The Voodoo Boys' netrunners had been riding high lately.
Ever since the Voodoo Boy netrunner known as Slider led a faction to split from the gang and defect to Dogtown, the strength of the Voodoo Boys' netrunners in Pacifica had visibly declined.
Throughout 2071, the Pacifica Voodoo Boys had been trying to restore their former prestige and reestablish their control over the local network.
And now, it had to be said, the netrunners' efforts were starting to show results.
They had nearly monopolized Pacifica's Cyberspace again, even going so far as to prevent locals from accessing the net directly, openly attacking netrunners during deep dives, and engaging in cyber extortion.
The Voodoo Boys in Dogtown weren't running a charity either. They played by similar rules within Dogtown, though they were relatively more orderly; you could pay them for safe net access.
Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But that's the reality: in this universe, you even have to pay a gang for internet access.
Even ordinary people who didn't need to deep dive suffered. If your device connected to the net and caught a netrunner's attention, they'd come after you through the connection.
It was precisely because of the Voodoo Boys' intense, coordinated efforts that Pacifica's network had essentially become the gang's private LAN. Only someone like Mercer occasionally passed through without a care.
Other netrunners almost always avoided Pacifica's network zones. If they had no choice but to enter, they made it quick.
The network here usually resembled a calm, blue ocean, only stirring when the Voodoo Boys took action.
But today, a looming leviathan had entered these data-formed blue waters.
"Brigitte, the monitoring program we left in Pacifica detected abnormal network signal fluctuations. Should we organize a team to check it out?"
In the Rezo Agwe server room at the Voodoo Boys' building in Pacifica, a netrunner excitedly approached his boss, Brigitte.
Brigitte stared expressionlessly at the programs running continuously on her computer and replied dismissively, "Might be Slider and those traitors setting a trap. Be careful."
"Don't worry, we'll bring a few chooms along. Let's see how their junk stacks up against our Rezo Agwe!"
The netrunner laughed and called over a few good brothers to gather around the netrunner station. "Let's see how long today's unlucky soul can hold out against us. I just developed a new Black ICE. Don't steal my kill, I want to see how well it works!"
"Heh, just don't let them get away," a female netrunner said, exhaling a cloud of smoke before placing her cigarette in an ashtray. "Make it quick. I have dinner plans."
"Keep an eye on things. If anything goes wrong, remember to pull their plugs and switch the Rezo Agwe server back to LAN mode," Brigitte added casually.
A netrunner working on a program on his laptop grunted in acknowledgment without looking up. Subsequently, with the activation of cooling systems beneath several netrunner stations, four Voodoo Boys netrunners embarked on a deep dive together, entering Cyberspace.
Normally, the Voodoo Boys' Rezo Agwe server does not remain connected to the public network at all times, a precaution against infiltration by both the Dogtown faction of the Voodoo Boys and NetWatch.
But when their server connects to the network, it reveals its true formidable nature, akin to a massive deep-sea monster.
This colossal sea beast resembles a hundred-meter-long serpent with the head of a crocodile, perhaps inspired by the image of a hydra. Its upper body is serpentine, while its lower body resembles that of a large lizard, complete with dorsal spines, sharp claws, and slick green scales.
Even as a digital icon, it evokes a slimy, nauseating, and horrifying sensation.
As a server specifically designed to breach the Blackwall, its built-in Rezo Agwe is essentially a large-scale offensive system.
This offensive system was created precisely to deploy various types of Black ICE, capable of both covertly undermining the Blackwall and obliterating any netrunner adversaries encountered in Cyberspace.
It is also the Voodoo Boys' greatest asset, enabling their dominance online.
Once the four Voodoo Boys netrunners transformed their icons in Cyberspace into virtual avatars resembling Predator, complete with dreadlocks and camouflage face paint, they eagerly mounted the giant sea beast incarnate of the Rezo Agwe server and accelerated toward the IP address detected by their scanning program.
However, upon reaching the designated location, they encountered a mysterious netrunner standing motionless in Cyberspace, head bowed as if lost in thought.
The expressions of the Voodoo Boys netrunners grew tense. Just from the intricately detailed attire of their opponent and the alert black cat perched on his shoulder, staring intently at them with lifelike eyes, it was clear this was no amateur who had accidentally wandered into Pacifica's network domain, as they had initially assumed.
