Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 497 A Surprise in Preparation (Part 1)

The enormous fireworks above Heywood weren't just being watched by the people of Heywood; many eyes were watching from Night City, including Lin Yue, who had only just returned to Dreamers after a long day of work.

Of course, Lin Yue didn't rest on the way back. He inquired about the location of the terrorist mobile unit's prison, preparing to unravel the mystery of the Mann incident after his first infiltration in Europe. Perhaps only by getting closer to the root of the problem could he solve everything. Lin Yue already had a plan in mind.

But he had no time to focus on those things right now; he was instead thinking about whether his handling of Haywood was appropriate.
Can the people of Heywood truly control their own destiny?

A series of footsteps sounded behind him. Lin Yue, with his hands in his pockets, turned around and looked at the woman, his worried expression not having eased much.

Emma didn't dwell on Lin Yue's expression, nor did she offer any words of comfort...

She knew that the most important thing right now was to tell him that everything was arranged except for Haywood.

The woman then took a graceful step, tiptoed, and rested her chin on the man's shoulder, saying, "We've investigated the activities of the Sixth Street gang, and some other unruly gangs in Watson District. The most unruly is Father… In recent years, the Sixth Street gang has been lying low and growing stronger, outwardly maintaining a harmonious relationship with Heywood… But when something really happens, they're the most proactive—"

"But don't worry, our people are keeping a close eye on them."

Lin Yue pursed his lips, his expression softening slightly. "Is Mrs. Wells alright?"

Emma replied with a smile, "Of course there won't be any problem with Suzuki taking action. He's the Dreamers' most reliable old buddy... Our current intelligence indicates that the Valentino Gang's oldest members, namely Tiano's men, have had a formal conflict with Jack."

Although the border was completely surrounded by Camilla's people, the Dreamers had many ways to get this man with the super prosthetic body in.

Lin Yue didn't care how Jack would treat his former brothers. Since Jack had left the gang in his youth, it at least proved that he didn't agree with the gang's criminal ideology. Valentino was mostly Latino South Americans; perhaps in their minds, crime wasn't a serious matter. Jack seemed like a freak; the only thing he couldn't tolerate was these drug dealers—

You can tell from his cousin's experience with drug rehabilitation.

Emma's eyes were unfathomable as she gently squeezed Lin Yue's shoulder with her fingers. "Alright, your worries are your biggest problem right now..."

The woman gently pinched his chin, wanting him to look directly into her eyes. "You're no longer that soldier who has to do everything himself. Everything has its own path to development, and forcibly interfering won't end well. I support you in this Heywood matter not just because I've always listened to you."

"On the contrary, I agree with your line of thinking. They will take action on their own as long as it aligns with our beliefs."

After careful consideration, Lin Yue realized that he had been worrying too much. However, Jack's initiative and his reputation in Heywood still surprised Lin Yue. He even wanted to know what had happened in Heywood before and why Jack Wells, who called himself a "nobody on the street," could gather so many connections.

Now that things had come to this, even Mr. Rin, who was in control of everything, had to nod and sigh, "You're right. No matter what, as long as you use the company's name, you won't get away with it. The people of Haywood won't trust the company—Emma, ​​beliefs aren't formed overnight. The company has caused countless human tragedies. We still have a long way to go."

"European action is imminent, and I don't know if it will cause you any trouble or make you feel tired."

Emma remained silent and simply shook her head.

She believes that even the most deeply ingrained ideas will fade with time, and what needs to be done now is to rebuild order here, even if it means using some corporate repression methods, which is reasonable.

"I heard V made those European shareholders lose face?"

After a moment of silence, Emma nudged Lin Yue with her elbow like a fox: "I heard that Miss V was a force to be reckoned with at the shareholders' meeting in Arasaka?"

"Or is it that our Mr. Rin couldn't stand seeing his lover being bullied and stepped in to help?"

Lin Yue was both amused and exasperated. She always seemed very interested in these kinds of things, and he was also annoyed by the way the two of them were always at odds whenever they met.

“I didn’t help her. V dismantled this European alliance that lacked cohesion on the spot. The divide-and-conquer approach... is somewhat like Jenkins’ style. If the current situation weren’t so unfavorable, she could have burned a few of the Arasaka executives in the meeting room who had brain-computer interface cables to their deaths. Believe me, she could definitely do it.”

