Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 234 Shifting the Blame East and Hope

Few people have seen the door open in broad daylight.

Many street urchins dreaming of fame want to work for Roger, preferably the kind who make a huge splash and become famous, almost writing the entire drink menu. However, they all end up unable to get up because they drank too much at the bar the night before or overdosed on drugs.

That's why the saying "The next life only happens at dawn" is said on the streets of Night City; it's a rule of the Queen of the Next Life.

However, the truth is that as long as the quantity is sufficient, the next life will not only open during the day, but the queen of the next life will even help customers solve their problems during the day.

Rogge yawned as he watched the group of people file into the empty ballroom. Even the security guards from the Night City, who usually called these street kids "kids," addressed him as Mr. Rin.

"Ha... You seem to be late, the famous Dogtown Legend."

Roger crossed his legs, smoothed his signature side-parted long hair, and patted the seat next to him, gesturing for Lin Yue to sit down.

The people behind him were two individuals who had completed their professional certification through multiple exams, practical tests, and educational AI at Arasaka Academy.

As for the outcome, that's another story.

They are here now for Rin's top priority: confirming the ownership of the Watson District subsidiary. No one is going to joke around about this... Pila, who is usually lively or absent-minded, is no longer thinking about the Arasaka Academy exam. Instead, she sits obediently on the sofa furthest away, listening carefully to Roger and Rin's next arrangements.

Qiwei arrived in the afterlife first. At this moment, she was leaning against the corner of the private room, smoking silently. Her life seemed to place great importance on security. This was the first time she had met everyone since moving into the Watson District Logistics Company.

"Everyone's here, but some things took a while on the way."

Lin Yue didn't intend to explain. V had already gone to the company to investigate what Lin Yue was talking about. Only then did Lin Yue realize the importance of communication. Reminding V in a different way would really make the other party take the issues he raised very seriously.

As Roger smoked, he recounted what he had done over the past few days, the information he needed, and many other details, including how he had arranged these people.

"As everyone knows, being a prosecutor in Night City is no easy task."

"On the surface, you have to accept the public's supervision and act like a respectable person—but whether it's the company square or anywhere else, you have to deal with influential local figures."

Lin Yue: "For example?"

Roger tossed out a photo. “I don’t think I need to introduce this person. You’re from Arasaka. You probably know how many prosecutors there are in Night City, whether they’re male or female, and even their measurements… But forcing someone to accept your proposal isn’t like chasing a girl, so you have to bring out something tough.”

“Georgina, that’s right, she’s dedicated to making the gangsters in Night City pay the price, all while claiming she wants to give the citizens of Night City the right to walk freely on the streets in broad daylight.”

"Look at him, a true 'legal pioneer'!"

Lin Yue understood the sarcasm, so he patiently listened to Roger's words. However, he still had some thoughts. Roger, being based in Watson District, should have good relations with some gangs, right? Lin Yue couldn't quite remember which ones, since no matter how thoroughly he understood the world from his 'higher-dimensional perspective,' he would always overlook some information.

The human brain does not think in a way that machines retrieve data; association is the foundation of memory.

"The Vortex Gang has been keeping an eye on Georgina, this two-faced woman, for a long time. They have some information on her that should be able to help you."

Immediately afterwards, a recording was played from the speakers of the private room where music was being played.

Inside, a man and a woman are talking...

The man seemed drunk; his tongue was tied in knots.

“Joe, Georgina! The Sixth Street Gang has been working with you for a long time, and there are some things you need to help me with.”

The woman remained silent for a long while.

“The NCPD has been privatized. What are your people doing with kidnapping, murder, and selling drugs? I can help with the trial process, but you have to tell the NCPD that if it's a private prison, they can release you for any crime if you have enough money. If it's an NCPD prison, then disregard what I said.”

The man began to feel dissatisfied.

"Hey! Aren't you fucking talking nonsense?! The money should be spent on the right things. Do you want to hire a few bastards who drink, do drugs, roll their eyes, and only think about hanging out in clubs and acting tough? They have to be qualified first! Stop talking nonsense—to do it or not to do it? You're setting your sights on the seaside area, expecting us to come to your door and get the neighbors to vote you for councilor!"

