Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 305 Deja Vu
"Long time no see, what brings you here?"

Lin Yue slowly lowered his hand and looked at the somewhat flustered girl, saying, "See how you're resting. After all, someone as lively as you probably didn't feel good about missing out on the big event last time, right?"

Rebecca blinked, then muttered indignantly, "No... I can't help with anything anyway..."

Lin Yue didn't hear clearly. He was curious why Qi Wei was in this place, as she seemed to have just completed a deep dive into the internet. Then Qi Wei's explanation confirmed Lin Yue's guess. It turned out that she was looking for a suitable model on the public network and putting it into the company's service manager.

In short, entrusting some basic management tasks to AI with lower intelligence is a very labor-saving and error-free option.

However, it's important to note that this low-intelligence AI is not the same as the AI ​​built into Lin Yue's in-vehicle system that connects to the company's subnet. Low-intelligence AI in this era can already handle relatively complex tasks, such as providing human resource evaluations, performance reviews, and prioritizing tasks...

From this perspective, current AI is indeed not satisfactory.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Lin Yue nodded his thanks.

Since her deep dives, Qi Wei has only ever worn a towel. For her, shame and physical innocence had long since died with the terrible experiences of her youth—therefore, she didn't care about wearing a towel as she walked to the door, ignoring Lin Yue's sidelong glance.

"Excuse me, boss~"

"Who told you to be the most generous employer in Night City? Of course I have to work my ass off. Now I'm going to give you the time you deserve."

Lin Yue was somewhat surprised. Emma had recruited many hackers with relatively clean backgrounds, and with Qi Wei's help, they should have been able to create a decent AI, right? In addition, with the existence of corporate immunity and corporate law, weak artificial intelligence was almost immune to internet surveillance.

"Hmm... technically speaking, it is a bit difficult. To be honest, I quite like you as the boss. That second boss named Emma is too 'efficiency-oriented'... We have a lot of tasks piled up on us right now. You know, she's not as easy to talk to as you are."

It sounds like Qiwei harbors a lot of resentment?

Lin Yue chuckled to himself.

But he couldn't interfere with these things—

Emma has management experience and is the most suitable person for this position. Taking over would only make the company more troublesome.

I don't know why, but I feel uncomfortable whenever I hear someone praising Lin Yue and Rebecca.

Qiwei, who was clearly good at reading people, noticed this.

"Alright, alright, please move aside, boss. If you don't leave, someone's going to glare at me like I'm a leaf!"

Just as Qi Wei and Lin Yue passed each other, Lin Yue suddenly said, "Lucy is still alive."

He didn't mention the Lucy key, but he knew from the previous investigation by the Arasaka counterintelligence department that Qiwei and Lucy had a very strong relationship, and out of politeness, Lin Yue felt he should tell Qiwei about it.

Rebecca made an "oh" sound out of curiosity, after all, in this timeline, Rebecca and Lucy's relationship was only that of teammates.

At this moment, Qi Wei looked at Lin Yue with an inscrutable expression.

In her view, it was more like Lin Yue was announcing that she had a prior record of "betrayal".

But Qiwei knew that opportunities in Night City were rare, and she was waiting for this one by any means necessary.

So, is the reason Lucy was able to get Rin's protection because she carried her own stored possessions...?

No one could understand her determination to climb up and not rot in the quagmire of Night City—a decision she had made when she killed the bastard who had humiliated her.

There was no feeling of blockage in my throat, but my chest felt a little stuffy.

She suddenly wanted to loudly ask Lin Yue if he knew how people struggled in those cesspools at the bottom of society, but then she seemed to remember that Lin Yue came from an even worse place where there was no law or order.

I've lost even the slightest bit of courage to complain about injustice.

She could only remain calm.

"That's good. Maybe one day she can come to the company and cause me some trouble. She's smarter than me, so you'll have someone else helping your company, right?"

Lin Yue shook his head.

"She won't join the company, nor is she a good fit for it."

Lin Yue knew about this from the beginning.

What Lucy desires is nothing more than freedom; even in a company, obedience is not particularly high.

Qi Wei had a smile that was so fake it couldn't be more fake.

"I thought you were going to remind me not to forget about how I sold my own apprentice."

Being misunderstood is not a pleasant feeling.

Lin Yue just wanted to tell her that her former close partner was still alive, because he had noticed more than once that Lucy's eyes were blank and empty when he talked to Suzuki about Lucy's future.

Betrayal inevitably means shame. Whenever the night is quiet and undisturbed, the past will subtly gnaw at your very bones, making you restless and uneasy…

"So you had several opportunities to vote for the opposing team, didn't you have the chance?"

