Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 144 Setting Up a Scheme: Intelligence and Human Nature (1.1 words)

[The Secretive Motel]

Meredith Stott's long, beautiful legs swayed as she looked down at the man pinned to the ground by military agents.

She held a cigarette between her fingers, her face displaying an unconquerable arrogance.

"I'm telling you, how did that idiot with four eyes die? You still can't explain it clearly?"

As she spoke, she used the tip of her high heel to lift the man's chin, "While I'm in a good mood today... tell me, and I might let you go."

The man's face was so swollen from the beating that his features were almost unrecognizable.

Meredith tapped her cigarette butt with her finger, and ash, still clinging to the embers, fell onto the hem of her dark military-tech uniform skirt.

Giving her prey a certain amount of mercy and time to think has always been this woman's style.

"When I... when I got there, his head had already been blown apart. I fucking had no idea—"

"I beg you."

Meredes gave a cold laugh.

“Ah, what a strange thing. You know, the last time he saw you was in the parking lot of Night City. You left, and he died... I told Rona, don’t treat people like dogs with a sausage hanging over their heads and letting them chase after them.”

"See... you messed up. Are there really that few positions in military technology? Or are you just too ambitious? It's not hard to protect a useful lapdog..."

The man nodded hastily, "Yes, yes... I was greedy, I wanted to take more money, uh, no... I was blinded by my desire for data. The order was to find out what Arasaka was doing... I didn't think it was necessary to go to such great lengths. I was wrong!"

In fact, Meredes didn't listen to a word of the man's explanation.

Her gaze fell on the gray stains left by dried mud on the toe of the shoe.

That's terrible, keeping quiet is such a bad idea.

Seeing that Meredith remained silent, the man thought he had an opportunity and quickly seized it.

"We can start over! Trust me this time, boss!"

Meredith grunted and gestured for the two agents gripping the man's arm to release their grip.

Ronaldo fell to the ground and hurriedly got up.

Meredes's disgust was even more evident, but his tone seemed to have softened a bit.

"I've figured out how to use you, my dear subordinate."

Ronaldo's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

Meredes bent down and pressed the cigarette butt against the man's shoulder, extinguishing it gradually.

The man wasn't wearing a shirt, which was almost like burning his skin. He trembled slightly but gritted his teeth and silently endured it.

Meredes crossed his legs and presented the toe of his shoe to the man. "Clean it up and let me see what you're good for. Friendly reminder—don't use your blood-stained hands, understand?"

He was beaten by secret agents, interrogated 24 hours a day, and was once deprived of food and water.

But at this juncture, Ronaldo hesitated.

His heart was filled with resentment and malice.

He hadn't expected his cousin to use such an extreme and insulting method.

But it was all in vain.

Now that things have come to this, he deeply regrets using empty promises to keep Faraday in suspense. If he had known how much importance the higher-ups placed on this matter, he should have let that old man join the company first, and then it wouldn't have been difficult to kick him out later.

Ultimately, it was all due to his contempt and arrogance that he ruined the game.

"Ok?"

Meredes grunted.

"I, I know."

His lips trembled as he struggled to decide whether to sell his last shred of dignity.

It's a pity that the people who live in such a precarious environment are often not prepared to face death.

No one can afford to lose.

Despite how disgusted he was by the woman, he eventually stuck out his tongue and began cleaning the stains off his boss's shoes.

Meredes nodded repeatedly.

"Rona, you're really smart."

The two agents behind him exchanged glances, knowing that someone was about to be killed.

Why does military technology produce so many useless people?
Meredes' eyes turned cold.

The woman in the company's shoe, with its steel plate embedded in the side, suddenly tilted to one side, followed by a burst of muscle contraction in her thigh.

boom!
A trail of blood echoed through the room with a heavy, muffled sound.

"Uh."

puff.

The man's jaw was dislocated, and he lay on the ground convulsing; clearly, the heavy kick to the head had nearly killed him.

Meredes clapped his hands and stood up.

"Get rid of him. I haven't settled the score with this guy for contacting Faraday to steal goods from Dogtown yet... He's a traitor."

"And...where are the things I need and the people I need?"

The agent on the other end nodded. "Boss, everything's fine. Lone Wolf is coming right away."

Meredes went to great lengths to obtain this resource from his lover, a former outcast who had risen to prominence in Night City.

The woman from the company smoothed her short, light blonde hair back. "What's Anthony (Anthony Gilchrist) up to lately?"

The agent shook his head. "Boss, it seems he's been taking charge of other business lately."

