moment, V entered a state akin to deep diving, remaining motionless with its head bowed.

[Intrusion successful!]
At that moment—the armed vehicle following beside them suddenly braked sharply!

The accomplices who were trying to chase them couldn't dodge in time, and two or three cars crashed into the bulletproof behemoth!
The armed vehicle that was hit spun like a top on the road. With V's powerful control, the vehicle came to a stop. The heavy machine guns on both sides of the armed vehicle then began to fire wildly at their comrades!
The missiles also flew out all at once from the missile loading devices that extended from both sides of the vehicle!
A series of rapid explosions rang out, and flames shot into the sky behind Lin Yue's car.

He slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a complete stop.

"Suzuki, report the situation!"

Suzuki, panting heavily, reported over the channel, "Boss, a transport truck and three security vehicles have been damaged. There are currently eight dead. They are currently rendezvousing with the park's defense forces according to the established route!"

"Keep going, Suzuki, don't stop."

Lin Yue cursed, then picked up his knife and walked toward the pile of car wreckage on the highway and the burning alcohol 2 liquid on the ground.

Inside the overturned vehicle, the mercenary, his face covered in blood and somewhat delirious, tugged at his seatbelt, trying to climb out of the burning car.

The samurai sword extended and cut the seatbelt, "solving" the problem for him.

Lin Yue dragged him out, and with the clatter of high heels, the guy lay on the ground and saw a company dog ​​in a suit and a woman dressed in an incongruous manner standing in front of him.

"Stupid company dog."

The mercenary cursed and then simply lay down on the ground, pretending to be dead.

Lin Yue had a lot of experience dealing with this kind of person. He first glanced around the area, then walked back and used his prosthetic eye to scan and find the place where the guy didn't have a prosthetic body.

Pfft!

The blade slowly pierced in, and the mercenary who was "trying" to resist began to groan.

Lin Yue gestured for V to treat him.

V crouched down, her skirt brushing the ground, and pressed her hand firmly against the mercenary's mouth, her expression completely unlike that of someone conducting torture or interrogation.

The mercenary cursed, "Damn it!"

Lin Yue withdrew his knife, glanced down at the other corpses in the car—there were no obvious markings—and asked, "Where did you come from?"

The man pursed his lips, his fingers digging into the asphalt, drawing blood.

"You bastards who work for the company! These weapons are used to harm people! You son of a bitch! You all deserve to go to hell!"

V kicked away the gun at the man's feet. "Yes, yes, you don't sound like a local, do you? Are you a homeless person? Or... did customs let you in from the outside?"

The man roared, "You've got guts—uh!"

Lin Yue continued to stab at the non-lethal spot with his blade. "So eager to show your conviction?"

He is very annoyed now.

It should be noted that the goods belonged not only to Lai Xuan, but also to him.

On one hand, it concerns his own future, and on the other hand, it concerns Xiao Beidou saving his life, so it's completely useless for this kind of person to talk about morality in front of him.

If Night City had any morals, the world would be at peace.

The mercenary continued to yell, "You motherfucker!"

Lin Yue subtly shifted the blade, "Zeta Technology? Comto? Military technology? Or... a middleman?"

"All the weapons are from Comto, and the prosthetic bodies are from Zeta Technology. You say you're hating the company's 'justice'—then what are you doing? Eating the company's food while smashing the company's bowl, being used as pawns by others, and here you are, righteously spouting nonsense endlessly?"

The guy yelled, "We stole this from the company!"

Lin Yue felt this guy was basically beyond saving. "The company is really kind, letting you rob for free... Let me check out your brothers' backgrounds. There are company soldiers, vagrants, and even mercenaries—look, you stole the company's goods, and the company isn't going to pursue you. Do you think your prosthetic body is free?"

"Clap!"

Lin Yue kicked over a few dog tags, "Don't you know your accomplices are company soldiers?"

V looked puzzled.

But she didn't show it.

The guy tried his best to get those things, "Holy crap! How is this possible?"

