[Diana: I’ve already taken care of everything. If all goes well, N54 News will expose Joanne’s poisoning in Yucca Town and the contamination of Red Ocher’s water source tomorrow at 7 PM.]
[?: So what about the thing I want?]
[Diana: Don’t worry. Once I drive Joanne out, I might even beco the regional director thanks to the deal I struck with Militech. By then, I’ll definitely be able to get approval for what you want.]
[?: I’ve waited a long ti for you, Dr. Cuno.]
[Diana: I know. Please believe ... it’s not that I don’t want to do it, but what you’re asking for is beyond what a deputy director can authorize. Once Joanne is dealt with, I’ll apply for it imdiately.]
[?: I won’t wait forever.]
[Diana: I know! Rest assured, if everything goes smoothly tomorrow, she won’t be causing trouble for much longer. I’ll hurry.]
rcer didn’t reply to Diana again.
Because he was busy with his team inspecting the property.
The reason the project had been delayed for so long was mainly due to rcer. He had not only revised the design plans multiple tis but also repeatedly increased the budget.
What should have been a basic renovation costing just over a hundred thousand eurodollars ended up as a three-hundred-thousand-eurodollars project, and that was only for the basic construction and structural work, not including the equipnt.
He had the Aldecaldos patiently and discreetly modify the basent section.
Even the surface-level warehouse was completely overhauled by rcer into a relatively high-end workshop and storefront.
Now, the previously shabby-looking warehouse had been given a fresh coat of paint by rcer, and a simple neon sign was added outside the door.
The sign didn’t have a shop na or anything like that, just a few simple words and a bright little fla as the logo.
"Weapons, Gear/Equipnt, Programs."
Straightforward and clear, outlining the services rcer planned to offer in the shop.
First, custom modifications or even handmade private weapons. Pilar enjoyed this kind of work, and rcer was also very interested in it.
Next was the sale of gear, mainly because rcer might later take on projects like handcrafted drones or chanical dogs. Aside from using what he made himself, he could also sell simpler, cheaper, and more durable items for profit.
The gear section also included so cyberware modifications. While rcer might not yet have the ability to create cyberware from scratch, he could try his hand at retrofitting existing cyberware or adding so tech through custom work.
It wasn’t that rcer lacked the technical skill or ideas; it’s just that manufacturing weapons and equipnt is a different concept from modifying or assembling them.
The forr requires raw materials and production facilities, while the latter only needs so ready-made parts and a high-end personal workbench.
Finally, the programs section: not only mods for weapons and cyberware, but also the various types of chips that rcer and his netrunners excelled at, including ICE programs, quickhacks, and more.
After a quick glance around the outside, V couldn’t wait to urge, "Hurry up, let’s go inside! I have no idea what you’ve done with the interior of this warehouse!"
rcer flashed a confident smile. "Then you’re in for a treat!"
He walked up to the main entrance, where the original door had been replaced by a sturdy automatic tal door that slid open smoothly. What appeared before V and the others was a sowhat narrow space.
Imdiately visible was a massive counter and a new concrete wall blocking the way forward, with only a small tal door left on the side.
The counter was entirely constructed from reinforced concrete and extended all the way to the ceiling, featuring a large bulletproof glass window in the middle.
The thick bulletproof glass, about six ters long and one ter high, had only a small rectangular opening that could be unlocked. It looked even more secure and solid than a bank teller’s window.
In front of the counter, a few sturdy stainless steel tables and worn sofas were casually placed, serving as a waiting area for custors.
Behind the bulletproof glass, there were only a few display shelves and two fairly large screens placed against the glass, currently dark and unlit.
"This will be the storefront of our shop. Usually, no one needs to keep watch here. See behind the counter? Just on the other side of that wall is a workshop. There are caras and microphones both outside the warehouse and around the counter. We can handle custors using a tablet, or we might not even need to interact with them directly. I plan to have an AI manage front desk sales and explanations. We’ll only need to step in for certain ergencies."
As he spoke, rcer pointed to the corner of the counter. "The warehouse ceiling was too high, about four and a half ters, so I had a false ceiling installed. We’ve integrated the electrical wiring, water pipes, ventilation system, and even reserved cooling ducts for the server room in the basent. Of course, we also made sure to include hidden automatic turrets."
Following his gesture, the group spotted two concealed automatic turrets tucked into the ceiling.
"These things cost over twenty thousand eurodollars each. Militech really knows how to make a profit. I didn’t buy too many... left a few slots open so we can build our own later and save a lot of money."
rcer then led them through the side door, which also required identity verification to open automatically.
What appeared before V and the others was a long corridor.
