Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 359 Traces [6.8K]

Westbrook.

Trauma Team Building.

Before heading to Taipingzhou, Lin Yue made a detour to visit Suzuki here first.

Perhaps the impact of the explosion was too strong, because even though Suzuki was awake for 24 hours, he was only in a state of consciousness for less than one-tenth of the time. During this period, Gloria and Suzuki's wife took care of him. Although they had never met, Emma praised the woman whose name she only knew was Yuko for being very strong.

Gloria wasn't there, and Lin Yue didn't want to bother her. This woman was too simple and honest, always treating Lin Yue's affairs as the most important thing.

Living in Night City, every job carries its own unique pressures; the trauma team is on call 24/7 and has meager vacations…

Lin Yue didn't want to take up her time.

Entering the special care ward is actually not that difficult; Lin Yue's current hacking skills are sufficient to achieve a seamless intrusion.

Besides, he still has the face of a rock star from Night City, so he's not afraid of being recognized.

The usually quiet corridor of the intensive care unit was somewhat noisy today…

The little girl's babbling voice came from inside.

"Mom, why aren't my toys clean?"

The woman brushed her hair back and wiped the fine beads of sweat from the girl's nose. The girl, her face flushed, was playing happily with her little doll.

Perhaps it had been a while since any strangers had visited, because the mother and daughter's gazes naturally fell on the young man in the studded leather jacket who seemed somewhat out of place in the clean and simple surroundings—the girl stared quietly at the stranger, then suddenly grinned, revealing her adorable bunny teeth; it seems that in Japan, children's teeth are rarely straightened…

So at this age, they can truly be described as adorable.

The woman smiled slightly, nodded, and continued to quietly look at the bulletproof glass reflecting her simple makeup in the ward.

Just as Lin Yue was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly heard a woman's voice.

"Are you Gangliang's friend? Please have a seat."

Lin Yue was now in a dilemma. He knew at first glance that this was Suzuki's wife, Yuko, the woman in Japan who upheld justice even when her husband was framed.

Since the other party had already prepared an explanation for him, Lin Yue could only go along with it and walk to the bench. The woman holding the child moved to the side. The four or five-year-old child was at the age of curiosity, and his big watery eyes were fixed on the shiny metal ornaments on the strange older brother's body.

The woman seemed unwilling to speak further, and Lin Yue had only wanted to come and see this… “brother who had shared hardships”—

The genuine dedication and mutual trust that everyone in Night City dreams of didn't appear on the passionate streets, but instead appeared in two office workers, which is quite ironic.

Lin Yue really wanted to see this guy sit up now, laughing happily with his wife and children by the bed, which would be more in line with his current expectations.

"I don't know what this guy is insisting on... He should have just taken Lucy and run away earlier."

"Can't you do it?"

Lin Yue sighed helplessly to himself.

Suzuki Takeyoshi is not the kind of person who is rigid in his thinking. "The company's efficient training process will enable him to choose appropriate methods to avoid risks when things are not going well," which is a rule that every employee in the security department memorizes.

As Lin Yue was secretly grieving, he felt someone touching his sleeve.

He saw a small hand cautiously touching a tiny nail on his clothes. The culprit thought it was being light enough, but its mother had actually noticed...

"Don't be rude, Yashio..."

The little guy was sullen when his hand was pulled back; it seemed that having only a doll as a playmate wasn't a very happy thing.

Lin Yue felt a complex mix of guilt and unease when faced with the woman's apologetic smile.

The woman's gentleness, and the fact that she had arranged for Suzuki to carry out the mission, were causing her heart to suffer unimaginable torment. The child's touch only added fuel to the fire.

Should I send my greetings?

Should we give them money? Or arrange for Yasu and Yuko to live in a place within the Taipingzhou company compound? Should we consider finding Yasu a good school, or have Shidao find an AI teacher...? We should at least do something, right?

But a quiet woman can be more incisive than any word—

Lin Yue was speechless.

"Gangliang said that the child has no parents (Lucy)."

Yuko knew the young man beside her understood. Her eyes, which were not extremely stunning but calm and all-encompassing, gently lifted to look directly at the man's cold and gloomy face reflected in the glass.

"How strange, how could there be parents who don't love their children?"

