Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 54 Blood Money [2.9K Reads Requested]

It was a good dream.

Lin Yue hadn't slept this soundly in a long time.

He opened his eyes. Old Wei's room was dimly lit... Yesterday, after he hid the prosthetic faceplate at the dog town's hideout, he came to Old Wei's place to inspect it without stopping.

Lin Yue felt relaxed and instantly felt full of energy.

No wonder players love "Old Wei Tou" (Old Wei Tou). It's not just his sincerity, but more importantly, Old Wei's craftsmanship is meticulous. He can't tolerate any flaws in the installation or system of the prosthetic body, and he's always worried that the prosthetic bodies of the children who come to him will have problems.

"woke up?"

Old Vie walked over, his Valentino gang tattoo on his arm possessing a rugged beauty.

Lin Yue nodded and sat up, supporting himself with his arms.

"Thank you, Old Wei, really. Although calling you that might be a bit... presumptuous of you, Dogtown is a rough place, and prosthetics have a lot of problems, so thank you for your hard work all night."

Old Wei adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and smiled warmly, "I hope you'll immediately think of me, 'Old Wei,' when your prosthetic body malfunctions."

Lin Yue looked at the data popped up by the system inspection. It was all done in an orderly manner. The rough parts had been carefully repaired, and even some of the prosthetic skin that had lost strength had been grafted with new skin.

wrong--

[Pain Editor]...[Legend]?
Lin Yue: ? ? ?
The prosthetic body's capacity remains unchanged, yet it has become legendary. What's going on? You know, a legendary pain editor can reduce damage by 10% by smoothing out pain!

However, the code for the prosthetic body is still the same as before.

"Uh, old man, why is my pain editor..."

Lin Yue didn't know how to describe it. Surely Lao Wei and the others wouldn't give prosthetic bodies a rating like "legendary," would they?

Old Wei nodded, sliding the chair under him to let him see the computer screen next to the operating table. "You got a bargain. This is what so many street urchins dream of—they're all counting on this to strengthen their immune system and withstand a few bullets. Most doctors use the hacked version of the company's prosthetic program."

"I happen to have an external device here to reinstall the program, and now it's finally really working. Otherwise, you could only use it as a trial version."

Old Wei?
No, no, no… He's a father figure now, otherwise why would he do such a detailed job for you?

Lin Yue felt his nose getting hot, and he felt a little overwhelmed by the concern shown to him.

“Since you know V, he is naturally a kid I need to take seriously—it’s okay, no extra money.”

Lin Yue didn't want to appear too affected, so he scratched the back of his head and kept grinning foolishly.

"Come down and walk around. If you want to stay a little longer, you can sit down. If you have something to do, go ahead and take care of it... I need to watch the latest episode of the boxing match replay."

As they were talking, Lao Wei sat down in front of the computer and watched the boxers sparring passionately on the screen.

Lin Yue flexed his fingers and looked around, noticing an electric guitar on Lao Wei's other operating table.

"Old Wei, you can even repair musical instruments?"

Old Wei glanced at the electric guitar in the distance and laughed, "Yesterday, a rock kid got shot by a fan of another bar band. He didn't make it, and his instrument is just sitting here."

Lin Yue rubbed his hands together excitedly.

It's been a long time since I've played. During my university years, he even played in a rock band in the art troupe. It was a group of passionate young guys who played all kinds of songs with their friends, including domestic rock and other songs that they were interested in.

He bent down, plugged in the power cord, connected the pickups, wiped the blood off the electric guitar, and began strumming the strings—

Old Wei was taken aback.

"You know how to play this?"

Lin Yue strummed his fingers, producing a simple electric guitar solo.

Old Wei raised an eyebrow and clapped his hands. "Wow, I bet you're the most reckless of all the rock kids—you shouldn't stop."

Lin Yue smiled. It wasn't that he deliberately stopped playing, but rather that Lin's number had received a call. Lin Yue could only helplessly put down his instrument, point to his phone, and thank Lao Wei before answering the call.

Old Wei nodded and continued watching his boxing match.

"Hey?"

Lin Yue thought it was An Qi who was urging him, but he didn't expect that the person on the other end of the holographic phone was a woman in her fifties.

"Thank God, someone finally answered the phone. It took me ages to get your number, the new middleman."

Lin Yue's face was hidden in the darkness. "How shall I address you, ma'am?"

"Mrs. Celias, that's what everyone in the neighborhood calls me."

Lin Yue: "Tell me about your troubles: intercepting goods, rescuing people, wrangling and arguing—all of these can be resolved."

"No, I want to ask you, Mr. Rin, if you could help me investigate the cause of someone's death?"

Lin Yue was taken aback. "Could you elaborate?"

“My child, the soldier of the Hound of the Underworld—[Otto Celias]—was killed and dumped in the canals of Dogtown, as well as the neighbors around here… There was a woman, now a widow, who was drowned in the bathroom yesterday.”

"Her husband, [Zirf Seno], was a junior officer, and he's also been missing for a long time." In that instant, Lin Yue's mind was struck dumb...

