Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 302 Uninvited Guest

"In response to the recent instability in Watson District, the NCPD has stated that it will continue to recruit officers to target gang members entrenched in the area."

"According to statistics, since the Night City Council passed the relevant bill and technical guidelines on the boundaries of combat cybernetic bodies, the crime rate in the area has continued to rise by ten percentage points. The NCPD urges the public not to go near the Whole Foods Factory area in Watson District without a reason to avoid being harmed by illegal activities."

"However, sources familiar with the matter have revealed that the escalating instability in the area is not solely due to the long-standing gang problems plaguing Night City, but is also highly likely related to the newly established DRA Logistics company—"

"According to the information disclosed by Night City, DRA was formerly a subsidiary of Kejing Logistics. After a series of equity competitions involving giants such as Arasaka, Kejing Logistics and Pedro Petrochemical, the person in charge of the company, Rin, became the head of the company."

What happened? Was it a bloody battle, as rumored in urban legends? The story is intriguing, with some radical media outlets criticizing the company as a stolen achievement and a newly emerging catalyst for instability.

"So... how far can this company with 'illegitimate origins' actually go? Opinions from all sides are actually reserved..."

"This is Julian Jordan. Stay tuned to News 54 for more news."

With the endorsement of a well-known host on Channel 54, the situation in Watson District seems to be so bad that it's appalling—but in reality, the place is indeed terrible. For example, the water quality in the ditches is appalling, the Whole Foods factory has a constant barrage of frenzied rock music, and the Vortex gang's modification fanatics occasionally go crazy. Apart from the Terrorist Mobile Unit being a regular at the factory, everything else is fine.

At least that's what Lin Yue thinks.

A month has passed since the incident at the spaceport, but Lin Yue still can't forget the scene of the Osprey transport plane strafing the NCX spaceport building.

Undoubtedly, Saburo Arasaka's caution saved his granddaughter's life, but it also definitively cemented his status as the number one figure in the opposing forces of the new enterprise DRA...

With the sound of footsteps, Lin Yue didn't lift his eyelids, still quietly watching the scene behind the thick glass in front of him, which was strong enough to withstand the impact of an explosion.

"Mr. Rin."

Lin Yue heard the familiar voice but did not respond.

His face was still so young, but there was an indelible shadow on the hollows of his eyelids and the bridge of his nose.

"I've been waiting for you, waiting for you to give me an explanation."

The newcomer was none other than Roger, the underground queen of Watson District. He was still wearing his classic racing-style yellow jacket, and although his complexion wasn't exactly pleasant, he exuded confidence.

"You have connections everywhere. The moment you mentioned the Ye family, I almost thought you had someone by my side. I had to investigate my people several times and I betrayed a lot of trust."

"Doing business is all about information asymmetry, so the company asked me for your information and I paid them. I hadn't figured out how to bring you two together yet, but those guys couldn't wait any longer."

Roger showed no fear and instead explained everything in detail. However, the veteran middleman leaning against the wall next to Lin Yue had no idea what this killing god was thinking.

Before she arrived, she called her son, who spends his days recklessly driving his sports car, clearly intending to apologize. No wonder she made a fuss over nothing.

Logically speaking, such a guy should be very ruthless. After all, he has been through thick and thin with the Ghost Dogs, was a former manager of Arasaka, and is now the head of a company... This is no longer a character that a middleman can afford to offend.

If such a guy had been born fifty years ago, Night City would probably be in a very different situation now.

This is not an exaggeration, but rather Rogge's genuine feeling.

Night City has no shortage of people who risk their lives for dreams and fame, but they all fall like fireworks, just like Stanley said: "Where do Night City's legends congregate? In the graveyards..."

After young Roger saw the power of corporations, his dreams and passion died along with Johnny's.

The speed at which Arasaka made his comeback proved that Rogge was right—in this world, corporations have become deformed and twisted monsters, and with interests intertwined, blood-stained executioners will never take responsibility.

Unbeknownst to him, Roger, lost in his own thoughts, had overlooked the fact that Lin Yue had been silent for quite some time.

"Don't believe it?"

Although Roger wanted to put on an act of annoyance, saying, "I've been around for so long, and now that I'm finally being honest, I'm being left hanging like this," the truth was that this matter had nothing to do with him, and if Rin held him accountable, he could only swallow his anger.

"What else did you say, Ye Shi?"

Rogge noticed that Rin wasn't showing much emotion, and he started muttering to himself.

But for now, she can only try harder to see if she can extricate herself from the situation.

Rogge carefully considered every detail of what the Ye family's man had said that day. "Hmm... that guy seemed to have a particularly important task and was looking for a top-notch person to do it. At first, I thought it was for one of your teams, but I didn't expect him to ask you to do it—I can't quite imagine what kind of mission it is..."

"I mean, what's the point of having someone who could defeat Adam Hammer and almost take down President Arasaka from both Arasaka and Dangerous Girls companies?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue's knuckles clenched suddenly.

