Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 80 Dirty Work Demands [Please Read Further]

"1919 was a crucial turning point in XX's history: the issuance of Prohibition in the United States, the end of World War I, and the divine descent of Saburo Arasaka..."

Lin Yue listened to the WNS news anchor on the built-in broadcast screen fawning over Sanlang in the elevator, feeling somewhat speechless.

Yes, yes, yes, a god descended to earth... He's over a hundred years old and still wants to control Arasaka, tsk, this bastard really lives.

"Are you... sure you want to see Mr. Jenkins in this outfit?"

"The intelligent reception robot asked."

Lin Yue was actually quite curious about how this robot, whose face was made up of a whole metal mirror, could see things.

He stretched out his hand and waved it in front of the robot.

The robot said with some difficulty, "Mr. Rin, is there something troubling you?"

Lin Yue shook his head, "I just want to know who you really are... uh, never mind."

"Sir, I am the AI ​​within the Arasaka Network responsible for business communication and customer reception. I can solve all your troubles and needs. If you have any questions, you can access the service area through the Arasaka Network, and we will help you."

The robot possessed the user and bowed. With a tick, the elevator stopped on the counterintelligence department's floor.

Lin Yue stepped out of the elevator, where a bustling scene unfolded.

Inside the transparent conference room, people were intensely discussing various data on the screens. Well-dressed corporate employees were coming and going, heads down, looking at the documents in their hands. Others were on the phone, smoking and talking non-stop to the person on the other end. In short, no one was idle.

Inside the alcove was a bright red decorative lamp in a strong Arasaka style, which was slightly dazzling and made the whole area a little dim.

It is said that this can make employees more focused on their work and forget about the outside world.

Lin Yue stepped onto the soft carpet. The self-contained ecosystem inside the Arasaka room maintained the air quality, and all the flowers, plants, and trees he saw were alive.

"This way, please. Mr. Jenkins' office is over there."

Guided by the reception robot, Lin Yue walked slowly forward, while many employees chatting in the corridor stared at this unfamiliar face.

"Jenkins hired someone new? Where did they come from?"

"Never seen him before... Anyway, I heard he was recommended by one of Jenkins' favorites."

"Holy crap! You mean that V? Tsk tsk tsk."

"..."

The robot stopped. "Sir, it's just ahead."

Lin Yue nodded. The robot straightened up, its faceless body staring intently at Lin Yue as he slowly walked away. Then, it turned its head slightly stiffly, and its body became agile again.

He bowed and greeted the counterintelligence staff who passed by.

AI: "Please enter the reception room."

The word "scan" appeared in Lin Yue's prosthetic eye. The semi-transparent passageway door in front of him opened, and as soon as he stepped inside, many infrared beams scanned him thoroughly inside and out.

[Warning: Prosthetic body has been removed]

[WARNING: Weapon disabled]

[WARNING: Scanning function is disabled]

Lin Yue silently watched as his system functions on the biometric detection panel ceased to function, without making any move.

The AI's indifferent voice sounded again: "Visitor verification complete."

The second door opened, revealing a luxurious office that was over 300 square meters in size.

Jenkins was working on his documents when he saw the man approaching. He gently put down his tablet, leaned back in his chair, and watched the tall young man with interest.

"sit."

Lin Yue pulled out the chair in front of him, sat up straight with his eyes straight ahead, and looked like he was ready to be dealt with at will.

"Those kids from Arakawa Academy all have family connections to businesses... It's normal for them to offend you since you weren't wearing Arakawa employee uniform."

Lin Yue smiled and replied, "It has no effect. I'd rather hear what Mr. Jenkins wants me to do." Jenkins shook his head, took out two wine glasses, and filled them with brown liquor.

"You look so much like V."

Jenkins pushed his glass toward Lin Yue. "There's only the goal, nothing else... No wonder she rescued you during the Dogtown operation."

Lin Yue couldn't understand why Jenkins thought he resembled V, that icy woman who was decisive in everything she did.

“It seems you disagree with my opinion.” Jenkins raised his glass. “Congratulations on your joining the company. To Arasaka.”