"That guy who's only a few years older than you has already climbed up the ladder. Give him a few more years and he'll have some connection with the company, and we'll ruin you!"

Georgina seemed to be calling out to the people outside.

He was drunk.

This is all the recording I have; there's no guarantee the other party won't acknowledge it.

After all, in today's society, fabricating a recording doesn't require much skill. But Lin Yue's attention wasn't on whether the recording could be used to blackmail Georgina, which had a low success rate and high sunk costs. He was analyzing the usable parts of the information word by word.

The fact that the Sixth Street gang paid money to get people released proves that Georgina did a lot of this.

If you seize this crucial moment, Georgina will come begging to you to ask.

The moment Lin Yue and Luo Ge locked eyes, Lin Yue knew that this was exactly how this woman intended to do things.

"Luckily, a bunch of my friends in Watson know where those guys Georgina got out of trouble are, but they're all in Sixth Street gang territory. Your people can pick a few of the easier ones from there. Don't expect me to get any more information about those bastards; I'm not a mother raising children—"

"The middleman relies 30% on information and 70% on mercenaries. If you dare, I'll recommend someone for your team."

The man from the Sixth Street gang in the photo is dressed like a soldier, with his face covered by bulletproof fiber panels similar to those used by the Ghost Hounds. It's impossible to tell what kind of person he really is from that appearance.

Lin Yue glanced at the photo but didn't ask too many questions. Instead, he generously gestured for Roger to do things his way.

"There's a problem. This guy has a good relationship with the priest. He gave up some space in the Lijiang area, so the priest's people can wander around there freely. The less desirable Valley area is in their hands."

Priest?

Lin Yue frowned slightly.

All the middlemen in Night City seem to have their own areas of expertise. Regardless of their backgrounds, these individuals with their intricate connections wield considerable influence at the bottom of Night City's hierarchy. Some middlemen even dare to kidnap corporate dogs to avenge the homeless, and afterwards, the company can't do anything about it...

Seeing that Lin Yue remained silent, Roger said, "Alright, let's tie this man up and force him to vomit. Whether the priest is angry or not is a matter for someone of your status to consider. We—"

Lin Yue extended his hand.

"and many more."

Roger shrugged. "What's wrong?"

Lin Yue thought for a moment, then slowly said, "Roger, there's a saying in my hometown, 'We're all old foxes, why are we playing with ghost stories?'—are you sure you don't want to optimize the process again?"

Roger: "What fox?"

Rogge seems straightforward and bold, deserving of the title of Queen of Life, but if you fall into her trap, you won't even know when you've been used as a pawn... The priest is the middleman who controls a region in Night City in 2077. The conflict with him is to take advantage of Lin Yue's eagerness. In the future, if Rogge has any dealings with him, Lin Yue will essentially be on his side.

"The relationship between the Sixth Street gang and the priest is not a long-term one."

Lin Yue didn't pursue the matter further with Luo Ge, just in case the other party accused him of judging others by his own petty standards.
"This plan isn't bad enough, nor is it lethal enough. Let's find another one."

Lin Yue slowly completed the plan, "Find a guy who doesn't get along with the priest, tell him we've taken care of the person who's above him; the priest's made a fortune wandering around the Lijing area, let him take it back, and while we're at it, give him places like the Tani area... Just find some small-time thugs who don't know their own strength, the kind who drive up and ambush the priest." "Doesn't that clear Arasaka's name?"

At this moment, Roger felt a bit scared.

The smiling face of the guy in front of her made her unconsciously swallow.

That's right. Actually, her initial idea was to use Lin Yue to help another client solve a problem. Unexpectedly, Lin Yue pushed all the things that were not in his favor onto her and even shifted the conflict to the priest and the Sixth Street Gang!

After this extremely ruthless plan was explained, everyone in the team silently gave him a thumbs up.

"It's easy to find a thug who's about to urinate at a gunpoint, right? The priest will definitely be in a hurry to replace him and won't have time to check those things."

Roger clapped his hands a few times in a dry manner.

First, she felt helpless about losing a client, but didn't want to lose face in front of someone like Rin, so she could only vent her frustration by clapping her hands. Second, she genuinely felt that this guy deserved to have survived Dogville; he was strong enough and incredibly smart…

I can't believe this kind of person came from that wretched place, Dogtown!

