Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 24 Pass [3.3K long chapter, please read on!]

Life needs a pass, especially for those who are suppressed at the bottom by technology and money.

"Arasaka Academy, 'The only path to elites'."

The AI-powered voice announced something from the woman's palm, and two holographic goldfish swam freely in the square, as if standing there would give you the same freedom as them.

Gloria Martinez is very proud.

She was very grateful that her child had passed Arasaka's rigorous entrance exam; only she knew the effort she had put into raising him. Of course, it had been a tough journey for her child, but boys his age don't know how to express themselves and would just stand quietly to the side.

David Martinez felt that the college admission notice with the floating logo in his mother's hand was, in a sense, a shackle.

The shackles that bind a mother.

"David, you did it!"

Gloria's voice trembled. She didn't care at all that her car looked out of place among the nice cars in the company square parking lot behind her. All she knew was that David was priceless.

[Arasaka Local Area Network Applications], [Artificial Intelligence Studies], [Arasaka Corporate History], [Personality Attribute Test]...

The AI-generated questions, including those on IQ and reaction time, along with the algorithms used by Arasaka scientists, are powerful tools for screening these children.

David seemed still reeling from this mind-bending knowledge; all he knew was that Arasaka College had higher requirements than Contour University.

But he never considered Courtau University as his goal; his only target was Arasaka Gakuin.

My mother's most cherished dream.

"Hmm, it's alright. But Mom, the academy isn't here, this is Arasaka Tower."

David, with his hands in his pockets, said nonchalantly.

The Arasaka Academy school uniform that was sent to me yesterday by the logistics company was in very good condition, made of high-quality fabric, and the courier even added a considerable amount of insurance.

That's how Arasaka is; he can demonstrate his unparalleled dominance in every detail.

"You brat, you're really a bit arrogant."

Gloria smoothed the wrinkles on her pale yellow jacket. "You don't actually think you're so great, do you? —"

"You guessed right, David! Mom thinks you're the best."

David was very happy; he knew how precious his mother's happiness was.

The money used to get into Arasaka Academy, and the expensive study materials and supplies his mother bought for him—that was David's way of repaying her.

Gloria, who rarely sheds tears, pointed her finger forward.

David's gaze fell on his mother's fingertips.

The fingertip moved upwards, finally settling on the top of the giant corporate logo of Arasaka Tower.

Employees of Arasaka Company often fly out of there in their hovercars.

"David, you will definitely stand at the top of the Arasaka Tower, you definitely will."

Gloria spoke with unwavering conviction. She had lost her husband, lost everything, and arrived in this "city of the future" devoid of any dreams. Night City was lawless, chaotic, and fanatical... She felt that only by standing on that platform could she escape this place.

David will never be like her again.

The mother and son left the company square side by side and headed towards the address of the Municipal Center College.

As pedestrians and crosswalks crossed, a long-haired, aloof woman in a suit brushed past them, a badge of the Arasaka Company pinned to her chest.

"V?"

David Martinez's prosthetic eye scanned the information of the woman in the company; apart from this code name that didn't sound like a name at all, there were only the two characters "Arasaka".

The woman noticed, but tilted her head slightly, seemingly choosing to ignore it.

David was somewhat taken aback; a line of text appeared in his prosthetic eye, brought about by the invasion of the Simple Puppet:

Keep your eyes to yourself, Arasaka Academy (middle finger)

At that moment, a Herrera Thug GTS stopped in front of Arasaka Academy, and the boy's slender legs stretched out from behind the car door.

Katsuo is his name, and his father is Tanaka, one of the middle and upper management of the Arasaka Corporation and the head of Arasaka Academy.

"This is really unlucky. Why would someone like this get into the academy?"

The boy's light blue hair was fluttering in his palm. To him, the academy was just a gilded pool; his life already belonged to this tower, and he was contributing his strength to it.

"Arasaka will issue passes to everyone with abilities, no matter who it is... Let's go."

The short, stout Tanaka urged his son on.
-
It's unusual that I'm feeling so preoccupied today.

Although the billboard at the entrance, which had been knocked askew by a vehicle, remained as always, apart from the bright and shiny building, the surrounding area was a complete mess.

But now, burdened with worries, security has been replaced by hounds.

Lin Yue understood that Hanz was demonstrating his strength.

The two of them were now like warrior and beast in an arena, with Colonel Hansen watching from above, while Hanz and Lin Yue each held the other's tail in their hands.

Hans didn't want the colonel to know he was meddling in Dogtown, and Lin Yue didn't want the colonel to know he was using the company's name as a pretext.

"Go back to where you came from, okay?"

The Ghost Hound soldiers were of lower "quality"; Lin Yue's simple gaze immediately provoked their curses.

The two men wearing tactical masks at the entrance of the [Ghost Hound Commando] should be the [Ghost Hound Heavy Gunners].

If Lin Yue weren't short of money, he should have bought a pair of high-end Qilu Si shoes from Lao Wei, so that he could scan out what kind of prosthetics these guys had installed.

Lin Yue is very satisfied with the current performance of the Mann team; at least they are not stage-frightened.

Rebecca had her hands behind her head, while Mann crossed his arms and glared at the rude idiot. As for Pila and Dorio, they didn't seem like pushovers either.

"We've come to see Hans."

Lin Yue's gaze swept over the customers who were entering normally, looking for fun and trouble, but the Ghost Hound deliberately stopped them, most likely at Hanz's behest.

Hanz's resistance came faster than expected.

