Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 23 A Heart of Iron and Courage [Please Read Further]

The conversation went smoothly.

There was no tense atmosphere, nor any deceitful negotiations.

It was very simple. Lin Yue, representing his "boss," discussed wages with the employees and told them that they would be going to the local middleman the next day to negotiate, so that having more people would give them more leverage.

Lin Yue made a phone call on the spot, and Hanz said that as long as these people didn't fire shots or throw bombs in the street, the Ghost Hounds wouldn't keep bothering them.

As for future visits to Dogtown, I can only talk to Hanz about my deepest concerns.

Lin Yue didn't know how Hanz negotiated with the Ghost Hound, but in any case, Lin Yue paid a "hundred million" of yuan on this trip.

Mr. Hans was not willing to work for nothing. Since they would be eating on the same turf in the future, Lin Yue was still willing to give him face.

As the saying goes, moderation is key, and Lin Yue has a great deal of experience in knowing when to go fast and when to go slow.

Hanz was just trying to save face, and Lin Yue didn't want to make things too ugly, so he just considered it a protective charm for the team.

But in reality, Hanz had already lost the initiative, and Lin Yue was merely being slowly boiled like a frog in water.

'Today I'll cede five cities, tomorrow ten, and then I'll get a night's rest—'

Clearly, Mr. Hans from Night City, California, doesn't quite understand the wisdom of the ancients in Lin Yue's world.

Rebecca drank her cola contentedly, her hand resting on Lin Yue's shoulder as he sat down.

She had noticed Lin Yue's changed appearance long ago, so she said that Lin Yue was now a new friend. Being a bit of a chatterbox, she said whatever came to mind and introduced herself to Lin Yue in a funny voice.

"My name is Rebecca, nice to meet you~"

She talked about all sorts of things, saying that the awful atmosphere in Dogtown almost made her suffocate.

Mann and Dorio could only watch as Rebecca spoke to Lin Yue without any restraint.

"Does it taste good?"

Rebecca's drink made Lin Yue a little hungry.

"Hiccup, it would be even better if it weren't expired. Want a bite?"

Lin Yue looked at the glistening bottle opening, while Rebecca's yellow-pink prosthetic eyes shone with anticipation.

"You can drink it, I bought it for you."

Lin Yue felt that Rebecca was quite in line with his perception of her. She seemed carefree, but actually thought a lot. She was easygoing, but never let anyone down in her actions.

"Mr. Lin, so the middleman just received 20,000 euros?"

Dorothy crossed her arms, worried about the bill. Although Lin Yue's boss had paid it for them, it didn't mean they didn't have to pay it back.

Lin Yue nodded, "The Dogtown commission and some shady dealings are basically decided by Hanz—there's nothing we can do, we haven't even gotten started in Taipingzhou yet."

"Oh, right."

Lin Yue interrupted Mann, who was about to speak.

"You don't need to pay the money back; this is an investment the boss made to recruit you."

At this moment, Lin Yue's inner thoughts were: Twenty thousand! Damn it, twenty thousand! If it weren't for Hanz, that old bastard, being so concerned about saving face and insisting on reneging on the debt, and then threatening him on the side...

However, if he went too far, the other party might abandon their business and run away, which would cause even more trouble, and Lin Yue would also have his own unspeakable difficulties.

The most dangerous people are those who never mention threatening their wives.

Lin Yue secretly warned himself to be wary of Hanz's counterattack at any time. A smart person, when suffering a loss, will only think about how to turn the tables...

However, since his reincarnation, Lin Yue now feels more confident.

V's side doesn't matter; the company needs to see results at any time, and he can't guarantee that V won't hold him accountable if he messes things up.

Currently, he can only use the company's resources; the identity of Rin is the best gift the company could give him.

After all, V was the woman who dared to follow Jenkins in trying to take down Abernathy; she was even bolder.

Rebecca tossed the Coke can aside. "I liked you at first sight, but your name is weird. Your family isn't from North America, is it?"

Apart from Lin Yue, everyone else felt somewhat ashamed.

Clearly, Rebecca forgot that it was she herself who was eager to take down Lin Yue.

Just as Lin Yue was about to reply, a new message popped up in his eyes.

[The affinity ratings for characters "Rebecca", "Mann", and "Dorio" have been updated.]

[Affection Level: 20, 10, 10] [Rewards: Reaction +1, Composure +2, Physical Fetish Skill Unlocked, Fetish Skill Points +1]

A massive, pale golden skill tree unfolded before Lin Yue's eyes, and the various skills unique to the legendary figure V were vividly displayed before him...

Then, as if giving a brief demonstration, the golden skill nodes began to turn gray.

It seems you'll need to level up your skills yourself.

Lin Yue's expression was priceless.

What the hell!

Happiness came too suddenly; Lin Yue didn't even have time to figure out what was going on.

Seeing that Lin Yue's eyes were bright, everyone assumed that Lin Yue was talking to his boss on the other end of the phone, so they all remained silent and waited for Lin Yue to finish the call.

Cyber ​​descent? Supernatural? But isn't this world still all about cybernetic modifications?

Lin Yue has a quirk: he always has a desire to explore the unknown.

First, he discovered that the current specialty panel requires certain characters and specific nodes to unlock.

For example, Rebecca's favorability rating is updated.

Secondly, the first skill in the physical specialty is [Copper Heart and Iron Gall], which seems to have some connection with the [Iron Gall] spear that Rebecca will have in the future.

Finally, this skill tree is more likely a program that Lin Yue discovered others couldn't see. Furthermore, many of the skills require specific entities to activate, which seems to explain everything...

Physical specialization is actually quite good. Although the skill tree on the left mainly affects shotguns and machine guns, while the right side is all about blunt weapons and brute force, the one in the very middle is the most important.

The skills in this column all affect the [health value], [regeneration rate], and [item recovery amount] during combat.

Lin Yue guessed that the program quantifies the physical condition and displays it as a quantity.

These skills, combined with the prosthetic body and the hormones produced during combat, help keep vital signs stable.

"These skills can only be achieved by adding prosthetics."

Lin Yue thought to himself.

Having figured all this out, Lin Yue began clicking without hesitation, but as he clicked, he discovered a problem.

After allocating points to the "Copper Heart and Iron Gallantry" skill and the 3 points to "Unyielding Vigor," there were no more skill points left...

So here's the question: how do you get specialty points?
According to Lin Yue's understanding, attribute points are used to increase the level, and attribute points can be obtained every three levels.

Now, Lin Yue has used up all three skill points.

The extra point is accumulated through character favorability, which means that this is very likely to be the way points are acquired in the future.

This is quite a challenge for Lin Yue.

The so-called "development reward panel" inadvertently established a connection between him and these future legendary figures.

Lin Yue takes everything related to his own strength very seriously, so he doesn't harbor any hostility towards establishing connections with the legends in the future.

Watching Rebecca fiddling with her big gun beside him, saying that tomorrow they would go back to Watson District to eat good food, much better than the junk in Dogtown.

Lin Yue suddenly thought of something.

If their life trajectories are as predetermined as if they cannot be interfered with.

Are I just going to have to watch them die?
Lin Yue didn't know if things would go as agreed in the future.

He shook his head. Life is so fragile, and so are people.

It's undeniable that once you establish a connection with someone, the inevitable outcome is often a terrible thing—like stabbing another knife into a heart already riddled with holes.

However, Lin Yue always believed that anything is possible with human effort, and that even in this Night City, he was just a tiny speck of dust.

Living well in the present moment is the most important thing.

Is not it?
……

(Special Skills Chart)

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(End of this chapter)