Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 219 Searching for the Enemy (Part 1) [7.7K views, Bonus Chapter!]

Bridil stared silently at his own blurry reflection in the gleaming silver elevator doors.

He's now about thirty years old, with a bluish tinge to his skin under his stubble and deep-set eyes that show signs of staying up late—he's completely different from the young man with freckles on his face two months ago.

Yes, growing up happens in the blink of an eye.

For the past seventy days, he has slept for about two hours a day. As Mr. Wendy said, he has indeed been promoted and become a special agent at the Night City Internet Surveillance Headquarters with high authority, mainly because he is very young. Everyone in the department says that old Wendy treats him like his own son, and there are many sarcastic remarks, but no one dares to doubt his abilities.

People are now both jealous and afraid of him.

During these two months, he uncovered over a hundred criminal activities within the Night City and North American networks, with nearly seven hundred suspects facing prosecution by New America or Night City municipalities. Moreover, he made some companies that attempted to profit from the network pay a heavy price.

His subordinates had even started calling this young man in his twenties a crazy boss, and his life consisted of nothing but investigating clues about cybercrime.

The reason Bridill is like this is all because of the chip left behind by Mr. Wendy (the chapter on Never Gone).

In fact, when the explosion occurred that day, although Bridil only noticed Wendy's farewell words, he immediately sensed something was wrong and ran frantically towards old Wendy's room, but he was still a step too late. It was precisely this late step that prevented the high-explosive bomb from tearing him apart—in fact, the chip contained other information.

That was a string of code.

During his recovery at the Westbrook Trauma Group, he spent most of his time spacing out and thinking about that string of code.

Bridill finds it difficult to describe the logic of the code; it's like a passageway to a black wall that's constantly being linked. As long as you can enter the black wall and communicate according to its logic, you can find the owner of that code.

The code had a name, and it was extremely memorable.

Relic…

So, apart from exceeding the tasks assigned by the internet monitoring department, Bridil focused all his attention on this name.

It wouldn't have mattered if we hadn't investigated, but once we did, he was in shock for a long time.

This thing isn't a secret at all; in fact, everyone who walks through Night City knows about it. Even Bridir can see advertisements for it across from his property in the company square: "Relic, protector of your soul..."

Arakasaka!

Bridil, who was determined to get to the bottom of this matter, did not act rashly. On the contrary, old Wendy's death made the young cyber hunter more patient.

He had already paid the price for his recklessness. In order to help himself escape, old Wendy's IP address was tracked by the enemy, which indirectly led to the enemy "offline dismantling" of this old man who was maintaining network security. This made Bridil completely disillusioned with the world and gradually increase his suspicion of a certain company.

During his investigation, Bridill discovered that the Relic chip is a brain-computer interface chip similar to a communication device. Some roving AIs behind the black wall would temporarily capture some logical data and upload it to this chip, while the "deceased relatives" in the chip would complete communication similar to human activities with the support of this rich database outside the black wall.

Furthermore, this technology has been registered with the internet monitoring authorities because Relic itself only supports one-way communication and has implemented a blackout logic mask. This means that things outside the Great Firewall cannot get in, and can only passively release data to fabricate a "fake" relative for people to express their grief.

At first glance, this thing doesn't seem to be related to Old Wendy's death, but in fact, Old Wendy once captured data from hackers within the Dogtown domain. No one knows the hacker's ID, but all that is known is that the guy had Relic on him.

Old Wendy had access to this data before he died. Apart from that mysterious hacker, Bridill didn't believe anyone could kill him except the wolves the company kept.

He was unaware that Old Wendy had been unpacked offline by military technology, so this string of code was easily mistaken by Bridil as a trace left by the enemy.

Therefore, the database of Arakasaka Relic buyers is what Bridil most wants to access—

But that was unrealistic, and it was a subnet that Arasaka hacker had been guarding closely, so after trying it without success, Bridil quickly gave up on the idea.

