Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 459 The Post-War Era (Part 3) [7K]

It has been proven that people's paranoia in certain situations is almost incurable.

Whether one's self-perception is perfect is something everyone cares about, especially in a quagmire like Night City.

People can only pretend not to care, or give up thinking about this issue.

"Perfect and flawless, I am the gift you have received."

She longed for this moment so much, no longer the woman who offered herself up as a defective product, nor Emma Watson, but the true Queen of Pacifica.

Just like when I first met this little guy.

Emma felt incredibly guilty about her heartbeat…

Family, all the unsatisfactory aspects of life, including moral condemnation, weighed on her soul.

A system reorganization is inevitable after a crash.

Emma wanted to reciprocate the feelings she felt she couldn't afford.

"Would you like to try some? It's brand new."

The setting sun outside the car window, and the neon lights that would turn on almost every evening—

They swept past quickly, casting shifting light and shadow on Emma's face.

Her fingertips gently traced across Lin Yue's palm, her voice carrying a long-lost sense of relaxation.

However, she overlooked the fact that the "little lion" in front of her was no longer sensitive to its surroundings, nor was it the kind of creature that could withstand provocation.

Turning the tables was easy.

Amidst gasps of surprise, Emma, ​​who aspired to be "Madam," was forced to retreat.

“That’s something that doesn’t need to be emphasized, Emma.”

For the first time ever, Lin Yue didn't take any further action. Instead, he stared intently at the other person and said, "These things have never been the main factors that broke up our relationship. I just want you to say goodbye to your past as soon as possible."

Emma paused for a moment, then felt a tickle in her palm.

The guy's cold, metallic prosthetic fingers rubbed against the scars on her hand. Emma's skin wasn't covered by large areas of prosthetics, but she just liked to leave them there.

The scars kept growing back, but Emma always loved the feeling of her skin being pierced, like taking a sip of something sparkly when she was feeling dizzy, that's how she felt alive.

But as the person in front of her walked further and further away, Emma suddenly realized that the only factor that could cause her to lose control was this last person.

"Isn't it ugly?"

Emma's favorite part is the whispering before the "storm".

Sweet words spoken at this time are the most touching.

"Don't hurt yourself anymore..."

"Before I came, the medical staff advised against this, but I wanted to give you and me a chance to get to know each other again..."

"That's why I said those things. If they hurt you, it wasn't because I wanted to reopen old wounds... I just felt you needed to know these things."

The guy in front of me was incredibly serious.

Emma's expression seemed frozen, her pupils filled only with the young man's burning gaze.

"You always put your own safety out of the picture when making decisions. Do you think it would be better if you just died like an object?"

"You entered the network because you know what Ultraman's backup plans are, right?"

Emma, ​​like a startled fawn, turned her cheek away, using her breathtaking beauty to evade her morbidly disturbed thoughts.

seriously.

When Lin Yue first learned that Emma was willing to give up everything to become a program, he still felt a strange pang of heartache.

Emma saw the program as pure and innocent, and she longed for a chance to start over.

However, her past was an elaborately crafted scam.

He was afraid her heart had given up.

Weren't you just about to interrogate me?

"Hmm? Madam?"

Even though Lin Yue's words sounded incredibly confident, the worry in his eyes betrayed him.

Emma suddenly burst out laughing.

She looked at Rin and gently placed her hands on his broad shoulders. "I mean... when did you become so mean?"

"The first time I met you, you started touching me inappropriately. Of course, I know you were scared—you would have given my life to get into Dogtown without hesitation."

"Hmm, my little mercenary has gone astray. He's not the guy who would rush to treat my wounds and put on my shoes to pass the Dogtown soldiers' inspection anymore."

Lin Yue was finally relieved after hearing these words.

The usual rain gives people a feeling of unease, but after Emma finished speaking, the sound of the rain gradually became more intense, as if covering the two lovers, who had been freed from their shackles, with a privacy curtain to keep their secrets.

The car came to a gentle stop.

The area ahead is a safe zone encompassing Dogtown and Taipingzhou; autonomous driving will not continue.

The sudden rain pounded on the glass.

Emma took the opportunity to break free from Lin Yue's embrace, her loosened collar revealing the old wound on her neck and collarbone caused by the implanted sex doll...

She gazed at the imposing silhouette of Dogtown through the rain.

“You know what? That fake Hansen only told me one thing.” Her eyes gleamed with a predatory light. “He said I was a slut, that I was in love with someone else, and I think I really was…”

Breathing sounds clashed and intertwined in the carriage, unable to escape.

