Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 209 Company Engagement: The Scales of Justice (Part 1)

"You guessed right, Lord Rin."

While handing over the mission to his subordinates, Suzuki reported to Lin Yue, who was seated in the luxurious chair opposite him: "Our Arasaka Tower privileges were revoked immediately, and the people escorting Miss Sasha were basically wiped out by those agents from the special agents' organization..."

"By the way, Miss V asked me to give this to you."

Lin Yue was silently watching the bizarre world outside the floating car window when Suzuki unexpectedly handed him something.

That thing…

Lin Yue's expression was somewhat astonished. The long, gray chip still faintly emitted a faint red glow, but this chip, about the size of a chewing gum, seemed to have been scorched by flames and remained unusable.

It was definitely the Relic sample core, and it was this thing that he used to temporarily resist his body's self-destruction in Dogtown, supporting him to complete the entire chess game in Dogtown.

Lin Yue took the chip, stroking it with one hand and rubbing his chin with the other, seemingly lost in thought.

With a flick of the wrist, a hole was drilled in the back of the chip, and a thin, long rope was used to suspend it.

Didn't V delve into this matter?

Logically speaking, the head of Arasaka's counterintelligence department should have had access to the relevant information. Even if he didn't know this thing was linked to human immortality... he certainly wouldn't have returned it to me so easily, and even made it into a pendant...

"What did she say?"

Lin Yue put the chip into his suit pocket.

Suzuki hesitated, then, when his superior demanded a faithful and accurate portrayal of V's voice, the rough-looking man squinted and began to mimic V's mannerisms…

“This bastard has kept this from me more than once or twice. Who knows what he’s doing with that ‘dead man music box’ around his neck… If it’s his lover’s, then I wish him well; if not, I hope so.”

Sure enough, it was that familiar tone.

Company V's inherently untamed wildness always makes her appear carefree and candid.

[Incoming caller ID: V]

Lin Yue knew he had praised the woman in his heart, but he didn't expect her to call him immediately.

The V on the holographic screen had the same expression he had when he first looked down at V, who was half-crippled and half-dead, in Dogtown.

“The goods have been shipped out. Jenkins and I are standing in the underground parking lot, red-faced and furious. I’m now being labeled as a treacherous, ambitious man—thanks to you.”

Lin Yue didn't know whether he should apologize, but the other party clearly wasn't going to give him a chance to speak...

"Just to be on the safe side, I've taken control of the teams in the public relations and legal departments that are handling the change of operating rights for the Kejing Logistics subsidiary. If Nitta wants to mess with you on this issue, he can only do so through these people. Don't thank me yet, let me finish explaining the terms."

V's tone was distant and rational. Lin Yue sighed slightly and decided not to try to salvage the situation any further.

She felt this guy always had untold secrets, "No matter how you know there's something in Dogtown that could save your life..."

The woman only uttered half a sentence, but Lin Yue's heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly—everyone's expressions in the holographic image remained normal, but in reality, Lin Yue was astonished; that rational and decisive woman had returned…

"Or you could risk everything to get on Lai Xuan's good side—you'd definitely find out something... What? Right?"

Lin Yue replied casually, "It's just a coincidence."

coincide…?
V's lips curled into a smile. "Fine... With such good luck, why not try your luck at the poker tables in Little Chinatown instead of coming here to make money off these corporate dogs? But I'm not arguing about that right now. I've done what I should and shouldn't have done, and I'm taking responsibility for my feelings—"

"But now you'll have to pay your reward, Rin."

Lin Yue's expression remained unchanged.

Company V is very efficient and profit-oriented, except for a brief period of emotional confusion... If it weren't for the time when my humanity level dropped, the relationship between V and me would definitely not be as unequal as it is now.

To be honest, when a flawless person appears in front of you, everything seems a little unreal.

V isn't a machine devoid of emotions and desires; she, like other girls, will make purchases when tempted by something exciting. But what sets her apart from other girls is her ability to calm down faster than anyone could imagine…

After a while of silence.

"When counterintelligence agencies need external cooperation, when you don't have reliable partners and teammates at your disposal, we will act as that uncontrollable hand to help you eliminate the problems."

"There are too many shady middlemen in Night City; they might not be reliable."

Listening to Lin Yue's words, V's beautiful face only showed consideration for the current situation and its benefits.

She nodded. "You're right. You saw what Tiger Claw Gang did this time—if I remember correctly, the day you joined the company, you were almost torn to pieces on the overpass in Taiping Island… Many of those middlemen who are famous in the underground world are traitors."

