Infinity, progress from Arasaka

"Qi Wei... As expected, the Queen's movements have attracted many mercenary experts to come and investigate."

Looking up, Lucy frowned slightly.

The parking lot was filled with luxury cars and modified cars of various makes and models.

From the sexy Goodra 66 to the luxurious Alvarado V4F, to the various modified Mizutani Hayabusa and Mackinac...

"Such a large attack has occurred on the US-Mexico border. Arasaka will not let it go. Large-scale conflicts and struggles between those independent local party politicians in New Mexico and Arizona and Washington are foreseeable. Even Roger cannot sit back and relax."

Qiwei acted very calm.

Night City in California is so bustling, one can imagine how grand it will be in New Mexico and Arizona, which are the implementation points for Arasaka's excuse for interference.

"Will she take sides?" Lucy asked after thinking for a moment.

"Who knows."

With dim eyes, Qi Wei looked towards the entrance of "next life".

Unremarkable.

The storefront was decorated with cheap neon lights, the entrance was filled with messy graffiti, and there was even a pile of garbage bags piled up at the corner. It was a den of filth and dirt, and the appearance was extremely inconsistent with the status of "Laisheng" in the mercenary world.

On the street, there are countless people looking forward to coming in here.

Passing through the rusty corridor, Emeric, an old acquaintance who had never socialized, stood like a gatekeeper at the entrance to the afterlife. The uncrowned queen of the middlemen in Night City, the watchdog of Roger Amandias, and the watchdog who pretended to be the most like a big brother on the street.

"Welcome." Emeric, who was as sturdy as Mann, nodded and clasped his hands in front of his abdomen, then made way.

Mann's team is a frequent visitor to the 'afterlife', so there is no need to interrogate them too much.

"Thanks, buddy."

Step into the next life.

The flashing neon lights that can be called light pollution are buzzing and jumping non-stop. The manic heavy metal music rushes straight into the head, giving people goose bumps all over the body. There is also a strange mixture of various prepared alcohol, cigarettes, leaves, small pills, etc. Take a breath, ah~

The taste of 'afterlife'.

Mann felt that the discomfort caused by the erosion of his prosthetic body had been suppressed a little.

There were a lot of people at the scene, including many middlemen, marginal walkers, clients, information dealers, and financiers.

"Long time no see, viego (my friend)."

A call brought Mann back to reality.

Follow the sound.

Sitting alone at the bar, a burly man with a bun on his head was Jack Wells. He waved to Mann.

"Dorio, take everyone to the booth. Qiwei, follow me."

Mann pushed down his sunglasses with a finger and called upon his team's external brain.

Pah! "Two old fashioned tequilas, with some beer and chili." Jack snapped his fingers like a big brother and said to the female bartender with muscular arms and no signs of prosthetics.

"Two Johnny Silverhands. Coming right up."

After ordering, while the bartender was mixing the drinks, Jack looked at Mann.

"Brother Mann, how are you these days? Alas, Night City has only been peaceful for a few days and now there is trouble again. I heard that you got a big order from Faraday. That job must be difficult. In such a chaotic situation, several great teams have been eliminated while working under him."

He winked at Mann.

drop.

Near Field Communication Adapter.

[Jack: Hey, you're in pretty good shape. It seems that the top-notch stuff my sister provided is really awesome.]

【Mann: It’s good, but it’s too expensive.】

[Jack: You get what you pay for. When the big sister climbs up, the price will always be cheaper. Before drug resistance develops, I will try to ask you about the new drugs after iteration. Really, Brother Mann, your military-grade Sianweistan, military-tech stuff... Many cyberpsychopaths were once soldiers of military technology... It's not a big deal to hold on like this. ]

【Mann: We'll talk after this mission is completed. So how do you say it? When will Miss V close the net? Faraday is already suspicious of us. He sent people to keep an eye on me. Although he hasn't thought of Arasaka for the time being, that four-eyed bastard is using his channels to spread rumors that I'm lazy and procrastinating in carrying out the mission. He wants to force us to be serious, or to fight to our death.】

【Jack: Gilipollas (bastard), a middleman like him, he will open his eyes sooner or later. 】

"Hey, Johnny Silverhand, two drinks, okay." The voice of the bartender.

"Thanks, sister."

Jack motioned to the bartender to give two glasses of Johnny Silverhand to Mann and Qiwei.

[Jack: Military Technology has probably lost patience with Faraday. I heard that many middlemen have received secret commissions from Military Technology... The finishing tasks are all in the separation chip. I'll give it to you when the show ends. Oh, by the way, Faraday's four-eyed henchman is also in the 'next life'.]

Over, Jack ended the encrypted communication.

Ding.

He raised the glass in front of him and clinked it with Mann and Qiwei.

"I wish you good fortune and peace. Yes, and an afterlife."

Gulp, drink it all in one gulp.

"Your style is the one that Jia Ai loves."

Glancing into Jack's cup, Mann became curious.

"Yes, Jack Wills. Aha, you're not going to get yourself one?"

"Forget it. Dolio said it's unlucky and I have to die first to leave my name behind. The price is too high. I don't want to die halfway. I have to stay alive and protect my team." Mann shook his head.

"Hey, everyone has to face this day sooner or later, why not do it in style?"

"Later, I think."

Just as the two continued to brag and chat, the manic heavy metal music came to an abrupt end, and an old lady wearing a yellow top and black leather pants walked out from the inner private room.

It's Roger.