Lin Yue sighed, "They're all legitimate corporate weapons, using corporate cybernetic bodies, robbing Arasaka—and then calling Arasaka a warmonger. The opera on News 54 really made you stupid. I'm not asking you anymore, just consider this all I said... so you can die knowing why."

Without further ado, Lin Yue realized that this guy was just a fool who had been tricked, so he might as well get going.

"What the hell is going on?"

V looked puzzled.

"A bunch of wanderers and mercenaries, driving modified vehicles, carrying brand-new weapons, and equipped with new cybernetic bodies, who else could they be?"

V got into the car and muttered angrily, "The company? Holy crap... could it be Abernathy?"

Lin Yue shook his head, "Just let Suzuki check. Are you alright dressed like this? Won't you be late for the drinks?"

V looked at herself in the mirror, then reached out to fix her hair. "It's not a big problem."

She's really something; after fighting for half a day, her makeup was still intact, and her dress wasn't even wrinkled.

The car started slowly.

Lin Yue's expression darkened. In fact, he had already anticipated that nothing would be found out about what happened today.

Such blatant military action against Arasaka is virtually impossible to leave a trace of.

Enemies could come from all directions. The company? Lai Xuan's enemies? Or Abernathy—perhaps she's afraid that if Lai Xuan gets things done a few more times, her position will be unstable? Or perhaps an internal corporate spy from Arasaka?

Anything is possible...

V simply disliked Abernathy, which is why the first person she thought of as the one causing the trouble was this Special Operations Director.

But Lin Yue didn't want to speculate; it was pointless.

That's how Arasaka is. Perhaps it's for the sake of checks and balances, perhaps for the sake of factional interests, or even the board of directors might be involved.

Overthinking is not a good thing... Lai Xuan's mess in Dogtown might just be a small scheme orchestrated by the current ruler of the empire on a whim to frame Dogtown and the Military Science Department.

The old Lin Yue would have definitely pressed for answers, but that's pointless now.

Different positions lead to different perspectives.

All he needed to know was that as long as the goods weren't completely wiped out, losing a truckload was a minor issue.

But in a way, Lin Yue actually hoped that it was Abernathy who did it, at least... that would give his boss another reason to drown.

Have fun, Abernathy.

Lin Yue started the car and drove V away from the streets of Night City.

……
-
Next Life Bar.

Gloria sat nervously in front of the big man.

Mann took off his sunglasses. "I'm sorry, ma'am, for contacting you just as you were retiring from the business, and for asking you to come here again."

Gloria nervously raised her hand and waved it frantically, "Uh...you mean a prosthetic body? What's going on? You know I haven't had one done in months..."

Mann tossed a moving magazine to Gloria. The pictures on it were playing advertisements for prosthetics, the operating system of military technology in the company square store—the [Rampage] series.

"You often encounter medical cases involving cyberbullying, right?"

Mann spread his hands. "These prosthetics available on the market aren't very good. I'm looking for an experimental version. Could you keep an eye out for me?"

Gloria tried to understand the meaning of the sentence.

"Trial version?"

Mann patiently explained, "Most of the prosthetics available for purchase in Night City have undergone rigorous testing, but none of them are top-of-the-line or unique... As far as I know, the company recruits many soldiers and attaches the new, powerful prosthetics they developed to them, thus obtaining experimental data."

Gloria's expression immediately changed drastically. "Aren't you...aren't you afraid the company will cause you trouble?"

Mann grinned. "The company? To be honest, I'm already working for the company—you guessed it, ma'am, it's Arasaka."

He then said, "Seanstein has never developed an operating system, which makes it difficult for me to ask my boss for help. So... as an EMT, you might come into contact with these lunatics on the streets. Take their military-grade experimental prosthetics and give them to me. The reward is substantial!"

Gloria's smile was forced. "Well... a kind person donated money to us, and we're quite well-off now, you know... I'm not refusing, it's just—"

Damn it, these cyberpunks are so hard to deal with.

Gloria felt she was in a bind.

"Just don't want to get involved with criminals? I understand... Every day in this city, people leave their social class and don't want to face their past anymore, but this is just a request... Nobody will complain about having too much money."

