Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 88 The Butterfly Effect [Seeking First Subscription of 55]

David, who usually strolls home from the city bus stop with his hands in his pockets, is behaving very strangely today.

He even turned down the job of picking up the sunglasses from the prosthetic doctor, which was a major source of his pocket money—

But today, none of these things seem so important.

David was already impatient while waiting in the elevator of the skyscraper, his leg shaking incessantly, attracting curious glances from the other people in the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, David dashed out and started running!
He missed his own front door and barely managed to stop himself by hooking his hand on the door frame. The automatic door opened immediately after being authenticated.

"mom!"

Gloria was cooking in the kitchen when she leaned back and peeked out. "David, how many times have I told you? You're a student at Arasaka Academy now. Can't you be a little more mature?"

David ran up behind his mother, his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

Gloria was stir-frying vegetables with a spatula when she reached out and tidied David's hair, her expression full of affection.

"Mom! Look!"

David, head down and panting heavily, handed a sheet to Gloria.

Gloria brushed a stray hair behind her ear, reached for the sheet in David's hand, her expression gradually shifting from confusion to astonishment. Then she dropped the shovel, covered her mouth, and tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

"The food is burnt!" David's happy expression changed in the next second.

He quickly pushed his mother aside and frantically turned off the stove.

But he knew that even if the dish was bitter, he and his mother could still eat it!

Gloria was pushed aside like a wooden doll.

In her trembling hand, the sheet read:

[To Mr. David Martinez and his family]

David Martinez excelled academically during his school years and received a scholarship of €100000 donated by a philanthropist from the Arasaka Corporation.

The school provided an additional living allowance of €2000 for David Martinez and his family.

You won't need to worry about tuition fees and equipment costs in the future, as the kind-hearted people of Arasaka have already prepaid all these expenses for you.

Best wishes

【Arasaka Academy】

Gloria let out a sob, her knees buckled, and she collapsed weakly to the ground.

David, who was still cooking, stared blankly at the stove before turning it off.

David crouched down, his expression somewhat helpless. "Mom, don't cry."

Gloria pulled her son into her arms and burst into tears, “David, I knew you could do it!”

David paused for a moment, then a tender expression appeared on his face, and he gently patted his mother's back with his stiff hand.

"Yes, Mom."

Gloria grabbed David's arms with both hands, "Who...who is this important figure from Arasaka?"

David scratched his head. "I went to the principal's office, and he only told me I was from the Night City branch... he didn't even tell me if it was a man or a woman."

Gloria held the sheet to her chest and kept making the sign of the cross, wanting to pray for this stranger.

May you be healthy, and may God bless you.

David plopped down on the ground. His mother, who had been crying her eyes out, looked at David's silly face and burst into laughter. David grinned along with her.

For some people, their fate seems to be slowly changing...
-
In the blurry mirror, Lin Yue's face became clearer and clearer.

He skillfully pinned the skin needles used to suture the prosthetic skin onto it, spat out a mouthful of bloody water into the sink, and let the cold water wash away the almost dried bloodstains on his hands.

Rebecca leaned against the bathroom door, drinking the whiskey in her hand like water, tilting her head back and taking a gulp.

Are you sure you don't want to see a doctor?

Lin Yue shook his head, closed the mirror, and shook his hand.

He gently nudged Rebecca with his hand, "Go sit on the sofa." Lin Yue threw himself onto the sofa and looked up at the ceiling.

He needed some time to think: the situation was becoming increasingly complicated, and how to quickly resolve the issue of Hanz was an extremely important question—but no matter how he thought about it, he seemed unable to bypass the gate of the Ghost Hound.

If he couldn't control the hounds—like Hanz did, letting V impersonate Aguilar and manipulate Bennett of Dogtown to take power—he would forever remain the middleman in the shadows of Dogtown.

Rebecca swung her little feet, seemingly realizing that the tall, calm man was deep in thought, and wisely refrained from disturbing him.

Don't rush things, or you'll make a series of bad decisions. That's how Jenkins ruined his career.

Lin Yue composed himself, straightened up, and lit a cigarette. Rebecca stared intently at him.

“You, Mann, and Dorio all like to smoke.”

Lin Yue almost forgot that Rebecca was next to him, and that she didn't smoke, so he put out the cigarette butt in his palm.

“It’s not a good habit.” Lin Yue shook his head, then looked at Rebecca with interest and asked, “Is the gorilla arm useful?”

Hearing this, Rebecca glanced at Lin Yue's prosthetic body with some envy and said somewhat unconvinced, "It's barely passable, but it's definitely better than yours."

Lin Yue knew he was just making conversation.

He is too tired.

“I’ve been waiting for you all day. That plugin Pila made is really useful for you,” Rebecca muttered.

A conflicted person is never willing to express themselves.

Lin Yue nodded, "An unexpected situation."

Rebecca hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Can you tell me who it is? As long as it doesn't involve Rin's secrets, I just want to know... uh, what kind of trouble you've run into."

Lin Yue thought for a moment, figuring that saying it wouldn't expose anything, so he replied, "On the way to Dogtown, I encountered a group of Tiger Claw Gang members."

Rebecca's eyes widened. "Tiger Claw Gang?! You got into a fight with those guys?"

The Tiger Claw Gang, a well-established gang in Westbrook, is a force to be reckoned with. Their close-combat skills are indeed impressive, and even Lin Yue, whose skill level is top-notch, was injured.

"Not many, just a few."

Rebecca nodded, looked around Lin Yue's room, and continued:
"Lin Yue, what do you think...? You can come to us for some of the small jobs Mr. Lin assigns to the company. Look, our fighting strength is already quite strong. Although it's not enough to fight against Boss Lin's enemies, it's still enough to deal with the Tiger Claw Gang!"

"Uh... I mean, a cocky bastard like you might die in Night City any day now."

Then, with a somewhat crazed look in her eyes, she continued muttering, "If we were here, we'd kill every single one of those Tiger Claw Gang members who came!"

"Are you right?"

"Hey, say something—"

Rebecca turned her head, lowered her voice, and found Lin Yue lying quietly on the sofa, breathing steadily and asleep.

Her eyes showed a hint of surprise, but then the madness and fervor slowly disappeared, and her eyelids drooped slightly as she looked at Lin Yue with a gentle expression.

Rebecca jumped off the sofa and gently placed the wine in her hand on the coffee table.

She squatted down in front of Lin Yue, looking at the stray hairs on his forehead, and blew out a breath of wind that smelled of alcohol.

This guy is still asleep?!

Damn, he's sleeping so soundly.

Even a sharp lone wolf can be so unguarded at times.

She smacked her lips, stood up, and took off her coat.

He then reached out and covered Lin Yue with his coat, saying softly:
"Good night."

The automatic door closed, and the room became quiet.

Aside from a slight snoring, there was nothing else.

……

(End of this chapter)