Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 424 Abandoned Pawn [1 words]

"Damn it! Miles!"

The panic in the lark's voice seemed genuine. Li De growled, "Little Song, do you know what you're doing?"

"Damn it...you're assassinating the president of the new America!"

The lark kept muttering to itself, "No, no, no, no..."

"It wasn't me, Li De!"

The voice had become shrill and distorted, even sounding like a sob.

The plane was not destroyed...

Miles is not dead!

This is the most painful ending a lark could ever experience.

Panting heavily, Li De hurriedly rushed down the hillside where the weapons facilities were located in Dogtown. He prepared to get in his car and drive out of Dogtown as quickly as possible.

"Little Song!"

The lark hurriedly explained, "No, Li De! It's Taipingzhou! Didn't you see? It was DRAR who attacked Miles!!!"

"That company!"

Li De's hands, gripping the steering wheel, trembled violently. He preferred to believe that the massive explosion he had just heard was a jumbled memory or a hallucination...

But the lingering smoke in the sky and the piercing air raid sirens in Dogtown constantly reminded him that this was not a dream…

Miles's car was shot down by weapons more powerful than those in the Night City Convention! And it was a Pacific Continent corporation that did it?! Are they crazy?!

The lark's voice was filled with extreme panic, "Reed, listen to me—the colonel knows everything! The colonel is involved too, they all want to kill Miles!"

Li De no longer had the mind to think about the truth behind these things. He knew that there was only one thing he needed to do now: find Miles in Pacific Island and bring her back. The new US president could not fall into the hands of anyone.

If the president of the new United States were to die, the vice president would assume the presidency, and then a new election would be held according to the new United States laws—a simple sentence that hides a bloody storm in Washington. Li De was not an agent who only knew how to work silently.

You need to know these basic common sense things when working for the Joint Logistics Command.

The car accelerated, and the radio stations throughout Dogtown erupted into chaos. "Attention all units! Any moving object on the streets of Dogtown is a target. Let the Animal Gang and the Queen's dogs taste our power!"

"The First Regiment will enter Taipingzhou through the main gate and bring back that bitch from New America. The Second Regiment will clear out the enemy from Long Beach and other areas!"

"Roger that!"

Li De frowned deeply.

This is…

Dogtown is no longer willing to accept the control of the Queen of Pacifica?

Kurt Hansen seems to have reached his limit...

Just as Li De was deep in thought and quickly drove away—

"careful!"

Just as the lark's warning sound came, the car turned the corner and saw the mecha weapons of the Ghost Hound stationed at the intersection already aimed at Li De's car!
The fluorescent green graffiti on the Ghosthound mech looked so terrifying, and the two heavily armored Ghosthound soldiers beside it also raised their pistols.

"Oh shit!"

Li De jerked the steering wheel, and the tires screeched as they slid along the cracked, rough, and overgrown road of Dog Town.

Rumble!
The machine gun instantly flipped up the already rotten asphalt road, and shattered the rear window of Li De's car in a second—

Pfft!

The moment the S.A.S ...

"Li De, watch out on the left!"

However, the lark's voice seemed to be ten times longer, and he couldn't hear it at all. He could only rely on his combat experience to slide towards the right cover. Under the stimulation of the light, his spine felt like a mecha reptile crawling on his body, spewing out a lot of hot air.

As Li De slid to the side, the heavily armored Ghost Hound soldiers who rushed out from the side also rushed out at almost the same speed. Sparks flashed on his left arm, the sound of bullets hitting their casings. Li De's thick bulletproof leather shield saved him from this crisis.

The abandoned pawn escaped as Li De turned around.

"Fuck your mother's bitch!"

The roar of the ghost hound soldier came, and the afterimage behind Li De quickly overlapped with his main body. Upon seeing the expendable pawn, the soldier did not choose to dodge, but instead raised the kinetic rifle in his hand and tried to continue firing.

However, only a single spark flashed from Li De's gun muzzle, and the bullet instantly magnified in the eyes of the Ghost Hound soldier. The Ghost Hound's disdainful laughter stopped abruptly—half of his sturdy helmet was suddenly gone in that instant!
Viewed from the side, after the bullet pierced the brain, the entire back of the skull seemed to vanish suddenly…

Li De did not die like the roadblock, but instead turned around and continued to hide behind cover.

Just then, the lark began to curse.

