Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 429 Purge【6.5K】

[WNS News]

"We now have an urgent news briefing."

“Mr. Yoriyuki Arasaka, who is based at the North American headquarters of Arasaka in Night City, made a statement an hour ago, claiming that the Badlands Wanderers have had a very serious impact on the normal operation of major companies in Night City.”

"Arasaka will conduct a special military operation to retaliate against the Badlands Wanderers, while ensuring the stability of Night City—"

"These vagrants are the Night Wanderers we know... They belong to organizations like the Chaotic Blade Society."

News Channel 54

"It is reported that the Night City network outage that broke out four hours ago has caused at least hundreds of billions of yuan in direct economic losses. Major companies have transferred management authority to their branches in nearby countries or regions. In addition, hundreds of network users who did not log out of the network in time have unfortunately died due to implanted data overload and other reasons."

"In response to this bizarre and rapid network outage, Night City Network Surveillance and the NCPD cybersecurity department have dispatched relevant professionals to attempt to access the network to investigate the cause. The two organizations have also called on Night City users to refrain from attempting to infiltrate the deep web, otherwise any insurance coverage will not apply."

"In addition, the Trauma Group also issued a statement that injuries caused by network outages or unauthorized online activities are not covered by the membership terms."

"The above news is being broadcast to the public via radio. Please do not go out unnecessarily to avoid violent crimes caused by network outages and the malfunction of city safety facilities."

【Taipingzhou, Dreamers】

“This is DRAR, and I am Emma Watson, the head of the company.”

"Using the public channel to warn Night City!"

"The repeated acts of recklessness by Night City officials and certain organizations against Dreamers have become intolerable to our company, especially this conspiracy-driven and planned network outage, which has caused a large number of our orders to fail and our security facilities to cease operation—"

"Based on this, I hereby announce that the borders between Taiping Island and major urban areas will be immediately sealed off, and a two-kilometer security zone will be reserved. Anyone who enters this zone will be considered an enemy of the Dreamers, and we will adopt a strategy of unrestricted retaliation."

"Honey, if you're looking for excitement, come to Taipingzhou, okay?"

"I'm waiting for you... (chuckles)"

Dogville

“Residents of Dogtown! This is Kurt Hansen.”

"Ah... how should I put it? The last time I spoke here was the last time—hahaha, it really feels like a nightmare!"

"As you all know, a bunch of bastards came to Dogtown and broke the rules, leaving everyone starving. They practically have the words 'company dog' written on their foreheads."

"Honestly, I'd rather be gun-to-gun with those scavengers or working with my old buddies on New America—anything is better than dealing with these bastards."

"But I don't want to put up with it anymore."

“Those bastards from Taipingzhou have detained my men on my territory again. All you Netherhounds, keep an eye on that Long Beach stockpile. How many of our brothers are there and haven’t come back?”

"Our Warrior Monroe is right there. Dogtown is a place that values ​​dreams and ability. Bring him back to me!"

"Anyone whose path to wealth has been blocked by that bitch should also take a gun and cause her trouble."

"complete."

【Night FM】

"Error...Error...(loop)"

"Ye's Company hereby solemnly announces that our website has been lost due to force majeure. We request that our partners who currently have business dealings with Ye's Company suspend their applications."

"We are announcing the indefinite suspension of our external business operations, including: Yeshi Insurance, Yeshi Energy, Yeshi Sports, Yeshi FM and other sub-sectors. For details, please contact Yeshi Commercial Cooperation at [phone number]".

"Furthermore, the Ye family reserves the right to permanently hold the cyber attackers accountable."

Thank you for listening patiently.

"mistake…"

……
-
In the secluded Dogtown underpass, only a pair of neon-colored shoes with a youthful vibe were seen walking cautiously on the wet ground.

In extremely dim light, Rebecca's prosthetic eye could only determine the approximate location.

Having seen life and death many times in Night City, this young girl was naturally not afraid. What she needed to do now was to sneak into the nest of the sliders and see what had happened.

The gunshots and sounds of fighting were very intense. Rebecca guessed that the other side had left before she went to investigate the clues.

