In the end, Mercer decided to take them to the camp's small diner to talk over a meal.
The Aldecaldos camp's little eatery was essentially a food truck with some simple tables and chairs set up outside.
The food was classic: fried meat, fries, a salad made with unidentifiable vegetables, and some kind of mush.
Mercer took a bite of the fried meat. It looked like fried chicken, but tasted...
The inside had the texture of a starch sausage, yet oddly, it did have a protein-like flavor and juiciness.
Hmm... Mercer decided not to dwell on what exactly it was made of, lest he lose his appetite.
The group tacitly ate first, waiting until everyone was nearly finished before Mercer leisurely spoke up.
"Alright, we've eaten enough. Time to talk?" Mercer poured a can of NiCola into a cup, luxuriously added ice, took a sip, and squinted contentedly.
"..." Beside him, Leon opened and closed his mouth several times, but seeing Lucy's somewhat cold expression, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
Finally, Daichi sighed and cut straight to the point: "I want to go with Leon and become nomads."
His words made Leon turn to him in surprise.
Daichi just looked at Mercer earnestly and said, "On one hand, I feel like I'm not much help, and on the other..."
He sighed, then continued, "I really don't want to live that kind of fearful life anymore."
Daichi spoke sincerely:
"Staying in the wilderness has its dangers too, but...
I don't know, the closer I get to Night City, the more inexplicably panicked I feel. A city full of corporations and gangs makes me very uneasy.
I don't want to go back to that kind of life... Mercer, I'm sorry.
Compared to returning to a city of steel and concrete, I'd rather face the desert dust of the wilds... Sorry."
"And me... I, well, I'm just scared," Leon also admitted his feelings frankly.
"I've heard you talk a lot about taking down Arasaka, becoming a big shot in Night City...
At first, it sounded inspiring, but after fighting a few battles along the way, I realized I'm just not cut out for it."
Leon couldn't bring himself to meet Mercer's eyes, just stared down and spoke on:
"Remember the first time I got hurt? That time we ran into the Raffen Shiv, when I got a hole shot through my shoulder?
Honestly, that night I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, kept thinking... what if that shot had been a little off, pierced my heart instead? Or blown my head apart?
I don't want to die, Mercer, I...
I'm sorry."
Young people often have this illusion that when they step onto the battlefield, it won't be them who dies.
And that illusion tends to shatter the first time they take a bullet.
Those who can handle that gap, who can accept that reality, are the ones qualified to step onto the battlefield again.
Unfortunately, Leon wasn't that kind of person, at least not now. Everything he'd been through had left him utterly exhausted. Now that they had finally reached a place of freedom where they could settle, a relatively safe haven, Leon no longer had the courage to willingly step into danger again.
Lucy wanted to say something, but in the end, she stayed silent, merely pursing her lips, averting her gaze, and lowering her head to sip her iced coffee.
Kyoko, however, did not hide her somewhat sorrowful expression. She glanced at Mercer, then at Lucy, but ultimately lowered her head as well.
As the youngest sister, everyone always instinctively placed her in the safest spot, whether in daily life or during dangerous times.
This feeling of being protected made Kyoko feel as though she was living in a warm, big family.
They had escaped from Arasaka together, endured a long period of wandering, and now, having finally reached their destination, they were actually about to part ways.
Mercer simply gave a cool nod. "Alright, then you two stay here. Later, have a good talk with Cassidy and figure out how to settle in."
Seeing that he showed no intention of persuading them to stay, Kyoko could only bite her lip lightly, her mind in turmoil, and say nothing more. But Mercer turned to look at her:
"What about you? Staying here too?
Actually, that's not bad. You're still young; you can wait a few more years before making a decision.
Staying with the Aldecaldos is definitely safer than Night City."
"I... I still want to go with you."
Kyoko spoke, though not with much confidence. "I haven't figured out what I want to do in the future yet... but I don't want to be separated from you and Lucy."
People have their closer bonds. Compared to the brother-like Leon and Daichi, she felt closer to Lucy, who was also a girl, and to the mature and reliable Mercer.
"Understood. Then you stay here for now. Once I've sorted out a place in Night City, I'll come get you."
