Chapter 20: The Invitation

Standing in a narrow alley, Jhin rubbed his wrist. He had to admit—the guy who used the Sandevistan wasn’t half bad. Still, a big part of it came down to his cyberware. It wasn’t an Ascension original. Top-tier, sure, but compared to a true Ascension-grade implant, it just didn’t measure up.

Zzzzt—Zzzzt!

“Ugh...”

Jhin rubbed his neck, a look of mild irritation on his face. His head armor had held up fine, but the rest of his systems had taken a hit from the netrunners’ attacks. He’d definitely need some maintenance.

For now, though, he had someone to settle things with.

...

In a fairly nice apartment in the Watson District, Kova sat in a bathrobe, humming along to a Samurai track as he slowly popped open a bottle of champagne.

Half a million eurodollars, just like that, without lifting a finger. Kova couldn’t help but grin. If only all jobs were this easy. It would take dozens of contracts to make that much otherwise.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk... Jhin, you really are my lucky star.”

A smirk tugged at his lips. He finally had the man’s name. Since he’d planned to screw Jhin over, he’d done a little background digging first.

He’d only managed to get some scraps of information from that edge-runner crew Jhin had run into earlier—not much, just a name, really.

Beyond that, there was nothing. Jhin had practically appeared out of thin air. No records, no history. But the chaos he’d caused since showing up? Anything but small.

“If that kid keeps going... he might just become another Night City legend.”

Kova took a sip of champagne, smacked his lips thoughtfully, then burst out laughing.

“Legend, huh? What’s a legend worth? In Night City, legends are all corpses. There are no living legends here.”

He leaned back comfortably on the couch and switched on Channel 54. The news was covering the massive explosion that had torn through Watson’s industrial sector.

Militech had issued a strong condemnation, released a wanted notice, and offered their condolences for the victims—followed by a stream of self-praising corporate propaganda about their “humanitarian values” and “commitment to public safety.”

Kova didn’t hear a word of it. He only knew one thing—Militech hadn’t shown a picture of the target, but he understood perfectly well what today’s operation had been about.

The fact that they were now pushing PR spin meant only one thing: the mission had failed.

“Damn Militech!”

He cursed under his breath and jumped up, but his legs gave out. The wine glass in his hand slipped and went flying. Just as he instinctively reached to catch it...

A black, mechanical arm reached out, caught the glass midair, and handed it back to him.

Kova froze, taking the glass automatically. “Thanks...” he murmured—then his face went pale.

This was his apartment. He hadn’t called in a joytoy today.

Realizing something was wrong, Kova lunged for the sofa, reaching under it for his hidden weapon.

Jhin stood there casually, one hand on his hip, the other holding a pistol pointed down, watching Kova’s panicked scramble with mild amusement.

Only when Kova finally managed to grab his gun and aim it at him did Jhin speak. “Looks like you’re ready.”

Kova’s expression darkened. He gave a bitter laugh, tossed the weapon aside, sighed, and sank back into the sofa. Pouring himself another drink, he muttered, “No point struggling, right?”

Roland smiled faintly and sat down across from him.

“You had countless chances to shoot me just now,” Kova continued. “But you didn’t. That means you’re confident enough to kill me whenever you want. You’re running a Sandevistan, aren’t you? Then there’s no point in fighting. I might as well enjoy my last few minutes.”

He downed his drink in one gulp, grinning as he looked up.

“Hmph... In these final moments, you’ve actually improved my opinion of you.”

Jhin crossed one leg over the other, resting an arm on his knee, the muzzle of his gun still pointed straight at Kova.

After another sip, Kova’s expression twisted into a snarl. “I don’t need your damn approval, Jhin. You’ll be down here soon enough. Nobody in this city dies happy!!”

Bang!

The shot rang out, and a red bloom spread across Kova’s chest. His eyes went glassy, and moments later, he was gone.

“What a shame,” Jhin said softly. “Your curse didn’t work. After all... what does what Jhin does have to do with me—Roland?”

He chuckled, spread his hands, and walked out of the apartment.

...

“The Orange Essence still hasn’t been credited? Gloria hasn’t joined yet? What’s going on?”

Sitting in his office, Roland frowned. Then it hit him—maybe she thought the offer was a scam.

He sighed. “Seriously... you ever seen a scammer with an office in Charter Hill?”

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he muttered, “What a pain. The easiest way to get Orange Essence still needs me to step in personally...”

“Lissandra,” he said, turning toward his AI assistant, “send word to HR. Have them visit Gloria’s home and make sure she joins the company. If she has any doubts, tell her this was her husband’s last gift to her.”

“Understood.”

Once that was settled, Roland glanced toward Jhin, who stood in the corner with his arms crossed.

“Having two versions of me staring at each other like this... feels kinda freaky.”

...

Wearing her medical uniform, Gloria eyed the well-dressed man in front of her warily. “Who are you?”

“Hello, Ms. Gloria. I’m Ita, a supervisor from the HR department at PROJECT Corporation. I believe you’ve seen the emails we sent?”

Ita smiled warmly. Normally, he wouldn’t have bothered showing this kind of courtesy—but this was someone the big boss had personally mentioned.

As he spoke, he studied her. He had to admit—she was beautiful. Even in her thirties, there was barely a trace of age on her.

Still, she had a kid... Did the boss have a thing for that type?

“You’re from PROJECT?” Gloria asked, surprised, glancing at his business card to confirm.

“Yes,” Ita replied. “You might’ve thought we were scammers before, but that’s not the case. This job is the last gift your husband left for you.”

He patiently explained the job’s details and origins.

But Gloria wasn’t fooled. She knew exactly what kind of man David’s father had been—this couldn’t possibly be from him.

There was only one explanation.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “What’s your boss’s name?”

The sudden question caught Ita off guard, but he quickly smiled again. “Roland Vimers. That’s our boss. You can look him up online if you’d like.”

“Roland Vimers...”

Gloria’s expression softened, a mix of confusion and gratitude in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she accepted the contract. David needed tuition money, and this job might give them a future. She didn’t know who this Roland really was, but she would remember his kindness.

The moment she signed her name—

Ding!

A pleasant chime rang in Roland’s ear.

“Congratulations! You’ve obtained [Orange Essence x5000].”

Roland’s excited grin froze, his face falling instantly.

“What the hell? Only five thousand?”