Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 150 Entering the Game (Part 1) (12,000 words)

"Gloria! What the hell are you doing?"

"Just standing there staring at the money, huh? Damn!"

Gloria, who was still in a daze, was interrupted by the rude shout, and her face turned red as she looked flustered.

“Uh, I’m…” she muttered under her breath, her gaze falling on the dead man lying on the stretcher—that was the reason she was spacing out.

The word "tragic" best describes this person.

The poor soldier: his head had been torn to pieces by a Max-tac (terrorist mobile unit) member's large-caliber shotgun, and through the blurry bloodstains, the steel components of his spine gleamed.

The rude man holding onto the stretcher stared at her with a strange prosthetic eye, spewing out all sorts of vulgar words.

Gloria quickly bent down and lifted the magazine, but the touch spring bracket, rusted from being soaked in blood, wouldn't pop out no matter what she did, which was difficult for a woman of Gloria's strength... She gritted her teeth and used all her strength to try to pry open the spring clip underneath.

"Excuse me... just a moment."

The man's gaze grew increasingly hostile, and Gloria's movements became more and more frantic, until finally—

A sharp pain shot through my fingertip, and the brace finally popped out.

The guy snorted, "I also heard you have an emergency medical license... You can't even handle a spring, you probably slept with the examiner for a few nights to get this kind of certificate, right?"

Gloria placed her blood-dripping hands behind her back, lowered her head, and awkwardly pushed the stretcher forward.

call…

The woman's heart was pounding. The ground was wet from last night's cold rain, reflecting Gloria's absent-minded eyes and nervous expression.

The moment the cyber lunatic was pushed into the car, Gloria let out a long sigh of relief; heaven knows what she was thinking.

The rude man stared at Gloria from inside the car.

Gloria, a woman like her, had received plenty of such stares in Night City. She glanced behind her instinctively... Apart from the drones flying overhead from News 54, there were no other crew members nearby.

Unbeknownst to the woman, her conspicuous light yellow jacket had already been uploaded to a live television broadcast.

“Gloria, there are promotion opportunities for team leader next month... You and another team member are both experienced, but you need to be more capable. You have the certification.”

"Get in the car first. I've been so busy lately... you know, so I've been a bit short-tempered."

The man patted the seat next to him and lit a cigarette.

Gloria resisted the urge to speak up and ensured that smoking was prohibited throughout the emergency medical care setting.

However, the gentle woman, who was submissive to her fate, hesitated for a moment but still gritted her teeth and got into the car.

The man said, "Ugh... every time I see these idiots lying on stretchers, covered in blood and gore, I feel so grateful to be alive."

Gloria: "Yes..."

The man reached out and grabbed the car door, and Gloria's body trembled slightly.

But that's not all.

The man plopped down next to Gloria. The temporary seats in the vehicle, intended for medical personnel, were not very long to begin with, and Gloria felt someone pressing against her, along with a strong, pungent smell of smoke and sweat.

"Mrs. Martinez... what does your husband do?"

Gloria was practically pressed against the cold car door. "Uh..."

gentlemen?

The man's expression grew increasingly strange. "I've heard it from those young punks in the group... your husband has passed away?"

Gloria felt the breath getting closer and closer. "Ah? No...you...I, my husband is Arasaka!"

Arasaka?

Even though the words sounded fake, those two weighty words still made the man pause for a moment.

The man's expression grew increasingly unpleasant. "Gloria, your attitude is really bothering me..."

His large hand gripped Gloria's arm. "Help me! Arasaka? Hahahaha! How the hell can you even say that? Arasaka would let you collect the corpses of gangsters and cyber lunatics on the street?"

Gloria became even calmer at this point.

"It's security at the Arasaka Industrial Park... It doesn't pay very well, so I have to come out and work—you know how expensive Night City is."

"Oh, right! Team leader! This is my son."

Gloria seemed to remember something, and took out her small wallet from her pocket. On it was a picture of David standing next to her in his Arasaka Academy uniform, expressionless, like a cocky little brat.

The man looked the woman up and down suspiciously, then reached out and took the photo, examining it repeatedly.

He sneered.

“Gloria, are you really reluctant to get promoted? I mean… what’s wrong with earning more money? Besides, in outsourcing companies like ours, some people get into the trauma team because of their outstanding performance—”

"Are you sure you don't want to climb more while you're still young?"

Gloria's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her throat bobbed.

The man got closer and closer, and Gloria's hand slowly clenched into a fist. She vowed that if this idiot got any closer, she would punch him in the face!

at this time!

