Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 254 The Child's Victory (Part 1) [7.1K]

My name is Suzuki Takeyoshi.

As far back as I can remember, my home was on a flat area between two mountains. When I was little, I loved chasing dragonflies along the riverbank, running around like crazy, and then sitting breathlessly on the edge of the field doing nothing.

Of course, there are annoying insects in the rice paddies, but that doesn't matter, since there are plenty of beneficial insects that eat them.

My father was a farmer. I remember him sitting on the shiny black mud wooden steps (where people change shoes in rural Japanese houses) with his back to me, gently tapping the mud off his clogs before dawn.

He was afraid of waking me and my four siblings, so he always used his broad palms as a hard object to knock off the dirt. The soft sound of his palm hitting the wood was the first alarm clock I ever used.

"Ah, you're awake, boss."

He liked to stare at me with a smile. After changing his shoes, he would suddenly pat my head, then take a deep breath, stand up, and carry his hoe to the field.

Perhaps because I am his biological son, I, like him, have a deep attachment to the land.

That earthy, pungent smell is the most resilient and hopeful thing in the world.

I like skipping classes.

Of course, it wasn't exactly a classroom. It was run by a short, stout man who supposedly had been to Kyoto and seen the world. He would collect one-fiftieth of each household's harvest to teach the village children to read.

"Why didn't you learn to read?"

The father wiped his sweat; despite his mischievous child, he still wore a gentle smile.

Perhaps it was because I was too dull when I was young, or perhaps it was because the neighbor's child was often scolded by his drunken father, but I have an almost innate fear of the role of the father.

"You like this?"

The father brandished his hoe.

I scooped up a handful of damp soil and expressed my likes and dislikes for the first time.

"That's it..."

The father kept his head down and continued working in the fields.

Because I casually mentioned my dream to my friends at school, but it only earned me ridicule.

"You blockhead, you actually like farming!"

"Idiot! Idiot!"

They insulted me like that.

So your father will probably be disappointed.

To my surprise, my father continued to speak in his usual gentle tone while vigorously digging into the ground: "Eldest son, there's nothing wrong with liking the land, and being a farmer is great too. After all... it's the foundation of a person's life."

That was the first time in my childhood that I received recognition and a kind of affirmative support.

I thought I would only remember a third of the lessons taught by my teachers, and then carry a hoe to continue planting sweet rice that could be made into rice cakes. That was the life I wanted.

When I grew as tall as the tree by the door, the one my father could easily reach out and pick oranges from...

That dream has now come to a complete end.

I heard a long time ago that the arable land in our village was to be planted with wheat, supposedly at the government's request.

I love ramen, especially the broth my mother makes; it tastes amazing.

But ever since that news came, my father no longer sits at the door every morning tapping the mud off his wooden clogs as he used to.

That was the first time I saw my father smoke, and the first time I saw him without a smile on his face.

……

"That's the company! Please... don't go."

That day I took a nap. The noise in the afternoon was extremely loud. I noticed my mother crying and pulling at his trouser leg, while my father was holding something that looked like a rolled-up magazine.

Later I learned that it was called a big-character poster, something that the helpless used to replace their hoarse voices.

Father still passed away.

The village was still quiet, but the little river that meandered through the low-lying area no longer had dragonflies, it smelled strange, and the rice was dead—I never saw what that oddly named wheat was called.

Yes, it's called Alcohol 2 wheat.

Like the crop itself, my father never appeared again.

……

"Your name! Rookie!"

"Takeyoshi Suzuki!"

The instructor locked onto me like a hawk, and I realized I had answered the question wrong.

"You think you're the most special one? You couldn't even survive the prosthetic experiment—trash."

"Alright, you can lie down now."

Then I obediently lay down on the ground, letting the heavy military boots step on my back.

"Your name!"

"Arasaka 1001".

I endured the pain, and even though my mouth was full of blood, I kept answering.

Memories of military life are simple, the environment is simple, even the climate is simple. Hokkaido seems to only have summer and winter, and the winter is exceptionally long.

Aside from the unbearably itchy chilblains on my feet in winter, everything else was just a bunch of trivial, annoying things.

In short, I became the role model and synonym for excellence in the eyes of those guys.

What I care about is not the honors in the military camp, nor the generous bonuses, but my mother's attitude.

I lied to her.

