Cyberpunk: Legends of Life

Chapter 175 Power is the oldest building
V, dressed in a black dress, held Tang Yu's arm tightly with both hands, not daring to relax at all.

In order to avoid being spotted by others, he could only stand on tiptoe and walk slowly in black crystal high-heeled shoes.

The red carpet was laid neatly on the lawn, leading straight to the steps of the new-style villa in the manor.

Due to the extremely slow pace of the two, the runway not far behind them began to congest one after another.

The concierge of the manor is responsible for maintaining the order of the scene. According to the etiquette reception requirements, only one pair of VIPs can walk on the red carpet at a time, so the people behind have to wait in line.

V is wearing a black butterfly half-face mask, which greatly conceals her true expression.

When Tang Yu proposed to take her to the dance, she proposed that she must wear a mask, otherwise she would never participate.

She was very grateful for this decision, in case she really made a fool of herself, at least no one would recognize it, even though she didn't know anyone at the scene.

Like this kind of high-end evening party, she is a mercenary who wanders the streets, so it is naturally impossible for her to have any intersection with the people here. If it weren't for Tang Yu, she would never come to such a place in her life.

at this time.

The old boss Arthur Jenkins, standing on the lawn not far away, raised his glass to Tang Yu with a smile on his face.

Tang Yu saw Jenkins' movements, and there were many people standing around him, all wearing expensive dresses, talking and laughing together, and they should be in the same circle of friends as Jenkins.

He leads V in the direction of Jenkins.

Stepping from the red carpet to the lawn, V obviously felt extremely uncomfortable. The soil of the lawn is soft, and the center of gravity is unstable when stepping on it.

V had to lean half of his body on Tang Yu's arm to reduce the pressure of the high heels and stabilize his figure at the same time.

Jenkins seemed to feel that Tang Yu's pace was a bit slow, so he took the initiative to take a few steps forward and greeted him warmly.

Seeing that Tang Yu beside him answered, V had no choice but to nod his head, and didn't say much, focusing all his energy on subduing the two high-heeled shoes.

Jenkins saw the abnormality of Tang Yu's female companion, just smiled heartily, ignored it, and continued to introduce Tang Yu to the mayor of Night City who was standing not far away.

Lucius Lane.

He had a big belly, as if he heard the flattery from the people around him, his whole face was wrinkled with laughter, he was very happy.

Jenkins summoned the wine server, picked up a glass of cocktail and handed it to Tang Yu, and picked up another glass to hand it to V.

Tang Yu declined for V, saying that she does not drink alcohol.

Jenkins shook his head meaningfully, put the wine glass back on the end plate, and said with a smile.

"Tang, it may be that you seldom attend this kind of party, and you don't know some stories about the party."

"In my opinion, a party is a romantic movie exclusively for men."

Romantic movie?

Tang Yu smiled. It seems that Jenkins, the fifth diamond king, has a unique and distinct personal understanding of the party.

"How do you say this?" Tang Yu asked as he walked.

Because of taking care of V, Tang Yu walked very slowly, and even took Jenkins for a casual stroll.

When it comes to the field he is best at, Jenkins has a drink, and then he uses the topic to play.

"Don, think about it, is a party like a battle?"

"Before the opening, the men made serious preparations. They will be armed with famous clothes, cars, watches, etc., and expensive accessories that they don't usually wear will be displayed."

Hearing what Jenkins said, V looked around curiously, and found that, as he said, almost everyone wore all kinds of luxury goods, and watches happened to be the most common.

As for luxury cars, there are rows of high-end cars on the road outside the manor, and there are many high-end floating cars with prices exceeding the sky.

Jenkins continued to explain confidently: "But whether the decoration is expensive or not depends on the occasion."

"Wearing it for a casual gathering can make a difference."

"But on an occasion like tonight, no matter how expensive a watch is, it looks too ordinary. Even a top luxury car can't cause any waves."

"These external luxuries can't make you the focus of the audience and attract more social attention."

After listening to V, he felt that what Jenkins said actually made some sense.

In an occasion where many high-ranking dignitaries gather, no matter how extravagant and expensive the clothes are, they can only be reduced to the background board of the party.

She was a little curious, this party was like a follow-up to Battlefield Theory.

"The reason why I am keen to decorate myself with those vulgar luxury goods is nothing more than for the face that is thinner than paper." Jenkins raised his hand and stretched out two fingers, and pinched it in front of him.

"Therefore, at this party where swords and swords are invisible, there are only two things that determine a man's face."

"One is power status, which is a man's main weapon on the battlefield. Power is no different from real estate. The closer to the center, the more expensive it is."

"Look." Jenkins pointed to Lucius Lane again, and the crowd gathered around him, chatting and laughing.

then.

He pointed to another place, and there was also a group of people gathered in twos and threes, and the excitement was not as lively as that of Lucius Lane.

