Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 396 The Rock Star's Appearance (Part 1) [4.6K End-of-Month Update]

"News Channel 54 brings you live coverage!"

Julian Jordan stood on the floating car of News 54, the gentle raindrops forming a blurred curtain under the glaring orange searchlights.

The area below was already packed with people.

"Five hours have passed since the news broke that Arasaka was conducting research on human consciousness in violation of international law. Insiders say that Arasaka is currently holding a global shareholders' meeting and has not yet made any statement."

Let's look down...

Looking from Julian's perspective, people below were gathered in the company square, burning torches made of cotton soaked in ethanol, seemingly cheering each other on in the same direction.

"After the power plant in Santo Domingo suffered a power outage, a large number of citizens flocked to the company's square. The protest, which was suspected to be caused by excessive levels of heavy metal pollutants in the underground river due to non-compliant production in Arasaka, eventually escalated into an unprecedented mass gathering!"

"KIA, an illegal music organization that engages in anti-corruption activities in the region, put on a special performance called 'Against the Immortal Life of Corrupts,' which attracted most of the citizens from Santo Domingo... Now we hand the camera over to my field colleagues!"

Beneath the drone's hovering camera, a man with rain-drenched hair stuck to his forehead holds a microphone and shouts at the drone about the current situation.

"As you can see, the public's emotions have reached an unprecedented level!"

The crowd behind him was shouting—

"Damn it, Aragaka!"

The sudden loud shout attracted the host's attention. He turned around, and the man grabbed the microphone.

"I want to ask, is there any human rights left?! The rich can live forever, so it's our right as poor people to die?!"

"This is simply... an outrageous crime!"

“Our children, all of us, will suffer endless exploitation!”

At this moment, a mother is holding her child.

He was still hiding in his oversized raincoat, his face pale.

That was the woman in Santo Domingo who sought medicine for her child…

"I accept the rich living forever, but please stop destroying our environment. The acid rain in Santo Domingo is causing clothes to lose their color; my child turned into this because he drank the water..."

The woman sobbed.

"At this rate, none of us will live past 30!"

The crowd quieted down a little.

He seemed afraid of disturbing the sickly child in the woman's arms...

"You saw it all?!"

"You bunch of bastards always speak up for the company, and look what you've got now!"

The host, who was being pulled back, immediately changed his expression.

Anger turned the crowd into a surging tide, ready to crush anyone at any moment. Under the gloomy rain, it seemed as if the events of fifty years ago were about to be reenacted...

Just as the host was about to be pulled into the crowd, and security personnel from the surrounding television stations attempted to take action…

"K!!!"

A faint, high-pitched guitar sound came through.

The chaotic noise at the front of the crowd gradually began to unify, and led by Santo Domingo's early supporters, they started chanting slogans—

"KIA!"

"KIA!"

Still shaken, the host ignored the rain pouring into his torn collar and hurriedly shouted to the other cameras around him, "Fuck you, film this!"

The shaky camera and drone were aimed at the surging crowd.

The makeshift stage appeared exceptionally formal under the neon lights and the image of a holographic goldfish leaping in the company square.

Among the long, dense crowd, the band members responsible for warming up the crowd were all panting heavily, their clothes clinging tightly to their bodies, it was hard to tell whether it was sweat or raindrops.

When is K coming?

Security forces from many surrounding companies have already cordoned off their own company buildings.

It was precisely because KIA and his group were only gathered downstairs at the Arasaka Building that the gathering was not forcibly stopped by the armed forces of other companies.

In other words…

Other companies are just watching the show.

"He's on his way... This guy, he was the one who made plans with the neighbors in Santo Domingo, and he's the slowest of them all!"

However, the expressions on the faces of the band members were undoubtedly joyful.

For rock 'n' roll kids, nothing is more exciting than getting attention.

They were born to be on stage and dreamed of giving voice to the underprivileged. But this day seemed to have come too quickly, and its scale exceeded their expectations.

The band strummed their instruments and played an impromptu piece.

The warning sound from the NCPD's hovercar above had now become the rhythmic drumbeats of the supporting band.

"Please remain calm and avoid causing yourself unnecessary trouble!"

"Evacuate immediately!"

The NCPD's riot control mechs could only keep watch from the periphery of the crowd.

No organization would dare to do anything to so many people in full view of everyone, especially when the cause of this incident is justifiable.

Just as the band was trying to stall for time, the crowd below began to make way.

Li's eyes lit up—

"he came!"

The young man in the black jacket stood out in the rain and mist, except for the glittering studs on his leather jacket.

“K…”

The people in front of the crowd were all Lin Yue's familiar neighbors.

