From Gotham to Night City, my infamy is known to all.

Along the way, Jack kept telling him how awesome the afterlife was—a place for big shots, a place only the top bosses could come to.

V added, "This place used to be a morgue, isn't that interesting?"

Leo already knew about the afterlife, but he had to admit that entering it was like stepping into an ice cellar, which was truly unforgettable.

There were exhaust fans everywhere, and the air they blew out was covered in frost.

Go down the stairs, and the official entrance to the afterlife is just a dozen meters ahead.

In the area before the entrance, there were several vending machines scattered around, as well as customers and mercenaries who were either unable to get in or had come out for some fresh air.

Jack was in front, and V was behind, blocking most of the scrutinizing gazes from him.

"Ready to be amazed? Come on!"

When he got there, Jack couldn't hold back any longer—he excitedly rubbed his hands together and even twisted them a few times, clearly in Latin dance moves.

however,

Before we can truly broaden our horizons, there is clearly still a hurdle to overcome.

"Stop! Gentlemen, are you customers or mercenaries?"

The burly security guard, Emeric, stood like a wall in front of the door.

Compared to his attitude in the "plot," his tone of voice now is quite gentle.

Leo felt it was most likely because of him—his clothes were high-end, and he had a great presence; like gold in the sand, it couldn't be hidden.

Jack and V hesitated for a moment, then silently stepped aside.

Now it's obvious who the leader is.

Leo confidently stepped forward: "Neither. I'm the new middleman. You can call me L."

Nobody: Chapter Fifty - The Next Life Bar

"middleman?"

Emeric's prosthetic eye lit up, and after a few seconds, he shook his head.

“Your name isn’t on the list, so I can’t let you in.”

This answer was exactly what Leo had expected.

He checked the information about the new students last night and found out what conditions were required to get in.

Simply put, customers are treated like royalty; once their funds are verified, they can enter freely. The middlemen and mercenaries inside are all eager to serve customers, and the reasons are self-evident.

However, the entry requirements for mercenaries and middlemen are relatively high—either they need to be famous, capable, or have a powerful figure willing to lend a hand.

Once you enter, you'll be added to the whitelist, and you won't be blocked the next time you try to enter.

Leo has already discussed countermeasures with Pure White, and now it's time to put them to use.

Pure white, proceed as planned.

[Understood, give me five seconds, five...four...]

Five seconds passed in the blink of an eye. Leo seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying, "Are you sure? Why don't you take another look?"

Emeric's eyes flickered and lit up again.

Soon, a look of surprise appeared on his face: "You... hacked into the network system of the afterlife?"

Jack and V were also surprised to hear this.

This is quite a high-profile act, almost like a direct slap in the face.

Leo maintained his smile: "Your hackers are very skilled; the ones in charge of network security are top-notch. However, my hackers aren't bad either, don't you think?"

One of the entry requirements for mercenaries and middlemen is to have skills.

Being able to breach the network security of a future life in an instant is certainly a skill, and a considerable one at that.

Emeric's prosthetic eye remained lit, as if he were communicating with someone.

After a moment, he stepped aside and said, "Welcome, you can come in now."

The plan goes through!

Their plan last night was to have Pure White, who was comparable to a roving AI, disguise himself as a hacker and knock on the door to the afterlife.

Leo glanced smugly at Jack and V, then stepped forward.

He paused briefly as he approached the tall security guard, then pulled out a money chip and slipped it into his jacket pocket.

"A young girl will be coming to see me soon. Could you please let her in?"

Emeric's prosthetic eye lit up as he looked at the chip—1000 euros.

That's quite generous of them.

"Okay." The allure of money convinced the burly man to agree. After all, there were other people waiting inside for this high-profile L. If he could handle it, letting one more person in wouldn't be a big deal.

From this point on, the door to the afterlife was completely opened to the trio.

The rousing rock music echoed in my ears, and the pale blue light formed the main color scheme of this bar.

"This is it, in the next life..."

Jack walked past Leo, who was standing there watching, and excitedly continued forward.

"The true heart of Night City—it's right here, pounding away, Mano, can you hear it?"

"Ah—I need to get a drink right away, my heart can't take it anymore."

Watching Jack walk towards the bar, V mocked Leo's tone, saying, "Look at you, so pathetic. It's just a bar, is it really that big of a deal?"

Despite saying that, her gaze wandered around, focusing mainly on the mercenaries.

"They are truly top-notch; each and every one of them seems to have some real skills."

Leo gently pushed her from behind, helping her catch up with Jack.

The three of them went to the bar and found a seat away from the others.

"These are the chairs that legends sat in, and maybe they even took a nap on this bar!"

Jack rattled off a long string of names like a machine gun. Leo didn't recognize some of them, but he certainly knew the infamous Morgan Blackhand.

It was still morning, and there weren't many people at the bar. The female bartender, Claire, walked over enthusiastically: "New face... Welcome to the Rebirth Bar. My name is Claire, what would you like to drink?"

Leo felt guilty at the mention of drinking, mainly because he didn't know if he was fully recovered.