There was a light source around the corner ahead, similar to emergency lighting. Instinctively, Rebecca quickened her pace…

Hmph.

I couldn't hear anything except for the faint sound of breathing...

She gripped the iron bladder tighter in both hands, taking one step, then another…

We're about to turn the corner—

suddenly!

As Rebecca turned around, she was caught off guard and felt something fall to her side. She quickly reached out to support it and discovered that there was a hollow thing with its head hanging down behind it, with dripping liquid and a fishy smell wafting out.

Rebecca, who subconsciously twitched her face, suppressed her almost violent reaction as she looked at the Voodoo Gang members who had been shot in the head by some kind of gun.

"call--"

With her heart pounding, she gently placed the body on the ground, then took a few breaths as if granted a pardon.

"Brilliant."

After a series of rustling sounds, Johnny, who was squatting next to the body, was clearly impressed by the girl's considerable courage. "Tsk tsk tsk, look! Professional technique, one shot kills. She caught the bullet casing as it was ejected from the barrel. Few people except for spies would do that."

spy?

Rebecca hadn't heard that term in a long time.

Indeed, Rebecca didn't find a single shell casing on the ground, so the enemy was a very cunning and experienced fellow.

Refocusing her attention, Rebecca walked through the distinctive iron gate of the Voodoo Gang, which was covered in fluorescent paint. Inside, besides the crackling sound of electricity breaking through the air, there was also the roar of some kind of large machinery.

Rebecca, who had been receiving treatment from cybersecurity departments and the professor from Lost Island for the past few years, knew that there was probably some kind of large server here.

The horrific scenes she witnessed along the way made Rebecca even more wary.

Breaking through the defenses single-handedly, and with so many hackers around... Rebecca started to feel a little scared, realizing she had been too close to that guy named Li De at times.

Johnny Silverhand remained silent, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Soon, Rebecca found the source of the roaring sound: a hacker room at the center of the large server operation, which was now a mess.

Many of the overhead wires were burned through due to overload, and the air was filled with the smell of burning. Occasionally, dark red data blocks would flow in places where there was no light source.

"cold?"

Rebecca was all too familiar with this scene. In Taipingzhou, when Rin first used the Black Wall Data and in many subsequent battles with him, this terrifying data block, which seemed to be mixed with a layer of dimension in the real world, would appear.

Johnny, who hadn't spoken for a long time, finally spoke.

"Hmm...it looks like someone's already been silenced? This is the work of New America...there might be others."

Rebecca didn't dare to speak, or even think about it.

Because once Johnny discovers that this scene is the same as the one Rin has been to, he will definitely climb up the pole and chase after Rin to bite her a few times, which sounds like... that's the only thing that can be annoying.

Not only Rin, but Rebecca also knows that there's another hacker from New America who also uses the Great Firewall... Two years have passed, and nobody knows how much progress the company has made on the Great Firewall.

Rin seemed to have said something like this—

The lark may have followed this new American agent.

As Rebecca ventured deeper, she didn't see the same hellish scene as outside...

There was just a square hacker chair with black smoke billowing around it, and a man lying on it with his head tilted back.

[Wilky Laguerre]

Taipingzhou - Unknown

【Slider】

[NCPD Wanted: Kidnapping Company Representative // ​​Extortion // Engaging in Illegal Cyber ​​Activities // Murder of Company Representative]

[Reward Amount: 300?]

Rebecca looked at the information inside her prosthetic eye, carefully examining each line of text.

[Status: Severely injured (possibly due to overload of the cyber implant)]

Seriously injured...?
and many more!

Just as Rebecca Arnoldstein was about to start up, the man who appeared to be dead with his mouth agape let out a violent gasp.

"Cough cough..."

"Don't worry!"

Rebecca nearly shot the idiot with her iron gun; if Johnny hadn't stopped her, she probably would have already fired.

"Well…"

The slider, shaking its head, was exhaling more air than it was inhaling; it was beyond saving, and Rebecca found it incredible that it could even catch its breath…

"You are... wolves following behind that loyal dog's tail?"

