Chapter 18: Madam, Surely You Don’t Intend To…

Lin Yue’s fingers tapped against the steering wheel; he was a patient man.

It was 1:05 AM. It seemed Mr. Hands’ wife was quite fond of this club.

Lin Yue might have just found the answer as to how he had managed to floor that bodyguard earlier that afternoon.

[Body]: 10
[Reflexes]: 8
[Technical Ability]: 4
[Intelligence]: 10
[Cool]: 7

The 10 points in Intelligence likely came from meeting V, while the rest must have been earned during that skirmish with Maine’s crew. At the time, he had been too focused on making trouble for Hands to pay any attention to such details.

Based on his observations, these points seemed to exist independently of his cyberware. After some study, Lin Yue concluded that raw strength was the most intuitive benefit. Viktor had already overhauled his cyberware, and when combined with the boosts to his Body and Cool attributes, the most obvious result was sheer physical power. Thinking back, the fact that he could go after Maine while brandishing a pistol was likely due to this raw strength rather than the quality of his cyberware; otherwise, he would have been smashed against a wall and beaten to a pulp long ago.

Secondly, there was the damage from bullets. His cyberware absorbed some of it, but his own natural endurance played a significant role as well. If not for these attribute points, he might have bled out in the wastelands of Dogtown.

But what else were they good for?

Lin Yue analyzed the situation using the logic of a game world. These points were a direct reflection of his external attributes, but the lack of a skill tree was a major issue. Some of the skills compatible with cyberware were incredibly powerful, yet he had no idea how to unlock them.

Smoking wasn't a great habit. Lin Yue didn't smoke, but the previous owner of this body seemed to have been quite fond of it. To maintain his disguise, Lin Yue had taken a puff. He hadn't expected that he would already be on his second cigarette.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A sudden knocking on the car window startled him. Lin Yue hurriedly crushed the cigarette butt in his palm, the slight sting causing him to twitch the corner of his mouth.

"Uh, ma'am."

After exiting the vehicle, he steadied the stumbling woman. He kept his head down as he helped her into the back seat, where she leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes.

He got into the driver's seat and started the car. As soon as they cleared the backyard, he noticed three vehicles tailing them; one of them even accelerated to take the lead.

Had he been discovered?

"Ignore them, newcomer. Just… just drive! Drive out of this city!"

Emma was slurring her words, her speech thick with intoxication.

Lin Yue felt his heart sink. He drove slowly toward Dogtown, looking like just another one of Mr. Hands' men. He was sandwiched between the three cars, unable to move. Emma seemed to notice him constantly checking the rearview mirror and the vehicle's panoramic cameras.

"Damn champagne... why does it feel like you’ve suddenly gotten thinner?"

Lin Yue gritted his teeth. Could this woman just fall asleep already? She wouldn't stop pestering him, and he had no choice but to remain silent. Emma, however, didn't seem to mind his lack of response. She grabbed the back of the driver's seat with both hands and leaned her head forward. Lin Yue, sensing the smell of alcohol and perfume beside him, felt his heart jump into his throat.

"Huh? The side effects of the braindance are so strong. Chérie, tu es belle."

After saying that, Emma rubbed her temples and sat back.

Lin Yue exhaled a long breath. His original plan had been to take this woman to a remote location and force her to give up the key for the vehicle's autopilot, which would allow him to sneak into Dogtown. The problem now was the trailing bodyguards. That made things very difficult.

"Roll down the window. Turn right."

Lin Yue didn't quite understand her intention. Turning right seemed to lead toward the City Center, not Dogtown.

"Go to the beach," she added.

Lin Yue decided to ignore the drunk woman and kept following the first vehicle's trajectory. If he deviated now and the other cars caught on, his plan to enter Dogtown would be ruined.

"You are truly the stupidest driver I have ever met."

Emma’s eyes lit up; she appeared to be on a call.

"Tell your people to get the hell away from me! Wade Blick!"

Mr. Hands’ voice rang out through the car’s audio system. "Please continue driving toward Dogtown. Do not listen to her."

"Then I’ll drive."

