Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 332 Citywide Manhunt (Part 1)

"You brought outsiders to the camp?"

Thor glanced down at the gaunt woman Panan was holding, whose head and arms hung limply at her sides—

In his judgment, it was most likely that the internet addict had his brain burned out.

"Stop talking nonsense, Thor. Mitchell was almost crippled by military-grade weaponry. He's someone else's teammate... are you just going to stand by and watch him die?"

"Do we really have to do this?"

Thor's face darkened.

Parnam's rebellious nature has been going on for quite some time—

But this time, the person who encountered military technology crossed Thor's bottom line.

The company's people are very cunning; if they're followed, Adcardo's camp will be in danger...

“If you hadn’t stubbornly left the camp, how could Mitchell have been attacked by military-tech weapons? Go find the prosthetic doctor. Leave these people here for now. Once they die, just dispose of their bodies properly.”

This…

Family members who were doing their own things at the camp tent entrance stopped what they were doing. Some were curious, some were doubtful, some were worried, and some were reluctant to let it go.

Ultimately, most of the nomadic tribes are kind-hearted people who don't want to adapt to the cutthroat world of cities. No one would choose to survive in a wasteland full of heavy metal pollution unless they were desperate.

"Thor!"

Panan never expected his tribal chief to say such cold words.

Mitchell then said, "Sol, here's the situation. We got lost in the storm, but we stumbled upon a group of mercenaries being chased by military technology. Their leader is in bad shape—looks like he's been heavily modified by the company. That guy doesn't know our camp... These guys saved us, and we can take a detour to the outskirts of town without any problem..."

The scorpion nodded.

In any case, that guy wasn't an impetuous person.

He didn't know what a prosthetic body was, but he knew how many people the company had turned into pitiful victims...

"That guy told us he could beat Morgan Blackhand in order to put our minds at ease."

Thor shuddered.

Morgan...the mastermind?!

Scorpion and Thor's eyes met—

Panan couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Qiwei, shoved aside Thor who was blocking their way, and quickly crawled into the old RV that the cyborg doctor had converted.

Thor's concern was no longer about these outsiders, but about that legendary name.

"Carry the person inside first!"

Mitchell made a quick decision, his eyes conveying Saul's agreement, and the tribesmen hurriedly shoved the person towards the cyborg doctor...

The atmosphere was silent.

All the tribal members who had heard of this name gathered together.

"How could that be... Scorpion, you're probably seeing things."

"Isn't Morgan the Black Hand dead? That's what everyone in Night City is saying."

At this moment, a burly woman with her arms crossed sneered and retorted, "Dead? Adam Hammer is still alive and well. How many innocent people has that biting dog killed? Sammy's mother died at the hands of that beast, didn't she? How could those cyber lunatics who work as thugs for the company possibly die?"

"yes…"

At this moment, any words are inadequate.

The scorpion patted the side of its brain-computer interface, and the separation chip immediately fell out.

On the battlefield, one must rely on their own prosthetic eye to record events, as this is an important source of military merit. Scorpion has always maintained this habit.

Thor hesitated for a moment before taking the chip.

His eyes gleamed as he muttered a curse under his breath…

The expressions on everyone's faces became much more serious.

Because Thor was a follower of Santiago, and Santiago nominated him as the tribal chief, he naturally knew what Morgan Blackhand looked like…

"He really looks like him... but he's still so young."

Mitchell: "Sol!"

Thor handed the chip to other key tribal members, saying, "The probability is high... the guy he was fighting was poorly modified; it looks like he's reached his limit, maybe he's already..."

"Were there any unusual situations along the way? Where is the company's weapon?"

Mitchell shook his head. "That gun was weird. It fired red bullets that felt like throwing your entire arm into a furnace when they hit the prosthetic body. The brain-computer interface immediately crashed—it was the first time I'd ever seen a weapon capable of uploading and quickly cracking code..."

"Oh right! They call that the Black Wall Weapon!"

Thor frowned.

"Black Wall?"

"Have not heard…"

The wanderers themselves knew very little about the online world, so Thor focused his attention on the guy fighting the Black Hand.

With almost no time to think, Thor dismissed the tribe members who were engaged in heated discussion. As the leader, he needed to curb some rumors. He then strode into his tent, opened his laptop with satellite communication, and, since the intermittent signal on the Badlands was unreliable, he needed to contact the people in Night City.

