Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 134 The Eagle and the Silent Flower (12)

A strange, high-frequency noise filled my ears.

Emma desperately covered her ears, shrank back, and pressed herself tightly against the cold, blast-proof gate.

This kind of stuttering sound effect can create a strong sense of irritation.

In her eyes, the man blocking her way had used some extremely cruel method—the enemy's head had been burned!
Because of her prosthetic eye and brain-computer interface, Emma could see the boy's burning corpse wreathed in a flickering black and red light—for a woman who had witnessed Rin's various ways of killing her enemies, this was undoubtedly the most cruel.

She didn't know what the Black Wall was, nor did she know what the "wandering AI" the boy was talking about was...

All she knew was that the Rin she knew now didn't seem to be the same person she knew.

Especially the look in Rin's eyes when he turned his head slightly to the side; Emma dared not meet his gaze and could only curl up to suppress the fear in her heart.

At this point, the agent who had been dealing with the dangerous girl had no way out.

Lin Yueyi saw countless red lines piercing through the walls; he realized the enemy had changed their tactics.

They are trying to escape the deep-sea dive by using various rapid hacking attacks on themselves.

After all, such a large number of hackers were there specifically to infiltrate the network and launch a counterattack, and they spared no expense in maintaining the Azure subnet—

However, they miscalculated.

Blackwall protocols are quickly reverse-engineered; they are as adept at replicating as viruses and destroying everything at its source.

"Damn it! Disconnect the device!"

"what!"

The hackers felt like they were holding a hot potato, and almost no one dared to use Gumbi's network equipment to hack into this guy anymore.

Some things couldn't be disconnected in time, and the brain was destroyed in an instant!

Clusters of flames erupted one after another inside the brain-computer interface!
The control panel for everyone is filled with garbled code:
【#￥%weak@#small】

"The intelligence assessment is wrong! Damn it! This guy is constantly connected to the Black Wall?!"

"Cut off the passage!"

"No...we can't figure it out, this is...this is a damn roving AI!"

All cyberattacks froze in an instant!

Huff...

Lin Yue's breathing seemed to echo clearly within the dark blue net.

Everyone was terrified!
A man with a network access module—lacking any other operating system but possessing almost superhuman speed—sold his way up the stairs with a simple steel knife!

What is this concept?
…At this moment, Abernathy is probably the most qualified to speak on the matter.

Even the intelligence experts who advised Abernathy didn't expect that such thorough preparations would still allow Rin to break through the encirclement, turning the operation into a completely out-of-control extermination incident!

"What exactly are you...?"

The girl felt that her worldview had been shaken.

More than death, she felt a deep, unfathomable fear of the man silently watching her from the opposite side.

Speed, reaction time, physical strength... even RAM! These are the pinnacle of this level of development!
Her confidence and pride have now completely crumbled.

The girl even felt that apart from his physical body, the guy opposite her was not human at all...

Is Adam's Hammer really that strong?

She finally understood one thing:

Why is Arakawa one of the most powerful companies in the world?

This isn't a place for soldiers or highly skilled cyborgs; it's... a gathering place for monsters!

She did know that there were some ninjas in Arasaka who could reach superhuman speeds without the help of Sianwistan, but that required extremely high talent and training in Japan.

Even so, how could someone have such a terrifying reaction speed?
The girl died in a very confused state, and in the end, she never understood why someone could reach S.A.W. Strange's level using their own physical body and other prosthetics.

Lin Yue watched quietly as these hackers' rapid attempts to crack the code failed.

In fact, he could have activated the Black Wall Gateway, which is like a Sky Curtain weapon, and blown all these people up—or he could have directly contaminated the entire Azure Subnet.

But his remaining consciousness and humanity told him that he still had many things to do, and he couldn't let Lai Xuan make things worse here.

This is Azure, and with so many eyes watching from Night City, he needs to stand completely intact inside the Arasaka Tower.

