Mercer stared at Adam Smasher's sturdy mechanical body, not the least bit nervous. On the contrary, his researcher's mentality kicked in, and for a moment, he even wanted to get a closer look.
Adam Smasher's highly advanced mechanical body held a considerable attraction for him. Moreover, Mercer also wanted to study whether his brain had been reduced to nothing but a preserved specimen.
Meanwhile, Yorinobu Arasaka stared at Mercer for a long moment before suddenly breaking into a smile. "Had a good look? Alright, that's all. You can go now."
Adam Smasher glanced expressionlessly at Yorinobu Arasaka, then at the composed and sexy woman in the distance who seemed incredibly curious about him. Without a word, he turned, walked back to the elevator, opened the door, and stepped inside.
Fucking psycho... did he call me up here just so that woman could get a good look at me?
As the elevator doors closed and Adam Smasher left the top floor, the smile on Yorinobu Arasaka's face gradually faded.
"Who exactly are you?"
Mercer tilted his head, then smiled after a moment. "A staunch anti-corporate fighter, a master netrunner who yearns for world peace.
"At the same time, I'm also an escaped experiment from your Arasaka base in Canada, someone destined from birth to stand in opposition to Saburo Arasaka.
A freedom fighter against capitalism, a warrior trying to change this world with my own power...
Alright, to put it simply, I'm just an ordinary person who despises corporations like Arasaka, Militech, and Biotechnica with a burning passion. I wish they would all go to hell, but unfortunately, no one can take them down.
So, I have to do it myself."
His expression turned serious as well. Meeting Yorinobu Arasaka's gaze, he spoke, enunciating each word. "Yorinobu Arasaka... there's no time for pleasantries, no time to build trust.
To be perfectly honest, from what I know, you're not far from death.
Are you going to choose to fight back with me and change this world?
Or are you going to accept your fate and wait for death to arrive?"
"I'm going to die?" Yorinobu Arasaka found his last two sentences somewhat absurd, but he didn't take his self-introduction lightly in the slightest.
An anti-corporate freedom fighter, huh? Once upon a time, that was how he saw himself, too.
"Why do you think Saburo Arasaka keeps you around? Do you think he's truly oblivious to your thoughts and attitude? Do you think he's truly forgiven you?
And that he plans to hand over the Arasaka Corporation to you, an unfilial son determined to destroy the family's century-old foundation?"
Mercer let out two cold laughs and said bluntly, "He sees you as his spare body. Do you know what he really wants?
He wants to use the Relic to take over your body, to continue his empire with a pure Arasaka bloodline! You are nothing but a stepping stone for his ambition of achieving immortality and controlling the world!
Do you understand? Once the development of the Relic is complete, once Saburo Arasaka confirms that the Relic is foolproof, the only thing awaiting you is to flatline!"
Yorinobu Arasaka's expression changed slightly. "What nonsense are you spouting? If he wanted to achieve that, it's not like he couldn't just clone his own body..."
Mercer cut him off. "And then everyone will know Saburo Arasaka has mastered the secret to eternal life. Guess what will become of Arasaka then? Can he still enjoy this immortality all to himself?"
Yorinobu Arasaka's breathing grew heavy.
"What Saburo Arasaka wants is immortality for himself alone! Not to become a thorn in everyone's side, and he certainly doesn't want to share this technology to benefit others!
He wants to use your identity as a front to carry out his secret plan. Only on the day he truly dominates the world can he use cloning technology without restraint and reign for all eternity as an undying emperor!
Do you think, with his personality, he would just clone some random body to use? Or would he use his own daughter's body to extend his life?
It's you! Only you! You possess the purest Arasaka bloodline, the seed born from the union of him and his beloved wife. You are the current leader of Arasaka's Taka faction. Even if he seizes your body, he won't arouse anyone's suspicion.
Because the way you've acted in recent years is precisely that of a Taka leader, craving war and expansion, which is exactly what Saburo Arasaka plans to do after he takes over your body!"
Mercer's words ignited a sudden fear in Yorinobu Arasaka's heart. Saburo Arasaka's aged face flickered before his eyes, the nightmare of his life, an inescapable chain.
"No! Don't even think about it!" Yorinobu Arasaka shot to his feet, hissing through clenched teeth, "Where did you get this information? Don't tell me you guessed it!"
