Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 480 Transformation and Unchanged Nature [5.2K]

"You better behave yourself!"

Fully armed NCPD special agents, their heavy military boots pounding on the backs of the Valentino gang members, faced a violent group with no scruples, Dorio's motto always being: free to fire—

Even though her behavior had been criticized by her superiors many times, and she had been promoted and demoted repeatedly over the years, she did not change this habit.

Dorio had always perceived the city as vicious and ruthless.

With a cigarette dangling from her lips, she kicked aside the idiot who had been riddled with bullets at her feet, walked over, and grabbed Gonzalez, whose hands were bound by specially made steel handcuffs.

"Shooting a senator, the Night City prosecutor, how capable has the Valentino gang become these past few years?"

Gonzalez's hair was being pulled painfully, not only his scalp but also the corner of his eye... His blurry vision looked at the muscular man in front of him, whose gender was impossible to discern, and he grinned, cursing under his breath: "You stupid cop! You dare mess with me? Then you'll be sorry for your whole family! Gotcha!"

Dorothy, her eyes squinting from the smoke, looked down at the group of drug dealers, pondering the most effective way for the police to deal with these clueless individuals.

Rin's intelligence was indeed accurate. After receiving the news, Dorio did not hesitate to call in the Special Operations and the Mechanical Police Team to support the area, citing the possibility of a major problem with Haywood. He thought they would catch the perpetrator red-handed, but unexpectedly, the prosecutor of Night City who was about to be promoted was shot in the head in this place.

Robert's NCPD intelligence department was also on the lookout. Stella dreamed of taking down this guy with such a powerful network of connections, given the lucrative connections of the district attorney in the port city.

Dorothy remained silent, squinting her eyes and glancing up at the surroundings and the sky.

Rin's current level is beyond the reach of his team members. Robert died just like that, probably at his hands rather than by Valentino's gang.

Some deals were made at the higher levels, which Dorio couldn't understand—

But so what?

The old master had already taught her the principles of what should and shouldn't be investigated years ago.

Dorio's gaze returned to Gonzalez's face.

This time, the arrogance and ruthlessness on that guy's face had dissipated considerably. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Dorio reached out and pinched the filter, the cigarette butt sparking on the ground. The two special forces officers controlling Gonzalez understood and took a step back.

A shout reached González's ears—

"Turn off the online recording device. There's a problem with the network equipment. Network experts and the intelligence department need to check it."

Gonzalez's scalp was getting increasingly painful from being scratched. "Hey..."

What really broke his nerves was that someone muttered something like, "What's going on? Checking at this time... Get moving, arrest everyone who should be arrested, and take those with bail in Group A!"

Dorio slowly crouched down and released Gonzalez's scalp.

"You...what are you going to do?"

What?
Dorothy grinned as she listened to the question that the guy had asked three times in a row.

"You ordered the prosecutor to be shot and killed? Because he discovered you were transporting contraband?"

Gonzalez's eyes were wide open, like a bull's—

"Not buddy?"

He felt like the sky had fallen.

Dorothy held up one finger, with an "I understand" look on her face. "Oh, I get it. You arranged for a sniper, the sniper accidentally fired and killed Robert. You and Robert made a deal. He got promoted and doesn't want to deal with you bunch of idiots anymore, right?"

"what?"

González felt he wasn't shameless enough.

He just wanted to know if the cop in front of him was afraid of death.

His expression immediately turned sinister. "Officer, we're just doing manual labor to earn money. We're just moving cargo. Who knew that man was a prosecutor? Besides... this ship is from Cuba."

Dorio nodded.

González was completely taken aback by Dorio's lukewarm reaction.

"Cuba! Cuba, you know what I mean, buddy?!"

Dorio sighed. It seemed the Valentino gang was unaware that a powerful figure capable of crushing them single-handedly was making his move. What difference would it make if the entire Cuban conglomerate moved here, let alone Cuba?
She only knew that she was part of the plan. She did whatever Rin asked her to do if she could, and broke the rules if she couldn't. As for how to win, Rin was the most experienced.

This unwavering trust was a habit cultivated over many years, and Dorio didn't want to think about it too much.

