Cyberpunk: Becoming a Legend from Dogtown

"Song So-mi, are you really free now? Me, V, have become just another ordinary passerby in Night City. Damn it… I've lost Johnny, Panam, Judy…

That's right! I've lost everything…"

…

"Lin! Stop sleeping, get up and keep drinking!"

What's wrong with my head?

The combination of staying up late and a hangover-induced dizziness churned Lin Yue's stomach.

Wasn't I just working on a game walkthrough? Did I… transmigrate?

Lin Yue spat out the bitter beer, and as his vision cleared, he saw his drinking buddy sitting on a paint bucket across from him.

Fluorescent paint splattered on military pants, cybernetic tattoos of snarling dogs covering his body—

Barghest?!

At the same time, a few lines of information appeared in Lin Yue's field of view:

[Character: Zilv Snor]

[Affiliation: Dogtown]

[Favorability: 40 (A liar. Just yesterday, he claimed you two were as close as brothers sharing the same pair of underwear.)]

[Cultivation Value: If you're into that sort of thing, go ahead.]

[Stage Reward: Reach 50 favorability, +1 to Body, original sweat-stained military gloves.]

This panel is way too twisted, Lin Yue thought, his expression grim.

The burly man across from him had a single piece of cyberware covering his eyes, sunk deep into his sockets, two beams of eerie red light making Lin Yue's skin crawl.

It felt so real. The guy's cyberware looked like it was scavenged from a Scavenger, rough and crude.

As the ground beneath him shifted slightly, Lin Yue realized he was on a moving truck. The enclosed cargo area was packed with all sorts of weapons and equipment, all top-tier corporate gear.

And he, along with this "buddy" of his, were the security detail responsible for escorting this shipment back to Dogtown.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Yue sorted through his chaotic thoughts and stared intently at his mechanically controlled arm.

The steel hand clenched and unclenched, emitting faint mechanical sounds. He was utterly amazed by the intricate design of the cyberware and the realistic sensation it provided.

This is insane. Can humans really create something as functional as natural limbs?

There was one more important thing!

Lin Yue's cybereye flickered, and his physical attributes appeared before him:

[Name]: Lin Yue

[Body]: 5

[Reflexes]: 3

[Technical Ability]: 1

[Intelligence]: 3

[Cool]: 4

Judging by this, he probably wasn't some legendary figure.

"You sleepwalking or what? Damn! Is it another case of cyberware incompatibility?"

Snor, sitting across from him, looked suspicious as he chugged a mouthful of beer. The atmosphere grew awkward.

"No, I just can't drink anymore. I surrender."

Lin Yue, overwhelmed by the shock, raised his hands in defeat. He needed a moment to collect himself.

"Told you you're a coward—"

Before Snor could finish, a series of creaking noises came from the dimly lit cargo area.

"Hey! What's going on?"

Lin Yue instinctively grabbed the rifle beside him. It seemed the original owner had undergone extensive training, as muscle memory forced him to pull the bolt, followed by a crisp click.

[Arasaka Shiden, Kinetic Assault Rifle]. It'll do.

Lin Yue thought to himself.

Snor, holding his gun, crouched and slowly moved toward the source of the noise.

Sensing something, Lin Yue immediately shouted, "Get down!"

Riiip!

The sound of tearing metal mixed with the howling wind outside flooded the cargo area. Lin Yue quickly grabbed the emergency handle inside the truck.

At the same time, the truck began to brake sharply, causing all the equipment inside to slide to one side!

"Shit, shit, shit!"

Lin Yue clung tightly to his rifle, while Snor, caught off guard, was pinned under a pile of crates. The world seemed to spin as if it were about to flip over.

The truck was going to roll!

Lin Yue's cybernetic arm buzzed with intense electrical currents as he elbowed the smart lock on the crate behind him.

In the next moment, Lin Yue was thrown out of the truck. Instinctively, he shielded his head with his arms.

Thud!

Lin Yue slammed hard onto the scorching asphalt, the smell of burning synthetic skin filling his nostrils.

His cybereye displayed rapidly scrolling vital signs. Information about multiple fractures and intense pain flooded his mind.

Damn, I might actually die here…

Stay sharp!

A strange, clarifying sensation washed over him.

It was the pain editor rapidly injecting new hormones into his system.

Can't stay down. In this world, death is as casual as a game—

Dragging his numb body, Lin Yue rolled behind a rock by the roadside, gasping for breath as he checked his rifle. He peeked out to survey the wreckage of the convoy in the distance.

