Chapter 21: Negotiations and Little Cocoa Cola

Rebecca rested her chin in her hands, her eyes unfocused.

She was famished. It was miserable. She missed the Coco-Cola from the vending machines on the streets of Japan—that chilled, tingling sensation that would prickle the tip of her tongue.

What a dump this place was; even snacks like [Mylidou Plantain Chips] were expired.

"Maine! Maine!"

Rebecca’s brother, Pilar, walked in through the rusted iron door of the abandoned building. He seemed to be enjoying Dogtown well enough; after all, the mechanical junk scattered everywhere gave this guy, who only knew how to tinker with "inventions," plenty to play with all day.

Maine, like Dorio, sat by the campfire used for light, while a radio played songs from [Body Heat Radio].

"So, get away..."

The radio's melodic tune only made Rebecca’s mood worse. The romantic anthem couldn't resonate with a starving Rebecca; all she wanted was a Coco-Cola, or any kind of carbonated drink.

"Don't go out. There’s no guarantee the Barghest won't bite," Maine ordered Pilar.

Pilar hunched his shoulders; he still respected Maine. After all, Maine was the leader of their small crew.

"Ugh... Maine, have you finally made up your mind?" Rebecca was losing her patience. After all, Lin Yue had stated that their entire crew had to agree, otherwise, backing out once they were already in Dogtown would be even more troublesome.

It wasn't as if Sasha hadn't contacted fixers in Night City, but at this point in time, who would be stupid enough to take on this job? The routes in and out of Dogtown were becoming even more difficult to traverse.

One option was to simply rack up a few dozen criminal records with the NCPD and hope the Barghest might recruit them.

Maine scratched his head. "Where the hell is this kid from? I’m starting to think his boss is a megacorp."

Rebecca grumbled, "How should I know? There are plenty of people in the streets and alleys of Night City who know our names. We can’t go around asking everyone if they’re with the Barghest or a corporation, can we?"

"I think Rebecca is right," Dorio said, standing up. "Maine, no matter who is behind this Lin Yue, we can't die here in Dogtown."

"Sasha is out there all by herself, and she’s very worried about us."

Maine sat in silence for a moment. "Let’s talk to this Lin Yue first."

Dorio nodded. "Come to think of it, we were the ones who screwed him over—"

"The Barghest seem to want to hunt that guy down."

Rebecca nodded. "Damn! Seriously, he even yelled at me! He sounded pretty resentful..."

The memory of Lin Yue’s voice telling her to get lost echoed in her mind, and her expression dimmed.

If he were to retaliate, it would be understandable, wouldn't it?

Pilar started loading bullets into his gun. "If this kid sells us out, that won't be good—I need to get my gear ready!"

Rebecca glanced at the shotgun beside her. She didn't want to use this piece as a final warning for a bird startled by the bow.

Let it all go to hell!

What a dump this place was; she didn't care anymore.

"Pilar, keep watch. We still need to be polite when discussing things." Maine had dealt with fixers and gangs often enough to know that causing more ill will with Lin Yue at this critical juncture would be counterproductive.

But they couldn't let their guard down.

On a smaller scale, they weren't even sure if the contact info Sasha provided was really for Lin Yue. On a larger scale, after what happened last time, the guy had every reason to sell their whole crew out.

[Incoming Call: Unknown]

Rebecca’s eyes lit up. She shared the call with her partners.

"How’s it going? I’m outside the Longshore Stacks. Are you going to agree to work for my boss?"

Dorio shook her head slightly.

"Look... we can pay you."

Lin Yue gave an "oh." "Then I’m hanging up. You guys take care on your way out."

Rebecca immediately broke down, standing on the windowsill and shouting:

"Hey! We can pay! How much do you want? Just name a number!"

"Asshole, asshole, asshole!"

On the other end, Lin Yue frowned. This girl was intense.

"My boss said: work, and he’ll get you out. It’s that simple."

