Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 542 Alternative Methods [5K]

"The riots in Warsaw have finally been temporarily quelled thanks to the efforts of the Arasaka security forces."

"According to conservative estimates, the direct economic losses caused to the entire city of Warsaw by the Freedom Front riots have reached at least one billion euros!"

Warsaw Television broadcast political news from atop a towering skyscraper; the female anchor's expression on the screen was perfectly controlled, seemingly one of deep sorrow—

"An Arasaka spokesperson said that the counterintelligence department played an indispensable role in this operation, once again demonstrating Arasaka's corporate philosophy of maintaining local security and stability."

Lin Yue stood on the roof of a slum building where the snow had not yet been cleared. Listening to the sanctimonious speech, his hand holding the cigarette paused, and a hint of disdain appeared on his smile.

As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy and you will never be defeated." Besides waiting for news from Lucy, Lin Yue was also busy. Having just tried to contact David, he was now waiting for an opportunity to meet up.

"Awaited."

The iron gate of the stairwell behind me creaked open, and the crunching sound of the snow accompanied a familiar yet more mature voice.

Lin Yue turned his head and saw David, whose demeanor seemed to have changed drastically. He couldn't suppress the satisfied look on his face.

"It seems that David, that reckless kid from Night City, is missing."

Lin Yue joked.

David scratched his head, his hands neatly placed in front of him due to the long hours of rigorous training. "It's so good to see you're alright. I heard some things about the New America, and I was quite shocked at first!"

Lin Yue was busy in Night City from beginning to end, so naturally he didn't pay attention to the rhetoric of those new American politicians.

It's quite a feat that Miles isn't hiding in the White House every day now, but Lin Yue didn't want to bring up this infuriating matter, so he changed the subject and asked, "How is Lucy now?"

When this topic came up, David's excited smile faded a bit, and his expression darkened slightly as he said, "Mr. Rin, if I may be so bold... this is too risky. Miss V is heavily guarded by the hackers in Warsaw. I only managed to find some clues during my solo operation. If Lucy is held captive by Takeda and her mother now... I'm afraid it's not impossible that Warsaw will restart all the dirty things they did on the internet before."

Lin Yue pursed his lips.

David's suggestion was perfectly reasonable, given his concern for his loved one.

Furthermore, during the process of Arasaka detaining Lucy, David must have repeatedly restrained his desire to rescue Lucy—it must have been quite difficult for him.

Lin Yue did not shirk responsibility; at least in his view, David was now a man.

“This plan is too risky, and I should have refused, but Lucy insisted because of her…family.”

Lin Yue finally spoke his mind.

After hearing about the family, David's expression changed from surprise to relief, indicating that he had learned about Lucy's heartache during his time with her.

"This guy is taking too many risks."

David secretly vowed to keep a close eye on Lucy's movements at the company when he got back, but that wasn't why he came today.

As he spoke, he took something out of his pocket, which was naturally the personnel information of the Arasaka Warsaw branch.

“Mr. Rin, I personally feel that the Freedom Front is not a good partner. The Far East’s Gilafa Company has been doing this for years, but most of the time it has not caused any trouble. This time it can be considered the most powerful action in recent years, but you know... Takeda has dealt a heavy blow.”

David recalled the man's mechanical expression, his face filled with apprehension. "Damn it, I haven't found any clues about the prosthetic body on that guy."

Lin Yue simply said, "I can handle this. Let's talk about things inside Warsaw now."

David, perhaps recalling the cyberattack he suffered that day, felt a surge of confidence amidst his heavy mood. "Yes, sir."

As Lin Yue could see, these documents contained information on prominent figures in Warsaw's current high-ranking officials and their subordinates who had emerged from the "stability maintenance" campaign. At this point, Lin Yue's objective was crystal clear.

That is to dismantle the enemy from within.

Lucy, on the other hand, can rely on the trump card given to her by Lin Yue to delve deeper into the investigation of what Warsaw has been able to gather online over the years.

"Wow, they're all big stars."

Looking at the information on the Lone Wolf and various high-level executives on the panel, Lin Yue realized that the people under Takeda Kenji, who ruled by his own hand, were still a group of guys with a strong tendency to overthrow their superiors, typical of Japanese corporate culture.

The so-called "big stars" are naturally the good lone wolves under these high-ranking officials, who were all guys who had made a name for themselves in Warsaw before. Obviously, the breakthrough point is these high-ranking officials and their "dirty" lone wolves.

People who come from the bottom often have unbreakable habits and relationships. Even powerful figures like Black Hand and Heavy Hammer have some connection with local gangs.

David looked somewhat embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Rin, all I can provide is this superficial personnel information. As you know, I’m being closely watched by the security department right now—the emails sent to me during the new round of evaluations seem to be reporting me to headquarters. Someone is unwilling to let the last operation in District D go easily.”

Lin Yue sneered.

David may not know that for a hacker of Lin Yue's caliber, big data is the most terrifying tool.

All he needs to know is the current state of the struggle within the Arasaka Warsaw branch and some of the key figures. That's enough. Once he's online, Lin Yue can find the crucial information, and interfering with it will be the easiest thing for him.