That's right, Rogge will also look into people who are interested.

Previously, there were some rumors circulating in Night City about things happening online. Someone supposedly used the "Black Wall," a barrier of human civilization, to rip off the military in Dogtown. The second time, a group of Night City mercenaries and Arasaka caused several of them to suffer heavy losses.

From this perspective, the almost legendary deeds of the guy in front of me seem to actually match up with him.

"Alright, I have to go back to my vacation now. I hope everything goes well for you."

"Remember to call Falco, lest we have a bunch of Sixth Street gang soldiers following us around and we can't shake them off."

Lin Yue also understood one thing: since he had chosen the team to handle this matter, he would choose to trust them to the end. What he needed to do was find Georgina, invite her for a few drinks, and use gentle methods like V to resolve the 'trouble'.

Everyone who watched Lin Yue leave turned to look at Rogge.

"Okay, kids, your boss seems to be a difficult person to deal with, so let's make it look nicer?"

No one disagreed with this proposal.

Perhaps imperceptibly, the few legends of Night City who contribute to the company are undergoing transformation and being born in the muddy and complex street environment.

……

……

"Get up, it's time to eat."

Every day, Arasaka's security guards would remind the guests in the luxury rooms to eat in a calm and unchanging tone.

That's right, there are very few "prisons" like this in Night City.

Lucy got out of bed and silently stared at the exquisite meal placed in front of the soldier standing with his hands behind his back at the door.

She had lost count of how long she had been there. The place wasn't actually enclosed, and there was a bright view of Night City outside—but Lucy knew it was fake, a kind of near-holographic simulation technology.

The woman named V conducted a full scan of her external memories until she confirmed what she had taken from the Polish Arasaka branch, before leading her to this "cell".

"What should Arakasaka do?"

Lucy rarely had any other emotions.

Perhaps it's because they received even more brutal hacker training in Arasaka when they were young, spending almost every day online and eating only nutrient solutions, that the Night City branch seems much more humane in comparison.

She almost thought she was going to be killed or deported to Poland.

"I don't know, Miss Lusina. I suggest you don't ask me questions while you're eating."

Lucy's eyes were calm, showing not a trace of despair.

The security guard began patrolling the room, a necessary procedure to ensure the hacker hadn't tampered with anything dangerous that could cause unnecessary trouble.

"This is…"

The security guard reached onto the bed and saw a small bag that looked like "safety supplies," inside which was a hard, almost circular piece of material.

Mewtwo Core?

It seems that Miss Lucy is not idle; she also spends her time with Mewtwo every day.

Lucy's back to the security guard trembled involuntarily. She was terrified that this guy would use his authority to sever that last glimmer of hope—a dream about a trip to the moon.

It's a super original film that a famous director personally etched onto it all the feelings he had on the moon.

It's beautiful, and the map is huge. The reason Lucy can withstand all of this is because of the hope that bright planet gave her.

"Eat well."

The security guard didn't intend to make things difficult for him any further. Instead, he tossed the Mewtwo Core onto the bed. He was one of the soldiers who followed Suzuki, and he had been asked to take care of this young hacker.

Suzuki rarely did things out of personal motives, but perhaps Lucy's questions made this loyal samurai waver a little, and he gave her some help within the bounds of his duty.

Lucy exhaled and chewed a little faster.

The security guard watched her finish eating and was just about to reach for the plate when the girl in front of him looked as if she'd seen a ghost—

The security guard, who had turned his head away, quickly stood aside. "Minister V."

V glanced at the plate with a few crumbs left on it. "Good appetite, Lucy."

Lucy's nightmares, besides Arasaka, revolve around this beautiful yet extremely aggressive woman in front of her... Every time she appears, her situation worsens.

V wasn't there to pry into anything further. She sized up the girl for a long time, and just as the girl's expression was about to lose control, she said, "Your money."

money?
Lucy looked bewildered.

V pushed a money chip that belonged to her in front of her, saying, "One thing at a time. Your problem has been investigated. This is the money you earned for working for Arasaka. You can go wherever you want."

"However, some sensitive areas, and areas that have diplomatic relations with Arasaka and Night City officials, require our people to provide full escort."

……

(End of this chapter)