"Thanks, brother, are you also with the Aldecaldos?"
The middle-aged man leading the group was smiling at Cassidy, probably thinking that the leader of this convoy, adorned with the Aldecaldos family insignia, was an experienced Old Cowboy.
Cassidy returned the smile, saying, "Cassidy, an Aldecaldos… Are you from Saul Bright's group here?"
"Uh huh… Ah! You're the guest Saul mentioned, right! That's great, I was just thinking of calling you later to ask why you hadn't arrived yet!"
The middle-aged man slapped his forehead and chuckled, "Saul told me yesterday that your request is to get everyone, the vehicles, and the goods through the checkpoint, then we drop you off at the family camp? No other requests?"
"Right, these kids need to avoid leaving any border crossing records, and the goods they're carrying can't be discovered. After that, a few of us will be temporarily staying at the family camp here for a while."
Cassidy said, then asked, "What's your name?"
"Norman. These are Panam Palmer, Mitch, and Scorpion."
Norman introduced them one by one, then praised, "Mitch and Scorpion are both retired soldiers. Mitch is excellent at driving and repairing vehicles.
Scorpion is a veteran from the special forces, skilled in assassination. Panam Palmer is our own girl; don't let her youth fool you, she's already a very outstanding warrior."
Afterward, Norman's gaze shifted to behind Cassidy, where a group of children, mostly of Asian descent, none older than fourteen, stood.
Although they were all dressed in nomad gear, the cool neural tattoos and cybernetic eyes on their faces indicated that these youngsters were not from typical nomad families.
"Did you bring these from the family? Or did they hire you as a guide?" Norman probed.
Cassidy shrugged and replied, "Rather, we came together as a group. And… he's the boss."
The Old Cowboy tipped his hat and pointed to Mercer, who was quietly observing the situation behind him.
Cassidy's words made Norman's eyes widen, and Panam Palmer and the others behind him exchanged bewildered glances.
But Mercer had already walked over with a smile, extending his hand to Norman and shaking it.
"Mercer, Alex Mercer. Cassidy's friend."
"Oh my…" Panam Palmer couldn't help but mumble, "This guy looks like a little kid."
Mercer's mouth twitched slightly. He turned to look, and the girl with wheat-colored skin and a few freckles on her face gave an embarrassed smile.
Mitch, beside her, patted Panam Palmer's head firmly: "Don't mind her, she's just a bit too direct sometimes… Uh, I mean, she has no filter."
Panam Palmer moved her head away unhappily, but still smiled a little awkwardly, saying proactively, "I didn't mean anything by it, it's just that you look… too young."
"Well, that's not wrong. I am indeed only fourteen."
Mercer smiled, not caring at all.
"Why are you here…?" Norman had to confirm the intentions of this mysterious group of children.
"We're being hunted and plan to find a way to survive here in Night City. We'll need to understand things better before deciding what to do next.
So, we'd like to use the Aldecaldos' camp to rest for a while."
Mercer paused, then continued, "We won't be freeloading here. I'm sure you can tell…"
At this point, he turned sideways, pointing to the neural port slot on the back of his neck, and said:
"We're all hackers. Although we're a bit young, our skills are decent.
We can help you with network facilities, equipment upgrades, network security maintenance, and so on.
During our stay at the camp, if you encounter any trouble, we're also willing to lend a hand."
Seeing that the other children all tacitly agreed with his statement, Norman generally understood their situation. He wasn't too concerned about them being hunted; it wasn't uncommon among nomads.
"Norman, I've spoken with Saul. These kids are all good and sensible; they won't cause any trouble."
Cassidy vouched for them. He had gotten quite familiar with these children on the journey and had a general understanding of them.
Mercer was the type who was outwardly warm but inwardly cool. He seemed carefree and easygoing, but it was actually quite hard to truly connect with him in conversation.
It wasn't that he was difficult to get along with… it was just that one always felt unsure what to talk about with him.