Meredith was absolutely furious with that idiot who only knew how to grumble and complain all day long. She vowed that one day she would personally kick him out of the company, or at least stop him from getting in her way. She had been waiting for this opportunity.

Unfortunately, just like his short stature, Anthony is very shrewd and almost never makes mistakes.

In contrast, the rather crude Meredith relied on his lover to avert several life-threatening situations.

"Bang bang bang!"

Just as Meredith was about to speak, there was a light knock on the door.

Meredes immediately stopped in his tracks.

She gestured with her chin, and the burlyest security guard silently approached the gate, while Meredith held his forehead, waiting patiently.

The automatic door opens.

The doorway and corridor, which was slightly dim and kept silent, were empty except for the alluring pale pink neon lights.

The agent's gun-holding posture was extremely standard. The biggest mistake in observing blind spots is to expose the weapon from the corner, revealing one's position—but this soldier clearly did not.

Seeing that his companion's expression was not right, another agent formed a crossfire line with his teammate and quickly began to observe.

"Uh?"

The agent raised a questioning voice.

The two of them looked down the corridor, one on each side, and out of the corner of their eye, they seemed to see movement above them—

屮!
The man with an excessively long arm span looked like a spider hanging upside down from the ceiling, pouncing on his prey as he rushed towards the agent.

Meredes was startled and hurriedly drew his gun.

However, a voice rang out from Sianwistan.

A hoarse voice boomed in Meredith's ears!

She felt as if someone had grabbed her scalp, and her whole body instantly turned ice-cold—

"Hey, don't move, little one."

The man spoke in a very frivolous manner. He had long arms, a thin face, and wore a black rock vest that exposed his arms. His eyes and brows exuded a frivolous and dissolute air.

He practically leaned in close to Meredith's face. "Tsk tsk, smells delicious—"

Meredith suppressed his panic and unease, "【Old Man Sunrise?】"

The man ejected the two pistols from their magazines and tossed them aside. He slammed himself onto the sofa. "Don't look at your subordinates. They're just temporarily seeing their wives in their dreams... Heh heh, Night City is still the same old wreck."

He greedily inhaled the aromatherapy scented in the room. "Speak up, you military-tech beauty. Who told me to get you guys, those incompetent fools, to fish this out?"

Meredes stiffly turned his face, bent down and placed the gun on the ground.

"Fishing?"

Sunrise Dad shrugged. "Yeah, they beat him to a pulp and almost threw him into the sea to feed the fish—as you can see, this super-long prosthetic arm that women love to death is something from your company."

As he spoke, he held up a jet-black finger, almost as long as a normal adult's entire hand.

If anyone knew Pila, this unknown street kid, they would probably think this was an older version of Pila.

Meredith forced a smile. “We might need you to investigate someone… This person is in Dogtown. Night City has ruined a lot of our plans, but even the spies we planted in Arasaka haven’t been able to figure out where this guy came from.”

"Furthermore, the spy revealed that Arasaka has a batch of weapons he wants to send to Dogtown. You know... well, you don't. Dogtown has a good relationship with us, and these weapons will take over the market, since we don't really focus on the development of smart weapons."

The old man waved his hand, "It seems that a woman like you who only knows how to go to bed and spin around in circles can't speak clearly."

"First, you want me to kill someone, uh, or Cha? Screw it."

"Secondly, you want me to sabotage Arasaka's transportation plan, right?"

"Alright, ma'am with the big boobs, could you please give me the information, OK?"

Meredes looked extremely embarrassed. "We don't have much intelligence... but our spies revealed that a guy named Joey Livani is doing this right now, and he has to die... There's a guy named Rin, and you need to help us investigate him."

The lone wolf, who once had a bit of a reputation in Night City, snapped his fingers. "Get your money back."

Meredes looked puzzled.

Sunrise Old Man chuckled. "Logically speaking, I don't want to bother with your level of petty squabbles, but what can I do... It's your company's boss who likes your type. But one thing at a time, you have to pay up. You've made quite a bit of money these past few years, haven't you? If you want a promotion and a raise, then you'd better just hand over the money."

Meredes gritted his teeth, his eyes lighting up.

She then pulled a digital encryption chip from her suit pocket. "This three million is all the liquid funds I have. The rest I need to invest in stocks and other investments—it will take some time."

Old Man Sunrise stood up. He was probably 1.8 meters tall with long, slender limbs but strong build, which was quite strange. He grinned and said, "Then let's settle the debt on the spot?"

Meredes was completely out of options.

"Today... well, it's a bit inconvenient."

