Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 502 The Beginning (The Departure of the European Community)
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Lin Yue keenly sensed the unusual nature of this surname.

What impressed him most was Xu Zhi, Arasaka's special assistant, and also his hometown in what seemed to be a parallel world—the birthplace of Kangtao, whose founder also seemed to have this surname.

Kang Tao's search for Night City mercenaries at this critical juncture... Lin Yue now understands the burden of having a reputation.

"company?"

Lin Yue felt that Kang Tao's involvement might make things more complicated, so after exchanging an almost imperceptible glance with Roger, he chose to "pretend" and said, "I'm really sorry, Ms. Xu..."

When pronouncing the surname, Lin Yue even made a slight Western-style awkwardness, "You may have made a wasted trip, because before you came through this door, I just said something detrimental to the company—what's that crime again? Defaming the company, causing damage to the company's reputation... Would a large company like yours be willing to cooperate with anti-company elements?"

"The stones from other mountains can be used to polish jade... It is not unacceptable to use someone else's knife to kill someone."

The woman seemed unfazed by the rejection, and instead sat down gracefully. "Didn't Mr. K also use Arasaka's help? Does that mean you have a second set of standards when it comes to Kang Tao?"

Sharp-tongued and quick-witted, Kang Tao's women were no pushovers; Lin Yue couldn't refute this, at least for a company of Kang Tao's size, investigating certain matters was incredibly easy.

Lin Yue smiled slightly and spoke calmly and helplessly in the somewhat somber atmosphere of the private room, "Alright, I think Miss Xu may not have understood what I meant. I... do not intend to take on the company's work. I thought my reasoning just now was clear to you."

The woman's reaction was irrelevant; what mattered was that the expressions of the Comtôme soldiers and agents clearly turned hostile.

Thank goodness this is the afterlife; if I were talking to a company dog ​​like that on the street, I'd probably lose a few teeth.

The woman's reaction clearly restrained the actions of the ruthless assassins. She merely glanced behind her, and Lin Yue was only facing a few guys who wanted to tear this presumptuous mercenary to pieces... But after all, this guy had personally caused the destruction of the Ye Clan, so she didn't hear his insolent remarks.

The woman seemed to be chuckling softly.

"You can work with Arasaka, but not with Kangtao. Does that mean that the most popular and well-known lone wolf in Night City is only working for certain companies? If that's the case, you're no different from Morgan Blackhand or Adam Hammer."

It's just that it's hard to get along with people from my hometown.

Lin Yue complained bitterly.

This woman was full of military tactics, using every trick in the book to sow discord, but for now, Lin Yue didn't plan to reply.

However, the woman surnamed Xu simply reached out her sickly pale hand, picked up the wine glass, poured herself a drink without hesitation in front of Roger, and downed it in one gulp. "Kantau is the only company in the world that is controlled by a system. Isn't that... enough to make Mr. K interested?"

"The Night City branch's actions are simply to suit your style."

Everyone present except Lin Yue was completely baffled by this statement.

The woman was only saying things that the guy in front of her could understand…

As expected, the somewhat impatient legendary rock star's expression darkened slightly. The woman added at the opportune moment, "Kantau won't force your service company. We'll cooperate on an equal footing. If your ambitions include destroying Kangtao, then let's see what you can do—"

"You still need the company right now, don't you?"

At this point, Lin Yue raised his hand to interrupt.

He thought for a moment, then said to Roger and his teammates, "May I speak with this Ms. Xu alone?"

Except for Roger, who showed no concern whatsoever, everyone else left the private room, glancing back every few steps. The woman quietly watched the man in front of her, whose intelligence, as revealed in the investigation, was completely mismatched with that of a street urchin, and a smile spread across her face.

"Speak... I bet you've been watching me for a long time."

Lin Yue's gaze was sharp.

This woman is really bold. Lin Yue could have easily taken action against her, but for now, he didn't have a complete grasp of Kang Tao's overall attitude or his own information, so he sat still and listened to her.

"Yes, Mr. K, you rose to prominence in Santo Domingo, but no other city has a figure as famous as you. We don't need to elaborate on our speculations. I just want to remind you, Mr. K, that besides Arasaka, there are companies that have started implementing a network revival plan. They are training soldiers to design offline devices. Night City, this gateway, still needs to be defended."

The people of Kangtao are very skilled at the art of conversation; they never reveal how they obtained the information, but instead offer a taste of what's to come.

Lin Yue nodded.

The conversation then cut straight to Kang Tao's request: "What do you want me to do?"

Perhaps not expecting the man who had been beating around the bush to be so sensible, the woman paused for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Mr. K is really a good fit for cooperation—to put it simply, Kangtao needs a powerful assistant who can break away from the company to teach other uncontrolled enterprises a lesson, and that's exactly what you're looking for."

