Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 365 Rapid Phantom

A man leaned against the railing, smoking silently. The setting sun cast a long shadow, especially in the dilapidated surroundings where wild grass had cracked the asphalt road.

"Hey?"

"Any news?"

The man flicked the ash from his cigarette and listened patiently as the other end explained the situation.

He was very anxious, and would scratch his hair from time to time, letting out helpless sighs.

But it was the last message that truly enraged the man.

"What?!".

"Seven or eight informants have all disappeared without a trace? That's fucking ridiculous!"

At this point, the supplier, the "culprit" on the other end of the phone, was almost in tears...

“Old Captain, those internet addicts in MB are very xenophobic. The middleman in Pacific Island is no longer Hanz—we found a new local middleman, but they don’t even give us the time of day.”

"The Voodoo Gang is the force that the New Middleman despises the most. The Animal Gang is the Queen of Dogtown's people. These brutes who are brainwashed by animal drugs are looking for Voodoo Gang members to mess with. It would be incredibly difficult for us to sneak in and gather information!"

"We sent people to the Great Empire Mall, and it's full of boxing rings!"

"We finally managed to sneak up on the church that the Voodoo Gang was sniping at. A few of us went inside and disappeared. Something feels really off!"

The supplier over there felt that if kneeling on the ground and crying for his parents could end this mess, he would kneel until his knees were raw.

However, anger cannot affect the judgment and experience of an old middleman.

"and many more--"

"The Animal Gang is taking on the Voodoo Gang? The Great Empire Mall has been lost?"

The feud between the Voodoo Gang and the Animal Gang has been going on for a long time, but these clever internet addicts always have a slight edge. The most luxurious building in Taiping Continent, besides the Gemstone Green in Dog Town, is the Great Empire Mall. Everyone knows that place is the territory that the Voodoo Gang has been operating in for a long time... How could this happen suddenly?
"It's strange, but the middleman here gave us some information about this matter, saying that those internet addicts have shrunk a lot, but we don't know the specific reason why."

As for where the car is…

The supplier didn't continue.

Every middleman makes their fortune in a different way. The old captain's main business is being a middleman for luxury cars, and his business covers the entire city of Night City.

For anything related to cars, just ask the old captain and you'll be fine.

For example, what if your car, which you've painstakingly saved up for a long time and haven't even had time to pay off the loan, is stolen by a gang?
Don't worry, the old captain will help you solve it.

The old captain's order-based business and extensive network of contacts allowed him to create a business of dispatching orders nearby. Mercenaries who had nothing to do in the vicinity or hadn't been able to make a living in a long time were naturally happy to earn some extra money, so the business had a very good reputation.

They earn quite a bit, after all, Night City has one of the worst traffic problems in North America, and its car culture is very strong.

Cars, which combine power and design, are often evidence of technological progress.

Therefore, wherever the old captain does business, he always cultivates good relationships with intermediaries. When doing business on someone else's turf, he can share some of the profits, making money together. In addition, the old captain has his own website for car intermediaries, where people can view cars and place orders online. His modification shop can even meet customized needs.

Regardless of how the vehicle arrived, just focus on whether the goods have arrived or not.

The old captain's ability to profit from both sides quickly made him a middleman in Night City, allowing him to find alternative paths. As a result, most middlemen are very friendly, and a stable cooperative relationship can be established with just a little communication and concessions.

After all, nobody complains about having too much money.

The middleman in Dogtown is an exception.

It used to be Hans. Back then, the old captain hadn't fully taken off yet. He took on a few big jobs on Taipingzhou Street, which was under Hans's jurisdiction, and they got along quite well. Now that his business had grown, he thought that even if he changed the middleman, he could still get things done... He never expected to be turned away like this.

"We can't do anything about people who don't lack money."

The old captain, hands on his hips, said, "Hmm... let me think. Don't stand there crying like a jinx. Get your men and mine in place and get ready to ship the goods."