"Damn it, the company dog ​​is still following us! I'm going to take care of her!"

The "she" the lark was talking about... was naturally Rebecca.

Li De said in a deep voice, "Take care of your business first, then I can leave."

An experienced veteran like him, once inside a building, is completely untouchable by mobile units like the Ghost Hounds.

The first thing the Nightingale did after losing connection was not to lock Rebecca down through the black wall and kill her, but to find the Night Clan members in cyberspace.

"What on earth is going on?!"

No one from the Nightingale's side responded. Feeling annoyed, before the lark could even curse, her personality disorder flared up again...

"Song Zhaomei, you still believe in others? Do you really think you can survive in this state?! Kill that little bitch first, then we'll go find Miles and kill this old bastard!"

The Nightingale's personality was trapped in the red and black data and could not move. She could only struggle bitterly. She knew that the current situation was not because the Ye family was plotting against her, but because their entire plan had been ruined by the Taipingzhou who made a ruthless move!

why?
why? ?

The lark clenched her fists, her hatred reaching its peak.

Why did he come knocking on my door himself, even though I was planning to let him continue living in this fake death for a while longer, and then destroy my hopes in such a shocking way?

Where exactly did the problem occur?!
Aren't these guys afraid that their actions will cause a war?!

No one could answer the lark; only the terrifying, eerie sound she uttered when her consciousness was invaded by data AI…

Just then, the Nightingale, who thought she would never see, finally appeared.

The blue-eyed guy didn't show any anger on his face; instead, he remained calm, as if he wasn't surprised at all by the situation.

"I told you, the lark..."

"Rin is not so easy to deal with."

The lark, its mind clouded by negative emotions, cursed bitterly, "No wonder the Night Clan can only be a small investment company in Night City—is this all you've got?"

Ye Shi just shook his head.

"No, the lark."

"Our plans are completely unimportant to him. What matters is that he's willing to risk war to save that person. Neither of us are half as crazy as him, not to mention... that guy is surrounded by lunatics!"

madman…

The lark's laughter became even more subdued.

"You mean, this guy knows everything that happens on the black wall?"

The Night Clan members simply lowered their heads and remained silent. "That guy's been here, we're all known now. The most important thing now is to find Miles—"

"Don't let her be controlled by Rin's people."

The lark's voice is shrill.

"We both know he's alive! Can't we just kill him?! Why?!"

The Ye family members merely took a slight step back.

The lark was on the verge of going berserk, and he had to be on guard... If the Night Clan's personality stabilization program didn't work, he also had to consider the consequences of this woman blowing a hole in the black wall!
“Lark, if you knew what happened to the Ye family, you wouldn’t say that.”

Bai Ling, panting heavily, finally managed to ask intermittently after a long while, "What... happened?"

"he came."

"Once we arrived at the Night Clan, our defenses were nothing but a thin sheet of paper to them, and we abandoned our data fortress."

“Lark…we need to reconsider our plans.”

"That guy... isn't human."

……
-
birdcage.

A series of hurried footsteps…

Miles was followed by a team of security personnel stationed at the White House.

Everyone had a serious expression, especially Miles, whose face was gloomy, with only the clanging of weapons behind him.

Two security guards quickly opened the door.

"Miss!"

As they saluted, a few beads of cold sweat trickled down their foreheads as the ruthless woman passed by.

The person behind Miles is someone with a powerful background—

Their cybernetic implants and ICE systems are specifically enhanced with military technology. While they might not be effective against some powerful enemies, each of them can act as a relay station for the Washington-based team of genius hackers. When the Lark goes out of control, they are like the nails in the chain, holding back this beast...

When they reached the server center where the Lark was located, Miles reached out to stop the soldiers who wanted to go in.

Obedience was their duty, and with only a pane of glass separating them, these soldiers could protect Miles by following orders.

Only Miles can enter the birdcage to activate the lark's holographic communication system. As is well known, the only person who can activate this system here is the new US president's access key.

As specks of silver light began to gather beneath the spherical device in the central area, the lark, hands on its hips, sat atop its inhuman-shaped body and stared intently at Miles.

"Xiao Song."

When the lark heard Miles's shout, it simply stood up, crossed its arms, and turned its back to her.

Miles's gaze grew even colder.

Her purpose in this trip was to determine whether the lark was as Washington had assessed. Miles was actually a very arrogant guy who only trusted his own judgment in everything.

