Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 63 Wins and Losses for All Parties [Please Read Further]

Angie raised the baseball bat high, its uneven surface covered with a sticky red film of blood, before slamming it down heavily on the animal gang members at her feet.

Ding-dong!
Angie dropped the blunt weapon in her hand and leaned against the edge of the table behind her, panting heavily.

The protracted gang war had left this leader, who wasn't on hormones, exhausted. She didn't know if the next safe house would be another haunted by members of the rival Animals gang.

Her wounded subordinates surrounded her closely, wary of any enemy that might rush in at any moment.

These five people are her only remaining fighting force.

[Incoming caller: Rin]

A ringtone sounded, and inside the prosthetic eye was Mr. Rin's call card—it featured a devilish face.

Angie answered the phone, "Still alive... but these bastards are still harassing me. How did it go...? Did it work out?"

Even though the situation had deteriorated to this extent, she remained calm in her tone.

She knew that there were only two outcomes in this city: a glorious life or a tragic death.

Rin said something on the other end, and Angie's face twitched when she heard it, revealing a tired smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Rin."

She smoothed the bloodstains from her hair, lit a cigarette, drew her pistol from her waistband, and continued to retreat to the other side of the office with her subordinates.
-
Taipingzhou, burdened with worries.

Emma gently placed her hand on the back of the sofa, her tone indifferent, "Wade, we lost this time."

Hanz clasped his hands together, supporting himself with his cane, his expression grim. He said, "He can't handle the Animal Gang's drug business, and the Ghost Hounds and Cuba are areas he can't get his hands on."

Emma said slowly:
“You ruined what could have been a 50/50 business.”

"You've angered that person... The biggest problem is that others now know about your business structure and supplier. Wade Blick... You had Marta hold out, and you tried to deal with Ms. Angie, and you still failed. Now your partner Aye and candidate Marta have both been taken care of by his 'Lone Wolf' henchmen. What are you going to do?"

Emma leaned down and whispered in Hanz's ear, "Shall we surrender, Mr. Hanz?"

Hans smiled and picked up the teacup in front of him. "Then let's talk to him. We can't give him the business of the Netherhounds. As for the prosthetic body and other forces' drug business, let's give him some of it. Send a new leader, we'll continue to manage the accounts, and we'll just give him some of the money."

The situation is now out of control.

Emma sighed. "Hopefully, they'll listen to you."

He was confident that two months wouldn't be enough for the other party to operate. He thought that Rin, whose background was Arasaka, could only steal a portion of the low-end customers. He didn't expect that this guy would actually figure out his base in the Animal Gang.

In short: Mr. Hanz controls the selection of the leader of the Dogtown Animal Gang and the business channels—the goods are imported from Cuba, including combat stimulants, hormones, and other drugs. Some of these substances are consumed by the Ghost Hounds, some are sold on the black market, and ultimately, they are purchased by Dogtown residents or individual buyers.

He took advantage of Angie's desperate situation and set a trap: Angie wanted Hanz to help transport the prosthetic body in and, incidentally, help her deal with Aye... But Angie didn't know that Hanz was actually a business partner of the Animal Gang.

So Hanz pushed Angie to Rin, hoping that Rin would suffer in the struggle between the animal gangs and end up with nothing.

But Hanz didn't expect that he would shoot himself in the foot. Rin's background was not just a company. She had a lot of intelligence and her mercenaries were efficient. After all, Mr. Hanz did not know that Lin Yue had made contact with Jenkins and had the real support of Arasaka. As long as Lin Yue spoke, V and his colleagues in the counterintelligence department could find him dead.

Rin wants to take over the Animals Gang and support Angie's prosthetic business and underground boxing operations—by making her the accountant, which means that the Dogtown Animals Gang's accounts will have to go through his hands.

Hans could not accept it.

Since his affair with the animal gang had been thoroughly investigated by others, Hanz, sensing something was amiss, quickly made arrangements to prepare for the battle after hearing rumors.

He planned to sacrifice Aye to save Marta, allowing Marta to continue managing the drug business in Dogtown, and get rid of Angelin.

Just to be on the safe side, he even recruited a hacker to infiltrate the animal gang.

The result was far beyond his expectations.

Emma's conclusion makes a lot of sense; the person who killed the leader of the animal gang and a hacker must have been a lone wolf from the company.

Rin has now not only dealt with Aye, but Marta is also dead. He guessed that the other side initially intended to spare Marta's life, but perhaps Rin realized that he was taking a hard line to protect Marta, so the other side directly ordered Lone Wolf to kill the new leader.

