Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 146 Misjudgment
V silently watched Lin Yue.

Whether it was the anxious look on his profile or the occasional glances towards the dance floor outside, it all betrayed his unease—this was the first time V had seen this guy show any concern after the Black Wall had infected him.

No one could understand the complex emotions in her eyes.

Lin Yue wasn't sure what he was feeling at that moment. It was as if his already missing heart had suddenly been emptied. The indescribable feeling of suffocation made Lin Yue subconsciously touch his neck, only then realizing that he wasn't wearing a tie.

Aside from the faint sound of dance music outside, the only other sound in the private room was the mechanical friction of Lin Yue's knuckles as he rubbed his fingers together.

Lin Yue seemed to hear someone sigh.

V composed himself, glanced at the message coming from the subnet, and said, "The camera in the next life is the most common network device on the market, without high-speed capture capabilities."

“I compared the two pictures, and the person who kidnapped the girl left through the main entrance of the afterlife…you know what that means.”

As he spoke, V's eyes lit up.

"This is a speed comparison chart of all the S.A.S.S. models under the military technology sector that my technical experts found. It is a new type of prosthetic body that we cannot determine—most likely an experimental version."

"Intelligence experts estimate there is a 70% chance it's someone from the Military Science Department."

A trial version? From military science personnel?
Lin Yue fumbled through his memories but found that he couldn't find such a person at all.

Was it something I forgot, or was it another lone wolf outside my knowledge?
Lin Yue's deep gaze was fixed on the coffee table.

V frankly stated, "That's all I can do. You can borrow people from the counterintelligence department... Let's go first; the hovercar will catch up with people faster."

Lin Yue's Adam's apple bobbed, but he still didn't say thank you.

He felt like a weirdo; no matter how deeply the black wall corrupted him, he would always subconsciously feel a protective instinct towards that little girl with pigtails.

Whether it was the raid in Dogtown or this time, he reacted immediately.

Lin Yue knew that if he was blocking someone's way, the action wouldn't be aimed at a few mercenaries—let alone a little girl whose combat strength wasn't very high... It was more likely a retaliatory act by some force or person targeting Rebecca and her team.

However, this did not meet Night City's standards for retaliation, making Lin Yue feel like he was using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Moreover, this makes no sense, because the other party could not possibly coerce me into doing this... unless the other party is certain that I want to save Rebecca.

Regardless of the other party's purpose, Lin Yue was determined to find Rebecca.

[Calling: Rebecca]

[Unable to connect.]

Lin Yue's face grew even more gloomy.

V watched as Arasaka's new partner stood up, and then followed him.

While waiting for the floating car to land at the gate of the afterlife:
Jerry promptly sent Lin Yue the information that the NCPD had found.

The car that took Rebecca away is now speeding out of Watson District and is expected to cross the bridge and head straight for Westbrook in about twenty minutes...

At the same time, Jerry also "thoughtfully" blocked several roads leading from Watson District to Japan Street for Lin Yue.

For Night City, the NCPD often closes off areas when the Terrorist Response Team is on a mission or when the company is involved.

Of course, Jerry also needs some benefits.

Once aboard the hovercar, Lin Yue began operating it to feed the hungry wolf.

Previously, Lin Yue's rank might have been somewhat limited by his authority, but now he can utilize most of the resources at his disposal, such as outsourcing some security protocols and projects to the NCPD.

As a V who holds the same rank as Lin Yue, she naturally knows what Rin is doing right now, since she has the authority to approve permissions.

Inside the hovercar, Lin Yue changed into his suit while operating the subnet.

V frowned slightly at Lin Yue's series of actions, in which he barely paid attention to himself.

At this moment, the AI ​​voice assistant inside the floating vehicle suddenly broadcast a news report:
"The NCPD reminds the public that the main road from Little Chinatown to Westbrook in Watson District is under lockdown. Please take alternative routes or wait patiently for the NCPD to lift the restrictions."

"No-fly warning... The area you are heading to has been marked as dangerous."

V's hands unconsciously clenched.

She rubbed her temples and said slowly, "You've just joined the board, and many people there are watching you. If they find something wrong with you, it'll be very difficult to handle..."

Lin Yue stared out of the floating vehicle, then slowly turned his head. His gaze made V feel somewhat unfamiliar for the first time.

“Go on, V.”

V sensed Lin Yue's displeasure and therefore did not respond to that sentence.

Lin Yue said calmly, "Let me guess, is it unnecessary to expend so many resources on a single mercenary?"

As he spoke, the man with a somewhat cold expression leaned forward, staring intently at V's hesitant expression, and continued, "You've tried many ways to pull me back from the black wall... I'm very grateful to you, V."

"But now you're teaching me how to suppress my own humanity."

"I do not want to."