Mann held up two fingers. "Two hundred thousand is enough for you to support your family and live a comfortable and prosperous life in Santo Domingo."

Gloria was smitten.

My salary is meager, and I have received donations from kind-hearted people, but David will need money to establish himself in society in the future. As his mother, I just want to give my child more financial security.

But then the kind woman said, "But what if you develop cyberpsychosis?"

Mann laughed and said, "What I want is to become stronger. As you can see, you can't survive in Night City without some skills."

Sasha's smiling face also appeared in my mind.

The big man clenched his fist.

Gloria remained silent for a long time before saying, "But I can't guarantee I'll encounter such a cyber lunatic. If I do... I'll try my best."

Mann nodded and pushed a money chip towards her.

"A little money for baby formula."

Gloria hurriedly waved her hand, "You... my child is no longer at the age to drink formula."

Mann shrugged. "You look very young. I thought your child was... uh, a kid?"

Gloria gathered her hair back, a look of emotion on her face. "I can help out at home now... However, this child's birth was indeed very difficult, even [the umbilical cord was cut by a cyberpunk with a mantis blade] -- Anyway, thank you for your kindness, I will try my best to be careful."

Mann waved his hand. "I'm just asking you to keep an eye out for me. If you don't, I won't bother you. I promise."

Gloria nodded, clenched her fists, and walked out of the private room at the Rebirth Bar.

Just then, Gloria came face to face with the two women.

At the entrance stood a tall, pink-haired woman wearing a mask with a thin cigarette tucked into it. She wore a strange maroon faux leather coat, while behind her stood a light-colored-haired girl with a somewhat provocative style and figure, her hair ends adorned with rainbow highlights, and her eyes looking rather lifeless.

Gloria nodded slightly in acknowledgment, which was her way of greeting the stranger.

Qiwei watched the woman's retreating figure, a cigarette between her fingers, and walked into the private room of Laisheng.

She sat casually opposite Mann, crossing her legs.

"What is it, Mann?"

Qi Wei's voice was muffled and somewhat distorted, but this was the effect of the mouth prosthesis, which could not be eliminated.

Mann turned his gaze to the girl standing next to her, who was also smoking. "Aren't you going to introduce her?"

"[Lucina Kusinada]...You can call me Lucy."

The girl exhaled a puff of smoke.

Mann frowned. "Where is this name from?"

The girl shrugged. "Poland."

Qiwei added, "It seems to have the same meaning as the moon—you want to seduce her?"

Mann scoffed, "Don't talk nonsense, Qiwei."

Qiwei shrugged. "Sorry... You know, my experience tells me that when men look at women, there are only two possibilities: either they want to sleep with her, or they want to take advantage of her. Since it's the second one, it's easy to handle... We'll just live together and keep the money separate."

At this moment, Lucy, who seemed determined to remain silent, asked, "Where is your hacker?"

Mann put on his sunglasses. "Dead. His body was completely destroyed in the explosion...it's all about biotechnology."

Lucy turned her head toward the lively dance floor, seemingly without any problem, but her eyes remained lifeless.

Qiwei, however, was quite self-aware. “Our skills are not enough to compete with the company. Naturally, we won’t be like that excellent hacker from before. We can get involved in company matters, but not by rushing in to steal data. You know, the risk is too high.”

Mann nodded. "Sure, I heard you have your own business?"

Qiwei waved her hand, signaling Lucy to speak.

Lucy spoke calmly, seemingly uninterested in anything, “I often steal data from the company dogs on the city rail trains near the company square. It’s just a small business, but it’s quite profitable… If you can provide a good commission that allows me to replace my prosthetic body, I can share the money.”

Qiwei said, "I also mine data to sell for money, so when there's work, we all work together, and when there's no work, we won't starve."

Mann nodded. "That's settled then. One last question—can you accept work assigned by the company?"

Qi Wei paused for a moment, then sneered, "How many middlemen don't work for the company?"

Mann likes teammates who are on the right track.

