"Ever since the accident, they suddenly became very close, even doing deep dives together. I know how many of them there are... they must be up to something."
The novice netrunner, under the gaze of Mercer and the others, first glanced nervously at the ground, then mustered the courage to look at the Arasaka agent:
"I think they're definitely plotting something. Before, Lucy, Kyoko, Daichi, and Leon got along well, but Mercer only joined after the accident.
And Mercer has... changed a lot lately! There's definitely something wrong!
I stand by what I said!"
The novice netrunner's heart was pounding wildly. He knew he'd be seen as a traitor by his peers after this, but... if his report succeeded, maybe he could survive!
He could escape this project, no, even get promoted to a senior position because of this merit!
Thinking this, Sakata's expression grew resolute.
He was almost certain this group was hiding something; everyone used to look like they were on the verge of death, but lately, these few had been chatting and laughing.
He'd secretly asked Kyoko before, but even she said it was just because things had been safe lately, with no encounters with AIs.
That didn't make sense. Kyoko was naturally timid, and even he felt more scared during deep dives now. How could Kyoko suddenly be so brave?
"I have plenty of evidence to prove they're secretly planning something or hiding some secret!"
The more Sakata spoke, the clearer his thoughts became, and he grew even more excited: "Yes, it must be this way!"
But the Arasaka agent remained unmoved.
Did this brat really think Arasaka employees were fools...?
Every conversation between Lucy, Mercer, and the others was on record. They were under 24/7 surveillance of communication signal fluctuations, biometric data analysis, and the whole package.
Although the data occasionally showed some variance, it never reached abnormal levels. Besides, wasn't this review meant to uncover exactly that? Did he really need to point it out?
"Other evidence?" The Arasaka agent coldly stared at Sakata.
Sakata was stunned: "Evidence? I mean... they're acting suspicious. If you interrogate them strictly, you'll definitely find something..."
"Bakayarou! Get in line for the review! You're wasting my time."
The Arasaka agent cursed angrily. If he had the authority to discipline him, he would've already given the kid a cyberware lockdown plus neural overload.
He didn't need any netrunning skills, just the permissions Arasaka granted senior agents were enough.
Sakata opened his mouth meekly but could only trudge dejectedly to the back of the line.
Mercer didn't even bother looking at him, his expression calm. He even took the opportunity to put on the jacket by the netrunner station while Sakata was dawdling.
He walked lightly toward the elevator, while the others wore varied expressions. Kyoko looked absolutely furious; she had been pushing hard lately to recruit the two remaining novice netrunners still in the facility into their escape group. Just when Mercer seemed on the verge of agreeing, this mess happened.
Now, Kyoko didn't even know how to talk to Mercer.
What's more, for a moment, even she felt a chill of fear. It was a good thing Mercer hadn't agreed earlier. What if Sakata had leaked the plan?
Lucy, on the other hand, wore an icy expression.
She wasn't a bad person, but to be honest, as long as she could make it out alive... No, as long as she could escape with everyone here now, that was enough. She didn't care about anyone else.
Daichi and Leon exchanged a glance, their faces faintly uneasy. If things really came down to the wire…
Escape now? But their preparations weren't complete yet.
Still, seeing Mercer walking at the front of the group, hands in his pockets, calm and composed, their anxiety suddenly faded away a little.
It's fine. With Mercer here, he'll definitely pull it off!
As for the last member, the quiet young girl netrunner, she simply watched everything in silence, her eyes empty of emotion, like a soulless doll, mechanically following the group.
—--
They took the elevator down to B1, and Mercer, as expected, was the first to enter the medical bay for his cyberware check.
The advantage of him going first was that if anything seemed off, he could immediately use the Quickhacks already loaded into his cyberdeck's coprocessor and take action.
Dr. Oda stood by the surgical chair with a hint of irritation on her face. "Alright, lie down. We need to run a full diagnostic on your cyberware software."
Noticing her mood, Mercer smiled and teased, "Looks like Dr. Oda's in for some serious overtime this time."
"...At least two days without sleep, by my estimate. Anyway, if you could make this easier for me, that'd be great."
Expressionless, she waited for Mercer to lie down, then immediately plugged the diagnostic machine's data cable into the port behind his ear. Once connected, her fingers flew across the screen as she checked his cyberware data.
"Hmm… Your neural link readings are unusually high. What have you been up to in Cyberspace lately?" she asked.
"Well, idle hands and all that... dug up some data, wrote a few programs using server processing power. You can check the coprocessor." Mercer began, but Dr. Oda cut him off.
"I see... Take Control, Overheat, Cyberware Malfunction, Short Circuit, Ping… Hmph. The architecture needs optimization. A few programs like these and you've maxed out your memory? The tech team will review your software data later. Remember to report to the tech department right after your check-up."
Mercer nodded. Of course the structure was bloated.
He'd hidden programs like "Synapse Burnout" which could fry an enemy's brain. "Freelance Assassin" for rapid code-breaking, and "Memory Wipe" and "System Collapse" for silent takedowns.
With that many programs tucked into the code, how could the memory not be strained?
Normally, the Arasaka Mk.3 Cyberdeck with a coprocessor only had six default Quickhack slots.
