Incredible, a cybernetic doctor is an absolute rarity in the Evil Land.
The overall atmosphere of the camp wasn’t so aggressive. Compared to a smuggling camp or a military base, it felt more like a family. Everyone gathered together, chatting and laughing, even having time to play guitar, which left a much better impression on Lin Miao.
"You must be Lin Miao? Why are you dressed like a corporate drone?" Panam sized up the person in front of her, clearly with some resentment.
Lin Miao shrugged, "It’s business negotiation, after all. You’ve got to dress formally, or else I’d worry you’d think I look down on Adcardo and beat me up to vent, wouldn’t that be unfair?"
His casual and humble tone slightly softened Panam’s previously irritated expression. She crossed her arms and asked.
"Cut out the pretentious act. Speak, what’s the matter?"
"Get in the car, it’s inconvenient here."
Panam’s words were forceful and decisive. Without waiting for Lin Miao’s consent, she opened the door of a modified vehicle equipped with automatic machine guns and sat in the driver’s seat.
Lin Miao suddenly felt a bit sorry for the leader named Sol. Putting on a show, he opened the trunk of his car, took out a big black box, and placed it in Panam’s vehicle.
"Your car... pretty nice."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Lin Miao admired the internal smart control system capable of connecting directly to the roof-mounted cannon for automatic firing. It was certainly genuine envy.
"Heh, good taste. So, where to?"
A hint of pride was in Panam’s voice. This Thunder Power was her joy.
Panam pressed the gas pedal, and the beast roared with a heavy engine sound, its tires kicked up clouds of dust on the sandy ground as it sped out of the camp.
"You a Wanderer too... from where? Snake Gang or Jodis?"
"Neither, my people are from all over, planning to make a name for ourselves in Night City. I’m scouting ahead."
With the player numbers increasing and the base being transformed, Lin Miao knew that the changes in Stone Ridge Mountain town wouldn’t stay hidden long, at least not from Adcardo and Night Wanderers who roamed the Evil Land for years.
It’s better to craft a story now rather than find an excuse later.
Clearly, Panam believed half.
"Heh, every year people like you come to Night City, but who knows how many are left at the end."
Panam had considered being a Mercenary in Night City, but for now, she couldn’t leave Adcardo.
"If this goes well, we should collaborate more in the future. But Panam, what’s the deal with... Sol, what are you two arguing about?"
Lin Miao was curious about what could cause such fierce bickering between two people. Panam seemed to hold a significant position but yelled at the leader without anyone intervening, indicating the tribe wasn’t entirely behind either Sol or Panam.
"It’s about those damn corporations. Smuggling hasn’t been easy these past two years, so Sol wants to negotiate with biotech companies, asking us to be corporate slaves, farming and delivering goods for them. Damn biotech!"
"Those bastards destroyed water sources, polluted lands, made the city filthy, pushing us to wander. Now Sol wants us to become corporate slaves? What is he thinking!"
Panam cursed, slapping the steering wheel.
Unlike Panam, Lin Miao could understand Sol’s perspective. Conservatives exist everywhere, but ultimately...
"Whoever wins gets to decide, Panam."
"In the end, Sol doesn’t want trouble, doesn’t want to compete or fight with Night Wanderers or Hansen’s people, worried the tribe would suffer great losses. He wants to yield to corporations for survival space. You resist, think companies are untrustworthy, believe you must rely on yourself. Whoever is strongest speaks with reason, if anyone dares to provoke Adcardo, break their legs."
"Exactly, that’s it. Damn, you educated folks know how to talk. I just can’t stand Sol’s cowardly stance now."
After hearing Lin Miao’s words, Panam felt much better, gripping the steering wheel with one hand and grabbing a bottle of water from the backseat to throw to Lin Miao, who caught it and continued.
"So basically, whoever manages to lead the tribe in accomplishing something big will convince the other, right."
"It’s not that easy." Panam’s face sank upon hearing this, "Kurt Hansen took over more than half of Night City’s smuggling trade, our goods can’t fetch a good price there, and we’re exploited when doing business in Taiping Continent’s Dog Town black market, making no money at all."
"Well, isn’t that convenient." Lin Miao chuckled, "I have a deal here. If it goes through, let’s say at least tens of thousands."
Panam looked at Lin Miao with some surprise; she assumed this trip was only a few thousand or ten thousand tops. Tens of thousands nearly matched the tribe’s profit for over a month.
"You messing with me?"
"Once you see it, you’ll know. I won’t let you lose out; worst case, I’ll cover a tank of gas."
The Distant Ridge was dozens of kilometers from Night City. At first leaving the city, you might spot some mobile homes and signs of life, but nearby there was absolutely nothing visible except barren mountains and cacti.