"If you mess this up again, I'll deal with you first!"

The supplier shuddered, but reluctantly accepted the job.

The deed is done. The old captain has to ensure the cargo doesn't run into problems, but what lingers in his mind is that Mewtwo story.

With today's technology, creating a synthetic Mewtwo is no longer a strange technique, but the old captain consulted a large group of professionals from Night City who make a living using Mewtwo, and they all said that there were no traces of splicing in the video.

Even Jimmy Kurosaki, famous for his sunglasses-themed photos, was persuaded by the old captain.

That guy's exact words were just as twisted as the person himself.

"A rare work of art requires actors to dedicate their lives."

"The actors who perform ghosts and monsters possess a spirit of sacrificing their physical bodies through prosthetics, while those who inflict pain on the audience (referring to the daring young man being torn apart alive) dedicate their lives to this great art form..."

The old captain admitted that he wasn't crazy enough.

The director, who specializes in selling sunglasses to office workers to relieve their stress, has a lot of experience in this area.

Now that things had come to this, the old captain had no choice but to investigate himself.

Even if the Voodoo Gang seizes these goods, we'll go to their door to negotiate. It doesn't matter if we lose some money as long as we get these vehicles back. The worst outcome would be if we don't find a single thing.

Find the leader of the voodoo gang and sit down to discuss a deal.

The old captain has some insights.

He is more inclined to believe that the Voodoo Gang's "Black Dream" is a sensationalist show similar to "The Cleaners."

He'd been in that gang "ruled by ghosts" for so many years; if he believed that, even the kids on the street would laugh at him for months.

When it comes to business…

The old captain had just hung up the phone with the supplier when it seemed there was a slight problem with the cargo shipment plan from Taiping Island.

Among the escorts for these vehicles, one driver was dragged out and crippled on the spot for not following the rules on Tiger Claw Gang territory. He had sexually harassed a girl at the Super Dream Experience Store, which is owned by Tiger Claw Gang.

What goes around comes around. Finding a driver isn't hard, but the old captain wants someone who can hold the steering wheel firmly in a crisis, not a coward who wets his pants.

Driving skills are also a skill; it's not something you can master simply by knowing how to use the accelerator and steering wheel.

However, they also said that there are no drivers near Taipingzhou right now. After all, the car enthusiast circle is very well-informed. The old captain was messed up in Taipingzhou. If you're going to make money like this, you have to be prepared to take the blame. After all, he doesn't even know who messed with him. Not many people who aren't the old captain are willing to come all this way.

"Damn it—"

The old captain felt he was going to be driven crazy sooner or later.

"Is that the rock kid he's paired with? Ask him if he can drive?"

The middleman, who came from Santo Domingo, has a good memory.

It seems that K bet on a modified SUV, which performs so-so on city roads and is one of the last few cars on the list. This car was smuggled into Night City and onto the highway outside Taiping Island, costing around 50,000 euros in total, including various fees.

It wasn't the most conspicuous among the dozen or so cars...

When the conversation turned to K's ability to drive, the old captain impatiently prepared to hang up—

"and many more."

"Give him an extra gun, and fire it from the back to the middle."

It seemed that the old captain felt it would be unfair to K if something happened while one of the people escorting the truck was alone, so he made a point of mentioning it.

This little incident seemed insignificant in the face of several top-of-the-line sports cars, and soon the men found a member of the Voodoo Gang.

"Hey bro?"

The phone rang for a long time, but when it was finally answered, there was complete silence on the other end. The old captain could only ask questions first.

Few in Night City want to deal with the Voodoo Gang, but [Muammar Reyes] (the old captain's real name) knows a principle: know when to bow your head. It's fine if the Voodoo Gang isn't involved or unaware of this, but if they are involved and then try to manipulate him, demanding exorbitant prices, or even detaining informants searching for clues…

Reyes will definitely make the Voodoo Gang suffer the consequences.

"Who are you?"

