Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 522: Encountering death in a foreign country
The so-called Freedom Front operates under a banner that seems utterly absurd.

The company had controlled Warsaw for so long that it had become a mess, not to mention the local bureaucracy... The whole of Poland had actually benefited from Arasaka's influence far more than a little.

As the saying goes, the more you know, the more pessimistic you become. At least, the information on the coffee table was more reassuring to Lucy than not knowing at all.

This is the corrupt system that those rock 'n' roll kids who talk about freedom sing about—corporate dictatorship.

"Freedom and elections."

This is what the Freedom Front wants to do…

They believe that the Warsaw local government's lack of intervention and the fact that the entire Warsaw armed forces are backed by Arasaka's financial support have made the country no different from a puppet state.

All they want is to realize their own will.

From this perspective, Johnny's method seems better; at least it cuts through the mess quickly.

Lin Yue put down the papers in his hand. The people of the Freedom Front looked much better than the living dead in District D, who were like withered trees. Here, it was dark and disease was rampant. Most of the people of the Freedom Front were able to enjoy education and support from Russia and the Soviet Union.

High judgment.

Lin Yue sized up the man in front of him. Sasha's expression was unnatural... Of course, it wasn't because she had revealed her identity, but because she had made a mistake in the factory that Arasaka had carefully disguised. The gravity field caused the entire ACPA to go into self-repair, and at the same time, it almost delayed things.

However, the expected harshness did not occur. Lin Yue spoke to the man, saying, "Thank you for your help. Without your sudden intervention, my men might have been hindered by that thing. Also, I would like to repay your organization for pursuing freedom."

No matter what, it's always good to say thank you.

Lin Yue pushed the chip over and waited for the man's reaction.

The man glanced at the chip, his grinning expression never fading. "I'm not here to ask for money, buddy. You know we're not locals from Warsaw. Of course... the people dissatisfied with the company taking to the streets were indeed incited by us."

"I think... this place is best left alone for you guys—"

Lin Yue asked with a smile.

"Not suitable?"

"A complete hacker team, cybernetic equipment you've never seen before, do you think we're from the company?"

However, the man shrugged noncommittally, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. As for whether you are a company or not, we don't care. We only know that you definitely want all these Warsaw Arasaka bastards to be wiped out, so I came."

Let's talk, friend.

“My good brother once said that anyone who has the least power to protect themselves but has incredibly loyal subordinates must possess extraordinary wisdom.”

"Take Saburo Arasaka, for example, who died in Night City. I heard that guy didn't undergo any modifications at all... You're the same way. Do you upper-class people all like to use biological repair-like technologies to ensure your health?"

Such a frank conversation was unexpected for Lin Yue.

However, in the eyes of men, this was indeed the case. The modifications to Lin Yue's body could be described as frail... Apart from the brain-computer interface and an access chamber that seemed to only support network access, the pollution and germs in this place alone could kill this guy.

The rooms in this bar seem to have a purification system; hopefully, this important person's synthetic lungs can withstand the pungent smells outside.

"We just want to get what we deserve in District D, like money and stuff... To be frank, I am indeed hostile to Arasaka, and the current chaos is to my advantage, so this money is a token of my gratitude."

"Also, I'd like to know who your influential people are, so we can provide assistance and support."

Lin Yue frankly told everything.

Although the other party seems carefree, they are actually incredibly meticulous.

"What did you get at that power plant? Do you need someone else to stir up trouble for you?"

In the phrase.

These words made Lucy stop smoking, and she stared intently at the man with a chilling gaze, while glancing back and forth at Lin Yue a few times—

"So you're not some kind of Russian or Soviet wanderers?"

No one expected the man to lie comfortably on the sofa: 'Hmm, as you can see, I'm just a deliveryman for the company.'

"Damn it..."

Lucy's swearing seemed a bit too loud.

"Hey? Beautiful lady, I'm not deaf, okay?"

Sasha, on the other hand, was visibly flustered.

It's important to understand that the sensitive force they've been avoiding since arriving in Warsaw is the company, whether it's Arasaka or any other company—after all, in everyone's perception, only V and David, who haven't yet made any moves, are in cahoots.

"Are you with the company?"

Sasha bared her teeth like a stressed cat, and the pink blade of the 'Ripper' prosthetic arm suddenly extended from her hand.

