Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 164 Puppets and Black Wall Technology (12)

Eighteen years ago.

Night City, Taipingzhou Scenic Area seaside, the night breeze carries the humid heat of summer.

"Boss, should we pour cement in?"

"Damn it... this idiot's eyes can still move, it's unbelievable!"

Several dark figures busily dragged something from the vehicle, the sound like slaughtering animals being dragged through woven bags from cargo boxes... From time to time, the lights of cargo ships shone in this direction from the sea. The tall, thin man in the lead, with a cigarette in his mouth, slowly bent down and looked into the eyes of the "idiot" his underling had mentioned.

"Ah…"

The Tiger Claw Gang is known for its ruthlessness; dismembering enemies is a piece of cake for them.

According to incomplete statistics, the Tiger Claw Gang is responsible for human trafficking, drug smuggling, and illegal forced prostitution in Night City. Nine out of the ten sex shops on Twist Street are backed by the Tiger Claw Gang, and the remaining one is a Tiger Claw Gang business.

"Can you still see me? That's awesome. You're like a cockroach I just crushed, but your antennae are still moving."

He poked the sun's eyeball with his finger.

The Tiger Claw Gang leader's actions were clearly excessive, probably because he hadn't recovered from the effects of the drugs yet... The lower half of the man's body on the ground was cut off by those gleaming samurai swords, half of his body looked like it had been shattered by explosives, and his alloy ribs gleamed.

"Wakako... won't let you scum get away with this. I'll give your father a quick death."

It would be difficult for a person to survive in such a state, but this Night City outlaw, who was not insignificant in reputation, clearly had a prosthetic body to prolong his life.

"Wakako?"

The Tiger Claw Gang member's face instantly darkened.

"My boss would love to see this woman who makes a living by changing husbands go to hell!"

At this point, Old Man Sunrise didn't want to say anything more.

The only regret is that I left my two young children at home for this big order. Although I left enough money, the sunrise was very clear... Night City can devour an adult very quickly, let alone two children.

He could only place his sole trust in his group of "bad friends," hoping they would show some mercy to the two children and allow them to grow up well.

Old Man Sunrise moved his lips slightly, but the Tiger Claw Gang member couldn't hear him clearly, so he leaned closer...

"Come closer... I'll tell you where I'm hiding it..."

The Tiger Claw Gang leader looked suspicious, but still knelt down and brought his ear close to Old Man Sunrise—

"what!!"

Old Man Sunrise's eyes were cold as he used his last bit of strength to bite off a piece of his enemy's flesh!

This mercenary, who had accepted any outcome in Night City, was determined to die.

The guy who sat down on the ground with his ear covered in pain twitched, his eyes filled with venom, and the blood between his fingers wouldn't stop flowing...

"Damn it! Chop this piece of trash up and feed it to the fish!"

The gleaming blades were drawn in unison, and they charged forward, cursing in Japanese!

The world has turned completely dark...

Bang!Bang!
Several gunshots, clearly equipped with silencers, rang out on the beach amidst the crashing waves, along with the friction sound of a S.A.W.S.-type prosthetic body in operation.

who is it?

Sunrise, Dad tried his best to open his eyes—

His first reaction was confusion.

In the swaying vision: the man was wearing a long leather coat that would never be seen this month, with short hair, and the wind carried the strongest smell of tobacco that cowboys smoked.

Damn, what a show-off.

The man pointed a gun at the head of the Tiger Claw Gang leader, whose ear had been bitten off by Sunrise.

The gang member's voice trembled, "This is fucking impossible! Who are you?!"

A flash of light appeared, and the man holstered his gun. Slightly squinting from the smoke, he looked unkempt, with a scruffy beard…

Although Old Man Sunrise was no longer able to speak, this long-time resident of Night City inexplicably remembered a drink that only regulars at the Next Life Bar would order: [Morgan Black Hand]...

I'm dying, to see someone dressed up as Morgan... that's fucking bullshit.

The man bent down, extending a black prosthetic hand hidden beneath his sleeve. He tossed the syringe on it up to show the sunrise. "This thing might help you. Your chance to live lies in your mouth. If you want your children to grow up healthy, military technology can bring you back—"

"Only if you tell me where the video is hidden?"

Sunrise Old Man's will to survive was ignited by this guy with a Western cowboy accent.

The syringe fell, and everything seemed to come back to life.

……

Sunrise Daddy felt a smooth, slippery feeling all over his body, and breathing seemed easier than ever before…

I'm alive?

He suddenly opened his eyes and found that the world he was in was blurry, and his body was floating up and down.

In the water?!

His body reacted instinctively, and he exhaled sharply. The suffocating feeling of drowning came over him quickly. He didn't know why he could still open his eyes after being in the water for so long, but anyway, he had to get out first!