Adcardo had experienced a major upheaval, and by the time Santiago took over, his glorious past was over. Therefore, he could not allow his people to disappear and had to take action.

A storm is brewing...

So he found someone who was half Adcardo, Roger.

Rogge and Santiago's love is a guarantee, a mutual support, and a condition that Saul and Rogge agreed upon since Rogge came to power.

Even in the Badlands, there are things that need to be pacified, and clearly, Rogge's reserve force is them.

"Sol? What is it...?"

Roger, wearing a pale yellow jacket, rested one hand on the back of the sofa and crossed one leg, adopting his usual carefree queen-like posture.

Thor pondered for a long time, "Such a big thing happened on the Badlands, my men ran into people from military technology, and you're just relaxing."

Rogge, holding a wine glass, spread his hands. "Why can't I relax? The client is very successful. I'm just responsible for providing intelligence and information. Besides, what's this about 'your people stumbling upon military technology'? I clearly remember reminding you to keep an eye on Adcardo's men, and now that something's happened, you're coming to me to demand an explanation... This isn't you, Saul."

“Our men stumbled upon military technology and brought some people back. I’m already considering the necessity of relocating Camp Adcado…”

Saul recounted the whole story.

Roger sipped his drink intermittently…

"Hmm, I understand you. Kids are never easy to manage. My kid is always speeding, leaving his elderly mother alone in Night City to earn money to support his fun. I've already written my will. If something happens to him, I just hope he drives properly and stops stepping on the gas all the time."

A sense of shared suffering, which usually only exists in parents, emerged.

“But Panan’s intentions are good. Let me handle her and give her some work to do. It’s better than her causing you trouble.”

After saying that, Roger changed the subject.

Always calm and composed, having seen it all, there's no use in being anxious.

"Regarding the military technology weapons of the Badlands, your people should stop spreading what they see. If you can't bring yourself to do it, call me. I can do it very quickly."

"The camp needs to be relocated, closer to Night City—"

Thor, feeling a bit of a headache, interrupted, "The Night Wanderers are most concentrated in that direction."

Roger's tone left no room for doubt: "But you need to figure out what you're involved with now."

After he finished speaking, all the breaking news from Night City was transmitted to Thor's computer, and then he was dumbfounded.

[Destabilizing factors in Night City: DRAR Corporation's out-of-control cyberpsychotics are wreaking havoc in the Badlands!]

[News Channel 54: Thirteen Night City companies have formed a joint meeting to impose sanctions on DRAR and all its businesses. Its mysterious leader, codenamed Rin, faces fifteen charges under corporate law.]

[WNS News: We regret the attack on our humanitarian aid weapons convoy in Arasaka, Akatsuki Province, by unidentified individuals. Arasaka Corporation will take retaliatory military action.] ...

Thor's bewildered gaze grew even stronger.

His gaze compared the profile image in the separation chip that Rin and Scorpion had given him.

Logically, Thor wouldn't pay much attention to someone who's good-looking but looks too young... but if he's the root cause of all this, then it's terrifying.

"Twenty-three years old, young and promising."

Roger put down his glass. "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. If Adcardo can heal those guys, send them back. You made a good call. If you're only choosing to abandon them for the sake of camp safety..."

Click till.

"But there's good news. He owes you a favor, and he owes me one too. In a way, I should thank you—you'll see how good it is that he owes you a favor later."

Is it a company?
Thor was pondering…

"Now is not a good time to cooperate, Saul."

"You've seen how my incredibly powerful client has turned Night City upside down. He's the company's public enemy—that's the most fitting description. No company wants to lose important assets and prototypes like Arasaka and Military Technology. So take care of Adcardo first, just to help Santiago."

Okay, okay…

Thor wiped away a bead of cold sweat.

Panan's troubles were getting out of hand, which put Saul, who wasn't very good at raising children, in a difficult position. Fortunately, Roger agreed to teach the girl a lesson for him.

"What else do you want to know?"

Seeing that Thor didn't hang up, Roger asked.

At this point, Thor finally revealed the truth about the Black Hand.

Rogge's reaction was very strange.

First came surprise, then he turned his head away, clearly some subtle actions to conceal the truth.

