Cyberpunk: From Dogville to Legend

Chapter 93 Auditing the Accounts (4.1K words, first update)
Top layer of sapphire blue.

Kurt Hansen meticulously reviewed his recent accounts; his muscular arms were prosthetics fitted to him using military technology.

But strangely, unlike any other defector company soldier, Hansen's prosthetic body was never locked.

The colonel is good at mind control. He will tell the low-ranking soldiers of the Ghosthound and the residents of Dogtown that it is the company and the NCPD that have made everyone like this. But in the blink of an eye, he will sit down with the company and NCPD representatives on the top floor of the Sapphire Blue and have a good time drinking and chatting, and also discuss a few business deals.

This is how he described Baoshiqing and the stadium: the powerful and wealthy come to Baoshiqing to spend money, while the business takes place in the stadium... To this day, he considers the nascent business empire to be very successful! And he tirelessly responds to the offers from various companies.

The colonel understood the situation: as long as the company did enough business with him, and everyone got involved, there would be no enemy relationship.

"Bring Gago here."

Hansen's prosthetic eye always gave people a sinister and cold feeling. The soldier behind him, with his arms crossed, heard his boss's order and hurriedly told someone in his earpiece to find the financial manager of this Ghost Hound.

Gago joined the team halfway through, not as a veteran of Hansen's "Operation Midnight Storm," but having climbed his way up from the bottom, he knew Hansen's temperament and his pickiness about accounts.

When his accountant came before him, hands behind his back awaiting his fate, the leader of the Ghost Hounds stared at Gago expressionlessly.

"We got back the goods from Arakasaka, so why doesn't the accounting match up?"

Gago replied honestly, "Arasaka offered a discount as compensation for the problems that arose during this business deal."

A smile spread across Hansen's face. "Sit down, my old friend."

Gago secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sat respectfully next to Hansen, waiting for the wolf king to ask questions at any time.

Hansen: "Have all the soldiers received their pay for this month?"

Gago: "Everything has been distributed, bonuses, medicine, benefits... nothing has been missed. But there's one problem... the prosthetic doctor who implanted the Ghost Dog died from an overdose, and the other doctors aren't very skilled, so we need to find a new one."

Overall, Hansen's hound job is arguably the best job in Night City, even though it's not exactly respectable.

The threshold for submitting an offer is low, and the colonel is tolerant of everyone: he pays well, provides medical insurance, benefits, and death benefits... As long as you don't have too much connection with the company, Hansen basically doesn't ask about your past, and the promotion mechanism is transparent, making it a 'conscientious company'.

Medical insurance is a crucial trump card for the Netherhounds in recruiting new members. After hearing Gago's report, Hansen thought for a long time and nodded, "These idiot prosthetic doctors, don't let our people sell combat stimulants to doctors next time. These past few days, several companies in Night City have helped me find someone, your senior, the military doctor who followed me to conquer the country the earliest."

"Go to Watson and bring her back, spare her life... If you kill her, I'll make you regret it, understand?"

Gago stood up, gave a military salute, and hurried off to do what Hansen had arranged.

Hansen waved his hand. "Where's Yuri? Forget it, that idiot's unreliable... let Bennett handle it."

Yuri was his old partner, but he was clumsy and rough. If it weren't for the fact that Yuri was an elite soldier and the camaraderie they had built up from their early days fighting together, Hansen would have kicked this idiot out long ago.

Bennett looks much more imposing than Gago.

His chest features detectors from a former New American soldier's exoskeleton, displaying blue data codes and heart rate monitoring. The optical components on his face are a smooth, high-strength white plate designed to protect against stray bullets and impacts.

He was strong and tall, and was Hansen's favorite among the few remaining soldiers—therefore he had become Hansen's senior assistant.

"Colonel," Bennett greeted him in a deep voice, his posture upright.

Hansen knew Bennett would never sit down, so he crossed his legs and said slowly, "Our old friend, that Pedro Petrochemical... seems to be in trouble lately. Has someone taken over his territory? How much do you know about this?"

Bennett replied, "There is such a person. The Ghost Hound's spies couldn't catch him. He's very mysterious. There are only a few mercenaries helping him. They know the rules, I guess. They didn't dare to put their hands in the stadium."

Hansen: "Hmm... He does know the rules a bit better than Petrified Pedro. But I don't really trust Arasaka. Unless Arasaka kicks this guy out, he shouldn't be trying to make a living in Dogtown. Go see Mr. Hands and ask him if he needs any help."

At this point, Hansen's smile was somewhat sarcastic. "This Pedro Petrochemical can't shake off the stench of corporate thugs. Cuba is backing him up, but it's no problem. Cuba knows what's what—as long as it makes money, everything is negotiable."