“Ya-yu…we’re all afraid that something might happen to her, and we can’t allow any harm to happen to her. Gang-liang probably wants that child to have this experience too.”

The woman seemed oblivious to the young man's increasingly grim expression, though Yuko did notice the detail of his tightly clenched fist on his knee. "Gangliang doesn't have much pocket money, yet he bought the most expensive perfume and gifts from the duty-free shop. I bet this wasn't the man's idea; a young lady must have been the one who suggested it to him."

"Is it her?"

"Gangliang's choice was entirely within my expectations. Please don't be saddened by the reasons before the incident."

Aside from a buzzing sound in his head, Lin Yue was unable to think at all.

He cared about everything at the company, as if he were blindly inflicting hatred, wondering if the world would become a better place through his efforts, completely forgetting that every life has its unique meaning.

Yuko covered her mouth and chuckled slightly, while Suzuki Meiko in her arms was making a fuss—

"Mom loves Yaxu, and Dad loves Yaxu too."

The man beside her sighed heavily, and the fist that had been clenched on his lap gradually loosened.

"I...actually don't..."

A man's nature has never changed.

When the pretense is exposed, the denial is often met with a stubborn, childlike response.

"Your sadness can no longer be hidden."

Yuko smiled and said, "I believe that among the few things that Gangliang-kun can remember now, there must be one that is your memory. Everything will be alright, won't it?"

Things will get better.

He had heard these words from the neighborhood of Santo Domingo after his performance.

People are adept at using vague and uncertain futures to mask specific traumas after major setbacks.

However, Lin Yue became even more convinced that this illusory dream would definitely come true.

Suzuki was not a scar that made him wallow in self-pity, but a role model.

His courage and his choice to stay true to himself will become Lin Yue's guiding principle.

"Yes, Suzuki is really lucky..."

Lin Yue suddenly smiled.

Lin Yue, who rarely expressed gratitude to others, bowed slightly to Yuko in a Japanese manner to show his respect.

Yuko covered her mouth, while the bold Mei felt a chance to "make new friends." She broke free from her mother's hand and pounced on Lin Yue's knees, handing him a toy as if showing it off.

"It's a bit dirty; the washing machine didn't clean it properly."

Children's language is always simple, and they are good at expressing their needs and dissatisfaction.

Lin Yue took the doll from the child. Having experienced countless battles, Lin Yue recognized it clearly. It wasn't dirty; it was just the curled fur from being burned and a patch of yellowish blood.

"It's not dirty, Ya-xu."

Lin Yue reached out and patted the girl's head.

"That's a little mark your dad left on your toys because he loves you. Ever heard of a guardian charm?"

Ya Xu's mouth was wide open.

She clearly preferred this "cooler" way of putting it.

"you…"

Yuko used polite language.

But after just the first word, the conversation changed instantly, and Lin Yue, who was playing with the child, didn't hear it at all.

"You've come to see him, and he's doing very well now. The trauma team is much more efficient than the Japanese team."

Lin Yue nodded awkwardly, letting the child play in his arms.

Lin Yue naturally noticed the security arrangements made by Emma, ​​but these security personnel received feedback and were ordered not to act rashly. At least in this respect, Lin Yue was very satisfied, as the mother and daughter had not been mistreated in any way.

Everything leaves a trace.

However, the "important person" in front of them was too obviously arousing.

As the wife of the company's senior security director and a woman who had worked in the company, she understood the situation, but she didn't want to expose his self-blame.

The feeling in his heart dissipated considerably with Ya Xu's laughter. Lin Yue checked the time on his prosthetic eye...

It's about time to go to Taipingzhou.

At night, most of the roads in Taipingzhou are blocked by idle street cleaners and some rioters with roadblocks. Lin Yue is not afraid of being robbed by road bullies, but it is inconvenient. He can't get out of the car to clean up the debris. It seems that the NCPD and the city hall will not pay him a cleaner's salary.

"Uncle, are you leaving?"

Ya-soo is very smart, and she spoke with a very local accent throughout, even though her mother spoke Japanese the whole time.

This little guy's fluent spoken language seems to be the result of careful education. Although language chips can avoid long-term learning, the degree of brain-computer interface modification for such a young child is very low. Large-capacity chips would be more harmful than beneficial, and adaptive modification would be needed as the child grows.

