Cyberpunk: Becoming a Legend from Dogtown

Dogtown, [Known Territory].

Mr. Hands had already passed a contact to Lin Yue under the alias "Lin," using a random number V helped him route calls through.

But the idiot who was supposed to hire Lin Yue's crew wouldn't pick up the phone.

Lin Yue could only squat on the curb in Dogtown, staring at the graffiti-covered shipping containers across the street, waiting for news.

"There sure are plenty of scavengers in Dogtown."

Lin Yue shook his head, wondering how many jobs the scavengers in this wretched place pulled off daily.

The graffiti depicted a giant hand gripping a cybernetic heart with wires protruding from it, blood seeping through the fingers.

That was their style – these organ-harvesting scum loved to flaunt their presence like this.

A knock to the head, abduction, ransom, and then a bullet to the head—the oldest trick in the book.

These vermin infested Night City like cockroaches in a sewer. As long as you paid well, these Eastern European-accented scoundrels would do the job – provided the client didn't have top-tier implants that might tempt them to do something worse.

"Maine, this place reeks... So many kidney thieves in Dogtown?"

Rebecca leaned out of the car window. It was Maine's car, simple and sturdy with a thick alloy shell and a gas-powered engine.

Maine looked at Lin Yue, who was fretting beside him. "So what's this gig worth? Enough for us to split?"

"Thirty grand," Lin Yue replied directly.

"Shit! Thirty grand?" Pilar's Arasaka tech glasses slipped down his nose. "Are we supposed to wipe out an entire scavenger crew?"

Dorio chimed in, "No wonder you didn't take this gig alone."

It was tough to get a newly formed crew on the same page—like now, everyone had their own thoughts. It was just a temporary team-up for survival.

Lin Yue felt like a day laborer waiting on the curb for a job. Frustrating.

[Message]

[Agata Leists]: Why did Hands pass me to you? Did he fucking change the contact?

[Lin Yue]: Yes, I can handle it too.

[Agata Leists]: A forty-grand gig, you screwing with me? Hands promised me a solid crew!

[Lin Yue]: Thirty grand, no pay if we fail.

[Agata Leists]: You should've said so earlier! All good, bro. You in for an organ job?

[Lin Yue]: Organ job? What exactly are you pulling?

[Agata Leists]: What the fuck?! Just... an easy gig, man. Meet me at Known Territory. :D

"Damn, the stench of organ thieves is crawling up my ass already…"

Pilar nudged Lin Yue with his foot. "So, if the job's from scavengers, you in?"

"Yeah, to kill them," Lin Yue replied.

"Oh! Real moral compass, huh?" Pilar mocked.

Lin Yue shook his head. He already suspected Hands was screwing them over. If they ended up labeled as scavengers by the NCPD, that would be just fucking hilarious.

Dorio warned, "Pilar..."

Ring, ring—

Lin Yue's phone buzzed with a new message.

[Agata Leists]: You here yet? You coming or what?

[Lin Yue]: Where are you?

[Agata Leists]: Can't talk outside. Head inside, towards the Dogtown power plant. We shoot black-market braindances here. Chill, it's an easy job—just need someone escorted out of Dogtown. Simple, right?

Lin Yue's face darkened. No way this wasn't tied to organ thieves.

He had no choice but to call Hands, who answered unhurriedly.

"Legit gig from Biotechnica. Your contact's just a... friend forced to hide out in Dogtown."

"I promise, not some scavenger scum gig."

"Save a life, earn some karma."

Lin Yue hesitated. This was his first job as "Lin," his alias.

But why did it have to feel so dirty?

He cursed under his breath and headed toward the distant power plant. "Fuck me, you nailed it. It is tied to organ thieves, but Hands said our client is Biotechnica."

Maine scowled. "Shit, feels like we're about to be knee-deep in organ-harvesting bullshit."

As they entered the power plant, surveillance cameras tracked their every move.

"Maelstrom, scavengers... Shit, your boss wants to work with these psychos. Lin Yue, he's gonna regret this," Maine spat.

"Here!"

A red-haired man with a scarred face peeked out from behind a pile of scrap behind the plant's shutter doors, waving them over.

"Three seconds to tell me who you're working for, or I blow your brains out," Pilar snapped, pulling a gun and stepping between Maine and Lin Yue.

"Lin Yue, screw this job! Scavengers are scum!"

Rebecca pulled out her gun alongside her brother.

Lin Yue frowned.

The crew clearly didn't trust that this was a legit corporate job.

The red-haired man grinned awkwardly, "Relax! I'm retiring from this shit. Biotechnica paid me a fat stack to hand over a mark. I'm done with this life."

Lin Yue scanned him up and down. No scavenger "whirly-mask," no blood splatters or gore.

He actually looked like he was out of the game.

Lin Yue shrugged, "You see them ready to waste you. Better explain fast."

"Biotechnica paid me off to let one go. Take him. Get him out," the man urged.

The crew caught on.

"Oh, so you ratted out your boss for corp cash?" Pilar sneered.

"Hurry, man! Take him and go before they come back!"

Two lackeys dragged out a black body bag from behind the red-haired man.

Dorio grimaced at the blood stains and rushed to unzip it.

Inside was a man submerged in icy water, his implants crudely ripped out. Red blotches marred his arms, and his face was deathly pale.

"Take him to the Heywood Vista area. Biotechnica will pick him up. Go!"

Agata Leists sent Lin Yue the location, then waved them off and scurried back behind the crates. Meanwhile, Lin Yue's alias account, "Lin," received a 60,000 eurodollar transfer.

Two grand skimmed off the top for a fixer?

No wonder fixers lived comfortably. If you could break into the biz, it was way more lucrative than merc work.

Provided you had backing from corps or gangs.

Lin Yue dared to play this game only because of Arasaka and the crew he had.

"Is he alive?" Maine asked urgently.

Rebecca retracted the soft cable from her palm. "Trauma Team protocols are locked out. He's barely alive. We need to move, fast."

The crew lifted the body bag and rushed back to the parked car.

No time to curse out these maggots or start a firefight.

"Scavengers letting someone go? Biotechnica must have paid big," Maine muttered.

He glanced at Lin Yue. Their eyes met, and they both knew this gig wasn't as clean as it seemed. Something felt off.

Scavengers growing a conscience? About as believable as the NCPD being incorruptible.

...

[Known Territory]: A location within Dogtown.

[Agata Leists]: A scavenger logistics officer from a Cyberpunk 2077 side quest, known through in-game emails for being a ruthless scavenger.

...

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