Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 377 Talent "Recruitment" [6K]

The still-warm corpse, the landmines scattered all over the ground—there's no doubt that the top three corporations in Night City are playing a game of waiting for their prey to come to them.

"Hold!"

Just as Panan was about to turn around and look for a way out of the minefield, the entire ghost town suddenly became as bright as day!
Ding ding ding!
Large searchlights shone from all directions of the ghost town, with Lin Yue and Panan at the center...

Panan's expression was extremely grim; she was even prepared to be executed at any moment.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Yue saw the girl beside him close her eyes, already preparing to overclock her brain, but the next second, soldiers emerged from the darkness, guns at the ready, slowly walking out. They wore the distinctive orange-graffiti armor of the Kangtao warriors, and were all armed with Kangtao's Dianshi intelligent submachine guns—

"Put your fucking hands up!"

Panan then touched his waist.

"No! Girl!"

Lin Yue pressed one hand down to signal Panan to calm down, while slowly raising the other hand.

He was good at breaking out; even if it were the elite squad of Arasaka, let alone the Kangtao soldiers, they would all be wiped out if they surrounded him. However, the tracking of the intelligent weapon made it impossible for him to keep an eye on Panan. In addition, it seemed that Kangtao just wanted to use these corpses of the Chaotic Blade Society to lure the people behind, so Lin Yue had no choice but to obediently raise his hand.

The soldiers looked very nervous, and when they approached Lin Yue, they followed him very closely.

"Squat down! Damn it—"

"Does his mother not understand human language?!"

Before Lin Yue could speak, the butt of the soldier beside him slammed into his shoulder, followed by a Kangtao intelligent robot soldier pinning him down with its large, pincer-like hands, slamming him against the wall.

Fuck you! You stupid company dog!

Without a doubt, Parnam's output never stopped.

The robot soldiers were also restraining her, and the more it hurt, the more viciously the girl cursed. It was the first time Lin Yue had ever heard of English words being combined to create so many different ways of cursing.

Lin Yue's eyes darted around and he saw two men in suits, each wearing a Kangtao [Meng Series Electronic Prosthetic Eye] over their left eye, suggesting they were secret agents.

At this point, the scan results for the prosthetic eye came back.

[Song Zhao]

[Affiliation: Kangtao Field Operations Department]

No further information available, or access restrictions in place.

Another person…

James King

What's interesting is the department to which James belongs.

[Affiliation: Kangtao Human Resources Department]

Lin Yue was somewhat surprised.

The benefits of working in a company become apparent; in fact, the human resources department of every company is the organization that most employees fear the most.

In modern enterprises, human resources departments no longer rely on resumes to decide whether to renew employment contracts or recruit employees based on their past performance. They no longer focus solely on KPIs or whether employees are responsible. Instead, their most important task is "headhunting," or more accurately, poaching employees from other companies.

In most companies, the human resources department is closely integrated with the security department or intelligence department.

In principle, the human resources department has the right to make decisions regarding defecting employees, and it can also mobilize all resources to coerce talent from rival companies.

After all, the company's labor contracts are often for fifty years or more, so there's no way you can switch jobs. Plus, you have to pray you're not too outstanding and get headhunted by other companies. Maybe while you're enjoying afternoon tea, fully armed company soldiers will storm into the coffee shop and kidnap you. Afterwards, you might even see your family members at the company, or even your pets being kidnapped...

Oh shit!

Lin Yue roughly knew what the goods were related to.

Information related to personnel matters!
James King is a guy with obvious Asian ancestry.

He beckoned to the soldiers, and Lin Yue was thoroughly searched. His miniature robot's canister was taken out and kicked aside as a projectile. As for his guns and swords, they were all removed.

"Fuck you!"

Panan struggled and kicked the soldier who was about to insert something into her brain.

Lin Yue watched helplessly as the person behind him tried to plug wires into his brain-computer interface.

He was not in a hurry to resist.

As long as there is no indication that Kanto will fire.

