Mercer had a natural talent for driving: his mind worked fast.
When he was highly focused, he even experienced something akin to bullet time. Even without a Synaptic Accelerator installed, he handled high-speed driving with ease.
Panam had initially just wanted to have some fun with him, but she didn't expect the guy to actually have some skills.
The two of them got into it, racing all the way from Santo Domingo to the wilderness east of Night City's outskirts before finally calming down.
Cassidy and Daichi, driving behind them, almost got lost trying to keep up. Fortunately, Mercer didn't get too carried away; when he noticed they were falling behind, he waited for them.
Even so, it took them just over an hour to get from the southern entrance of Night City to the nomad camp in the east.
After parking the car on the outskirts of the camp, Panam pushed the car door open and laughed heartily. "That was awesome! I've gotta say, I've never really driven like that in the city before!"
"Ugh, I'm about to throw up," Leon groaned. Daichi, who had been driving him, was also pale-faced. His pickup truck felt like it was on the verge of falling apart.
Cassidy got out of the car and took a moment to collect himself before shaking his head. "You guys are insane. Lucy, why didn't you try to stop him?"
Lucy's face was still flushed with excitement. She smiled and shook her head, then took a deep breath of the wild air. "Wasn't it fun, though?"
Deep down, she had a wild side too.
As for Mercer, needless to say, he was exhilarated. He touched his pounding heart; this was so much more thrilling than racing in a game!
Night City… ha!
"Let's leave the cars here for now. We'll move the stuff later," Panam said.
She pointed proudly at the camp ahead. "This is the Aldecaldos camp. What do you think? Not bad, right?"
The camp was made up of RVs, tents, and structures converted from shipping containers. It looked a bit rough around the edges.
But from the entrance, you could see that everyone there had a sense of ease and peace on their faces.
Near the parking area, an older man was sitting on a crate, strumming a guitar and drinking beer early in the morning.
A man fixing a car nearby occasionally hummed along to the tune.
Further in, some RVs and container buildings had small signs hanging outside, likely indicating places like a gun shop or a ripperdoc.
"Is this the Aldecaldos camp?" Lucy marveled.
"Yeah. So, is it better or worse than you expected?" Mercer asked with a smile.
"Hmm… I heard the Aldecaldos used to be a huge family with millions of members," Lucy said curiously. "Why does it seem like there aren't that many people around? I kept hearing you talk about them, so I thought it'd be bigger. But from the looks of it, there are only a few hundred people at most."
"Who knows," Mercer replied. He didn't know much about it either, but he figured the Aldecaldos must have a main stronghold somewhere, he just didn't know where.
"Your tents are set up in that corner over there. It's convenient for accessing electricity and water," Panam said. "We got everything ready for you yesterday. There are four tents in total." "No choice, we don't have many extra rooms here, so you all might have to squeeze in together to sleep, or go into the city to buy a couple of new tents."
Panam pointed to a corner of the camp, and after parking their car, she began introducing the camp's facilities while leading the way.
Mercer finally had the chance to get a good, close look at her.
Panam, who now appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen, was at that age full of spirited vigor and wild charm.
Compared to how she looked in the game, her skin seemed much smoother, though she had already started wearing the heavy, ubiquitous cyberpunk makeup.
Her eyes and lips were darkened with makeup, but it didn't look bad at all.
"Alright," Mercer agreed, letting Panam lead the way.
Lucy subtly glanced at him. "Seems like you've checked her out a few times already. What, interested?"
"I told you, any pretty girl over eighteen is within my range of interest."
Mercer's words made Kyoko, standing nearby, giggle and nudge him with her elbow. "Want me to ask her for you later?"
"Save it. Does she look like someone who'd be interested in a kid?"
But suddenly, a wave of sadness washed over Mercer. He shook his head and sighed, he saw Lucy and Kyoko as kids, but others probably saw him the same way.
Panam, sharp-eared, turned and glanced at Mercer too, chuckling. "You kids are really something... way too mature for your age."
