"I need to find someone."
Inside the Afterlife bar, Mitsuhide was face-to-face with Rogue.
The security guards nearby were very tense watching the Monstrous Figure, their hands hovering near their waists, ready to draw their guns if anything went wrong. But Rogue was calm. She merely glanced at him before focusing her attention on what he was saying.
"Are you from 'The Hive'?"
Mitsuhide had introduced himself earlier, otherwise the security guards wouldn't have let him in.
"Yes, my boss gave me some instructions, and I must consult you."
Berry had used this self-directed acting technique many times, and it came naturally to her.
"Since you're here to talk business, sit down and speak." Rogue didn't show much emotion, simply signaling Mitsuhide to continue.
In Night City, no one turns down money. Since the other party's identity was confirmed, it was time to talk business. Money, after all, just flowed from here to there, and then back from there to here.
"I need to find a person, Anders Hellman." Berry continued, manipulating Mitsuhide. Anders Hellman was her next target.
The relic chip containing Johnny Silverhand was already in Berry's hands. But relying solely on the relic chip, Berry could at most understand part of the underlying principle, yet she still felt powerless regarding how to package and upload a person's consciousness.
The most crucial element was that she lacked the "Soulkiller" program developed by Johnny Silverhand's girlfriend, Alt Cunningham.
Anders Hellman was precisely the project director for the relic chip, Arasaka's Chief Bioengineer, and a neural network specialist with multiple breakthrough patents.
In the game, the information about this person was revealed by Goro Takemura, who saved V and wanted to cooperate. Berry remembered this name and this person.
If she wanted to replicate the consciousness upload process of "Soulkiller," then finding the development director of the relic chip might be more effective.
"...Here is the information you requested. Money in one hand, goods in the other." The Afterlife truly lived up to its reputation as the hub of Night City's underworld. Shortly after Mitsuhide provided the name, an item containing Anders Hellman's data was already placed on the table.
"The money has been transferred."
"Mhm..." Money for goods—both parties were very straightforward.
Rogue did not ask, nor did she intend to ask, why Berry's associate was tracking down such a person.
In their line of work, controlling one's mouth and curiosity was the rule: don't ask what shouldn't be asked, and don't say what shouldn't be said. As long as the client paid, they provided the information—it was that simple.
But rules, rules—rules only applied to the strong. For those who overestimated themselves, deals that tricked them into a death trap were common.
How to put it: if you want to survive here, you have to follow the rules, yet you can't follow them completely. As for the proper measure? As long as you haven't died, it means you're doing okay.
Plugging the data chip Rogue handed over into his brain, Mitsuhide began to examine it.
Anders Hellman was a clever man, perhaps a clever German, given that his surname, Hellman, was a typical German name.
This fellow was considered an Arasaka Corporation executive who had headed the relic chip project. Considering Saburo Arasaka's true intentions for the relic chip, it was clear that Anders, besides being technically proficient, also enjoyed Saburo Arasaka's deep trust.
However, this very person defected from the Arasaka Corporation right before the Konpeki Plaza incident.
A defection of this kind was naturally not a hasty act done on a whim, and indeed, after defecting, this guy completely vanished as if he had burrowed into the ground.
The Arasaka Corporation was currently undergoing a purge and reorganization led by Yorinobu Arasaka, so it didn't have much energy left to hunt down Anders.
Unfortunately, in the game, V, who wanted to survive, found this guy, and in reality, Berry, this small-time ambitious person, also set her sights on him.
Anders might have been hiding very deeply, but he was still tracked down by Rogue's veteran "Hunters."
Kang Tao—this guy fled the Arasaka Corporation and hid at the Kang Tao Corporation, or more accurately, at Kang Tao's subsidiary, Militech. Yes, the company that developed the "Militech Mk.4" Sandevistan.
Naturally, the Kang Tao Corporation greatly valued such a talent and was preparing to encrypt and package this guy to send him out of Night City, perhaps to serve at their headquarters later.
Unfortunately, Berry didn't want this guy to leave.