Sunrise Old Man glanced at him from head to toe. "Tsk, how old are you? Still not done with it? Never mind, I'm going out to find someone. Three million it is... Hmm, but it's been a long time since I've been back to Night City. I need to see some acquaintances and ask my old friends if they're treating my kid well—"

"It would be best if this didn't happen today; I need a few days of private time."

Meredes almost couldn't breathe.

The woman only started breathing heavily after the automatic door closed.

She looked at the two guns and the bullets scattered on the ground, her face turning from white to red, extremely embarrassed—

The next moment, he kicked the security guard who was lying at the door like a dead pig.

"What a fucking piece of trash!"

……
-
Just as Lin Yue was savoring the fine wine, a guy suddenly squeezed in between V and Lin Yue.

The girl blinked as she looked at Lin Yue, then at V.

"Wow, Mr. Rin, you've changed your style this time?"

As they were talking, the girl kicked over a high stool and forcefully squeezed into the gap between V and Lin Yue.

V was stunned for a moment. The girl in front of him was facing Lin Yue, her two ponytails swinging back and forth.

Lin Yue said helplessly, "Rebecca...why did you get here first?"

Rebecca placed her hand on the counter and swung her toes. "I'm very punctual!"

She revealed a smug smile, and the gorilla made a salute gesture with its arm by its ear.

Even V, who usually has no expression outside the Arasaka Tower, was amused by this carefree guy.

Rebecca turned around abruptly, "Hey beautiful, aren't you Lin Yue's girlfriend?"

Lin Yue almost choked on the alcohol in his throat.

Those unfamiliar with Rebecca would find it nearly impossible to predict her extremely disjointed speaking style.

V pointed to himself, "Me? I don't know..."

Rebecca's face lit up. "Yes, yes, Lin Yue is not good enough for you at all. I think Mr. Lin is quite nice, he has a gentle personality..."

Then, the bold girl held up one finger to Claire behind the counter, "Special tequila, please!"

Claire leaned down and looked at Rebecca. "Are you an adult, darling?"

Rebecca gritted her teeth. "Why are you acting like those security guards outside?! I'm an adult! I've been here several times already, don't you know me yet?"

Claire smiled. "A glass of tequila, coming right up."

Hearing that his wish had been granted, the guy then said to V, "A fool like Lin Yue should be left single. You got him off easy—"

Lin Yue spoke up to stop him.

"Rebecca."

Rebecca turned her head, wondering why Mr. Rin kept stopping her from talking to the women in the company.

Lin Yue had no choice but to speak up, because who knew what explosive things Rebecca would say next.

But at this point, V, having had a little to drink, was also quite willing to listen to the story.

So she looked at Lin Yue with a slightly threatening gaze.

"Hmm... I'd like to hear your opinion. Is this bastard really that unreliable? Go on, tell me."

Lin Yue was very troubled at this moment. He could only hold a glass in one hand and drink strong liquor with a calm demeanor on the surface, but inwardly he was depressed.

Rebecca counted on her fingers, "Think about it, he doesn't drink much, doesn't that mean he has no romance? He can't dance, so no girl wants to date him! All he thinks about is work and settling things for the boss..."

Towards the end, the guy deliberately lowered his voice.

Because this boss refers to Lin Yue.

Lin Yue sighed, "Miss Rebecca, I'm not deaf."

Rebecca pretended not to hear. "But none of that matters. The most important thing is that he doesn't understand hints, you know? What's the point of talking to a street punk like that?"

V felt better after drinking, especially after hearing about Lin Yue's personality before he touched the black wall from the other girls. He felt that this guy was pretty awesome.

"So what kind of girl do you think would date this guy?"

V wore an expression of keen interest.

Rebecca crossed her arms and hesitated for a long time before saying, "I could reluctantly accept it..."

The wine Lin Yue had drunk immediately flowed back into the glass.

V's expression instantly turned somewhat strange.

The two girls, engrossed in their conversation, didn't notice Lin Yue's subtle actions, but Claire, who came to offer him the drinks, did.

She gave me a look that said, "This wine is very strong, isn't it?"

Lin Yue shrugged expressionlessly.

V glanced subtly at Lin Yue, who was staring intently into thin air.

She asked slowly, "What are you planning to do?"

Rebecca said seriously, "Anyway, we have to ask him out first. This guy is hard to get an appointment with... He hardly ever replies to the text messages I send him."

“He’s very efficient at being a mercenary. I don’t think he’s suitable for the company… If there are any commissions in the future, working with our team will save Mr. Rin some trouble.”

V sighed. "That's probably very difficult."

