Arthur smiled, took out a cigarette, lit it for himself, and offered one to the woman at the door.
Even if she was a Mox girl, Arthur thought, at least these girls were a lot cleaner than most people outside.
"So, something wrong with you?"
The Mox gang member rested a nail-studded baseball bat on her shoulder, looking ready for trouble.
Arthur wasn't scared at all.
Seeing that she didn't take the cigarette, he casually pulled it back—
After all, waste not, want not. Cigarettes cost money in Night City.
"Nothing serious," Arthur said lightly.
"You may not believe it, but I just had a lively chat with a fellow patient up in Watson North District.
It was so exciting, we managed to blow up half a block in one hit."
"I saw my fellow patient getting a little too fired up," Arthur continued, shrugging,
"So I had to step in and calm him down a bit.
And guess what I found on him?"
The Mox girl's eyes narrowed immediately.
She shifted into a ready stance, one hand inching toward the panic button near the door.
"Arthur! I don't care what you found," she snapped.
"If you're not here to party, then you better get lost!"
Arthur calmly took a long drag on his cigarette and blew out a slow smoke ring.
"Relax," he said lazily.
"I'm not here to cause trouble.
What I found was a Mewtwo recorder.
And guess what? I copied all the data off it.
You know how it is—Mewtwo footage needs a real editor to make it worth anything."
Arthur smirked.
"So here I am at the Ritz Bar, looking for an expert.
If I remember right... the name was Judy, yeah?"
Just saying her name made Arthur feel a little emotional.
His beloved wife from the game—
Even though you couldn't romance her with a male V, maybe now that he was here, reality could be rewritten a little.
The Mox girl visibly relaxed after hearing Arthur's explanation.
If he wasn't here to cause trouble, then it was all good.
After all, the Mox Gang's job was to protect the Ritz Bar...
But in reality, their combat power was laughable compared to real cyberpunks and street gangs.
As long as no bullets were flying, they were fine.
"I don't know if Judy will want to see you," the girl said.
"But I'll check. By the way, what's your name, handsome uncle?"
Arthur flicked his cigarette with a smirk.
"Arthur."
He paused for a second, scratching the back of his head.
He wasn't sure how many people would even remember him anymore.
Night City had a replacement rate faster than human metabolism.
If you wanted to find old friends, they were probably already tucked into little drawers at the city morgue.
"Your boss is still Susie, right?" Arthur asked.
"If so, you can just tell her. She and I go way back."
The girl raised an eyebrow.
"You know that b*****d Susie?
Well, in that case, no problem.
You can call me Rita."
She smiled slyly.
Her eyes briefly glowed yellow as she accessed her internal comms, making a quick call.
Arthur stood there patiently, smoking, letting the neon buzz hum through his ears.
In Night City, everything could be solved with violence if you wanted—
But Arthur wasn't in the mood today.
He was tired after his earlier fights.
And besides... how could he lay hands on these charming, bubblegum-scented creatures?
A few seconds later, Rita's eyes flickered back to normal.
She popped a pink bubble between her lips, gave Arthur a lazy once-over, and grinned.
"Pop!" Bubble burst.
"Whew~" She whistled.
"I can't believe it. Uncle, you actually have ties to that b*****d Susie.
I've never heard her speak so gently about anyone before."
Arthur coughed awkwardly.
It's all a misunderstanding!
He could swear the original owner had nothing inappropriate with Susie—
At most, they were just... familiar regulars.
"This is all a misunderstanding. I'm not, I didn't—don't talk nonsense!
Can I go in now?"
"Come on, handsome uncle." Rita winked and led the way.
"I'll take you to Judy.
She's the best Mewtwo editor in the Ritz.
You've found the right person."
Arthur followed Rita into the Ritz Bar.
The inside was bathed in dim, pulsing neon.
The lighting was so low you could barely see more than a few meters in front of you—
Perfect for shady deals, drunken brawls, or private "negotiations" with the help of the club's stunning performers.
Officially, the Ritz Bar was a Mewtwo Experience Club.
But after a few hours of violent Mewtwo stimulation,
a lot of customers didn't cool down even if you dipped them in liquid nitrogen.
At that point, the beautiful ladies became the best method of "cooling off."
Naturally, tips were expected.
Generous ones.
Arthur admired the bustling chaos of it all.
At least the folks here were honest about their business.
Soon, Rita led Arthur through a series of winding corridors and narrow stairs.
Down into the basement.
It smelled faintly of oil, cigarettes, and gunpowder.
Crates and boxes filled the narrow spaces.
Clearly, business was booming.
Arthur was getting a little dizzy from all the twists and turns.
But with Rita leading the way, they finally arrived at Judy's private studio.
Inside, Judy sat behind a wall of holographic monitors.
She had her feet up on the desk, casually flipping through data while chewing on a strand of neon-blue licorice.
Arthur took one look around and twitched the corner of his mouth.
Why does everyone in Night City work in a dark cave?
Victor's place was like this too.
Judy's basement was even worse.
It seemed like unless they absolutely had to, Night City people just didn't turn on the damn lights.
Maybe it was some side effect of having cybernetic eyes.
Rita rapped lightly on the metal doorframe.
"Judy!
This is Arthur.
Suzy said you'd know him."
Judy didn't even look up.
She just waved her hand lazily.
"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled.
"That b***d's always finding me new chores.
You'd think I'm just sitting down here with my thumb up my a."
Arthur chuckled.
Ah, Night City.
Brutal, rude, and refreshingly honest.
If they wanted to blow you up, they'd tell you to your face.
No fake smiles here.
Arthur leaned casually against the doorframe, taking another lazy drag on his cigarette.
Things were finally starting to feel like home again.