The feeling was more like being ground down on one's heart with a dull knife. Although Lin Yue's soul had entered the body of some unlucky guy, the memories of those two "good-for-nothing friends" were still vivid in his mind.

It's hard to say whether it's good or bad, it just feels really bad.

Actually, when Lin Yue called to ask where Otto was, he had a bad feeling and thought that the Ghost Hound was blocking information because it didn't recognize him.

It seems that Hansen has dealt with all the people involved in that shipment.

For the sake of profit, pawns must be sacrificed; this is the operating principle of the Hansen Kingdom in Dogtown.

The reason he can still roam around Dogtown is because Hans is protecting him out of fear that he will cause trouble and end up with the colonel. After all, if Lin Yue gets into trouble, Hans will also get into trouble.

Lin Yue: "Do you know why they got into trouble?"

The reply came from the other end: "My son told me that 'Sino tricked him.' Sino had asked him to prepare for a business deal, but that day he sent me a message saying 'The boss found out about me' and then cut off contact. Damn it... I don't know what happened."

Seeing that Lin Yue remained silent, the woman on the other end became even more anxious. "I have three thousand euros here. Can you find a reliable mercenary to help me resolve this? I just want an explanation!"

Three thousand euros... Ironically, Sino also died on a bill of just ten thousand euros.

Lin Yue just didn't expect that Sino had tried to drag Otto into the mess.

In Dogtown, the price of a human life has never seemed to be high.

Lin Yue remained silent for a long time, then took a deep breath and said, "Madam, one of the Ghost Hound's shipments has run into trouble, and they must have been caught up in it. You know that guy in Dogtown, he's good at handling the aftermath... so that's all I can tell you about this. As for Zilf Seno, I'd like to ask who he is to you?"

“Sino is my son’s good brother. They are both young men who were expelled from the Night City gangs... Oh right, there’s also a young man named Lin Yue who has gone missing. He was on good terms with Otto.”

Lin Yue said in a slightly deep voice, "I suggest you stop asking about this and just take your money and continue living your life well—after all, being a Ghost Hound isn't a safe job."

"Is that so... Hehe, okay, thank you for the information—but how much is the reward for this information?" The woman on the other end seemed relieved and smiled with a hint of despair.

Lin Yue sighed almost imperceptibly, "No money needed. Take care of yourself, ma'am."

The woman on the other end said "God bless your husband" in Spanish and then hung up the phone.

Lin Yue sat on the operating table for a while before he composed himself, picked up his weapons and equipment, and smiled as he said goodbye to Old Wei. On his way out, he stopped at a cash withdrawal point in Little Chinatown, got 10,000 euros, and tossed it onto the passenger seat.

Driving his beat-up MAN van, Lin Yue stared blankly at the dazzling city: here, there always seemed to be an endless struggle beating in the pulse of the city.

……

Dogtown.

Mrs. Celias wrapped her coat tightly around herself; underneath was a cold pistol.

She took a deep breath and slowly walked to the place where her son had been found, where a group of hounds were patrolling the road.

Otto, you young boy, you got into trouble in Night City, but your mother never blamed you.

The work of the Ghost Hounds has earned us scorn and insults, but I know you've grown up and know how to build a career for yourself.

The world is too small, there's nowhere for us to fit in; yet the world is also too big, so big that it's like this everywhere.

Alright, Otto, close your eyes and get some sleep.

May God bless you.

She pulled a pistol from her bosom.

In his mind's eye, the young ghost dog, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, stood frozen in place, staring at the despairing woman.

The woman's hand was lightly pressed on the trigger, but then she hesitated.

He really looks like Otto.

Mrs. Celias lost her last chance, and she closed her eyes.

The slightly more mature-looking captain next to the soldier kicked the stunned recruit aside, and his shotgun fired. The powerful bullet sent the woman flying several meters away, and a dilapidated van screeched to a halt.

The woman slammed her head against the passenger door, and bright red blood splattered into the car, slowly spreading across the pale euro bills.

……
-
【Zirf Seno】: An original ghost dog officer in this book, and the protagonist's original body's drinking buddy.

【Otto Celias】: The ghost hound that the protagonist absorbs with all its might at the start.

　I thought about this chapter for a while, but I decided to post it anyway.

　　I know what readers have been saying: the pacing shouldn't be too slow, so I've combined the content of the two chapters together.

　　Rock Boys is an extremely important part of the 2020 board game to 2077 game setting. Rock punk expresses resistance, anger, and unity. Whether it is Johnny, Kerry, or the three fierce sisters, music is the embodiment of thought and has the power to rally. The protagonist will also be involved in this storyline, so foreshadowing is laid in advance.

　　Otto and Seno are original characters I created. I like to create my own plot and drive the story forward. Of course, the original main storyline will be changed, and the protagonist will not be awkwardly integrated into the storyline. Otherwise, everyone might as well play games or watch anime. This chapter is a farewell to the past of the Ghost Hound.

　　It depends on everyone's reaction. If you feel it's too simplistic or uncomfortable, I'll tone it down a bit. After all, cyberpunk isn't something you can portray well just by fighting gangs (laughs).

　　
　
(End of this chapter)