Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 46 The Middleman and the Spa [Please Read On]

As Mann drove, he felt as if he were in another world, the bustling Night City standing in stark contrast to the desolate Dogtown.

Pila rested her head on her arm, feeling quite content. "I need to go get a good drink after work today... Dogtown is such a mess, it doesn't even have a decent bar, and that 'Heart-Heart' bartender is a complete idiot!"

Santo Domingo, one of the earliest districts of Night City, is bordered by Pacific Island and Haywood to the west, and Westbrook to the north. In addition to the Trauma Group, which can be seen frequently in the sky like honeybees, there are also the Sixth Street Gang, which often stationed in the Valley District and Coronado Farm.

These veterans, retired from the war in the new America, still wore old-fashioned Stars and Stripes, military boots, and caps, and considered themselves still the scoundrels of the army. They formed this organization to protect the residents of the Lijiang area, but it also became their excuse for overstepping the law.

Like other gangs, the Sixth Street Gang is a criminal organization, at least in the eyes of the NCPD.

But at least the Sixth Street Gang knows some rules and can show due respect to the territories of other gangs.

However, to be fair, the Sixth Street Gang's modified vehicles are top-notch, at least that's what mercenaries like Mann think—when it comes to big jobs, the Sixth Street Gang's combat taxis are the most reliable vehicles for mercenaries. As for Delaman... please! How many people can afford to hire him?
"The contact person still hasn't replied?"

Dorothy gazed out the window, patiently waiting for the gang fight ahead to end. If there weren't a few gunshots on the streets of Santo Domingo, would it even be Santo Domingo?

A multitude of cars honked their horns, gang thugs in front exchanged gunfire, and police officers passing by in the next lane opened their car doors and began fighting with the gang members...

The taste of freedom.

The traffic slowly started moving. Mann called Gloria; the dealer was overly cautious. But Mann didn't mind. As long as the supplier could provide enough cybernetic bodies and weapons, they could make a fortune through Mr. Rin's smuggling channels in Dogtown!
Hopefully, Ms. Gloria's prudence will be commensurate with the quality of her goods.

“Madam, your excessive caution is putting me in a difficult position… Could you tell me the meeting place? We don’t have much time to play games with you in Santo Domingo.”

Gloria finally answered the phone. Mann's tone wasn't very polite, mainly because the bullets from the earlier shootout had scratched the hood of his car, a bad start that inevitably left him somewhat resentful.

“I’m sorry, my child needs to go to school, so… I couldn’t answer the phone just now. Could we find a meeting place in the Valley area?” Gloria asked in a low voice.

“Madam, you’re the supplier, so you need to choose the location. Okay… Is this your first time doing business? How about the Red Clay Bar on Hargreaves Street? It’s safer there, and we can have a meal there too.” Mann knew the person opposite him was a novice in business, so he decided to go straight to the point and avoid any unnecessary hesitation.

Gloria agreed, "Okay, I got it. Three o'clock this afternoon, see you then."

Mann hung up the phone. "Go there and order a Silver Hand Ribs. I don't know which company's synthetic meat they use, but it's really satisfying!"

Dorothy sneered, "[That washed-up rock star]?"

The car drove all the way to the container factory area behind the red mud. Santo Domingo has a large number of industrial parks with relatively stable public security. Apart from collecting protection money and robbing, the Sixth Street Gang has not done anything outrageous. Compared to Taipingzhou, it can be considered paradise.

Pila swung her arms. "It's so quiet, just rock music—this stupid dog town is full of gunfire every day, my ears are ringing... I don't know what that kid and Rebecca are thinking, they won't even come out to relax."

Just as the group was discussing going into the bar, a classic Villefort Avalado 2044 van blocked their way. Pila's foot was almost run over, and she was immediately met with a barrage of insults.

A somewhat frightening man with an optical prosthetic body stepped out of the car. He had three eyes on one side of his face, and his suit was impeccably worn.

Mann looked at the stranger with suspicion.

The man's voice was somewhat deep, "I didn't expect you all to still be alive, that's wonderful."

Mann reached out to stop Pila from saying something to the other side. The voice on the other end was all too familiar, "I thought you were dead. Top secret mission... you mean they know everything about us? You still dare to show up, do you think no one can touch you?"

As they spoke, the squad members had already pointed their guns at the man in the suit.

The man in the suit didn't seem to mind the squad pointing guns at him; instead, he chuckled lightly.
"Reintroduce yourself."

"I am Faraday, a kind-hearted man who teaches marginalized people how not to be dogs for companies."
-
With his hands in his pockets and a cigarette dangling from his lips, Lin Yue walked past the drug addicts lying on the streets of Dog Town and the menacing thugs, heading towards the hideout of the ski resort on the mountain.