"I love you my love."

"I've never been stingy with my words, what about you?"

The woman asked him questions with gentle kisses, like a child sulking and needing to feel completely safe.

Intelligent people certainly know what to do.

Lin Yue said the same thing to her, and he also understood Emma's little emotion: she wanted to regain a sense of equality.

So someone shut down their combat prosthetic body as if they were giving up.

"As you see fit, Madam."

“I’m not going into Dogtown this time. I’m now a second-rate mercenary from Night City that you’ve captured, and I’ve offended you.”

The woman was in a great mood because of the other person's cute appearance.

So the roles of attacker and defender were reversed again.

Without any restraint, and without any intention of asking the other party to do anything because of her painful infatuation, Emma seemed to be slowly savoring a beautiful dream, or like someone who was hungry and was slowly nibbling on a sweet cake.

A withered soul is like a dead tree, but love will slowly nourish it, making it full and bringing it back to life.

……
-
Emma: Regarding what happened before, I don't think I can completely forget it. I have my own plans for Catherine. Right now, I prefer to be myself. I like how we spend time together at any time, and I only know that I belong to you—so thank you, darling.

Emma: Everything's going well in Night City. Come back often for some delicious food, okay?

Emma: All online activities must stop. The internet censors are cracking down hard, desperately trying to take back this internet space.

Emma: I really hope you still have the strength to work :P

Lin Yue smiled and closed the text message in his hand.

Less than a week after the war, the buildings in Night City, especially in the main urban area, showed almost no signs of the effects of the cyber war.

Without a doubt, the legendary lone wolf, the dreamer of Taipingzhou, the super cyber weapon, the one who broke free from corporate oppression, the only true culprit in the assassination of Sanlang, and the one who sparked a protest frenzy in the company square, was now like a passerby leaning against a telephone pole next to a mobile bar, watching news channel 54.

The probability that industrial beer contains methanol is 50%.

Lin Yue spent ten euros to buy this item, and to avoid being tracked by the European Community's internet surveillance, the bank account also needs to be deleted.

Therefore, Lin is now considered by Night City financial institutions to be a low-level worker with no risk resistance whatsoever.

In addition, his behavior and identity have led to him being accused of many crimes.

The most striking point is: inciting others to attack NCPD officers…

Can someone who doesn't have a few tricks up their sleeve be considered a true native of Night City? Obviously not. Lin Yue's presence in Night City was to prepare for things in Europe.

Lin Yue glanced at the gang members next to him who were trading contraband, then continued to stare at the somewhat blurry television screen above the mobile bar.

"I'm Zig Q, and welcome to tonight's chat."

"Today we are fortunate to have an expert with us, the only known hacker to have escaped unscathed from the Night City network crash—"

"Uh, excuse me? Could you tell me which company you previously worked for?"

The dark-skinned woman with the fluorescent green hair, which looked like it had been painted and looked dirty, shrugged.

Lin Yue tilted his head back and drank his beer, scanning the guy's prosthetic body through the screen.

How did this outfit manage to escape unscathed from the internet?

Lin Yue chuckled and shook his head, guessing that it was some sensationalist news swindler who had pushed this woman into the spotlight.

"Koya, a small company that specializes in chip consumables... its company building was smashed to pieces by Arasaka's cargo airship."

"The tenth floor becomes the basement, hmm, that's it."

The woman had a smug look on her face, as if she thought, "I don't care about life or death, I'll fight you if you disagree."

"Then... could you tell me what's going on in the internet? The phantoms in the sky, the demons in cyberspace... what are those things? God help me, all I know is that some people have collapsed and died without doing anything!"

Zieg spread his hands, and for the first time ever, he leaned forward, clearly curious and wanting to know the answer.

"To put it simply, the internet is like our earth's surface. For some reason, the entire surface has been turned upside down. Can you guess what kind of buildings are built on top of it?"

Lin Yue slowed down his drinking motion slightly.

It seems the production team found someone with basic expertise this time.

“I understand, ma’am. So… have you ever seen the roaming AIs in the cyber network? I’ve heard they’re bizarre and look terrifying. Oh, and I also heard from the female CEO of that company in Pacific that the phantoms are their company’s cyber weapons fighting against them, is that right?”

Lin Yue subconsciously felt a little uncomfortable.

He thought he could turn the tide online, but he never imagined that he would be broadcast live in 2079.