"With your abilities, can't you figure out for yourself whether it's true or not?" Mercer retorted. "Who do you think he would tell about this? Who would know his thoughts?"
"You mean Hanako!?" Yorinobu Arasaka said, stunned. "Then how did you find out from Hanako–"
"Let's put it this way: just assume I'm hypothesizing, telling a lie, or perhaps making a speculation. In your own opinion, how likely is it that Saburo Arasaka has such a plan?"
Mercer shot the question back, but Yorinobu Arasaka, trembling, fell silent.
The moment he heard Mercer say it, he had an instinctual judgment, or perhaps a premonition. What Mercer said was true.
Saburo Arasaka truly was the kind of man who would do something like this!
And with Mercer's words having merely planted the seed, countless pieces of evidence supporting Mercer's "speculation" instantly flooded his mind. The more he thought, the more his blood ran cold.
No wonder the old man had ignored him as he built up his reputation and power within the Taka faction, and had allowed him to get more and more involved in the corporation's affairs.
He had originally thought that as his end drew near, Saburo Arasaka's mind was entirely focused on the Relic, trying to find the possibility of eternal life before he died.
But now it seemed...
Saburo Arasaka hadn't neglected a single thing!
He had tacitly allowed Yorinobu to lead the Taka because he had always intended to continue leading the faction himself, to keep the corporation forging ahead with its aggressive expansion.
He had tacitly allowed Yorinobu to build his reputation because Saburo had already decided he would use Yorinobu's body to live another life. So, the higher Yorinobu's reputation, the less work he would have to do after the takeover, right?
And then there was Hanako!
She... she knew all along!?
Yorinobu Arasaka's mind was reeling from this bombshell of a message.
But Mercer continued to sting him with his cold words, "In fact, the development of the Relic is already nearing completion. It's just that Saburo Arasaka doesn't dare to take the gamble. If he dared to take a certain amount of risk...
Ten years, Yorinobu Arasaka. At most, you only have ten years left."
Mercer leaned back on the sofa. Yorinobu Arasaka suppressed the complex emotions churning within him and turned to Mercer with a sharp gaze. "So what? What can a bunch of mercs like you possibly do? If it were NetWatch, maybe I'd believe they had some capability."
"Besides a bunch of mercs, who else is willing to fight Saburo Arasaka with you?" Mercer retorted. "NetWatch? All they want is Alt. You think they'll help you fight Saburo Arasaka?
The only reason they're contacting you is because Alt wants Silverhand, Alt wants the consciousness data in Mikoshi, and Alt will naturally give them the reward they want.
What can you offer to make NetWatch help you instead of selling you out? Promise to sell Arasaka to them after you take over? I guess they might be happy with that, but would you be?
And what if you fail? Can they withstand Saburo Arasaka's wrath and retaliation? Don't be fooled by Arasaka's decline. I believe that's only because that old bastard is single-mindedly focused on achieving immortality right now.
Once he achieves his goal of eternal life, the Arasaka Corporation will return to its former glory. You're his son; you should know better than I do how terrifying that old man is.
I hate him from the bottom of my heart, but it's precisely because I hate him that I know he's no simple opponent to be dealt with.
This time, I've put my own life on the line, and even the lives of my friends, just to ensure that Saburo Arasaka absolutely cannot continue to live in this world and dominate it with the Arasaka Corporation!"
Mercer's voice rose, equally agitated. "Besides mercs like us who have nothing to lose, who has the courage, who dares to make a move against Saburo Arasaka?
Even you! Yorinobu Arasaka! You've had countless face-to-face opportunities with him! But have you ever, not even once, tried to put a pistol to his head and send him to hell?"
Mercer's accusation left Yorinobu speechless. Then, Mercer just slammed his hand on the table and said bluntly, "Cut the fucking bullshit! I know you're still the same man you used to be, the bosozoku (biker) who ran wild through Tokyo, the leader of the Steel Dragons.
Just one fucking sentence: do you dare to gamble with your life one more time?! Give me Silverhand's chip. I'll use it to contact Alt and get her as an ally, and then we'll fucking kill Saburo Arasaka together!
Are you in or are you out?!"
Mercer's blunt words and crude language left Yorinobu Arasaka in a momentary daze. He thought of many things.
