"Clever." A flicker of admiration passed through Rogue's eyes as she lit a cigarette and leaned back into the sofa.
"Why didn't you take the job?" Mercer pressed.
Rogue replied calmly, "Because I thought this commission would definitely be troublesome, or maybe I was wrong? Care to elaborate?"
"...Looks like Militech is doomed this time."
Mercer suddenly pieced things together.
No wonder Biotechnica only sent one Behemoth to transport the drugs. Even after the vehicle had an accident, they only slightly tightened security at the building that night.
And then there was the deputy director who just happened to be in the office... Ah, Joanne, that woman really has some tricks up her sleeve!
After Rogue's hint, Mercer roughly deduced the truth of the matter.
Joanne had first proposed collaborating with Militech using the news of developing an immunity agent. Mercer guessed that the partnership was nearly finalized by this point.
To ensure they weren't being deceived, Militech had commissioned someone who appeared unrelated to them to steal data related to the agent from Biotechnica's building.
Militech wanted to use the stolen information to verify whether Joanne's immunity agent was effective!
Joanne might even have an informant within Militech who tipped her off about their plan. That's why she conspicuously used a highly visible Behemoth to transport the drugs, following the same route at the same time every week.
She was intentionally letting Militech steal it!
Mercer's thoughtful expression gave Rogue an idea. "There's a trap behind this job?"
"According to the technical director I eliminated, the viruses they were using for the trial were ones they were very confident they could solve, and the experiments were very successful. So, while the data for this immunity agent is currently genuine... I suspect that the subsequent development of this agent for immunity against other viruses will likely be highly questionable. But regardless, as long as Militech sees the current data and Joanne's presentation is convincing, they'll probably think this project has great potential."
Unless someone trustworthy enough can step forward and tell Militech that it's all a trap...
Mercer trailed off, lost in thought. After connecting the dots, he immediately sent a message to Diana.
[?: Dr. Cuno, I suspect the theft at Biotechnica's building, including your presence in the office that night, might all be Joanne's doing. She might be trying to kill two birds with one stone by eliminating you as a competitor. I advise you to proceed with extreme caution.]
[Diana: What do you mean? You're saying... Damn it, how could she do this? She used to be my student! I understand. I'll handle this carefully. Your message came just in time. If I'd called an internal meeting and only then realized something was wrong, it could have been disastrous. Can you hold off on releasing the blackmail? I mean, including things like poisoning the town. I need to find reliable people to release the damaging information at the right time and pin her firmly to this case; only then will I have a chance to bring her down. Moreover, I must find a way to replace her and establish contact with Militech. I am the primary developer of the immunity agent. Even for the sake of the drug's subsequent development, Militech will help me deal with her. Mysterious sir, I beg you. I will do everything I can to quickly secure what you want from headquarters. But all of this depends on me staying in my position. If Joanne takes me down, there will be nothing left to discuss.]
[?: I want to know if your immunity agent is actually reliable. Is the follow-up development a scam, or is there real potential?]
[Diana: Drug development itself is a matter of luck and skill.]
[?: To be honest, if I find out you're lying to me, I'd rather see the liar dead first.]
[Diana: Alright, based on the current data, the current immunity agent is more like a vaccine for certain specific viruses. As for achieving the "immunity to all toxins" we promised, we haven't found a direction yet.]
[?: So you're using vaccine development methods to create a drug disguised as a panacea, just to trick Militech into investing?]
[Diana: It's not exactly like that. Drug development is essentially chemical "alchemy." Who knows when we might suddenly stumble upon the right formula?]
[?: Hmm, so it's like breakthroughs in materials science, all about trial and error, waiting for luck to strike?]
[Diana: Well, in any case, can you help me?]
[?: I'll keep it confidential for now, but you must notify me before releasing any damaging information about Joanne.]
[Diana: No problem!]
Mercer ended the call and promptly downloaded the entire conversation log.
Rogue leisurely exhaled a puff of smoke. "Seems like I've done you another small favor?"
"You could say that. If you hadn't reminded me this was related to Militech, I might not have figured out the key point so quickly."
Mercer nodded.
Rogue looked at him meaningfully. "Who were you messaging? Someone from the corporations?"
"Diana Cuno, Biotechnica's deputy director, at the same level as that Joanne. She's also the unlucky one who happened to be working overtime in her office when I stole the data."
