3: Chapter 3 Where Does the Road Lead?
Two glasses slammed together, sending foam splashing.
As the cold liquor went down, the chill of the rainy night and the recent danger seemed to fade away somewhat.
Jackie wiped his mouth with satisfaction, looking at the seemingly frail young man before him who had saved his life, and asked sincerely: "Alright, brother. You saved my life, and we've had a drink. What are your plans for the future? Why not roll with me for now? It's just small-time street work, but at least it'll keep you fed."
Lin Yi set down his glass.
His fingers unconsciously traced the rough surface of the glass.
Plans?
Before, he had only thought about surviving and latching onto Jackie as his "meal ticket." But now that he'd actually accomplished that first step, he felt a bit lost.
El Coyote Cojo was bustling with noise. A cacophony of profanity in various languages, raucous laughter, and the clinking of glasses blended together. Yet, this clamor only made him feel more isolated.
Should he go do manual labor? Or become a quack fortune teller? Neither seemed to fit...
He instinctively rubbed his temples, which were still throbbing with pain.
Those memory fragments that didn't belong to him flashed again—the buzzing of servers, cold lines of code, and the confident air of the original "Lin Wei" as he commanded the Kang Tao laboratory.
"Wait..."
A sudden realization struck Lin Yi.
"My predecessor was a core R&D engineer at Kang Tao, after all. This brain of mine... it's absolutely top-tier equipment! A scarce resource in any era!"
His mind instantly sparked to life.
Where was he? The Cyberpunk world!
Cyberspace was the second world. Data was gold; it was a weapon.
The names of those legendary hackers flashed through his mind like lightning—
Bartmoss. A man who tore the Old Net apart single-handedly.
Alt Cunningham. According to the lore, she became a god-like entity within Cyberspace.
Spider Murphy. Another legendary figure...
"That's it!"
"What could be more suitable for me than becoming a top-tier hacker? It would allow me to leverage the advantages of this brain while acquiring power, fame, and wealth. This is the path to truly establishing myself in Night City—and perhaps even changing the rules!"
A long-lost surge of heat welled up in his chest.
That feeling was called "ambition."
He didn't want to just survive. He wanted to be like those legends, carving his name into the electronic veins of this city.
His path was clear.
But a very practical problem stood before him—
You can't make bricks without straw.
Top-tier hackers needed top-tier equipment. He didn't even have the most basic cyberdeck right now. With only talent and knowledge, he had no way to apply them.
The money he had left would be mostly gone just covering his cyberware installation surgery, let alone buying a deck.
"A cyberdeck... where could I get one? Ask Jackie to help me buy a civilian-grade one? The ceiling on those is just too low..."
"Wait!"
Just as he was deep in thought, that crucial fragment of memory surged forth again—clearer than ever before.
"...Bastards, trying to make me take the fall and then reap the rewards? Dream on..."
Accompanying this muttered curse was the image of "Lin Wei" solemnly placing a small, black container—minimalist in design, with dark gold data patterns flowing across its surface—into the inner pocket of his coat!
More fragments flashed back, disjointed and intermittent—
"'Bai Ze' is the core of the company's next-gen development... With this cyberdeck, Militech? Arasaka? They can go eat shit..."
"No! Why can't I unleash its full performance? Why?..."
The piercing screech of the laboratory alarm.
The terrified faces of his colleagues.
The sound of pursuing footsteps.
And the cold text that appeared on the screen as he resolutely initiated a certain protocol—
[End User Agreement: Lin Wei - Neural Signature Bound - Irreversible]
That thing!
The thing the original had died to smuggle out!
It definitely wasn't just a souvenir. It was likely that damned experimental cyberdeck!
"Bai Ze" sounded badass. He'd take the gamble.
"Neural signature bound..." Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat as a bold, almost insane hypothesis floated to the surface. "Biometric verification? Could this device... could I use it?!"
His heart pounded.
Almost instinctively, his hand reached toward the inner pocket of his coat—the same clothes the original had been wearing when he died. Viktor had kept them for him after the surgery.
His fingertips brushed against a cold, hard object. It had strange, streamlined patterns on its surface.
It was still there!
The moment he touched it, a faint jolt of electricity seemed to run from his fingertips into his spine. A strange, inexplicable sense of "compatibility" welled up within him.
Holy shit. Good thing it didn't get hit during that shootout. Thank God.
He could almost feel it—something inside was... dormant, waiting to be awakened.
A massive, indescribable surge of excitement and determination instantly dispelled all his confusion.
He snapped his head up to look at Jackie, who was still waiting for an answer. For the first time since he had arrived in this world, he wore a genuine, ambitious smile.
"Jackie." His voice was exceptionally clear and firm. "I know what I need to do now."
He gently tapped the hard silhouette inside his coat.
His eyes burned with intensity.
"Take me to see Viktor. I need to get myself... a 'new brain'."
Jackie was taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor and that cryptic remark.
He saw something familiar in Lin Yi's eyes—the same flame that burned in the eyes of everyone who came to Night City, desperate to burn bright and illuminate something, anything.
Then, he seemed to understand.
A broader, more excited grin spread across his face beneath his mohawk.
"Haha! Good! I knew you weren't just some average Joe!"
He stood up abruptly, his massive hand clapping down heavily on Lin Yi's shoulder once more. This time, it was filled with the power of encouragement.
"Let's go! We're heading to Viktor's right now! You and I, we're going to become the new legends of Night City!"
He lowered his voice, leaning in closer, his eyes gleaming. "When that day comes, the Afterlife Bar is gonna name a drink after me! And right next to 'Jackie Welles' on the menu, it's gonna say 'Lin Yi'!"
The two shared a smile.
They pushed open the bar door and stepped back out into the hazy night and drizzle of Watson.
The road ahead remained treacherous and uncertain.
But at least for this moment, they both had a clear direction—and someone to walk the path with.