Chapter 182: Aldecaldo's Big Deal

[Bio-Weapon Γ-7 Archive] [Detailed Report:] [Intelligence #1: The group involved with Bio-Weapon Γ, "Burger King Gang with Burger Big Shots" (abbreviated as H in this document), was suspected to have appeared in the Badlands and captured an employee with cyberpsychosis, Gabriel Blitz.] [Related Action Information: Intelligence #1 has been confirmed. Meredith Stout, PR Director of Night City, was responsible for leading the capture and obtaining further intelligence.] [Note: Meredith Stout is the main intelligence officer in this file.] [Intelligence #2: The main intelligence officer hired an external team to assist in locating the robbers of a Militech convoy. The external team suspected the attack was carried out by the Badlands criminal gang known as the Wraiths.] [Related Action Information: Intelligence #2 has been confirmed. The main intelligence officer has begun investigating the motives behind the robbery.] [Note: External team information.] [Intelligence #3: The Wraiths are suspected of needing discarded biological control components to transport Bio-Weapon Γ.] [Related Action Information: Intelligence #3 has been partially confirmed. Bio-Weapon Γ has not been sighted, but the intelligence documents have been recorded.] [Key Personnel Information: Wraith leader Bowen.] [Note: Bowen possesses experimental equipment issued by Biodyne Systems, suspected of being connected to them (important annotation).] [Intelligence #4: The external team provided information on Wraith camps: Stone Ridge Town, Stone Ridge Abandoned Tunnel, and Stone Ridge Abandoned Cement Plant.] [Related Action Information: Militech funds were allocated to hire the external team for a military operation. The external team and the Badlands forces completed a sweep of Stone Ridge Town and the abandoned tunnel but faced fierce resistance and suffered heavy casualties. Regulated biological experiment facility waste was discovered inside the Wraiths' hideout.] [Evidence has been collected.] [Bio-Weapon Γ has not been found.] [Intelligence #5: Intelligence discovered in the Stone Ridge Abandoned Tunnel indicated that Bio-Weapon Γ is about to be smuggled out of the border and sent to Mexico.] [Intelligence #6: The intelligence officer believes that group H is connected to the Wraiths.] [Related Action Information: Intelligence #5 has been partially confirmed, and email data has been collected.] [Related Action Information: Intelligence #6 was found to be a major error, confirming that group H was not involved with Bio-Weapon Γ.] [Intelligence #7: Group H has joined the external team to participate in the Wraith eradication operation.] [Major Operation Detailed Record: Border forces were sent to surround the cement plant, but Colonel #0856's battlefield command failed as the command signal was disrupted by EMP weapons. Colonel #0856 failed to receive Intelligence #7 in time and engaged in fierce combat with group H.] [Operation Outcome: California Border Forces' 4th Armored Squad was completely wiped out.] [Due to Colonel #0856's failure, the Wraiths seized a Behemoth armored vehicle, MH-332.] [The Wraiths used MH-332 to breach the border wall, and Bio-Weapon Γ was suspected to have escaped Night City's border, with interception attempts failing.] [MH-332 has been seized by the external team, and further negotiations are ongoing.] [Operation information has been recorded.] [Network information has been recorded.] [Damage assessment.] [Expense report.] [Experimental weapon performance data (accessible only to specific development departments).] [...] [File retrieval terminated.] [Personnel adjustment: Your security clearance level has been downgraded to F.] [Welfare adjustment: Your benefits have been reduced; please check your payslip for details.] [European Bank Information: Your company has deducted your deposits to cover work-related losses.] [American Bank Information: Your company has deducted your deposits to cover work-related losses.] [New American Consolidated Bank Information: ...] [...] [Current Total Debt: 1,214,666 Eurodollars.] Meredith lay on the medical bed, taking a deep breath. She had barely managed to survive. Debt, lower security clearance, even the million-plus in liabilities—none of it mattered. At least she still had her job. Plus, an F-level clearance wasn't the lowest—it still qualified her as logistics personnel. Why did the company keep her? Probably because maintaining the company's reputation was her real job. In that regard, she was pretty good, though too many people died this time. She would have to scrape some funds together to pay that troublesome individual. She was already in debt—it was like borrowing money to pay wages. [Transfer: -210000] [You have a new message from Burger King.] [Burger King: Not bad. Militech is reliable. I'll tell the folks back home about your good work.] Meredith's eyebrow twitched. [Meredith: The Nomad transport was let through. When can the border wall repairs begin?] [Burger King: We're honest folks. You set the time, and our workers can be there.] [Meredith: Tonight.] [Burger King: Nah, can't do. We're having a party tonight.] Meredith felt like she couldn't breathe. But remembering that at least she was still alive, she felt at ease again. [New personnel adjustment: Some of your tasks will now be handled by Anthony Gilchrist.] [Personnel Information: Anthony Gilchrist] [Security Clearance: B] [Please cooperate with this employee on related security work.] Seeing this message, Meredith felt even worse—her company was gradually reallocating resources to Night City, and many things would be sent in. These tasks used to be hers, but because of the Badlands incident, her security clearance was revoked. Her position was still retained, but it was clear the company planned