The warehouse was ten ters wide and over thirty ters long, and this corridor stretched almost the entire length of the building.
"The first door leads to the counter you saw earlier. There’s nothing inside right now, so no need to check it out. Let’s look at the workshop behind it."
As he spoke, rcer walked to the second door and pushed it open.
Pilar, who had been marveling at everything around them, exclaid with wide eyes, "Damn, this is the workshop? It’s huge!"
It was clear that rcer had dedicated most of the warehouse’s ground floor to the workshop. The room asured eighteen ters in length and nine ters in width, occupying nearly half of the entire first floor.
The floor of the over hundred-square-ter workshop wasn’t tiled, but it was already equipped with lighting, central air conditioning, several large workbenches, sinks, oversized trash bins for waste disposal, and other essentials.
Among the features was a large workbench where rcer had already set up computers and other basic modification equipnt, all arranged neatly.
"Right. This place will be for making heavy equipnt and weapons, the kind that’s a pain to move back and forth. I left a large door at the back of the warehouse and set aside over a hundred square ters for parking and storage. The backdoor is just through here."
rcer led them over for a look. There wasn’t much to say; it was just a simple space for parking and storage. The main door was a thick, automatic, roll-up tal shutter, also fitted for automatic turrets, and defensive asures like caras had been installed.
"Where are the rooms?" Rebecca, who had never been here before, asked excitedly. "Don’t we have a basent? How co I don’t see any stairs?"
A smile touched rcer’s lips. He led them back to the hallway, walked to the end, and knocked on one of the walls. With a simple press, a small section of the wall flipped over, revealing what looked like an ancient nuric keypad.
"So cool! Isn’t this just like those old spy movies?" Kyoko, who had co along, couldn’t help but exclaim in excitent.
She had been cooped up at the camp recently, doing nothing but surfing the net and watching all sorts of BD movies. Seeing sothing like this in person was incredibly thrilling for her.
"Don’t be fooled by its antique look. The beauty of this thing is that it’s not connected to the net. You press the code, and only if it’s correct will it activate its network mode and call the elevator up. Even if I scanned it with my cybereyes, I wouldn’t be able to pick up a signal from this thing."
rcer said with a smile, "You can also open the door directly from the basent. Even if this thing breaks, as long as the basent server is still running, you just have to call the AI, and it’ll open the door for you."
As rcer keyed in 20720101 on the nuric keypad, the wall at the end of the hallway suddenly slid open, revealing a tal elevator wall.
"This was originally designed for a staircase, but I didn’t think that was cool enough, so I swapped it for an elevator. Anyway, even if there’s an unexpected power outage, a superhuman like V can just pry the doors open and jump down. The elevator has a bit of maintenance space reserved, so you can climb down directly."
As rcer spoke, the elevator doors opened.
"Damn, this is aweso. The money was well spent, A!" V marveled.
rcer, however, rolled his eyes, wondering who it was that had been nagging him every day about spending money too fast.
After he stepped inside, Lucy, Pilar, Kiwi, Rebecca, V, and Kyoko followed, descending into the basent with him, full of anticipation.
When the elevator doors opened, even the usually quiet Kiwi and Lucy’s eyes lit up, their excitent palpable.
The more energetic ones, like Kyoko and Rebecca, let out a whoop and dashed right out.
"Holy shit, this... this ain’t half bad!" Pilar’s eyes widened as he waved his arms in excitent. "Fuck! I can’t believe I’d get the chance to live in a place with a living room!"
rcer hadn’t designed the entire basent to be brightly lit. Instead, he had used a darker color palette as much as possible to create a cozy, ho-like atmosphere.
Coming down from the elevator, the first thing they saw was a large, square living room, eleven ters wide and ten ters deep, connected to an open-plan kitchen.
rcer had chosen to paint the walls a shade of gray and enlisted a talented Aldecaldos mber to spray a vibrant, graffiti-style "Kindling Squad" text mural on the wall behind the sofa.
The large black sofa was one of the few new additions, an eight-ter-long L-shaped couch, spacious enough for the entire squad to sit together. There was also a four-ter-long, over-one-ter-wide coffee table, and a massive 100-inch TV mounted farther away.
Even fake greenery flanked the TV, AR projections of bamboo standing tall against the walls, breathing a bit of life into the basent. If anyone grew tired of the view, they could switch it up... cherry blossoms, peach blossoms, whatever they liked, though unlocking new patterns required an extra fee.
To avoid making the basent feel oppressive, rcer placed a large screen where a window would normally be, on the other side of the sofa. It looped a simulated forest landscape, doubling as ambient lighting.
