Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 158 The Edge Traveler (22) (Second Update)
"Mann! Over there!"

Dorio yelled and threw him a grenade he had taken from Pira.

At this moment, the overpass was already a chaotic battleground!

Everyone was on guard against getting shot in the head—their adrenaline was surging, and they were anxious and miserable.

……

Ten minutes ago.

At that time, Mann's team finally got the company's logistics fleet.

Mr. Rin's order was clear: this shipment must not enter Dogtown under any circumstances!

These mercenaries, understanding Rin's thoughts, knew that this important figure wanted Hanz to resort to desperate measures...

This is Hanz's last line of defense as he clings to life.

If the weapons and equipment in transit are lost, Hans will have no bargaining power and will be at Mr. Rin's mercy.

With Emma acting as an inside agent in Dogtown, Hanz will collapse very quickly.

therefore.

The overall plan that has been laid out must be completed quickly at this stage. There can be no slackening. The responsibility rests on the shoulders of these mercenaries.

Everyone was prepared to fight to the bitter end—and the battle suddenly broke out the moment Mann fired his gun!

"Pila, blast!"

Because Pira had already planted bombs on the road, a thick wall of fire instantly rose up!
It burned wildly in the cold air of early spring, distorting the air...

Overweight trucks were unable to brake in time, resulting in a series of rear-end collisions or rollovers, with the front of the trucks deforming rapidly under the pressure.

Everyone rushed forward!

Mann took the lead, holding the brightly colored iron gun that Rebecca had left in the squad. The huge recoil almost overwhelmed this strong man, and his body would lean back slightly with each shot, and the muzzle of the gun would rise to the sky.

After beating up a security guard, he muttered:

"Rebecca...you're really something."

It's hard to imagine how that petite girl managed to wield that weapon.

At this moment, Dorio calmly fired her rifle, and the soldiers on the perimeter who were still in a daze were knocked down by the dense bullets. Dorio then switched to the standard sweeping hip-fire mode and steadily advanced forward.

The two hackers, Qiwei and Lucy, are like blades in the dark.

The pale golden light in the eyes, characteristic of hackers uploading cracked content, caused many unsuspecting individuals to lose their prosthetic bodies, and their guns fell to the ground one by one.

Only then did someone shout:

"They're fucking mercenaries! Watch out for hackers!"

But the words had barely left his mouth when a thin, pale orange thread wrapped around his body, and the next second—

The thread suddenly tightened!

The burly security guards were immediately cut into many large pieces!

Pila yelled, with seven or eight deep-cutting grenades between the fingers of his slender prosthetic arm. He had modified his arm, so his projectiles could be thrown extremely far. Some of the heavy firepower soldiers who were temporarily blocking the squad could have a laser grenade that could cut through their thick bulletproof vests at any time!
After Qiwei shot and killed a soldier with her pistol, a roar suddenly rang out beside her.

While her brain was still processing data, she immediately turned her gun around and opened fire on the mercenary who looked like a member of the Animal Gang!
The soldier's ferocious face drew closer and closer in his pupils, and the bullets felt like they were sinking into mud as they hit him.

Lucy, in the distance, turned around, her expression grim.

"Qiwei!"

Just as Qiwei stretched out her arm to try to block the impact, a thick arm stretched out from behind her. With the sound of mechanical transmission, the smooth muzzle of the projectile launching system aimed at the guy's head and fired a shot!
A deafening sound exploded!

Still shaken, Qiwei thanked the burly man behind her after she came to her senses.

"Not bad, Mann."

Mann grunted in response. A bullet struck the side of his arm, causing him to sway slightly before looking in that direction.

Pfft!

A strange sound rang out!
Qiwei's eyes widened, and in almost a few milliseconds, Mann's massive body appeared next to the soldier who had just fired the shot!

屮!
S.A.W.S.?!

But... how could it be so fast?

Mann's eyes twitched as he looked down at the pale-faced soldier who had swallowed hard.

Everyone heard a piercing scream and instinctively looked towards Mann.

Mann held a blood-dripping steak in each hand, like the kind that hangs in a synthetic meat shop, with the man's prosthetic eye still attached to it, bouncing up and down like a broken spring.

Lucy immediately got goosebumps all over her body.

Dorio frowned. "Mann! Don't use your new cybernetics. Be mindful of our attack range!"

Mann nodded as if he understood but not quite.

Dorothy's sense of unease grew stronger.

Just then, Mr. Rin called.

After receiving the call, Dorio yelled, "Finish the cleanup immediately! Destroy all the goods, and don't let anyone escape! Mr. Rin told us to hurry up."

Pila jumped up and yelled, "Damn it! Let him try! They're all security company bastards!"

Lucy pursed her lips and remained silent.

