Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 473 Lovers【6.8K】

Lin Yue showed no curiosity and let V drive him deeper into the Charter Mountain.

In fact, not all of Charter Hill has greenery. Some mansions occupy vast areas with extensive security measures, while others resemble middle-class detached villas, some even with graffiti on the walls due to lax supervision.

V seemed very nervous, Lin Yue could tell.

The car stopped when it reached a patch of obviously withered, yellow grass, silently watching the V ahead, hesitant…

Any powerful person is actually far less powerful than they appear.

For example, when V is alone, she often thinks about what to do in the future, and whether she would live a miserable life if she had Relic in her head like that little girl.

In addition, she also dreams.

In my dreams, I experienced different lives. The dreams were incredibly vivid, like a movie playing in fragments—completely different from scattered, disjointed thoughts that I forget about upon waking…

Because in her dream she was stripped of everything by Relic, her life took a turn at the Liz Bar. She lost all her status and assets due to internal strife in the company, but she was not afraid to start over. However, an unexpected event still came her way.

When relic seeps into the nerves, the panic and chill make one's consciousness and body seem like two completely unrelated, independent parts...

In fact, V never believed in anything outside of science. As the company's cold-blooded executioner and intelligence chief, the first lesson he learned was to be tough.

The street gangs and thugs were so tough that they would cower and crawl into the ground just by hearing her way of speaking... But the increasingly vivid dreams were becoming a reality for the people around Rin, and the major events that should have happened to her or been related to her in the dreams were actually happening to her.

So V's initial bewilderment upon first hearing that Rin knew what might happen in the future of this world—even feeling deceived—gradually transformed into understanding, and she even vaguely felt that it was true.

She wanted an answer, and she didn't want to have any regrets.

"here?"

Lin Yue watched as V parked his car there for a while, and then noticed a small villa appearing in the middle of the weeds.

Although the vegetation around the house was withered and yellow, the walls were brand new, especially the gray, metallic walls, which were free of any graffiti—a stark contrast to the middle-class properties that, despite strict security, were still vandalized by gangs.

However, the building is quite old-fashioned, with a style reminiscent of twenty or thirty years ago.

Lin Yue suddenly understood.

Perhaps this is V's true home...

Everyone has their own life, and V is no exception. But Lin Yue knows the names of everyone in this city whose lives intersect with the timeline—

Only V.

Company V, born into a corporate family, is a counterintelligence agent. Apart from that, she is like an acquaintance shrouded in mystery, and Lin Yue knows nothing about her.

"Get out of the car. The greenery here is no longer maintained by biotechnology plant specialists. As you know, heavy metals have seeped into 90% of the soil in Night City... Once their enrichment microorganisms are no longer there to absorb these things, the grass will turn yellow."

V paused for a moment as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Perhaps it should have withered long ago."

Lin Yue did not miss the hint of sadness in the girl's eyes.

Just as Lin Yue was about to say something, the decisive V had already gotten off the train and was standing outside.

"You can sit for a while longer if you want. There's nothing much to see, but the environment inside should be fine. I was here not long ago... It's all Kangtao's latest defense system, and they've recorded your information. Don't worry about there being a stranger inside."

Lin Yue scratched his head.

"If there are strangers... should I hide in the car?"

V seems to be a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to making witty remarks...

By the time they realized what was happening, the guy had already swaggered inside.

The woman merely gritted her teeth slightly, then closed the car door and quickened her pace to catch up.

Lin Yue had forgotten how long it had been since he had felt a sense of wonder about the world. It was like getting to know someone properly for the first time without any preparation, so he was a little nervous.

This world, this city, has brutalized love, as if having sex with someone signifies a deep connection between two people, and V tried to do just that—

Now, she doesn't know if the other person is willing to know these things. Perhaps it was her own initiative to tell them, and if the other person finds it boring, she will be very sad.

Lin Yue smiled knowingly at the girl, whose expression remained icy but who always walked half a step slower than him.

"Valerie, the guest doesn't have a key to your house."

V blushed slightly. "I'm sorry."

The courtyard was simple, but what caught Lin Yue's eye was that the girl's courtyard had a Chinese garden style...

