Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 458 The Post-War Era (Part Two) [7.3K]

"Relax, Farida."

The woman looked terrified. Even though Lin Yue told Emma not to make such a big fuss, she still brought people with her just to be on the safe side.

I just didn't expect that Farida was simply a cyborg doctor. Although she was a battlefield doctor, she didn't have any excessive combat cyborgs.

Lin Yue reached out and laid his hand flat, trying to calm the other person down.

"There are some things I need to tell you."

“Li De bought some intelligence from Japan. He’s still investigating hackers online. I don’t know if it will be useful to you—but I know you’re a man of your word.”

Farida looked much more relaxed after she said all this.

Being a nurse in the sinful kingdom of Hansen was the most carefree time of Farida's life. Of course, Rin's appearance led her to accidentally enjoy a peaceful time in Dogtown.

She just wasn't sure.

I don't know if the guy in front of me really wants to let me go.

Farida had seen everything along the way: even though the cyber war and the armed conflict between the Dogtown and the Ghost Hounds had left the place devastated, many large machines from Russia and the Soviet Union were being repaired and rebuilt. For a moment, Taipingzhou made her feel somewhat disoriented, to the point that she couldn't be sure if it was the Night City she knew.

"Of course, he has always kept his word."

Emma waved her hand, and the Dreamers' security team retreated significantly.

"Thank you for taking care of Rebecca."

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and being half a head taller than Farida, she leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Thank you for your intelligence support as well."

"Believe me, he's here to send you away."

Now that things have come to this, Farida has no choice but to believe it. After all, she only has one life left, and the Dreamer can live his own life in Dogville.

Farida nodded and got into the car without looking back.

As the hovercar's engine kicked up dust below, Emma stepped back, shielding her forehead with her hand in deep thought.

"Why…"

Emma was just about to ask Lin Yue something when she saw the man tossing a chip up and down in his hand, a childlike smug smile on his face.

The woman's expression immediately turned from anger to helplessness. "You got it?"

Lin Yue shrugged. "Falida gave it to me herself. Actually, this thing was something an old man from Benshu wanted, but I felt it wasn't right to force someone who had helped me for the sake of prosthetic technology."

“Emma, ​​I remember saying that I lied to Farida about having the surgery to protect myself.”

"Without this behavioral signature face, I'd probably be dead ten times over in Night City!"

Emma covered her mouth and laughed nonstop.

"You're talking nonsense again. Okay... what's up? I'm talking about Rebecca. You should have seen her from afar, right?"

Lin Yue nodded, his expression full of worry.

“Although I can connect to Rebecca through instant network intrusion, I’d better be safe and let the new American intelligence chief, Reed, handle it. I don’t think Rebecca is stupid; she’ll definitely make a deal with Miles.”

"But her health is very poor right now. Just like what Arasaka said, the chip was suppressed for three whole years. Once it started to erupt, it took less than a year, and that was under the premise of a lot of medical technology support and care."

Emma knew that the calmer Lin Yue's tone was, the less he wanted to lose.

"That chip, are you sure Miles won't try to get his hands on it?"

Emma sighed.

Lin Yue said frankly, "Miles will certainly be interested in chips, and he will do everything he can to keep them in the hands of the new America and military technology."

"However, it will take a long time for military technology to fully understand Relic, but we don't need that long. She gave me back a healthy Rebecca, so what's wrong with giving her Relic?"

Faced with people and so-called interests, the young man in front of her never seemed to need to hesitate, which was what attracted Emma the most.

What makes people human is largely due to emotions, but the most important factor is the choices made based on human nature.

"Didn't you ever think that the politician from New America played Rebecca?"

"I don't believe that a hypocritical politician who talks a lot of nonsense can actually give Rebecca a healthy body after getting the chip..."

There was silence.

Lin Yue shrugged. "Then let Miles pray that his men are more loyal than Sanlang's henchmen."

Emma smiled gently, but what she said was something most company leaders wouldn't dare to say.

"I don't think that new US president will last much longer."

"Get in the car, there's an event tonight, we'll talk in the car."

Lin Yue turned his head and glanced at his car. To be honest, he preferred to drive himself. Having a driver always made him feel uncomfortable.

After closing the car door, Emma's Pereira, which she had used for a long time, had a tight partition in the front and back. The car started, and the two of them were silent for a while.

"Why not use my Holy Sword?"

Emma snorted.

