Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 385 Signal [5K] (I was working late, so I finished this as soon as I got back)
"Ho-"

Lin Yue woke up from the icy hacker chair and was immediately supported by a hand.

Lin Yue felt that the fading light from the data in his prosthetic eyes hadn't completely disappeared... As the prosthetic body's self-check program successfully launched, his stiff, sore, and numb body recovered somewhat.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that my fellow dreamers were all crowded together in the network room where the server was radiating heat.

Rebecca was closest to Lin Yue, whose prosthetic body was quite heavy, so she took on the role of a human support.

"Good weight!"

Lin Yue blinked, looking at Rebecca's flawless skin and the intricate patterns of her prosthetic body, the beads of sweat on her face clearly visible...

It was as if facing something beyond the realm of existence was just a dream.

Cyberspace rarely gave Lin Yue a sense of ease and comfort; on the contrary, it felt cramped and oppressive. Only when he was grounded did Lin Yue feel truly alive.

He probably felt embarrassed showing it to Rebecca.

She suddenly became irritable—

Hey! What are you looking at me for?!

"You want me to laugh and celebrate your return from another self-destructive act?"

Lin Yue reached out and gave the girl's head a hard pat, then sat up amidst her annoyed grumbling.

After several days of relying solely on intravenous nutrition, my body is still feeling a bit weak.

"you…"

Although Emma knew that she had been caught up in the network and had made thorough preparations, including having a complete life support system on standby.

But seeing how nervous everyone looked…

Lin Yue wanted to faint.

Needless to say, judging from everyone's expressions, something must have happened.

"boss."

Suzuki stepped forward.

Lin Yue took the separation chip from his hand.

These are all recent achievements of the dreamer.

Everything is proceeding as planned, and the biotech apartment located at the border of the Valley and the Badlands is now under the control of the Dreamers.

This is undoubtedly great news!

Biotechnology left behind a variety of high-end experimental instruments that dreamers cannot yet access or purchase. Although much of the content was destroyed in the incineration, it was still successfully acquired.

At this moment, Arakasa was like a smiling tiger.

While seemingly giving Night City a dignified exit, V's ruthless negotiating maneuvering actually resulted in Night City receiving virtually no money whatsoever...

This statement may seem strange, but for large global companies like those in biotechnology, money is far less important than indices such as influence and potential.

This may simply be a case of Night City's company being brutally swallowed up. In terms of legal procedures, Dreamers will also be criticized by many people, and may even be disregarded.

But it's good to have the item in hand.

The biotechnology company was finally squeezed out of Night City.

Rome had no choice but to lower its proud head and pay a huge price to regain the contract with the new United States. Now, biotechnology facilities in non-free states within the new United States have become subservient, and biotechnology can only adopt this expedient measure.

The first thing I did after reading the intelligence was...

Lin Yue exchanged a glance with Sasha from the team.

Looking into the girl's expectant eyes, he knew that Sasha wanted to share this joy with him.

This was a promise made only on that rainy day.

Sasha's eyes were sparkling, as if covered with a layer of moisture.

Lin Yue pointed to the back of his hand, indicating that he had kept his promise.

The girl's smile was brighter than ever...

She had never been this happy, not even when she came back to life.

The current state of biotechnology is undoubtedly dramatic.

Lin Yue repeatedly read through the intelligence reports.

It's like a beautiful dream that's hard to come by.

Yes.

Perhaps Lin Yue, who repeatedly tried to kill them in this world, had countless such pessimistic reflections.

But the benefit of each memory erasure is—

Every new beginning is filled with confidence and enthusiasm.

Therefore, Lin Yue achieved his first goal.

From the very first moment in Dogtown when he exposed the city to the dirty tricks of biotechnology, Lin Yue never gave up on keeping his promise.

However, his understanding of the company deepened during this process.

It's too difficult to remove...

His smile gradually faded.

In a certain moment, he also understood what Arasaka Yorinobu was thinking.

The biotechnology industry in North America, a vast sector (with operations in both free and home states), didn't succumb to public opinion or mismanagement... but instead died from being divided and devoured by other companies!
Is this a kind of dark humor?

Lin Yue had even less doubt about the choice he had made—

But can this steady progress be sustained?
His intuition told him.

The crux of the problem still lies with Arasaka...

Speaking of which.

