Chapter 599: Afterlife
Watson, Little Chinatown.
Afterlife Nightclub.
This exclusive nightclub in Watson is a symbol of Night City and belongs to Rogue, the Queen of the Afterlife. For the cyberpunks of Night City, this is their gathering place.
Whether it's meeting a contact, dropping off a sensitive package, or just wanting to enjoy a drink, this place always has something for everyone.
Of course, Afterlife is also the most famous information exchange station in Night City. No matter whether you are a big shot or a nobody, you can meet them here, but nobody is allowed to drink with the big shots.
"Also, this place used to be a morgue, but now it has become a nightclub. It is well-equipped and many secret meetings have been held here..."
In the car, Jack kept chattering as if he would never get tired. When talking about things that interested him, he could talk non-stop, even if he kept repeating himself.
Listening to Jack's introduction, Xia Yu was not impatient. Reading a text story by himself and listening to someone else's verbal introduction are different experiences.
He likes to experience different things that can bring him something fresh and different.
"Okay, here we are."
With the sudden sound of tires rubbing against the ground, Jack stopped the car and looked towards the entrance of an ordinary nightclub with longing eyes.
To be honest, the entrance of the Next Life nightclub does not match its fame at all.
The surroundings are dirty and messy, the entrance is unremarkable, there are meaningless graffiti on the wall next to it, and garbage is piled up in the corner.
You can get a glimpse of the hidden side from the parking lots, but the upper and lower limits of these parking spaces are extremely high. A Tingwei Gallina-G240 and an Herrera Outlaw-GTS can be parked together.
“I really hope I can drive a car like this one day.”
While parking the car, Jack looked at the supercars in the parking lot with envy on his face.
Although his favorite is still motorcycles, it doesn't mean that he doesn't like other cars. As a man who grew up on the streets, luxury cars have an unparalleled appeal to him, second only to weapons.
"Tsk! What kind of car is this?"
Xia Yu followed Jack's gaze and found that what Jack was looking at was the Herrera Outlaw GTS.
The Herrera Outlaw is one of the most expensive cars on the market that can be legally driven on the road, and it is also one of the most exclusive and popular models on the market.
The most special thing about it is its production. It is one of the few models still hand-built by the world's top engineers. Accordingly, this uniqueness and quality are worth a lot of money.
"A real man would drive Renfield - The Sword in the Stone."
Hearing Xia Yu's boast, Jack smacked his lips. The Sword in the Stone is a product of Renfield, and this car manufacturer only produces high-end supercars for the wealthiest groups.
The price of their best product, the Sword of the Lady of the Lake - Guinevere, has exceeded the GDP of many island countries.
After parking the car, Jack and Xia Yu walked towards the ordinary-looking entrance to the afterlife.
They passed through the outside entrance and walked up the stairs for a while, then passed a long corridor before arriving at the entrance to the real bar in the basement.
The entrance here is still ordinary, and there is an ordinary bodyguard standing there. The bodyguard looks like a strong man with little fighting power, and does not give people a strong feeling.
Of course, this is in Xia Yu's eyes. In the eyes of others, the strong man still has a certain deterrent effect.
However, even if he was a thin bodyguard, other people would not deliberately cause trouble. No one would be bold enough to offend Rogge. Those who were bold would have been killed long ago.
Seeing another guest coming, the bodyguard glanced at the two of them with his artificial eye, turned around and made way without saying anything.
He didn't know Jack Wells, but he knew Ghost Walker.
In other words, he was actually a little surprised that the Ghost Walker had only come to the afterlife now.
"Here we are. This is the famous afterlife!"
Jack stepped through the gate and waved forward, showing everything in the afterlife.
What comes towards you is the intense rhythm of punk rock, accompanied by cool ambient lighting, which is enough to give a person who has stayed up three nights a shock and make him completely sober.
Of course, the more likely possibility is that the stimulation is too great and he burps.
In this heart-pounding environment, a variety of people gathered around the bar.
Highly cybernetic mercenaries, low-key hackers in black suits, and high-end people in expensive clothes can all be seen here. It's a complete hodgepodge.
You won’t see such a grand occasion in other bars, but this is the nightclub in the next life where anyone can come and spend money.
"Here it is...the heart of Night City!"