He found a very clever way.

He reverse-compiled the code left by old Wendy and used it as the basis to write a program that could respond and track in real time. As long as there was any trace of this user on the network, Bridil would know immediately.

However, this method is easily known to the other party, so during the period of tracking, the program will not capture other overly sensitive data, but rather the user ID, i.e., "nickname," which is the least likely for cyber hackers to defend against.

Bridil was confident that as long as the other party's username could be detected, he could obtain more information.

He remembered everything Old Wendy had said: be cautious, focus, calm... and, in case of doubt, be innocent.

Although current clues point to Arasaka, Bridil is not naive enough to believe that Arasaka was responsible. On the contrary, he is more inclined to believe that another force or individual user logged into the network with Relic. After all, criminals love to divert attention and frame others.

If it was done by one of Arasaka's own people, then they would never use a hacker with a chip that could expose their identity to log into the network.

"It'd better not be you, Arasaka."

Bridil muttered something to himself.

Even in his impulsiveness, he knew who held the greatest power in this world: the company.

In a sense, cyber surveillance is also a company, except that Bridill believes it has a conscience, at least in protecting the general public. As for the NCPD, he has uncovered a considerable amount of evidence of corrupt cops and mid-level corruption within the NCPD during this period.

A hacker who could track down Old Wendy couldn't possibly be without leaving a trace in the online world; they must be at least a very skilled individual…

But the humiliation, helplessness, and confusion brought about by Wendy's death made Bridil even more stubborn and obstinate.

In his view, whoever it is, should pay the price for this.

He glanced at the burly man beside him, who was wearing a suit but had a patch of colorful tattoos showing on his neck, and looked somewhat puzzled.

The burly man, with his hair in a bun, forced a harmless smile and turned his head away. When they couldn't see him, his expression quickly vanished, and a faint glint of communication light flickered in his eyes.

"Internet monitoring?"

Lin Yue, on the other end of the phone, asked curiously, "How did you figure that out?"

Jack replied matter-of-factly, "Do you think I'm some ignorant street kid just because I don't have any cybernetic equipment? The network access bay of the cyber police, the striped shirt underneath, and the heavy wallet on his chest—the protruding marks all look like the badges of the cyber police."

"Judging from this guy's bitter and resentful look, he's probably here to cause trouble for Yu Jin."

Lin Yue had never heard of such a thing before.

Jack didn't hold back either, "Luckily I know you're from Dogtown, otherwise I would have thought you were a caveman—most clubs in Night City have regular internet monitors maintaining their subnets, of course, only compliant clubs, not company assets."

"You know I'm talking about Arasaka, military technology, blah blah blah."

Lin Yue smiled and shook his head, "Luckily you were here, otherwise we would have been arrested for rashly entering the internet. You inadvertently helped us avoid a risk."

Jack's pride was practically radiating from his lips.

"Thanks, bro."

The conversation turned.

"But I see Arasaka's security guards here. Are they your men?"

Lin Yue shook his head, "Yes...V."

Jack, with a gossipy expression, said, "Seriously, when did you two start acting so secretive? Don't you even bother to tell your girlfriends?"

Lin Yue sighed, "Arasaka also engages in normal business activities, and of course... we can't rule out social interactions; it could also be orders from above. In any case, V has her own reasons for being here, and to be honest, I'm quite worried about her motives—"

"I'll ask her later."

Jack's expression grew increasingly puzzled.

Lin Yue scratched his head on the phone, "Uh... sorry, although my position is still held in Arasaka Tower, I don't know what's happening in Arasaka Tower right now, unless V tells me on his own."

Jack expressed his understanding.

The day before the operation began, Lin Yue and Jack talked a lot, including about this trip from the company.

The current Watson District Logistics Company has V's people, Lai Xuan's people at headquarters, and people from Honshu, but there are no informants for Lin Yue in Arasaka Tower. Jack once expressed his confusion. In his opinion, such a smart and ambitious young man should not have withdrawn so hastily, just to catch his breath.

