Cyberpunk: Becoming a Legend from Dogtown

"Maine!"

Maine gripped the wheel tightly and gave the order. Rebecca, sitting next to Lin Yue, leaned halfway out of the window, perched on the car door frame.

"Woo!" Pilar's window rolled down as well. He pulled out a Scorcher Incendiary Grenade from his waist and tossed it out.

As the team's tech expert, Pilar always carried explosives.

Boom!

The shockwave rocked the car from side to side. The deafening explosion turned the van behind them into a fireball, rolling and crashing violently into the road behind.

Rebecca's shotgun shells clattered back inside through the window as she shouted, firing a blast that shattered the windshield of the car behind them. Blood splattered everywhere—the driver's head now a smashed pulp. That car wobbled off course and crashed into a burning trash pile on the side of the road in Pacifica.

No doubt about it—this cyberpunk crew knew how to survive in Night City.

Lin Yue was glad he found the right people.

"Time to work, Mr. Lin!" Dorio, holding her pistol, joined Rebecca in firing out the window.

The Scavs were pinned down for the moment by the gunfire. Lin Yue quickly understood and opened the sunroof, standing on the back seat. He mounted his Yukimura sniper rifle on the car roof, aiming at a Scav who had just peeked out of a window.

The electromagnetic shot echoed through the decayed streets of Pacifica like a thunderclap.

"Nice shot, asshole!"

Rebecca laughed loudly, praising Lin Yue as the wind whipped past them and into the ears of the Scavs behind.

"Shit! Take down that crazy bitch! She's tough—stay sharp!"

One of the Scavs, wearing a bloodstained butcher's apron over his bulky frame and a neon graffiti-covered faceplate, barely finished his sentence before his head was blown clean off, leaving only his neck bobbing in the wind.

How many was that now?

Lin Yue counted—third one, maybe?

"Meat grinder's open for business!"

Rebecca's rifle spat flames, riddling the Scav's pickup with bullets until smoke poured from the hood. Bullets whizzed past her, but instead of flinching, she tightened her grip and kept firing.

Suddenly, the Scavs switched tactics, circling around from a narrow side street. Caught up in the heat of battle, Rebecca didn't notice.

Ping!

A bullet struck the window frame next to her, making her instinctively duck.

Lin Yue, already aiming, put a bullet through the head of the driver flanking them. He and Rebecca exchanged glances, then resumed firing.

Bullets tore into Lin Yue's arm. His subdermal armor stopped them from going too deep—the warped bullets lodged about a centimeter under his skin, trickling thin streams of blood.

No longer weak and frail.

Love you, Vik!

Lin Yue genuinely appreciated Viktor's work.

Steel and Chrome and the new perks gave him even more resilience. Some of the wounds had already started clotting.

It hurt like hell, but at least a single bullet wouldn't take him down anymore.

With relentless gunfire, collisions, and explosions, Lin Yue and Maine's crew blasted their way toward the Pacifica Seaside District.

After the fight, Lin Yue sat in the backseat, digging a bullet out of his palm with his fingers.

Rebecca patted his shoulder in approval, crossing her arms and leaning back with a satisfied grin and closed eyes.

"Fuck you, Scavs!" Pilar's oversized cybernetic hand stuck out the window, flipping the longest bird in Night City.

…

Following the coordinates, they drove to a rundown motel near the coast.

The rusty gate creaked in the coastal wind. In the yard stood a man in a gray suit and sunglasses, flanked by two mechs, several guards, and a netrunner in an Arasaka helmet typing away on a laptop.

Maine patted the rescued man's face—his vitals still showed signs of life, though he was likely unconscious from shock.

"Damn, kid's got no pants on… poking me all over!" Maine grumbled, cigarette dangling from his lips as he hauled the man over his shoulder.

The corpo waved them over. The mech guards took the unconscious man and loaded him into the trunk of a waiting car.

"Well done. Seems this new pup can handle business too."

The man clapped, making Lin Yue frown slightly.

"Your boss explained everything, right?" He scanned the group.

Maine glanced at Lin Yue, confused.

Lin Yue shook his head. "Explain what?"