Lucy frowned slightly when she heard the word "company," but she didn't ask any further questions.

Qi Wei had been leading her around Night City for so long, so she naturally trusted Qi Wei.

Qiwei just always has this phrase on her lips: "Don't trust others."

The discussion went smoothly. Qiwei was very outgoing and thought the private room was quite nice, so she simply picked up her personal computer and started "working".

Lucy leaned against her, seemingly resting with her eyes closed, probably waiting for the afternoon rush hour when the company dogs would leave so she could steal data from the train.

Just then, the carefree Rebecca walked in—

Rebecca's initially excited face immediately fell when she saw these two people.

Lucy sensed the subtle atmosphere and opened her eyes.

Qiwei closed her laptop. "I need to go out for a bit. Where's Lucy?"

Lucy shook her head. "I have one more hour."

Rebecca whispered, "Mann, this..."

The burly man, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, remained silent.

Rebecca sat down on the sofa, hesitant to speak.

But Mann gestured for her to speak, so Rebecca said, "I saw Rin. In biotechnology."

"He had the same light in his eyes as Lin Yue, but it felt so unfamiliar."

"By the way... is Sasha still not found?"

Mann nodded. "Many people have asked, but no one has said that Sasha's traces were found when the biotechnology was cleaning up the bodies... The amount of bombs was too large, Rebecca, I'm sorry."

Then the burly man asked hopefully, "Do you remember how you got back that day?"

Rebecca shook her head. "[Delaman] car rental company hides information from its employers. I woke up lying in the back of the car... Where's Lin Yue's gun?"

Mann replied, "It was taken by that woman from the company yesterday."

Rebecca sighed.

Everything seems to have returned to square one, broken and fragmented.

Lucy, on the other hand, was leaning back on the sofa, seemingly lost in thought.

She was actually listening attentively to this very sad conversation and very politely muttered, "Please accept my condolences."

Sasha, I hope you're doing well over there.

Rebecca thought to herself.

No matter what happens, Rebecca always puts her worries aside for the time being. Although she didn't want the team to have a new hacker, Lucy's words of condolence undoubtedly won the girl's favor.

So she jumped off the sofa and walked up to Lucy, extending her gorilla-like arm generously, her eyes sincere: "Rebecca, it's a pleasure to meet you—little beauty."

Lucy paused for a moment, looking at the girl with pigtails wearing an oversized jacket in front of her, and became interested in her interesting way of speaking.

She extended her hand and chuckled softly, "Lucy."

……

　【Dragon Knight Type Prosthetic Body】: Adam Hammer has had his entire body prosthetic body replaced twice. On the night the Night City nuclear explosion ended, Arasaka custom-made this prosthetic body that is almost a full-body modification for him.

　　【Gemini (Raven Microcontroller Prosthetic Body)】: It is said that the body shape is very similar to Elvis Presley's. Adam Hammer and Michiko Arasaka used this prosthetic body during their crazy night in the bar.

　　【Gleeson Jeremiah】: Adam's loyal hound, the silver-handed Malorian Arms Company 3516 is in his hands.

　　[Biotechnology helped Arasaka around 2020]: During the corporate war, biotechnology chose to remain neutral, but secretly supported Arasaka in developing many biological weapons.

　　【Steel Dragon】: A clan of wanderers founded by Yorihiro in Tokyo. It has a tight structure and is more like a secret service group. Its primary goal is to overthrow the company's rule.

　　[The umbilical cord was cut by the mantis knife]: According to the background story of Edgewalker, when David's mother gave birth to David, the umbilical cord was cut with a cyberpunk hand prosthetic.

　　【Lucina Kussinada】: Lucy is of Japanese and Polish descent. Kussinada means "bringing light" in Polish, and Lucy represents the moon.

　　【Draman】: Players of 2077 often refer to this AI-run car rental company as the most conscientious combat taxi supplier. As long as you have money, Draman will solve all your troubles. Some players also call him "Old Draman".

　　It's been 10,000 posts a day for so long, so please vote at the end of the month. If you think the quality is good, please support it. Thanks!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)