Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 74 The Troublemaker [Please Read Further]

"I think 'idiot' isn't even enough to describe you."

Dorothy rested her hands on the sofa, crossed her legs, and spoke with a rather helpless tone.

Mann had just returned from Santo Domingo a couple of days ago, and only after finding that everyone had moved did he call Dorio.

Mann looked a little tired. He was feeling sleepy from time to time after the major surgery. He was even driving erratically on the streets of Night City that day because the anesthesia was too strong, and the NCPD chased him all the way to Taipingzhou.

But this isn't entirely the fault of the prosthetic doctor. After all, the dosage of anesthesia is not easy to control, and given his large size, the doctor administered a slightly higher dose.

“Don’t worry.” Mann sat down next to Dorio, put his hand on Dorio’s shoulder, and showed off his newly installed projectile launching system. As the prosthetic body clicked, a silver-white muzzle emerged from his wrist.

Dorothy found that this guy wouldn't listen to her advice at all, so she could only shake her head and try to avoid seeing him.

Mann adjusted his sunglasses and said seriously, "Lin Yue's boss is too generous."

Dorio: "So you and Pila agree?"

Mann remained calm. "I didn't work for those idiots in the company before because I was afraid of being sold off and left with nothing. But now... as long as the money is right and we can handle it, we'll do it. What else could we possibly lose? Dorio, you know better than I do. There aren't many people in Night City who can get us jobs with such lucrative pay."

“Faraday is still saying there’s no problem. The Hound of the Underworld almost killed us back then, and now he wants us to go back… that’s absolutely impossible.”

"The company bailed us out so we'd be completely loyal to them. You're not thinking of just walking away, are you?... Mr. Rin—do you think the company would agree to that?"

Dorothy clenched her fist. Mann was right. Rin's behavior was a signal: he needed to cultivate manpower to do some things. Since everyone was involved, they shouldn't pretend to be virtuous while acting like scoundrels. Making money is making money no matter what.

Unbeknownst to them, everyone in Mann's squad developed a sense of awe and respect for the mysterious Mr. Rin.

A middleman who can seize territory from a veteran middleman in Taiping Island, command the most power-hungry gang in Taiping Island, and make the middleman who lost a lot of money not mention his losses and just pretend not to see them... all these things combined suggest that a middleman with such methods shouldn't be in a run-down place like Dog Town.

After Dorothy shared her thoughts, Mann, a shrewd and meticulous man, offered the opposite opinion.

"Night City is a complex place, while Dogtown only has one king. If I were to plan for my future, I would also choose Dogtown. As long as I don't mess with this former military officer, I can live a comfortable life."

Dorothy nodded. "Lin Yue said a few days ago that he needs to train recently. What do you think?"

Mann gently placed his hand on Dorio's shoulder, his smile somewhat strange.

"Training? I've had my fair share of training in the army, what more do I need to train? Don't listen to that kid Lin Yue's nonsense... But besides that, I think we can continue training for what we haven't finished..."

Dorothy sneered, glancing out of the corner of her eye as Mann's hand began to move forward inch by inch.

Bang!
Dorio punched Mann in the stomach, the two looked at each other and laughed for a while, then their expressions began to change—

"Beep beep~"

The holographic phone avatar lit up at the right moment, but Mann, still immersed in his own world, clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Hey?"

A deep voice rang out, "Mann, it's Rin."

Mann was startled and quickly gestured for Dorio to calm down.

"Damn, it's Lin, Lin Yue's boss!"

Mann felt a pang of toothache. "Mr. Rin..."

Dorothy was a little confused until she heard Mann switch to voice call mode, then she realized that it was Rin calling.

Mr. Rin on the other end smiled and said, "Did I disturb you?"

Mann shook his head, looking at the man opposite him who was hidden in the shadows, with only a glimpse of his suit sleeve and delicate buttons showing. "No, you can talk about things, Mr. Rin."

Rin: "I've found something here. You served in the New America for two years? No wonder you could maintain your combat readiness even without training—" Mann's expression darkened. "Mr. Rin, what do you mean by this?"

Rin wasn't annoyed by being interrupted. Mann, that rough guy, only maintained basic etiquette when dealing with intermediaries, and his words were very offensive... extremely rude.

He chuckled softly, "How do you feel about the pay you get for each job you do with me? Is it the salary you'd be earning for someone with your abilities?"

Mann remained silent.

"Now I'll tell you what I mean—hone your skills and become a reliable lone wolf. My money doesn't grow on trees. The reason I chose you is because I need people with clean backgrounds."

"I don't want me to have to consider all the contingency plans for your success when you're getting things done. Let's make things easier for everyone, okay?"

Mann's forehead was a little sweaty.

That damn company bastard doesn't mince words; he was thoroughly humiliated by being doused with water from head to toe.

Mann sighed. "Understood, Mr. Rin."

Dorothy, standing beside him, gently curled the corners of her lips. She absolutely loved seeing Mann get his comeuppance; it was a bit childish.

At this moment, Lin Yue slowly put down his phone, tossing the chip in his hand up and down repeatedly.

Mann is indeed a troublemaker, but we can't leave him unattended because he's the role model and the eldest brother.

These cyberpunks are indeed consciously maintaining a combat readiness, but it's not systematic or comprehensive. It's usually just physical training like running, plus some shooting range practice, and maybe a little boxing—far from the training methods of the Ghost Hounds.

Lin Yue has complete memories of his training with the Netherhound. Although it wasn't as rigorous as the military training, the systematic combat mindset was something everyone had to learn.

Even with extensive training and proper modifications, a person may not necessarily become Morgan's henchman, but they certainly won't become a rotten gang member on the streets.

Just as Lin Yue was considering how to get Pila, a technical expert who was used to a relaxed approach, to join the training, Nix called.

"Friend, the matter you mentioned is settled."

Lin Yue raised an eyebrow. "Tell me about it."

Nix chuckled, "I know a hacker nearby who works on combat simulation chips like those from the Military Science Institute or Arasaka. She's called [T-BUG]. She's not exactly easy to talk to, so I paid her some money to get her research data, which I've sent to you. Just work on it yourself, and you'll soon be able to create a multi-person VR collaborative training system. The process isn't complicated; it's just about modifying the underlying logic—"

T-BUG?

Lin Yue quickly raised his hand to interrupt, "No, wait, wait... what the hell are you talking about? I don't understand a word of this."

"Oh, I forgot you idiot don't know any hacking skills. Okay...okay, let me see...it's not that I don't want to help you! It's just that I've been busy lately, you know. There just happened to be a newbie working with me recently—she's pretty good at it, but she wasn't in this business before. If you pay her a little, she should be able to help you."

Nix was fine until he started asking for money.

If Lin Yue weren't so busy, he would have liked to learn the whole set of hacking techniques from scratch. After all, knowing a little bit of this knowledge is useful everywhere, so it's not a bad thing.

"Do you think it's too late for me to learn hacking and stuff like this now?" Lin Yue asked casually.

"It's never too late. By the time we're old, you'll be able to master the internet, hahaha! You know, we've been working on network access modules and cables since we were kids. If you're talented, it might take a few years to understand this kind of information."

Lin Yue laughed and cursed, "Go to hell... Forget it. Push that person to me, but don't push a half-baked one, or I'll tell V on you."

“Of course not!” Nix chuckled. “Just a heads-up, this hacker is a bit reserved, shy… that’s normal for newbies. Keep in touch, see you later.”

Tick-tock, the phone call ended.

……

(End of this chapter)