As she spoke, Emma’s hand slammed onto the steering wheel, causing the car to swerve violently.

"Ma'am, you—"

"Get your people to back off right now!"

There was silence on the other end. Lin Yue gritted his teeth, floored the accelerator, and surged ahead of the lead car, sharply turning the wheel to veer onto a side road at high speed. Simultaneously, he activated a malicious program he had purchased from a local fixer to hijack the vehicle's systems.

With the driving controls under his command, as long as no hacker detected it, he could silently abduct Emma and drive into Dogtown.

The other three cars slammed on their brakes, watching as Emma’s car sped toward the Corporate Plaza. The cars behind them honked incessantly, urging them on, until finally, Hands' men seemed to compromise, slowly pulling away and following in the direction Lin Yue had taken.

Presumably, Hands had ordered them to keep following, just not too closely.

"Wait! Who are you?"

A bleary-eyed Emma finally realized that Lin Yue was not her bodyguard.

"Hi~"

Lin Yue offered a greeting. The woman began grabbing at him like a madwoman. He freed one hand to firmly pin her wrists down while keeping his foot steady on the accelerator, racing toward the Corporate Plaza. Finding her hands useless, she began kicking the seat with her high heels.

"Are you that guy?"

Emma’s sobriety had returned halfway; the situation was now painfully obvious. Lin Yue kept his gaze fixed on the streets of the city—familiar yet strange. Familiar because the landmarks remained, strange because the roads were too long and the city too vast.

That said, his driving was truly excellent.

The car sped toward the Arasaka Corporation’s coastal harbor. As time ticked by, Lin Yue drove for a long stretch, and once he was certain no one was following, he slammed on the brakes, stopping the car on a dark, secluded path.

Lin Yue opened the door and tugged at his tie; it was uncomfortable, and the collar of his suit was already wrinkled from Emma’s grabbing.

He pulled the car door open and hauled her out roughly. Her high heels fell off, and her pale feet touched the damp, cold ground of the Night City waterfront. Emma let out a low cry of pain as she was dragged out, her cyberware whirring as she attempted to resist.

Lin Yue took a punch to the face, his head snapping to the side. He turned back, his gaze icy. The expressionless stare of the man before her seemed even more cruel and ruthless to Emma.

She deeply regretted not having installed more aggressive hardware. The professional mercenary in front of her seemed provoked by that punch. High-ranking corporate dogs and the wealthy usually possessed decent cyberware, but they feared cyberpsychosis and opted for high-performance, highly compatible parts. Yet, such hardware was often inadequate against a professional mercenary; it was merely sturdy and aesthetically pleasing.

Lin Yue reached into the side of her dress and pulled out a pistol smaller than his palm. Emma’s hand felt as if it were about to break, and she said, with a hint of pleading, "Money. I have money."

"No, ma'am. I don't want your money."

After confirming she had no other weapons, Lin Yue pulled her up and asked with a smile, "Do you know who I am?"

Emma shook her head.

"Your dear husband sold me out completely in Dogtown. Tell me, how should we handle this?"

Despair filled Emma’s eyes. It seemed she had really messed up this time.

"It’s you?! Hands said… you… what are you going to do?"

Lin Yue shrugged. "Is it that hard to figure out?"

Emma’s Adam's apple bobbed. Damn it, why did she always fantasize about dangerous things? Now it had truly come to pass.

"Let me go!"

She thought she might still be able to resist. If not… well, she would see. She just needed to stall until Hands' men arrived.

"I can do that, ma'am," Lin Yue nodded.

Hearing him actually agree, Emma felt both relieved and strangely uneasy. Still, she tried to reach for the small knife in her thigh holster; just holding it would be a comfort. She wasn't sure if the man in front of her would tie her up.

But her actions were plain to see.

Lin Yue immediately pinned her against the car door. He roughly confiscated the small knife and tossed it aside, prompting a gasp from Emma.

Lin Yue whispered in her ear:

"I don't harm women. I don't involve family. I have at least that much conscience—"

"But, I need you to do me a favor… a very small favor."

"After all, you don't want Mr. Hands' business to suffer, do you?"