So her purpose here is simply to find out how Gonzalez sells his goods, and in doing so, to cut off the entire supply chain...

“I understand, I understand… Cuban brothers, they kill without shedding blood, they wipe out entire families.”

Hearing Dorio's low voice, Gonzalez assumed she was afraid.

"How about I turn a blind eye?"

Dorio nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's do each other a favor. Please explain to the lawyer later that you're selling drugs, and that you're the only one in the Valentino gang selling this stuff. Then we'll happily take you—"

Gonzalez felt that this guy might have something wrong with his head.

"Damn, are you kidding me?"

Dorothy shrugged.

But then this guy brought up his most reckless line: "Officer, get ready to identify the body tonight! Your family... kids, and if you have any pets, too, hehe."

Dorio lowered her shoulders, slowly leaned close to Gonzalez's ear, and delivered a sudden, powerful punch straight into Gonzalez's stomach!

Gonzalez instantly knelt on the ground, bending over like a shrimp. If Dorio's shoulders hadn't been broad enough, he probably would have collapsed to the ground.

The bitter liquid in his throat splattered onto the ground, and Gonzalez felt his ribs break.

"My..."

His body was convulsing uncontrollably, and his face looked as if it had been soaked in red paint.

The suffocating pain made Gonzalez feel like air was leaking from his throat, and he started rolling around on the ground. Dorio, supporting herself on her knees, stood up and quietly waited for him to recover.

"According to Night City law, you have to stay in the police station detention room for at least sixty days before going to court; let me calculate how many hours of wonderful time we've spent together, and also, the cyberattack caused some... problems with Night City's entire power grid supply?"

"Anyway, the power will go out, and the lawyer probably doesn't even know how much fun we had together..."

González lay on his side on the ground, terror gradually spreading through his pupils.

damn it…

Does this guy really want to die?
"You...you really don't think about your family, buddy?"

Dorothy replied without fear, "I know you guys will resort to some tricks, killing me is fine—oh right, I have family, and my boyfriend is in the NCPD… sort of. Of course, we haven't been on good terms lately, he dumped me, you can go find him."

"Friendly tip: kill a few more people on the street, and you'll see him."

González looked at her, and Dorio, with a smile on her face, crossed her arms and said, "The Terrorist Mobile Unit, the Cuban brothers should be able to handle it, right?"

The brash gang leader started yelling, "Damn it! Help! The NCPD is beating people up!"

Dorio stepped back slightly and delivered a low, powerful kick, sending Gonzalez skidding across the ground for nearly four or five meters. The police officers in the distance seemed deaf to her, not even glancing in their direction.

Deep down, they admired Dorio.

Most of the NCPD members in Night City are just trying to make a living, except for Dorio from the Special Operations Team and Stella from the Intelligence Division, who are two people who don't care about their lives. They have probably received more death threats than the number of case reports written by these agents, so everyone only feels sorry for them.

"Just a fifty-year sentence. Think it over carefully. As long as the cargo ship sinks, we'll be fine."

Fifty years?!

González once thought that Campo, that idiot, was already shameful enough for being sentenced to thirty years as the leader of the Valentino gang. He never expected that the one who was most like the boss was him, and he even broke the record for the longest time a member of the Valentino gang went to prison... González thought he would kick the bucket before him even got fifty years ago.

"I fucking deny it!"

The gang members screamed in agony.

then…

After half an hour.

After the SWAT team medic revived the gang leader who had fainted at least a dozen times, the first thing he did was look for Dorio's location.

Seeing the massive body that almost blocked out the sunlight move, Gonzalez shouted, "Stop! Stop fighting! You win... It's fucking dark!"

Amidst his groans, Gonzalez realized for the first time that his skill wasn't actually that profound.

Dorio smiled with satisfaction. "Black? There aren't any corrupt cops in Night City anymore... they're just doing their jobs normally."

Gonzalez was furious.

"That's too much, fifty years... Officer, please don't do this, let's discuss it?"