As soon as the voice came from the other side, the old captain felt that the other side didn't seem like a human being.

His dry, hoarse voice sounded like air was leaking from his throat.

“I am a businessman from Santo Domingo—”

The other end immediately interrupted Reyes, "No interest."

The old captain was afraid these crazy internet addicts would hang up, so he said, "We have a few cars; the price is negotiable!"

Upon hearing the price, these filthy idiots who frequently extort Night City residents using online backdoors became interested.

"What car?"

Reyes felt like his stomach was on fire.

The other party's behavior of not hanging up the phone was most likely related to something, but the old captain didn't want to be too definitive. "I had a shipment of goods, and a few sports cars were stolen when they passed through Taipingzhou... Of course, I don't mean you stole my goods, but I want to learn about Taipingzhou's intelligence information from your side."

"Of course, if you can use the best hacking techniques, we can negotiate the price."

“In case, I mean in case,” the old captain paused, “if our car is accidentally impounded by your men, we can also make an offer. I have a lot of business on Taiping Island, there’s no need to make such a scene.”

However, behind the old captain's seemingly calm and collected demeanor lay a tightly clenched fist.

He couldn't wait to yell at this idiot from the voodoo gang right now.

"Then come to the church, it's not far from here."

Taken aback, the old captain quickly agreed. He couldn't sleep for several nights because of this, and his men were busy looking for solutions. Unexpectedly, they finally made some progress.

"Have you seen my goods?"

The old captain wanted to confirm more.

The voodoo gang on the other end said something even more infuriating.

"Whether you want to come or not is up to you."

"Hold!"

The old captain stared at the screen where the phone call had long since ended, and with nowhere to vent his frustration, he kicked a rusty paint bucket at his feet.

"wrong!"

"How did that idiot know I wasn't far from the church?"

The belatedly realizing it, the old captain wondered if it was a grammatical error due to Haitians not speaking English often, or if the other party actually knew where he was...

The Voodoo Gang communicates in Haitian, as anyone who has dealt with the gang knows.

Reyes subconsciously recalled the disgusting Mewtwo he had seen, and felt a chill run down his spine despite the sweltering afternoon. His subordinates, having received the news, quickly arrived.

"Can you trust anything these Voodoo Gang guys say?"

This gang has a terrible reputation. In the past, people in Taipingzhou who didn't deal much with the internet didn't pay much attention to the Voodoo Gang. But those who had dealt with them knew the Voodoo Gang's style of doing things. They only cared about their own people, and even when they asked Night City middlemen to do things, they were mostly doing so with ill intentions.

The Night City's biggest rip-off is the only one of its kind.

"Don't you believe there's any other way?"

The old captain's breath tasted increasingly bitter; after all, there were cigarette butts all around him, and he had no idea how many he had smoked.

"Damn it, our people must have been held captive by these bastards!"

Some of his subordinates were hurling insults with a high profanity level, using Black slang, which was quite comical.

The old captain flicked away his cigarette and beckoned to his men.

He needed to review the identities of all the missing informants. Even if the Voodoo Gang hadn't touched those cars, he had rashly sent the supplier to spy on the most wary gang in Night City, so he naturally had to take responsibility for the aftermath…

For example, paying money to redeem someone.

"Bring all your gear. I'll handle the Voodoo Gang stuff. I've dealt with those guys before."

The cars are already worth over a million euros, and even if they aren't brand new, they are definitely worth that price.

If he had a choice, Reyes would have opted for a more cautious approach and investigated slowly, but he couldn't afford to waste time. The loss of his client's trust meant that everything he had planned for so long would be in vain...

After thinking about it, he simply put those other thoughts out of his mind.

Let's see the car first, then we'll talk about everything else.

At the old captain's command, the car doors were opened, and the three cars sped off towards the church of the Voodoo Gang, which was a kilometer away.

