Adcardo

The Aldecaldo Family was the first nomad family established in the United States, born around 1992 in Los Angeles, founded by Juan Aldecaldo and Father Jonah Dominguez.

The family name was taken from the surname of one of its founders.

Led by Juan, these people, dissatisfied with urban corruption, chose to leave the city and move toward a nomadic life.

Unlike other nomad families, the Aldecaldos value family and unity above all else.

Don't think that all nomad families are friendly; if that were the case, Valerie wouldn't have broken away from her own family.

Most nomad families are less like families and more like groups of people cobbled together with shared interests.

The current leader of the Aldecaldos is named Santiago.

This man was inseparable brothers with Rogue and Johnny. He used to be an Edgerunner, but later, when they fled to Mexico, they were taken in by the Aldecaldo Family for a period of time.

As for why they fled, it was because the three of them went to Arasaka Tower to rescue Johnny's girlfriend, Alt Cunningham, but failed and were hunted by the Arasaka Corporation, forcing them to go into hiding.

It was precisely because of this experience that Santiago chose to stay with the Aldecaldos and eventually became the new family leader.

Because of this connection, during the Fourth Corporate War, on the eve of the fall of Arasaka Tower, Santiago provided support for the tower-assault team brought by Johnny Silverhand.

He even sent the Aldecaldo special combat unit, 'Wolf Pack,' to assist.

Later, after Arasaka Tower fell, Rogue returned to the Aldecaldos to lie low and lived with the Aldecaldo nomads.

During this time, Rogue and Santiago married and had a son named Trace Santiago.

As for why the two eventually split up, it might be because Rogue didn't want to leave Night City.

Before the Unification War, to avoid getting caught up in the conflict between Night City and the NUSA, the Aldecaldos chose to lead the main force away from Night City.

In the end, only a branch of the tribe led by Saul Bright remained in Night City, forming the current situation in the Badlands.

However, life was not easy for those who stayed behind.

Saul was a decent leader, but unfortunately, the Aldecaldo force he led was too weak. Forget resisting the pressure from Biotechnica; they even struggled to deal with the Wraiths.

It got to the point where he had to consider accepting an offer from Biotechnica to serve as security for their farmlands.

However, this proposal was rejected by most family members, causing significant internal conflict. Panam Palmer left because of it, and Saul could only let the matter drop.

While Chen Nuo was recalling the intelligence and memories he had gathered, Saul had already led the family convoy to this location.

Seeing those familiar faces she hadn't seen in a long time, Panam's emotions clearly fluctuated, but when Saul cast his gaze toward her, she immediately turned her head away.

At this moment, even her pinky finger strongly radiated a stubborn sense of 'I'm not wrong.'

But this also reflected the guilt deep in Panam's heart.

After all, running away from home was indeed a bit immature when spoken aloud.

"It looks like you've been doing well outside, even making new friends. That puts my mind at ease."

Saul stepped forward a few paces and spoke to Panam in the tone of a family patriarch.

"Don't talk to me like that. I've already left the Aldecaldos."

Panam said, somewhat annoyed.

"Even if you've left the Aldecaldos, you're still our family. You can't deny that."

Saul's tone was firm, leaving Panam unable to respond. She ran off to the side in frustration, venting her anger on the innocent ground.

Seeing this, Mitch and Scorpion, Panam's two best partners in the Aldecaldos, secretly slipped over to her side. The three of them, having not seen each other for a long time, soon began to mingle.

Well, it was more like Mitch and Scorpion were unilaterally getting beaten up.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Saul, leader of the Aldecaldos."

Saul came before Chen Nuo with a very solemn attitude. He had also heard the rumors about BT in the Badlands.

Most were increasingly outrageous, and he had treated them as mere entertainment.

But after learning that Chen Nuo had killed Nash and taken out his hideout, he realized that these rumors might not be entirely fabricated. This BT truly had the potential to become a new legend of Night City.

Well, that sounded no different from wishing someone dead.

In Night City, the number of people who could become a legend while still alive could be counted on one hand.

"You can call me Nuo."

Chen Nuo shook Saul's outstretched hand.

