Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 173 [A Like Supreme] (22)

Dogtown, Pedro Petrochemical Stadium.

In the morning mist, the neon signs that had been lit all night would occasionally flash, and batches of contraband destined for the black market were being carried by laborers recruited from Dogtown.

"Fuck, it's so heavy!"

The burly man's slightly rough gorilla-like arm emitted a burst of air, its surface marked with various knife marks and graffiti... This was the most common type of transport prosthetic in Night City.

Several guys at the back of the carriage, clearly smaller than him, were wearing spoilers—the kind of attire only a street sweeper would have.

Why are there so many ghost dogs this morning?

The Dogtown soldiers, who usually yawned, were familiar faces to them, but today there were many different people, and many more mechs with exaggerated colors, purchased from military technology, had been added.

The burly man lit a cigarette and leaned against the carriage, clearly having some doubts about his companion's words.

"Hurry up and move them all!"

He urged them on, and was just about to step forward to ask what was going on with these guys when a sudden collision sound rang out!

The guy's thick eyebrows, combined with the prosthetic markings embedded in the fleshy parts of his face, sent a chill down the spine of the troublemaker...

The silver-white insulated box was slightly deformed, and the stamp on the ground had cracked, squeezing out a substance resembling blue ice cubes... It was all top-quality Cuban goods; just one whiff of it would make you dizzy.

For a moment, the scavengers looked at each other in bewilderment, and slowly put down the boxes they were carrying.

The shadow in front of them widened, and fear filled the face beneath the spoiler; his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily…

"Hey…"

The burly man looked down at the gang members who resembled tiny chicks. "Didn't I say you couldn't put it on the ground? Looks like you have no concept of money? Hmm..."

He bent down, grabbed the handful of junk mixed with dust and high-quality goods, and asked, "Do you know how much this costs?"

The other person shook their head blankly.

"Thirty euro notes with a face value of one hundred euros."

The cleaner, who was starting to lose his composure, whispered, "I... I can pay for it."

"compensation?"

The big man nodded. "Alright... It's good that you're willing to admit your mistake."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Unexpectedly, this guy seemed to nod and look absentmindedly at the ghost hound, but actually slammed his fist into the scavenger's spoiler—the sound of sand scraping against sand came, and the scavenger lying on the ground had his hair suddenly grabbed, and the lethal dose of drugs was stuffed into his mouth.

The gorilla's arm was so strong it almost ripped the culprit's scalp off. The culprit struggled with his legs and made indistinct sounds as if begging for mercy.

The group of people were so frightened that they didn't dare to move and could only subconsciously look at the ghostly hound soldiers over there.

However, those guys just watched like spectators, lighting cigarettes for each other, their mocking expressions visible from a distance.

at this time--

Bang!
The sound of a fist hitting flesh rang out, and the big man turned his head to one side, then looked incredulously at the cleaner who had punched him.

The cleaner, who had mustered his courage to throw a punch, was clearly lacking in momentum. He hastily pulled a pistol from his pocket, which instantly threw the scene into chaos!

"That son of a bitch will definitely try to pin the losses on us brothers—what the hell are you all standing there for? Let's kill him, each of us can take a box of goods and run out of dog town, isn't that better than this?"

The big man tossed aside the scavenger, who looked like a dead dog.

"you sure?"

The lead scavenger appeared to be fanning the flames and inciting his "comrades" to cause trouble, but in reality, his eyes were always fixed on the ghost hounds.

As expected, the mechs in the Ghost Hound team began to turn around, and the soldiers walked towards them step by step.

The burly man, wanting to teach his men a lesson, said with a mocking expression, "Just you few? See? Put your guns down and lie obediently on the ground..."

Twenty meters... ten meters...

The sound of the mechs stomping on the ground grew louder and louder.

The man holding the gun trembled even more, and with a wild roar, he pointed the gun at his own head—

Bang!
It was as if a watermelon that had gone bad and turned into red water had exploded, and the few ghostly hounds that had just arrived instinctively dodged.

What the hell is this?

The burly man and the street cleaners were completely baffled. Of course, if they knew about a quick fix called "Self-Destruction," they would know what would happen...

then--

The ghost hound soldier opened his mouth and uttered a single syllable when a fireball exploded around the truck!