to have this new agent gradually take over her work! In a company like Militech, security clearance was everything! But now, she had access to Night City's top mercenaries, so she might still have a chance to turn things around. "Anthony Gilchrist, you better not make any mistakes." Leo had also reviewed the same file and confirmed that Meredith hadn't sabotaged anything. The woman was clever—she had taken full responsibility to avoid any future conflict with potential Lizardman intel. By taking the blame, she wouldn't die, but she'd be left in a miserable state. At least if the Lizardman intel did surface, it wouldn't trigger a major investigation from the company. There was only one scenario where she'd be in real trouble: if Burger King turned into a Lizardman right in front of her. Haha, but that was impossible, right? She was definitely betting on it, as living in this world meant taking risks. Back at the campfire, the Nomads gathered, drinking beer and celebrating their victory. They were also mourning the fallen. In the end, only Cedric died in the fight. The severely injured young ones were saved, though they wouldn't be able to move until they got new cyberware. But at least they were alive. The last of the old warriors of Red Ochre were burned on the pyre, turning to ash as the flames rose. Leo sat down next to Saul. "The supply line you were stuck on in Reno is sorted, and I got you another contract with Militech." "What kind of contract?" "Border wall repairs." Saul leaned back slightly as a sign of respect. If he remembered correctly, they were the ones who broke that wall. The Nomads were about to get very busy. The stolen weapons had to be sold, the border wall needed repairs, new camps had to be built, and Militech would continue to issue contracts for wiping out the Wraiths. Busy was good—everyone could see hope now. Saul raised his beer, and Leo raised his soda bottle, clinking them together. "Hah—The famous merc only drinks soda. What a strange world." "What's wrong with soda?" Saul smiled and set his beer aside. "What do you think about building a town here?" That had been his plan all along. Night City was one of the most developed cities in the world, known for its high level of freedom. Building a haven for the Nomads here had always been his goal. Large stretches of abandoned towns could be bought for next to nothing, and then everyone could settle down and live like they did before they became Nomads. Leo didn't answer the question but instead asked, "What do you think of Night City?" Looking at the towering holographic billboards in the distance and the mesmerizing city skyline, Saul sighed. "Honestly, now I understand. I never really knew it—guess you think my plan is naïve too." "It's not naïve, it's foolish. Who places their hopes in something they don't even understand? The Badlands may have nothing, but at least there's a family you can trust." "But the Badlands are still the Badlands. We're short on cyberware, medicine, vehicles, fuel, and weapons for protection. The number of newborn deaths rises every year, and fewer people are joining us. Many tribes have disbanded or merged with other families." Saul's voice grew more somber as he looked earnestly at Leo. "You've given us hope. The Aldecaldos will always be your friends. We will always have your back." "Not planning to go corporate?" "Saul is truly a big fool." Saul waved it off, self-deprecatingly. "Don't bring that up." "Alright, I've got a long-term business deal for you. Remember those synthetic blood packs?" Leo placed a splitter chip on the table. The Aldecaldos weren't just a small group of people. Though they had declined significantly over the years, they hadn't shrunk down to just a hundred or so members. Originally, their main activity area was near the US-Mexico border. But ever since Saul's proposal was approved within the clan, their operations had gradually shifted northward. Now, they were primarily making a living by running supply lines between Mexico's Chihuahua, northern and southern California, and Nevada. The Aldecaldo family could easily maintain this supply line, gathering raw materials in the cities along the route and then selling drugs across the border. Since this operation crossed three different countries, investigating it would be extremely costly, and the distance between the production and sale locations increased the secrecy of the business. As for how profitable this venture could be: synthetic blood is a common drug in this world, monopolized by major corporations and used in vast quantities—far more than in the normal world. All Leo and the Aldecaldos had to do was capture some unlucky folks from the Maelstrom gang and turn them into blood donors. The selling price wouldn't be too high, but the costs were extremely low. With the profits, they could then purchase additional biological materials from the black market. Leo would soon be able to use biotic filters and lizard serum to create immune suppressants based on genetically modified biliverdin. With the combination of immune suppressants and synthetic blood, once the business stabilized, there would be no problem bringing the Aldecaldos back to strength. This wasn't some short-term charity handout from the corporation—it was a steady, long-term source of income. Saul was tempted, but he had one concern: "If the company finds out about this kind of tech, there will be serious problems." "Yeah, which is why I need to figure out how to keep the production process a secret. Start preparing yourselves—you'll need some time to regroup for this big business." Leo raised his drink again, "But for now, let's just enjoy the victory. Tell me about Cedric—I got to know him pretty well during our little fight." "Hah, that old guy... He used to be quite the big shot."