A few days after returning from Sakura, Yorinobu Arasaka came back to Night City in a hurry.
In his possession was a sealed, temperature-controlled case.
Inside it—something far more valuable than any weapon or fortune.
Xiao knew exactly what it was.
The Relic chip.
A storage device containing the engram of Johnny Silverhand.
Yorinobu's plan was simple, at least on the surface: sell the chip to Kang Tao and use it as leverage in the escalating corporate conflicts across Asia. With that, he intended to strike at Arasaka from within, dismantling the empire his father had built and ending its suffocating rule over Sakura.
It was a bold plan.
And on paper, nearly flawless.
But plans rarely survive contact with reality.
All it took was one variable.
Evelyn Parker.
When Yorinobu sought her out again—seeking comfort, control, or perhaps something more twisted—the trajectory of events shifted.
At that moment, Evelyn's behavioral chip activated.
And Xiao, without hesitation, cut off his surveillance.
Whatever followed was of no interest to him.
The days that followed passed quietly.
Xiao spent most of his time at the Wild Wolf Bar, living as he always did—drinking, chatting, occasionally selling small pieces of tech to familiar faces.
He had become something of a fixture there.
Not famous.
Not particularly noticeable.
Just a "mechanic" who knew his craft and kept to his circle.
He only did business with people he trusted.
But if you were in that circle, almost anything could be arranged—so long as you could pay.
It was during this time that he met V.
Just as expected, she was a woman.
Once, she had been a corporate officer—second-in-command within Arasaka's counterintelligence division. But internal power struggles had chewed her up and spat her out.
Her implants were confiscated.
Her accounts frozen.
Her assets stripped away.
She had lost everything.
If not for Jack stepping in, she might have ended up on the streets of Jig-Jig, just another discarded body in Night City.
Jack gave her a way back.
Together, they started taking mercenary jobs.
Nothing glamorous—mostly small-time gigs, messy and dangerous. They came back bruised more often than not, sometimes beaten, sometimes just lucky to still be breathing.
But that was the life.
And at least they were alive.
Jack's background helped. As the son of the Wild Wolf Bar's owner and someone tied to the Valentinos, he had enough connections to keep things from going too far. People might rough them up—but they wouldn't kill them.
Not unless they wanted trouble.
Xiao and V crossed paths often.
The bar made sure of that.
Over time, they became familiar with each other.
She knew him only as "Mechanic"—a quiet fixer who could get rare gear if you had the eddies.
But V didn't have that kind of money.
So, the best she could do was look.
And wait.
Half a year passed.
V gradually shed her corporate past. The sharp edges softened into something harder, more practical. She was becoming a real mercenary.
Then, one day—
She and Jack disappeared.
No warning.
No explanation.
For a while, no one knew what had happened.
Until the Delamain taxi arrived.
The vehicle pulled up outside the Wild Wolf Bar, its exterior battered and scorched.
Inside—
Jack.
Cold.
Lifeless.
Mrs. Welles stood frozen as she looked at her son's body.
For a moment, she couldn't even breathe.
Then her knees gave way.
"Careful!" Pepi rushed forward, catching her before she collapsed completely.
"What… happened…?" she asked, her voice trembling.
The Delamain unit responded in its usual calm, synthetic tone.
"My deepest apologies, Mrs. Welles. The client was attacked by a Trauma Team AV at Konpeki Plaza. Subject suffered a ruptured spleen and succumbed to blood loss during pursuit by Adam Smasher."
The words fell like a hammer.
Pepi turned toward the nearby screen.
The news was still playing.
—Saburo Arasaka assassinated at Konpeki Plaza.
He stared at it, stunned.
"Konpeki Plaza… Saburo Arasaka… and Adam Smasher…" he muttered. "What the hell did they get themselves into…?"
"The 'Strive for Perfection' package has concluded successfully. Thank you for choosing Delamain. Please remember—leave your troubles at the door."
With that, the taxi closed its doors and drove away.
As if nothing had happened.
Mrs. Welles broke.
Her cries filled the room, raw and unrestrained.
"My Jack… why… why did you have to chase that dream…?"
He had always wanted to become someone important.
Someone remembered.
Every day, she had prayed for his safety.
And in the end—
He had become a legend.
At the cost of his life.
Pepi stood there, helpless.
Then he turned toward Xiao.
"Do you have any ideas?" he asked quietly.
Xiao took a slow sip of whiskey.
"Jack installed the Relic chip," he said.
Pepi froze.
Then suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Damn it… how could I forget that…"
He moved quickly.
From his pocket, he pulled out a small censer bearing the emblem of the Mechanical God Cult. Then he rushed into the back room and retrieved a stick of incense.
Returning to Jack's side, he knelt.
He held the censer in one hand.
Jack's cold hand in the other.
And began to pray.
"Immortal Mechanical God, hear our call.
We are your followers—seekers upon the path of machinery.
Grant us knowledge beyond our limits, for it is your eternal gift.
Through your blessings, we evolve.
Through steel, we are protected.
Through your will, we endure.
We return what was lost, and in doing so, we honor your name…"
As his voice echoed through the room, a faint veil of incense smoke began to rise.
Slowly.
Gently.
It drifted downward—
Enveloping Jack's body.
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