The way the soldiers read his data via wires was practically irrelevant to a hacker of Lin Yue's caliber. Lin Yue's ICE system had AI-level protection; ordinary scans wouldn't find anything at all...

As for data banks?

Stop kidding me—

Lin Yuecai would not entrust his goods to a company like Kejing Logistics.

"No, boss!"

As soon as the scanning progress bar in Lin Yue's special eyes finished, the soldier beside him immediately reported to James.

"Could they have arrested the wrong people? One of them looks like a thug, and the other is probably a homeless person."

Song Zhao speaks Chinese.

James stepped forward, forcing Lin Yue to look at him. The man had a sly smile on his face. "Hello, do you know where your shipment is going?"

Lin Yue, of course, couldn't answer that question.

He was the one whose wagon and goods were seized by Panan halfway through the journey, so he replied, "Damn it!"

As Lin Yue cursed in Mandarin, a language he had used in his previous life, he felt like he was home for the first time.

His clear and articulate Chinese gave the two office workers a bit of a shock.

Song Zhao was clearly taken aback—

With such a stubborn attitude, it seems this guy didn't make a mistake.

There aren't many people in Night City who would dare to be so provocative in front of a company.

Before James could react, after absorbing the meaning of those three words—pure offensive power—his expression immediately turned sour.

On the other hand, Panan wasn't so lucky. Her entire contact list and email information were read by Kantau's soldiers, and the cargo owner's phone number was quickly identified...

Lin Yue felt a soldier suddenly deliver a heavy punch to his back, as the price he paid for insulting James earlier.

Hearing Lin Yue's muffled groan, James's expression improved considerably.

"You don't look like someone from Kangtao. You can speak Chinese, right?"

"I'm asking you one last time, where's the goods? Don't you dare try anything funny with me, or you'll regret it!"

Lin Yue glanced around discreetly.

The area was too open, and he couldn't guarantee Panan's safety, so he could only stall for time with a cold smile. Soon, he came up with a good idea.

"If you've got the guts, I'll kill your dad!"

"Kill me and you won't get anything!"

Panan was still struggling with the robot controlling her, but her beautiful eyes widened when she heard Lin Yue's words.

Is this guy out of his mind?
and many more…

What kind of information does K know?!

What is he going to do?

James's expression was already unpleasant, but Song Zhao was surprised—

"This guy knows where that thing is."

Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that everyone's attention was on him.

It's obvious... this thing is very important to Kangtao, so important that the company started negotiating prices with them, trying to exchange benefits.

Lin Yue made the right bet.

Song Zhao began, "Young brother..."

When the company needs to have a talk, they naturally use both the good cop and the bad cop.

The words are not finished yet.

James's furious voice rang out, "Take this idiot's legs off!"

Immediately afterwards——

The robot kicked Lin Yue in the back of the knee, forcing him to kneel on one knee. Song Zhao, holding a pistol, squatted in front of Lin Yue.

Song Zhao quickly got up to stop the soldiers from taking the next step.

At the same time, she gently pushed the furious James aside.

"As you can see, I can't keep you alive for long."

Song Zhao glanced at the guy beside him who was staring at Lin Yue with a sinister look in his eyes, looking quite helpless.

"Let me be honest with you, the shipment contained Kangtao's operation log and confidential documents... Tell me, and I'll recommend you for a job at Kangtao. Life in Night City must be tough, right? Don't worry—"

"No one will know about that woman's death, and you'll still have a glamorous life ahead of you."

Immediately afterwards, Song Zhao took a chip out of his pocket and inserted it into Lin Yue's neck. It was an employee employment contract for Kangtao. On the day of joining the company, he would purchase a gold membership to the trauma group, receive fifteen months' salary, and a flat in the company's plaza real estate. Of course, one-third of the salary would be deducted, and the company would cover the remaining rent, meal allowance, etc.

Lin Yue's eyes showed a hint of helplessness.

In comparison, Arasaka's treatment is still a bit poor.