In fact, Lin Yue didn't want V to misunderstand.

Looking back, Lin Yue realized that V had put in a tremendous amount of effort to get to this point. The unspoken conflicts and changes in their relationship had made it precarious. At this critical juncture, Lin Yue didn't want to be foolish and provoke V's hostility, which would truly be a loss.

People change, and Lin Yue was well aware of that.

V's position is very high. Unless Jenkins sabotages V in the Frankfurt incident, it is impossible for V to be ousted. No, even if that happens, it will be very difficult for V to be ousted. You have to know that the counterintelligence department and the security department are now completely intertwined, with only V as the minister.

The order to retain his rank was issued by Lai Xuan, meaning that Nitta cannot interfere in this part of the matter, or plant someone of his own kind in front of V...

There is no doubt that increasing power often leads to caution.

The elevator door opens.

Jack strode confidently, and the top-level security guards immediately spotted the burly man…

Following closely behind were Bridil, whose identity Jack had already identified, and two of his subordinates.

The mercenary aura that comes from always having a weapon in hand isn't something that can be achieved with just a bespoke suit. Everyone who knows Jack says he's a reliable young man, warm and strong, but when he's on guard, you'd better watch out for his fists the size of sandbags and his decent marksmanship.

"Please wait a moment."

Two security guards stopped Jack, who was walking at the front, and said with polite smiles, "This is a VIP room. If you are the security personnel for these VIPs, I suggest you go to other areas to explore or enjoy your afternoon."

Jack shrugged and took a step back.

At this point, the other three internet monitoring members were also stopped.

As expected, the leader, Bridil, flashed his internet surveillance badge and said, "Routine inspection."

The security guard pursed his lips and reluctantly moved aside.

Just then, a young man with a tired look on his face walked out of a private room not far away, instantly catching Bridil's attention.

His youth, along with the silver-white brooch from Arasaka on his chest, indicated that the guy in front of him was a young manager in the company.

“Uh… Mr. Rin.”

The two security guards looked bitter. Everyone knew what the person who came here was after: the services of Ember and the sex dolls. Security personnel usually wouldn't venture here. This young corporate dog was just trying to get Jack into the private room.

This would break the rules.

cold?
Bridil gathered information discreetly, but for some reason, he sensed an extremely dangerous aura emanating from the man in front of him.

Is he a hacker?

Perhaps due to his years of online interactions, Bridil has an amazing sixth sense.

The young man glanced at the two security guards, his gaze lingering briefly on Bridil's face before revealing a seemingly harmless smile. "Excuse me, gentlemen, I value security and privacy highly, so someone must be responsible for my safety in everything I do."

Bridil felt a moment of disappointment.

That guy was actually frantically calling security to get into the private room…

The two security guards exchanged glances. "You're joking, Mr. Rin. The security at Ember is the best at the company's plaza club—"

Lin Yue's face instantly fell.

"Security is the best. Why is my colleague here with an entire security team? While I'm in a good mood, please don't waste the precious patience I've given you. Do as I say, understand?"

Bridill grew even more resistant to the young lackeys of the company in front of him; in his view, the company dogs' habit of using their power to oppress people had never changed.

"And you, Mr. Internet Supervisor... what are you standing here looking at? I don't think your boss is paying you by making you stand here and sizing up other people. Everyone, get out of here!" This whole thing left Jack completely dumbfounded, especially when Lin Yue squinted and leaned close to the security guards, pointing his finger at the two guys' chests. Jack was a little dumbfounded—not to mention that these two guys might not even be as strong as Jack.

At the same time, the muscles on the faces of the internet surveillance members, who were being looked down upon by the company staff, tightened.

Bridil clenched his fists unconsciously, and then his subordinate passed on the information about the young man in front of him.

[Name: Rin]

[Rank: Director of Security, Arasaka]

……

He forced a smile and said, "Sorry."