If all goes well, he will personally take the enemy's head.

While resisting the urge to torture and kill everything in his heart, he implanted the Black Wall Protocol into the girl's brain.

The girl looked like Jesus nailed to the cross; her limbs twitched, and she made terrifying gurgling sounds.

After Lin Yue finished administering this punishment to her, he wanted to ask her if Michiko had sent other lone wolves to intercept her.

Before the question could be uttered, the girl's face, bleeding from all seven orifices beneath her disheveled hair, began to twitch, emitting a hoarse laugh:
"The Black Wall... cough, indeed... formidable."

Lin Yue gently pinched her neck and lifted her up.

"Your partner's ICE technology is the same as the Black Wall's extraction technology—what? Don't you recognize it?"

Blood was flowing back up into the girl's throat. "Lady Michiko is right, you are the weapon to destroy the world."

Lin Yue disagreed, saying, "Your S.A.S ...

"You and your master are both hypocritical."

"Now--"

"Let's hit the road."

Lin Yue exerted force with his hand, and a bloodstained metal cat clattered and rolled to his feet.

[Sasha]: Boss, are you alright?

Lin Yue remained silent for a long time. "I've suppressed those guys. The black wall can't be used anymore. How's the subnet?"

[Sasha]: "It's untied."

Lin Yue nodded, and the overheated temperature of the prosthetic body caused by the black wall began to drop.

She has maintained contact with Lin Yue.

Therefore, the screams of agony from the data being injected into the Blackwall were the most frequent sounds she heard while searching for vulnerabilities in the Gambit network.

Fortunately, Rin's humanity prevailed in this confrontation, which prevented the entire Konbiko Network from being corrupted.

Sasha was even ready to escape Arasaka Tower and contact the woman named V.

Emma stared at the man's flickering face, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear, shock, and disbelief.

Lin Yue's gaze skipped over Emma, ​​who was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and he bent down to pick up the steel knife from the ground.

……

Lin Yue tore off the severed prosthetic arm and held it in his hand. The hovercar slowly came to a stop under the thick, dark clouds.

Suzuki looked at his injured superior with a very unpleasant expression.

"Boss, let's go get treatment first."

After saying that, he lowered his head and waited for a reprimand.

Lin Yue tossed the broken prosthetic body to Suzuki, "No, Arasaka Tower still has many friends waiting for us—"

"Have your men take this woman back to Dogtown. If anything happens to her... she should kill herself."

Holding the broken prosthetic body in his arms, Suzuki gestured to the security agents to help the woman up.

Emma suddenly asked, "Who...who are you? You are—"

The agents behind her immediately covered her mouth.

Lin Yue didn't speak, but sat in the hovercar seat and looked at the woman deeply. "Contact me after you've finished handing things over with Hanz."

Suzuki followed.

Emma's skirt billowed in the strong wind on the top floor, and scattered raindrops fell without warning. She could only sob as she watched the floating vehicle on the desolate slope leave and fly towards the darkest tower in the dense nest of buildings.

……
-
Abernathy stared dejectedly at the black area on the screen.

Although Michiko assured that her high-ranking lone wolf was guarding the top floor.

But she had a bad feeling—

Everything was almost utterly destroyed by the man on the other side.

Despite having all the advantages, Abernathy never imagined that one person could turn the tide of the battle.

The holographic screen behind her slowly disappeared, revealing gloom and flashing lightning outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Just like the story passed down by Arasaka employees, Arasaka suffered losses in 2023, withdrew from North America, and was once on the verge of its most dangerous situation. Now it seems that I have also become one of those people on the road to ruin.

Abernathy has never been afraid. She has the backing of the Arasaka board of directors, the support of Michiko, and the trump card from headquarters.

But when her cleansing efforts began to show signs of failure, she started to feel fear.

Abernathy opened a drawer and walked out of Arasaka Tower's office; strangely, no one stopped her.