The scale is different. In Hansen's position, Cuba doesn't dare to offend him. Even if they bet on that Pedro Petrochemical, they have to feed themselves first.

Bennett remained calm, bowed to his boss in greeting, and left from the top floor of the Sapphire Blue building.

In Dogtown, there's no escaping the Colonel. People often underestimate their intelligence network. Hansen's smartest trait is his ability to build relationships. With him around, Dogtown won't become a monopoly for businesses. Everyone does business together, and no one can control him, not even Cuba.

This is very similar to a joint-stock company, with shareholders including but not limited to: Junke, Arasaka, Peizhuo, Zeta... and Cuba.

But if you were to ask Hansen which company he likes best, the answer would undoubtedly be Cuba.

Cubans possess a level of integrity unmatched by other gangs and corporate dogs. For instance, when someone told him that someone had reached into the Ghost Dogs in Arasaka, he listened without hesitation and proceeded to clean up the mess.

He picked up his wine glass, and on the wine-stained table below lay a document containing information about a certain Arasaka employee.
-
Angie rubbed her temples after hanging up the phone.

Misfortune seemed to pile up, one thing after another.

The automatic door opened, and two members of the Animal Gang dragged in a man who looked like a dead dog. The man's face was almost swollen like a pig's head. If you looked closely, you could still tell that he was the right-hand man who had followed Angie to evade Hanz's pursuit.

"How much did you eat?"

Angie, holding a baseball bat, squatted down in front of the guy, grabbed his hair, and forced him to look into her eyes.

The burly man, whose head was being pulled by Angie, barely opened his eyes a crack. "No...nothing."

Angie waved, and one of the bodyguards who had escorted the guy in took a laptop from Angie's desk, inserted a chip, and some transaction records appeared on it line by line.

Anqi's face turned ashen after reading it.

"Does it have to be at this critical juncture? You didn't profit when everyone else was making a fortune, and now everyone's tightening their belts to eat, and you're trying to pull this trick on me?"

This animal gang member, who can control the accounts, utters words that psychologically cripple the other person.

"Over a hundred thousand? You really dare to make that much money."

Angie stood up and asked, "How much did you find?"

The bodyguard holding the laptop replied in a muffled voice, "It was all cash, but half of it was missing. He used it to buy a ticket to escape—and some of it was transferred to his girlfriend."

Angie glanced at her greedy subordinate. "Hmm, he's slept with quite a few women, hasn't he? What about them?"

The bodyguard scratched his head. "Uh... actually, there was only one. That woman wouldn't say a word, and our men went too far, so now we can't—"

"Fuck you! Angie!" The sinner's subordinate, who had been half-dead just moments before, was like a runaway buffalo. If the people behind him hadn't intervened in time, he would have rushed towards Angie.

Angie remained expressionless, gave a cold laugh, and crossed her arms. "What the hell are you playing at, being so innocent? Don't you know this is Night City? I only care about my money and business… If you want to die, don't drag me into it, okay? Fine, you want an explanation… then tell me, Ross, how the hell am I supposed to explain this to the boss?!"

Ross was held tightly by the person behind him, and he growled, "You bitch, this company dog ​​will kill you one day. How long are you planning to keep eating this rice bowl? Huh?"

Angie bent down and patted Ross's face.

"Worry about yourself."

As she spoke, Angie reached for the baseball bat leaning against the desk. Regardless of how Rin dealt with her next, this two-faced ingrate had to be finished first, otherwise Angie wouldn't be able to explain herself.

The two bodyguards grabbed the man's arms tightly, and Angie's stick whistled as it flew over his head—

Ross closed his eyes.

One muffled thud after another came from the office, gradually subsiding.

……

Two days later, Lin Yue, having made all the arrangements, drove the Hera he had brought from the repair shop down the mountain from Dog Town. There were some scratches on the car that he hadn't had time to touch up.

He had originally planned to buy a new car after making some money, but driving a new car in Dogtown was an extremely troublesome thing. Apart from parking in Gemstone Green and Concerned, a new car could be completely dismantled by the Dogtown residents in half an hour, not to mention the random spraying of paint on it.

There is no law and order in Dogtown.

At this critical juncture of behavioral characteristics and facial features, Lin Yue was not prepared to let anything bother him.

As soon as Lin Yue entered Anqi's underground boxing gym, he sensed that something was off.

Angie stared at the mercenary she had seen before, smoking a cigarette, and said, "Did the boss send you? I've seen you before."

Lin Yue nodded. "What is it that absolutely has to be said offline?"