"I bet Joanne is sipping champagne right now, waiting for news of Diana's downfall. Too bad she underestimated Diana's capabilities."
"This woman reacts quickly. Or perhaps it's because I showed mercy and spared her life, which threw a wrench into Joanne's tightrope act."
"Now it's time to sit back and watch the corpos tear each other apart."
Mercer didn't hold back. On the contrary, he deliberately shared some insider details with Rogue. He knew he might need her help with this matter later.
Rogue smirked. "How unbelievable. Someone who claims they want to set Night City on fire is now collaborating with corpos?"
Mercer simply smiled. "Of course I am. Not only with Biotechnica, but I also plan to talk to Militech."
He straightened up, sounding excited. "As long as the scam hasn't been exposed, the collaboration between Militech and Biotechnica is practically a done deal. And I think the Militech executive who finalized this deal must have an equally formidable competitor. Tell me, what would happen if I told that Militech executive's competitor about how Militech got scammed? I bet corporate types would never pass up a chance to send their rivals straight to hell."
Rogue looked curious: "But what do you get out of it? Friendship with corpos? Don't tell me you're trying to play both sides as a fixer now. From what I know about corpos, if you strong-arm them like this, the moment they catch their breath, you'll be the first one they come after."
"First, I need Cuno to get something for me. So right now, I need her, and she needs me. As for Militech, I can negotiate while making demands. As long as there's something in it for me, I'm happy to play along. Let them fight to the death; I'll just fish in troubled waters. And by the time Dr. Cuno recovers and wants payback... well, we'll see who's more capable then."
Mercer relaxed again as he spoke, settling back into his seat. "No choice. Money, gear, materials, even so-called 'corporate friendship', all of it's useful to me right now. Some things are worth taking risks for. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward."
"And what about your whole 'burn this city to ashes' mantra? Listening to you now, you sound more like an ambitious schemer."
Rogue offered a sharp critique.
Mercer replied calmly: "How am I supposed to burn this city down? Blow up Arasaka Tower again? This time maybe take City Hall with it? Or just drop a bigger nuke on the whole damn place?"
Rogue rolled her eyes: "You asking me?"
"What I'm saying is, there's only so much you can do with merc tricks."
Mercer spoke coolly: "I need real power, power beyond any one individual, to truly overturn this city. Mindless destruction just invites even crazier retaliation. Burning the weeds is so the land can grow something clean next year. No disrespect to Silverhand, but let's be real... did blowing up one Arasaka Tower and playing a few concerts actually change anything?"
Mercer sighed with a hint of emotion. Under Rogue's increasingly complicated gaze, he continued slowly: "Arasaka Tower is back, right where it was, even taller and fancier than before. Silverhand once charged that tower with hundreds of rabid fans, but what about now? What have those people who worshipped him back then done besides listening to rock music and pretending to be 'rebels'? This city hasn't changed one bit. Well, maybe it's gotten worse. At least back then, Silverhand could get proper fried chicken. Now I'm stuck eating instant jelly and bugs."
Mercer gritted his teeth briefly but quickly regained his composure: "Blow up one tower, and the corps will build ten more. If you want to take down the corps, you need power equal to theirs. Only when you truly have the right and the ability to influence everything in this city, only when you have the confidence to rebuild it, do you earn the right to destroy it. Otherwise, destruction would just be another cycle, countless innocent people dying, tragic stories repeating themselves."
Mercer looked at Rogue and said solemnly, "You'll see that day, corporate buildings engulfed in flames, with me singing triumphantly. Night City, rising from the ruins, will truly become the city of dreams everyone envisioned."
"If, in the end, I still fail to change anything..."
Mercer chuckled. "Then screw it. Let this hopeless world burn."
"Tsk, tsk. Are all netrunners this insane? Always fantasizing about destroying the world. Alt tampered with human souls and ended up becoming an AI herself. Bartmoss tried to tear down the foundation of this cyber-tech-driven world, the Old Net is gone, but so is he, and he left behind a horde of terrifying rogue AIs. And now you're taking it a step further, thinking about outright annihilation."
Rogue didn't know how to respond, so she spoke in a tone half-mocking, half-hopeful: "Well, do me a favor and give me a heads-up before you go off the deep end and destroy the world. I'll make sure to have someone take you out first; I'm not going down with this ship."
"Don't worry, I'll save you a ticket on the ark."
