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Inside the Afterlife bar.
A half-grown brat was leaning over the counter, shouting at the bartender in a high-pitched, childish voice.
"What kind of mix is this? It's all milk! I can't even taste a drop of alcohol. Is this even meant for humans? I want a Johnny Silverhand!!"
"...Sorry, Little Johnny, you know I can't do that. It would cost me my job. You wouldn't want me to get kicked out of my apartment and end up on the streets, would you?"
The bartender wiped a glass with a calm expression while answering Little Johnny. Just as he was about to say more, his ears twitched as he heard a customer approaching. He instinctively looked up with a standard professional smile and welcomed them.
"Would you like some... oh, it's Mr. BT! Then I know the drill—Coke with ice, right?"
"Exactly."
Kael said as he reached out and pressed down on Little Johnny's head, rubbing it vigorously.
"It's you, you son of a bleep!!"
Little Johnny looked up, saw the newcomer's face, and started cursing.
"Rude Little Johnny."
Kael wasn't annoyed either and sat down on a nearby chair.
Seeing this, Little Johnny curled his lip. His large eyes held a sense of world-weariness that didn't belong to someone his age.
"Got a smoke? Hurry up and give me one."
"Aren't you afraid Rogue will spank you?"
"Smoke it first, worry about the beating later."
Little Johnny spoke with foul language and a reckless attitude, not looking like a child of his age at all.
The answer was already right there.
Little Johnny was Johnny Silverhand.
After Kael finished studying the Relic chip, he didn't choose to seal it away and ignore it. Instead, he found Alt and reached a deal with her.
Through genetic cloning, Kael grew a new body for Johnny, then implanted the Relic chip to bring him back to life.
In exchange, Alt formed an alliance with Kael.
She was responsible for providing assistance to the Water Plant within cyberspace, while the Water Plant provided her with a physical anchor and computing power support in the real world.
Love truly is an incredible thing.
Even though her mind had been completely digitized, Alt still loved Johnny and was willing to sacrifice for him.
However, Kael had no intention of raising a child, especially a problem child like Little Johnny, so he handed him over to Rogue.
It was hard to say that Kael didn't have the intention of watching the drama unfold.
After confirming Little Johnny's true identity, Rogue claimed the guy without hesitation, happily taking her former boyfriend to raise as a son.
Consequently, the Afterlife bar gained a foul-mouthed brat who loved booze and cigarettes. One could often see scenes of Rogue pulling down his pants to spank him.
Naturally, Little Johnny couldn't stand such a life. This tiny shell couldn't restrain his wild soul. He tried to sneak away several times, but before he could even leave the street, Rogue caught him every time.
The current Rogue was a far cry from the one in Little Johnny's memory. Barring any accidents, Little Johnny was likely stuck in Rogue's hands for the rest of his life.
"I don't have any cigarettes on me."
Kael shrugged.
"Damn, are you even a man? A man who doesn't even smell like smoke, how are you supposed to go out and pick up chicks?"
Little Johnny raised his middle finger, showing blatant contempt for Kael.
As a senior, he felt it was necessary to teach Kael a few tricks as a way of repaying him for the resurrection.
As he spoke, Little Johnny stepped onto the chair, barely reaching Kael's shoulder. His youthful face took on a sleazy look as he whispered secretly.
"Want me to teach you a couple of moves? Back in my day, I was..."
"What happened back in your day?"
Rogue's calm voice came from behind.
Little Johnny's expression froze for a moment. He rolled his eyes, but his body obediently jumped off the chair.
There was no choice; right now, he really couldn't beat the Queen of the Afterlife.
Just wait until I grow for a few more years!
Then we'll see if I don't make Rogue scream and howl.
The tables will turn eventually!!
Little Johnny cursed inwardly, hitched up his suspenders, and vanished in a flash, fearing Rogue would pin him over her knee.
Seriously, the legendary Johnny has his pride too.
Can't we just leave the pants on?
To be honest, if this continued, the relationship between the two would eventually sour.
Now, sometimes when Little Johnny looked at Rogue, he momentarily saw his mother who had been dead for years.
