Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 376 Parnan Palmer's List (Part 2) [6.4K]

Just as Lin Yue remembered, halfway there, Panan turned the car onto a patch of wasteland on Stone Ridge Mountain.

The drought-resistant coconut leaves sown using biotechnology are tinged with a twilight-like yellow, just like this barren land.

Panan had actually been keeping an eye on the mercenary the whole time.

The girl was a bit straightforward, but that didn't mean she was stupid. Most homeless people grow up in harsh environments in a tribal way and have unspeakable pasts. Panam was different...

She was always the child of the homeless, inheriting the intelligence and health that only the survival of the fittest can preserve.

Seeing Lin Yue close his eyes for a nap, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Panan didn't dislike the guy who was watching him make a fool of himself while smoking a cigarette as much.

A sense of boundaries is often the first step to gaining respect in social interactions.

Lin Yue naturally avoided prying into secrets as much as possible after the wanderers had recently moved to Stone Ridge, which was closer to Night City.

Mitchell and Scorpion were already waiting outside the camp before Panan returned.

In Adcado's eyes, Panan was a vibrant and enthusiastic girl, more like the "group's darling"—no one disliked her at all, even though she was no longer "Adcado's person."

Everyone knows about the falling out between Panan and Thor.

"Hey, Panan!"

Scorpion and Mitchell were both warmly welcoming to their companion whom they thought would never return, and wary of Lin Yue as he got out of the passenger seat.

Panan casually went up and hugged his good friend, and then slapped Scorpion's shoulder a few times with all his might.

"What wind blew our Night City's biggest star here?"

Both veterans who served in the new United States still retain the temperament of soldiers.

After their gazes fell on Lin Yue—

“K, from Santo Domingo, help out Parnan Palmer.”

Scorpion was wearing a mask, so his expression was unknown, but he felt that the guy in front of him had a familiar aura... but upon closer inspection, he couldn't feel that aura anymore.

"If you call me by my full name, then it seems we've just started dating, haven't we?"

Mitchell stepped forward and shook hands with Lin Yue, his hand firm but without malice.

"Mitchell."

"Scorpion."

Scorpion, wearing a mask typically reserved for soldiers, simply waved his hand.

"You haven't answered me yet, big star."

Panan said somewhat helplessly, "Stop being so sarcastic. Can you two come out with me and help out?"

"The Chaotic Blade Society depends on me..."

Panan turned and glanced at K.

It seems she is still worried about the abilities of the mercenary beside her.

However, Parnan underestimated Sol's determination.

“Don’t joke around, Panan. If things aren’t going well out there, then come back. Saul is just saying that—but for us, not going out means not going out.”

Mitchell sighed repeatedly.

The taciturn scorpion added, "We can only do what the badlands are supposed to do, to feed our families, and we can't touch anything else."

Panan was completely taken aback.

"Just because of something Thor said?"

"Are we still family?!"

The girl has a very strong temper.

She couldn't understand why things had turned out this way when she simply didn't want to get involved with the company.

Lin Yue, standing beside him, showed absolutely no intention of getting involved in the internal affairs of the homeless family.

On the contrary, he was very restrained. After greeting them, he simply stepped back and leaned against the car, without craning his neck to look into the campsite.

"Losing the car is no big deal, Panan. Losing the goods is even less of a problem. They can't find us, so we're fine here."

Panan had no intention of letting his reputation for running goods in Night City be wiped out.

Adcado's children will be 100% honest.

"Fine, fine, I'm not talking to you two anymore!"

At this moment, Lin Yue crossed his arms and looked at the gray sky with a bewildered expression.

If I remember correctly, these two guys will probably be giving Panan Adcado top-tier firearms next...

It seems that no matter how the world changes, it doesn't significantly alter the life trajectory of the homeless.

"You're not going to help, huh?"

"Could you help this guy next to me take a look at the map?"

Lin Yue's expression changed as he listened to their conversation. Although he crossed his arms, he straightened his body slightly.

It's much taller than I imagined...

Sol.

Why is he here?

Before Lin Yue could think it through—

“Strangers cannot come to Adcado, and I do not recall saying that people who have defected from the family can return, let alone… you have brought strangers with you.”