"That's a high-ranking member of the Night City Municipal Council who has been having trouble with Lucius Lane."

"Back then, he was a strong competitor of Lucius Lane. Because he had received lobbying bribes from military technology, he was on the wrong team in the all-metal war seven years ago, and finally lost the chance to run for mayor."

The comparison between the two groups of people is obvious. V immediately understood what Jenkins meant. Power determines the general trend of a man on the battlefield.

For these twists and turns of the so-called top class of society, V can only be said to be indifferent. He thought that Jenkins could come up with some new tricks, but he didn't expect that he could understand the truth by wiggling his toes. Isn't power in Night City Higher than the sky.

Jenkins said with a sigh: "In this city, almost everyone has made this mistake, giving up power for money."

"Money is just a beautiful mansion made of cheap materials, which can't stand the wind and rain at all."

"And power is an ancient stone building, which can stand in the long river of history for thousands of years without falling down."

"The scenery of Night City is too intoxicating, and there are not many people who can stay awake."

Tang Yu knew that Jenkins was implying that in the eyes of this old boss, he was an out-and-out climber who was dedicated to climbing to the top of power.

From the Counterintelligence Department to Michiko Arasaka, and now working for Saburo Arasaka, he has verified Jenkins' theory with practical actions.

In this regard.

Tang Yu didn't refute its correctness, but just laughed without saying a word.

Jenkins continued to explain his unique insights, and said with some excitement: "But the party is different from the battlefield. Power is not the only weapon. Another thing that can determine whether a man succeeds or fails on the battlefield is."

Although V is not interested in the twists and turns of power, he can't help but become curious about what other than power can determine a man's success or failure at a party.

Tang Yu was also a little curious, and wanted to hear what his old boss had to say.

The theory about power is correct, but it is not new to him. Instead, it is a second weapon, and even he can't guess what it is.

Jenkins took a sip of his cocktail and emphasized very seriously.

"A perfect female companion."

Girlfriend?

This made V unexpected.

Jenkins again took the example of another crowd on the lawn, explaining: "Look at that man in the silver suit, his name is Jefferson Perales, a member of the Night City Council, and this year he announced his candidacy for mayor of Night City. job."

"At present, Jefferson's support rate is not high, and he can't catch up with the current Lucius Lane. He is also a member of parliament, but the dignitaries around him are not inferior to Lucius Lane."

"In addition to Jefferson's knack for getting to the center of power, what is more important is Mrs. Perales. Her decency and strong communication skills have won more attention and opportunities for Jefferson."

"It is said that Mrs. Perales has contributed a lot to Jefferson's progress to where he is today."

"The marriage relationship between the two has also become a good story in the high-level circle."

Both Tang Yu and V looked at where the Perales couple were, and saw Mrs. Perales wearing a high-end and elegant silver uniform skirt, which perfectly set off Jefferson's silver suit.

Simultaneously.

Mrs. Perales was also active in the group chat, helping her husband, Jefferson, and asking some fascinating topics from time to time, which made everyone present chat and laugh, and the popularity gradually gathered.

Compared with Jefferson, the focus of the crowd, Mrs. Perales has more control, quietly setting up a speech stage for her husband Jefferson.

Tang Yu has a certain impression of the Perales couple, especially Mrs. Perales.

Compared with Jefferson, his wife's skills and actions are more resolute and decisive. She also contacted him to investigate the cause of Lucius Lane's death.

It's just that Mrs. Perales' hands and feet are not clean, and her attitude towards Jefferson may not be what the public thinks.

V also noticed the wonderful performance of Mrs. Perales, and could only express his admiration and admiration.

It's okay to ask her to chop melons and vegetables, but she's a mess in the social circle.

She suddenly felt that it was a big mistake to come to this kind of place with Tang Yu.

It's good now, not only didn't help anything, but also made Tang Yu ashamed.

She wears a mask and no one knows her anyway, but Tang Yu is different. He is a well-known figure in this circle.

V can clearly feel that Jenkins' strength and status are good, he can know so many secrets in the high-level circle, and he shows his appreciation and attention to Tang Yu in both words and deeds.

But after thinking about it, Tang Yu insisted on asking her to come here. If she really loses her, he can only blame himself.

Thinking of it this way, V feels a little calmer in his heart.

However, her impression of Jenkins was completely broken, and she was full of crooked rhetoric. If Tang Yu got along with this kind of person for a long time, maybe what would happen.

Jenkins didn't have any scruples about the female companions around Tang Yu, and finally added: "If you can't find a more suitable one, I can introduce you to two."

"They can not only make you show your style at the party, but also show your unique vision."

"After the party ended, I left the battlefield and rushed to another battlefield. That's why I said this is a romantic movie exclusively for men."