Whether it was people or mechs, they were all licked clean by the orange flames... The mechs shook and fell off, their bodies were covered in fire spots, and it was impossible to estimate how much explosives were in the truck. The piercing alarms exploded around the EBM stadium!

The Ghost Dog Radio Station responded immediately:
There's trouble brewing over at the stadium, everyone get moving!

[Damn! I drank too much last night—you really know how to pick your timing.]

Across the street, behind the metal fence, a guy in a hoodie was observing the rising mushroom cloud...

"Madam, everything is settled."

……

Meanwhile, the known territory of Dogtown.

Cybernetics smuggled from the border into the underground tunnels of Badlands are being transported at high speed.

Without a doubt, these are all Hans's men.

They certainly heard the explosion. The stadium was almost diagonally opposite them, the furthest away—yet the sound of the explosion still came through clearly, and everyone stopped what they were doing.

"what happened?"

Just as the mercenaries were wondering what was going on, they heard the clanging sound of metal objects being dragged across the ground.

Everyone immediately drew their guns and looked towards the overgrown road shrouded in fog in the distance…

A slender, healthy woman is holding a pink baseball bat. Her waistline is alluring, and her face is hidden under a baseball cap.

"Angie?"

One of the mercenaries exclaimed in disbelief.

Angie, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, asked, "Surprised?"

The mercenary's gun was fixed on the lone woman. He glanced around, but it seemed no other members of the Animal Gang were present.

"What? Tired of being a stray dog, you've come here looking for food?"

The man slowly released the safety pin. "Your brothers seem to be following me, boss."

Angie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "You think you're handsome? Or incredibly awesome?"

Then she waved her hand impatiently—

"Let this idiot realize his own limitations."

The mercenary's face darkened. Suddenly, a strong force came from behind his knee, and he stumbled and knelt on one knee. Looking back at the group of guys who used to be members of the Animal Gang, they showed no sign of wanting to shoot.

Immediately afterwards, an old black man, like a water buffalo, stepped on his leg as he tried to stand up.

A guy who can squat over 550 kilograms must have incredibly well-developed leg muscles...

And just like that, a pig-like scream rang out.

"Ugh...you bitch, are you crazy?! Do you know Hanz is looking for you?!"

Two members of the Animal Gang grabbed his arms and dragged him in front of Angie, who stood before him with a forced smile. "How was it? Being the leader of the Animal Gang was fun, wasn't it? Hmm?"

The man gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with malice, spitting as he cursed, "I hope you'll still be smiling when you fall into Emma's hands!"

He had witnessed Emma's methods firsthand... because Emma was the one who supported him in starting the prosthetics business, and she was the one who unearthed a portion of the animal gang. The animal gang was in a state of "existence in name only" when that woman was running the business for her husband.

Angie gently lifted the guy's head with both hands, her eyes filled with sympathy.

"Tsk tsk tsk... Look at you, acting like Emma can sleep with me."

Immediately afterwards, Angie summoned the person he least wanted to see.

Those burly men were Emma's elite troops, and like him, they had all served that woman.

"Who told you to be Hanz's man?"

She leaned down and whispered, "What a pity, Emma, ​​that mad dog, is in cahoots with us."

Angie gripped the stick with both hands, suddenly wanting to try Emma's home run, thinking it would be a good way to vent her emotions.

In the man's terrified and desperate gaze, the cold stick struck his head, bringing a long, dark silence—

[Stop beating]

These were the last two words he saw through his prosthetic eye.

Angie patted the blood beads off her hands. "Everything has been retrieved. As for those parts where the situation is unclear... you all know what to do, right?"

The woman slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

Standing on the slope, I looked up at the verdant pyramid in the dilapidated city.

……
-
"Everything's taken care of, boss... The Animal Gang, our people have already taken over the business in Cuba—"

"Do you need me to come over?"

While distributing mission instructions, Sasha also kept an eye on online traffic and the situation in Dogtown.

Lin Yue nodded and began to discuss business. No matter how much Hanz refused, he still brought an attendant... This was not due to a lack of self-confidence, but rather because it was against common sense for someone to dare to openly conduct business alone in Dogtown's middleman's territory.

Sasha didn't take long; soon, her face hidden behind a hacker's helmet, dressed entirely in black, she walked into the room, carrying a suitcase, looking preoccupied.

At this critical juncture, even the heavily worried Ghost Dog security guards are a bit more involved.

