Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 161 Saying Goodbye to Weakness
Sunrise Old Man looked at the grenade that Pila had been holding for a while.

"I really want to shoot you dead!"

Pila felt a sudden weight on her arm, and her body entered a state of high-speed operation!
His body was also subjected to a stress so intense it made him want to faint, because he entered a time-stop period...

Pila could even see, out of the corner of his eye, the dark grenade shattering into pieces at a relatively slow pace, with small pieces of metal and fragments rapidly emerging from the dense fireball—

The heavy ringing in my ears stopped!

The blurry scene began to become clear.

A deafening explosion slammed into our eardrums...

S.A.S.S.... is still a high-end product.

Pila turned her head slightly and saw the man who was looking at her sideways, his movements and habits somewhat similar to hers.

The old man with the military technology square logo painted on his prosthetic body grabbed Pira's wrist. "Damn it... you and your sister are the same, you both went back to your hometown... Pira, if it weren't for Wakako taking care of you and Rebecca in Night City, you probably wouldn't even be left with any trace."

If Pira's prosthetic eye could read emotions, he would definitely be staring at the ground with the look of someone listening to an idiot speak.

He revealed a mouthful of bloody teeth. "You've seen Rebecca...where is she?"

Old Man Riyang casually tossed his son aside.

"Your sister is the kind of person who was born to work for others—just like your mother, that cheap woman. I've said it before, she's not suited to be a mercenary in Night City. I thought you could give me a surprise."

“Piral…tell me, what conditions did Arasaka offer you?”

Pila, who was lying on the ground, mumbled a few words. Sunrise Dad, who hadn't heard clearly, leaned closer and his expression turned ugly.

Just like Rebecca said.

"If any random guy on the street who imitates me can be my dad, then I'm your dad too, screw you!"

After saying that, Pila chuckled and raised a shiny golden middle finger!

Sunrise's face was grim. "Piral, come with me out of Night City. After this is over, consider yourself dead... Don't be like your sister, I've lost my patience."

Before Pila could say anything more, a pendant slammed into the rough pavement in front of her.

The frivolous and naive tech expert saw the face in the blurry photograph in the pendant, the gaunt, thin boy beside him, and the little girl with a sweet smile and black hair being held in a woman's arms.

Whoops!

Pira's arm scraped against the pavement, kicking up a cloud of dust. He carefully held the shattered pendant between two fingers.

Only then did he realize that the person standing before him was not just a military intelligence agent, but also his own father…

"Report! There's still one hacker we haven't found. Intelligence experts believe she's in the wasteland under the overpass. Should we go down and search the entire area?"

Just as Pila was staring at the photo and his father's full military gear, he overheard the other agents reporting to his father about the whereabouts of their teammates.

Sunrise Old Man raised an eyebrow.

"Does such a stupid question even need to be asked?"

The agent was taken aback by the scolding. "No... you misunderstood me. There won't be enough people to control the situation on site."

Sunrise Old Man gave him a really funny look. "So I have to bring two security guards to stand in front of me as mascots, right? Get the hell out there, find the person, and kill them, understand?!"

Upon hearing the lone wolf's impolite tone, the agent immediately tucked his tail between his legs and ran away.

At this moment, apart from a few agents who were searching for data within the team members' systems, the entire squad was out searching for the missing personnel.

After assigning the tasks, Old Man Sunrise immediately looked at Pila, who was holding the photo tightly on the ground.

To be honest, he was very disappointed.

As a former cold-blooded mercenary in Night City who killed without blinking an eye, a vanguard against gangs and other mercenaries, a lone wolf who never cared about the client's background and completed tasks efficiently, he was a marginal figure below the legendary level in this city.

And look at your own children, they're all making a mess of things in Night City.

For a man who has spent most of his life dealing with money, cybernetic bodies, and weapons, family is unlikely to be his first priority. The only time he ever considered family was when he accepted a job that was beyond his capabilities, attempting to take his two children away from here.

As it turns out, Sunrise's theory that empathy is the most useless thing is correct.

He paid the price he deserved.

Seeing his son, who was most like him, making the same mistakes made it even harder for him to accept!

While Pila was in a daze.

Sunrise waved his hand impatiently, "That white-haired little bitch? Find her, kill her too, and hurry up, you bastards!"

At this moment, an agent with some battlefield medical experience injected a treatment agent into the back of Pila's neck and temporarily stopped the system's error messages, which made Pila feel that her head was slightly clearer.

