บท 30: Fox Borrowing the Tiger's Might
"The perfect life~ even if skyscrapers fall, it can still be rebuilt~"
Leo had just woken up and he already heard V humming "Freak That Jamaican." It seemed she was completely brainwashed by it.
Today in the Badlands, it was a clear day. The sun shone down on the barren earth, making the ground shimmer with heat, painful to the eyes.
Of course, for those inside the vehicle, it didn't matter, especially not for Leo—who was still lying down.
His whole body ached, sore and weak. Moving around like a normal person was manageable, but fighting like a cyber-enhanced warrior was another story.
But thanks to the influence of [Evolution's Heart], his thinking was almost unaffected.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"You're awake?" V snorted. "We're in Washington. We'll be meeting the President soon."
"The President, huh? You're pretty funny. Trust me, you definitely don't want to meet the President."
"Who says? I'm counting on the President giving me a big job so I can live the rest of my life comfortably."
"Haha."
Leo found the joke hilarious. If V from the original timeline heard this, she'd probably smack her current self to death.
V turned on the news radio. "We've got a little way to go before we hit the border checkpoint. We need to figure out a way to get through."
Logically, there shouldn't be much signal out here.
However, the Behemoth armored vehicle was equipped with a small signal booster, so they could just about pick up the radio, though the sound was a bit choppy.
Even Atlantia probably didn't expect anyone to be listening to city news on the border.
Conveniently, the news being broadcast was related to the two of them:
"Recently, an attack occurred in Atlanta. Militech forces reported an encounter with a Kang Tao company strike team in the Badlands.
The attackers were identified as Kang Tao supply chain managers Zhu Shen and Cai Pin. Both are now deceased, and Kang Tao denies any connection between their actions and the company.
APD is investigating. If you have any information, please contact APD. Verified tips will be rewarded."
Just as Leo had thought, Militech was puzzled, but pinning the blame on Kang Tao was an unexpected bonus.
After all, it would significantly shift the direction of the investigation.
"Thinking back, I guess we were really reckless," V laughed after hearing the news. "The entire Atlanta police force is looking for us, Militech, Kang Tao... But they don't even know that the one who played them was a bald donkey—oh, wait, not anymore."
Leo didn't think the crisis was completely over. "In reality, they haven't missed their last chance."
"That's true, so you better think of how to fool them a second time."
They still needed to pass through a wall, a six-meter-tall border wall.
During the Unification War, Northern and Southern California fought fiercely, cutting ties completely. To emphasize this separation and prevent northern vagrants and other parasites from threatening the South, the southerners erected this wall.
Southern California belonged to the New United States, and crossing this wall would bring them into Northern California—
Which was Night City territory.
And like all border walls, there would be no warning before opening fire. The only legitimate way to cross was through the border checkpoint.
The checkpoint would scan your face, register your vehicle, and fully armed drones would track you, sending your coordinates to an orbital rapid response system.
Crossing the border wall was extremely, extremely troublesome, especially for Leo—
Because the contract for the border checkpoint was held by Militech.
Once inside the checkpoint, Militech would constantly remind you that this place could become a battlefield at any moment.
This was the high wall.
Click, click, click... click.
The car made strange noises again.
"Dammit, this car has never worked right."
"We need to fix the car," Leo thought for a moment. "Let's find a town to stop at. We need to gather some information."
"There's only one last town before the checkpoint. Even if you didn't say so, I was planning to stop there and rest—I'm sick of all this sand. I bet if I stood on my head and shook, I could get two pounds of sand out."
"Then you'd better shake fast," Leo struggled to sit up. "Because now, we need to pretend to be professionals."
"What kind of professionals?"
"Militech's corporate dogs."
V never imagined she'd have to pretend to be a corpo.
The good news was that Leo said she didn't have to actually wear a suit, but her clothes needed to be neat, with zippers and bags in place.
A corpo might be dirty, but their clothes would always be as tidy as possible.
Lastly, she had to act arrogant.
"Arrogant? You saying that makes me feel like I'm getting the hang of it, but it still feels weird. We're supposed to find the sheriff? What for? Can't we just go to a bar? Talk over drinks, and if we can't agree, we bash his head in."
V shook her hair, and sand really did fall out.
The car entered a small town named Dry Creek, a place where you could barely gather thirty permanent residents.
Nearby was an abandoned oil well. There used to be a lot of workers here, but after the financial crisis and the shift from oil to CHOOH2 as an energy source, many small oil wells were abandoned.
Once the wells were abandoned, the town declined as well. The environmental impact of oil extraction permanently scarred the land, cutting off water sources. Farmers couldn't grow crops anymore.
Now there was only a gas station and a vending machine store left, with most people just barely getting by, providing services to passing travelers to earn a living.
In the future, this place would likely be completely abandoned.
The harsh environment of the West made Leo nostalgic for the pleasantness of Atlanta, even if it was just a facade.
"Have you seen old Western movies? Never mind, you probably haven't—anyway, in these Badlands, the tradition of Old America from over a hundred years ago still holds.