Mercer didn't elaborate further. After sending the data list to Rogue, he said, "I've also given this to Wakako. You two can pick the data you want and make your offers. I'll sell to the highest bidder. If the offers are the same, Wakako gets priority since I took her job first. It's up to your connections and skills to see how much you can get for this intel. Highest price wins; seems fair to me."
"Also, keep the immunity agent under wraps for now. I told you about Biotechnica's dealings so you wouldn't stumble into trouble, not to complicate what I'm planning."
Rogue snorted. "You think I need your warning? If I really wanted to sell you out, Arasaka would've already dragged you off to Mikoshi to keep Silverhand company."
"Then I suppose I should thank you for not completely turning into a heartless corpo, willing to send someone who's been honest with you straight to hell." Mercer's tone made Rogue narrow her eyes.
This damn Mercer always reminded her of some assholes she'd known in her youth. Not exactly like any one person; more like a composite. Infuriating yet somehow compelling.
"I'm heading out for drinks with my friends. Ping me if you have news; I'll be around."
As Mercer finished, Rogue waved him off impatiently. "Go on, get out of here. Every time we talk, it starts well, goes fine, but by the end, I just want to punch you."
"Haha~ You're definitely not the first to feel that way, and you won't be the last." Mercer gave her a casual wave, shoved his hands in his pockets, and strolled out.
But Rogue called after him, "Listen, kid, stop with the chrome. You're still young; no need to rush."
"As long as I'm heading the right way, what's the harm in moving fast?" Mercer shrugged and strode away.
Rogue fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "Why do I always end up tangled up with arrogant fools like this?"
Yet, after a while, she couldn't help but smile.
It's a good thing to see someone like Mercer in my lifetime.
At least when talking to him, Rogue often forgets that she's now the queen of Afterlife, as if she's returned to the old days.
And compared to that asshole Silverhand, Mercer is much more pleasant to look at.
—--
When Mercer returned to the bar counter, he found that the long stretch of the counter was almost fully occupied.
V and the others were still sitting in their original spots, and next to V was a large, burly man.
The man had extremely solid muscles, was tall and broad, with dark skin. His cybereyes had been directly modified into tactical goggles, making it look like he was wearing sunglasses, except these "sunglasses" emitted a red cybereye glow at the eye positions.
This tactical goggle-style cybernetic modification wasn't just for appearance; it was a cybereye upgrade integrated with multiple tactical functions.
In fact, Kiroshi had developed this style of cybereye decades ago, with built-in features like "anti-flash" and "thermal scan," which remain highly practical combat cybereye configurations to this day.
Mercer thought that the functions integrated into this man's tactical goggles were likely even more extensive, as these were Militech's non-commercial "military-grade cyberoptics."
"Hello, you must be A. I'm Maine," the man said, also sizing up Mercer.
Although Mercer didn't appear particularly tall and his physique seemed somewhat disproportionate, Maine's years of experience in special forces told him that the guy in front of him was definitely a skilled netrunner.
His upper body looked broad likely because it was equipped with professional heatsink cyberware, and those blue eyes were certainly not the "pupil shape" ordinary cybereyes could emulate. His left wrist was slightly thicker than his right, most likely due to a monowire.
"Hello," Mercer said, a faint smile appearing beneath his mask. Seeing Maine extend his hand, he reached out and shook it.
Could it be that anime characters are drawn to each other?
"I'm Dorio."
A woman standing beside Maine, equally robust and wearing a jacket left wide open with only cybernetic modifications slightly concealing the details underneath, also smiled at Mercer and extended an arm thicker than his thigh.
Dorio had short yellow hair, a heroic appearance, and an imposing aura. To be honest, at first glance, both her style and vibe made her seem more like a tough guy.
Mercer also reached out and shook her hand gently: "A, nice to meet you."
"And me! Just call me Sasha~ Hehe, it's been a while since I've met a skilled netrunner at Afterlife. I never expected your squad to have three! That's such a luxurious setup. Even the average Voodoo Boys would turn and run at the sight of you."
A girl with a stylish bob cut peeked out from behind Dorio, having been almost completely hidden by Dorio's broad frame.
At that moment, Sasha smiled at Mercer. Her features were delicate and cute, and when she smiled, she gave off the vibe of a lively, adorable kitten.
"A, or you can also call me Mercer, captain of the Kindling Squad."
Mercer shook her hand gently and sat down between V and Rebecca.
"How did you all start talking?"
Mercer looked at V with a hint of curiosity.
