Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 230 The New "Big Brother"

"Jack?"

Lin Yue stared at the burly man whose expression was clearly hurt and agitated, and for a moment he had no idea what had happened.

Few people in Haywood like to dawdle. He just let out a sob and, accompanied by slightly distorted sound effects from the holographic phone, said, "There's some trouble, and I wanted to let you know in advance—I might not be able to help you with things with Chica for a while."

Lin Yue's worried expression instantly softened. "No need to say that. You were a great help with the Dogtown matter, and Ember made you come all this way for nothing... I should have called you. Is everything alright?"

Jack, who wanted to get straight to the point, shook his head.

"No, friend... something's not right."

Lin Yue gestured for him to continue, after all, he needed to know what this seemingly carefree lone wolf wanted—since his friend had spoken, Lin Yue had no reason to ignore him, after all, the Dogtown affair was a matter of life and death... If it were any other mercenary from the afterlife, a slight mishap could have cost them their lives in Dogtown.

"It's a long story, but in short, I need to confirm one thing: are prosecutors troublesome?"

Lin Yue's expression turned strange.

“Prosecutors… well, they are a bit troublesome. They are not NCPD members, but they have more power than the NCPD. On the surface, companies that want to operate in Night City have to abide by the rules set by the City Hall and the Council. Prosecutors can handle anything. They will deal with criminal leads that the NCPD cannot handle based on their mood and interests.”

"I remember mentioning it to you in the Embers last time."

Jack nodded, "Hmm...you're on par with the company's top management?"

Lin Yue smiled helplessly.

“Hey Jack, I think if you can’t make up your mind, just say it. We don’t need all this talking between us.”

During the conversation, Lin Yue gave me a look that said he believed me. He probably guessed that Jack was in trouble, perhaps even connected to the politicians at the city hall. "V and me, whoever you ask, I think I can try to talk to them..."

Jack said with a serious expression, "I tried calling V, but she didn't answer."

Lin Yue subconsciously replied, "That shouldn't be the case, she just left here..."

Jack: "..."

Lin Yue's silence was even more deafening than Jack's.

Jack spread his hands and said something even more hurtful than the previous one, "So it seems the Lord asked me to do this... Telling you and telling V seems to make no difference? I understand, I understand... Let me put it this way, some new brat has somehow infiltrated the Valentino gang, all high and mighty, with a bunch of guys, and he's a flour seller."

"They have powerful connections; even my mom finds them difficult to deal with."

Lin Yue: "Wait, the Valentino gang... I remember you already left? And what happened to Mrs. Wells?"

Upon hearing Jack mention Mrs. Wells, Lin Yue sat up in bed.

Out of concern, he subconsciously assumed that Jack, a man who couldn't express himself, was saying that his family was being threatened; in Night City, from loneliness to having friends by his side, Lin Yue understood even more the value of family and friendship—especially the support and care during times of danger.

Even though Mrs. Wells wasn't very friendly when they first met, he still didn't want to stay out of it.

Jack nodded and then shook his head, then remained silent for a long time.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you... Is the company really as bad as they say?"

When asked this question, Lin Yue was momentarily at a loss for words.

In fact, it is impossible for people to fully empathize with each other. Just like Lin Yue, who was traveling in this world, he did not know the growth trajectory of the Night City mercenary in front of him, his life, his thoughts, or even more.

After glancing at the time, Lin Yue decided to abandon the idea of ​​sleeping now. He stood up and looked out the window at the slightly white sky of Watson District, which was about to break into dawn.

"And you? What do you think of the company... or rather, what's your opinion of Arasaka?"

Jack rarely seemed to confide these things to anyone. "Arasaka, what else can I say? Conspiracy, assassination, the culprit behind the Night City nuclear explosion—hmm, and the biggest factor in global instability? Anyway, that's what News 54 Opera says—"

"Of course, don't be so quick to judge me like that. In my view, all companies are the same; countless people fight tooth and nail for company matters..."

Lin Yue thought about it carefully and realized that what Jack said was both right and wrong. Companies are all about making a living, and whoever has advanced technology will inevitably be attacked. It's just a cyclical pattern. In fact, Lin Yue had never heard Jack say anything bad about military technology or other companies.

In a sense, the effects of the propaganda war waged by companies like Arasaka and Junke were all embodied in Jack.