The words coming out of the slider's mouth were indistinct...

"Slider? You're about to die."

Rebecca frowned.

“I...I know, Fanm nan tounen yon movèz bèt! (That woman is a beast!)”

"Li De, hahaha... Li De, you son of a bitch, you've been tricked!"

As they spoke, the seemingly about-to-fall-off Slider slowly moved its head from the chair, revealing a pair of eyes covered in burnt flesh staring at where Rebecca was standing, sending chills down the spines of both Rebecca and Silver Hand.

"Hey, I should have listened to him (Rin) a long time ago—listened to him and left this wretched place, Night City, and stayed far away."

"Child."

Rebecca felt a surge of displeasure at the name, but looking at the increasingly violent rise and fall of the slider's chest, she knew... the day was drawing near.

"That guy named Rin is still alive, right? I saw it... Something that destroys order is being born in the cyber world, and I also saw that 'divine punishment' is about to descend upon this shithole."

Was it rambling nonsense, or a final burst of energy before death?
Rebecca couldn't figure it out.

Suddenly, the slider seemed to gain strength, and its entire body straightened up!

"Run! Run as far away as possible... Haha, what am I saying? The wall is about to be blown up, everyone will die, everyone will die, you and that thing on you will both die."

"Well…"

As the slider's head drooped, Rebecca, clutching her gun, breathed just as rapidly.

Rebecca, who doesn't usually think carefully about what others are saying, was dumbfounded.

"Hello...hello? Hello!"

Rebecca tried reaching out and shaking the slider several times. As the slider slumped limply off the chair, Rebecca realized that the vicious Voodoo Gang had left her with some more problems before they died.

……

"Seriously, can we get down to business?"

"Why are you always staring at that old black guy...? Shouldn't you be asking that guy named Rin what's going on? After all, you trust him the most, huh."

Disease strikes like a raging flood.

Rebecca took a while to catch her breath and, without stopping, finally found a clue through the swindlers in Night City and quickly pinpointed Li De.

Rebecca, who felt ghostly figures flashing before her eyes from time to time, leaned silently against the wall, quietly watching the bastard opposite her with his silver arm crossed.

Rin can't be contacted...

That moment terrified Rebecca. Her self-assured courage seemed to have been worn down over the past two years, and the first thing she felt when she collapsed to the ground was a strange panic. She couldn't eat the candy she loved, she couldn't dance anymore, and there were some people she would never see again.

So... it seems that those who have returned from hell are more afraid of death.

Seeing the usually lively girl across from him looking at him with droopy eyelids, Johnny gestured with his hand as if holding a cigarette, only to realize that he didn't have any cigarettes at all.

"Ugh, non-smokers are the most fucking bastards."

Rebecca sneered, her eyes constantly fixed on Li De, who had just emerged from the ruins.

“The New America’s agent, if I don’t keep an eye on him, he’ll have to go after our people.”

Johnny shook his head repeatedly.

"I don't think you understand at all. It's been two years. Do you think some company dog ​​would even consider treating your illness? Putting everything else aside, we've known each other for two years, we know each other inside and out—forget all that, giving up this job doesn't seem like a simple thing to do..."

Since I'm just killing time anyway, cursing this idiot is good for my mental and physical health.

"What do you find unusual about this?"

Rebecca asked casually.

Johnny paced back and forth anxiously. "I don't know, I feel really bad, Rebecca; the last time I felt this damn was the day Rogge and I got into trouble."

Rebecca paused for a moment, slightly taken aback.

【relic…//malfunction】

For some reason, the chip suddenly malfunctioned, and the fact that they went deep into Dogtown to spy on an agent who was supposedly killed by Rin is really puzzling.

Seemingly sensing that her mood had been affected, Rebecca pouted, "Since I'm not comfortable staying here, I might as well go back. It'll save me from getting upset here."

Johnny Silverhand crouched down in front of Rebecca.

"Wake up, sis! You're letting that guy Rin play with your brain like a dog. I would never put my life in the company's hands. You can go to Night City and ask around—of course, the world has changed so much I don't even recognize it anymore, but there must be a way to solve this chip problem!"