"Tell me, and I'll immediately unlock your access and let you join the company."

James paced back and forth beside him, looking quite agitated.

Lin Yue had just been punched in the face by a soldier, and his mouth was full of the taste of rust. He suddenly smiled, revealing his red and white lips and teeth...

Song Zhao laughed along with him.

Lin Yue paused for a moment, then said, "I stored the things... I stored them in a store in Night City."

Panan was completely dumbfounded.

what?
She didn't even know where the goods were, so how did K know?

The next second her expression changed immediately, and she looked at K's back with pity in her eyes.

It must be said that Panan is a very smart girl.

She didn't loudly stop Lin Yue from talking nonsense and taking non-existent information upon himself, because she saw K secretly making an OK sign.

She's still alive, so she won't do anything reckless.

"Great, you're very smart."

"Aren't all the survivors in Night City smart people?"

Lin Yue felt that Song Zhao was more suited to HR work, a classic two-faced person. Once the "thing" was found, he would naturally not survive, but the company was good at using fabricated lies to lure poor people who longed for a dramatic change in their lives.

"That thing is hard to find."

Lin Yue seemed to be planning to tell everything.

Song Zhao listened "patiently" while saying, "Bring this person..."

His performance was terrible; he didn't even ask Lin Yue's name, only glancing at the information on the prosthetic eye before realizing the guy in front of him was Colin K. Mills…

"K".

Lin Yue could barely suppress the cold smile on his lips.

This guy actually wished he could kill himself right now, but he was just too eager to know where the goods were. If he was right, these two would be in big trouble if the goods were lost!
Normally, Lin Yue's answer would have been met with a severe beating from his company.

He knows the company's ways too well.

"Oh right, K."

Song Zhao laughed and said, "Loosen K."

Lin Yue pretended to stagger to his feet, and Song Zhao even reached out to help him up.

"The shop owner doesn't know about the items, so I have to go there myself."

James' patience has clearly reached its limit.

"Damn it, this idiot is just messing with us!"

Lin Yue's face darkened.

"If someone sees the information about your poaching activities, you'll be fired by the company too, won't you?!"

The momentary ruthlessness in Song Zhao's eyes was seen by Panan behind him.

As if it were an illusion, Song Zhao's expression changed, and he laughed as he cursed James.

"Get the hell out of here. Since K is willing to cooperate, he certainly won't lie to us. Someone with such ability is naturally our partner."

James immediately stopped playing the good cop after Lin Yue's comment about "borrowing power from others".

But he was making plans in his mind.

Once he finds the item, he'll make sure this guy is unrecognizable, even to his own mother.

"Then let's..."

Song Zhao pointed behind him.

Lin Yue nodded, his gaze then sweeping over Panan, who was still being held tightly by the robot.

“I have to watch over her. If she dies… you can kill me too.”

Song Zhao waved his hand dismissively, "Fine, but I have to make sure your hands are handcuffed together with small bombs on them. If you don't make any dirty tricks, we can resolve this peacefully. If you don't cooperate—then I can only say it's a pity."

It has to be said that Song Zhao has some brains.

He was always looking for ways to counter Lin Yue.

With an electronic bomb hidden in the handcuffs, Lin Yue felt the difficulty had been greatly reduced.

Once you're on board, everything will be fine.

Under Song Zhao's command, James got into another vehicle, while Lin Yue and the others were forced onto a military truck by soldiers. He and Panan sat side by side, their wrists strapped with the handcuff bombs Song Zhao had mentioned. At the same time, four soldiers sat opposite them, each with a robot beside them. The robot's head was tilted towards them, and the blood-red module indicating alert mode glowed eerily. This method of surveillance ensured that even the slightest movement from the two would not escape its notice.

Song Zhao smiled and asked Lin Yue about the location of their destination.

Lin Yue shrugged and stated his destination without hesitation, while also asking Song Zhao again whether he would keep his promise.

This series of actions made Song Zhao even more convinced that he had found the right person.