The two network monitors felt a burning embarrassment at this scene… their boss had softened so much in front of the company's lackeys? It's worth noting that over a decade ago, network monitors had absolute oversight power over the company, but as the company's subnets matured, that power gradually diminished.

Furthermore, the company has come up with a variety of methods to undermine the Great Firewall, and the lack of experienced internet regulators has led to a significant decrease in their oversight of the Great Firewall for a period of time.

Lin Yue watched with a cold smile as the network monitoring team entered through another passage. He subtly observed their movements, understanding the location of the club's subnet equipment room, and then cast his gaze at the two security guards who were practically trembling with fear.

"You should be glad this isn't Ganbi. You're one of my men, and I'll skin you alive."

Then, he deliberately spoke the last sentence very loudly.

"Two top-quality items, the best of the best—you know what to do."

Bridil, the leader of the internet surveillance team, paused in the distance. His face was ashen, and his teeth were clenched tightly together, his back to Lin Yue.

If it were someone at the level of a cyber police chief, perhaps they could get that guy to talk properly, but these people... in front of someone of that status, they wouldn't dare utter a word about what the other party wanted to do.

The subordinates behind him muttered...

"Damn...that's a fucking pervert, a stupid company dog."

Enjoying relaxation time in the embers while being watched by security guards—what is this if not a company executive's morbid pleasure? The group instantly gained a new understanding of the cold-faced young man, and immediately associated him with a ruthless, perverted company dog.

Even as his subordinates voiced their grievances, Bridil said in a deep voice, "Don't say anything more."

Lin Yue glanced at the cyber police officers who had disappeared at the end of the corridor, breathed a slight sigh of relief, loosened his grip on the security guard's uniform, and turned to walk into the room.

Jack, looking genuinely apologetic, followed him inside.

The two security guards, who only dared to complain in their hearts, could only obediently carry out their duties.

As soon as he entered the room, Jack complained, "This is a bit unfair, buddy..."

Lin Yue plopped down on the sofa, smoking a cigarette, and said, "Try softening up in a place like this. If you want others to take you seriously, this is the only way—although we need to get things done, reducing suspicion is the best way, but we can't just blindly follow the security guards' orders."

"Rules are only for those who are incapable of breaking them. I learned this the hard way after suffering many losses in Dogtown."

Nobody wants to treat others like this, but in a place like Night City, this is the only way to deal with certain people.

Jack looked at the exquisitely decorated room, his hand stroking the sofa that felt almost like real leather. "Tsk...this is fucking luxurious! I used to pass by the Glamour Tower area and always wanted to go in and see what it was like inside. Was it really as amazing as they said? A single vase costs thousands of euros?"

Lin Yue shook his head.

He replied calmly to Jack's disappointed gaze, "Fine porcelain costs over 100,000 euros. The rooms on the top floor, reserved for members of the Arasaka family or heads of state, are filled with rare and unique works of art and antiques—ten million euros is just the entry price."

Jack clicked his tongue in disbelief, "What a bunch of idiots at this company!"

Lin Yue was both amused and exasperated. "Konpei Building is an important asset of Arasaka, and service is Konpei's selling point, because my work once included Konpei's security operations."

In fact, Lin Yue wasn't too bothered by Jack's unconscious tactless remarks. After all, it seemed that few of his partners and teammates treated him like a company dog; on the contrary, their interactions were more like those of people on the street.

Jack then asked, "Did you have anything to do with what happened to Gumbey before?"

Lin Yue thought for a moment, "It's okay—let's not talk about that for now. This kind of routine subnet inspection won't last too long. Those guys just walked into what seemed to be the innermost elevator. It looks like the server is up there. I'll take care of the subnet's security equipment later and guide you through the task."

Jack nodded. "Hmm... but the real work is yet to come, so we need to be careful."

