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

Come on then!

"Open the door! Don't be too nervous, just get things in order!"

He asked Jack to open the door, then sat back down and adjusted his posture.

A minute later, two loud footsteps slowly approached.

The first person to appear outside the private room was Roger.

She wore a yellow long shirt, black leather pants, and smoky makeup—all very common outfits—but she exuded an unusual sharpness that pressed down on the trio's nerves.

Behind her was naturally the burly bodyguard, his hands clasped in front of his abdomen, his electronic eyes constantly lit, focusing on Jack and V.

"You are L."

Rogge began his speech with a declarative sentence.

She waved her hand and walked into the private room alone. She casually pulled over a single sofa and sat down opposite Leo.

Leo quietly observed her, trying hard to recall her performance in the story.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Roger crossed his legs, his imposing manner far surpassing that of the inexperienced V. "You allowed hackers to breach the security system of the Afterlife, don't you owe me an explanation?"

Leo smiled and said, "That's the rule for the next life. If you want to come in, you either need to be famous or have the ability. I'm new here, so I can only show off my skills, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get in."

"Show off your muscles? Ha, at least you have some backbone."

Roger sized him up, glancing at the carbonated beverage can on the table: good looks, probably a young master from a wealthy family, his upbringing seems very strict.

"People from Kangtao? You want to get involved in Night City too?"

As expected, Leo knew there would be such speculation; his face and citizen information were too suggestive.

But he had no intention of using someone else's identity; in fact, he wanted to stay far away... After all, his identity was fake and not registered in the East at all.

“I am Chinese, but not from Kangtao. And Kangtao is not the only company in our area.”

"Oh--"

Rogra drawled, his tone ambiguous, it was unclear whether he believed or not.

"It doesn't matter. I can't control what happens over there, but here, I'm in charge."

She pointed to her feet, which was obviously referring to the Next Life Bar.

"I won't stop you from coming in. But if you cause me trouble, you'd better watch out. In Night City, nothing escapes my eyes."

Roger didn't make the arrogant "I'm staring at you" gesture like in the movies, but her tone made up for it, so forceful it was suffocating.

"I'm just here to say hello, you..."

She paused, looking at the hand Leo had extended towards her.

Without a doubt, this means an invitation to shake hands.

"Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Leonardo DiCaprio, codename L. We may have the opportunity to work together in the future, so please take care of me."

Since Roger will definitely find out about his fake identity anyway, he might as well be honest and show some courage.

However, the result was quite different from what was expected.

"I won't shake hands with nobody; it would be beneath my dignity."

After Rogge finished speaking, he turned and left, his arrogance quite irritating.

Leo noticed two onlookers and knew he couldn't back down now: "Alright then, next time you want to cooperate, you'll have to reach out first."

"Hmph, I'm waiting."

The queen of the Rebirth Bar left without looking back.

Anonymous: Chapter Fifty-Three: Damn it! It's a catgirl!!

The sound of the pneumatic door closing came from afar.

Leo's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he leaned back on the sofa as if he had deflated.

These days, if you don't have the strength, you'll be bullied everywhere. If he had the strength of V-Zhentian in the later stages, he could at least scare Rogue and let her know that he's not someone to be trifled with.

Fortunately, the result was acceptable, and the current goal has been achieved.

As long as he can enter the afterlife, the efficiency of him accumulating connections and fame by issuing tasks from here will increase dramatically.

The principle is very simple—who you associate with and who you cooperate with determines your level of social standing.

L, the new middleman at the Rebirth Bar, has a title that can be very useful in itself.

Leo picked up his Coke and took a big gulp, looking at his two companions with a broad smile.

However, he soon stopped laughing—

V extended his right hand to Jack, inviting him to shake hands: "Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Leonardo DiCaprio, codename L. Perhaps we'll have the opportunity to work together in the future. Please take care of me."

Jack's lips curled into a wild smile: "I won't shake hands with a nobody; it would be beneath me."

V continued reciting his lines: "Alright then, next time you want to collaborate, you'll have to reach out first."

"Hmph, ha... cough cough, I'm waiting!"

Jack almost burst out laughing, and it took him a while to catch his breath.

After recreating the scene, the two clutched their stomachs and burst into maniacal laughter.

""Ha ha ha ha--!""

Leo instantly turned red-hot, and with a snap, he squeezed the can into a terrifying arc.

Unfortunately, the two people opposite them weren't afraid at all and just kept laughing.

When he was almost dead, V slammed his hand on the table, looking at him with tears in his eyes: "I regret it, Leo. I really should have recorded that scene. The way you looked was like...like a street kid who had just stepped out of his house and was making threats at a gang leader."

"Yeah, Mano, that's Logan, the most awesome middleman in Night City. Haha, no doubt about it, I probably could never say something like that in my entire life, I salute you!"

Leo knew his acting was terrible, but it was too hard to bear being exposed by his own people.

"Which side are you two on?!"

He posed a soul-searching question.

"Of course it's on your side! See, I'm just trying to liven things up for you, hahaha!"

V finished laughing, grabbed a bottle of soda, and started drinking.

