Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 490 Prelude (Part 4)

The Madrid official who spoke first didn't actually have any rhetoric to reverse the situation.

On the contrary, it feels like a delay.

"Internet regulation is not impossible. According to Arasaka-sama... suppressing internet access is something that should be done."

A long and eloquent speech…

This brought a sigh of relief to the people of Europe.

V's death in Europe is a difficult matter, but if there were several branches of internet regulation in Europe, there would be a lot of room for maneuver.

"Are they waiting to make a deal with the internet regulators?"

A long sigh escaped Lin Yue's lips, not out of worry, but because he felt that V perfectly met his expectations.

Lucy, standing beside him, watched this scene with a thoughtful expression.

"First it was Takemura, and now this conference... What exactly is Rin-san trying to say?"

Almost subconsciously, Lucy felt that the man in front of her was implying something. It has to be said that these are things that Lucy cannot access and lacks most right now. Force can often solve most problems—but once some force is used, the consequences must be carefully considered.

"Lucy, I'm going to Europe, and there are some things I have to tell you... You need to think carefully about meeting your father; he's been operating in Poland for a long time..."

Lin Yue paused for a moment, then continued, “Sometimes V and I may not be able to handle everything, but there are also the former members of the Mann team who will form a new company team with you. The reason I let you know these things and participate in the affairs of Takemura is to let you know that in some situations, understanding what the enemy wants is more important than simple emotions.”

Lin Yue calmly pondered his past life-threatening missions, which had almost teetered on the edge of a cliff. Back then, he didn't understand these principles and didn't have many available resources... Now it seems that luck has been on his side; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived ten times over.

This is exactly what Lucy wanted.

When she came to know Arasaka's power and methods, she realized that if she were still a cyberpunk hacker in Night City, even if she achieved the goal of going to the moon, she would not be able to escape it for the rest of her life.

To solve the problem, the only option is to confront it.

Lucy was alarmed by her previous naive thoughts, but also felt a sense of relief for her current life... At least her withered soul had the company of her lover and family, and the white planet and gray lunar soil in the dream seemed to become less and less important.

She couldn't even remember the last time she saw Mewtwo...

"I understand."

Lucy nodded seriously, and she also expressed her other determination, "I hope Mr. Rin can tell me the truth... what exactly my father is doing? This is very important to me. Even now, I still can't understand how he could be so heartless as to send me to that teenage hacker training center where people die every day."

"I...I just want an answer."

Lucy opened her mouth, feeling unwilling. She understood that her parents' love for her was very likely not real, but she still needed a firm reason to shatter her illusions and muster enough hatred and spirit to face her evil dragon father.

Seeing that V had taken control of the situation in the venue, Lin Yue felt relieved and shifted his attention to Lucy, asking, "Do you really believe what I say?"

In Lucy's eyes, Rin is a guy with unfathomable abilities, and also David's staunch idol... Lucy even feels that he may have replaced David's father's ecological niche, so Lucy unconsciously has a slight generation gap with him like a child.

However, Lucy had to admit that she also regarded Mr. Rin as a reliable father figure.

Perhaps at the beginning he showed no mercy, and even almost let Lucy kill him because of her offensive behavior—but this was precisely Rin's genuine expression of his feelings for those around him.

Lucy nodded. "You said I can accept any outcome."

As for Lin Yue, he knew that these words would give those who represented the company's powerful figures another young enemy, and a father another child who was like an enemy... But the only thing that remained unchanged was that, even if they were blood relatives, certain corrupt things could never be bound by so-called kinship.

Lai Xuan was like this, and so was Lucy.

"Currently, there is actually no clear evidence. V and Arasaka Yorinobu speculate that the Warsaw branch may be the location of Relic's first round of live experiments. Your data mining outside the Black Wall is just a cover..."

"They wanted to see what happens when AI gets into the brain, but no matter how smart a child is, they can't come up with the right defense strategy against AI or the ICE that imprisons AI, which is why your partners have such a high mortality rate."

When Lin Yue said this, Lucy's expression changed drastically.

She considered that her father might punish her for her rebelliousness, or that he might underestimate the consequences of the youth hacker training center, but she never dared to think that badly…

"how come!"

"My mother—how could she agree?"

Lin Yue paused, his fingers tapping on the armrest of the chair. As someone who had personally experienced being brainwashed by AI, he could roughly guess that the child's personality was not yet fully developed, and in this situation, those roving AIs were indeed easier to infiltrate...

"So Lucy, if you want revenge, if you're not satisfied... and if you want an answer, then go to Europe."

