Chapter 29: The Recognition of a Technical Expert [Please Follow for Updates]

"Woohoo!"

Rebecca fired, blowing up the final landmine. As the sound of the fuse triggering faded, the Maelstrom gang members tasked with the defense were completely wiped out.

"Lin Yue, Maine? What are you dragging your feet for? The Maelstroms are going to be on our tails any second!"

Dorio's voice over the comms sounded anxious. Lin Yue and Rebecca searched the corridor, moving forward on opposite sides. Suddenly, a drone darted out; Rebecca fired several shots from her shotgun, turning it into fine debris amidst the rhythmic clatter of her reloading.

"Don't mention it."

Rebecca shouldered her gun and walked into the room at the end of the hallway under Lin Yue's speechless gaze.

Lin Yue pried the heavy door open just enough to create a gap, his cyberware hissing with the strain—if only he had Gorilla Arms.

"Rebecca, come help!"

The two pulled at the door, exerting every ounce of strength until it finally gave way. They stormed inside, only to be met by a trembling voice:

"Don't shoot!"

A man huddled behind a desk screamed. Lin Yue walked over and hoisted him up as if he were a chick.

"Maine! We’ve got the package, no limbs missing."

Rebecca reported to Maine while following behind Lin Yue, who dragged the terrified, urine-soaked cargo all the way to the entrance.

A van drifted to a halt in front of the door. Dorio held the steering wheel with one hand. "Time to go!"

The van rattled as it sped down the hills of Dogtown, accompanied by the angry shouts and gunfire of the Maelstrom gang trailing behind; bullets whizzed past their faces.

Dorio slammed on the accelerator. "Maine, is your van fixed yet? This piece of junk is in the shop every day. Can't we get something better?"

"Make do with it. Buying a new car is damn expensive," Maine muttered, looking pained.

Rebecca fired her weapon while asking, "Anyone want to go to 'Mind Over Matter' tonight?"

Lin Yue winced, digging a bullet out from his facial skin. "Not me. I need to visit a ripperdoc to get my implants fixed."

As he spoke, he spat out a bloody fragment of a molar.

Dorio glanced at the rearview mirror. "With such heavy gunshot wounds, what kind of cyberware do you have that lets you still jump around like that?"

Lin Yue’s heart tightened.

Maine turned his head to look at Lin Yue. "Remember to see a dentist!"

The people in the van forgot the previous tension, bursting into laughter. Only the rescued man, huddled in the corner with his head in his hands, stared with eyes full of terror.

*God dammit, are these people even professionals?*

Everyone was waiting to drop the package off to see how much the payout would be, but Pilar was staring intently at a briefcase scavenged from the Maelstrom den.

"We’re rich!" Pilar chirped, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Seeing that the Maelstroms had been shaken off, Rebecca squeezed against Lin Yue to get a better look at what her brother had.

Lin Yue’s face was pressed out of shape by Rebecca’s chest, and combined with the pain of his wounds, it squeezed tears right out of his eyes. "Hey, watch it! Your bones are digging into me!"

There was nothing soft about it; it was definitely not okay.

Thinking Lin Yue was insulting her physique, Rebecca pressed her fist hard against his head.

Inside the case lay a piece of cyberware. Lin Yue glanced over and found it looked familiar.

"A Biomonitor?"

Pilar grinned, holding up a long index finger. "Nonono, you idiot. This is the real prize."

Following Pilar’s gesture, a data chip lay quietly beside the Biomonitor.

"Plug it in and see." Pilar handed the chip to Lin Yue. He was in a good mood today and felt like broadening the kid's horizons.

Lin Yue pushed aside Rebecca, who was clamoring to see the chip, and slotted it into the port at the back of his neck. A blueprint materialized within his optical display.

"[Crafting Spec]?" Lin Yue muttered to himself.

Pilar froze on the spot.

Rebecca’s expression was priceless. "Brother, it seems like someone else can actually understand your 'good stuff'."

That’s right. The chip Pilar gave him contained crafting specifications for two weapon mods. Wait—what?

