Hi everyone! Quick note: If you spot any mistakes in the text or the translation, please let me know and I'll fix them right away. And thank you to those who have already pointed out errors they've noticed. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this, and enjoy your reading!
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"See that, dear friends? Those black dots of all sizes on the highway over there are checkpoints leading toward Seattle.
But we don't have to queue up like them.
Ha, see those drones over there? Even though they spotted us, those border station folks didn't even dare send a comms request.
These Arasaka lapdogs take bribes and bully people at the border, but when they meet someone tough, they turn blind and deaf.
But that's even better, they saw us flying toward New American-controlled territory and even served as our eyewitnesses."
Mercer's relaxed voice came through the vehicle's speakers. The novice netrunners, who had been watching the scenery outside with a mix of tension and anticipation, now felt almost like they were on a trip.
"Next, we'll cross the hills and reach a stretch of wilderness. Cherish the last bit of green you can see now.
For the rest of the journey, we'll mostly see dilapidated roads, yellow sand filling the sky, and maybe countless "haboobs."
Curious what a "haboob" is?
It's a nomad term, means "sandstorm."
I imagine many of you have never experienced one, but don't worry, when you actually see it, you won't like it.
And because of the remnants of war, when these haboobs rage, radioactive materials clinging to the ground and air get swept up with the sand.
So sometimes the net signal gets really bad, that means the haboob's coming from a radiated zone. But don't worry about radiation; eating a little sand won't hurt you.
Due to repeated wars and climate change, oases are becoming scarcer in New America nowadays.
Especially near California, it's all desert out there.
If you're unlucky and don't know which route is safest, you might even step on landmines buried during the Unification War.
But like I said, don't worry. I've done plenty in the servers, not only got the maps but also tapped into Vancouver's city net to dig up a lot of info."
Mercer spoke at a leisurely pace, like a radio host. The novice netrunners finally relaxed and started chattering among themselves.
But as they began to chat freely, Mercer fell silent.
Only Lucy remained quiet, gazing out the window. After a while, she sent him a private message via comms.
[Lucy: Why are you doing this?]
[Mercer: What?]
[Lucy: You're the one who worked the hardest and bore the most burden. We barely did anything. So why... are you still putting in effort to take care of our feelings now?]
[Mercer: That's just what a mature big bro does, you know.]
[Lucy: Actually, there's something I've kept from you, from everyone, Mercer. I'm... not really sure, but if you take me with you, you might get into some other kind of trouble because of me.]
[Mercer: Is it bigger than the trouble of me killing a project director and dozens of security personnel and agents, stealing Arasaka's top-secret Relic and the lab's prototype cyberware?]
[Lucy: Probably not that big, no.]
[Mercer: Anyway, if you treat me as one of your own, I'll do the same. But hey, I can be a bit petty sometimes, you know.]
[Lucy: Mm. I understand. I won't bring up anything about Sailor Moon BD again. Sorry.]
[Mercer: Hah! Annoying brat, better not let me catch you doing anything embarrassing.]
[Lucy: XD~ But seriously, thank you, Mercer. If it weren't for you, I might've really died back there.]
[Lucy: I'm scared of dying, really scared. Watching my companions die one by one in those chairs, I felt like I was going insane.]
[Lucy: But I owe you my life. We all owe you our lives, Mercer. I'll repay you, I promise.]
[Mercer: Among our own, we don't keep score like that. Only outsiders tally debts.
If you really want to say that, save it for when we part ways. And when that time comes, I won't hesitate to call in that favor, you won't have a choice but to pay up.]
[Lucy: Are we all considered your own?]
[Mercer: Depends on whether you stick with me after this.
But even if we go separate ways, it's fine, just don't stab me in the back.
We'll talk more later. Right now, I need to focus on driving and locating our… friends we're about to meet.]
[Lucy: Who?]
[Mercer: You didn't think we could trek thousands of kilometers on foot with just the supplies from a few individual survival kits, did you?
They're bringing us a vehicle and fuel. When I was connected to the server, I checked the maps and found a spot to secure transport and supplies. Now I'm working on pinpointing their location.
As for who it is…
I'll tell you later, but I'll say this much, it's gonna be intense. Better start mentally revisiting your shooting training.]
[Lucy: Alright. Seems like I can't really help with any of that.]
[Mercer: Kids should act like kids. I'm not in a hurry to put child labor to work here.]
Lucy pursed her lips. Aren't you only fourteen too? Or are you really some kind of rogue AI or something? Well, even if he was a rogue AI, she still owed him her life.
Snapping back to reality, Lucy realized the car had fallen silent, the other three staring straight at her.
"Done chatting? What were you talking about?" Leon asked with a teasing grin.
"Nothing important. Just plans for later. Didn't want to leave things uncertain," Lucy replied without batting an eye.
Kyoko eyed her suspiciously and snorted lightly. "Feels like you and Mercer talked about a lot behind my back. Aren't we good sisters?"
"Of course… I just didn't want to disturb you all while you were relaxing." Lucy didn't understand why she'd instinctively lied.
After a brief silence, she added softly, "I'll tell you about it later, if there's a chance."
No one pressed further, but the silence lingered as they gazed out the window, watching the scenery rush by, the drifting clouds and the vast blue sky.
Everyone had their secrets, just like how they could all tell Mercer hadn't been quite right since the incident, yet no one dared, or perhaps even wanted, to ask.
That's what trust was, believing in the unknown about someone, rather than needing to uncover everything.
"Let's hope the journey to Night City goes as smoothly as today's trip," Leon suddenly muttered under his breath.
Daichi rolled his eyes. "Generally speaking, when someone says something like that, you can forget about having an easy journey."
"Exactly! Haven't you watched Sailor Moon? The yellow Sailor Scout said something similar and got captured by the villain right after," Kyoko scolded him with conviction.
Leon raised his hands in surrender. "My bad, spare me."
Lucy remained silent, leaning against the window and quietly gazing toward the direction where the Arasaka base once stood.
Looking that way, all that could be seen was the horizon where the ground met the sky. The building that symbolized her nightmare seemed to have vanished forever.
She slowly closed her eyes, feeling nothing but peace in her heart.
Goodbye. No, good riddance!
Damn Arasaka, go to hell!
—--
"This damn Arasaka aerodyne vehicle is designed so poorly."
Mercer stared speechlessly at the fuel gauge.
They had only been driving for four hours, starting with a full tank from the base, and had covered less than 600 kilometers. How was it already almost out of fuel?
"What's the use of this thing besides driving around the city? They couldn't even send an armed aerodyne vehicle for deliveries or something."
Its only advantage was its ability to ignore terrain and move in a straight line. By now, they had roughly reached Mercer's intended disembarkation point.
Mercer hadn't used GPS navigation, meaning he had relied mostly on maps downloaded from the net to guide their way. Now, he could only estimate their approximate location.
Fortunately, he hadn't taken a wrong turn. They had arrived at their destination, a shaded area at the foot of a small hill. If one stood atop the hill and looked into the distance, a somewhat dilapidated town could be seen not far away.
"Get ready, we're getting out here," he announced over the vehicle's intercom.
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Bonus chapter @ 400 power stones and when the story gets 10 reviews.
You can check out my other story Hxh: Dying Makes Me Stronger. It's a rly good story.