"I'm going to go talk to Saul first," Cassidy said.
Panam casually pointed him in a direction. "He's over there, in the biggest tent. I won't go with you for now."
Cassidy nodded, gave Mercer a look, and headed off to talk to Saul, the leader here.
"Well, looks like you're really out of luck~" Kyoko took the chance to tease Mercer, then winked at Lucy, who uncomfortably looked away and crossed her arms.
Her posture was already starting to resemble her anime version.
Mercer's mouth twitched, but he didn't respond.
Kids...
He quickened his pace to catch up with Panam and struck up a conversation.
"With so many of you, what kind of work do you usually do to get by? Just smuggling and transport?"
Mercer's question made Panam turn to look at him. She was about 170 cm tall, and with her boots on, she seemed even a bit taller than him.
"What else can we do?
Besides occasionally taking jobs at construction sites or picking up odd jobs in the city, we also do some auto repair and modding...
Basically, whatever makes money."
Panam sighed.
"Last year was better. Right after the war, Night City needed everything, and we were running shipments non-stop.
But now...
That asshole Hansen, that damn American, took over the most profitable parts of the smuggling business, so we're left with the scraps.
And those Animals and Haitians have monopolized most of the labor in Night City. What we can mainly do now is long-haul transport, private runs, and dealing in small-time contraband."
"What about you?" Mercer asked curiously, wondering if Panam had already crossed paths with Rogue, the "Queen of the Afterlife" in Night City. Rogue is a legend in Night City, having stormed Arasaka Tower twice with Johnny Silverhand, even detonating a nuclear bomb during the second raid.
Though Johnny Silverhand was crushed on the spot and eliminated by another legend, Adam Smasher, and Morgan Blackhand vanished after battling Smasher and the nuclear blast, Rogue survived.
She hid for years with the Aldecaldos nomads outside the city, even bearing a child for the leader of one of the nomad families. But ultimately, unable to let go of her old flame Johnny Silverhand or the memories of her past, she returned to Night City and became a renowned fixer.
Rumors say she apologized to Adam Smasher and Arasaka to make her return. But honestly, being able to come back to Night City and remain a "living legend" in most people's eyes after bombing Arasaka Tower just by saying sorry, that alone speaks volumes about the weight of Rogue's legendary status.
Meanwhile, the Afterlife nightclub has become a legendary sanctuary in the eyes of Night City's Edgerunners, a place only big shots can enter. Many even measure their legendary status by whether they can have a drink named after them at the Afterlife posthumously.
"Me?" Panam looked at him amusedly. "Little guy, you're not actually into me, are you?"
Mercer looked up and glared at her in exasperation. "If you're gonna be like that, we can't have a proper conversation, come on, I'm pretty popular too, you know."
"Hmm~ who knows?"
After teasing him, she said:
"I don't have much work myself, I do whatever the family needs. But lately, I've been thinking about finding my own ways to make money.
Can't be helped, times are tough for the family, and there are only so many ways to earn. If I take jobs from the family, someone else might miss out, so it's better to find new opportunities on my own.
Last year, we had nearly a thousand people here, but now, look, just a few hundred left. If the family still can't turn a profit, even more will probably leave."
Panam pondered:
"I've heard being a merc in the city pays well, you know, those Edgerunners. I think I'm a damn good driver and pretty bold. Who knows, maybe I'll make a name for myself in Night City someday."
Right now, Panam still seemed to have high hopes for Night City. Young people always have bright expectations for the future.
"Edgerunning... I'll probably start with that too. Short jobs, quick cash. Do a few gigs first to save up some startup funds."
After a pause, Mercer added, "I need someone to come with me to Night City for some work. Interested? I'll also need a reliable driver in the city later on."
Panam smiled. "Sure, let's see what money-making ideas you've got."
Mercer didn't say too much for now, he needed to scout things out firsthand before making any promises. He just said, "Early on, it'll probably be picking up odd jobs. I'm a netrunner, so I need a few capable people to handle things on the ground while I provide tech support from behind the scenes."