Whoosh!

A bullet grazed Lin Yue's scalp. His cybereye immediately pinpointed the shooter's location.

Lin Yue fired a few shots in the general direction of the source, then scrambled toward other rocks along the roadside.

"Make sure you wipe them all out! Especially those two—don't let them escape. These bastards love coming back to bite you later."

A burly man with a buzzcut, his massive frame towering over the scene, spat as he pressed a shotgun against a Barghest soldier's head and pulled the trigger.

He also noticed the slippery kid who had dodged his shots. Gotta admit, Barghest's combat training is pretty solid!

"Maine! Maine!"

A man with a mohawk, his cybernetic arms disproportionately large, lobbed a grenade that blew up a few remaining Barghest soldiers while shouting.

"That kid's kinetic rifle bullets are bouncing all over my hand! You know how much I love this model!"

Lin Yue, hiding behind a new cover, was stunned.

Maine?

That name sounds so familiar—

The enemy's shots were getting more accurate. Lin Yue couldn't be sure if they had tech weapons that could penetrate the rocks. If they did, he'd be done for.

Crash!

Amid the flying gravel, a vehicle covered in Barghest graffiti screeched to a halt beside Lin Yue. The mounted machine gun on top unleashed a relentless barrage of bullets, shell casings raining down.

"They're just some damn mercs. Get in!"

Snor, half his face covered in blood, one arm hanging limp, kicked the door open and shouted at Lin Yue.

Lin Yue climbed into the passenger seat, blasting with loud rock music, and immediately rolled down the window.

He leaned out, firing his kinetic rifle at the hijackers using the trucks as cover. The ricocheting bullets forced them to duck for cover.

"The cargo!"

"What? Oh, the cargo?" Snor, too busy with the music, barely heard him. "Screw the cargo! Let's get out of here, bro!"

If Colonel Hansen found out they'd lost a truckload of supplies, he'd skin them alive.

Lin Yue was nervous.

But Snor had a point: If you're dead, who cares about the cargo?

The car revved its engine, skidded into a U-turn, and sped off across the sandy terrain.

"They're getting away!"

Maine pressed the comms button behind his ear. "Rebecca, those two idiots are yours."

"Alright, alright."

The girl sitting on a weathered rock shook her ponytail, pouting disdainfully as she stood up, hoisting a gun nearly as tall as she was.

"These guys really want us dead, bro." Snor spotted the interceptors ahead, steering with one hand while reaching for the missile launcher mounted on the Barghest vehicle.

"Eat this! Damn it!" Snor's hand hovered over the missile button.

Lin Yue's cybereye adjusted its focus.

On a distant rock, a short girl with twin ponytails stood, her hair swaying in the desert wind.

Information about the girl immediately appeared in Lin Yue's vision.

[Character: Rebecca]

[Affiliation: Night City]

[Favorability: -10 (This girl would love to blast you with a shotgun right now.)]

[Cultivation Value: Extremely high potential. Could become a legend in the future. (Want to get stronger? Want to make this messed-up world a bit better? Try getting closer to her.)]

[Reward: ???]

Lin Yue was stunned. How could he run into her here?

Memories of her vibrant past mixed with the confusion of his transmigration.

The once flesh-and-blood legends were now standing right in front of him, alive and real…

Whatever, just force her back. At least clear the path!

Lin Yue leaned out the window, unleashing a full barrage amidst the chaotic electric guitar riffs.

His shots trailed closely behind Rebecca, aiming to push her toward cover.

Rebecca immediately reacted to the hail of bullets—

Barghest launching missiles? Damn it!

She rolled to the side where the missiles were sparse, her movement causing the bullets to only hit the windshield of Lin Yue's vehicle.

"Whoa, whoa!"

Running through the explosions, she muttered excitedly, then fired a shot at the vehicle's tire.

The damaged vehicle didn't stop but swerved left and right, disappearing into the horizon.

The Barghest soldier, nearly hit by a shotgun blast, cursed loudly!

"Screw you! Rebecca…"

Those two Barghest soldiers still got away.

The guy leaning out the window seemed to be… "greeting" her?

Was that bastard taunting her?!

Wait!

As the smoke cleared, Rebecca, her face smudged with dirt, sat on the ground, furious but also puzzled.

"Hey… how did that guy know my name?"

...

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