"Peter."
"Peter?"
V and Lucy called his name simultaneously. Slowly, Peter opened his eyes.
Shaking his head, he finally understood why V had to die once in the game to make the relic chip work.
It wasn't so much about restarting—it was because the data download was too massive. The process required the body to shut down momentarily before the consciousness stored in the chip could fully integrate. Otherwise, a normal person wouldn't be able to use a relic chip at all.
"Damn… where the hell is this?"
Johnny Silverhand's vision was nothing but darkness for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing inside Peter's apartment.
And strangely, he felt a connection to Peter.
It didn't make sense. He was Johnny Silverhand—an absolute legend in this world. Why would he be linked to some kid who looked barely twenty?
"Hey! Kid! Where the hell am I? And who the hell are you?"
Hearing Johnny's words, Peter lifted his head and smirked.
A second later, Johnny felt himself being forcefully pulled into a mental void—a dark, confined space within Peter's mind.
"Me? I'm your landlord," Peter's voice echoed through the darkness.
V's concerned voice snapped him back to reality. "Peter, are you alright? You just sat there for ten minutes. I thought something went wrong."
"Yeah, are you okay?" Lucy asked, frowning.
She knew Peter was reckless, but plugging in an unknown chip like that was crazy. There were all kinds of malicious programs that could fry your brain.
Peter let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm fine. There was a virus in the chip, though… and a pretty big one."
"What?!" Lucy panicked. "Get that thing out of you!"
She reached out, preparing to override Peter's neural system and forcefully eject the relic chip.
Peter held up a hand to stop her.
"Relax."
A moment later, he ejected the relic chip manually.
Unbeknownst to Lucy and V, Peter had already extracted Johnny Silverhand's consciousness from the chip into his own brain.
Yes—extracted.
The relic chip was nothing more than an empty shell now. The entire consciousness had been transferred into Peter's mind.
During the process, the relic chip had attempted to rewrite Peter's DNA to make his body a suitable host for Johnny. It had tried to take over, modifying his cells—just as it had done with V in the past.
But it failed.
Peter's body was far beyond normal human limitations. His cellular structure was unbreakable, his brain processing speed unmatched. Against him, the relic chip was powerless.
Peter didn't even flinch.
---
Meanwhile, in a secure facility…
"Miss Hanako, we are now attempting to upload the consciousness of Adam Smasher."
Oda, standing respectfully beside Hanako Arasaka, awaited her response.
Hanako's mind drifted.
Two days ago, her father, Saburo Arasaka, had called her into his private chamber. Their conversation still lingered in her thoughts.
"Miss Hanako?"
Oda's voice brought her back.
"Proceed," Hanako said calmly. "Upload his consciousness into the relic chip. But remember, before he gets his body back, he must prove his loyalty to the Arasaka Corporation."
She didn't particularly care whether Adam Smasher lived or died. He was just another weapon.
But after the destruction their forces had suffered recently, Arasaka needed all the strength they could muster.
Night City was a war zone. If it weren't for the Soulkiller program keeping enemy corporations at bay, Militech and other Western forces would have taken over long ago.
Now, they needed a figure to serve as a deterrent—someone feared across the city.
Takemura was powerful, perhaps even stronger than Adam Smasher now, thanks to his cybernetic upgrades. But he was occupied with protecting Yorinobu Arasaka.
That left only one option.
Hanako's gaze shifted toward a large mechanical body nearby—Adam Smasher's new prosthetic shell.
Stronger. More advanced.
All they needed now was to complete the consciousness transfer and awaken the demon once again.
---
Nightfall – The Afterlife Bar
"Peter! Over here!"
Peter stepped into The Afterlife, the bar buzzing with energy.
He had originally expected to meet only Rebecca, but as he scanned the room, he realized she had invited the entire crew.
"Why is everyone here?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rebecca grinned, twirling a pistol in her hand. "Ohhh~ what, you wanted some alone time with me? Peter, I didn't know you were so bold!"
Peter stared at her for a moment… and then burst out laughing.
"Hahaha…"
Rebecca frowned. "What? What's so funny?"
She had spent the entire afternoon researching online—supposedly, guys loved girls like her.
Why was Peter laughing instead?
"Nothing, nothing," Peter said, waving a hand.
He leaned over the bar and whispered something to the bartender. The man nodded and relayed a message to the DJ.
Seconds later, an announcement boomed through the bar.
"Tonight's drinks are on Peter! Let's hear some noise!"
The entire bar erupted in cheers.
"HELL YEAH!"
"YOU'RE THE MAN, PETER!"
"Rich bastard! I like it!"
Mann clapped a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Damn, Peter. That's at least 50,000 eddies you're burning tonight."
Peter smirked. "Eh, just pocket change."
After yesterday's raid on the Arasaka hotel, money wasn't an issue.
Jack grinned. "Alright, I'm hitting the dance floor!"
He disappeared into the crowd with Pilar, leaving Peter alone at the bar.
A shadow appeared beside him.
"Well, well… you're quite the big spender."
Johnny Silverhand leaned against the wall, watching the chaos unfold.
Peter took a sip of his drink. "Had some fun at Arasaka's expense yesterday. Thought I'd spread the wealth."
Johnny's eyes widened. "Wait… what did you just say?"
"You heard me," Peter smirked. "I hit Arasaka hard yesterday."
Johnny was silent for a moment.
Then, he laughed—a deep, genuine laugh.
"Hah! You crazy bastard. Maybe you're not so bad after all."
Peter raised his glass. "To making Arasaka's life a living hell."
Johnny clinked his phantom glass against Peter's.
"To burning it all down."
And with that, the night raged on.
---
for more Episodes visit
patreon.com/Noan994