Overwhelmed and caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Hanz didn't even have time to react when Emma asked if they should let Sasha in.

Seeing Hanz panting heavily, Emma slowly walked over...

"Honey, I'm handling it."

"Don't get anxious or upset, okay?"

Hans glanced at his beautiful wife and noticed that Emma was wearing the most expensive piece of jewelry today, and she looked very energetic—she seemed quite different from before.

"deal with?!"

The Dogtown middleman's chest heaved continuously. "What about Schumacher? He brought a bodyguard with him. That guy went to the Long Beach stockpile for drinks, and he's probably already told him about what happened here."

Emma massaged Hanz's shoulders.

She knew this cautious middleman was trying to back out again…

This is not okay.

Both Mr. Rin and she wanted to take this guy's head off, so that it would be more troublesome for him to react to this combination of punches.

Do you really think Cuba is reliable?

Hanz's breathing began to quicken; he knew what Emma was complaining about.

"You haven't put in a single effort, yet you expect your business to last a long time. This shipment was used as a powder keg and set on fire, and now they're coming after you to recover their losses—"

Emma's gentle voice came to an abrupt halt.

Give him the decision-making power, and you only need to state the necessary conditions.

Hanz, true to his veteran middleman status, quickly brought in some people Emma didn't even know about after the closing operation began... They were currently clashing with the Animal Gang outside, who were trying to reclaim some of their business—

If left to develop unchecked, even the slightest change could cause the situation to deteriorate rapidly.

Hans's face darkened. "You mean you want this German to do business with us? If he knew all this, he'd just ask for an exorbitant price... If his offer is reasonable, I'd seriously doubt his motives."

Emma laughed and said, "Isn't the procedure you provided enough? If he is Rin, killing him will bring profits to the company. If he is not Rin, we can force him to sign a lower-priced order. As long as it is legally permissible online, the goods will still be shipped even if he dies."

"Isn't it good?"

Hanz turned and stared at Emma.

Emma smiled, seemingly encouraging him.

"Emma, ​​you don't seem surprised by what happened today."

Emma slowly leaned down, staring at Hans, and said, "Who else do you think can do these things besides Rin? His methods have never changed. Who else does that bitch Angie listen to besides him?"

Hanz squinted and thought carefully.

Emma's palms began to sweat.

Hans said slowly, "The woman from the military technology department said his body has suffered irreversible damage, and she's very certain that Rin won't take the risk herself. What do you think?"

Cautious and meticulous, shrewd and cold-blooded.

Wade seems to have always been like this, but this is also what could harm him. Trying so hard to master everything often only makes him offend more people.

“The company is untrustworthy. I believe Rin is definitely not paralyzed.” Emma scolded, “Are you stupid? The company would let a cripple take on a major role? That’s impossible. She’s only concerned with how to deal with Rin. You need to focus on your own affairs. What did military technology promise you… I don’t want to know. Use them to our advantage and we’ll achieve our goal.”

Emma's expression immediately turned cold.

“That German insulted me…you saw it.”

Hanz probably couldn't figure out, no matter how hard he tried, what is real in this world.

Emma's lowered eyes elicited a pang of pity from Hans, who sighed, "Darling, I'm sorry."

"Let him bring his men in... Now that things have come to this, we can only do our best."

Emma smiled, pursing her lips. "I won't stay here."

Hanz nodded, his gaze unreadable as he stared at Emma's back. "No...darling."

"You have to see this German pay the price with your own eyes..."

……

Two people walked slowly towards the elevator, looking preoccupied.

Lin Yue was wearing a neatly ironed suit, which had a faint, pleasant fragrance about it.

Sasha unconsciously squeezed the suitcase she was carrying.

She whispered in the voice channel, "I've investigated this middleman carefully. He doesn't like meeting strangers in person... He prefers to discuss business over the phone, and he has a history of missing out on big deals to avoid offline transactions."

Lin Yue chuckled softly.

"If you were kicked out of the company, you might be just as cautious as him."

Sasha quickly changed the subject, "Once Hanz comes into my view, I'll take care of him quickly."

Lin Yue shook his head. "Even someone as powerful as Bartmores needs a cyber legal certificate to transact with the company. We need to get those things first. Hansen's Dogtown is a real company. Do you think it's okay just because he's dead?"