The agents standing guard outside the office corridor by the elevator acted as if they hadn't seen anything, letting Abernathy walk into the hangar of Arasaka Tower.

Abernathy's breathing quickened as she looked at the floor number displayed on the elevator screen, and a nameless rage ignited in her heart.

"F**K!"

She couldn't care less about anything else now; cold sweat began to bead on her forehead as she waited to board the hovercar and escape this deadly place.

She was still holding the encrypted money chip she'd taken from the drawer, and as if remembering something, she quickly looked down and rummaged through her pockets—

The special operations director, his hand trembling, put the cigarette in his mouth. Before he could even light it, the elevator reached the top-floor hangar of the Arasaka Tower.

The elevator door opens.

Abernathy slowly lowered his hand, and the cigarette in his mouth fell onto the exquisite carpet inside the elevator.

Two burly agents stood guard outside. They didn't look like employees of Night City's Aragaka Tower; they had very distinct features—as well as those of headquarters.

“Miss asked me to take you to the atrium, Director Abernathy.”

The other person spoke fluent Japanese.

Michiko?
Abernathy's expression was ferocious.

The other party slowly said, "Miss said... if you insist on leaving, no one can protect you."

Abernathy felt like a fool sitting on a wall waiting to be picked up, and could only watch quietly as two agents stood on either side of him, reached out and pressed the elevator button, leading to the "judgment hall" in the atrium.

……

"Michiko, let's begin."

The technocrat sitting next to Michiko Arasaka made the decision on her behalf. Since they were in the same faction, even if they didn't know what this woman was up to, they still had to follow the proper procedures.

After all, with such a big incident at Gumbi, all the board members were on tenterhooks.

If the Azure Tower in Night City were to be forced to close down completely, and the global Azure Industry stock price were to suffer, then committing seppuku would be the least of their worries.

Michiko waved her hand.

At the end of the conference table, the overall layout of the Azure Sky Building began to appear, and Michiko said with great seriousness:
"Although the situation is not optimistic, our supervisor is still cleaning up—"

"and many more!"

It wasn't Mr. Xu who spoke up to interrupt this time, but Barreto.

His eyes were sharp. "Ms. Michiko, I want to know why there are so many agents in the atrium. Are they preparing to have our Chief Rin die in the Azure Building? We need live footage and intelligence!"

Michiko's gaze sharpened; these old fogies had caught on so quickly.

“Excuse me, but the Azure Building is under red alert – Barreto. You know what that means, so let’s hear what Ms. Michiko has to say first. I think cutting off regional communications is a compliant action; at least it will buy us some time, especially if headquarters finds out first.”

"It's something I can't explain to you."

One of the female directors voiced her opinion.

It's a classic case of keeping it a secret, trying to delay and reduce the impact. Afterwards, all that's needed is to pay money and make a self-criticism, and that's enough.

"Compared to that, I'm more curious... why wasn't the operations director, Susan Abernathy, present? She was the main speaker at this meeting, and if the information you provided is correct, she should be the one in charge!"

"yes…"

The crowd began to whisper amongst themselves.

At this point, Jenkins basically understood Michiko's intentions.

What he wanted to do most at that moment was to contact the Japanese side. The news report from Channel 54 might not be able to leave Night City. If the Military Science Academy wanted to annoy Arasaka's people, they might release the news on other regional networks.

But that won't happen quickly.

Jenkins glanced at the time; a full hour had passed since he was forced to attend the meeting.

This one hour was Michiko Arakasaka buying time for Abernathy.

At that moment, the eyes of one of the agents opposite Jenkins met.

Jenkins narrowed his eyes. As the head of the counterintelligence department, he naturally had to find a way to change his identity from being the scapegoat to the one who could redeem himself.

If any problems arise in Night City, the Counterintelligence Department, Special Operations Department, and Security Department will all be implicated.

Headquarters doesn't care who you work for; someone has to be in charge of Ganbi, and these three departments will be severely damaged even if they don't die.