But after countless thoughts had flown past, his heart, for the first time in a long while, began to pound.
"...I'm in! But we have to take it slow," Yorinobu Arasaka said, extending his hand.
Mercer also extended his hand and shook Yorinobu's firmly. "You decide the timing. I'll coordinate with your plan."
Yorinobu Arasaka took a deep breath, sat down, and crunched on a few ice cubes to calm his emotions. Then, looking at Mercer's face, he suddenly asked, "What about this woman?"
"NetWatch messed with her head. I won't let her get away with it."
Mercer said calmly, "Even if she doesn't die, I'll make sure she remembers nothing and knows nothing."
Yorinobu Arasaka nodded. "Then take her with you now. Leave me a way to contact you, and I'll get in touch with you secretly later. Fuck, because of this stunt you pulled, I can't even call for a doll anymore!"
He suddenly showed a bit of pain and annoyance. Only now did he realize that after this incident, he'd have to worry if someone had tampered with the doll even when he was just looking for one.
Mercer, however, laughed. "Once we've dealt with Saburo Arasaka, you won't have to rely on dolls to get by. Why not just find a stable partner?"
A complex look flashed in Yorinobu Arasaka's eyes, but then he just chuckled twice. "Don't you worry about me, kid. Instead of thinking about my affairs, you should be more worried about yourself right now."
He said ominously, "Do you know why I came to Night City?"
Mercer shook his head; he only had some guesses.
"After comparison and analysis, Arasaka's intelligence agents have basically confirmed that you are the true culprit behind the bloodbath at the Arasaka base in Canada.
After multiple confirmations through our spies within Militech, we can basically lock down that the stolen batch of Relic chips from back then are still in your hands."
Yorinobu Arasaka paused, then looked at Mercer with great interest. "So, you can understand that my purpose in coming to Night City this time is to capture you fugitives who unexpectedly escaped the base and to recover the Relic.
To be honest, I've seen your files. Judging from the deets, you don't seem like such a capable guy."
Yorinobu Arasaka asked, seemingly curious, "The moment you got here, you committed so many major crimes. Militech, Biotechnica, and Arasaka have all suffered significant losses at your hands one after another...
Including the individual combat armor, personnel quality, and netrunner skills you just recently demonstrated..."
But Mercer cut straight to the point. "No need to probe. I can tell you clearly that none of these technologies or skills have anything to do with any corporation.
I designed and developed the equipment myself, though of course, I borrowed a little from the gear I snatched from you all.
As for the quality of my personnel, that's thanks to my keen eye for talent, digging them up from the streets one by one.
Regarding the source of my technical knowledge, I have to thank Arasaka's and Biotechnica's online tutorials. I've basically studied all of your advanced courses. I have to say, even though I could only get up to the advanced level, the content is still quite valuable."
Mercer's words made Yorinobu's brow twitch slightly. "All of them?"
"Yes, all of them. Except for some bullshit corporate education and spiritual education courses, which I deleted immediately, I've finished studying all the technical courses."
Mercer spoke in a relaxed tone, "Don't ask about a genius's business. I'm afraid you'll feel insecure."
It had been decades since Yorinobu Arasaka had heard someone speak to him like that, but instead of being annoyed, he was amused. He found a long-lost feeling of having a proper conversation with someone.
"It seems Arasaka's biggest mistake in all these years was perhaps missing out on a talent like you?"
After his teasing remark, Mercer nodded in all seriousness. "That's right. If you had just bombarded me with sugar-coated bullets from the start, I might have actually worked hard for you for a few years. But you guys treated me like a mining GPU and wanted to use me as a guinea pig, so you brought this on yourselves."
Yorinobu Arasaka speechlessly pushed up his sunglasses, feeling this guy's confidence bordered on narcissism. Getting back on topic, he asked, "So, how do you plan to face Arasaka's impending manhunt for you?"
Mercer was blunt. "As everyone knows, I'm right here in Dogtown. Unless you decide to drop a nuke directly on my head, I'll deal with whatever you throw at me."
"I didn't just bring Adam Smasher with me this time. I also have my father's most loyal bodyguard, Takemura, and an elite Arasaka squad, all of them master ninjas."
Yorinobu Arasaka chuckled lightly. "If you underestimate them, you'll die a nasty death."
"So what can I do to prepare?" Mercer asked.
