Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 280 Assassination of the King (Part 1) [5.4K]

Night City, Watson District, a certain residential area.

The candle flame, possibly made of industrial wax, flickered and emitted wisps of black smoke. The coffee in the chipped cup on the table had long since gone cold.

Nitta Kazuya's chain of cigarettes caused the two muscular American men next to him, clearly soldiers or security personnel, to frown—most Japanese cigarettes contain strange flavorings, much like their small, savory sushi, and the taste is unbearably cloying…

"Stop fucking smoking, it's bedtime."

The security guard fanned the cigarette in front of his face. When the short man, who was facing them from the side, turned his head, his bloodshot eyes and messy hair made him look like a drug addict in Night City who was about to risk his life. After all, he was the former president of Arasaka. Just one look made the two security guards feel very uncomfortable.

No one spoke.

Now everyone is like stray dogs, but Nitta's gaze is definitely not in the right place. The two security guards just sneered, lit cigarettes, and started talking to themselves.

Most of their conversations revolved around how hot the girls in Atlanta are and what to do after leaving Night City on the intercity train, but neither of them noticed that their hands were trembling uncontrollably.

"Can't sit still and wait for death!"

The two security guards were trying to distract themselves by talking, but when they suddenly heard Nitta Kazuya talking to himself in Japanese, the two Americans were very annoyed.

One of them stood up, pulled a gun from his pocket, and said, "Do you know what Washington's orders are, you fat old man muttering to yourself—"

With the gun pressed against He Ye's temple, the man leaned close to He Ye and said, word by word, "If you don't spit something out, we'll leave you here to be dealt with by Arasaka or some other company, understand?"

Who knew that this guy would act like he'd gone mad, suddenly grabbing the gun barrel and pressing it against his head.

"Then kill me!"

“I’ve already said it, they’ve hoarded another Black Wall device, and there’s someone even more valuable in Dogtown! Two European hackers, and then they found a way to let Arasaka know that there was a traitor in Night City’s counterintelligence department who tipped them off—that bitch! You all saw it!”

The security guard was startled and suddenly raised his gun butt and smashed it into Nitta Kazuya's face.

"You lunatic! You scared the hell out of me!"

Nitta Kazuya's jaw was dislocated with a dull thud, accompanied by blood and a tooth that he spat out. The guy just kept laughing with his mouth open.

He was laughing and shaking his head at the same time.

"Their people are everywhere, Lai Xuan..."

"These lackeys who will stop at nothing to gain power—"

"What do you bastards know? The only one who can beat Arasaka is Arasaka..."

The other person reached out, seemingly not wanting to cause trouble at this critical juncture. After all, they had already "greeted" Nitta Heya before, whose company shirt was covered in bloodstains from knuckle dust.

"Hey, never mind."

Perhaps out of shock that angered him, the security guard glared at the Arakawa dog, "Damn Arakawa, not a word of truth comes out of his mouth."

The other security guard ignored his companion's complaints and said, "Arasaka, our boss is doing exactly what you said. All you have to do now is put your big fat ass on the bench and be quiet."

The companion who was stopped muttered, "What's the point of explaining to a traitor like this?"

“He’s useful, we have to admit that. Arasaka’s secrets, important documents, these are worth as much as any number of orders—the higher-ups value him, so don’t make things difficult for him.”

Perhaps he saw it most clearly among those present.

These traitors at the company's top levels are a cash cow, full of intelligence. If they ever manage to get a position in the military, we'll make sure they're ruined.

The image of that young officer flashed through Nitta Kazuya's mind.

His intuition told him that this guy, who was as young as Rin—in the truest sense of youth—was perhaps someone the military wanted to gild, but he completely underestimated the power of the Arasaka infighting.

The phrase "everyone has their own agenda" perfectly describes the current situation.

Nitta Kazuya kept rubbing his hands together, and the areas where his thumbs and palms rubbed together turned red and even bled.

The two security guards, who hadn't noticed Nitta's subtle movements, also lost interest in chatting and just listened to the many news reports from Night City on their old radios:

"Is it true that the large-scale cybersecurity incident in Night City is now completely under control? A group of hackers of unknown origin attacked many public safety facilities, including the control systems of intercity trains and urban rail transit, as well as company databases involving citizens' privacy, the NCPD's database, resulting in a large number of deaths of unauthorized users due to overload caused by implants that erased serial numbers?"