Fortunately, the European Community and these companies were timid; otherwise, if these mad dogs had investigated further, he would have had a hard time hiding.

"Yes, although the cause is unclear, the scenes depicted are indeed battles in cyberspace, and they look very much like game footage, huh?"

The extras below burst into laughter.

Zig laughed too.

"So you guys have quite a novel experience with the cyber network. I'd like to install a network access pod myself and teach these guys who've been causing us so much inconvenience and trouble a lesson, what do you say?"

Lin Yue crushed the empty can in his hand.

Suffering is turned into entertainment; that's Night City.

The point of contention is not the company. Even media outlets that occasionally claim to be "outspoken," "straightforward," and "criticize reality" still end up taking the money despite the criticism.

Fooling the masses is something Night City's media has always done.

Lin Yue had no interest in listening to what was said after that; he just wanted to patiently watch the news on Channel 54.

"Of course you can't do it; only internet monitoring can save the internet."

A chorus of boos erupted from below.

The truth is now revealed.

Lin Yue could guess that this was someone who came to whitewash the internet censors, but he didn't expect them to be so blatant. Dreamers were currently riding high in Night City, and at this critical juncture, they were letting some complete idiot put on airs...

The means are childish.

"Excuse my bluntness, madam."

Zig Q, for reasons unknown, retorted loudly, "Everyone in Night City knows that it was the Dreamers who saved everyone. We didn't see any of the network surveillance you're talking about."

However, the so-called hacker shrugged and sneered.

"I see more than just this online."

"Internet surveillance is trying to patch up the Great Firewall. Someone used internet surveillance tools to patch up the Great Firewall. Is it hard to guess who it is?"

Lin Yue's attention was immediately drawn to this sentence.

It has to be said that the anger on his face was impossible to suppress, but in the end he still spat under his breath.

There was an uproar.

Public opinion can clearly be manipulated. "Think about how much trouble this company has caused in Taiping Island. When has there ever been any chaos that they weren't there?"

"I bet you've all forgotten about the huge explosion. Arasaka's warships have even sailed into the harbor..."

"Perhaps the breach in the black wall was a ploy by someone to create a false impression..."

Even Lin Yue, who was usually calm and composed, let out a deep breath with his arms crossed.

This woman was indeed just someone who did things for money, but Lin Yue was guessing who her backers were. It seemed that some companies were still not afraid... If they were Europeans, it would be even easier to handle. He was just here in Night City to clean up this mess.

"what."

Zig Q gave him a look that said, "I can't do anything about you. As far as I know, the cyber censors were kicked out of Night City by the company after an emergency meeting following the cyber war. How do you explain that? The burden of proof lies with the one who raises the questions, ma'am. You have to be responsible for your words."

The woman's hand rested on the back of the sofa, and she moved it casually.

"Of course I have evidence, but for my personal safety I cannot reveal it on the show, so I chose to hand it over to the media."

But what I want to say is—

Someone behind Lin Yue said, "Hi."

The woman walked over in a nonchalant manner, and Lin Yue recognized her at a glance.

"you are late."

Lin Yue said sarcastically.

V, on the other hand, was quite frank: "Something has been delayed."

"Still looking at this? We've found out. He's some nobody. The information was most likely provided by the internet surveillance team. We've already compiled the evidence against the Ye family, but it's useless for the company to release this."

Useless?

After a moment of surprise, Lin Yue thought for a moment...

It seems so.

In any case, anything the company says is generally disbelieved. The cyberwar has pushed the company and Night City to opposite sides. If it weren't for the company's control over people's livelihoods and the deadly cybernetic bodies—

Perhaps the current Night City layout would not even be possible.

"So that's what we mean by looking for media people, right? A mercenary career in Night City, and in the end, he'll just go back to his old ways, tsk..."

The woman chuckled softly.

"Your people aren't incapable of moving. Wouldn't it be better to use your brilliant mind to be a conductor?"

"Otherwise you could just burn her brain right now, but... I bet the conspiracy theories will keep escalating. You have to take responsibility for your company. Once we get to Europe, we won't have time for these little tricks."

"But then again, did you really agree to Emma doing this?"

Lin Yue nodded.

“The entire Night City has escaped internet censorship and is now a free land. No one cares about hacking into the Black Wall, so of course they want it. Giving half to the companies is reasonable... It’s useless to ask people to build more walls on top of what isn’t theirs.”

