Chapter 5: Afterlife
"Captain! Him!" Sasaki jogged over to Wilson as if he'd found his savior, clearly ready to complain.
But Wilson raised a hand to cut him off. "Enough. I already know everything. Focus on the mission." Compared to pointless disputes, completing the mission took priority.
While tension still lingered in the air, Nova Li had already cleared the roadblock. She leaned casually against the wheel, a lollipop between her lips, smirking. From above, one would see that although the barricades were gone, they'd been rearranged into a new war fortress—ready-made cover for another ambush.
Ash and Tanaka stepped aside from the road. Their role had been to obstruct. Now that they'd failed, it was no longer their business. As rear guard stragglers, they had the self-awareness to back down.
Ash didn't fear trouble—he just hated the hassle. If there were "climbers" desperate to prove themselves, he wouldn't be the one to block their way.
After all, without the hyper-competitive 'grinders,' where would slackers like him find room to breathe?
The convoy, which had paused, now roared back to life. Vehicle after vehicle blazed past the cleared blockade. But nearly a minute of delay—Delamain's AI fleet could be far gone by now.
If they still managed to catch up, it only meant the protagonist, V, wasn't protagonist enough. Ash was stunned when he saw her. Something about her appearance—her gear, her look—echoed the character he had customized. That sudden blurring of reality and virtual sent a chill down his spine, enough to make him hesitate.
Inside a speeding car, Wilson ignored his team's bickering. Instead, he spoke quietly into his comms to their netrunner.
"You're sure the signal was clean earlier?"
"Positive," the netrunner's grave voice responded. "But once we got within 500 meters, all signals were hijacked. I could feel their presence—but I couldn't control them."
"You're saying their netrunner outclassed you?"
Wilson's gut tightened. For a team like Six Squad, built around smart systems, this was very bad news. It meant their gear could be rendered useless—or worse, turned against them.
"…Yes."
Though it stung his pride, the netrunner admitted, "At least Platinum-tier."
In the corporate mercenary world, ranks mirrored corporate service levels: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Legend. Advancing through them required both combat ability and a track record. Wilson was Gold-tier, which qualified him to lead a unit like Six Squad.
But their opponent…
Wilson hadn't interacted much with Ash before. Even as a squad leader in Arasaka Security, he rarely crossed paths with the elites.
"It seems Ash isn't as simple as I thought."
Wilson frowned, recalling the pressure he'd felt from Tanaka earlier. If just a subordinate gave off that kind of threat level, what did that say about Ash?
Why was someone with that much power hiding it? Why wasn't he climbing the ranks?
"They're gone," came Takumi Kai's voice as he jumped from a sixth-floor rooftop, landing with precision.
His legware glinted faintly: Spirit Feather Light—cyberware made by Kang Tao. Grade: Epic. Effect: Silent landing, no footprints, 80% fall damage reduction. A sniper's must-have for quick escapes and stealth drops. The $40,000 price tag kept it out of reach for most mercs.
Sure, they made fast money—but they spent it faster. Maintenance, ammo, cyberware upkeep… For example, that one high-powered shot Takumi fired earlier? 500 eurodollars per bullet.
Even corpo staff averaged 3,000 to 4,000 eurodollars a month. For low-level mercs, just surviving was already a win.
And that didn't even cover specialty ammo. If you were a bad sniper, your bullet costs could wipe out your entire payday. Timing was everything.
"They're gone. Let's go—Afterlife!" Ash called as the convoy disappeared in the distance.
"Oh hell yes! I'm starving!" Takumi raised his arms like he'd just won a jackpot.
"Eat, eat, eat! That's all you do! You didn't even lift a finger!" Nova Li snapped, her favorite target for venting now gone with Yuto. Takumi blinked in confusion. What'd I do now?
"You good?" Ash patted Tanaka's shoulder. Tanaka nodded. Wilson had rattled him earlier—but he was fine now.
Ash exchanged a glance with Sandayu Oda, who emerged from the AV cabin. She gave a small nod. Ash smiled back.
"What's everyone eating? My treat!"
The team cheered.
Oda couldn't help but chuckle softly. She knew that line was directed at her. Why Ash had her do it, she didn't know—but she didn't mind. If he asked, she'd deliver.
If there was such a thing as happiness in Night City, a warm, hearty meal definitely counted.
---
A golden, crispy rack of lamb sat atop a table at the Afterlife bar. Surrounding it: garlic butter shrimp, Neapolitan pasta, pizza, chicken salad, and rows of whiskey.
Afterlife wasn't just a bar. It was a sanctuary for mercs. A hub for contracts. A luxury restaurant—if you could afford it.
"Looks like you all made bank," said Claire Russell, handing Sandayu Oda a cool blue drink. The pink-haired bartender—once a Militech automotive engineer—had walked away from the corpo life.
She still had connections. Order a drink, and she'd remember your name—and your poison. She also ran a car mod shop on the side. Legal parts, illegal upgrades—you name it, if you had the eddies, she had the hookup.
"It's decent. At least we won't starve." Ash raised his wine glass. "Care to join us?"
"Oh? Can I?" Claire arched a brow, then plopped down anyway. Truth be told, she found Ash's team interesting—they weren't the stiff, arrogant corpo soldiers she was used to.
They didn't act like "corporate dogs." They didn't shove their loyalty in your face.
In fact, they mostly ignored Arasaka's internal politics. Unless it was a mandatory job, they stayed out of company drama—drinking, joking, trading rumors. Ash himself was always dropping valuable intel… little things, but useful.
So yeah, she liked hanging with them.
"You hear about what went down at Konpeki Plaza?"
Claire lowered her voice after just two drinks.
"Yeah," mumbled Takumi around a lamb bone. "We were out chasing a thief."
"A thief?" Claire smirked. "Sounds like you've got a theory."
"Two people sneak into Konpeki and get chased out like that? Either they stole something huge, or they caused a mess. Doesn't really matter—Arasaka's gotta save face. People like that get erased."
Ash took a sip of wine, unbothered.
"Oh? Not just some petty theft~" Claire teased, her eyes glinting.
"What was it?" Nova Li leaned in, sipping her juice.
Claire stayed quiet—until Nova slapped 200 eurodollars on the table.
Claire pocketed it, then said:
"Word is, a high-ranking Arasaka exec got assassinated. That's what triggered the lockdown."
Everyone froze.
Ash's eyes narrowed sharply. He hadn't expected Afterlife to get the news that fast. No names, but clearly they were talking about Saburo Arasaka. This intel network was no joke.
"They even deployed AVs," Takumi added, mouth half full. "Sweepin' the whole city center. Whoever died must've been top-tier—minister level, easy."
"Hopefully it was someone from the security department," Nova muttered. Everyone knew those guys were bastards.
"That'd be perfect," Takumi agreed, grinning.
"Don't you guys have inside info?" Claire's tone was light, but her eyes were probing.
"If we did, why would we be asking you?" Nova rolled her eyes, annoyed with their own sluggish intel division.
"Better off not knowing," Takumi shrugged. "In this city, the more you know, the faster you die. Food, drinks, and sleep—those are enough."
"Still, check for any useful leads," Ash told Oda. "Track the corps' movements. See how the gangs react."
Oda nodded. As their hacker, gathering intel was her bread and butter.