Jenkins' methods have always been crude; he only cares about achieving the set goal and doesn't care about the process.

That's just the style.

So Jenkins' agent's eyes lit up slightly, and the live feed from the conference room began to be transmitted.

These images are ultimately to be delivered to someone in Jakarta.

Jenkins' greatest brilliance lies in never restricting his subordinates. He has successfully cultivated V, and he has a vague feeling that V has connections with headquarters because, based on several operation reports he has handled, headquarters has granted V authority in Japan.

He wouldn't be foolish enough to make V explain himself. He was just taking a gamble; he was going to die either way, and doing nothing wasn't his style.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Just like the last time the Rin incident was handled, the board of directors was in complete chaos. Some people held shares, some held business, and some had formed factions. In short, no one was willing to step forward and offer a solution for today's situation.

The pressure then fell on Jenkins.

“Jenkins, you’re the head of the counterintelligence department. Tell me, what’s your counterintelligence department doing? Allowing the special operations department to issue operational authorizations on its own?” one of the directors began to challenge.

Jenkins nodded and apologized, "Ms. Michiko is aware that Director Abernathy's procedures were not in compliance with regulations."

At this point, Mr. Xu added, "The process is flawed, how interesting... At a time like this, they're still letting this operations director give orders? It's fucking ridiculous!"

Michiko Arakasaka seems to be intentionally keeping silent.

She was waiting for the results of the study, and also for Abernathy's arrival.

Just as Michiko was preparing to stall for time with a few perfunctory words, the agent beside her leaned down and said something that completely changed Michiko's composed expression.

AI: "Regional communication permissions have been restored."

Everyone was getting restless, half-standing up. "What's going on?"

Ding ding ding!
The lights in the atrium quickly came on.

Abernathy walked in at a leisurely pace, followed by two agents who were not affiliated with the agency.

"Abernathy?"

Michiko stood up, looking at the director's ashen face, and immediately sensed something was terribly wrong. Abernathy being detained meant that external forces had already intervened in Night City's Arasaka Tower—

Is it Lai Xuan?
No, if it were Lai Xuan, the situation wouldn't be like this. The entire upper echelon would definitely be under Adam's heavy hammer.

That is…

At this moment, the holographic screen not far from the conference table began to light up and rapidly change, revealing a woman with her hair in a bun, a sharply defined face, and classical Japanese makeup.

"aunt?!"

All the directors fell silent.

finished...

At this moment, everyone had only one thought.

The appearance of the "Silent Flower" at headquarters means that the supreme ruler of the empire—Emperor Arasaka—has also learned of this matter.

On the contrary, Michiko felt a little more relaxed at this moment.

If it weren't for Lai Xuan, there would still be room for maneuver.

But what will Abernathy do about her aunt?
The woman's gaze darted back and forth between Abernathy's face and Arakawa Hanako's face, who was quietly watching the board meeting on the screen.

Will this woman, who adheres to Arasaka's predetermined development path, help Abernathy?

Abernathy is almost certainly one of Hua Zi's men.

"Michiko, why didn't you report such a big thing to headquarters?"

"Moreover... you set up quite a few hackers, which took a lot of effort for me."

Michiko felt a chill run down her spine.

She had long heard that her aunt was an extremely skilled hacker.

From this perspective, it seems that she almost single-handedly regained control of the communication permissions for the Night City region.

How could this woman manage to do something so far away from her home in Tokyo?
Michiko could only bow her head and apologize, "Konjaku... has encountered some problems, and we are trying our best to minimize the impact."

Hanako Arasaka stared silently at Michiko. "Lowest? You mean the whole Night City knows that Konjaku has entered a red emergency state—that Arasaka's stock price is falling?"

Michiko is alright.

only…

Abernathy's knees nearly buckled, and two agents struggled to support her, while the surrounding board members all wore expressions as if they were dead.

Jenkins is the one who finds it most disgusting.