Rosie was very easy to get along with; her optimistic personality and kind nature were evident at a glance.
Lucy, on the other hand, was relatively aloof. She didn't seem to trust people easily, almost exclusively listening to Mercer, and was quite dependent on and trusting of him.
In contrast, Daichi Tetsuya and Leon had a very good relationship with him.
They were all enthusiastic and cheerful good kids; he practically treated these two as half-sons.
And Daichi Tetsuya and Leon had a great impression of him—after all, having escaped from Arasaka, everyone, except for the anomaly that was Mercer, actually needed some emotional support.
But all in all, Cassidy could guarantee that these were good kids.
"What I say doesn't count… but Saul has already prepared tents for you at the camp, so I think it shouldn't be a big problem.
Since we've met, let's wait for us to finish up here, and we'll all go back together.
Today has been unlucky; usually, hardly anyone comes here, but today we ran into some Wraiths looking for trouble…"
Norman sighed, then enthusiastically called out, "Panam Palmer, you chat with them. I need to fix this tire first."
"Scorpion, go keep an eye out, just in case any Wraiths have backup.
I'll go search and see if these Wraiths have anything valuable—consider it unexpected fortune."
Mitch said with a smile. He was a slightly balding middle-aged white man, with an M-shaped receding hairline at the front and a circular bald patch at the back of his head… Mercer guessed he might have British ancestry.
Scorpion seemed a bit aloof, wearing a hood, his exposed half-face grim and stern as he cautiously watched Mercer, scrutinizing him for a while, then suddenly said:
"Was their car hacked by you just now?"
"Yeah, their car systems are old stuff from ten years ago; hacking them isn't hard."
Mercer's understated tone made Scorpion nod slightly. He turned to Panam Palmer and said:
"Don't underestimate him. Even the hackers in my unit couldn't hack into those cars as fast as he did. He's got real skill."
Scorpion had another thing he didn't say—those few cars seemed to have malfunctioned almost simultaneously, and from visual inspection, more than one quickhack program was uploaded at the same time.
Only a hacker with top-tier 'intelligence' could complete such a hack so easily and simultaneously.
If some less capable hackers tried that, their brains would be smoking hot by now.
"Really?"
Panam Palmer now held Mercer in much higher regard; Scorpion rarely praised anyone. But she just waved her hand:
"Alright, kids, come lend a hand. Help us check the cars, scavenge the battlefield, and then we'll take you across the border."
Lucy and the others began clearing the battlefield with practiced ease, looking no different from these seasoned nomads.
This made the Aldecaldos, who had been observing them, nod in approval.
Mercer walked over to Panam Palmer and observed her up close for a moment.
Panam Palmer now looked only eighteen or nineteen. Compared to the wild and mature woman in the game, her skin was fairer and more delicate, making her appear more vibrant.
As for her figure, it was the same as in the game, appearing to be about 1.7 meters tall, with a curvaceous figure and long legs… even more appealing than in the game, exuding a sense of youthful vitality.
"How do you plan to get us in? Cassidy should have told you that we don't intend to leave any entry/exit records, and we also have some tricky black market goods that can't be discovered."
Mercer asked, and Panam Palmer, who was inspecting the engine of a Wraiths member's car, just laughed confidently a few times: "This is our nomad specialty… It's very simple. Our car will be in front. When we reach the border checkpoint, you'll queue up with our car.
When it's our turn, I'll go in and pay the inspector in charge of checks. It's five hundred eurodollars per car, including people and goods. Then, based on the money I give, he'll let you cross one by one."
Panam Palmer finished, a smirk on her lips: "How about that? Surprisingly simple?"
"Indeed… They won't check the goods or verify the personnel?"
Mercer confirmed again; this was not something to be careless about. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had Cassidy contact these people to pick them up outside the border in advance.
"Don't worry, unless there's an accident that causes the higher-ups to demand a lockdown, it's always this simple.
This is Night City. They don't care where you come from or what you're carrying.
Do you know Dogtown? The Dogtown in Night City's Pacifica district.