V turned his head to look at the rows of buildings and neon lights outside the airship, "That's how companies are. Getting involved in many things personally will cause endless trouble... That NCPD director is probably trying to profit from both the military and us."

You have to make a choice.

"Many things and many relationships cannot be accomplished as simply as you think."

V seemed to be in a huff and continued, "I admit you have courage that I don't, but do you really think Lai Xuan can protect you all the time? You told me you wanted to gain a foothold in Arasaka, and all your actions and performances are for that purpose."

"Can't you consider the consequences?"

Lin Yue seemed to be hearing V speak so much in a rapid-fire manner for the first time.

V seemed to think that Lin Yue would be speechless and admit that he was abusing his power for personal gain.

She could tell that this guy had feelings for that girl, and quite strong ones at that.

How heavy must the compassion be, that even a black wall cannot suppress?
V shook his head repeatedly.

Then, cleaning up the mess with the action report will be a huge undertaking.

After all, living in Night City was like walking on thin ice. From the company and family to the training in Arasaka, and the female agent who climbed up with Jenkins, he didn't know that Lin Yue had witnessed Rebecca's death and knew the direction of this world without any interference.

Since being trapped by the black wall, Lin Yue has often forgotten things that he himself was unaware of.

However, one image remained etched in his mind.

The brave young girl raised her gun to the sky and roared, as a heavy hammer descended from above…

Tragedy struck.

In the ruins.

The girl's clearly defined ribs were exposed, and her lifeless face was covered with bloodstains and mud, filled with confusion and bewilderment.

That should have been Rebecca's destiny.

After a long silence, Lin Yue shook his head and said, "V... Do you know? When I was attacked by Lazarus mercenaries and military hackers in Dogtown... they never hesitated."

"We've changed... We need to be more careful and constantly remind ourselves not to become cannon fodder in the company's power games."

"Even mercenaries like Rebecca can be sacrificed for personal gain."

Because under the company's mindset, losing subordinates is not a big problem, let alone Night City mercenaries.

V's expression gradually froze.

The man in front of me had a sincere and fervent gaze. “But I will not let down those who are willing to entrust their lives to fate.”

Then she heard a sentence spoken, word by word:

“She can have an accident at any time, but she can’t have an accident while I’m alive.”

……
-
The car was traveling at an extremely high speed on the streets of Watson District.

Neon lights streamed across the car, and a holographic sensor beneath the bulletproof windshield rendered the surrounding streetscape.

"Ugh... Ugh!!"

Rebecca's hands were tied behind her back, her legs were kicking wildly, and her mouth was covered with strong duct tape. She stared wide-eyed as if she was screaming loudly.

The car suddenly stopped.

Sunrise Old Man turned his head to look at his daughter, who was strapped to the passenger seat, and reached out to tear off the tape from her mouth.

hiss…

Rebecca's skin was pulled painfully, and she immediately revealed her gums and delivered a beautiful speech.

The sunrise is serene and natural, and the well-insulated car cabin is completely silent. On the streets of the night city, if you don't have a sweet tongue, you'll be treated like a lamb.

My daughter does seem like a marginal figure, but the question is, why would she go back to save a sex doll?
Rebecca continued to rant for several minutes.

Strangely, no matter how insulting her words were, the oddly shaped man in the driver's seat remained completely still, even lighting a cigarette and occasionally picking his ear.

huff huff…

Rebecca's chest heaved as she gritted her teeth and searched behind her for any possibility of escape.

She growled, "Whose side are you on? You bastard! My squad won't let you get away with this!!"

Hearing this, Sunrise's father was overjoyed. He pointed his strangely long finger at the back of the car, "Them? Rebecca... Give me a break. Your old man can take down those idiots without even breaking a sweat, tsk..."

Rebecca had one eye bigger than the other, and she was clearly furious at the other person's contempt.

Dad?

Rebecca never hesitates to retort to anyone who insults her, "I'm your mother!"

Sunrise's face twitched.

After a full minute of pause, he sneered, "Bear with it, Rebecca. Later, your father will be meeting some old friends and asking someone to take you to Los Angeles. This place isn't suitable for someone like you—just like your mother, that stupid woman."

"It's a miracle you're still alive. What about Pilar?"

Rebecca's voice suddenly became softer.

Although she is impulsive, she is also quite clever.

The words spoken by the man beside her left Rebecca with a huge question mark in her mind.

Rebecca stared intently at the guy who called her brother by his nickname, and the image of her father, hunched over and prone to yelling and cursing, slowly overlapped in her hazy memory.

However, the guy in front of me, who resembled my father, had very obvious cybernetic modifications—

However, she still cursed, "What kind of deadbeat liar is this! My father died a long time ago, and was chopped into eight pieces and thrown into the sea to feed the fish."

Rebecca clearly didn't believe it. At this moment, she was trying to free her hands. The thing binding her hands felt a bit like the portable lightweight handcuffs used by the NCPD, but its sturdiness exceeded Rebecca's expectations.

