Could it be that Morgan Blackhand's team from Militech was really that weak?
Peter didn't bother thinking about it for too long. He had more important things to focus on.
"I'll tell you about it later. For now, I just want to enjoy myself."
Without further explanation, Peter grabbed a glass of whiskey from the nearby table and downed it in one gulp.
"Ahh! That's the stuff! It's been a while since I had a proper drink."
The moment Peter drank, Johnny Silverhand felt it too—the burn of the alcohol, the warmth spreading in his chest.
"Peter, this is Sasha, our team's hacker. She wasn't around last time you came."
Mann gestured toward a petite girl with short black hair sitting nearby.
"Hey, I've heard a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet the infamous Peter in person." Sasha smiled sweetly, her tone light and teasing. "You really do live up to the hype. Handsome, stylish, and charming—no wonder Rebecca's been head over heels lately."
Peter raised an eyebrow, amused.
Sasha had noticed how Rebecca had been acting strangely the past few days—constantly asking for advice on how to attract men, blushing whenever Peter's name was mentioned. It was obvious something was going on.
She herself had never paid much attention to romance. She spent most of her time working as a mercenary with Mann and the others, and when she wasn't taking on missions, she was investigating Biotech, the company she suspected was responsible for her mother's death. If Rebecca hadn't dragged her here tonight, she wouldn't have come at all.
Peter took a good look at Sasha. She was cute—no doubt about it. He'd only seen glimpses of her in the anime's prequel promotional material, and back then, he had thought it was a shame she didn't survive long enough to be part of the main storyline.
"Peter, you just arrived in Night City recently, right?"
Peter nodded.
"Oh, man, you really lucked out," Johnny cut in, chuckling as he observed the scene. "The two girls at your place are already top-tier, and now you've got these two beauties here, too. Not bad, kid. You're just like me back in the day."
Peter rolled his eyes. "Screw you, Johnny. What are you implying? That I'm juggling four girls at once?"
He wasn't that kind of guy. He just had a tendency to attract people—it wasn't his fault.
"Peter, you made quite the scene yesterday," Mann said, taking a swig from his bottle.
"Yesterday? I didn't do much." Peter shrugged nonchalantly. "Dexter hired a bunch of mercs and got them all killed. That's about it."
Of course, the official story was different.
Arasaka's PR team had quickly pinned the attack on Dexter, claiming he had been working for Militech and had orchestrated a large-scale assault on Arasaka Tower. Supposedly, he had led hundreds of mercenaries in an attempt to assassinate Saburo Arasaka.
It was a ridiculous cover-up, but the higher-ups at Arasaka needed to believe it. Because if they didn't, they'd have to accept the truth—that a single man, Peter, had taken down almost 2,000 Arasaka soldiers on his own.
And that was far more terrifying.
"Come on, Peter," Mann scoffed. "You expect me to believe Militech sent a full-scale assault? And that Dexter of all people had the money to hire that many mercs?"
Peter simply shrugged.
Mann wasn't stupid. He knew Peter had been involved in something far bigger than he was letting on. But Peter clearly didn't want to talk about it, so Mann let it slide—for now.
"By the way, Peter, I saw you stripped Adam Smasher's prosthetic body. What are you planning to do with it? If you're looking to sell, name your price."
Peter raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Your body is already overloaded with chrome. You're not worried about cyberpsychosis?"
Mann grinned and flexed his cybernetic arm. "Tch, I'm fine. You think a little extra chrome is gonna break me?"
Peter glanced at Mann's modifications. If anything, he looked even more cybered-out than he had in the anime. If Mann added Adam Smasher's parts on top of that, he'd practically be a walking time bomb.
"Listen, I'll take you to check out the gear tomorrow," Peter said. "I have everything—from full limb replacements to internal enhancements. But I'm warning you, this isn't cheap stuff, so you better have the eddies ready."
Mann smirked. "Don't worry. I've been a merc for years—I've got plenty of cash saved up."
The black-market price for Adam Smasher's prosthetics was astronomical. Even just a single component could go for an insane amount. If Mann was serious about buying, Peter was about to make a lot of money.
"Alright, then. Tomorrow it is," Peter confirmed.
But before they could continue their conversation, Rebecca grabbed Peter by the arm, looking annoyed.
"What are you two whispering about over there?" she pouted. "Come drink with us!"
Mann chuckled. "Guess that's my cue to leave. You two have fun."
With that, he disappeared into the crowd, probably off to figure out how much money he could scrape together before tomorrow.
Peter sighed as Rebecca dragged him toward the bar, already handing him another drink.
He had a feeling he was going to be drinking a lot tonight.
---
Meanwhile, Sasha sat at a nearby table, scrolling through files on her holo.
She was reviewing Biotech's medical records, searching for anything that could explain her mother's sudden death. Her mother's condition had been stable for a long time, yet one day, out of nowhere, she had died from "progressive neurasthenia." It made no sense.
Sasha had suspected Biotech from the start. They were the ones who manufactured the medication her mother had been taking for years. But something about the whole situation felt off.
Tomorrow, she was planning to infiltrate Biotech and uncover the truth once and for all.
"Sasha! What are you doing?"
Rebecca plopped down beside her, holding out a drink. "Come on, have some fun!"
Sasha shook her head. "Sorry, I can't drink too much. I've got a job tomorrow."
Rebecca's expression turned serious. "I know. And… I'm sorry, but we won't be able to help you with the mission."
Mann had received a different contract earlier that day. A high-paying gig from the Afterlife—one that required sneaking into Biotech to steal sensitive data.
And unfortunately, Sasha was the only hacker on their team.
Without her, the mission was impossible.
Even if Mann hadn't accepted the job, Sasha would have gone in alone. She needed to know the truth about her mother's death.
Rebecca sighed. "I really wish we could be there to back you up."
"It's fine," Sasha said, smiling. "I don't need backup. Just wait for me outside—I'll be in and out before you know it."
She patted Rebecca's head reassuringly.
Rebecca didn't look convinced.
But there was nothing she could do to change Sasha's mind.
Tomorrow, Sasha would go into Biotech alone.
And if things went wrong, there wouldn't be anyone there to save her.
---
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