The water in the pool had long since turned a deep green, as if it, like the place itself, had fallen into a deathly stillness.

Only when V walked across the bluestone steps did a hint of color appear around him…

"It's been a long time since I've been here. I like to come here to sit when I'm feeling down, and I don't tell anyone."

"That's how I waste my vacation."

Lin Yue plans to dedicate all his time and space to V; he simply wants to be a partner who wants to understand her and fulfill his responsibilities...

"Staying here is not a waste."

A simple name, no surname, the short word Valerie is V's deepest secret in Night City.

For the first time, Lin Yue felt that the perfect woman in front of him was gradually becoming solid and flesh-and-blood.

Lin Yue was very curious for a moment.

He wanted to know the answers to many questions, including V's past, what she liked, what she most wanted to do, whether she had any regrets, and whether she needed him to stay by her side.

Love is an incredibly powerful catalyst, making people want to "devour" the other person whole.

He just didn't know it.

V nervously swiped the swipe of the swipe card and opened the door. She noticed a glimmer of emotion in the man's eyes behind her, and her tense heart involuntarily relaxed…

Does he really like such "boring" things?
Yes, he likes it.

The smart voice control in V-Home features a female voice that is unlike any mechanical voice; the sound quality is excellent, as if someone is actually welcoming you home at the door.

Upon hearing this voice, Valerie's eyes betrayed the weariness she had been trying to conceal.

Upon entering the living room, which was cleaner and tidier than he had imagined, and hearing that voice made Lin Yue subconsciously say "Good morning..."

For some reason, V felt quite pleased with himself when he saw Lin Yue's slightly nervous demeanor, though he couldn't explain why.

Even between two countries with different cultural atmospheres, the expression of love is based on the underlying logic of respect.

Lin Yue expressed his respect for this "date" through his nervousness, and Valerie also respected Lin Yue by guessing whether he liked it or not.

"There's no one here. I figured it would be a while before we left the Arasaka mansion, and it would be much better for you to rest here than in the car."

The room, brimming with life, is far more vibrant than the cold, impersonal stuff in V's company square property.

A small green plant on the coffee table, a hair tie with a pop star collaboration, scattered pajamas...

"You actually listen to such an old band?"

As fate would have it, on Valerie's desk lay Samurai's album, the fiery demon logo clearly visible, and an invitation to a concert at the NCX Spaceport, meticulously signed and dated by V, though it appeared to be expired…

There are many more photos.

Lin Yue had no idea that over the years, when he was performing in bars with his rock bandmates in Night City, V would always take a look from afar and take a picture as a souvenir.

There are many subtle details in the photos. The main subject is the stage, and most of the photos show V making a hand gesture in the lower left corner of the frame.

After discovering that Lin Yue knew all this, V realized she shouldn't have been so foolish as to bring him here...

Why is it a little embarrassing?

"Your photography skills are pretty good, little fangirl."

V clenched his fist, turned his head away, and said, "Fuck you."

Lin Yue smiled as if he had succeeded in his scheme. After carefully examining the NCX invitation for a few moments, he added, "It looks like this ticket is for the day I asked you to come to Taipingzhou to discuss some matters?"

V leaned forward; having kicked off her high heels, she seemed a little shorter, making her appear even more domestic and gentle.

"uh-huh…"

"I looked everywhere for it, but I never imagined I'd lost it here."

Lin Yue smiled slightly, indicating that he had made a mental note of it.

His gaze shifted.

The photo on the bar counter showed three figures, and Lin Yue saw what this home should have looked like.

It has to be said that V's height and temperament are very similar to her mother's; she is tall with pure black hair, and it's hard to tell which country she is from—her father clearly has Asian ancestry, with a high nose and slightly curly black hair typical of Europeans.

V embodies all these advantages…

Lin Yue carefully recalled what V would look like if he were on the street.

Fiery red hair, a black jacket with a stand-up collar in collaboration with the band Samurai, and slightly wild-looking eyebrows...

The woman in front of me is more like…

A girl who perfectly matches my aesthetic.