Upon hearing this, Rebecca's expression turned ugly for a moment.

She smiled, raised her glass to Claire, and said thank you. "Hmm, what a pity... Did he receive the gift I gave him? The little doodle on the cat."

V: "Received it, he is very satisfied."

Rebecca downed the tequila in one gulp. "Not bad, not bad. This kid knows his stuff. My paintings are quite rare."

She jumped off the stool, put her hands in her pockets, and smiled brightly.

"I'm going to the restroom now. Mann will be here soon! See you at our usual spot."

"Bye-bye V~ Nice to meet you."

V smiled and watched Rebecca leave.

"Rin...don't reply to her messages anymore."

Lin Yue sighed, "I haven't replied."

V drank a little slower.

"Hmm, girls don't often have to be stubborn."

After saying this, she buried her face in the collar of her oversized jacket, obscuring her expression, and gradually disappeared into the crowd under the dim green ambient lighting.

……

The meeting to assign tasks was held as scheduled.

Lin Yue sat on the sofa near the door and glanced at the man sitting at the counter. The man was wearing a black trench coat and an old leather hat. Strangely, his coat sleeves were extremely long. He was sitting in the same spot as Lin Yue and V.

"We've read Mr. Rin's book; it's very detailed... and the price is fair. We'll do as he says."

Mann removed the chip from the back of his neck, which contained the route of the convoy that Lin Yue had arranged for him to steal. These routes were determined by Jack and V through prior investigation.

Lin Yue smiled slightly.

This was the expected answer; it was practically like being fed a meal, and all you had to do was follow it.

Few mercenaries would refuse a job like hijacking a car.

There are definitely risks involved; after all, there are no sure-fire ways to make a fortune in Night City.

Where is Rebecca?

Rin asked casually.

Dorio, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, said, "Sorry, she said she had an upset stomach."

Lin Yue asked a question casually, his gaze sweeping across the faces of Mann, Dorio, and Pira.

Finally, his gaze settled on Qiwei, who was standing and smoking next to the sofa, and of course, on Lucy, the colorful-haired girl who was staring straight at him.

Qiwei was stunned for a moment, wondering what the Arasaka middleman, whose background was almost completely exposed, meant by staring at her.

Clearly, Mann also sensed that something was wrong.

"Is there something you need, Mr. Rin?"

Qi Wei's voice came from under the mask.

Lin Yue nodded, "Yes, work hard and stop trying to investigate me."

V, who had been sitting with his arms crossed, just watching, locked his eyes, which were glowing with a faint red light, onto Qiwei almost instantly after hearing the last word of her sentence.

Qi Wei's eyes widened; in her gaze, the RAM required for that cold, aloof woman to infiltrate was far too high…

Clap!

The electric arc exploded rapidly, and Qi Wei's body began to tremble wildly.

Almost in the blink of an eye—

Lucy has already pulled out the monomolecular thread from her hand!
But before she could move an inch, the monomolecular line retracted back into the slot as if it had gone out of control.

This…

Mann suddenly stood up.

He stared at V. "What does this mean?"

As the leader, he doesn't want to see this kind of arbitrary suppression from middlemen. They can take jobs, but they shouldn't beg.

V raised his chin. "Ask her."

Qiwei was practically kneeling on the ground with her legs turned inwards. Luckily, Mann was holding her arm, otherwise she would have collapsed limply.

The pink-haired woman in the red leather jacket had her head down, her eyes flashing with the light of a program error message, and a broken electronic voice came out, "Sorry... Rin, Mr. Rin."

Lin Yue shook his head. "Never mind, V."

Mann let out a sigh of relief and gestured for Dorio to help her up. If Pira were to help this woman, he might very well try something inappropriate; he was a habitual offender when it came to harassing these two hackers.

“Rebecca did help me with some things, but don’t think I’m easy to talk to. Curiosity isn’t a good thing in Night City. It’s best to keep what you shouldn’t see or ask to yourself.”

"Okay, Qiwei?"

Although these words were meant for Qiwei, Lucy's expression was also very unpleasant—she was slapping Qiwei almost at the same time.

This seemingly elegant woman, a mere ornament, is actually a high-level hacker capable of instantaneous kills?

Pila raised his hands. "Wow, this has nothing to do with us guys, right?"

Lin Yue smiled and said, "Of course it's okay. Just do your job well, and the money... will arrive on time."

Mann slowly sat down on the sofa, and Lin Yue had no idea what was in his eyes behind his sunglasses.

After a long silence in the private room, Mann raised his hand and said, "Everyone, please leave. I need to speak with Mr. Rin alone."

