Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 239 Life is Like Wild Grass (Part 3)

Suzuki's leather shoes left a slight mark on the ground.

"Lord Rin."

Holding a dagger in one hand and carrying the drug addict who had already wet his pants in the other, Lin Yue looked around. One after another, the people from the lower class who had been hiding under the stalls and various neon signs came out, and they had a subtle tendency to press forward. This made Suzuki, an employee in the company's security department, feel uneasy.

He slowly backed away, wondering if it was just his imagination, but the buildings around the Japanese-style street seemed never to have been this tall. The floating cars and dynamic holographic images above basked in all the sunlight, while the people around them were just as disheveled as the surrounding clutter…

The boundary was so clear, it was as if he and Rin had sunk to the bottom of a quagmire.

His innate alertness made him think that a popular uprising was about to break out here...

As a soldier who had suppressed the collection of crop cultivation taxes from biotechnology companies in Japan, he had seen far too many similar looks, filled with hatred and anger.

"damn it…"

Suzuki tried to disperse the demons, but Lin Yue stopped him with a look.

Perhaps Lin Yue had never experienced such gazes before; he simply assumed that the neighbors wanted to see how the Tiger Claw Gang's henchmen were dealt with.

So he merely glanced around, seemingly unconcerned, letting the people slowly gather around him. Instead, he focused his attention on the scraps in his hand.

Lin Yue gently placed the blade against the man's collarbone, his tone mild, "Who's your boss?"

Even a fool could see that the god of death Suzuki was completely obedient to this young man. Yoshikawa had never heard of such a strong guy on the streets, and no other gang would have such a ruthless character.

"A company dog?!"

Yoshikawa's shrill voice, filled with fear, sounded as if a giant hand had grabbed his neck: "Arasaka!!!"

An Asian face, a cybernetic body whose model is hard to discern, a samurai who moves without hesitation... Yoshikawa couldn't understand why such a strong company employee would be eating at this critical moment. He also never imagined that such an ostentatious car driven by the thugs outside would be driven by a rigid company dog.

The mere mention of the name "Arakasa" caused the Japanese street residents who were about to gather around to suddenly stop in their tracks.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and some of the more timid children had already crawled back behind the miscellaneous items...

Compared to the Tiger Claw Gang, Arasaka's name was more dangerous to them.

"Is it from the company...?"

There was a murmur.

Even the grieving father stopped sobbing and stared blankly at the young man beside him.

How can a company that makes even a grieving father afraid to cry not be a tragedy?
However, most people looked at Lin Yue and Suzuki with curiosity. Even a three-year-old in Night City knew that Arasaka loved to hire the Tiger Claw Gang to deal with enemies—what was going on now? Could it be that the company was here to settle scores with these people?
Suzuki was somewhat worried.

These are turbulent times, and Lord Rin is in such a state...

Even if it was a choice made out of kindness, it seems that Lady Rin didn't consider the trouble that would follow.

Unexpectedly, at this critical juncture, Lin Yue not only did not hide his company identity, but also smiled broadly, revealing a row of neat teeth.

Since his first visit to Arasaka, the Tiger Claw Gang had made a fool of themselves in front of him more than once or twice, so he naturally had to make good use of this opportunity.

"You're really smart, Yoshikawa."

As he spoke, the sharp, silver-white blade pierced Yoshikawa's collarbone. "But you haven't answered my question yet, and you're in for a beating."

Yoshikawa thought to himself: What the hell!
The junior manager had no idea why a company employee would care about the death of a child.
But clearly, the other party wasn't going to give him that time to think.

The pain of the knife tearing through his fascia and skin made him tremble like a leaf. "Damn! That was just... an accident!"

"I swear!"

Lin Yue nodded noncommittally, but his hands did not stop moving.

He felt that the Tiger Claw Gang under Wakako's control was going backwards.

A group of Japanese gangs had practically turned Japantown, one of the most densely populated areas, into what it is today. If he hadn't witnessed it, it might not have affected him so much.

But when the bloody reality unfolded before his eyes, Lin Yue couldn't escape the moral dilemma at all.

Sometimes he really misses the time when AI cleansed his memories.

In that state, one experiences almost no pain and has absolutely no empathy.

But that's where the complexity and difficulty of human beings lie, especially in a system like Night City that's already terminally ill, where morality is subjected to a thousand tortures.

A kid who just wanted to earn some money for bus fare, who couldn't even tell that the Tiger Claw Gang was a thuggish force that exploited them, died at the hands of a little boss he had grown accustomed to, at the hands of the force he admired.

Thinking and thinking...

Lin Yue's expression suddenly changed.

He changed the direction of the knife in his hand and began to stab downwards. If he had known that this would happen today, he would have preferred that the car be scratched by a bunch of brats who were completely unsupervised at the bottom of society.

"what!"