"...This is the escort route for the Kang Tao Corporation convoy."
Anders Hellman was in a separate av, preparing to leave Night City.
Of course, this was Berry's opportunity. If this guy hid in the basement of the Kang Tao Tower, it would be almost impossible to drag him out without a nuclear bomb clearing the way.
So, unfortunately, since he was preparing to "run" out of Night City just like in the game plot, he shouldn't blame Master Bai for being rude. What's wrong with you, Night City? How can you just run away? I'll drag you back.
Just like in the game, Rogue offered her advice regarding the Kang Tao convoy.
It was difficult to strike the av while it was in Night City airspace. After all, if you dared to attack a corporation's highest security level av here, dozens of rapid-fire missiles would be launched at you the next second.
Night City might be rotten, but when it came to corporate matters, they were not easy opponents. They were serious about their corporations.
Therefore, just like in the game plot, Rogue suggested striking in the Jackson Plains, far from the urban area.
"Very well, we'll strike there." Mitsuhide nodded in agreement.
Since the timeline in reality was slightly different from the game, and Anders had a week before running out of Night City, there was no rush. Berry was confident she had time to arrange everything properly.
Although the corporation's armed avs were difficult to deal with, she was no pushover either. When the time came, she was determined to stage a performance of "Black Hawk Down."
However, although Berry was confident she could handle this using "The Hive," she had another idea.
She had always been interested in one person: Panam Palmer, the volatile Nomad Girl referred to in the game as Male V's main love interest, and the future leader of the Aldecaldo Nomads Family.
How to put it: Night City was full of bad guys and scum, but V truly met a few reliable brothers and sisters in the game, and Panam was one of them.
She had a hot figure and a fiery temper, just like her Nomad background suggested.
Berry and V were also from a Nomad Family—the Bakar Family—while Panam was from the Aldecaldo Family. The Aldecaldo Family was currently stationed in the Night City wilderness, doing odd jobs for the Biotechnica Corporation to make a living.
It was worth noting that not everyone liked dealing with corporations. Not only were Night City residents hostile toward corporations, but many Nomads felt the same way.
And Panam was one of those who disliked the Aldecaldos' decision to work for the corporation.
The current leader of the Aldecaldo Nomads Family was Saul. His name was Saul, and he looked almost exactly like Thor—a very strange person. He was massive and rough-looking, appearing as if he ate three children per meal, yet he was surprisingly a conservative.
After succeeding as leader, he led the Aldecaldo tribe to Night City, promising clean food and water to the tribal members.
But dreams always fell far short of reality.
They did arrive at the Night City wilderness and were assigned some tasks by the corporations, mainly maintaining the large, sunflower-like Solar Collectors.
However, the promised clean food and water were debatable, as the tribal members were still out in the wilderness enduring wind and eating sand, no different from anywhere else.
Most importantly, many Aldecaldos believed that Saul had lost their most precious asset: the Nomad spirit of firmly saying no to unjust order and self-important megacorporations.
Panam was one of them, so after she fell out with Saul, she left the tribe and came to Night City to work as a Mercenary.
But Berry had a keen eye for talent and knew the future achievements of this volatile young Girl—she would become the leader of the Aldecaldo Family.
Nomads might not be Night City's most pressing concern, but they were certainly listed under "Troublesome Issues." After all, these fierce Nomads caused plenty of trouble for transport routes.
Moreover, in the game's endgame, if V chooses to seek help from the Aldecaldo Family, led by Panam Palmer, then these Nomads can indeed breach the defenses of Arasaka Tower from underground and successfully infiltrate it.
This shows that the Aldecaldo Family is definitely a force to be reckoned with, and Berry wants to leverage this.
What she wants to do is simple; it's just a small investment, much like Lü Buwei's strategy of 'hoarding rare goods' in ancient times.
Since she knows Panam Palmer might become the leader of the Aldecaldo Family in the future, why not invest now while the other party is still unknown?