When my hometown could no longer support us, I decided to go to other cities to survive. But the outside world was more complicated than I had imagined. We, from a small village, were like disconnected primitives, and there was nothing I could do.

So I chose the simplest way; I've always been the kind of person who doesn't like to think.

My mother always thought I was doing manual labor in some city and earning a good income, but she never expected that I would enlist in the army and go to Arasaka.

and so…

In the earthen room where my father used to put on his shoes, when my mother saw the military medal on my chest, her expression was just like when she begged my father not to leave that day.

Finally, my younger sister saw me off at the village entrance.

I can't remember anything, except for the burning pain on my face; my mother hit me.

"That's the murderer who killed your father! Why?"

I was confused by that statement.

I have no answer to that either.

“Brother, I’m keeping all this money for you. The village is barely able to grow some food thanks to the donations from the homeless and the pesticides they use to clean it. Also, my sister has married into a good family.”

"Here, if you ever get married, please be sure to send me a photo."

"Please remember, brother."

……

People say that once you're over thirty, you'll understand many things, and that's what the veterans of Arasaka say.

However, I didn't seem to feel anything at all.

I looked at the girl in my wallet; that was my lover, her name was Yuko.

It was a photo of the two of us. We didn't receive any blessings from anyone. She was a girl from a working-class family in Tokyo. I saw her during a chance check-up of her prosthetic body, where she was helping the doctor.

I really hope my sister received my photo.

Sometimes, the more people crave stability, the easier it is for them to lose it.

The only lucky thing about turning thirty is that we have our own child.

From then on, there was only unease and misfortune.

"First team, hold on!"

The crowd was violently ramming against the riot shields in front of us. I saw people shouting themselves hoarse, holding up big-character posters and banners, exactly the same ones my father was holding.

Their faces were contorted with anger, as if we were a bunch of heinous bastards.

The sound of flesh impacting the bulletproof shield was very loud, and by the time I arrived, the situation was already out of control.

Behind it are the facilities, which contain a large area of ​​wheat crops... Ah, that's right, the kind of wheat called Alcohol 2.

"1001!"

"exist!"

Muscle memory snapped me out of my daze; someone was calling me.

"Crossing the warning line will be considered an attack on company assets, which is a necessary condition for government-permitted retaliation! Do you understand?"

I really hesitated that time.

"Uh…"

"Are you planning to let these homeless people rush in and let Arasaka's money go down the drain? What's the point of Arasaka paying you guys for? Answer me!"

Again... answer me.

I hate this way of asking questions.

"Yes!"

I had to reply that the company's internal vetting process in Japan is more rigorous than anywhere else, and they fear potential threats lurking among the crowd.

Homeless people, trash, thugs.

That's what they all called this group of people who were rebelling against the company.

"Raise the gun!"

I suppressed my emotions and did it even though my forehead was covered in cold sweat.

The person who gave the order was not me, but the supervisor.

I held up my gun. The woman in front of me was about the same age as my sister. Maybe... if I could go home, my sister would probably look like this.

My gun calmed her down a bit; she just stared at me blankly.

Like a deer in an illustrated book.

But just when I thought they would come to their senses without me having to pull the trigger, the fear in the girl's eyes gradually transformed into something I couldn't understand.

Yes, that thing is called hatred, and it's also in a mother's eyes.

The impact of the crowd became even more intense.

I had no idea what to do next, because no one in the military camp had taught me how to point a gun at these people.

I really wish someone would come and take care of this place, I really do...

When the riot shields began to give way, shots were fired.

That wasn't done by my men or any other Arasaka soldiers. On the contrary—my subordinate fell right before my eyes. The guy who fired the shot had obvious prosthetic markings on his face and the symbol of a wanderer painted on his bare arm.

He looks a lot like me.

The younger brother that my sister doesn't want to talk about is here.

"Fire!"

I've seen that scene before; when my father harvested rice, the stalks under his sickle were so fragile.

It wasn't until someone dropped a gun next to me that I snapped out of my daze and ordered the guy who had given the order to fire to quickly walk up to me.

"Suzuki, just wait until the counterintelligence department deals with you!"

whatever.

No matter what.

That was my first thought.

but…

"Think about your wife. I've heard she's also in Arasaka. You know what I mean, don't you?"

wallet?

Why is my wallet in his hands?
So I took it back as if I were stealing something.

I bet I was glaring at him with hatred.