He knows nothing, has done nothing yet, and is already sitting on the bench of sinners.

That's fucking...

“Some of you have outdated ideas. Father is right, it’s time for you to change.”

Several directors, upon hearing such strong words, immediately became restless.

“Miss Hanako! This has nothing to do with us. It was Miss Michiko who chose to keep it a secret. This operations director—”

The man's chest heaved.

"What she's doing...we have no idea! We've never even heard her say it herself!"

"Yes, Miss Hua Zi!"

"... "

Then, Hua Zi's gaze turned to Abernathy.

"Go ahead."

Abernathy's lips trembled as Michiko nervously watched her back.

What would the director say?

If they talk nonsense, everyone will be in an awkward position. Not only will Michiko lose, but Hanako will also have to make a choice.

Michiko could only pray that Abernathy would be a little smarter.

Abernathy glanced at the people around him out of the corner of his eye.

Finally, he raised his head, his eyes filled with pleading.

The silence was like ice, piercing everyone's spine—making them restless and uneasy.

Hanako Arasaka was silent for a moment, her tone tinged with helplessness.

“Abnersey, you’re very smart… Many of Zeta Technologies’ businesses, including those in the Contau US region, are related to you. We acknowledge your abilities, but you need to be more honest.”

“Arasaka has always been fair in rewarding and punishing... Speak.”

Abernathy hesitated before speaking, “We… discovered external forces detrimental to Arasaka at the Azure Building. The Mexican side has sent people to deal with them, and our security chief has received permission to operate and is currently in charge of the operation.”

Surprisingly.

Hanako Arasaka replied calmly, "It's Rin-san, isn't it?"

Jenkins immediately clenched his fist.

At that moment, Abernathy suddenly looked up and nodded forcefully.

possible!
Abernathy's emotions were like a rollercoaster. Hanako knew Rin, which meant she... knew what Lai Xuan had done?!

In Abernathy's hopeful gaze.

Hanako Arakawa said indifferently, "Gentlemen, find our security chief... and bring him back. The board of directors hasn't reached the point where you all need to keep an eye on things."

Two senior agents in charge of guarding Abernathy received their orders.

However, their prosthetic eyes are not just for receiving people.

Michiko loosened her tightly clenched fist.

It seems that this aunt... is on her side this time.

Mr. Xu glanced at Jenkins, who was covered in sweat, and gave a cold snort.

He gently touched his thigh with his fingers, knowing that what was done was done.

This guy that Lai Xuan was trying to groom... should be out of the game.

I must say, I was quite accurate in my judgment.

The struggle within Arasaka is ever-present, and for those who are determined to stand on the same side as Yoriyuki, there will be many enemies.

I hope he comes to this realization.

……

Tokyo, the Arasaka family home.

After temporarily stabilizing the situation in Night City, Hanako Arakawa cut off the feed.

The room is decorated in a classic Japanese style with a distressed finish.

After a long silence.

She asked, "What is my brother... doing now?"

The maid kneeling behind Arasaka Hanako said softly, "Miss, Lord Yoriyuki is currently in Kyoto carrying out the head of the family's orders. Do you want to see him?"

"Need not."

He acted very promptly.

But I always have this uneasy feeling.

Sometimes, even Hanako Arasaka couldn't figure out what her older brother, who had returned from a family of wanderers, wanted.

He seemed to be completely focused on power.

His father had praised him, saying that Lai Xuan had finally become like Jing.

But Hua Zi never thought that way.

When she was young, she longed for her brother Lai Xuan, who was free to travel, and even met with him frequently.

Her brother had inadvertently revealed his dream to her.

That means completely eliminating corporate chauvinism!

Hua Zi knew the world was broken, but she didn't have the courage. In her mind, Lai Xuan was family, just like her father.

She simply admires men who dare to embrace freedom.

She was even... once captivated by Lai Xuan's personal charm.

Thoughts turn.