The car bumped along the dirt road.

Panan sat upright, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his gaze occasionally glancing at the dangerous time bomb on his wrist, while Lin Yue seemed unaffected, his eyes closed as if he were taking a nap.

Song Zhao stared at the guy in front of him, finding him increasingly interesting.

He'd never seen such a daring guy in all the time he'd worked at the company.

"Stop looking, miss. Your partner isn't worried, so what are you worried about?"

Panan almost got a few words out of this idiot.

"Are you fucking blind..."

Before he could even speak, K's warning look made Panan look like a defeated rooster.

Song Zhao had an expression of mismatched affection, "I have to say, Brother K has good taste. A hot girl like that is a perfect match for you."

Lin Yue didn't say anything, but simply stopped closing his eyes and quietly looked at Song Zhao.

It's hard to imagine that Song Zhao, who has worked in the company for so long, felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by the mercenaries from Night City for the first time, as if... that guy had seen right through him.

So he avoided looking at him.

Lin Yue revealed a strange smile.

Kang Tao was indeed too hasty.

If any of the soldiers checking his records were to use hacking techniques to read the list of prosthetic bodies, Lin Yue would be exposed...

"You don't want James to find that thing, right?"

Lin Yue suddenly asked.

Song Zhao was stunned for a moment.

At this point, Lin Yue's extensive experience in the company came in handy: "The human resources department and the relevant departments in charge of the operation are theoretically in a superior-subordinate relationship, and James is somewhat unworthy of his position."

Song Zhao smiled and held up one finger.

"I advise you not to talk nonsense."

Lin Yue showed no intention of obeying.

"If we can't find that thing, James will be packing his bags and leaving, and his life might not even be saved. You're probably helping him because he promised you a promotion to the HR department, right? The HR department for the Contour USA region is in charge. You want to soar to the top, right?"

It wasn't until this point that Song Zhao realized what was happening.

He had already raised his gun.

"Where the hell do you go?"

Not only that, but Panan, who was standing next to him, was even more stunned.

K this guy…

How did you know all this?

The two of them were together the whole way, and I didn't see K answer the phone or participate in any of the orders for his own inventory!
Lin Yue stared at the muzzle of the gun.

You've been tricked.

"It's not me playing you, it's James playing you."

Song Zhao's actions caused all the soldiers to raise their guns.

"Is it interesting?"

As soon as Lin Yue moved his hand, Panan's heart jumped into his throat.

The handcuffs clanged, and Panan instinctively grabbed Lin Yue's arm, "Watch out!"

Song Zhao's face was gloomy.

"The company's?"

Lin Yue shook his head.

"It's just that people who have run companies know the process."

"You think James can carry you to the top? He'll definitely settle accounts with you for something so dishonorable. I have a compromise here, a win-win situation for both of us."

Song Zhao remained silent.

He simply held up the gun, his expression shifting between anger and joy.

A minute passed.

Just when Panan thought the two of them were about to be riddled with bullets, Song Zhao slowly lowered his gun.

"You don't have the intelligence, do you?"

He stroked the gun while gesturing for the soldier next to him to put it down.

"I must say... you're a smart guy. Is your home also in China, Asia?"

Lin Yue shook his head and then nodded.

His home is not in this world's China; it is much richer and more beautiful there.

Lin Yue: "It's just that you've been in Chinatown for too long. The rule in Night City is that neither the middlemen nor the mercenaries know what's inside. Finding the owner is the key, but I guess you haven't found him, have you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have read our address book and email first."

Song Zhao nodded.

“That’s good, you can go wherever you know the owner of the goods.”

Lin Yue said, "I don't know where the owner is, but I know how James died."

Song Zhao fell silent.

"Can I make a phone call to the middleman?"

Lin Yue pointed to his brain-computer interface.

Song Zhao reached out, his eyes lighting up as he unlocked the shield. "Please go ahead."

He's becoming increasingly interested in this young street kid across from him.