"Now, you have a chance. Take your men and find a way to capture anyone in the vicinity who is connected to these people. The company will be grateful to you, and we will be saved. This matter ends here."

My first failure in life came too quickly.

"Yes."

That's how I answered.

……

"Suzuki Takeyoshi, we suspect you of involvement in espionage against Arasaka. You are suspended from your post and are under investigation."

"And then, is there anything you'd like to say?"

I shook my head.

“My men were attacked by a group of vagrants, and I participated in the counterattack.”

I've noticed that there's always a group of self-important guys in the company who think they can expose everyone's secrets and torment each other with their arrogant attitude, but obviously I'm not that weak.

"Think of your wife."

I have to thank the company.

When the other person says something like that, my response remains the same.

But I will remember the family's shocked and grateful expressions when I pushed them out.

Will.

His wife lost her job, and Arasaka confiscated her implants and froze her accounts.

I saw her again a year later.

Yuko is a strong woman; nothing can defeat her. "Suzuki, the child can talk now. Yesterday, he was doing simple addition, saying one plus one equals three."

I guess Yuko must be too tired. What kind of child is so stupid? But even if a child is stupid, I still want to see her.

"So it seems I've found the reason why I'm bad at math. I've been getting things like one plus one wrong."

I wanted to encourage her, and by the way... I guess it was a bit of a joke.

But her fingers, which had been injured from repairing her prosthetic body, pressed tightly against the back of my hand.

Yuko just stared straight at me.

"No, Suzuki, you did nothing wrong."

……

I hate the young people sitting in the office at the company.

I have protected many companies with such powerful figures, and without exception, they all exhibit the same superficial appearance.

An expensive suit, a handsome face, but an empty soul.

The first news I received after being released was that my problems had been investigated and I could say that I got back what I used to have, but I was punished for dereliction of duty and was no longer among the elite members of the Arasaka headquarters.

It's more reasonable to call it a stain.

Warriors like us with military merits are usually assigned to various management levels within the company as security officers, but my problem is clearly bigger; headquarters can no longer tolerate me.

So they dumped me, with my less-than-impressive resume, in a terrible city in North America, and made me the security director for a ministerial-level person.

For the first time, I felt that following a minister-level figure was pointless.

In addition, this guy named Rin is too young.

Like all children raised in corporate families, his methods seemed to have been taught beforehand: a major purge, and I was responsible for some of the dirty work.

What bothered me was the slight pause this guy made when he saw my resume.

I had considered all sorts of possibilities: anger, cursing, maybe saying, 'Why did you put the trash here?'... But none of that happened. He asked my wife about some household matters.

He seemed to be pointing fingers at me, telling me that I had to be loyal, or my family would become a bargaining chip.

That's all I can think of.

However, the cybernetics on his body were terrifying. I had never seen a cybernetics structure like that on any other guy at headquarters. Later I learned that he had been through the ordeal of death.

Perhaps because I haven't worked for so long, I'm very proactive and enjoy it immensely.

And when he never seemed to pay much attention to me, maybe my good luck was finally coming, at least I'd get a decent boss.

But sometimes the company is dangerous.

I still remember the time his cyber expert was harassed by the special operations department. My gut feeling is that Rin might just be going to get himself into trouble here.

Because it was Special Operations Director Abernathy who was involved, the security services couldn't handle this... absolutely.

I think I must be crazy. When I looked into the eyes of his security chief, I saw the same look in the eyes of that girl behind the shield that day—hatred, anger, and pleading for help.

Besides, Rin lost.

I will definitely lose too.

So I took action...

When Abernathy's head rolled across the board table in Arasaka, I learned for the first time what "winning by doing nothing" meant—a trendy new term in the city.

The most brilliant investment is nothing more than this.

We've been through a lot, and I've helped him a lot. Although I've always used my sense of duty as an excuse, I know that's not actually my motivation.

It was a rare display of respect.

He almost never used an insulting word on me, and I received more respect from him than anywhere else—from my wife, from my father, he was the same kind of person.

Perhaps being young isn't such a bad thing.

With his big moves in Arasaka, I knew that some things I shouldn't know were brewing. All I could do was wait and respond with my actions.

The incident in Dogtown was huge…

It was so big that we all thought Rin was doomed.

If it weren't for Ms. V's protection, the security department would have been quickly devoured—no, perhaps they were afraid of the person behind Rin, the only male heir of the Arasaka family, Arasaka Yorinobu.