Exchanging glances, one of the netrunners cautiously asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here in Cyberspace? The Pacifica network isn't welcoming to strangers!"
Under their collective gaze, the netrunner turned to face them, revealing a somewhat eerie smiling mask.
"I thought you'd just ambush me outright."
As Mercer's synthesized mechanical voice echoed, one of the Voodoo Boys netrunners launched a virus attack without hesitation.
The "Rezo Agwe Serpent" beneath them suddenly opened its mouth, spewing thick green venom toward Mercer. However, the moment the venom made contact, Mercer dissolved into a mosaic of blue data fragments.
Simultaneously, a massive claw composed of black and red data emerged from beneath the Voodoo Boys' "Rezo Agwe Serpent."
This giant claw reached out from the blue network data on the ground and instantly seized the body of the "Rezo Agwe Serpent." Then, a brilliantly glowing blue dragon, lifting the "Rezo Agwe Serpent" with it, soared upward from the ground.
With antler-like horns, a camel-like head, rabbit-like eyes, a snake-like neck, a clam-like belly, fish-like scales, eagle-like claws, tiger-like paws, and ox-like ears, the Eastern dragon's black and red scales shimmered radiantly, its eyes gleaming with golden light. At that moment, it seized the colossal sea serpent, entwined with it like a python constricting its prey, and sank its teeth deep into its catch. The "Rezo Agwe Serpent" let out a silent roar as countless data fragments scattered, instantly bound tightly and rendered immobile.
Standing atop the dragon's head, Mercer's smiling mask seemed to come alive, revealing a brilliant grin. In the blink of an eye, he rose to the same height as the netrunners perched on the "Rezo Agwe Serpent," locking eyes with them in Cyberspace.
"Got you."
The Voodoo Boys netrunners instantly realized the foolish mistake they had made.
"Quick! Log out now! Tell them to cut Rezo Agwe's power immediately!" one netrunner shouted frantically, simultaneously attempting to drive the Rezo Agwe server to counter Mercer, hoping to break free from the locked state.
But the suddenly appearing dragon used its body to form unyielding chains, coiling around the Rezo Agwe Serpent. No matter how it struggled, the dragon coldly and ruthlessly tore at its neck, leaving it with nowhere to escape.
Countless streams of black and red data surged and spread, causing the "Rezo Agwe Serpent" to emit waves of silent roars while also wrapping the netrunners in glaring crimson chains.
This meant that, as the server was attacked, they too were locked in place.
"Is this how you usually bully others? Hmm, not bad computational power, and the system is somewhat interesting."
Mercer's voice seemed to echo from everywhere, chilling the Voodoo Boys netrunners to the bone. "Who the hell are you?"
"A netrunner," Mercer replied leisurely. "Never met one before?"
At that moment, the "Rezo Agwe Serpent" captured by Mercer began to fight back. It trembled violently before secreting a sickly green venom across its body.
The essence of this venom, like Mercer's black-and-red chains, was a form of Black ICE designed to breach the opponent's ICE.
The moment the chains and venom collided, countless data fragments disintegrated and scattered, causing the entire Cyberspace network to tremble.
This was no exaggeration; the electronic countermeasures between the two servers on the public network had genuinely begun to affect data transmission across the network.
Mercer didn't need to think twice to know that the server room must be buzzing loudly at that moment. To prevent his beloved server from overheating for too long, he decided to end the battle quickly.
From his shoulder, the black cat incarnation of Morning Star leaped up and merged into the dragon's body. Instantly, the dragon's eyes, which had merely been biting down on the "Rezo Agwe Serpent," flickered with life, as if it had transformed into a living creature in the blink of an eye.
No longer just coiling and biting, vague, armor-clad celestial soldiers soared forth from the dragon's body. Swords, spears, axes, hooks, and tridents... eighteen types of weapons charged into battle.
Each weapon represented a different virus, launching a fierce and coordinated assault on the Rezo Agwe Serpent.
The Rezo Agwe's built-in AI quickly assessed the situation.
In less than 0.2 seconds, it analyzed that its ICE being breached was only a matter of time; inescapable and unanswerable.
Thus, the default self-preservation protocol activated.