There's a reason for every wrong, and a debtor for every debt. He never wanted to deal with the Ye family, but they could use all sorts of means to win him over. The only thing he couldn't do was treat Suzuki and his partners as pawns.

Everything has been sorted out.

Lin Yue spent a long time on this, and even the suspended V helped him a lot. Roger also intentionally or unintentionally provided a lot of information, violating the cardinal sin of being a middleman.

The experienced Roger could naturally see the change in Lin Yue's emotions.

"how is he?"

Roger knew that Rin wouldn't cause him any trouble, but emotional intelligence was important. The guy in front of him was young, but he wasn't the bunch of clueless mercenaries he had been scrutinizing with his legs crossed in his next life.

"The trauma team paid a heavy price to keep the patient alive."

Lin Yueshun calmed his breathing.

If Suzuki makes a single wrong move at any point, he will truly be doomed.

Compared to that, he was very grateful for Gloria's persistence at the crucial moment. He never expected that a casual remark he made to Gloria would change the course of this woman's destiny.

It even saved Suzuki.

This feeling was strange, and it was the first time Lin Yue realized how heavy the power of dreams could be.

Roger brushed the dust off his knees and said casually, "All big things start with some hateful little things."

"Looks like you're prepared to fight Arakawa and the Yoru clan to the death?"

Lin Yue nodded, almost without hesitation.

Roger understood.

"You remind me of someone. My ex-boyfriend's ex-girlfriend was kidnapped by Arasaka, and she came to me."

"You've made quite a commotion—you've caused quite a stir too."

"You can see that no matter how much the media smears you, there isn't a single traffic accident in your area of ​​Watson District—making Night City seem like it used to be so peaceful."

Big companies always play the same old game.

Small companies that need to make money can be quickly overwhelmed by such voices, without even needing the legal and financial departments of those giants to intervene.

Unfortunately, Dogtown and DRA's businesses are already extremely stable, and companies that know a little about the inside story are hesitant to cause trouble for the logistics fleet.

Although he knew about Silver Hand, Lin Yue still felt a little embarrassed hearing it from Roger's mouth.

It has a strange, comical feel to it.
However, as Roger said, he now has a new goal: to preserve this base under pressure from various companies, and to make certain companies that like to engage in binding relationships pay the price.

"Showing your face in public is not a good thing."

Roger crossed his arms and said solemnly, “If you really have someone to help manage the company, then I suggest you let professionals do it. At least keep a low profile for a while. Night City has been targeting you a lot lately. I’ve received several requests from people calling to take you down.”

“I have to run my business. If I block too many people, they will naturally start gossiping. Middlemen are wary of this, but I won’t take on these jobs. I can’t guarantee that other companies won’t.”

It was all out of goodwill.

Lin Yue knew why Luo Ge had come. First, to clear up the misunderstanding; second, and even simpler, she had come to plead for her other clients.

Seeing this woman, who was much older than him and could be a grandmother, beating around the bush, he could only say helplessly in a low voice, "Get to the point, Roger."

After struggling to find the right words, Roger found herself speechless, her attempt to offer a polite preemptive strike failing her. She could only shrug helplessly and give him a look of utter disbelief before replying, "Okay, the Whirlpool Gang from Watson District is locked up in the Whole Foods Factory. Someone's hired them, and I've done work for Arasaka and the Whirlpool Gang before..."

It's important to understand that the decisive and efficient Queen of the Afterlife is seen by the mercenaries as a middleman who doesn't curry favor with anyone. Entering the Afterlife is the ticket to becoming a legend—which shows that sometimes appearances only become clearer as one's perspective broadens.

In Night City, no one is independent; everyone has to work for the benefit of others to earn a living.

unless…

Your base is in bad soil.

Lin Yue nodded.

"The whole food processing plant incident is being handled by the company's security. They had previously targeted our convoy, and those guys aren't exactly in a normal mental state."

Lin Yue wanted to say that the Vortex Gang was completely unbeatable. With the further relaxation of the Night City ban, these cyber lunatics were mindlessly piling all sorts of cybernetic bodies on themselves, and the Terrorist Mobile Squad was flying around on average once a day.

"Difficult to deal with..."

Lin Yue expressed his helplessness.

Roger nodded. "Mr. Rin's words are enough."

"I guarantee there won't be any Vortex Gang members near your company. That whole piece of land is yours; Quan Foods and the Vortex Gang have both agreed to it." Wow, that's bold... Mr. Rin.

Despite being squeezed by major corporations, he managed to secure a relatively peaceful and stable place in the Watson area.

However, this area has been vilified to the extreme by the media.

Moreover, the NCPD hung warning banners on all the major roads in the city where DAR is located, and the area, equivalent to the size of seven or eight full food factories, was only occupied by DRA personnel.