Lin Yue patted his head—

V had been waiting for him in Santo Domingo for half a day.

Herman's information was dug up by Kanto, who wanted V to give Arasaka a heads-up.

This decision, which seems to benefit Arasaka, is actually very clear to Lin Yue about Hermann's role in this game.

Lin Yue had a general idea of ​​Relic's research progress.

Although V cannot access this confidential intelligence yet, Lin Yue knows that if the Relic project were to erupt at Herman's point, it could cause huge problems.

Lai Xuanyuan is at the headquarters in Japan.

The strictness of Arasaka's internal information self-inspection is like walking a tightrope. If V hadn't been the head of the intelligence department, Lin Yue might not have been able to contact V in Night City.

I glanced at my mailbox, and sure enough... it was flooded with messages.

The most recent date is five hours ago…

V seemed to have arrived early for the appointment, but didn't wait for Lin Yue at his house. Many of his calls went unanswered and were left as voicemails.

Herman's matter is extremely important, so important that it cannot even be discussed over the phone. Unfortunately, it just so happens to coincide with the time requested by Otto. The matter with Bartmos can be postponed, but Lin Yue dares not break his promise to Otto—even if Otto's judgment is wrong and the network scan results are not ideal.

calm.

It's not too late yet.

Lin Yue's gaze swept over the waiting squad.

If I'm not mistaken, there must be some other reason why the team is here.

"cold."

Sasha appeared behind the muttering Rebecca, her beautiful eyes scanning him up and down several times.

"We've uncovered clues about prosthetic bodies used in military technology, which has led to the discovery of a middleman currently working for military technology—"

"You're very familiar with this guy."

Qi Wei, who was leaning against a pillar with her arms crossed and smoking in the distance, added casually, "Dexter DeShawn, does that sound familiar?"

Lin Yue's expression became quite interesting.

How come this thing wasn't eliminated by military technology?

That's really...

What a pity.

Seeing the smile on Lin Yue's face, the team members exchanged glances and roughly understood what Lin Yue meant.

It's not that they can't solve these problems, but they want to see what Lin Yue thinks.

"anything else?"

Lin Yue was quite concerned about this variable. He didn't expect this person's life to be so tough. Or was it that he could only die at the hands of Arasaka (in the original work, he died at the hands of Takemura)?

"you mean…"

Falco looked nonchalant, a cigar dangling from his lips, and made a cutting motion with his hand.

Looking at the silver prosthetic near Falco's throat and the perfectly integrated prosthetic patterns on his arm, Lin Yue nodded, "The prosthetic is good."

"To drive, they get artificial muscles and prosthetic nervous systems—you know, cowboys need all that gear."

Falco didn't care whether Dexter lived or died, but he didn't understand why Lin Yue wanted to kill this middleman who had a reputation in Night City.

Lin Yue, of course, wouldn't tell.

Actually, he wasn't sure if "Silver-skinned Fat Jesus" would appear in the next life after Dexter's departure. In any case, fewer variables were always better, and the passive situation of the past could not be repeated for the Dreamer.

Previously, he wanted to accomplish many things but lacked the ability. Now that he has the ability, Lin Yue will not allow the situation to become passive.

in other words…

Even if things go wrong on Arasaka's side, Lai Xuan will still lose, so the Dreamers must be saved.

After arranging everything, the team was ready to set off. Lin Yue looked around but did not see Emma.

"President Emma has already gone to Europe, taking two technical experts with her, Shidao and Pila."

Suzuki seems very afraid of being scolded…

Because he was originally supposed to go to Europe and work with Russia and the Soviet Union with Emma.

Lin Yue had no objections.

With Pila by Emma's side and Dogtown backing her up, things aren't too bad in Europe. Frankfurt is also a place that Arasaka's counterintelligence department has painstakingly cultivated, and it's also the port where the Moon Project will land...

Suzuki played a more significant role in Night City.

"Suzuki, get your men moving. I need to know all the information about Arasaka in Night City."

Lin Yue's orders were simple, but they involved a huge amount of work.

Suzuki merely frowned slightly.

"Can business be affected, boss?"

"I have several community security orders in Taipingzhou right now, and I'm worried..."

Lin Yue laughed at this guy's rigidity.

"Suzuki, it seems your legs are too weak from lying in bed to walk, right? Processing business orders as usual is also an important thing..."