Jack looked around as he walked, his eyes filled with uncontrollable excitement: "Right here... it keeps beating, do you hear it?"
"Can you imagine? Susan Forrest, Old Snake, and even Morgan Blackhand... have all sat on these stools and slept on this bar!"
Jack walked towards the bar excitedly and sat down at a random seat. The colorful lights on the top flickered in his eyes like dancing flames.
"Come on, let's order a cup of Johnny Silverhand and feel the legend of the past."
Seeing Jack so excited, Xia Yu suddenly realized a problem. He seemed to have replaced V's identity, even though he and Jack had only known each other for one day.
What should he do when V comes? Will he and Jack, two seniors, lead V to the next life?
Although he was thinking about these strange questions in his mind, Xia Yu did not stop. He sat next to Jack.
Seeing newcomers coming, the bartender slowly walked over.
"What would you like?"
The bartender who was speaking was a strong red-haired woman. She was so strong because she was a transgender.
Claire Russell, all the regular visitors in the afterlife know Claire, and correspondingly, Claire also remembers all the regular visitors clearly.
Not only does she know their favorite wine and what they drank last time, she even knows what their friends have ordered.
Although she is a transgender person, Claire is one of the very few ordinary people who does not have any prosthetic body parts.
She was once an engineer in military technology, and now she is a bartender in the afterlife.
It was Claire who invented the practice of naming wines after legends, and she immortalized those legends on wine lists. Of course, these legends were awarded posthumously.
Because she could remember all the regulars from her past lives, Claire obviously realized that the two people who came this time were new guests.
“Of course it’s the most classic and legendary cocktail.”
Jack raised two fingers excitedly: "Two old fashioned tequilas, with some beer and chili."
"I understand. Two Johnny Silverhands, right? Coming right up."
"Yeah, chica (girl)."
While Claire was mixing the drinks, Jack reached out and patted Xia Yu on the shoulder, and said with a tone of an experienced person: "In the next life, you must order Johnny Silverhand, otherwise you might as well not come at all."
Although it was his first time drinking it, this glass of wine represented his wish. He hoped that he could be as successful as Johnny Silverhand and become a big shot who would remain on the wine list after his death.
"It looks like someone has done their homework."
While Claire was making the cocktail, she looked at Jack and nodded with satisfaction. He liked this kind of guest.
After that, Claire explained, "It's an old rule here. In addition to the regular wine, there are also some cocktails named after regular customers."
"But not all regular customers can name a wine after themselves. They have to die first, and their death has to be spectacular. It would be best if they died midway through the process."
Listening to the naming rules of this legendary wine, Jack nodded in agreement: "Aha, I want to get a set for myself."
"So, you also want to leave your name here?" Xia Yu looked at Jack and asked.
"Of course, who wouldn't want to?"
Jack looked around. Anyone sitting here could leave his name on the wine list, so why couldn't that person be him?
"Indeed, who wouldn't want that?" Claire placed the prepared drinks on the bar, two cocktails named after Johnny Silverhand.
Jack looked at the glass of wine in front of him that reflected charming colors, and couldn't help but pick it up, then looked at Xia Yu.
It's time to raise a toast to the legend.
Xia Yu opened the mask on his mouth and raised the Johnny Silverhand cocktail on the bar.
"To Night City!"
"There is still an afterlife, haha!"
Jack raised his glass happily, clinked it with Xia Yu's, then drank the wine in the glass in one gulp. Xia Yu also took a sip of the cocktail in the glass and couldn't help smacking his lips.
Not very tasty.
It was spicy, spicy, and spicy. Since he couldn't drink, he couldn't taste the aroma of the wine and could only taste the spicy taste.
"Why don't you drink it all in one gulp? That doesn't count as drinking."
Jack looked at Xia Yu and felt a little dissatisfied as he only took a sip. His family ran a bar, so he naturally liked to drink.
"Alcohol is not a good thing. It has no benefits but only harms. Besides, I don't like the dizzy feeling."
Xia Yu put down the wine glass in his hand. Not to mention now, even in the past, he extremely hated the drinking culture.
That damn thing about urging people to drink is complete rubbish and has no benefit at all, but the environment is like this and the world will not change based on personal wishes.
"Why come to a bar if you don't like drinking?"