Dorio and Maine were both silent. Why did the guy insist on this specific cyberpunk crew? At the [Afterlife] bar in the city, there were much more prominent figures sitting around, all of them veterans who had walked through the valley of death.

Besides, they weren't exactly elite mercenaries with high-end cyberware.

The poor, working-class crew had no idea that Lin Yue chose them because he knew their history inside and out.

Lin Yue had already thought it through: this crew was straightforward; he only needed to watch out for the netrunner, Kiwi.

He didn't even know yet that this particular crew didn't have a netrunner named Kiwi.

The members of Maine’s crew were all low-level people trying to make a name for themselves in the city, to stop being bullied, and to break out of their social class.

The reason they would go on to obsessively install cyberware later was partly because they were lost in the pursuit of money and lifestyle, and partly because they were lost in their own fame and a desperate, obsessive craving for power.

Cyberpsychosis targeted those who were emotionally unstable, blinded by hatred, or lost in their own identities.

[David Martinez], in a sense, was more like the embodiment of their will. They were all people desperate to stand at the peak and prove their worth to others.

A mercenary crew with simple motives was exactly what Lin Yue needed.

He didn't have the time to go hunting for big-shot mercenaries from the Afterlife.

"Call me an asshole one more time, and I’m hanging up."

Lin Yue knew Rebecca was blunt and outspoken, but he had his own ways to make this unruly crew submit.

He was the boss, after all! He had to discipline his employees a little.

"Maine! Are you in or not? Stop nodding and shaking your head like a mute."

Lin Yue almost laughed out loud. This Rebecca was really... cute.

"This is Maine."

The deep voice sounded on the other end.

The leader was concise. "To be honest, we don't dare trust you, which is why we had Rebecca contact you. I hope you don't misunderstand."

Lin Yue shook his head. "Not at all. I’m not angry. What I can guarantee is that once you’re out, if my boss has work, he’ll call you. The pay will be at market rate..."

"And one more thing: when my boss assigns a mission, I’ll be operating with you. How’s that for a condition?"

Maine couldn't fathom the intentions of Lin Yue or his boss.

The level of freedom this boss gave Lin Yue was far too high.

Since when did Pacifica have such a high-level fixer?

It was no wonder Maine was tempted; the other party’s conditions seemed tailor-made for them, eliminating all their concerns.

Lin Yue coming along with them? Wasn't that the perfect guarantee to put their minds at ease?

After all, if anything went wrong during the mission, Lin Yue would be the first one to go down with them.

Seeing how confident this guy was, his boss seemed quite reliable. Who could it be...

Maine couldn't dwell on it. The crew was in a bad state, and he was responsible for the safety of every member.

This had been decided from the very beginning; he was the big brother, and he had the responsibility and the obligation.

"Lin Yue, you’re very good at communicating. I agree. I’ll send you the location. We’ll be on high alert to verify your identity when you arrive to avoid any incidents. Can you understand that?"

Lin Yue agreed. "I understand."

Rebecca jumped into the call, her voice suddenly sounding sickly. "You have to come, Lin Yue."

"I’m dying here, I just need one sip of that soda..."

"Alright, Rebecca, stop it. Just wait for Mr. Lin to get here." Dorio clutched her forehead and gave a wry smile, unable to watch this clown in the channel anymore.

The call ended.

Lin Yue was speechless. She had plenty of energy when she was hurling insults; what a character.

From the moment he received Rebecca’s call, Lin Yue had been heading toward the Longshore Stacks.

Passing a dilapidated shopping mall that had been retrofitted by the residents of Dogtown, he turned back after a short while.

The blood-stained, dust-covered vending machine in front of him seemed to be working, though the advertisement was barely legible.

"Coco... Cola... Love at... the tip of your tongue!"

Lin Yue’s eyes lit up. A bottle of soda with a hint of chill rolled out of the machine.

He picked it up, wiped off the dust, and found the production date wasn't too far off. He tucked it into his pocket with satisfaction.

After all, Rebecca had provided the assist today, hadn't she?

A reward for her!