Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 207 Free Lunch
"Fuck your mother, fuck my ass—fuck everyone's ass!"

Amidst the shouts and curses of drunkards at the Afterlife Club, bodies swayed like water snakes beside the steel pipes, cheers erupted, and beer foam slid down their bodies—a scene of unbridled exuberance that could only be seen in a free place like Night City.

Strangely, the lively dance floor seemed to be divided into two areas, with a sofa in the middle surrounded by the pole dancers' feet. Few of the drunk mercenaries went over there, leaving this space as if they had tacitly agreed to it.

Three distinctly different figures sat on an "L"-shaped sofa:

On the left is Pila, with his head tilted back and his body twitching uncontrollably; he looks like he's having the time of his life.

On the right is Qi Wei, who is sitting normally with her arms crossed and wearing her ever-present maroon coat. The Mewtwo headband is flashing with a halo, but her body doesn't seem to be reacting much.
Sitting in the middle corner was Rebecca, her two chubby little legs stretched out, wearing the coolest high-top sneakers that every kid on the streets of Night City could only dream of. Her mouth was wide open, and her two colorful mechanical hands twitched occasionally, while she let out a chuckle that only Pila could make…

"Chest muscles, abs..."

"Don't be shy... Wow, this is the latest model of prosthetic body, isn't it? It must have been expensive! You really know how to please Mom—my girlfriends are paying tonight, I'm all set!"

Rebecca muttered to herself—

Logically speaking, people who watch Mewtwo usually don't show any other reactions besides body twitching, since their entire brain is being processed as a rendering tool. Those who can't control themselves are usually low-quality Mewtwos or custom-made Mewtwos edited on the spot by Mewtwo creators!

Looking at it this way, the high-top sneakers don't seem like fake shoes anymore.

As for... just how amazing are the highlights in Mewtwo?
Rebecca just wants to kiss the face of this Mewtwo editor to pieces in her next life!

The film's title is hardly any better than her kitschy jacket; it's called "A Day in the Life of an Underground Queen." It's about a powerful woman's day trip to the Twilight District at night to chat with handsome young men. Normally, Rebecca wouldn't watch anything like Mewtwo, which is geared towards the "grotesque."

Because this Mewtwo is a prime example of the neo-kitsch trend, the prosthetics and the slippery, "toad-like" skin of the prosthetics don't quite fit the aesthetic, but the show is quite immersive. Therefore, Rebecca specifically hired an editor to replace some of the kitsch elements…

However, things didn't go very smoothly before I saw Mewtwo.

That editor was incredibly stubborn; even when Rebecca's critics pointed at her, she still got red-faced and shouted things like, "Neo-kitsch is the future of aesthetics," and "You bunch of idiots and bumpkins!"

It seems they don't intend to accept Rebecca's idea of ​​replacing the "men" with old-fashioned idiots in military suits.

but…

When five thousand euros were slapped in the editor's face, his dream of fashion instantly ended. He cried as he picked up the photos and money Rebecca threw at him, and obediently replaced all the male protagonists. He even thoughtfully monitored Rebecca's brain activity and excitement level to ensure that she had a better dream experience.

The drumbeats grew increasingly chaotic, and the crowd became more and more frenzied; it seemed that there was no reason to exist here, only endless revelry.

Several burly bodyguards shoved aside a drunkard who was practically glued to the sex doll.

The guy glared at the security guard with his scarlet prosthetic eye, "Who the hell are you forcing?!"

But when they saw that the newcomer was the head of Laisheng Security, and the woman in the mustard yellow tracksuit behind him, the rest of their curses were swallowed back down...

Roger circled his finger near his ear, and the security guard understood immediately. He jumped onto the stage, walked straight to the DJ, and placed his hand on the turntable.

As the sharp, gradually fading tone of the song went off-key, the restless crowd was as if doused with cold water, and for a moment, only chaotic shouts filled the venue.

"Everyone."

Roger's voice wasn't loud, but it carried to every corner of Laisheng. She looked around at the regular customers who had come to support her, "Tonight's expenses are on me. Originally... I was supposed to continue telling everyone to keep the party going, but there's a special situation... a few company employees died in the back box. If you don't want any trouble, you can leave now."

