"V! What the hell are you doing? You were supposed to be here an hour ago!"
As soon as the call connected, a middle-aged Western man's furious face appeared on the screen, hurling curses.
It was Lin Yu's superior at the company—Jenkins.
"I... give me a second. Something came up on the way here."
Lin Yu had almost cursed back and made a run for it but remembered something important.
Following the original storyline would score him a wad of cash—a precious commodity in Night City.
Plus, he hadn't actually ridden in an AV (aerial vehicle) yet and wanted to experience it firsthand.
On the other end, Jenkins grumbled some more but eventually just told Lin Yu to get to his office and hung up.
Taking the elevator up to the Counterintelligence Department, Lin Yu headed straight for Jenkins' office.
After passing through a scanning light curtain, he successfully entered.
At that moment, Jenkins was standing with his back to Lin Yu, watching a giant projection screen on the glass wall.
It was an ultra-wide display showing a European Space Council meeting, with Jenkins remotely monitoring and directing one of the participants.
"Sit."
Without turning around, Jenkins pointed at a chair and kept his eyes on the screen.
Lin Yu sat down quietly behind him, his mind flashing through countless ways he could take Jenkins out—
—but doing so would surely mean dying there as well.
So he forcefully suppressed the impulse and remained seated.
"Do it."
Jenkins spoke into a comm line.
On the screen, sparks erupted from a few people's heads—they were dead.
Just another bloody chapter in the corporate power struggle.
For the sake of his promotion, Jenkins had resorted to murder.
Sure enough, a call came in shortly after.
"I saw the vote. You better explain what the hell is going on!"
The voice on the other end was sharp and aggressive, clearly referring to what had just happened.
As the head of Counterintel and a seasoned fox, Jenkins easily made up a flimsy excuse to placate Abernathy.
Lin Yu knew Abernathy well—she was Jenkins' biggest obstacle to promotion and had repeatedly screwed him over, treating him like a personal scapegoat.
"I'm not letting this go!"
Abernathy fumed before hanging up.
Lin Yu said nothing. He already knew the events to come and wasn't worried.
Having just transmigrated, he hadn't changed much yet—the world was still unfolding along its original path.
"That bitch. I've always hated that bitch."
Jenkins spun his executive chair around and stared at Lin Yu.
Lin Yu knew the signal: Jenkins was about to assign him a task.
"I'll take her out."
Lin Yu replied crisply.
He knew that, following the normal sequence of events, things would end up there anyway.
No point in wasting time with a long, emotional speech.
Jenkins was visibly taken aback.
He had prepared a whole rousing monologue to move Lin Yu into doing the job from the bottom of his heart.
Unexpectedly, this guy had already been planning for this—and Lin Yu's bluntness might have even gone a bit too far.
All the lines Jenkins had prepared now sat like a cockroach stuck in his throat, leaving him visibly uncomfortable.
Still, he sensed Lin Yu's loyalty. A flicker of hesitation flashed across his eyes, but it quickly vanished.
"Ahem..." Jenkins coughed, stood up, and walked over to his liquor cabinet. Pouring himself a drink, he continued, "Seems like you're thinking exactly what I'm thinking."
He then settled into the couch off to the side.
"Here."
Jenkins pulled out a small box from somewhere, revealing a digital chip inside.
"What's this?" Lin Yu asked, feigning curiosity.
Of course, he already knew what it was—but showing no surprise at all would have been suspicious.
"I spent weeks gathering this: Abernathy's biometric data, Trauma Team card, the names of her close aides, her driver, her head of security, her lover, and even her lover's husband. It's all in there."
Jenkins explained.
Lin Yu immediately slotted the chip into the interface at the base of his neck, letting the flood of information pour into his mind.
It was his first time experiencing such a data transfer.
It felt somewhat similar to the system's uploads, yet distinctly different.
Compared to other forms of information exchange, this was far more efficient—and far more discreet.
'Is this really the world of Cyberpunk?'
Lin Yu couldn't help the surge of excitement inside. This was a whole different experience compared to the game.
Everything felt so real, so dreamlike.
"Here's your operating budget. Cash only—credit chips leave a trail, but once you spend this, it's gone for good."
While Lin Yu was scanning the data, Jenkins pulled out a thick stack of bills from somewhere.
They were euros—but noticeably different from the euros Lin Yu remembered from his own world.
After securing the chip, Lin Yu noticed Jenkins staring at him expectantly.
He understood perfectly: even if he refused, Jenkins would find a way to pressure him—maybe even pull rank.
Since that was the case, Lin Yu had no intention of refusing.
"Hmm... Boss, this job is pretty risky. I think it'd be safer to tie up all the loose ends. I'm gonna need a bigger budget."
Lin Yu wasn't planning to actually do the job, of course.
But since he was getting sold out anyway, why not scam some extra cash first?
Jenkins stared at him for a long moment before grudgingly pulling out another thick wad of bills.
"You better do it cleanly. My AV is parked outside—you can use it. I'll be here waiting for your good news."
With that, he no longer spared Lin Yu another glance.
Pocketing the cash, Lin Yu slipped away, feeling very pleased with himself.