"The maintenance costs for a hovercraft are much higher than those for vehicles on the ground. Just starting it costs money, you know..."

“The assets of Dreamers are no longer just ours. You also said that we want to use this company to realize our dreams, so we have to keep it, for the employees, the communities that need help, Heywood, which we recently acquired, and so on.”

A meticulous and thrifty housekeeper.

Emma is undoubtedly a radical decision-maker who is extremely stubborn and doesn't care whether the company will be plunged into utter ruin because of Rin, but her good education makes her a very good CFO. Emma is always the one who does a better job in managing the money.

In particular, the dreamers are no longer just our dreamers, but the hope for Taipingzhou and Night City, this wretched place, which makes Lin Yue feel supported.

"Hmm, I don't know if it's just my imagination."

"You seem much better..."

Emma rested her chin on her hand, smiling as she stared at Lin Yue, the small pendant on her ear jingling softly as air drifted in through the car window.

"Yes, I also feel that I lose control less and less often."

"But for big stars, love is the key factor."

Lin Yue smiled and reached out to rub the woman's cheek.

Compared to his hometown, the cultural atmosphere here is more open, and Lin Yue has learned how to express his likes and dislikes in a timely manner, as well as how to express love.

The woman leaned forward and kissed him.

"Thank God."

"I still can't believe we actually won."

Lin Yue shook his head. "It wasn't God, nor was it fate or anything like that—it was because you and everyone else believed in me unconditionally that we won."

"But half of Night City Network still has to go to the company. I never expected that Arasaka could expose a few Free Continents whose interests were already skewed."

Emma nodded. "They won't cause any major trouble in the short term. They've been investing in the internet industry like crazy, and now almost all the well-known AI hunters have been recruited by the company. Just think about who they're targeting."

Lin Yue did not answer.

The outside world has already spread incredible tales about his online warfare...

Some statues in the central square of Night City were removed and replaced with a network god made of data particles.

Arasaka and the dreamer secretly investigated many clues that could lead to leaks.

As long as the weapon's properties are uncertain, these companies will keep each other in check and suspicious of one another.

Once the companies determined the cause of the network disruption, they united against the source, with even the European Community considering eliminating the Dreamers organization first, as that would cause too much trouble.

Fortunately, Lin Yue's extraordinary performance led the companies to believe it was the technology behind the Black Wall. Now, even network surveillance can't stop the companies' determination to take the "peerless artifact" from outside the Black Wall.

However, the current priority is to stabilize the perfect base that has been achieved with great difficulty. If nothing unexpected happens, Europe will soon become another battlefield for Lin Yue.

However, even if Emma didn't say anything, Lin Yue also had a very troublesome matter.

That is, Emma sent Suzuki to lead a team into Heywood in order to keep the Night City Hall in check. Now, although Heywood is nominally an area controlled by the Dreamers, the Valentino gang, the Sixth Street gang, and others are causing chaos.

Moreover, Heywood was notorious for his xenophobia within the company…

Lin Yue knew of Mrs. Wells alone.

"Heywood is a complex character, I wonder about Jack..."

Lin Yue didn't know what to say.

Without a doubt, Jack was a good son to his mother throughout his life. Although he participated in several dangerous operations, he made a lot of money. He probably kept muttering about becoming a famous figure, but he would still be dragged back by Mrs. Wells to do odd jobs.

However, given Valentino's connection, Lin Yue decided to take the time to sit down and chat with his close friend.

"Then let's not talk about work?"

Emma blinked and smiled like a little girl.

Lin Yue was somewhat dazed, as if he were meeting Emma for the first time...

To my shame, I haven't really gotten to know this woman's likes and dislikes. Fate seems to have pieced the two of them together; they are lovers, and also a perfect community of interests.

"What's wrong? Do you like today's style and makeup?"

Emma blinked.

Lin Yue nodded, "I like it very much."

Emma, ​​with a knowing look on her face, hummed and said, "Oh, so you need something from me?"

In this relationship, Emma seems to have perfectly placed herself in a subservient position, as if everything should be done to satisfy Rin first.

Lin Yue then got up and sat down next to Emma.

How long has it been since you had a proper rest?

He felt he was probably the worst kind of boss in the world. Although he didn't care about anything, he also never allowed Emma, ​​a key employee, to relax properly.

"Just treat me, okay?"

Emma's eyes sparkled, like a mischievous little pet.

Lin Yue's smile was somewhat mysterious.