The Voodoo Boys netrunners realized something had gone terribly wrong.
"It's over! Shit." A Voodoo Boys netrunner's expression turned desperate as he repeatedly attempted to transmit a message through the network.
Unfortunately, Mercer had already deployed an isolation program here long before.
As the massive sea serpent beneath the netrunner began rapidly disintegrating, its form growing illusory, the Voodoo Boys netrunner had already guessed what was happening in the real world.
"It's too late... They're switching Rezo Agwe back to LAN mode."
The netrunners uttered despairing murmurs. In their vision, they could clearly see streams of black and red data spreading like venomous blood within the body of the great serpent, Rezo Agwe.
This meant a virus had already been delivered into the server.
And if Rezo Agwe were switched to LAN mode now, it would mean the virus would begin running locally, automatically spreading throughout the local network!
"No, no!!"
One netrunner let out a piercing scream.
The moment Rezo Agwe's server grew unreal, his body also began to disintegrate. Without computational support, Mercer didn't even need to specifically target him; the various attack viruses automatically running on the server easily breached his personal ICE.
Then, the other netrunners also cried out in unison. The armored celestial soldiers flying through the sky, terrifying like demonic yakshas, pierced them with their weapons, lifting them off the great serpent's head and tossing them into the air.
In less than a breath, these netrunners were shredded by the blue celestial soldiers soaring above. The virus deployment was complete; their real-world bodies began to convulse, overheat, and finally smoke and catch fire.
—--
By now, alarms were blaring in the Voodoo Boys' server room, and chaos had erupted.
Brigitte, the netrunner leader of the Voodoo Boys, had actually sensed that things might be going south as early as when the Rezo Agwe and Mercer's server were locked in fierce ICE combat.
But confident in her subordinates' skills and the Rezo Agwe, she didn't immediately choose to force a disconnection. Instead, she cautiously ordered the server to be switched to LAN mode first.
As long as the ICE hadn't been breached, switching the server to LAN mode would be like yanking the cord in an emergency; no matter how powerful the enemy was, without a network connection, they could do nothing.
Plus, it would safely retrieve the several netrunners connected to the server, killing two birds with one stone.
But just as Brigitte herself began switching the Rezo Agwe to LAN mode, the agonized screams from the netrunners in their netrunner stations made her acutely aware of the severity of the situation.
"Quick! Disconnect the LAN devices! Everyone switch to the squad subnet and reboot the server!"
The instant Brigitte's words fell, the room's lights and all equipment indicator lights suddenly began to flicker.
"Impossible!" a netrunner shrieked, darting without a second thought toward the safety power switch not far away.
But the room's security automatic turrets abruptly activated. The moment the folding turrets deployed, they began auto-targeting.
Brigitte rolled sharply under a desk, her cybereye flashing with a frenzied data stream.
She had always been confident in her netrunning skills. The automated turrets that had been activated with their fire control systems engaged hesitated for a moment, but then continued firing mercilessly, instantly riddling the netrunner who had tried to cut the room's power supply with bullets.
"It's a rogue AI! An AI!" One netrunner shouted with a mix of despair and inexplicable excitement, reaching out from behind his cover and fervently shouting at a coldly staring camera.
"God! Please don't kill us! We are your most loyal..."
Before the netrunner could finish, distant turrets began pouring a rain of bullets toward him.
"Damn it, the server's infected with a virus! You idiot!"
Brigitte cursed under her breath at the fool but seized the opportunity to finally succeed in her tug-of-war with the Rezo Agwe, shutting down the distant automated turrets.
Without time to catch her breath, Brigitte broke into a sprint, nearly running flat-out toward the power switch.
But... before her hand could even touch the switch, it suddenly tripped on its own, plunging the room into complete darkness.
At the same time, the smell of something burning filled the air.
Brigitte turned her head stiffly. In the vast Rezo Agwe server room, faint flickers of fire illuminated the space.
"Quick! Put out the fire!" Even Brigitte finally lost her cool, her voice sharp and panicked as she screamed, "Fire extinguishers! Find fire extinguishers, now!"
"Bet! I will kill you!" Brigitte's collapse shouts finally alerted the Voodoo Boys outside to the abnormality.