"Alright, we'll talk details later then."
Panam nodded in agreement. Though she called him "kid" and "little guy," she honestly felt this mysterious young man had something to him.
Besides... she wanted to make money, so she was willing to try any opportunity. If it turned out unreliable later, she could always back out. "Alright, but it'll take a few days. I need to handle some backlogged work first."
Mercer tilted his head toward the ripperdoc in the camp. "Are your people any good with tech?"
"I think they're pretty damn skilled, but objectively speaking, they can't compare to the big docs in the city. Why, looking to get something installed?"
Panam eyed him, his hands, his eyes, the cyberdeck plugged into his neural link. It all looked like top-tier corporate gear, and on closer inspection, each piece of cyberware bore the Arasaka logo.
Had he robbed an Arasaka convoy? Or maybe escaped from some messy Arasaka facility?
"We've got a truckload of high-end Arasaka gear. It needs a real expert to fine-tune it.
I know a bit myself, but right now I've got no machines or equipment, so I have to outsource.
And I have to say, this is definitely complex, high-end stuff. Most people wouldn't know how to handle it."
After Mercer finished, Panam nodded. "Then you'd better find someone in the city. How would we have any connections to high-end gear like that?"
As they spoke, they reached the depths of the camp.
"Here we are, this is it."
Panam pointed to a tent ahead. Mercer looked it over; it was about the same size as the one V had in the camp in the game, just barely enough for one person.
A bed, a clothes rack, some crates stacked up to serve as a table and storage; the space had electricity, running water, and a sink, but no shower or toilet.
"For showers and toilets, you'll have to use the communal facilities.
You can shower in that RV over there, but try to go when it's not crowded, or there won't be any hot water. The toilets are in that public restroom over there.
If you're hungry or thirsty, head to the food truck.
If you're bored and want to mess around, the ripperdoc sells BDs and game consoles, stuff you kids like.
The gun shop's full of cheap stuff. Looks like you're all carrying Arasaka firearms; if you want modifications, they can do things like convert a three-round burst to full auto, but stability will drop.
Your pistols probably can't be modded, though. Tech weapons are high-end rarities.
For car parts or electromagnetic boards, try your luck at the general store over there. If they have it, great; if not, it's up to chance.
Hmm... anything else I'm forgetting?"
After giving a rundown of the facilities, Panam paused, thinking, then added:
"Oh, right, if you're into hacking, you can run a network cable here. The connection links to Night City are pretty stable as long as it's wired.
Here's my contact info. Call me if you need anything. I'm not heading out today, so just ask if you need a hand."
She sent her contact details directly to his neural link. Mercer nodded. "Thanks, Panam. Just call me Mercer. I owe you one for this."
"Alright, then. Tonight, I'll throw a bonfire party, treat you all to some barbecue." Panam smiled, then turned and walked off briskly.
—--
After she left, Kyoko sidled up with a teasing grin. "Hey, quit staring. But damn, Panam's got a fine ass."
"What... what have you been learning lately?" Mercer stared at her speechlessly while Kyoko averted her gaze, her eyes drifting away. "Nothing much, really. Just finally being free, so I idly browsed the net when I had nothing to do."
The internet in this cyberpunk world is dangerously addictive.
Mercer rapped her on the head firmly. "I'll squeeze in with Daichi or Leon for tonight. Anyway, I'll be heading to Night City soon, so no need to fuss.
As for you all..." Mercer glanced at the group of children behind him and paused for a moment before continuing, "just enjoy this rare period of peace for now."
Daichi, however, suddenly looked as if he had something difficult to say. Mercer glanced at him and remarked, "Speak your mind. No need to hold back with me."
"Mercer..." Daichi appeared somewhat guilty, awkwardly shifting his gaze away, unable to meet Mercer's eyes.
Mercer merely raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
"Alright then, let's all have a talk." He turned to scan the room, then said calmly, "First, tidy up. Get everything in order. We're having a meeting."
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Bonus chapter @1100 power stones. The chapter is ready for you.