V spoke casually, "We just started chatting since we're sitting next to each other. What else? Don't give him NiCola. Here, Mercer, try my whiskey."
Mercer expressionlessly took the whiskey she handed over and unceremoniously mixed the entire other cup of NiCola into it.
"Damn! That's such a waste!" V was clearly unhappy about it.
Mercer simply took a sip; the intensified flavor of a whiskey-NiCola mix.
"Alright, having a drink with you is already giving you face," Mercer said irritably, glancing past her at Maine. "Your team only has three people now?"
Maine grunted in agreement, laughing heartily, "That's why we've got nothing better to do than hang out at Afterlife, see if we can meet some reliable folks to team up with for jobs."
"Interested in giving my squad a try? Do a few gigs to get familiar first?"
Mercer seized the opportunity. Maine and Dorio, both built like tanks, were practically born to be human shields.
Currently, Mercer's team only had a few who could hold the front lines: the lightning-fast maniac V, the berserker loli Rebecca, and the hot-headed Pilar. The rest were all netrunners.
This kind of team composition was obviously unbalanced, so Mercer genuinely hoped Maine and Dorio, characters he remembered from the anime, would join. At the very least, they were relatively dependable, and just their sheer bulk could block so many bullets for him!
He absolutely loved having these wall-like figures standing in front of the netrunners.
"So sudden?" Even V was taken aback by Mercer's words, let alone Maine and the others.
Maine smiled apologetically, "We're not really looking to join another crew right now, but thanks, A."
"Alright, maybe another time if the opportunity arises," Mercer didn't press further.
V shot him a sidelong glance but, with outsiders present, held back from saying anything undermining.
But Mercer could guess with his backside that she was probably itching to say something like he was only after good looks or something.
Otherwise, there was no reason he'd practically begged her to join, been genuinely moved when inviting Rebecca, and then just casually said "maybe another time" to Maine.
Mercer took a sip of his whiskey-NiCola mix and pursed his lips, "Still not as good as straight NiCola."
"Then give it to me!" Rebecca, sitting nearby, naturally picked up his cup and downed it in two big gulps, letting out a satisfied "Aah!" afterwards.
"Get him a NiCola," Rebecca said to Claire, then grinned, propping her cheek on her hand as she looked at him.
"You're not waiting for me to praise you, are you? Fine, thanks."
Mercer chuckled helplessly, then turned to Lucy, who was just sipping her NiCola. "What about you? You don't seem too interested in Afterlife, Lucy."
"Not really, no. I'd rather go back and study code," Lucy said honestly. "I don't like noisy places."
"Afterlife is actually one of the quieter bars," Mercer replied before adding, "Then next time we celebrate, we'll just do it at a restaurant. Good chance to have a proper meal together."
"Seems to me you're just craving good food," V called him out.
"True, I've almost finished the beef jerky Rebecca gave me," Mercer admitted without denial.
"Then I'll get you some more," Rebecca said with a grin, unconsciously leaning closer to him.
Maine and the others sized them up, until Sasha finally remarked with a sigh, "You two seem really close, especially compared to most mercs."
"Absolutely, it's all about the charm." Mercer gave her a thumbs-up, his confident demeanor making V curl her lip in disdain.
Yet there was nothing to refute.
Thinking about it carefully, it seemed like everyone was connected through Mercer as the core. Without him, V felt the team's atmosphere would definitely suffer.
"You haven't been in Night City long, right? A, I haven't heard of you before."
Maine asked out of habit.
Mercer turned to look at him: "Yeah."
"No offense, but I've been around here for quite some time too, and I hadn't heard of any of you before. That's a bit unusual."
Maine paused, then added: "What I mean is, all of you are pretty unfamiliar faces; normally, most folks who make it to the Afterlife have already built some reputation beforehand. Even if you occasionally run into a new face, there's usually a familiar one by their side. Your squad is pretty special though; I don't recognize a single one of you. Not trying to dig or anything, just genuinely curious. If it's not something you can talk about, we can skip it."
"No problem. Just know that we definitely didn't have much of a reputation in the past, but we're sure gonna be famous from now on."
Mercer chuckled lightly: "Maine, were you in the military before?"
"Hmm... How could you tell?" Maine smiled on the surface, but inwardly he was on guard.
"Militech military-grade cyberoptics, Militech Subdermal Armor, Militech Muscle Enhancement... Either you're a die-hard Militech fan, or you've probably had some history with the NUSA or Militech before."