Lin Yue continued, "Alright, I've finished explaining my compensation. Now I need to discuss the terms."

V shook his head. "It's an equal exchange. What else do you want?"

Lin Yue stared directly at her in the holographic image, "Nitta Heya's head."

Having already known that Lin Yue had chosen Suzuki, he showed no sign of nervousness whatsoever; on the contrary, he seemed to be looking forward to Ms. V's answer... while V, on the other hand, had a very unpleasant expression.

"You know what you're saying... He's Saburo's handpicked successor. Are you going to pull off an assassination attempt in Arasaka Tower?"

Lin Yue shook his head.

"If he were just plain bad, I wouldn't care... but judging from his behavior, he's both stupid and wicked. Keeping him around... there will be plenty of trouble in the future. I don't want to be sleeping soundly one day and then he comes up with some new trick to mess with me."

"To be honest, his superior is Hanako Arakawa."

V's audacity in forcibly stopping Sasha, who had transformed into a black wall, at the Arasaka Tower revealed his fearlessness; he simply hadn't expected that Hanako was the mastermind behind it all.

The moment their eyes met, Lin Yue explained, "I don't think it's what you think... I judge that their relationship isn't so close that they're practically glued to each other."

V became interested; she wanted to hear how this madman who dared to commit murder at the board meeting viewed Arasaka and his ilk.

"If Lai Xuan is truly under complete house arrest, as those directors who went to Japan for the meeting said, then why doesn't Hua Zi replace him? Does he have to wait for Lai Xuan's confinement to end so that a unified purge can be carried out?"

"The above actions were not authorized by Hua Zi. This idiot... is simply not satisfied with the prototype and theory of the Black Wall prosthetic body in Honshu and wants to go down the path of his own research and development. Compared to me, who is not very controllable, Sasha is more suitable... Of course, these are all my deductions."

Lin Yue sneered. It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, because as soon as he mentioned Xintian, he always seemed to have a self-assured attitude that treated others like dirt.

Seeing that the other person was speaking logically, V asked, "Then what is the reason you are not sure?"

Lin Yue: "Unless Hua Zi is also the stupid and wicked type, and I can't rule out that possibility, this woman isn't as adaptable as I imagined—believe it or not, if Sanlang tells her to go west, she won't even turn a corner..."

The woman from the company let out a sigh of relief. "I... uh, I have this feeling that you've known the Arasaka family for a long time."

Lin Yue smiled with narrowed eyes, without answering. V's intelligence was entirely subconscious; she knew very well that some things shouldn't be probed. For example, Lin Yue seemed to have a strong sense of purpose in many things, which would make any normal person suspicious. Stopping to investigate often represented a cooperative and amiable attitude.

"Alright, it looks like I'll have to do all the work at Arasaka Tower."

For some reason, Lin Yue detected a hint of resentment in V's tone.

But Lin Yue didn't want to dwell on that; he needed to get to know a certain crucial person better.

"V, what's the meaning of the message Jenkins sent?

V pursed his lips. "To be honest, if I were my former boss, I would probably feel pretty awful too... Lai Xuan adjusted our level to almost the same as Jenkins'. In the past, the counterintelligence department had many classrooms, intelligence sections, special agent sections, etc. - the atmosphere was a bit stale, but everyone worked like crazy."

"But what now?"

“If you were in the tower… I reckon Jenkins wouldn’t be able to sit still.”

Lin Yue: "So... what are you thinking?"

The atmosphere was silent.

V gently lifted his eyelids. "I think about the rules in Arasaka Tower the same way. At least for now, he's helped you, Rin."

Lin Yue sighed. The Special Operations Department was responsible for security during visits by high-ranking branch officials. If Lin Yue wanted Nitta to die right now, he would really have to deal with Jenkins' people... He could only wait until the scientists brought by Lai Xuan solved the problem with this prosthetic body before figuring out a solution.

Hopefully, Jenkins won't be in the wrong position when the time comes.

Have you found your team members?

V's voice was very soft.

Lin Yue looked out the window of the floating vehicle at the lights on the tops of the skyscrapers that he had already seen several times while circling around. "The NCPD said they couldn't catch up with them... Now we can't catch up with them either, so we can only let them go to the factory area in Watson District on their own."

V nodded. "Lai Xuan's people have all arrived. It seems like not many of them were drawn from the Night City's Arakazata Tower, right?"