Seeing the confident smile on this guy's face, V knew that the companies had probably once again placed the bird's eggs on a precarious nest.

"We have to give these companies a piece of the pie, right? Anyway, Arasaka takes the lion's share—"

As the conversation ended, Zieg Q's "Tonight's Talk Show" came to a close. V pointed with his chin to the TV program that Lin Yue couldn't even bear to watch, "The matter concerning the Ye family has arrived."

Lin Yue looked at the new female anchor on News Channel 54 and noticed that V had an indifferent expression.

"Well, I heard that Julian was chatting with someone online when the network crashed, and he just died on the spot. The trauma team lost a whole squad. Anyway, they're just waiting for someone to come... We'll see."

"That's perfect, I don't need to spend any more time explaining to you."

The previous news reports seemed to focus on company aid projects, the plight of the homeless in the Badlands, and the measures taken by Night City officials, etc...

Lin Yue was getting a little bored and even thought about getting another can of beer from the shopkeeper.

"The European Council for Human Rights and the Conference of Companies are currently undertaking urgent amendments to a recently adopted bill. Since the emergence of digital souls, the European Community has recognized the legitimate rights of digital souls and artificial intelligence, referring to them as a new life form—"

"But because people have little understanding of digital souls, and there isn't a suitable online space for us real-world people to get to know these programmed friends..."

"Following Night City's first AI-powered car rental and insurance service company, Dlaman, Night City recently announced that it will hand over the company's overall operations to artificial intelligence."

Lin Yue's eyes widened.

and many more…

The moment V and Lin Yue's eyes met, Lin Yue finally understood what V had been busy with.

Lin Yue had absolutely no idea what Ye Shi was thinking when he made this move.

"Oh shit."

Unexpectedly, these corporate scoundrels, unable to find a way out on the front lines, actually exploited loopholes in the law.

In this way, the Ye family was not completely destroyed. Lin Yue needs to use concrete evidence to attack the Ye family. And the reason why the Europeans passed this agreement is probably not so clean.

There's fire, but it won't ignite.

However, V said, "The assets have shrunk by more than 60%, and the Night City government has also broken away from the Night Clan. Now the entire Night City is like it was in 1945."

This wasn't the outcome Lin Yue wanted. One of the reasons he came to Night City was to find out how the Night Clan controlled the Lark. If the Lark was like a weapon that could be fired at will, then the collapse of the Black Wall would not have stopped.

V frowned slightly, clearly deep in thought, then said softly, "The most amazing thing isn't that, but that the real culprit who blew up the black wall has been found."

Lin Yue was dumbfounded.

Emma didn't mention such important news at all, which probably means that the European side forcibly excluded Dreamers from the company to settle personal scores.

“Someone in the new US government committed suicide to apologize. Now… Rin, do you understand?”

Lin Yue narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the screen switch to the European Parliament after the anchor finished speaking. Lin Yue noticed that after Europe intervened, the situation seemed to be suppressed by an invisible hand.

This is much more direct than directly retaliating against Lin Yue.

The advantage cannot be further expanded…

At this point, V proposed a conjecture, which Lin Yue found somewhat far-fetched, but it was Arasaka Yoriyuki who put forward this conjecture.

"The Ye family may be more than just a company on the surface."

"Our investigation revealed that before the Black Wall was blown up, the shareholders of the Ye family had already transferred most of their shares through an island bank. Moreover, the Ye family's investments in the aerospace and intelligent fields have been ongoing for the past few years. We don't know what they're planning."

A word to awaken the dreamer.

Lin Yue knew, of course, that the Ye family had been completely infiltrated by AI, but the question was whether the AI ​​controlling the Ye family was among politicians and corporate executives in other countries—that was one of the unknowns.

Secondly, considering the Night Clan's initial request, their manipulation of the Soul Killer, Night City's official politicians, and even their dispatch of Mercenary V, who was supposed to become the city's king, to the Crystal Palace in the original story...

Furthermore, the Ye Clan's sudden detonation of the Black Wall, along with these seemingly contradictory actions, made Lin Yue feel that the Ye Clan was plotting something that could change the world order.

"Don't worry, although several free states have already defected, there are special agent organizations in the territory where Arakasaka is."

"We're among the first to know if we find anything."

Lin Yue now understood.

So now the Night City's Night Corporation is just a shell company responsible for investment and providing real estate services. And the breach of the Black Wall has completed the chain of evidence. Not to mention the Europeans' deep-seated hostility towards Dreamers…

Even if what Lin Yue has is real and reliable, the Ye family won't die so easily.