These mercenaries are really good at causing trouble.

Every time Sunrise Old Man thinks about this, he wants to curse.

Meredes' old woman kept claiming she could bring Rebecca back from the desolate area, but now she's nowhere to be found, and Meredes' trump cards have suffered heavy losses.

Not only that, but Rin also managed to escape from four full-strength special agent teams and a cyber unit…

If you submit the matter to higher levels, there will be very few problems; headquarters will definitely handle it cleanly and efficiently.

But now, it's all gone wrong.

After this trip, the Night City branch of military technology will definitely write a report to the North American headquarters, and even Pila will have to stand there and take the slap.

As far as he knew, Rebecca herself resisted leaving Arasaka Tower.

That thin kinship seemed on the verge of disappearing at any moment.

The father, who was not very empathetic to begin with, immediately abandoned his daughter.

Forget about taking her to a safe city in eastern North America to enjoy life; he now wishes he could kill Rebecca himself.

……

rustling…

Lucy, dressed primarily in white, moved through the wasteland leading to the Haywood Viaduct.

Blood was dripping from her mouth, and her left eye was swollen from the impact. The pain and weakness caused her to slip and slide down a slope.

Lucy, whose skin had been scraped by the sharp, protruding rocks, was almost out of breath and let out a muffled groan. Just as she was trying to stand up, a strange buzzing sound came from her ears, and her body instantly stiffened.

She knew that voice all too well.

So she slowly lay down on the haystack behind her, the scraps of discarded electronic components digging painfully into her back.

The dark red laser from the tip of the Wing Loong drone slowly swept past a few centimeters in front of Lucy's shoes. In the distance, the occasional sounds of military intelligence agents exchanging information filled the air. Lucy felt a deep sense of despair…

The drone, equipped with a voiceprint reader, forced Lucy to remain completely silent. She pressed her hand tightly to her mouth, her pupils following the movement of her drone amidst a pile of debris above.

hum…

The drone, which seemed poised to bring death at any moment, has left.

Lucy lay there for several minutes before slowly sitting up.

She glanced at the overpass overhead, its concrete pillars covered in gang graffiti, and after hesitating, decided to leave first.

I can't die here.

Having crossed countless oceans to reach Night City, a lawless land unto itself, her only goal was to survive and evade her parents' pursuit.

There are still so many things left to do…

She knew that there was no way to change the situation at this point.

She muttered an apology under her breath and tried to slide down the slope. Feeling something blocking her view from the side, she instinctively turned around—

The Winged Dragon drone, reflecting Lucy's face, bobbed up and down almost silently over her.

Lucy could even see the dramatic change in her facial expression on camera.

Finished!

Beep!
As the alarm sounded, the military and science agents, who had already established small subnets nearby, immediately learned the whereabouts of the hacker who had managed to escape the encirclement.

run!
Lucy's hair stood on end as she swung the monomolecular wire in her hand hard at the Wing Loong drone.

This drone, made of a new type of material, is a model of military science and technology products. It is solidly constructed and is considered one of the heaviest reconnaissance drones—therefore the attack was ineffective!
The single-molecule line that easily cut through steel only left a scratch on the drone. The Wing Loong drone swayed, and a miniature guided bullet, the kind only found in smart weapons, emerged from its side!

shhhhhh!
At such close range, Lucy couldn't complete the series of dodges. In that instant, the bullet slowly drifting through her prosthetic eye and the upload panel of the network access module appeared simultaneously.

Lucy uploaded the "Electromagnetic Short Circuit," a weapon effective against drones, automated turrets, and similar devices, without hesitation.

Like a cornered beast fighting desperately, the bullets accelerated the moment the upload icon appeared!
Lucy twisted her body as hard as she could, and all three smart bullets struck her back. Being hit by the bullets felt like being punched hard, and the wound immediately felt a burning, tearing pain.

She could only watch as her body was about to fall onto a pile of sharp, protruding metal debris.

Two hands dressed in black suits reached out—

Lucy slammed heavily onto a hard arm. With the man's heavy breathing, through Lucy's blurred vision from the pain, the hideous scar at the corner of the man's eye was clearly visible.

He put Lucy down, supported her with one hand, and shot down the wobbling drone that was regaining control of its attitude with his pistol!
Suzuki…?!