As the exhaust fumes whipped up a cloud of yellow sand on the road, which had been deserted for a long time, and then gradually dissipated, the traffic cameras on the rusty streetlights, which seemed to have been out of service for years, flashed red lights as if watching their prey fall into a trap.

At this moment, in the church.

This is where members of the Voodoo Church hold weddings or funeral ceremonies. It was converted from a Catholic church, which shows the Voodoo Church's hostility towards other religions. Any trace of Catholicism is covered by those fancy and eerie fluorescent decorations. The Virgin Mary's face seems to be screaming in pain towards the sky. At this moment, the church is full of people, who all stand here quietly, as if they are praying devoutly.

A voice that sounded exactly like the one that had spoken to the old captain on the phone came through.

"The master has accepted a new soul."

A dark-skinned, matte-textured African American man had clearly taken over Maman Bridget's place, his out-of-place silver sequined down jacket adorned with the very totems worn by high priests.

The numb gazes of the crowd all turned upwards in unison, their eyes so vacant it was chilling, as if an invisible, transparent thread was hanging from the back of their necks.

Actually, we need to rephrase it—

The souls the priest spoke of as "accepted" were actually already dead...

The woman on the sacrificial altar was in a contorted position with her chest out, her facial features almost squinting together, and her empty eyes and bleeding orifices were clear signs that her brain had been damaged by a burn.

“One day, we will all be chosen by our master.”

"Follow in the footsteps of the High Priest to achieve immortality and eternal life in cyberspace."

His hoarse, unpleasant voice sounded somewhat shrill due to his emotional outburst, and his numb gaze remained fixed on the woman.

"Now…"

"Let us faithfully carry out the Great Master's plan."

The network lines above the dome flowed with light, and the data surging through the fiber optics turned everyone here into bound devices, puppets to be manipulated at will.

"Let's welcome our guests..."

Inside the church, things returned to normal, noisy. People seemed completely unaware that they were being manipulated, continuing to talk to the people around them.

The altar was completely empty, not even a trace of blood remained.

……
-
"I'm still scared thinking about what happened last night."

Emma sounded worried on the other end of the phone.

“Your body has been changing very frequently since you entered cyberspace. Even Qiwei, who withdrew early, didn’t dare to touch you… I’ve also recalled the team.”

Having rested for a night, Lin Yue was full of energy. He didn't show any more worrying indifference to Emma's concern. Instead, he said seriously, "I'm sorry, things are urgent... You know I have my own methods. It's a good thing that the internet police couldn't catch me... And I promise you, I won't rashly enter the internet anytime soon."

Emma was already used to Lin Yue's way of doing things.

"uh-huh…"

"After all, there aren't many women in Night City as obedient as me, are there?"

Lin Yue let Emma vent her dissatisfaction, and could only use an embarrassed smile to dispel the lingering fear in her heart.

"It's good that the team is back—"

Lin Yue changed the subject abruptly. He had just received a new arrangement from the middleman. It seemed that there had been a last-minute change in his driver's situation, so he was the only one left to escort his car into Night City. He was also given an extra weapon, which Lin Yue felt was probably no match for his own fists.

“I’m also worried that today’s events will be interfered with by those roving AIs in Taipingzhou. No… I’m almost certain that the old captain’s car was lost to them.”

Emma's expression changed.

"You knew things had changed today? And you still went!"

"The team members are all here—"

Lin Yueshen reached out and interrupted Emma.

"That's why we need to step in today to prevent any unforeseen events. Taipingzhou, especially the area around our company, must be stable... There can't be any trouble in the vicinity, you understand that very well."

"Even professional boxers know that in a fight, offense is the best defense. Do you expect Brandon and ICE from Data Fortress to last forever? That's unrealistic... Emma."

The moment Lin Yue disconnected from the network, he had Emma gather the information he needed. No one in the Animal Gang dared to buy such shady stuff, and the informants in Dogtown hadn't seen anything of such high quality appear at the entrance of Gemstone Green or on the black market. With Ultraman's powerful assistance, Lin Yue concluded that the item was in Taiping Continent, and that the instigator was the Voodoo Gang, who had been infected by the roving AI.