The team members left.

Lin Yue looked puzzled, noticing that Mann's condition was strange today.

V didn't move. Mann glanced at him and spoke after a long while.

"Lin Yue... may be connected to New America."

V was taken aback at first, and his gaze unconsciously turned to Rin beside him.

Lin Yue remained expressionless, exhaling a puff of smoke. "You have to be responsible for your words, Mann."

Mann, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, said slowly, "Trust me, the Joint Logistics Command carries a lot of weight, doesn't it?"

Lin Yue didn't intend to interrupt.

Mann explained in detail this time: "A friend from New America came to my door today, saying that Lin Yue had taken away a certain technology... This kid seems to know a lot about New America, and he tricked my friend's informant... uh, friend? Whatever, he tricked him anyway."

"He said he knew me, this agent friend, so he took that thing."

Lin Yue listened quietly to Mann's story, while V beside him grew increasingly serious.

She spoke almost immediately.

"What's the name of this agent friend you're talking about?"

Mann puffed on his cigarette in silence. "I'm not saying this to be mean... but someone at your level probably wouldn't even have access to information about his background. Don't let my reputation in Night City fool you; I'm a scumbag begging for a living, but he's not... sorry, I can't say his name."

"Do whatever you want with me, kill me or whatever."

Lin Yue frowned and looked at Mann, "Why?"

Lin Yue was actually quite panicked. He didn't know why Mann knew people from the Joint Logistics Command. He wondered if it was because of his lost memories. When he searched for his memories of his past life, it felt like needles were pricking his head, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

Mann looked up at Mr. Rin's deep gaze. "I have military service experience, you know that... Although those politicians in New America are bastards, my former teammates are not. I only withheld this friend's name from saying this."

"As for why I said that... it's because I don't think I can find out anything on my own. Lin Yue is smart and has a brain. Since we started working together, he has been improving at a visible speed. Actually—I don't believe he is a lackey of the Joint Logistics Command with a background."

Very troublesome.

Lin Yue could almost feel V's questioning gaze subtly sweeping over him.

V knew that FacePlus was a new American technology, but no one except Lin Yue knew how Lin Yue installed FacePlus.

Lin Yue decided to start speculating about who that friend was.

He quickly recalled his escape from the North City Industrial Park with Farida:

The day Lin Yue met Farida (Chapter 90).

……

Farida desperately blocked Lin Yue's fist, yelling, "Damn Arakawa-san!"

The sound of the Ghost Hound Assault Team preparing to blow up the gate could be heard in my ears—

“Falida! It’s me, I’m Solomon Reed, sent by Reed! Remember me?”

Lin Yue knew this was his only chance to seize this opportunity, so he could only try his luck and growl out those words.

Sure enough, Farida lost her composure for a moment. Lin Yue knocked the pistol away and kicked it aside. He tried to appear friendly, slowly lowering the gun with both hands flat.

"Hey! Farida, calm down."

Farida braced herself on the table, breathing rapidly, staring intently at the unfamiliar man.

"There's no time to explain. I don't know which team is outside, but you have to help me—I'll keep you safe, okay?"

In the room, which had quieted down for a while, Farida's gaze kept lingering between the door and Lin Yue's face.

Damn!

Lin Yue's breathing also became rapid; if this dragged on any longer, his tail would be bitten to death.

"They're going to blow it up!"

Farida shouted, and Lin Yue's first reaction was to prevent the doctor from dying here—

boom! !

After protecting Farida, Lin Yue shook his head, his mind filled with tinnitus.

Farida shouted, "Run!"

Clearly, the doctor had made his choice. He gave Lin Yue directions and, incidentally, picked up a gun from the ground and fired a few shots at the door of the assault team that hadn't yet stormed in.

Lin Yue stopped as he passed a large computer room. He hesitated for a moment and then asked Farida to wait where she was.

"What are you still doing at a time like this?"

Lin Yue's hands trembled slightly as he inserted the encryption chip into the server room. "Faster, faster..."

He could only pray that the card copied data fast enough. The machine guns in the special passage that Farida led Lin Yue through did not fire because of friend-or-foe identification, but the Ghost Hound squad behind them was temporarily blocked by these facilities.

Farida stood guard at the door with a gun, thinking the "agent" was destroying the database.

"hurry up!"

屮!
Lin Yue was copying data when ICE on the server started acting up. The anti-intrusion program on the encryption chip was cracking the code, and although it was reading data, it wasn't actually copying it.

Only 10% left, never mind!
Lin Yue ripped out the encryption chip, and several bullets from smart weapons with long eyes flew straight through his forehead!