"Besides these, you must have learned something during your time working at Arasaka Tower, right? Like... gossip or something?"

What Lin Yue wanted to know was this, an internal power struggle that no company can escape.

David never expected that Lin Yue, who always had a serious expression, would be asking him gossip like this…

David's face twitched, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Well, I didn't hear any gossip, but there was a product kickback case before. Someone in Warsaw was playing a game of getting something for nothing with health products, and a lot of people died! But they were cleared out."

David looked up. "Look!"

As they were talking—

The news broadcast on the big screen had already ended; it was a pre-recorded video of some Arasaka executives speaking, spouting nothing but benevolence and morality.

Lin Yue was familiar with this operation, so he hadn't paid much attention to it earlier.

"What happened to that guy?"

David stared at the blurry figure behind the Arasaka Corporation executives; those standing in that position were usually security personnel.

"Demon."

"A notorious executioner from Warsaw, now working as Matthew's lackey. He's said to have a lot of blood on his hands, and was the leader of the group that used to cut kidneys."

Lin Yue didn't consider this information useless; sometimes, a sturdy dam collapses from the smallest ant hole.

"so?"

Lin Yue and David chatted like friends and family during their after-dinner tea time.

David's expression was exaggerated. "You've never seen anything like it. There really are guys in this world who think about eliminating villains in Ara-saka."

"Of course, I admire him very much!"

As they spoke, Lin Yue saw the message from David through his psychic eyes: a white-skinned man with obvious Caucasian features, the type of his implanted modification unidentifiable.

"Ivan, formerly known as 'Mr. Bomb' on the streets, was supposedly bribed by the higher-ups at Arasaka Medical because his mother had bone marrow cancer."

"Oh right, that unsolved case in the company involves Ivan. It's said he was framed, and with both old and new grudges, Ivan has wanted to kill the demon for a long time—but Takeda is still in power, and he punishes those who cause chaos within the company or rashly deal with their superiors very severely!"

Sometimes, the more someone fears something, the more strictly they control it.

Takeshi Takeda was terrified that his subordinates would ruin his business.

"That's all I know. I haven't made any connections in Warsaw, being an outsider..."

David's dejected expression prompted Lin Yue to slap him on the head with a mischievous grin. "That's enough. At least in front of Takeda, you're just a young guy who's only after profit and promotion. That's beyond my expectations, David! Well done."

"I've already got all the intelligence. As long as I'm safe, I'll take good care of Lucy and myself... Of course, don't worry about Lucy. What I've given her is enough to give Arasaka a hard time."

Lin Yue patted David on the shoulder.

The meeting reassured the uneasy young man. The TV tower in the distance was still broadcasting Arasaka's "great achievements." However, Lin Yue's "malicious" plan had already surfaced in his mind.

After his meeting with David, Lin Yue stayed in the car, using the high-powered network transmitter to navigate the ocean of the cyber network.

This deep dive into the internet didn't last long; Lin Yue eventually emerged from cyberspace with a strange expression.

David's words carried some personal bias. In Lin Yue's view, the company was nothing but scoundrels who worked for the interests of all parties. However, after Ivan's investigation, Lin Yue actually managed to dig up some information from these clues.

Since Takeda is so authoritarian, Lin Yue needs to make sure that Takeda's subordinates show even the slightest sign of disobedience.

The breakthrough point is "subordinates overthrowing superiors".

As for the news that made Lin Yue's expression turn playful after he emerged from cyberspace, it was that this Ivan was actually an anti-corporate figure in private... truly, the world is full of wonders. Uh...

It seems like I'm that kind of guy too.

“Ivan, I have so much evidence in my hands, this is really difficult.”

Lin Yue smacked his lips.

Anyone familiar with Lin Yue would be astonished. Although Lin Yue is ruthless, the angle of his attack this time was clearly much lower than expected.

Perhaps it was the retaliation from New America and Otto's comfort that made Lin Yue's methods begin to change slightly.

"Ivan, since we're going to do something good, shouldn't we do it together?"

As they spoke, the vehicle disappeared into the denser upper floors to the north, leaving Lin Yue no time for Takeda.

……

The night felt especially cold as the snow had not yet completely melted.

Ivan, who had descended from Arasaka Tower into the streets of the East District in a hovercar, wrapped himself tightly in his decent but thin suit.

One spit was enough to spit out all the disgusting things that happened today.

Ivan felt nauseous every single moment in Arasaka, so the first thing he did after arriving in his familiar territory was to have a drink and then go home for a good night's sleep.

You know, it's rare to have such a comfortable day in a month.

The snow, some of which had melted, was now frozen solid, making a thin, crisp sound when stepped on. Under the colorful neon signs, there were very few pedestrians.

It wasn't that Ivan wanted to walk or exercise or anything; it was simply that the damn Arasaka airship's AI couldn't recognize the landing location.

With each breath Ivan exhaled, he felt even happier; he could almost see the bar's sign now.

"Crunch, crunch..."

Ivan just kept walking.

The expression on his face gradually shifted from a hint of joy to calm. The scoundrels who usually urinated in front of the bar had all disappeared today. There was no noise, no laughter, only the echoing footsteps in the empty alleyway…

The pace slowed down, and then gradually came to a stop.