In the future, as long as Panam Palmer gains power, her 'Hive' can naturally form an alliance with the Aldecaldo Family.
At that time, with her 'Hive' handling internal affairs and the Aldecaldo Family as external support, she can achieve dominance and revive the Han Dynasty.
Of course, this is only one aspect; the important thing is that Panam Palmer is also a character with excellent integrity in this terrible cyber world. In the game, when V was on the verge of death, one phone call, saying she wanted to take on Arasaka Corporation, and Panam Palmer didn't even bat an eye, driving over in the middle of the night.
You wouldn't find a sibling like that even with a lantern, let alone a searchlight.
It can only be said that this cyber world gave V oppressive despair, but also many shining hopes that sustained her.
Whether it's Johnny, her good brother in the later stages, or the Aldecaldo Family, in this chaotic world, finding a group of brothers willing to risk their lives with you against a big corporation is the greatest romance.
"...Perhaps you can recommend a helper to me, someone familiar with the local situation, preferably a Nomad."
Mitsuhide spoke, almost throwing Panam Palmer's name directly in Rogue's face.
Because he thought Rogue should, like in the game, recommend Panam Palmer the Nomad to help after outlining the plan to ambush the Kang Tao convoy, but why had there been no movement after waiting so long?
Rogue, on the other hand, felt confused.
You have such a large group of people; do you still need her to recommend someone?
The difference between the game and reality is that in the game, V was down and out, almost alone, while the current 'Hive' group is fully staffed, with everyone being a tough character. Rogue naturally didn't think of recommending anyone.
However, since Mitsuhide spoke up, Rogue fully embraced her after-sales spirit and offered him advice.
And coincidentally, she happened to know a Mercenary from a Nomad family.
Needless to say, that was Panam Palmer.
So, Mitsuhide received an Epic clue—Panam Palmer's phone number.
"...Hey, I say, guest."
After getting everything he wanted, Mitsuhide was about to leave when a voice called out to him.
From the familiar voice, it was clear that the speaker was Claire, the Bartender from Afterlife.
"You're... from the 'Hive'."
Seeing this silent guy sit on a high stool, Claire asked curiously.
However, Berry, behind the scenes, was surprised. Is their 'Hive' so famous now that even Claire knows about it?
"I recognized it from the emblem on your shoulder guard."
Claire pointed to the Hive Emblem on Mitsuhide's shoulder guard—a hexagonal icon filled with honeycomb-like circles, designed by the lesser-known designer Viktor Vector.
Berry also added this emblem to her Chassis for aesthetics.
But she didn't expect Claire to recognize it.
What Berry didn't know was that the conflict with the Motorcycle Gang was also a minor news story in the city.
Although gang shootouts were not uncommon, this kind of operation that wiped out the opponent's stronghold in one go still made people remember this newly rising gang.
Moreover, there were rumors that only one or two people had taken down the entire Motorcycle Gang at the time, and the escaping gamblers and former Motorcycle Gang members spoke vividly about it, making it hard not to believe.
Therefore, the Mercenary world also remembered this emerging group.
And as a Bartender who knew pretty much all the major and minor gossip on the streets of Night City, Claire was naturally curious when she saw Mitsuhide wearing the 'Hive' emblem.
"...A few days ago, there was someone similar to you... well, an unconventional person."
Mitsuhide and Claire chatted for a few sentences. Staring at Mitsuhide's black hair and black eyes, an East Asian face, Claire suddenly remembered some things.
"That guy looked similar to you, wearing a long trench coat, saying he was looking for someone named An... An what, I forgot, but it doesn't matter, because Rogue quickly kicked him out."
Although in the eyes of Claire and other ethnic groups, East Asians all looked similar, what she said still caught Mitsuhide's attention.
Especially when she mentioned that the mysterious person similar to him was looking for someone with a name containing 'An', Mitsuhide instantly became alert.
Oh goodness, why did he feel a sense of foreboding?
Things wouldn't be as she thought, would they?
Berry suddenly felt a wave of absurdity.
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