Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 333 Citywide Manhunt (Part 2)

The world is worse than we imagine…

Showing mercy to the Black Hand was not Lin Yue's initial plan, but working for the enemy seemed to have left him too much room for maneuver, which inevitably reminded him of someone—Francis Young, the world's first scientist to create clones.

Because of his longing for his daughter, he brought the taboo science of human cloning, which violates human ethics, into the open—even resorting to using Relic technology to implant and edit the memories of living individuals, creating a "defective product"... Even though various countries and organizations have issued many prohibitions, the fact is already irreversible.

Risk and reward are directly proportional, especially for companies that have no scruples.

In some ways, this is no different from Arasaka's Relic reincarnation technique; both are acts of trampling on and disregarding personality and dignity.

Perhaps the mastermind was in extreme pain, knowing that he was clearly no match for the enemy, and even though there was a sliver of hope for escape, he still chose to die... Keeping him alive might not be a bad thing for military technology.

I must say, this trip was truly very rewarding…

The prototype technology from two major companies, a chance to make a name for oneself, and complete control over this body, among other things.

But in fact:

Lin Yue's mood wasn't actually that good.

Because at that moment, he was constantly worried about his comrades. Everyone was risking their lives for this matter, and "plans couldn't keep up with changes"...

The absence of any one person's effort in the entire process would be a disaster.

Amidst the relief, there was a greater sense of lingering fear and reflection.

With so many prototypes in hand, the team members need some time to hone their skills.

Before this operation, Lin Yue had considered Rebecca's suggestion to equip everyone with more powerful and reliable prosthetics—

However, not everyone can see their own "prosthetic body capacity," and even a slight mistake, such as a product defect, could lead to irreversible consequences.

To worry about uncertain probabilities or to die in a potentially bigger shock?

This is a problem…

Therefore, we still need to communicate properly with the team members.

Thinking of this, Lin Yue rubbed the steering wheel, his body, which had been aching unbearably after the battle, relaxed slightly and he let out a sigh.

I thought that the plan I had painstakingly devised would make everything go smoothly... I wonder how Rebecca and Qiwei, who were rescued by the homeless, are doing now.

I tried calling several times but received no response.

actually…

This trip resulted in losses for both companies, which is already the best-case scenario given that they obtained the core of the prosthetic body.

What Lin Yue cared about most was something else: Saburo Arasaka's intervention!

Lin Yue thought this old guy was going to play the game of checks and balances for the rest of his life.

By studying the state's data and various intelligence, it is inferred that choosing to use a cybernetic body to kill oneself is the most underhanded of all tricks.

In this situation, any other Night City outlaw would probably be doomed, since the immense neural strain of a cybernetic engineer is far beyond human limits. But unfortunately... not everyone in this world is an ordinary human.

The most unique existence is Saburo's major miscalculation.

Now that things have come to this, it's a good thing to tear off the mask of civility.

This will at least ensure V's temporary safety and allow Lai Xuan to remain calm for a while.

Just glancing at the date, in another six months, I'm afraid...

Therefore, Lin Yue had been thinking about how to ensure that Arasaka Saburo's biggest enemy, Arasaka Yoriyuki, could maintain his position. After much thought, he decided that he still needed to take action against Relic as soon as possible. Now that the storm had subsided, Lin Yue needed to think carefully about how to bring this up with Yoriyuki: Should he bluntly say that his father was planning to use him as a vessel for reincarnation? Or was the very existence of Relic technology a scourge?

The consequence of information asymmetry is mutual suspicion.

Lin Yue had no reason to know these things; to Lai Xuan, they might be a different kind of threat.

"hiss…"

As the border line drew nearer, Lin Yue sat up straight and then let out a cry of pain.

It felt like millions of ants were tearing at Lin Yue's nerves. The overload on the prosthetic body was still there. He looked in the rearview mirror and realized that the shape of the prosthetic body was impossible to hide—this was something that the state's technical team could only solve.

Lin Yue drove the barely drivable car toward another road on the border. After passing the town of Night City on the side, a flood of messages came in through his brain and cell phone.

Emma is temporarily offline receiving treatment, but she has already shared the route into the city with me.

There was just one more sentence: "Come back soon."

Another issue is V's bombing...

Although it was unfamiliar information, V's tone was completely evident from the words.

Military technology has been phased out, and the network is under control... We apologize for the loss of some of your information.

The tech department's bastards must be completely and utterly dead.

【sorry…】

Lin Yue's gaze softened.

The fact that violence was taking place inside the Arasaka Tower was problematic in itself, and that V dared to help him under such pressure... was already a great satisfaction.