The name of the guy who only delivers money and encryption chips to the team in the next life surfaced in Lucy's mind—

Rin's people!
Lucy coughed up blood, and the wasteland in front of her was whipped up by bullets. The military and science agents who had located the target all opened fire on this spot!
Suzuki gently waved his hand forward.

As Lucy stared in astonishment, the scene before her began to distort. Four or five soldiers, seemingly emerging from the layers of the world, were clad in jet-black armor, with the snow-white Aragaki tree-shaped logo on their shoulders.

Agent Arasaka, his optical camouflage peeling off, knelt, gun in hand. Beside him, a samurai's hand trembled, and a shield shot out from the back of his hand, slamming into the ground…

Lucy listened blankly to the dull thuds coming from the seemingly thin shield in front of her.

The clever hacker then gritted his teeth and whispered, "Why not send your people from Arasaka?!"

She wanted to demand who would be responsible for her teammate's death, even though Lucy knew the company wouldn't care about the lives of its lower-ranking mercenaries...

However, this man with a cold expression spoke in Japanese:

"That's because we also have to deal with the enemies we need to deal with."

"Those rebellious bastards from Arakawa, Rin-sama and you are buying us time..."

He turned his head to look at Lucy's bewildered face, his voice steady yet powerful, unable to be drowned out by the clamor of gunfire.

"Blood will inevitably be shed, Miss Lucy... Please do not complain, just do as I say."

Amidst screams and angry curses...

Swish swish!
Several Arasaka hovercars sped past overhead, and Lucy realized why Arasaka hadn't sent his own people to do this kind of work against the company in the first place.

The shields in front of Suzuki and Lucy were taken away by the samurai beside them, who was dressed in a tight suit like a sumo wrestler. Suzuki looked at the road above him and said, "In some ways, it seems that Lady Rin trusts you more."

what?
Lucy looked puzzled.

Suzuki placed his hand on the back of Lucy's neck and pressed down slightly. "Now please rest, Miss Lucy."

The world of hackers is beginning to darken, just like my own path ahead.

……

On the road surface of the overpass.

The agents who had searched Dorio and Kivi several times approached with two digitally encrypted money chips.

Old Man Sunrise looked at it repeatedly with great interest.

"Oh my... no wonder you all like working with Arasaka. If you get paid before you start working, I'd be willing to do it too."

Pila's eyes narrowed.

Having just recovered, he wanted to snatch the chip back from this man, who was almost certainly his father.

Sunrise Old Man's hand instantly clamped down on Pila's neck, and he called out the street kid's nickname.

“Pilar…”

"Come with me, let's get out of here. And forget about your damn sister, she's destined to die young anyway."

what?
This guy has met his sister before?!
In her eyes… the money her teammates had risked their lives to earn was now going into the hands of this military science dog who had abandoned her and her sister for over a decade. For Pila, who considered Dorio and Mann family, this was absolutely unacceptable!
Pila's face flushed red, and he managed to squeeze out a sentence at the strange father: "Don't touch my friend!"

Old Man Sunrise's trench coat swayed in the strong wind on the bridge as he calmly addressed the two agents:

"You're having an affair with this woman who looks like a bear?"

"Although your taste is not very good, and you have inappropriate thoughts about your sister-in-law which are not well-received in the underworld, you should give up on that idea... It came at a great cost for me to get you out of here, so don't push your luck."

Pila simply couldn't connect this with the heroic father whom her siblings worshipped in their memories.

This long-lost blood relative looks at him, who grew up in Night City, and his real family with the most malicious eyes!
"I'll f*** your mother!"

This is the most angry thing Pila ever said.

"Back then... you just walked away without a word, and your bunch of cronies were no different from animals! Try to bail me out? Cough... I'm doing just fine! If it weren't for Kazuko and Mann giving us a bite to eat, we'd all be dead by now!"

Sunrise's face twitched.

Rebecca's reaction was indeed quite gentle.

He said nonchalantly, "Do you think they'll let you off the hook if you get involved with Arakasa? Have you been brainwashed by Rebecca?"

Pila's smile was strange, and her prosthetic hand, seemingly out of excitement, pressed down on her "father's" arm and gripped it tightly.

This tech expert was looking for the location of the circulation system's pipelines, and he was about to give this loose-lipped guy a big surprise!
Pila then roared angrily, "Otherwise what? Become a fucking dog for the military science department like you? You're dreaming!"

