Nando seemed quite haggard when he came to find John.
But he always had a determined look and a confident demeanor, making him a reassuring leader for the team.
Nando shared some intelligence.
Damascus Camp held a simple funeral for the deceased, using the unique commemorative ways of the Wanderers.
It was a relief to hear that Sarazi was dead.
"The missile launcher that attacked us has been found, it's European made, no idea where Sarazi got it from, this Shark Coin wasn't used for something big, instead, it was used for ambush and robbery, really has quite the opinion of me..."
"Good stuff, what are you planning to do with it?"
"There's only two rounds of ammo left, it's unnecessary to keep it for ourselves, but we could sell it to a weapons dealer."
Overall, this trip was quite fruitful.
The core supplies were successfully received, and overall strength only increased.
Nando paid John a generous reward — if it weren't for him and Alonna breaking through the encirclement, the consequences would be unimaginable.
John accepted it with peace of mind.
He had no intention of staying, and immediately headed to the repair zone to get his vehicle, after all, that was the reward he looked forward to the most.
The area was bustling like a parking lot.
Sarazi and his Exile contributed a lot of vehicles.
Almost everyone in the camp who could repair cars came to help, first dismantling all the parts from the spoils, then assembling new vehicles according to their individual needs.
It was a bit like an offline gathering of vehicle enthusiasts.
"Hey, John!"
Screwdriver sat in the hoist cradle, raising a beer toward him. "Wait till I come down and I'll show you the car, it's absolutely badass!"
John felt several gazes.
The camp had many hot and bold babes, all wearing tank tops, showing off their tanned skin as they bent over working or gathered in the shade to rest.
They publicly talked saucily to John, claiming they wanted to eat him alive.
"You're the first driver to take Alonna cliff diving, some chicks just want to test your driving skills, others love your face."
Screwdriver wiped off the grease on his prosthetic limb with a thinner.
He kept teasing incessantly.
"Be careful when you pass by the empty RV, don't get dragged inside, and if you want to, just pretend I didn't say anything."
"I'm freaking injured."
"It's just a fractured rib, not a broken gun."
Screwdriver understood well.
Going deeper into the repair zone, you could see large stacked containers, all two floors of which were opened up as workspaces.
The black material paved all over, full of technological content.
Alonna's ride was also here — the Miles MT450 in a terrible state was hanging in the middle, filled with data lines, with several mechanical arms cutting it.
There was no need to repair it, only to dismantle the parts and system to salvage some losses as much as possible.
Eisenberg lay in the deepest part of the warehouse.
John personally lifted the dust-free cloth, the sight of the brand new matte paint excited with a sense of a new car from the factory.
"All the extravagant external light strips were removed as you requested."
Screwdriver handed over a tablet.
Inside were the specific parameters.
The entire vehicle's color was repainted with Gaia Cells' bio-coating, with a high-strength anti-scratch film inside.
The car body was maintained and reinforced.
"The armor module is the highest specification the camp could find. If you want to go any further, only the black market has the new models from major companies."
Screwdriver and John got into the vehicle.
"A beautifully luxurious carbon fiber dashboard, a frameless display that dynamically shows various vehicle data."
The new windshield was also installed.
Plato's honeycomb bulletproof netting.
Equipped with optical sensing, thermal imaging scanning, connected to Bluetooth, syncing scanned information to the prosthetic eyes of those inside.
"Heard you wanted a tracking plug-in?"
"Yeah."
John looked at the dismantled MT450 up front. "Tried it once with Alonna during a mission, the model navigation was pretty cool!"
"Your car has it now too."
"So awesome, is it the same model?"
"Guaranteed identical," Screwdriver laughed. "It was taken from Miles."
"WTF?"
"Don't worry, Alonna agreed."
Screwdriver swiped the screen to show the ordnance interface. "Your most anticipated weapon module is also installed, but the actual effect is worrisome, after all, Eisenberg's supercar selling points are operation and speed..."
Silver Rider's weapon module looked like a toy, the built-in ammo compartment could only hold electromagnetic rifle ammo.
John's driving skills were good, and he had high demands for maneuverability.
If he added external weapon components, it would turn from a luxurious supercar into an unconventional patchwork.
Not only ugly, but it would also affect the driving feel.
John showed understanding, after all, he wasn't seeking lethality from his ride.
Silver Rider hummed and roared out of the container.
The car underwent extensive repairs and upgrades, washing away the Madox Gang's marks, becoming uniquely John's vehicle.
He strolled around outside before returning to the camp to refuel.
Eisenberg ran on CHOOH2 fuel.
It was an artificially synthesized alcohol invented by the Gaia Cell Company; after the energy crisis was solved by temperature-controlled crops, most vehicles on the market switched to similar fuels.
John sent a message to Nando saying goodbye, but when he looked up, he saw Alonna.
She was wearing a long-sleeve hoodie, with the hood up, and her palm implants, exposed without industrial skin, were clearly still in the repair phase.
"Nando asked me to ask you if you'd like to join the camp?"
Alonna's tone remained calm.
John still shook his head to refuse. "I don't have great relations with colleagues."
"Not colleagues, family."
"Sorry Alonna, I prefer working for money."
"Is Damascus Camp not good?"
Alonna wasn't a nagging person, she was genuinely baffled. "Equipment, funds, helpers, the camp will give you what you need."
"Hey, never mind."
John sat in the driver's seat and cut her off with a smile. "Taking resources means taking responsibility, you guys are a pack of wolves, and I'm a solitary animal..."
He said sincerely.
"Earning money by doing tasks myself, spending it myself, I feel at ease, not wanting to trouble others, nor be dragged down by various connections."
Alonna sighed helplessly.
She then took out a long black box: "Additional compensation."
John was somewhat surprised as he took it, opened it on his lap — a beautiful tungsten steel dagger embedded in hardened black foam.
[Collectible: Ion Short Blade]
[Description: A relic of Exile Sarazi, anyone daring to put such an experimental weapon in their arm is not far from cyber psychosis.]
"Make it a souvenir, it's nice to put at home and look at, don't get the wrong idea and put it on your body, it will cause big problems."
Alonna remembered Nando's instructions and reminded him again.
"Your name has spread in the camp, people want to know you, there'll be new work soon needing your help, don't worry, the pay's good."
"Just send me a message."
"It might not be me, perhaps Nando or someone else."
Alonna rolled up her sleeve to show her worn-out arm. "I need to travel far to upgrade my prosthetic body, won't be in Eden City for the time being."
"Take care of yourself."
"You should take a break too," Alonna turned and waved. "Don't make the news again."
John remained noncommittal.
He had a good impression of Alonna — straightforward and tremendously powerful on missions.
[Task: Wildfire (Completed)]
John touched the gull-wing steering wheel, the leather's feel uplifting his mood.
He turned on the radio, leisurely driving toward the city.
On the road, he dialed the number for a housing agency.
"Hello, welcome to calling Livable, we offer the best quality housing rental and sales services..."