Yorinobu, however, sounded somewhat cold at that moment. "If you don't want my father to notice anything unusual ahead of time, then I can't go easy on you."
"Then bring it on," Mercer said, completely unafraid. "The whole reason I'm holed up in Dogtown is to guard against you lot. If you've really got the balls to come looking for trouble, then we'll face off and see what happens."
Yorinobu said calmly, "Don't think Dogtown is that safe. If we want to make a move, not even Hansen would survive a week."
"I'm only worried you won't play fair and will just use planes and missiles to blow me sky-high. In a straight-up fight, my Kindling Squad isn't afraid of your so-called elite agents.
So, all I have to do now is zero all the Arasaka agents you send over, right?" Mercer said.
Yorinobu Arasaka nodded. "That's right. I never personally direct my subordinates' actions, and this time is no different. Therefore, I can't leak any deets about the agents' operations to you beforehand.
I can only tell you that the one most likely in charge of planning the operation is my father's confidant, Goro Takemura. He's an old-timer who always likes to plan before he acts, but once he makes a move, he's completely unrestrained.
Although he has a samurai spirit, he is a ninja at his core. So, assassination, kidnapping, extortion, he will do anything he thinks might safely recover the Relic from you.
I'll find an opportunity to deal with the Silverhand matter, but how you survive this ordeal, how your Kindling Squad survives being hunted under Arasaka's highest-level warrant, that will depend on your own abilities.
If you die before we make our move, then it's a shame, but I'll just have to find a new ally."
Mercer nodded, then said, "But if Arasaka plans to use heavy firepower, you have to tell me in advance. If you guys really send fighter jets from your carriers loaded with tons of bombs, not even a god could survive that."
"No problem. For Arasaka to deploy force exceeding the scale of Night City, it must be approved by a decision-maker. Currently, the only ones at Arasaka with that authority are my father and me.
And fortunately for you, my father is currently too preoccupied to pay attention to a petty thief like you. So if a situation like that arises, I will have someone notify you in advance."
After Yorinobu Arasaka finished speaking, Mercer nodded in satisfaction. Then, Mercer suddenly thought of something and said, "In your Arasaka counter-intelligence department, there's a female agent named Valerie worth paying attention to. You could either fire her, and I'll recruit her to my team.
Or, you could make a move early, promise her the world, make her one of us. In short, don't let her ruin our plans."
Yorinobu became interested. "Valerie? Let me think... right, the agent who first discovered your identity was a high match for the fugitive from the Canadian base was her. Since even you're saying this, it seems she really is quite skilled."
Yorinobu Arasaka felt a pang of appreciation for talent and asked for the deets. "What's her personality like? Is she trustworthy?"
"From what I've seen so far, she's just a typical corpo who's single-mindedly focused on getting a promotion and a raise. I'm guessing you know what that type is like better than I do."
As Mercer finished speaking, Yorinobu Arasaka seemed to lose some of his interest. He had seen far too many people like that in Arasaka.
But since even Mercer said the girl had talent, Yorinobu Arasaka was willing to give her a chance.
"Got it. I'll transfer her to my direct special operations unit later and have her work for me. We'll just call it a reward for discovering your identity," Yorinobu Arasaka said.
Mercer nodded, but then said viciously, "But I'll have to teach her a lesson sooner or later. I let her off the hook, and she still dared to investigate and report me behind my back. That woman..."
"Heh..." Yorinobu Arasaka found Mercer's reaction a little amusing. "You have some special thoughts about this woman?"
"I have a special interest in all girls named Valerie. Alright, let's leave it at that. The neural strain of the doll chip controlling the body is considerable. Evelyn's head is about to overheat."
As Mercer spoke, his cyberoptics flickered. "I've transmitted a blocking program into her brain. She's now unable to contact the outside world. Have someone send her back to the entrance of Lizzie's Bar in a bit, I'll pick her up.
You don't have to worry about what happens next. I won't give her any chance to leak our conversation."
Yorinobu nodded and said somewhat coldly, "I hope we'll have the chance to meet again. If you're unfortunately arrested, given my father's personality, you'll most likely become just another consciousness data point in Mikoshi."
"Ha, then we'll just have to see how good your agents are," Mercer said with a laugh, then pressed a hand to his head. "I'm logging off."