The lighting itself was deliberately chosen to be warm and soft, a cozy yellowish hue rather than harsh brightness.
"Not bad at all! Feels kinda hoy, just missing so decorations. Not many cabinets or stuff around... looks a bit empty," V remarked.
rcer simply replied, "I figured this would be where everyone hangs out, so I left plenty of space. You can bring in ga consoles, a pool table, or whatever random things you want."
V glanced around, curiously drawn to the kitchen first. She walked over, running her hands over surfaces here and there. "Fridge, oven, an induction cooktop, and a gas stove? Pretty well-equipped. What about cutlery and stuff?"
"In the cabinets," rcer said.
V imdiately opened the cupboard. "All ceramic plates? These aren’t cheap, are they?"
"Not really. Little China sells sets for just over a hundred eddies," rcer explained.
"Wow, fully stocked with dishes, pots, and tools... you’re pretty detail-oriented. You ever cooked before?" V marveled.
She wasn’t just making small talk. In the Cyberpunk universe, very few people actually cooked their own als. It wasn’t about laziness; most ordinary folks simply couldn’t afford fresh ingredients.
Whether it was vegetables or at, anything you could buy was far more expensive than the synthetic ready-made als sold by corps.
"Absolutely. I’m a damn good cook. Co with first... let show you the facilities, then everyone can pick a room."
With that, rcer pushed open the door behind the living room, revealing another corridor stretching farther inside.
Doors to various rooms lined both sides of the hallway.
He pushed open the nearest one, revealing a spacious area. "This is the gym. If you’re bored with nowhere to burn energy, co here and go wild. My advice? Everyone should spar with V."
V grinned. "Oh, a boxing ring? Nice, I’m pretty into punching stuff."
Rebecca cracked her knuckles, grinning fiercely. "Bring it on! I’m not scared of you now!"
"Hey, boxing isn’t just about who’s stronger," V said confidently. "I’ll even go easy on you... one hand behind my back!"
"Don’t co crying when I break you!" Rebecca fired back, battle-ready.
The gym asured over five ters in length and eight ters in width, close to 40 square ters, filled with workout machines, exercise equipnt, and a boxing ring. It looked like more than enough space to raise hell.
"And further inside is our most important netrunner workstation."
rcer pushed open the second door as he spoke.
The mont it opened, a mix of whirring cooling fans, warm and cool air rushed toward them.
When they saw what was inside, even Kiwi couldn’t help but exclaim: "You... spent quite a lot on this, didn’t you?"
The space was five ters long but nearly thirty ters wide. Imdiately visible upon entering was an entire wall covered with massive server racks.
Or rather, only one cabinet was currently filled with Zetatech’s compact servers, while the other twenty-plus cabinets remained empty, though pre-wired with both data and cooling lines.
Additionally, there was a row of netrunner stations. These were personally funded by the crew, each with different models.
But considering they now had a server room, these stations were mainly for connecting to their netrunning suits’ cooling systems, with computing power becoming secondary.
There were also nurous workbenches, primarily for chip manufacturing and processing, along with small chanical creations like drones and robotic hounds that could be built right here without needing to go upstairs.
rcer said with a pained expression: "Quite a lot indeed. Just the cooling channels, cabinets, and related accessories cost over two hundred thousand eurodollars. Behind this server wall are specialized cooling ducts directly connected to twelve heat vents above the warehouse, assisting with the water cooling for this server array. The intake vents have high-power refrigeration fans installed... running these cooling systems at full capacity would cost tens of thousands in electricity monthly."
Lucy looked puzzled: "Why not just start with one cabinet? All these empty racks must have cost quite a bit too."
"I put up my car as collateral," rcer said succinctly. "I pawned that Caliburn with El Capitán to raise three million eurodollars upfront. Don’t say it’s too low... supercars never hold their value on the secondary market, and that’s all El Capitán could scrape together. He usually deals in... less legitimate transactions, so today was rare for him to actually front capital. Not easy."
"I plan to use this money to make a quick profit from Biotechnica’s situation in the stock market, then directly build out this server room to dium-scale specifications all at once. The Caliburn’s damn cool, modded to hell and back... but our current crew really can’t afford running that scale of vehicle for combat missions. Scratch the paint, and there goes a small server."
rcer pointed excitedly at the server wall: "If we can fill all these, I estimate we’ll get twenty, maybe thirty tis the computing power of my netrunner station. And rember, my station’s already more powerful than those trash-tier small server arrays! With that kind of processing power, even corporate elite netrunners won’t be able to breach our servers remotely. Running AIs, large programs, testing new algorithms... all will be more than manageable."
"Um... how much are you planning to spend on this?" V asked cautiously, one hand unconsciously covering her chest.