"I went to all that trouble to drive up the prices for those retail investors at the stadium just to force Hans to agree to this... Don't be too impulsive."

"Killing him...that's enough for me."

Two ghost hound heavy artillerymen blocked Lin Yue's path.

"Hello sir, please put the weapon in the storage area. Thank you for your cooperation. Please also turn off all online devices."

Before Lin Yue could speak, Sasha spoke first.

"You think we're the ones begging Hanz to buy my boss's weapons and equipment... You think you're so powerful in Dogtown? Well, I'm sorry, if it weren't for that woman climbing into my boss's bed yesterday to 'cool him down,' you'd be making a deal with a ghost."

“If you don’t get out of the way, Hans himself will come down and take us up.”

Lin Yue's gaze shifted slightly.

Seems pretty awesome, Sasha…

This set of corporate dog-like tactics sounds strangely familiar.

The two hounds were clearly used to the strict rules and regulations. With Hanz in such a predicament, if the European arms dealers lost their business, they would probably have no choice but to turn to those Russians.

Sure enough, the elevator opened.

The hound bowed slightly and made way.

Lin Yue didn't actually have any weapons. Carrying a samurai sword would be too conspicuous, so he only had a pistol at his waist... and Emma's knife.

Sasha didn't seem to have any equipment on him.

It has to be said that Arasaka's Black Customer Service really has an aesthetic design concept. The lightweight material and Sasha's changed temperament after experiencing the cleansing of humanity - she now appears more mature.

Sasha's expression was not clearly visible under his helmet.

Just then, a slight disturbance appeared in Lin Yue's channel.

Sasha said calmly, "A jammer, the complicated kind—don't worry, the women's team with military technology is keeping an eye on it."

"I've already looked at the map Qiwei gave me, I'll send it to you now."

What a reliable lady cat.

Lin Yue glanced at the architectural map and the online map, both of which seemed to weigh heavily on his mind.

All variables appear to be under control…

Will things really go as smoothly as expected?

He asked Sasha again, "Has anyone special appeared around the woman with the military technology background? Tell Jack and the others to be careful; it's unlikely the company would only allow a small armed squad in."

Sasa nodded and relayed the information to her team members when the jammer signal reached its peak.

Ding--

The elevator doors in front of Lin Yue slowly opened.

He gazed silently at the familiar retro decor and dark red carpet, his memories momentarily jumbled.

Sasha didn't urge him. He saw Lin Yue's eyes change from slightly confused to sharp, and after only a few breaths, he slowly walked out of the elevator.

The automatic door opened, and Emma's familiar face appeared before her.

Perhaps it was because she was acting, but her smile seemed somewhat forced. "You've arrived..."

Lin Yue ignored her. Even though he had been intimate with the woman for a long time yesterday, he didn't want to express too much emotion at this critical moment. His gaze remained fixed on the guy on the sofa behind the woman.

"finally…"

Hanz opened his arms.

He looked like an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

Lin Yue gave a cold smile.

He clenched his prosthetic hand slightly, then immediately released it. "So this is how Dogtown does business: those who solve the problem go to see the guys who need it... is that right?"

Emma extended her hand, "Please have a seat, it's just that things haven't been very peaceful lately..."

Hans spoke up to remind him, "Darling...don't talk nonsense."

"uh-huh?"

Lin Yue sat casually on the sofa with his legs crossed, while Sasha stood quietly beside him, causing Hanz to subconsciously glance at the fully armed hacker.

Hanz moved casually, one arm draped over the back of the sofa, and asked Lin Yue, "Where is Mr. Schumacher's other security guard in Dogtown? We need to have a meal to discuss business today, right?"

"Perhaps they're looking for a beauty as stunning as Ms. Emma?"

Lin Yue looked at Emma, ​​who was pouring red wine with her back to him, and gently pinched her waist...

Hanz had been watching the German's behavior ever since he entered the room.

Flippant, presumptuous, arrogant, and vengeful.

These were all things Hans could discern at the moment. Emma's hand trembled slightly; before the red wine was even finished being poured, Lin Yue pulled the woman's soft body into his arms, and it looked as if the red wine in Emma's hand was about to spill—

Lin Yue gripped the wine bottle tightly.

"Look, I haven't had breakfast yet."

