Infinity, progressing from Arasaka

"Qiwei... As expected, the 'Next Life' Queen's movements have attracted many skilled mercenaries to come and investigate."

Lucy glanced around and her brows furrowed slightly.

The parking lot was filled with luxury cars and modified cars of all brands and models.

From the sexy Gudela 66 to the luxurious Alvarado V4F, and then to various heavily modified Mizutani Jun and Mackintosh...

“With such a large-scale attack on the US-Mexico border, Arasaka will not let it go. Large-scale conflicts between those independent local politicians in New Mexico, Arizona and Washington are foreseeable. Even Rogge cannot sit idly by.”

Qiwei remained calm.

If Night City in California is this lively, one can only imagine how bustling it must be in New Mexico and Arizona, where Arasaka's pretext for interference is being implemented.

"Will she take sides?" Lucy asked after a moment's thought.

"Who knows."

With a deep, thoughtful look in her eyes, Qi Wei gazed toward the entrance to 'Next Life'.

Unremarkable.

The storefront was decorated with cheap neon strips, the entrance was filled with messy graffiti, and there was even a pile of garbage bags in the corner. It was a den of filth and dirt, and its appearance was extremely inconsistent with 'Afterlife's' status in the mercenary world.

On the street, countless people are eagerly anticipating entering this place.

Passing through the rusty corridor, Emeric, an old acquaintance with whom I had never met before, stood like a gatekeeper at the entrance to 'Afterlife'. The uncrowned queen of Night City's middlemen, Roger Amandias's watchdog, and the most convincingly boss-like watchdog in the underworld.

"Welcome." Nodding and clasping his hands in front of his abdomen, Emeric, whose physique was no less robust than Mann's, stepped aside.

Mann's team are frequent visitors to 'Afterlife', so there's no need for extensive investigation.

"Thanks, bro."

Stepping into the next life.

The flashing neon lights, practically light pollution, buzzed and pulsed incessantly; the frenetic heavy metal music blasted straight to your head, sending shivers down your spine; and there was a strange mix of various concoctions, cigarettes, leaves, pills, and so on—one inhale, ah…

The taste of 'the next life'.

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

There were many people at the scene, including middlemen, outsiders, clients, information brokers, and financiers.

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

A call brought Mann back to reality.

Follow the sound.

At the bar, a burly man with a bun hairstyle sat alone; it was Jack Wells. He waved to Mann.

"Dorio, take everyone to the booths. Qiwei, come with me."

Mann lightly pressed down his sunglasses with his finger, calling out to himself as the team's external brain.

*Snap!* "Two old-fashioned tequilas, with some beer and chili." Jack snapped his fingers with a boss-like air and said to the female bartender, whose arms were muscular and showed no signs of cybernetic enhancements.

"Two Johnny Silverhands. Coming right now."

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

"Brother Mann, how have you been? Sigh, Night City has only been peaceful for a few days and it's already in trouble again. I heard you landed a big job with Faraday. That must be tough work. In this chaotic situation, several great teams have already had their expenses reimbursed while working for him."

He winked at Mann.

drop.

Short-range communication adapter.

[Jack: Hey, you're in great shape. Looks like the top-notch stuff my sis provided really works.]

[Mann: It's good, but it's too expensive.]

[Jack: You get what you pay for. The price will come down once the girls get more expensive. Before resistance develops, I'll try to find out about the updated version for you. Seriously, Mann brothers, your military-grade S.A.S ...

[Mann: We'll talk about it after this mission. So what's the deal? When is Ms. V going to make her move? Faraday is already suspicious of us. He has people watching me. Although he hasn't thought about Arasaka yet, that bespectacled bastard is using his connections to spread rumors that I'm slacking off, procrastinating, and not putting in the effort during the mission. He wants to force us to take it seriously, or rather, to risk our lives.]

[Jack: Gilipolas (bastard), that middleman will get his comeuppance sooner or later.]

"Hey, Johnny Silverhand, two glasses, ready." came the bartender's voice.

"Thanks, sis."

Jack gestured to the female bartender to give Mann and Kevy the two glasses of Johnny Silverhand.

[Jack: The military technology side has probably lost patience with Faraday Future too. I heard that quite a few middlemen received secret commissions from them... The final tasks are all in the separation chip. I'll give it to you when the show ends. Oh, by the way, Faraday Future's four-eyed guy's henchman is also in 'Afterlife'.]

Jack ended the encrypted communication.

Ding.

He raised his glass and clinked it with Mann and Kevyn.