"Every damn eurodollar we’ve got, like we agreed! The car money’s just a loan to get these servers running... I’ve got big plans. I’ll pay back your and Rebecca’s shares after I turn profits."
After rcer finished speaking, Rebecca crossed her arms and said with so displeasure, "I told you not to split it, but you insisted. Just giving a hundred or two hundred thousand eurodollars would be enough."
"We agreed on one-third each," rcer insisted, but even V, who was clutching her chest, shook her head and said, "Forget it. I feel... this money ca too easily, and it doesn’t sit right with to take it. Just consider it clearing my debt. Honestly, if it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have given us this much. The intel was yours, and honestly, with you here, the mission wasn’t even that difficult. Rebecca and I can each take a few hundred thousand eurodollars... enough to deck out a room and tinker with so cyberware. That’s plenty."
rcer shook his head. "We’ll talk about it later."
"I won’t take it even if you give it to ," Rebecca frowned at him. "Even if we’re splitting based on contributions, getting that Caliburn was mostly thanks to your intel, right? You also put in the work... planning the operation, executing it, handling the extraction. Taking fifty or sixty percent is only fair. V and I definitely won’t accept money based on your so-called ’equal split’ idea."
Seeing how firm both of them were, rcer chuckled. "Hey... do you two even realize how much money that is?"
"No matter how much, it’s not relevant to us," V said bluntly. "If we’re going by the principle of ’to each according to their work,’ then drop this act."
"Alright, alright. How about twenty percent each for you two, and I take the rest. Deal?" rcer offered.
"That’s more like it. Besides, isn’t your server for everyone at the base to use anyway?" Rebecca finally broke into a smile.
She glanced around at the room full of screens, netrunner stations, and workbenches, shook her head, and quickly added, "Are there any other rooms? This place is full of netrunner stuff... it’s making dizzy."
"The rest are personal bedrooms for everyone. There are seven in total, each around twenty square ters with a private bathroom and walk-in closet. The innermost one is the base’s backup generator room. In case of an ergency power outage, the large generator inside will automatically kick in. A full tank can last at least an hour."
After rcer finished, Rebecca asked doubtfully, "How big is this generator that it only lasts an hour?"
"Do you have any idea how much electricity this server room would consu if everything’s running at full capacity? I had to rely on Mr. Hands bribing those Barghest idiots to get a dedicated power line installed. Otherwise, we’d be dealing with blackouts and tripped circuits all the ti... a total nightmare."
rcer pointed to the adjacent rooms. "Since there are exactly seven of us, each can pick one. The layouts are all the sa... decorate however you like later."
"Where are you planning to stay?" Rebecca asked, moving closer to him with a grin. "How about we be neighbors?"
"I don’t mind. I’ll probably be in the server room most of the ti anyway. My room’s just for sleeping."
Rebecca promptly pointed to the room opposite the server room. "Then you take that one... easy access to the server room. I’ll take the one to your right."
"Deal." No sooner had rcer spoken than Lucy quietly pushed open the door to the leftmost room, the first one, and went inside.
Kiwi didn’t hesitate, choosing the innermost room. V thought for a mont before settling next to Rebecca, leaving Pilar with the second-to-last room.
However, Pilar didn’t really care who his neighbor was. He just rubbed his hands together sowhat creepily and asked, "How’s the soundproofing here?"
"Good enough. All solid walls," rcer glanced at him. "But let’s get one thing straight first... no bringing outsiders back to the base without my permission."
rcer wasn’t about to put this matter to a vote. He couldn’t stand the thought of a bunch of annoying assholes suddenly invading his ho.
Who knew what kind of weirdos these street kids usually hung out with?
"Heh, I was just saying, uh... never mind, it’s nothing." Pilar trailed off under Rebecca’s narrowed gaze, raising his hands in surrender.
Ever since Rebecca upgraded to Gorilla Arms, he’d lost all fight in him. A punch from her used to just make him grit his teeth, but now, one hit from those things would send him straight to the ripperdoc.
"Alright, sort out your own rooms. Set up your own access permissions for the doors. Bring all your luggage over. Tonight, we’ll have a proper feast. From now on, this is our ho!"
"And I’ve got a gift for everyone."
rcer’s mysterious tone sparked their curiosity, but since he showed no intention of revealing it early, they all excitedly went to check out their rooms.
Even from his own room, rcer could hear Rebecca’s delighted laughter next door.
"Hahaha! There’s even a bathtub? rcer! I love you! You hear ?"
rcer shook his head, ignoring her, and took a mont to appreciate his own room.