After Mercer finished speaking, Maine nodded frankly: "Did a few years, yeah. Didn't want anything to do with the Unification War, so I came to Night City to be a merc."
"Dorio, were you an athlete before?" Mercer continued.
Dorio's eyes widened slightly: "You can tell that too?"
"Aside from the Animals, not many people go for your type of modification approach. Hardly any cyberware installed, just Subdermal Armor, relying purely on meds and hard work to build those muscles. These days, the only ones willing to put in the grueling effort to train muscle like that are either Animals or former athletes."
Mercer explained.
Dorio gave him a thumbs-up: "Sharp eye."
Then Sasha couldn't resist raising her hand: "What about me? Can you tell anything about me?"
"I can tell that you... are quite adorable." Mercer shifted gears, joking with a laugh. He actually knew quite a bit about Sasha, but explaining how would raise too many questions.
Unlike the more easily fooled V and Rebecca, Maine wasn't someone to mess with. If he spilled all their secrets right now, Maine might get wary and choose to keep his distance.
"Hmm?" Rebecca narrowed her eyes.
V also shot a sidelong glance at Mercer.
Lucy, wearing her mask, showed no emotion, quietly sipping her NiCola through a straw.
Kiwi and Pilar were just there for the show.
"Hehe~ Really?" Sasha gave Mercer a somewhat flirtatious blink: "How adorable?"
"Well, about as much as Rebecca and Lucy."
Mercer's comment made Pilar give a thumbs-up: "Instantly chose the worst option, boss. Managed to offend four girls with one sentence."
V rolled her eyes: "Don't include me in that. I couldn't care less."
"Just as adorable~" Sasha suppressed a laugh. "Huh? I thought you'd say I'm the cutest one."
Mercer could hear Rebecca grinding her teeth. He shook his head with a light chuckle and raised his hands. "I surrender."
Sasha finally burst out laughing. "You're actually pretty interesting."
After exchanging a few jokes, the conversation drifted casually, though it wasn't long before Mercer deliberately steered the topic.
"Which fixer do you usually work with?"
"Faraday. We take most of our jobs from him, though we occasionally pick up work from others too, like Rogue."
Maine didn't hold back.
"Faraday... I don't like that guy. He's just a corporate sheepdog; throw him a bone, and he'll hand over his entire flock without a second thought."
Mercer's assessment made Maine frown slightly. "Is that so?"
"Let me put it this way: I categorize fixers into three types." Mercer held up a finger.
"The first type are legitimate businesspeople. Wakako from Kabuki, El Capitán from Santo Domingo, Queen Rogue from Afterlife; they all fall into this category. These folks have dealt with corporations to varying degrees and understand their nature. They know the essence of being a fixer. What does a fixer do? In simple terms, they balance the powers in this city, play all sides during conflicts, and make money. To these fixers, clients and mercs hold similar standing; lose either, and business dries up. So they rarely screw over their own people. In fact, they might even protect their crews when necessary. Reliable mercs are hard to come by, even harder than finding a client. So they won't easily buy into corporate promises or tarnish their reputations."
Mercer raised a second finger. "The second type are fixers who think they're the boss. They love setting rules, demanding obedience from their subordinates, treating mercs like lackeys. Even if you get the job done, if you cause them trouble or step out of line, they'll come after you."
"The third type," Mercer continued, "are idiots like Faraday, obsessed with wealth and status. For money, they'll set aside any conscience or principles. Every merc is disposable in their eyes. To these fixers, your life isn't worth as much as their cash."
After Mercer finished, Maine remained noncommittal.
But Sasha found his words rang true. "Actually, I've felt something similar... I don't really like Faraday either."
"Here's an example: when you take on a job, does he ever tell you who's really pulling the strings? He'll just say it's better not to ask; what you don't know can't cause trouble."
This particular point seemed to strike a chord with Maine.
Mercer, knowing when to stop, didn't push further. He simply added, "People like him see you as a tool. He withholds details because he might sell you out at any moment. When you die foolishly on the job, he'll coldly announce that you messed up his operation, never mentioning the details he hid. Then he'll just find another poor soul to work with."
"Forget it, no need to say more." Mercer casually added what seemed like an offhand reminder: "Since we've had a pretty good chat, I'll give you a heads-up. If any jobs lately involve Biotechnica or Militech, you'd better steer clear. Ninety percent chance they're traps. I'd advise against taking them, but if you absolutely have to, at least message me before you make a move. Might just save your lives with a word or two."