Claire rolled her eyes at Xia Yu. He came to the bar even though he didn't like drinking. Was he here to drink?
"He invited me here, but I didn't come here voluntarily."
Xia Yu also gave Claire a cold look, although only he knew it.
"Haha, I invited you here because you didn't come to my previous life."
Jack smiled awkwardly. Although he had seen Xia Yu drinking Coke at the Wild Wolf Bar, he just thought that Xia Yu didn't like their wine.
Who would have thought that this killer who killed people as easily as cutting vegetables could not drink? Who would believe this if I told anyone else?
The key is that this is true.
"By the way, my name is Jack Wells, would you like to leave me a recipe?"
Seeing that the atmosphere seemed a little awkward, Jack quickly changed the subject.
"Yeah... OK."
Claire looked at Jack with interest. There were countless people who wanted to leave their names on the wine list, but until now, the number of people who actually stayed could be counted on one hand.
However, these people never realize how heavy the things they are flocking to are for the people who actually leave their names behind.
"One shot of vodka, on the rocks, lime juice, ginger beer, and most importantly... some love."
Jack finished speaking with a smile about the formula he had been thinking about for a long time, and he even deliberately prolonged the last syllable.
Especially the last part, love, which is the most important ingredient of this glass of wine. Only with love can this glass of wine have enough weight.
Feeling the softness in this rough man's heart, Claire laughed and said, "Haha, I'll remember that."
Although it sounded like a casual promise, Claire did take it to heart.
"What about you? Maybe your name will be on the wine list, too."
Claire looked at Xia Yu again: "Do you want your wine to be called Ghost Walker? Or your real name?"
"Me? I'll forget it."
Xia Yu was not interested in leaving behind a wine named after himself. Leaving behind the name of the wine was almost like writing his own name on the Death Note, which meant one death.
“Only dead legends can leave their names on a wine list, and obviously, mine won’t be there.”
"Oh? You mean you'll become a living legend in Night City?"
At this moment, a handsome old lady in a yellow gown and black leather pants sat next to Xia Yu and raised her head to speak to Xia Yu.
Seeing the old lady who suddenly appeared, Jack opened his mouth in surprise again. He knew this person.
Rogue, the most powerful middleman in Night City, owns and manages the afterlife.
He had never expected that the person in charge of the next life would sit next to them. He was truly flattered.
Of course, he still had some sense in his mind. If he came alone, the Queen of the Afterlife would definitely not even look at him.
"Not really."
Facing Rogge's question, Xia Yu shook his head and replied arrogantly: "The legend of Night City... is too small."
"That's a good answer. I just don't know if you are arrogant or ignorant, or are you really confident?"
Rogge couldn't help but look at Xia Yu again. She actually looked down on the young people in Night City today, because they didn't have the vision and courage to do great things.
Compared to her time, everything has regressed except technology and capital.
"Who knows?"
Xia Yu gave an ambiguous answer. His card system was full of uncertainty. He might get lucky and draw the Star-Forging Dragon King in a ten-draw draw.
By then, he will not only be a legend in Night City, but a legend in the entire universe.
"Don't you know?" Roger was not dissatisfied when he heard the answer. She raised her glass, which was the drink Claire had just made.
"Let's make friends. I didn't expect that the reason you didn't come to the next life was that you couldn't drink. What an interesting reason."
After saying that, Rogge drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, which made Xia Yu stunned.
Roger actually asked him to make friends? Is he still the living Night City legend? Why does he seem to be a bit easier to talk to?
"You are actually more famous than you think. Although what you have done is not great in my opinion, your ability is worthy of my attention."
As if sensing Xia Yu's surprise, Rogge shook his empty wine glass and explained to Xia Yu.
Truly excellent middlemen will not just wait for excellent mercenaries to come to them. They will discover excellent mercenaries themselves and then build trust through cooperation bit by bit.
If you want to become a middleman, you must do two things well: one is to have work in hand, and the other is to have people who can do the work.
Some commissions must be handed over to trustworthy and strong mercenaries. If there are no people who can do the work, the middleman will not be able to work for long, let alone become the most powerful middleman.
Although the relationship between mercenaries and middlemen cannot be said to be complementary, it can be called closely connected.