Though windowless, making it feel a bit stifling visually, rcer was still thoroughly satisfied. At least the room was spacious, and the mattress was soft enough that his stiff back didn’t ache when he lay down.
Most importantly, he’d arranged for a bathtub. He could finally take hot baths!
Since crossing over, he hadn’t had a single proper soak. For a northerner who loved baths, these days had been pure torture.
His cyberware wasn’t afraid of water, after all.
Soon, sounds of people moving luggage echoed from outside. It was almost pitiful. Everyone’s combined belongings could probably fit in just one car.
Even V, in her rented room, only had that beat-up laptop, stored firearms and ammunition, and clothes that belonged to her.
rcer stepped out of his room with nothing urgent to do and headed back to the living room, opening the fridge.
He took out the treasures he’d had the Aldecaldos smuggle in earlier to thaw.
A large chunk of beef, nearly five kilograms, a case of chicken wings, and so fresh vegetables and seasonings they rarely got to enjoy.
When V finished moving her luggage and glanced into the kitchen, her eyes lit up as she rushed over. "Damn, A, where’d you get this? Synthetic at?"
"Real at! And chicken too! All smuggled in from Texas. The Aldecaldos drove around the Badlands for over a week to get this for !"
rcer boasted proudly, "Tonight, I’m having fried chicken wings, NiCola-glazed wings, braised beef, roasted beef..."
"Let handle it! I’ll make so xican dishes!" V rolled up her sleeves and nudged him aside. "Go wait outside. Don’t waste good ingredients."
"Who do you think you’re looking down on? I’ll win you over with my NiCola chicken wings today."
As the two bantered and roughhoused, the others passing by couldn’t help but stop. Rebecca, Pilar, and Kyoko even crowded around the kitchen, staring hungrily at the fresh at with nothing better to do.
Even Lucy and Kiwi chose to stay in the living room, turning on the TV but stealing glances toward the kitchen every now and then.
It wasn’t until V raised an eyebrow and waved the knife a few tis that the drooling onlookers awkwardly chuckled and retreated to the living room couch to rest. Soon after, the aroma of food began wafting from the kitchen.
Even the high-powered range hood, bought specifically for this purpose, couldn’t completely contain the enticing scents.
After two hours of efficient teamwork, rcer and V had swiftly prepared a full table of dishes, arranging them on the dining table beside the kitchen.
The long table could easily seat ten people facing each other, yet everyone instinctively left the head of the table, the only seat of honor, for rcer.
When rcer’s confidently prepared NiCola chicken wings were brought to the table, everyone fixed their eyes on him. Rebecca, in particular, looked like she was about to see green with hunger.
"Alright, let’s keep it short... just a few words," rcer said with an amused chuckle. "First, congratulations to all of us for finally having a place we can call ho, a shelter from the storm... a real ho of our own."
"Second, I swear that one day, we will all move out of filthy Dogtown, leave this stuffy basent behind, and settle into a penthouse in Night City. We’ll enjoy the city lights through the windows and share even more delicious dinners together."
"I want to emphasize... all of us, together. No one will be left behind. In fact, there might even be more joining us."
After a brief pause, he continued with a smile, "Lastly, may our Kindling Squad sail smoothly toward becoming legends of this city. May everyone in Night City rember our nas!"
"That’s all... dig in!"
As soon as he finished, Rebecca imdiately grabbed a fork and speared a NiCola chicken wing. The perfect balance of sweet and savory, combined with a tenderness she’d never experienced before, made her eyes widen in astonishnt. "So good!"
V glanced at her skeptically. "Really? I saw him cooking it with NiCola... that dark reddish color can’t be right, can it?"
"So good!" Rebecca repeated, too busy devouring the food to form a proper reply.
Still doubtful, V carefully picked up a piece with her chopsticks and took a tentative bite. Her expression brightened instantly. "Hey? Not bad... almost like it’s braised in red wine."
"Right?" rcer grinned, using his own chopsticks to serve several pieces onto a small plate, which he then passed to others at the table.
Only after seeing everyone’s approval did he finally remove his mask with satisfaction and begin eating himself.
Spanish-style rolled tortillas with roasted beef, vegetable salad, NiCola chicken wings, spicy fried chicken wings, and a hearty beef stew. Though not an extravagant spread, it was a rare and exquisite feast by Night City’s standards.
V had already taken several bites when sothing suddenly occurred to her. She whipped her head around.
Then, as if struck by lightning, she froze, her movents stiff as her jaw slowly dropped.
In her line of sight was rcer’s face, youthful, boyish, and thoroughly enjoying his al, now clearer than ever before.
"Holy shit... This is what you look like!? You’ve got to be kidding !"
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