Yorinobu Arasaka raised his glass and nodded.
As Evelyn's body swayed in his vision, the woman before him returned to how she had been when they first met.
After taking a deep breath, Evelyn rubbed her head in some pain. The burning sensation from her neural link was not pleasant, but she quickly came to her senses and put on a seductive smile.
"Mr. Yorinobu..."
"You can go. Remember, don't say any nonsense, unless you want to die in the car." Yorinobu Arasaka, however, just took a sip of his drink with a cold expression, then got up and walked directly to his bedroom.
Evelyn sighed inwardly, but then felt a secret thrill of joy. She was safe!
Ha! Eight hundred thousand eurodollars, and the European identity and witness protection promised by NetWatch...
Of course, everything she told Judy about planning to stay in Night City if all went well was a lie. She had already made up her mind to run after this one job.
Isn't Europe so much better than Night City?
Beaches, sunshine, the sea, a life of plenty.
NetWatch's witness protection would even send her money every month, and she'd have a free house to live in.
Her mind so full of her wonderful future, for a moment, even the pain in Evelyn's head subsided.
An Arasaka agent soon appeared at the door via the elevator. With a deadpan expression, he tilted his head at Evelyn, signaling that she could leave.
Evelyn belatedly realized she hadn't gotten dressed yet. She hurried to the bathroom to change and even had the leisure to touch up her makeup.
"Hurry up. Mr. Yorinobu needs to rest." The agent's cold, urging voice didn't instill much fear in her.
Evelyn just chuckled lightly. "I know~"
With that, she clicked away in her high heels and took the private elevator upstairs with a composed air. The aerodyne vehicles were all parked on the roof.
The agent was silent the entire way, just staring intently at Evelyn. She found it dull but didn't dare try anything under his watch. When they finally reached their destination, she let out a sigh of relief and got out of the vehicle.
[A: See that black car near you? Get in after the aerodyne vehicle is gone. I need to retrieve the doll chip.]
Evelyn didn't think much of it and even sent him a message.
[Evelyn: Everything went smoothly? So about my final payment...]
[A: We can talk about the final payment after I get the doll chip back.]
A smile touched Evelyn's lips. As soon as the aerodyne vehicle was a good distance away, she eagerly got into the car.
She looked around but saw no driver. Then, the car's engine suddenly ignited, and the doors and windows locked at the same instant.
Evelyn asked cautiously, "What's going on? A? Are you driving this remotely?"
The car was silent; no one answered. A dreadful premonition began to well up inside her.
[Evelyn: A? Are you there? Can't I just leave the chip in the car? Where are you taking me?]
She instinctively checked if the background program Judy had installed for her was still running. Thankfully, the BD was still recording.
But...
As Mercer's reply failed to come, Evelyn immediately made a decision. She had to contact NetWatch right away.
If Mercer wants to silence me, I'll have to rely on NetWatch to save my life! If I die, NetWatch can forget about getting the BD I recorded!
[Evelyn: Are you there? The Kindling Squad picked me up. I don't feel safe! I need help!]
Evelyn sent the message but received no reply. Then, disregarding the fact that she was in a car arranged by Mercer, she immediately started calling her NetWatch contact.
The monotonous dial tone rang, but no one picked up.
A hint of panic appeared on Evelyn's face. Her eyes trembling, she hastily reached out, trying to unlock the car doors or windows.
But the car seemed to be welded shut; it wouldn't open at all. She felt like she was about to break the door handle!
I... I have to call Judy!
I have to get her to save me!
The idea of calling for help immediately popped into Evelyn's head, and she quickly dialed Judy's number.
"Beep... beep..."
"Fuck, pick up the Agent! Judy! Please! Pick up the Agent!" Evelyn finally couldn't hold back and cursed out loud. After her neural link repeatedly played the "call not answered" tone, she finally realized something was wrong.
She immediately activated her neural link's self-check program, but no matter how many times she scanned or even rebooted, the communication signal wouldn't restore.
"Open the door! Let me out! I don't want the rest of the payment! A! You have to let me out! We had someone at Lizzie's vouch for us!"
Evelyn grabbed the door handle, trying with all her might to pull the door open, but to no avail.
Her voice trembled, on the verge of tears. "You can't do this to me! I, I did everything you said! How could you betray me like this!?