They say even Militech's Centaur armor can be directly air-dropped there. Do you think, compared to that, what's a little smuggling of ours?
Besides, we Aldecaldos aren't to be trifled with. Once we've paid, they'd better let us through. If they really want to cause us trouble, we won't just stand by and watch them confiscate our goods."
When Panam Palmer mentioned Dogtown, her expression became a bit annoyed:
"It's also thanks to that asshole… cough, I mean, that NUSA traitor Colonel Hansen, that high-end goods are all being air-dropped into Dogtown.
Our nomad income has decreased a lot; we hardly get any big jobs anymore.
So, those checkpoint officers won't waste much time. Pay the money, leave. They'll guarantee not to say an extra word."
Mercer nodded, understanding, but still cautiously pressed on: "What if someone releases our personal data and asks these border stations to pay special attention?"
"Oh my, what exactly did you guys do to be so scared…?"
Panam Palmer was a bit impatient, but still thought seriously for a moment and said:
"Then here's the plan: you kids will ride in Norman's big van.
His van has been modified; it has a special metal layer inside that the border station's inspection light can't penetrate. From the instruments, they'll only see a mass of black.
Put your cars and goods inside, and you just stay quiet in there. We'll handle the rest.
Once you're in, wait by the roadside. We'll make another trip to drive your cars in, and then we're done."
Panam Palmer's words made Mercer nod:
"Alright then, we'll move the stuff in a bit.
Until I get new identities, better safe than sorry—to be honest, the trouble we've stirred up is quite significant.
Whether it's people or goods, if discovered, it could lead to big trouble."
"Understood, I won't ask any more questions."
Panam Palmer said, then, seeing Norman almost finished patching the tire, she called out loudly: "Norman, you drive later. Use your precious car to take them in; they need to use your car to cross."
Norman understood: "Got it."
He looked at the few Wraiths' cars and said:
"Alright then, Mitch, Scorpion, I've called the family. They'll come over in a bit to drive these cars away.
Except for the one with the ruined engine, the others can mostly be repaired and sold.
You two help them drive their cars in a bit. After you've taken them across the border, I'll bring you back to get your own cars."
Mercer and the others only had three cars in total. Cassidy would drive one, and Scorpion and Mitch would each drive one, which was just enough to get them all in. Once across the border, Mercer and the others could get into their cars and drive themselves to the camp in the east of the city.
Since they were entering from the south of the city, they could also take a detour through Night City and see this dream city that Mercer had yearned for for so long.
"Okay."
Scorpion didn't say much and started helping Mercer and the others move things.
As soon as they opened the car compartments, everyone was startled by the sheer amount of items inside.
They were all high-grade Arasaka refrigerated containers… or were they password-locked cases? That was truly rare… But they were still very professional and didn't ask a single question, simply placing the items into Norman's Columbus van.
Mercer touched the metal body of the van. The reinforced body seemed to be coated with a special black material, and it was probably these materials that allowed it to evade the security scanning lasers at the checkpoint.
Soon, the main supplies were all transferred to the van.
Mercer's hacker cyberware, removed along the way, including the valuable cyberware from the Arasaka agent, was also bundled up and refrigerated.
He planned to repair and sell them later. Also, there were several professional laptops with Arasaka logos that Mercer was carrying.
Besides these, other firearms, valuable gold jewelry, and electronic components acquired along the way were still piled in the original cars.
Mercer intended to dispose of all this junk directly at the Aldecaldos' camp.
After that, he could start by making some money, then find a reliable ripperdoc to complete his modifications.
He first needed to install all the top-tier hacker cyberware he had treasured throughout the journey, and then see if he could add anything else.
Once the items were packed, Mercer and the others finalized the details of the operation, then proactively climbed into the van, which was already filled with goods.
As he sat in the cramped space, Mercer's heart couldn't help but beat faster. It wasn't claustrophobia, but rather… he was finally arriving!
This city he had dreamed of—Night City!
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