There was nothing behind Gloria; the car door had been opened.

"what?"

The colleague standing outside noticed Gloria's less-than-pleasant expression and then turned her gaze to the photo in the man's hand.

"Your son is already this big?"

The woman with the colorful mohawk didn't look like a medical professional at all—but the truth was: she was Gloria's best colleague in this small company.

"Boss, the NCPD has lifted the lockdown, so we can take this dead man away... But someone from the city is here and needs you to sign some documents, so I'll have to trouble you to go there in person. Or should I have Gloria deliver them?"

She seemed oblivious to the strange atmosphere and gave a businesslike report.

then.

The woman clicked her tongue, her expression seemingly displeased that Gloria had such good luck. "Your son actually got into Arasaka Academy! Pay me back the money you borrowed from me... Damn it, you've owed me for over a year."

The man looked somewhat embarrassed. "Keep your wallet safe, Gloria... Congratulations on your child."

The woman with the rooster-comb haircut crossed her arms and made way for the man, whose bulky figure jumped off the car, causing the vehicle to sway a few times.

She watched the man walk away, spitting out a curse, "Idiot."

“Gloria, you’d better stay away from him. He’s a scoundrel… If you want a promotion, pretend I didn’t see this.”

Gloria's face flushed red, and she spoke without any confidence.

"How could that be... You've misunderstood."

The woman waved her hand helplessly, "Okay, okay, don't fucking explain... just throw the bodies in the usual place and burn them all!"

Gloria watched the woman's retreating figure gratefully, and only after the woman had walked several steps away did she call out as if waking from a dream:
"Thanks."

Because she never owed this woman any money.

The woman walked away as if she hadn't heard anything.

Gloria sat back down, holding David's photo in her hands, and let out a long sigh.

In fact, Mr. Rin has provided her family with enough support, and Gloria could easily find an easy job to cover her daily expenses... The reason she is willing to take this job is more because of a promise.

She still remembered doing business with the mercenary named Mann before, and how Mann would always give her extra money. She also remembered how Mann slipped her money in her next life... There were no good people in this city, but there was occasional kindness, and Gloria wanted to take it seriously.

However, when she remembered that she had hurriedly said her "husband" was at work, she let out a frustrated sob and covered her face with her hands.

She didn't know why she subconsciously uttered the name "Arakasa".

In short, this made her feel incredibly embarrassed.

Who else could it be? Only Mr. Rin's face came to mind—she couldn't help but curse herself inwardly:

Gloria is really... shameless.

The car gave a slight jolt, and Gloria quickly realized what was happening—

Oh, right, I also have important business to attend to!
She quickly composed herself and examined the prosthetic body on the back of the corpse, which appeared to be embedded in the spine and connected to the cerebellum.

Gloria's medical knowledge immediately allowed her to determine that this was an operating system-type prosthetic body, since the cerebellum is an important center for controlling movement.

"This should be S.A.W.S.?"

This prosthetic is said to perfectly regulate the user's control over motor functions and greatly stimulate the brain's response...

While she was thinking, Gloria forcefully flipped the man's headless body backward, perfectly exposing the entire prosthetic body to her eyes.

As her fingers traced the cold, uneven surface, Gloria was certain this was no ordinary Sianwistan.

As for why, it's because people subconsciously judge things as good.

For example, valuable handicrafts and objects can always be identified by their appearance.

She had seen Sianwistan before; most of the shoddy prosthetics that appeared on gang members were incomplete and lacked quality, and some even had their structures poorly connected in many places.

Gloria was an experienced hand at dismantling prosthetics. Prosthetics weren't just parts; improper removal of even minor details could damage the entire device. So, she glanced at the time and quickly calculated the distance the car would travel to the crematorium—

It didn't seem like enough, but Gloria was still willing to take the gamble.

Her eyes were firm.

That man named Mann... he did this job to repay the kindness he had shown to others before.

In some ways, this gentle woman and David were remarkably similar in their approach to things.

Gloria took a sharp scalpel from her pocket and removed the special material covering the blade.

This well-made blade is milky white all over; Gloria found it at a street weapons dealer.

The hilt of the knife is engraved with a line of words that roughly translate to "angel".

To this day, she has never seen a weapon made of this material. In short, it is very sharp and has never encountered anything that this knife cannot cut.

Keep going, you can do it!

She cheered herself up, endured the pain from her hand being pinched, and immediately bent down to get to work.

The blade sliced ​​through the flesh, causing an unhealthy red ooze to seep out.