Boom!Boom!Boom!
A powerful impact sound came from inside the large, pale yellow cylindrical culture facility.

Wow!

He finally lifted the cover, and some spilled liquid fell to the ground; just by listening to the sound, it seemed viscous.

"Cough! Holy crap... damn it!"

Because his feet kept slipping on the smooth glass, he eventually fell hard from the top of the tank, which was nearly two meters high. Dizzy and disoriented, he couldn't care less about anything else and started vomiting and coughing violently. The feeling of water getting into his lungs finally subsided.

The lone wolf, who had come back from the dead, braced himself with his hands behind his back. He looked at the cylindrical rectangular jars around him, which were only glowing with a pale yellow light, and his eyes were full of doubt and fear of the unknown.

"Is anyone there?! Hello?!"

The place seemed very empty. Old Man Sunrise's voice echoed from above the dome, lingering until it disappeared...

Sunrise Old Man subconsciously brought his hands up to his face, examining both palms and the backs of his hands. They were incredibly realistic human skin… As one of the body's major organs, skin is often a key focus in prosthetic surgery –

My prosthetic body!

Old Man Sunrise groped his bare body, and then his face was filled with disbelief.

Right now, I'm like a naive child. My body has no prosthetics, not even the most basic brain-computer interface. In other words, I am the most unlikely original body to exist in this era.

My head hurts a lot.

It was as if he had forgotten many things. Why was he here? Apart from his name and identity, there was only one thing in his mind: "military technology".

Unwilling to give up, Sunrise decided to look for clues in the surrounding area.

Below the tanks were rows of transparent pipes that carried the somewhat murky liquid. They were laid beneath the translucent, white-glowing floor and seemed to lead to a distant, unseen end.

Soon, the icon on the metal part at the bottom of the can caught his attention.

A small green sapling.

Sunrise felt familiar, but he still couldn't remember what the pattern represented...

The evaporation of the liquid covering his body sent a chill down the spine of the bewildered man, who could only stagger along with his legs, which were not modified with prosthetics.

The road seems to have no end…

On the contrary, the transparent jars on either side of him, spaced at fixed intervals, seemed to have a magical power that drew him closer.

When children feel insecure, the thing they want to find most is their mother. At this moment, I feel that's exactly how I feel.

He stopped and finally stood in front of the jar, pressing his forehead against the warm jar wall, trying to see what was in the murky liquid.

"What's this for?"

However, the temperature of this thing is really comfortable...

He thought so.

After examining the container for a while without figuring out its purpose, Sunrise turned his head in confusion to look at another jar. Just as he was considering whether to check them one by one—

In my peripheral vision, I could see a white thing floating around...

Sunrise, whose arms instantly broke out in goosebumps, mechanically turned his head away!
"I'm..."

Inside the jar, with his eyes tightly closed, he seemed to be asleep, and the eerie scene amplified his fear infinitely!
However, the "self" inside the jar has a mutilated body.

The arm looked corroded, leaving only a hand resembling a chicken claw...

Sunrise, whose face was almost identical to the one in the jar, plopped down on the ground!

Immediately afterwards…

All the jars started making sounds, and one by one, figures emerged from within them... themselves!

He scrambled and crawled away from the row of things, but before he could move much, he stopped.

The faint reflection in front of me was the pale, fearful face of the sunrise, and inside it was another face that I knew very well...

The face fired a shot right in front of him, killing a member of the Tiger Claw gang.

A flood of memories and a terrifying feeling that almost tore his mind apart came rushing in at once!
Move your eyes upward.

This endless breeding ground seems to contain only these devices for raising humans.

It stretches on and on, until the end of nothingness.

……

Is the T81 receptor still unstable?

Sunrise stared listlessly at the ceiling, his fingers rubbing a pendant with nearly peeling paint; the faded photograph depicted a woman and two children.

He was surrounded by fully armed soldiers.

The researchers checked the patient's vital signs. After a long while, another researcher picked up the recording tablet and said, "The memory fixation process is still having problems... T81 may be at risk of failure. We recommend taking action."

Sunrise, listening silently to the conversation, chose not to reveal her emotions.

Another colleague was clearly not satisfied with this answer. Sunrise only saw his bloodshot eyes under the mask, with brown pupils.

"Do you know who's on that thing in your hand?"

Sunrise Old Man didn't say anything; he just quietly looked at the insignia on the guy's chest.

He knew this was called biotechnology.

The researcher who suggested "handling" the issue said helplessly, "He only answers 'I don't know,' and I can't understand why we should waste time on him. T331 is performing much better than him—"

But before he could finish speaking, Rihichi, who was lying on the operating table undergoing examination, said, "She is my wife, she is my child."