"I've noticed you often like to step on the gas pedal, haven't you? And there's a photo on your desk of you doing some kind of stunt skiing from some year ago?"

Emma was stunned.

Staring intently at the guy in front of her, she realized that this was the feeling that made her lose her mind.

Whenever she felt this burning, heart-wrenching sensation, she would remind herself of what she had promised in the first place, because love is often the most private thing.

The more he cares, the harder it is for him to let go.

"Yes, while all the other kids at the amusement park are choosing the carousel, I prefer something high up."

"what happened?"

Lin Yue mysteriously made a shushing gesture.

Emma looked completely bewildered.

The occasional touch of childlike innocence on a mature woman is like a refreshing lemon flavor in a luxurious pastry.

Lin Yue couldn't help but pinch the cheek of the girl who was practically glued to him.

Although the force was restrained—

How do you say that?

Emma's cheeks puffed out in a cute aggression; love truly makes one childish.

"If you really want to reward me for knowing about my past hobbies, why bother?"

"How about this... I'll arrange things tonight and then come to my place? Although you might not have much time."

Lin Yue stopped Emma from behaving inappropriately.

He gestured with his chin towards the window, "We're right in the Lijiang Scenic Area. Hopefully, this thing is already working."

In a coastal area of ​​Tai Ping Chau, there is a tourist breakwater built with funds before the unification war, on which there is an amusement park that has been abandoned for nearly 20 years.

Emma never usually goes this way; her primary concern is always Gilafa Corporation's contracts for building skyscrapers and residential buildings, as well as community security...

As the shimmering light from the sea reflected on the roller coaster tracks, which resembled interwoven silver threads, Emma instinctively leaned against the window to watch.

He applied slight pressure with his fingers, and looked at the thing with a somewhat greedy expression.

A pane of glass seemed to separate Emma from her previous life.

Having learned how to handle relationships maturely, and how to love like tending to a flower, the young man gently leaned close to Emma and whispered, "I repaired it with money from my own pocket..."

Emma stared at the things she thought were all dead in the past, her eyes glistening with tears. After a moment of stunned silence, she burst into laughter. Lin Yue, with his chin resting on Emma's shoulder, didn't know why she had suddenly laughed.

Emma actually overheard this guy cautiously reporting his financial situation, afraid of stepping on his landmines.

Emma has always been very serious about the company.

"Besides, this place has been open for a while now. How about it, want to go and have some fun?"

Emma listened to the words beside her and slowly closed her eyes.

"No need to think about it too much, anyway—"

Lin Yue felt as if a hot little cannonball had entered his body, and he subconsciously asked Emma if she was hurt.

"You broke the rules first, little mercenary."

Emma's expression was unreadable; she was just speaking in a muffled voice.

rule?

what…

Little did anyone know that Emma's facial expressions changed even faster than her behavioral patterns. She perfectly turned her head away, blocking Lin Yue's line of sight, and gently rubbed two fingers downwards near the corner of her eye, revealing a noticeable trace of liquid. Then, she kicked off her shoes—

"Of course I want to go."

Lin Yue didn't point out that the girl was crying, but instead patted the seat and said, "Are you worried about what to wear? Maybe I can help you find something."

Emma simply tied up the hem of her shirt, let her hair down, and pointed to the area where beach toys were sold.

"Just wear something simple."

The presence of two young people in the seaside scenic area was hardly noteworthy in a bustling amusement park; perhaps only the fact that the girl was pretty was somewhat noteworthy…

Stopping everything he was doing, the air and sea of ​​Night City, which had long been polluted, seemed clean at this moment. The dilapidated beach of the past was gone, and Lin Yue was reminded of the normal world for a moment.

My own dreams and the dreams of some others actually sound very simple.

That is to make the world a little more normal, but this seemingly ordinary life requires the world to lose an important player - the company that binds the system.

Lin Yue couldn't remember the last time he had seen a child in Night City.

Night City, where survival requires enormous sacrifices, has a ridiculous example: homeless people who starve or freeze to death on the street certainly have no money, but they will definitely have prosthetic bodies.

The top-down distortion makes family and children a luxury, precarious and chaotic.

Under Emma's iron-fisted rule, the criteria for residency in Taipingzhou are not based on property, but rather on the NCPD's simple crime database. As long as there is no history of drug abuse, having children is considered a plus.