The two were now acquainted. It was clear that Saul's first impression of Chen Nuo was very good, and his attitude was quite warm.

This wasn't just because Chen Nuo had solved the Aldecaldos' biggest current problem, but more importantly, because he was Panam's friend.

The Aldecaldo Family is very xenophobic, but once you gain their approval, you can experience the most precious trust in Night City.

"Panam must have caused you a lot of trouble. She acts impulsively without considering the consequences. If no one keeps an eye on her, there's no telling how much trouble she'll stir up."

It's true what they say: the people who know you best are your family.

Saul's words were spot on. Even with Rogue helping to watch over her, Panam had still caused plenty of trouble.

Chen Nuo smiled politely, glancing out of the corner of his eye toward where Mitch and Scorpion's cries of pain were becoming increasingly loud.

It seemed Panam had been paying attention to the situation here and had heard Saul's assessment of her.

"Let's not talk about that. Let's go in and look at the supplies. I imagine quite a few of them originally belonged to you."

Chen Nuo led Saul into the tunnel.

The other man was very trusting, nodding and following him in.

However, after reading the supply list provided by Chen Nuo, Saul's expression became complicated—a mix of excitement and joy mingled with the dilemma of being in a difficult position.

The items were all good, and many were desperately needed by the family. But unfortunately, the Aldecaldos' financial situation was terrible. They had already sunk to the point of proposing to be corporate dogs; where would they get the money to pay?

Chen Nuo hadn't intended to make money from Saul anyway. He patted his shoulder and said,

"I happen to have something I want to collaborate with you on. These supplies can serve as the payment."

"...What kind of thing?"

"Logistics, security, land reclamation, and so on. We can discuss the details slowly later."

Everything Chen Nuo proposed was business the Aldecaldos already handled, and he planned to open a factory in the Badlands.

As long as he successfully built the Arc Reactor and had sufficient clean energy support, then no matter what industry he entered, it would be a guaranteed profit.

Not to mention, Chen Nuo had technical support from other worlds.

So, the two most urgent things right now were enough 'Palladium' and a suitable site.

Chen Nuo had already asked 'V' to help with the former, and for the latter, he had to rely on 'locals' like the Aldecaldos.

Saul didn't know Chen Nuo's considerations; he only knew he was getting a huge bargain. Labor in the Badlands was quite cheap, and these supplies were enough to keep the entire Aldecaldo Family working for a whole year.

But thinking of the elderly and children in the family, he really couldn't bring himself to refuse, so he could only silently note this favor.

Saul had his people load all the supplies onto the trucks and then warmly invited Chen Nuo to the Aldecaldo camp.

Chen Nuo did indeed need to inspect the actual situation of the Aldecaldos, so he agreed.

"If you want to go, go ahead. I'm definitely not going back."

Panam remained stubborn. Saul hadn't bowed his head and admitted he was wrong yet, so don't expect her to return.

"I'm not asking you to go back, just to give me a lift. Treat it as a new job."

Chen Nuo gave Panam a way out, and she smoothly took it. After shooting Saul a glare, she nimbly hopped into the driver's seat.

Seeing this, Mitch and Scorpion silently gave a thumbs up.

It was their first time seeing someone who could handle Panam so easily.

nomad families are like migratory tribes; they don't have a fixed camp and need to move frequently.

This isn't just because of harassment from the Wraiths and pressure from corporations, but most importantly because of the harsh and volatile weather in the Badlands.

You must migrate constantly with the changing seasons to find a suitable place to survive.

However, the Aldecaldo Family always had their own unique marking methods to guide any family member, ensuring they wouldn't lose their way home.

The Aldecaldos' current camp was hidden in the wilderness deep within the Badlands. After the vehicles sped for a considerable amount of time, the group successfully reached their destination.

The so-called camp was actually a large number of tents and various vehicles cobbled together into a small, orderly village.

Although the environment looked somewhat desolate and monotonous, the many rising plumes of cooking smoke added a rare touch of life to the Badlands.

It seemed Saul had already notified the people in the camp to hold a grand banquet for their new friend, Chen Nuo.

Just looking at the excited, rowdy children told the story; it must have been a long time since it was this lively here.