However, the message from Rogge made Lin Yue uneasy.

"Wanted? Or is it a joint effort by several major companies..."

Lin Yue's expression was strange.

Rogge's suggestion came at just the right time, and this shrewd middleman had already taken care of the personnel and other details for entering the city, based on Emma's planned route...

When Lin Yue called, he found that Roger was not surprised that he was still alive.

"Ah, finally..."

Roger waved his hand as a greeting and a welcome.

Lin Yue nodded. "Thank you for your extra effort, Roger... I think this is already beyond your job responsibilities."

However, Roger simply said not to worry about it and slowly explained the matter point by point: "Someone will go after those few blind customs officers."

"But that's normal. Customs officials are all lackeys of the companies in Night City. Occasionally, when they're in a good mood, they let a few smugglers in. If you pay enough money, illegal immigrants might not be able to get away with it—"

"Simply put, there are no bottom lines; it all depends on my mood. But if anything goes wrong with what I arrange, I will take full responsibility and give you an explanation."

A businessman is a businessman after all; he's always thinking about his customers' needs.

This impressed Lin Yue, who had worked as a middleman.

Everything else was icing on the cake and could be considered insignificant. The key was that the map provided by this middleman was extremely accurate. Even with many last-minute changes, the map never showed any signs of being misleading, which allowed Lin Yue's plan to execute smoothly.

Rogge deserves much credit for what he did.

Lin Yue then expressed his gratitude.

Experienced middlemen are certainly less troublesome, but of course, some experienced guys are still not so good—like Dexter DeShawn.

"Thanks, Roger. I owe you a favor."

Rogge accepted the benefit without complaining.

Because what she wanted was Lin Yue's favor.

This is the most valuable thing in Night City; it can sometimes save your life, which is why favors are the hardest to repay.

Rogge: "It's no big deal to help each other out. Adcardo's people are going further into the Badlands, and they'll send your people back. Contact me if anything comes up."

Don't mention money or anything else.

Clearly, Rogge had his own agenda.

Even though Lin Yue knew that free things were the most expensive, he could only take it one step at a time for now.

Of course, favors are no burden for people without credibility, but Lin Yue will remind himself to remember this favor.

As for the wanted notice—

These companies all look the same.

Seeing that someone could make such a big fuss one after another, they naturally couldn't sit still. But Lin Yue guessed that they could only resort to some underhanded tricks. They wouldn't work together openly.

But each company has its own strengths, so the risks are still significant for Lin Yue.

If I show my face in Night City, I'll probably be surrounded and attacked all the time.

trouble…

“You need to take this wanted notice to heart. This isn’t just one company; it’s all of them—they’re like wild beasts that’ve gotten used to running rampant in Night City’s arena. They each have their own territory. If you just barge in like this, they’ll definitely put aside some of their grudges and unite against you.” “At least the prototype you have is something they want to take back.”

Lin Yue wasn't too worried about being cornered in Night City.

After all, he has a distinctive facial structure, so surviving in the city shouldn't be too difficult.

The main reason is that half of Dogtown is still under Emma's control... Unbeknownst to them, the low-ranking soldiers of the Ghost Hounds, who had been reduced to a state of utter destitution by Mr. Hans, the middleman in Dogtown, have now become truly established figures in Night City.

This foot is stuck and can't move...

"Is the company really so united in its hatred of the enemy?"

Roger gave an indifferent hum.

"About fifty years ago, someone worked for Arasaka with this idea in mind—Soul Killer exploded, and this was a joint effort by several companies. They could allow you to start on the same footing as him, but they would never allow you to surpass them..."

"Do you want your company to be attacked by a pre-arranged corporate squad without your knowledge?"

There will always be times when you're not around...

Lin Yue was speechless for a moment.

That sounds strangely familiar.

“Isn’t this a vicious cycle?”

Lin Yue felt there was no solution.

Unless you're waiting at the company for someone to come to you—

The problem is, some crazy companies don't care about the size of the problem. It's not impossible for them to drop a nuclear bomb on Watson District... It's just that I'm only on the big stage of Night City right now. If my industries in other worlds are affected, the companies might really do something so horrific.

"No solution? I think you've misunderstood Mr. Rin."

Roger shrugged. "I should have talked to that smart woman at your company about this, but unfortunately she's disconnected now—"

After hearing Lin Yue explain Emma's situation, Roger expressed his understanding.

Force is often a form of declaration, and a company's actions can demonstrate its current status.