"It's true that I need your black wall key, but you can also have your own purposes."

Lin Yue spoke gently.

Lucy is young after all, and he wouldn't let something that hasn't been confirmed yet affect this girl's mindset.

The distraught girl seemed inclined to curl up in fear. Lin Yue sighed, "Go on, Lucy. I'll let you know about the trip to Europe—"

Lucy, who had been covering her face, slowly raised her head, seemingly suppressing her emotions.

a long time…

“Mr. Rin, I don’t need to leave. I want to know more information so I can help Minister V with his work.”

Lin Yue was surprised that the girl had recovered her composure so quickly, so he smiled and said, "When you're tired, just go home and eat Ms. Gloria's cooking. Life isn't so bad—at least it's much more comfortable than being surrounded by a bunch of AIs."

A smile appeared on Lucy's face. Although things had been incredibly hectic lately, Lucy, belatedly realizing that there were still things in this world worth looking forward to.

"If it's just going to Europe..."

Lucy thought of someone and quickly fell silent. She knew that David had absolutely no reason to get involved.

Lin Yue saw through it but didn't say anything. He knew how to arrange the candidates, and it might even be a little surprise for the young couple.

"Don't be afraid, V and I are in Europe."

Lucy nodded, hearing the reassuring tone. "Thank you, Mr. All-Powerful Legend."

Lin Yue glanced at the girl who could joke around and was quite satisfied with her performance.

These kids all have a strong will to fight.

"See? The situation has been turned around."

Lin Yue gestured for Lucy to look at the venue.

At this moment, Takeda's face couldn't be described as just ugly; it was practically black.

V's ability to blatantly lie was fully demonstrated to Takeda, that old corporate dog...

A pure, overt scheme.

If those idiots sitting in the meeting room had suppressed their doubts and gone down to get their intelligence departments moving, they would have known that V's words were just playing a game of ambiguous information gaps.

Does landing in Night City necessarily mean you met Lai Xuan?

Is handing over financial power the same as submitting to the enemy?
Oh shit…

The chaotic discussion in the meeting room began to quiet down as Lai Xuan clapped his hands.

His eyes behind his dark glasses resembled those of a hungry tiger.

His anger was well contained, but he still chose the civilized way. However, they had to know President Arasaka's tolerance level. This was a collaboration with V.

"All of you here are my seniors, and you are also those who, along with my father, pulled Arasaka out of the corporate war. I am deeply grateful for that—"

Lai Xuan stood up and bowed in front of everyone.

"Grateful."

This completely baffled the seasoned veterans in Europe who were prepared to deal with Lai Xuan's wrath.

Lin Yue's eyelids twitched, a faint excitement rising within him. Lai Xuan's consistent tough stance externally, coupled with his current tendency towards restraint internally, made Lin Yue more optimistic about future plans.

It's too difficult to get Lai Xuan to bow down and thank these people...

However, Lin Yue understood the principle of giving a slap followed by a sweet treat, and he wanted to see how Lai Xuan would promote the establishment of the network channel.

"But you all seem to have forgotten that you are the ones who support Arakawa in remembering my father, but you are also the ones who do not abide by the rules my father used to manage the company—what does that mean?"

Lai Xuan smiled and scanned the group of people.

"Do you think headquarters wouldn't dare let the Arasaka unit give you a warning?"

Among these people were Lai Xuan's enemies and loyal ministers... but what he had to do was to be targeted.

"Without a network channel, headquarters naturally cannot supervise. Are you all going against my father's wishes by making repeated excuses?"

No one dared to speak now.

You have to understand that Saburo has a lot of supporters in this venue, so who would dare to say that now...?

"But I also want to completely trust you all. The establishment of the passage will be overseen by headquarters... It is only to fulfill Lord Arasaka's will, and I believe that you will keep your long-cherished wish to push Arasaka to the top of the world."

Takeda was unsure of Yoriyuki's next move.

There are ways to counter internet censorship; it's far less intimidating than the arrival of a "royal envoy" like V.

He was starting to have trouble figuring out Lai Xuan's intentions... Was it merely to establish authority?

That's a bit too petty.

"Since the internet regulators don't agree to establish the network channel, I have no choice but to have Director V follow the proper procedures—"

At this point, it seemed that Takeda had finally received confirmation from the European Community.

He first glanced at his bunch of incompetent teammates, then said in a low voice, "All European branches will completely obey Lord Arasaka's management regulations. Lord Arasaka's greatness and decisiveness are unparalleled—we have no objection to your faithful execution of Lord Saburo's wishes."