After finishing her drink, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand with a hearty gesture: "Although it's not quite what I imagined, we've still managed to get in. It's worth celebrating."

"That's more like human speech..."

Leo and Jack both picked up their sodas and clinked their glasses together in the air.

After being "baptized" by Rogge, the three of them became noticeably closer, and their conversations were much more relaxed.

Jack suggested giving the team a catchy name, and V raised his hand to agree.

Leo thought for a moment and decided to hold off for now: "Our hacker lady hasn't arrived yet. Let's work together after she joins the team."

“Group planning...group what? Damn, you’re talking in such a convoluted way, I can’t understand you.” V started shaking his head.

Leo seized the opportunity to retaliate: "I told you you should read more books."

"Screw you, I'm a pragmatist, I just need to know how to use it."

Watching the two bicker, Jack, who considered himself the oldest in the team, smiled like an old father.

The teammates he found this time were surprisingly reliable. Although he had only known them for a few days, he felt the harmony and warmth of family members in this team.

Having spent over a decade in the gang, he knew all too well how precious this kind of atmosphere was.

If things continue to develop smoothly, a squad that is willing to risk their lives to shield each other from bullets would have a combat power far exceeding the number of cybernetic bodies it possesses.

The seed has already begun to sprout, but perhaps... it needs a little more watering with love.

Watching the two start to playfully bicker, Jack couldn't help but begin to think about his own future.

I'll be thirty next year, and my nephew is practically throwing a "get-out-of-single" party, while I've broken up with my girlfriend. Plus, my mom's been nagging me every day, making life increasingly difficult...

*

The relaxed chat lasted for more than half an hour before the hacker finally arrived.

As soon as the doorbell rang, Jack opened the electronic peephole.

Standing outside the door was a petite woman, completely wrapped in a black trench coat and wearing a cat-ear hood. It was hard to say whether her style was more anime-inspired or more suspicious.

Jack was unsure what to do, so he moved to the side and let Leo move to the front.

Leo looked her over, comparing her to the pure white Sasha photo in his mind, and judged from her figure that they were the same person.

"Welcome, Miss Sasha Yakovlevova."

Leo unlocked the door, letting in the hacker girl whose background and future were quite pitiful.

A moment later, she stood in front of everyone.

"Take off your hood. I can find out your identity and past information, so I naturally already know what you look like."

Sasha hesitated for a moment after hearing Leo's words.

Her gaze swept quickly across the crowd—

The big guy sitting by the door... he's clearly a bodyguard; it seems like this is the type of guy that important people like.

The woman sitting in the middle... it's hard to say. Judging from her appearance, she doesn't seem to have much combat cybernetics. She might be that powerful hacker.

The handsome Eastern man sitting in the main seat... his clothes alone must have cost a fortune. Add to that his remarkably well-maintained face, and there's no doubt this must be L; his age also matches the voice on the phone.

After observing, Sasha slowly removed her hood, revealing... a cat-face mask hidden beneath it!

It was a Japanese-style cartoon mask, mainly white with red outlines for the facial features, and it looked quite cute.

The problem was, Leo wasn't in the mood to appreciate it: "Miss Sasha, I don't think we're playing strip poker. Do I have to say something before you take off a piece of clothing?"

"Come on, none of the three of us tried to hide anything, so what are you trying to hide?"

Sasha froze, pausing for a long time before reluctantly taking off her mask.

Leo smiled with satisfaction when he saw that incredibly cute little face.

The bob hairstyle is exactly the same as the one in the "data". The ends of the hair are even, and there are straight bangs on the forehead. The hairstyle is neat and shiny.

Her delicate and adorable features are just right, and paired with her natural cat-like lips, she truly has a charming and innocent feline quality.

Blue pupils, big eyes, pink eyeshadow, even the marks left on her face by the prosthetic body resemble a cat's whiskers, symmetrically distributed on both cheeks.

All she needs is a pair of cat ears to transform into a catgirl character that would be the envy of any anime fan!

"Ahem!" V coughed loudly from the side. "Turn off your scanner. Didn't I tell you—scanning someone in front of them is very rude?"

Only after she pointed it out did Leo realize that he had enabled 6x optical zoom.

No wonder it was so clear...

With a hint of regret, Leo turned off the scanner and pointed to the sofa opposite him: "Please sit wherever you like, Miss Sasha. It's time to talk about what's between us."

Today's second chapter might be a little late, I'm going to a relative's gathering and get scolded (laughs).

Anonymous: Chapter Fifty-Four: The Immortal Squad is Established! (Happy New Year _(:з」∠)_)

Sasha lowered her gaze slightly and reluctantly sat down on the single sofa.

She sat in the same spot where Roger had just been, but the two were worlds apart in temperament—if Roger was a fierce tiger descending the mountain, then she was at best a cat with its fur standing on end.

It feels like if you stimulate it any more, it'll make you gasp for air.

Leo scrutinized her without any hesitation, awaiting the hacker's response.

The atmosphere in the private room froze.

Jack and V silently observed the situation, clearly intending to remain bystanders.

Sasha's gaze slowly focused on the face of the excessively young middleman opposite her, and her hands on her knees slowly tightened.

What exactly is wrong with Safety Spirit?