Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 72 Extra - The Hound
【行动时间：2075年1月17日，时间18:09:54】

[Participating members: Valerie, Kate (Note)]

[Threat resolution requirement: 100%]

[Department: Arasaka Counterintelligence Department]

V watched the characters floating in his prosthetic eye, and with each breath, the warm air condensed into white mist in the cold weather.

[Caller: Jenkins]

"Is V online yet?" Jenkins' expression didn't look good.

V sat in the car and inspected the weapons and equipment. In the passenger seat next to him sat a woman with short red hair, who had implanted a cybernetic body with optical components that met Arasaka's standard specifications.

V didn't really like this guy's appearance, but since everyone was working for the company, they had to work together on the tasks assigned by their superiors.

"Hmm, keeping an eye on it." V had spent the whole day on the streets outside the Arasaka Industrial Park, waiting for Jenkins' call.

Jenkins nodded:
"You should know that I wouldn't use a newcomer like you who's just been trained, but now I'm willing to give you a chance—"

"So please get this sales department rat out now, and find out who it works for, understand?"

V nodded. Having grown up in a company and family environment, the first thing she learned was obedience.

These hounds who create value for Arasaka received extensive training, including: expanding and maintaining intelligence networks, analyzing situational levels, and protecting company assets when facing enemies.

Jenkins looked as if he were laying out chips on a gambling table, his inner turmoil visibly evident, while V's lips curled into an enigmatic smile.

Jenkins mentally prepared himself for the final moment and said in a deep voice, "If I get promoted, you'll get promoted too. Nobody will turn down their own interests. They say you were exceptionally good during training, so prove them to me, V."

The car slowly started and drove towards the main gate of the Arasaka Industrial Park.

"What did Jenkins say to you?" Kate looked the newcomer up and down. In just two months, this big shot Jenkins had started contacting V directly. Nobody would be convinced.

V didn't speak. The car screeched to a halt in front of the gate. Kate leaned forward, looking somewhat displeased.

The security guard raised his gun, signaling V to get out of the car. The muzzles of the two Arasaka mechs were already pointed at the two women who got out of the car.

"Name."

"Arasaka Counterintelligence Division, [NC770416], V."

The soldier realized that these were people from Arasaka Tower. Just as he was about to open the door, the heavy security steel plate behind him, which was used to isolate the homeless people on the street, slowly opened.

Upon seeing the newcomer, the soldier quickly saluted.

A tall officer walked up to V, and V's prosthetic eye immediately read the various prosthetic information on the soldier's body.

He must be the head of a security team in the Arasaka Park.

"Who the hell told you that these counterintelligence bastards are allowed to pass?! Is it true or false? Did you check it?"

The soldier took a step back and bowed, "Uh... I'm sorry, sir."

The man's eyes carried a cruel aura. V had a good memory and knew most of what was going on in the park—the security chief in front of her was a retired soldier from various offices around the world who had dealt with enemies and had a certain record of success, so he spoke so rudely.

He leaned down and looked at V. "Tell me what you're here for?"

V sneered, "Confidential."

“I advise you to speak properly,” Kate said, arms crossed. “Get out of the way.”

The guy turned his head and said, "Detain him. He's a damn spy who's infiltrated."

The soldiers stepped forward in unison, the machine guns of the smart mechs began to spin, and all the cameras on the main gate locked onto V and Kate—

A hand reached out from behind V, seemingly about to grab him.

Without even turning his head, [a burst of electric arcs with a piercing crack exploded through the air around him], the guy didn't even have time to make a sound before he immediately lay down on the ground to rest.

Kate pulled a gun from her waist and pointed it at the group of men. "What? You fucking want us both dead at the gate?"

The scene was somewhat quiet.

But V won't stop...

V's eyes lit up. The security chief in front of him was an ICE officer of a high rank, at least a regular military-grade Arasaka. Before he could even draw his gun, his arm was already twitching uncontrollably.

