David Martinez.
The protagonist of the Edgerunners anime, who, to save his beloved Lucy, fought his way to Arasaka Tower with his companions.
But after successfully rescuing Lucy, he himself died at the hands of Adam Smasher.
Ultimately, David fulfilled his promise to Lucy by sending her to the moon, but Lucy's most important person could no longer be by her side.
A typical cyberpunk tragedy.
No matter what passion and fighting spirit one possesses, challenging corporations will ultimately lead to utter failure.
In this absurd world, the will of the corporation is the only one.
It, like the construction of a machine, destroys all beautiful human emotions, leaving behind only cold shells, and eventually, the human world will become as cold and harsh as the world of objects, no longer able to stir up a single ripple.
"...If I want a drink named after myself? How do I do that?" After hearing Claire explain the "Afterlife" tradition, V felt a bit curious.
"You have to die first." Claire leaned on the table and shrugged, "And you have to die spectacularly, preferably by kicking the bucket midway through."
"Aha, I almost want to try that myself!" Hearing this rule, full of street romance, Jackie shook his head with a sigh.
As they talked, three drinks were already placed in front of them.
Two Johnny Silverhands, one David Martinez, all brave men who dared to challenge Arasaka.
"Dying for a drink name isn't worth it." Looking at the glowing red liquid floating in the transparent shot glass under the lights, V shook her head.
She had given up on such heroic dreams when she was thirteen. For her, a good life and a loved one were the most important things. As for becoming a legend, that was a dream she only had when she was broke.
"Hey, everyone has to go sometime, right? So why not go out with some style?" But Jackie didn't think that way.
Since he was a little kid, just a tiny tot peeing randomly on the streets of Heywood, his head was filled with a dream of becoming a legend.
He yearned to make a name for himself. To him, quietly lingering in obscurity or pursuing a momentary burst of life was never a question.
"Alright, I'm telling you two, can't you say something auspicious?" Berry rolled her eyes at them.
Did they have to rush to jinx themselves?
"Come on, never mind that, it's a rare opportunity, let's have a toast!" Berry raised her glass filled with a deep blue liquid.
"Let me think, to the legends of Night City!"
"May they bless us from their graves to make big money!"
"What kind of messy toast is that!" Jackie laughed and shook his head, but still honestly raised his Johnny Silverhand.
"Come on, whether it's Johnny Silverhand or whatever, let's toast to these seniors who've been rolling in the city!" V also laughed and raised her glass.
"Cheers!" X3
The loud clinking of glass cups echoed, causing the liquid in the glasses to sway.
Berry tilted her head back and took a sip of the deep blue liquid in her glass. Feeling the spicy alcohol go down, Berry shook her head, considering it a toast to David Martinez.
"By the way, my name is Jackie Welles, do you want to keep one of my recipes?" Jackie took a big gulp, and after putting down his glass, he looked at the bartender Claire.
"Hmm... Sure." From Claire's calm tone, it was clear that most people who came here did this. And sure enough, she skillfully picked up a notebook, ready to record.
But Berry also noticed that the book was densely filled with names, each crossed out with a thick black line.
If they haven't changed their names, then there's only one explanation.
Those guys are all dead.
"One vodka, with ice, lime juice, ginger ale," Jackie said cheerfully, as if he had been planning this for a while. "Oh, and most importantly... a little love."
"Haha, I'll remember that." Claire shook her head and smiled, putting away her notebook.
"Mr. Dexter wants to see you."
As the three were talking, a Bodyguard wearing black sunglasses approached.
"Someone's here, let's go." Seeing Dexter's people arrive, V put down her remaining half-glass of drink and stood up.
Berry also stood up with Jackie, holding a can of soda.
"This way." The Bodyguard walked ahead of the three, leading the way.
Speaking of Afterlife, it really is full of familiar faces. Wasn't this Dexter's Bodyguard, who was leading the way, the guy who punched V in the game's story? After that, the fat black man, Dexter DeShawn, finished V off with a shot to the head.