These people truly deserve the title of "internet superhumans".

Ultraman's casual attack was enough to wipe out any hacker, but by sheer coincidence, the Voodoo Gang became the same guy who had been possessed by the wandering AI.

"Everyone in the company is mobilized?"

Lin Yue thought for a moment and then rejected the suggestion.

The companies are currently fiercely competing with each other, but that doesn't mean they aren't keeping an eye on Taipingzhou. If something like what happened with biotechnology were to happen again, no one could afford the losses.

"Have the squad follow my instructions. If anything changes, you can let them fire without my permission. One Voodoo Gang member dying isn't a big deal, two dying is even better, isn't it?"

Emma had no choice but to compromise.

Lin Yue was better prepared than he had imagined.

She vaguely sensed that the mercenary who had once taken such good care of her had become the mastermind behind the company's incident.

He played with information in a dazzling display, but it's unclear how severe the consequences will be for the Voodoo Gang.

"Then what can I do?"

Lin Yue laughed and said, "Of course, you should do what you do best and direct their actions."

"And you? Are you just a backup plan, in case something happens?"

Emma stared at Lin Yue with great interest.

Emma's favorite sight is the smile on his face when he's confident of victory.

"Please help me..."

"I'm just a middleman in Santo Domingo right now, someone I temporarily pulled in to fill in when there's no one else available. The goods I'm escorting aren't very valuable. I look forward to you and your team doing a good job."

"Besides, who knows if the company is watching me?"

Emma wore a knowing smile, but in reality, she was already planning how to make the team strike precisely to prevent Lin Yue from putting himself in danger. On a smaller scale, this was her way of protecting her lover; on a larger scale, the team wasn't just waiting for Lin Yue to bail them out in certain situations. Emma's ultimate goal was for the team to be able to stand on their own.

Lin Yue hung up the phone.

At this moment, a tow truck from customs brought the car of the unfortunate owner, who had lost his vehicle in some unknown city, to this location.

The NCPD might inspect goods permitted within the city, which is why they're allowed into the city. Of course, some bribes are necessary, and to reduce costs, the old captain only knew the NCPD personnel in the western part of Santo Domingo.

That's how you get from Taipingzhou to Santo Domingo.

"Everyone, get on the bus."

The man's muscles looked like they were filled with cement, and his arms were covered with thick veins that looked like earthworms crawling. He seemed to be one of Reyes's confidants. He waved his hand, and each driver walked to the vehicle he needed to escort.

"and many more!"

Just as Lin Yue stepped onto the scaffolding next to the steaming tires of the trailer, the burly man waved and told Lin Yue to stop.

Lin Yue, who was looking puzzled, felt somewhat helpless after hearing what this guy said.

I almost thought I wouldn't be able to participate in this operation.

"K, you're the only one in this vehicle. After unloading, please drive it behind ours... To be honest, if it's too much trouble—"

Lin Yue was taken aback by the unusual politeness of the Santo Domingo people and said, "Thanks, buddy, really, but I can."

His goodwill was also obvious.

The burly man revealed his teeth, so neatly aligned they looked as if they had been cast from a mold. He was pleased by what he was about to say.

"If there's a chance, please reserve a spot for you at Hongni, maybe with your friends and family..."

The burly man, who had been keeping a straight face, immediately became serious.

"Everyone get in the car!"

The car identification site, which had been somewhat chaotic just moments before, suddenly became quieter. No one was whispering; instead, everyone was sitting in the car, carefully adjusting the equipment and seats.

The mercenaries carefully inspected their weapons to ensure they were in perfect working order.

Even Lin Yue, who was already prepared to watch the show, subconsciously touched his seatbelt, let out a deep breath, and settled into his seat. His serious eyes were reflected in the rearview mirror.

……

……

(End of this chapter)