May you receive unexpected wealth and peace. And may you be reborn in the next life.

He gulped it down in one go.

"Yours is the one with the added love."

Mann glanced at Jack's glass with some curiosity.

"Yes, Jack Wells cocktails. Aha, aren't you going to treat yourself to one?"

“No thanks. Dorio said it’s bad luck; you have to die first to leave a name behind. That’s too high a price to pay. I don’t want to die halfway through. I have to live and protect my team,” Mann said, shaking his head.

"Hey, everyone's going to have this day eventually, why not go for something stylish?"

"I'd like to go later."

Just as the two continued to chat and joke, the frenetic heavy metal music suddenly stopped, and an old lady wearing a yellow top and black leather pants came out from the inner private room.

It's Rogge.

Although entering the afterlife a few years earlier had made Jack more resistant to the worship of the 'legendary' attributes of the afterlife, and he was no longer the naive young man he was when he first entered, he still had considerable respect for the King of the Middlemen, the living legend of Night City, Rogue, and immediately fell silent.

"I am Roger, no need for introductions."

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

"These are all big shots and big names in the underworld. Time is precious, so I won't keep you any longer. To be frank about my invitation, it's due to a personal business adjustment."

"You all know about the situation at the US-Mexico border, right? All the jobs involving New Mexico and Arizona are in such high demand because of the big spenders' continued lavish spending—it's practically exploding. Now, I, Roger, have decided to completely abandon this business. You don't need to know more; I have my own connections. 'Afterlife' will still be in business. That's all I have to say."

The statement was brief, yet packed with information.

It's important to understand that 'Afterlife' is under Rogge's control; and practically speaking, she calls the shots in almost the entire Night City mercenary network. Every big deal requires her approval. She can influence the badlands of Southern California, and she also has connections with large groups of wanderers in other states.

Now, her statement is tantamount to saying that she has given up the interests and say that are most suitable for her, involving New Mexico and Arizona!

"Rogge, are you scared? Going to lay low? The people of the Ghost Hounds have been investing heavily in this area lately. Could it be that you've reached an agreement with Dogtown?"

One of the more troublesome mercenaries couldn't help but speak up.

Rogge remained calm and collected. "Are you trying to teach me how to do things? You'll have to be alive to get the intelligence."

"Rogge, whose side are you on?"

"It's a mercenary from Santo Domingo," asked the man.

"I'll help whoever wins."

...

Rogge is still the same Rogge.

With ease, her decades-long accumulated authority allowed her to suppress every nitpicker.

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

Exhaling heavily through his nose, his expression turned particularly grim. Roger narrowed his eyes, his irises beginning to glow with an orange-red light. "...I've complied with your demands. What exactly do you want? To start the Fifth Corporate War?"

"That's none of the Night City's concern, Queen of the Underworld. All you need to know is to delegate your task to Kurt Hansen's hounds."

"Then I at least need to know whose orders it was! You should know that it was Ms. Michiko Arasaka who endorsed me."

[Hmph...Indeed, but I might as well tell you. It's Director Vera Adelheid Russell. Lady Michiko has already transferred your affairs and control to Lady Vera. Roger, a wise person knows when to yield. You should know that every step you take against Arasaka will bring disaster to countless people. So, be a good underground queen; this is Arasaka's reward for her meritorious servant.]

beep.

The communication was disconnected.

"Araka..."

She bit her lower lip hard and plopped down on the sofa. Roger covered her head with her hands, looking at the photo frame next to her. It was a picture of her with her former companions from Atlantis.

"Those days are gone forever."

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

In that instant, Rogge's unfocused gaze was like that of a blind fly, desperately trying to break through the translucent glass.

...

Outside the 'Next Life' nightclub.

[Jack: Big news, really big news! I never thought the last legend of Night City would consider retiring... Hermanos (brother), take care.]

[Mann: You too.]

In a blind spot of the surveillance cameras, after a brief chat at the nightclub, Jack handed the separation chip to Mann in a fleeting moment.

When Jack walked away, Mann returned the way he came.

Along the way, he could see that the demonstrators from both sides had been violently dispersed by the NCPD, leaving behind only a mess and scattered corpses. When he crossed the curb, he saw the body of a homeless man lying in front of a trash can, a tragic stray bullet piercing his head.

As the group walked through the alley, after receiving assurances of safety from Qiwei and Lucy, Mann inserted the separation chip into the chip slot.

"Is that so?"

[The mission is to successfully steal Arasaka's important personnel transfer records and documents under a false pretense and then pass the information to Faraday.]