I want to go home! Let me go back! A! You can hear me! Right?! I know you can hear me! Open the door! Please!"
But the car remained deathly silent.
Panicked, Evelyn scrambled from the back seat to the driver's seat, stomping on the brake and even trying to turn the steering wheel.
But no matter what she did, the car didn't react at all. It just drove quietly along the highway, heading in an unknown direction at a constant speed.
"Please! I don't want to die! Mr. A! I'll agree to anything you want! Please, just say something, okay!?"
Evelyn was on the verge of a breakdown. Outside the window, the traffic was bustling as usual, yet she felt as if she were on an express ride to hell.
Fear seeped into her very bones. She could feel her entire body trembling; she had never been this scared in her life.
"Is anyone there?! Can anyone hear me?! Help! Help!!"
She tried shouting at the world outside the window, even using her high heels and fists to smash the glass, but how could mere flesh and blood hope to damage this bulletproof window, which might as well have been a plate of bulletproof steel?
A series of thuds and bangs echoed inside the car, but outside the speeding vehicle, no one paid any mind.
"Aaaah! Help! Help!!"
She finally broke down, screaming and frantically pounding on everything around her. Her hands were a bloody mess, and she had nearly ripped off the steering wheel and brake pedal when a female voice finally sounded in the car.
"Hey! You have no manners! This car wasn't expensive, but I still bought it with money I applied for myself!"
Polaris's words were like a lifeline to her.
Her hair disheveled and her face streaked with tears, Evelyn pleaded, "Who are you? V? Or another member of the Kindling Squad? Listen, please, I swear I didn't do anything to wrong you. I'll give you money, how about three hundred thousand eurodollars?
Four hundred thousand! That's really all I have! Just let me go. As long as I can get back to Lizzie's, I'll transfer the money to you immediately!"
"Hmm, but according to the email data you deleted, the price you negotiated with NetWatch was five hundred thousand eurodollars!" Polaris said in an innocent tone, her words sending a chill down Evelyn's spine.
Evelyn slumped back against the seat in a panic. "Wh-what are you talking about?"
"Okay, relax, don't be scared. Master is always very gentle with girls. Even if he decides to kill you, he won't torture you," Polaris said in a cute voice, making Evelyn even more terrified.
She was practically sobbing. "I don't want to die! Please, let A reply to my messages! I know I was wrong! I'll give him his money back, and the advance from NetWatch, whatever he wants!
I, I really just had a moment of..."
"Ah, sorry, Master said I should ignore you, but please don't smash up my car again! If I get angry, I'll go faster!"
Polaris spoke heart-piercing words in a gentle tone, "Alright now, stop crying, it's so noisy. I'll play a song for you, okay? You can listen to the music and look at the street scenery. As for whether you get to live or not, that has nothing to do with Polaris!"
The radio began to play soothing music, but Evelyn just cried her heart out in her seat. Nothing was more despairing than quietly waiting for death to arrive, especially when she still had hundreds of thousands of eurodollars in her account that she hadn't spent!
"Please, I'm begging you..."
The sound of her pleading filled the car.
But Polaris remained silent, merely accelerating.
By the time the car gradually left City Center, Evelyn's voice had grown hoarse from crying. The car drove into an underground parking garage in Pacifica.
Evelyn hid nervously inside the car. This time, she clutched the door tightly, hoping it wouldn't be opened.
When a large hand yanked the door open and Maine's cold face appeared beside it, Evelyn let out a blood-curdling scream as if she had seen a ghost.
Maine frowned, speechless. He reached out, dragged the crying and screaming Evelyn from the seat, and before she could beg for mercy, landed a precise punch on her jaw.
The screaming stopped abruptly. Then, Maine slung her over his shoulder like a piece of cargo and patted the car door. "You can go."
"Phew, she can really scream. Remember to help me close the door tightly, she pulled one of my handles right off," Polaris complained.
"Then blame your master for being so petty and insisting on scaring her," Maine said. He then opened the trunk of his own car, tossed Evelyn right in, and while he was at it, removed the chip from her head.
After taping her mouth shut and binding her hands and feet, Maine closed the trunk and drove his car back to Dogtown.
When the Barghest men saw Maine, they unexpectedly raised a hand to stop him.