"Furthermore, I must point out something here, Mr. K... Your cooperation with Arasaka is ultimately like seeking a tiger's skin. A road without instructions is never easy to travel, and Kangtao can provide that."

Lin Yue had not expected Kang Tao's demands to be so empty, but he could detect a hint of cynicism in his words.

He didn't care about the system of his "hometown" in this parallel world. In Lin Yue's own view, this world was already sick, and only a complete reshuffling could create a sliver of opportunity.

"Saving human civilization? Your reasons for eliminating your competitors are too crude... If you want me to trust you completely, at least show some sincerity."

The other person immediately fell silent.

Lin Yue needed a reason to convince his Night City teammates, and he also needed Kang Tao to align with his overall interests in uniting with Arasaka. At least in Lin Yue's view, few companies would agree to this goal, because he and Lai Xuan were both madmen.

He slaughtered his enemies with a knife, then turned to his own madness.

The contradiction lies in the fact that Lin Yue doesn't even know if Lai Xuan will faithfully follow the established path once he has a good hand, and he even doubts whether he can hold on to the future. Yet, he now has to face another giant in this world...

Who is truly capable of shouldering this great responsibility?
Perhaps the silence was about to erode the trust in this meeting. The woman surnamed Xu sighed softly, and the spoiler on her face, meant to interfere with any imaging function of the prosthetic eye, was deactivated…

Lin Yue's expression froze slightly as he looked at the woman who had looked up.

It must be said that Eastern aesthetics best suit Lin Yue. His high-piled hair and oval face are a perfect match, giving him a Taoist air. Two strands of hair flutter slightly on the sides of his gently curved face, and his slightly lowered eyebrows are full of worry. Below his snow-white, swan-like neck are dark gold prosthetic patterns.

For some reason, Lin Yue seemed to see the ingenuity of classical aesthetics through these details.

It wasn't her beauty that caused Lin Yue's expression to change, but rather that familiar aura...

"Xu Zhi is my uncle."

The woman looked at people with an air of indifference, yet also sincerity… Lin Yue couldn’t quite describe this strange quality.

No wonder.

It turned out to be Xu Zhi.

Lin Yue finally understood why Xu Zhi went to Kang Tao's headquarters. Lai Xuan probably figured it out as well, which is why he sent Xu Zhi as an envoy, thus preventing the biggest variable hidden in the cyber war from taking any rash actions.

Now that things had come to this, Lin Yue knew that the other party was being polite by calling him K, and that they probably knew his background.

The woman slightly reached out her hand, and to Lin Yue's astonishment, the wine glass seemed to have an invisible connection with her palm, sliding out of thin air all the way to Lin Yue's front!

Oh shit…

Lin Yue clenched his fists suddenly.

A setting he hadn't paid any attention to suddenly popped into his mind... These fellow countrymen from the parallel world seem to know qigong! "This is a heart-to-heart drink between us. Kangtao's business will continue to operate normally in North America. Outsiders won't see any difference, but... I'm the one in charge."

"Kantau's vision has always been to unite like-minded people to achieve the goals we need to reach together... We have experienced the growing pains of corporate power and anticipated the dangers of such a monster as a company overriding the system, which is why we approached you."

Lin Yue felt a sharp pain in his head.

Kangtao…

It was precisely at this moment, precisely at this company that he subconsciously didn't know how to deal with, that Lin Yue's performance caused him to waver slightly.

This is the destructive power of one's hometown.

Even though this wasn't the China he knew, he still wanted to know what kind of environment Kangtao was in now.

Does this mean that Kangtao also needs to eliminate himself?

"Xu Rujun".

The woman looked at the glass of wine and stood up. "Not everything in this world is a choice. Time will prove that we are equally suitable for cooperation... Offering help in times of need is far better than adding to someone's success. This is an unchanging truth in investment. But... if a gem is obscured, there's nothing we can do about it."

"Lai Xuan wants Arakawa to rule this world. Are you sure you can suppress him?"

The woman named Xu Rujun had a calm voice, but it made people feel uneasy.

Lin Yue had no idea when the woman left, but a lively business card on the table kept flashing, and the glass of wine that was pushed towards him by a mysterious force made Lin Yue break out in a cold sweat.

But he quickly came to terms with it. He could live several lifetimes, so what was there that he couldn't accept?
As long as "I am still me", I can continue down this path.

Lin Yue, almost unconsciously, put away the business card. As he fiddled with the cold, hard object in his hand, he was certain that Kang Tao was unaware of Lai Xuan's purpose. In a way, Lai Xuan's acting skills were incredibly versatile; unless one had a higher-dimensional perspective, no one would suspect that he was planning to use Arasaka as a self-destructive bomb.

