Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 128 Desire and Killing (24)

Lin Yue's eyes shone with a unique blackish-red light, a result of the pollution from the black wall. He only transmitted his real name, or rather, a pseudonym.

No matter how sophisticated the algorithm is, shouldn't the Cloud Top technology just be based on existing data and the aggregate within a personal system for calculation?
If he only gives me a name, will he be able to understand me?
As Emma tilted her head back slightly while she was thinking, her voice changed instantly.

Do you like this tone?

Lin Yue frowned deeply. This timbre was almost an imitation of V's. Although he could hear the difference, it was still a terrifying thing to be able to imitate it like this.

With the Arasaka military firewall in place, shouldn't my data have never been read?

What is this?

Lin Yue even felt that this was something Emma did while she was conscious, which was too bizarre.

"who are you?"

Lin Yue asked, his prosthetic eye scanning Emma's body for any traces of other network access, but unfortunately there were none.

Emma gently touched Lin Yue's chest with her finger. "I am myself, darling."

Lin Yue decided to remain silent for the time being, because speaking itself is an act of revealing information.

"Tired?"

Emma gently stroked Lin Yue's cheek, her actions becoming noticeably bolder. If Emma were sober, she would almost never dare to do such a thing.

However, Emma's next words gave Lin Yue an even more chilling feeling, as if she had seen right through him.

"Or rather, don't you get tired of wearing this mask?"

Lin Yue was stunned—he frowned in thought.

He was quite certain that Emma wouldn't know the panel existed; it would require a highly skilled hacker to gain direct access to his system to detect its existence.

According to his vague memory, when V went to Genting Highlands, the woman would also say such ambiguous things, leaving it entirely up to the listener's interpretation.

Emma leaned closer, seemingly quite at ease, inhaling the smell of cigarette smoke emanating from the man, her expression a mixture of satisfaction and greed.

"You don't have to say anything right now, just nodding or shaking your head is enough—but I know what you're afraid of..."

"You emerged from some mass grave in Night City, constantly fearing that you might one day die in some mysterious conspiracy by those in power. You worry about how you'll survive all the time, don't you?"

Lin Yue fell silent.

Emma chuckled, her hand stroking the stubble on Lin Yue's chin, her fingers moving like snakes across his skin.

The text doesn't mention Dogtown, Hanz, or Arasaka, but it directly addresses the inner conflict of wanting to survive.

So he nodded, wanting to hear what Emma would say next.

Emma lay there quietly for a few minutes before getting up.

She gestured for Lin Yue to turn his back to her, and gently placed her hands on the flesh near Lin Yue's unmodified neck, applying slight pressure as if she were massaging him.

The woman leaned close to Lin Yue's ear:

"You've suffered a major upheaval, making you believe you've lost the right to be human. You fear you're no longer who you used to be, dear... But you've forgotten, you've never changed... All those lies and whispers you once doubted were—"

"Illusion".

Lin Yue felt that there seemed to be a kind of magic in Yu Guangzhong's purple eyes, making him want to reveal the secret in his heart.

However, he managed to restrain himself, his tense body relaxed a bit, and he let Emma massage his shoulders.

He felt the woman's just the right amount of pressure. "Interesting... How do you know about them? And why do you think what they say is all lies?"

Emma breathed softly, “A lie is a lie. Your fear… makes those rumors that shouldn’t be the truth so hard to dismantle—release your deepest desires and tell yourself that what you want is nothing other than a definite result.”

She obediently rested her chin on Lin Yue's shoulder and wrapped her arms around his chest.

Interesting. Is this person saying they've been deceived by AI?
Lin Yue sighed. "So you're just saying things that seem plausible, guessing the deepest secret in the guest's heart by chance, is that it?"

Emma: "No, darling... I don't need to guess the probability. I only know that you are very scared, and my appearance is to make you no longer afraid."

"When you first started growing up, you had no desires, you just wanted to live. But... there are always unexpected events, and so you had a dream amidst the danger. You are different from those who come to seek physical stimulation. They all want to release the most primal things, but you are not like that—you want something much more sophisticated, you want the world to be destroyed."

Lin Yue's body stiffened.

