Rosie covered her face as she rushed into the old, dilapidated house, which looked like it had endured countless years. Behind her, Da Di and the others were struggling to unload precious supplies from the car.
The house had probably been a farmer's home once, but the land that used to be farmland had long since turned to a barren Gobi Desert. The warehouse section of the house was half-ruined, as if it had been shelled, but fortunately, the living quarters were still intact.
The two-story cottage contained a sofa, living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and two bathrooms—one on each floor. It was evident that the original owner had lived comfortably.
As the electric lights hummed noisily and flickered a few times, power was restored, and the dim room brightened.
"Phew…"
Old Cowboy walked in, one hand on his cowboy hat, sand clinging to his clothes. Shaking off the grit, he said,
"The water, electricity, and network here still work. If you feel sandy all over, you can take a shower upstairs. Everything's usable. When you leave, if you have extra resources, leave them behind—it's considered paying rent for those who come after."
Rosie untied her pigtails and shook them out—just a few steps from the car had left her hair full of grit.
"The water and electricity actually still work here?" she exclaimed.
"Yes. The local nomads maintain all this. They connect circuits, repair network cables and water pipes. When weather like this strikes and they can't reach their tribe, they come to houses like these for temporary shelter. Every tribe shares resources, so if you travel elsewhere, contact the locals. Our people share resting places and safe routes selflessly," Cassidy explained with a smile.
"The network's connected to the city's LAN. Connection isn't super stable, but if you brought a computer, you could check news, listen to music, and so on. I need a rest… anyone want hot coffee?"
Most agreed, and Cassidy leisurely went to prepare it.
"I'm going to shower," Lucy said, tugging at her collar—the tiny stones embedded in her tight hacker suit made her uncomfortable.
"Conserve water. It's collected rainwater, and once it's gone, it's gone. Plus, the purifier is old, so the water quality isn't great," Cassidy warned. Lucy nodded and pulled Rosie upstairs.
"If you want hot water, wait a bit. The water heater isn't very efficient," Cassidy added.
Downstairs, Mercer sprawled on the sofa, exhausted from the drive, while Da Di and Li Ang glanced at each other, reluctantly deciding, "I'll just wipe down with a wet towel. Cold water hair washing isn't a big deal."
"Go ahead. I'll keep watch," Cassidy said.
Coffee brewed, Cassidy brought it over to Mercer, who had just opened his eyes.
"Kid, drink this. We'll heat canned food for dinner before sleeping."
Mercer yawned, relaxed, "Alright, I just want to doze off for a bit."
"Sugar?" Cassidy asked, placing the coffee in front of him.
"Just a little… I prefer milk," Mercer said.
"Milk? That's a luxury. I haven't had milk in over a decade." Cassidy clicked his tongue in wonder.
"Were you running from home? Or some training camp? Arasaka doesn't let young kids in easily," Cassidy remarked.
"Training camp? More like a concentration camp. Some of us were from Arasaka orphanages, others sold by foster parents… many didn't survive before escaping," Mercer explained, then smiled. "What about you?"
"The Unification War wiped out my family's savings. My family had to work for corporations out of necessity. Work isn't hard, but many dreamt of returning to NUSA. I found it boring, no attachments, so I wandered while I could," Cassidy replied.
"Did you bring them out? You're the alpha wolf."
"Alpha wolf? Maybe a pack of stray puppies," Mercer laughed.
"Even combat teams from nomad families wouldn't have handled those Wraiths so cleanly," Cassidy said, clearly impressed.
"I'll be responsible for them until we're safe," Mercer added.
"Are you all heading to Night City?" Cassidy asked.
"Yes. It's the only free place left in North America. Chaotic, but full of opportunity, and corporate control isn't strong," Mercer said, smiling at the laughter from Da Di and Li Ang in the first-floor bathroom. "These kids have their own dreams. When they find them, they're free to stay or go."
"You're mature," Cassidy praised.
"Interested in being a nomad? You'd make those around you live well," Cassidy said.
"That's a quick judgment," Mercer laughed. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I'm a hacker; only in the city can I use my skills."
Cassidy and Mercer quickly sized each other up. Mercer appeared mature beyond his years.
"Are we heading straight to Night City?" Cassidy confirmed.
"A slight detour, but not far," Mercer said. "I had planned this route… You don't have a cybernetic eye, only calls. Honestly, you should get one."
Cassidy smiled, pulling out his phone, "Send it directly to me? Fast. Hackers are amazing."
"It's not amazing. When off-network, we form a local subnet through our brain-computer interface. I scan your network with a cyber-eye or device, then hack into the captured subnet. Speed depends on our Intelligence stats and equipment. Your brainpower doesn't help much without hacking knowledge," Mercer explained.
"Turn off your interface to avoid hackers. But I'll send a simple ICE program for your interface. Your Intelligence will then affect program speed, delaying hackers significantly. Your phone is basically undefended; if I capture its signal, I can hack it without programs."
"Truly impressive," Cassidy said, impressed by Mercer's skill.
Cassidy studied the route map Mercer sent.
"We can reach Night City in half a month with some help," Cassidy said.
"Half a month?" Mercer had originally planned a month to avoid major city routes and conceal tracks.
"With safe identities and some highways, four to five days max. But to avoid checkpoints, many routes are through wilderness," Cassidy explained.
Mercer shook his head, "I'll forge a perfect fake identity in Night City to avoid Arasaka. You lead the trip."
Suddenly, Cassidy's ears twitched; Mercer went silent.
"I hear a car," Cassidy said, drawing his revolver and peering out the window.
Mercer had already sent messages to Lucy and Da Di via his cybernetic eye.
Da Di and Li Ang quickly grabbed rifles with wet hair.
"What's happening?" Cassidy asked.
"Be on alert. Possible enemies," Mercer said.
"Did you bring the light machine gun from the stolen pickup?" Cassidy asked.
"Da Di, Li Ang, flank from the back. Cassidy and I will engage head-on; use the pickup for heavy support!" Mercer instructed.
Yellow sand swirled, visibility ten meters. Lucy's message popped up on Mercer's eye:
[Lucy: Rosie and I are on the second floor. Rosie will scan for enemies; I'll provide suppressive fire.]
[Mercer: Good. Fire at targets we can't easily reach from below.]
[Lucy: Received!]
Engines grew louder.
"They're Wraiths! Cassidy, stay connected to the network," Mercer whispered, sending messages to his hacker team.
[Rosie: Four cars, at least eight people. They have a machine-gun pickup. Wait for them to exit vehicles.]
[Mercer: Old Cowboy, can you see them?]
[Cassidy: Too dusty to see, but I hear you. Amazing.]
Visibility was poor; they let the Wraiths advance.
"Give me a grenade. Toss it at the door," Cassidy ordered.
Mercer handed over a fragmentation grenade.
"They've stopped. Crap, we forgot to turn on lights!" Mercer frowned.
Lucy aimed her Arasaka assault rifle:
"Countdown five seconds…"
"Dada-da!" Her shot cut off a Wraith's shouting.
Simultaneously, Mercer and Old Cowboy threw grenades.
"Fire!!" Mercer roared, raising his Kenshin Pistol, his golden cyber-eye scanning, splitting focus between hacking and combat.
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