The moment the heart stops beating, the blood no longer has any explosive force, let alone this guy who was shot in the head by the terrorist mobile unit, who already had very little blood left.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Without any instruments, Gloria cleaned the dirt off the prosthetic body with her bare hands, prying out the prosthetic side branches that were deep in the flesh one by one from the front of the spine with the back of her knife. She could only frown at some places that were not even visible to the naked eye, and then estimated the distance to cut according to the reference in her mind.

Gloria squinted, wiping the bloodstains off the letters with her fingers, trying to read out its model number.

Apogee (Apogee)

I don't think I've ever seen this name anywhere before.

Hopefully, it will meet Mann's needs...

She continued cutting.

If a knowledgeable prosthetics doctor were present, they would have noticed this woman's extraordinary talent.

Putting aside the fact that surgery is performed in such a shaking environment inside a car, just the fact that he can remove a prosthetic body without relying on magnified surgical footage already surpasses that of a large number of prosthetic body surgeons.

From the perspective of the basic elements of prosthetic body installation, this seemingly "blind" disassembly method can easily lead to the failure of the prosthetic body!

However, Gloria's sales were almost always error-free. The poor, unsophisticated woman, of course, didn't know how good her abilities were and simply assumed that prosthetic bodies were removed in such a crude way.

She always thought she was just very lucky.

Gloria wiped the sweat from her forehead.

As the car drew closer to its destination, her hands did not tremble in the slightest; instead, her knife work became even more steady and faster.

Please, slow down a bit more...

Gloria prayed silently.

If the driver discovers her misappropriation of company assets, she could very well be sued for embezzlement… In Night City's courts, the company has never lost. She would likely spend her life in a private prison. Gloria had read the relevant company laws—

This is the necessary mental preparation before engaging in risky business.

……

The car turned onto a riverbank near Taiping Island.

The air here seems to be filled with the smell of burning protein, but upon closer inspection, there's a strange fragrance... but it subconsciously makes you feel nauseous.

The driver whistled, opened the car door, and jumped out.

He walked step by step toward the car door. "Damn it, Gloria, you're asleep again?"

This poor woman seems to stay up late often. She always volunteers to do the overtime work at the company, so she often falls asleep when she goes out on field assignments. But the driver is used to it and just grumbles a few times.

He stood beside the car, and in the distance, a staff member, seemingly covered in a layer of gray, nodded in greeting.

"How many this time?"

The driver spat to the side and replied, "Just one! Fewer deaths lately, feels like they're going to lay off staff next month. What a damn bad luck—"

Bang bang bang!
The driver slammed his fist on the carriage.

"I said! Are you fucking asleep?"

The staff member shoveled the ashes into the nearby underpass and chuckled, "Such a temper! Be gentler with the pretty lady!"

The driver was already in a bad mood, so he strode to the back of the car and reached out to pry open the door handle.

The door was locked from the inside?
"Hey, you weren't going to be touching a corpse in the back, were you?"

He pulled out his keys and quickly opened the door, a fleeting look of joy on his face.

If an insider catches this behavior, the reward will be 50,000 euros!
The door was suddenly pulled open, and the heat from the incinerator rushed into the carriage along with the curses.

The woman, covered by a large jacket, looked sleepy and bewildered.

The driver's smile froze on his face. He stared at the woman, his hand on his waist, and suspiciously jumped into the car, looking at the body on the stretcher.

Gloria yawned. "Sorry."

The driver reached out and examined the body, finding that it matched the description on the picking slip. He then cursed and jumped out of the car.

The pulley stretcher was pushed down.

Gloria placed her hand on it and said in a flattering tone, "Let me do it... I didn't sleep well last night."

The driver called the two crematorium workers to stand aside, smoke, and chat. Gloria turned her back and her smile vanished instantly. With all her might, she pushed the corpse toward the blazing furnace in front of her.

……
-
Night City, Medical Center.

Meredes frowned as he looked at the somewhat faded signage above the building.

According to the NCPD's official report, the probability of a pedestrian encountering a cyber lunatic on the street is 10%... so the probability of encountering a lunatic while walking into the Terrorist Mobile Unit building is 100%.

But she had no choice but to come.

She came here for a prototype prosthetic body that was still in the experimental stage. The higher-ups said that the amount of data collected was not enough, and the prosthetic body could not be destroyed.

"Keep a close eye on them."

Meredes whispered a message to the newly appointed bodyguard behind him.

The new, robust man is quite good; he's highly capable and always obeys her orders.

Before 2045, the NCPD had essentially lost its law enforcement power and control over Night City for a period of time. This squad, which broke away from the NCPD's special police force, became a new force in urban security during the "Red" era.