Thor's face darkened.

Rogge's teaching wasn't very effective. Panan could do any job perfectly, but he just couldn't accept Saul's ambiguous attitude towards the company.

The turmoil in Night City caused Panan a lot of grievances, but in her opinion, she would rather be betrayed by Nash than be a lackey for the company.

"stranger?"

"Fine, Thor. Adcardo isn't my family anymore. I don't recall anyone telling me Adcardo was going to be the company's dog!"

A brilliant counterattack!
Lin Yue thought this girl had a really sharp tongue...

Compared to Rebecca's simple enjoyment of "civilized speech," Panan's way of swearing is more logical, possessing a kind of beauty that disregards human life and death...

"What did you say?"

Saul's voice was so cold it was almost dripping with water.

Scorpion and Mitchell are truly good brothers.

Lin Yue watched as these two guys silently shielded everyone in front of them...

Thor was furious and these two brothers became his punching bags.

It is said that even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes, and Lin Yue finally understood this feeling.

The problem with family-style management lies here: there is a generational misunderstanding between the older and younger generations, much like the conflicts that exist between parents and children during their rebellious phase.

"I said--"

Panam is a fiery little pepper.

Not only was she not afraid of Thor, but she took a step forward. The girl, who was at least 1.7 meters tall, looked petite and slender in front of Thor.

"If you're going to be a dog, why not choose a better one? Why not choose one where you work non-stop for the company? Why didn't you choose the one in Taipingzhou?"

"How did the wanderers get here? How badly were they exploited by the company before they even joined Adcado? Don't you know?"

Lin Yue curled his lip.

Hey hey hey…

How did this girl so incisively capture the core essence of the dreamer?
A few rhetorical questions made Saul realize that a child whose rationality is too overdeveloped cannot recognize what reality is like.

"It seems Night City has been too good to you, Panan."

"Many people in Adka live in the wilderness and don't want to return to the cities. What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we use?"

"Biotechnology crops are what we need, don't you understand that?"

"If we don't rely on anything, are we just some scum from the Chaotic Blade Society?"

Different perspectives.

Thor is a competent leader, without a doubt.

Even dreamers need to have accumulated enough wealth to dare to do this; Panan is still too young…

By the way...

Why am I acting like a middle-aged person who has lived for quite some time now, even unconsciously thinking from the perspective of a leader?
They couldn't get to the bottom of it.

When Thor turned his gaze to Lin Yue, Lin Yue knew what the leader of the wandering tribe was about to say to him.

"K, I am Thor."

Thor wasn't pretentious at all; he politely shook hands with Lin Yue.

"Rogge sent you, didn't he? The Chaotic Blade Society is a bunch of thugs. Let's forget about this job."

Panan grabbed Lin Yue's sleeve, and Lin Yue was caught off guard, feeling a soft sensation on his shoulder...

You're a woman, sis!
Lin Yue wanted to cry but had no tears.

"What the hell is it to you? I'm looking for my goods, do you need to tell my partner what to do?"

There was a hint of sarcasm in Thor's eyes.

"Really? Then what do you want from Mitchell? Like a crying child looking for candy."

Lin Yue knew he had to speak.

"The homeless are very familiar with the area around their residence, right? Before Panan came, he told me that Mitchell and Scorpion could help—tell me about the latest dumping location of Night City at the landfill, as well as the activity patterns of the Wild Blades in that area, etc..."

"First of all, I don't care about your affairs."

A slight smile appeared on Thor's face.

But Lin Yue changed the subject.

"Secondly, in Night City, when it comes to taking on a job, you have to be trustworthy and considerate. I accepted Panan's job, so there's no reason for me not to do it. Even if I die on a job, that's fate. It's not right to do things this way."

Lin Yue's tone was indifferent.

Compared to the company's top management, the leader of the wanderers did not put any pressure on himself.

Especially with Lin Yue's usual lazy voice, everyone thought this guy was brought to the camp by Panan to cause trouble.

"Are you saying I'm incompetent?"

Lin Yue shook his head.

"You should be managing your own people, instead of making things difficult for someone like me who knows nothing and just took on a job to exchange for intelligence."