Lin Yue’s expression shifted, and Pilar immediately sensed something was wrong.

"Damn it! You little bastard, pull that chip out right now!"

Lin Yue blocked Pilar’s attempt to snatch the chip. Weren't these the two mods needed for a Tech Sniper Rifle?

[Wallpuncher], [Grand Finale]...

It allowed weapons to charge to double capacity, eliminated damage fall-off through walls, and the Grand Finale scope even supplied power to the weapon, reducing the charge time of the Nekomata?!

Pilar finally understood what it meant to lose something for good. Lin Yue was clearly already copying the data, likely planning to build the items himself.

After finishing the copy, Lin Yue pulled the chip out. "Here, take it. You’re so stingy."

Rebecca burst into laughter. "It's over, the miser is going to go home and cry under his covers tonight~"

Pilar shook his head. "How did you even know this was a crafting spec? Laymen can't read this stuff. How can a blockhead like you make sense of everything?"

"You're a damn freak."

Lin Yue crossed his arms. The cyberware would definitely go to Pilar, and nobody else was interested in crafting specs, so he was the only one who had kept an eye out to realize what Pilar had actually scavenged.

At that moment, a weak voice came from the corner.

"That thing... it's mine."

Pilar grabbed the man by his collar. "It's yours?"

"It's... uh, no, it's not."

"That settles it." A seasoned cyberpunk like Pilar never spat out food once it was in his mouth.

"Hey! Kid, since I’m going to mess around with these specs, why don’t you learn from me? I promise you won’t lose out. My technical skills are top-notch."

Pilar offered a sincere invitation.

Lin Yue nodded without a second thought. "No problem, thank you!"

Pilar’s face stiffened. "Uh? Aren't you going to show some appreciation?"

Lin Yue looked innocent. "Oh! I'll treat you to some amazing Braindance later, how about that? The really intense kind."

Pilar, unwilling to let it go, shouted, "Damn you! This stuff costs money! I’m the one who got it! Damn!"

Maine and Dorio exchanged glances in the front seat and shook their heads helplessly.

This was their third contract.

The team was becoming more solid through their trials, and it had been over half a month since their first job. The group was making a name for themselves in Dogtown.

The van pulled up to a canal not far from the EBM Petrochem Stadium. Rebecca kicked the man out of the car. He sat on the ground, back turned, loudly cursing the idiots for denying him basic human rights.

Lin Yue checked the advance payment from the client in his account. He had been handling the intelligence gathering through V, who had bridged him to a steady contact.

The costs, however, were quite high. After all, gang information brokers didn't come cheap.

After deducting costs and the team's wages, Lin Yue was left with thirty thousand Eurodollars.

Lin Yue looked out the window, his eyes brightening.

Rebecca shouted in surprise, "Damn, this job paid fifteen thousand!"

She patted Lin Yue on the shoulder. "You're a pretty good boss. You can't get this kind of pay for these jobs in the city."

Pilar and Rebecca were overjoyed, but Maine and Dorio seemed troubled.

Maine was silent for a while. "Lin Yue... will your boss make us work for Arasaka?"

The observant giant had noticed the unusual connection between Lin Yue's boss and Arasaka back on their first job. Naturally vigilant cyberpunks never wanted to get involved with the megacorps.

Lin Yue looked at the dilapidated streets of Dogtown outside, the sound of Rebecca and Pilar bickering in his ears.

After a long pause, Lin Yue replied in two quiet words:

"No."

He had already made an agreement with V: That was Rin's business, not theirs.

-----------------

[Crafting Spec]: Blueprints used in the 2077 game to craft weapons, mods, and items.

[Grand Finale]: A scope for Tech Sniper Rifles that stabilizes the trajectory; its internal battery powers the rifle, reducing the time required for charging.

[Wallpuncher]: Tech Sniper Rifles usually suffer damage fall-off when penetrating cover; this mod increases weapon power and allows for 200% charge, with the same duration as the previous 100% charge time.