Its leader, Sergeant Manx Hammer, was still leading this elite Night City organization as late as 2045.

Now, nobody knows who is the leader of this group of "legitimate" cyber lunatics... Even their nominal boss, the Night City Police Department, no longer has the authority to conduct internal investigations. Any officer who dares to investigate the agency will disappear.

There's an unspoken rule in Night City: if you provoke the Terrorist Mobile Unit, be prepared for more casualties.

They will eliminate all threats within their sight, including the “citizens” they pledge to protect in their manifesto.

[Welcome to the area under the jurisdiction of the Terrorist Mobile Unit. The MX team reserves the right to interpret all losses incurred within this area. Please leave this area unless absolutely necessary. Thank you for your cooperation.]

AI's sweet voice rang in Meredith's ears.

There were no security measures outside the building; the voice messages were played by hackers who used other devices to infiltrate the prosthetic bodies of several people.

Meredes clicked his tongue. "Military technology, licensed under Section 331."

[Okay, please enter. I am the AI ​​guide for the MX team. Please follow the instructions and place your weapons in the storage area on the first floor. If any other weapons are present, MX will take physical measures to neutralize the threat. Please be aware of this.]

[Your combat-type prosthetic device will also be deactivated. For your safety, please do not change permissions arbitrarily. Thank you for your cooperation.]

屮…

Meredith stared at the spotless, empty hall, a place that gave her a strange and eerie feeling, as if no one was alive.

The woman from this company had never been here before, so of course she didn't know that the Terrorist Mobile Unit was the only organization in Night City without any staff, and also the only organization among the major companies whose details were unclear.

The three of them were like naked turkeys on a baking tray, completely at the mercy of the hacker from the Terrorist Mobile Squad. They all understood that if that guy had any other wicked ideas, their heads, as outsiders, could be instantly scalded.

"Damn it... is this place deserted?"

Meredes muttered to himself as the group, guided by the AI, headed towards the elevator next to the stairs.

Please do not click on other floors. Your visit will be handled by—

Sergeant Mankes Hammanmer received them…

The AI ​​then began reading out a long list of names, essentially praising the guy who controlled the madman squad and how Night City's current peace was all thanks to him.

The company's arrogance remained; Meredes listened absentmindedly, arms crossed.

After the elevator arrived, Meredes was the first to step out.

On both sides were deep corridors that seemed to have no end... with only dim white light and occasional whispers.

Please do not look around unnecessarily; simply turn left.

Meredes hesitated for a moment, but then turned away and walked to the side.

The floor of the Terrorist Mobile Unit gives the feeling of walking in a hospital or prison. There seems to be a faint smell of disinfectant in the air. All the doors are the best bank-grade blast doors on the market, with a rectangular glass window less than three fingers wide on them.

Meredes looked at the numbers on the doorplate; they seemed to be... some kind of number?

She swallowed.

Out of the corner of her eye, Meredith noticed a light flashing above a door, and she frowned and stopped in her tracks.

Is anyone watching her?

At this moment, the AI ​​continued to remind them, its voice calm yet tinged with something strange.

This is the place. Please wait patiently; the door will open shortly.

Meredith gestured for the security guards behind her to stop. She slowly walked to the door, leaned close to the glass, and tried to see who was inside.

Her face drew closer and closer; the glass was pitch black, and she could only see the reflection of her eyes in it.

Are the lights off?

As her view shifted, she saw only some things that looked like instrument indicator lights emitting light...

Meredes' eyes moved.

suddenly!

A pair of bloodshot eyes, glowing red, emerged from the reflection!

Uh…

Meredes immediately got goosebumps on his neck.

A faint, eerie sound drifted in.

"Hmm... new friend, hehe."

At this moment, the AI's voice actually overlapped with the voice inside!
Meredith knew something was wrong, but it was too late. Her eyes began to spin rapidly, and her system malfunctioned—

Before the two security guards could even speak, a burst of electricity exploded from their heads!
屮!
Are they holding cyberpsychotics inside?!
Logically, the Terrorist SWAT team should only have imprisoned the Cyber ​​Mentally Ill individual in the Los Padres prison, so why...?

Meredes took a step back, her high heels twisted, and she ended up sitting on the ground.

Just when she was filled with despair!
puff-

Sianwistan's voice came from the end of the corridor!
Swish!
A fully armed man wearing a Terrorist Mobile Squad helmet appeared beside Meredith without him noticing, and the iron gate in front of them opened with a bang.

"The experimental subject in area 103B is out of control."

