Chapter 192

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"Afterlife Bar?"

V wiped the sweat from her forehead, puzzled by Tang Yu's invitation message. 

She was practicing boxing at the gym downstairs from her home, hitting the punching robot so hard its head was nearly detached. The nearby coach, Fred, watched with a mix of anxiety and admiration. 

For the little money he was earning from V, he realized he had undersold her talent; he hadn't figured out that this iron-fisted girl was the rising street boxing champion. Upon receiving Tang Yu's message, V stepped out of the ring, grabbed a towel hanging on the bar, and wiped her flushed face. 

She instructed Fred, "Next time, get a more durable robot. This one's not up to par, and with your high fees, you'll lose customers." 

With that, V picked up her water bottle and left, leaving Fred, the balding coach, frozen in place, smiling wryly. 

She took the old elevator back to her room, freshened up, and prepared to head to Afterlife Bar for the rendezvous. She was always proactive in meeting with her debt handlers; after all, clearing debts meant more freedom to pursue her own ventures. 

Soon enough, V was ready, dressed up, and headed straight to Afterlife Bar. Driving her flashy, old convertible, she struggled to maneuver on the narrow streets, scratching the car multiple times. To her, scraping the car was routine, and she wasn't bothered—she had won it in a fight, so she didn't feel sentimental about it. 

Unlike another car that had left her neck-deep in debt, which she kept garage-bound unless absolutely necessary, driving it cautiously to avoid more debt. 

Arriving at Afterlife Bar, her shiny car paint caught the attention of several unsavory onlookers. V stared down two smug punks standing by the street and snarled, "You two, Bucky and Loki, right? Keep an eye on my car. If anything happens to it, you'll regret it." 

She tossed the keys to them and headed into the bar, leaving the bewildered punks holding the keys. 

"Who the hell is she? So damn cocky?"

"Silver arm, black hair—isn't she V, the one who swept the underground boxing scene and even beat Razor?"

"Shit, really? Then we better..."

"Save it, she knows who we are. Just watch the car."

Inside the bar, bathed in green light, she descended into the dimly lit basement, where the atmosphere was amplified by the faint hum of music. Though it was V's first time at Afterlife, she had long heard of its infamous reputation.

A burly bouncer stopped her at the iron gate, scanning her with a cybernetic eye, noting she was new. 

"What's your business here?" he asked gruffly.

"Drinking," V replied, finding the question odd.

"People don't come here just to drink."

V explained patiently that she had an appointment with someone named Tang Yu and asked the bouncer to check. After confirming her story, he stepped aside, and the gate slid open.

V unclenched her fists, resisting the urge to argue, and stepped into the bar. Music instantly enveloped her, with the raucous rock sound of Samurai's classic song filling the air. 

Scanning the room, she saw people crowded in booths and by the corridors, engaged in conversations—chatting, exchanging intel, or discussing secrets. Everyone had a story. 

V soon spotted Tang Yu at the bar, sitting next to a woman in a yellow hoodie with striking golden curls. Approaching him, she asked, "What're you guys talking about?"

Tang Yu turned and, seeing V, introduced her, "This is Rogue, the queen of Afterlife Bar."

Then, turning to Rogue, he introduced V, "The best merc in Night City—V, also the reigning street boxing champion."

Rogue eyed V with interest, "Kid, you certainly seem special."

V wasn't sure what Rogue meant but responded politely, "The queen of Afterlife is special too."

Rogue smiled and excused herself, "Now that your guest is here, I'll leave you to it. I have some business to attend to."

"Claire, their drinks are on me," Rogue called out.

Claire, mixing drinks, nodded with a smile, "Got it, just like last time."

With that, Rogue left for her private booth, and V focused back on Tang Yu, asking, "Were you talking about me? Don't you dare flatter me."

Before V arrived, Tang Yu indeed had a chat with Rogue. Wanting to know more about Johnny, Rogue had approached him after his mention of the open-air screen incident, which piqued her curiosity.

Tang Yu, smiling, replied, "Everyone in the street knows about your mighty fists; I don't need to advertise."

V just grumbled, too tired to argue. Tang Yu then asked, "How are you feeling? Any more headaches or double vision?"

V shook her head, "Much better. Maybe whatever's in my brain has settled down."

As long as Blue Eye didn't cause trouble, the Poseidon in V's brain remained manageable. Tang Yu was still waiting for the right time to extract it, lacking the compatible means and host for now.

V, impatient, waved it off, "Enough about that. Why did you call me today? Don't mess around with me again."

Tang Yu teased, "My, our Miss V is quite busy. Planning to debut in Night City?"

V rolled her eyes at him, "If I didn't owe you so much, I might've landed a big contract by now, living comfortably and making a name for myself."

Tang Yu nodded thoughtfully, "Seems like our famous V dreams of becoming a legend in Night City."

V felt her teeth clench in annoyance, wanting to bite him just to vent her frustration. Tang Yu, laughing, reassured, "Don't be mad, just joking. I have a big job in hand. Once Jackie gets here, you'll find out."

V: "You better have a big job for us..."

The two of them sat at the bar for a while before they noticed the cheerful laughter coming from behind them.