"Those who want to cause trouble, we will definitely let you know if needed later."

Seeing Rogge, who rarely showed his face, the mercenaries knew things were getting serious. Despite their cursing, they poured out of the Rebirth Bar entrance in a noisy rush.

Amidst the mess, Roger lit a cigarette and leaned against Claire's bar, his gaze fixed on the three mercenaries sitting on the sofa. "Make the Mewtwo editor stop. If he keeps looking, the trouble will reach the afterlife."

The Mewtwo editor, who was mentioned just like a chick, hurriedly activated the security backdoor—

Rebecca, who was "slaughtering" five or six Lin Yues in Mewtwo, suddenly felt a blinding light. Her face showed a mixture of surprise and astonishment, and then she shouted angrily, "Hey!"

hum…

A blinding light accompanied her ear ringing, and the silhouettes of several large security guards gradually overlapped in Rebecca's vision. She immediately drew her pistol from her waist.

Click, click, click!

A series of sounds followed, including the cocking of guns and the clanging of weapons.

Rebecca, standing on the sofa trying to be at the same height as the giant, nudged the still dizzy Pila next to her…

When the three woke up, they saw the empty room of Laisheng and Roger smoking a cigarette at the bar in the distance, and they immediately realized that something bad was about to happen.

The burly man, who often doubted Rebecca's age, said, "Put the gun away."

Rebecca nudged Pila, who was pointing her gun at the security guard's head, with her elbow. "Holy crap... what happened?"

Qiwei didn't stand up. She had temporarily hung the Mewtwo Ring around her neck and was still sitting with her arms crossed, seemingly lost in thought...

"Hey! Calm down, future 'legends'... Come on over for a drink. The guys pointing guns at me can't do anything. If you want to mess with me, why not just shoot me in the head before Mewtwo wakes up?"

Roger waved, "Claire, it's time to go home."

Claire wiped the counter and left through the front door with a smile.

The trio, looking at each other in bewilderment, finally put down their guns and walked warily toward the old woman on the high stool.

The security guards placed several glasses of absinthe next to the group and slowly retreated to a distance, still maintaining their encirclement.

Pila stared at the glass of wine, the contents of which he wondered if there was anything in it, and chuckled.

"Rogge...we're not so important that you'd book the whole place for us, are we?"

He casually rummaged in his pants, feeling great in his dream... and then he opened his eyes to find out what the hell was going on!
Indeed, a perfect world only exists in dreams.

Seeing that her brother wasn't drinking, Rebecca's hand rested on her gun. Although she didn't raise it, she was constantly calculating how to fight should a shootout break out.

On the other hand, Qiwei merely glanced around at the surrounding devices and discovered that the hackers from the Next Life Network were also online. She immediately lost any thoughts of causing trouble... Now she could only hope that this "Queen" of Next Life had come with good intentions, otherwise, nothing would be under their control tonight.

Roger smiled slightly, "You know... I can't possibly know everything about Night City, but I can at least have a basic understanding—for example, Dogtown is in complete chaos, but since you're all back, what's wrong with booking the whole place?"

"It's better to keep things quiet on your own turf before you can talk to someone."

Upon hearing the sensitive name of Dogtown, the three men's faces fell.

In short, everyone tacitly agrees that this matter should never be mentioned in Night City. Being casually brought up in person always gives one an unpleasant feeling that someone is watching them.

The Queen of the Underground seemed oblivious, shifting her gaze to Rebecca in the center, whose expression was full of warning.

“Rebecca…I remember you.”

Rebecca's eyelids twitched.

“I helped you once. Someone took you away on my turf. Your boss stopped you on the way because of my tip-off. I promised that the tip-off would be free, and I kept my word. Your boss didn’t pay anything except for the cost of the drinks.”

Pila picked at her ear.

“Rogge… I respect you, but you’re being really fussy right now—just like Wakako, you and the old ladies in Japan are both veterans who’ve been through the corporate wars… Can’t you just talk things out?”

Roger smiled slightly.