After saying this, Mercer paused, then turned to Lucy:
"Early tomorrow morning, I'll head into the city with Panam. She knows the roads well, and if things get dangerous, she can drive us out. You stay at the camp for a few days too, wait until I've got everything settled."
"Alright, be careful."
Lucy didn't say much more. She felt that the two of them had already said all that needed to be said, and they both understood each other's thoughts, so there was no need to elaborate.
Mercer nodded, then casually took a sip of his cola. "Alright! We've finally reached our destination. Everyone, cheer up a bit. I'm heading back to the tent to contact some people."
"You can use my computer," Lucy said. "It's in the backpack on my bed."
"Okay." Mercer smiled, downing the rest of his cola in one go. "That's settled then. Everyone, find something to do."
And just like that, the farewell meal came to a simple end.
Leon seemed to still have something to say, but Daichi stopped him and spoke to Mercer himself: "Even though we plan to stay here, if you need help in the city, both Leon and I will be there for you. No matter what it is, I'll come."
"Got it."
Without turning around, Mercer just waved his hand and headed back to the tent.
The farewell meal was over, and Mercer didn't feel any particular emotion about their choices.
The reason he had brought this group of kids to Night City was simply because he wanted to, because he wanted to save these young, innocent lives.
And now, that goal had been achieved. After that, everyone went their separate ways. Adults are always more accustomed to goodbyes than children.
—--
After connecting to Night City's network using Lucy's computer, Mercer began searching for the information he needed. Once he had what he was looking for, he prioritized his plans for the next day in Night City.
The first person he wanted to see was Viktor, the ripperdoc he'd always had a soft spot for, even back in the game.
He was one of the rare ripperdocs in Night City with a conscience.
In the game, even when V was broke and living on borrowed time, Viktor was willing to extend credit for his services.
In a city like Night City, a doctor willing to perform surgery on an Edgerunner on credit could truly be called a living saint.
And most importantly, his skills were exceptional.
In some of the game's endings, Viktor even caught the attention of a major corp like Zetatech, which forcibly acquired his clinic and made him a corporate employee.
That alone proved his expertise was far beyond that of the average back-alley ripperdoc in Night City.
Skilled, principled, who could be more suitable than him to install and research new cyberware for Mercer?
The agent rang only a few times before it was picked up.
"Yeah?" A mature, raspy male voice came through the line.
"Dr. Viktor, I'd like to schedule an appointment for tomorrow morning, to install, or at least examine, some cyberware."
Mercer's tone was relaxed. Hearing this voice, so similar to the one from the game, felt oddly familiar.
"Hmm, most people don't make appointments in advance for a back-alley clinic like mine." Viktor's voice was gentle, but there was a hint of wariness in it.
Mercer replied casually, "Don't worry, I just arrived in Night City. Got to get a feel for things first. You're easy enough to deal with, but some fixers—if you don't sort out how to contact them ahead of time, it can be tough to even get a meeting."
"Is that so? Mind if I ask in advance, where did this cyberware come from?" Viktor asked cautiously.
"Acquired through… unconventional means. I've done some basic software tweaks myself, but some of it needs professional equipment, especially for a thorough hardware screening to avoid any hidden surprises."
Mercer chuckled lightly before adding, "We can discuss the details tomorrow. Just wanted to give you a heads-up. In Night City, you're the only doc I trust. Don't worry, if it's too much trouble, I won't push it."
"Am I really that well-known? Anyway, let's leave it at that. Tomorrow morning, 9 o'clock. I'll keep the slot open for you. I assume you know the location?"
Viktor didn't refuse outright. He'd see what the situation was like in person. At the very least, Mercer didn't sound unreasonable over the agent, though his voice did seem a bit young.
"Thanks, Vik. See you tomorrow. Oh, by the way, name's Mercer. You can also call me A."
Mercer hung up, imagining the slightly bewildered look on Viktor's face, probably wondering how this stranger on the agent was already so familiar.
After a moment of thought, Mercer made another call.
"Who is this?" A cold, sharp woman's voice answered.
"Rogue, Queen of the Afterlife. First time speaking, my name is Alex Mercer. You can call me Mercer, or use the codename A."