Julian Jordan seemed to be asking the spokesperson for the Internet Registry.

It was just a conventional method. Only the people still alive in the military science department knew that it wasn't a network hack at all, but some kind of intelligent program.

If the citizens of Night City found out, the image of the internet regulators would probably suffer a huge blow. After all, they've always touted themselves as the guardians of internet security, and the first thing any legitimate internet user sees when they log in is a censorship interface with the internet regulators' logo.

In other words, whatever they see will be known to internet censors and hackers.

Night City has seen several public outcry over this issue before, but these were all suppressed by the internet censors protecting residents' safety and the testimonies of "ordinary citizens" whose "rights" were protected in various online activities. In reality, everyone knows that with the intelligence capabilities of the internet censors and the NCPD, there shouldn't be any kidnapping, extortion, or murder-for-hire in Night City.

No one listened to the polite words of the internet censor's spokesperson; instead, some people yawned.

"Um... I wanted to ask if this is related to a certain newly established company in Night City? The one that Night City recently adjudicated."

The spokesperson for the internet monitoring agency clearly hadn't expected Julian Jordan to ask that question—

"Uh... I'm sorry, business competition in Night City has always been a legal activity within our jurisdiction and would never involve attacks at this level. Besides... we don't need to jump to conclusions. Our strict control over companies by the internet monitoring department is to protect the majority of law-abiding residents of Night City and even the world."

Fuck you...

Nitta Heya took a drag of his cigarette.

If these idiots had even a shred of truth, they should be told that Arasaka is secretly digging up things behind the Black Wall. Of course, other companies would also have to cover up their own holes and not let go, and the internet censors wouldn't dare to make wild claims without evidence.

The channel was suddenly and inexplicably switched.

According to WNS News, "Recently, Arasaka's security chief was attacked by unidentified individuals while on a company transport mission. Arasaka strongly condemns this act, and spokesperson Mr. Chiba lodged a serious protest against possible unfair competition from Night City, reserving all rights to pursue those involved."

……

"Oh my god, Arasaka stock is plummeting? Is it a sell-off? A lack of confidence?"

"I care about your business, and we're still your old friend—let's look at the recent performance of Arasaka's stock. Arasaka recently disclosed information to the public regarding the dismissal and appointment of senior executives at its Night City branch. Most people are guessing that Mr. Nitta Kazuya's departure will lead to Arasaka's business continuing to shift towards traditional industries. Some well-known media figures have even publicly expressed pessimistic views such as Arasaka is about to fail!"

"Is that really the case?"

"Please... a century-old enterprise, a young CEO, failed investments, and temporary market setbacks! Isn't it enough that you own the world's largest light weapons production chain, the most reputable bank, and an innovative enterprise in Asia's civilian cybernetic industry?"

Just by listening to John Cavokin's voice, you can picture his stubble-covered face and the huge belly that his striped shirt can't even contain.

"Let those idiots throw it all away! Throw it all away! Those who know what they're doing have already grabbed every electronic device they can use to buy Arasaka financial products. It only bounces back after it hits rock bottom. Trust me, trust Kavokin's judgment..."

As Nitta Heya listened to the news from Night City, he suddenly felt a sense of shared sorrow.

After the chaos subsides, it's all about tearing each other apart to divide the spoils.

Arakasaka lost.

The fact that Arasaka didn't bring the enemy into the open proves that he swallowed the loss and allowed a new company to rise in Night City, a city full of restrictions.

Nitta Kazuya has started to understand things a bit now.

I am afraid…

Lai Xuan's contributions are indispensable!

Thinking about all this, the anger in his stomach caused his breathing to become erratic.

He wanted to hurl every vile word at Rin, so before leaving, he had the military science department try these things out. As long as it disrupted the enemy's formation, Nitta would be satisfied.

Adam has fallen, that guy will be half dead if he doesn't die!
Immediately, his face appeared extremely ferocious in the candlelight.

Just as the radio was crackling with static, one of the two security guards closed his eyes, attempting to rest—

Suddenly, the doorbell rang!
Before He could even stand up, two well-trained security guards were already armed, their prosthetic eyes gleaming.

