"Hmm, perhaps I made a bit of a mess on your baby."
Mitsuhide stroked his chin, examining Panam Palmer's beloved ride for a moment. Seeing the specks of blood that had just splashed onto the car door, he reached out and conspicuously wiped them, only to find that instead of cleaning it, he smeared the bloodstain further.
"Sorry~"
Mitsuhide shrugged, looking apologetically at Panam Palmer.
Panam Palmer watched Mitsuhide's performance, frowning, unable to utter a single word.
Finally, the night wind blew, carrying the stench of blood from the ground into Panam Palmer's nostrils, jolting her awake.
She was still in a slaughterhouse.
That's right, a slaughterhouse.
The fight just now couldn't be called a battle at all. She had seen everything clearly from the top of the water tower.
This was purely a one-sided massacre. After teasing his prey for a bit, this guy had wiped them all out.
This disregard for life, coupled with his superb strength, set off alarms in Panam Palmer's mind.
With this kind of strength, he was definitely not an ordinary Mercenary.
Thinking back to him asking for her help, Panam Palmer felt her scalp tingle even more. Looking at Mitsuhide's calm, composed face, she was shaken, feeling as though she had foolishly walked into another trap.
A person with this level of power needs her help?
Panam Palmer truly couldn't think of anything that would convince her.
"...Get in the car."
After a moment of hesitation, Panam Palmer finally opened the door and got into the driver's seat.
Mitsuhide was completely unaware of Panam Palmer's internal thoughts. Berry still didn't realize that Mitsuhide's performance had been too outstanding, to the point where it had terrified Panam Palmer.
In reality, Berry was still too young, and his thoughts were too simple.
She still thought of Panam Palmer as the powerful Aldecaldos leader who, in the game, led the Nomads tribe, killed her way into Arasaka Tower with V, and then killed her way back out.
But she didn't expect that Panam was just a stubborn Nomad girl who had run away from her family after a disagreement, and had never seen such a scene.
Even in the car, Mitsuhide still didn't understand the reason, thinking Panam had been dazed by the cold wind.
The vehicle carried the two away from Stone Ridge Mountain and onto the main road. Outside the car, it was a pitch-black wilderness, with no lights, and the surroundings were silent, only the hum of the vehicle driving beneath them.
In such an environment, Panam slowly calmed down.
Looking at Mitsuhide, who acted as if nothing had happened, Panam's heart still felt heavy. Only at this moment did she begin to ponder why such a person would approach her.
At a corner, Panam sharply turned the steering wheel, and the "thunderclap" SUV, roaring like a giant bear, plunged into the sand by the roadside.
"Hey, Panam, what are you doing?"
He was jolted a few times by the bumps, almost knocking over the swords he had leaning against the car door. Holding onto his swords, Mitsuhide looked at Panam in confusion, not understanding why she had driven the car into this wilderness.
"Phew... Alright, now you can tell me. Who exactly are you, and who are the people behind you? What do you want me to do?"
Panam stopped the car, pulled the handbrake, and turned to look at Mitsuhide, her eyes filled with wariness.
I say, little sister, isn't it a bit late to be wary now?
Berry thought helplessly.
If she were truly an evil villain, she should now be letting out a low, evil laugh and saying, "You're too naive, you've already fallen into my trap."
But obviously, she wasn't.
So Mitsuhide looked at the wary Panam speechlessly, not knowing what to say.
"Tell me, who do you work for, who do you serve?"
But unfortunately, Mitsuhide's silence became a sign of guilt in Panam's eyes, so she insisted again.
"Alright, alright, alright, I surrender."
Seeing Panam's serious demeanor, Mitsuhide could only raise her hands in surrender helplessly.
Alright, it was time to tell this big silly girl something. If she kept hiding it, Panam would get anxious.
"Hmm, we plan to find a driver, then transport bombs to the city office building district and blow Mayor Holt to the sky..."
Berry didn't know what kind of atmosphere it would be when Mitsuhide's mature male face said these words with a straight face, but it must be very comical.
She was still so playful, even at a time like this she had to joke, but this wasn't the heavy-hitter, the real stuff was yet to come.
"Heh, I knew you approaching me must be..."
Seeing Panam's expression, as if she had long seen through the conspiracy, Berry almost couldn't hold back.
Oh my god, silly girl, you actually believed it?
Berry looked at Panam's stern, ready-to-fight expression, indicating that she wouldn't do such a job that harmed innocent people, and affirmed in her heart.
Hmm, this kind of naive girl, she could trick her into bed five times in one night.
Indeed, the current Panam was still a bit younger compared to the Nomad leader Panam in the game's ending.
For Berry, it was the difference between "Epic" and "legendary."
Resisting the urge to tease Panam further, Mitsuhide still waved her hand directly at Panam, indicating that she had just been joking.
She didn't want to be mistaken for a terrorist who wanted to blow up City Hall.
Well, although what she was about to do wasn't far off.
Then, Mitsuhide confessed that he was going to hunt down Anders, the person in charge of the relic chip project. Panam, after blinking and listening, fell into deep thought.
"...If you talk nonsense again, I'll tear your mouth off!"
Mitsuhide had tricked Panam just now, which made Panam feel very annoyed. She waved her fist, warning Mitsuhide.
You know, for a moment just now, she actually believed Mitsuhide's nonsense about killing Mayor Holt.
After all, the strength Mitsuhide displayed had indeed shocked Panam, so she naturally didn't expect that someone with such strength would also have the leisure to make such jokes.
However, she felt much more at ease after hearing about the actual mission.
Although she had never done a kidnapping job before, it was still more acceptable than blowing up the mayor.
After confirming that Mitsuhide wasn't talking nonsense, Panam exhaled in relief.
"Hmm, I have to say thank you."
After relaxing, Panam looked at Mitsuhide and remembered that even though this guy seemed unreliable, he had helped her get her car back.
She had been thinking all the way, but now that she was relaxed and touching her familiar ride, Panam felt an unprecedented sense of security.
Hmm, things weren't too bad yet.
"Thank you for getting my car back for me."
"You're welcome, it's part of the deal."
Mitsuhide waved her hand, indicating it was nothing.
"Besides, your business doesn't seem to be over yet, does it? Nash, who betrayed you, seems to be hiding in some garbage ditch. You'll have to put in some effort to dig him out."
"No problem, I'll take care of it. That guy won't be able to hide for long, I'll drag him out." Panam almost forgot about Nash, who had set her up, due to the current events.
"I'll help you then. Although I love peace and dislike killing, I'm very happy to deal with such scum."
"Hmm, yes, loves peace..."
Panam didn't know how Mitsuhide could say such a lie with a serious face. Loves peace, loves peace and yet could chop so many people into pieces.
Panam shook her head helplessly again.
What kind of person had she gotten involved with?
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!