Mercer's new name was inspired by the protagonist of a game he used to play, Prototype. And "A," as most gamers call him, is the nickname given to the protagonist of that game, Alex Mercer.
Since I've already borrowed the idea, I might as well go all the way.
Besides, A and V sound like such a perfect pair! It just screams "destined for big things."
"A? Never heard of you." Rogue's tone was blunt. "My time is valuable."
"An old friend of yours asked me for a favor, and after giving it some thought, I'm sure it'll benefit you too. Plus, I genuinely need someone capable to lend a hand."
"And the Queen of Afterlife isn't someone just anyone can meet, so I had to drop in uninvited to say hello."
"We can discuss the details tomorrow night at Afterlife. What I need to do."
"It involves another old friend of yours, Johnny. I'm sure you know which Johnny I'm talking about."
Mercer's words were met with silence on the other end of the line. After a few seconds, a cold reply came through: "Tomorrow, 8 PM. Afterlife."
"No problem."
Mercer replied casually, "If possible, I'd also like to place a request with you—I need someone to insert a chip into the Night City Hall server for me."
"We'll talk when we meet."
Rogue neither agreed nor refused, but warned in a stern voice:
"You sound young, so let me make this clear—I hate people who play games. If you're just throwing his name around for fun, you'd better not show up."
"You won't be disappointed." With that, Mercer hung up.
The Queen of Afterlife... quite the presence, huh?
Afterward, Mercer drafted an email and sent it out to a group.
[A: I'm A, a new Edgerunner in Night City, currently putting together a professional Edgerunner team. Just giving a heads-up...I only take jobs that pay fast and are short-term, no matter the difficulty.
Current remote services offered: remote network offense/defense, real-time technical support for special operations, ICE upgrades, system maintenance, program development and cracking.
Field missions will have to wait a bit; I'll announce once the team is assembled.
Interested parties can send requests to this email or call (omitted).
First-time clients get 20% off. Open to tasks requiring multiple netrunners, book anytime, slots available.
Looking forward to working together~ XD]
The recipients included:
Wakako Okada, top fixer in Japantown.
El Capitán, used car dealer and fixer in Santo Domingo.
Regina Jones, former FTF reporter in Watson.
Padre, high-level Valentinos fixer in Heywood.
Mr. Hands, fixer in Dogtown and Pacifica.
As for the bottom-feeders like the shady dealer DeShawn who sold out V in the game, or Faraday from Edgerunners who got David and his crew killed, Mercer had no intention of dealing with them.
Mercer wasn't about to wait until he made a name for himself before others came to him—he needed money, badly and obviously. So, he had to actively seek out work.
A few jobs under his belt, and his reputation would grow. Other fixers would naturally start reaching out.
Besides that, Mercer had also scouted a few enforcers, or rather, field operatives. His plan wasn't just about hiding behind the scenes and playing with netrunning, he aimed to assemble a top-tier Edgerunner crew.
For now, his considerations included V, who had just turned eighteen and was still scraping by at the bottom, as well as the already well-known Maine's crew from the Edgerunner anime.
Besides them, there were others like the legendary driver "Falco," who was currently freelancing and hadn't yet joined Maine's crew.
Then there was the netrunner Kiwi; no one knew if she had been sold to a black-market doll den or if she had managed to escape.
And Sasha, the cat-eared netrunner who only appeared in the background of the anime and whose current details remained elusive.
Of course, there was also Panam, whom he already had his eyes on, and Lucy, who had already decided to join him in his ambitious venture.
Mercer was specifically targeting characters who had appeared in the game and anime, which would save him a great deal of time in selecting reliable talent.
This way, he and Lucy could provide remote technical support, while Kiwi and Sasha handled on-site netrunning assistance, backed by a group of highly skilled combat specialists charging ahead.
Naturally, Mercer hadn't forgotten his good buddy Jackie from the game.
It was just a shame Jackie was still messing around with the Valentinos, he'd need to find a way to lure him out.
Judging by his track record in the game, Jackie was a genuine badass, just a bit unlucky.
After some thought, Mercer decided to first contact the easiest one to persuade.
And who could be easier to convince than our currently idle, aimless street-roaming Miss V!
--------
Bonus chapter @1300.