His voice was strange, but luckily—

The moment this guy appeared, most of the pain in Meredith's head disappeared!

"Ah! Please don't hit me! Please..."

A clear, strange cry came from inside the iron gate.

The man revealed his gleaming white teeth and slowly walked through the iron gate, which then closed again.

"Where the hell is this?!"

Meredes felt like he was about to break down.

She wanted to get up and escape right now— *Whoosh!*
At that moment, the door behind Meredes opened with a bang!

Meredith tried to get up, but her prosthetic body had been altered, and she had almost completely lost her motor abilities.

In her terrified eyes:

In the darkness behind the door, a blonde woman dressed in a terrorist squad uniform looked down at Meredith, who lay on the ground with a look of terror in her eyes.

The woman frowned, a look of disgust crossing her beautiful face.

bass!
Two curved blades immediately sprang from her arm!

Meredes growled in fear, as if his throat were being choked—

The woman held the blade high, and the military technology company dog ​​could only shield his face with his hands and move backward!

She deeply regretted taking the assignment to liaise with the Terrorist SWAT team for the sake of recognition. Eager for promotion, Meredith completely underestimated the dangers of the Terrorist SWAT team's mission...

"[Melissa]...bring her here to me."

A hoarse male voice echoed down the corridor. The beautiful woman's mantis knife, already swung near Meredes' head, was abruptly stopped!
Huff... Huff...

Meredes' chest heaved as he braced himself with his hands behind his back. If he hadn't worked at the company for so long and had an extraordinary capacity for tolerance, most guys would have wet their pants here.

Melissa reached out and grabbed the woman, practically dragging Meredith towards the elevator—

After tossing the company dog ​​into the elevator, she went inside, pressed the button for the top floor, and then placed her hands in front of her, standing like a soldier, completely ignoring the "guest" kneeling on the ground behind her.

"I'm sorry... our receptionist is currently ill."

Melissa said calmly, "Ever since we started using your new batch of network access pods, this guy's cyberpsychosis has rebounded and seems to have gotten a bit worse... However, our medical staff are currently intervening—you're unlucky, he seized the opportunity to tamper with the AI ​​using networked medical equipment."

The elevator remained silent for a moment.

Meredes stood up, gripping the elevator handrail, panting heavily. "Damn...you're all fucking insane! Do you know who I am?! I'm from military technology, you bunch of lunatics!"

Melissa shrugged. "Yeah, we're all crazy—"

She slowly turned her head, “[Arasaka, Comto, biotechnology... will all provide us with prosthetics and weapons support, they don’t have as much of an opinion as you do]... Even if you die here today, your company won’t say a word, they need us lunatics, believe me.”

Melissa let out a sneer, which made the woman in the company turn pale and then blush, gritting her teeth and daring not to say a word.

Ding-dong, the elevator doors open.

The top-floor corridor was carpeted with exquisite carpets; the floor that had just felt like a mental hospital seemed like a dream…

Meredes hesitated.

Melissa walked out and stood beside the door of the luxurious office, tilting her head slightly. "Don't keep my boss waiting, you corporate dog."

……

Meredes remained silent as the Comtôme security robot handed him water, while the man behind the desk, his expression hidden in the darkness, crossed his arms in front of him.

"My apologies, friends in the military technology field..."

"My subordinates are quite capable, so it's inevitable that they will make mistakes."

His voice was old and frail, like a piece of rotten wood about to collapse.

Meredes recalled the sergeant's name. The last time he appeared in public was... in 2045, wasn't it? At that time, Meredes was in his early twenties and serving in the Marine Corps of the new United States.

"I will report this matter to my superiors!"

Meredes gritted her teeth, unable to understand how the Terrorist Mobile Unit dared to attack her. After all, she was representing military technology to negotiate business!
"Please."

Manks seemed unconcerned. He leaned back in his chair and said slowly, "Miss Meredith, I think a smart person should state their own needs first, instead of going back to their father like a little girl with a pacifier."

Meredith took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the anger that followed his initial shock. "One of the experimental cybernetic bodies from a batch of company prototypes went missing in Night City. We were supposed to be collecting data, but your people acted too quickly. Where is the cybernetic body now?"

The commander of the terrorist mobile unit fell silent.

"To die at the hands of us, this prosthetic body... heh."

Clearly, the other party felt that this data collection was meaningless.

Meredith thought there wasn't a single sane person in this building. He pulled a chip from his pocket. "This prosthetic body can be upgraded! We just want to see where the bottom line is—"

"The chip contains the shipping manifest. You just need to tell your men not to damage these prosthetic bodies and let these experimental prototypes flow into Night City naturally. Once we have enough data, we will send you what you need."