Dorothy looked troubled. "Hiss... don't say I didn't help you, this cargo—"

A loud bang!
The special police team immediately went on high alert. Thick smoke began to billow from the "cargo ship" that had come all the way from Cuba, and the ship began to sink as seawater rushed into it due to a violent explosion in a certain area of ​​the center...

"What are you all standing there for?!"

Dorothy had everyone turn on the synthetic lung filtration system and ordered them to use the police boat to retrieve as much cargo as possible.

"You see... it will disappear, but the damage can't be erased. You have to give me a reason why you shouldn't have to endure this for so long, right?"

Gonzalez didn't care about anything else, "Thiago, Thiago is for sale too!"

Dorothy clicked her tongue. "Smearing, huh? I know all too well how many people at Valentino have been involved with this stuff..."

Gonzalez finally realized that he seemed to have fallen into a huge pocket with no end in sight!

His expression shifted, and he hesitated for a long time. "Okay... alright, the new Valentino gang—formerly a group from the Tiger Claw Gang's Jing Tian Society—their goods are transported via the old intercity train and old underground pipes. My little brother knows the contact person... damn! That's all I know. Tell me... how much can I cut?" Dorio stroked his chin.

He held up three fingers.

"Twenty years?!"

González finally lost his temper and yelled, "Do you think I'm an idiot?!"

Dorio shook her head, her words extinguishing his anger: "Two months, at most. I'll tell your men the route you'll be taken in advance, and that'll be the end of it. Thanks for your contribution."

González smiled.

It turned out that the guy in front of him wasn't without greed, but rather wanted to eat more. He quickly smiled ingratiatingly and said, "That's easy to do."

Dorothy nodded. "Then..."

She scanned the wounds on the guy's body several times.

"Was it caused by my resistance against the police officer... that resulted in the fall?"

Dorio drew circles with both hands, saying, "Thank you for your cooperation."

Gonzalez watched the departing man lie on his back on the ground, dejected, as two agents lifted him up and carried him to the police car. A chill ran down his spine.

The cargo ship sank.

Dorothy doesn't know if she's a good person.

In short, she did many unethical things, both within and outside the rules, such as destroying this evidence.

If the items remain, the Valentino gang will have a second González. By implicating someone in the police force to steal from them, it may seem like an excuse for criminals, but in reality, it eliminates the biggest hidden danger—anyone who conforms to the rules will prick themselves with the sharp edges of their inability to tolerate the changes in the world.

Dorothy knew that this ship represented her moral bottom line, and she carried out Rin's instructions in a way that suited the city, thus quelling the source of this turmoil.

This can be considered a transformation.

For a mercenary who used to only care about money and wanted to make a name for herself by fighting alongside her boyfriend in Night City, the process was undoubtedly painful. But pain is what makes a transformation, isn't it?

"Hey?"

"Everything is taken care of, Mr. Rin."

Dorothy stared at the thick smoke rising from the beach and found a clean spot to sit on the ground.

The man on the other end answered, "I am Lin Yue."

Dorothy was silent for a moment. "Lin Yue, the stuff was destroyed as you instructed... Damn it, God forgive me, I don't know if this is—"

Lin Yue shook his head.

“I’ll handle the Cubans, Emma from the City Hall will handle them, and you handle the city’s problems.”

"Aside from some fish with bellies full of heavy metals dying, no one will be harmed. It is important that you remain on the sidelines and observe the chaos caused by the Valentino gang."

Dorothy gave a wry smile.

"But should we really let Gonzalez go...? I—"

Lin Yue asked in confusion, "Let them go?"

Dorio was stunned. She had felt ashamed to talk about it because she was afraid the other person would say, "Dorio, are you considered a good person too?"

Lin Yue was taken aback at first, then seemed to understand something and said gently, "Good thing, Dorio. It's right that you don't want to let this scum go, so I don't plan to let him go either—when Suzuki takes action, no one will be left alive, don't worry."

Dorothy clenched her fists.

The high-purity synthetic drugs from Cuba in the case file have shattered countless families. Each time, they were just small fry; this time, they finally caught the big fish…

"Thank you."

Hearing that the person who helped him was still expressing their gratitude, Lin Yue sighed, "You returned the money?"

