Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 222 Good News Keeps Coming

Chapter 222 Good News Keeps Coming
Badlands.

If Night City is a golden bay for rock 'n' roll kids, mercenaries, and kabuki actors, then the desolate land surrounding this metropolis seems to be a dead zone untouched by humankind—a desert perpetually swept by foul-smelling winds due to the excessive exploitation of oil fields and the dumping of large amounts of hazardous waste, where no crops can grow.

In addition, during spring and autumn, the dark yellow soil that covers the sky in Night City allows its residents to start their nightlife earlier.

A place where sand dunes stretch endlessly.

The long-neglected road was cracked, and withered plant remnants swayed slightly in the wind through the cracks, seemingly lamenting the bitter cold here. A group of people stood on the hilltop, their clothes looking like they were pieced together from cheap materials, and the bright colors that should have been on their clothes seemed to be covered by a pale yellow like quicksand.

Behind this group were several high-powered off-road vehicles modified for the harsh environment of the badlands. The graffiti and markings on the vehicles were not random; they contained the totems of each major tribe. The "wanderers" migrated and moved like cowboys in old Western movies.

"Tsk tsk tsk... Thor, someone's coming."

The homeless man holding binoculars, wearing a windproof shawl cut from oilcloth, swayed with the cracks in the fabric. His chapped lips curled up as he looked through the lens, gesturing to the burly, long-haired man beside him to look in that direction.

The markings on the vehicles speeding by in the distance were very clear, and the well-informed Thor could tell at a glance which faction those vicious dog heads belonged to.

"The Netherhound... I heard from the tribes over there that it was let in from the border? These people usually hide in their shells like turtles, what are they pulling out today?"

Thor was clearly very interested in what was on those pickup trucks.

In reality, wanderers living in the Badlands all have their own means of survival, and most even deal with companies. For Thor's tribe, being newcomers, the means of making a living became especially important, though most family members wouldn't miss an opportunity to rob—

In the Badlands, there aren't many rules.

"Where is [Panam]?"

Thor asked a question.

The wanderer beside him put down his binoculars and shrugged. "He said he and [Scorpion] found a new campsite, quite far from the [Chaotic Blade Society]. A few guys went to scout out the location and set up tents—are we going to fucking pull off a heist or not? Tell me, Thor…"

Thor crossed his arms and shook his head slightly.

"The leader of Dogtown used to be a professional soldier. There are only a few vehicles, and who knows how many people are hanging behind them. If you try to cut in from here, you'll encounter more than just our tribe. There are wild ghosts, bandits from the Badlands... I don't believe that Hansen would be that stupid."

As he spoke, he took the binoculars from the tribal member's hand, "Let's take another look."

The tribal members beside him, wearing hoodies to shield themselves from the wind, seemed somewhat bored, silently staring at the sky as the sun was about to set, watching the vehicles disappear from the telescope's field of vision.

Thor's caution saved the tribe's lives several times; it was his consistent survival principle. He was also the only one in the tribe with a relatively mild attitude towards the company—as for the other kids, they saw the company like wolves saw meat, wishing they could take a few bites off of it.

Perhaps it was the natural bond among the homeless, but everyone had a bad impression of the company. In short, when life was tough, everyone would point to the sky, look at the barren land, and curse the company as a piece of shit!
"Ugh…"

Seeing that the fat sheep right in front of them was about to slip away, the people around them shook their heads.

But Thor's lips curled into a cold smile. "Here you go."

Everyone's attention was on the leader, so they naturally heard the warning, but without binoculars, and with the prosthetic eye of the barefoot medic in the camp, they couldn't see even a bird—

In fact, at that moment, through the telescope lens, just as the vehicle was about to pass through the road between two hills that was almost half buried by yellow sand, a figure appeared behind the sand dunes, and without hesitation, a shoulder-fired rocket launcher aimed at the lead vehicle and fired a rocket!

boom!
The faint sound of an explosion seemed to drift over on the wind...

Now even those without binoculars could see a glimmer of light. They looked at each other in bewilderment. Thor put down his binoculars. "Let's go. None of these people can escape. We don't know which side they're from—it looks a bit like a company."