Ivan's massive body stood on the dim, yellow snow, his hands in his pockets.

"Come out."

Ivan's voice was neither too loud nor too soft; he held his head high and surveyed his surroundings with a sharp gaze.

However, apart from the howling wind, there was nothing else in the darkness.

Ivan felt that his overreaction was probably due to those bastards from Arasaka. This matter was suppressed by Arasaka's Takeda, so even if Ivan was extremely resentful, he had to endure it for a while. He believed that the other party would not dare to act recklessly in the short term.

However, Ivan had only taken two steps when he let out a long breath, as if he were both exhausted and angry.

The rustling sound behind me accompanied the elongated shadow cast by the lamplight, and a pair of deep blue, shimmering eyes gleamed like those of a wild beast in the darkness!
"Is it that beast, the Demon, again?"

Ivan turned around and found himself to be someone he had never seen before. The guy was wearing similar clothes to Ivan and looked like he was also a company employee.

"The infamous Ivan, the bomb in the street..."

Ivan's body was tense, his eyes fixed on the other person's every move and trajectory.

He doesn't look down on anyone.

"Damn it, I knew you stray dogs weren't going to give in so easily. Are you just angry because your secrets have been exposed?"

The prosthetic body on Ivan's body began to rustle.

However, the data transmitted back to his prosthetic eye from the other person shocked him; this guy didn't have any combat prosthetics at all—

"what happened?"

He wondered to himself if his prosthetic eye had been hacked.

After checking and finding nothing amiss, Ivan asked in a deep voice, "You don't have a combat prosthetic body, are you here to die?"

"Arasaka's troubles are not something you can handle, my friend."

This strange situation must have some other hidden agenda. Ivan's ability to play the double agent in Arasaka without getting caught is largely due to his own cautiousness.

Immediately afterward, Ivan's eyes turned cold. He was about to make a move when he realized that the other party had simply casually stretched out his hand and put it behind his back.

“Ivan, I have to admit you’re one of the few guys I met in Warsaw who actually has a brain, but don’t get your wild guesses, I’m the only one here to take you down.”

Ivan felt as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Does the cyborg doctor think that just because you have brighter eyes and a pair of silly blue-light eyes you can scare people? All the dirty things you've done, those scumbags like the demon—"

However, when the other party saw Ivan's smile and his impending attack, he thought, "Oh dear Ivan, that's not why I came here."

Before Ivan could react, the mysterious man uttered a piece of news that struck him like a thunderbolt.

"Are you comfortable dismantling Arasaka's platform behind his back?"

"I never expected that our Ivan, the star lone wolf in the security department that Arasaka has been promoting so much, would actually be secretly plotting against Arasaka."

Ivan roared in fury, abruptly interrupting, "Where the hell did you get that from?"

Tsk tsk tsk…

Does that mean that the burden beyond a sense of justice is simply being a little simple-minded?
But Ivan was quite cautious, wasn't he...?

Lin Yue felt a moment of sympathy for Ivan, but he still had to maintain the facade.

"You think you can solve everything just by hiring a few hackers that Arasaka never even noticed?"

That guy didn't have any combat prosthetics, but the pressure he put on Ivan was no less than that of the top-secret combat power (Heavy Hammer) that Arasaka used in the counter-insurgency battle today. Although everyone knew who it was, no one dared to say it.

Ivan knew that if he didn't act now, he would miss his chance.

"Think of your mother, dear Ivan."

One sentence caused Ivan's whole body to tremble violently.

He was breathing heavily, wishing he could tear the guy in front of him to pieces, but... he suddenly remembered that his family—could they already be under the other party's control?!
Lin Yue's eyes flickered between light and shadow.

Feeling somewhat morally guilty, Lin Yue said silently, "Stop struggling. Why don't you think about solving your own problems?"

"Fuck me!"

Ivan could no longer hold back.

This fear, akin to having one's underwear exposed, coupled with the blackmail from his family, especially the fact that he was forced to join the company he hated because of his mother…

Now, however, nothing can be held onto.

Clearly, Lin Yue's unexpected move was a devastating blow to Ivan's life.

Of course, Lin Yue didn't mean to be so vicious as to make Ivan sacrifice his life to smear the Demon, that would be too low. What he wanted was for Ivan to take action himself, as long as it was against the company... Lin Yue considered them all friends.

Ivan's combat prosthetic was very robust; he vanished from Lin Yue's sight almost instantly, leaving behind afterimages as his gun was pointed directly at Lin Yue's forehead.

However, this time-stopping effect did not last long.

A sharp, intense pain shot through the back of Ivan's neck. The terrifying cyberattack that had knocked him down in almost a second left Ivan feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He lay on the ground, convulsing, unable to comprehend why he had lost in less than a second...

The other party didn't seem to intend to let him off so easily.

With a series of footsteps, the other person squatted down in front of the helpless Ivan. "Interested in eliminating the demon?"

Lin Yue, speaking fluent slang, smiled and slowly said, "I'll keep your secret for you, how about it?"

……

……

(End of this chapter)