It was really strange.
"Yeah, I know. I'm the one who killed him."
Roche nodded harmlessly, showing a friendly expression.
The air fell silent instantly.
Only the rhythmic electronic music continued to echo.
What? What did you say?
"Are you kidding? Do you know what you're talking about?"
The man's face was filled with twisted expressions, unsure whether to roll his eyes or laugh.
The atmosphere became incredibly awkward.
"Let him in."
At that moment, an undeniable voice came through the bouncer's earpiece.
He nodded at Roche.
"Go ahead, someone's looking for you."
The door opened, revealing the bustling scene inside.
Even those who didn't do well in the Afterlife were known figures on the streets.
Countless people longed to enter here, connect with the bosses inside.
Once they made a name for themselves, they'd be completely out of the gutter class.
"Wow, nice!"
Entering the Afterlife, Roche was happy about the slightly novel surroundings.
Before this, he had never been to such a place because he wasn't qualified.
"Hah, fighting and killing on the streets, then making a name, moving on to a bigger stage, and finally becoming a legend."
Roche and Moer sat at the bar, picking up the menu.
V and Jackie had sat in this spot before, and now he was here to experience it for himself.
"Vodka, on the rocks, lime juice, ginger beer. Oh, and most importantly... add some love."
He grinned and spoke to the Afterlife's bartender, Claire.
"Two drinks, please."
"Jackie Welles?" The female bartender understood, smiling as she picked up the bottles and glasses. "You guys sure made some noise."
"Of course," Roche replied. "What? Doing something these days and the whole Afterlife knows about it?"
"It's all over Night City," Claire corrected. "You're all over the news, and anyone with connections can't avoid knowing."
"Can my name now open the doors of the Afterlife?"
Roche asked.
"Of course."
Claire always had a gentle smile, chatting with her was very comfortable, which might be why she could blend in a place like the Afterlife.
"Two Jackie Welles, enjoy."
Roche picked up the glass with the intriguing aroma, took a sniff.
Only a dead legend could have a drink named after them on the Afterlife's menu.
"Jackie would be thrilled to hear this."
He looked at the beautiful liquid swaying slowly in the glass, the corner of his mouth curling up.
Becoming a legend was fine, but he didn't want to end up in a grave.
Roche didn't consider himself greedy, but when it came to "you can't have your cake and eat it too," he didn't want to give up.
There's no rule that says you have to die to become a legend, and there's no rule that says you can't become a legend while alive.
"Moer, let's share some love."
He raised the glass to Moer, smiling.
"… Call me Motoko."
Moer glanced at him, put the glass to her lips, and took a sip.
"Motoko Mower? Finally know your full name."
Roche took her glass and drank from it too.
"Let's get reacquainted then, my name is Lucky, Chinese name, surname Luo, given name Qi."
Then he was hit by Moer.
"Alright, alright, just kidding." Roche put the glass on the table, "Do you have Japanese ancestry?"
"Mm, my father." Moer nodded.
This wasn't unusual in 2077, and even half a century earlier, it wasn't.
There were even those with mixed blood from a dozen countries.
"I heard Rogue's looking for you two, better get going, save the sweet stuff for home."
Claire reminded them with a smile.
They put down their empty glasses, feeling a little embarrassed.
Rogue was in a regular booth, with a larger black mercenary standing at the entrance.
"No, it was you, you're the one who dragged me into this!"
A cool-looking woman dressed as a drifter was confronting Rogue, who was wearing yellow, her anger boiling over.
"And because of you, I've lost everything."
Rogue, however, remained nonchalant, sitting on the couch, speaking calmly: "I'll say it again, kiddo. Solve your own problems, clean up your own mess."
Then she looked at Roche and Moer, who were still outside, not quite understanding what was going on.
"You can go now, you two, what do you want with me?"
The woman was infuriated by Rogue's attitude and turned to leave.
"Be more cautious when dealing with her."
She stormed out after saying this.
Roche was a little confused, feeling that something was off.
But he still went in with Moer, standing in front of Rogue, who was sitting in a "boss-like" posture.
[It really is her… after all these years. Damn Rogue, sitting comfortably on Afterlife's big couch.]
Johnny saw the surroundings clearly through the camera on the PDA and chattered in Roche's ear.
[Don't try to fool her, she'll see right through you. Just say what's on your mind.]
[Wow, really?]
He said so, but Johnny rarely praised people, especially in such detail, so he must be right.
"Excuse me, but may I ask what just happened with that young lady? She seemed quite upset."
Roche politely inquired, as a conversation starter.
"Go ask her yourself, she might be in some corner of the club, secretly wiping away tears."
Rogue said nonchalantly, as if it was a very trivial matter.
[Alright, so now, should I talk to her about Hellman first, or the Voodoo Boys, or… you?]
Before getting to the point, Roche asked Johnny's opinion one last time.
[Start with Hellman. I feel like she's changed over the years, but at the same time, she hasn't.]Johnny sighed, wanting to take a puff of a cigarette,[Chat with her, see what's new with the queen of the Afterlife.]
Roche nodded, intending to start probing her.
This didn't conflict with Johnny's instructions – it was probing with real matters, not "fooling around."
All he needed to do was wholeheartedly seek Rogue's help to find Hellman, and he wouldn't give himself away.
"I want you to help me find someone."
"Oh?" Rogue looked at him indifferently.
"Anders Hellman, Arasaka's engineer, responsible for quite high-level R&D."
Roche lowered his voice, making it hard to be heard in Afterlife, where Samurai's rock music was often played.
"Wait a moment." Rogue's eyes began to glow red, and she spoke authoritatively to the person on the other end of the communication, "Look up this person for me, Anders Hellman."
"Thank you." Roche didn't expect her to start arranging the task right away.
"Don't thank me just yet, first, I haven't named my price, second and third—"
Rogue took her hand off the couch and stared at Roche.
"Dexter DeShawn, former fixer of Night City, one of the key players of Afterlife nightclub, and you managed to get him killed. Aren't you, our mercenary, planning to say anything in the way of an acceptance speech?"
[This little bitch is still as formidable as ever…]Johnny grumbled,[Don't be afraid, she's just bluffing. To gain the upper hand, language is also a weapon.]
[Huh, the pressure really is something.]
Roche chuckled inwardly.
With just a few simple sentences, Rogue had completely seized the initiative, as if it wasn't him coming to assign a task, but rather him begging her.
[Talk to her about the Arasaka Tower, ask her how I got killed in front of her.]
Johnny suggested a tactic, intending to poke directly at her soft spot.
[Give me a break, you didn't die back then.]Roche had played through the scene called "My Heart is on Fire" and still had a clear impression,[You were rescued by Arasaka, then had your engram uploaded in front of Saburo by a Soulkiller.]
[But the fact that she abandoned her teammate is still true.]Johnny started to get angry, his tone getting vulgar,[And how the hell do you know all this!?]