The pain caused Yoshikawa's vision to go black, and he almost fainted.

"I said, answer the question."

The handsome man's tone carried a chilling undertone to Yoshikawa's ears.

Lin Yue seems to have his own understanding of torture.

Seeing that Yoshikawa was about to succumb to the pain, he casually turned the nebulizer he had taken from Yoshikawa to its maximum output and slammed it hard into the face of the screaming man.

"Damn it!"

The muffled, terrifying sound, masked by the atomizer, sent chills down the spines of the surrounding crowd who wanted to see these damned bastards die…

The anger in my heart over the child's death dissipated somewhat, and I even felt a little sympathy for Yoshikawa and the Tiger Claw gang members who had been hacked to pieces and were already dead.

Lin Yue was willing to bet that this was the best form of punishment.

The sparkling light invigorates, but doubles the pain.

This completely broke Yoshikawa, leaving him unable to utter a complete sentence. His trembling lips could only utter faint Japanese words, "Oya (a term used in Japanese guilds to refer to the group leader or boss, similar to a father figure)..."

But I just can't say that guy's name.

"Han Shangjun... his boss is this person."

The father, seemingly unable to bear the inhuman screams any longer, held his child's corpse, bowed slightly, and spoke timidly.

When Lin Yue's gaze met his, he could only try his best to keep his head down, and even so he still said intermittently, "Please let him go, sir... you have already done enough."

let go?

Lin Yue glanced at Yoshikawa, who was panting like a dog, and his expression became somewhat complicated.

"Did the Tiger Claw Gang let you go?"

Yoshikawa looked at the chef, his pale face filled with pleading.

The chef tightened his grip on the child.

“Yoshikawa is right. I found this child. Things like this happen all the time in this city… You’re a company guest, don’t you know that?”

"They all say the company is full of heartless scum, they're ruthless when it comes to selling people out, they're more vicious than a gang..."

The chef glanced at Lin Yue.

“But I don’t know why you killed them. If it was out of kindness and remorse, I could feel it… Please don’t continue.” He lowered his head heavily as he spoke.

Lin Yue sighed, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Only Suzuki, who had experienced this firsthand, had a complex expression on his face.

You can save someone temporarily, but not forever; that's just how the world is.

Although Lin Yue had a compassionate heart, he knew these Tiger Claw Gang members all too well. The chef's kindness would never earn him the mercy of these bastards, so…

His black prosthetic hand gripped the dagger tightly, piercing the man's chest completely. Yoshikawa let out muffled sobs and kicked wildly, like slaughtering a lamb. Only after the heavy breathing stopped did Lin Yue toss him aside.

The chef was stunned for a long time, then seemed to understand something. He nodded slightly, holding the child's body as if his spine had collapsed.

at the same time--

The food and garbage vendors who had been watching started to move. Suzuki's tense nerves prompted him to instinctively point his knife at them. The guy who had just walked over seemed to be startled... but he still slightly bent his knees, staring at Suzuki while reaching out to pull the corpse of a Tiger Claw Gang member from the ground.

Someone started it, and soon everyone came up. Some began dragging the corpses aside, while others picked up the debris that had fallen to the ground…

Wow!
The woman carrying the bucket splashed water on the ground, and the blood was washed away by the clear but strangely smelly river water. The men dismantled the valuable prosthetic bodies of the Tiger Claw Gang members, and the women and children cleaned up the bloodstains on the ground.

Everything was in perfect order, as easy as cleaning up after a party.

What saddened Lin Yue was that these people showed no fear of corpses, only a numb indifference as if they were used to them.

The bodies were turned over and put into the trash cans one by one. Anyway, after being covered by kitchen waste, these bodies would be taken away by garbage trucks and buried in the mine before the stench could be smelled anymore—that was also the direction to the Night City columbarium.

Lin Yue and Suzuki exchanged a glance, seemingly lost in thought.

There was a sound of footsteps.

Lin Yue turned his head to look at the side, where the child who had been hanging out with Xiao Qi earlier was holding something in her dark hand.

Lin Yue opened his palm and felt something cold being placed on it. It was a finger, with a ring bearing the Tiger Claw Gang's totem on it. Mid-level members of the gang all wore this small accessory.

He examined the ring closely, while those around him could be faintly heard weeping.

The little girl ran away, and the neighbors turned back to their own business, as if nothing had happened...

If the chef hadn't been holding the child's corpse, Lin Yue would have thought that what he had just experienced was a simulated memory created by AI.

“I’ve never seen a customer like you before…” the father swung his legs as he stood up. “The neighbors all say the company is full of greedy, heartless bastards who don’t treat people like human beings—”

"But... thank you."

The father didn't know what to do with his child's body either. "If you're alright, leave as soon as possible... Westbrook's high-society district, the corporate plaza is where you belong. And don't cause trouble for the Tiger Claws. You're a good person... really."