Yuko hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped; she was much younger than Yuko had imagined…

In this era of rampant cosmetic surgery, age can be faked, but youthful energy cannot.

The eyes were once the windows to the human soul, but the variety of prosthetic eyes makes it even harder to see people's true intentions. In such cases, Yuko often judges a person's experience by their behavior.

He was very sincere, seemingly unable to accept that such a thing had happened to his subordinates; he felt guilty and had drive—all qualities typically found in young people.

Yes, Yuko saw through it all; this was the boss her husband had described as someone who had "given her a great opportunity."

When her husband told her in the video how well his work was going, Yuko was genuinely happy for him. But after this incident, when the person her husband was talking about sat there looking awkward, Yuko had already let go of her resentment.

"I've always wondered if I can live a peaceful and healthy life."

Lin Yue stopped what he was doing after saying goodbye to the children and playing with them.

The woman looked tenderly at Ya Xu, "Like this child, I hope she lives in a peaceful countryside before 2020, away from those cold machines, where she only needs to be careful of the mud on the paddy field ridges rather than the possibility of cyberattacks or shootings at any time—"

"Feel sorry."

Yuko suddenly came to her senses and hurriedly stood up, bowing repeatedly.

The gentle smile that was once so beautiful on her face vanished, like a crystal lake shattered by a storm, leaving one feeling uneasy.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead—

Perhaps it was because the other person was too easygoing when I was speaking, which led me to say something inappropriate.

Companies prioritize profits, and the person in charge of the company is more likely to value long-term interests.

Yuko knew that her petty remarks might have offended the guy next to her, who was very likely a high-ranking executive in the company. Saying those overly idealistic things just now... was a bit too bold.

Even if the husband's boss is someone he has a good relationship with.

However, within the rigid hierarchical structure of Japanese corporate workplaces, this is already a serious offense…

Will he feel like he's expressing dissatisfaction?
She resented him for putting her husband in danger.

That's just how companies are; no one can guarantee they'll be alive and well tomorrow.

The other person held Yaxu in their arms, their gaze suddenly becoming calm, as if they were a completely different person.

The child didn't know what had happened; all he saw was his panicked mother and his uncle, who was nowhere near as gentle as before.

She wanted to express her emotions—

Lin Yue returned the toy to the child and then interrupted Youzi's apology.

Yuko's voice is very gentle, and it always makes people listen patiently.

But Lin Yue knew he couldn't avoid this question any longer.

"This outfit really doesn't suit this place, does it?"

Lin Yue chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Perhaps a suit and tie would be more appropriate."

Yuko was somewhat confused.

Lin Yue looked at Ya Xu encouragingly, "Let Mom sit down, okay? People who haven't done anything wrong don't need to apologize."

Yashu's face, which was about to cry, instantly lit up.

Yuko felt awkward, but the child pulled her to sit next to him.

"I think I can answer your question."

"Yasu just told me that her favorite thing to watch isn't Mewtwo, but the heroes who defeat monsters on TV."

“Someone always has to take the first step, Yuko. Some things can’t be done just by thinking about them. Suzuki is the same as me in this respect.”

As he stood up, Lin Yue placed one hand on the cold bulletproof glass. To Youzi's utter astonishment and shock, the seemingly incongruous "company person" gave the most unexpected answer: "He is not a subordinate, but a partner who fights alongside us."

"Only we can make it so that the children don't see corpses and stray bullets anymore." The corridor was so quiet that there seemed to be no sound at all.

Yuko's surprised expression turned into relief, and she chuckled softly.

Ya Xu didn't understand, but she still giggled along.

Are you asking me if I will give my husband back to you?

Lin Yue sometimes finds dealing with intelligent women a real headache.

Their keen intuition is a sharp weapon, enabling them to always find out what others truly think.

“I had no choice, but your words gave me one.”

Yuko is very familiar with the company's practices.

In fact, when companies sign contracts, they often start at fifty years. The decision-making power over such long contracts rests with the company. People are resources in the company's hands. If they are useful, then the contract will be followed. If they are useless, then the company can violate the contract or physically execute them.

Many of the legal provisions are specifically designed for companies, making it extremely difficult for ordinary people to leave a company without taking any action.

Yuko firmly believes that Suzuki will die on the road today or someday.

