"Quite the turnout tonight."
Viktor Vektor—Old Vik—had arrived, along with Mama Wells and Misty.
"Seems like there are a lot of young folks around today."
Viktor glanced around the apartment, and like everyone else, his eyes immediately landed on Kerry.
"Oh, and looks like there's a celebrity here too."
"Have a seat, Vik. I'll go help Karl. Mama Wells, please, make yourself comfortable."
"I keep telling you, Misty, there's no need to be so formal with me anymore. You can speak a little more freely," Mama Wells replied with a warm, teasing tone.
With that, Misty stepped into the kitchen and greeted Karl.
"Afternoon, Karl."
"Afternoon, Misty. Didn't Jack go to pick you guys up? Where is he?"
"He dropped us off and said he was going to grab some more booze. Took off right after."
"Sounds like he's keeping busy."
Karl nodded, then pointed to a pot nearby.
"That batch of nachos over there—keep an eye on it for me. Jack loves the stuff."
"Got it."
As Misty passed by Karl, she smiled playfully and said, "By the way, Karl, I did a tarot reading on the way over. Want to guess what card came up for you?"
"The flavor of the food?"
Karl guessed half-jokingly. Misty grinned and shook her head.
"I read your fortune. Looks like everyone's going to have a great day. And for you, Karl, the card was The Lovers."
"The Lovers?"
Karl wasn't too familiar with tarot.
"What does that mean?"
"It can mean the start of a relationship, but more broadly it represents love, partnership, and choices. Either way, today's going to be anything but ordinary for you."
"Well, that's for sure—look how many people are here already. Speaking of partnerships, if Mr. Johnson and Old Man Oliver show up, we might even talk real business."
Karl couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
He had invited people from the Aldecaldos, but only Panam said she'd be coming. For a proper discussion about trade routes, it would've been ideal to have Mr. Johnson, Old Man Oliver, and Saul all present.
Still, there was good news—Jed, a friend of his and Oliver's who worked at the logistics hub, would be stopping by. He had a delivery to make in Watson's Little China, so it was a perfect excuse to drop in. Jed's fried pork cutlets were legendary—even Ken Ichiro had given them glowing praise. Once Jed arrived, Karl planned to rope him into the kitchen.
As he thought about it, the elevator dinged once again, stopping at the apartment floor. The doors opened, and out stepped two men wearing NCPD uniforms—immediately drawing everyone's attention.
NCPD?
For a second, the room went still—until Maine and Brown recognized the younger officer.
"Andy? Why the NCPD gear?"
"Just wrapped up a street riot over Christmas cake with Mr. Johnson. Soon as it was done, we came straight here."
As everyone started relaxing again, Kerry blinked and turned his attention to the older officer beside Andy.
He didn't know many people personally, but this one he recognized.
The Deputy Chief of the NCPD.
Back during the Dogtown mission, Brown had met Johnson through Andy. Kerry, who'd been performing on stage, hadn't seen the Deputy Chief then—so this was their first meeting.
Karl sure knew a lot of people.
That impression was only reinforced when Old Man Oliver walked in—now none other than Nottingham Winrio, leader of the 6th Street Gang.
Sixth Street, Kerry thought.
And not just some street-level thug either.
Mercs, ripperdocs, bar owners, cops, gang leaders... and one world-famous rock star.
This party had a little of everything.
Even someone like Kerry, who'd seen a lot in his life, felt like he was learning something new.
He was starting to think nothing else could surprise him—
"Hey Karl... There's a lot of people here."
Panam had arrived, with V escorting her. As soon as the elevator doors opened, she started waving enthusiastically—but froze halfway through her gesture when she saw the crowd.
All eyes were on her. Her cheerful expression faltered into awkward embarrassment.
She recognized a lot of the people here—Old Man Oliver, Mama Wells, Old Vik. These were the elder figures in V and Karl's lives. And here she was, bursting in like it was no big deal.
Panam turned to V, her eyes silently pleading:
This many people?!
You're late, V replied with a look. Show up earlier next time and you won't get stared at like this.
Honestly, even V hadn't expected the place to be this full.
Fortunately, Karl's duplex was spacious and well-prepared. Any smaller and it would've been unmanageable.
Now it was just a matter of waiting for Jack to return with the drinks—and for Oliver's sister to arrive.
As V rejoined the others, T-Bug finally made her appearance from the second floor.
Calling it "dressing up" was a bit much—she'd simply swapped her usual black bodysuit for casual clothes. But for someone as reclusive as T-Bug, that alone was a big step.
Not long after, Karl's highly anticipated guest Jed arrived. Karl immediately dragged him into the kitchen to help. With Jed handling the food, Karl was finally free to enjoy the party.
He hadn't meant for his friends to work, but with so many people, things naturally organized themselves.
The apartment was now packed. Karl took a quick mental count:
Brown's crew plus Kerry: seven.
Maine's crew, including Falco the driver Karl invited: nine.
Add in Mama Wells, Vik, Misty, Jed, Panam, Johnson, and Andy...
That made twenty-three.
All that was left was Oliver's sister, and—
As Karl counted, he suddenly felt like it was New Year's.
So many guests, laughter echoing through the home... It was rare to have this many people gathered together. But in the West, Christmas was essentially the equivalent of Lunar New Year—family, food, togetherness.
It felt right.
Karl didn't mind the noise and bustle. As long as it was with real friends and family, he welcomed the chaos.
But not everyone had arrived yet.
Ding.
With nothing else pressing to do, Karl stepped out of the kitchen just in time to hear the elevator chime again. He looked up—and met eyes with the person inside.
The final guest was—
Blanca.
-
-
-
🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
📢 Chooms, Jack In! 📢
Cyberpunk: The Relentless has 500+ chapters ahead available on Patreon! 💾🔥
Night City doesn't wait—and neither should you.
🛑 Also on Patreon:
Star Wars: The Rise of Mandalore
Game of Thrones: Secrets Beneath the Dreadfort
Dragon King of Ice and Fire
Cyberpunk: Lucy Adopted Me and I Got a System
My Cyberpunk 2077 Simulator
My Girlfriend's a Cyberpsycho—Who Knew?
The Rebirth of Harry Potter
Star Wars: Relics of the Past
R18: Reincarnated in Her World
🔗 www.patreon.com/c/MrMagnus👤 SrMagnus🐦 https://x.com/SrMagnusBook
⚠️ Power Stones decide update priority.