Although Jack had developed resistance to the "legendary" attribute worship of the afterlife due to entering the afterlife a few years earlier, and was no longer the stupid boy he was when he first came in, he still had great respect for Rogue, the king of middlemen and the living legend of Night City, and immediately fell silent.

"I'm Roger, no need for introduction."

The old lady walked to the middle of the bar and spoke calmly.

"You are all big brothers and big shots in the underworld. Your time is precious, so I won't delay you any longer. As for my invitation, let me be frank. It is a personal business adjustment."

"You all know about the US-Mexico border. All jobs involving New Mexico and Arizona are in hot demand because of the continued money-spending of big money sponsors. Now, I, Roger, have decided to completely abandon this business. You don't need to know more. I have my own way, and I will continue to operate in the 'next life'. That's all I have to say."

A short statement, but one that packs a lot of information.

You know, "Afterlife" is under the control of Rogue; and in reality, she has the final say over almost the entire mercenary network in Night City. Every big deal requires her approval. The Badlands in Southern California can also be influenced, and there are connections with the Nomad Nation in other states.

Now, her statement is equivalent to saying that she has given up the interests and voice that are most suitable for her, which involve New Mexico and Arizona!

"Rogge, are you scared? Do you want to stay out of the spotlight? The people of Netherhound have been investing madly in this area recently. Could it be that you have reached an agreement with Dog Town?"

A troublesome mercenary couldn't help but speak.

Rogge was still calm and composed. "Are you teaching me how to do things? You have to be alive to get the intelligence."

"Rogge, who do you support?"

asked the mercenary from Saint-Domingo.

"Whoever wins, I'll help."

...

Roger is still Roger.

The authority that had been accumulating for decades allowed her to easily suppress every thorn in her side.

Return to the private room on the second floor of the nightclub.

Breathing heavily, his expression became particularly gloomy. Rogge narrowed his eyes, and his irises began to glow orange. "...I have complied with your request. What do you want to do? Start the fifth corporate war?"

[Don't bother the underground queen of Night City with this. All you need to know is to hand over your job to Kurt Hansen's ghost dog.]

"Then I at least need to know whose order it was! As for my case, you should know that it was Arasaka... Miss Michiko who endorsed me."

[Hehe... Indeed, but it's okay to tell you, it's Director Vera Adelheid Russell. Lady Michiko has handed over your affairs and control to Lady Vera. Roger, a man of insight is a wise man. You should know that as long as you go against Arasaka, every step forward will bring disaster to countless people. So, be a good underground queen. This is the reward from Arasaka for meritorious officials.]

beep.

Communication hung up,

"Arasaka..."

Biting her lower lip deeply, Rogge sat down on the sofa, covering her head with her hands weakly. She looked at the photo frame beside her, on which was a photo of her and her former companions in Atlantis.

"We can't go back to the old days."

"I'm sorry... Johnny, I'm sorry... everybody."

At this moment, Rogge's unfocused eyes were like a blind fly, desperately hitting and trying against the translucent glass.

...

Outside the Afterlife nightclub.

【Jack: Big news, really big news. I didn't expect that the last legendary figure in Night City would have the idea of ​​retiring... Hermanos (brother), take care. 】

【MANN: You too.】

Under the blind spot of surveillance, after finishing the chat in the nightclub, Jack handed the separation chip to Mann in a moment.

As Jack walked away, Mann returned the same way.

Along the way, he could see that the two conflicting demonstrators had been violently dispersed by the NCPD, leaving behind only a mess and scattered bodies. When he walked across the curb, he saw the body of a homeless man lying in front of a trash can, with a tragic stray bullet piercing his head.

The group walked in the alley, and after getting assurances of safety from Qiwei and Lucy, Mann inserted the separation chip into the chip slot.

"Is that so?"

[Commission content: Disguise and successfully steal important personnel transfer records and documents from Arasaka and pass the information to Faraday.]

...

hum.

Driving to Bradbury Street, Jack made an encrypted call.

"Yo, is V busy?"

Jack said with a beaming expression.

"The commission has been released to Mann... Don't worry, old Jack doesn't leave any loose ends. I specially completed the meeting and handover in 'Next Life'. He and I met there. Today happened to be the day when the middleman queen revealed the business adjustment, but many people showed up. It is absolutely in line with common sense, unless military technology is used, but do they have the time? Faraday doesn't have that much power yet."

"Well, safety? I'll be careful about safety...and so will you, big sister."

"The revenge of your big shot, Vera Adelheid, is really powerful and awesome. The scene in New Mexico and Arizona on the news, tut tut...are they going to start a war of independence?"

------

Chapter 114: A completely different fate under the light and shadow of Vera (5K)

"Arasaka, your wolfish ambitions are clearly revealed! Russell, do you think what you did was perfect?! Bitter, um——"

With a muffled thud, David Martinez, wearing Arasaka's lightweight combat uniform, slammed the head of a protester who was about to climb onto the "Rebirth" monument to spray paint and make explosive remarks, onto the pedestal at the Heywood Li Scenic Area Memorial Square.

“Running dog… Uooaaaaah!”

The protesters supporting Washington were unable to utter a complete sentence just halfway through their curse.

He punched him twice on the forehead and eye sockets. Under the compound tactical goggles, David controlled the strength of his arms after installing the military-grade combat prosthesis, and beat him unconscious and threw him off the pedestal. Then he looked at the crowd gathered in front of the monument. Qilu Si's artificial eyes, which perfectly matched his original iris color, focused, his thinking process was synchronized, and the scanner started.

【Access NCPD database】

Facial recognition, biometric scanning.

【civilian】