Panan was also somewhat dumbfounded.

what's the situation.

The guy who brought the kids himself is so brave.

The muscular Thor took a step forward and met Lin Yue's calm, unwavering gaze. Even the well-informed leader couldn't quite tell whether this guy was truly capable.

“Alright, Panan isn’t considered one of Adcardo’s anymore, but the tribe owes everyone something. If Panan is willing—”

"I fucking want to!"

Panan didn't even think about it.

Now it was Mitchell and Scorpion's turn to panic.

Thor was just angry before, but this time...

"If you can get any work from Roger after this job is done, I'll eat my hat."

Thor waved his hand.

"Tell this K what information he wants, as a way of repaying Panan for his many years of contributions to the tribe, and also give them some equipment."

"Don't die a pathetic death."

Panan immediately shoved Thor aside, who was blocking his way, and Lin Yue turned and got into the car without following him inside.

……

Night fell too quickly on Shijishan Mountain.

The two had lingered too long at the camp, leaving them no time to prepare. The members of the Chaotic Blade Society would soon be entering Ghost Town.

The Panan car had its headlights on, and the atmosphere inside was extremely silent.

Panan and Sol have argued countless times.

But this time…

It seems he really has broken ties with his family.

Everyone has the ability to process their emotions, and Lin Yue did not intend to comfort Panan.

The biggest boost would be getting her car and cargo back.

"What are you going to do?"

Lin Yue still asked a question. Of course, he asked about the commission.

"We're getting closer and closer to the ghost town, damn it..."

Because he hadn't made any preparations and was also troubled by other things, Panan slammed his fist on the steering wheel, but he was still fuming and trying to find a solution.

"It's getting late, we need to park the car on the side of the road and sneak into town... let's see what the situation is like first."

Lin Yue felt that it was best to wait and see how things went before making any further comments, and he didn't express any objections.

But a sentence that Panan added at the end made Lin Yue look at him in a new light.

"If things really come to a bad end, we'll just leave. If we lose the car and the cargo, so be it. I don't want to stay in this awful place anymore. I've heard that the further east you go, the less polluted the environment becomes, and you can even see the stars... It wouldn't be bad to live like that for the rest of my life."

Lin Yue: "Are you sure?"

Panan shrugged. "Otherwise what? Do you think the two of us can take down a dozen or so members of the Chaotic Knife Gang head-on?"

Lin Yue pointed behind him, "Your [Ice Storm (Kinetic Sniper Rifle)] is quite suitable for ambushes, and besides... it's not impossible."

Panan didn't hear what was said after that because of the bumps and roar of the car. "What?"

"Relying on that sniper rifle that's heavier than a drunk Mitchell is too naive..."

Lin Yue neither confirmed nor denied it.

How good is the night vision function of the prosthetic eye?

Lin Yue pointed to the pitch-black area above, beyond which only the car headlights provided illumination.

"There's a gas valve from Pedro Petrochemical on top of the tower, and someone sprayed graffiti on it. The date... seems to be February 2056?"

Panan nodded repeatedly.

"Damn, I can't see it."

Lin Yue: "..."

This woman probably did it on purpose.

The outline of the ghost town was visible. After the headlights swept over the road signs, Panan turned off the lights, coasted in neutral for a distance, and stopped behind the container.

"call…"

Panan looked very stressed.

The girl's competitive spirit was fully displayed.

She wasn't telling the truth when she said she wanted to leave; Parnan was particularly eager to prove one thing: Saul was wrong.

But before that, she had to preserve Night City's reputation and the cargo owners' trust. The vehicle was of utmost importance; it was a well-tested machine from the Badlands, far more reliable than the one Parnam was driving.

More importantly, it has feelings for Panan.

A car is not just a means of transportation, but also a spiritual sustenance. It carries the dreams of wanderers to roam freely, and it is also a means of survival. When being chased by enemies or encountering a sudden storm, a car is needed to replace two legs.

Also... the Wanderer is a master of modifications, and this car is being cared for by Panan like a child, which is why she's in such a hurry.

Lin Yue understands these things.

V gave himself the Sky Hera, and his time in Dogtown during the mission left a deep impression on him. He also wanted to repair the car that broke down after the mission and continue using it.

