Reborn as a Mechanist with a God-Tier System - Chapter 53: The calm before the storm [3]
That morning as they left to the open market, Leon felt safer than ever before as his black cargo pants hid a kinetic pistol.
Yes, he finally changed from the black joggers that he awakened on and the tarpaulin cloak that he crafted.
Continuing wearing just that would have only turned him into a physical embodiment of body odor.
This was no longer like when he was alone in his shelter in the fringe of the Wastes. No matter how dystopian the Wastes was, the people still formed a community here which meant Leon could afford to change clothes.
Talia spent a few pounds to get all of them new clothes after what happened two nights ago. This was also to enhance their disguise.
Leon was dressed in a black T-shirt and black cargo pants. Kain wore a long black coat and black pants, Daren wore a casual green T-shirt and beige-colored combat shorts, exposing his muscular body and tattoos. šš§šš®šš®šš£šøššš.ššš
Rex was also forced to finally leave his favored overalls. Just like Kain, he wore a black coat that covered his short frame and black pants.
Leon couldnāt blatantly walk through the streets of community G with his Flux Crystal Spear, it was just too high-profile. But with a kinetic pistol, he no longer felt defenseless in this community that was ruled by the Zmer gang.
"Our first work today will be creating chairs. We canāt continue sitting on the ground, thatās just barbaric".
"Rex, I want you to take care of this". Leon instructed as they walked towards the open market.
"Thatās not even a Mechanistās work, why me?" Rex quickly protested.
Leon was unfazed as he looked at the short Geneform with a smile on his face. "Why you? Itās because youāre Fixerman".
"Ugh, ok". Rex grumbled but he eventually agreed.
As soon as they got to the open market, they quickly set up their stall and Rex left to gather the materials to craft 4 sets of chairs. Within 5 minutes of their opening while Rex was gone, a customer knocked on their table.
Leon looked up and saw a familiar square-shaped face, a clean shaven chin, and a receding hairline.
His eyes gleamed as a few observations instantly registered in his head. ā...he seems disheveled... he reeks of alcohol... heās drunk!... and he seems to be in an abnormally good mood, did something happen?ā
"Youāre here". Despite his thoughts, Leon said with a calm smile.
"Of course, Mr. Best Mechanic in Community G," Alexander Cain grinned. "I tend to keep a tab on people that Iām dealing business deals with, so I could not help but notice, you came late today?"
Leon nodded in an easy-going manner. "Itās because of personal reasons".
"Oh, I respect that". Cain nodded.
Leon then probed. "You seem to be in an especially good mood today".
"Hehe, you have sharp eyes". Cain laughed. "I and my boss completed a big business deal, so Iāve been in a good mood".
āBoss?ā Leon sharply caught that as his eyes constricted in a barely noticeable manner. āBig deal? Did Parasite complete a slave trade with his clients?ā
Leon masked his thoughts perfectly as he engaged in idle talk with the Geneform who was clearly in a more talkative mood today.
In the end, Cain flashed a big smile. "So, what do you say Mr. Best Mechanic, are you ready to make money with me?"
Leon smiled back at the Geneform. "Itās a pleasure to work with a man of culture like you. Letās make money together".
Cain laughed loudly. "Now, thatās what I mean by insikful business partners!"
"You mean insightful". Leon corrected with a smile.
"Yes, insithful!" Cain laughed louder. "I expected you to say yes to my offer, afterall, who doesnāt like making money?" He laughed again. "With this expectation, I already made a few preparations".
His face turned serious as the effects of alcohol seemed to briefly evaporate. He whispered. "Our job is a delicate type, we canāt afford to do it here in the open".
Leon maintained his smile.
Cain continued. "This is why Iāve rented a caravan for my favorite mechanic". He grinned. "There, you can work on the goods without people seeing what youāre doing. Itās a safe and quiet environment".
āSafe and quiet, huh? Is this a trap?ā Leon stayed calm.
He was not afraid.
Despite the fact that nothing happened yesterday, they were still cautious. The moment they left to the open market, Ghostwire sent an encrypted signal to Talia through community Gās psionic LAN.
Leon was pretty sure that Talia and Brick were somewhere nearby keeping watch over them. If anything happened, they would quickly intervene.
