Personnel Reassignment

"Now that it's over, want to grab a drink at the Afterlife bar?"

After parting with Sesen, who still had follow-up matters to handle, the group rode the elevator down. Oliver leaned against the wall and suggested, "Or we could go to the Afterlife bar and try Mrs. Welles's fries."

"I'm in," Jack readily agreed, then turned to David, who had remained quietly at the side as a guard. "David, Maine and the others should be free lately, right? Call them out so we can get together. It's been a long time. This job went beautifully—we should have a drink to celebrate."

"Sure. I'll ask Maine."

David nodded. He had originally prepared for a bloody battle, but he had never expected this massive operation, which had seemed so perilous, to end this way.

Hanako Arasaka, Arasaka Saburo—names he had heard since childhood, figures who stood at the peak of the world—had simply been erased.

He was still somewhat dazed, as though he remained immersed in that breathtaking confrontation without smoke or gunfire. His fingertips tingled faintly.

V could tell David was still caught up in the tense atmosphere from earlier, so he smiled and patted his shoulder. "Relax, David. Don't be so unused to it—not everything has to be settled with bullets and blades."

His tone was casual, carrying a hint of teasing. "Isn't it nice to settle things like today, without spilling blood? It's a lot easier than setting off another nuke, isn't it?"

"A nuclear explosion."

David considered what might have happened if things had not gone smoothly today, and his face stiffened. Even though he had never witnessed a nuclear blast, as a resident of Night City, he could not help carrying a vague fear of nuclear weapons.

Once he realized the worst outcome had not happened,