The fact that he'd squeezed in so many was already a testament to how well he'd optimized the program memory.
"Alright... that's about it. I'm seeing recent usage traces on your monowire?" Dr. Oda pressed on.
"I've been practicing in my room, it's been so long since I last used it. If I don't get familiar with it again, I'm afraid I might chop my own fingers off when the time comes."
"Good. Being prepared is a virtue."
Dr. Oda squinted at the data for a moment before saying, "Your neural pathways have mostly recovered?
No, not just mostly recovered, your 'Intelligence' attribute seems to have improved as well! Incredible.
Hold on, I need to update the data and upload it to your medical log."
Mercer suddenly grew interested.
The 'Intelligence' Dr. Oda referred to was just like stats in a game, used to evaluate a person's potential and strength in various physical and mental attributes.
Generally, a Body attribute of at least 12 is required to accept cyberware like Gorilla Arms or a Berserk OS.
Programs like the Sandevistan not only demand a high Body attribute but also require a Reflexes attribute above 12 to operate.
The Intelligence attribute determines the computational capacity a netrunner can handle, their reaction speed in Cyberspace, and more.
Cyberware such as the Kerenzikov or Synaptic Accelerator, which enhance neural speed, often perform in ways tied to both Intelligence and Reflexes attributes.
The Cool attribute dictates one's tolerance for cyberware.
The higher the Cool attribute, the less likely one is to suffer from cyberpsychosis episodes, meaning they can handle more cyberware installations.
"After the check-up, can you tell me all my current attributes? I haven't paid attention to them in a long time."
"Sure. Have you taken your cyberware medical courses? If so, I can also send you the examination report so you can understand yourself better."
Dr. Oda seemed noticeably cheerier, as if she'd spotted something intriguing.
"I've recently started the intermediate course," Mercer said.
"Not bad," Dr. Oda raised an eyebrow. "My assistant just graduated from the advanced course. You still have time for this?"
"Cramming lately, given everything that's happened to me," Mercer replied smoothly.
"Mhm. Alright, the results are in. Body... 11?
You're only fourteen this year, right? That's impressive.
Reflexes... 16? Young people these days are something else.
Cool is... 19?
Intelligence..."
Dr. Oda fell silent, and instead, her cybereye began to glow.
Mercer guessed she was making a call.
He calmly sat up and sneaked a glance at the screen, where a line of text in Japanese read:
[Detected Intelligence attribute exceeds conventional evaluation parameters. Information on subject 'Mercer Vale' has been automatically sent to Arasaka's talent reserve list.]
Huh, so I really am a genius among geniuses.
Mercer waited patiently, and soon enough, Dr. Oda turned to him abruptly: "Alright, you can skip the procedural checks. Head to the director's office first... it's on the top floor."
"Understood." Mercer asked curiously, "What does this mean?"
"This number means that, as long as you don't make any fundamental mistakes, you'll soon become a full-fledged senior agent and undergo advanced agent training.
Depending on the results after training, you could be assigned as an executive assistant, deputy project director, or to a special department.
Mercer, in the future, even I might need to rely on your support." Dr. Oda's expression grew increasingly amiable.
"Then I'll leave my friend in your care, Dr. Oda. That Agent Supervisor doesn't seem particularly friendly."
After Mercer spoke, Oda nodded crisply:
"Not a problem. You've just been cleared anyway, at most they'll ask about your deep dive experience and insert a lie detector chip. I'll have a word with him to keep things civil."
This attitude made Mercer chuckle inwardly. No wonder everyone in the company was scrambling to climb the corporate ladder.
If he didn't know what Arasaka was really like, he might not even want to leave.
But alas, his mind was made up.
What comes next...
As Mercer walked out, he pondered the possibility of squeezing a hefty sum out of Arasaka before making his escape seemed to have grown considerably.
Just as he stepped out, Lucy, who was second in line, looked at him with concern. Mercer simply smiled and said, "Just a routine check, no need to worry."
The sharp gaze of an Arasaka agent fixed on him, blocking his path. "This isn't the way to the programming department. Where are you going?"
"The top floor, the director's office. You can verify that."
Mercer met the agent's stare. Though his current body stood just over 160 cm, he showed no hint of backing down against the agent, who was well over 180 cm.
Though he used the respectful Japanese honorifics customary here, his attitude made the agent's fingers itch with irritation.
What's with the upbringing of kids these days? Forget lacking respect for seniors... how could they even forget to show deference to superiors?
The agent was thoroughly annoyed but still dutifully messaged the director. After receiving confirmation, he stepped aside.
"Watch your attitude, netrunner."
"Ah, my sincerest apologies." Mercer gave an insincere, perfunctory bow in the Japanese style and strode off purposefully.
The agent narrowed his eyes, turning to glare at Lucy. "What are you looking at? Get in for your check!"
Just you wait... don't let me catch you slipping up.
The Arasaka agent gritted his teeth in frustration.
—--
Meanwhile, Mercer entered the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. The display screen soon showed that access was granted, and the elevator accelerated upward.
When the doors opened, a lavish, spacious office came into view. Mercer stepped inside and saw Tano Ena, resting with her eyes closed in her chair.