Having just witnessed Mann's ruthless methods, she didn't want to delay any longer. Who knew when the team leader would turn into a cyber madman? Therefore, she swung the monomolecular wire in her hand faster and faster.

Judging from the pace of the battle, this squad is already very efficient.

Mr. Rin from the Arasaka Company has always provided them with the best medical assistance and assets, making them a team that can reach the first-class level in their next life.

As the gunfire gradually subsided, the battle came to an end.

The scene was bloody...

Five people cleared out a full-strength security team of 80 people in less than 20 minutes.

Dorothy braced herself on her knees, panting heavily.

Even with her top-level athletic ability, her physical strength reached its limit after the intense battle.

She waved her large hand and gave a slightly relieved smile to Mann, who was still staring blankly at the corpse.

Am I just overthinking things?

So far, everything seems to be going very smoothly.

“Come here, Mann…it’s all over.”

For a mercenary like Dorio, nothing could be more satisfying than seeing her loved one unharmed or dead after such a battle.

Upon hearing the call, Mann let out a dry, hoarse sigh.

Pila then said:
"Something's not right, lady..."

Mann's eyes flickered; the hallucinations in his mind were amplified by the stimulation of the bloody battlefield...

Dorio

He called out in a low voice.

He then took a step, wanting to return to his lover's side, and thus desperately suppressed the illusions that kept flashing before his eyes.

Mann, you can do it.

He cheered himself up.

From childhood to adulthood, his mother would gently touch Mann as he cried, soothing the trauma he suffered from being bullied.

“You are special, Mann, you are one of a kind.”

"So, you must keep running, don't stop..."

Mann has always firmly believed that this is the driving force in his life.

From the moment he first took down several new U.S. special forces members outside a bar, he believed he had finally become the strong person his mother had envisioned.

"Mom... I've been running the whole time."

Mann was tired.

Look: I work for the most powerful boss in Night City, I make tons of money, and I have the most powerful cybernetic body.

But Mother... why does my heart still feel empty?
Perhaps Mann never realized that the new American army was devouring humanity, and Night City—

What's being devoured is a dream!

A person without goals can never be called a strong person.

The flashing images in front of me finally stopped.

But unfortunately, it was just a final illusion.

On the yellow sand, Lin Yue stood quietly in front of Mann.

The young mercenary's cybernetic modifications were very obvious, and he looked very relaxed.

Mann lifted his heavy eyelids slightly.

"Lin Yue, how did you do that?"

"When I met you in Dogville... you dared to have so many prosthetics, and the Vortex Gang could shoot a gun into your mouth and you'd still be jumping around—"

"tell me why?"

Lin Yue shrugged.

"Mann, perhaps... you're too ordinary?"

Mann lowered his head and stopped walking.

After a long time.

He muttered under his breath, "Heh... what a fucking bastard." The words had barely left his lips when...

Lin Yue suddenly dodged!

A silver-white prosthetic arm gripped Mann’s prized gorilla arm tightly, giving him a stinging sensation as if his limbs were about to split apart!

Lin Yue: "Your prosthetic body is very fragile in my eyes."

Mann's pupils suddenly contracted!

It was because of these arms that Mann transformed from a slightly robust young man into a burly giant.

However, the next moment—

With a gentle squeeze from Lin Yue.

In Mann's blank expression:
The arm cracked rapidly, as if it were made of glass, and then exploded!

Mann's eyes began to flicker wildly.

On instinct, he raised his gun and fired!

At this moment, in the real world.

Dorio slowly approached Mann under the watchful eyes of all her teammates, holding a vial of inhibitor in her hand.

"Hey! Mann...it's me. Relax, okay?"

No one dared to utter a sound.

Lucy's brow began to furrow; she had a bad feeling.

Just as she was about to stop Dorio, Mann suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed it at his sweetheart!
屮!
Pila immediately became alert and began to curse under her breath.

Dorothy, however, gestured for everyone not to move.

“Mann! Look at me! It’s me, Dorio.”

Lucy's molecular lines began to move; she knew that the man in front of her, known as the Captain, was now afflicted with the deadliest disease in Night City.

The teenage hacker has very keen observation skills.

She soon saw Mann's finger slowly pressing down on the trigger.

No, we can't wait any longer.

Lucy's expression turned cold.

Just as Dorothy was about to speak, the pistol in Mann's hand suddenly exploded!
The monomolecular thread instantly wrapped around Mann's thick arm, but Dorio's seemingly clumsy body was actually very agile, and she immediately dodged Mann's combo!

She jumped onto the car next to her, her expression extremely unpleasant.

Lucy pulled hard and yanked!
Dorio's expression changed drastically.

"No, Lucy!"

The moment Mann's arm shattered, it instantly overlapped with the scene in his imagination where Lin Yue crushed his arm!

