A Small Sponsorship from an International Arms Dealer

Saul couldn't sit still anymore. He had to find a way to reverse the situation; failing his tribe would be worse than death for him. They needed to hold a meeting to determine their next course of action.

Leo agreed to Saul's request, but first, he needed to make a call.

In the equipment room, Carol unfolded the truck trailer again and connected the cables, while Dakota's people fiddled with the wires.

Making a call in the Badlands is a tricky affair, and it generally falls into two categories:

The first type is short-range communication, which only requires both parties to have sending and receiving devices. Leo's newly upgraded cyber-deck had such a feature. The device Regina gave him allowed connection to the city's cellular networks, via the NCPD's system, or could emit signals over short distances.

The second type of communication requires a base station. The nomads had their own signal relay equipment, enabling communication across the Badlands. But contacting someone hundreds of kilometers away in Night City was much more difficult.

For that, specialized transmission equipment was needed, and as an experienced fixer in the Badlands, Dakota had what was necessary. She also knew how to discreetly contact people inside the city.

Once Dakota confirmed that the equipment was functioning properly, she turned to Leo and said:

"The person you're calling is in Pacifica. He's also the one who took the merchandise. They call him Mr. Hands in the underworld—he's a mysterious guy. I can't read him."

"You sure you want to contact him? The local gang, the Voodoo Boys, are unpredictable cyber-hackers, and Dogtown's people have ties to Militech."

"I'm sure," Leo replied.

Pacifica is located south of Night City. In its heyday, city officials and developers had intended to turn it into a tourism paradise, attracting immigrants and visitors from all over the world to showcase the city's prosperity.

However, just as Pacifica's construction was in full swing, New America launched the Unification War.

In this world, the U.S. had once split into several independent nations and only began planning reunification in the early 2060s. This unification escalated into full-blown conflict, eventually engulfing the entire continent, hence the name "Unification War."

During the war, Southern California merged with New America, while Northern California sought to maintain its independence, sparking conflict.

In 2070, a Militech elite unit received orders to occupy a strategic location in Pacifica, awaiting further assault orders. But those orders never came. Instead, New America signed a peace agreement with Northern California, leaving the Militech forces stranded.

Their commander, Colonel Hansen, refused to retreat. As a result, the area became a strange anomaly—a military-occupied zone in a war that had officially ended.

Night City didn't dare interfere, and Militech couldn't bring them back, so the region turned into a gray zone.

Now, years later, Hansen had fully taken control of the area and transformed it into a massive international black market, leveraging Night City's booming economy.

The situation was complex, with former enemies and superiors unsure of what to do, so the media rarely mentioned it.

As for Dogtown's connections to Night City and Militech, it was a tangled mess—impossible to fully understand. But one thing Leo knew for sure: if Militech was the enemy, and the other corporations tacitly allowed it, then Hansen might be his only real potential ally.

Hansen was a typical soldier. Even though he'd turned to business, he wouldn't intentionally provoke his former superiors. Still, he held a deep grudge against the president of New America.

If given a chance to take revenge, he wouldn't hesitate to strike hard.

Because of this, Leo was confident that as long as he brought Hansen the right deal, the man wouldn't mind sponsoring him in an effort to hurt Militech's influence.

Hansen had no reason to reject an offer that could expand his influence. But someone like Hansen wouldn't come knocking on Leo's door for the deal—nor would he agree to help immediately.

That's where intermediaries like Dakota came in.

Leo connected his personal link to the communication device.

Communicating with: Mr. Hands

Mr. Hands: "Finally, the rising legend of Night City calls me. This call alone is worth a fortune, but don't worry—I won't charge you for it."

Leo: "Let's talk business. If I have some high-stakes merchandise, could you pick it up in the Badlands?"

Mr. Hands: "Depends on the merchandise. Logistics aren't cheap these days."

Leo: "Aren't you curious about the truth behind Militech and Biotechnica's dealings? The news is full of half-truths—who knows what's real?"

Leo: "Also, I've got some additional tech. There might be complementary equipment soon."

Mr. Hands: "You've got me intrigued. I'm getting more curious about you by the second. I wish we could meet in person to discuss this properly."

Mr. Hands: "Care to share more details? For example, what's the tech about? I heard rumors of lizard people that night—sounds like a fairy tale."

Leo: "First question: pharmaceutical technology. As for the second, that info's not free."

Mr. Hands: "What do you want?"

Leo: "Money, preferably resources. Dogtown's full of the kind of stuff we need."

Mr. Hands: "I can arrange that, but you'll need to come pick it up—unless you're already in Pacifica. Also, the price is negotiable."

Leo: "That's fine. Consider the second answer as a down payment—there really were lizard people, but they have nothing to do with us or Nightingale, as reported. We just got lucky and ran into a walking death machine."

Mr. Hands: "Got it. Impressive. Let me know what you need through this channel, and I'll get it ready."

Mr. Hands: "By the way, I've got a tip for you. Recently, Kang Tao's people have been snooping around Pacifica. Did you ever work for them?"

Leo: "I did a job for them in Santo Domingo. Think they'll dig up anything?"

Mr. Hands: "Unlikely—this is Pacifica, after all."

Leo: "Ha, right—Pacifica. Let's leave it at that for today. I'll be in touch."

Mr. Hands: "Good."

The call ended, and Leo took a moment to process the information.

This collaboration was more of a business deal—a test.

Hansen's real goal was probably to expand his influence, and he also wanted the outside world to be chaotic, to divert attention from himself.

Since Mr. Hands didn't hesitate to sell weapons, it was clear that Hansen had made his stance known. He preferred to help Leo through trade—ignoring Militech's control and supplying arms.

That was solid support. For Hansen, providing arms might be the biggest help he could offer.

For the nomads, a chance to buy premium military goods at bargain prices was rare.

The only issue was figuring out who would retrieve the goods—Leo already had someone in mind.

After gathering his thoughts, Leo headed toward Saul's tent.