In the end, rcer decided to take them to the camp’s small diner to talk over a al.
The Aldecaldos camp’s little eatery was essentially a food truck with so simple tables and chairs set up outside.
The food was classic: fried at, fries, a salad made with unidentifiable vegetables, and so kind of mush.
rcer took a bite of the fried at. 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... rcer 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 rcer leisurely spoke up.
"Alright, we’ve eaten enough. Ti to talk?" rcer 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 tis, but seeing Lucy’s sowhat 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 beco nomads."
His words made Leon turn to him in surprise.
Daichi just looked at rcer 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 very uneasy.
I don’t want to go back to that kind of life... rcer, 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 ... 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 et rcer’s eyes, just stared down and spoke on:
"Rember the first ti I got hurt? That ti 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, rcer, 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 ti 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 sothing, but in the end, she stayed silent, rely pursing her lips, averting her gaze, and lowering her head to sip her iced coffee.
Kyoko, however, did not hide her sowhat sorrowful expression. She glanced at rcer, 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 tis.
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.
rcer 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 rcer 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 rcer.
"Understood. Then you stay here for now. Once I’ve sorted out a place in Night City, I’ll co get you."
After saying this, rcer 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.
rcer 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 so people."
"You can use my computer," Lucy said. "It’s in the backpack on my bed."
"Okay." rcer smiled, downing the rest of his cola in one go. "That’s settled then. Everyone, find sothing to do."
And just like that, the farewell al ca to a simple end.
Leon seed to still have sothing to say, but Daichi stopped him and spoke to rcer 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 co."
"Got it."
Without turning around, rcer just waved his hand and headed back to the tent.
The farewell al was over, and rcer 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 accustod to goodbyes than children.
—--
After connecting to Night City’s network using Lucy’s computer, rcer 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 ga.
He was one of the rare ripperdocs in Night City with a conscience.
In the ga, even when V was broke and living on borrowed ti, 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 so of the ga’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 rcer?
The phone rang only a few tis before it was picked up.
"Yeah?" A mature, raspy male voice ca through the line.
"Dr. Viktor, I’d like to schedule an appointnt for tomorrow morning, to install, or at least examine, so cyberware."
rcer’s tone was relaxed. Hearing this voice, so similar to the one from the ga, felt oddly familiar.
"Hmm, most people don’t make appointnts in advance for a back-alley clinic like mine." Viktor’s voice was gentle, but there was a hint of wariness in it.
rcer 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 so fixers—if you don’t sort out how to contact them ahead of ti, it can be tough to even get a eting."
"Is that so? Mind if I ask in advance, where did this cyberware co from?" Viktor asked cautiously.
"Acquired through... unconventional ans. I’ve done so basic software tweaks myself, but so of it needs professional equipnt, especially for a thorough hardware screening to avoid any hidden surprises."
rcer 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 assu you know the location?"
Viktor didn’t refuse outright. He’d see what the situation was like in person. At the very least, rcer didn’t sound unreasonable over the phone, though his voice did seem a bit young.
"Thanks, Vik. See you tomorrow. Oh, by the way, na’s rcer. You can also call A."
rcer hung up, imagining the slightly bewildered look on Viktor’s face, probably wondering how this stranger on the phone was already so familiar.
After a mont of thought, rcer made another call.
"Who is this?" A cold, sharp woman’s voice answered.
"Rogue, Queen of the Afterlife. First ti speaking, my na is Alex rcer. You can call rcer, or use the codena A."
rcer’s new na was inspired by the protagonist of a ga he used to play, Prototype. And "A," as most gars call him, is the nickna given to the protagonist of that ga, Alex rcer.
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 ti is valuable."
"An old friend of yours asked for a favor, and after giving it so thought, I’m sure it’ll benefit you too. Plus, I genuinely need soone capable to lend a hand."
"And the Queen of Afterlife isn’t soone just anyone can et, 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."
rcer’s words were t with silence on the other end of the line. After a few seconds, a cold reply ca through: "Tomorrow, 8 PM. Afterlife."
"No problem."
rcer replied casually, "If possible, I’d also like to place a request with you—I need soone to insert a chip into the Night City Hall server for ."
"We’ll talk when we et."
Rogue neither agreed nor refused, but warned in a stern voice:
"You sound young, so let make this clear—I hate people who play gas. If you’re just throwing his na around for fun, you’d better not show up."
"You won’t be disappointed." With that, rcer hung up.
The Queen of Afterlife... quite the presence, huh?
Afterward, rcer 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-ti technical support for special operations, ICE upgrades, system maintenance, program developnt 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-ti clients get 20% off. Open to tasks requiring multiple netrunners, book anyti, 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, forr 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 ga, or Faraday from Edgerunners who got David and his crew killed, rcer had no intention of dealing with them.
rcer wasn’t about to wait until he made a na for himself before others ca 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, rcer 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 aid 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 ani.
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 ani 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.
rcer was specifically targeting characters who had appeared in the ga and ani, which would save him a great deal of ti 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, rcer hadn’t forgotten his good buddy Jackie from the ga.
It was just a sha Jackie was still ssing around with the Valentinos, he’d need to find a way to lure him out.
Judging by his track record in the ga, Jackie was a genuine badass, just a bit unlucky.
After so thought, rcer 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.
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