Takeda breathed a sigh of relief. He seemed to be certain that Lai Xuan, this guy who had no way to get to, was trying to use the internet to show off his power and undermine the consensus of the three important branches of the European Community.

"We have all witnessed Ms. V's abilities..."

Takeda had just attempted to connect to other branches, but the satellite signal was blocked.

Upon closer reflection, Lai Xuan's confidence likely stems from this woman.

V is a master hacker, and her special operations and counterintelligence teams are now fully monitoring the venue.

Instead of taking any rash action, he changed his tone, saying, "Instead of welcoming headquarters' review, I also hope that online review will be carried out simultaneously—Vice President Russ, since the Madrid branch has the most cooperation with the internet monitoring department, what do you think of the proposal you put forward?"

Ruth pretended to investigate, while Lai Xuan simply waved his hand dismissively—

"There's no need to ask anymore. The internet regulators put forward a whole bunch of conditions for the regulatory channels, and I agreed."

Upon hearing Lai Xuan's words, Rus smiled sheepishly, inwardly cursing the internet police for being dogs who couldn't wait for them to clash with headquarters.

A naive move.

Takeda shook his head slightly. Since Yorihiro had done this, he would send that woman over again…

"Alright then, the purpose this time is to follow my father's example and manage Arasaka according to the rules... Ms. V doesn't need to go."

"I am deeply honored by your trust."

Lai Xuanxiao's smugness, in the eyes of everyone in the European branch, perfectly matched his arrogant persona...

Impulsive, easily angered, and unfit for important tasks.

V wanted to say something more, but Lai Xuan gestured for her not to say anything more, as the Europeans all had gloating expressions on their faces.

"pretty…"

Lucy murmured to herself.

This was the first time she had seen the internal power struggles within the company from a third-party perspective.

The passage was the objective from the beginning. The European branch thought they had the upper hand, which satisfied Lai Xuan's seemingly arrogant nature and also curbed V's expansion of power...

Lin Yue glanced at the little hacker beside him.

At that moment, Lucy looked at the young face beside her and felt more and more that Mr. Rin had the ability to control everything without lifting a finger.

He was working with the top elites of this land, and even the world... Based solely on the subjectivity of these people, coupled with Mr. Rin's wisdom as a strategist, Lucy foresaw the fate of these Europeans.

"Lucy, they've secured the battlefield gates; now it's our turn."

Lin Yue stood up, lit a cigarette, and took one last look at the screen...

He stared at Lucy as she stood up and instructed her, "Time waits for no one. I think it won't be long before the Mann team that you and I have trained will head to Europe. Of course, I will be there too... whether online or in real life."

Lucy didn't quite understand what he meant, and nodded blankly.

"Now you need to go home."

Lin Yue had already noticed a hint of reluctance on Lucy's face; she probably thought she was about to say goodbye to David.

Lin Yue was never really sure whether or not to use David.

However, the panel's values ​​exceeding the limits due to David, the topological predictions of the future... David seems to have an extremely important role, and he ultimately chose to involve this child in the future.

There must be something he hasn't seen yet. Although the future is changing, Lin Yue doesn't want to or dare to stop whenever he thinks of that desperate scene in outer space.

Only by moving forward and working with capable partners to change the world can we secure even a sliver of a possible future.

"Mr. Rin?"

As Lin Yue was about to step into the elevator to leave, Lucy stopped and reached out to block the elevator door.

"I want to know... do you want to become the strongest person in the world, and make your company the strongest as well?"

Lucy had investigated many dreamers, and the perfect guy wasn't interested in wealth, status, or any hobbies that brought him satisfaction... On the contrary, his company did a lot of unprofitable business...

Lin Yue joked, "You're asking more and more questions..."

As if gathering her courage, Lucy said, "You can answer me when David and I take you home for dinner tonight!"

What the girl actually wanted to say was...

Rin's aura made her feel calm and at ease, and she increasingly missed the atmosphere of a group of people gathering at home...

That was the case, at least when Rin was around.

The man was silent for a moment, then reached for the elevator button. "Lucy, we still have plenty of time..."

Lucy's eyes betrayed her disappointment.

"Regarding your first question... Lucy, if you think what I, Lai Xuan, and Miss V did was right, then work hard at it; if you feel that this is not what you should do, then after the agreement is completed, you can choose your own life, including David."

"As for visiting you and your family... I don't think it will be too long. I promise you, I will come to tell you the news in person when I'm done with my business."

The elevator doors are closed.

Lucy, looking at the elevator display screen with a puzzled and confused expression, hesitated before speaking.

……

(End of this chapter)