But it wasn't Farida who was attacked; it was Lin Yue.

Farida, as expected of a former Ghosthound soldier, possessed excellent accuracy and form in returning fire, but she fought with finesse, using firepower to suppress the enemy—

Her gun was very powerful; after all, it could penetrate directly into Lin Yue's subcutaneous armor, and you have to understand that this skin was upgraded.

The two provided cover for each other, and Farida sneered, "Hansen trained the troops in tactics, you did that with the Hounds?"

Lin Yue refused to answer any questions that might reveal more about himself, saying, "Let's go outside first!"

At this moment, on the streets of Watson District, a fleet of military-tech Behemoth troop carriers sped by!
The above are all private soldiers employed by the military.

"Drive faster, damn it."

The soldiers floored the accelerator, charging into the NID factory. On the bridge connecting Watson District to other areas, as military technology troop carriers drove by, the NCPD followed closely behind, setting up a cordon. Police combat mechs also slowly approached with heavy steps, their large-caliber firepower blocking every vehicle attempting to pass.

These trucks spread out on their sides like short wings while driving.

One after another, the Wing Loong military-grade drones, like soldier bees in a hive, sprang into action, creating a dense cacophony as they soared into the night sky!

On the empty factory floor, Farida and Lin Yue walked cautiously, one in front of the other.

A bullet whistled through the air!

Lin Yue instantly locked onto the enemy!

Buzz~ Bang!
Lin Yue's cat-like creature, equipped with the wall-opening and belly-breaking feature previously created by Pila, pierced through a shipping container, catching the military technology soldiers behind it completely off guard with their chests pierced!

The area around the gun hole was filled with molten, golden iron, demonstrating the full power of the technical sniper rifle!

"Well done! Where's the escape route?!"

Farida didn't look like a female doctor at that moment; she looked more like... a warrior.

Lin Yue pointed at the car, "Speeding—you broke my shoulder."

Farida climbed into the driver's seat, and Lin Yue slammed the door shut. "Drive carefully!"

As he spoke, he leaned out of the sunroof, inserted the encryption chip into his neck, and databases began to pop up, containing names and basic information, the framework of the operation, details... everything...

Within seconds, Lin Yue had figured out the best solution to this mess—Sasha's chip would save the day!
"Buzz~buzz~"

While sniping at the pursuing enemies, Lin Yue made a phone call to Jenkins.

"Hey? Rin... it's noisy over there."

Lin Yue quickly switched to silent mode and said, "There's no time to talk. Take this... consider it my pledge of loyalty! I might not be able to get the information on Dogtown for you, but this is enough."

Jenkins watched as the other end of the phone hung up, and an encrypted file was transmitted via the Arasaka Network.

The boss, who had been frowning, looked at the data in his prosthetic eye, and his expression gradually became quite interesting—

"屮!"

Sensing something big was about to happen, Jenkins quickly reported to his superiors. After receiving confirmation, he handed over some of the data to Arasaka's hackers for verification.

[Calling: Rin]

However, the call never went through again. "Where's V?"

The AI's voice echoed in the room: "Ms. V is currently on a mission; I will transfer you to another call—"

"No need, that's fucking rigid."

Jenkins braced himself on the table. "Get the security department, use our people, and hurry!"

As he spoke, he searched the database and found out what Rin was doing. It was a case related to the modification of special agent facilities with military technology. Jenkins' mind worked quickly, and he immediately understood the ins and outs of the matter.

"The Warlords' Pledge... What is the Warlords' Pledge?"

The AI ​​responded: "In the ancient Xia Dynasty of Asia, marginalized groups would join the gang by offering illegal activities as a guarantee. Please note that such terms have a certain connotation of dependency and antisocial tendencies, and you may need to provide appropriate psychological counseling to this employee."

That mysterious ancient kingdom?
Jenkins smiled, his short syllables conveying a wealth of meaning.

Rin is a very intelligent person. Jenkins lit a cigar and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"The security department requests permission."

Upon hearing the AI's command, Jenkins exclaimed, "Action approved! Find this employee in the Watson District, and fucking fast!"

……

A drone, engulfed in flames, crashed down a riverside road in Watson District. "Why are they all military science people?"

While shouting questions at Farida, Lin Yue was also constantly dealing with the endless stream of drones.

Just then, Sasha called.

"Lin Yue, the military-tech hackers just used excessive data to kick me out of the subnet in cyberspace. Sorry!"

Hearing the hacker's voice made Lin Yue feel a little more at ease.

