"Okay, okay, take it easy!" Mercer almost got strangled from behind.
Rebecca pouted and jumped off his back, "You're always pretending. I hit Pira much harder than this, and he never complained."
"Is it possible he couldn't speak up?" Mercer said, turning to look at Pira, who simply showed a pained expression and nodded in agreement.
"Ha!?" Rebecca turned back, instantly furious, clenching her fists, and the two chased each other out of the house.
Mann slightly curved his lips, turning to look at Dolio, who also looked at him, and they smiled at each other.
"Give me a hand, let's get the exoskeleton onto the car. We'll keep it in the house for now, and later I'll sell it to Military Science."
Mercer said, and V rolled up her sleeves without a word. But this time, she wasn't the only one moving things. Mann and Dolio each lent a hand to lift the nearly two-hundred-kilogram exoskeleton and easily got it onto the car.
They waited outside the car for a while. In the distance of the tunnel, they heard the sound of a car engine.
Pan'an drove up in her car, got out excitedly, walked up to Mercer, and bumped shoulders with him, "Hey, dude, you've really hit it big today!"
After speaking, she looked at the people behind Mercer and greeted Mann and Dolio with a smile, "New recruits?"
"Yeah, Mann, retired Special Forces, Dolio, a good girl with an athlete background," Mercer briefly introduced.
Pan'an laughed heartily, "Just call me Pan'an, an Adcardan."
She turned to Mercer, "How long do you plan to stay at the safe house? Is it feasible? You've really made a name for yourselves today, a three-million euro bounty. I hear a lot of folks in the camp talking about your names."
"I imagine it'll continue to rise," Mercer said with a smile, but cautiously added, "Do many people know about the safe house? At least for the next one or two days, we need to stay well-hidden."
"Don't worry, the place I found, no one knows it. It's not one of Adcardo's communal properties. Water and electricity are already prepared, and there's enough food and drink for you all for a week."
Pan'an said confidently, "The place is known only to Scorpion, Mitch, and me. When you get there, you can settle in comfortably; it's only visited occasionally by those Night Wanderer Ghost fools."
Night Wanderer Ghost refers to the local Chaotic Blade Association Chapter in Night City.
"You're not talking about the ghost town by Stone Ridge Mountain, are you?" Mercer thought of the location.
"Yes, that's the place. People fled from there long ago, so it's become a secret trading spot for all sorts. Barely anyone visits.
Even if someone comes, as long as you stay quiet in the rooms, no one will notice or care about you, and no one will randomly pick a fight.
The room I found for you has a basement. If you're worried about safety, you can stay in the basement most of the time. I'll check the ventilation system there, fix it if it's broken, and that'll be it.
I considered getting you an Adcardo house, but... it seems my caution was justified. Before leaving, I heard them talking about your bounty. I'm truly afraid some fool might give in to temptation and sell you out.
Oh, don't worry about your goods, we've already dismantled and stored them. They're being watched by the camp specialists, and we can deliver them to Dog Town whenever you need; just finalize the payment then."
Pan'an said, then invited everyone along the path downhill; the ghost town she mentioned was actually not far from the tunnel.
The town is located roughly between the outskirts of Night City and the Evil Land Plain, but due to the economic stagnation and safety issues following the war, it quickly turned into an uninhabited ghost town.
Pan'an guided them to park their car in front of a two-story small building in the ghost town, cut the engine, got out, and opened the garage door of the building, saying, "Leave one car here, and my buddy Scorpion can drive away the other."
"Just two cars, I need one to use tonight," Mercer said, scanning the surroundings.
The town seemed truly deserted, with traces of damage on the gas station and supermarket doors, but inside had long been emptied.
Only a building that looked like a general store remained relatively intact and clean, presumably occasionally 'borrowed' by someone.
Pan'an shrugged, "As long as you're not too unlucky... this place is usually only lively a few days per month."
"No big deal if those Night Wanderer Ghost fools don't have good judgment; I'll take care of a few of them," Mercer said, prompting Pan'an to chuckle.
"Exactly. If those guys don't have great luck, they won't come here looking for trouble these days."
Pan'an now truly felt impressed.
She'd seen Mercer and the others when they first arrived in Adcardo. Back then, these folks were relying on tents provided by the camp, with Mercer sharing a small tent with Lucy.
Look at them now; just a month later, they've grown into a highly professional mercenary team.
They have their own base in Dog Town, openly hijacking biotechnology and Military Science personnel, played those professional agents like fools, and still have no plans to stop.
Though Pan'an felt a bit of admiration, recalling Adcardo left her somewhat wistful, casting a slightly envious glance at Mann and Dolio.