Lin Yue gestured to Jack, saying that he wasn't so easily swayed by his mercenary friend's numerous complaints about Arasaka after he had done so much for him. Lin Yue didn't really care about Arasaka's reputation.

“But I’m confused. Valentino is hanging out with politicians who can manipulate us ordinary folks at any time, and I’ve become the ‘traitor’ everyone’s talking about, working for the company. My mom and I had a fight about this today… well, not really, it didn’t go very well.”

"No offense intended, but what I'm trying to say is... well, buddy, you're a good guy, I can feel it, and I believe my friends can feel it too, but I don't know what to do."

Lin Yue couldn't imagine how the kind-hearted Jack could argue with his mother, but he obviously had his own perspective and comforted her, "I understand, I understand Jack. It's like how Mrs. Wells doesn't really like V?"

There was nothing unpleasant about it. Across from him sat a young man who looked even more like his older brother, the department head Arasaka, than his older brother. His tone was humorous and relaxed, which made Jack even more certain of his idea—just like his mother said, a guy who remembers the good things about his friends can't be a bad person.

"uh-huh!"

Jack grinned, "My mom, she never stops nagging..."

Seemingly afraid of bothering Lin Yue for too long, she said, "Look at my head, you've been quite busy lately. I just wanted to chat with someone tonight... Hey, don't lose touch, okay?"

Lin Yue could tell what Jack meant by making the call. He still wanted to maintain a good relationship with Lin Yue, and someone might have told Jack not to get too close to him or people with company affiliations like V. Such a person could only be Mrs. Wells.

However, Lin Yue was knowledgeable about protecting children.

For David's sake, Gloria even dared to make a cybernetic body deal with the Night City cyberpunk team whose background was unclear, not to mention Mrs. Wells, who had deep roots in Heywood.

Clearly, Lin Yue didn't intend for Jack to shoulder all of this alone.

“Jack, this isn’t like you at all… I don’t remember you hesitating to ask me for help, but you showed up in the underground parking lot with just one phone call from V.”

Jack: "It's different, buddy. There's a reward for that."

Lin Yue smirked, "I can also get paid. Why not try to make things easier for Mrs. Wells?"

Jack: "You remind me of another brother of mine, Campbell..."

Jack's bewildered expression gradually gave way to a complex smile. In fact, the first lesson a man learns is how to subtly express his true feelings, and Lin Yue was clearly very successful in this regard, which also made Jack let go of the last bit of resentment that he had regarding this relationship as a "transaction".

Lin Yue didn't give Jack a chance to express his gratitude in a sentimental way, nor did he delve into who Campo was.

"Tell me about Mrs. Wells?"

Jack: "People in Heywood like to remember favors. Most of them are orphans, let alone a guy like me who kicked my abusive dad out the door after I grew some muscles—so my mom has helped them a lot. Plus, in the past few years, my mom has been doing some information and intelligence business in Heywood, so they'll give her some face." Lin Yue understood; it was indeed not much different from what he had thought.

In the original storyline, Jack Wells and V would go to the Azure Mansion, a building filled with blood-red alcove lanterns where Jack would lose his life. However, Mrs. Wells would still be able to snatch Jack's body from Arasaka's hands—it would be a lie to say she had no power, after all, the Wild Wolves had been operating in the not-so-safe Heywood for so many years… The underlying factors might not be as simple as the dogma that Valentino believed in.

However, Lin Yue remembered Jack's kindness, and Mrs. Wells was his family, so Lin Yue wasn't that petty.

Since even Mrs. Wells, with her considerable connections, couldn't resolve this matter, he could use his current manpower to cause trouble for the Night City Hall, but he needed a target.

After listening to Lin Yue's idea, Jack nodded.

"Yeah, I always had a feeling Mom knew who was behind that idiot, oh well—"

Once Jack's inner conflict was resolved, his thoughts became more active.

"Then I'll spend some time trying to find out who's behind this drug dealer. You've been busy lately, and V's been swamped too, I know—but try to come to Little Chinatown when you have some free time, preferably with you two, since Old V hasn't seen V in ages..."

Lin Yue smiled and nodded.

Before hanging up, he jokingly repeated, "Remember to pay the commission fee. If the company ever goes under, I can still act as a middleman in Night City."

Jack nodded repeatedly, "Of course, amigo!"