But the answer from the person in front of her made Yuko finally understand that what her husband believed in was not the false illusion constructed by the corporate dog who treated employees with humility, but true understanding.

She supported Suzuki's choice in Japan; all three of them were essentially the same kind of people…

"I also hope that Gangliang-kun will get better soon."

"He told me he had something important that he hadn't done well, and now I know what it is."

Lin Yueben had one hand in his pocket, but after hearing Yuko's words, he turned around and bowed to her in thanks.

"Thank you for your patience with my comrades-in-arms, and thank you..."

Lin Yue paused briefly.

“You understand so much, and you forgive me.”

The crisp sound of buds rang out—

"People who haven't done anything wrong don't need to apologize."

Yuko glared at the clever little devil reproachfully.

Lin Yue felt that children's words sometimes surpassed a thousand words from adults, and were the most comforting.

"Are you a rock 'n' roll kid?!"

Yashu became even bolder.

Yuko had to cover her mouth; if she kept talking, who knew what the child might say next.

Lin Yue didn't mind; spending time with Suzuki's kids was a way of helping his old friend.

This guy.

How come someone as big and burly as him, with a scar on his face, has such an obedient daughter...?

Sometimes, the gifts that fate bestows are excessively precious.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Lin Yue squatted down, smiling as he reached out his hands to support the child.

"This is so cool! My dad actually knows the rock kid."

Do you know the song by Officer Dog from Night City?

Lin Yue thought for a moment.

It appears to be a short film by the NCPD promoting its "great achievements." The anthropomorphic Doberman-like police officer with his hands on his hips does indeed sing a certain melody. Obviously, the target audience is these children, and only children would believe that the NCPD is an organization that fights crime and protects the innocent.

"will not."

Ya Xu was somewhat disappointed.

Lin Yue added, "I should be able to learn it by the next time you see me, and I'll sing it for you then."

Ya Xu raised her arms excitedly and laughed, "Great!"

Yashu really likes this new friend.

"Suzuki Meio."

Lin Yue memorized this name along with her father's, and the tolerant woman before him was even more remarkable…

Yuko: "Thanks to Ms. Emma, ​​I can take good care of Goro-kun."

Lin Yue looked at the sleeping Suzuki and said half-jokingly, "Tell him to get up quickly. Leiden is not as good at doing things as him. He can't even teach others properly and he wants to retire. There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Lin Yue smiled and gestured goodbye to Ya Xu.

He had just turned around and taken a few steps—

Yuko called out to him.

"Please take good care of yourself and also take good care of my husband, okay?"

"Be careful."

If I remember correctly…

This is the second time today that someone has asked me if it's okay.

This kind of request is better than a phrase like "you must do this or that"; it's a sincere plea.

Lin Yue waved his hand.

Being able to stay here until now is already the most agonizing interview of his life. More importantly, this is the only time he has not been afraid of having his behavioral characteristics revealed and the identity information behind his face exposed.

The corridor was once again filled with the sound of a child playing and muttering to himself.

Yuko looked down at her child. The midday sun shone brightly, casting its light on the snow-white bed in the ward.

Suzuki stared at the ceiling.

To facilitate calling patients, the sound from the corridor could be transmitted to the ward through the audio equipment, even through the thick bulletproof glass. It was probably due to negligence on the part of the staff on duty that the equipment was turned on.

His dazed eyes seemed to have forgotten a lot, but because of his child, his wife, and that man's words, his confused expression showed a trace of breaking through the fog.

……
-
Taipingzhou.

dreamer.

There is a special road in the company park that leads to the abandoned underground facilities. Lin Yue followed Emma's instructions and went down the manhole cover passage in the parking lot on the east side of the Empire Mall. It was about a ten-minute walk to Dream Home. The gate with extremely high security allowed only a few people to enter, and Lin Yue was one of the highest-security ones.

Behind this lies the core of the subnet infrastructure.

Lin Yue felt he was probably the most sinister of all the people in power in the company, even taking a "secret tunnel" home...

While other company shareholders were speeding around in luxury cars, Lin Yue's vehicles had long been used as Emma's mode of transportation. Most of the money was kept in the company account for normal expenses, and there was sufficient cash flow to avoid being affiliated with financial institutions such as Arasaka Bank and Night City.

It's too professional; even with an intelligence score of 20, Lin Yue wouldn't want to learn it.

