Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 543 Progress
"Who are you? What is your purpose?"

Ivan had never encountered a hacker of this caliber in Warsaw before, because in his understanding, a stranger who had not pre-implanted a program into his brain could not easily break through Arasaka's firewall, so Ivan believed that this was an insider from the company.

Lin Yue didn't waste any words. It would be strange if Ivan accepted such an obvious scheme of using someone else to do his dirty work.

So he simply stopped wasting words, picked up the now limp Ivan, pulled out a soft thread from his wrist, and inserted it into Ivan's brain-computer interface under Ivan's gritted-teeth gaze.

Soon, a call that did not belong to Ivan was broadcast.

The voice inside, including the language habits, was Ivan himself, while the person answering the phone was his mortal enemy, the Demon.

The person on the other end seemed surprised that this rival lone wolf, who had just been suppressed by his superior at the company, would call him now. In the demon's eyes, this was a perfect opportunity to show off. "Isn't this my defeated foe, Ivan?"

"What, didn't you go home and watch the Superman vs. evil monster cartoon with your mom?"

His words were full of sarcasm.

However, Lin Yue stared intently at the shocked and furious Ivan, and said calmly to the smug demon, "How do you think your business in Night City is doing now?"

The demon's laughter stopped immediately.

The demon stared intently at Ivan with eyes like those of a viper. He couldn't understand why this colleague from Arasaka was acting like a dog that had smelled blood. He should really become a cop or something—the demon was clearly very wary of others touching his money.

At this moment, Qiwei, who was on a one-way call, said that it was all done. Lin Yue gave a playful smile to the demon on the other end, who was starting to get agitated and questioning him frantically.

At that moment, the exhilarated demon slammed his hand on the table in the bar. The fluorescent pink skull on his prosthetic arm, freshly painted by the girl next to him, was now splattered with paint.

"Damn it, are you looking for death?"

Lin Yue looked at the powerless "Ivan" at his feet. He knew that this guy, who was full of a sense of justice in Arasaka, might have many concerns. However, every day Lucy was in danger in Arasaka. He had to get Takeda to divert attention before Gilafa met him.

The demon who rushed out looked at the bustling streets outside, surrounded by the decadent atmosphere of nightlife, with laughter echoing in the darkness, a seductive ambiance...

"Here's a big gift for you, Demon. I'll make you pay for this."

Lin Yue's call suddenly ended.

The Demon's latest sports car was still parked on the side of the road, and his burly gang members swarmed out behind him, their faces still flushed from the alcohol.

"What's wrong, boss?"

Just as the demon was angrily looking around, his car suddenly emitted a buzzing alarm.

The next second, the powerful vehicle that the demon loved so much instantly exploded!
Flames soared into the sky, and the brand-new streamlined sports car was now a flaming metal frame flying through the air. Clearly, the demon was no pushover; as he roared, he was also checking his surroundings for any hackers.

It's important to know that controlling vehicles and detonating explosives are basic skills of the Black Hand.

"Danger!"

The demon was furious with these lackeys who only dragged him down. He kicked them away, but before he could chase them to the other side of the road to check each blind spot, something seemed to fall from the sky, accompanied by a whooshing sound—like a sack hitting the snow.

After a gasp, a woman's scream suddenly came from the surrounding area.

It seemed like someone was throwing corpses down from the building. The corpses were already unrecognizable, but the demon immediately recognized them as some of his underlings who were making money for him in Warsaw. Clearly, Ivan's phone call was not just a bluff.

"Hold…"

The bunch of bastards who were just yelling at their boss to be careful are now all sticking their heads out and hiding behind the demon.

Ivan really went too far this time; the Demon couldn't understand where he got the guts... The reason the Demon was living so comfortably in Warsaw was that he wasn't the one taking the lion's share of the money; there were definitely big shots in Arasaka taking the cut...

Faced with this situation, the demon let out a cold laugh amidst his rage.

"Ivan, you've really got some nerve!"

"Since you want war, then I'll grant your wish!"

The demon, no longer able to continue his revelry at the bar, hurriedly ran into the Arasaka Tower.

The people above are wary of Takeda, but if they were to touch that person's purse... Ivan is in deep trouble this time.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Ron's men?"