"Xiao Song, Lucas is dead."

Who did this?

The lark remained silent (in reality, she was cooperating with Li De).

Miles rubbed his forehead and paced back and forth. "Lucas is dead. Don't you care about your body or your future?"

"Song Zhaomei, if this is what you want, then I can only say you've won."

Song Zhaomei suddenly turned around, her voice filled with resentment amidst the distorted static, "My body, my future, I can stand up again."

“My dear President, you’ve been talking about this false dream for two years, a full two years, and I’ve seen nothing but help you with these dirty deeds and received nothing in return!”

"yes…"

"Lucas is dead. Do you know how many people want you dead?!"

However, Miles didn't seem intimidated by the lark's tough stance. "Does this include you?"

The lark was suddenly stumped by this question…

She looked at Miles with a gloomy expression.

“I haven’t stopped thinking this every single day, Miles. I’ve had enough of your empty promises! Aren’t you angry…”

"Don't you really want those people in Washington to keep controlling me?!"

"come!"

The lark's song grew louder and louder with its excited tone, while Miles simply stood there listening quietly.

"Lucas is dead, so it's even less likely now."

"There are some things you need to see..."

Miles's eyes lit up. The lark seemed to have received some kind of signal, and after a long pause, it muttered to itself, "This is impossible..."

"impossible…"

"Miles, you're lying to me again!"

Miles sighed.

"Xiao Song."

"The Relic chip from Night City caused quite a stir around the world before. That thing can engrave soul consciousness. Military technology has been working on neural fixation for many years—"

"Did you know that there's more than one chip? Lone Wolf, which we produced in collaboration with a biotechnology project, is looking for this."

"Once you find it, it's not impossible for you to have a new life."

Why insist on doing this?

Song Zhaomei clearly had nothing in her hand, but she kept looking down at it. In reality, it was internal military documents that Miles had given her.

Miles didn't see the mocking smile on the lark's lips as she bowed her head, saying "Impossible" and nearly broke down.

The military technology data serves as evidence of the Nightingale's collaboration.

Looking at these internal documents, her confidence in the Nightingale increased countless times. The Nightingale would rather believe the agents who had infiltrated Washington than believe Miles again.

If I'm not mistaken...

Miles is about to pull that trick again.

Even though Song Zhaomei was a hologram, Miles still walked over and looked at the digitized face of the lark, saying, "Sorry, Xiao Song."

“In this position, I can’t do whatever I want. We all have to live, and live well… You know Song Zhaomei, the last thing I can do in this position is to make the new America strong again.”

"You're a hero, so heroes naturally enjoy good treatment... You have to tell me who exactly wants Lucas dead?"

The lark shook its head.

“You should be able to find this out easily, Miles. Why are you asking me?”

Miles denied it, "Lucas died a horrible death, you know—there were traitors within the Joint Logistics Command involved in this attack. I don't trust anyone except you, Song..."

Song Zhaomei stared silently at Miles.

"The people who killed Lucas were from within the military science community, and the new US government also had people involved in this, including your assistant."

"Miles, stop now, you can't win."

Miles listened quietly. "Hmm, anything else?"

Song Zhaomei shrugged. "Regarding the matter I promised you last time, I've obtained the evidence of that New Zealand guy's bribery from Arasaka Bank. Here you go."

Have they put aside their differences?

Miles never thought that way.

The ruthlessness in her eyes grew stronger, and she seemed to be ready.

"Xiao Song."

“It’s not a mistake. Lucas is dead, but there will be people willing to work with us to help me with the last thing I did nine months ago.”

"If I'm still in this position, you can retire."

“Lark, have you ever thought that you would be nothing more than a tool in someone else’s hands? I know we’ve been through a lot together these past few years… but the situation is visibly improving, and the enemy is preparing to go all in.”

Song Zhaomei pondered for a long time.

"What to do?"

Miles sighed. "I know without you saying it that a lot of people would love for me to die in the White House right now, but there's a very important proposal—someone is blocking it, and that's key to gaining support for me."

"Therefore I must go to Eastern Europe in person; the new America cannot sit idly by."

"If everything falls into the hands of those people, the new America will be finished!"

Song Zhaomei wore an incredulous expression.

"Are you crazy, Miles?"

"The situation has come to this, and you still want to go out? Aren't you afraid of dying on the way?"

She could no longer suppress the smile on her lips.