She was older, that was a fact, but she understood perfectly well that Pila, whose behavior seemed somewhat flamboyant, was testing whether she needed their help... It seemed Night City had really made these guys improve.

She tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. "Let's just say it's just a message."

Qi Wei's voice drifted over, "So it's not free anymore?"

Roger shrugged. "I'm driving the afterlife, not a church... Although I'm rushing to deliver messages to you like a cheap sex doll whose crotch is falling down on its own, to be honest... without me this time, you're all dead."

"laugh…"

Someone let out a sneer.

Just as Pira was about to speak, Roger's sharp gaze swept over the group—"Arasaka is going to make a move on you."

The sound wasn't loud, but it made the three people stand up straight instantly, and even Pila's fidgeting stopped.

Pila and his team were trying to glean some indication of a lie from the woman's expression.

Unfortunately, the woman's gaze remained calm and composed, as if giving them ample time to choose, without even offering a single explanation.

Some people couldn't sit still any longer...

Rebecca's expression shifted. "What do you want? Why is Arasaka targeting us? Please explain yourself!"

Rebecca, who usually likes to argue loudly, wouldn't dare say she completely trusts the company, especially since... Lin Yue and V haven't been heard from for a long time.

Pila gave a cold laugh.

"Hey, judging by how confident you are, you probably have your hands reaching into Arasaka... So you're content to be a middleman here?"

Roger stubbed out his cigarette and stood up. "I've delivered the message. You can verify it if you want... or you can run away now—after all, I just want to see what your boss thinks... Actually, I haven't seen mercenaries as lucky as you in a long time."

"You guys were involved in the recent biotechnology scandal, weren't you? You've got the capability, and even after all that reckless behavior, you're still alive and kicking, and you even managed to get the company's boss, whose fate is unknown, to protect you from the subsequent company purges—there's no reason not to get on your good side."

A massive purge?
Roger glanced at the bewildered group and shook his head helplessly.

"When companies compete with each other and get enough profits, the usual practice is to clean up the dirty gloves... Do you really think companies are doing charity?"

Pila lit a cigarette and exhaled a strong puff of smoke. "We still don't really believe it—"

Rebecca's voice suddenly interrupted Pira's speech.

"it is true!"

Pila instinctively wanted to kick her sister who had ruined her chances, but then she saw Rebecca's expression, as if her father had just died... Hmm?

The light representing the phone call in Rebecca's prosthetic eye dimmed. "A letter arrived. It's him. He's on his way here..."

he?
After exchanging a glance, Pila and Qiwei instantly realized that the letter was from Lin Yue.

Roger spread his hands, giving him a look that said, "I told you so."

Now...

Qiwei expressed her gratitude: "Although I know that your gesture of goodwill is to ask us to help your client deal with some troubles, after all, mercenaries are an important resource for middlemen to do business, in the current situation... I can only say thank you."

Rogge could not deny it.

“You can thank me, and of course, Wakako too… I got the letter from Arasaka through my side. The Tiger Claw Gang is colluding with them—if it weren’t for Wakako having people planted in every Tiger Claw Gang faction, you would probably be cut into sashimi by samurai swords as soon as you step out the door.”

“What this young lady said is right… We’re in the business of matchmaking and information sharing. If you can come back, could you please talk to your boss for me?… I just like investing, after all.”

After seeing the men pick up their car keys and the security guards retrieve their stored weapons from the gun cabinet, Roger spoke up again: "Need a driver? Not free, the kind that's a racing champion... a bit pricey."

Rebecca, who was willing to spend a fortune just to see a good movie, was certainly not stingy. However, due to her distrust of Pira's skills, she nodded emphatically.

Roger: "Good luck, he just happened to come to the bar, but our people turned him away—he's right outside. Good luck to you guys."

……

Bang!
Rebecca grumbled the whole way as the car door slammed shut.

"Isn't Lin Yue the one who calls the shots in Arakaza?! Why are they targeting us?"

Pila snorted, "That kid's a company dog ​​now, not some damn President Arasaka!"

"He's sending this message now, probably to rip off us idiots. Speaking of which... that kid wants us to go near the All Food Factory? That's Vortex Gang territory! Is that reliable?"