Maine could tell Mercer wasn't just being polite; he genuinely meant well. So, he nodded solemnly. "Thanks, A. I'll remember that."
"Don't overthink it. I'm just looking out for you. Mutual help and all; might need you to lend a hand someday. You can see my team's lacking some heavy hitters, so... you get it."
Mercer's frankness actually put Maine more at ease. He raised his glass with a laugh. "No problem. Just give me a call if you need anything."
"Same here. Bonds are built by helping each other. Just shout if something comes up."
Mercer grinned, picked up his NiCola, clinked glasses with Maine, slipped the straw under his mask, and took a few sips.
Truth was, Mercer had also gotten wind of data fabrication involving Biotechnica's neuro-painkiller, "Securicine."
Before Sasha came to Night City, her mother had fallen seriously ill. After surgery, to ease her nerve pain, Sasha spent a fortune on this "premium painkiller" Securicine, newly launched by Biotechnica.
In the end, due to the drug's falsified data, it caused severe side effects that killed her.
Sasha still didn't know her mother's death was because of this medication, and Mercer wasn't planning to tell her yet, not wanting to disrupt his plans.
The data Mercer sold to Rogue and Wakako didn't include these dirty secrets either. He knew full well that if these scandals broke all at once, it'd basically announce to Biotechnica that their server data had been stolen.
Or that there was a mole.
And Mercer needed to ensure Dr. Cuno stayed alive first, to get the cloning equipment delivered to him. So, he had to suppress this info for now, wait until she landed safely and dealt with Joanne's matter, outlived her usefulness, before exposing it.
For now, just exposing the Red Ochre and Yucca town incidents was enough to keep Biotechnica busy. The rest could wait.
Mercer sat and chatted with them a while longer, but seeing V and Rebecca were about to get drunk again, he decisively called it a night.
After exchanging contact info with Maine and the others, he said his goodbyes and left.
The group exited Afterlife and walked to their respective vehicles. Mercer reminded them, "Tomorrow, I'm taking Rebecca and Pilar to see Vik. V, you hold off for now. Next week, I'll go with you to get those internal parts replaced too."
V nodded indifferently. She wasn't in any hurry. Even though using her Sandevistan made her nose bleed every time, given her physique, her original parts were still far from worn out.
Rebecca giggled, wrapping her arm around his. "Sounds good! Kiwi told me you did V's surgery? I want one too!"
"For swapping out arms, Vik's your guy. As for Subdermal Armor and such, I'd be happy to handle that myself."
After Mercer spoke, Rebecca nodded nonchalantly. "Sure~ Let's upgrade everything!"
She made getting cyberware surgery sound as casual as buying new clothes.
Mercer nodded without further comment, but Lucy suddenly spoke up. "Mercer, for future jobs, I mean field missions, Kiwi and I can take them on too. What cyberware do you think I should install?"
Mercer's attitude toward her was different from his approach with Rebecca. He knew Rebecca's physique was pretty much set, and upgrades wouldn't affect her growth.
But Lucy was different.
"Hold off on cyberware for now. Give it a couple more years. A netrunner doesn't necessarily need implants to be effective. At most, upgrade your cyberdeck and add some Frontal Cortex enhancements. As for field missions, I was already planning to send you out. Once the base is set up, I'll focus on acquiring equipment and conducting research here. You'll be handling the outside work."
Mercer had full confidence in his team's composition.
Once V, Rebecca, and the others had their cyberware further upgraded, handling standard contracts would be a breeze for them; no need for him to step out personally.
And when it came to netrunning, few ordinary netrunners or network systems could stand against Lucy and Kiwi working together.
Soon, he could send them out to earn credits for the team. With just 40% of the team's income, Mercer could cover his basic R&D expenses at the base.
And once the research yielded results, the developments could either enhance the squad's capabilities or be sold for profit. Only then would the team truly be on track, entering a cycle of sustainable growth.
Hearing this, Lucy could only nod reluctantly. If given the choice, she'd rather have been the one equipped with Mercer's level of cyberware.
The group chatted a while longer outside, agreed to stay in touch, and eventually went their separate ways.
—--
Early the next morning, Mercer took Rebecca, Pilar, and Lucy to see Vik.
It was time for Rebecca's upgrade.
--------
5000 words.