"You have more important things to do, so arrange the manpower yourself."

This is Lin Yue's way.

He didn't have the energy or the time to nanny-like caregiver to ensure the team's safe passage.

Suzuki suddenly lowered his head and then slowly raised it.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Lin Yue knew that the old man hadn't finished talking.

"Suzuki, I'll be finishing the ICE self-test in ten minutes. I suggest you hurry up, or I won't be treating you to dinner."

Suzuki blushed deeply after being told that.

"Uh, I don't know if I should say this..."

"As you've seen the intelligence, biotechnology is slow to react—military technology has been hired to protect the biotechnology apartment. There's a strange guy among them."

Lin Yue was somewhat puzzled.

"That guy is very strong."

Rebecca suddenly spoke up. "He had several chances to get rid of me, of course it was my carelessness—"

Even someone as confident as Rebecca had a gloomy look on her face, chewing bubble gum and muttering to herself for a long time.

Lin Yue's heart suddenly tightened...

Could it be...?
Falco interrupted Lin Yue's astonished expression with a cold laugh.

“Yes, yes, yes, if it weren’t for Sasha’s hacking skills, you’d probably be lying in an urn. We’d put up an electronic tombstone and say… ‘I was just careless.’”

"Hey! You old geezer, what are you saying, **?!"

Rebecca, her fists clenched, hunched over like a kitten, loudly cursing at the unpleasant-speaking uncle.

This girl is a natural firecracker!

Lin Yue looked at Qi Wei and Sasha.

Only those two can explain what happened.

“Rebecca, you’ve been very reckless many times.”

Sasha's eyes were filled with worry.

In fact, Rebecca has been very stubborn ever since she got her prosthetic body, perhaps it's just her personality?

In short, her risky and aggressive approach often terrified her teammates. She caught an ACPA barehanded, dared to confront a hacker head-on, and even maximized both risk and reward when engaging in combat with a special squad hired by the enemy.

It's like having an insatiable desire to prove one's power.

Lin Yue's eyes swept over Rebecca.

Already feeling guilty, she caught a glimpse of the man staring intently at her profile out of the corner of her eye. She crossed her arms and shrank back under the collar of the high-necked jacket Lin Yue had forbidden her from wearing all the time…

"Rebecca."

Rebecca waved her hand, seemingly impatiently.

"Okay, okay, you're so nagging."

"I just felt that was the right thing to do back then. Don't underestimate me; I've worked my way up from the bottom in Night City, you know—"

Followed by.

"But you, Lin Yue, did you ask for everyone's opinion before you took that risk?"

Isn't this what it means to make a living this way?

Lin Yue is like a parent who fails to set a good example; he can't even preach.

But this is undoubtedly a bad sign…

Although the panel shows that Rebecca's fate has been completely reversed, this so-called reversal is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. In other words, if Rebecca had encountered a different outcome, her fate would have been altered as well.

"That guy's characteristics?"

Qiwei made a concise summary.

"Same as always, military technology... Black Hand cosplay? Anyway, very strong."

"They understand hacking techniques, are very fast, and use top-of-the-line military-grade technology."

Falco smacked his lips.

"Sometimes I really wonder if I'm getting younger as I get older, or if Night City just has a habit of turning people into pushovers."

"I never imagined, even in my dying breath, that there would be someone exactly like the Black Hand..."

"Wait, what's with that look on your faces? Have you guys seen this guy before?"

Lin Yue said in a deep voice.

"I've met... a few."

Falco and Suzuki's bewildered gazes swept across everyone's faces.

Suzuki's lips twitched slightly.

Why didn't the mastermind make a move?

According to Suzuki's report, the entire squad outside the military technology facility was wiped out by the Dreamers, leaving the mercenary squad unable to defend the biotechnology apartment and forcing them to retreat without finishing off the remaining enemies…

That really sounds like that guy from Badlands.

Lin Yue originally had no intention of taking action, after all, the greatest revenge against military technology was to keep a pitiful clone who didn't even know who he was alive.

I just didn’t expect it…

He unintentionally helped the team out again.

Lin Yue accurately recounted what happened on the bad soil.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

They all thought it was a new clone, but it turned out to be the one from Badlands.

"Boss, is there something wrong with this person?"

