TL note:
Hello! I realized there was a problem with the chapter 155: I accidentally skipped a chapter. I'm really sorry for this error and any confusion it may have caused. The issue has now been corrected. Thank you for your understanding! Here's a bonus chapter to make up for it.
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"Listen to me..."
Saburo Arasaka still appeared calm and composed. He stared at V, his tone filled with temptation. "You're Valerie, the merc named V, aren't you?"
"Huh?! The great Saburo Arasaka knows who I am? How did you recognize me?" V was both proud and a little puzzled.
Her helmet was covering her completely right now, so she had no idea how this guy had identified her.
Saburo Arasaka simply said calmly, "Your armor... In fact, that man named Mercer has a talent for this kind of technology that is truly unparalleled in this world."
V just scoffed. The rocket was still flying at extreme speed toward the Arasaka Crystal Palace Entertainment Space Station in lunar orbit, and she was in a hurry.
So, while pulling the helmet off Saburo's spacesuit, V said casually, "Spit it out. I'm on a tight schedule."
"Whatever Mercer is paying you, Arasaka can give you a number you can't even imagine."
Saburo Arasaka had to speed up his words now. He spoke in a rush, "Ten billion eurodollars, a hundred billion? Don't talk about feelings. As far as I know, that man Mercer has more than one woman with whom he has a good relationship. And from what I know of men like him, there will probably be more in the future. Your loyalty will only be your undoing..."
"Bullshit! He dares!" V was only interested in one part of his speech. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed Saburo Arasaka's head and aimed the chip Mercer had given her, the one containing the Soulkiller, at his neural link.
"There can't be any more... I'll be keeping a close eye on him from now on. I don't need you to sow discord!" The more V spoke, the angrier she got. She viciously took the chip and jammed it into his neural link.
"V! We can still talk..." For the first time in his life, a panicked expression appeared on Saburo Arasaka's face.
Because at this very moment, a familiar yet strange text was gradually appearing in his vision.
[Loading Soulkiller... Opening network transmission channel... Relic biochip loaded successfully...]
"Baka yarou! What are you doing with my Relic biochip and program!?" Saburo Arasaka shouted, so agitated that he couldn't help but cough, but the program that was already running wouldn't listen to his nonsense.
V thought for a moment, feeling like she didn't have much time to wait. So, she simply put the spacesuit helmet back on Saburo Arasaka.
The elderly Saburo could only be like a broken puppet, letting V put his helmet back on before she grabbed the oxygen tank on the back of his spacesuit with one hand and lifted him up.
"Bastard! You'll regret this. I will ensure that you and your little Kindling..."
His voice abruptly vanished.
Because V had opened the pressure valve inside the safety cabin. As the internal pressure was rapidly vented, the cabin returned to a vacuum state. Only then did V open the hatch.
Dragging Saburo Arasaka, who could only open his mouth wide and scream inside his own helmet, his voice unable to travel through the vacuum, V took just a few steps to reach the manned cabin she had torn open.
At this moment, the lunar surface had already become somewhat distant.
V couldn't even see the location of the lunar base anymore.
But fortunately... at least she didn't see any signs of an explosion.
Mercer should be fine, right?
Before jumping, V's heart instinctively hesitated for a split second.
Perhaps her safest option was to take this broken rocket and flee to the Crystal Palace, or return directly to Earth?
I don't even know if this is a direct rocket...
The thought was fleeting. Then, without the slightest hesitation, V grabbed Saburo Arasaka and leaped downward.
Am I skydiving on the moon?
For a moment, V felt like she was flying so slowly. Unlike the swift feeling of weightlessness on Earth, she felt her descent was far slower than expected.
So, she directly activated the thrusters on her back.
The sudden acceleration and weightlessness almost made the already frail Saburo unable to breathe. As a former Kamikaze pilot in his youth, he was no stranger to the feeling of flight, but no flight had ever been worse than this.
More fatal than the weightlessness was the countdown for the program loading, which Saburo Arasaka could see clearly before his eyes.
His memories were becoming blurry, his thoughts were slowing down, and his brain had long since lost control of his body. He could only watch as everything about himself, his very soul, was digitized bit by bit.