Some hatred can be suppressed or forgotten.

But it is anger that is truly frightening.

They all looked at Santo Domingo, this most honest rock kid, with no scandals, no drugs, and several songs that sang about the pain that everyone had experienced.

Even Lin Yue hadn't expected that his impromptu plan to incite a riot and force Sanlang to continue sending Lai Xuan to Night City would be so effective.

He closed his eyes tightly.

For the first time, he was shouldering the responsibilities entrusted to him by the general public.

Of course, he wouldn't lead the people to attack the Arasaka Tower...

But for the company to make concessions, they must first learn to be afraid. Justice can never be eradicated. Only when these money-driven wolves understand this principle will they take Santo Domingo's needs seriously.

certainly…

Perhaps this will not yield any results.

The world is still the same world, but at least this is a good start.

You should know that Lin Yue is never afraid to try.

Or…

He has tried many times to change the way the world is changed.

The moment Lin Yue stepped onto the stage, he received some news.

It arrives during the intro to the song "Fire Source".

The above only contains a few simple words:
[The event has ended; Lai Xuan is still alive.]

There's no better opening line than this.

Lin Yue smiled knowingly, gently twirling the pick in his hand, and the electric guitar emitted a thirsty roar.

The crowd watched the rock star on stage recounting the tragic story of Santo Domingo, and the evil deeds the company had committed against the people.

At this moment…

Although the music didn't penetrate the rain, it was playing on large screens on every building in Night City. Even the media were commenting on the concert.

thug…

Comments ranged from the likes of "reenacting events from fifty years ago" to the likes of others.

Without exception, nobody cared what the company's mouthpieces were saying; they were only interested in what had happened in Santo Domingo.

At this moment, on Haibin Road.

A group of people stood at the street corner at the end of the neon lights.

Falco leaned against the car, calculating the time. They hadn't given the Night City mercenaries their expensively hired combat taxis the escape route...

Instead, they place more faith in human resources.

Qiwei took off her hat, her smooth hair looking almost unreal. She looked at the empty space next to her, where Rebecca often stood, and her eyes darkened slightly.

I feel like I've always been so annoying.

Even when she was in a terrible state, her guests would beat and kick her.

But Qiwei knew that Rebecca was her best friend, and no matter what, she couldn't let her obsession cause problems in this operation.

"I wonder what's so great about that guy..."

Qiwei sighed softly.

There are many reasons to want to become stronger. Qiwei just wants to become the kind of person that others fear and dare not bully. Rebecca, on the other hand, fell into a trap of extremism by following the guy in the company square.

Sasha was clearly a little down, but she still chewed her bubble gum with effort.

Come on!

You can do it, Sasha!

Seemingly not wanting his teammates to be so downcast, Falco started his pre-match jokes again.

"I heard from Rin that there was a soul hidden in the goods that were traded, and it was some damn old rock kid. I admit that I followed him and did a lot of ridiculous requests."

Sasha couldn't help but laugh.

Johnny Silverhand.

"Ah, I heard he's a guy with quite a story."

Qi Wei said, "So, our boss is going to imitate this guy and drop a nuclear bomb on the company square?"

Upon hearing this, the two jovial teammates fell silent.

nuclear bomb…

Those present felt a chill run down their spines.

That incident was proof of Arakasaka's defeat.

Night City was once turned into a dead city by that nuclear bomb. Many people spent more than ten years in underground facilities. Would Rin really do that?
They completely lacked Lin Yue's perspective, so naturally they couldn't fathom the purpose behind each action.

But this is a real company crisis.

The Dreamers are in a state of war right now. If they succeed, all will be well. But if any part of what Rin arranged goes wrong, then Dogtown, this powder keg, will be the last line of defense.

However, hackers always have a sharp and insightful perspective. They discovered that Lin Yue was extremely sensitive to certain things in Arasaka, and even seemed to have a premonition about the events themselves, trying to avoid something...

"Look at this guy, he's just like a celebrity."

Falco had an air of worldly wisdom, as if he himself had been a dashing and debonair fellow in his youth.

"If I had been born twenty years earlier, I could have been a rock star too."

Qiwei's blunt words exposed Falco's true colors.

"I heard that you cowboys were really good at lassoing cattle when you were young?"

As Sasha covered her mouth and smiled with her eyes narrowed, a luxury sedan slowly drove up to them; it was naturally Emma's car.

However, only Suzuki was in the car. This time, the samurai had taken good care of his beard, which he never usually trimmed, and his samurai hair, which was mixed with white strands, was also neatly styled. It seemed that only a woman could be so skillful, because the handkerchief flower on his chest was something that the burly Suzuki could not have done.