Done.

Jenkins looked at Tang Yu meaningfully, saying that it is impossible for the other party not to understand.

His subtext is obvious, implying that the female partner he brought tonight is a complete rookie at the party and will not help him at all.

In Jenkins' eyes, V's performance is extremely poor, not to mention that she doesn't know anyone at all, she can't even step on the basic crystal high-heeled shoes, and she can't even speak a decent word from the beginning to now.

Because of the thick night and the fact that V was wearing a mask, it was impossible to tell what he looked like.

Although V's body is extremely beautiful, but she shrank beside Tang Yu and bowed her head, showing no temperament at all.

Jenkins can basically determine some situations. The female companion Tang Yu brought was not born in an upper-class family, so she was a little less polite when speaking.

Hearing what Jenkins said, V almost rushed forward angrily, and punched him twice in the face.

I couldn't get used to his nonsense, but now he belittles himself and encourages Tang Yu to change his girlfriend. It's really a bad thing.

From the very beginning, V felt that she was out of place here. She couldn't get used to wearing this black dress at all, couldn't step on the pair of black crystal high heels, and couldn't get used to a group of dignified and dignitaries chatting, and their words were full of sarcasm and ridicule.

If it weren't for Tang Yu's sake, according to her temper, even if she starved to death on the street, she would not ask these people for a little mercy.

When did she ever suffer this kind of grievance, she just felt that it was unnecessary to worry about her.

As a gathering place for celebrities in Night City, Wood Manor has extremely tight security, and there is no need for her to worry about Tang Yu's safety.

Although Tang Yu in a suit likes to bully people a bit, he is still good to her after all.

V trusts his instincts.

The reason why she is willing to mess around with Tang Yu is not only because she owes him a lot of debts and favors, but also because she believes that Tang Yu is not the same type of person as other people in suits.

Unaccustomed to V here, his mood gradually became depressed, and even the initial sense of novelty disappeared.

Jenkins' laughter, and the laughter of those high-level people around her, made her feel extremely harsh.

suddenly.

Tang Yu's familiar voice came into his ears, his tone flat and firm.

"No need, this is the perfect companion in my heart."

Done.

V felt Tang Yu's right hand, and deliberately clasped his five fingers, tightly preventing her from letting go.

"Fuck"

"What a perfect companion."

"Is this nonsense?"

V wished to give Tang Yu two iron fists on the spot, but his pretty oval face couldn't help but blushed a little.

It was the first time I heard such heart-wrenching words, and V was so embarrassed that he would dig out a living room with his toes.

Fortunately, how did Tang Yu say it, don't you feel ashamed of it?
What's even more exasperating is that he still said it so seriously and firmly, making it seem like they really have something.

Ha ha.

Isn't it firm? The debt relationship is stronger than any other relationship. Even if she escapes to the ends of the world, the man in the suit will probably not forget to ask her to pay back the money.

She made up her mind and vowed never to come to such a ghostly place with a man in a suit again.

But before V could continue to bury her head in embarrassment, more noisy voices came from her ears.

I only heard Jenkins say with a warm smile: "Mayor Ryan, let me introduce you solemnly. This is Tang. You have never forgotten it before. Today I finally have the opportunity to introduce you."

With a big belly, Lucius Lane slowly turned around, turned away from the circle of topics, and looked at Jenkins and Tang Yu.

There were more creases on his big fat face, and he praised again and again: "It's true that people can't be judged by appearances. I didn't expect that Mr. Tang, the first double deputy director of Arasaka Company, would be so young. Estimate."

Lucius Lane conducted a special investigation on Tang Yu and knew that he was the first and only double deputy minister of Arasaka Tower in Night City.

And relying on the relationship of Michiko Arasaka, he got on the line of Saburo Arasaka, and made great achievements in the operation against the voodoo gang in Taiping Prefecture not long ago.

Tang Yu was polite and perfunctory, and he didn't need to waste much time talking about the dying person.

It's just that many things have changed this time, and Lucius Lane may not die from the black super dream virus.

His death depends on whether the behind-the-scenes driving force is still operating in secret.

Due to Lucius Lane's attention, the focus of the surrounding circle soon fell on Tang Yu and him.

Jenkins took the initiative to bring up the topic and build better communication opportunities for Tang Yu. All the people present were working in the municipal and company senior management. Making friends with them would be of great benefit to Tang Yu's development in Night City, which is why he strongly invited Tang Yu to the party.

"I've been away for a few months, and the counterintelligence department is thanks to Don."

"It's ridiculous to say that during the time I was not in the department, the counterintelligence department had more and better achievements."

"In my opinion, sooner or later he will abdicate, haha."

Jenkins' self-deprecation immediately aroused the support of a group of people around him, and he couldn't help but think more highly of Tang Yu.