Suzuki, being a corporate employee, naturally sensed an opportunity to seek cooperation.

However, Lin Yue shook his head. "We can't gamble on Black Hand's loyalty to Military Technology. If he wants to reclaim his rightful identity, he will naturally fight for it and even actively seek help. But there's one condition: Military Technology's special team can no longer fight head-on like this. We need to assess the strength of the team. This is no longer the time for us to fight as a team."

His gaze shifted to Rebecca.

The girl's face fell instantly.

“Especially you, Rebecca.”

Lin Yue has always been someone who only plans for the worst.

Seeing that Rebecca's expression wasn't good, his heart softened a little; after all, she genuinely cared for his friend...

Although the girl indulged in everything except gambling and prostitution, she was still the kind of innocent person who shouldn't exist in this world.

“Rebecca, because my prosthetic body allows me to do this…”

Lin Yue made a vow.

He just wanted to remind Rebecca to act within her means.

Even he himself felt a little weak when he said those words.

However, unexpectedly—

Rebecca, who never disagreed with Lin Yue, suddenly exploded upon hearing this.

"Yes, so I can't keep up with you, and the team has to wait for your help, right?"

"Is it because you don't have enough to do?!"

The large room suddenly fell silent.

Lin Yue felt a lump in his throat, but couldn't explain it.

Perhaps this kind of interpersonal relationship is the true reality of the team; different personalities inevitably lead to a lot of friction...

Sasha quickly grabbed Rebecca's sleeve.

"Xiao Bei, what's wrong...?"

Even Qiwei was taken aback, holding a cigarette between her fingers, quietly watching Rebecca.

Her gaze softened instantly.

She understood the feeling of powerlessness when abandoned by authority…

Women understand women best.

The old woman Rebecca mentioned knew exactly where the problem lay…

She suddenly made a move.

Qiwei stepped forward and, under everyone's gaze, grabbed the wrist of the girl whose face was stained with anger—

"Come with me."

Rebecca was about to retort.

Seeing Qiwei's unwavering expression, Rebecca realized that she was losing control of her emotions.

See the two of them leave.

"Beckham might be in a bad mood... She's been doing a lot, especially since getting the prosthetics, she's been very proactive..."

Sasha wanted to explain to Lin Yue.

Lin Yue waved his hand.

"It's nothing...maybe I'm just being too sensitive."

He glanced at the closed automatic door with some concern.

"Please keep a closer eye on Rebecca."

Sasha breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Lin Yue's eyes were full of worry.

She was actually very afraid that Lin Yue would show anger or displeasure at being disobeyed. Everyone treated Lin Yue as a close partner and friend... even though their statuses were worlds apart.

Sasha smiled sweetly and nodded vigorously.

"Do not worry!"

Lin Yue composed himself; the ICE self-inspection was about to end.

He looked around at the squad.

His tone was extremely serious.

"Everyone... believe me, something is about to happen."

Everyone stopped their lazy movements and responded to Lin Yue seriously without exception.

Hopefully, we've prepared early enough...

Lin Yue thought to himself.

The appearance of Hermann's data was undoubtedly a signal that he trusted his judgment.

……

Outside.

Lin Yue's voice was very clear.

Rebecca, who was leaning against the door, had Qiwei standing in front of her.

Qiwei gripped Rebecca's wrist tightly.

"Rebecca, what are you doing?"

Rebecca forcefully shook off Qiwei's hand.

"It's none of your business, old lady."

Qiwei looked at her empty hands. "There should be a limit to the pursuit of power. You always unrestrainedly activate Sianwistan during training?"

Rebecca did not speak.

Qiwei felt a throbbing sensation in her temple…

She bent down and rubbed it.

He said helplessly, "There's no way we can catch up with that guy. His strength is beyond our imagination. Have you ever seen someone get a prosthetic body without taking any immunosuppressants? As far as I remember, he didn't seem to be that particular."

"Besides, you need to relax—"

"Want to go get a drink?"

Just as Rebecca was about to speak, Qiwei dropped the cigarette in her hand to the ground.

She was taken aback—

Suddenly my lips feel itchy.

Under Qiwei's astonished gaze:
Two lines of crimson bloomed on Rebecca's lips...

"Damn it!"

Rebecca heard Qiwei muttering curses in a mixture of anxiety and anger.

……

……

(End of this chapter)