Cyberpunk: Becoming a Legend from Dogtown

"Good morning, Night City!"

"Yesterday's dead pool ended with a grand total of thirty bodies!"

"Thanks to the never-ending gang wars, Heywood alone accounted for ten of those."

"But one officer also bit the dust, so I guess you're all paying up…"

Lin Yue, lying face down on the bed, twitched his fingers as the loud roar of a flying car outside drowned out the incessant chatter from the TV.

This was Lin Yue's home. Compared to the unfinished buildings in Dogtown, this was a decent little nest.

Having fully integrated the memories of his original self, he looked around at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings and dragged his aching body out of bed.

"Heh, a new day in Night City… no, Dogtown, huh?"

Lin Yue flexed his cybernetic arm, casually picked up a gold-brand burrito from the table, and took a few bites. After confirming that all his vital signs were back to normal, he finally relaxed.

The phone rang. When he answered, he saw Otto's exaggerated expression on the other end.

"You little punk, you went through three cans of my MaxDoc yesterday—I'm telling you, you need to start saving up to replace that damn outdated cyberware of yours."

Lin Yue nodded. He couldn't argue with that.

But then again, hadn't this guy also been snorting the glitter he bought? Was he here to collect a debt?

"Alright, bro, I'm not here to hound you for money. If you've got time, come by the camp next to the checkpoint. Hansen said we need to return the guns to our soldiers."

"Oh, and don't forget about the Colonel's task. Don't mess around with it."

"Catch you later, bro. Let's grab a drink sometime!"

After hanging up, Lin Yue fell into deep thought. Yesterday, Hansen had told him to go to the famous landmark in Dogtown, [Heavy Hearts], but he still wasn't sure who he was supposed to meet.

A figure with a hoarse voice and a face hidden in shadows flashed through Lin Yue's mind.

"Could it be Mr. Hands? The infamous fixer of Pacifica?"

It was 2075, and Lin Yue wasn't sure if Mr. Hands had already become a prominent figure in the area. If it was someone he wasn't familiar with, things could get complicated.

His biggest advantage right now was his general understanding of these characters' personalities.

Fixers, the profession that navigated the murky waters of Night City's factions, were high-risk, high-reward.

Many cyberpunks thought that deals were just a matter of passing things from one hand to another, so why bother with a fixer taking a hefty cut? But the truth was, these well-connected individuals always managed to win over big clients and smooth out most of the troubles for those who worked for them.

You could say that without fixers greasing the wheels, most shady business wouldn't get done.

Lin Yue stepped out of the maze of makeshift housing, climbing a creaky ladder to the surface. In the distance, the tree adorned with candles stirred up vivid memories of this world.

He had once controlled the game character V, standing under the [Tree of the Lost] and talking with Johnny. Maybe, like him, V had also been lost, wondering how to move forward.

Now, all of this had become reality. The regrets, the friendships, the passion—none of it had yet reached its destined path.

He wondered what V was doing now. Was V male or female?

Lin Yue cracked a small joke to himself, easing the tension in his mind.

The phone rang.

[Incoming Call: Unknown]

"Hello, friend. This is Hands."

Lin Yue felt a bit more at ease. At least he was familiar with this guy. He nodded. "The famous Mr. Hands. Pleasure to meet you."

The mysterious fixer, whose face was obscured, seemed surprised and let out a soft chuckle. His voice was calm and refined. "It's rare for Colonel Hansen to pick such a likable subordinate. Come to Heavy Hearts Club. I heard you were pretty banged up yesterday, so I gave you some time to recover."

"Of course, I won't wait too long. There are some things we need to discuss in person."

Lin Yue nodded. The call ended without further ado.

Lin Yue prepared to head out of the unfinished buildings of Dogtown, where a dilapidated road connected to the main structures of the district. Just then—

A glob of spit landed right at his feet.

"Damn Barghest dogs, now you're useless, huh? Pah!"

A vendor hiding under a stall, selling all sorts of junk, cursed incessantly. Lin Yue suddenly remembered that, until yesterday, he had been one of Colonel Hansen's tools for oppressing the residents of Dogtown.

Now, though, it seemed like Barghest had kicked him to the curb.

When trouble comes, don't panic.

The next second, Lin Yue's hand clamped down on the vendor's jaw.

Bystanders stopped in their tracks, drawn by the commotion. Some looked scared, others excited, and a few even egged the vendor to fight back.

"Hey! Chill out, bro."

The vendor hadn't expected a former Barghest soldier to still have functioning cyberware. The iron grip on his jaw felt like it was about to crush his facial implants. He immediately backed down.

The things Barghest had done weren't Lin Yue's doing, and he wasn't about to take the blame for them. So, he decided to teach this guy a lesson.

"I suggest you watch your mouth. Whether I'm Barghest or not, it doesn't mean I won't deal with you—"

"Behave, alright?"

Lin Yue knew that if he just shoved his hands in his pockets and acted like nothing happened, more trouble would follow.

Thankfully, his cyberware was more than enough to handle a foul-mouthed vendor.

"I live here peacefully, and you do your business. Got it?"

The vendor nodded like a scared chicken, and Lin Yue immediately let go.

The crowd watched as Lin Yue walked away, hands in his pockets, muttering curses about the "family" of Barghest soldiers before dispersing.

Time in the game might fly by, but in reality, Dogtown was vast. The road behind the unfinished buildings was long, and Lin Yue was starting to feel out of breath.

It was all the fault of his body's previous owner. The guy spent his military pay on glitter laced with who-knows-what or gambled it away. He didn't even have a beat-up car…

After walking for two hours, Lin Yue finally entered the military camp.

As soon as he stepped through the gate, he noticed the Barghest soldiers had stopped their activities and were staring at this young man who didn't look like one of them.

But since the guards had let him in, they didn't bother interfering.

"Your gun, and some cash from Hansen. Oh, I took a cut—consider it my fee."

A female soldier with a mohawk, her uniform tied around her waist and a rose tattoo snaking up her arm, tossed Lin Yue's gun over while smoking a cigarette.

Her eyes lit up as Lin Yue's "dry" account was credited with 1,000 euros.

"How much did you take?"

"Three hundred. If you've got a problem, go complain to the Colonel. Now get lost."

Lin Yue blinked. He wasn't planning to leave. "Give it back."

The female soldier clicked her tongue, about to lose her temper, when a male soldier nearby exhaled a puff of pungent glitter. "Just give it to him, sis. No need to make a fuss. Otto already…"

"Fine, you win."

Only after the remaining 300 euros were deposited into his account did Lin Yue ask the male soldier about Otto. "Where's Otto? Didn't he say he'd give me my gear?"

The male soldier stood up, pushing Lin Yue toward the exit with a hand on his shoulder. "Who knows? Maybe he's dead in some chick's house? Anyway, get the hell out of here and stop asking questions."

Lin Yue tried calling Otto to let him know he'd picked up his stuff.

It was just common courtesy.

The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered. Lin Yue had no choice but to give up. Looking at the [Heavy Hearts Club], which shimmered like a transparent pyramid in the sunlight, he took another step forward in this world—how many steps had it been now?

Whatever. It was a good start, wasn't it?

...

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