"Besides..."

Meredith cursed under his breath, "The worst lunatics in Night City are all here with you. You could just grab any random idiot on the street and install this prosthetic body on him and he could take care of your people... How can you sleep?"

Manks nodded and chuckled softly.

Meredes regretted his outburst as soon as he said it.

She was absolutely fed up with these lunatics. "Hurry up! If the prosthetic key is lost, you're not getting this shipment!"

In the dim light, the man's thin figure seemed to stand up, his body slowly leaning forward, his neck stretching out as if it could extend—

A gaunt face with deep wrinkles and sunken eye sockets slowly emerged.

This…

Meredes knew that Sunrise Daddy also had this strange, retractable prosthetic body.

She tried to appear calm, but her recoil and the way she gripped the handrail tightly betrayed her.

Manx's hoarse voice became clearer, "Do you think... we only have these lunatics? I know a lot about Night City, but I'm not interested."

“Go back. Your prosthetic body is in the hands of a woman in Night City… It will soon have a new owner.”

"This contains the upload records after the prosthetic body was read. You can leave now."

Meredes trembled as she reached out and took the chip that Manx pushed towards her. Then she hurriedly stood up and stared intently at Manx, whose neck was swaying like a python.

"Would you like to stay here and have my subordinates serve you afternoon tea...?"

He grinned, watching the flustered woman slowly retreat through the door.

After a deathly silence, Manx pulled his neck back.

He let out a suppressed, low laugh.

In the darkness, the voice echoed in the somewhat empty office—"Great...we have new additions to our collection."

……
-
Night City, Watson North District.

Lin Yue stood atop a tall building, holding the Jinzhong Pill in his hand, with a cat-like girl standing beside him.

[Caller: Mann]

As the call was answered, the faces of all the team members appeared in Lin Yue's prosthetic eye, except for Rebecca.

Because of Sunrise Daddy's situation, Lin Yue asked V to temporarily look after Rebecca and also handle Joey, who was still working as usual at the company. This arrangement was to avoid any unexpected problems during the series of events at the end of the Dogtown sales.

After all, it concerns his own life and Lai Xuan's business, so he can't let any uncontrollable factors get involved!

V himself seemed reluctant to meet Lin Yue recently, and readily agreed to Lin Yue's request.

Thoughts return.

Looking at the familiar faces of the team, Lin Yue spoke up:

“Mann, intercept the convoy I’m handing over to you with your squad. The route map and weapon configuration are attached.”

"I expect to hear from you that you've solved the problem in five hours... not that the car has already driven into Dogtown."

“If even one car drives into Dogtown and Hanz finds out, he will be responsible for the consequences.”

He didn't want to make it sound so serious, but the current situation left no room for retreat; he had to maintain control of the lower echelons of Dogtown while his health was still okay.

Emma had already given him a huge gift; all that was needed was a suitable transportation channel to send Arasaka's weapons in.

Therefore, the problem must not lie with him...

"Yes, Mr. Rin."

Mann nodded, his tone extremely serious.

Lin Yue continued, "After it's done, each of you five will receive 300 million euros and airfare to the European Community... by air. If you wish, a lunar colony base can also be arranged for you."

Upon hearing this, everyone's pupils dilated slightly, including Qi Wei's.

This…

Then she sneered.

"It's best if it's not an empty promise."

Lin Yue looked at the extremely wary woman, "You'll be in your next life... According to the schedule, my people will arrive soon, and the 200 million euro digital encryption chips will be given to you before the operation begins—"

"I suggest you keep it safe. If you die... it will only benefit your enemies."

Dorothy, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, stared at Mr. Rin with an ambiguous expression.

"Pay in installments? What about the second installment?"

Lin Yue: "The banks of the European Community will solve your problems, provided that you trust me."

……

As they were talking, Suzuki had already reached his next life, and everyone had received the encryption chip.

Mann, Dorio, and Pira looked at Kivi and Lucy across from them.

The two hackers connected the chip to the brain-computer interface and nodded slightly after confirming that there were no viruses.

"Is this the number? Can I withdraw it?"

Lucy heard Pila's question and shook her head slightly, saying, "It's best not to withdraw to a personal account. If something goes wrong, the bank will lock it up immediately. Apart from encrypted money chips and cash, all transactions are not safe."

but…

Lucy didn't understand the meaning of this trip... and ever since that trip to Haywood to trade with Kirk, it seemed that she had lost all thoughts about this man after fainting from a cyberattack by her mother.

what is it then?