Therefore, an investigation is now crucial.

Lin Yue glanced at V.

V didn't keep you in suspense.

"Sandra Dorset".

"She's a former employee of the Night Corporation. She's panicking right now, searching all over Night City for people to investigate this matter. We didn't analyze the information Gloria sent you before; we just confirmed that they were the ones who did it."

"But now we have a former employee who almost slit the throat of the cleaners, isn't that a ready-made piece of evidence?"

Look at this, that's what a professional company person is like.

Lin Yue was surprised that Sandra Dorset would appear at this juncture, but the fact that she was still frantically searching for daring mercenaries to investigate the evidence she possessed regarding the truth of the Black Wall's collapse proved that she still had many things she hadn't brought out.

Logically, Sandra wouldn't have offered a low salary to a professional in this field, yet no one is taking the job…

"It's Roger."

At this point, V even imitated Roger's tone in a serious manner, "Hey, kid. I don't have that much curiosity to know about what's going on in the company. I'll keep you in line for now, find someone who can handle this, and I'll act as the middleman so we can all have a good time."

Lin Yue couldn't help but chuckle.

It seems V suffered a lot of grievances in order to help him with these things.

"Alright, let's take over Sandra's business then. The network node Arasaka set up for us still has some time left, so let's use this time to gather as many clues as possible..."

"However, I have to go to Haywood after I see you tonight. You know, things aren't going very well with Suzuki."

V naturally replied, "I'll go with you."

Lin Yue was full of questions.

V skillfully took the cigarette from Lin Yue's hand. "What's wrong? You ate your fill in Taipingzhou, and now you can't get used to the food in Night City?"

This isn't about food.

V seems to be the kind of pampered young lady from a wealthy family, always wanting to be the first to eat anything.

Clearly, the only reason she could calmly finish saying all this was because she "liked it enough."

Under Lin Yue's clear gaze, V raised his chin and pointed to his neck.

The marks on it are too obvious.

However, after something happened...

She didn't seem to have the same temper as before; instead, she just quietly watched him...

Lin Yue felt a chill run down his spine when he noticed that look.

V was thinking about how to deal with this guy—

This guy is great in every way, except he's too attractive to women.

It doesn't matter.

Anyway, I can handle it completely myself.

“Uh…” Lin Yue obviously knew he had given himself away. “I just thought you were too busy, after all, you’re now a high-ranking member of Arasaka.”

V said casually, "During the holiday, it was because you scared me online."

"So for the next few days you'll have a henchman by your side to help you deal with those clueless guys in Night City. By the way, I'll be staying with you for a few days as compensation."

Lin Yue felt that V always had a serious attitude, like he was handing in homework.

He immediately put on a stern face, "Please, I'm begging you, can we make this sound... uh, romantic?"

"Is it romantic in itself that I shouldn't be there? Or do you prefer the vibe of Genting Club?"

V clings to the sore spot and won't let go.

Normally, Lin Yue's thin skin would have given way by now, but things are different now; a man's skin tends to thicken with time...

"So you came to me back then to commit suicide together? Hmm? Or were you about to cry?"

V's expression remained calm as he slowly turned his head to look at the people coming and going on the bustling street, his eyes searching for any NCPD officers nearby...

The guy who offended someone is still leaning closer. It's unclear who V referenced when changing his face. Although the angles of his features are somewhat similar, he really looks like one of those street urchins.

V's hand suddenly reached out unexpectedly after Lin Yue turned off his prosthetic body.

Lin Yue, who hadn't felt pain in a long time, felt a stinging sensation in his nose, followed by pain.

"Wow, buddy, this chick's hot!"

The half-dead owner and the Night City passersby who were drinking and reveling around the mobile bar seemed to notice this place at the same time.

V wanted to beat up the woman next to this guy, but he couldn't. He didn't want to make things difficult for the girls, so he could only vent his anger in this way.

Lin Yue grinned, "Wrong."

V crossed his arms and nodded. With a slight nudge from Lin Yue, V's lips curled into a smile as he sensed the awkwardness of the guy behind him, his expression full of leisure and self-satisfaction.

Even though she had already worked for eighteen hours straight before that.

But... she just felt happy.

And you can also see old friends at Heywood, without having to think about company matters, as long as you can be by his side, you're fine with anything.

……

……

(End of this chapter)