Rebecca suddenly looked shocked.

Although I'm not as smart as everyone else, I can at least tell that something's off in their words... The two people who were just talking normally have suddenly started to have a confrontational tone.

Hmm, this seems pretty bad.

Qiwei remained silent.

"Alright, I'm always ready to change my mind if you want, because before I joined the company I liked to go to the casino in Japan Street to play a few rounds—you know, a gambler's mentality, never giving up until the Yellow River is reached, and if I lose my temper one day, I might do something stupid?"

Lin Yue knew that Qi Wei was referring to the dangerous incidents that had occurred in Dogtown and at the company.

From Qiwei's perspective...

It seems that many times I'm almost exhausted.

You can tell there's resentment in your voice.

Sometimes having the ability to see someone's entire life isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Each member of Mann's squad has their own destiny—

Qiwei, on the other hand, was the more pragmatic one.

Following a boss like David, who could go cyberbully at any moment, is a gamble with a zero chance of winning. She just cares too much about the future, so she's blindly following the crowd.

In Qiwei's eyes, that guy didn't even show the slightest bit of anger.

In fact, Qiwei had unknowingly added a hint of anger to her words. When she realized it, she tightened her grip on the towel, making it look wrinkled.

"Then I'll have to do more work, so that I, as the employer, don't lose money, hmm?"

Seeing that the two were not at odds, Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief.

"Would you like to come into the room, Boss Rin? Or perhaps I could go outside and do some work..."

After realizing what had happened, Lin Yue quickly stepped aside, raised his hand to apologize, and moved aside as well.

Until she watched the thin woman disappear down the corridor…

Rebecca peeked out from beside the door frame below his chest, "Stop looking, you jerk!"

Someone was shoved away by Rebecca's gorilla arm.

"Aren't you staying in your room?"

Lin Yue thought he was going to become a "life mentor" and persuade the stay-at-home girl to go out and see the sun, but he didn't expect that this quirky and clever girl was carrying her clothes and clearly meant to go out.

With the rustling sound of the jacket, Rebecca's conspicuous tatto and pink marks were completely covered, along with her rounded thighs—it has to be said that the jacket was of really good quality; when Rebecca's gorilla-like arms rubbed inside, all that could be seen was the fabric expanding, but there was no damage whatsoever.

"Wait—" Lin Yue grabbed the girl who was whistling and walking outside with her hands in her pockets, "Where are you going?"

Rebecca asked mysteriously, "Do you remember what you owe me?"

Lin Yue pondered deeply.

Rebecca looked hopeful—

"I owe you money, and you forced it on me."

Rebecca's smile vanished in an instant. She took a step forward, glaring at Lin Yuezhong with her two anime-style prosthetic eyes.

Realizing that the guy in front of her really couldn't remember, Rebecca immediately started shouting. Luckily, Lin Yue had anticipated this and quickly moved his ear away. Sure enough, a buzzing sound came through.

This guy was speaking so softly and sweetly just now, what happened?

Dogville!

"We clearly made plans to meet at the training ground in Dogtown that day. They went off to drink, looking lost in thought, and I was bored. You promised we could go for a walk together, have you forgotten?"

Lin Yue was certain that this had happened.

But it seems that he refused, while Rebecca insisted on coming to his room for a drink.

Seeing that the other party really didn't react at all, Rebecca immediately swung her arm out with a punch. Lin Yue's reaction speed made dodging such a punch incredibly easy. After panting for a few moments, Rebecca realized that this guy was obviously just teasing her.

"You're a fucking bastard!"

"Pila was right! You definitely wanted to go out and do some work, and I'm not doing that! I'm going back to play video games and watch Mewtwo!"

Snapped!
Rebecca was panting, her face flushed. Her already half-hearted punch was blocked by Lin Yue's hand, who slowly leaned down, his palm half-clenching Rebecca's fist.

This is infuriating!

Rebecca felt uneasy just from Lin Yue standing there without him doing anything!

She could guess that this guy would most likely calmly say something like, "Okay, stop messing around," "There's new work to do," or "There's no other way." She'd even carefully fastened her hair clips and obediently zipped up her clothes...

I agreed, and then went back to my room to continue watching Mewtwo.

That was Rebecca's plan. She had already figured out how to sulk, but it would most likely just be self-punishment, since some people are just too stubborn to move.

Who would have thought—

The guy squeezed Rebecca's fist and nodded seriously. "Sure, let's go take a look."

Eh?
Rebecca was dumbfounded.