Dorothy shrugged. "I don't need to wear luxury clothes to police calls. Lin Yue, all these years—you haven't changed. You've always been a good person."

"You, everyone, and... everything is alright in Taipingzhou, right? To be honest, I still can't believe the president crashed in Taipingzhou."

Lin Yue fell silent.

He also finds it hard to say that he is a good person.

But... he understands the principle of having a clear conscience.

"The people of New America have all fled to Dogtown... Pacific Island has indeed changed because that place was too awful and people lived too miserable lives."

"You're welcome to come if you like. Everything is very peaceful, just like when we trained together in Dogtown."

Dorothy's expression was filled with reminiscence, "Ah..."

However, my own life still seems to be a mess.

Mann's situation remains a mystery. Although Rin has provided him with information on the technological cooperation projects between Arasaka and the Terrorist Mobile Unit more than once over the past few years, there has been no progress so far.

Three years ago, Dorio was informed by the NCPD leadership that she had been following Mann. She was asked to sign an agreement and was not allowed to initiate an investigation into the Terrorist Mobile Unit within the NCPD.

She felt that something extremely terrible was being kept from the people of Night City, including herself, but she had longed for an answer for a long time.

"Rin, I don't need any compensation, can I—"

Lin Yue suddenly interrupted, "Okay."

"Could you please look behind you?"

Dorothy paused for a moment, then turned her head and saw a familiar face that could cause a huge uproar in Night City.

The blonde woman, with a resolute and somewhat masculine personality, stood up without saying a word and gave her old friend, whom she hadn't seen for many years but had only heard his voice from, a tight hug.

“You shouldn’t show up with that face; everyone’s worried.”

Lin Yue chuckled and patted his sister-in-law, who used to take the best care of everyone in the team, "It's okay, only you guys can see my face anyway. I'm so pent up, I was just thinking of chatting with you..."

"A true legend, absolutely awesome."

Dorio punched Lin Yue in the chest. "If Mann knew, he'd definitely be there with a sour face, pulling down his glasses and saying things like, 'You think someone like you can do that?'"

The two couldn't help but laugh.

Lin Yue didn't complain and sat quietly on the shore watching the merchant ship that had sunk to the point where only the stern was visible.

"I'm so tired."

"Like a spinning top, never stopping in order to survive."

He felt that life was a constant process of reminiscing about the times that had passed.

Dorio nodded. "The team's arrival earlier was a huge help—well, it's good that we're alive."

Lin Yue shook his head.

"When there are choices, there are bound to be things that are overlooked."

"I think we've been looking in the wrong direction regarding Mann's matter."

Dorothy suddenly stared at Lin Yue.

"Your job should be looking to places like Pacifica to make Haywood a better place too... I can't help with those things, but you shouldn't be distracted by them. If I have any leads, maybe you could get a reliable guy like Suzuki to help me out..."

Lin Yue gazed at the sea.

“I have experienced cyberpsychosis. That feeling of not belonging to oneself is extremely painful. Mann must have been altered by some technology, not just my speculation.”

"Since neither the team, my friends, nor my subordinates can find a suitable entry point... then I'll help you."

"Half of our tough times are over, now it's time to take care of my older brother Mann."

The young man smiled without showing his teeth; nothing had changed, and he was still as spirited as ever.

"Feel sorry."

Lin Yue's eyes were unfathomable. "Could it be that this period of time has been too difficult for Mann?"

Just as Dorothy was about to speak, the guy spoke again.

"We've been partners from the very beginning, haven't we?"

Dorothy swallowed her words with relief, "I thought the big star had long forgotten these things. With you joining, are you planning to wipe out the Terrorist Mobile Unit?"

Lin Yue would naturally not be so high-profile.

"It's just that we have more means, more methods, and more people available... I won't and can't let go of the cyber madman line."

For some reason, it seemed that some problems could be easily solved as long as Lin Yue joined.

It seems Lin Yue intends to resolve this discreetly?
Lin Yue stood up. "If Mann's condition for rescue is breaking through the Terrorist Mobile Unit, then I will carry it out—"

"But before that, you and I were both members of Mann's team."

……

……

(End of this chapter)