“My mother is Greek and works in a middle management position at an energy company. My father is a weapons consultant at Arasaka Corporation. My grandmother is said to be Asian, but I don’t know the specifics.”

V has always been generous and has never hidden anything.

So it's true that V comes from a wealthy family. Lin Yue thought for a moment, seemingly unsure how the situation had changed.

"Company retaliation."

"It's simple, a street shootout, the trauma team won't even arrive before their car is burned to ashes."

V reached out and flipped the photo face down.

A cup of coffee was placed in front of Lin Yue. "Drink it. It's not expired. Fresh coffee beans, roasted and ground by myself—"

Actually, Lin Yue never liked this stuff.

However, since V added milk and sugar cubes, it doesn't seem so unacceptable.

"So back then you..."

Lin Yue wanted to ask when the incident occurred, but that seemed too impolite.

"Feel sorry."

V shook his head.

"I think I was in my teens, but I can't remember exactly."

"If it weren't for the fact that asset management companies and trust agents have some conscience, I could have starved to death in Night City at that age."

"Someone died here, Rin."

Looking at the girl's serious expression, Lin Yue sensed that a layer of hard shell concealing her strength was about to emerge.

"That's it?"

"If it wasn't a company order, then he probably deserves to die."

V's expression relaxed a little.

"Yes, she used illegal means to replace my intention to buy the property, which is equivalent to me 'voluntarily giving up' the house."

V holds out his hand. "Want to go see the 'dead'?"

Her smile had never been so radiant.

Lin Yue nodded, "Of course, but let me make it clear beforehand, I'm very scared."

So he made a face as if he was shivering.

V couldn't resist pinching the guy.

He's the one who's least likely to blink... but thankfully he's very considerate and well-behaved, which is why V likes this kind of partner.

Actually, no one died.

Instead, it was an underground room that could not be called a basement. It was over 300 square meters in size and was filled with various odds and ends, as well as the subnet hub of this room and network access equipment.

“This is my mother’s workroom.”

No wonder…

Lin Yue felt that it was unreasonable for a residential house to have such high-specification equipment, but some of the products were very new and should have been added by V.

"So you used this equipment to execute that person?"

hacker.

Especially for highly intelligent hackers, there are basically no late bloomers; they demonstrate extraordinary network knowledge and skills at a young age.

"Correct."

V's hand gently touched the dusty equipment. The dusty optics scattered incomplete, blurry images, and Lin Yue discovered a clue, accompanied by a greeting...

This looks like a home defense system?
"This is what helped me through that difficult time...? I recorded and replaced the voice myself. They travel a lot, so I would keep some voice data when we talked on the phone."

"It's a very simple step: replace the voice of your home system's AI to pretend that you're no longer alone in this world."

Simple… Lin Yue was a little embarrassed; this actually required a hacker with some technical skills to do.

And Valerie must have been quite young at that time.

What Lin Yue was really interested in was the expression on V's face as he gently stroked the equipment with his hand while his back was turned to him.

He tried to reach out and grab V's arm.

However, before she could even touch it, the girl suddenly took a step and walked to another pile of miscellaneous items.

"I happened to come here to take some things with me."

"After all, I'll be busy with you online for who knows how long, so I won't have time for this place. Besides... I don't really need this place anymore."

As V spoke, he looked down and flipped through the pages until a picture book-like object appeared in his hand. He then closed it as if he had been electrocuted.

A chip fell out and landed right at Lin Yue's feet.

So he picked it up first, and V stared intently at it, his expression instantly becoming somewhat intense—

Give it back to me.

The complete loss of momentum at the end of the note is the most authentic and natural reaction.

Lin Yue didn't pay much attention to the chip, but instead looked at the booklet in her hand. "May I look at it?"

His gaze was earnest.

V seemed to feel that she shouldn't have treated others so harshly, after all, she was the one who suggested bringing her partner here.

Thus, the chip and the booklet were exchanged.

After V took the chip, he squatted on the ground and searched aimlessly as if he were hiding something. The booklet he opened contained a collection of photos and illustrations.