As he spoke, he held the bottle of liquor in his hand in the air, and Sasha behind him held it for him.

"It's clear that my friend is a high-profile and carefree person."

Hans raised his glass. "Then let's wish each other a pleasant conversation."

Emma had to suppress the urge to throw herself into the man's arms and forced a look of disgust as she tried to struggle.

Lin Yue sneered, "Then let's get straight to the point..."

Sasha opened the personal PC case in her hand, which contained some network protocols.

Any goods passing through Night City require relevant legal registration. As "legitimate" businessmen, these weapons wouldn't enter through the Badlands' borders; legal documentation is essential…

In this world, although corporations hold the reins of power, the law has not been abolished. However, privilege overrides the law, while matters involving interests are subject to legal constraints.

The reason why companies are able to pay taxes honestly is not because the legal restrictions are so strict, but because they don't want the people struggling at the bottom to notice, thus replacing the law in supervising them.

Seeing that the Germans weren't buying it, Hanz put down his wine glass and turned to the computer Sasha handed him.

Emma struggled to break free from Lin Yue's embrace and straightened her clothes...

Lin Yue watched Hanz's expression with great interest, while Emma stood behind Hanz at that moment.

"The price is too high... I can just buy a batch from the arms dealers in Dogtown to solve my immediate problem."

Hanz shook his head.

Lin Yue rubbed his chin, remaining silent for a long time.

Hanz looked puzzled, and Lin Yue was also somewhat confused. "I'll give you more time... Mr. Hanz. You can contact those black market arms dealers in the colonel's territory and see if they have any stock."

Upon hearing this, Hanz's pupils contracted slightly.

Lin Yue shrugged, looking at Hanz, whose eyes were glowing with call mode, and watched his expression gradually darken...

The Germanic man with deep-set eyes asked with a smile, "How is it?"

Hanz slowly stood up.

"You're throwing money around in business? You're not from Europe, are you?"

Lin Yue certainly wouldn't reveal this before the legal documents were signed.

"Have you ever heard a story? From the East of Asia—"

“There’s a wolf in the house, and you want to drive it away so that another wild beast can do it for you… but have you considered how to get rid of the wild beast?”

Emma's lips curled into a mocking smile.

Hanz paused for a moment, then said, “You want to drive the Cubans out… I advise you not to, my friend.”

Cuba Group…

Lin Yue had long known that this mysterious criminal gang had helped Hanz scam him several times.

“Your business is being sabotaged by Night City companies… No one can help you except me.”

If these Cuban brothers have made any contribution, it's that they don't care about anything, they only care about money.

The atmosphere became increasingly tense.

Lin Yue's expression grew increasingly gloomy.

Finally, Hanz let out a long breath, slowly sat down, pulled out the soft thread, and the biometric information was immediately written into the contract.

The moment the data reading was completed, Emma raised her hand, the cold light somewhat dazzling.

Lin Yue stared at his empty pockets; Emma had taken the false evidence back.

A soft, airy sound rang out, as if something had leaked air, and Emma staggered back a step.

Hanz suddenly stood up!

Lin Yue watched all this, and Hanz's eyes were filled with disbelief—

Emma stepped aside, circled around Hanz who was clutching his neck, and retreated to stand in front of Lin Yue.

Her hands trembled slightly as she took deep breaths, then let out a sound that was a mixture of crying and laughing.

Lin Yue frowned.

Emma actually wanted to do it herself...

No wonder he kept this sharp weapon by his side.

"What are you doing?"

Hanz looked down at the bloodstains blooming on the floor, and everything seemed to make sense.

He felt utterly powerless.

In the eyes of this shrewd businessman, his wife's expression grew increasingly ferocious, staring at him as if in defiance, her thin nightgown beginning to slowly slip down...

"Hanz...I won."

"This is the price you pay for what you did to me..."

Lin Yue looked at Emma, ​​who had her back to him.

She slowly knelt on the cold floor, her back straight like a solitary bamboo stalk, her fair body and graceful curves resembling a gourd carved from white jade.

Her ankles were fair, and her slender toes were slightly curled like delicate porcelain. In the sunlight, you could almost see the faint blue veins and blood vessels, revealing a fragile beauty.

She glanced sideways at Lin Yue, murmuring pleadingly:
"Put shackles on your loyal dog."

"cold…"

……

(End of this chapter)