Due to the power outage, the automatic doors outside were also locked, so the group had to wait for someone with Gorilla Arms to arrive and forcibly pry the door open with a crowbar before they could finally enter to provide support.
"Put out the fire! Put out the fire!"
Then, the Voodoo Boys saw Brigitte, usually mature and composed, now acting like a madwoman, holding a fire extinguisher with one foot almost in the flames, screaming as she desperately tried to save her servers.
After a chaotic and frantic struggle, it wasn't until five minutes later that Brigitte collapsed exhaustedly onto the floor, staring blankly at the still-smoking, charred servers in the distance, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Hurried footsteps echoed from outside as a burly black man came rushing in almost at a full sprint.
"Brigitte! What happened?"
The man looked at the devastated, burnt-smelling server room with a stunned expression.
"Placide! Find him! You must find out who did this!" Brigitte slammed her fist on the ground, her eyes bloodshot. "I want revenge! I will have revenge!"
"...Who?" Placide felt his head spin in confusion.
"I don't know! Slider! NetWatch! Whoever it is! Find them, we're going to kill them!"
Brigitte roared, her eyes blazing with fury. "There aren't many people in Night City who could pull this off! We will find them!"
"I understand. For now, let's assess the damage. No deep dives for the next few days." Placide took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He wasn't a netrunner, just the head of the Voodoo Boys' operational division responsible for violent activities. As the de facto second-in-command of the gang, Placide cared more about the assets lost in this incident than Brigitte's anger.
Brigitte's face was ashen. "At least three million eurodollars. That doesn't even include the programs we wrote or the stored data."
"Damn it," Placide cursed under his breath. "Understood. We'll take it slow."
This was nearly equivalent to three months of their net income. After all, their earnings had to support all their subordinates; it wasn't like every cent could be spent on servers.
Moreover... looking at the corpses in the netrunner stations and the two netrunners killed by automatic turrets, Placide took a deep, heavy breath and clenched his fists.
These were the Voodoo Boys' strongest netrunners!
"I'll find out who did this! No matter who it is, we'll make them pay! I promise, Brigitte!"
After speaking, Placide waved his hand dismissively, turned with a murderous expression, and stormed off. "Let's go. We're investigating this now."
Brigitte didn't respond, merely staring blankly at the scene before her as if trapped in a sudden nightmare.
—--
[Morning Star: Why don't you try hacking me directly into the Rezo Agwe server to wipe them out?]
Meanwhile, in the Net, Mercer stood atop a dragon-like entity, patrolling the network of Pacifica like a god surveying his domain. Occasionally, he deployed surveillance programs and other utilities.
"First, if they're fast enough to pull the server offline, you'd be trapped inside."
As he spoke, Mercer cradled Morning Star in his arms, gently stroking its fur. "Second, completely destroying the Voodoo Boys in Pacifica wouldn't be beneficial for us right now."
[Morning Star: Could you elaborate on your reasoning?]
"We don't have enough manpower to seize all the markets and territories the Voodoo Boys would leave behind. Taking them down would only benefit the Animals or Slider."
[Morning Star: So you want to maintain the current balance of power in Pacifica?]
"Exactly. Power abhors a vacuum. Until we have the capacity to fill that void, it's better to keep the status quo."
Mercer patiently explained to Morning Star as if teaching his own child. "Right now, Slider from Dogtown, the Animals, even Mr. Hands, they all want the Voodoo Boys to fall. But their collapse doesn't help us. The most immediate consequence would be the Animals effortlessly taking over all of Pacifica's territories, while Slider inherits the Voodoo Boys' remaining assets. And Mr. Hands could sit back in Dogtown, easily balancing the power between the Voodoo Boys there and the Animals outside. Where would that leave us? We might even end up fighting the Voodoo Boys in Dogtown. And if we win, we'd just become another piece in Mr. Hands' game of balancing regional powers, pitted directly against the Animals."
After Mercer finished speaking, Morning Star understood his intentions.
[Morning Star: So it's better to maintain the status quo and let the factions in Pacifica remain fragmented. As a neutral party, we can actually profit more easily from this situation. Once we've grown stronger, we'll break the balance. By then, we'll be the ones deciding what position we want to take in Pacifica.]