"Sitting around waiting to die? That's too pathetic."

Rebecca covered her mouth and nose and coughed a few times. As her breathing gradually became more even, she swallowed softly.

“If even Arakawa can’t solve this for now, find a barefoot doctor… Johnny, you’re worse than a three-year-old.”

Johnny was at a loss.

He said his biggest regret was living a second life with a girl who had a temper even sharper than his own.

He could see Rebecca's memories, so from Johnny's perspective, Rin was a bit too mysterious.

"You must have a reason to hate the company so much, right?"

"Don't think I don't know your ex-girlfriend was kidnapped by Arasaka. I can also see your memories."

"Johnny, you're really something—why don't you think of flying up into the sky and crippling Hua Zi? This thing is a mess that old man from Arasaka Corporation and his daughter pulled."

Johnny snorted coldly.

"You believe everything your office worker says, it's unbelievable..."

"I'm saving the world, and Ultraman is part of it. You idiot don't understand anything. If you want to save yourself, then don't be a dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy."

There's been far too much of this kind of brainwashing.

Rebecca refused to believe anything she said and could only suppress the strange feeling in her heart for the time being.

What exactly does Rin want to do on her own?
She painstakingly found the new American agent here, but her only order was to follow him. Moreover, she couldn't contact Rin herself, so she could only take it one step at a time.

"By the way, what was that damn boss of Dogtown yelling about just now?"

Rebecca muttered something to herself—

"They're probably saying that you bunch of lazy corporate dogs have violated someone's freedom. In my opinion, Hansen has guts; at least he didn't give in to you bunch of scheming bastards."

Johnny is like an NPC who only appears in a fixed part of a game. As long as he hears the word "company," he is someone who is even less important than Hansen.

"Johnny?"

Johnny, who hadn't expected Rebecca to listen to him anyway, looked at her when she called his name. Although they only needed to speak in their minds, Johnny still did.

Is it...

Has this dim-witted girl finally figured it out?

"Fuck you!"

Rebecca gave her the middle finger. "You've made Night City a wasteland of nuclear dust for decades. The company is not much different from you."

"What dreamers do... well, I don't know how to put it, but anyway, we're awesome."

Silver Hand was dumbfounded.

"Holy crap? Don't kids these days learn about politics?"

"Don't work for the system or the company. I learned this lesson from the enemy with my life."

He kept tapping his chest with one silver finger, looking as if he were reprimanding a junior with deep remorse.

"Now I feel like these people who play with capital are going to get you."

Johnny's hand was like a pistol, and the imaginary bullet hit the side of his forehead, causing him to fall to the ground and turn into a pile of data particles.

Rebecca stared blankly at the ground, then pursed her lips.

"What a fucking arrogance."

[To all Dreamers employees, this message is being sent to you via an alternative network.]

[Night City's network is down. Please immediately contact your nearest supervisor and return to your team within 2 hours. Other special operations and employees not under surveillance can follow the same procedure.]

[Please disconnect unnecessary devices due to network connectivity issues.]

These words flashed across Rebecca's prosthetic eye, and she felt increasingly unwell...

Buzz!

Rebecca's clothes pocket vibrated a few times.

[Letter from: Emma]

[Message transmission failed...]

Rebecca swallowed hard, turned her head to look behind her, and saw that Li De was still there, looking dejected.

With the network down, the New America agents were dejected. Rebecca vaguely heard something rumbling above them, a very strange sound.

"Up there! Rebecca!"

Upon hearing Silver Hand's exclamation of "Holy crap!", Rebecca abruptly looked up!

"That's...an airplane?"

At that moment, Rebecca heard Li De's somewhat exasperated growl from the other end...

"Xiao Song! What are you doing?"

Ok?
Rebecca's mouth was agape, her ears ringing with incoming calls and various message notifications.

It's like a floodgate suddenly being opened in a silent world...

Spam text messages, Emma's ringtone.

"Hey?"

As the small white dot began to grow larger, Rebecca recognized it as the white space shuttle often seen in advertisements for NCX Spaceport…

"Rebecca, no matter what, find the people on the plane! Do you understand, darling... if you want to live, this is the only way now!"