Mann's arm was shattered, his body swayed, and intense pain flooded his mind—

Pila then suddenly rushed out, snatched the immunosuppressant from Dorio's hand, and threw it to Qiwei, who had already circled around behind Mann in the distance!
Qiwei leaped high into the air, and the inhibitor pierced Mann's back.

hiss…

Mann's wildly flashing pupils stopped, his massive body began to sway, and then he knelt down!
Dorothy rushed to hug Mann, and seeing her lover's bewildered eyes and pale face, her heart shattered to the core...

No matter how large his body was, it couldn't hide the shadow of the fragile child inside him.

"It's alright, Mann."

Pira's chest heaved. "Give me three minutes to plant the bomb. Once this shipment is airborne, we're out!"

"damn it!"

A muffled voice came from beneath Qiwei's mask, "I'll help you."

Pila's smile was lewd.

"Extremely happy, great figure lady."

Qi Wei sneered, "You lecherous trash."

Lucy shrugged.

She walked over to Dorio and touched her with something in her hand.

"A hemostatic drug developed by the company, and a hemostatic bandage made of simulated materials."

"terribly sorry."

Dorio shook her head. "No... thank you, Lucy."

Lucy's eyes showed reluctance.

In Night City, love and trust are the most luxurious things... capable of making a woman who is strong in every way so vulnerable.

Mann knew he had made a mistake.

"I'm sorry, Dorio, I'm just afraid—"

Dorio gently pressed her forehead against Mann's forehead.

"Everything will be fine. This is the last order. Trust me."

While everyone in the squad was busy with their own tasks, the piercing sound of police sirens came from afar!
Dorothy suddenly looked up.

"Pira! Hurry, the NCPD is here!"

Lucy walked out carrying a gun and kicked the weapon box next to her in front of the group.

This aloof girl never utters any other nonsense.

This is clearly a defensive strategy!

Dorothy whispered, "Please, Mann, stop moving. Close your eyes. Lucy and I can handle this."

Mann's prosthetic eye quickly focused.

There were no fewer than twenty NCPD police cars on the bridge.

Dorio immediately called Mr. Rin.

"Sir, the NCPD has arrived!"

Unexpectedly, Rin on the other end simply said, "I'm going to deal with the NCPD."

He seemed indifferent.

Dorio's slight gratitude towards Rin-san vanished instantly.

What she didn't know was:

Lin Yue, who was driving at top speed, had already called the director of the NCPD.

“Tell me, why did your men show up so quickly? Just make it look good, tell them to wait a bit, Jerry.”

Unexpectedly, Jerry's face darkened, and he retorted to Lin Yue without any politeness.

"Damn it! You think you're the only one in the NCPD helping people up?! This is the work of those military technology bastards! Fuck!"

Lin Yue frowned, then looked relieved.

He was only focused on helping Lai Xuan get things sorted out, forgetting to help Jerry thoroughly purge the influence of other companies within the NCPD.

"Calm down, Jerry. I'm not here to interrogate you. If you help me, I have to help you too. Those who oppose you won't live to see tomorrow. I'll give you money now, and I'll agree to whatever you want. Let them leave first."

Jerry rubbed his hair.

"Dude... this police unit's signal was cut off by the NCPD traitor's network administrator. I'm trying, OK?"

Lin Yue: "How long?"

Jerry: "At least ten minutes."

Lin Yue hung up the phone.

No hope.

At this moment, only the accelerator is welded shut.

He knew very well the limits of this squad. Perhaps the NCPD couldn't stop them, but once more than half of the NCPD's personnel were killed or wounded, the Terrorist Mobile Unit, which was not under the control of the NCPD, would arrive. Lin Yue knew that this was an extremely troublesome organization.

If I get involved, the Terrorist Mobile Unit will start a full-scale war against me!
I believe the military science department would be very happy to see this situation.

"Dorio, I've tried contacting people in the NCPD, but I can't get in touch with that police force—"

"Lin Yue is on his way. He will help you and escort you all the way out of Night City."

After Lin Yue finished speaking, the performance of the sapphire blue thug's car was completely exhausted.

He has an extremely high reaction rate, so this 250-mile-per-hour monster has often squeezed through traffic at extremely dangerous angles.

“Mann…wait for me.”

Lin Yue recalled:

While doing missions in Dogtown, Mann reminded himself not to install too many prosthetics.

He gave himself living expenses when he felt he had no money.

I also remember how he was the first to rush in when Lazarus surrounded them...

For this young man who risked his life to climb up to the top of the Aragaka Tower, the only people he could not betray were those he trusted.

The rarest things in Night City are often the most precious.

He didn't want the couple who had provided him with so much help, including panel points, and who deserved to live a good life, as well as Rebecca's only brother, to die here.

Absolutely not!
……

(End of this chapter)