The survival pressure on adults also affects the children.

When the people in the camp saw the convoy returning, they all went out to meet it. Seeing the fully loaded supplies, the relaxed and joyful atmosphere became even more intense, just like a holiday.

Regardless of gender or age, everyone stepped forward to lend a hand to the convoy.

In no time, all the supplies were unloaded and categorized for storage by designated people.

Jackie's appearance wasn't very popular with children, but he himself quite liked kids. So he used a little trick, taking out candy and snacks from the car. With just a little shake, he was immediately surrounded by a group of children.

For this, he specifically gave Chen Nuo a proud little look.

Valerie followed behind Chen Nuo, deep into the Aldecaldo camp, observing the surroundings.

Speaking of which, she had almost become a member of the Aldecaldo Family.

The Bakkus Family, which Valerie was from, had once chosen to merge into a branch of the Aldecaldo Family, but in the end, they chose to submit to a corporation.

Both were nomad families, but the internal atmosphere and sense of belonging in the Bakkus Family were far inferior to the Aldecaldos. If the former had even half the cohesion of the latter, they wouldn't have ended up that way.

This made Valerie feel a bit sentimental for a moment.

"Where's Panam? I clearly saw her car."

A female member of the Aldecaldos came over and asked.

Saul pointed to a nearby hilltop and replied,

"Probably hiding there throwing a tantrum again. Ignore her; I'll have Scorpion bring her some food later."

"Really, you could just back down a little."

"I'm the leader. I should back down to her? Besides, I didn't do anything wrong."

Saul pointed to his own nose, his voice rising slightly, but the female member wasn't intimidated at all. With a toss of her hair, she spoke enthusiastically to Chen Nuo.

"Welcome to the Aldecaldos."

Since Chen Nuo stepped into the camp, he had heard this phrase no less than ten times. The people here all possessed a rare virtue: gratitude.

"Saul, we've got a problem."

At that moment, someone else came looking for him, speaking with a grim expression.

"What kind of problem?"

"There's an issue with the water pump. You need to come take a look."

Hearing this, Saul showed a look of headache.

Most of the water in their camp was drawn from underground, relying on pumping and purification systems.

This was the case for all factions in the Badlands.

Although these simple purification devices struggled to remove contaminants from water sources long since polluted by corporations, having water to drink was better than none. Anyway, whether one would live long enough to develop mutations was another question.

At worst, they'd just consider replacing organs with cybernetics when the time came.

In this regard, the situation for the lower class in Night City was about the same.

The pot calling the kettle black.

At least the nomad tribes got to drink for free.

"I'll go along too. You might not know, but I'm actually a technical expert."

Chen Nuo spoke without modesty.

Saul believed him immediately—why would his brother lie to him? He excitedly grabbed Chen Nuo's arm and led him to the camp's pump room.

Quite a few people were gathered inside at the moment.

To live in the Badlands, you have to know a little bit of everything, especially mechanical technology, unless you want to be baked alive in the Badlands because your car broke down.

In such an environment, car trouble was almost an inevitability.

But those who could truly be called technical experts were few and far between in the Badlands, and there certainly weren't any in the Aldecaldo camp.

How could this group of people, who couldn't even afford an education, receive systematic training? To become self-taught through books that had long been obsolete in Night City, how much natural talent would that require?

In a nomad tribe of less than a thousand people, it was almost impossible for such a talent to be born.

A bunch of amateurs were gathered around shouting, looking very intense, but not a single one could actually solve the problem.

"Everyone out!"

Saul shouted at the top of his lungs.

Only then was space cleared for Chen Nuo to operate.

In just a few moves, the bulky and massive pumping device was disassembled into a pile of parts by Chen Nuo.

Just by looking at the wear and tear, he could tell where the problem was.

The simplest way to fundamentally solve the problem was to buy a new one. This pump was likely older than Saul.

"I'll find a part for a temporary fix. I'll have a new one sent over tomorrow, and I'll upgrade your purification system while I'm at it."

Chen Nuo spoke in a casual tone.

Saul was awestruck by this generosity and stood dazed on the spot. Unfortunately, he wasn't well-educated and couldn't think of a grand way to express his loyalty.