The residents of these old buildings are either cheap sex workers from Night City, or drug addicts who nearly killed themselves and whose stench from the garbage outside their doors is suffocating...

He also glanced at the time.

The military science personnel had only been gone for a few hours, and they've already arrived?

Two security guards exchanged tactical hand signals, one of them moving towards the door. Nitta was also grabbed by the neck and forced to squat obediently in place…

Gudong.

In a daze, Nitta heard someone swallowing.

……

"Let her go online."

Outside the NID Logistics subsidiary in Watson District, an African-American man with dark red, pinprick-like prosthetic protrusions and markings on his cheeks watched the company's activities from beneath his shiny leather jacket.

"Hi…"

Through the earpiece, Li De heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice, a voice that had brought him "despair" for a long time.

"Uh, Li De?"

Li De quietly watched the night view of Night City.

After a long time——

"The lark."

Hearing Li De's familiar voice, Song Zhaomei felt an overwhelming sense of shame that almost rendered her speechless.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Song Zhaomei knew that apologizing was useless.

Back then, she was the one who personally ripped the internet cable from behind her neck, leaving Li De to face Arasaka's agent. She thought that as long as this person's voice and appearance no longer appeared, she could forget—just like most of her memories were lost due to the Black Wall transformation.

But Li De did not die.

He was in Night City, and he could be summoned by the new America again. Song Zhaomei didn't know how to describe this feeling.

"Thank you for coming. How did your talk go, Miles?"

Li De was distracted, adjusting the distance of his prosthetic eye to the maximum as he observed the company, which seemed almost deserted.

“It was a difficult conversation. I convinced myself to let go, but… I can’t let go of my past self. So I came, not for some new FBI agent identity, but because I’m here to help you—”

"Xiao Song."

"I heard you went through a tough time in Dogtown, is that true?"

Song Zhaomei admitted it.

“I wanted to use Hansen’s hands to get the neural matrix of Dogtown—well, the thing that could help me; but as you can see, I failed, and someone else took it.”

"The subsequent updates to the Black Wall were not ideal, but Miles chose to trust me, Li De."

"What about you?"

When Li De heard the word "trust," he subconsciously felt a desire to escape.

“Little Song…you know I can’t trust you; but I can work for the new America, and before that, you have to trust the Joint Logistics Command, not follow personal whims. I heard there are two hackers in Dogtown who know this stuff, and Miles saw through your intentions and asked me to find them—”

"But the primary objective is to eliminate one person and pass on intelligence—that is, the military science action team that has now lost contact. I am prepared to personally go after them."

Song Zhaomei remained silent.

Li Decai heard faint sobs only when a vehicle rushed out of NID Logistics Company.

"I'm so sorry, Li De."

Lid tightened his seatbelt. "We can talk about thanks later. Let's find that team first. Night City is full of Arasaka people. It's impossible to tell which Arasaka faction they belong to."

The car started and followed the other car all the way into the bright lights and bustling nightlife of Night City.

……

"Who?"

The ringing stopped abruptly.

The agent standing close to the door was sweating profusely when he heard a rhythmic ringing of a bell.

As the distorted doorbell rang repeatedly, the door opened, revealing a man with his hands raised at gunpoint. The security guard, seeing the unfamiliar face, never lowered his gun.

He was then roughly dragged inside the door—

"Fake!"

The man who was pulled down cursed under his breath, "So you only recognize people and not secret codes, huh?"

The security guards exchanged glances.

The man in the conspicuous, sharp suit stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "Damn it—Night City Military Technology Special Operations Manager."

"The first two unlucky guys either died in a motel with a big dick hanging on the wall or went missing. And then I was the one who got sent here."

Due to the subnet's disconnection, both security personnel remained suspicious.

The man who entered frowned as he looked at the dense laser lines surrounding Nitta Kazuya.

"Aren't you afraid of blowing this idiot up while you're using the toilet?"

As expected, the security guards made a request: "Please expose the brain-computer interface; we need to inspect it!"

The man spread his hands, seemingly speechless.

"it is good!"

"Okay, okay... come on."

The security guard repeated, "Do not make any movements."

As he observed the man's face, he connected the soft thread in his hand to the man's neck, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense... The agent standing next to Nitta pressed his hand tightly against his gun, not daring to breathe.