She had indeed read Rin's information in detail.

Therefore, she didn't mind that the branch manager was sloppy in handling the matter at the Gumpi Building today.

She believed that her father would support her.

Lai Xuan began to act arbitrarily and domineeringly, and sometimes she even wished that life could go back to the days when her brother secretly met with her.

Because only then did my brother seem like a real person.

In order to control Lai Xuan's growing ambition, she began to reduce her father's influence.

This is what the Night City Azure Crisis is like today.

Hua Zi's judgment and intuition have always been very accurate. She understood that if this Lin was allowed to climb the ladder step by step, he would become an even more difficult person to deal with than Adam Hammer.

No, Adam's hammer poses no threat whatsoever; he only kills and enjoys it immensely.

Power is not what he wants.

Adam has no brain; he is merely a weapon that is temporarily controllable and does not recognize its master.

But Rin is different; he's intelligent, younger, and more like an older brother…

A gang soldier became Arasaka's security chief in less than a year.

This speed... while aided by Lai Xuan's support, cannot be ignored due to his own determination.

...

ten minutes later.

An urgent message reached Hua Zi's prosthetic eye.

"We couldn't find any trace of Rin."

The old-fashioned woman's heart sank immediately.

Did Lai Xuan find out?
The usually composed Hua Zi quickly waved his prosthetic arm, which was inlaid with gold stripes, and a holographic screen appeared: "Connect to Night City Headquarters."

At this moment, all the directors stood up.

Hua Zi looked to the side—

really!

The holographic image showed my beloved brother…

At this moment, he was looking at him with a cold expression and aggressive eyes.

……

Night City, Arasaka Tower.

Lin Yue walked out of the hangar, with Suzuki holding his severed arm behind him.

A sound of machinery hitting the floor rang out.

The tall and bizarre humanoid machine could only be Adam Hammer.

Lin Yue, covered in wounds, looked at Adam Hammer, who stood quietly at the end of the corridor—and the corpse he was carrying, from which thick blood was still dripping.

Adam's terrifying electronic voice boomed, "You've got guts, damn it."

As he spoke, he kicked aside the corpse of the agent loyal to Hanako Arasaka, clearing the way.

Lin Yue strode forward, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

But as he passed by Adam, he caught a glimpse of the humanoid monster staring intently at him.

Adam's hammer was very interested.

Only powerful individuals will attract his attention.

Empathy has long been lost; the thoughts of a rational madman are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Adam was thinking at that moment:

Will this guy be able to play to his heart's content?
He was genuinely interested in this guy who wasn't extremely cybernetic, had a physical body, and whose expression resembled that of an old friend.

Morgan Blackhand had an expression that was just as infuriating as this guy's.

Lin Yue, who was passing by Adam, had no time to think about what this controllable mental patient was thinking.

All he knew was that Lai Xuan had made his move.

It does seem dangerous to be on Lai Xuan's side, but—

The returns will be greater than you imagine.

Someone is going to die tonight.

But now it seems it's not him, so it's just those few left.

To what extent will Lai Hsuan-hui go?

Michiko…

Lin Yue's gaze darkened.

His hatred was now uncontrollable.

Lin Yue stood in the elevator and went all the way to the floor where the atrium was located.

At that moment, the two security guards responsible for greeting people outside the elevator lowered their heads.

"Mr. Rin."

Their gazes lingered on the young manager's injuries and Suzuki holding the prosthetic arm behind him, and they swallowed hard before making way.

Lin Yue felt the dampness wafting from the central garden, and his feet were on uneven cobblestones. He stopped walking.

Suzuki stopped in his tracks. "Boss?"

He didn't understand what his boss wanted to tell him before he entered the atrium.

Just as he was lost in thought—

A faint voice came from ahead.

"Stay away from the conference table later."

"Don't let the blood splatter on your suit, Suzuki..."

……

　Seven thousand words, hope you all enjoy it~
　　(*▽*)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)