Lin Yue pursed his lips and shook his head. "Although this job is a favor I owe to Roger, to be honest, I also have my own selfish motives. I want to first check on a certain senior executive of Respectable Logistics on his personal device, who is the mysterious shareholder of that company in Watson District."

"Just like we agreed yesterday, stay in the room and keep the person under control. As for how to get them to talk, I have a way."

Just then, there was a knock on the automatic door.

Jack instinctively placed his hand on his waist, and only after realizing it did he realize it was Ember's sex doll.

The moment the automatic door opened, two brightly dressed women strode in. When they saw the man sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed looking them over, their eyes lit up. They were completely unaware that a burly man was standing to the side of the door.

The couple exchanged a glance; who wouldn't enjoy a relaxed and pleasant job?
Unexpectedly, before he could even take a step forward, a scarlet light flashed in the handsome young man's eyes, like a wild beast about to devour a human—

The two sex dolls, sensing something was wrong, tried to turn around, but the rapid memory erasure caused them to quickly forget what they wanted to do next. Suddenly, everything went dark, and Jack clapped his hands after non-lethally knocking down the two sex dolls.

Lin Yue stood up and looked at the two sex dolls on the floor, gesturing for Jack to stand aside…

To Jack's astonishment, a streak of light began to slide upwards from Lin Yue's feet, causing dramatic changes to his clothing details, physique, and even his face!
The behavioral feature facial model, rendered using a black screen, did not exhibit the error-prone behavior typical of other prosthetic devices. Instead, extensive data optimization transformed this prosthetic into an almost terrifyingly real-time read-through system.

Under the woman's cold gaze, Jack instinctively took a step back.

"Holy crap! You never said your prosthetic body could do that! Is this some kind of magic trick?"

Jack knew Rin had this prosthetic body when he was in Dogville, but he never expected its abilities to be so monstrous...

Haywood gestured with his hand in the air.

"You're quite big, how... how did you do this? Last time when I was pretending to be a German, you were about the same size, but this time...?"

Jack has an extremely strong sense of curiosity.

To think that my best friend would suddenly turn into a woman, and with such a beautiful figure, was it some kind of magic?
This is how the black wall was modified.

Back in Honshu, because of the existence of this thing and the fact that it could not be removed, many of the materials used for the prosthetics on my body were highly malleable, and the ability to imitate was much stronger than before. New America is probably going to achieve this effect.

Lin Yue cleared his throat. "Alright, I need to use this identity to get to the internet monitoring department. You stay in the room and be ready to act at any time."

As Jack stared in disbelief, the woman stepped out of the room. He shook his head, looking dazed, and then, incredulously, picked up the two living people lying on the floor and locked them inside the bathroom.

……
-
At this moment, melodious piano music echoed in the European-style hall on the third floor of the Ember, decorated with a slightly retro feel and solid wood as the main color.

It's hard to believe that you can still find a piano in clubs these days.

V didn't know that in her original destiny, she was supposed to meet Hua Zi in front of this piano. She just had a vague sense of déjà vu about the current scene, so much so that she couldn't look away for a long time.

“V, V?”

It wasn't until the person next to her called her name several times that she came to her senses.

Jenkins held a glass of wine in his hand, tilting his head back to drink as he unconsciously glanced at V today.

Perhaps some girls will still attract attention even if they wear colors that are not too understated.

V wore a black fishtail dress that demanded a perfect figure. The casually chosen style seemed tailor-made, and the material, like the subtly shimmering obsidian floor of Arasaka Tower, exuded a sense of understated luxury.

When Jenkins beckoned her over, V took a step, and the hem of her skirt swayed like a flower as she walked.

The earrings hanging from her ears were vintage crystal pendants, their delicate light shimmering and making the prosthetic patterns on her neck even more radiant.

Seemingly caught slacking off by her former boss, she squeezed her wine glass with her black-patterned hand and placed it on the bartender's tray, her gaze somewhat unfocused, like a child who had made a mistake.