That idiot Miles is about to confess everything himself, there's no need for the Ye family at all... It's always safer to have information in your own hands.

Miles said slowly, "Without going through the Joint Logistics Command system for authentication, Airspace One will authenticate using my personal password. Internally, this visit has long been classified as top secret."

"In thirty-seven hours, I will synchronize this information to your system."

"Nightingale, you have to keep an eye on my online enemies."

"My safety is entirely in your hands... Xiao Song, there is no one else I can trust."

No wonder…

Song Zhaomei searched the Joint Logistics Agency system many times but could not find any record of Miles boarding Space-1.

That old bastard is still so slippery.

"Miles, I..."

Miles stepped forward and placed his hand on the virtual shoulder of the lark.

"It's okay for a kid to make a mistake. Lucas won't blame you. If he really knew this, Lucas might not have been able to avoid this calamity."

"Trust me, Song. As long as I can stay in this term, military technology will continue to serve us and the new America."

"We will acquire Arakawa... and its technology."

Song Zhaomei nodded.

Miles smiled gently, like a mother. "Little Song, I'm so sorry to know what the online world is like..."

"I didn't expect our enemy to be more stubborn and more difficult to deal with than I imagined..."

Song Zhaomei's expression looked like she was wiping away tears.

Miles' smile faded. "Alright, stop crying, kid. Never shed a tear before our enemy falls."

"Keep an eye on the enemy for me. As long as this proposal can be pushed through, our chances of winning will increase."

"Get ready."

The decisive new US president left without looking back after saying those words, and as the authentication connection was lost, particles of light began to emanate from the holographic image of the lark…

When the image disintegrated onto the face, the astonishing hatred in those pupils was like a raging inferno...

Miles' shoes stomped on the smooth floor.

Her eyes were bright; it was unclear who she was talking to on the phone.

"Be prepared, the lark is no longer usable."

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

"So the hacker team's data-driven judgment was correct? Was her humanity truly destroyed by those AIs outside the Great Firewall?"

Miles snorted coldly.

“I don’t know anything about AI or anything outside the Great Firewall, but I do know one thing—I can smell the lies on any guy who wants to harm me.”

“The Lark is very clever; she even provided some real information that we already had… but I knew she wanted to make her move on the plane.”

"Have the hacker team prepare to crash the plane in Night City as planned. And while you're at it, use your dedicated line to connect me to…" "Colonel Kurt Hansen!"

……
-
Which company in Night City offers the best benefits?

Of course, we should watch Night City Dogtown: The Hound of the Underworld!

What? You killed a few idiots who tried to snatch your bag back during your robbery yesterday? No problem! Ghost Dog thinks you're capable of taking action.

What? You were selling drugs yesterday and the NCPD was chasing you all over the world? No problem! Ghost Dog thinks you have business acumen.

For example, a guy named Monroe who stole a few packages of drugs from the Tiger Claw gang in Night City, killed a few idiots along the way, and then escaped into Dogtown.

The Ghost Hound naturally accepted this talent.

Monroe, a seasoned street fighter, was wrestling with many soldiers on the first floor of the Sapphire Crystal Tower. Even the veteran soldiers like the Ghost Hounds rarely saw such a fierce newcomer...

This guy seems to have no sense of pain. Even if a veteran has exquisite fighting skills, he is still so fearless and like he is fighting on the battlefield that many people can't even keep up with his moves.

"Hahaha, no wonder this idiot was able to kill several Japanese samurai, I didn't expect him to be such a fool!"

"Alright! Let's give him a good beating across the face! Swing it around and smash it!"

Monroe, whose consciousness was somewhat hazy, realized that he had been set up.

The first thing a new recruit should learn when joining the Ghost Hound is... to keep a low profile.

This goes without saying, but the reason Monroe charged forward like an unkillable mad dog was because he learned something when he entered the Netherhound—

If I can attract the attention of a big shot under the Gemstone, and get a job, I can finally be a respectable person in Dogtown.

"Boy, don't be shameless!"

The veteran who fought Monroe also had bruises on his face. Even though he had hit the kid in the stomach several times and there was still some sour saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth, Monroe still came up and hugged him around the waist.

Give this kid a knife, and even the veteran might get stabbed a few times...

"Damn! That's awful!"

There was a chorus of cheers from the surrounding crowd, but such cheers only made the veteran lose face more...