The age and appearance gap was too large; trying to fully rekindle that old flame was quite a struggle.
At the very least, Rogue would need to get a facelift first.
Little Johnny had suggested this before, and then Rogue beat him even harder, leaving him unable to get out of bed for two days.
A natural butt was too fragile; Little Johnny wanted to get a titanium alloy replacement.
"So, have you made up your mind?"
Kael waved the Coke in his hand toward Rogue. He had always wanted to recruit this Queen of the Afterlife.
However, she had always been vague about it until Little Johnny appeared, which caused her attitude to soften.
"I've seen the oasis you built in the Badlands. It truly is incredibly beautiful, but there's one regrettable thing."
Rogue sighed softly. From the oasis, she saw another possibility for civilization, unlike the state of Night City.
"What is it?"
"It's missing a proper bar."
As Rogue spoke, she took the initiative to clink her glass with Kael's, making her stance clear.
"I've already reserved a spot for you, just waiting for your new shop to open."
Kael smiled. Since he had the answer he wanted, he could leave.
It was a rare trip back to Night City, and he had quite a few people to see.
Kael wanted to infiltrate the Water Plant's influence into Night City, which naturally required help from various parties.
These fixers were the best candidates.
As the link between the corporations and the lower classes, they held a vast amount of information channels and personal connections.
Without their support, things wouldn't necessarily fail, but with it, success would come much faster.
Night City wasn't like the Badlands; various forces were intertwined, making it troublesome to handle. He couldn't just level Night City, could he? What would be the point?
One had to realize that for Night City to attract so many global megacorps and become a place where countless cyberpunks dreamed of making it, it naturally had its unique qualities.
Compared to cities elsewhere, Night City was already quite sophisticated in its decay; at least it allowed people to see a hope of rising, even if that hope was somewhat illusory.
Just as Kael got into his rayfield caliburn, Rebecca called.
"The old lady wants to talk to you in person."
"Tomorrow."
Kael had an urgent matter for this return to Night City.
That kid Jack had gotten Misty pregnant. Now, even Mrs. Welles had to swallow her pride and accept this daughter-in-law. Tonight was when the two families were preparing for the wedding.
Lucy and Sasha were already helping out at the old lady's bar.
"Destination: El Coyote Cojo."
"Understood. Please sit tight. Estimated travel time..."
The rayfield caliburn engaged auto-drive mode.
...
...
Jack was of Latino descent. Although the wedding followed some traditional customs, the overall theme was Western-style.
As soon as Kael arrived at the bar's entrance, he could feel the vibrant and uninhibited atmosphere.
The wedding venue was decorated with colorful balloons, flowers, and ribbons.
There was also a Latino band playing upbeat, rhythmic music.
Mrs. Welles held quite a bit of prestige in this community. There were quite a few guests, including many gang members.
However, when they saw Kael's rayfield caliburn pull up, everyone's gaze was briefly drawn to it.
Everyone had heard that Jack had been doing well outside these past few years and had made a big name for himself, but ordinary people didn't really have a concept of what that meant.
Even though they lived in Night City together, the world of cyberpunks was too far removed from ordinary people.
Only when they saw this luxury car, which usually only appeared on TV, did they finally get a tangible sense of Jack's achievements.
"My brother, you finally made it. You've got to officiate the wedding today."
Jack was wearing a decent, well-fitting suit. He actually looked respectable for once as he stepped forward enthusiastically.
"What happened to the original priest?"
Kael was a bit puzzled.
"The priest got hit in the chest by a stray bullet just as he was leaving his house. He won't be coming tonight. But don't worry about him; it's just a minor injury."
Jack explained.
"That's very Night City."
Kael nodded, indicating he understood.
It was just officiating a wedding—simple enough.
"The trick you gave me really worked. The old lady gave in the very next day. Now she cares more about Misty than me; she won't even let me touch her."
Jack lowered his voice, incredibly happy.
"Of course it did."
Kael didn't know the meaning of humility.
This was called using the grandson to control the grandmother. People like Jack, who lacked cultural depth, really needed to learn more from him.
Kael had even been a big help in Misty getting pregnant.