In a normal family, the sufficiently affluent conditions allow parents who are familiar with the rules of this world to protect their children very well.

This is like a record kept by a child from a happy family in Lin Yue's world: birthday, plant growth, imaginary pets, complaints about the AI ​​teacher...

and many more.

As Lin Yue watched, he felt a strange pang of heartache.

Yes, people have indeed died here.

A child who thought the world was happy died, only to see the truth of his surroundings after losing his protection.

In a daze, Lin Yue realized that the girl in front of him was in her twenties.

The last page of the album features an exquisite tarot card.

【Lover】.

This was a small gift Misty gave V when she was struggling with her relationship at work.

"Don't flip the V."

Lin Yue slowly squatted down, wiping the booklet in his hand, and gently pulled Valerie, who was sitting stiffly on the ground.

She stared silently at the ground until a pair of arms embraced her.

"Just take this with you. This will stay here too, it won't be lost."

“Hey… relax, Valerie.”

V silently buried her face as if executing a program.

People who have forgotten how to let their guard down are always on guard...

“I’ve always believed that the world isn’t as bad as I thought, and I’m always trying new things.”

"Hacking, playing guitar, fiddling with parts, studying how AI teachers actually work... all of these count."

"But I never imagined the world would be like this."

Lin Yue hummed softly in a comforting tone, "How is it?"

A sound of forcefully inhaling through the nose.

"Very bad."

Valerie raised one hand and inserted the chip into Lin Yue's neck. Her fingertips were icy cold, stiff yet gentle as they traced across his skin...

He didn't refuse the unknown chip that I handed him; no words could be more reassuring than this kind of trust.

The words "upload data" appeared in Lin Yue's eyes. He patiently examined the chip; it turned out to be a technology that projected holographic images onto the eyeballs, simpler than Mewtwo, but without any sensory experience…

Crude craftsmanship.

It was probably done when I wasn't very proficient with V technology.

This thing is far less technologically advanced than the call encryption chip V gave him a few years ago, but Lin Yue was very interested in what it displayed.

Those are all records that V made himself, similar to the booklet in his hand.

More than a decade ago, Charter Hill was more like a paradise, a stark contrast to the places V visited today.

There seemed to be a little girl's laughter in his ears, and Lin Yue and V seemed to be embracing each other amidst a pile of flat data.

"The grasslands of Charter Hill are always green, never yellow."

Lin Yue pulled the girl even tighter.

Beauty is like a fleeting trend.

"My father is a very skilled hacker..."

V made a note of the insults she encountered from a mysterious person online.

Yes, it was insults.

The incident stemmed solely from V's rebuttal on his "Newly Discovered Web" blog to a post by someone online that Night City was a pile of XX.

"What he set up for me was like a carefully crafted information cocoon. It was only when I first broke through the ICE set up by my father that I realized that the world might not be the same as what I knew."

"What a coincidence."

"They were burned to death by mercenaries from a rival company that night."

This girl, who was interested in everything, eventually had to face the cruel world.

V precisely documented his first attempt to hack into network devices using his talent, easily taking revenge with his cybernetic overload, and perfectly modifying data from financial and notary institutions.

She also recounted her first experience during training in Arasaka, where she received orders from the company and successfully dealt with enemy intelligence agents…

Cold, hard words and data are, in fact, the most bloody and vivid evidence.

“There is no place for me in this world. The company is the most suitable shell. I have to get into Arasaka even if it costs me my life. This is the best way I can protect myself.”

Lin Yue nodded, his tone still gentle.

"Okay, I know, it's all in the past."

Valerie will never forget the moment when the "little picture book" became her first weapon in Jenkins' hands, the first time she completely buried it deep in the clutter of her heart.

How gentle can a city of night be to children without parental protection?

The answer is obvious: V learns very quickly... but the cost is also very significant.

“It’s all in the past, Valerie.”

Lin Yue did not force the other person to look him in the eye, but gently comforted her... This was the most vulnerable moment for her.

"No matter what, you made the right decision."

V suddenly said, "I thought I could never touch the world of my childhood again—until I learned about your thoughts and saw those scenes in Taipingzhou with my own eyes."

