[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-413":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1151554,1495,"Chapter 413 - 385: The Second Rule of the Mercenary","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-413",413,"\u003Cp>[Regina, Burger King, I know you’ve already done your best... maybe your best, but we both know, this time it’s no good.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Regina, Nadia was a good person. She took the initiative to participate in the cyberpsychosis research project and continued to work in the field to collect their data firsthand.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Regina, in the end, she died, and her boyfriend died too.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Regina, we could have prevented the tragedy.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could leave Night City, unless lying in a body bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille wasn’t the type who would repeatedly persuade others to live just because life was everything, even though it might actually be true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was essentially a philosophical question: Past you, present you, and future you, if you viewed them as different people, should you restrict the free will of present you for the sake of the others?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Kaneke survived, he could no longer be a vibrant mercenary or a Trauma Team member.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His nerves suffered irreversible damage, just like other cyberpsychosis cases Lille had seen, maybe even worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All that awaited him was a lifetime of being unable to use high-power prosthetics and neural components.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, yes, Kantao or some other big companies might value his experience and try to save him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the possibility was extremely slim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, right now, Kaneke just wanted to die; a small act of revenge using death was the last thing he could do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bullet shattered Si Anweisitan’s chip, ending Kaneke’s life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[V, I thought you would persuade him to live and hand him over to Regina.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Jack, I support you, mano. If we sent him back, I can’t imagine how broken he’d be seeing Trauma Team using him for profit again, helplessly.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[V, I support you too!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, at a different time, Lille might have done what V said. He couldn’t be sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, knowing Regina’s special request related to Kantao, taking out Kaneke would mean putting Kantao at a disadvantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sending Kaneke over could also justify to himself that he was saving him, with no psychological pressure, and he could earn another sum from Kantao—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, Lille chose not to do that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened the door, and V and Jack remained calm, standing on guard near the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But David fell into deep thought again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be precise, it was Lille who actually killed Kaneke; his life or death depended on just a word from Lille.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why didn’t Lille choose to save this cyberpsychosis victim this time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaneke’s corpse, wrapped in a body shroud, was carried away by two Kantao employees. The suited man in charge got into the car, and before leaving, said with a malicious look:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For all the talk of professionalism, turns out you’re just trash. Can’t even save a vegetable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your money’s gone, go eat shit!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car window rolled up, and the vehicle roared away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V was so furious she almost grabbed Lille for a fight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That prick is so arrogant! Who does he think he is? The CEO of Kantao?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve seen a corporate dog.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kantao employees were corporate dogs, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Essentially, they’re no different from Arasaka employees, Military Science employees, or the like, just a different breed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you have something they need, you have a chance to communicate equally and progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you don’t have what they need...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone works for money, but mercenaries are stray dogs at most. How could house dogs respect stray dogs?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille patted David, who was standing by the doorframe. \"Good job this time. I’ve got a batch of unused engines and mod parts. Didn’t you want to try modifying your van?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ll give you an address, go pick up the stuff, and fix your van.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David snapped out of it and instead asked a question, \"Why... why did you choose to kill him? At times like this, shouldn’t you persuade him to live?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like how you saved other cyberpsychosis victims.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille thought for a moment and said, \"Some say life is unfair from the moment of birth, but in reality, everyone comes into this world equally without choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being born is just a trivial accident in this world, without any choice involved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the worst part is not that we can’t choose our birth, it’s that we can’t choose how to die.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they had the choice, most people would want to close their eyes in contentment and leave this world without regrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some aim for this, fantasizing about dying amid reluctant gazes...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But most people fall along this path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dying suddenly at their workstations, killed by envious colleagues, targeted and assassinated by competitors, or handled by the company due to failure...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Corporate dogs have many ways to die, and they’re usually like this, but no corporate dog wants to die this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille watched as the black armored vehicle carrying Kaneke’s now useless corpse drove away, then continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Life’s beginning is an accident, written by others. You have no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But death is the final period of life. If even the end is written by others...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would make life a bad joke, clumsy and pathetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kaneke wanted to end it this way, so I helped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do you know why I never get mad at corporate dogs? Because 99.9 percent of them end up as jokes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But mercenaries work for money too...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille shook his head: \"If that’s what you think, then you really are an idiot. Think again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>David forced an embarrassed smile, then bid Lille goodbye and got into his car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gripping the steering wheel, he encouraged himself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, he was a mercenary, but not just for money. The money could send Lucy to the Moon, it could buy his mom a better place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for himself, this time even though there’s no money, he could get a new batch of mod parts from the Big Brother for his van.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not bad!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey! David! Let’s grab a drink!\" Mann popped his head out of the front car’s window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sure thing!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car started up, and David glanced at Lucy in the passenger seat, smiling: \"Want to join us?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucy seemed preoccupied, still staring at Lille who had just entered the church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright... I actually had something to talk to you about...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We’ll talk when we get there—how much more do you need?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s important...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s more important than going to the Moon? You should only be about forty thousand short now, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about your own ticket?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We can save up for yours first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mercenary Code Rule Number Two: No one wants to die unexpectedly, ending their life like a joke—think about the car, guns, prosthetics, family... everything you love.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So be cautious, be cautious in every aspect, especially when taking on contracts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jack scribbled this down in a small booklet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille happened to see this and said, somewhat surprised, \"Your summarizing skills aren’t bad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Actually, I had this thought a long time ago. Just when you said it, I had content to work with.\" Jack proudly put away the booklet. \"If it were me, I’d definitely never become a corporate dog!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now I can finally say this to my mom, with reason and evidence. She’ll surely be convinced...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His summary was quite on point. That was pretty much the gist of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V pursed her lips: She suddenly thought it might actually be interesting to write such a book. It would perfectly satisfy her need to show off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad Jack already had the idea; she couldn’t just steal her brother’s business, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe she could think of some content to add, then sign her name... it’s worth considering...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Little Li Zi!\" V pulled Lille over. \"If you sneak off again next time...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I won’t, sis. Really won’t.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille shook his head firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The matter with the AI was significant, as evidenced by Woolley’s firepower this time. David and the others could only assist; if it were just them, there’d be heavy casualties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, they needed to wrap up the Father’s contract.\u003C\u002Fp>",1339,"2026-06-03T12:33:12.910Z","2026-06-03T12:33:19.802Z",1,"novelbin.me","ba866fecc1236a6889bd371937fa2d65e4e1efa6834b9e0653075880ae0a040b","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-414","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-412",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]