She instructed the mercenary, who nodded and walked out with a tiger-like stride, looking even more fierce than Jackie.
Wine?
Roche's eyes lit up, and the corner of his mouth curled into a smile.
Well, this was a done deal.
[Damn, Johnny, not bad! You managed to win over the queen of Afterlife so quickly?]
Although Roche was speechless about Johnny's scumbag behavior, he was genuinely surprised.
"Please sit."
Rogue generously gestured for the two of them to sit down, her tone becoming a bit softer.
"Who else knows about this?"
She was not polite, nor did she beat around the bush, getting straight to the point.
Roche glanced at her, his lips moving slightly, as if wanting to say something but stopping himself.
[Johnny? Can we trust her?]
He had to be cautious enough to avoid being played again.
[In all of Afterlife, if there's anyone who can stand by our side, it has to be Rogue.]
Johnny spoke calmly but with full confidence.
Roche trusted Johnny, just as Johnny trusted him. Although they hadn't known each other for long, they both had straightforward personalities and were easy to read, their trust growing as fast as lightning.
Roche, Moir, V, Jackie, T-Bug, old Vic, and Misty.
There were a total of seven people present at the time.
Goro Takemura was a complete outsider, no one knew him well, so at that time, Roche had specifically waited for him to leave before taking Johnny out.
Looking back, that decision was wise.
Roche and V had been brothers since their Nomad days. The two of them met Jackie, forming an iron triangle. Then there was old Vic, who was like a father to V. There wasn't a second person in Night City who treated V so well. Misty, Jackie's girlfriend and Vic's partner, was very reliable.
Only T-Bug remained somewhat distant, but since she could resist Dexter's attempts to drive a wedge between them and sided with Roche, it meant that she had at least some conscience. She was someone to win over and must be won over.
"If we can trust her, that's good. However, I'll use my own channels to check again, just to be safe." Rogue was very concerned about Johnny's situation, "The deal you mentioned earlier is now off the table."
"Now, we need to change our roles."
She picked up the wine glass Claire had just brought and offered a toast to Roche.
"Come on, don't be shy."
Roche clinked glasses with her and slowly drank it down.
It was a whiskey-like liquor, but Roche didn't drink much of this kind of stuff, so he couldn't tell the specific variety. He just felt it was quite strong.
"What do you mean by changing roles?"
Roche put down the glass, no longer restrained, and asked in a relaxed manner.
"I have a job for you now." Although Rogue was getting older, her eyes seemed to still hold a sharp brilliance that couldn't be ignored.
"Let me guess, it's about Johnny?"
Roche looked at the PDA she was holding in her hand and smiled.
"That's right, that bastard already mentioned it." She ignored Johnny's backtalk and continued to explain, "The relic is damaged. Although I don't know how you managed to keep him alive, we can't do anything with this biochip now."
She told the mercenary, who nodded and walked out with a fierce posture, even more ferocious than Jack.
Alcohol?
Roche's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Fine, this matter is settled.
[Wow, Johnny, impressive! You managed to win over the queen of the afterlife so quickly?]
Although Roche was speechless about Johnny's playboy behavior, she was still genuinely surprised.
"Please, have a seat."
Rogue generously gestured for them to sit, her tone softened.
"Who else knows about this?"
She was not polite and went straight to the point.
Roche glanced at her, his lips moved slightly, hesitating to speak.
[Johnny? Is he trustworthy?]
He had to be cautious to avoid being played for a fool again.
[If there's anyone in the afterlife who can stand by us, it has to be Rogue.]
Johnny said confidently and calmly.
Roche trusted Johnny, just as Johnny trusted him. Although they hadn't known each other for a long time, they both had transparent personalities and could build trust quickly.
Roche, Moyer, V, Jack, T-Bug, Old Vic, and Misty.
There were seven people present at the time.
Takemura Gorou was a complete outsider, and no one knew him well. So, Roche had deliberately waited for him to leave before bringing out Johnny.
It seemed that this decision was wise.
Roche and V were brothers since their days as wanderers. They met Jack and formed a solid trio. Then there was Old Vic, who was like V's father, and Misty, Jack's girlfriend, and Old Vic's partner - all very reliable.