Her eyes were cold as she asked indifferently, "Mr. Lin, do you know what this price means in Night City?"

That's three million euros!

"To be honest, I don't believe this is just a simple carjacking."

Lin Yue sighed softly. How could a team of their caliber understand Lai Xuan's meaning? Lai Xuan... as long as it harms the interests of other companies, including those in the military technology sector, he'd be willing to pay the team tens of millions in compensation—

He'd even steal Sanlang's coffin lid!

Of course, there was a personal reason behind this. Because of Rebecca, Lin Yue decided to give her more, and then they would have no further connection.

If it weren't for the need to minimize the company's involvement in this operation to prevent internal leaks, he wouldn't have used the Night City mercenary team... After all, Arasaka's agents were cheap and could solve the problem, so why not? It was just a matter of necessity.

"Then your salary will be 1.5 million less..."

Lin Yue's tone was ruthless, "Or you can back out? Don't you understand that this is an aggressive attack?"

"This mission... will not only attract the NCPD and Kei Kei Logistics, but also security personnel that Arasaka may not be aware of... and we cannot rule out the involvement of other companies."

Lucy paused for a moment, then pursed her lips and remained silent.

Lin Yue: "I hope everyone doesn't think this is child's play. If you want to quit, please do so as soon as possible."

At this moment, Mann, who had been silent from beginning to end, spoke.

“Mr. Rin… I know you’ve been giving us the most generous reward since we started in Dogtown, and I don’t want to doubt you. But… I hope you can be frank. I still think this price is unreasonable—heh, even if there’s less than a one percent chance of survival, please speak up.”

Lin Yue looked around and said, "With your abilities, there shouldn't be any problem—the reason the price is high is because I want you to disappear from Night City. The plane tickets will also be for different cities, and there will be agents to help you fabricate new identities... Once there is a leak, I will make sure you shut up completely, no matter where you are."

“High compensation always comes at a heavy price, which is why the price is high… Mann, I hope you remember what a company is. Also… the extra money is just my personal goodwill.”

Mann had a knowing look on his face.

"Mr. Rin, it seems the company is really in danger."

Lin Yue smiled slightly: "Regretted it?"

Mann grinned. "No, it's exactly what I wanted. A huge order, it's about to become a legend among those idiots in Night City—that's fucking awesome!"

At this moment, Dorio spoke up.

"To be honest, I want to quit."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

Lin Yue waited quietly for the other party to provide further explanation.

The cigarette butt in Dorothy's hand had almost burned the filter off. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her lover's slightly trembling hand, and she knew that everything was beyond repair.

"But I've heard so much, I'm sure you won't let me off the hook—but I'd like to ask you for a favor, and for that, I'm willing to return all the money!"

Lin Yue seemed to hear someone say the word "crazy"...

Ignoring her companion's gaze, the woman with the fierce expression said in a deep voice, "If it is successful... and Mann and the others are still alive, please heal them and use Arasaka's medical expertise to remove all of Mann's prosthetic bodies."

this--

Mann growled coldly, "Dorio! Shut up!"

The entire team stared incredulously at the strong woman who resembled an older sister-in-law.

Dorothy, however, seemed not to hear him and stared intently at Lin Yue.

She didn't know if Lin Yue would change his mind, but her love left her with no way out.

Dorio only has Mann left in this city.

She only hoped that her lover, whose temper had recently started to get out of control, would be safe and sound.

Lin Yue nodded indifferently, "I will."

He looked at Mann and continued, “You should be glad that my men didn’t find any signs of the externalization of cyberpsychosis in you, Mann… but Dr. Victor said you’re on the verge of it, so don’t try to hide it from me.”

"I hope you will cherish your loved one, Mann."

Mann gritted his teeth and slowly lowered his head—

Rin's words seemed to cause the newly installed prosthetic body on her back to start throbbing with pain again.

At this moment, Pila waved her hand and said, "I said... Mr. Rin, they've all finished asking their questions, isn't it my turn?"

Lin nodded over the phone with a forced smile.

"Where's my sister? Is she dead?"

He glanced at Mann, who had the prosthetic eye. "Mann said Rebecca is missing. The information from the afterlife is that she was kidnapped, so... is there no other news?"

Lin Yue paused for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, Pila, my men haven't been able to find her."

Pila scoffed, "I thought she was so capable! If she was kidnapped by kidney harvesters, she'll probably die a painful death. If you ever find her body, please bury her for me—my dad says people need a tombstone to go to heaven."

