Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 203 Fangs Bared
Nitta He had lost count of how many times he had been disobeyed.

Due to the unique nature of the North American region, there is only one highest-ranking position: Vice President of the Country. However, this position actually influences a region with an area larger than that of some small European countries.

In other words, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the ruler of a country.

As the rightful regional manager appointed by Lord Arasaka, being so disrespected and contradicted made his face extremely gloomy, even before Hanako could speak.

"Headquarters thinks highly of you, Minister Rin! I also know very well that you are an excellent recipient of the Black Wall cybernetic body, the strongest humanoid weapon besides Adam... I'm a tech guy, and I understand the operating logic of your so-called strange computing power."

"But have you forgotten that Arasaka Tower takes orders from me, Nitta Kazuya, not from you, the Minister of Security!"

An expected reaction.

As Lin Yue listened to the words that the other person was practically squeezing out through clenched teeth, he tapped his fingers lightly on the back of his hand.

Both the doves and the naives feel insecure right now, and they desperately need a controllable black wall weapon. Perhaps Saburo secretly gave the order—but Lin Yue has no intention of letting this matter slide today.

Hanako Arakawa also spoke up at this time.

“Rin, you need to correct your attitude towards your superiors. Your brother may indulge you, but that doesn’t mean Arasaka Tower has no rules.”

White face and red face, an incredibly classic combination.

Lin Yue chuckled, clearly determined to carry out his rebellious act to the end.

For any manager of Lin Yue's level, such disobedience to superiors is basically a death sentence for their career.

There are many departments at the same level as Lin Yue, such as the head of the public relations department and the head of the human resources department. They don't have the guts to speak like that—the reason is simply that Lin has special agents and company soldiers under his command.

Of course, the most important reason is that Lin Yue has no leverage over them, because Arasaka's interests have never been harmed by Lin Yue... On the contrary, they have forced Lin Yue, this great contributor, to bleed money from the company's senior management.

Lin Yue was of course not afraid.

He's willing to participate in debates.

"Hmm... Rules? The progress of the Black Wall cybernetic body project in Honshu has already been fully opened to the research and development department of the Night City branch. Why does Miss Hanako still insist on having the Black Wall cybernetic body test subjects undergo modification at the Night City branch, where the conditions are not good? If there are problems with the recipients, can President Nitta take responsibility for that?"

Without giving her a chance to argue, he continued, "The Black Wall is headquarters property. If the branch causes problems, can you guarantee it? Is this the rule you think it is, Miss Hua?"

"In my opinion, it would be unruly to add a layer of insecurity to Arasaka's technological achievements!"

This statement directly exaggerates the problem.

The meaning is simple: Arasaka only has two humanoid black wall weapons. If you lose one, and the higher-ups turn against you, you won't be able to escape, right?
Seeing that Nitta was just breathing heavily through his nostrils, Arasaka Hanako silently shook her head.

There was no other reason than that she felt Nitta Heya wouldn't last long against Rin.

The phrase "good-for-nothings" perfectly describes the people under Michiko's command.

Previously, with Michiko keeping things under control, that woman was smart enough, and the Night City branch was well-organized.

And now? A security minister promoted by his brother has left He Ye helpless, forcing him to step in to control the situation...

That's truly tragic.

call.

Hua Zi felt that facing this guy was no different from facing Lai Xuan.

That kind of ambition and arrogance that can almost be seen in their eyes is completely a natural faction!
That's how eagles watch their prey.

"No matter what, I'll vouch for the Night City branch's R&D department's participation in the receptor research."

Lin Yue nodded, took out a cigarette from his suit pocket, and the moment the firelight illuminated his face, the hatred in his eyes became tangible.

He looked up, expressionless. "It seems Miss Hanako trusts Mr. Nitta a lot."

Are we at a loss?
Hua Zi's heart was still heavy; this kind of person, just like his brother, would never back down.

The man opposite him squinted slightly from the smoke of his cigarette. He slowly said, "I regret that you two take my temporary departure from the Arasaka Tower mission assignment as negative evidence. My temporary departure doesn't mean I won't serve Arasaka, but you still doubt my motives and headquarters' objectives..."

“Alright, I won’t take over the outside company—I’ll stay here and work with Minister V.”

Only Hua Zi understood what was said earlier.