Qiwei: "Rin doesn't have the final say in Arasaka. Only those with the Arasaka surname have influence. At least... if someone wants to mess with us, there's always a way to get around him. Actually, I don't think Rin is here to mess with us. That cold-faced woman, V... she's perfectly capable of dealing with us. There's no need to drag it out until now."

Pila exclaimed, "Where's Roger? And what's the deal with that woman?"

Qiwei looked at the street rushing past, "Selling favors... we won because we owed her. Lin already owed her once before. The free information from the middleman is the most valuable."

Rebecca gritted her teeth. "Rin only knows that someone is trying to get us. How did these middlemen know that it was the Tiger Claw Gang and those guys from Arasaka who were colluding?"

The letter from Jenkins only said that someone wanted to get rid of everyone in Night City, but it didn't say how or who they were using.

Rogge's appearance undoubtedly pointed out the enemy to the squad in advance.

The Tiger Claw Gang is easy to spot. If you don't know anything and drive towards Lin Yue's meeting point, you might end up in big trouble if you pass through a Tiger Claw Gang stronghold!

A knocking sound came from the window.

A middle-aged man with a full head of black curly hair and a greasy, thick beard smiled and squinted outside the door…

"You've got the wrong person, sir... the bus stop is over there!"

Rebecca, out of kindness, offered a reminder.

The man shook the cigar he was holding. “If you need a driver, then I’ll be it—I can guarantee that those Tiger Claw gang members who only know how to twist the accelerator won’t touch you, and I’ll even provide a free car chase viewing service.”

His hand caressed the Dracula 66 Avenger that Pila had impulsively bought ten hours earlier, as if it were a lover's lap (he almost missed picking up his sister with the previous one, so of course he was selling it off at a low price).

"Um... how about we..."

Rebecca thought this smiling uncle would be more suited to clinics that specialize in fitting dentures for the elderly.

A glint of unwavering determination flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes. "If the Tiger Claw Gang can actually slash the car with their knife, the commission will be halved—a minor scratch doesn't count!"

Pila sat in the back seat, stretched out her long, slender fingers, and yelled, "You've got guts! It's fucking you!"

The eccentric middle-aged man opened the car door and plopped down inside, causing even the usually composed Qi Wei to sit up straight...

Will this work?

The man methodically completed the startup process, while everyone simultaneously swallowed hard—

hum!
Rebecca felt as if she were being pressed firmly into the passenger seat. With a strong sense of acceleration, the car started from the backyard with maximum performance and gradually climbed towards perfect speed!
"Depend on!"

Amidst gasps of surprise, the car weaved through the gap between the two vehicles, almost touching them!
The screeching sound of tires accompanied by classical jazz music as the middle-aged man, with one hand on the steering wheel, charged straight toward the front of a large truck emerging from the intersection!
With the rear wheels still slipping, he easily steered the steering wheel and even activated the turn signal.

Immediately afterwards, the car let out a roar that Pila hadn't been able to unleash!
With precise control of the throttle and strong one-handed maneuvering, the car swung its front end toward the front of the large truck in a spiral turn!

For a fleeting moment, the people in the car and the truck driver locked eyes in astonishment—

hum!
The spiraling car began to swerve continuously, completing an extreme drift and spin on the front of the truck, before perfectly swerving into the opposite intersection…

"We are not responsible for anyone who is thrown out without wearing a seatbelt."

The uncle's voice was very gentle.

While everyone was busy fastening their seatbelts.

"By the way, [Falco] would like to remind everyone—please specify your destination, it wouldn't be good if you missed it."

……

……

　[Falco]: One of the Outlaws, Falco, who should have been managing a biotechnology farm in a wealthy family, prefers a thrilling racing career. After landing his first big job in the Afterlife, Falco gathers several Outlaws, and together they rob a railgun warehouse. Among the crowd at the Afterlife bar, Falco is recognized and liked, and he gradually comes to enjoy the exciting work of a broker. It's a satisfying life; he has largely given up racing, only occasionally participating as a special guest.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)