[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-33":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1151474,1495,"Chapter 33 - 31: Time is Money (Seeking Followers~)","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>The vehicle’s manufacturing is not Military Technology’s forte, nor is it their main business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the Bimong Armored Vehicle consistently ranks as the most trusted armored vehicle for many consecutive years, dominating a significant portion of the high-end armored vehicle market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing this vehicle, Andrew quickly dispelled his doubts—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>because this vehicle was not sold to the public at all; only ruling entities and corporations could purchase this armored giant. Every day at the border, you could see Military Technology using this vehicle to transport soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must be some suit on official business. Andrew thought it would be better not to ask too many questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, he introduced Lille to the mechanic Mike—fix it quickly and then leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wow... This is my first time touching this vehicle. Even covered in 3.8 centimeters of armor and with a windshield that can withstand heavy machine-gun fire, the powerful drivetrain can still make the Bimong drive through the sinful environment...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, look at this massive cargo box, the Bimong Giant Beast... Oh, wait, why does the cargo box seem to be missing a part?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bimong’s rear cabin could seat people, and it had retractable cargo boxes on both sides. Lille and V had just unmounted one of these retractable cargo boxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mechanic Mike was already deeply immersed upon seeing this vehicle—unlike the junk cars driven by those wanderers, this was a real beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why is a part missing? No wonder this vehicle looks a bit... \"lopsided.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille smiled slightly, \"Just fix it and don’t ask questions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uh...\" Mike’s heart skipped a beat; the sheriff had already warned him not to be nosy, \"Yes, sir, yes, I think it might be a misaligned circuit...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just fix it,\" Lille checked the time, \"I’ll give you two hours. Fix it, and you’ll get a tip. If not... you might lose some ’performance pay.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where’s the communication tower?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not far, exit and turn right for 300 meters, then turn left. It’s quite obvious; you can use it freely.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille nodded slightly, gesturing for V to follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once outside, he immediately saw the signal tower in the distance, very conspicuous in this barren wasteland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Connecting the communicator to the signal tower could find the sheriff’s channel over a wide area, reaching the person he needed to contact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Willie McCoy, the middleman among the wanderers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Climbing the signal tower made the desolation of this place even more palpable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, from higher up, looking out over the wasteland, it wasn’t entirely barren—you could see many ghost towns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These ghost towns were left behind by companies that wanted to develop the wilderness but went bankrupt before they could start. Now, they had become camps for wanderers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V found a suitable connector in the electrical box and hooked up the mobile radio, \"So, we’re looking for wanderers to help us smuggle?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do you know how Night City perceives them? Social parasites, criminals hiding in Evil Land.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, I know. But, in reality, true wanderers were farmers decades ago. Night City, Washington... many skyscrapers in the cities were built by them. The ghost towns and oil wells on this Evil Land were too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You come from Haywood, just think of them as wandering Haywood people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s terrifying—wandering Haywood people, sounds like locusts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiss—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The communicator crackled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hello? Who is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille immediately spoke, \"Dennis Burger King, are you Willie McCoy? I have some questions. Can you smuggle now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uh—who are you? Someone saw a Bimong enter the town this morning. Are you the guy in that vehicle?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I ask, you answer. If you want to earn money, don’t talk too much.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Humph—you think everyone is like you, willing to do anything for money? I don’t trust you people...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fifty thousand Euro.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I said...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A hundred thousand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pretty tough, huh? One hundred fifty thousand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other end, it was clear McCoy’s train of thought was disrupted—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember, wanderers are incredibly poor, far beyond imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides having vehicles, they lacked weapons, medicines, prosthetics, food, even clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanderer brokers weren’t much better off. The wasteland offered nothing but freedom; earning some money was incredibly hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, everyone relied on so-called \"family ties\" to support each other—of course, this significantly reduced the demand for high rewards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hundred fifty thousand Euro was an unimaginably high sum for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>McCoy’s breathing became heavy but quickly steadied, \"Damn it, demon! Shut up! I... I told you it’s not about the money!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The border posts aren’t even processing customs clearance now, no one can smuggle, understand! At least not for another three months!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, I can’t clear customs for you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>V’s heart sank—you couldn’t wait three months in this ghost town, could you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked at Lille, only to find Lille chuckling softly, relaxedly saying, \"Good, at least you know the rules.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What? You... you are trying to trick me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not entirely—not being able to right now means there were clearances pending before? Name, location, I suspect this batch is related to Military Science.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You bastard, you dog...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t get worked up. I only suspect a connection with the corporation. I’m not associated with them—here’s the deal, you pass this job to me, and I’ll handle the cargo for the client.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I’m willing to give you a ten-thousand-Euro referral fee.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other end, McCoy temporarily shut off the communicator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was impressed by Lille’s ability to lie through his teeth—everything Lille said pointed to him investigating possible irregularities in recent smuggling on behalf of Military Science!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, he hadn’t said it directly, giving McCoy an irresistible offer while also providing a way out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>McCoy couldn’t tell if this guy was genuinely investigating or using this chance to make some extra cash—probably both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His flushed face quickly cooled down after a puff of his cigarette, and just as he was about to speak, Lille continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Think about it; one thousand Euro is enough to buy medicines for a whole tribe for half a year. If used on ethanol2 fuel, it could sustain a convoy for four to five months.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>McCoy was puzzled—what did that mean? Was he tempting him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But earlier, he mentioned a reward of one hundred thousand Euro?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille continued, \"Too bad, time is money; now the reward is ninety thousand Euro. Congratulations, you lost your medicine and fuel.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>McCoy’s face, which had just cooled, flushed with anger again—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it, are you messing with me? You’re driving a Military Technology Bimong Armored Vehicle and want me to tell my client you’re the guy handling his smuggling?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You think anyone would believe that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eighty thousand Euro—I’ll disguise myself as a Buckley Family wanderer unwilling to join Snake Nation, but the vehicle is indeed an issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So you have to lend me one. The good news is, I’m willing to leave my vehicle with you. A vehicle is life, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alright, now it’s seventy thousand Euro.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>McCoy felt his heart race with every word—money! That was all money!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bastard! We are negotiating!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you haven’t agreed yet, so I have to deduct a bit from the budget to compensate for my wasted time, sixty thousand Euro.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>McCoy lost his temper—in just a moment, a year’s worth of fuel for a convoy was gone! Along with the medicine, food...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cursed Lille for reminding him of what one thousand Euro could accomplish; now, all he could think about was the money he was losing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to decide!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine, fine, you damn filthy mutt; is money all you care about? I’ll do it! I’ll do it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille’s tone shifted from relaxed to chilling, \"Since that’s the case, I am now your superior and client. Do your job well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And, you speak so crudely; I assume no one taught you how to talk?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including you, Mr. McCoy, lacking everything but money. The current price is fifty thousand Euro. Want some time to think it over?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>McCoy almost ground his teeth to dust—it was damn difficult to earn this money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need! I’ll have someone drive over now! Yes, stay where you are! I don’t want to reveal the tribe’s location to you...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he finished speaking, V burst into laughter, discreetly giving Lille a thumbs-up and silently saying, \"Nice job, Lille.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed McCoy’s tongue was about to cramp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, the wind was quite strong; otherwise, McCoy might’ve died of anger if he heard the laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille chuckled and continued, \"Then I’ll wait for you here; I’ll give you three hours.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1414,"2026-06-03T12:33:12.630Z","2026-06-03T12:33:19.524Z",1,"novelbin.me","42b44e60d71836b416e79460be81647c5472e52395be2711c6a88966b55642d0","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-34","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-32",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]