Angie stood up and handed a chip to Lin Yue, saying, "We've got news about the person the boss is looking for in the Watson District."

Lin Yue suppressed his joy, inserted the chip that An Qi handed him into the back of his head, and slowly examined the intelligence data with bright eyes.

"uh-huh…"

It should be Farida, no doubt.

She appears to be working as an implant surgeon in the Watson District under an assumed name. Her intelligence mainly consists of gang medical records and information and images gathered by informants from the streets.

Lin Yue gradually matched the slightly blurry photo with the Iranian woman in his memory.

But as he looked around, he noticed a problem—

My emotions were like a rollercoaster, going up and down, and that feeling wasn't pleasant.

The Farida Clinic is deserted. Could it be that the Joint Security Service agents discovered that gang members were watching them?

He pulled out the chip and asked, "Haven't you found him?"

Angie looked conflicted. She wasn't sure how her boss would deal with her, given the fact that her own people were greedy for money.

So he forced himself to speak: "Yes. In Watson District, we found a woman who looks a lot like the prosthetic doctor the boss mentioned, but her place hasn't been open for a long time, and she's been missing for over a month—"

Lin Yue waved his hand, indicating that even if An Qi investigated further, she might not find anything. He suggested that Lin Yue go to Watson District himself and contact Cat to check for clues about the doctor.

As long as there are clues and the direction is confirmed, that's a good thing.

Angie then handed the laptop to Lin Yue, which contained some goods management records and authorization records of the responsible personnel. It included multiple transfer records from several banks in Night City, recording the flow of most of the cash.

To be honest, she felt a little relieved.

Unless the boss comes in person, one's mistakes can perhaps be overlooked.

Lin Yue looked at it carefully. He was mentally prepared for this audit and had learned how to do it.

If we consider Anqi's business as a company, a problem-oriented reverse audit is the easiest way to find problems and also the most time-saving. A quick-thinking accountant can almost complete the entire process.

He is now reviewing the output information from the management system of Anqi's computer account, or the major problems that have been exposed.

Anqi stared nervously at Lin Yue, unsure if he could even understand the accounts. Lost in thought, she drifted off into a daze.

Lin Yue frowned and tapped his finger on the screen, the tapping sound waking the disoriented An Qi. He had a feeling that this beautiful girl from the animal gang was absent-minded today.

Lin Yue's current information processing speed is unmatched by ordinary people. Intelligence points are not something ethereal; they will improve Lin Yue's IQ, allowing him to see problems with a clearer mind than before, and he will only become calmer when faced with situations.

What was the reason for this transaction with Night City Credit Bank?

Hearing Lin Yue's calm tone, An Qi immediately tensed up.

The worst thing has happened.

The boss's trusted mercenary could read the accounts. Angie still remembers that when they first met, this guy stared at her chest and she just thought of him as a capable mercenary. She never expected that Rin's men were so cunning that they could read the accounts.

"Uh, someone ran into trouble; the money for the goods was cashed out—some of the cash has been recovered."

Lin Yue nodded. "Where are they?"

Angie didn't know why, but this guy sitting in the chair made her feel like she had a boss in front of her, and she could only obediently answer every question he asked.

"I've taken care of it."

Lin Yue shook his head and muttered, "Not smart. You should keep him alive, at least let...the boss know whether you silenced that guy or not, don't you think?"

屮!
Angie cursed inwardly, feeling somewhat lost and confused. She hurriedly explained everything, even providing evidence to support her claims.

However, given Lin Yue's position, it wasn't appropriate for him to say much. In truth, he felt there was nothing wrong with the matter. An Qi had provided a reason, and some of the losses had been recovered, and it wasn't a large amount.

Ultimately, the Animals Gang is just a Night City gang, and some problems simply cannot be completely eliminated.

Lin Yue nodded and continued looking at the remaining accounts.

Hmm, they're fairly honest, although there are some areas where I need to examine them closely, but not now—

Lin Yue stood up, pulled out the accounting record separation chip from the computer, and waved it in front of An Qi. "I'll pass on the doctor's matter to the boss. That's all, I'll be leaving now."

Lin Yue wasn't going to stay at Angie's place for another second. Right now, he just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible and head to Watson District to find some clues and subdue this former Ghosthound prosthetic doctor.

It's safe to say that nothing is more important than this.

Angie was stunned for a moment, and by the time she came to her senses, the guy's figure had already disappeared into the automatic doorway.

She was conflicted. What did that guy mean by "just like that"?
Angie grew increasingly angry, muttered a curse under her breath, and hurriedly sent a message to Mr. Lin to explain.

(End of this chapter)