Rebecca followed behind, shouting incessantly.

Lin Yue had already been tricked by V, the company's older sister, and the matter of her stern demeanor was still unresolved, so he could only wave his hand impatiently. "I already told you to wait for Mann and the others to come back. The big order with the Animal Gang needs us to work together. I can take care of things at the company soon."

Rebecca, of course, didn't believe him and could only stubbornly follow behind him, continuing to growl, "Mann said it's best not to get involved in company matters—you bastard, don't you understand what I'm saying?!" She had originally been thinking of choosing Mewtwo or something, but she didn't expect Lin Yue to want to work for the company. The main thing was that he didn't even think about informing the team and was preparing to solve the problem by himself.

Lin Yue stopped, and Rebecca, unable to brake in time, bumped into Lin Yue's back.

Lin Yue slightly bent his knees. "Do you still remember what Mann's principles were?"

Rebecca thought for a moment, "Not dealing with the company?"

“No, it’s because you don’t participate in company affairs, so…” Lin Yue pressed Rebecca’s shoulder to make her turn around, “go to the stadium to pick out a few Mewtwos you like, or contact the Mewtwo recording studio in the city to find you some new ones. My affairs shouldn’t be your concern, and you don’t need to worry about them, understand?”

Rebecca felt like a wooden doll being manipulated at will.

She clenched her fist, her voice suddenly dropping a few octaves: "At least wait for everyone to come back so we can deal with it together..."

Lin Yue had already walked several steps away without turning his head. "I know, just don't follow me."

Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that Rebecca hadn't followed.

While at the stadium, Lin Yue sent a message to Semir, but to his surprise, Semir not only didn't reply, but also blocked him, leaving him at a loss.

If the people from Arasaka arrive, the whole plan will be ruined. Lin Yue can't afford to wait, nor dare to wait. This thing is of paramount importance to him.

Although Lin Yue knew that the Joint Logistics Command had this prosthetic body in Dogtown's Alex, he wasn't so suicidal as to go looking for the people from New America, lest he die without even knowing how he died—if those loyal dogs of Miles knew that Lin Yue, this ghost hound, knew so many of their secrets, eliminating him would be the least of their worries.

They might even torture Lin Yue to force him to reveal where he got all this old, trivial stuff.

Lin Yue followed the winding mountain road of Dog Town upwards. According to his memory, the Black Puppet Workshop of the Sliding Stick should be an unfinished spa shop next to the Lu Ke Shuang Health Spa.

If the Cleaners were the first gang Lin Yue didn't want to deal with, the Voodoo Gang was the second.

These Haitians, who follow a religion similar to Voodoo, wear cryogenic suits with neural implants in their bodies, and also hang decorative strips in the style of this religion on their bodies.

They love to undermine the Great Firewall online, ostracizing anyone who isn't one of their own, and shamelessly exploiting mercenaries and young people, turning you into their "ranyon" (a tool for cleaning up messes).

Although he has now left the Voodoo Gang, he remains a seasoned cybercrime expert and executioner.

Seeing a fan-shaped cement rain shelter above the entrance, surrounded by overgrown weeds, and the area on top used for hanging billboards covered with blue fluorescent graffiti of Voodoo Gang symbols, Lin Yue knew he had found the right place.

At that moment, several members of the Voodoo Gang stood at the doorway, chatting and holding guns.

They either sported afros or wore hacker helmets with numerous optical components, their dark skin adorned with white skeletal totems on their arms and necks, and they spoke in a Haitian dialect that translators couldn't decipher.

Lin Yue stopped and took a deep breath.

I hope there is room for discussion.
-
【Red Clay Bar】: The venue for Johnny Silverhands' first concert.

[That faded rock star]: Johnny Silverhand was at the peak of his popularity from 2018 to 2022, making him a has-been for people in 2075.

【Alex】: A new U.S. Joint Secret Service agent who runs a "Moth Bar" in the Long Beach storage yard under an assumed name.

【Myers】: The new US president and former CEO of Military Technology.

Voodoo is a bizarre religious sect that believes possession by evil spirits is a blessing, and it is prevalent in Haiti or Africa.

(The map of the slider's hiding place is below; the Voodoo Gang totem is above the entrance.)

　Thank you all for reading! I'm really lucky that this book received over a thousand favorites and was recommended in the first round of light novel recommendations, because about a third of the readers are already following it, which shows that everyone likes this genre. I will work hard to write a good book. Please read it during the recommendation period and give the author some confidence! Love you all!
　　

(End of this chapter)