Lin Yue knew what she meant…

The scene of Taipingzhou's reconstruction undoubtedly resonates with V's traumatized mind.

"Before this, I thought we were perfect partners, and the company was my everything. I don't know if you'll believe me... I just felt that I was at my most capable when I was in the company, so that I could help you..."

"It's not that I'm being selfish, I'm sorry."

Lin Yue silently nodded, feeling V almost lose his support.

"I will always support you, no matter what your purpose is or what you are going to do."

V continued, "You'll continue this career, won't you?"

At this moment, Lin Yue finally gently removed the girl with slightly disheveled hair from his shoulder and looked at V with utmost seriousness, "I know... saying these things now will hurt your feelings."

“But I can no longer turn a blind eye to the damage I’m causing to the company. Since the rules are corrupt, I will take advantage of them. As long as I achieve my goal, I will keep fighting.”

"Always."

"Until the company is destroyed."

Even when Valerie cries, it cannot diminish her beauty and elegance.

"Then why don't you ask me?"

"I just hope that when we dig the grave and bury you, we can be together; don't let it feel like I'm going to lose you again, like last time, okay?"

Lin Yue was taken aback.

He didn't expect his lover to answer him like that.

"I will not give up this career, for you, for the me of my childhood..."

"I just hope that I can accompany you to the end, no matter what the outcome is, I will not regret it."

Lin Yue gently rested his chin on V's shoulder...

“Great, I can afford two airline tickets to Europe.”

V's body trembled slightly, as if he had made her laugh again—

"Thank you, Lin Yue."

The proud woman, who always referred to herself by her company code name, now seemed afraid of forgetting it, whispering it softly like a piece of porcelain slowly shattering.

"Thank you, Valerie, I..."

Lin Yue thought that all V wanted was to realize her full value within the company.

Because love is tinged with selfishness, Lin Yue subconsciously avoids the question of whether V is truly risking his life for the company's benefit; however, he undoubtedly trusts V and subconsciously believes that V will definitely support this cause.

They are all alpha wolves who have achieved their long-cherished wishes by using dark rules. They lick each other's wounds, trust each other, and are absolutely loyal.

The woman, who was kneeling on the ground because she was too weak to cry, suddenly straightened her legs, and her pajamas, illuminated by the realistic lighting of the basement, revealed exquisite curves that resembled works of art.

The blood in my cold hands is flowing from the powerful beating of my heart.

Warmed by the heat of the man's face, Valerie used her kisses to explore her true lover, who belonged to her alone in every sense, amidst the bittersweet tears.

I don't know how V managed to pick that tarot card so precisely from the picture book next to him.

She gently held the card in her palm, her two fingers slightly pinching it, and for the first time, she placed love before physical desire.

The silhouette of the body unfolds under the light, as if the formula between love, spirit, and body has been answered.

The other party's willingness to accept it delighted V, his body rejoicing. His slightly numb, zombie-like soul in Night City experienced another kind of beauty.

His lover's hands awakened every pore, and V couldn't help but lower his head to whisper sweet nothings in his ear—

You belong only to me.

She was unwilling to touch him forcefully for any reason, slowly pushing the hormones in her head to a fever pitch that made V relentlessly pursue her.

She looked down at the man whose eyes were also filled with her.

With each rise and fall, she made everything visible, and as she pinned him down, she swept her hair to one side—

In the basement, the deepest, most secret place representing her past, she "tyrannically" restrained the other person's hands, treating them with the same attitude she would show to a favorite childhood toy.

"V?"

The other person's voice contained a hint of helplessness mixed with doting affection.

V, biting her lip, refused to relax.

It was as if they were conducting a unique kind of "interrogation," using it to examine the other person's feelings for them.

This was the first time Lin Yue had ever seen so many emotions in her eyes.

The sound of breathing quickly filled the surrounding space.

A sudden, deep-seated tremor made V loosen his grip, causing the crumpled drawing to fall, its outlines representing men and women overlapping—

If it weren't for the wonderful external force of the basement, the lines on the plane would never have intertwined so inextricably...

……

……

(End of this chapter)