Being studied isn't necessarily a bad thing.

At least Kang Tao didn't take any rash actions. Lin Yue muttered, "Looks like we'll have Emma and V investigate Xu Rujun and Kang Tao..."

During this period, besides being online, he would still be active in Night City when he was offline. After all, the various issues in Night City had not been completely resolved, and Lin Yue still had time.

Kang Tao's sudden appearance did indeed slightly disturb my state of mind.

However, to be on the safe side, Lin Yue did not want to become a tool for the company to eliminate enemies. At least for a company of Kangtao's size, even the slightest advantage would continue to expand. Right now, he wanted to ensure that the first stop of his European trip would not encounter any problems.

Just as Lin Yue was about to let Luo Ge and the others in to arrange things for the next period of time, the communication system received a text message from an unknown number.

[Unfamiliar Message]: Please give my regards to my uncle. He will tell you something, provided that... he trusts you enough.

Lin Yue knew, of course, who sent it.

It wasn't difficult for Xu Rujun, who clearly held a high position in Kangtao, to send a text message into her own communication system. But what puzzled Lin Yue was why a woman who was clearly related to Xu Zhi would ask him to convey her regards to Xu Zhi.
So weird.

Lin Yue chose to remain silent.

There are too many things to do right now, and this matter can only be dealt with after we wake up from the first deep dive. Nothing can stop it.

After Roger and his teammates came in, he naturally started to make a big show of it, saying that he would deal with some issues recently and that KIA would resume performances as usual after a while. At that time, "Fire Source" would not only spread throughout the streets and alleys of Night City, but also create a storm of resistance against the company in North America.

Looking at this group of excited rock kids, Roger felt that a certain rock kid who had almost died in his memory might be able to resonate with them, but that guy had become a cold, lifeless name on the next life's wine list.

Forget it, he has no manners anyway, he might ruin the band again...

……

When the Osprey helicopter whipped up a fierce gale.

Lin Yue stopped and watched as the group of people who did not belong to Arasaka gathered under strict secrecy measures.

The slender woman, who once only thought about gaining status in Night City and washing away her past, has somehow developed a warrior's aura.

As a hacker, Qiwei is not outstanding at all, but... she made the right choices in her life under the interference of certain people. She also violated her own vow to "not trust anyone". It is obvious that it was trust and choice that made Qiwei grow into a balanced and steady hacker leader.

The rest of the Dreamers were all handpicked by Emma. They weren't at Suzuki's level, but they were all top-notch. Lin Yue didn't see them off as the company's leader; he simply stood in the crowd and watched them board the plane.

However, Qiwei and the cute-haired girl beside her continued to wait.

After a long while, V extended his finger and made a rotating gesture to indicate waiting, then strode away to dismiss the relevant personnel.

"If they won't leave... go and talk to them properly."

Lin Yue saw the hint of schadenfreude in V's eyes. The two people who had stopped in the distance saw the people V had brought. Qi Wei immediately turned around and walked towards the plane, but before entering the cabin, she glanced back slightly. She saw a strange-looking guy in the distance in the park. He had long arms and a mohawk and looked furtive.

She chuckled softly and disappeared into the cabin.

Amidst the roar of the engine, the girl looked at the newcomer and paused for a moment. She was no longer a mercenary from Night City, and there were certain rules she had to follow... but she still wanted to see the person she most wanted to see before leaving, even though her teammates were waiting.

"I saw my sister."

Sasha said so.

Lin Yue nodded, surprised that Sasha understood his words. After seeing her family, Stella felt more confident in the NCPD. Lin Yue knew that Stella had spent a lot of time in Night City investigating her sister's whereabouts in the past few years, and had almost caught Dreamer by the skin of her teeth several times.

"Be careful."

Lin Yue was completely unaware of the strange device on the girl's right hand.

The girl took another step forward, V's silhouette faintly visible in the distance, but she still restrained herself...

Strangely enough, the distance seemed to foreshadow its own inevitable defeat.

"I got my ACPA."

Lin Yue was taken aback for a moment, and the girl slowly backed away. "See you next time."

Decisive, without any actions that would be difficult for Lin Yue and V to handle, as if she were growing wildly in a corner that Lin Yue hadn't noticed.

"Well, see you next time."

The plane, located in Dreamer's, slowly took off. Lin Yue watched quietly as the plane transformed into a black dot in the sky above the densely packed Night City floating vehicles, like a punctuation mark foreshadowing the beginning of a wonderful chapter.

……

……

(End of this chapter)