In this world, the threshold for receiving a general education no longer exists. Mewtwo, programs, network technology... even a tiny chip can allow a person to master a language or skill in a few hours. Although it may not be comparable to that of an expert or a linguist, at least it is no longer something that requires a lot of effort.

Therefore, as Lin Yue described, these are almost all family scenes that are hard to see in other parts of the city.

Parents, or one of them, can enjoy a pleasant afternoon here with their child.

Their parents either work for Dreamers or make a living in Night City, but without exception, they all make time to be with their families.

Lin Yue came here for the same reason.

Hey! Look here!

Just as Lin Yue was in a daze, unsure if he was still in Night City, someone called his name from behind.

Emma somehow managed to get some small accessories that you'd only find in amusement parks: simple sandals and a small shawl for sun protection. It looked like she had quite a complete set.

Perhaps the style of clothing is revealed in the person wearing it. With just a few simple additions, Emma no longer looks like an office worker off-duty, but more like a tourist visiting the place.

"I've never really paid attention to this place before."

Emma looked around in surprise, "So..."

Lin Yue shrugged. "Taipingzhou won't always be a closed-off city. One day, Night City will also become like this... Freedom and dignity are not in conflict."

"It seems some people haven't trained you properly... I thought you'd say something romantic."

Lin Yue said righteously, "Of course, that's a surprise I prepared for you by spending all the money I've saved from doing commissions."

Looking at the roller coaster not far ahead, which you can start without having to connect the circuitry yourself, V and Johnny, who were running wildly on their way to the end, also formed their friendship here... They didn't have many days left to live, so they were like two good friends in the normal world, riding a roller coaster and swearing.

Emma wasn't buying into the guy's quick fix.

No one knew what danger the young man in front of them would once again be venturing into.

In the future Europe, I may not be able to help with other events in Night City; all I can do is protect this small piece of land for him... Live for the moment, for no one knows how heavy the price of fighting against the world will be.

Sunlight falls on my shoulders, I feel free, as if everything is normal.

The roller coaster slid along with screams; Lin Yue felt that the height was less than the height he jumped from when he was on a mission.

Lin Yue was tugged at by the woman next to him; this amusement ride, which children rarely went to, naturally saw adults getting there first.

The amusement park didn't have many facilities, but for Emma, ​​having the people around her was enough. Her withered soul and the things that drove her crazy every night were buried deep in her memory in that instant, and some voids seemed to be slowly filled in...

"Turn off the prosthetic body, just for my sake."

Emma smiled and whispered this small request in Lin Yue's ear.

Everyone knows the benefits of combat prosthetics. Turning everything off and enjoying the thrill of the game, Emma wanted to see the guy next to her show a hint of weakness, which would make her feel at ease.

Lin Yue, still in a prolonged combat state, glanced at his surroundings and noticed a message indicating that his prosthetic body was disabled.

"Don't scream in fright later."

Lin Yue pursed his lips and shook his head.

Even with the combat prosthetics off, they're still battle-hardened veterans—

"Fuck me!"

"Ugh..."

Lin Yue's jaw almost moved out of his mouth. Turning off the combat prosthetic meant that the brain was responsible for hormone regulation, and the feeling of weakness combined with the intense weightlessness was overwhelming.

He discovered that the roller coasters in this world were much faster, and when he looked down…

It seems to be a magnetic levitation track...

Even if you're incredibly fit, you can't just ride the high-speed rail for fun!

Strictly speaking, Lin Yue accepted his first "failure".

Emma, ​​her hair disheveled by the wind, just kept shouting; for her, opportunities to express herself were few and far between.

In an instant, Lin Yue saw a version of Emma in the woman that even he felt somewhat unfamiliar with.

Lin Yue, who had intended to risk his life to accompany Emma, ​​did not get a second chance to ride the roller coaster. The two, holding drinks from a vending machine, sat on a bench like a normal couple.

"actually…"

Emma, ​​whose excitement and joy gradually turned into gloom as she watched the beautiful scenery around her, finally couldn't help but speak.

"I'm saying, is this the last time?"

Emma turned her head and looked at Lin Yue calmly, her expression containing far too much... Lin Yue naturally didn't understand a woman's thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Rin. I admit we crossed some lines. I think I'd feel more at ease if we maintained our previous relationship... I'm sorry, there are some things I just can't forget."

Lin Yue snapped out of his holiday reverie and belatedly realized what Emma's problem was.

He thought that Europeans and Americans didn't have this way of thinking.