"Let go, it's about time to go down and rest."

The veteran was certain the other person had heard him, but he felt his waist getting tighter and tighter. The veteran was both angry and furious, so he raised his elbow, making a slight sound of his prosthetic body deforming.

The gorilla elbowed him, and the guy was bedridden for at least half a month, and he also needed a prosthetic doctor to take a good look at his spine.

After all, his fellow soldiers were laughing at him for letting a new recruit hug him around the waist.

操…

The veteran couldn't care less about anything else. If things continued like this, he would be pushed down in the crowd, which would be incredibly embarrassing!
a bit!
When the veteran's elbow slammed down, a gasp rippled through the crowd, but most of them were just watching with amusement.

There are quotas within the Ghost Hound organization; if a recruit dies during training and the reason is justifiable, the colonel can ignore it…

"Wow!"

Feeling a warm sensation on his trouser leg, the veteran knew the man had vomited blood onto his trousers…

He softened a bit and didn't smash his elbow into his spine, instead choosing the broadest shoulder and back.

Unexpectedly, a sharp pain in his lower back made the veteran even angrier.

"Don't let go!" This time, the veteran didn't care about anything else. He quickly braced himself with his feet while raising his elbows high.

"You're fucking asking for it!"

The veteran's arm was about to fall on the guy, and everyone foresaw the outcome. Some soldiers couldn't bear to watch anymore.

What a pity, he was such a promising talent.

Snapped!
A black, chrome-plated hand reached out and gently lifted the elbow. Even though it was a collision of prosthetics, it still produced a sound similar to flesh slamming against steel.

The veteran's heart skipped a beat. He looked up and was met with a pair of bald faces with grayish-white skin and only black dots in the pupils, while explosive muscles were hidden beneath a black t-shirt...

"Colonel?!"

Hansen gently waved his hand, and the limp veteran retreated repeatedly.

The guy who was still trying to hug the veteran's waist, whether he was acting or just a hothead, ignored Hansen grabbing his hand and kept rushing forward.

It wasn't until all the ghostly hounds around him abandoned their lazy expressions and stood at attention, without exception, that Monroe realized... he had risked his life to get this opportunity.

"So fearless of death?"

Hansen's eyes were like those of a hungry wolf, fixed on the weakling in front of him who was beaten so badly he could barely stand.

Hansen, who has been repeatedly suppressed by the Queen of Taipingzhou in recent years, seems to have become even more gloomy. Everyone knows that this is still the Ghost Hound and Dogtown under Hansen's command. If it were someone else, they would probably have been eaten to pieces by Emma!

Seeing Night City's most notorious crime boss standing right in front of him, Monroe felt a pang of panic.

"I…"

Hansen sneered and stared intently at the man.

"Colonel, it's not that I'm not afraid of death, it's that I came to the Netherhound gang because I'm fucking unafraid of death."

"Whoever messes with us, I'll fucking get back at them!"

Monroe perfectly embodied the word "lunatic"...

Hansen stared at Monroe for a long time. "Alright, come on, young man. I'll give you a job that's asking for trouble. If you succeed, you'll be rich; if you fail, you'll just die."

……

At the Long Beach stockpile, Monroe carefully recorded the things the colonel had asked him to record using his prosthetic eye: the animal gang's defenses and the specific locations of various defensive facilities at the Long Beach stockpile.

Of course, he still needs to find someone.

For Monroe, nothing could be more exciting than this moment.

He felt that what he had done was definitely enough to get votes in the Netherhound circle!

It's important to know that the Long Beach stockpile is a no-go zone for the Hounds of the Underworld. The Queen's methods are quite effective, as all industries thrive in her jurisdiction, especially places like bars.

The hounds had long been fed up with those dilapidated places, and since Gemstone and the others couldn't go there, any daring ones who tried to sneak in were always caught by the animal gang.

The Queen's method of handling the situation was also very brutal.

Kill him.

It's that simple.

Moreover, after these incidents, some members of the Ghost Hounds have begun to privately call Hansen a coward. However, Hansen continues to make money on the black market and further improves the welfare and benefits of the Ghost Hounds, especially in terms of weapons, equipment, and prosthetic medical care...

If it weren't for the good welfare and treatment of the hounds in Dogtown, they would have all run away by now.

However, Hansen's methods for dealing with deserters remained the same as before. Whenever he discovered that someone was trying to flee from the Hounds to the Queen, he dealt with them all in the same way.

