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(World: Cyberpunk 2077)
Santo Domingo is Night City's oldest district, bordering the Badlands to the east, and is the territory of the 6th Street Gang.
Major megacorps once poured massive experimental funds here, building many testing grounds.
However, this did not improve the lives of local residents; instead, it caused extreme pollution to the land, dragging them into a quagmire of life.
Here, you can find almost no drinkable open water. Residents can't even guarantee basic daily water usage, and you can often see signs of ulceration on children's skin.
Clean water sold on the market is a luxury that ordinary people cannot afford, and long-term consumption of high-sugar drinks and alcohol also brings serious illnesses to children.
Ultimately, cheap second-hand cyberware became the best and only option to cope with the harsh environment.
But in reality, for minors, their minds and bodies are not suitable for undergoing these high-intensity surgeries so early.
And a large proportion of children find it difficult to live to an age suitable for cyberware.
Population growth in Santo Domingo has been stagnant for a long time, and has even begun to decline.
For those who care about this land, it is undoubtedly a despairing pain; they are simply powerless to change any of it.
But recently, things seem to have taken a turn for the better.
A new power emerged in the Badlands, integrating the originally loose nomad tribes and fighting a fierce battle against the Biotech Corporation.
Unexpectedly, they actually won, and the Biotech Corporation suffered a crushing defeat.
This is the most joyful news Night City residents have heard in years, and bar business has improved significantly because of it.
After all, in terms of being unscrupulous, the Biotech Corporation ranks among the top of the megacorps, especially since its fields are closely related to basic livelihoods.
Thus, the power that was once dominant in the Badlands has become a situation where two sides stand as equals.
When the first and second biggest fight, the third is usually the first to die.
Under the pressure of these two powers, the independent nomad tribes or Badlands gangs almost quickly vanished.
By the way, this new power seems to be called the Water Plant.
Thinking of this gathered intelligence, Muamar Reyes (Old Captain) couldn't help but chuckle.
Could they really be selling water?
Of course, that was just a comforting thought. The area of the Badlands occupied by the Water Plant was too close to Santo Domingo; he didn't know what changes this emerging power would bring to his hometown.
After all, whether it's the 6th Street Gang, ordinary citizens living here, or Edgerunners, they all heavily rely on the Badlands smuggling route.
If this lifeline is cut off, who knows what kind of turmoil will occur?
Just then, the phone rang. Muamar Reyes glanced at the caller ID; it was an acquaintance.
"Gloria, it's a pleasure to receive your call."
The person on the other end of the line was David's mother, Gloria.
Having been born in Santo Domingo and once engaged in the shady business of cyberware, it was natural for Gloria to know the most famous local fixer, the Old Captain.
The two had collaborated many times in the past, and the Old Captain had even sponsored David's studies.
Although he was a fixer, the Old Captain was one of the few in Night City who still retained empathy, helped the weak, and was an idealist who pursued resistance.
Of course, beneath this fervor, there was no lack of the shrewdness and calculation belonging to a fixer.
Regarding Gloria's sudden call, the Old Captain's smile was warm on the surface, but in his heart, he was on high alert.
He knew that Gloria had changed careers long ago and had somehow found a powerful backer; even David had successfully joined Arasaka Corporation in the Counter-Intelligence Department.
Don't blame the Old Captain for inquiring so thoroughly; these were connections that might come in handy in the future.
"It's been a long time, Old Captain. How have you been lately?"
A hint of nostalgia flashed in Gloria's eyes. Her current life had exceeded her best expectations, but her past difficult life also had warm memories worth recalling.
People in Santo Domingo, compared to other places, have a bit more of that rare human touch worth missing.
"Not so good. As you know, the Badlands are in chaos again, and now no one knows how things will develop. I hope everything turns out for the better,"
the Old Captain sighed.
Since Gloria was willing to chat a bit, he could also be patient.
"Enough of that. I'm calling this time to speak with you on behalf of the Water Plant."