There was silence.

The sounds of things being rummaged through rang out simultaneously with the ecstatic shout of the guy who had asked, "Whose name is on the pendant?" "I knew it would work!"

As the sun rose, its gaze shifted, and a soldier standing not far away, his shoulder emblazoned with a square military technology logo, touched a cold, sharp scalpel.

Followed by.

The frenzied atmosphere in the room gradually turned into fear, with screams and gunshots rang out.

……
-
"So why are you playing house with us using a fake face?"

Pila was still the same as always, with her overly long arms behind her head, casually asking the young man in front of her a question.

Lin Yue tilted his head slightly.

"It started as a prank on Hanz of Dogtown, but things took an unexpected turn."

“I leaked the list of military science personnel. In their eyes, this face carries more weight than their father’s killer, or rather, it’s a digital identity.”

"And then..."

Lin Yue ultimately didn't reveal the reasons why he didn't want to involve you.

But that's the end of it.

With the funds in place, all that remained was to send the team members away. From now on, this city was destined to serve these lackeys of Ara-saka.

Rebecca followed Lin Yue slowly.

"So we're going to see that so-called 'biological father'?"

Lin Yue looked at the quirky girl with some confusion. "What do you mean... According to the investigation by Arasaka's counterintelligence department, your father should be him, but he should be involved in some internal military technology incident. His activities have been interrupted for two or three years."

Pila chuckled.

“What kind of father is he who gives birth but doesn’t raise his children? — But seriously, you’re not keeping him around to throw us a meet-and-greet, are you? He doesn’t hold back when he’s at it. You’ve seen what Dorio and Kivi looked like. They were fucking miserable.”

At this moment, V, who was standing to the side, laughed.

"You're not bad either, sending a hand grenade to your biological father, that's so sweet."

Pila is the kind of person who will climb up a pole if you hit him once.

He subtly moved closer to V beside him, and upon closer inspection, it became clear that although Pira had long, slender limbs, he was quite large, making V appear rather petite next to him.

"Hey!"

He nudged V's shoulder with his elbow. "Do you like men who are 'loving'? To be honest, I admire beautiful women like you the most—charming and career-minded."

V glanced at the shoulder that Pila had touched, frowned, and said nothing, but silently distanced himself a little.

But he kept comforting himself, thinking, "Oh well, this guy risked his life for Rin."

Lin Yue, who was in front, shook his head slightly.

This guy never changes his ways. V is a woman who keeps a strong sense of distance. If Pila continues like this, she's probably in for trouble.

Just then, Rebecca asked, "They say my father was dismembered into several pieces and thrown into the sea to feed the fish. Is there any way Arasaka can find out about this?"

Although Pila seemed to be chattering away next to V, her attention was actually on Rebecca and Lin Yue.

"Brother, I've been asking around in the underworld for ages. How could it not be real? Unless this idiot in front of me does a paternity test, I don't believe he's my real father. That pendant is probably fake! Anyway... I'm increasingly convinced that it's plastic."

Rebecca rolled her eyes at her idiot brother, and a vein throbbed in her forehead.

"Can you shut the fuck up?!"

Lin Yue looked at Rebecca with sympathy. To be honest, Rebecca was the most tolerant of Pila's personality. Pila had no sense of propriety and loved to join in the fun.

Pila then began to squeeze the boundaries of the V, trying to close the distance between them as they spoke.

Just then, Lin Yue stopped.

He pursed his lips angrily. "Rebecca, this is where your father is being held. But... this isn't a farewell. Arakawa and the military must have reached some kind of agreement. The higher-ups are ordering him to be sent away."

Pila chuckled strangely.

"Saint Arasaka! Don't you want to kill him? You almost ruined everything, making me think Rebecca was dead."

Lin Yue nodded.

“I really wanted to kill him.”

"Now I'm giving you a chance to say goodbye."

Pira waved her hand. "I'm not going. I want to have a proper talk with Miss V—"

The voice just fell.

A flash of red appeared in V's eyes, and Pira's prosthetic body twitched and began to dance wildly.

Lin Yue sighed helplessly.

"Let's go, let him... cool off outside for a while, V and I will take you inside."

……

The room is Arasaka's standard "interrogation room" for corporate spies and those who fail internal audits.

It was the same room where Michelle had been held.

Inside, the sun-dwelling old man, whose prosthetic body had been altered and locked by the Arasaka program, leaned back in his chair with an air of nonchalance. He merely glanced up at the three people who had entered, without saying a word.

"Old Man Sunrise, is this your name? What's your real name?"

V looked at the strangely prosthetic lone wolf, his cold eyes seemingly exerting constant pressure.