"Exactly," Mercer said, then stretched lazily. "For the next few days, you'll be responsible for monitoring Pacifica's network through the server. If the Voodoo Boys try to retaliate, show them what we're capable of."
"I'm also handing over the 'Deathwish' program to you. During this period, you only have three main tasks. First, assist me in testing the ctOS. Second, monitor the Pacifica network. If any Voodoo Boys dare to come looking for trouble, send them to their graves. Let them know that from now on, I call the shots in this domain. Third, master the core code of Deathwish and make its power your own."
[Morning Star: Understood. Mission guaranteed complete!]
The cat on Mercer's shoulder affectionately nuzzled his cheek before vanishing.
Mercer then returned to his IP address and began customizing the appearance of his server, or rather, crafting an imposing front.
Since Mercer planned to run several programs requiring constant connectivity, his server would likely remain in a "visible" state on the Net. Even if he tried to hide it, persistent network fluctuations would inevitably draw attention from observant parties. So, it was better to flaunt a surface-level arrogance to mask the server's true purpose of maintaining connectivity.
As for potential retaliation from the Voodoo Boys?
Mercer wasn't worried in the slightest.
If he were afraid of their revenge, he wouldn't have taken the job in the first place.
Street life was just an endless cycle of kill or be killed, a chain of vendettas. Such things were commonplace in Night City, often continuing until one side was completely wiped out.
And if other netrunners tried to hack in?
Heh.
It didn't take long for Mercer to finalize the server's exterior design.
He set the server's code gate as a majestic gate reminiscent of the Southern Heavenly Gate from Journey to the West, then concealed the server's core within a series of grand, ancient-style structures shrouded in digital mist.
From a distance, it resembled a celestial palace partially obscured by a massive archway, with two ICE detection programs transformed into armored guardians standing sentry at the entrance.
For the nameplate on the Southern Heavenly Gate, Mercer pondered for a moment. "Orion" didn't quite match the architectural style, so he opted for a flame emblem instead, a large Chinese character "猎" (Liè, meaning "hunt") emblazoned on the capes of the armored guards.
That looked much better.
With everything set, Mercer logged off and sent a message to Mr. Hands.
[A: I torched their Rezo Agwe. I doubt they'll be getting online anytime soon.]
[Mr. Hands: What?]
This simple word conveyed Mr. Hands' astonishment.
He'd asked the guy to handle a few netrunners, and now their Rezo Agwe server was gone? And how long had it even been?
[Mr. Hands: Hold on, let me verify this. If it checks out, consider this job over-delivered.]
[Mr. Hands: Your efficiency is unreal, A.]
He rarely sent multiple messages in a row like this.
Mercer smirked as he replied.
[A: Just hit me up if you've got more work. I'm guessing this one's done.]
[Mr. Hands: You burned their server to the ground? Yeah, it's done. Let me confirm, and I'll transfer the eddies.]
[A: Sure.]
After ending the call, Mercer stood up. Only Kyoko remained in the room, watching him.
"The others are out on jobs. Kiwi and V are at Heavy Hearts upgrading the network for Mr. Hands. Rebecca took Lucy to scout the Scavengers' building."
Kyoko didn't wait for him to ask before explaining the situation, then added, "Pilar's upstairs in the workshop, tinkering with that batch of firearms you bought."
"Mhm." Mercer acknowledged, reaching to disconnect the cables himself. Seeing his awkward movements, Kyoko stepped forward to help unplug the wires from the back of his neck and spine.
"How about your mission? All done?" Kyoko asked curiously.
"Pretty much. I fried the Voodoo Boys' Rezo Agwe server. They won't dare venture online casually for a while."
After Mercer finished, Kyoko grinned and said, "I knew it. Lucy said you'd be busy for a while, but I figured with your skills, dealing with a bunch of street netrunners wouldn't take long."
"Don't underestimate them. Their netrunning skills are actually quite advanced. With server support, they're not far off from corpos."
Mercer paused briefly before adding with a laugh, "But compared to me? That's a different story."
"You're amazing!" Kyoko showered him with enthusiastic praise.
Mercer waved it off with a smile, standing up. "Alright, I need to get back to work. You go do your thing."
Kyoko nodded and handed him an ice-cold NiCola before heading to her computer to code.