"Hey Hey hey!"

"I came here partly to see who the boss is behind all you big shots, but mostly it's because of you!" the man said nonchalantly in Russian. "Just like the girls from our area, tsk tsk..."

Seeing this extremely amusing scene, Lin Yue guessed that those guys outside, fighting to the death with the Arasaka police in the freezing rain, probably didn't know that their backers were the very company they hated.

From this perspective...

It's necessary to let Lucy do it.

Lin Yue doesn't need a scoundrel like Maklov who throws tantrums.

The guy opposite her is a cunning old fox; he's known for his loose tongue, but his eyes have been constantly watching Rin.

"Since we've mentioned companies, we have to talk about our company name." The man casually extended his hand. "Regardless, remember my words: 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'"

"The advanced cybernetic implants on those two girls under your command are hard to believe they weren't from the company, right? Aside from those roughnecks among the homeless—"

"cut!"

"They don't want to come to the city to suffer."

After the man finished speaking at length, he continued to move his suspended hand closer to Lin Yue, "Girafa, you may have heard of... well, how should I put it—in short, in the eyes of Su Petrochemical and the European Community, we are a stupid company."

"Our boss doesn't like money, he just likes running the company. Look at the recent cases of people in Poland, like Ara-saka, who have been suffering from headaches and fevers... That's why we launched our unwavering harassment campaign in the dead of winter."

"It's quite amusing to find that kid Takeda disgusting."

Lucy clenched the cigarette even tighter in her mouth.

The man then held up a finger and added, "Tsk, I don't know why, but you really look like one of Takeda's gang!"

Lin Yue smiled.

Clearly, no one has made any moves since this guy uttered the three words "Girafa".

Girafa's machinery helped Night City's Pacifica and Heywood achieve order and stability, and all of it was available for rent at extremely low cost with free technical interfaces, making it adaptable to various engineering scenarios.

"Girafa?"

Lin Yue asked again.

The man didn't understand why the guy in front of him had to ask another question. Helpless, he raised his prosthetic arm, which was getting sore. "Girafa, my name is Vladimir. I won't say my name—it's always good to keep things mysterious."

The two hackers exchanged a glance. Rin always wore that strange smile whenever he was about to do something. Lin Yue grabbed the guy's hand and shook it a few times. As the other man smiled with satisfaction, he said, "Don't go, Vladimir."

The man paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean, buddy?"

Lin Yue continued to hold the man's prosthetic hand. "I still have a good impression of the people of Gilafa. Let someone influential talk to me... It'll kill two birds with one stone. On one hand, it will confirm your identity, and on the other hand, it will allow you to meet someone more influential. We want to reach a cooperation agreement in one step."

"Ideally... your boss should have heard of us."

"Of course, rumors are just rumors. You'll have to stay here for a while. Also, please rest assured that we will provide you with the best food, drink, and accommodation here. You just need to stay for a few days."

Without a word, Sasha's chillingly sharp fingernails pressed against the man's neck.

"Here's the money, thank you for saving my life."

The man spread his hands. "How do you guys treat your best buddies?"

Lin Yue waved his hand, confident that the man's conversation would attract the attention of the high-ranking officials of Girafa, whom Emma had already met, and that this would likely cause a sensation in Europe.

It would be easy to take down Takeda by himself, but when Yorihiro got involved in the mess afterwards, Lin Yue wanted to minimize the trouble for him.

"I suggest you let me go, otherwise when I get out, all these people who didn't know the truth and helped us make trouble will probably be finished, really!"

Without a word, Lucy threw away her cigarette butt and picked up the guy who had been jumping around like a madman, who had triggered her anger several times. In addition, the quick solution to the limitation of the prosthetic body's function made the guy complain endlessly.

"Oh shit!"

"Adam's hammer will eventually wipe out our people, and when they find our network hidden in Warsaw... the consequences will be unimaginable."

"How about this, buddy, if you won't let go until you see someone from Gilafa... how about trying to contact the Russian Soviet Union? Anyway, I have a lot of things to take care of."

"Do you know how many people that bastard killed in the streets yesterday?!"

"Hundreds upon hundreds... there are so many corpses we couldn't move them all. How come this guy isn't dead? I heard he's dead in Night City!"