Now that things have come to this point, nobody wants to cause trouble, especially since the company has taken action against the Ghost Hound.

News in the Badlands isn't actually that isolated; they rely on large, abandoned signal towers left over from the unification wars as relays to receive news signals from Night City. Therefore, the tribespeople of Adcador all know that the leader of Dogtown has fired more than one surface-to-air missile into the sky…

If it's something this serious, then you really shouldn't get involved.

One by one, the vehicles moved away from behind the sand dunes. The last vehicle moved very slowly, watching its teammates' vehicles disappear into the swirling yellow sand. The tires of this vehicle screeched against the sand and gravel as it turned 180 degrees. The man inside was making a holographic phone call.

"Holy crap! Panan... Stop building blocks at home, this is going to be a show, absolutely awesome!"

Entertainment is scarce in the Badlands, so inviting friends to watch a play would definitely be fun, and he had silently assured himself that Saul would forgive them if they only watched from afar.

now.

Several kilometers away from the car, a slender figure stood on a sand dune. Her chestnut-colored curly hair was tied back, and she wore a coat that seemed out of place in the harsh soil. Her beautiful face was framed by emotionless eyes that were fixed on the chaotic road below. She was puffing on a cigarette between her fingers in the strong wind.

Emma's pupils shimmered with a pale purple light; she was talking to someone on the phone.

At the same time, her gentle voice carried an undeniable authority as she ordered, "Keep only the people we need. If even one of the rest escapes... I guarantee you'll regret it, understand?"

……

Three hours ago.

Lin Yue, who received Emma's text message in the Laisheng private room, immediately called Emma back.

The alluring woman in the holographic video stared silently at Lin Yue.

Lin Yue's first words were, "I thought you'd been busy with Dogtown lately... How did you know about the Europeans?"

Emma smiled gently, "That'll take a long time to talk. Are you impatient, or would you like to hear how hard I've tried? I knew you'd be busy after you woke up, but I didn't expect you wouldn't reply to a single message from me for so many days—"

"That's not good for your lover."

Lin Yue was taken aback, then said helplessly, "No rush, I can listen to your voice more."

Seeing that Lin Yue was amused by her, Emma stopped the conversation.

"Although I've let you stay in Night City for so long without any worries, I know there's a lot going on at the company, and it's all been Ms. V's help—I heard about Ms. Sasha's situation; apparently, the progress and completeness of the neural matrix decryption aren't going very well, right?"

Lin Yue hadn't expected that the two women had discussed these things.

Emma continued, "Hansen is still up to no good, and his men are all villains, you know that—seeing that Hansen suffered such a big loss without any reaction, I used some underhanded tactics. In short, I can find out if anything happens to the Ghost Hound."

"Hansen did a good job of keeping things secret, but my people found out they were looking for two hackers released from prison in Europe. The woman's name was Aurol—the man... I don't remember him. You know, I'm not interested in men other than you."

"A Frenchman, a seasoned cybercriminal."

Lin Yue found it somewhat unbelievable and asked, "How did Hansen know all this?"

Emma sighed. "Quite a few people from the Ghost Hounds were sent into the Little Big Dipper facility. I don't know where they found those old mainframes that recorded experimental data. New America and military technology are trying to cover those up. It seems to be an email. The brother and sister were involved in cracking the neural matrix and have the complete key." Then, Emma's lips curled into a smile.

"Ah... let me guess, someone's itching to do it themselves right now, completely ignoring the huge help their subordinates have given them. Are they planning to take matters into their own hands?"

Lin Yue wasn't embarrassed that he had been exposed, after all, it concerned Sasha's neurological integrity and physical condition, so he had to take it seriously.

Emma waved her hand. "Guess where I am, darling?"

Lin Yue thought about it seriously for a moment, "NCX? Or... Badlands?"

Emma pouted. "I shouldn't have asked you that question—okay, okay, I'm in the Badlands right now. Once those people cross the border, I'll arrest them immediately. As for you… Miss V told me about your health condition, so it's best not to get involved."