"Sorry, Colonel Hansen said we have to inspect vehicles for a while," a Barghest soldier said.
Maine just looked at him expressionlessly. "Out of goodwill, I should remind you, I'd advise you to just pretend you didn't see anything this time."
The Barghest soldier looked troubled, but another man, a squad leader, walked over. Pushing the soldier aside, he stood by the car window. "Please tell the Director for us, Brother Maine, that your vehicles will also be subject to strict inspections when entering and exiting from now on.
That includes temporary passes and the like. It's the same for everyone. Especially when it involves equipment and raw materials. It's the same for all of us, we're not deliberately targeting you."
The squad leader's hushed words made Maine nod in understanding. He replied in an equally low voice, giving him the gist of it, "Got it. But transporting a person shouldn't be a problem, right?"
The squad leader thought for a moment, then cleared his throat. "Should be fine. I'll pretend I didn't see anything this time. But if there's any metal equipment next time, it'll have to be registered if it gets scanned."
"Thanks. I won't cause you any trouble," Maine nodded, then waited patiently for the scan to finish.
The squad leader glanced at the soldiers in the checkpoint and waved his hand at them.
The soldiers inside reported something, but the squad leader just nodded impatiently. Then, the rising bollards at the checkpoint sank back into the ground.
Maine started the car, nodded to the squad leader, transferred two thousand eurodollars, and rolled up the window, but couldn't help but frown.
This was going to be a bit troublesome.
It seemed Hansen was determined to completely cut off Mercer's path to conducting his own secret R&D, forcing him to work only from the EBM Petrochem Stadium workshop.
He wouldn't let Mercer go out, nor would he allow him to bring things in from the outside, and yet he had a death grip on Dogtown's smuggling routes.
Sigh, and of all times, Mercer had to go and provoke Yorinobu, provoke Arasaka.
Maine shook his head, started the car, and quickly returned to the base.
Opening the trunk, Evelyn had already woken from her unconscious state. Her mouth was sealed with tape, and she could only make muffled whimpers. Her pretty face was covered in tear tracks, a pitiful sight that would stir pity in anyone.
But Maine wasn't buying it. Expressionlessly, he hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried her straight inside. The more Evelyn saw, the more frightened she became.
Because Maine didn't even try to hide it from her, opening the hidden combination lock and activating the secret elevator leading to the underground base.
The more she thought, the more terrified and helpless she felt. She could only sob ceaselessly on Maine's shoulder. By the time she came to her senses, Maine had already tossed her onto a netrunner station.
Evelyn looked around, utterly devastated. The members of the Kindling Squad were all staring at her with ice-cold gazes. Mercer, not wearing his mask, was fiddling with various instruments like a mad scientist, and there were even surgical tools laid out.
"Evelyn, I told you not to do anything stupid. Why wouldn't you listen?" Mercer sighed, looking at her with some regret. To be honest, even back when he was playing the game, he had occasionally found her pitifully foolish.
But now that her foolishness had landed her in his hands, Mercer was speechless. He truly hadn't intended to discard her after she'd served her purpose, but unfortunately, Evelyn wouldn't give him the chance to be the good guy.
She whimpered. After getting a nod from Mercer, V reached out and tore the tape from her mouth.
"I was wrong! A, I'm begging you, let me go! I'll give you all the money back and leave Night City, okay? I shouldn't have been swayed by NetWatch, they tricked me! Please, I'll do anything!" she pleaded, crying.
Mercer just turned to glance at her. "What do you think? You're not a child. You should know the consequences of your actions."
"I was just momentarily stupid..." she wailed.
But Mercer cut her off calmly. "There's no need to act so pitiful. You know I can't possibly let you go. So, do you have any last words?"
"...You, you're all a bunch of bastards!" She broke down, starting to cry and curse. Mercer just shook his head expressionlessly, took out a syringe, and injected its contents into her neck.
Just a few seconds later, Evelyn fell unconscious.
Rebecca sighed. She was the most soft-hearted of them all. "Why didn't you just put a bullet in her head and get it over with?"
"I'm not sure what kind of programs NetWatch left in her. I was worried a remote scan might miss something, so it's best to bring her back for a systematic check."
After speaking, Mercer paused and added, "Also, if someone has been secretly monitoring Yorinobu, we'd better make sure no one finds out we're the ones contacting him through Evelyn."