Rebecca nodded subconsciously, her mind blank.

"Who's up there? Emma?"

Emma paused briefly, then a series of muffled thuds, like thunder, came from above…

The space shuttle is dropping decoy flares?
"The new US president."

"If we don't catch her... Rin and we'll both be facing even bigger trouble!"

what? !

Johnny Silverhand, standing nearby, exclaimed, "Wow! Tsk tsk... Look, what kind of American blockbuster is this?"

Rebecca felt like her heart was being squeezed. She was clearly just a mercenary from Night City who could defeat the ACPA... What kind of international joke was this, kidnapping the new US president?!
Emma said in a deep voice, "Rin is on her way, following that new American to the death! They know Miles's location!"

But as soon as Emma finished speaking, Rebecca exclaimed in surprise!
"Hold!"

The sound, powerful enough to rip through an electronic eardrum, rang out not far from Rebecca, and the ground began to tremble slightly with the sound!
The sky was filled with fiery rain mixed with thick smoke, like sharp swords pointing straight to the heavens!
missile?!
Johnny was stunned. "Fuck it! This is war!"

The space shuttle, which was releasing decoy flares, was skillfully maneuvered to evade several missiles fired by Colonel Hansen of Dogtown. "What's going on?"

"Look there! Rebecca!"

Johnny yelled!

Rebecca watched as an even more chilling scene unfolded in the direction of Pacifico…

Their own company is using the same tactic to attack the space shuttle that may be carrying the new US president!
The decoy flares were clearly insufficient to make this round of missiles lose their target...

With no other options left, the aircraft was struck in the tail by a missile launched by the Dreamer during a sharp descent and turn. Soon after, the rear half of the space shuttle, billowing smoke and humming, hurtled toward the ground!

Where will it fall?!

Rebecca's mind went completely blank; all she could see on the holographic screen was Emma repeating something over and over again...

She was breathing heavily as she watched the space shuttle get closer and closer. Apart from the airship, this was the first time Rebecca had ever seen such a large spacecraft make an emergency landing!

"Get away!"

Johnny's roar brought Rebecca back to her senses. She instinctively covered her head and crouched down. Even though the plane was still more than a hundred meters above the ground, a scorching gust of wind and debris still swept over it... It was clear that the plane was no longer controllable. The thing was like a headless fly that had lost its target, skimming along the Dogtown wall that Hansen had built, heading straight towards Pacific Island!

boom!
Rebecca faintly heard a slight earthquake-like sound, followed by the piercing Dogtown alarm!

"These company dogs have gone mad!"

Johnny paced anxiously back and forth behind Rebecca.

As if waking from a dream, Rebecca saw that Li De had already jumped into the car and sped out, so she hurriedly rushed to her own vehicle—

She doesn't believe in Johnny, she doesn't believe in fate, and she certainly wouldn't believe the words of an underground hacker.

She only trusts her partners.

As the vehicle sped up, Rebecca saw that Li De had no time to slow down and crashed into the armed forces that the Ghost Hounds had blocked in the street. She swerved the steering wheel and turned the car to the side!

Just as she was quickly scanning the gaps in the buildings for the location of Li De's car, intending to rush across the street and head out of Dogtown together, Johnny, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly uttered a doubtful voice: "Damn... watch out—"

boom!
Rebecca suddenly went deaf!

In that instant, the car just passed a raised section of terrain, and food plastic bags, ornaments, and Rebecca herself were thrown into the air. Time seemed to freeze.

Just as Rebecca was wondering what was happening, a piercing, noisy sound instantly ripped apart the image formed by her prosthetic eye. The crackling, blood-red electrical currents and data resembled the River Styx hanging upside down from the sky, with lava flowing continuously downwards.

A woman with purple hair and dangerous, bloodshot eyes appeared in the passenger seat of Rebecca's car, arms crossed.

“Rebecca…”

……

……

　I went out for dinner today, so I'll be posting less now. I'll catch up later. Time to rest, hehe.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)