"Your subconscious doesn't lie. You hate this place, and you seem to accept it willingly, but you haven't given up trying to change it for a single day. Admit it, you're just pretending to go along with it. In fact, you have a million ways to escape, but you still go with the flow and even start climbing at any cost."

Lin Yue remained silent for a long time.

Emma stopped and hugged Lin Yue. "Don't worry, I'm just a vessel for you to release your inner self—I'll listen. You... you're like an outsider, wandering every corner of this city, like a traveler trying to see everything clearly..."

"Let's talk, darling."

Lin Yue nodded. Whether he admitted it or not, Genting's technology was indeed quite sophisticated.

Lin Yue: "Then what do you think I should do?"

Emma replied, “You hate the so-called value of becoming the strongest. You know that being the strongest can't change anything because you've seen too many strong people fall at the foot of the tower—you keep telling yourself to be smarter and stay away from the meaningless struggles at the bottom.”

Lin Yue felt very tired, but his body also felt strangely relaxed.

Emma swayed her serpentine waist as she straddled Lin Yue. “The world, people, and things are all changing, but you are not one of them. You are trying to make these changes happen, even if you may not be able to, but you have not given up.”

Lin Yue shook his head. "So... I should stick with it? Hmm... What about after that?"

Emma bit her lip, her voice possessing a fatal allure.

"From now on... you won't stop here—don't be afraid of violating your moral bottom line anymore; that kind of thing doesn't exist. Remember, [destroy if you want to destroy, kill if you want to kill, overthrow everything, and don't care about the piles of corpses], isn't that what you want?"

Lin Yue let out a deep breath.

“You’re right…maybe I should ask myself more questions.”

Emma's tone now sounded more like that of a submissive, "This is just an interlude on your path to becoming king... They are all chasing fame and fortune, wanting to become legends here, to become the strongest. But what you want is not to become a legend, nor to die a glorious death, nor to simply use your name as a code name for a cocktail."

"Desire itself is not terrible; it is the arrival of desire that provides motivation... You want to become the emperor of this world, to wield [power], to become the true—"

"[Supreme]!" Lin Yue suddenly felt a wildfire ignite in his heart.

His hand rested on Emma's waist—

Safe word?
Lin Yue's mind suddenly cleared. This kind of technology at Cloud Peak could be intervened in an emergency, and forcibly disconnecting it would cause irreversible damage to the brain nerves of the sexual partner.

However, Emma's lips were pressed against Lin Yue's neck the next second, and they were a little cold.

……

Abernathy crossed his arms and pointed his fingers at his arms.

[Incoming caller: Unknown]

A hoarse voice came from the other end.

"Director, the target is in the Ganbi Building, but it's not connected to Ganbi's subnet. We've devised a plan: all the hackers are online now. We'll use the entire subnet as a containment device to trap the target inside."

Abernathy's tone was so cold it could freeze you in ice. "What's the risk assessment?"

There was silence on the other end.

"Over 80%. We're not sure if the target has mastered advanced network knowledge related to the Black Wall. You know... many network experts in various divisions are involved in developing Relic-related technologies, and very few people touch this stuff. But according to reliable intelligence, the target has never participated in network attack and defense. We can give it a try. We're just waiting for your orders."

Abernathy raised an eyebrow.

"Eighty percent? You mean there's an eighty percent chance he'll break through your attack within the subnet? I asked you to prepare thorough contingency plans, and you just report this to me? Isn't that a bit too frivolous?"

The person on the other end said helplessly, "Director, this involves the Black Wall. If we hadn't taken advantage of his secret rendezvous with the sex doll, we wouldn't have been able to read his location information at all—this is an opportunity. The subnet is closed and won't affect the regional network. We have a way to cut off Arasaka's subnet; we just need to keep him inside the Azure Sea."

"Furthermore, we must be wary of him communicating with the Black Wall. Once he obtains the Black Wall's protocol and gateway, we will be identified as AI, which is certain death."

"That's why I suggested you take a gamble. Even if you fail, it won't matter. Although we don't have the authority to use Relic-related technologies to kill him, we can send our own people to participate in the encirclement and suppression. He didn't bring any close associates with him, and the counterintelligence department has been bogged down in the Jakarta situation recently. It all depends on you."

