Excluding industrial zones owned by giants like Arasaka, the Arroyo Industrial Park is the largest industrial area in Santo Domingo.
Because the 6th Street Gang has its headquarters there, security in this area is actually the best around, and workers prefer to apply for jobs here.
However, recently, a lot of illegal buildings have sprung up next to the Redshirt Psychiatric Hospital. Following the philosophy of "open first, get permits later," the Aldecaldos have occupied nearby abandoned houses and begun organizing production.
This place used to be deserted, but lately it's become bustling with people.
In the abandoned lot behind the old Redshirt Psychiatric Hospital, the Aldecaldos have set up workshops using prefab buildings.
"It's still safer here. I heard another car got blown up on Martin Luther King Avenue — several 6th Street guys died."
Inside the workshop, a skilled worker's cybernetic eye flickered blue.
His skill chip was a modified sex doll chip that Leo re-engineered. As long as the eye could scan and the cyberware had minimal processing power, it could guide his work.
He didn't need to understand the production principles — just follow the instructions. If he used a cybernetic modulator to control his limbs, he could even work hands-free.
It was tiring, sure, but he didn't need to think.
The workshop mainly did secondary processing of semi-finished products; the core parts were made elsewhere by the Aldecaldos.
In front of him was a blood production device filled with hematopoietic cells.
And he was talking to a robot beside him — a robot that moved on treads and had a pair of fully articulated bionic hands.
"Is it that bad?" The robot's voice was electronically synthesized but sounded very expressive, like a real person talking. "On our Martin Luther King Avenue, people cause trouble too, but it's just smash-and-grabs.
New York's the same — gas prices are skyrocketing these days, life's getting harder."
The worker chuckled. It was nice to have someone to chat with and shoot the breeze with while working.
Though the robot's stories were obviously fake:
Stuff like America fighting wars around the globe, beating up Europeans, ruling the world — basically a pulp fantasy novel, but pretty entertaining.
Little did he know, the robot thought the same thing.
In another world's New York, an Atlas worker was laughing too: America collapsing, Europe ruling the world? What kind of robot dreams up nonsense like that?
In each world, Leo explained the system the same way: an intelligent robot network built to handle unexpected incidents.
In the Marvel world, the fake world was explained as a training ground for AI and a way to avoid censorship.
In the Cyberpunk world, the fake worldview was to prevent AI from gaining awareness of the real world, basically putting a shell around its cognition.
In reality, though, they were all real people.
The worker kept laughing: "So damn funny — I got an Aldecaldo here, you got an Atlas over there."
The robot replied, "It is funny. But do homeless people provide jobs? That's way too far-fetched."
"That's Nomads — and they've even got the Meta Corporation! Isn't it even more ridiculous that a disabled kid is running a company?"
"Hahahahaha." "Hahahahaha."
Two people from different worlds laughed together, each thinking the other was an idiot.
They treated each other as a sounding board, mocking the absurd tales of the other's world, adding some fun to their dull lives.
Amid the laughter, the plasma bags were filled, packed, and shipped out.
Outside the workshop, Leo passed by quickly with Jackie and V, expressionless despite the noisy chatter inside.
V pointed at the robot: "Get me one of those joke robots, too — pretty creative."
"Stop wanting everything you see," Leo snapped.
Seeing this, Jackie shut his mouth — though he secretly wanted one too, it'd help him write his Enforcer's Handbook.
They continued through the workshops. The road led underground, where a huge, heavy blast door stood in the passage.
A command was entered, and the door slowly opened —
A new world was revealed.
Behind the massive blast door was a vast underground space, supported by rough walls and reinforced concrete pillars.
Although it had ventilation ducts, the air was still filled with the characteristic smell of welding and machine oil from metalworking.
High-precision CNC machines, 3D printers, laser cutters — all sorts of expensive manufacturing machines scavenged from the Maelstrom gang lay scattered about, patched up and kept running.
Compared to the polished, high-tech factories shown in corporate ads, the machines here looked disorganized.
But unlike the sterile quiet of corporate plants, this place was rough, noisy, and alive.
The Aldecaldos didn't lack techs — people like Mitch and Scorpion could even mod Basilisk hovercrafts, so they had decent technical know-how.
What they lacked was systematic, in-depth education and more practice.
They were hungry to learn and bring hope to the clan, so every piece of knowledge they put into practice genuinely thrilled them.
This was where the core production happened — the Beetle drone was researched and assembled here too —
With plenty of "joke robot" cross-dimensional help, of course.
The roar of machines, the clank of metal, and excited chatter mixed together, overwhelming Jackie and V's senses.
The two gawked with wide eyes, looking around like bumpkins visiting the big city for the first time.
They'd only known Leo and the Nomads were building a camp — they didn't expect…
That the camp had grown into this!
"Holy shit! This place is basically an underground kingdom!"
Leo chuckled: "The Maelstrom had plenty of good stuff, but they didn't know how to use it — a lot of it was literally used as toilet seats.
Luckily, most of the gear wasn't too delicate. The real prize is inside."
"The real prize? You mean the car's done? It was modded here?"
"Nope — but it's related."
The Maelstrom's biggest treasure had been lying around the All Foods factory, used as footstools.
Leo had identified it by cross-checking lost shipment lists from NetWatch surveillance:
A highly versatile, large alloy forging machine.
The furnace used an ultra-high-temperature plasma furnace, ensuring complete melting of metal into a uniform alloy liquid.
The molten alloy would then flow through an automated casting system into cooling and curing devices, forming components in the desired shape.
Because it was set up underground, the exhaust and filtration system connected to nearly 80% of the site's vent shafts.
With the furnace embedded in the wall, the whole thing looked like a volcano: hot air rising, molten metal flowing —
Then the forging hammer fell.
BOOM!
Inside the control room, the Aldecaldos and Sherman's Machinaw support team watched the screens intently.
Leo entered just then.
As he walked in, he explained to V why the legendary Machinaw hadn't been fully upgraded yet.
"I told you Machinaw needed a massive overhaul — it's using tons of custom tech, some of which I provided."
Leo wanted to boost the new Machinaw's strength. When the upgrade plan was first proposed, he'd already planned for it.
Now it was clearly the right call: the appearance of the stamped sniper rifle had turned them into sitting ducks, and the armor plates promised by the Kang Tao Corporation weren't enough.
Leo had two main inspirations:
One was the armor-piercing tips used by the Oscorp Group in the Scorpion Suit — the same metal now used on V's Mantis Blades.
The other was the material Dr. Octavius used for his mechanical arms.
One hard, one tough, both lightweight. Leo hoped to use these advanced materials to redesign the Machinaw's new frame.
When Leo walked in, everyone turned around. Sherman theatrically spread his arms, face flushed with excitement, and stepped forward:
"The nemesis of corporations! The savior of Machinaw! The baddest outlaw under the Wasteland Moon! The biggest legend of Night City — you're finally here!
Unbelievable… just unbelievable. This place is heaven!"