Mercer, however, didn't rush to start working immediately. Instead, he drafted a plan for himself.
First priority: upgrading and developing drones and heavy firepower equipment.
Because if nothing went wrong, Diana would likely make a move soon. Snatching something from a Biotechnica transport convoy, or possibly even facing a tough ambush, meant gear was absolutely critical.
He couldn't rely on the junk he currently had to take on armored transports.
Second, the development of the ctOS couldn't stall either. It could serve as a change of pace, and the sooner he finished the program, the greater the benefits for him.
With that in mind, Mercer said, "I'm heading to the upstairs workshop to fiddle with the weapons and gear. Don't go deep diving on your own."
"Okay," Kyoko nodded.
Mercer took the ice-cold NiCola, along with the Zetatech external engineering arm and laptop he'd bought, and headed for the elevator.
Down in the first-floor workshop, Pilar was humming a tune while working on a sniper rifle.
It was a "Nekomata" tech sniper rifle from Tsunami Defense Systems, with a magazine capacity of four chargeable large-caliber tungsten spikes and an effective range of 1,800 to 2,400 meters.
Although Mercer had bought it secondhand, its worn condition showed it had seen plenty of action. Both the electromagnetic launcher and various components had significant wear.
But in the hands of a tech expert, these were just minor issues.
"Boss, taking a break?" Pilar greeted him, only to find Mercer standing right beside him, examining the rifle together.
"How are you planning to modify it?" Mercer asked, looking at the disassembled skeleton of the Nekomata sniper rifle on Pilar's workbench.
"Haven't decided yet. I want to study this electromagnetic launcher first, then figure out how to proceed."
Pilar scratched his head and added, "I've mostly worked with power weapons before, maybe adding some smart firecontrol chips. I haven't really tinkered much with tech weapons like this."
"Then go tinker with that Constitutional Arms multi-barrel grenade launcher, I want to increase our firepower. Even if it has to be modified into a vehicle-mounted version, it must be capable of loading armor-piercing grenades," Mercer said.
Pilar clicked his tongue. "Are we planning to go head-to-head with a Behemoth?"
"Better to set our sights on enemies with even stronger armor than a Behemoth, like armored AV, or maybe even a specialized armored personnel carrier like the Basilisk," Mercer replied.
Pilar fell into thought, pondering for a moment before suddenly suggesting, "What if we try something with single-shot rocket launchers?"
"What do you mean?" Mercer raised an eyebrow.
"Like combining several single-shot launchers and researching smart-targeting armor-piercing ammunition. Even if it's only good for one volley, a quad-launcher firing four big missiles at once... I bet even a Basilisk wouldn't walk away unscathed."
Pilar grew excited; he loved messing with high-firepower gadgets.
"That would literally cost tens of thousands of eurodollars per shot," Mercer mused. After a moment, he nodded. "I prefer something that can provide heavy suppressive fire frequently and in multiple rounds, but having a one-time heavy hitter wouldn't be bad either."
"And I'm guessing time is tight?" Pilar grinned, flexing his fingers.
"Good guess. I'd say we need it in a week or two at most," Mercer said.
Pilar thought it over. "Then I'll have to put some serious thought into it."
"Just do your best. Be careful tinkering with high-yield stuff, don't blow yourself up," Mercer chuckled.
Pilar laughed too. "Don't worry, man. I still haven't spent all the creds I topped up at Lizzie's. No way I'm dying from something stupid like that."
Mercer shook his head with a smile and headed to the warehouse. He carefully selected a few drones, brought them to the workshop, and began disassembling them.
Mercer believed that modifying or assembling drones was the easiest and most cost-effective option. Even though Militech sold a single Wyvern drone for ten thousand eurodollars, its actual production cost was absurdly low. Excluding the value of the camera and AI fire-control chip, Mercer estimated the remaining parts totaled at most a thousand eurodollars, and that was based on his own part-sourcing prices. If produced on Militech's assembly lines by workers who might not even make a thousand eurodollars a month, each drone could probably be manufactured for just a few hundred.
Considering Dogtown's standard of living and his personal preferences, Mercer felt that if he wanted reliable, cheap, mass-producible equipment with adjustable destructive power, drones would absolutely be the focus of his future R&D.