Emma is a shrewd businesswoman. At least the closer you get to the Dreamers, the fewer homeless people and thugs there are. Many Dreamers soldiers serve as guards, and they don't interfere with normal life. The fact that they have weapons that are enough to overwhelm NCPD officers' batons and pistols has wiped out the nearby scavengers completely.

Even more surprisingly, Lin Yue also saw the shops and gyms opened by the animal gang...

Recalling what he had seen and heard on the way, Lin Yue opened the secret door that was specially prepared for the company's senior management for the first time.

Lin Yue fiddled with this thing for a long time before realizing it was triple-authenticated. He came home covered in dust and dirt, and Lin Yue couldn't even describe himself.

But that wasn't all. As soon as he entered, he saw the massive subnetting system submerged in coolant. And as soon as he turned his head, he saw a person standing quietly beside him!

"Depend on!"

Lin Yuezhen wondered if he was too tired from playing with V yesterday, because he didn't even notice when a landmine had landed next to him.

Oh no!

It turns out to be the dear Professor Lost Island!

With his hands behind his back, Lin Yue greeted the old man with a broad smile.

Just kidding. He perfectly disassembled the gravity field device and even designed his own "shadow." He's the master of the technology field. How could Lin Yue dare to say anything I said later?

"do not move!"

Mr. Lin, who was about to extend a gesture of courtesy to the tech guru as a senior executive of the company, was stunned.

The outstretched hand froze in mid-air, unsure whether to retract it or extend it further.

With his round, plump figure and shiny bald head, Lin Yue even found it a little dazzling—

He walked around Lin Yue with his hands behind his back, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Even though several months have passed, I still can't believe I've created such a thing."

Lin Yue's eyelids drooped instantly.

I simply couldn't be bothered to play along with this strange old man anymore...

If you can't speak, you don't have to!

"No discomfort? That's strange. Did you install a processor in your brain?"

Just as Lin Yue was about to complain, Shi Dao stood in front of him.

"Kid, you're really awesome."

Lin Yue nodded repeatedly. How could he have returned from the Badlands if he wasn't awesome?

"I'd heard from that woman that you were coming back, but I hadn't seen you do any adaptation tests for months. I thought you'd died out there. I even told that woman to take the prosthetic body back so it wouldn't be a waste."

Hey hey hey…

Lin Yue was speechless.

That's going too far!

“She said you weren’t dead, so I’m staying here today to see if she was lying to me when she said you were coming back.”

Then Shidao leaned closer and said, "That woman is shrewd, don't let her sell you out!"

Why didn't Lin Yue realize before that this lost island was so... baffling?
“I have nothing to say, Professor Lost Island. You must have confidence in your skills.”

Losing the island means taking a step back.

He talked about how he created these things, but in reality, he kept nodding.

"You never answer my old buddy's (Old Wei) calls!"

"A prosthetic body is doomed if anything goes wrong, not even sand!"

To conceal his identity, Lin Yue had destroyed his previous phone long ago, so he could only helplessly explain, "I know, but I'm back now, aren't I?"

Shidao didn't seem to intend to end the topic and leave, but instead stared intently at Lin Yue, making Lin Yue feel as if he had been stripped naked and looked at.

Have you ever heard of the legends of ninjas?

The "lost island" self-questioning and self-answering segment has begun.

Blocked from leaving and unable to touch a hair on Professor Shidao's head, Lin Yue could only helplessly squat on the iron frame next to him.

"If we could add a layer of concealment to your prosthetic body that's even better than optical camouflage, eliminating the special light and shadow fluctuations of optical camouflage in chaotic situations, and then add a firing device comparable to a gun, and most importantly, enable you to perform ninja-like wall-climbing and ignore gravity..."

Lin Yue, who had initially been rather uninterested, heard the guy's increasingly excited description.

Only now did he realize that his obsession with losing islands had been completely exposed.

This guy is a cybernetic modification fanatic!

"Ah, you really do have a trace of that legend."

Lin Yue's face twitched, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

"so?"

The islander clapped his hands, "New technology, want to take a look? Of course, if your body can handle it!"

Lin Yue thought from Emma's words that the loss of the island was only showing some signs of progress, but he never expected—

You've got it working?

"What the hell?!"

She gasped in surprise.

……

……

(End of this chapter)