Gloria straightened her expression. Now that she held a high position, her words carried a bit of authority.
"...That is truly unexpected."
The Old Captain's expression stiffened slightly but immediately returned to normal.
He had anticipated this day; the Water Plant, which had already occupied a third of the Badlands, would surely penetrate Night City with its influence, but he didn't expect Gloria to be the one making the call.
It seemed that during the time she was out of contact, many things had indeed happened that he didn't know about.
But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Dealing with an acquaintance is always easier.
After hearing Gloria's intention, the Old Captain's expression became slightly strange.
Wait, the Water Plant really sells water?
You actually came to sell me pollution-free water!
It sounded like a good thing, but the Old Captain didn't let his guard down. When Arasaka Corporation built factories and labs in Santo Domingo, they said nice things too.
The Old Captain was already immune to verbal descriptions; he had to see the actual product before he would make a decision.
To this, Gloria nodded in agreement.
"I've already brought the samples. You can come down now."
"..."
The Old Captain then realized that Gloria had already brought people to his doorstep, and his heart skipped a beat.
This "Water Plant" is definitely not simple. As the outside world speculated, anyone who could make the Biotech Corporation suffer must have another corporation supporting them.
Thinking of David's current job, the Old Captain already had an answer in his mind.
Rancho Coronado
A modified car with no local markings was parked in the middle of the road, very conspicuous, already attracting the attention of many people.
Gloria sat in the passenger seat. Although she was still wearing the same simple clothes as before, she looked much younger.
Without the excessive strain of life and the pressure of low-quality second-hand cyberware, her original vibrant vitality had been revitalized. After all, she was only in her early thirties.
In the lower classes of Night City, this is when the countdown of life begins, but in the upper-middle classes, the prime of life has just begun.
With Gloria's naturally beautiful face, who knows how many people wanted to be David's father.
Panam's friend Scorpion was one of those pursuers, and he was quite persistent.
But later, when David heard the news and went to have a personal talk with him, Scorpion didn't dare to harass Gloria anymore.
After entering the Counter-Intelligence Department and receiving training from Arasaka Corporation, David's talent for cybernetic adaptation was fully unleashed. He quickly became Valerie's most capable subordinate, and his combat power was no joke.
Gloria had just hung up the phone and saw through the car's display that many people were already unable to hold back and were closing in. To avoid conflict, she could only give a reminder.
"Wahaha..."
"Tsk, I told you, just call me Valerie."
Drowsy Valerie rolled her eyes. Although she still didn't quite understand what "Wahaha" meant, the title of this Water Plant sounded a bit awkward.
Saying that, Valerie pushed open the car door and left the driver's seat.
As soon as she appeared, the people around immediately lost any thought of looking for trouble.
This wasn't because of Valerie's reputation, but because her cyberware looked like something they couldn't possibly mess with.
Looking at how the machine interfaces and the flesh-and-blood skin were almost perfectly integrated, one could tell that these high-end cyberware of unknown models were custom-made.
Just standing there, one could feel a sense of luxurious quality.
Aside from big shots, how many people would consider aesthetics and harmony when getting cyberware?
Valerie's cyberware were personally designed and modified by Kael. While largely preserving the original organs, he added to the original body structure.
This was completely different from existing cybernetic implant technology, and the surgical difficulty increased exponentially.
Probably only Kael could complete this series of modification surgeries.
After all, in Kael's design, Valerie was meant to be the pilot of a "Titan." Rather than piling materials onto her body, it would be more effective and direct to add a few more combat modules to the Titan.
This is the most correct way to use cybernetic implant technology.
Using appropriate cyberware to lower the physiological requirements for piloting a Titan is much easier than becoming the next Adam Smasher.
And the second-generation Titan designed and manufactured by Kael was enough to crush ten Adam Smashers head-on.
The major corporations of Night City went down the wrong path purely as a helpless compromise under the threat of rogue AIs.