That period was truly agonizing.

Fortunately, it's all over now, and even in that situation, he still woke up.

I guess Rin will climb even higher this time, and it might be easy for her to get into the board of directors, so... will I still be able to take charge of security activities in a higher position?
Maybe not.

While I was feeling uneasy, he made a choice that almost I couldn't accept: he wanted to leave Arasaka temporarily.

But when I heard his tone, I wasn't surprised.

He is tired.

Maybe I should change positions and go to the counterintelligence department? I don't know why I'm having these wild thoughts. Maybe I'm afraid of losing what I've worked so hard for, and that I'll never have this kind of respect again.

Oh my god, I'm so confused.

Just when I was feeling extremely lost about the future,
Rin looked at me and said, "You did nothing wrong regarding the matter with Japan."

Thunder roared in my head!

My first thought was that he was testing me. Anyone could say such things, but it could never be the club president, Arasaka, who would be tantamount to betrayal.

But... with his abilities, he probably knows a lot of details, right?
Because I never expected that the document was taken and given to him by Lai Xuan, and all my "glorious deeds" were on it.

When I heard that sentence.

I felt as if I could see that rice paddy, the peaceful countryside, and the life I had abandoned once again.

Perhaps even Lady Rin feels helpless about this kind of world?
I'm betting that Rin-sama is a living, breathing person, not just a company employee.

Clearly, he, like Yuko, is a human being with flesh and blood.

“Father, look, although I have lost a part of my life and lost the land, I… am trying to win.”

So when someone tries to ruin my dreams, to destroy what I will do next that will inspire and excite me.

I will draw my sword without hesitation!

……
-
Wow!

Lin Yue didn't even blink the moment the blade was drawn.

He wouldn't take any precautions against Suzuki's attack; instead, he was focused on the movements of the other security personnel.

"Please step back!"

Suzuki gently placed one hand on Rin's chest, his tall frame blocking his superior's path.

Lin Yue's prosthetic eye had already displayed the intrusion interface of the network access module, and he was trying to find the first person who dared to make a move.

hateful…

Why now?

Suzuki had no idea why Rin had betrayed him in this situation, but he would not stand idly by; it was a necessary measure!
The company's security team rushed in immediately.

Those who had followed Lai Xuan for so long were more cautious than one might expect when going out…

"About fifty security soldiers, our men—"

Suzuki glanced at the security personnel rushing in and recited all the information he had memorized.

"Suzuki Takeyoshi! What are you doing?!"

Xu Zhi seems to be born with a fiery temper; I remember last time at the board meeting, he was the one who pointed his finger at a shareholder and yelled at him…

Suzuki brought only a few people, all of whom stood at the base of the wall behind Lin Yue, ten in total.

Clearly, the current situation makes them hesitant to take any action, even if they have realized what's happening...

"Lord Rin, please tell me what you want to do?"

Suzuki was frantically muttering to himself, but his expression grew even colder.

"Want to make a move, Assistant Xu?"

Lin Yue's voice came from behind Suzuki.

Most of the Arasaka soldiers who rushed in immediately regained their senses...

Minister Rin, the instigator of the chaos in Dogtown, is also known by some soldiers to have a specially made cybernetic body that allows him to single-handedly contend with the Dogtown army and the Terrorist Mobile Squad.

"hacker…"

Xu Zhi frowned, his hand gently resting on the back of the chair.

"Rin, do you intend to take this company from Lord Lai Xuan? Have you thought about the consequences?"

He then looked at the soldiers Suzuki had brought.

"Want to go against Arasaka? Think it through—"

Suzuki stared intently at the other person. "Don't listen to them. Remember why you're here! Do you think... Arasaka will let you go? Do you really believe such naive talk?"

Xu Zhi, who was interrupted, was clearly caught off guard.

Those were Arasaka soldiers carefully selected by Suzuki himself, but he also knew how to get them to choose better places.

"There's no need for such lies about who you're loyal to. You should know in your hearts how the minister has treated you, right? How did the internal audit team control you in the Arasaka campus before? And how much money went into their pockets?"

"Besides, do you even have family?"

then…

bass!
The first katana was drawn, and everyone else raised their weapons.

Xu's face turned completely black.

Lai Xuan, you've misjudged him!
Sure enough, it's not just empty talk that people are willing to abandon everything when faced with huge profits.