In other words, his own backlash aroused the hostility of his new rival. With Marta dead, Ghost Dogs and Cuba couldn't explain themselves, leaving Mr. Hanz to clean up the mess himself.

The other party's warning was severe, and Hanz had no choice but to swallow his pride.

Hans sighed slightly. According to his investigation, Rin was just a member of the Arasaka Counterintelligence Department. Was she really that capable?
Emma laughed, "Sending Angie to find that Rin was a terrible move. You wanted to drag him into it, but you underestimated his ability to investigate clues and his connections within the company. How did Peizhuo Petrochemical deal with you back then? Don't you know the company's tricks yet?"

"If you eat pork chops while the other person lives on soup, would they be happy?"

Emma's question made Hans silently close his eyes.

Emma took her coat from the sofa. "Neither of us managed to deal with this opponent today. I advise you to curb your appetite and deal with him slowly. As long as Hansen is gone one day and someone from Cuba is promoted, it will be easy to deal with Ara-saka."

Hanz remained silent; he had already considered withdrawing and was now only thinking about how to reply to Cuba.

Immediately, Rin's contact information appeared in Hanz's prosthetic eye. This competitor, with whom he often communicated via text message, had taken the initiative to call.

"They're up to no good..." Hans thought to himself.
-
Lin Yue sat in the prosthetic clinic in Little Chinatown, while Lao Wei patiently operated the medical prosthetic and external equipment to treat Rebecca, who was lying on the operating table.

Fortunately, Rebecca's injuries were not as severe as Lin Yue's, but such injuries must have been extremely painful. Just imagine, it was a tear in the connection between muscles and bones... Lin Yue couldn't understand why the girl hadn't uttered a single cry of pain.

Lin Yue walked out of the underground staircase and arrived at the back of the [Misty's Psychic House], flicking the ash from his cigarette.

The dust has settled, and everything that needed to be done has been done.

Next comes the accounting.

So Lin Yue started dialing Hanz's number, and it took several tens of seconds for the other end to answer.

Lin Yue thought to himself with a sneer, "So unwilling, huh!"

"I am Hanz."

Lin Yue looked at Mr. Hanz on the other end, who was still the same as before, hiding in the shadows, much like Rin's holographic image style.

Lin Yue didn't say anything else; instead, he immediately steered the conversation back on track:
"Remember our first business deal? The one where our people were to have their memories erased using biotechnology... I wasn't planning on causing you any trouble—"

"I didn't expect you to climb up the ladder again this time, sending the people who were about to be ousted from the Animal Gang to my side... Should I say you're clever or foolish?"

Hans chuckled. “I failed. I admit you really hit the nail on the head this time… but I’m sorry, I can’t give you this deal. If I do, my fate will be terrible. Besides, you’ve taken out Marta, whom we three parties chose. I need to find a new person to control the Animal Gang.”

"As for the money, I can give you some of the profits."

Lin Yue felt that some people really didn't learn their lesson. "I didn't call to listen to your bullshit... understand? You have to give up the business whether you want to or not!"

Hans took a deep breath. "So what do you want?"

Lin Yue slowly said, "I know Cuba, the Ghost Hound, and you are in cahoots. When they're not happy, they send some weirdo assassins to plunder heads all over the world. But I'm not interested in that. I don't want the Ghost Hound's business. Give me everything except their business."

Hanz was shocked by how much Rin knew, but he also underestimated Rin's ambitions; this guy actually wanted to take away two-thirds of the plate!
Hanz's breathing was somewhat heavy.

"Friend, people in Cuba don't like strangers—"

Lin Yue interrupted, "Then say it's the goods you and the Netherhound ordered. I'll make the money, and if I'm in a good mood, I'll give you a share... As for the boss, it's up to you. The accounts of the Animal Gang Dog Town will still be managed by Angie."

With a tick, Lin Yue hung up the phone, not intending to waste any more words on the other end.

Lin Yue was determined to thoroughly and effectively utilize Arasaka's power, striking at the snake's vital point—a principle he was gradually coming to understand.

at this time.

Deep in thought, Hanz sat on the sofa in his third-floor studio, taking deep breaths with his eyes closed and his hands clenched tightly on his knees.

……
-
【Lone Wolf】: Lone Wolf is an important character in Cyberpunk Red 2077, 2020. A freelance mercenary, he mostly uses weapons and cybernetic implants in combat, often taking on dangerous jobs in Night City, including murder, espionage, and theft.
(End of this chapter)