Chapter 2

 Get up to 15 future chapters at patreon.com/FFAddict!

 "Night City"

 "Arasaka Corp Dog Start"

 "Irony, isn't it?"

 "Huh..."

 Tang Yu took a deep breath.

 His already fatigued nerves finally relaxed a bit.

 Compared to the time when he first arrived in 2077.

 Less novelty, more world-weariness.

 By now, he was one hundred percent certain and convinced.

 He had indeed been reborn.

 Those events that seemed to have only happened in the blink of an eye were still vivid in his mind.

 He felt like a deep diver.

 Diving deep into the ocean of memories.

 Sinking into the dark abyss of Night City.

 Gradually succumbing.

 Standing at the crossroads of life once again, he pondered what choices he would make this time.

 Tang Yu couldn't come up with an answer in his heart.

 "Perhaps..."

 "At least I should be able to change something."

 Tang Yu could feel many familiar things gradually coming back to life with his memories.

 Those cars raced in the streets and at nightclubs, the guns fired in the abandoned food factories and at The Clouds, and the kidneys and lungs he gutted on the operating table.

 The feelings all came back.

 As if the memories in his mind and muscle memory were syncing up again.

 If there was a gun or a car placed in front of him now, he would definitely handle it with flying colors.

 Once his new body fully adapted to the overwhelming memories, he shifted his attention back to the updated system panel.

 [Life Points: 1] (Details)

 [Fusion Ability: None] (Details)

 Tang Yu noticed that the life points had increased from zero to one.

 "It must be the rebirth that changed my life"

 "That's why an extra life point has been added."

 He proceeded to open the details to check the full explanation.

 "It seems that the playstyle of the updated system panel is completely different from before"

 "When I first arrived in Cyberpunk 2077's Night City, I was given the game's inherent attribute panel"

 "By completing tasks and killing enemies, you could gain attribute points to strengthen yourself"

 "I remember back then I went for the hacker build, and most of the attribute points went into Intelligence, Cool, and Technical"

 "Top hackers have high demands for cyberware implants, and I nearly implanted all the high-end cyberware possible"

 "My cyberization level was approaching eighty percent"

 "If it weren't for my strong Cool attribute to withstand it,"

 "I'd really be worried about becoming a cyberpsycho..."

 "Heh..."

 "I used to say Johnny was crazy"

 "Now looking back, I probably seem like a complete nutcase in their eyes"

 Before long, Tang Yu figured out the function and usage of the system's attribute panel.

 The contents were not complex.

 In the end, it's about changing the lives of legendary characters to earn life points.

 And life points can be used to amplify the acquired fusion abilities.

 Fusion ability?

 Upon changing the life of a legendary character, you can simulate their original life script based on the actual event.

 After the simulation, you can choose to obtain one of their talents or abilities.

 Tang Yu basically understood the source of fusion abilities.

 Once he triggered a change in a legendary character's life, the system would simulate this character's life based on the event.

 Then, Tang Yu could obtain one of the talents or abilities that the legendary character currently possesses or is about to possess in the future.

 The system's explanation for fusion abilities was somewhat complicated.

 Tang Yu did recognize quite a few legendary characters, but for now, he had no opportunity to verify this.

 He surmised the criteria for being considered a legendary character must be determined by the system.

 As Tang Yu was pondering the system's implications, his left eye's communicator flickered with a signal, showing an incoming call request - it was from his old boss, Arthur Jenkins.

 He answered the call.

 Jenkins, with his usual neat brown hair slicked back and dressed in a high-class suit, had a serious expression.

 "Tang, where are you?"

 "Aren't you back at Arasaka Tower yet, I expected to see you half an hour ago."

 Tang Yu calmly replied.

 "I'm on my way back to the company."

 "The mission at the border is almost complete; why am I being recalled at this critical moment?"

 "Is there some emergency?"

 He had been previously assigned by the company to carry out a confidential special operation on the southern border, where he also met his good brother Jackie Wells.

 Surviving on the edge of danger and death, he struggled to wrap up the mission.

 But at the last moment, he received a notice to abandon the mission and return to Arasaka headquarters for debriefing.

 The results of his hard work were about to be snatched away by others.

 This once filled the always ambitious Tang Yu with indignation.

 However, with the rebirth, his mindset had become more stable.

 Moreover, he already knew who the puppeteer behind the scenes was.

 Susan Abernathy!

 Jenkins's face turned sour, and curses slipped directly from his lips.

 "Isn't it all because of that damn Susan Abernathy!"

 "It's her damn order that's pulling you from the front line back to headquarters."

 "You know, "She's been at odds with me since before she became the Head of Special Operations a year ago."

 "And now, she's climbed even higher."

 "To snatch the merits from your hands, she sure went out of her way...""A good reason"

 "Take your biometric report and psychological assessment, and they might point fingers at the meeting because you still haven't undergone full cybernetic conversion."

 "The higher-ups want no screw-ups on the border operation, so they agreed to switch me out on short notice."

 Arasaka Corporation's Special Operations Director!

 A surefire corporate upper management!

 In theory, she has the authority over all Arasaka covert operations.

 But, the condition is finding a good reason to get the board to approve her suggestions.

 Maine: "The replacement operative must be from the Special Ops department."

 Dorio: "You got it right; after all, she climbed up from Special Ops herself."

 "It's good that you're back though, so she can't do anything from behind the scenes."

 "Especially since the operation at the border is too chaotic, if something happened, one could die without ever knowing why."

 "I've got a new assignment for you, we'll talk more at the company."

 Maine: "Okay, I got it. See you back at the company."

 Communication ended.

 Maine thought about more company issues.

 "After being fired from Arasaka, my former boss Dorio was secretly killed."

 "Susan Abernathy died in a supposed suicide because of internal factional fighting."

 "Who would've thought that someone from the top echelons of Arasaka could be driven to this."

 "But for now, Susan Abernathy remains the biggest threat."

 "I was promoted by Dorio himself."

 "If Abernathy wants to strike at Dorio, she will definitely come after me."

 "Pulling me from the border operation is a clear indication."

 "One can't be sure Susan Abernathy won't strike to kill this time."

 "Being reborn and causing a butterfly effect is highly possible."

 "Judging the current situation based on past life experience will only make me complacent."

 Suddenly.

 Maine's eyes caught something in the rearview mirror.

 A pink SUV was rapidly approaching from behind.

 As the vehicle drew closer, the logo of the Animals gang was clearly visible on its hood.

 On the expressway of the elevated highway, there was only his company's black business sedan and another beat-up old car.

 The target was clear.

 Maine took his eyes off the mirror and inhaled a breath of the familiar air.

 "The familiar scent of gunpowder."

 "This damned and enchanting Night City..."