Sunrise Old Man muttered to himself, "Hey, when you were a kid, you used to keep a bunch of cockroaches and throw them up my neck, saying they liked me."

As he spoke, he tapped Rebecca on the head.

“My dear daughter, I advise you not to even think about taking your gorilla arm out.”

Rebecca, who had been struggling like a rabbit caught in a trap, immediately quieted down.

The blow to the head brought tears to my eyes, but I gritted my teeth and remained silent.

At this moment, Old Man Sunrise spoke up and asked, "Didn't we leave you a large sum of money?"

Aside from the faint sound of cars driving by, Rebecca stared grimly at the busy Watson District highway ahead, then let out a cold laugh.

"Do you think Pila and I can keep that money?" Her voice was unexpectedly low.

"Yeah, a bastard who abandoned two kids wouldn't care about that much... If it weren't for Pila always holding that lousy magazine and saying that the guy called Sunrise Daddy in the 'Night City's Top Ten Lone Wolves' list was our father... I would have forgotten about you long ago."

"Even your children only know your fake name, why would you think so much?"

Old Man Sunrise completely lost his temper.

“Pira was right about half the time. I was almost torn to pieces, but the company saved me. The price was that I had to do some things for them—”

Rebecca immediately interrupted, "Fifteen years..."

"You might as well be dead, Sunrise Old Man."

Old Man Sunrise sighed helplessly; he wasn't going to offer any explanation.

He waved his prosthetic arm dismissively.

If it weren't for military technology that brought him back to Night City to help Meredith... he might never have seen those two kids again in his life.

“Rebecca, I told you you’re not cut out for being a mercenary… Looks like God has given me a chance.”

Sunrise Old Man said slowly, "You and your brother should pack your bags and get out of here in New America. It's safer than Night City—that old hag Wakako didn't go with those idiots to scam you, did she?"

Rebecca did not answer the question.

The traffic ahead began to slow down gradually.

Sunrise Old Man clicked his tongue, "Damn Night City, still the same old monstrosity."

He had absolutely no connection to the NCPD's martial law.

In Sunrise's view, his daughter was just a second-rate mercenary.

Just then, Rebecca suddenly spoke.

"The company you're talking about, is it military technology?"

Sunrise nodded casually. "Yes."

Rebecca's expression turned into a cold smile. "Then we really are like family. I work for Arasaka's people."

"If you have any conscience, let me go. I don't want any strange elders like my father. I don't recognize anyone except my brother."

Sunrise turned to look at her stubborn daughter, "What if I don't?"

Rebecca stared intently at Sunrise Father. "Then I'll find a way to go back to Night City."

Sunrise scoffed, "What's so great about Arasaka dogs... Forget about it. My father Sunrise's children, even if they don't live a life of luxury, would never be third-rate mercenaries, much less dogs of Arasaka."

Rebecca retorted without hesitation, "You're a dog too!"

The long-lost father shrugged, clearly having no intention of defending himself.

Rebecca started struggling again.

"Believe it or not, Arasaka will come after you!!"

Sunrise shook his head, feeling sorry for his daughter's foolishness, and the slightly frivolous smile that had been on his face disappeared.

"What do you think you are in the eyes of the company's employees?"

"Wake up, Rebecca. Your old man is just a henchman—you expect that guy in the VIP box with his pretty companion to bail you out?"

After a few words, Rebecca was immediately speechless.

Old Man Sunrise is absolutely right.

Especially after their team squeezed into the city through that biotechnology mission, they discovered that there were many dangerous guys in the city dressed in fashionable clothes and equipped with awesome cybernetic bodies. In Rin's eyes, they were probably just people who were used to using them.

Rebecca never imagined that her mercenary career would end like this.

It's humorous, yet carries a hint of satire.

The dad I idolized as a child turned out to be a lone wolf working for a company…

It's like a bizarre joke played by fate—

As the traffic started moving, Rebecca's face was filled with disorientation and a faint gloom.

This city may be dangerous, but everything she has is here.

After more than a decade of separation, Rebecca felt no closeness to the man beside her who called himself her father, let alone wanting to leave with him!
Absolutely not!
Rebecca tried to call Mann and the others, only to find that the communication system had been blocked.

Just as Rebecca was racking her brains for a solution, she heard Sunrise Daddy let out a soft "Eh."

The traffic at the bridgehead began to slowly turn backward. Several NCPD officers stood next to two NCPD mechs covered in graffiti. Sunrise pressed a button on the car's control panel, and the NCPD dispatch voice immediately came through the channel.

It seems we have no choice but to go around through Taiping Island. Old Man Sunrise cursed his bad luck inwardly.

Just as he was trying to reverse, two company vehicles with "Arasaka" painted on their doors blocked his way.

