Cyberpunk: 2075.

Chapter 592 6. Huazi
"Good morning Roger."

"Haven't seen you for a few days, Carl and Johnny."

In the box of the afterlife, Roger raised his eyes slightly, his gaze as sharp as a hawk, sweeping over Carl and the black and white dog beside him.

A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she instantly understood why Carl suddenly sent a message saying that he wanted to take the job. This legendary middleman in Night City never missed any details.

"It seems that the 'newcomer' you mentioned is also familiar to me." Rogge's voice was low and magnetic, with a hint of teasing, "I was wondering why you suddenly became like V and planned to accept the mission."

The people in the middle already knew what kind of assignments Carl liked to take.

To put it bluntly, Carl, or KK, is extremely picky about his mission requirements. Remuneration, mission details, and risk assessment are all essential. This is completely different from his teammate V.

V is a tough guy who accepts all missions, while KK is like a precision weapon that will be unsheathed only at the most appropriate time. Because of his reputation, his mission completion rate and praise rate of 100%, he has enough capital to be picky.

For the middleman, assigning suitable work to KK is not just a business, but also a default rule. After all, if you can give work to KK at will, who will believe that you can provide reliable commissions to ordinary mercenaries?

Because of this, it is almost inevitable that V often takes private jobs. As a top mercenary, V's "not being picky about jobs" makes him one of the most sought-after mercenaries in Night City.

No matter it is dirty work, tiring work, or those tasks that seem impossible to complete, V can always get it done with amazing efficiency. Over time, people in the middle are used to handing some difficult tasks to V, and KK is more like a sharp blade hidden in a sheath, which will only appear at the most critical moment and most suitable for the task.

In other words, talking to V means talking to just a top mercenary, but talking to KK means talking to the entire KK team plus a large group of people. This aspect cannot be overemphasized.

However, when Rogge suddenly received a message from KK stating that he was no longer picky about missions and only required difficulty, the middleman king of Night City immediately smelled an opportunity.

Unlike other middlemen, she did not hesitate or inquire about information. Instead, she acted quickly and contacted KK immediately, saying that there was a job that needed KK to handle. As it turned out, her intuition was as accurate as always - KK not only came, but also brought an unexpected surprise: Johnny.

Rogge smiled slightly, with a sly look in his eyes: "It seems that Night City will be lively again in the next few days."

"Stop talking in riddles over there, Roger."

The projection of Johnny Silverhand appeared. He looked at Roger. The dog naturally slid onto the sofa in the box, sat up on the side, and crossed his legs in a way that ordinary dogs could hardly do:
"I trust you on this," he said casually, revealing an unquestionable confidence. "I won't ask about the reward, but don't give me too much, like alms. I'm not one of those stinky ducks in the nightclub who waits for you to throw a handful of money and then follow you foolishly."

The corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a provocative smile, "I'm going to rely on my real ability to make this brat next to me speechless."

Although he was the one who accepted the job, Johnny Silverhand acted more arrogant than the client.

If this kind of unreasonable behavior happened between other middlemen and mercenaries, the atmosphere would probably have become extremely awkward. After all, no one likes mercenaries who don't know the rules. However, the relationship between Roger and Johnny Silverhand is obviously unusual.

Facing his arrogance, Roger was not angry, but couldn't help laughing. Her laughter was full of mixed emotions, maybe she was laughing at the arrogant "Johnny Silver Dog", or maybe she was missing the Johnny Silver Hand who had never changed. No matter which one it was, this laugh made the two of them feel like they were back in the past.

"I will prepare well." Rogge's voice was low and firm, her eyes flickered slightly, as if she had already outlined the outline of the mission in her mind.

Then, with a meaningful smile on her face, she added, "I will prepare a mission for Johnny Silverhand—a mission that is worthy of him and extremely suitable."

As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Karl, her eyes became serious and deep, and her tone was a little earnest: “For this job, I’ll trouble you to endure his temper, Karl.”

Hearing this, Carl just shrugged lightly with an indifferent smile on his face: "That's no problem, as long as they are team members, I will take care of them." His tone was relaxed, but with a hint of calmness.

After saying that, he glanced at the projection of Johnny Silverhand, then walked to the sofa in an empty box on the other side and sat down casually, his posture relaxed but alert.

"So, what's the job like this time?" Carl crossed his hands on his knees and looked at Roger. "Is there a cyberpsycho that needs to be dealt with, or is there a gang member who did something he shouldn't have done and needs to be killed?"

Roger chuckled and shook his head: "Regina might care more about this kind of work." There was a hint of indifference in her tone, and it was obvious that she was not interested in the trivial tasks of running around the streets.

The "Regina" she mentioned was naturally referring to the signature middleman in Watson District - Regina Jones.

Although Afterlife is located in Watson District, Roger, as the king of middlemen, has a business scope that goes far beyond this. Although she occasionally has some contact with Regina, she has never been interested in her troublesome and difficult tasks.

"The work I want you and Johnny to do won't require you to run around the streets." Roger's voice was low and confident, as if he had set the tone for this mission.

Compared to V, the scapegoat who is always assigned by Regina to catch the cyber-psychopath, the mission of Carl and Johnny Silverhand involves people who are not ordinary street people.

Rogge spoke, and her first words instantly made Johnny Silverhand, who was originally sitting with his legs crossed and a cynical look on his face, restrain himself a little. Even Carl, who was sitting lazily beside her, couldn't help but straighten his body.

"I think you know Arasaka Hanako."

"Arasaka." The name echoed in the air, as if carrying some invisible weight. Johnny Silverhand's eyes suddenly became sharp, as if gunpowder was ignited, instantly igniting an excitement that was difficult to conceal.

Karl seemed much calmer. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and all kinds of information related to the name Huazi quickly emerged in his mind.

Hanako Arasaka - the daughter of Saburo Arasaka, the leader of the Pheasant Faction in the Arasaka Family, and the only mysterious figure in the Arasaka Family that Carl has never met.

Is this mission related to her?
(End of this chapter)