Jackie walked up to the bar, rubbing his broad palms together, and said with a smile, "What should we have today?"

Tang Yu told him not to only think about the drinks and to sit down and talk first.

Jackie took a seat on the other side of Tang Yu and greeted V. "Hi, chica."

"Hey, Jackie," V replied.

Jackie suddenly noticed their table was empty and asked curiously, "Haven't ordered any drinks yet?"

"In that case, let me do the honors."

Claire happened to be free and approached them. "What can I get for you?"

Before Jackie could answer, Tang Yu spoke first, "Three Old-Fashioned Tequilas with some beer and chili."

Claire nodded with a smile, "Three 'Johnny Silverhands' coming right up."

Jackie looked slightly annoyed and said to Tang Yu, "Man, don't steal my lines. I finally had a chance to show off."

V, intrigued by their familiarity, asked, "What's this Johnny Silverhand you're talking about?"

Jackie explained with a smile, "It's a tradition at the Afterlife. The names of the drinks are those of the regulars here. Everyone knows this."

V seemed to understand. "So Johnny Silverhand used to come here, and this drink recipe was left by him?"

Claire served the drinks and added, "That's right. The Afterlife has been open for so long that I can't even remember the exact year. But I guarantee Johnny Silverhand did sit at this bar and drink."

Tang Yu thought to himself, not only did he drink, but he also had quite the time on this bar.

V found it quite interesting; the history of the Afterlife was something no other place had, part of its unique charm.

"So how can one get a drink named after them?"

Jackie quickly raised a hand to stop Claire, answering eagerly, "Chica, I can answer that. First, you have to die, and not just any death, but something spectacular. The whole city has to talk about your story, like a legend."

Jackie got excited, "Ah, I'd love to have my own drink."

V agreed, "Sounds great. To be a legend in Night City - who cares if you have to die for it."

Jackie, now in high spirits, asked Claire, "How about a drink named Jackie Wells? I've got a big job lined up. Soon, I'll be a legend in Night City."

Claire nodded heartily.

Jackie immediately replied, "A Vodka, on the rocks, lime juice, and ginger beer. And the most important ingredient... a dash of love."

V burst out laughing, "I want one too! I'm V..."

Tang Yu saw how the two were marking territory and lifted his glass, interrupting, "Alright, alright. At least live like legends first."

Claire chuckled, "He's right. Become legends first, then come back for your drinks."

V shrugged, "Fine, fine. Who am I to argue with someone I owe so much money?"

Jackie laughed heartily as he raised his glass, "Cheers!"

Tang Yu felt a moment of déjà vu in that familiar scene, with Jackie and V beside him, both full of life, dreaming of making it big in Night City.

He lifted his glass and toasted, "To 'cheers'!"

The three of them downed their strong drinks in one gulp.

V felt her stomach burn, enjoying the sensation immensely. "'Johnny Silverhand,' simple and potent."

She saw Tang Yu and Jackie leaving the bar and quickly put down her glass, bid farewell to Claire, and followed them.

The three of them headed to a secluded booth to discuss their upcoming mission.

The mission was not complicated; the destination was an Arasaka transit point on the outskirts of the city.

They only needed to stake out pre-chosen points, ambush the attacking team, and catch them off guard.

After hearing the plan, V felt it was too simple. "That's it?"

The plan seemed much simpler than last time, neither complex nor convoluted.

Tang Yu nodded, affirming V's doubts.

Jackie was curious, "Who in their right mind would attack an Arasaka Company site? Tang, if there's intelligence on an attack, why not let the company's guys handle it? Are they unreliable?"

"Exactly, there are moles in the company. Plus, those attacking might be directed by someone inside."

Jackie and V agreed that corporate politics were often a dog-eat-dog game, likely playing out daily.

This mission was mainly based on information from Meredith.

Based on her intel, Tang Yu confirmed which points were manipulated by Militech and which were controlled by behind-the-scenes powers.

Meredith also offered some advice: Militech had long wanted to seize a pivotal transit point, but she wanted to avoid any disruptions due to her impending promotion. Hence, the plan was temporarily shelved.

She believed that a certain power might take action very soon.

Militech knew well that Arasaka wouldn't dare start a full-scale war at this moment.

If another world war began, Arasaka would find it challenging to re-establish control over Night City.

Positioned in New America's territory, Night City had more logistical and firepower advantages.

With Meredith's intel, Tang Yu knew the next steps.

Thus, he teamed up with V and Jackie to take matters into their own hands.

The unidentified armed force was formidable, daring enough to raid Arasaka sites and make a clean escape despite intensified security.

This indicated that they had internal assistance and were quite powerful.

Tang Yu couldn't just hand this task off. If it failed, there wouldn't be a second chance.

The three of them detailed the specifics of the mission.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Tang Yu would disguise Jackie and V as Arasaka security personnel being sent as reinforcements.

This wouldn't raise suspicions, as Arasaka had been bolstering its security at various points due to potential threats.

Once they infiltrated the site, they would simply wait for the attack.

Tang Yu would be stationed further away, providing remote support.

With their plan set, they prepared for action, went home to grab their gear, and headed out.