She's smart. Standing in front of this security chief, the mecha behind her will have to take down this idiot first before she can fight him.

“I’ll say it one last time, this is a counterintelligence operation. If you want the counterintelligence to speak with you personally, I can give you my superior’s contact information right now, do you want that?” The security chief spewed out Japanese, cursing wildly at the woman in front of him.

"Are you going to drag this out any longer?" V lost his last bit of patience.

The security chief shook his head and growled, "Let them through!"

V turned around and opened the car door without any hesitation.

Kate realized what was happening and immediately got into the passenger seat.

The car tires started burning and smoldering. The security chief gritted his teeth but ultimately decided not to stand in front of the two loyal dogs sent out by Ara-saka Tower.

As the taillights gradually disappeared into the night at the Arasaka Park, the head of security sneered, his eyes lighting up as he sent a message.

……

Night City, Charter Hill.

Inside the bathroom, the man took a rare hot shower after get off work, the rising steam instantly washing away all the day's fatigue.

He was wearing a bathrobe, humming a tune, when the semi-transparent automatic glass door in front of him opened, but before he could go out, he immediately stopped in his tracks.

Then, he slowly backed away.

A slender hand, the kind only a woman should have, held a gun and slowly reached in through the door.

"Let me ask you a few questions."

The intruder spoke.

The man nodded, his eyes constantly glancing toward the gun hidden under the towel. The sweat that had just appeared on his forehead from the pleasure had turned into cold sweat.

The woman's voice was very pleasant, with a slight nasal quality.

"What did you investigate for Peizhuo Petrochemical?" V tried to be as gentle as possible, although she didn't think this Peizhuo Petrochemical spy would tell the truth.

The man's expression changed drastically: "Are you guys in the counterintelligence department just bored out of your minds all day? What does the sales department have to do with that... petrification stuff?!"

Hmm, all bark and no bite, a sharp tongue and a lie that exposes the true nature of him.

"Did I tell you I'm a counterintelligence agent? Hmph... You think you can get away with having a security chief hold me back and delete everything?" V's hand holding the gun suddenly moved, and the pistol hidden under the towel was knocked away. By the time the man reacted to the slight firing sound of the smart gun, the gun was still pressed against his forehead.

He decided to keep quiet.

"If you don't want your wife to be sold to the Mewtwo Club, your children to complete their education at Arasaka Academy, and your lover to live a carefree life in New America... I suggest you make this clear."

The man's expression froze.

Outside the blurry glass, the man's shadow gradually shrank, followed by a heart-wrenching wail of regret.

V nodded after listening to the man's story.

"Go ahead and do it." The man leaned against the cold, damp bathroom floor.

Without hesitation, she reached out, grabbed the man's neck, and slammed the back of his head against the bathroom wall. He immediately lost consciousness. Then she lifted his head and repeatedly slammed it against the floor…

……

[Breaking News from Arakawa: Tim Ethel, Sales Manager at Arakawa, slipped and fell in the bathroom after get off work, suffering a severe traumatic brain injury. He could not be saved despite the efforts of the trauma team. We extend our condolences to his family and thank him for his outstanding contributions to Arakawa.]

The words flashed through V's eyes, and Arthur Jenkins, behind his desk, raised a glass of whiskey. "To us."

V picked up the glass in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.

Jenkins continued, "From now on you can do things for me, and I'll make sure you do them cleanly, without getting your hands dirty...V."

V forced a smile.

She knew that by selling her soul, she had also gained the medals and collar that a hunting dog deserved.
-
【Kate】: An employee of the Arasaka Counterintelligence Department in The Edge Walker.

【NC770416】: V's employee number in the game 2077.

[In the 2077 backstory, V was promoted for dealing with a spy from Pedro Petrochemical in the Arasaka sales department, and Jenkins promised V she wouldn't get her hands dirty again.]

[Thank you to reader 20220504202349464 for the 5000 points! Thank you for your support!]

　The first volume's side stories are mostly finished. Thank you all for your support recently!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)