However, the man who was being grabbed by the arm and kept yelling was completely oblivious to the strange expressions on the three people's faces.

Sasha blinked, clearly not understanding how this "long-lost" legend had appeared here either; the guy's lie seemed rather clumsy.

Lucy, on the other hand, had a look on her face that said, "You'll say anything to run away," and wished she could stuff cotton balls in his mouth.

Lin Yue, on the other hand, had a somewhat gloomy expression.

Because only he knew that Lai Xuan and he hadn't kept Adam's body... The only people who could have that ability were Michiko and Hanako.

Is the rumor true?

Earlier, some people said that Adam and Morgan died in the explosion, but there were countless hammers, and no one knows if it was the original one.

According to the previous ranking of Night City lone wolves, the number one lone wolf was Blackhand, and the number two was Hammer... Hammer is still alive, but Blackhand is dead. However, the organization behind them that wants this kind of power is unwilling to let go of the genes and lives of these top assassins.

Do you have counterfeit military technology, but Arasaka doesn't?
“I’m sorry, we can’t find Gilafa across regions via the network, but I can assure you… my people will work with you to check if Adam Hammer is still alive. But before that, we need to decipher what we got at the power plant step by step. This is information that has been giving Takeda a headache for a long time.”

"As long as you stay within sight, when Gilafa's people arrive, you'll be free naturally."

Is this a worthwhile deal?

The man kept glancing at the ordinary-looking young man in front of him.

This guy's train of thought jumps around so wildly. Just a moment ago he was saying he was about to be imprisoned, and now he's asking a hacker team for help and trying to solve the power plant's data problems…

"It's not worth it, unless you're an idiot..."

The man murmured something.

Sasha chuckled.

His expression immediately turned serious, and he became the most serious "soldier" at Mama's Bar.

Lucy grabbed the idiot's wrist and said, "Speak properly, okay?"

"Ouch, be gentle! You have to tell me why, right?"

The man grimaced and begged Lucy for mercy, his eyes filled with confusion.

"The name Gilafa is enough. With the global corporate conference approaching, Night City will once again be in the spotlight. I just hope that a company like this won't collapse."

After saying this, Lin Yue didn't give the guy a chance to refuse. He stuffed the substantial bonus from the coffee table into the guy's pocket and patted it.

"No, are your people just controlling me to find Adam's Hammer like this?"

The man kept complaining.

Lin Yue gestured to them to release the person.

"If you dare to make any trouble, you're dead!"

Lucy snorted coldly.

In any case, the members of Rin's team could never figure out what this guy was thinking. They always felt that he was like a meticulous machine, always able to find the right and precise direction to enter the chaos no matter what.

Like the God's-eye view in a game?
“After releasing Vladimir, you can discuss the details of the intelligence. Also, disclose to him what we have obtained.”

Without any questioning, Sasha casually took a chip from the side pocket of the pink black customer service representative and tossed it to the guy.

"Friendly reminder: there are roaming AIs inside!"

She deliberately lowered her voice when she said this.

The man was startled. After all, the girl's prosthetic body was incredibly powerful, yet she was still nearly crushed to death in the factory by Arasaka's tight security. This thing might actually be—

Seeing Lin Yue's expression, it seemed as if he had confirmed the news.

"It's fake, it's a joke, it's not a roaming AI."

The man breathed a sigh of relief.

After Lucy finished speaking, she continued, "The virus outside the Black Wall was dug up by Takeda and his henchmen, whom you mentioned. And Arasaka dug up quite a lot of things. You should be prepared."

At this moment, Lin Yue delivered the final blow to the man with the bitter face, who was unsure whether to believe the information.

"That guy has gotten stronger, hasn't he?"

"Our intelligence is worth the deal. Once we confirm the situation, you provide the men, and we'll let Adam meet his doom in the European Community with a heavy hammer..."

The man slapped his thigh.

"what?"

"You act like you're the guy who killed him on the Badlands. I heard he died in a company siege, right? Apparently, he betrayed Arasaka and was surrounded by both the military technology and Arasaka families."

Lin Yue secretly rubbed his forehead; it seemed like the two families were joining forces against him.

However, it's pointless to engage in verbal sparring now; Lin Yue prefers to earn his partners' trust through concrete actions.

(End of this chapter)