Similarly, this can also be considered a form of pressure. When a sufficiently powerful weapon is nowhere to be found, the company should be the one worrying about itself.

"The choice is yours. A conservative retreat to Dogtown isn't out of the question. Night City... needs some work."

Perhaps it was the words of a veteran middleman like Rogge that were so persuasive.

Then he smiled meaningfully, “You can’t come to Night City without living.”

Roger gave him a knowing smile...

The car stopped at the border, and Lin Yue easily boarded an inland vehicle with a cargo box large enough to fit him. Customs didn't even conduct a routine check; they simply waved him on, and the car drove into Night City. A legendary figure seemed about to ascend to the top of the stage—

A loud whistling sound rose from the ground.

Heavy weapons, which shouldn't exist in Night City, were loaded with surface-to-surface warheads powerful enough to flatten buildings and were launched at speeding vehicles on the highway...

……
-
"Father, what does this mean?"

Lai Xuan changed his usual impatient behavior. When he saw Sanlang, a maid was helping him wipe the water droplets that had condensed on his special material kimono after he came out of the refrigerator.

The person in charge, who had spent some time in the cryogenic life support system, looked pale…

“If a sword blade that has been forged becomes a murder weapon, then it can naturally be destroyed.”

Saburo sighed, "The murderous blade killing its master is no longer just a story in the classics."

Lai Xuan's expression changed slightly; he thought his father was unaware that his plan had failed...

"Our prototype is lost."

Lai Xuan's report was brief and to the point.

Saburo rolled his cloudy eyes, looking at the child who was both familiar and unfamiliar to him—

"anything else?"

The fact that his father had lost a game of chess was something Lai Xuan had never heard of before... but the feeling was strange and inexplicable.

Perhaps in Lai Xuan's mind, his father was an invincible figure. He was strong, stubborn, and in control. But the appearance of Rin made everything seem to break the mold. So Lai Xuan thought about it carefully and probably realized that it was confidence.

Saburo's throat emitted the heavy breathing sounds of a wild beast awakening.

"It's just a piece of mediocre technology..."

Saburo Arasaka is summarizing this matter.

"But since that person was able to overcome such a difficult situation, we may not be their only enemy in the future."

"No one can sit still in Night City."

Lai Xuan stood with his hands behind his back and sighed. Of course, it wasn't because of Arasaka's loss, but because he was thinking about how he could help Rin.

"Father."

After a long silence, Lai Xuan spoke.

“I think you can’t spoil Michiko like this anymore… Many of her decisions have been wrong, especially Arasaka Tari’s attempt to bypass the counterintelligence department to carry out her operation, all because she doesn’t trust the local head of that department.”

"If this continues, the Arasaka Tower in Night City will probably fall into chaos first."

The words have already been spoken quite seriously.

Even Sanlang's face twitched slightly...

His eyes seemed to see right through the child in front of him. Did this child not feel any affection at all?

"Who exactly is she in your eyes? I remember I already warned Lai Xuan at the spaceport in Japan..."

"That person in charge named V, is he one of your subordinates?"

Lai Xuan stood up straight.

"He's one of Arakawa's subordinates."

“Arasaka’s interests always come first. I have never thought highly of her in the past, and I will never think highly of her in the future. She is completely unsuitable to be a leader.”

Saburo raised his palm.

"I will punish her."

Lai Xuan swallowed back the words that were in his mouth.

Lai Xuan wouldn't let the opportunity to apply eye drops slip by. He knew his elder brother's daughter wouldn't be given up on so easily, but he had to make his stance clear—after all, he was now the de facto CEO of Arasaka.

at this time.

Footsteps came from behind Lai Xuan.

Takemura Goro walked with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger. When Yorihiro turned to look at him, Goro felt as if he were being stared at by a wild beast.

"Lord Arasaka."

Goro seemed to want to tell this behind Lai Xuan's back.

But then Saburo's rebuke came—

"What could possibly be so important that you'd bypass the president of Arasaka to tell me?"

Goro quickly bowed, "I dare not!"

It wasn't until he bowed for more than a minute that Saburo finally signaled him to speak.

However, the first words that Goro uttered caused both Yorihiro and Saburo's expressions to freeze on their faces.

"The heavy weapons of Dogtown have been used again."

"A traitor who split the company's assets—"

"Whereabouts unknown."

……

……

　[Francis Young] A scientist in a cyberpunk world around 2020, whose daughter died in a car accident, conducts scientific research on cloning vegetative people. He does not hesitate to use a soul killer to implant memories into his daughter, but the result is that he creates a counterfeit with an unstable mind.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)