We still killed him.

And whoever catches the other gets a bonus.

So the morale of the Ghost Hounds was not actually low at all. With enough money and status, they charged forward with all their might!

Monroe received three months' salary in advance, which was more than double what those idiots in the Animals Gang received.

As Hansen put his arm around his shoulder, the guy was saying that he would kill that kind of queen who was played with by others sooner or later.

A typical criminal.

Hansen likes this kind of person.

They'll rush forward recklessly, ignoring everything else, as long as they get a little something extra.

Of course, Monroe, who was risking his life on the streets, still had some wisdom. For example, when he was hanging around in a place like the Long Beach stockpile, he seemed more like a harmless young man.

Monroe was very careful.

Because the Long Beach stockpile is infiltrated by many members of the Animal Gang who can be scanned—those guys are all connected to the NCPD database. If they just glance at you, you're done for. Fortunately, Monroe knows how to hide himself.

Monroe walked from the death memorial tree at the Long Beach stockpile to the end of the shantytown and found the place Hansen had mentioned.

Does he look like a contact person?

who cares!
The boss has to make such a big fuss just to make a phone call to someone. Typical boss...

"Colonel Hansen said, 'Spit it out if you have something to say.'"

Monroe was very pleased with himself.

He saw that the contact was dressed up like a respectable person, but looked more like a lowly employee in the company square on the streets of Night City.

"Are you one of Hansen's men?"

"Why send such an idiot?"

Monroe was immediately enraged by these words, but he remained silent with a sullen face, after all, this was someone his boss had arranged for him to meet…

"No wonder."

The other person said something completely nonsensical.

Monroe didn't understand the implied meaning of those words...

at this time.

The serious-looking man in the suit suddenly stood up, startling Monroe.

"Where's the equipment Hansen asked you to get?"

For some reason, Monroe felt that he subconsciously obeyed the man's words and obediently took out what he was holding. Then the man in the suit pushed open the cabinet in the room.

"Come on, wait patiently for your boss and my... boss to finish their call."

"Then we can rest."

Monroe looked at the old dial telephone, and to be honest, with his limited experience, he couldn't figure out how it worked.

The man in the suit put down the microphone and installed the equipment Monroe had given him.

Monroe was thinking of striking up a conversation with this guy, but to his surprise, the other person frowned and gave him a vertical gesture, signaling him to be quiet.

"Tch, what are you so smug about?"

The man in the suit shook his head.

"Enjoy this quiet time while you can."

Just as Monroe was about to ask something, he heard a woman's voice coming from the device.

"Hello? Hansen?"

His boss's voice came out a second or two later.

"It's been a long time, ma'am."

"Do you still remember us, a bunch of homeless dogs?"

Monroe's mind was too simple. He was only vaguely familiar with the name Miles, but after scratching his head, he couldn't remember it at all. He could only think about where to go for drinks after finishing his boss's business.

"Hansen, this is a political concession, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"But you've been doing quite well in Night City. Military technology has helped you. If you want to start your own business, shouldn't you be prepared to face this outcome?"

Hansen chuckled dryly a few times.

"Then what is it that requires such a distinguished person as you to make this phone call to an unknown nobody like me?"

The woman sighed. "Hansen, this isn't something that can be solved by throwing a tantrum. You should know that my men tampered with your weapons—and I suspect you're trying to pin the blame on my men."

"Why do you say that, madam? Although I won't cause you any trouble, you can't bite people randomly. There are plenty of biting guys in Night City, but I don't recall any in Washington."

"The lark has betrayed its country."

One sentence, and his boss fell silent.

“They want to shoot me down, but I know it won’t be good for me to land anywhere. Let’s make a deal.”

"Hansen".

Hansen's words were concise and to the point.

"Speak, madam."

"There aren't many businesses that can interest me; I need to be offered a price that makes me interested before I start talking."

Miles said, "Now that you know about the petty theft of my two traitors, you might as well go along with it. I've seen the missile's technical specifications."

"Keep her under control. Let me hide in Dogtown for half a month. If things get chaotic, the military technology people will help you take Dogtown back..."

"I need to identify my enemies in Washington."

“Nothing would expose them more than my disappearance.”

Hansen chuckled.

"Aren't you afraid of dying in my wolf's den?"