Ron…

Lin Yue recalled for a moment, and it seemed to be a high-ranking official in the Warsaw personnel department?

Ivan thought the other party wouldn't tell the truth and was about to yell at him when the ridiculously powerful hacker in front of him nodded confidently, "Yes."

"Would you be interested in collaborating?"

Lin Yue silently sympathized with Ivan for a few seconds. All he could do in the chaos was to intervene and set fire to the Takeda Castle gates. Ivan was, of course, a temporary partner, and his life was also at stake.

Ivan naturally didn't have a good attitude towards the other faction, which wasn't exactly a good thing either. He stuck his neck out and could only silently apologize to his mother in his heart.

"Get involved with a bunch of bastards? Dream on!"

Lin Yue held a cell phone in his hand, and his smile sent a chill down Ivan's spine. "Look at this, your mortal enemy knows everything you've done—if you don't stand with us, you're dead right now. You endured the pain to save your mother's life in Arasaka, and now you're just giving up like this? It's really... such a pity."

Ivan is even more incompetent now.

Who knows what's going on? I didn't do anything, but the blame has already been placed on me.

He could already imagine his boss inexplicably siding with Ron.

Similarly, Lin Yue didn't let Ron off the hook either. He simply sent a message on Ivan's behalf to the head of Ron's intelligence team, as a kind of... pledge of allegiance?

Lin Yue looked heartbroken.

"Warsaw is truly a great place to retire. How can you guys possibly make a name for yourselves in Arasaka like this? Subversion...aren't you thinking about getting rid of your own boss? Wouldn't it be more destructive to attack Arasaka if you grew bigger and stronger?"

Ivan was dumbfounded.

This…

what's going on?
He was prepared to die when he thought the other party was just using his stain to temporarily weaken the demon, and that if he fell into the hands of the counterintelligence department...

"To be honest, I've been dissatisfied with Ron for a long time too."

Lin Yue stood up, seemingly having no intention of continuing the attack.

Ivan felt the leaden feeling in his body dissipate immediately, and he staggered to his feet, staring intently at his opponent as he tried to deal with him.

"Which department of Arasaka are you from? Why... have I never seen you before?"

Lin Yue's composure under pressure, honed over a long period, is far beyond what Ivan, at his level, can match.

"Today's matter was handled under a different identity, of course. Ivan, your mind is too simple."

Lin Yue, who had already stirred up the trouble, wasn't going to stay any longer. "If we're going to cooperate, then let's show what we're capable of. Ideally, we can each achieve our own goals. If you don't want to take the fall, then you'd better think about your family. This isn't a joke or a discussion." Lin Yue turned and slowly walked towards the alley entrance.

During the process, after Ivan completed his self-examination of his prosthetic body, he repeatedly felt the urge to slit the man's throat, but... now that the truth had been revealed, Ivan's "lying low" plan was ruined...

……
-
The vast Arasaka Tower was unaware of what had happened in Warsaw.

Lucy hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days, and Takeshi Takeda never showed up again; instead, it was Him who came.

She delivered the food and talked to Lucy as if she wasn't the one who silently stood behind Takeda as an accomplice that day.

It's the same today.

Him, a foreign woman with light blonde hair, was kneeling on the tatami mat performing a Japanese tea ceremony, dressed in a somewhat incongruous traditional Japanese kimono. Lucy sat on the bed, staring at her expressionlessly, never once asking Him a question.

The malicious program lurking in the Arasaka Tower has made significant progress; in fact, Lucy could leave right now if she wanted to—

But she was waiting.

Him definitely has other motives.

Because Lucy was brought to her senses by the first slap she received when she entered the Arasaka Tower, she regretted her childish impulsiveness and regretted not trying to verify whether her parents, who were less than strangers to her, still had feelings for her. However... she did not regret it, as she could still do more in the Arasaka Tower.

Him used a prosthetic body to constantly observe Lucy behind him.

In fact, Him wasn't here to enjoy a heartwarming mother-daughter moment; the small prosthetic eye implanted under the hair at the back of her neck was her little trick to prevent being ambushed.