"I don't get it," V said with a frown.
Mercer shook his head, saying, "Simply put, I'm going to use Soulkiller to upload her consciousness data, then modify it, deleting all information related to us and Yorinobu.
She'll only remember that we commissioned her to contact a major client. As for who that major client is? She'll never get to meet them.
Because before long, she'll develop severe depression and psychosis, and eventually, she'll either die on the streets or commit suicide.
As for Yorinobu? That was just her private gig, completely unrelated to us."
Mercer delivered the words with the cold finality of a verdict. "I still need to double-check who else she contacted besides NetWatch."
"Uh, so you mean, by modifying her memory, you'll make sure that even if someone finds her later, they won't connect our commission to her with Yorinobu?"
V was starting to understand.
"Correct. The only loophole is that NetWatch knows our objective, but they won't sabotage us. Of course, that's assuming they don't have a mole.
And I don't pin my hopes on others, so I'm going to get one step ahead and find out who was contacting Evelyn online. Afterward, even if I don't kill that NetWatch bastard, I'll have to teach them a lesson."
Mercer paused, then added, "Of course, if Evelyn privately contacted anyone else and told them about this, then we'll have to make sure those who know keep their mouths shut too."
Mercer pondered for a moment before finally saying, "Alternatively, we could point the finger at NetWatch, making whoever's been watching Yorinobu overlook us. The truth is, not many people know we met with Evelyn, and I deleted the surveillance footage long ago.
Even fewer people know the details of the job we commissioned her for."
The crew never gave him advice on matters like this; it was all up to him.
While mulling it over, Mercer used his Octopus Arm to take out surgical tools, flipped Evelyn over, and began operating on the back of her head.
He was going to install a neural link that could be used for a deep dive and consciousness transfer, making it easier to use Soulkiller to modify her consciousness data.
The crew wasn't used to watching such bloody surgical procedures, especially the sight of Mercer operating with his Octopus Arm while lost in thought. He looked like a mad scientist from a horror movie.
"By the way, Mercer, I was stopped at the door just now," Maine said, briefly recounting what had happened at the entrance.
Mercer sighed. "Great, just let it all pile up. I got it."
But before he could figure out how to handle the matters at hand, he unexpectedly received a message from Panam through his neural link.
[Panam: Mercer, you got time recently? You remember the people from the Red Ocher tribe, right? They're in trouble again. I wanted to ask if you had any way to help them?]
[Mercer: Tell me.]
[Panam: It's like this. Biotechnica poisoned their water supply, causing many of them to get infected with a virus. Biotechnica had promised to compensate them for the poisoning, but recently, they stopped giving out free medicine.
Now the people of Red Ocher are seriously ill, but they don't have any free medicine to use, and the specific drug that can alleviate their symptoms is very expensive.
The worst part is, we've discovered this sickness seems to be contagious. Now, some of the Aldecaldos are even showing similar symptoms. Mercer, you're the only one I know who understands this kind of tech. Can you spare some time to help?
We can pool our money together to pay you; we won't let you work for free.]
[Mercer: What about you? You're not infected, are you?]
[Panam: I'm fine.]
[Mercer: I've been grounded by Hansen recently, so it's not convenient for me to go out. Have someone bring over a blood sample, and also one of the specific drugs they're using. I'll run an analysis and get back to you.
Also, if there's a confirmed source of the virus, like the water supply, you can take a sample of that and bring it to me as well.]
[Panam: What's going on? Do you need help?]
[Mercer: No need, it's a small matter. I'll just put up with him for a few days. I'm dealing with some trouble of my own recently. Once I'm done, I'll find some time to take care of him.]
[Panam: Alright, then. Wait for me. I'll bring you the things tomorrow.]
[Mercer: Remember to wear a hazmat suit, and everything needs to be sealed in airtight containers. If you don't know how, find someone who does. Don't be a fool and grab it with your bare hands.]
[Panam: Don't worry! And thanks.]
[Mercer: You're welcome.]
Hanging up the call, Mercer narrowed his eyes in annoyance. He looked at Evelyn beside him, his gaze gradually turning cold.
Alright, Evelyn, I don't have any more time to waste on you. From here on out, I wish you the best of luck.
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6700words
Bonus chapter @500power stones.
12 advanced chapters on pat