Chapter 243 – All of Us Work for Someone

When the shouting suddenly broke out, every merc in Afterlife paused what they were doing and turned to look.

Loud arguments weren't anything new in Afterlife. Disputes between mercs and fixers happened all the time. A bit of yelling never drew this much attention.

But this time was different.

Because the person being yelled at… was Rogue.

"How many people have shouted at Rogue now?"

"No idea. Last guy didn't last long—got found dead in a flowerbed not long after."

As the mercs sipped their drinks and waited for the drama to unfold, Karl slid onto a seat beside Maine. He waved to Claire behind the bar and asked casually, "What's going on?"

"Some former nomad chick. Came to the city looking for work. Got into it with Rogue," Claire explained as she passed Karl a freshly mixed Long Island Iced Tea. As Afterlife's bartender, she was always in the loop.

"Name's Panam. She was running a transport job for Rogue a while back, and Rogue matched her with a partner. End of last month, they ran into another nomad during a job. Her partner tried to mug him—guy looked well-equipped. That's when Panam found out the bastard was Tyger Claw. She flipped, blew his brains out on the spot."

"She's been trying to confront Rogue ever since. But Rogue's been busy. Today's the first time she caught her in Afterlife—and she didn't waste a second before charging in."

Rogue hadn't shown up for a whole month?

Karl thought back to that Arasaka job Rogue had pushed on his team. They'd only just finished it yesterday. So she really had been missing from Afterlife this whole time.

Guess that's what it takes to be Queen of Afterlife.

Now that he knew the story, Karl lost interest in the spectacle.

Sure, watching chaos was fun, but not when the outcome was obvious. It was Rogue. He already knew how it would end.

No point watching a fight when you knew who the winner was.

He raised the Long Island Iced Tea and gave it a glance. Despite the name, it didn't contain any tea—just cola for color. And with all the mixed spirits in the recipe, the alcohol content easily pushed past 40%.

Basically flammable.

Served on ice, of course. Gotta match the name.

Karl took a sip. Surprisingly smooth, not too harsh. Not bad.

Usually, when out with Jack and the crew, Karl didn't drink—someone always had to stay sharp. But with Maine's squad around, he figured it was fine to relax a little.

While chatting with Maine, the yelling finally quieted down. Karl looked over to see Panam storming past, her face still burning with anger, as she exited Afterlife.

Looks like Rogue won again. Not that it was ever in doubt.

Compared to Rogue, the girl was still green.

Well—maybe not that young. She looked to be in her thirties. "Girl" was just relative.

As that thought passed, Rogue herself walked over and took a seat beside him.

"One Johnny Silverhand," she told Claire.

Glass in hand, Rogue gave it a slow swirl, watching the liquid move. She didn't even look Karl's way when she spoke.

"KK, you've finally got time to stop by?"

"Yeah. After finishing that urgent job you insisted we take."

Karl didn't hold back his irritation. "We could've been on break days ago if not for you."

"Oh, come on."

Rogue took a sip, set the glass down, and lazily waved her now-free hand.

"That job benefited us both."

"Both of us?"

Karl frowned. They'd been sent to eliminate an Arasaka employee. How was that a shared benefit?

He considered whether this had something to do with Hanako. But that operation—escorting her—was only known to him, Hanako, and Wakako. Even Chidoyome hadn't known the full story. Rogue had eyes everywhere, sure, but not that deep into Arasaka's inner circle.

Then Rogue dropped a word that changed everything.

"Dove."

She said it softly, but Karl heard it loud and clear.

Dove.

A simple word on its own. But if you knew Arasaka's internal politics… that word carried weight.

Karl's fingers froze briefly on his glass—but he didn't miss a beat. He kept sipping, acting as if nothing had happened.

Maine, ever perceptive, turned and started talking with David instead. The timing was perfect—now they could speak without eavesdroppers.

"I'm familiar with the term," Karl said cautiously.

Then he noticed Rogue's fingers subtly tracing letters across the bar's surface.

The strokes spelled: Hanako.

"So it's not just you guys running around," Rogue said, draining her drink. "I've been busy this whole month too."

She raised her glass toward Karl in a brief toast, then stood up.

"All of us work for someone."

With that, she walked away.

Karl sat there, deep in thought.

And suddenly, things started to make sense.

Why Rogue—once one of the main players in the assault on Arasaka Tower—was still alive. Why she could remain Queen of Afterlife, a living legend in Night City.

She'd been protected.

By someone inside Arasaka.

Hanako.

The same Hanako who had risen to power after the Tower incident, leading the Dove faction—the third pillar in Arasaka's internal struggle.

"All of us work for someone… it benefits both of us."

Karl thought of his side job.

Bodyguard to the Dangerous Girl.

So… Rogue saw him as working for Hanako, too?

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