Cyberpunk: Becoming a Legend from Dogtown

The negotiation process went smoothly.

There was no tense atmosphere of confrontation, nor any deceitful bargaining.

It was simple: Lin Yue, representing his "boss," discussed salaries with his "employees" and informed them that they would be meeting with the local fixer tomorrow to negotiate. With more people present, they'd have more leverage.

Lin Yue made a call on the spot, and Mr. Hands said that as long as these folks didn't start shooting up the streets or setting off bombs, the Maelstrom forces wouldn't keep chasing them down.

As for leaving Dogtown in the future, that would have to be arranged at Mr. Hands' bar, Heavy Hearts.

Lin Yue didn't know how Mr. Hands negotiated with Maelstrom, but this time, Lin Yue had to pay a "small" fee.

Mr. Hands wasn't willing to do it for free. Since they would be sharing the same turf in the future, Lin Yue was willing to give him some face.

After all, knowing when to loosen up and when to tighten up was something Lin Yue had a knack for.

Mr. Hands was just holding onto his pride, and Lin Yue didn't want to make things too ugly. Consider it buying a protective charm for his crew.

But in truth, Mr. Hands had already lost the upper hand long ago; Lin Yue was just boiling the frog slowly.

"Conquer five cities today, ten tomorrow, and finally sleep peacefully for one night—"

Clearly, Mr. Hands of Night City's Pacifica didn't quite grasp the wisdom of the ancients from Lin Yue's world.

Rebecca, fully content, was sipping her soda, casually resting her hand on Lin Yue's shoulder as he sat.

She had already noticed Lin Yue's changed appearance, and jokingly said he was now a "new friend." The slightly talkative Rebecca started introducing herself with a playful voice.

"I'm Rebecca, nice to meet you~"

She rambled on about anything and everything, clearly fed up with the grim atmosphere of Dogtown.

"Is it good?" Lin Yue asked, eyeing the soda.

"Burp… Would be better if it wasn't past its expiration date. Want a sip?"

Lin Yue looked at the shiny bottle rim and Rebecca's bright yellow cybernetic eyes filled with anticipation—

"You have it. I bought it for you."

Lin Yue thought Rebecca was exactly as he had imagined—carefree on the surface but thoughtful underneath. Outgoing, yet never unreliable when it mattered.

"Mr. Lin, so the fixer really took 20,000 eddies?" Dorio asked, arms crossed, worried about the bill. Even though Lin Yue's boss covered the cost, it didn't mean they wouldn't have to pay it back eventually.

Lin Yue nodded. "Dogtown's gigs and all the shady business are basically under Mr. Hands' control—no choice, we're still not established in Pacifica."

"Oh, right."

Lin Yue cut off Maine, who was about to speak.

"The money doesn't need to be repaid. Consider it my boss's investment in hiring you."

Internally, Lin Yue was fuming: 20,000! Damn it, 20,000! If that old fox Hands wasn't so prideful, I'd have just stiffed him or threatened him again.

But going too far could backfire. If Hands dumped everything and retired, things would get even messier. Lin Yue had no choice.

Besides, Hands hadn't mentioned a word about Lin Yue threatening his wife—that's the kind of person you need to be wary of.

Lin Yue silently warned himself to stay alert for Hands' counterattack. Smart people don't just take losses without plotting a comeback.

Since his reincarnation, Lin Yue finally felt like he had some footing.

V didn't count—Arasaka always wanted results, and Lin Yue couldn't guarantee V wouldn't come after him if he screwed up.

For now, he could use the corporation's resources. The identity of "Lin" was the best gift the company had given him.

After all, V dared to side with Jenkins to take down Abernathy. She had guts.

Rebecca tossed the empty soda can aside. "I liked you from the first time I saw you, but your name's weird—your family's not from North America, huh?"

Everyone except Lin Yue felt a bit awkward.

Rebecca clearly forgot she was the one ready to beat him up earlier.

Lin Yue was about to answer when a new notification popped up in his vision.

[Character affinity updated: Rebecca, Maine, Dorio]

[Affinity: 20, 10, 10]

[Reward: +1 Reflex, +2 Cool, Body Skill unlocked, +1 Skill Point]

A giant, pale gold skill tree unfolded in Lin Yue's vision, displaying all the unique skills belonging to the legendary V—

But then, as if it was only a preview, the golden nodes turned gray.

Looks like I have to unlock them myself, Lin Yue thought, amazed.

No one else could see the interface. It was likely some sort of program. Many of the skills required specific cyberware to activate, which explained everything…

The Body skill tree was impressive: the left side focused on shotguns and machine guns, the right side on blunt weapons and brute strength, and the center primarily on health, stamina, and recovery boosts.

It must be quantifying my physical condition into numbers and enhancing it with cybernetics and combat-triggered hormones, Lin Yue speculated.

"Looks like I'll need more cyberware to activate these skills," he thought.

Excitedly, he started allocating points—until he realized a problem.

After unlocking Steel Shell and Iron Will and three points in Hardy Constitution, he was out of skill points…

Now what? How do I get more skill points?

Based on his understanding, attribute points were earned every three levels, but the extra skill point came from character affinity.

So building relationships with key figures might be the only way to earn more skill points.

It was a challenge Lin Yue didn't mind. The "growth reward system" subtly tied his strength to the legends of Night City.

And when it came to becoming stronger, Lin Yue was all in. He wasn't against forming connections with legendary figures—far from it.

Watching Rebecca fidget with her shotgun, talking about how she couldn't wait to leave Dogtown for some decent food in Watson, Lin Yue suddenly had a grim thought.

If their fates are already set in stone… will I have to watch them die?

Lin Yue didn't know if the future would play out as expected.

He shook his head. Life was fragile, and people even more so.

But he always believed in one thing: Fate is what you make it.

Even if he was just a speck of dust in Night City.

Live well, here and now—that's what really matters.

Right?

...

[Check Out My Patreon for 30+ Extra Chapters!!!]

[p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/rosewhisky]

[+150 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]