Ahem, don't misunderstand. He just provided Jack with some medicinal assistance. After all, Jack wasn't young anymore, and sometimes he really did feel like the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.
Kael completed the very Latino-style sign-in at the reception desk.
Jack didn't stay by his side for long, as there were many other guests waiting for him to host and welcome.
There were many old faces at the wedding scene.
Viktor, Maine, and the others were there, waving for Kael to come over.
"If it isn't the legendary Maine, who almost ended up on the Afterlife menu."
Kael raised an eyebrow and slapped Maine's arm, producing a dull metallic sound.
"Ahem, I really did almost become a menu item—er, a legend."
Maine rubbed his chin, looking a bit regretful.
Given his current workload and experiences, he might really have a chance at it.
Hearing this, Dorio jabbed him with an elbow, nearly knocking Maine to the ground.
"You still have the nerve to show off? If we hadn't reinforced you quickly, you'd already be a pile of spare parts."
"Give me some face in front of Kael."
Maine wasn't angry either. He pulled Dorio close, being both clingy and passionate.
Dorio fell for it, and in no time, their lips were locked.
"Hey, Kiwi, you're getting prettier and prettier."
Kael pushed Pilar aside and sat next to Kiwi.
"Lucy and the others will be out in a bit."
Kiwi rolled her eyes, offering a reminder.
She didn't mind having something happen with Kael, but this bastard only flirted every time and never took real action, leaving her hanging. It was incredibly annoying.
"Should have said so earlier."
Kael immediately turned to Viktor.
Old Man Vik was very happy today and had already drunk quite a bit. He was more talkative than usual, rambling to Kael about the past and speaking of Jack's youth like a gentle elder.
Kael joined him for a few more drinks.
Before long, an AV also arrived above the wedding.
It was V's ride.
He certainly wouldn't miss his good brother's wedding, but he was in such a rush that he didn't even have time to change. His Arasaka high-level executive uniform was bound to cause some hostility.
V realized this too and borrowed a set of clothes from Jack to change into, so he wouldn't look so out of place.
"I say, bro, look at that deathly pale face of yours. How many nights have you gone without sleep?"
Kael said as he poured a glass for V.
After a shot of strong liquor, V finally looked a bit more energized.
The position of Director of the Counter-Intelligence Department wasn't easy to hold, even with Yorinobu Arasaka's support.
"Four days, I think."
V gave Kael a resentful look.
The reason he hadn't slept for so long was because of Goro Takemura, whom Kael had captured.
To pry the information out of that guy's head, V had put in a massive amount of effort, and that was just the beginning.
The cleanup work after getting the intel was the real priority.
But looking at it from another angle, after such a purge, his work in the Counter-Intelligence Department would be much easier.
Gloria and her son also attended the wedding. After being saved by Jack that time, the two sides hadn't lost contact; instead, they had developed a good friendship.
Especially David and Jack—despite the age gap, they got along very well.
"It's your turn to go up and officiate."
V glanced at the time and reminded him.
"Is it?"
Kael stood up and walked to the front. Although he had no experience in this, with Dove's help and his powerful charisma, it was easy to get the atmosphere going.
"...Now, let us welcome the bride..."
Misty, in a pure white wedding dress, walked out holding Mrs. Welles' hand.
Next was the exchange of vows between the couple.
Jack, who was usually quick-witted, was now unable to speak properly. He stumbled through his words, unable to form a complete sentence, but the sincerity of his emotions was deeply moving.
"Groom and bride, you may now exchange tokens of your love."
"..."
After the hard work of officiating the wedding, Kael returned to his seat. As soon as he sat down, he was met by four pairs of eyes staring straight at him, pinning him to his seat.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Kael swallowed hard. Even with his mental fortitude, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous at this moment.
Maine and the others had expressions of people watching a show.
"Let me state first, I'm not against getting married, but can we just do it all together?"
Kael asked tentatively. He couldn't go through them one by one; that would be too exhausting. Just thinking about it made him shudder.
Just look at Jack—such a strong man, and after one wedding, he looked like he'd been drained of his very essence.
He was met with four cold sneers.
Well, it seemed nobody agreed.