Even after the chef disappeared into the chaotic street scene, Lin Yue was still in a daze.

After hesitating for a moment, Suzuki reminded him, "Sir, let's go."

Once they were in the car, the two fell silent.

Time has passed, and so has his mindset. The first time he ate ramen, a member of the Tiger Claw Gang slashed at the counter with his knife. At that time, he still had the eyes of a spectator, as if this world was a holographic game world, rather than a cruel exploitation of unarmed people.

"Lord Rin, if I may be so bold... your earlier statement about seeking out the leader of the Tiger Claw Gang was truly inappropriate."

Suzuki said quietly.

Humans are creatures of duality and complexities. He was a samurai carefully trained by Arasaka, and countless enemies died at his hands. Yet, his compassion for a farmer led him into a difficult situation.

Everyone knows the relationship between the Tiger Claw Gang and Arasaka. At this critical juncture, Lin Yue is no longer within Arasaka's sphere of influence. Openly demanding justice for a child and incurring the gang's hostility would only cause bigger trouble.

Perhaps the young man behind him had stood there for too long, groping his way to survival for too long, which prevented him from truly seeing the essence of this world.

The weather outside the car window didn't seem so pleasant either; it was gloomy and overcast.

Seeing that Lin Yue remained silent, Suzuki gripped the steering wheel tightly and turned it around. He was determined to teach this young Arasaka executive, who was not even as old as him, the lessons he had learned.

"This is the street. Look at those NCPD officers, they make deals with gangs; people die in gang fights every day in the alleys, Mewtwo, drug addiction, rampant guns—"

“But you and I were involved in all of this, Lord Rin.”

Lin Yue's brows furrowed slightly, but then relaxed as if he had given up.

He knew what Suzuki was referring to: when he made a deal with the new NCPD director, it meant that the city's laws and human rights protections had been traded away as assets that could be sold.

It seemed the truth wasn't bloody enough, and Suzuki, who was always cautious in his words, had no intention of stopping there.

“We’re all executioners… Lady Rin.”

In the rearview mirror, the gaze of the veteran, who was two cycles older than Lin Yue and had fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, met that of the young, ambitious man.

"Haven't you already accepted it all? Then why are you still suffering over it? I thought you were already prepared for this on the top floor of dark matter."

Is Dogtown really any better than here?

This was the first time Lin Yue had fallen silent in the face of Suzuki's blunt and honest words since he came into this world.

Yes, they were all selfish people who only cared about survival, so what right did they have to mourn?

Suzuki had long realized that his superior was actually a kind person, which didn't contradict his ruthless killing of enemies. Whether it was sponsoring the poor student Arasaka, helping the squad, or showing support and understanding to his subordinates as a superior...

The tragedy he witnessed firsthand often shattered his carefully constructed mental defenses. Perhaps he just needs to learn to experience and accept the reality of life at the bottom.
Just when Suzuki thought his words had hit the nail on the head—

The young man in the back seat laughed.

"Suzuki, you've gone astray. When did you become like V, using the company's logic to distort these concepts? There's a famous saying you should always remember: no one will pat themselves on the chest and claim to be a good person."

"A gentleman is judged by deeds, not by heart."

“Playing games involves rules, and we adapt to those rules, but that doesn’t mean we accept the rules set by the strong… Judging yourself morally is the worst thing you can do, Suzuki.”

"In my opinion, the Tiger Claw Gang are inhuman beasts. Targeting children is an unforgivable act at any time, isn't it?"

Suzuki was stunned after hearing this.

The young man's arrogant face emerged from between the seats. "Don't let the burden of changing the world weigh you down. It's bad to underestimate yourself, but it's not good to overestimate yourself either."

"I just want to teach these Tiger Claw Gang members to follow the rules, is that not allowed?"

Suzuki's expression was blank. This rigid samurai, raised on dogma, had paid the price for kindness, which was why he was so cautious.

As he spoke, Lin Yue lit a cigarette. "If my conscience has to be tormented, wouldn't I go crazy? We've used the company to threaten prosecutors and other company personnel..."

clap clap!

Lin Yue patted the chair. "No need to check where Wakako is. There's a pinball shop on Twisted Street. There might be a half-dead old man sitting at the door."

Suzuki was surprised at where Rin had learned all this.

Little did he know that Lin Yue, who knew this world to the core, could find that shop on Twisted Street with his eyes closed, and of course, the one leaning against the plaza fence... cough cough.

"Let's go. Use this finger as a stepping stone, and while we're at it, find out which Tiger Claw Gang leader Xintian is most familiar with... I haven't repaid this old friend for the gift yet."

Suzuki said "Understood," and the car, which was originally going to drive back to Watson District, suddenly swerved and disappeared into the Asian-style urban architecture that resembled stacked blocks.

……

……

(End of this chapter)