Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 26 Memory Erasure [Please continue reading]

Leaving Dogtown went surprisingly smoothly.

Mann and Dorio sat in the driver's and passenger's seats because of their size, while Lin Yue, Rebecca, and Pila squeezed into the back, with the poor guy who had been sent out of the scavenger's den at their feet.

The car drove towards the seaside area, and the delivery point was in those abandoned seaside resorts on Tin Ping Chau.

【information】

[Hanz]: The customer in Dogtown doesn't trust you, but I made a guarantee and acted as a go-between... I hope I didn't offend you.

[Hanz]: I'll go all the way and even contact your downline to help you. Your people should be helping the customer with the problem right now.

[Hanz]: If you need to contact this regular customer for other matters, I shouldn't interfere. Best regards.

Lin Yue stared intently at the message Hanz had just sent to Rin.

So far, everything seems to be going very well.

Hanz even negotiated the price on his behalf as the new middleman, thoughtfully guiding the cyberpunks.

Moreover, this deal doesn't strictly belong to Dogtown; it's someone outside Night City paying to ransom someone. Although the location is between Dogtown and Pacific Island, given Hanz's stubborn nature, he shouldn't have passed this kind of business on to him.

You should know that what we discussed yesterday was: fair competition within Dogtown in two months, while businesses outside Dogtown can compete with each other before that.

Lin Yue felt that something was strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Immediately afterwards, Hanz sent over the customer's contact information; it was from an unknown number.

Lin Yue glanced at the contact person with the question mark and then cautiously watched the situation outside the car.

Lin Yue's eyes lit up. The unfamiliar contact with a question mark on the other end called three times in a row but did not answer.

He simply sent a text message.

【?】:Who are you?
[Rin]: Hanz has handed the business over to me—to be precise, Dogtown will now have two guys to help clients solve problems. You should know that Hanz has temporarily transferred the business to me, right?
【？】：I know. Have your people do the job well. The company needs to audit the money, so it was all given to that cleaner. As for how much the cleaner paid you, Hanz knows.

[Rin]: My people only need to deliver people to the location? I guess Hans knows, but he didn't tell me. You know, I have to make sure the process is right.

【？】：For example?

【Rin】: For example, why isn't the price the same as the market price for redeeming someone from a cleaner? What if there are any unforeseen circumstances? We need fair and transparent cooperation.

【?】: This time you need to find a mercenary henchman who doesn't hold grudges. This person is carrying company secrets, and the person you assign needs to have our company's hackers perform a 【memory erasure】 (note). Of course, this has nothing to do with you, the new middleman.

[Rin]: Why didn't you say this sooner? Ask Night City how many mercenaries would be willing to hack into his brain?
[Rin]: You're looking for Hanz? Do you also want Hanz's people's memories erased?
【？】：Hanz's people won't, and your people are new; I don't trust them.

【？】：And another thing, you son of a bitch, you're just a middleman, understand? Why are you asking so many questions…and you're out there competing with others for business? Help me out! Be reliable.

Lin Yue's eyes remained calm, but in reality, he was frantically searching for a solution.

Lin Yue sighed inwardly: Playing a game is risky.

From the middleman's perspective, this deal is indeed a good one, since it's not like his head was attacked by a [plugin] (note). But for himself and Mann's team, memory erasure is absolutely unacceptable.

There's a very high chance the team will mutiny on the spot. The team will just think that the boss betrayed them, since the company's hackers are going to take action.

As for Lin Yue, the new middleman: being a company employee, he certainly wouldn't look down on a new guy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

As for why Hanz wasn't treated this way by those using biotechnology, it's mostly a matter of strength.

Those top-tier middlemen who are influential in Night City all have something going on behind the scenes.

Clearly, Hanz had also kept it from the idiot on the other side; Arasaka was Rin's true identity.

But now, Rin, the new middleman, is being treated like a clueless newbie who's only interested in eating.

Lin Yue understood the survival rules of Night City even before his reincarnation.

Why do some middlemen end up in dire straits, while those evergreen, reputable middlemen in Night City thrive? If you lack connections and a company to back you up, then it's all for naught.

Take intermediaries like Hanz and Wakako for example. Hanz is not only in contact with people in South America, but he is also a high-ranking official in the company and is on the same page as Hansen. Naturally, he can sit in Dogtown unscathed.

As for Wakako, needless to say, several of her husbands were high-ranking members of the Tiger Claw Gang, and she herself was the same. She just wanted to find an easier job when she got old.

A huge network of interests is intertwined within this city. If you act as a middleman without any connections and rely solely on your words, you will definitely suffer a terrible fate.

As the saying goes, the most stable pillar in the center of a scale is the one that holds the balance. Maintaining balance between clients and mercenaries in the hands of the middleman requires absolute confidence.

Hanz, oh Hanz.

Lin Yue shook his head; Hanz's personality became even clearer in Lin Yue's mind.

He was testing Rin, the middleman who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, by using the client as a way to clear himself of any wrongdoing, and to find out just how capable Rin was.

In other words, Hans wanted to see if Rin would put on a show of defiance.

Given his personality, he's probably hiding more than just this.

"Mann!"

Just as Lin Yue was thinking about something, Rebecca glanced down at the man lying on the car seat and immediately shouted.

The man, who had just been pulled from the icy water, had few clothes, so they could only cover him with a jacket to keep him warm. But just now, while the group was lost in their own thoughts, the man suddenly started convulsing.

Mann turned his head. "Under the right seat cushion, there are some painkillers or something, whether it's adrenaline or steroids—give them to this idiot, or he'll die in the car!"

Lin Yue took the medicine from Rebecca and pressed it against the guy's mouth and nose.

"Pfft-"

The man's chest suddenly bulged, and his eyes widened abruptly.

"Damn! This idiot's in trouble!"

The car suddenly accelerated, and Mann wanted to slam the accelerator pedal down!
Pila squeezed into the back seat, craning her neck to see if the guy was about to die.

Lin Yue pushed aside Pila's obstructing head and got close to the man's face.

"Safety and security..."

The man suddenly grabbed Lin Yue's collar, "Don't...send...me..."

Lin Yue watched quietly as the man's hand slid down his collar.

So that's how it is... Lin Yue made a phone call.

"Mann! The scavenger is biting!"

Dorothy glanced in the rearview mirror and saw several cars covered in graffiti speeding up and catching up from behind. One of the vans was almost right next to her!

Lin Yue was startled awake from the call and turned to look behind him.

Five more scavenger vehicles followed behind!

As expected, there aren't many good guys among the cleaners. That bastard named Agata Lesz is probably counting his money and having a good time in some corner!
For a street cleaner, it's perfectly normal to want to sell the same item twice.

"Let's do it!"

Pila let out a strange cry, and the sound of weapons being chambered echoed from inside the vehicle...
-
[Memory Erasure]: A type of plugin that can temporarily erase memories from the brain. The memory erasure described here is clearly more severe than this.

【Plug-in】: The so-called plug-in is a quick crack installed into the operating system. The types are control, combat, ultimate, and stealth.

(End of this chapter)