"Keeping quiet, obviously."

The man gestured to the Biotechnica logo on the car behind him. "That guy had secrets. We cornered him in Dogtown and hired Scavs to wipe him out, but those dogs tried selling him back to us. We had to pay up."

"He didn't say anything to you, right?"

Maine frowned. "Cut the crap, will ya?"

"Just a little insurance. 755, come give them a quick memory wipe."

Suddenly, arcs of electricity surged from the crew's implants!

Sparks flew as Maine's bulky frame hit the ground, struggling to rise. Every cybernetic part of their bodies was disabled—they could only speak.

"Lin Yue! What the fuck is this?" Rebecca snarled. "Fuck you, corpo dog!"

Pilar screamed, "I knew following this guy was a mistake!"

Lin Yue remained calm. "What's this about?"

The Biotechnica agent smirked. "Hans told me about you—said you've got someone big behind you. Mind telling me who?"

"And your crew… 755 just disabled their cyberware for a bit. No big deal, right?"

"Lin Yue!" Dorio's gaze turned icy.

All eyes were on him now.

"If I were you, I'd think about how to get my crew back on their feet—and maybe dust them off afterward."

The netrunner, 755, spoke up in a distorted female voice, "So, how're you gonna make me pay for this?"

Lin Yue ignored her completely.

"My boss says Dogtown's ours now. Let me guess—you're trying to back up Hans? And you, digital chick, your mouth's too big. Your boss must be blind to hire someone like you."

"You really don't get Biotechnica, do you?" the man sneered. "Mercs like you—and your boss—are just dogs to us. Useful, but dogs."

Lin Yue smiled faintly. "Ever hear this saying in Dogtown?"

The man stayed silent.

"Dogs bite."

At that moment, the distant rumble of engines echoed down the road. Two Arasaka vehicles—Lexus ZR-5000 Armored Editions—rolled up behind Lin Yue.

"Shit… what's Arasaka doing here?"

Biotechnica's guards grew uneasy.

The lead Arasaka car stopped. Two agents stepped out, opening the door for V to casually emerge from the back seat.

"Dr. Isaacson from Biotechnica R&D, huh? Playing corpo agent now?"

"Still cleaning up after that Safehaven mess?"

V locked eyes with the Biotechnica agent.

"Who the fuck are you? Arasaka… your boss wants to pick a fight with us?"

"Watch your mouth. Arasaka doesn't need your boss's permission to get things done. We still need that guy."

Suddenly, 755's netrunning helmet sparked violently.

The netrunner screamed, tumbling out of her seat.

"Teach your people some manners. So, we done here?" V asked nonchalantly, as if she hadn't just fried someone's brain.

Perfectly measured—just enough to keep her in bed for a few days, no permanent damage.

Dr. Isaacson's face twisted as realization dawned. This Arasaka woman must be the boss behind Lin Yue, the merc.

Fucking Hans… this merc works for Arasaka?! Fuck!

The doctor silently cursed the Dogtown fixer a thousand times over.

Weighing his options, Isaacson fell silent.

Seconds ticked by, tension thickening the air.

Lin Yue clenched his fists, nervous about how Biotechnica would react. Only V remained unfazed, casually watching the Biotechnica crew.

Arasaka agents rested their hands on their holsters.

"…We're leaving."

Isaacson's face was flushed with frustration, but he relented.

V raised her hand, fingers waving. "See ya."

The group watched the gritted-teeth Biotechnica crew drive off.

As the sound of engines faded, everyone exhaled in relief.

Except Lin Yue.

Relief wasn't what he felt.

No corp backs a merc for free, and V never made a deal without a price.

Arasaka doesn't hand out favors.

---

[Dr. Isaacson]: An employee of the Biotechnica R&D department and a member of Project Nightingale. In the 2077 game, the brutal experiments primarily conducted on members of the Nomad family, seen in the quest commissioned by Dr. Joanne Koch, were led by Joanne herself.

[Securelyne]: In 2070, the painkiller Securelyne, released by Biotechnica, was proven to cause neurodegeneration. Driven by profit, Biotechnica continued to push it to market, which was also a factor in the death of Sasha's mother.

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