Nitta, the person in charge of Night City, didn't understand. He only knew that Rin actually wanted to stay. Before Hanako could stop her, the guy asked with a hint of joy, "Is what Minister Rin said true?"

Nitta, that pig-like fellow…

Hua Zi secretly grumbled to himself.

Rin is a master at labeling people; she can dig several holes with just a few words.

If we accept this statement... then it's just the doves and the naive ones causing trouble. Rin is clearly a hero, yet they're making unfounded speculations and doubts—

What if they don't acknowledge it?
Why keep Sasha in Nitta's hands? Wouldn't it be more meaningful to study Rin?
He fell for this trick.

Lin Yue nodded. "Absolutely true. Is President Xintian satisfied?"

At this moment, Hanako couldn't hold back any longer. "Nitta-san, let me talk to Rin... the club president."

“I don’t doubt your intentions or the headquarters’ orders; it’s just that the joint research and development was ordered by Father. Since Rin-san is willing to stay—”

At this moment, the young alpha wolf interrupted the pale-faced woman from the company with a smile.

"Of course, because I feel that Arasaka Tower is somewhat outdated now. I haven't seen any value in the Special Operations Division during the Dogtown operation at all, and I'm wondering... whether we should abolish this division?"

Lin Yue smiled and spread his hands, looking at the woman with a surprised expression.

This sentence can be translated into plain language.

“I’m going to kick Jenkins out, and then I’ll have a seat on the board. You want me there to oust your chosen national president, is that it? Fine, I’ll grant your wish.”

When a wolf bares its fangs, it is usually already prepared to pounce and kill.

In a daze, Hua Zi saw a ruthless edge hidden beneath the other man's dark eyes and handsome appearance.

Why is this guy so smart?
Those who aren't qualified to play with this guy probably wouldn't even understand what Rin is saying... This is a disguised threat.

“Rin-san, each department has its own responsibilities. Under the circumstances at the time, the Special Operations Department was responsible for the relevant actions against other forces, but no report was produced... And since you are staying in Arasaka Tower, your brother will appoint you as the Deputy Director of Special Operations.”

Hua Zi felt that he had lost all confidence.

Lin Yue, a cigarette between his fingers, said, "Oh? Then I have to thank you, Miss Hua Zi. I didn't expect you to remember this."

Oh no, I've completely gotten myself into this mess.

On the holographic screen, Hua Zi, who appeared calm and composed, was kneeling in the room wearing a kimono, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

Their actions had already aroused the other party's hatred. Leaving him in Arasaka Tower meant Nitta's life was hanging by a thread...

Nitta Kakera's expression at this moment was exceptionally interesting.

As expected of Miss Hua Zi, she's completely subdued by the Black Wall weapon.
Wasn't this technocrat's original goal to research Lin Yue's Black Wall prosthetic body? This opportunity, delivered right to his doorstep, couldn't be more perfect.

Lin Yue reached into the ashtray and rubbed his cigarette butt. "It seems President Nitta really likes the agreement we reached. Is that all? Goodbye—"

Hua Zi suddenly looked up.

"Wait, Rin-san!"

Lin Yue let out a soft exhalation through his nose. "Any further instructions, Miss Hua?"

Hua Zi sighed softly, "Your brother's orders have been given. Night City's public relations and legal departments have also spent a lot of time dealing with Dogtown and Respectable Logistics. You should leave Arasaka Tower for now... As for your subordinates—"

“I can see Rin’s loyalty to Arasaka, so I think… we don’t need a girl who might not be able to support a prosthetic body for research.”

Nitta Kazuya's jaw nearly dropped to the ground.

What is Miss Hua doing?!

Why make this decision? Could it be that Arasaka Yorinobu and his cronies are blackmailing Hanako again?

"Miss Hanako! This isn't what Lord Arasaka agreed upon!"

He then unleashed his hostile and malicious gaze upon Lin Yue, "Minister Rin, are you sure you want to stay in Arasaka Tower?!"

Lin Yue nodded with a smile.

Hua Zi... just help him. This good-for-nothing managed to survive until Michiko came back. He's got a tough life!

As expected, Hua Zi's face was as cold as Mount Fuji covered in snow, with magma inside that could erupt at any moment.

