"Yes, Aldecaldos. I've been on the run from NUSA, without any particular destination. I just couldn't stay with my old small family anymore and wanted a change of scenery. But I haven't decided where to go yet, so I've been traveling—stopping when necessary. When I run out of money, I take delivery jobs. Once I've earned enough, I keep wandering, searching for a place to belong."
After Cassidy finished speaking, Mercer studied him carefully, then a look of realization crossed his face.
"I understand… Is there anything else you want to say?"
Mercer had already made up his mind to let Cassidy go. He recognized him. In the game, players could trigger a side quest called Chippin' In, and one of the characters featured there was Cassidy—a seasoned Old Cowboy, a man with experience and a good heart. In the game, he was part of Panam Palmer's Aldecaldos tribe, one of the female protagonists outside Night City. Mercer had always respected the Aldecaldos—they were loyal, righteous, and willing to risk everything for the people they cared about.
If the Star ending was triggered, they would even follow you to storm Arasaka Tower. Many would die along the way, but no one ever complained. All it took was helping them a few times to earn their loyalty.
Still, out of caution, Mercer decided to give Cassidy a warning first and then find a subtle way to encourage the Old Cowboy to leave. Despite his extensive online research, theoretical knowledge always fell short. To travel thousands of kilometers to Night City, having an experienced nomad like Cassidy would be invaluable.
"…I don't have much money on me. My total savings amount to about four thousand euros. If you want, I can transfer it to you. My car… if you're willing to let me keep it, I can ask some old friends for help to raise a small ransom. But it won't be much—I'm just a nomad."
Cassidy paused, then added, "I imagine you don't care much about an old American's past. I've been wandering the badlands since I was a kid. If you want stories, I can tell them for several nights. If you want to know anything else… Kid, I promise my appearance here was purely coincidental. If you let me leave, I'll selectively forget everything once I walk out that door. Then I'll drive far away and continue wandering."
Mercer regarded him silently for a moment. "What if I don't intend to let you go?"
"That's even better. It means you need me. I can tell you're not a bad person—the kids around you trust you deeply. And you look… quite young. Perhaps my old man's life experience could help you."
Cassidy's voice remained calm. "You all seem to come from no ordinary background; your hacker suits alone are probably worth more than everything I own. Kid, trust me, I'm completely different from those scumbags you've killed. Aldecaldos nomads always repay kindness."
"…Alright. Then that's settled."
Mercer stood up decisively, handing Cassidy a table knife. "Do you need my help?"
"No need. I actually untied myself a while ago." Cassidy smiled, brought his wrists together, and with a strong tug, the ropes fell to the ground. "I was just afraid you'd get nervous and open fire on me. That girl's aim was a little shaky."
Rosie shifted uncomfortably. "I was hesitating where to aim."
"Remember the Golden Rule: never put your finger on the trigger unless you're firing," Cassidy said with a chuckle. He then pointed to a dead Wraiths member by the dining table. "Can I get my gun back? It's an old revolver—my oldest companion."
"Go ahead. Scavenge a bit. We need to leave soon. There should be more people in this town than just these; we don't want to run into other Wraiths on the way home."
Mercer holstered his gun. "You're not taking their money?"
The Old Cowboy noticed they were only searching bodies and hadn't taken anything. He assumed they didn't understand. "People like us don't keep all our money in banks to avoid transaction fees. Most of it goes into our data wallets in our neural interfaces."
Mercer shook his head. "Our previous accounts will be frozen soon, and this interface's virtual wallet has been canceled. To reactivate a data wallet, we need new bank accounts—but our current identities won't work. We'll have to wait until we get new ones."
"Oh, I see." Cassidy nodded thoughtfully. "I heard Arasaka loves to play these kinds of games."
"As far as I know, all big corporations do. The Arasaka logo on our hacker suits is conspicuous, so there's no guessing needed. But we no longer have any connection with Arasaka; in fact, our relationship is very bad."
The Old Cowboy sighed. "Look at what Arasaka has done… forcing a bunch of kids to wander the badlands. I understand. I'll collect it for now, and when we reach a big city and open a European Community bank account, I'll return it to you."
He opened his neural interface. "You can watch me."
"No need. I believe in trusting the people I work with rather than doubting them. I think I'm a good judge of character."
Mercer smiled, removing his shoulder-mounted tactical harness. "Then I'll take this for now. You should also take their clothes—at least their jackets—they'll be more practical than ours for now."
Cassidy agreed, and Mercer nodded. "Okay. You're right; it's more convenient than buying new clothes mid-journey. Rosie, which one do you want?"
Rosie glanced over the jackets. "They're all ugly… Just pick any for me."
Mercer chose a plain black jacket for himself and stashed a wind chime from his old jacket into the new pocket. He then took a somewhat dirty brown jacket from a female Wraiths member for Rosie.
"What about these guns?" Cassidy asked, pointing to the scattered weapons. "We didn't have time to strip the cyberware, but they could fetch three or four thousand euros if sold through the right channels."
"I'm not sure there's room in the car, and we can't stop too often," Mercer said. "Cassidy, you'll need to help later; we've got a lot of stuff."
He turned to Daichi Tetsuya. "Take Cassidy and his truck to collect my things. We'll load the less important items into the pickup truck and drive three vehicles."
Daichi nodded, then looked at Cassidy. Cassidy found his silver revolver, holstered it, and adjusted his hat. "Looks like you need me to come along?"
"Uh-huh. We definitely need an Old Cowboy as a guide."
Mercer curled his lips into a smirk. "Coincidentally, you're wandering, too. Take us to Night City. Your reward will be whatever we gain along the way, plus ten thousand euros—but the money will only be given once we sell my items in Night City."
Cassidy shrugged casually. "I suppose I can't refuse… I've heard there's an Aldecaldos group near Night City. Perhaps they could be a new family. As for the reward, let's just consider ourselves fellow nomads. After all, you've saved me."
"Very well. The Aldecaldos always help each other. I consider myself someone who repays kindness, so let's not worry about money. If you encounter trouble later, I'll lend a hand. Maybe you can even help us find a temporary place to stay. Pleasure working with you. My name is Mercer, and the new name I plan to use is Alex Mercer."
Mercer extended his hand.
"Just call me Cassidy. So… should I call you Alex, or Mercer?"
Cassidy's large hand met Mercer's in a firm handshake.
"Hmm… the latter. I'm used to it," Mercer said.
"Pleasure working with you?" Cassidy asked.
"Pleasure working with you." Mercer nodded gently, meeting his eyes.
And so, the hacker who escaped Arasaka finally connected with the Aldecaldos—the very group he had originally planned to cooperate with.
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