Others get a game over with one shot, but this old black guy's shot marked the beginning of Night City's legendary V. One has to say, fate works in mysterious ways.
But after that, there wasn't anything interesting.
After several turns, they went deeper into the bar, eventually arriving at a private room-like area.
On a black sofa, the big black fat man, Dexter DeShawn, was already seated, smoking a cigar. Beside him, the black Hacker T-BUG sat cross-legged on the sofa, still in her usual tight black Hacker suit.
But besides these two, there was another important figure.
This person was none other than the overlord of Watson, a well-known lone wolf in the Mercenary world, whose surname was A and given name was Nuo, nicknamed "terminator."
He was leaning back on the sofa, wearing sunglasses, with a shiny silver dog tag hanging from his chest.
And Berry felt a strange sensation watching herself walk in from Arno's perspective.
This is why Berry wasn't surprised at all when she entered Afterlife.
The Arno she controlled had already been there.
When Dexter had just slunk back to Afterlife, he had hired the then somewhat famous Arno to clean up some loose ends for him. Compared to V and her two companions, Arno might even have a closer relationship with Dexter.
The three entered in single file, and the small reception room was filled with six people.
"Hooray, a family should always be together! Hehe!" Seeing BUG and Arno, Jackie grinned and chuckled, then casually plopped down on the sofa.
"The first time offline." BUG's tone was still cool and calm, as if nothing could stir her emotions.
"Hi, BUG, I brought you something good!" Berry waved a greeting and handed the little coca-cola to BUG.
She hadn't forgotten the reward she promised BUG last time—a can of little coca-cola.
"This is... cola?" BUG took the cold cola, glanced at Berry, and unusually, let out a soft laugh. "Alright, maybe I can use it for lunch next time."
"Welcome, Jackie, Miss V, and... Miss Berry." Dexter had met the others before, but this was his first time seeing Berry.
Dexter wore gold-rimmed sunglasses, acting profound and mysterious.
He frowned, however, and eyed Berry up and down with suspicion.
This young girl doesn't look like a Mercenary.
"Hey, don't underestimate her. She's the best revolver user I've ever seen. In the blink of an eye, she can put six holes in an enemy."
"Heh heh, I've heard a little about Miss Berry's deeds. Please sit." The black-gold fat man was still putting on airs, while Berry indifferently curled her lips and sat on the sofa.
After that, things were no different from the game.
The group discussed how to infiltrate Konpeki Plaza, the residence of Arasaka Corporation heir Yorinobu Arasaka, to steal the relic chip Yorinobu possessed.
In short, people would take a Delamain special car to Konpeki Plaza, then use fake identities to blend in. Once inside, they would manipulate the flathead they smuggled in to help T-BUG penetrate the building's subnet and take control of its defense system.
Then they could openly walk into Yorinobu's room, take the relic, and the mission would be complete.
It sounded easy, as simple as eating at a street stall, but everyone knew that if even one small part of it went wrong, not a single one of them present would survive. The flourishing Arasaka Corporation would not let go of anyone who dared to challenge them—of course, excluding the other giant corporation.
Mission details were quickly finalized, but afterwards, the group found themselves in a dilemma regarding personnel selection.
"For such a delicate mission, the fewer people the better. No more than three people should infiltrate Konpeki Plaza, especially those with obvious flaws." Dexter DeShawn said, his gaze falling on Berry.
Everyone present, except Arno, looked at Berry, making her head fill with question marks.
What's going on, why are they all looking at me?
Looking at their strange gazes, Berry thought, you guys aren't trying to kick me out, are you?
Truth be told, Berry had guessed correctly.
In the eyes of the others, they immediately noticed Berry's youthful face, her fair skin without cyberware, and the innocent look in her eyes.
Infiltration and disguise seemed to have no connection to her.
Subconsciously, everyone immediately excluded her.
"Berry..." V looked at Berry with a complicated expression and said, "You are not allowed to participate in the mission."
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