"Also, how did you find out about this? Do you have people in Arasaka's camp too?"

Emma shook her head. "Of course not. Do you know how much the bounty is on V's black market account in Japan and other places? If she weren't a hacker, she probably would have been poisoned a dozen times just by going out for a coffee."

Lin Yue was aware of these matters and wanted to know how to handle them.

However, Emma seemed to be reminding someone not to casually ignore others, especially the contributions of women. She gave Lin Yue a slight glare with her charming eyes, "It's perfectly normal for our names to be in the online black market. My amount is half that of V. V is now a thorn in the side of those who are openly or secretly at odds with Lai Xuan. He's the youngest shareholder of Arasaka, so of course they're afraid."

"As for me, I've just offended a lot of people. Your whereabouts have always been secretive... but there are also quite a few who want to investigate you."

Online black market…

Lin Yue rubbed his chin. The information he heard was completely different from Emma's. This black market might have more information about the higher-ups in Arasaka, so he asked, "Are there similar online black markets in Europe?"

Emma nodded. "There are dozens, big and small, mostly in the European Community, but the biggest black market is in London... Isn't it strange? Why would there be a cybercrime den right under the noses of internet regulators? The European Community is much more interesting than you know..."

Lin Yue's eyes gleamed, and his expression had transformed into the confidence he displayed when facing a challenge.

Did V mention the global company conference to you?

Company meeting?

Lin Yue carefully recalled that, if he remembered correctly, Arasaka Michiko was at the height of her power during the Red Era in 2045. Under her mediation, the Arasaka faction in Night City regained control, allowing Arasaka Saburo and his corporate lawyers and bankers to enter the fray and swiftly seize the entire reconstruction of Night City.

As she spoke, Emma held a vibrant holographic invitation between her slender fingers.

The dreamer has been invited to the global company conference?

Lin Yue's expression was interesting as he pondered the mastermind behind this company conference... Sure enough, when he saw the logo with the triangle surrounding the circle, the signature of the European Space Agency, a giant corporation of the European Community, was clearly visible.

“I will naturally be the representative then, but we need to establish a relationship before that. This is one of your important tasks when you go to Europe, darling.”

Listening to Emma's words, Lin Yue roughly understood what she meant...

Do you think there's something wrong with Arasaka?

Emma shook her head. "That's not the case. Arasaka is deeply tied to us, but Arasaka Yoriyuki isn't the only one who shares our values... How should I put it? The current head of this company is Arasaka Yoriyuki. His thinking aligns with ours, but his limbs (the other shareholders) are incredibly rigid."

"We cannot entrust everything to Arasaka without being completely certain of success."

When it came to this serious topic, Lin Yue didn't joke around. Instead, he said seriously, "You've talked to Gilafa, but who else is there? Also, we might need more allies... but these things are too difficult to verify. I can only say that I will try my best to contact all organizations, such as the Wanderers."

A company general meeting can be seen as a reshuffling of power, a redistribution of resources, and a division of territory.

Before this meeting begins, the bloodshed will continue... Only the winner sitting in the seat of honor will have the right to discuss the division.

“People often say that those who slay dragons become dragons themselves…” Emma liked watching Lin Yue think seriously, and reached out to straighten his collar. “But in my opinion, no matter what kind of dreamer you mold the dreamer into, I will act according to your wishes… I just hope that this dream can last a little longer.” Before Lin Yue could speak, Emma asked playfully, “Would you like to see the gift I prepared for you? It’s something you can use in Europe, and it will definitely suit your taste.”

Lin Yue silently answered Emma's question, which was tinged with some worry about the future, and nodded in agreement. The work matter was considered settled, and the two left the room chatting and laughing, as the sunlight slowly lengthened through the French windows.

……

It wasn't until he arrived at the research base of these mad scientists on this continent that Lin Yue learned what the gift Emma was talking about was.

It was a result that exceeded expectations.

Yajima's usually shiny bald head looked dry, with a few strands of hair that were extremely messy, probably from staying up late a lot lately...

"You've finally arrived. I hope you're satisfied with my exam paper."

As they spoke, this guy, who seemed a bit eccentric in some situations, tugged at Lin Yue's sleeve and led him toward a cylindrical special laboratory. Pipelines were laid out haphazardly on the ground, and the petri dish in the center was somewhat similar to the device Lin Yue had seen at the Ye family's.

Emma found a place to sit down and watched all of this with great interest.

