"Hey! Step aside—I'm with Xiao!"
Kirk shoved away the arm blocking him, his voice full of irritation.
"Xiao? Are you sure we have Mr. Xiao's personal contact? Have you considered the consequences of impersonation?"
Emeric's caution was evident, his prosthetic eyes flickering orange.
"Of course. Just ask!"
Kirk replied casually, though a pang of guilt hit him. After all, Xiao had never officially acknowledged him as an associate. Kirk was merely selling goods on Xiao's behalf.
Emeric made a quick call to Rogue for verification, then opened the door with a nod.
"Good luck, boy. If you lie, Xiao himself will deal with you!"
"How could I lie now?"
Kirk felt like he was floating. Being allowed into Next Life—the city's most exclusive information club—marked him as a big shot. Even Jack Wills, young master of the Wild Wolf Bar, didn't qualify.
"This way, boy!"
Kirk had taken only a few steps when a slightly older, sharp female voice called out.
"Rogue! Rogue!"
He turned to see an older woman with long hair, a slim frame, and a plump figure waving from a private room.
"Kirk! I know you! Xiao trusts you!"
Despite her vast database, Rogue recognized Kirk immediately.
"Forget it. I'm helping Xiao with work now," Kirk muttered, flushing as he recounted his dealings with Xiao.
"What are you selling? If you want to trade here, I need to check for contraband!"
Rogue's eyes quickly assessed Kirk's intentions. Clearly, he sought protection in Next Life. She gestured for him to reveal the goods.
"Okay, okay!"
Kirk opened the suitcase, revealing the platinum-gold Dimension Chips inside.
"Chips? Are you sure this is Xiao's business? Since when does he deal in low-end products?"
"High-end chips—top-tier… as high as Arasaka Tower!"
Kirk raised his arms theatrically, emphasizing the exclusivity of the chips.
"Alright, let me try!"
Rogue inserted one into her nerve slot, completing the connection.
Two and a half minutes later…
"Everyone, leave. I want to talk privately!"
She ushered out the other patrons, sealed the private room, and dialed Xiao.
"Damn it! What the hell are you planning?" she demanded.
Xiao's voice came through calmly: "This world is boring. I want some fun."
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
"No one has ever stood in heaven—from the beginning, neither them nor I, not even God. That intolerable vacuum has come to an end. From now on, I will stand upon the heavens."
Xiao stood before a floor-to-ceiling mirror, gazing over all of Night City, his tone elegant and mesmerizing.
"You're insane! You're committing a crime! You'll get everyone killed!"
Rogue's voice trembled as she imagined how furious the corporations would be once they discovered what the chip contained. Giant companies would crush Xiao and all his allies for core technology. The European Community would annihilate anyone daring to use Dimension Chips.
"Now that I've become a god, I will ascend as king and sit on the throne of heaven!"
Xiao's voice carried an ethereal quality, like a priest initiating a sacred chant.
"You're completely insane!"
Rogue's skin prickled, cold sweat soaking her back.
"Don't believe me? Then, feel the power of God!"
Xiao smiled faintly and opened the Dimension Chip's limiter. The platinum chip melted like butter, merging into Rogue through her nerve slot.
An unprecedented surge of strength and vitality coursed through her. Her body steamed as her aged skin visibly rejuvenated.
"Do you feel it? My divine power!" Xiao's voice rang in her mind, exultant and joyful.
"I… I feel like I'm only twenty!" Rogue touched her face in disbelief.
In this world, technology could maintain youth for decades. Hanako Arasaka, for example, was in her eighties but looked thirty. Advanced prosthetics and organ replacements could extend life indefinitely—but true rejuvenation? None had achieved it—until Xiao.
And it wasn't surgery. It was just the chip, remotely controlled. This transcended technology and reached the realm of gods.
"Damn it! What's happening, Ro, Ro… Rogue? How is she… young again?"
Kirk, witnessing the miracle, was dumbfounded. How could a grown woman become a youth again?
Pa—
Rogue struck Kirk unconscious with a wave of her hand. Her prosthetic eyes glowed orange as she erased parts of his memory using cyber-hacking techniques.
Sitting on the leather sofa, she downed a drink to steady her racing heart, then warned Xiao:
"Xiao, I admit your tech is strong, but you cannot defeat the corporations with this. What we couldn't do with nuclear weapons, this chip can't do either. Your tech will only bring disaster, eventually falling into their hands. The elite will achieve immortality by exploiting your corpse!"
"I said, I will become a god! The power of the Dimension Seed has just awakened!"
Xiao sent a file detailing the Dimension Seed's power.
"Damn… are you starting the Fifth World War?!"
Rogue scrolled through the data, stunned. With this power distributed, people could challenge the giant corporations. The oppressed would rise. Class struggle would be brutal—no compromise, only annihilation.
"So… will you go mad with me, Rogue? Just like back then, when you joined Silverhand to blow up Arasaka Tower? But this time, we won't just blow up a single tower—we'll take down every high-ranking giant!"
Xiao extended his hand toward Rogue.
"You lunatic!"
Rogue buried her face in her hands and sighed. Xiao ignored her refusal.
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Gambi Building, Arasaka's Night City director, Yorinobu, quietly listened in on Xiao and Rogue's conversation.
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