"Nitta-san...have you forgotten that I'm still here?"

He Ye, who was caught up in the moment, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. "But..."

Hua Zi said emotionlessly, "Your father can promote you or bring you down. I'm here to discuss Arasaka's future with you. Don't go too far... Vice President of the North American Region."

Lin Yue rested his chin on his hand, feeling a slight relief from the worry he had felt for Sasha...

Hua Zi is smart and not stubborn.

In fact, Lin Yue had already prepared to return to Arasaka Tower and had a plan to oust Jenkins and buy time for Sasha. Jenkins wasn't stupid; since taking over, he had turned a blind eye to many things, adopting a laissez-faire approach.

But doing nothing doesn't mean there are no mistakes.

This gave Lin Yue a reason to give a hint. Fortunately, Sanlang's children were all capable and could understand the code.

As for why Lin Yue is arguing here,

Simply put, Sasha's life cannot be traded as a bargaining chip.

Lin Yue didn't know Sasha's prosthetic body's endurance—but a living, breathing body couldn't be completely replaced by cold machinery. At least... he still really enjoyed watching Sasha's agile movements as she occasionally turned her body on tiptoe.

Today's conversation was dangerous.

If Nitta He on the other side is also a hostile version of Lai Xuan, then today might be a bloodbath…

Lai Xuan will definitely use violent means to surround himself first, with the mentality of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free".

By then, anything could happen—after all, Lin Yue, whose prosthetic body wasn't fully optimized, wasn't confident he could fight his way out of the Aragaka Tower. Such an action would be no different from slapping Miles twice at the White House and then running away.

Seeing that Hua Zi had finished tidying up He Ye, Lin Yue waited patiently without any rush.

"Let's do as you say, brother, but we also need to keep track of the progress of the scientific team that's optimizing your prosthetic body. That shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Lin Yue nodded.

Hua Zi is just saying nice things now. When things actually get underway, the research progress will not be shared with this idiot.

Hua Zi lost.

Sometimes, the process of losing a game is longer than you imagine.

Ultraman's scheme, Rin's scheme, her brother's scheme, and her father's scheme... all have failed this time.

Lai Xuan's advance was unstoppable, and for the first time, Hua Zi had the thought of retreating. So she looked at He Ye, whose expression was not bad because of the consolation prize, with some sympathy, and was speechless for a moment.

Nitta felt comforted when he heard that the scientific team from Arasaka Tower, which he couldn't investigate, was going to share their progress with his research department. But in reality, in Rin and Hanako's eyes, he was already dead.

Hua Zi no longer felt that this guy had any use, and Lin Yue also felt that he was in the way.

Lin Yue: "This is not difficult at all, Miss Hua... I've saved my day off?"

Hua Zi felt that the joke was more like a mockery.

It's probably not that young girl who was saved...

Hua Zi is a woman, and she can see that Rin is biased towards that girl. Today, she has really angered the other party.

That's it... I've done everything I could, and what happens after that is beyond my control.

"Rin-san, let's leave it at that for now."

The young alpha wolf wore a kind smile, but his slightly protruding teeth seemed to be growing wildly...

The moment the other party's holographic image disappeared.

Out of consideration for those on the same side, Hua Zi kindly reminded Nitta, "If you give the recording of the entire call to Jenkins, he won't let it go."

Nitta He was still confused.

Hua Zi thought he was utterly hopeless; this guy was still smugly pleased with himself...

“You have to get Jenkins on your side. Your brother ignores him because he’s mediocre; but Jenkins always acts without thinking, he just goes for it—the woman who works for him is much smarter, she’s found the right backer, and if she acts impulsively, someone will cover for her.”

Hua Zi had lost patience with this idiot. "Now I'll tell you, and you'll remember it."

Nitta nodded quickly.

“Jenkins is someone you absolutely must win over. Stop trying to get those two Blackwall recipients. I’m sending all the Blackwall prosthetic technologies in the state to your R&D department.”

"Also, be careful and avoid complicated places—"

Nitta Heya still valued his life, and his face turned pale when he heard this.

Hua Zi remained expressionless. "I will assign Michiko's personal bodyguard to you... She is my niece's loyal companion who stayed by her side during her time wandering in New America."

Nitta nodded hurriedly.