Jenkins found it hard to believe that this elegant girl, who seemed like a canary from a wealthy family, was a cold-blooded agent who had carried out numerous defensive and offensive operations for the company.

“V, it seems my worries were unnecessary. I thought you were unwilling to work for Nitta.”

Jenkins glanced around at the representatives from the other companies in the venue and gave V a slight thumbs up.

V smoothed her hair, and without anyone knowing, no one mentioned the time Jenkins had leaked information.

“I will follow the company’s arrangements as they are, regardless of whether I am willing or not, Director Jenkins.”

Not a drop of water leaked...

Jenkins was very satisfied with V's performance. Apart from her momentary lapse in concentration, she was like a spirited female warrior, always maintaining peak condition.

Today's business reception is a company order, essentially a deal involving a technology cooperation agreement between Night City and several South American companies. V is the security officer and entourage for this reception, while Jenkins is a senior board member responsible for liaising with the powerful figures.

Of course, this is what's out in the open.

Behind the scenes, V needed to complete a cleanup operation, and she was in charge of it, as Jenkins knew.

Everyone knows that this is something that will boost Nitta's prestige and power. Once the deal is closed, Nitta will have fewer external enemies, and his resume will be more impressive, which is something V doesn't want to see.

On the other hand, covert defiance cannot extend to the open. The rule of Arasaka Tower is to obey superiors, and V does not want Nitta to have any leverage over him at this critical juncture and then go to headquarters to cause trouble.

Jenkins took a sip of his drink. "I once thought your loyalty might end your career at the company, but fate seems to be playing a cruel joke on you—V, you're someone I mentored, and you're not the kind of person who'd let go of an enemy, so... what are you planning to do this time?"

Perhaps this is the way Jenkins and V get along.

Both sides were frank and shared the same style; the only difference was that the younger girl was much luckier than they were.

V's cold gaze fell on the composed Jenkins. "Complete what the company requires me to do."

As she spoke, she stood up and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Director Jenkins to cooperate with the operation."

Jenkins listened to V's footsteps fading behind him, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes. V was a better fit for the company than he had imagined. Everyone knew this was an operation to boost Nitta's growth; if done well, there would be no credit, but if done poorly, there would be endless trouble.

But from the moment V accepted everything, Jenkins knew that the company would always cultivate warriors who were better suited to this arena, and that was absolutely true.

As she walked, V, tying her hair up, entered the side door of Ember. After looking around to make sure no one was there, she touched the smart lock on the emergency door, which clicked open. Then, she lifted her skirt, revealing a black dagger in her hand. With a flick of the blade, she kicked off her shoes and stepped barefoot onto the perpetually unswept stairs, heading towards the club on the next floor.

Along the way, V prioritized shutting down the surveillance equipment. On the eve of the party, his subordinates informed him of the routine inspection by the internet police that day. However, unusually, V did not wait for the internet police to leave and chose to take action at that very moment.

Although the party was just a pretext, the ultimate goal was to eliminate a leaker from a rival company who was still in the embers of his career. V does this kind of dirty work many times every year, and he's even become somewhat numb to it... but he should never take such a risk.

Furthermore, intelligence analysis indicates that today's operation is quite challenging, which is why V was tasked with leading it personally. Of course, the mission assigned by Nitta was an open strategy; there were risks involved in both doing it and not doing it. The reason V didn't refuse the operation was because she had her own plans—

While pondering, he touched the V above and obtained the key after taking down a security guard in the VIP area.

As the body was pushed into the haphazardly piled debris, the graceful figure disappeared behind the automatic door, and the quiet corridor seemed as if nothing had ever happened.

The only camera that V deliberately left behind was being watched coldly by someone behind it.

……

……

　This week has been exhausting. I was writing very slowly today, even though I had to do extra writing. I'll try to finish the battle scenes tomorrow. Goodnight everyone.

　　I'll continue to update more after the year-end review is over, and I hope everyone will continue to support me!
　　O(∩_∩)O~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)