Lin Yue called Luo Ge, who had called him several times earlier but missed because of the blocking effect of the Kangtao virus.

"problem occurs."

That was the first thing Rogge said.

Lin Yue said calmly, "The company's people are right in front of me and Panan."

Rogge's face darkened.

"That thing involves Kangtao—I'll find someone right away, you guys…"

Lin Yue said, "No. Do you know what's in the cargo? I can talk to you about this; this matter can be none of your business."

Roger's next answer delighted Lin Yue.

"I just found out."

Roger said, "It's a long story, but the hacker NIX from the next life discovered that the cargo owner had run away. He decoded the contents of these Qiante databases and implicated a certain Arasaka person. The data will be sent to you now... By the way, can the company really talk to you?"

Lin Yue nodded.

Rogge requires no guarantees.

Rin nodded, and the matter will be resolved.

The first second after the call ended…

Lin Yue passed the items to Song Zhao.

Song Zhao examined the contents of the container closely, his expression enigmatic.

"Are you crazy? Give me this and I can kill you anytime—"

Lin Yue immediately spoke up, interrupting Song Zhao.

"But you don't know how to kill James."

Song Zhao suddenly burst out laughing, and even started covering his face with his hands as he laughed.

"Hold…"

"It's a fucking waste that you're not a corporate dog."

The laughter made Panan instinctively move closer to Lin Yue.

"You..."

Song Zhao shook his head repeatedly, "Go ahead and say it, I'll bet you this time."

Only gambling can satisfy the desires of the human heart.

"Is there a way to get them to Taipingzhou?"

"The middleman will kill him to clean up the mess."

actually…

There are no middlemen.

The moment these reckless idiots of Kangtao stepped into the realm of dreamers, they were already a pile of corpses.

Song Zhao's eyes lit up; Lin Yue guessed that he was probably using an informant to lure James King into a diversionary tactic...

"Team Leader Song! It's them!"

The driver in front suddenly turned around and shouted.

Suddenly, James and his group's car accelerated, and several beams of light appeared in the dark sky above!
"parking!"

The car came to a sudden stop.

James had already boarded the hovercar, and before getting on, he gave the middle finger to Song Zhao, who was staring longingly at him from the ground.

The massive engine filled the surroundings with smoke and dust. Lin Yue and Panan sat side by side, silently waiting for any movement in the darkness.

Panan stared intently at the guy beside him.

She now understands—

This guy is definitely one of Roger's top fighters, yet he still treats himself like a child!
Time passed by minute by minute.

It took about half an hour.

at this time.

Footsteps sounded outside the car…

It is Song Zhao.

He bent down and stepped into the car, gazing at the man and woman in front of him.

"died."

Two light, airy words, accompanied by the sound of handcuffs being unlocked.

Lin Yue smiled.

He tugged at the sleeve of Panan, who was still in a daze, and passed by Song Zhao, who was leaning on the chair with a complicated expression.

Staying any longer might lead to unforeseen circumstances.

"and many more…"

Song Zhao suddenly stopped him.

Lin Yue's fist clenched suddenly.

The guy turned around and reached into his pocket...

It's a money chip.

"Join Kangtao, or take the money and leave, choose one."

"If you take the money and leave... I hope we never meet again."

Lin Yue stared at the money chip in the guy's hand, smiled, and turned his head away without taking it.

"The fact that you didn't attack us immediately means you deserve a promotion—"

Lin Yue, who had just gotten off the bus, pointed to his head and said, "This is street smarts."

"As for your job posting, I'm not interested."

That guy left behind a cocky remark.

Song Zhao watched silently as the two disappeared into the night…

Suddenly he asked, "Which machine scanned that street kid just now?"

At this moment, a robot stepped out of the queue.

In the darkness, a flash of light and a piercing gunshot rang out, followed by the whine of a machine losing power, and the car disappeared into the thick, black soil.

like...

Nothing has ever happened here.

……

……

(End of this chapter)