Rogue, remember me?"
"Yes, I have a business deal for you. Are you interested in talking?"
"No problem. See you tonight."
Hanging up the phone, Lin Chase changed his clothes and went downstairs.
At this time, Jack and Takemura were already sitting in the living room, chatting.
After taking the job from Lisa Xiao and Han Kangtao, Lin Chase immediately called them both.
Friends should make money together when there's an opportunity.
Besides, although he could handle some things alone, having more people would make things much more convenient.
He called V to come downstairs as well.
Lin Chase explained the situation to them.
"So that's how it is, Kangtao's situation..."
"How about it? Do you guys want to make a big move together?" Lin Chase looked at Jack and Takemura with a smile.
Jack didn't even hesitate. "Por supuesto (of course)!"
"This is a big deal—helping Kangtao against Militech."
"If we pull this off, then we'll be big shots in Night City!"
Big shot.
That had always been Jack's dream.
So when he heard Lin Chase's proposal, he agreed without hesitation.
As for Takemura...
"Lin, how long will this mission take? Will it interfere with our plans for the festival?"
Lin Chase thought for a moment and said, "It should take about three or four days. We definitely won't miss the festival."
"If we do, I'll personally go and snatch Michiko for you. You won't have to do a thing."
"Uh… that won't be necessary," Takemura quickly dismissed Lin Chase's dangerous idea.
If it were someone else, he might have thought it was a joke.
But Lin Chase?
A man ruthless enough to kill someone like Hanako Arasaka's bodyguard—who's to say he wouldn't do it?
Thinking of his financial situation, Takemura finally made up his mind.
"Alright, count me in."
With that, Lin Chase's team grew from three to four.
That evening, Lin Chase arrived at Afterlife with Lin Blaze.
As for why he brought her along—well, after hearing V talk about the real face of Night City yesterday, she insisted on seeing it for herself.
And this time, Lin Chase didn't refuse.
After all, this job involved Kangtao, and bringing Lin Blaze along could help explain certain things.
But obviously, Lin Chase, a newcomer to Night City, had forgotten one important detail.
In Night City, you don't bring a girl as beautiful as Lin Blaze out at night.
The Shockwave parked on the rooftop of Afterlife.
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they were met with whistles and jeers.
"Hey, little girl, want to have some fun with us?"
"Tsk tsk, you don't see a clean girl like this often in Night City."
"Hey sweetheart, how about letting me show you a good time?"
"Damn, check out that body. Dressed up real nice."
Who were these guys at the door of Afterlife?
Mercenaries, killers—people who lived with blood on their hands and had no future.
This kind of crowd had no filter.
They said what was on their minds.
If they didn't like you, they'd start a fight.
If they wanted something, they'd just take it.
And right now, trouble had found them.
A huge Black man, both arms replaced with cybernetic prosthetics, towering over 1.9 meters, stepped forward.
"Hey, first time I've seen such a cute little thing. How much is she—"
"Get lost."
Lin Chase's cold voice cut him off.
But those words—"Get lost"—were like throwing a match into a barrel of gunpowder.
"You looking to die, you motherfu—"
The man's words were suddenly interrupted.
His eyes widened, and all the color drained from his face.
His hands clutched at his throat, making a horrible choking sound.
"Thud."
The massive body collapsed to the ground.
He twitched twice.
Then went completely still.
It wasn't until his hands limply dropped to the ground that everyone around him noticed—
His throat had been completely crushed.
Instantly, the crowd that had been jeering moments ago fell into dead silence.
But in Night City, words could kill just as much as weapons.
"Zzt... Crackle..."
Suddenly, sparks flared wildly from the head of one of the mercenaries who had been making lewd comments earlier.
Half a second later, he collapsed, smoke rising from his mouth and nose.
A netrunner had fried his brain remotely.
Before anyone could react, the same thing happened again.
One after another, men dropped to the ground, their bodies twitching before going still.
Soon, every mercenary who had spoken out was lying lifeless on the ground.
The surviving mercenaries finally understood.
The man standing in front of them—
He had just executed all those people because they had said something they shouldn't have.
"Hmph." Lin Chase let out a cold snort, his eyes sweeping over the remaining mercenaries.
No one dared to meet his gaze.
His methods were brutally effective.
In the ruthless streets of Night City, only the most vicious survived.
Fear was power.
Admiration was built on intimidation.
Watching Lin Chase's back, Lin Blaze's eyes flashed with emotion.
She had originally used her cybernetic eyes to record everything, planning to send it back to Kangtao through their private network for payback later.
She hadn't expected Lin Chase to stand up for her right then and there.
She didn't think… this guy had such a good side.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, Lin Chase turned his head and whispered to her.
"Don't overthink it. If I didn't do that, people would think I'm easy to push around."
"..." Lin Blaze gritted her teeth.
This bastard just had to ruin the moment.
At that moment, the muscular Emeric, who had been quietly guarding the entrance to Afterlife, approached Lin Chase.
"You're Lin, right? Rogue is waiting for you inside."
"Alright. Thanks."
With that, Emeric led Lin Chase into Afterlife.
After all, this was a matter involving two major corporations.
Even Rogue, the Queen of Afterlife, wouldn't dare take it lightly.
After winding through the club, Emeric led them to a familiar room—the same one where V, Jack, and Dexter had once discussed a job.
Inside, Rogue was quietly smoking, lost in thought.
"Hey, Rogue."
"Hello, Lin. I have some impression of the person next to you." Rogue glanced at Lin Blaze with interest.
She was the one who had originally assigned Lin Blaze to V.
In other words, it was Kangtao who had approached her and asked her to make sure Lin Blaze was handed off to V.
"She's here to learn more about me. Let's talk business." Lin Chase sat down, getting straight to the point.
"Like last time, I need you to find someone—former head of Kangtao Americas, Candace Stevenson."
"Oh? I might know something." Rogue smirked but didn't say more.
Johnny Silverhand suddenly spoke up.
"Oh, that cunning woman. She probably knew your purpose the moment you called her this morning."
Lin Chase nodded. "Yeah, she's definitely smarter than you."
"F*** off. She betrayed me!" Johnny scoffed. "If you don't believe me, ask her why everyone from that operation is dead—except her."
"Everyone has their own reasons," Lin Chase shrugged. "At the very least, if she knew you were alive, she'd probably take another risk for you…"
"Even though she has a child."
Johnny froze.
"...What did you just say?"
"What's wrong?" Lin Chase smirked. "Rogue has a kid?"
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