Lin Yue didn't intend to speak. He guessed that this guy, who once had a glorious moment in Night City—who was known as a famous outlaw—must have participated in some military technology operation. However, the focus of the sunrise was on Rebecca and Pila.

In a sense, Lin Yue could have let him take the two men away. After all, a father who had established himself in the company could have helped and protected the two mercenaries who had been working at the bottom of Night City for a long time.

The problem is that this guy can mobilize the spies planted by the military science department within Arasaka.

Thinking about it this way, there must be some kind of attack targeting him that Rihichi does, but he just doesn't do it.

V's question received no answer. Instead, Old Man Sunrise impatiently picked at his ear and blew the skin flakes he picked out toward V.

"Rebecca... how did you actually become an Arasaka dog? Did this guy brainwash you with the Black Wall?"

From the moment she entered the house, Rebecca had been trying to find traces of family, warmth, and blood ties in her memory.

What exactly is family affection?
When Rebecca thought of these words, the first things that came to mind were her brother and Mann, and of course, the guy who bought her a small Coke from the expired vending machine in Dogtown…

This was the first time Lin Yue had ever seen a look of confusion and helplessness on Rebecca's face, who seemed indifferent to everything.

"You may not know me since this is our first meeting, and I understand that... But I cannot understand why you would pledge allegiance to the enemy who betrayed me?"

"Arasaka loves nothing more than selling you out in the blink of an eye—"

"Find a bunch of stray dogs on the streets of Night City and have them follow you and bite you incessantly."

Lin Yue listened quietly to what seemed to be a father questioning his daughter.

He immediately asked, "Arasaka sold you? Is that true?"

When the old man at sunrise heard the person he cared about most ask a question, he chuckled and said, "There are dozens of these towers in the world, and we don't need any more. You are the same. There are many humanoid weapons in Arasaka, and you are one of them. I admit you are very strong, but there are some things you are not worthy to hear."

It seems like he's praising himself, but he's actually saying he's not qualified yet...

This is a provocative tactic.

"Then I won't listen."

Lin Yue smiled and straightened his clothes.

"Good news for you, Military Science is going to take you home... This is the order from above."

Lin Yue immediately noticed the slight change in Old Man Sunrise's seemingly fearless expression.

That wasn't joy, but panic... or perhaps fear?

Lin Yue stood up. He Ye rushed over in a hurry to ask him for people. The suspicion that Michelle's death was related to him rose sharply in Lin Yue's mind... After all, the doves were pro-Shin-America. Most of the orders and agreements with Shin-America or the Military Science Center had traces of Michiko, Nitta He Ye and his group behind them.

"Oh dear, it seems that Arasaka's dogs are really good at enduring."

He had originally planned to give Rebecca some family time, but he stopped and quietly watched the sunrise.

Sunrise Old Man pointed at Lin Yue, "Don't you like to go against military technology? Let me tell you the truth, there's an old woman in the military science department who's been keeping an eye on you every day. I'm the one who dug up your intelligence. If you let me go, the military science department will know that you're tampering with the black wall. Aren't you afraid of trouble?"

Lin Yue laughed and said, "It seems military technology isn't very useful to you people. Are you so afraid of going home?"

Just when Sunrise thought he could keep this guy named Rin, the guy he had provoked left without looking back.

The guy who, without any prosthetics, was almost on par with his experimental version of Sionstein, simply left behind a casual remark.

Enjoy your family time together.

Ri's astonished expression immediately turned ashen. "You spineless coward."

V left at this point as well.

Lin Yue was right. Sunrise, as a lone wolf, is a one-time use agent, whether in the Military Science or Arasaka. Once his identity falls into the enemy's hands, even if he is switched back, he will still be dealt with.

Moreover, once their employers learn that these mission takers have been arrested, assassination and silencing them are common emergency intervention methods.

But it would be good to have some information about military science... Why did Rin give it up?

The interrogation room, which had seemed about to be "lively" just moments before, instantly fell silent.

……

V glanced at the door behind him. "Before they leave, wouldn't it be better to find out which member of the military science team is watching you and resolve the trouble?"

Lin Yue, with a cigarette between his fingers, lifted the convulsing Pila up.

“V…I don’t have time.”

"You know, it's better to waste it on Dogtown than on military science."

But what can Dogtown do?
Rin's body language clearly showed that Dogtown was merely a spoils of war for Yoriyuki.

Seeing that V had misunderstood, Lin Yue did not explain.

What he sought was not merit; as his body gradually weakened, he only wanted to find out the whereabouts of the neural matrix.

If you lose your life, everything will vanish like smoke.

This secret has now been shared by Sasha…

One matrix, two lives.

The wheel of fate always plays such cruel jokes.

……

(End of this chapter)