A small town has a mayor and a sheriff. Legal matters go to the mayor, everything else to the sheriff. If we don't go introduce ourselves, we'll be considered rude, maybe even suspicious.
And right now, we're corpos."
Leo adjusted his clothes—he was dressed much more properly, wearing casual clothes bought in Atlanta, clearly a brand-name outfit.
Straightening his clothes, Leo's posture became more rigid, and his aura instantly became more assertive.
However, given his sickly appearance—his aura should be described as somewhat sinister, like a villain in a TV drama.
V glanced at Leo. "You really look like a corpo, but if you don't want me to talk and still want me to act arrogant, how am I supposed to pull that off?"
That was indeed a problem. It wasn't that V couldn't act arrogant, but the moment she opened her mouth, her lack of education would seep through.
The biggest issue with making her act like a corpo was that corpos were usually highly educated.
Leo thought for a moment and said, "Check your account."
Then, Leo knocked on the door of the Dry Creek Sheriff's Office—which was basically just a rectangular building made of steel and brick.
"Come in—looks like you've got some manners, knowing the first thing to do upon arriving in town is to see the sheriff."
The sheriff wore a wide-brimmed cowboy hat and orange-tinted sunglasses. His fingers were exposed, proudly displaying his meticulously designed cybernetic hands.
Most cybernetic hands are designed for better shooting, and it was clear this one was too.
Recoil compensators, grip cushions for absorbing recoil—it was obvious this sheriff liked using high-caliber firearms.
Seeing the visitors, the sheriff sized them up—the one in front had no expression, just a smile—a very professional smile, creepy to look at.
The one behind...
V had just checked her account balance—500,000 Eurodollars!
Who could be richer than her?
Even if this was a sheriff, he was just the sheriff of a border town.
Once she got back to Night City, she was definitely going to stay at the Konpeki Plaza for a few days. This poor sheriff probably couldn't afford a single night...
The more she thought about it, the prouder she became. Facing the sheriff's scrutinizing gaze, V rolled her eyes in disdain—poor bastard!
Hmm, cocky as if she owned the place—that's what the sheriff thought, realizing that these people weren't here for a friendly visit.
In the borderlands, the sheriff mostly dealt with all sorts of vagrants, who were either fawning or wary. Even the arrogant ones were just putting up a front.
But this attitude reminded the sheriff of his trips to Atlanta—those people had the same look in their eyes.
That inexplicable sense of superiority, that smirk that didn't reach the eyes—it was all too familiar.
Though it irked him, he had to tread carefully.
"I'm Andrew Jones. Take a seat."
Hearing the name, a strange feeling surged in Leo's mind—
He knew this name.
In "Cyberpunk 2077," the Nomad prologue has players encountering this sheriff right at the start.
So, Leo leisurely sat down in front of Andrew. "Silver-hand shotgun, right? You served in Special Forces. Pleasure to meet you—didn't expect to see a former soldier here."
Andrew's demeanor immediately improved—
He loved boasting about his military service and that unique nickname.
Unfortunately, in this godforsaken place, nobody usually knew these things.
"That's me. May I ask who you are?"
Leo smiled. "You can call me Dennis Burgerking—you know, things are complicated lately. I heard a nomad family recently joined the Snake Nation here.
Usually, such changes bring a few who look for extra work—that's a bit troublesome because off-the-books jobs are hard to trace.
Is there anything worth noting in town? Maybe someone's trying to use these folks to smuggle something... well, something we're interested in."
Andrew's expression shifted slightly.
Because it felt like the roles had reversed—Leo was the one interrogating him now. The switch happened so naturally.
It was a dilemma—he wanted to ask for more information, but Leo's demeanor made him feel it was best not to pry.
On the one hand, he was a bit uneasy; on the other, he was more than willing to help this guy—after all, he seemed important and had shown him respect—even if it was just superficial.
After some thought, Andrew said, "Uh... I don't handle that, but I suggest you contact a man named Willy McCoy. You know, he has some connections."
"A fixer, huh? These nomads have someone covering for them, what a... hassle," Leo shook his head. "One more thing, our car has a minor issue; we need a mechanic—got anyone who can fix an armored vehicle around here?"
"An armored vehicle? I'm not sure if he can fix it, but there's only one mechanic in town. His shop is on the edge of town; his name's Mike."
"Thank you for your help, Sheriff. When I return, I'll make sure to mention your hospitality in my report.
But for now, I need to get back to business."
With that, without waiting for Andrew to react, Leo stood up and headed for the door.
Andrew found the whole conversation a bit strange—first, the guy recognized him, which was nice.
But as part of his duty, he should have asked more questions. Instead, he couldn't bring himself to ask a single one.
Partly because he felt uneasy, but also because he was eager to help this guy—he seemed important, and he'd shown him respect—even if it was just superficial.
After some thought, Andrew asked, "Uh, may I ask what model your vehicle is? I can give Mike a heads-up."
Leo opened the door, revealing the black armored vehicle, standing firm against the sand and wind.
The lettering on the side of the vehicle gleamed in the sunlight—
"Militech Behemoth."
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