"Let's go?"

The two looked around the town from the car and, finding no other light source, got out.

The trading points and specific information were quickly obtained under Parnam's guidance.

The good news is that Nash's stolen goods will be traded here, and Parnan's car has also been brought over.

The bad news is that we only have a little over half an hour left.

This news came after Panan pleaded with the cargo owner for a long time, and the cargo owner, who also appreciated the efficient young woman, finally agreed.

But one situation made Panan extremely dissatisfied.

Nash stole her things, and when Roger found out, he just urged Nash to complete the transaction. The car wasn't her concern, which made Panan curse for quite a while!

Actually, it makes sense.

After all, the middleman only cares about how things are done and as long as the result is achieved, it doesn't matter who does the work.

Just like in his memory, Panan urged Lin Yue to find something to attract the members of the Chaotic Blade Society.

The car was parked right in the yard behind the shipping container.

It seems like a coincidence.

In reality, it was all as Lin Yue perceived it to be.

Moreover, Lin Yue had no intention of using Panan to improve relations with the wanderer tribe; on the contrary, he supported Panan in finding his car.

In the eyes of most of the forces dissatisfied with the company, Dreamers are just like Arasaka and Military Technology.

"Let's see if there's anything we can use, preferably something that can make a noise—"

Before Panan could finish speaking, he saw Lin Yue standing in front of a locked room at the very front of the courtyard, which resembled a guard room.

Lin Yue pointed behind him, "Let's use electricity. The car's here, so we can restore power to the facilities over there and also alert them..."

As Lin Yue was reciting these words as if reciting lines, he noticed that Panan's expression was becoming increasingly strange, so he said, "We don't have much time. If we look around any longer, the members of the Chaotic Blade Society will probably be home, in bed, and fast asleep—"

A coil of wire was suddenly thrown to Panan.

Panan reached out and caught it in a daze. Lin Yue could only shake his head repeatedly. He wanted to go out and check if the transformer outside the courtyard was intact. As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, Lin Yue's eyes suddenly turned cold in the night.

A chill ran straight up to the top of my head!

Listening to Panan fiddling with the wires in the yard, Lin Yue wrinkled his nose, his expression growing increasingly unpleasant.

here…

Something happened?

Lin Yue became increasingly certain of this idea.

A strange smell, not from the polluted air, permeated the air. Even with his excellent night vision, Lin Yue's prosthetic eye couldn't distinguish many colors, so he could only search for the source of the smell...

He walked until he reached a dark gas station and saw a truck that had been sitting there for who knows how long. In the darkness, something seemed to be dripping from the gaps in the truck bed, sticky and slimy.

There was no hesitation.

Lin Yue reached out and twisted the metal buckle, which clearly had fresh scratches. With a sharp, metallic scraping sound, Lin Yue flashed to the side, and a series of thuds, like falling sacks, cascaded down, indicating that the contents were quite plentiful.

No, to be precise...

Those were not discarded sacks or goods.

It's a corpse!
"K!"

A low, angry growl from Panan immediately followed.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Seeing that the person in front of him remained silent, Panan, who was already furious from fumbling for the route in the dark, couldn't hold back any longer. He quickly walked to Lin Yue's side, but as he pushed him aside, he felt something soft under his feet—

"Don't move yet!"

Lin Yue reminded him in a deep voice.

"Fuck me!"

Panan was a very brave girl. It wasn't that she had never seen a dead person before, but the dark corpses that could only be seen with night vision goggles and their neatly piled up in the cabin made Panan's scalp tingle.

Just after Lin Yue finished saying "Don't move," the two noticed that straight red lines began to extend from all around their feet, like a dense net covering the streets of the ghost town.

Laser-guided mines…

"Fortunately, these things may have been in hibernation mode, but they were activated when they sensed movement."

Lin Yue's gaze swept over the landmines.

Today, they are destined not to live to see the chaotic knife fight.

Because right now, they are the ones standing beneath our feet.

Lin Yue's prosthetic eye has access to the NCPD's complete database, showing the name and details of every corpse, including the number of wanted persons they have...