The area also had many residents, which caused panic at one point. A skyscraper called H was also included in the area, and rents plummeted to historic lows…

To ensure the safety of the transport fleet, Emma, ​​who manages the company, uses people recruited from Dogtown to maintain stable security throughout the area, thus eliminating many crimes.

Sometimes people would rather listen to the "media" on television than see the real situation.

It's important to know that any individual or organization that criticizes media outlets like News 54 and WNS News for supporting the company has been "perfectly dealt with"—that's how the company controls things.

"Then do as you say."

Lin Yue nodded, and just as Rogge got up to leave, he suddenly asked, "How much do you know about the wanderers of Night City?"

Rogge fell silent, a rare occurrence for him.

Lin Yue didn't know everything about this world, but seeing Rogge's reaction, he knew that things were going to work out.

"[Santiago]".

"My love, I met her while I was out laying low during the fourth corporate war,"

"These people outside Night City are Adcardo's men. I've helped them out a few times, though they weren't of much help—"

Lin Yue suddenly spoke up, "The vagrants intercepted our goods."

Roger's hair immediately stood on end...

She knew nothing about this.

"We got the goods back."

Rogge remained silent for a moment.

"Can you finish what you have to say at once?"

Lin Yue: "Can you say that you owe me a favor, Ye? A batch of Arasaka's goods is being transported by land. You should know what I mean. If possible, I'd like to ask you for a detailed topographical map of the Badlands along the border, and also find a border inspector who can relay messages."

Rogge: "That's all?"

Lin Yue nodded. He knew his prosthetic body needed repairs. Long-term computational intrusion wasn't a long-term solution. He hoped to form a powerful alliance with Ultraman.

The key to this prosthetic body is the prosthetic body, the King Kong.

v can provide an approximate timeframe, but during this period, we should still try to minimize the risk of her exposure.

Roger had experienced a rollercoaster ride, saying, "Leave it to me, I'll call you if I hear anything."

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Lin Yue stood up and saw his good friend who had been rescued by the trauma team through the glass. His gaze gradually hardened from being blank.

Get well soon, my friend.

His muttering was audible only to himself.

After suppressing his emotions, Lin Yue glanced at the time projected on his prosthetic retina and swiped the contact to Gloria's location when the phone rang.

"If you're busy today, I'll have someone from the company—"

During this time, Gloria had been taking care of Suzuki. Just as Lin Yue was about to tell her not to worry about it, he heard Gloria's urgent interruption, which was clearly out of place in the current context.

No, I will come.

Lin Yue frowned slightly.

Unable to see the other person's expression, the other person seemed to sense something was amiss and coughed lightly, "I'm already in the parking lot of the trauma team building."

"Um... Mr. Rin, could you please come down to the parking lot? It seems like my car door won't close."

Lin Yue nodded, feeling that it made sense. "Okay, I'll be right there."

now.

Gloria, who had just hung up the phone, put it down and pressed herself tightly against the back of the driver's seat. Her face was pale and her forehead was covered in cold sweat...

As the throat moved, a thin, orange-red line gleaming with a cold light hovered very close by.

"very good."

A young female voice sounded behind her.

As the man leaned forward, several strands of dirty white hair spilled out from his oversized hooded coat, the ends of which had a paint-like sheen.

Gloria glanced at the two faint red eyes peeking out from behind her hoodie in the rearview mirror…

He's a hacker.

"Don't pressure me. I just want to see him. Don't make a foolish choice, ma'am."

Gloria nodded nervously, appearing to obey.

She was actually considering all the possibilities…

As a prosthetics expert, she certainly knew the power of monomolecular rays, which could instantly break her into several pieces!

This uninvited guest will definitely be detrimental to Rin.

Gloria thought so.

But she couldn't find a better way to escape after thinking it over and over. Time seemed to pass quickly. According to the usual pace, Mr. Rin would probably come down in about 10 minutes.

With half the time already gone, Gloria finally spoke.

"Don't do anything foolish, child. Judging from your voice, you should be about the same age as my son."

Do you know who Mr. Rin is?

She wanted to teach this young man to be afraid.

However, that pleasant voice now exuded a chill.

“I know he can kill me in an instant.”

The conversation turned.

That person seemed rather forlorn.

“But I have other plans… Never mind, you wouldn’t understand anyway.”

Gloria naturally misunderstood these words.

Does this hacker have some way to deal with Rin? But judging from her voice, she's terrified of Rin?

Gloria's expression relaxed, thinking she had found a breakthrough. Just as she was about to speak, she saw a figure coming towards her in the rearview mirror.

Gloria, her eyes wide, instinctively reached out to push open the car door!

As a result, a trickle of blood slowly seeped out from her neck.

"hiss."

The people behind them were extremely nervous.

"do not move!"

Even the suppressed voices seemed to tremble.

Gloria's eyes darted back and forth between the left rearview mirror and the rearview mirror. She didn't have much time to make a choice, and her mind seemed to go completely blank.

The person behind me started breathing heavily, as if they were making a final effort to muster their courage.

……

……

(End of this chapter)