"Thanks, brother, are you with the Adcardo?"
The middle-aged man at the front was smiling at Cassidy, probably thinking that the leader of a convoy bearing the Adcardo family emblem must be an experienced old cowboy.
Cassidy also returned the smile, saying, "Cassidy, with the Adcardo people... and you're with Sol Bright?"
"Uh-huh... Ah! You're the guest Sol mentioned, right? That's great, I was just wondering why you hadn't arrived yet so I could call you after we finished handling things!"
The middle-aged man slapped his forehead and laughed, "Sol told me yesterday that your request was to get everyone and the cargo across the checkpoint and then bring you to the family's campsite, right? No other requests?"
"Correct, these kids request not to leave any border-crossing record and not to have the goods on them inspected, and afterward we all need to stay at the local family campsite for a while."
Cassidy asked, "What's your name?"
"Norman, and these are Pan'an, Mitch, and Scorpion."
Norman introduced them one by one and then praised, "Mitch and Scorpion are both retired soldiers; Mitch is excellent at driving and repairing cars.
Scorpion is a seasoned veteran from special forces, skilled in assassination, and Pan'an is one of our own. Though she's just a young girl, she's already a very capable warrior."
Then, Norman's gaze moved to behind Cassidy, where a group of kids, the oldest appearing to be around fourteen and mostly Asian, stood.
Though all were dressed in Wanderer attire, their dazzling neural tattoos and prosthetic eyes indicated they weren't typical kids from Wanderer families.
"Did you bring these kids from the family? Or did they hire you as a guide?" Norman probed.
Cassidy shrugged and said, "Let's say we're traveling together, and... he's actually the leader."
The old cowboy tipped his hat, pointing to Mercer, who stood behind, quietly observing the situation.
Cassidy's words made Norman widen his eyes in surprise, and Pan'an and the others exchanged bewildered glances.
Mercer, meanwhile, smiled as he approached, extending his hand to Norman for a handshake.
"Mercer, Alex Mercer, Cassidy's friend."
"Wow..." Pan'an couldn't help but mutter, "This guy looks like a kid."
Mercer twitched his lips slightly, turning to see the girl with sun-kissed skin and freckles smiling somewhat sheepishly.
Beside her, Mitch gave Pan'an's head a forceful pat, "Don't mind her, she just occasionally speaks too bluntly... uh, I mean, without a filter."
Pan'an moved her head away in annoyance but still smiled apologetically, saying, "I didn't mean anything by it; it's just that you look... too young."
"Well, you're not wrong, I'm indeed only fourteen."
Mercer laughed indifferently.
"So you're here to..." Norman felt compelled to confirm the intentions of these mysterious children.
"We're being hunted, planning to seek a new path in Night City, and need to learn more about things afterward.
So, we're hoping to use the Adcardo's campsite to rest temporarily."
Mercer paused and continued, "We won't just freeload here, and I'm sure you can understand..."
As he spoke, he turned and pointed to the neural interface slot at the back of his neck:
"We're hackers, though young, our skills are decent.
We can help with network infrastructure, equipment upgrades, network security maintenance, and such.
During our stay at the campsite, if you encounter any trouble, we're willing to lend a hand."
Seeing the other kids agreeing with Mercer, Norman grasped the situation. He wasn't too concerned about their being hunted, as that's not uncommon among Wanderers.
"Norman, I've told Sol that these kids are all pretty decent and discreet, they won't cause any trouble."
Cassidy vouched for them, having gotten to know the kids quite well along the way.
Mercer was outwardly warm but internally cool, seeming easygoing and approachable, yet genuinely connecting with him wasn't particularly easy.
It's not that he's hard to get along with... it just feels difficult to know what to talk about with him.
Kyoko is very approachable, easily seen as having an optimistic personality and a kind nature.
Lucy, however, is relatively cold, seemingly not easily trusting others, almost only listening to Mercer, depending on and trusting him greatly.
In contrast, Tetsuya Daichi and Leon have a good relationship with Mercer.
They are bright and cheerful kids, and Cassidy almost treats them like his own sons.
Tetsuya Daichi and Leon have a high regard for him too—having escaped from Arasaka, apart from the anomaly Mercer, everyone actually needs some emotional support.
But overall, Cassidy can assure that these are good kids.
"What I say doesn't count... but Sol has already prepared tents for you at the campsite, so I think there shouldn't be a problem.
Since we've run into each other, let's wait until we've tidied this up and head back together.
Today is rather unlucky; usually, no one comes here, but today we encountered a few Chaotic Blade Association scoundrels...."