As he disassembled the drones, numerous ideas began taking shape in his mind. He pulled over an engineering microcomputer, connected the cables, and started sketching design drafts in his head while studying the dismantled drones.
Watching Mercer multitask, mentally drafting designs directly onto the computer, made Pilar's scalp crawl. Was this even something a human could do? But seeing how deeply focused Mercer was, he just muttered "freak" under his breath and quietly went back to tinkering with his rocket launchers.
No one could have predicted that once Mercer sank into his work, he would remain immersed for a full three days. Even when V led the team to deal with those Scavengers, Mercer only said, "Be careful," before immersing himself once again in his research on drones and robots.
Countless sketches and drafts were either refined or discarded. In the end, he simply wrote a simulation program, deep dived directly into the server, and began "armchair strategizing" by using the server's computational power with accelerated thinking.
It wasn't until Diana Cuno and Rogue sent messages almost simultaneously that Mercer finally snapped out of his intensely focused state of development.
[Diana: I need to meet with you in person. Some things can't be discussed online or over the phone. You know what I mean?]
[?: You want to meet me, to feel me out?]
[Diana: No, that's not what I mean!]
[?: Load the information I want onto a chip. I'll send a drone to retrieve it, same as before.]
[Diana: You know I can't remain your puppet forever. Let this be our last collaboration. You helped me, and I helped you. Does that work for you?]
[?: Of course. I truly hope you mean that, but let me remind you, Diana, don't try anything clever.]
[Diana: I won't!]
[?: I hope so. You set the time; I'll set the location. After this, we won't be in contact again.]
[Diana: Agreed!]
Mercer sneered, not believing a word Diana said, but he still felt that, at the very least, she would ensure Biotechnica delivered what he wanted.
To catch a fish, the bait had to be real, right? If even the bait was fake, Mercer had to admit, Diana couldn't possibly be that foolish.
Mercer directly called out to Morning Star: "Morning Star, activate the backdoor program in Biotechnica's server. Let's see if she's telling the truth."
Back then, he hadn't just stolen data; much like when he hacked the city hall's household registration server, he left a backdoor in every server he accessed. Wasn't that just standard procedure for a netrunner?
However, Mercer estimated it wouldn't be long before Biotechnica's server experienced an "unfortunate accident," forcing an emergency format or a rigorous virus scan.
Previously, Diana had been stretched too thin and wouldn't dare reveal that she was being blackmailed or that her servers had been hacked.
But now that she had nearly solidified her position and eliminated her biggest competitor, her next move would naturally be to clean up any remaining loose ends.
[Morning Star: Investigating for you now]
[Morning Star: Successfully re-hacked into Diana's studio computer. Currently retrieving data]
[Morning Star: Retrieval complete. Diana has indeed submitted a request to headquarters for the equipment as you instructed. The request list is as follows...]
After carefully reviewing the list, Mercer nodded and said, "Leave a virus on her personal computer. If the opportunity arises, hack back into her neural link. We need to verify the accuracy of this information."
[Morning Star: Understood. I will continue to monitor her.]
Diana's own neural link had undoubtedly been formatted by now. To hack back into it undetected, they would have to see if she gave them the chance. Mercer then opened the message Rogue had sent him.
[Rogue: I've looked into that woman you're after, Meredith Stout. She's not with the people you're targeting. To be more precise, she's actually competing with another agent assigned to the same case. If you're looking for someone to cause trouble for them, Stout might actually be a good choice. Here's the contact info, you decide what to do with it. Just don't drag me into it.]
Mercer glanced at the contact details Rogue provided, replied with nothing but a thumbs-up emoji, and began considering how to approach Stout and win her over to his side.
After some thought, he decided he needed to review the information Diana had given him first.
Dealing with a woman like Stout required extreme caution; otherwise, this ambitious individual might very well betray him to seek profit elsewhere.
After taking a deep breath, Mercer set down the drone he was holding.
Now resting in his palm was a small, relatively simple-looking drone, just sixty centimeters long and slightly over twenty centimeters tall, powered by four rotors.
Mercer studied the drone quietly for a moment before finally making his decision.
This would be the one.
A disposable suicide drone with a total production cost of only 800 eurodollars.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he officially named it the first model in the Swarm-series drones, the "Martyr."
-------------
5500 words.