Hua Zi slightly raised his chin, “Kenichi Saburo is not what he used to be, at least he’s gotten old, but his sharp sense of smell as an excellent lone wolf is still there.”

Nitta gritted his teeth, "Does Rin really dare to do this?! Don't you think this kind of guy is a threat? He dares to kill me today, he might dare to—"

Hua Zi: "Can you gather evidence?"

“That’s the rule Father set! Don’t make mistakes, Nitta-san—our enemy is more dangerous than you think. Perhaps he’s measuring the distance between his fangs and your throat right now… That girl has a special relationship with him. Stop trying to take advantage of her. Recreate the receptor.”

"Now, you'd better pray that his anger has subsided."

With a look of utter disgust on Nitta's face, as if he'd just swallowed a dead fly, Huazi hung up the phone.

Inside the luxurious top-floor office, Nitta slammed his hand on the table. "Unforgivable bastard!"

"Who the hell does he think he is?!"

Accompanied by violent heaving of his chest and cursing.

The short, stout man didn't seem to intend to simply let bygones be bygones regarding the loss of face and other honors he had just dropped...

On the contrary, sitting in this position, pride and dignity made him unable to swallow this insult.

With one deep breath after another, he finally suppressed the feeling of pent-up frustration.

He had to figure out how to make Rin pay the price for his arrogance.

Should we touch him?

No, no, no... He's not that stupid.

He has other ways.

As the country's vice president, Nitta undoubtedly had access to an extremely wealth of information—

Before long, someone handed Nitta a lot of materials to his desk.

He was trying to project an image of authority as president, and the upcoming arrival of Kenichi Saburo gave him even more confidence.

During his careful examination, he gradually came across a line of text.

There's a request for assistance, sent with V privileges, aimed at finding two hackers who previously compromised Arasaka's network security. It seems quite strange...

Nitta Heya looked at it carefully and found it increasingly strange.

Are two hackers worth a counterintelligence minister personally using his privileged authority to investigate?
Arasaka hasn't suffered any losses recently, and V even went abroad to investigate, which is quite intriguing.

First, we need to find out what Lai Xuan is up to. Maybe we can use Miss Hua Zi to help our faction grow stronger.

Having made up his mind, Nitta Hei also tossed the document aside, pointed to the information on the document, and said to the AI, "Get my acquaintances in Paris on my behalf and help me catch these two guys... and bring them back to Night City!"

AI: "Okay, Nitta Heya, the country's vice president, has formed the instructions as you requested."

He sneered and slowly leaned back in his seat.

Since he can't get control of that girl, he'll try to find other loopholes in Rin's defenses. He wants to see what Lai Xuan's lackeys are up to!

This is actually a kind of revenge mentality. After all, having been in a high position for a long time and being a director of Arasaka, he always has to get back at them.

He also didn't intend to keep any factions connected to Rin.

Nitta knew very well that the women in the counterintelligence department and Rin's relationship were also unclear. Now that you've temporarily left Arasaka Tower, some people need to be given a good talking-to.

But no rush. Once the security measures sent by Hua Zi arrive, he'll have some fun with this young man.

Xintian will dismantle Lai Xuan's henchmen one by one!
Even if only Rin is left, so what?

Immediately afterwards, he said to the AI, "Get Jenkins here and let him watch a... show that concerns his life."

The self-adjusting control glass surrounding the top-floor office gradually dimmed.

Inside the golden niche was a blood-red lampstand with withered branches, reminiscent of Arasaka's style—Nitta's face was splattered with a blood-like light as he coldly stared at the young face of the man on the holographic screen.

……

……

　[Kenichi Saburo]: A character not appearing in the main storyline of 2077, but a powerful security guard in Cyberpunk Red and the board game. According to the background description, Michiko once dated Adam Hammer, and Kenichi Saburo, Michiko's personal security guard, intervened to stop Adam Hammer, resulting in Adam Hammer backing down. The rulebook states: "Kenichi Saburo is the only one who could possibly defeat Morgan Black in a direct confrontation." In 2076, this former security guard, though older, is still a formidable opponent.

　　I'm really frustrated, but the outline is there, and I can't even make up an excuse like I'm stuck in a rut... I'm updating now, just to show my appreciation to the people who voted, subscribed, and tipped me. I'm still not updating for no reason.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)