As for the cause of death, it is very clear: without exception, it was gunshot wounds.

What Lin Yue had thought was just a small commission between the homeless man and himself, had turned out to be something else entirely… After a brief moment of thought, Lin Yue immediately asked—

"Panan, what's inside that thing?"

There was a brief silence.

Panan seemed to have adjusted his mindset as well, and wanted to try to avoid these triggering mines. He replied, "Even the cargo owner may not know about these things. Sometimes the middleman only needs to know that someone wants to deliver something, and the deliveryman only needs to know that he picks up the goods on time. Only the person picking up the goods knows what it is."

“There are quite a few things that even the cargo owners themselves are unaware of.”

This was originally a business strategy to mitigate risk, but now it has made Lin Yue worry.

"Wait... this is the Chaotic Blade Society?!"

"What the hell is going on?"

Panan's voice even started to tremble slightly at the end.

Their plan was to ambush these people, but instead they found themselves in a ghost town meticulously set up by the murderer. Even though Panan and Lin Yue would most likely end up killing these members of the Chaotic Blade Society, the appearance of a third party was truly unsettling.

Is it Thor?

Lin Yue carefully recalled the guy's actions and expressions when he met Thor.

Wanderers…

Lin Yue immediately shook his head when he thought of this ethnic group.

Such a cruel, cold-blooded, and highly efficient method can only be done by a company. They are almost without any hesitation, as if these members of the Chaotic Knife Society are waiting to be executed. So the answer is almost obvious.

“Nash is here too.”

Lin Yue gestured with his chin towards a corpse deep inside the truck bed, "What's the name of your cargo owner?"

"He's not here... Damn it! No, no, no..."

Panan muttered to himself as his eyes lit up, looking somewhat anxious. He was probably trying to call the cargo owner, but all he got was a message saying "Out of service range".

"Stop hitting it, it's the company."

"It's a company that leaves no loose ends."

The buzzing flies around my ears made the quiet night even more unbearable, as if a demon might suddenly pounce out of the darkness.

"It's a company?!"

Parnan had no idea what the basis for this inference was.

Lin Yue then used his experience in executions at the company and his meticulous and efficient efforts to cover up the traces to slightly conceal his reasoning, explaining his reasoning to Panan.

However, Parnam quickly realized the problem:

"Hmm, since it's called a company—"

"Which company would be so ruthless towards the Chaotic Blade Society? Companies that hang around in Badlands are nothing more than biotechnology, military technology, Arasaka... that's about it, right?"

"Also, do you know which company it is?"

Looking at the chaotic bullet holes all around, it was as if the ghost town had been surrounded. The fresh bullet holes were coming from all directions, and Lin Yue immediately realized what was going on.

"Intelligent weapons, and large-scale intelligent weapons at that, used an encirclement and execution method to shoot down from a high place, killing these people before they could run more than a few steps."

As the deduction progressed, the answer that sent chills down Lin Yue's spine appeared.

It's one of the major corporations in Night City that hardly gets involved in major events, yet it boasts a massive workforce and ranks among the top employers in Night City in terms of benefits. More importantly, it has a dedicated smart weapons business—

"It's Kangtao."

Lin Yue looked at the densely packed bullet holes on the pillar. They were smaller than ordinary bullet holes, but the spacing was very close, and the bullets did not overlap.

Only one weapon can produce this effect, and Lin Yue has even faced this weapon before.

The heavy hammer of the eight-star gun.

The unmodified version of the Eight-Star Gun is the Kanto Zoe Smart Shotgun—

Although uncertain, Lin Yue felt that his guess was probably not too far off; at the very least, it involved a very close relationship with Kang Tao.

Another question is, why did they need to clean up the battlefield?
Lin Yue frowned and rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. Suddenly, he paused and looked around.

This really surprised Panan.

She initially thought she'd found a professional teammate based on his calm demeanor, but she never expected him to suddenly look up as if facing a formidable enemy…

"how?!"

Panan placed her hand on the gun at her waist; her first reaction was alertness.

Lin Yue's somewhat annoyed voice rang in my ears.

"Damn it, they should still be here!"

boom!
Panan's mind went completely blank!

……

……

(End of this chapter)