Lin Yue knew that Lai Xuan was more meticulous than he was; he just didn't understand why Lai Xuan wanted him to always be in a position of being out of control… Given the exchange of roles, Lin Yue wouldn't dare to adopt a hands-off approach to a weapon that could potentially harm himself and everyone else.

At least it would be like how Miles treated the lark…

It must be said that Lai Xuan has never gone too far in this regard, and has used this seemingly mild method to gradually bind Lin Yue to this big ship.

When Lin Yue looked back, he realized that he had reached a position he never dared to dream of before, and that he had amassed enough wealth.

But...this is not a good thing, Lin Yue knows what Lai Xuan's true ideals are:
He wants the company to disappear completely!

If Yoriyuki's preparations on the true timeline of his destiny were somewhat rushed, how would things unfold this time? Holding more cards and possessing more resources, will Yoriyuki cause the internal bombs to explode even more violently, or will he allow Arasaka to become the dominant force amidst the condemnation of the world?

Until it itself disintegrates and disappears…

To be fair, Lin Yue, having experienced so much in Night City, had long since lost his illusions. In a place like this, if you don't put in your best effort, no one will take you seriously.

To survive, both your body and mind need to be active...

But people always have a sense of awe for ideals that far exceed their needs. Lin Yue has also seen the collapse of this world. It is dirty and it devours people's bodies and souls. In the neon city where the gap is getting bigger and bigger, fewer people die from disease and hunger, but they die from strong stimulation of dream syndrome and criminals.

Lin Yue, a human from Earth who had received a proper education, knew all too well how difficult it was.

If Lai Hsuan continues to adopt the strategy of self-destruction, it will only create an even more powerful and unsolvable company, making future victories increasingly difficult to achieve.

Lin Yue, who hadn't realized he was still on the phone, suddenly came to his senses...

Damn it, I was daydreaming and hadn't expected V to not hang up the phone and just silently stare at Lin Yue's holographic image.

Lin Yue's Adam's apple bobbed.

“V, actually that day…”

Chirp——

The holographic video call was abruptly cut off, leaving Lin Yue looking bewildered and Suzuki turning his head as far out the window as possible, unable to look directly at him…

"Ahem... Have you found them?"

Lin Yue thought the floating car seats today were really seats. He rubbed them a few times with his hands, coughed, and looked out the window.

Suzuki quickly replied, "We don't have a boss yet, but we know very well who's behind this. It's a group of mercenaries from a gang and the company."

Lin Yue looked at the information on a leader of the Tiger Claw Gang, whose face was covered with brightly colored Ukiyo-e style tattoos.

Seeing that his boss was not interested in these matters, Suzuki quickly added information about the team: "That car rushed in from Westbrook, seemingly provoking the Tiger Claw gang... Ms. V said that if it is discovered that company employees are involved in the assassination, the backdoor program can temporarily render them unable to resist."

Lin Yue frowned: "Do they know it's the Tiger Claw Gang?"

Suzuki gritted his teeth. "This time, the other side is very well prepared, with a full team of hackers. They're relentlessly targeting the team. Apart from your and my phone calls, no other means of communication can get through."

That means it's unclear whether it's the Tiger Claw Gang...

Knowing there are tigers in the mountains, yet still venturing into them; there are some idiots in the team, but none this irrational.

but…

Have these people gotten so wild in Night City after just a few months? Are Pila, Qiwei, and Rebecca really that good at driving?
Suzuki seemed to have figured out his superior's choice and quickly said, "Lord Rin! Let's wait for them at the rendezvous point. Descending the hovercar to a low altitude to participate in a city chase is a serious offense—several good drivers from the NCPD couldn't catch them!"

"Those guys on motorcycles from the Tiger Claw Gang probably won't do?"

To protect the rights of ordinary people, the hovercars mostly only descend at night at non-compliant heights and locations. However, once the city hall, NCPD, and other rival companies find out, it will cause a bloody storm of public opinion.

With the Dogtown incident causing such a huge uproar, keeping a low profile is the only option.

Lin Yue took a deep breath. "The bridge from Westbrook to Watson. If Xintian wants to cause trouble, he might ambush people there."

In the light drizzle, the hovercar suddenly rose into the air, its engine evaporating water vapor, and it sped toward the dark steel cable bridge over the river, surrounded by deadly exhaust fumes.

……

……

　[Deadly Exhaust Gas]: In the cyberpunk world, the exhaust gas from hovercars is toxic, and apart from the Trauma Team and the Terrorist Mobile Unit, no other hovercars can fly at low altitudes.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)