V remained noncommittal, directly shifting the blame: "Jack, order it. Aren't you a bartender too?"

“Just for fun, nothing special,” Jack explained to Claire, who looked on with curiosity. “Let me think… three old-fashioned tequilas, some beer and chili.”

"Three-cup Johnny Silverhand, looks like someone did their homework."

"That's right, last night... cough cough, I've been looking forward to this place for a long time."

Claire quickly started mixing drinks, and even had time to chat with them.

It's clear that her movements are far more professional than Peppy, the bartender from Wild Wolves.

Before long, three cups of wine were served.

Jack, holding his glass, explained the rules of the Afterlife Bar to them—"The drinks here are all named after regulars, including many legends from Night City. Honestly, I'd like to get myself a set, just thinking about it..."

“Jack!” Leo quickly interrupted him, not wanting him to make any more wild claims. “I’d rather not see any familiar names on the drink menu. Think of Morgan Blackhand, that’s a true legend—the living kind.”

"To be precise, his fate is uncertain," Claire added. "But that's not wrong. When fame and death are equated, you really have to think about whether it's worth it."

"Think about your mom, Jack."

Leo shut Jack up with a game-winning shot.

"Ah... that's true. Most of the men in the Wells family are rotting in the garbage cans on the street. I'd better try to live as long as possible."

Jack gave up on keeping his recipe and picked up his glass again.

"Alright, my mouth is dry from talking. Come on, let's have a drink. What are we toasting this time?"

Leo was too lazy to think: "You're already in your next life, what can I offer as the first toast?"

"That makes sense! Let's go, toast to the next life!"

"cheers!"

The three clinked glasses and downed the strong liquor in one gulp.

It's spicy and stimulating on the palate, with an exceptionally strong aroma. The finish is slightly sweet, with hints of herbs and woody notes.

"Cough cough."

Leo choked a little, but this time he didn't feel any physical discomfort. However, with tequila and chili peppers, the flavor was really strong, like swallowing a mouthful of gunpowder.

After finishing his drink, he quickly ordered a few cans of Coke to stop Jack from ordering more alcohol.

"Claire, to be frank—I'm a new middleman, how can I get my own private box?"

Claire gave him a deep look:

"The fact that you were able to get in means you have some skills. But you're still a newcomer, so you can only rent a private room, which will be charged by the day."

Once you take on more work here, gain a reputation and build connections, you can start charging monthly fees.

"Only when you're famous enough that mercenaries and clients come specifically for you in the afterlife, will you be able to have your own private box."

"Renting... is fine, how much will it cost?"

"Pricing is based on the day. Small private room is 588, medium private room is 988, and large private room is 1588. Unless you are hosting a big event or entertaining important clients, a small private room is sufficient for your group."

"Then let's get a medium-sized private room. After all, our tradition is to like compromises."

Claire's gaze lingered on his "Eastern face" for a moment, then she smiled and nodded: "No problem."

After paying the fee, her eyes lit up, and she instructed, "Let's go to room number 7. Go in from the left side of the bar, there's a sign on the door."

Anonymous: Chapter 51 Oh no, I've become Dexter DeShawn!

"Okay, let's talk next time."

Leo made a polite remark and stood up.

Jack and V naturally had no objections and followed him to the left.

Instead of using the small door from the "plot," they headed directly to the main gate, led by Leo.

Of course, his real purpose was to observe his "colleagues" in the open private rooms more closely.

For example, the private room on the left side of the bar belongs to Roger, the "Queen of the Next Life Bar".

A burly bodyguard stood at the entrance to the private room, his body visibly covered in combat cybernetic implants.

Leo noticed that the big shots in Night City seemed to particularly like this one.

The priest, Dexter, and Roger—their bodyguards were all super big guys.

Thinking of this, Leo glanced at Jack... well, it seems he himself has joined the ranks.

Jack's physique is perfect for being a bodyguard—he's intimidating enough.

He turned back and continued walking. Roger's private room was closed; he didn't know if Roger was not there or if they were discussing business.

The burly bodyguard noticed his gaze and gave him a warning look—"Don't cause trouble."

Okay, he understood, and led the people in the opposite direction.

The real-life Rebirth Bar is much larger than the one in the game. As he walked around and observed, he discovered that the guests here were indeed of a high standard.

People from various gangs are here, along with the mercenaries, all of whom are highly cybernetically enhanced and have a fierce demeanor.

The customers, needless to say, were impeccably dressed, adorned with numerous expensive accessories. Several even wore fur coats—the kind that looked like genuine leather.

It's important to understand that in this world with its extremely harsh natural environment, more than half of the animals have already gone extinct, and anything associated with "nature" or "pristine" is a luxury.

Despite its lack of functionality, that fur coat might be more expensive than his bulletproof suit.

Besides that, there are morgue cabinets everywhere. The Rebirth Bar is indeed a converted morgue. The cabinets that were originally used to store corpses can be pulled out and used as tables or chairs. People even eat on them...

He hadn't looked closely before, but now he turned his head and glanced at it. Inside the bar, there were also morgue cabinets, which had now been transformed into unique mini-fridges.