Lin Yue initially caught him off guard, but ever since Emma's incident—the other party realized that he was Dogtown's top broker. Having operated in Dogtown for so many years, Hanz was capable of getting the Ghost Hound to act as security for the preoccupied man.

Even a powerful dragon can't defy a local snake; this principle is quite simple.

But Lin Yue not only wants to be this dragon crossing the river, but also wants to steal the meat.

"Are you deaf?" Rebecca tilted her ear. "You look tall and strong, didn't the prosthetic doctor give you ears?"

"Where the hell did this brat come from? Get out of here." The ghost hound soldiers seemed to want to ignore them.

Lin Yue: "Try touching one of us!" Then he waved his hand.

"Let's go!"

Mann shoved aside the hound beside him, and Lin Yue walked ahead, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The hounds don't like to suffer losses, but since they have to obey Mr. Hans's orders, Lin Yue will let them swallow this bitter pill.

"Excuse me, buddy."

Dorothy was also quite large, and the ghost hound soldiers scanned her up and down before making way.

When you're out in the game, you can't be timid or hesitant.

The more confident Lin Yue was, the more uncomfortable Hanz felt.

The dance floor, bathed in a soft green ambient light, was filled with the heavy atmosphere of Dogtown residents dancing for fun, amidst the pungent smell of alcohol and glitter, and the deafening beat of heavy drums.

Mann asked with some concern, "Isn't the boss going to show up?"

Lin Yue remained calm and composed, saying, "If you won't show yourself, I'll handle the negotiations."

"Do you think you can do it?" Pila scoffed. "You're like a fucking virgin."

He wasn't happy that this guy acted like the leader of the group.

Rebecca, however, seemed completely unconcerned about what was happening that day. Instead, she watched the lively scene in the bar with curiosity and excitement. Heaven knows how many bars in Night City had rejected Rebecca—

The reason is that she looks more like a child than a child, which is a major problem for chubby-legged lolis.

Rebecca gave a strange laugh and rushed straight to the bar counter, where she seemed preoccupied.

Lin Yue and the others ignored her; having her around didn't create any sense of pressure, and it actually made Hans feel like they were a mixed, ragtag group.

This is not conducive to negotiations.

Pila, following Mann's orders, stayed on the first floor to prepare and keep an eye on Rebecca, lest Hanz and the others start fighting later.

"Come in."

The office door on the third floor was pushed open, and Lin Yue and the others filed in. Hanz, with his hands behind his back, looked out the window at the night view of Dogtown and slowly turned his head.

"Please sit down, friends."

Hanz remained calm, as if Lin Yue had not coerced him or his family.

He's really good at keeping his composure.

"Tell me, how much does your boss want to eat in this small place in Dogtown?"

Get straight to the point, without any unnecessary words.

On the panel, Mr. Hanz's favorability rating has reached -80, and the reward section only has one sentence: Beware of your enemies.

Lin Yue realized that there was no room for mediation between the two sides.

"All the business in Dogtown for the next six months will be pushed to my supplier. If the customers don't trust our boss, you can take it."

"Business in Taiping Island depends on individual ability, and it's the same in other districts."

Hanz didn't speak, but quietly brewed his tea.

To be honest, when Lin Yue presented his conditions, both Mann and Dorio felt a pang of sympathy.

They knew that the outside was full of Netherhounds, and they all thought Lin Yue was courting death by making such an outrageous demand.

"Have some tea." Hans pushed the teacup towards them. "Six months is too much."

Mann: ?
Why aren't you angry yet?
Lin Yue sat steadily.

He understood a principle: if everyone disagrees with opening the windows, then lift the roof, and naturally someone will agree to open the windows.

Excessive demands can lead to the most favorable outcome for oneself.

However, six months is indeed not a short time, Lin Yue admitted.

If Lin Yue gets back on his feet during this lull, Hans will lose all the clients who trust him.

"I will stop taking jobs for two months and take a break. After two months, we will compete fairly."

"Four months, and give us a pass to freely enter and leave Dogtown." Lin Yue held up four fingers.

Dorothy found Lin Yue quite interesting, while Mann's head turned to follow the different speakers.

Awesome!
Lin Yue's demeanor makes him seem more like the boss.

For Lin Yue, negotiation is the battlefield.

You can't give your opponent too much time to react.

“Three months. If you can’t handle things in Dogtown, I can help—provided you trust me. As for you and your friends, Dogtown won’t stop you anymore. Provided your boss doesn’t run away.” Hans compromised somewhat.

"You can't interfere in Hansen's affairs; they won't use strangers over there."

It's reached its limit.

Lin Yue knew that continuing the conversation would not bring him any benefit; this was Hanz's bottom line.

After all, he still wanted to make money and didn't want to give up.

But for Lin Yue, three months is enough.

As long as she can attract customers and build a reputation, the title of "Middleman [Rin]" will be firmly established...

After all, Hanz's customer base is of high quality, and it's definitely not something as trivial as "helping the X-pop idol on Twisted Street find their lost kitten".

"Deal. If anyone in Dogtown is looking for work, send it to me. Of course, if you try anything clever, my boss can get you."

Lin Yue agreed.

Mann and Dorio kept their hands on the gun for a while before slowly moving them away, their tense backs relaxing a bit.

Hanz sighed softly.

The tea seems too hot today.

……

　I revised the male protagonist's attitude and words towards Rebecca in the previous chapters. The suggestions from readers were invaluable! In particular, a veteran reader of five years advised me not to include any reader selection criteria, which was very helpful! Another long-time reader pointed out that the male protagonist was too hesitant and indecisive, so I also made those changes.

　　Thank you for reading and keeping me company! Thank you!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)