Abernathy's subordinates' opinions were very pertinent; the opportunity should not be missed, and even if it fails, it will not be a pity.

"Have the personnel been transferred from the Mexican branch?"

The person on the other end was certain, "Yes, they're all in the Azure Building. Once he shows any inclination to communicate with the Black Wall, we'll have to go deep inside. We'll lure him to the hacker room—that's when the subnet can be blocked. As for him breaking out on his own, I don't really believe it."

"The assessment team believes that he is most likely to use the hacker chair of the Blue Cloud for cyber attacks. Since no one is responsible for stopping him, we can open the box offline at will."

"You should know that there is an 80% chance that it is based on his deep dive—using the black wall for a self-destructive attack."

Abernathy paced back and forth.

Azure is one of the important businesses of Night City's Abandoned Tower. Her head can't handle such a huge mess, so she has to recruit people to do it.

[Calling: Michiko Arakasaka]

Michiko's voice was languid, "Susan, what is it?"

Abernathy organized his thoughts, “Our security chief is having fun with a sex partner in the hotel. My men are confident they can stop it. Action teams have been sent from Mexico. Do you think it’s possible to order an attack and cleanup operation?”

Michiko remained silent.

After a long pause, he sneered, "Abnersey, you do have some ability to sit in the director's position. If we touch him, we won't escape. You don't need to pretend to ask me for instructions anymore; you know I will agree."

Abernathy felt no embarrassment whatsoever.

Compared to life, what does a little bit of shame matter?

Michiko added, "I will have the Danger Girls' combat personnel participate in this operation. Remember, leave no survivors."

Tick.

Abernathy breathed a sigh of relief; Michiko was more decisive than he had imagined.

In her luxurious office, a light screen appeared, and the first-person perspective transmission system for individual combat uploaded the situation near the Azure Building to Abernathy's office with minimal latency. She began to communicate the details with the person in charge of the operation.

"Hmm... Set up the snipers."

"Yes... mercenaries from other companies will arrive within half an hour..."

"Keep a close eye on the security personnel, especially Jenkins. Don't let him cause any trouble!"

Half an hour later, Abernathy, who had made countless phone calls, breathed a sigh of relief.

"You know what to do? Let's get started..."

The camera pans across the scene, showing the hovercraft taking off from above various buildings, with fully armed company soldiers organizing their equipment inside.

These are cargo-carrying hovercrafts that can carry more than ten people.

A total of fifty people, including more than twenty cybersecurity experts, began heading to the cyber hacking room in the Gumpi Building.

In the footage: Several hackers responsible for subnet security at the Gambi Building are lying on hacker chairs. At this moment, several guys dressed in Gambi Building employee uniforms appear. They raise their guns and kill the hackers who are still diving deep into the network one by one. After putting away their guns, they pull the bodies off the chairs and lay them down on the hacker chairs.

Michiko still seems quite worried about this operation.

She called again and said, "Last time I bribed a guy at the state research institute. His hand prosthetic has a backdoor that might be useful to you."

"Without the prosthetic body, this guy is just fish on the chopping block. Clean him up properly, Abernathy."

Michiko emphasized her last name.

Abernathy bowed his head and replied in Japanese, "I am very grateful."

……

　The Tower: In Tarot, the Tower signifies upheaval, chaos, and destruction. Lightning striking the Tower represents the return of the old order buried beneath the ruins, from which a new order will emerge. It symbolizes tragedy, final judgment, and self-destruction.

　　The Emperor (Tarot Card): The Emperor represents the patriarch's control and his love of authority and power to manipulate the future. The Emperor sets and enforces rules for the public good, but privilege also has a dark side. The Emperor is ruthless and domineering, willing to let corpses pile up to achieve his goals.

　　[Strength]: In Tarot, Strength is the card that symbolizes willpower. It is associated with determination, courage, and inner struggle. A person must have unwavering determination to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. Strength represents physical strength and mental tenacity; this power must be unleashed to make the impossible possible.

　　【Supreme】: A single by the 2077 Warrior Band. The original song is available in the side quest "Supreme" and can be listened to on Cloud Village.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)