Old Man Rihe suddenly increased the force in his hand.

Pila, barely able to speak, managed to squeeze out one last sentence:

"I'll fuck you to death!"

As they spoke, Pila's golden prosthetic arms truly came into play.

The tips of four long, slender fingers snapped off, their sharp needles embedded in Sunrise Old Man's prosthetic arm—

Those who have seen many sunrises can even immediately identify which company's prosthetic product it is.

【IEC Venomhand】?
How could such a monstrosity exist in Night City!

He was not only shocked by this, but even more so by Pila's unwavering determination to act.

Perhaps this extremely chauvinistic father didn't realize that blood ties are insignificant compared to companionship, and that Pira's softest spot had been defiled by this impolite fellow.

He certainly didn't care about that bit of fatherly love that he had long ago taken as a brainwashing memory.

Screw them all!
Sunrise watched as erroneous data began to appear in the prosthetic eye.

Pira's prosthetic body is not simply based on the principle of putting a syringe in a prosthetic hand.

The gleaming needles have the "armor-piercing" effect advertised by ICE. In short, the material source of this thing is a trade secret, which means that it can penetrate the skin of many prosthetic materials.

At the same time, the storage core, which can hold 1 to 5 cc of poison, can propel the drug instantly.

Oh shit!

Sunrise was completely out of control.

Pira's prosthetic arm snapped instantly, golden fragments flying high into the air. With one arm missing, Pira stumbled—looking at the man's extremely gloomy face, even Sianwistan couldn't dodge the Stinger's attack.

Because this prosthetic is connected to brain nerve stimulation, when the mind is moved, the prosthetic will eject the syringe at almost the same speed!

hiss…

As the sun rose, Old Man Sun distanced himself, and a sharp pain, like being gnawed by poisonous insects, shot through his arm!

He pulled the dagger from his waist, and the arm immediately fell to the ground.

Pila made an exaggerated expression, her mouth forming an "O" shape.

屮?
The people in the military science department seem even more ruthless than Arasaka…

Pila spread one arm, shrugged, and said, "OK, OK! Come on, bro, I'm waiting for you to shoot me!"

Only he knows.

Pila kept apologizing to Mann in her heart.

Sorry, old buddy, I lost your woman. I'm looking to take someone down with me—the other side is too busy. See you over there!

Old Man Sunrise gave the order.

"Shoot those two bitches!"

His figure vanished from the spot in an instant!
With the gun pressed against Pira's jaw, a mere pull of the trigger would shatter Pira's head into pieces!

"Hey, you guys from the military science department, had your fun, huh?"

A woman's voice boomed in the sunrise!

Almost instantly, Sunrise's body flickered!
Having acquired S.A.S.S., he instinctively thought that he had been approached by another lone wolf with a high-speed prosthetic body!

Little did he expect that when he created some distance, a black-haired woman leaning against the door frame of the floating vehicle looked down at him. With just a small intrusion amplified by her voice, she tricked this usually tense lone wolf.

The other two agents, who were also somewhat bewildered and holding guns, had just turned their heads—

After a blinding flash of light, their bodies were instantly severed in two!
immediately!

Three laser beams locked onto Sunrise Daddy from the other elevated sections on the side...

V's cool voice came along with the roar of the hovercar's engine.

"Don't move. This is Arasaka's sniper, who is at the level of Vice President in charge of international affairs. The weapon he's holding is the Nobunaga... You know how powerful that is."

Sunrise raised an eyebrow.

He was looking for another guy, that strange cybernetic lone wolf who could kill him…

Isn't it here?
V stepped off the hovercar, her spotless patent leather high heels reflecting the mess on the road.

"I thought Night City was built with military technology..."

【Arasaka JSH-X12 Nobunaga】.

Arakasa's trump card weapon is comparable to that of the world's largest arms manufacturer, Tsunami Military Industry, and its counterpart, Nekomata.

This gun is said to be a semi-intelligent weapon, capable of self-correcting its trajectory and adapted to the gunners trained in Arasaka... This is one of the main reasons why no one dares to disrupt the large-scale events set up in Arasaka.

Sunrise Daddy chose to ignore the hacker.

Because of what happened with Rebecca last time, he hadn't realized what made this woman so capable; instead, he'd only managed to get his hands on her through his impression of a hacker.

Of course, he will soon regret his actions.

