Cyberpunk: Becoming a Legend from Dogtown

The process of leaving Dogtown went surprisingly smoothly.

Maine and Dorio sat in the front seats due to their size, while Lin Yue, Rebecca, and Pilar squeezed into the backseat with the unfortunate soul they had just pulled out from the Scavengers' den at their feet.

The car headed towards the coastal area, with the drop-off point set at one of the abandoned seaside resorts in Pacifica.

[Message]

[Mr. Hands]: The client for this Dogtown job doesn't trust you, but I vouched for you and made the connection... Hope that doesn't offend you.

[Mr. Hands]: Since I'm already playing the good guy, I even contacted some fixers for your crew to help the client sort out any problems.

[Mr. Hands]: If there's anything else, reach out to this regular client. I'll leave it to you from here. Best of luck.

Lin Yue stared at the message Mr. Hands had just sent to Rin's account, his expression dark.

So far, everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Mr. Hands even negotiated the price for them, kindly guiding the crew to the job.

And this gig technically wasn't even in Dogtown—it was a ransom job paid by someone outside Night City to get someone out, despite the pickup being in Dogtown and the drop-off in Pacifica. Knowing Mr. Hands, who never lets go of business easily, he wouldn't normally pass off a job like this.

After all, their agreement from yesterday was clear: two months of exclusive business in Dogtown for Rin, but competition was fair game outside Dogtown.

Something felt off to Lin Yue, but he couldn't pinpoint what exactly.

Then, a contact number from the client was pushed through by Mr. Hands—marked only as a [?].

Lin Yue's eyes narrowed as he scanned the streets outside the car.

His optics lit up as the unknown contact called three times in a row without an answer.

He decided to send a message instead.

[?]: Who are you?

[Rin]: Mr. Hands handed the job to me—well, technically, Dogtown has two fixers now. You should've heard that Mr. Hands transferred some business to me, right?

[?]: Yeah, I know. Just make sure your crew gets the job done. The money's already been sent to that Scavenger. What he pays you is between you and Mr. Hands.

[Rin]: My crew just needs to deliver the package? I'm guessing Mr. Hands knows more, but he didn't tell me. I need to make sure everything is clear.

[?]: Like what?

[Rin]: Like why the price isn't the standard ransom rate for pulling someone out of a Scavenger den. If there are complications, we need transparency.

[?]: You'll need some mercs who don't hold grudges. That guy you're delivering has company secrets in his head. Your crew needs our company netrunner to do a memory wipe on him, of course. This has nothing to do with you as the new fixer.

[Rin]: Why the hell wasn't I told this sooner? You think there are mercs in Night City lining up to let corpo netrunners screw with their brains?

[Rin]: Why not ask Mr. Hands? Would you make his crew go through a memory wipe too?

[?]: Mr. Hands' crew wouldn't need it. Yours is new, and I don't trust them.

[?]: And one more thing—cut the crap, choom. You're just a middleman, got it? Ask fewer questions if you wanna survive in this business.

Lin Yue's face remained calm, but his mind raced for a solution.

He sighed inwardly: Playing fixer comes with risks.

From a fixer's perspective, this job wasn't bad—after all, it wasn't his own memories being wiped. But for Maine's crew, a memory wipe was a hard no. They'd feel betrayed, thinking their fixer sold them out to a corpo netrunner.

And why wouldn't Mr. Hands have to deal with this? Probably because of his clout.

Night City's well-known fixers don't survive on luck alone.

It was clear now—Mr. Hands hadn't mentioned Rin's connection to Arasaka. This new fixer was just seen as some rookie desperate for gigs.

Night City's survival rule, which Lin Yue knew even before his reincarnation, was simple:

Fixers without connections or corporate backing are doomed from the start.

Take Mr. Hands and Wakako Okada—Mr. Hands not only has ties to South America but was also a former corporate exec, and his dealings with Colonel Hansen keep him safe in Dogtown.

Wakako? She married several high-ranking Tyger Claw bosses. Now retired, she still holds sway from Jig-Jig Street.

This city's web of interests is complex, and a fixer without backup is just cannon fodder.

The fulcrum of the scales is the most stable point. Keeping balance between clients and mercs takes real power.

Smart move, Mr. Hands... Lin Yue thought.

This was a test. Mr. Hands used the client to see how Rin, the newcomer, would handle the pressure while keeping his own hands clean.

He wanted to see if Rin would push back.

And knowing Mr. Hands, this probably wasn't the only curveball he threw.

"Maine!"

Rebecca's sudden shout jolted Lin Yue from his thoughts. She had noticed the man lying at their feet convulsing.

Maine glanced back. "Medkit's under the seat—adrenaline, MaxDoc... whatever's there, just use it! Don't let him flatline in my damn car!"

Lin Yue grabbed a MaxDoc from Rebecca, pressed it against the man's face, and injected it.

With a gasp, the man's chest heaved, eyes wide in panic.

"Shit! This guy's not gonna make it!"

Maine floored the gas pedal, pushing the car to its limit.

Pilar craned his neck to check if the guy was still alive.

The man gasped, barely audible, "...Trauma Team..."

Then he clutched Lin Yue's collar. "Don't... take me..."

Lin Yue stared at him as his grip loosened and fell away.

So that's how it is... Lin Yue realized, immediately dialing a number.

"Maine! Scavs are on us!" Dorio shouted, glancing at the rearview mirror to see several graffitied vehicles speeding towards them, one already pulling up alongside.

Lin Yue turned to look. Five Scav vehicles were hot on their tail.

Figures. Scavs never let go of a chance to double-dip. That bastard Agata Leštš was probably counting her eddies already.

"Light 'em up!" Pilar yelled as the sound of weapons cocking echoed inside the car...

---

[Memory Wipe]: A type of quickhack used to erase short-term memories from a person's brain. This version seems far more severe. [Quickhack]: Programs installed into a netrunner's cyberdeck, used for combat, control, stealth, and ultimate hacks.

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