"Find a way, Sasha, I've been targeted by the military scientists!"

Sasha's voice was a little weak, "The route plan has been sent to your vehicle's navigation system. There are NCPD officers on the road, and the police radio is also on your vehicle's radio."

perfect.

While sniping, Lin Yue asked Sasha, "Can you hold on?"

Sasha, panting, said, "I'm okay."

"NCPD city's database defenses are too tight, there are many network administrators watching it, I can't help you, Lin Yue—"

Lin Yue shook his head. "You've done enough. Thank you."

Just as they were talking, another wave of drones came at them. The bullets hit the car body like heavy stones hitting iron plates, making a rustling sound. Lin Yue was hit in the face by many smart bullets.

Farida, head down, jerked the steering wheel, following the data from the navigation system, and drove into a small alley in Watson District, shouting, "I have a safe house!"

Lin Yue was so overwhelmed by the firepower that he couldn't even lift his head, but he had no choice but to endure the damage and destroy these drones. If he damaged the tires or the car, he would be finished for the night!

"Then I'll go to your place!"

Lin Yue fired shot after shot until he finally finished dealing with the drone and was able to rest for a while.

He climbed back into the passenger seat, covered in blood. Farida saw it but remained unmoved. "At first, I didn't believe you were one of Li De's men, but after seeing your skills, I'm starting to believe you—"

Lin Yue was panting heavily, his eyes lowered, and he didn't say anything.

His scheme was impulsive and on a whim; in fact, he initially intended to kidnap Farida...

What if the intelligence is reconciled later? Lin Yue doesn't know those details about him and Li De... which might expose him.

At this moment, only the NCPD dispatcher kept broadcasting data, and the deafening sounds of various weapon attacks were still ringing in their ears.

at this time--

"careful!"

Lin Yue subconsciously turned his head, and a vehicle suddenly rushed out of the darkness outside the window. Lin Yue shielded his forehead with his hand, and the bright light even briefly put him into a halo.

A tremendous inertia was coming!
The car flew high into the air, tumbled rapidly on the ground with a loud crash, and screams of terror erupted from the shops along the street. The NCPD dispatcher was still chattering on the radio...

Uh……

Lin Yue's nose was filled with the pungent smell of alcohol 2, and his lower body felt icy cold.

Fuel leaked—

Depend on!
He tried with all his might to get up, but found that he couldn't move an inch, his blurred vision searching for Farida.

A pair of military boots came into view, and the soldier in the military aircraft kicked away the gun next to Lin Yue, his vicious eyes seemingly shining through his tactical mask.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Huh? The biker thief?"

As he spoke, he raised the butt of his rifle high!
boom!
In Lin Yue's flickering vision, Farida held up a pistol, and a bullet pierced the man's skull.

She staggered over and reached out her hand—

"Soldier, don't fall."

……

Afterwards, Lin Yue successfully used Li De's name to trick people into giving him the behavioral characteristic profile.

It seems that Mann was referring to Li De.

Although he was a game strategy creator in his previous life and knew a lot of information, the loss of many minor details due to the Black Wall was within Lin Yue's acceptable range.

It seems the butterfly effect is much bigger than I imagined. The biggest problem with impersonation is that it's not scary for the company to find out about many things, because Lin Yue has Arasaka's backing—but it's very dangerous to fight against a country controlled by an ambitious person.

Lin Yue sighed and looked at Mann.

It must be said that this big man is very meticulous and intelligent.

In a way, Lin Yue felt that it was more likely that Lin's personality as Rin put enormous pressure on this former New America soldier. After all, his goal was simple: to live a life of danger in Night City until he became a legend of Night City.

Lin Yue nodded and said, "Mann, I understand..."

Mann spread his hands. "To be honest, Arasaka and New America are no different in my eyes."

As soon as he said that, V's expression turned very unfriendly.

"Think carefully before you speak."

Mann, looking like she was ready to risk everything, said, "Girl, stop fooling yourself. That's just how the world is. It's just that I'm even more disgusted by how New America treats ordinary people's lives like dirt. In this worst region of North America, there aren't many good people living in this city, are there?"

He stood up. "Mr. Rin, thank you for the medical expenses. Victor is a good doctor."

Lin Yue nodded. "You're welcome."

The burly man looked at V and asked, "Hey girl, wanna make a move?"

V hesitated for a long time before finally waving his hand.

Mann lit a cigarette and slowly walked out of the private room of the brothel.

Whether it was an illusion or not, this seemingly relaxed but actually burdened man seemed to have been reborn after he stepped out of the room.

Yes, there's no difference between Arasaka and New America.