Falco nudged Sasha with his elbow.

"I also really dislike this guy; his life is just too blissful."

Regardless, with Suzuki's demeanor and physique, he could probably walk right into the main entrance of the Konpaku Building without anyone checking his identity...

His face practically screamed:

High-level corporate dog.

"Get in the car. Everything's settled at the Ganbi Building. We're just waiting for you to enter."

"The ghost around Dexter said that this guy wants to play both sides."

As soon as the group opened the car doors and climbed in, Sasha asked, "Is it really as Rin said? I've never seen such a daring guy in Night City. He dares to get involved in the affairs of two companies..."

Suzuki glanced at the group of people behind him who were changing into suits and laughed, “The bold get rich while the timid starve. Mr. Rin has a very clear understanding of the tradition of risking his head to eat until his mouth is full of oil on the street.”

“That guy got into trouble a few years ago, and this time he’s just trying to make enough money for his retirement in one go… It’s good that he’s so bold. We didn’t kill him and let him muddy the waters for us. There’s nothing better than that.”

The Dreamers team's bespoke suits were all tailored to their body proportions. It would look strange if Rebecca were wearing a suit, but without her, the rest of the team looked like they were working in a proper company.

The car drove slowly down the main street of Night City.

The gray sky obscured everything, and as night fell completely, everyone felt a sense of tension.

"Rin is drawing Arasaka's attention for us. As long as this chip doesn't stay in Night City, we'll take it if necessary...anything is fine."

Suzuki shook his head. "I never imagined that those inhuman beasts in Arasaka could come up with something like this."

Sasha looked serious and agreed with Suzuki's statement.

“Arasaka’s actions will only increase the number of opponents, making the company unbreakable and worse than it is now.”

Falco, a well-educated man, said, "The rich class is completely stable, and the poor who drink poisoned water and eat synthetic food will become objects. This world is truly doomed."

At this moment, Qiwei added, "That's why, in order to ensure the transaction goes smoothly, we need to clean up the guys who are connected to this chip. Just in case, Rin might support us at that time, but there is only one condition, which is to ensure that Relic's transaction goes smoothly... Of course, we will also investigate the ghosts in Ms. V's company."

Suzuki snapped his fingers.

"That's right, now everyone has a clear understanding of the purpose of this operation—"

"Everything is ready."

The group of people who were discussing the matter in the car saw a skyscraper slowly appear in the gray sky.

Despite facing several crises, the Arasaka Blue Mansion remains the top-ranked hotel in Night City, attracting prominent foreign company representatives.

Thanks to thorough preparations, there were almost no signs of blockade on the ground floor of the Gumpi Building, and the car entered the hotel's underground parking lot smoothly. Only then did the team divide up their tasks.

Suzuki was responsible for protecting Sasa, the main hacker, while Qiwei and Falco were in one group to look for Dexter's contact and the hacker's trail. This resulted in Qiwei's side being missing a top-notch lone wolf - and everyone unanimously thought of that Haywood kid, who was professional and skilled.

However, Rin had already said that this matter couldn't involve friends outside the company, so everyone had no choice but to reluctantly proceed with the plan for now...

To reassure the team, Suzuki said, "Once we've confirmed the mole within Arasaka, we'll leave everything to Ms. V. There's no need to panic, but don't be arrogant. It's difficult to expose the activities of a corporate spy operating in such a high position within Arasaka. Let's follow DeShawn's leads first..."

"It's that robot. I heard that military technology has put a lot of effort into it. Can you handle it?"

Qiwei said she felt no pressure. "Rogge contacted the Vortex Gang. These guys stole the crew cutter. Although... they failed, we spent money to buy the prototype design from these cyber lunatics. I've already figured out the backdoor. Even if Dexter's hacker is using the crew cutter, I can still share the screen. It's just that the signal device has to be close enough to the guy with that machine for the connection to work."

Just as Suzuki was about to speak, he seemed to receive a message, and his expression changed.

"Hurry up, Arasaka is starting to react, and air vehicles are appearing on the top floor of the Night City branch."

Everyone was startled and quickly split into two groups to get off the bus.

at the same time--

A jet-black hovercar, bearing the Arasaka logo and resembling the faction it belonged to, hurtled straight from the Arasaka Tower toward the Azure Mansion.

The owner of this hovercar was ordered to prevent thugs from harassing Arasaka's properties.

But he had something even more important to do.

The airship traveled from Arasaka Tower to the Konpaku Building in just a few minutes. After the airship came to a stop on the rain-soaked helipad, a man's leather shoe stepped out. The face was extremely familiar, with a slightly gloomy expression.

……

……

(End of this chapter)