The woman simply said, "You'd be interested in a woman this old? Fine, I'll take you—I just need to achieve my goal."

Hansen: "Fine, fine...you guys in suits are always willing to go all out."

Seemingly unwilling to dwell on this topic any longer, he said, "Any political demands can be met. You can leave one of your own people in Dogtown and go back to Washington. I can give you any assets in a legal and legitimate way."

Hansen seemed unwilling to have a proper discussion.

"Can Night City bring your latest fire control system in?"

"I want just as much money as those dogs in Washington, okay?"

Woman: "The money's gone. You can have as many fire control systems as you want."

Hansen fell silent again.

"Want to go back to Washington? You can choose any location you like; Dogtown will be your money-printing machine. If that's still not enough..."

"I'll give you the Free State next to Night City, what are your terms?"

Even Monroe, who isn't exactly known for his sharp mind, has figured it out now.

It seems like the other side...

That's a bit too much of a status symbol.

"I can tell the difference between polite words and the truth."

“Since our Goddess is so merciful, I have to comply, but I can’t guarantee success. You know I’m not having a good time—the bastards of Taiping Island are making my life miserable.”

"But I knew you had this trick up your sleeve. A fool went in to gather intelligence for us, so I can go over there and cause trouble to distract us."

"Anyway, he wants to die."

Monroe felt that something was off about what he was saying.

The man in the suit looked at him and gave him a warm smile.

As they spoke, the man in the suit pulled out something that looked like a cell phone from his person; it was a locator, used to pinpoint the plane's landing location...

"Hey!"

Monroe had already realized what was happening and was about to rush forward to question his boss.

However, the man in the suit only needed two moves to lose the ability to move.

The fearless Monroe could no longer cling to his waist and relentlessly attack.

Because he discovered that he couldn't do anything in the face of a real prosthetic body.

“I don’t even know your name yet, so of course… it doesn’t really matter.” The dog in the suit, who was squatting down, tugged at Monroe’s hair and looked at him.

Hansen's relaxed yet chilling words still echoed in Monroe's ears.

"Then it will be a pleasure to cooperate."

"Welcome to Dogtown..."

"His Excellency the President has arrived!"

Monroe's pupils seemed to dilate, and his body trembled in disbelief.

is that a lie?

"Monroe?"

Hansen's voice came from the other end of the phone.

Monroe looked pleadingly toward the source of Hansen's voice. "Damn it! Help me, I don't want to die, please, Hansen... oh no, Colonel."

"Monroe, let me tell you a way. When you're about to die, close your eyes and don't think about anything. Fight back with all your might."

“My men harbor a deep grudge against the place you’re in. You’re going to die, and you’re going to die a horrible death. That’ll make my men even more reckless.”

"Don't howl, Monroe."

"Howling won't change anything."

The man in the suit looked down at Monroe with pity in his eyes. He simply stood up, nodded, and his entire demeanor and appearance underwent a dramatic change.

"See, I told you so. No wonder the colonel chose you."

Monroe never understood why he had gained Hansen's favor. Had he overestimated himself and was he really not afraid of death?

No.

In a more precise sense, only Monroe is capable of doing this.

Hansen couldn't tell whether the people in Ghosthound were human or ghosts, and in Hansen's eyes, Monroe's murder and robbery in Night City were an incredibly "clean" resume.

A born scoundrel, he had no connections with any other organizations or forces…

It's not a pity to use it as a fuse, to pass on messages, or even to die.

Most importantly, this guy's courage made him the most useful pawn to be sacrificed.

"Don't believe everything the boss says."

Monroe lay on the ground, wanting to rush up and bite off a few pieces of flesh. Just a few hours ago, he had admired his boss so much, but now he looked like a heinous bastard.

Human lives are worthless numbers in the eyes of these guys.

The haunted hounds weren't as warm as I'd imagined; they were full of united, friendly, and utterly wicked bastards.

The biggest villain was probably Hansen, who was silently listening to Monroe's curses.

"Hansen, no matter what happens, your men must keep me under control."

"This is our deal."

Hansen chuckled, "Of course, ma'am. My men have already disappeared at the Long Beach storage yard, and by now they should be—"

Monroe's crotch was already soaked.

The gate behind him was blown open, and the burly animal gang strode heavily toward Monroe—

"The puppies of the Ghost Hound are here!"

"Damn it, kill him!"

……

……

(End of this chapter)