“If the company makes a move, it’s hard to guarantee that Hansen won’t know… I’ve made thorough preparations, don’t worry.”

Lin Yue's expression changed many times, and he murmured Emma's name in a rather gentle tone.

"Thank you."

Emma blinked. "Thank you, you can add a term of endearment after that. No wonder Miss V doesn't like you. Well—"

"Please, Mr. Rin, remember our agreement and come to Dogtown. Let me see if your 'gratitude' is enough. The meeting place should probably be in Night City... Anyway, no matter how stubborn they are, I believe Arasaka will find a way to pry them open."

"See you later?"

Lin Yue nodded emphatically. "See you later. Be sure to let me know if you need anything."

As the holographic screen went out, Lin Yue sat on the sofa in a daze for a long time—

It's really nice to be cared for and not have to worry about solving problems yourself. No wonder many middlemen like excellent and capable mercenaries, and company management also likes reliable subordinates like V who are clean and efficient.

Because smart people always try to minimize trouble.

It seems that leaving Emma in Dogtown was the right decision; Emma had thought of everything she could think of.

Seeing the change in Lin Yue's expression after a brief moment of focused attention during the call, the team members all looked at him with questions. When they learned that Sasha's safety would be better guaranteed, Rebecca was so excited she almost jumped onto the table—

"Do you need our help?!"

Lin Yue shook his head slightly.

“Emma has done everything she could… Going there rashly would only disrupt other people’s plans, so I trust her.”

Rebecca blinked. "Emma? Have I seen her before? Is she from the company?"

Qiwei knew this woman and silently shook her head. "She's an informant in Dogtown... no, she should be the middleman now; half of Dogtown belongs to her."

Pila leaned back and said, "Hey! You wouldn't have been chasing after every girl in town behind my sister's back, would you?"

Rebecca raised her fists, ready to punch her brother, but before she could say a word—

He silently lowered his fist, giving me an expression that said, "I didn't hear you" and "I'm ignoring you."

Lin Yue naturally ignored Pila's teasing, and simply picked up the wine glass on the table and took a sip. At this moment, all he needed to do was focus 100% on the issue of company control.

So he turned his attention to the team members.

"Once we acquire this company, things will be much simpler for us."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of all the team members became serious.

Although they didn't know the hidden details behind all of this, they all knew that Respectable Logistics' subsidiary was the most important foundation in this whole chain, and if something went wrong there, everything would be in vain.

Imagine if the company keeps getting bogged down in this issue, then there will be problems with the goods, and Emma will also be in trouble.

Lai Xuan's actions, seemingly intended to allow Lin Yue to rest, were actually a means to protect Lin Yue and to launch another layer of his scheme.

Fortunately, Lin Yue's network access pod is now working properly. Although there are still problems with his full-body prosthetic body, his subordinates are strong enough that none of this will hold him back. On the contrary, he needs to provide resources to the team in a timely manner during this series of operations until the company is completely under his control.

In the corner, Falco, the newcomer, smoked in silence. He was new to the team and had set his sights on this place because he enjoyed working with the so-called big shots from the afterlife; the thrill of the process was what he wanted to pursue—but he had never seen company dogs and Night City mercenaries get this close before.

Even now, he still harbored a slight wariness towards the guy in front of him, but turning his head to look at the faces of his squad members, he could only see a surge of enthusiasm...

The more interesting the combination, the more you'll want to try it.

At this moment, Lin Yue raised his glass, "Shall we toast to the big one coming soon?"

Rebecca pouted and waved one hand downwards. "What a terrible toast."

Just then, someone who was late because of the Watson District gang incident squeezed into the private room and said, "It's time to toast dreams."

Jack Wells, still carrying the fresh air from outside Night City, grabbed the glass on the table without looking and downed it in one gulp.

"My name is Jack. Judging from your appearance, we might get along well."

Jack, this street kid, is quite approachable.

The moment they entered, everyone understood the meaning of "we're all in this together".

then--

The team members exchanged glances and then downed their drinks in one gulp!

"To his mother's dream!"

"Wu!"