āAnd if this is not a trap,ā he smiled. āThen a caravan is just what we need to maximize productivityā.
"What do you say, Mr. Best Mechanic? Letās go there?"
"Ok". Leon nodded, then he looked at Ghostwire. "Wait for Fixerman to come back, then tell him where we went. Tell him that weāll come back to check on him and maybe take him along".
It may not really matter due to the current circumstances, but Leon still felt the need to be cautious. This was why he refrained from calling Rexās real name in front of the enemy.
Cain laughed. "Itās not far, the caravan is just at the corner of the open market".
Cain was right as he led Leon and Kain there within just 2 minutes.
It was a metallic gray caravan. It was not too big, but it was just compact enough to serve their purpose of crafting guns and ammunition.
"Itās perfect". Leon smiled.
"Iām glad you like it. You guys can set it up to your standard, my boys will bring the materials needed for the first batch in 30 minutes".
Cainās face turned serious again. "For this first batch, Iāve providing a lot of materials. Even if you experience a few failures during the process, I still want at least 100 completed pistols and at least 2000 bullets".
Leonās face twitched indiscernibly. ā100 pistols? Nigga, how rich are you?ā
Despite his thoughts, he secretly heaved a sigh of relief as his tensed nerves relaxed. The caravan was not a trap.
About 30 minutes later, 3 imposing-looking thugs entered the caravan lifting giant crates filled with materials.
They came and left 2 more times, carrying 3 giant material crates each time.
āI wonder where theyāre carrying the crates fromā. Leon thought. āI doubt theyāre careless enough to bring them directly from their hidden baseā.
Once all the materials were dropped inside the caravan, once again confirming the riches of the Zmer gang, Leon shook hands with his employer. "I wonāt disappoint you".
"You better not". Alexander Cain laughed. "Iāll come back in two days. Meet my target by then".
With that, he was about to leave when Leon stopped him. "What about our remuneration? Weāve not discussed the business part yet".
Cain was stunned. "I almost forgot!" he grinned. "You see," he walked close and wrapped an arm around Leonās shoulders. "I trust you, but I want tangible results before I send any money".
"Iāve shown enough goodwill by providing so many raw materials".
He tapped Leon by the shoulder. "Work hard Mr. Mechanic. Tomorrow, Iāll come visit. If you impress me, Iāll pay 40 Neo Credits upfront. And the next day when I come to carry them, Iāll pay 60 Neo Credits. What do you say?"
"I say letās do business".
Cain grinned, tapped his shoulder once more and then he finally left.
Leon stared at the Cyber Gladiatorās back as he left. ā2 days deadline... does this mean a potential slave trade deal will be completed in 2 days?ā
Having received the key to the caravan, Leon locked it up and returned back to the mechanic workshop with Kain.
There, Rex was already working on creating the 4 chairs.
Looking at how adeptly the short Geneform handled the hammer and nails, Leon nodded in satisfaction. āA true carpenterā.
Seeing them, Rex observed their surroundings and when he saw no one, he whispered. "Has he left?" Apparently, Daren already told him about Cain.
Leon nodded. "Be fast and letās go to the caravan, we have a lot of work to do".
Rex was taken aback. "What of the mechanic workshop?"
"Weāll leave it for now". Leon answered naturally. "We opened it to get mechanic jobs, right? Now we have a job thatāll take most of our time, so why waste time here waiting for another customer that may or may not come?"
Rex sighed. "Youāre right, why didnāt I think of that?" He sighed again in a depressed manner. "I just canāt think like you, Boss Leon".
Leon smiled and consoled him. "Donāt worry, one day youāll be able to think and solve problems even more than I do".
"What of me?" At that moment, Daren finally interjected.
Leon looked at the Cyber Gladiator, then he shrugged. "Follow us, thereās no need staying here".
"You can be our assistant".
"Ok, so long you buy me a bottle of beer, Iāll help you guys with anything!" Daren said with a grin and stood up.
After Rex was done crafting the chairs, they closed down the mechanic workshop and carried both the wooden work table and chairs away.
With it, they set up the caravan for work.
They didnāt hesitate to start working immediately. Despite the three of them being Mechanists, 100 pistols was not a job that could be done in a short time.
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.