"If you dare let other companies know that you are Respectable Logistics and the biggest beneficiary of Dogtown, then keep talking nonsense."

Lin Yue's voice was light and airy.

Immediately afterwards——

He said to Suzuki, "Stop talking nonsense. He's dragging reinforcements to get here. Adam's Hammer is in Night City."

Suzuki felt a pang of anxiety upon hearing the name.

Xu Zhi knew something was wrong!

Lin Yue's bloodshot eyes immediately fixed on him!
In Lin Yue's eyes, the RAM required for Xu Zhi's cracking was extremely high, presumably because he had installed an extremely excellent ICE. But strangely, after he pushed the computing power to its peak, he only used the "Prosthetic Body Malfunction".

This quick crack is actually hard to be fatal, but Lin Yue stacked a lot of stacks, which caused Xu Zhi's ICE to be cracked immediately!

A jolt of electricity flashed from beneath his suit.

"Make your move! That guy's prosthetic body is faulty!"

To Lin Yue's surprise, this guy didn't show any signs of pain. Instead, he looked at him with a cold gaze and even gritted his teeth, ordering his subordinates to attack him!

Lin Yue paused for a moment, then lowered his gaze.

No wonder Lai Xuanyong reacted like that; he's nothing like the incompetent board members of the Arasaka board…

"Take action! Protect Assistant Xu!"

"屮!"

Through Lin Yue's prosthetic eye, the Arakawa ninja brought by Xu Zhi suddenly leaped up from the opposite side of this spacious room!

Lin Yue, who had originally intended to use the black wall to kill the company personnel who were trying to disrupt today's meeting, now had to deal with these Arasaka ninjas first.

however.

Suzuki's men acted immediately!

The dense barrage of bullets instantly brought the two charging ninjas to their knees. The leader of the group who broke through was clearly a supervisor-level figure in Xu's security team. He immediately used his blade to sever the head of a soldier who was trying to raise his knife to block!
Lin Yue made a rough estimate.

This guy's movement speed is very likely around 12 reaction points; he's quite a talent...

The samurai, his body twisting strangely, pointed his katana directly at Lin Yue!

His face beneath the tactical mask was expressionless, because Xu Zhi had told him that this guy was a humanoid weapon!
when!
Suzuki realized that Rin was about to make a move against a few board members, and in an instant, he drew his blade from his side and collided head-on with Xu Zhi's security chief!
Intense sparks flew as the thin blades rubbed together!
The sound of toothache reverberated through Lin Yue's ears!

"Good block!"

Lin Yue's prosthetic eye immediately locked onto the first supervisor who tried to undermine the discussion of the plan, using the Black Wall to quickly break through!
"what!"

A scream, accompanied by a stutter, rang out instantly!
The man's terrifying voice, as if his soul were being ripped from his body, stunned even the soldiers beside him who were firing their guns.

"Black...black wall!"

Soldiers and company members recognized him.

"Oh shit!"

The guy whose prosthetic program had been destroyed by the black wall knelt straight down on the ground.

Lin Yue knew this wasn't the end of it, because he had to pay an equal price to someone!

The red and black color inside the prosthetic eye somewhat obstructed his vision, so Lin Yue extended a jet-black finger and began calling out names as if to give instructions!

Xu Zhi was held down by the soldiers, and he knew that sticking his head out would mean certain death.

Lin Yue simply moved his finger slightly!
It instantly locked onto Fujino, who was standing blankly by the conference table...

Just as Lin Yue was about to make a move, a soldier rushed over and tackled Fujino to the ground. Losing his target, Lin Yue immediately turned his attention to the guy who was trying to squeeze through the automatic door and used Black Wall to quickly break through!
As the screams abruptly ceased, the ninja fighting against Suzuki suddenly retreated!
Lin Yue and Suzuki, both with extensive combat experience, gave the order at the same time!

"Get away!"

At the same time, the wall behind Lin Yue began to bulge, as if a wild beast was trying to crawl out from behind.

Lin Yue's eyes, now at their peak of computing power, turned towards Xu Zhi's location...

Did this guy already have his eye on me all along?
boom!
The heat and dust squeezed out from the wall bricks swept over instantly!

Unable to dodge in time, the shrapnel spun rapidly in the soldier's eyes, gradually magnifying in his pupils until it splattered out the most vibrant spray of blood…

……

……

(End of this chapter)