Old Man Sunrise was taken aback, then turned his head and saw that the vehicles in front of him had started to move quickly.

One of the vehicles behind, an Aragaka, floored the accelerator and swerved to block the road in front of it.

Sunrise Dad spread his hands, giving Rebecca a strange look—

"Oh dear... someone is coming towards us."

Rebecca, still trying to figure out a solution, looked puzzled. She tried to turn her head to look behind her, but unfortunately, due to her height, the seat completely blocked her view.

The mech moved forward, and two NCPD officers, hands on their hips, walked toward the Sunrise Old Man who had been stopped.

A piercing warning sound came from the mech.

"Please turn off the engine immediately and cooperate with the NCPD inspection!"

Several Arasaka police officers, who could only be seen in Night City Square, also got out of the two vehicles belonging to Arasaka...

The road was almost completely blocked by a concrete platform erected in the middle.

"Rebecca, what's your relationship with Arasaka?"

Sunrise Old Man asked a question.

But he immediately dismissed this crazy idea. Was Rebecca worth Arasaka's efforts to pursue? His daughter wasn't the company's asset.

The lone wolf's desire to fight had already been subtly generated.

Rebecca was even more confused than Sunrise Daddy.

She didn't know whether this was an accident or someone was deliberately obstructing her.

Old Man Sunrise stepped on the gas, and the roaring engine immediately drew the attention of the armed men.

"Damn it, get out of the car!"

call out!
After the shot rang out, the bullet struck the hood of the vehicle without warning, sending sparks flying.

At this point, the NCPD dispatcher began reporting the emergency.

However, as soon as the dispatcher's voice ended, the engine reached its maximum speed!

"Hehe, let those idiots in Night City see Lone Wolf's driving skills."

Rebecca heard Sunrise Old Man's excited curses.

The intense push-back sensation made her heart leap into her throat for a moment—

She watched helplessly as the Arasaka vehicle in front of her drew ever closer!

Pfft!

As the strange sounds echoed in the Rebirth Bar, Rebecca felt a sudden lightness in her body as a tremendous centrifugal force pushed her against the car door.

That voice was right next to his ear when he was fighting the military in Dogtown that day.

Lin Yue mentioned this prosthetic body...

Yes! S.A.W.S.S.?!

At that moment, as if by magic, the scene in front of Rebecca flashed!
The car immediately shook violently, and Rebecca realized that she had crossed the median strip and then the entire car had entered the oncoming lane!
Old Man Sunrise held the steering wheel with one hand, stabilizing the wobbly front of the car. Immediately, the muffled thuds of bullets hitting the outer shell echoed inside the cabin.

"A bunch of idiots, trying to ambush me?"

Sunrise chuckled dismissively.

He turned to look behind him and realized that after he had done this, NCOD showed no intention of pursuing him.

When did the NCPD become so cowardly?

Old Man Sunrise was taken aback at first, then his expression turned rather unpleasant.

He was holding a black pistol in his other hand, ready to engage in a firefight with his pursuers!

The experienced lone wolf immediately realized that the NCPD and Arasaka Police Officer's purpose was more like forcing him to leave these areas with heavy traffic.
As the car sped up, Old Man Sunrise's heart sank heavier and heavier.

It was as if the whole world had died; even the NCPD dispatcher on the channel fell silent.

Vehicles traveling in the wrong direction weave through the streets, and the first thing Richu thinks of is getting closer to military technology assets.

He suspected that he might be being targeted by Arakawa, but he didn't know why.

What the hell is going on?!

At this moment, above the pitch-black sky, a floating vehicle gleaming with light rushed downwards along a flight path that disregarded airspace control!

Sunrise, the silent driver, had already glanced at Rebecca with his prosthetic eye at least three times.

Both the online and offline phases of military technology are trying to understand the current situation.

"Rebecca, what exactly is your relationship with Arakawa?"

After much thought, Sunrise could only conclude that it was Rebecca's fault. He continued, "What's the name of that Arasaka dog in the next life?"

Rebecca noticed the guy's expression wasn't pleasant and pursed her lips, remaining silent.

This really annoyed Sunrise.

Just as he was about to ask Rebecca more questions, a dark shadow fell down at lightning speed!
This once-famous lone wolf immediately noticed the anomaly.

屮? ! ——

Sunrise instantly dilates the pupils!

At that moment, the hood dented rapidly, and a scarlet spot of light was reflected in the sunrise's gaze!

The middle-aged man, who looked like a smiling tiger in the company, was kneeling on one knee in the dent of the car's front, his samurai sword piercing through the metal, the blade reflecting the bizarre and surreal scenery outside the car...

The man's clothes billowed as the strong wind rushed in, and the hair on his forehead swayed wildly.

He slowly raised his head, one eye emitting a misty, reddish-black glow.

It seems to have seen through this impenetrable windproof "glass".

……

(End of this chapter)