Fast-food relationships and "one-night stands" are commonplace in this world, regardless of morality or the so-called love or lack thereof.

The woman in front of him was clearly sensitive because of some past events.

"Hey, don't be so nervous, okay?"

Lin Yue looked intently into the other person's eyes. "I didn't say anything. Why are you thinking about it so complicatedly? Emma, ​​sometimes not everything is related to interests."

"Perhaps something has made you unhappy? Is it because of Catherine?"

Emma's expression was as if she had suddenly fallen into an ice cave, and for a moment she seemed to be back in the Bar of Afterlife, where her mother used a fierce look to negotiate with her.

Since he was there to resolve the issue, Lin Yue had clearly prepared drastic measures.

"The message from the person who took care of Catherine for you in the desolate area of ​​Europe is just another carefully crafted illusion, which you thought represented your painful past."

Emma's eyes lit up with the words "Uploading".

Inside was a meticulously crafted, massive scam—

"Your family, your assets, everything you have is nothing more than Mr. Hanz of Taipingzhou's start-up capital. Do you think it's because the stand-in's health is poor, or because Hanz likes to turn the whole world into a pawn he can manipulate at will?"

More than a decade of my life felt like living in a deception.

For Emma Watson, that feeling drove her crazy.

What bound her was a dreamlike lie; she was the one experiencing the holographic game, like a paralyzed, vegetative patient.

This inexplicable panic—

Emma wanted to escape; she felt like she couldn't breathe, and the feeling of dependence on drugs from Dogville washed over her like a tidal wave.

"hey-hey!"

"look at me!"

Lin Yue pressed the woman's hand down, forcing her to look directly into his eyes, just like the earnest expression Emma had when they first met in the car after he had taken her hostage.

The person in front of her was already in tears. Her pain was not that she was forever restraining herself because of the "dirty past" that she could never erase, turning herself into a Night City sex doll to fit in with the other person, carefully avoiding touching the burning emotions that dazzled her.

"Say goodbye to the past, okay?"

The person in front of her seemed to have planned this all along, but the more they did, the more Emma felt she wanted to escape.

Why are you investigating these things?

Emma sobbed, drawing glances from passersby who assumed they were a couple having a fight.

The matter is now clear: Hanz's fourth wife, her child, and that extremely fake stand-in were all carefully constructed illusions; to escape unscathed from the internal strife within a company like Peizhuo Petrochemical, Hanz's method was perfect concealment.

That's because you can only be yourself.

“You forgot, I can know any data that the entire city can preserve completely—you secretly visited this girl when you went to Europe to find Gilafa, right? But you had to deliberately ignore the girl who shared the same fate as you.”

"Just like you wouldn't dare look at the children in the amusement park."

When Lin Yue learned about these things, he also deeply felt how perverse Hanz's methods were.

Lin Yue had to voice whether Emma's fragile nerves could handle all this. He didn't want these things to turn Emma into an extreme workaholic. Some people at Dreamer were already worried about Emma's almost reckless work ethic...

The thought that Emma would only get worse if he went to Night City without his supervision would lead him to reveal all of this.

Watching the woman gradually calm down after her breakdown, Lin Yue's heart began to pound. He had absolutely no idea what Emma was thinking...

The woman suddenly stood up.

Lin Yue was startled and was about to hold Emma down to see if the company's medical department had any good solutions—

"Come with me, little mercenary."

"If you don't do as I say... who knows what might happen?"

Because of his anxiety and panic, Lin Yue didn't hear clearly how Emma addressed him.

A car equipped with autonomous driving technology, with only two people breathing inside...

She kept looking out the window, and Lin Yue was sitting opposite her. The scene overlapped unintentionally, as if they were meeting for the first time.

Lin Yue didn't realize that the automatically driving route was actually intentionally set by Emma. When Rin wanted to infiltrate Dogtown, she rode in her car along this route.

There are some things Emma wants to make up for.

"Are you ok?"

However, Lin Yue did not receive a response from the other party; instead, he felt a long-suppressed, intense longing.

The woman's eyes were noticeably different; there was a secret joy in them, as if something had been lost and then found again.

She slowly sat down in front of her lover, stroking her hair with her hand. "Finally, I can get to know you properly, little mercenary."

"Mrs. Emma belongs to you, are you happy?"

Her voice was like a hallucinogenic poison, so gentle it was almost intoxicating.

……

……

(End of this chapter)