"Hmm...aren't we supposed to go have some fun at the company?"

Lin Yue shook his head, got up, and zipped up the last centimeter of the zipper for her.

We will continue to fight alongside the company.

Lin Yue always felt an urge to rub this guy's head, so he didn't hold back and rubbed it for him until he saw the guy baring his teeth and starting to get impatient. Only then did he get up with satisfaction and press her head under the wide collar.

"Do not."

"My brain has been ransacked by AI, so who knows if I might actually forget about this? Let's go."

Rebecca muttered as she tidied the stray hairs on her head that had been ruffled. "That guy is so rough, I hate him."

However, this shrewd guy didn't even mind that I lied. It seems that the method that the clever Qiwei gave me might not be so effective. This guy is very easy to fool.

As Lin Yue emerged from the factory, his figure and appearance changed with a flash of light. Rebecca didn't care what face he had, and instead sneered, "Afraid that your smug face will be recognized on the street? Let me make it clear first, I didn't bring any iron guts, they're too eye-catching!"

The guys took a jacket out of the car, and next to it was another jacket of the same style but a slightly different color. Before Rebecca could see whether it was the legendary couple's outfit, the car door closed.

After carefully considering Rebecca's words, Lin Yue said with a serious expression, "It's not unacceptable to get beaten up because you're handsome."

"Fuck you! Go to hell!"

Rebecca extended her middle finger in greeting.

The two left one after the other through an inconspicuous side gate at the back of the company park. Rebecca did most of the talking along the way, while Lin Yue walked leisurely ahead, squinting at the changing seasons of spring and summer in Night City.

Watson District…

On the high, gray river embankment, a young boy with freckles on his face was accompanied by a lively girl with pigtails but huge, multicolored hands. The river embankment, shrouded in industrial smog, was not a pleasant sight, but the sky was a clear blue.

The walls were covered with graffiti of the Vortex Gang's faces, which resembled mutated spiders. From time to time, loud rock music drifted out. Rebecca slid down from the top of the dam on a board she had found in some garbage dump. She flew high into the air and then plunged headfirst into a pile of debris made of hard plastic.

Before long, the nearby Whirlpool Gang would rush out, cursing and shouting, like wasps guarding their nest, and the two of them would run wildly.

……

Little Chinatown…

Passing through the archway, which embodies the style of ancient Chinese culture, the neon lights and the old buildings achieve a delicate balance.

Since the Tiger Claw Gang also appears here, and it seems that Wakako's people have been tacitly approved by the Watson District, most of the people here are these guys. The hovercar roared through the holographic Japanese diva's advertising light screen, exploding into a series of light and shadow-like snowflakes.

Look down.

The Little Chinatown, built primarily with Chinese culture as its guiding principle, exudes a lively and bustling atmosphere even at the cheapest Chinese food stalls.

Rebecca's mouth was stuffed full, but she still had something in her hand and was swinging her legs comfortably. Only Lin Yue, who was full, was pressing down on a rubber chicken meatball. He propped his chin up and watched the meatball bounce back with each press, his eyes showing a bit of helplessness.

Then Rebecca would suddenly pull him away, and he would stand in front of the windows of those sex clubs, looking at the alluring figures inside. Lin Yue would press his hand down on Rebecca's eyes, but she would use her gorilla fingers to pry open the gap between her fingers and let out a gasp.

"really big!"

……

Folk singers from the Sixth Street gang, wearing Western cowboy boots and playing instruments, cherry blossoms falling in the Japanese street, lush, UV-resistant genetically modified greenery on Charter Hill, benches covered in graffiti along the seaside road, and monks chanting Buddhist scriptures in the square—

The two of them explored the city on foot and witnessed its unattainable prosperity.

As dusk approached, Lin Yue and Rebecca stopped beside a building that didn't seem to belong to this era.

It appears to be an old Japanese-style building…

Everything seemed so familiar, just like most people have the feeling of "Have I experienced (done) this scene or this thing before?"

The two people, one in front of the other, cast long shadows in the setting sun.

Rebecca, perhaps exhausted, buried her face in her jacket, her hands in her pockets, staring at the man in front of her, whose demeanor was distorted by his behavioral traits.

The person in front also seemed preoccupied, as if wondering if such peaceful days would continue tomorrow.

"Hey."

"Lin Yue, when he's serious"

"Should we... leave here? We don't want to be corporate dogs anymore."

Rebecca looked up and called out the other person's name earnestly.

The people walking ahead immediately stopped in their tracks.

……

……

(End of this chapter)