"I said…"

The company dog ​​from the military science department was getting impatient. "Do you think those guys from Arakawa, or the Black Wall carriers that you destroyed so many times in the wasteland, would be this long-winded with you?"

But security followed the procedures anyway.

No one noticed that the man's fingertips trembled slightly.

The security guard raised a questioning voice, as the system's read request was repeatedly blocked. Just as he was about to try again, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the thin wall...

"Shhh."

The man pressed his finger to his lips, listening intently to the sounds outside. The two security guards were unsure whether to continue.

"Idiot, turn off the landmines!"

"quick!"

The man had his hands on his waist, his eyes fixed on the doorway.

The two security guards didn't seem to think the man was sent by the enemy to kill Nitta, and in addition to their panic, they immediately shut down the laser mines.

The military science company dog ​​quickly walked to Xintian Heye's side, but the guy who was squatting on the ground with his head in his hands had a very calm expression.

The man turned his head and looked around, signaling the two security guards not to make any rash moves. He walked to a door that was blocked inside the room and stuffed his hands into the crack in the door.

With a sickening metallic scraping sound…

The two security guards were dumbfounded. How much strength did that take?!

"go!"

The two terrified security guards, completely disoriented, followed the man and Nitta, who had been dragged up, out of the long-abandoned passage.

Outside the door at this moment.

A woman with pink hair and a mask covering her face held a speaker modified from the Mewtwo Headband, which played randomly generated footstep sounds.

……

As the car door closed, the two military security guards sitting opposite the van were sweating profusely. Everything seemed normal as the van drove away through the back door. Shortly afterward, a piercing explosion rang out, and everyone looked at each other in shock.

"Idiot Arasaka!"

The impeccably dressed man sat calmly, legs crossed, his eyes glancing downwards, where he saw Nitta constantly rubbing his palm with the pad of his thumb.

"President Nitta... do you recall any offensive operations during the board meeting?"

Nitta, whose name was called, paused for a moment, subconsciously shook his head, and then nodded.

The security guard chimed in at the opportune moment, "Don't ask anymore, sir. This guy's practically paralyzed with fear—the boss told us to protect him, but damn it, he's completely useless. The CEO? Pshaw!"

"A spy cybernetic infiltration operation by the Military Science and New America in Night City."

Nitta listened to the man beside him speaking slowly, his expression surprisingly calm.

"On New America's soil, a FBI-contracted hacker named [Slide] stole a behavioral profile; in Night City, during the siege, Dr. Farida and a profile were also lost, and at the same time, an agent on the list who was undergoing modification disappeared... President Nitta, can you guess where that profile and the agent are?"

Nitta gradually pursed his lips.

The man seemed to be sneer, his legs crossed. "Washington kid, you're barely out of your teens and you're already trying to make a name for yourself in Night City. Do you think you're qualified?"

Nitta's eyes reflected the man's smiling face, but as his pupils dilated in terror, a shimmering light began to appear on the man's body, and a cold, beautiful woman with perfectly proportioned features stared straight at him.

“V…?!”

V crossed his arms, and with just a flash of red in his eyes, the brains of the two guys opposite him, who hadn't even had a chance to draw their guns, instantly overloaded. Sparks flew out, and a strangely pleasant yet nauseating aroma of meat filled the carriage.

Nitta Kazuya was just about to make a move.

V grabbed his arm, and the moment he did, Nitta Kazuya's appearance transformed into that of a blond, blue-eyed young man.

"Where's that guy?!"

Seemingly caught off guard by being outmaneuvered so thoroughly, the young officer immediately roared and tried to activate his prosthetic body.

V didn't give this guy a chance at all, especially since she struck first. The knife in her hand pierced the young officer's palm, and a chip sparked and burned his flesh—

The woman's voice had a slightly nasal quality, yet it sounded like the whisper of a devil.

"Of course, it's about those of us who suffer losses paying the price."

A slight smile appeared on her lips.

……

……

　[That voice brought him "despair" for a long time]: After the unification war, the agents of the new United States who were buried in Night City received an order to assassinate General Arasaka. However, due to the political interests reached between Miles and Arasaka, these people were abandoned. Nightingale personally directed Li De to board a train full of Arasaka agents.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)