In the southern badlands, in a town still populated, several unbuilt flat and sandy roads form the town's main transportation arteries.

The whole town is built in a badland area covered with yellow sand, giving people the feeling and impression of the old American western town, where words such as luxury and prosperity have nothing to do with this kind of place, and there is a sense of depression and desolation everywhere.

But from time to time, a few passers-by who walked by the side of the road were silently telling that there were still people living here.

It was noon, and a small red off-road vehicle that stood out in the desert area appeared in the town.

The wheels were running over the sand and making a small noise, and V sat in the driver's seat with a numb face, grasping the steering wheel with both hands, looking at the monotonous scene in front of the car and yawning from time to time.

There's really nothing to praise about the town, and most of the buildings on both sides of the road are planked flat houses, and the only visible green is the dwarf desert vegetation.

On the whole spacious road, after a long time, there will be one or two cars passing by, like these travelers and outsiders who come to the town, most of them will choose to stop at the town's auto repair shops, convenience stores, gas stations and other service points, and will continue to set off after the repair is completed, and the vehicles will disappear at the end of the road with yellow sand after the road is completed.

Parking his little car on the side of the road, V got out of the car, found a convenience store built on the side of the road, bought a bottle of cold soda, and then walked slowly to the side of the road, uncorked the bottle with a single expression, and drank a drink in the sun.

After taking several sips and quenching his thirst, V yawned and walked limply back to his car.

Her demeanor and movements are completely suitable for a hard-working worker who works overtime until late at night, and she can't find any vitality except for a depressed body.

"This shit weather, I've only been out for a while, why is it so hot and sweating?" As soon as he walked into his little car, V couldn't help but complain.

Feeling the coldness of the interior of the car, she casually put her drink on the car, and she leaned back in her seat and let out a salted fish sigh.

Then again, it's been a long time since she's been in this unknown town.

So on the boring days of staying here, she also tried to sit on the side of the road and watch the cars passing by the town, and then use this as a basis to judge if there is anything special about this town.

And after so many days of exploration and investigation, she gradually realized that there is actually nothing special about this unknown town.

... It seems to be an ordinary town.

When he realized this fact, V didn't understand why the middleman sent himself to a place where birds don't poop and "wait for rabbits".

- Since choosing to leave the family and choose to go out on her own, she has also had a difficult life for a while.

After all, without the support of the family behind him, coupled with the entrustment list in a place like the Badlands, the middleman will generally choose to give priority to the capable and well-established wanderer family, so as to digest these task lists "inside" the family, and there will rarely be an intermediary who chooses to give the entrustment to the "maverick" lone wolf wanderer.

In this difficult employment situation, V also came up with the idea of giving up making a living in the Badlands countless times, and instead went to work in Night City early.

She didn't go to Night City to work hard in the first place, also because of her own lack of ability, because the experience of spending the night in Night City for the first time left her with not very happy memories.

Because of that experience, V understood that he still had shortcomings and shortcomings, and instead of going to Night City unprepared to work hard, it was better to stay in the bad soil for a while to sharpen and precipitate, and make up for his shortcomings first.

However, the dream is beautiful, but the reality is cruel.

There is no middleman's list, no matter how frugal she is, there will always be a day when she is empty.

Rather than stay here and starve to death, you might as well go to Night City and find a chance.

At least their predecessor Mal is still there, and they have a look for each other.

correct

However, things took a turn at the end, and somehow, after a certain day, all of a sudden, those middlemen who had looked down on themselves began to enthusiastically hand over all kinds of entrusted tasks to themselves.

Although I don't understand the reason why these middlemen collectively changed their faces, V has finally eased up, and has been sharpened and grown in many missions.

Now, she has also received another big order from a veteran middleman who has known her for a long time!

According to the intermediary, the employer of the list needed a veteran wanderer who was familiar with the Badlands' environment, and the other party was paid quite generously.

The mission requires only the wanderer to wait at a specific location, and then cross the border between North and South California at the right time to meet at the predetermined place.

And the waiting place arranged by the intermediary is the town where she is staying now.

Nian has never played tricks on himself in this middleman, and the remuneration is indeed very considerable, so V is also very relieved to accept this commission.

As for the waiting time, the right is to give yourself a vacation, and people can't be so tired when they live.

Later, not long after coming to this town, V had to admit that the pace of life and working atmosphere in this small town was really comfortable...... It's a little boring.

She had been in the town for days because the task had not progressed and the employer had not contacted her.

Now, she is gradually infected by the life of this town, and her whole person has become a little salty.

I don't know when I'll be able to pick myself up again, but this kind of "vacation" is really a bit of a bad time.

"It's almost noon, where are you going to have a meal?" V started his little car and slowly moved around the town, his eyes beginning to drift over the houses on the side of the road.

The car was driving for a while, and just as V was choosing a restaurant that looked good, the communicator in the car suddenly rang.

The Badlands area is naturally not as prosperous as Night City.

There are very few places in this kind of town that can be covered by the local area network, and even the daily communication is more difficult, and it is necessary to use a special communicator to contact, and the signal and performance are much better than the convenient communicator with the brain processor.

Picking up the communicator from the front console and pressing the button to turn on, V asked lazily:

"Hey, this is V, what's the matter with me?"

Soon, a familiar voice came from the other end of the communicator, it was the intermediary who had entrusted her with the commission:

"V, no matter what you're doing now, hurry up and let me go, follow the formalities and cross the border to the outskirts of Night City, our employer is ready to get started, after waiting for so many days, you can't be absent at this time!"

"Huh? So suddenly? Okay, I'll go right over." V raised his eyebrows, and the whole person was instantly full of vitality, as if a machine in disrepair was instantly filled with gasoline.

After hanging up the phone, she didn't even eat lunch, and hurriedly returned to her temporary residence, carrying some luggage, documents and items needed for crossing the border back to the car.

She stepped on the accelerator to the fullest, drove the car to its maximum horsepower, and disappeared into the town that had been stranded for a long time.