Only T-Bug remained somewhat distant. However, since she could resist Dexter's instigation and stand by Roche, it meant that she still had some conscience and was worth winning over.
"As long as you trust him, that's good. However, I'll double-check through my channels just to be safe," Rogue was very serious about Johnny's matter, "The deal you mentioned earlier is now off."
"Now, we need to change our roles."
She picked up the glass of alcohol that Claire had just brought and toasted Roche.
"Come on, don't be shy."
Roche clinked glasses with her and drank slowly.
It was a Western liquor like whiskey, but Roche didn't usually drink such things, so he couldn't tell the specific type. It just tasted strong.
"How do we switch roles?"
Roche put down the glass, no longer so restrained, and asked casually.
"I have a job for you," Rogue said. Although she was older, her eyes still seemed to carry an undeniable sharpness.
"Let me guess, something about Johnny?"
Roche looked at the PDA in her hand and smiled.
"Exactly, as that bastard already mentioned." She ignored Johnny's interruption and continued, "The relic is damaged. Although I don't know how you managed to keep him alive, we can't do anything with this biochip now."
Johnny didn't back down, sarcastically replying as well.
Well, these two seemed to be a classic case of love-hate relationship.
Luo Qi turned his head and looked at Mo Er, who was behaving obediently but with a cold expression like a piece of iron, feeling quite emotional.
"I need you guys to do some work."
Rogue began to share her thoughts with him.
"An De Si · He Er Man (Anders Herman), according to the clues you've obtained, he is very likely to be the main designer of the relic and has defected to Kang Tao. I need to find him; he knows the most about the relic."
"For Johnny?"
Luo Qi asked.
Rogue fell silent for a moment, and a hint of unease appeared on the face of the hostess of the afterlife.
"Next is the Voodoo Boys. I'm not interested in any AI outside the Blackwall, but they plan to use the relic to find that woman, and there must be some conspiracy. Investigate it, and if there's a threat, eliminate it."
[Yo, yo, yo, someone's starting to get upset when this is mentioned.] Johnny started to stir the pot.
"You're just thinking about that fruit, right!?" Rogue cast an unhappy glance at Johnny on the PDA screen.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Rogue shook her head.
"However, these are just preliminary tasks. We need to get this bastard out of the biochip, at least not continue to be trapped in a small PDA."
"Any big plans?" Luo Qi sensed something from her words.
"Yes, but not now." She carefully scrutinized Luo Qi and Mo Er, her sharp eyebrows looking more spirited than before, "How about this deal? You and your mercenary friend should be in need of money. The name of the Afterlife should give you some confidence."
After talking for a while, Luo Qi didn't expect things to turn out like this.
He originally thought Johnny was seeking help from an old friend, but he didn't expect it to be a love-hate story spanning half a century.
At this point, he had no idea what would happen according to the original timeline and could only go forward with gritted teeth.
The feeling of losing the "foresight ability" was unsettling but exciting - because you never know what will happen next.
More importantly, no one died at the Azure Tower.
Although they were penniless, as long as people were alive, there would always be a turning point.
Money, fame, and power... all appeared before them in a whole new way.
"Okay, I'll call them right away."
Luo Qi dialed the phone and contacted V, Jack, and T-Bug separately.
For the four of them, this was an excellent opportunity and the perfect time to bring T-Bug into the fold.
Working for Rogue was more reliable and safer - no wonder so many mercenaries were vying for such a job.
Yesterday someone said that version of Motoko Kusanagi wasn't cyberpunk enough, so I found a couple of cool pictures
In short, she's a cool, handsome, and A-grade young lady who's also quite cute when quiet
In less than twenty minutes, all three had arrived.
Jack rode his motorcycle, rushing over from Heywood like a whirlwind. When he heard it was a commission from the Afterlife, he initially thought Luo Qi was joking. Once he confirmed it was real, he was thrilled.
V entered with caution written all over his face, but when he saw Luo Qi, Mo Er, and Rogue chatting happily, he was dumbfounded.
"Everyone is here."