"People from that era are almost all gone. Those who are alive are mostly dead, and you can't even find their graves anymore—don't overthink it, Thor. Just like the corporate military's training system, it's inevitable that there will be people like that."

"Besides... is Blackhand going to cause trouble for the Wanderer tribe?"

"As far as I know... my client is alive and well, and as for your 'mastermind'—he most likely died in the Badlands. Is that answer satisfactory?"

Ultimately, the two exchanged ideas several times regarding the events on this barren land.

"Phew, you mean Panan did something good?"

They started chatting here, and Thor's heart was no longer as heavy as before.

"I want to know, even if Rin can return to Night City, do you think he can still survive with so many companies ostracizing him? Even if he does survive... what kind of space can these companies provide for them to survive in a place like Night City where every inch of land is precious?"

Roger smiled.

Adcado has become very small, which has led to Saul's conservative behavior.

"Your people saw who slaughtered the Netherhound in the Badlands, right?"

"Do I need to explain? As long as someone is strapped with a time bomb, the company will only dare to target individuals, endless assassinations and harassment. They won't dare to touch the company... at least not in Night City. If the bomb explodes, no one can escape (referring to Dogville)... If the situation escalates, New America will make a comeback, and everything will be like it was ten years ago."

Thor nodded in understanding.

"Contact Rogge again."

After hanging up the phone, Saul was still deeply troubled. He thought and thought that he should go see the hacker. Even if he was dead, he had to at least find an explanation for the guy.

The cyborg doctor was adjusting the prosthetic equipment inside a dining table converted from an old RV when he saw Saul enter and quickly stood up.

"continue."

Saul glanced at the woman whose hair was parted to the side and whose neck was undergoing repairs.

A girl that tall probably weighs less than 100 pounds; she's practically all bone...

"Don't worry, Thor, his brain wasn't burned out, but there might be some effects."

Thor nodded, somewhat relieved. "What about the other two?"

The cyborg doctor gestured with his chin, "Rest, medication, and parts replacement should be enough. My assistant is operating over in the solitary confinement cell. Mitchell specifically asked me to do this to prevent them from wandering around and exposing the camp—is that alright?"

Saul's principle has always been to focus on the issue, not the person.

But when Thor went over, he noticed that everyone's expressions were a bit off—

Everyone was whispering and gathered around the three people lying on the prosthetic medical chairs in the middle tent. Most of them were wary and worried.

"what happened?"

Thor went in, and Panan stared intently at the leader as he entered, like a wolf cub guarding its food.

The radio started playing at an inopportune time.

"The company recently announced that three of its members have been added to the Night City Corporate Bounty List..."

The content involves more than a dozen charges, including assaulting company representatives, stealing company secrets, and causing huge losses to the company.

Keep in mind that anyone in Night City might have a bounty on their head, but that doesn't mean one person can have a dozen...

If the company encounters this group of people on the street, the number of bullets in their bodies will probably be more than flesh.

In other words: these people are worth around 100,000 euros…

Thor noticed all the strange looks he received.

"Is it alright with these people?"

Thor only inquired about the physical condition of the prosthetic doctor's assistants.

“Panam…”

Saul's tone was full of helplessness.

“I always remember saying that once you enter Camp Adcado, you are an ally, at least temporarily… I don’t expect you to understand my good intentions, but at least stay calm. The company cooperation is only in its initial stage, so let’s do it this way.”

Everyone listened attentively.

“Panan went to Night City to see; the tribe was about to relocate because of this.”

Sorm's gaze was deep and somber.

Clearly, Panan's momentum had weakened at this point.

Relocation means losses, and she knew she was making a mistake…

She simply couldn't accept the fact that the tribe and the company were mixed together.

Thor wanted to teach Parnam; she was a very suitable young leader to lead her people, but not yet—she was too inexperienced…

“The people you’re protecting are also from the company, Panan.”

As soon as Thor said that, the people around him started whispering and their gazes toward Panan changed.

"how come…"

Before Panan could speak, Thor added, "DRAR. You can check it yourself. Even the guy you think protected the three of you is actually the one in charge of this small company."

Facts speak louder than words. When Panan confirmed the matter, he was utterly astonished.

In the silence, Thor reached out and patted Panan on the shoulder.

"Go to Night City to find Rogue, and see the world outside, child."

……

……

(End of this chapter)