"Of course! Don't get me wrong, this kind of thing is fucking common in Night City—hehe! People you can't even find... are probably nothing but dust around, and even if you did find them, it wouldn't be of any use, so forget it!"

Pila's voice always seemed nonchalant, but everyone could hear the sound of crying in her deliberately raised, shrill tone.

Mann's hands slowly clenched.

The squad was under immense pressure, almost unable to breathe.

Lin Yue: "Be wary of people using military technology."

Everything seems to be arranged correctly…

Just when everyone thought they were all standing up and ready to get to work, Mr. Rin dropped another bombshell!

"Everyone, I will be operating in sync with the other squad."

ha?
Everyone was stunned.

Mann, who had been deep in thought, suddenly looked up—

Are you kidding me? !

Does Night City have any middlemen involved in its operations?
Although everyone knew this mysterious middleman might be quite powerful, no one expected he would have to take action himself…

屮!
"Inside the logistics company's campus in Watson District, I will be working with a lone wolf and a hacker to extract financial information and record it simultaneously. You need to draw the attention of the security guards—no one can stay out of it."

Lin Yue's tone was one of absolute certainty.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that's all I wanted to say—"

"Get moving, let me see if you're up to the next life level."

Whoops!

A strong wind blows from the top of the building...

Lin Yue's eyes flickered as he watched the large hovercar fly by in the distance.

He said many things that seemed insincere and heartless in the past.

But does fate give people a choice?

It seems unlikely...

at this time.

Sasha, who was standing to the side, naturally listened to the entire pre-battle conversation. Lin Yue's words, which were cold to the bone, made her feel the danger of this mission even more. She bit her lip and looked up quietly at the thick clouds in the Night City sky.

The weather seems... about to change.

……

After hanging up the phone, Mann waved his hand.

"Meet up in half an hour. You guys... go out first."

Everyone left, except for Dorio, who remained still.

Mann's voice was muffled. "What do you mean, Dorio?"

Dorio smoked his cigarette for what felt like the umpteenth time. "The bloodstains on your back are almost seeping out... Mann."

"Do you know what you're doing? You damned bastard—"

Mann suddenly stood up!

"Long-winded!"

Dorothy's eyes were hidden behind her bangs of light blonde short hair, and her expression was unreadable. She slowly stood up as well.

Bang!
A heavy punch landed on Mann's face!
Mann turned his head to the side, and blood dripped from his nose onto the ground.

"Three million euros! Mann! Are you fucking an idiot?! Mr. Rin is sending us to our deaths!"

Mann remained silent.

The only sound in the private room was Dorio's heavy breathing.

Mann mechanically turned his head, a shadow seemingly looming over his face, and looked at his girlfriend with an extremely strange expression.

"Dorio..."

The burly man's voice was gentle, "I can't stop, I don't even know what I want... but I believe—"

"This prosthetic body will allow me to get through this mission."

Dorothy chuckled softly, "You bastard... have you ever cared about me?"

Mann reached out and placed his fingers on the back of Dorio's neck, gently stroking her soft, short hair.

"Take it safe."

“Rin is a company employee after all…maybe we won’t get the remaining two million. But that’s okay, four million is enough.”

The encryption chip was tossed into Dorio's pocket.

The lovers, however, are speechless at this moment.

next second.

Dorio's lips pressed firmly against Mann's lips.

It seems that all the love for the future must be expressed today.

Apart from heavy breathing, there was no other sound.

Just as Dorio closed her eyes, Mann's pupils, which were lowered, trembled slightly.

……

　【MAX-TAC (Maximum Force Tactial Division)】: MaxTac is an elite special operations division of the NCPD with only one goal: to eliminate cyberpsychosis.

　　【Apogee】: The strongest Sionstein prosthetic in the latest version of 2077. According to the background, the prototype of the prosthetic taken by Gloria is very likely the original version of Apogee.

　　[Manx Hammer]: Until 2045, this sergeant was the guy who actually controlled the Terrorist Mobile Unit.

　　【Los Padres】: A unique prison facility used to detain cyberpsychotics.

　　Melissa Rory, the cyber-psychotic woman with the Mantis Knife in the 2077 promotional video, can be encountered in the game 2077 through a quest called "Meat on the Chopping Board" in Jinguji. She transforms from a cyber-psychotic into a member of the Terrorist Mobile Squad and apparently holds an official position.

　　[Arasaka, Comto, Biotechnology... will all provide us with prosthetic bodies and weapons support; they don't have as much of a problem as you do]: The Terrorist Mobile Unit receives weapons, prosthetic bodies, and technical support from many companies.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)