Hackers who have fought their way up from the bottom know all too well what it feels like to be stabbed in the back. Him uses a prosthetic eye that increases his field of vision to remind himself that, apart from Takeda, there is no one else in this world he can trust.

“Lucy, there’s no need to torture yourself like this. Your father is just a little impatient with you… He’s just worried.”

Him's tea was ready. The dark green Japanese tea always had a fishy smell from the kelp, which Lucy didn't like.

Seeing that Him was tense all over but trying to put on a warm act, a cold smile crept onto her lips.

As the teacup drew closer, Him's gaze seemed earnest, but in reality, he was already on guard against his daughter.

She was willing to take the gamble.

But the prerequisite is that her daughter is a smart person; otherwise, she wouldn't mind using her own methods to teach Lucy a lesson.

As they drew closer, Lucy's enigmatic colored eyes made Him uneasy...

Just as the mother and daughter's cool skin touched, Him, with her eyes lowered, suddenly said, "I suddenly remembered the first time you drank tea... you smiled and told me that you would like whatever I like?"

Lucy's hand trembled as if she had been electrocuted.

The warm, slightly scalding tea slowly spread across my fingertips…

Lucy's eyes lit up for a moment, then she looked away and gently moved the teacup aside.

Sim breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a little excited... She understood all too well how much a homeless child longed for love. Lucy had never received true love and support, so naturally she wouldn't be strong.

"How about some pancakes? Your father is still angry, and the food from Arasaka Prisoner isn't really suitable for you. Honey-based ones... I think they'd be perfect for you."

Holding the tea and snacks in both hands, Lucy truly wished this were a genuine recommendation of food to her child, a tender mother yearning for her child's affection.

Lucy was lying when she said she wasn't hungry. She hadn't eaten much since she came in. Prisoners held at the Arasaka Counterintelligence Department's high-security level only received intravenous nutrition, and torture was practically a daily occurrence.

Him didn't harm himself, so he's still a human being.

Seeing the child pick up the food and start eating, a hint of smugness appeared in Shim's eyes. She felt that Takeda was too rough, and that a gentler approach was the key to success.

Since escaping, Lucy has met all sorts of people, and the first skill she learned was not killing—but rather how to isolate and disguise herself.

The lines between hunter and prey are blurred. Lucy not only wants to destroy the network in Arasaka, but also wants Him to personally lead her, the wolf, into the most secret place in Warsaw. They must be plotting something else within the network.

After eating some, Lucy stopped as if she had had enough and started throwing a tantrum again.

Him wasn't in a hurry. In her view, they had already made excellent progress. All she needed to do was bring out the childlike soul within Lucy that she had once been manipulated, and her and Takeda's career would not be hindered.

But is that really the case?

Lucy's resolve grew stronger each day.

Him saw Lucy more and more often, and Lucy even boldly shared "a revenge operation" once, only to be beaten up by that kid named Martinez from Arakasaka.

Hammer seems to have no intention of revealing that Rin and the others have infiltrated Warsaw; Shim has never talked about the details of Hammer's battle outside Arasaka Tower.

Lucy felt a sense of unease, but even more so, fear.

Such a monster's decision to let the situation escalate is likely to be a major variable later on.

As the days went by, Lucy seemed to have gotten used to the damp atmosphere of the courtyard, and she showed more smiles and friendly signals when facing Him.

Until one day, when Shim came, there was a hint of worry in his eyes.

Lucy had been planning to ask for a while, and she guessed that Rin hadn't made things comfortable for Takeda either...

"what happened?"

Hearing Lucy ask him, Him's face lit up with joy, but he then sighed with a troubled expression.

“Those troublemakers are making things difficult for your father again.”

Lucy sneered. It seemed that the most frequent thing Shim talked about was her father and her lover. Sometimes Lucy even wanted to cut open her heart to see if she was a custom-made robot for Takeda.

The conversation ended there.

Lucy certainly didn't intend to take the initiative to "share the burden"—

That would seem a bit too deliberate, after all.

Will you help your mother?

Lucy paused for a moment as she buried her head in her food.

She could feel Him staring intently at her.

"Of course I would, Mother."

Lucy munched on the soft food, silently reciting something to herself.

……

……

(End of this chapter)