"Get that idiot with red eyes out here."

Just then, loud gunfire erupted from under the bridge.

Inside the Sunrise Old Man's prosthetic eye, the overpass was filled with Arasaka agents wearing Arasaka's black bulletproof armor and weapons with highly recognizable design concepts.

V's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Why do all those dogs from the Military Science Institute look down on people? They're all so arrogant."

Sunrise Old Man's remaining arm twitched, sparks flew, but he quickly returned to normal under V's red gaze. "Oh dear, the military's firewall has been around for so many years, and you bunch of noobs like Arasaka still can't penetrate it."

This lone wolf from the military science department stared at V's cold yet beautiful face—

I wonder what she'll scream when she begs me to spare her life.

Judging from the sunrise, this guy is of a very high level, killing him would be a great achievement!
As a hacker, V could see the trajectory of the guy in front of him, but his expression remained unchanged as he quietly waited for him to rush towards him...

The sunrise's cruel smile came into view.

suddenly!

As the sun rose, I felt a sudden tightness in my chest.

My legs started to become unresponsive, and my prosthetic eye displayed a screen full of errors, eventually pointing to the last line of error messages.

how come?
V slightly moved aside, and Sunrise, whose speed had suddenly decreased, stumbled and fell to the ground!
She looked down at the sunrise, her body convulsing.

The sunrise filled me with resentment.

He was only a few dozen centimeters away from that woman. What's going on? Has Arasaka thoroughly researched this ICE technology from the military science department...?

V's voice came from above.

That's the arrogant tone typical of a corporate employee.

"I didn't punish you last time because the girl that guy wanted you to hold hostage let you off the hook..."

"Don't overestimate yourself, Sunrise."

Pila listened blankly to this information-packed conversation—

Wait a minute.

Little sister... she seems to still be breathing?
Speaking of which, how did that Arasaka woman manage to do this experimental version of S.A.W.S.S.?
The technology experts felt their worldview had been turned upside down.

V reached out and lifted the sun, which looked like a dead dog. "Looking for Rin? You got yourself killed here today because of him. My colleague is worried about you, you see—"

The thing in her hand swayed.

"A disposable magic puppet, specially made to cure you."

V watched silently as Arasaka's team, loyal to the counterintelligence and security departments, retreated like a receding tide.

finally…

I didn't let that guy's hard work go to waste.

Military Science and Arasaka have this kind of friction every year. It doesn't escalate to the point of a full-blown confrontation in the company square, but generally speaking, they're both targeting each other's people. Today, Arasaka has once again emerged victorious.

She wasn't particularly happy about the success of the operation.

On the contrary, the woman's unfathomable eyes gazed at the gloomy clouds, and she was glad that she had followed that guy's instructions and "cleaned" the Arasaka Tower first.

In retrospect, the operation was very successful, and no secrets were leaked.

Just then, Suzuki appeared behind V.

"Why would he consider carrying out the internal cleaning and this matter simultaneously?"

Suzuki listened to his superior's question and lowered his head, saying, "A clean knife kills faster."

really.

Only Suzuki understood that the military science department was the fish Rin wanted to catch, and that keeping these people inside would be a huge problem for Dogtown.

What kind of way of thinking is this?

At this moment.

The female department head, who had experienced rapid promotion, suddenly recalled what Rin had said:

"Stop daydreaming, V..."

call…

V took a deep breath and stepped onto the hovercar under Suzuki's watchful gaze.

Perhaps it's time to say goodbye to the last vestige of weakness.

In the Arasaka Tower, there is no mercy, only struggle.

……

　[Electromagnetic short circuit]: A method of rapid hacking that can cause significant damage to drones and other machines.

　　【IEC Venomhand】: (Cyberpunk board game prosthetic) The Venomhand from International Electric Corporation is a cyberhand option designed specifically for military applications and is available on the illegal cyberware black market. From all angles, the Venomhand looks just like any other cyber hand. A thought causes a hypodermic needle to extend from one or all four fingers. Each needle is attached to a separate support within the forearm. The support is designed to hold standard sterile medical reservoirs with capacities from 1 to 5 cc. Each reservoir can carry a different drug or toxin.

　　【Arasaka JSH-X12 Nobunaga】: A weapon whose content was cut from the 2077 game. The snipers deployed during the Hanako parade used this weapon, and it is speculated that it may be more accurate and have greater power.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)