Lin Yue hung up the phone and let out a long sigh of relief. What was this feeling of mixed joy and worry?

The good thing is that Jack accepted him as a friend despite the pressure of the Valentino gang's values, but the bad thing is that he doesn't know how big Jack's trouble is... For now, he can only wait for news from Jack. However, Lin Yue didn't stay idle. Seeing that there was no time to sleep, he simply got up.

After changing my clothes, I called Roger, who was on my contact list.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered; it sounded like Roger was still asleep.

Before Rogge could ask.

Lin Yue's words reached her ears: "Could the renowned Queen of the Next Life please open the door during the day? My team members will be busy with some things in the morning, so I'll pick them up in the afternoon to confirm the details on your turf. You won't be unwelcome, will you?"

Roger sighed helplessly, "Damn...you're really well-informed. I was thinking of calling you tonight after I opened the door...don't people in your company sleep?"

Lin Yue vaguely remembered the first time Jenkins disturbed his sleep by calling him to go to the Arasaka Tower. At that time, he was also thinking that the Arasaka Tower was always brightly lit, so maybe he didn't need to sleep... Now it seems that the pressure of survival is the real culprit for the loss of sleep.

……
-
David got up very early.

As soon as he entered the living room, he found his mother asleep on the sofa, covered with a thick jacket. Not wanting to disturb her sleep, David picked up his shoes and tiptoed away from the skyscraper.

Familiar scenery, familiar city streets at night.

The smart pedestrian walkway that keeps ticking away; that guy sitting on the concrete handrail who almost knocks himself out from watching Mewtwo every day; the garbage heap that no one ever cleans up...

David stared at the time, jumped off the second-floor railing, landed in a pile of garbage, and headed towards Arasaka Academy with his hands in his pockets.

Everything was just right, and the tram was never late. David yawned as he looked at the diverse group of people on the train, most of whom were company employees. When they saw Arasaka Tower's school uniform, their bloodshot eyes even showed a hint of nostalgia.

David swung his leg, staring listlessly out the window, occasionally turning his head unconsciously—

There don't seem to be any girls with distinctive, pure white hair on the streets of Night City, or rather, there aren't any people with that kind of uniqueness.

Life progressed steadily like this, which was very reassuring.

David gradually came to understand that as long as his mother was alive and he studied hard, the future would surely be bright, wouldn't it? The only thing to worry about was Mr. Rin…

Like his mother, he deeply understood the value of kindness.

Of course, Mom seemed desperate for money, and that small medical company with its murky dealings with the cleaners was naturally squeezing every last drop of value out of its employees. It was already a miracle that she could even afford the exorbitant breach of contract fees…

He just wanted to calm down and study hard so that his mother could have an easier time.

"what?"

I arrived at Arasaka Academy around 10 a.m., when the sun was shining brightly. Unlike usual, Arasaka Academy had increased security today, and people were queuing up in two lines to enter and exit.

One group consisted of young men and women, just like David, while the other group seemed more like... street hustlers from Night City.
While it might be a bit of an exaggeration, David couldn't fathom what Arasaka Academy was up to with their kitschy outfits...

One guy in particular stood out.

He was over 1.8 meters tall, with a hunched back, long and thin limbs, a mohawk, and a patent leather vest covered in studs. His prosthetic eye was the kind of red eye that street kids love to show off... He was no different from those rock kids who sang growling.

David knew the principle of not looking around carelessly in Night City. That time, he caught sight of Miss V and almost got his brain hacked.

He swallowed hard, rested his head on his hands, and slowly waited for the line to move forward...

Just as David was lost in thought, he noticed that everyone in his team was looking at him curiously—

Confused for a moment, he turned around and found the strange man standing right next to him, almost face to face...

"I go!"

David was so frightened that he lunged forward.

The guy's voice was as awful as his appearance. "Strange, why does your face look so familiar?"

Just then, a clear female voice sounded.

"Pila... don't fucking cause me any trouble. Do you remember what he said?"

A nervous David raised his hand, his gaze shifting to the other side of the line. He noticed a short girl with pigtails, her hands in her pockets, veins throbbing near her temples, bare thighs, gritting her teeth as she spoke those words.

Pila clicked her tongue, smacked her lips, and went back.

The surrounding people were left whispering curiously...

……

……

　Ugh, working overtime is killing me!!!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)