But... don't carry burdens that don't belong to you, that's enough.

All he wanted was for his friends Dorio, Rebecca, and Pila to be safe.

Those were his family in Night City.

Mann didn't want Sasha's situation to repeat itself, and the unspoken "I'm sorry to have disappointed you" might never be uttered.

"Run, Mann."

"Now is not the time for you to stop."

The robust older brother thought to himself.

……
-
Rebecca hid in the bathroom for two hours.

Even though Mann texted her that she could leave, she showed no intention of leaving the toilet stall.

The girl felt powerless.

It was a huge, indistinct net that completely separated him from Lin Yue.

Maybe that day she would have blew harder on Lin Yue to wake him up and tell him how she felt. Even if she was rejected, it wouldn't matter. She didn't like endings where she didn't even have a chance.

Before each mission, Rebecca goes to a bar to dance.

Because she didn't know if she would have another chance to jump tomorrow.

The biggest lesson Night City taught her was to cherish the day, so she never hesitated to express her feelings. But some people are just too oblivious…

Rebecca kicked open the toilet stall door, which was covered in graffiti and all sorts of obscene language.

The rushing water washed over her colorful gorilla-shaped arms, making her reflection in the mirror somewhat blurry.

All the mirrors in Night City are like this.

Suddenly, she gritted her teeth and gave him the middle finger. "You're such a wimp, Rebecca!"

Just then, a woman entered and looked at her curiously. Rebecca pulled her hands back into her pockets, buried her face, and slowly walked out of the restroom.

As she walked along, staring blankly at the stains on the floor, a harsh curse came from the men's restroom.

The Tiger Claw Gang member with bright blue hair pulled out his katana and slammed it against the wall; the blade was almost touching the short-haired woman's face.

"Damn it, you bitch, is it so hard to get you to come with us to the Japanese district? Huh? You can make money anywhere!"

The woman, whose clothes were made with minimal material, covered her face with her hands and pleaded, "Please, it's okay here! I can give you a discount! It works for as many people as you want!"

Just then, footsteps approached. The Tiger Claw Gang stopped their threats, staring at the short figure passing by the door. As the footsteps receded into the distance, they turned and revealed a cruel smile.

This sex doll certainly knew what would happen if she went to Tiger Claw Gang's territory—which was why she made a living here. The girls who went to Japan Street would inexplicably lose contact with her, and many sex dolls were spreading rumors that... Tiger Claw Gang had killed people.

The guy licked his lips and exhaled a breath of alcohol.

"Stubborn to the end? Hmm... then let's just chop her up right here, hahaha."

Rebecca heard the voices behind her growing increasingly faint.

The woman's desperate eyes, the curl of her short hair, and her height...

Sasha's smiling face flashed in Rebecca's mind.

In her mind, her brother was giving her the middle finger and cursing, "Rebecca, you idiot! Dad was right, you're a moron! All you ever think about is kindness and compassion. I'm not going to care about you anymore. If you die on the streets of Night City one day, I won't even collect your body!"

Mr. Lin drove the car with a calm expression. “Yes, you’re not suited to be a marginal figure.”

call…

Rebecca couldn't convince herself.

She murmured, "Dad, you didn't teach me how to be a good outsider, so..."

The petite and adorable girl stopped walking and slowly tilted her head back.

"Sorry."

……

　【Merides Stout】: The woman who frantically tries to clean up the mess before and after the main 2077 mission involving military technology.

　　[Anthony Gilchrist]: A mole who sold the team's information to the Vortex gang, and a military technology company employee.

　　[Sunrise Papa]: Rebecca and Pila's father, a notorious outcast in Night City. A while ago, I looked through the setting materials and translated the original English: "And the Papa sunrise up and disappeared," meaning Sunrise Papa disappeared, but it wasn't explicitly stated that he died. Pila believed her father had disappeared and been dismantled, but there was no conclusive evidence. So, I made a small setting: he's a key figure in Rebecca's life besides the male protagonist (David doesn't matter, haha). See if everyone accepts it, because in the setting materials, Rebecca is a legally raised loli with an eccentric personality, sometimes gentle, and possessing a humane side. I personally think I haven't skewed her personality too much.

　　(Love is always a feeling of indebtedness, so I wrote a lot today. These are all plots that I carefully read the settings and worked on little by little. I see that everyone likes my book~)

　　(*￣3)(ε￣*)
　　I'm online on weekends. If there are any typos, please let me know in the group chat and I'll correct them. My wife has been busy with work lately, so I tend to make typos when I proofread the manuscript myself.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)