Lin Yue didn't want to drink, but he couldn't refuse others, so he raised the glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Jenkins, holding his glass, looked at Lin Yue's somewhat pained expression. "V doesn't like to give toasts either."

“I think V might not have explained things clearly to you,” Jenkins said, getting straight to the point after finishing his drink. “We had a shipment that was originally intended to support a certain force in Europe. But it was resold by a high-ranking executive there, and when we found the guy, his brain was already mush—he was completely out of his mind, so we sent him on his way.”

Lin Yue listened attentively to what Jenkins had to say.

Jenkins stared into Lin Yue's eyes. "The goods were later bought by Dogtown and transported by land. They bribed the border officials to let them in. You were also part of the escort team, you know that, right?"

Lin Yue's hands, resting on his thighs, unconsciously clenched slightly. "I understand."

"We investigated you; you're the soldier Hansen recruited from Dogtown, you have no family, and you have over a dozen criminal records in Night City..."

Lin Yue nodded. These were all things his predecessor had done. Although they had nothing to do with him, Jenkins now saw them as his own dark history.

Jenkins asked, "Do you know how much pressure I was under when you entered Arasaka with your background?"

Lin Yue's mind worked quickly, and he hurriedly took credit, "Mr. Jenkins, the reason I left that team of mercenaries who robbed the goods behind was to find out for Arasaka who hired them—but it seems V found out faster."

Jenkins was pleased with Lin Yue's attitude. "Hmm, so you used your 'little trick' to find that hacker in Dogtown for us, which helped us a lot."

He continued, "V found out who was looking for the middleman from the Mewtwo you mentioned... Now, the Tiger Claw gang member who gave the order has been executed. Do you know why?"

Lin Yue was speechless for a moment.

Why didn't Jenkins continue the interrogation? Did he find out that Lai Xuan was behind it?
Lin Yue's answer was confirmed.

Jenkins lit a cigar and pointed to the ceiling. "That's enough for everything. If there are any problems... Lord Saburo will naturally investigate."

Lin Yue nodded to himself; Jenkins was smarter than he had imagined.

But at the same time, it felt somewhat heavy. Jenkins dared to tell him these things... in fact, he had already unknowingly tied himself to Jenkins' big ship with the secret.

Imagine someone possesses evidence that Prince Arasaka is plotting against Arasaka. If Jenkins falls, Lin Yue won't fare much better.

That old fox! Damn... no wonder he's the head of the Night City branch's counterintelligence department.

"With the Jakarta Summit approaching, V, like everyone else at headquarters, is very busy. Someone has to clean up this mess in Night City, and this is also your chance to get promoted—I called you here partly because I wanted to see you in person, but more importantly, I wanted you to know what it takes to get into Arasaka."

"When necessary, you should use your connections to eliminate unnecessary trouble for the company. Bonuses and salaries are separate."

As they were talking, Lin Yue's account suddenly received an additional 100,000 euros, which hadn't been settled yet from the last time he contacted the slider.

Although it wasn't much, at least it was some kind of compensation.

As for the empty promises? Forget it... If they even raise it, V will be lucky if he doesn't skin himself alive.

So this guy wanted me to temporarily take V's place and find someone to do the dirty work?

This was somewhat different from what Lin Yue had guessed. He had thought they were asking him about the situation in Dogtown, and perhaps also trying to slip in some kind of spy plot.

Lin Yue asked, "What about Dogtown, Mr. Jenkins?"

Jenkins shook his head. "People from Night City who go into Dogtown rarely come back, so it's hard to verify the information. But I'm willing to believe you and give you a chance. Besides, there's plenty of work to be done in Dogtown. We don't need the information right now... After all, obtaining information about the Ghost Hounds is quite difficult. You need some time, Rin."

"Remember: If you expose yourself and require urgent company intervention, Arasaka will find a way to help you."

Hearing this, Lin Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief.
-
[Jakarta Summit]: In the Cyberpunk 2077 universe, at the start of the game, the corporate dog will see an advertisement on the Arasaka Tower advertising screen that reads, "Thanks to the efforts of the Arasaka Counterintelligence Department, the Jakarta Summit was successfully held in 2076, during which the department thwarted 46 attacks against the summit."

(End of this chapter)