She had already seen the gift, and at least in Emma's view, it was incredibly good news for Lin Yue.

"Gene editing technology, quantitative targeting, a complete transformation—damn, damn! I can't believe this is the masterpiece of a venture capital firm and a company specializing in urban development!"

Lin Yue understood the meaning of "losing the island" when he arrived here. How long has it been? The empty shell of the Ye family's wet machine can be put into use?

"Appear, my darling!"

Hearing the guy's excited shouts, Lin Yue felt a chill run down his spine amidst his excitement...

As the hatch opened, a man wrapped in a nano-suit appeared in the white mist. He seemed to be asleep and was breathing on his own…

Lin Yue had a strange sense of familiarity, a kind of interference that science couldn't explain... like the rumored connection between twins.

Even though the guy in front of him looked so ordinary, like a young person on the street who had just had their brain modified, Lin Yue felt as if he were looking at himself.

Lin Yue's best-case scenario was simply using Mr. Blue Eyes's shell, but he never expected Yajima to create such a wonderful surprise in such a short time... Lin Yue turned to look at Yajima, who had just been calling it a masterpiece, and for the first time, he found the guy excessively adorable...

"Damn, I'm almost exhausted."

Pila's voice came from not far away, and then she suddenly threw something out of her hand. Lin Yue subconsciously reached out and caught it, only to find that it was a chip.

"When you infiltrate the deep web, you can use the compilation chip to make this wet host made of cells run. In other words, you have a natural person with your own consciousness in society... No consciousness is erased in this process. The wisdom of the Night Clan has given you a good time again."

Pila stood with her hands behind her back, giving off a "you're getting away with this" look.

What else can we do?

My own sister practically gave them all away to other people; as her older brother, I feel so incompetent…

However, to Lin Yue's surprise, the panel displaying Pila's long-unchanged status suddenly popped up without warning—

[Pila's affinity has been updated]

【Favourability: 50】

[Reward: Technical Skills +2]

so little?
Lin Yue remembered that Pila, a barbaric mercenary who wasn't good at expressing herself, would get a 3-point skill bonus after the first 10-point increase in favorability. How come she only got 2 points after more than half the time...

Just as Lin Yue was wondering, the panel showed a slight change.

[Acquired brain-computer interface technology, brain-computer interface overclocking speed +5%]

Lin Yue nodded.

Alright, Godfather!
Seeing Lin Yue's serious expression, Pila instantly felt annoyed. This guy had such a nonchalant expression; what did all the hard work he and Yajima had put in day and night amount to?! Was he even human?
"You son of a bitch..."

Just as Pila was about to curse, Lin Yue turned his head and said, "Thank you, Professor Yajima, and thank you Pila too—you really are the coolest off-the-beaten-path technical expert in Night City!"

Ok?
Lin Yue didn't know what kind of look Pila was giving under the strange prosthetic eye. The guy just chuckled and, carried away by his smugness, slid his oddly long prosthetic arm up and down in front of him, shouting, "Now you know how to call me daddy?!"

Lin Yue grinned broadly and said in a simple and honest way: "Based on what we've gained so far, it's not like we can't accept this godfather today, right?"
Emma couldn't help but chuckle at Lin Yue's reaction.

Only Pila would dare to speak to Lin Yue like that…

Lin Yue stared at the panel in disbelief, then touched the living machine that could carry his thoughts with a look of amazement and caution. The skin temperature was normal, and there was no machinery hidden under the body.

The most vulnerable flesh is more concealed than a panel.

However, Yajima expressed some regret, "In fact, we did not crack the Night Clan's technology. We only made modifications. This thing can change biological characteristics according to our will—this kind of technology that combines manipulation programs with the body is too difficult. We are just users, not those who comprehend it."

While looking at his gift, Lin Yue comforted Yajima: "AI... this thing is the result of AI iteration outside the Black Wall. If we could understand it, why would we hide behind the Black Wall?"

Yajima's expression relaxed considerably upon hearing this.

Just as Lin Yue was eager to try it out, Yajima suddenly spoke—

"Don't rush, kid. There's something else you'll find even more interesting. We seem to have inadvertently obtained what those astronauts accumulated over three years..."

For a moment, both Lin Yue and Emma looked at Yajima.

Emma, ​​in particular, frowned slightly, clearly unaware of the situation as well…

……

……

(End of this chapter)