Of course, even though Valerie's cyberware were specifically designed for piloting a Titan, her own combat power was already among the top tier in Night City.
The Second-generation combat suit, which combined Pilot combat suits with nanotechnology, had basic functions such as kinetic assistance, protective layers, and optical camouflage, and could also greatly enhance and extend the activation effect of the Sandevistan.
This combat suit alone was enough for Valerie to go toe-to-toe with Adam Smasher.
Initially, after completing a series of targeted modifications, Valerie, whose combat power had skyrocketed, got a bit cocky and clamored for a duel with Kael. The result, naturally, goes without saying.
Unwilling to accept this, Valerie found an opportunity to secretly launch a night raid.
Although it's unclear what exactly happened that night, many people in the camp said they heard the sound of a female cat in heat at night, which made everyone wonder for a long time.
When did a little stray cat sneak into the camp?
In the end, Valerie still couldn't control her lower half and impulsively did something she shouldn't have.
She was annoyed with herself for several days because of it.
It's all because Kael was too tempting.
Then, taking advantage of Lucy's absence, she was impulsive again... and again...
Back to the present.
The first thing the Old Captain saw when he came downstairs was Valerie.
Even though his heart was pounding with nervousness, he still had a warm smile on his face and quickly stepped forward to greet them.
"Don't worry, these two are my friends."
The Old Captain said to the surrounding residents.
Because he often helped children from poor families in Santo Domingo, he had great prestige and status here.
Hearing this, the people around slightly lowered their guard.
"Drive the car in. Your car is a bit too conspicuous,"
the Old Captain said to Gloria.
Besides his work as a fixer, he also dealt in second-hand cars on the surface, and he did quite well at it too.
In his open-air garage, many good items could be seen, catching Valerie's eye.
Coming from the Badlands, she had a special feeling for cars.
Of course, these were all smuggled, but the Old Captain's connections were strong enough to launder them.
"What, interested?" the Old Captain noticed Valerie's gaze and spoke.
"Business first."
Valerie still took the task assigned by Kael very seriously, putting personal hobbies aside.
Mainly because she was out of money.
People in the Badlands live day by day; they don't have the habit of saving money.
The average life expectancy of people in Night City is only around forty. With no future in sight, who would bother planning?
If all else failed, unlocking a couple of positions for Kael could squeeze out a large sum.
Gloria opened the trunk and took out the sample they brought this time, which was ten liters of pollution-free purified water.
Strictly speaking, Gloria was now a sales agent for the Water Plant.
Kael had given her the sales rights for purified water in the Santo Domingo area.
Many people were envious of this.
Especially Evelyn; to compete with Gloria, she had Judy whisper in Kael's ear quite a bit.
It's just that Kael wasn't very interested in her and didn't give Evelyn a chance to show off her specialties.
She was a restless soul who always wanted to return to Night City.
Not that she wanted to leave the Water Plant—she wasn't that short-sighted—she just didn't like the Badlands and preferred the bright lights and wine of Night City.
"Is this really pollution-free purified water?"
The Old Captain opened the lid and sniffed, confirming there was no odor, which instead made him unable to believe it.
It was too pure. This kind of water should clearly be in the crystal glasses of the high-ranking lords; how could it appear in a place like Santo Domingo?
Even if there really was no problem with the water, the Old Captain didn't think it was something they could afford.
Gloria had seen this kind of look many times in the Badlands.
The nomad tribes had the same wary look when they first saw the purified water from the Water Plant.
There's always a corpo-rat trying to screw me over!
This wasn't paranoia.
It was the most realistic living condition for Night City residents.
Seeing this, Valerie grabbed a handful of dust and threw it into the bucket. The originally clear purified water immediately became murky.
Now this color is right.
The Old Captain's expression relaxed a bit, indicating he felt comforted.
In the concept of the lower-class people of Night City, if drinking it doesn't make your hair or teeth fall out, then it's purified water. As for the color and taste, one can only say they are as varied as they can be.
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