If Tang Yu really succeeds Jenkins as the head of the counterintelligence department, his power and status will be even higher, and he is definitely worth making connections in advance.

Lucius Lane also sighed with a smile: "Jenkins, you mentioned this, I feel exactly the same as you."

"The area of ​​Taiping Prefecture has been my heart disease for the past few years. I have invested a lot of money and manpower, and the law and order is still getting worse day by day."

"It's all thanks to Mr. Tang, who swiftly cut off the group of tumors from the Voodoo Gang, and relieved a lot of the burden on our city."

"Because of this incident, the approval rating has increased by two percentage points."

"You must know that our Mr. Tang is still the original body so far, and has not undergone the transformation of the cyber prosthetic body."

"If your Arasaka company is willing to let you go, the municipal government will definitely welcome you with all your strength. If you don't dislike it, the seat in the deputy mayor's office will be vacated for you."

The voice just fell.

Everyone laughed enthusiastically again, and they praised Tang Yu endlessly.

The deputy mayor is an appointment system rather than an election system. As the mayor of Night City, Lucius Lane has the full right to re-nominate the deputy mayor, and he will take office immediately after being voted by the council members.

Tang Yu looked indifferent, and did not lose his composure because of their rainbow farts.

Knowing the ways of power, he knew that it was not his ability or charisma that really attracted the admiration of these people.

It was entirely because of where he was sitting and the Arasaka family represented behind him.

After leaving Arasaka Company, no matter how powerful Tang Yu was, he still couldn't get into the sight of these people at all.

Tang Yu sees it very openly, and also sees it very clearly.

All he wants and cares about is the people around him.

When Jenkins heard the approval rating, he immediately thought of the new round of mayor's 'election', so he glanced at Jefferson not far away, and asked Lucius Lane.

"How is the situation recently? Judging by the support rate, the chances of winning are still very high."

Lucius Lane was quite open-minded, as if he didn't pay attention to his competitors at all, and said bluntly: "The basic plan is stable, but that guy's momentum is not weak, and many speculators want to find opportunities from him. If you want to sneak into the municipal circle based on a few slogans, you don’t know how you will be played to death.”

"Tonight is crucial. Ye's Company is going to disclose the new infrastructure plan. Jefferson has been following this plan for a long time."

"If the project can be made municipal and in my hands, he can basically announce his withdrawal in advance."

Jenkins has heard about Ye's company's new infrastructure. Ye's company intends to create an "independent" and "independent" network data pool that belongs to Night City, as well as network nodes all over the city. At the same time, based on this, it will comprehensively strengthen Night City. Urban public intelligent transportation network construction.

It is equivalent to building Night City into an independent kingdom that is not affected by the outside world, not only gaining "independence" geographically, but also "independence" in cyberspace.

After the network crash, most of the network and servers were polluted by electronic viruses. Currently, public networks and subnets are under the jurisdiction of network surveillance.

If Night City establishes a separate server and network, it will be possible to become the pinnacle of global new network development.

"Then what's the progress of this plan? It's been mentioned for many years, and I haven't seen any results." Jenkins asked suspiciously. He thought it was just a high-sounding gimmick made by Ye's Company.

Lucius Lane said disdainfully: "The ghost knows how they are progressing. They have been digging around underground in Night City all day long, and they don't know what they dug up. But the new underground comprehensive transportation network has basically taken shape. In this regard, Ye's Company has indeed done a good job."

Jenkins nodded. As for Ye's company's new infrastructure, we won't know a thing or two until the party starts.

suddenly.

Tang Yu felt that his elbow was being held tightly. He turned his head slightly to look at V beside him, and found that she seemed to be trembling with her head buried.

He probably guessed the reason, so he said goodbye to Jenkins and the others, and then turned and left with V.

Lucius Lane wanted to say something else, but the other party didn't mean to stay at all, so he put away his smile, looked at Tang Yu's back and asked in a deep voice: "Is Mr. Tang also so proud in Arasaka?"

Jenkins also looked at Tang Yu's back, and said with some helplessness: "It is indeed such a temperament. I wanted to take him out to integrate into the circle, but I didn't expect him to be the same."

The two took a sip of wine each and remained silent.

at this time.

Tang Yu led V to a secluded place, and asked with concern: "Why, isn't it uncomfortable?"

V stroked his hair, suddenly grabbed Tang Yu's palm, and bit down hard until a tooth mark was left.

Seems to be much more comfortable, she sighed lightly: "It's much better now."

"Oh, by the way, it's better to count this amount on my debt, at worst, I will do two more jobs in the future, and I will make up for you."

Tang Yu: "???"

　None tonight.

　　Tomorrow, depending on the situation, change it to [-] words and [-] updates. It’s exhausting to write together.
　　PS: Thanks for the rewards from the following big guys.

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(End of this chapter)