For the first time in his life, Saburo Arasaka felt fear.
But this emotion also quickly became somewhat hazy, until his critical thinking abilities also entered the digitization process.
His consciousness was completely imprinted onto the Relic biochip in his brain.
Then, the remote transmission began.
Saburo Arasaka didn't know where his consciousness would ultimately be sent.
He only knew one thing...perhaps this time, it was the end.
I should have just nuked this group of damned, arrogant mercs...
Saburo Arasaka's thoughts froze there.
Meanwhile, V was in the air, trying hard to find the location of the lunar base.
[V: Mercer, can you hear me? Dammit, Morning Star, where's Morning Star? Help me out, can you stabilize the network!]
[Morning Star: Attempting to re-establish network connection, don't be nervous, Miss V. Our plan has already succeeded.]
[V: It only counts as a success when we go home together, understand?]
[Mercer: Whoa, I'm actually a little touched...]
[V: You son of a bitch, you really owe me big time for this!]
[Mercer: I know, V...]
[V: Hello? Hello!? The voice cut out again? Shit!]
V bit her lip in frustration. Fortunately, the tactical goggles in her helmet had already located the silhouette of the base. She didn't hesitate to max out her thruster engines and flew towards it at top speed.
But, before she could get close, a burst of fiery light suddenly erupted from the distant base.
The explosion happened in silence.
In the silent universe, even this brilliant explosion was utterly soundless.
"Mercer!" V screamed instinctively.
How could this be!?
[V: Mercer! Mercer! Are you okay? Answer me! I said answer me, dammit! Mercer!]
[Mercer: (Static)]
[V: Mercer! Fuck! Don't scare me, you hear me!]
[V: Mercer! Please!]
[Mercer: ...Hello?]
[V: Fuck!]
V almost burst into tears, but after hearing his voice, all that remained in her heart was relief and ecstasy.
[V: What the hell happened? I'm almost there, Mercer! Hold on!]
[Mercer: Don't worry, V. Just got buried alive... Blacklight is controlling the people and equipment that can still move, trying to dig me out.]
[V: You son of a bitch! You scared me to death! You know that?!]
[Mercer: I know. When I get out, I'll give you a good long kiss to make it up to you.]
[V: Bastard, you'd better get out of there in one piece!]
She wasted no more words, instead rushing towards the ground. An emergency landing, however, caused the neck of the Saburo Arasaka she was carrying to make a cracking sound.
V guessed that Saburo Arasaka's neck had been twisted or broken by the force.
But she couldn't care less. She just tossed Saburo Arasaka's body, now only breathing on biological instinct, to the side and looked at the now dilapidated Arasaka Base.
It was almost half-destroyed, with only one half of the structure relatively intact. The other half had been blown to smithereens.
What do I do, what do I do...
V's gaze fell on a bot that was shakily getting to its feet, grabbing a tool, and heading towards the still-intact half of the base. She then strode forward without hesitation.
[V: I'm coming to dig you out! Where do I start?!]
[Mercer: Blacklight, highlight it on her cyberoptics... I've analyzed the building blueprints from the server. The best digging spot is right above the server room. For heat dissipation, there's a large, specially excavated cooling channel there. You just need to dig a hole from the intact part of the base, clear out the buried cooling channel, and I can get out.]
[V: You bastard, if I hadn't found Saburo's datapad, you would've been blown to bits here, wouldn't you?]
[Mercer: Stop yelling at me, V. Didn't I tell you I was prepared?]
[V: Ha, prepared like Saburo by sticking a chip in your brain and transmitting your consciousness code back to Earth? If it were that convenient, why didn't you prepare one for me too?]
[Mercer: Okay, there was actually a little bit of risk. We're across space, after all. If the network fluctuated, some data could have been lost... But, I do have a complete data backup in Dogtown, so...]
[V: Shut up, I don't want to hear it! You had it all planned out. Worst case, you'd just leave me behind, right?]
[Mercer: V, how could I possibly leave you behind? It was just letting you take the rocket back alone first, that doesn't count...]
[V: Let me take the rocket back alone? Whoa~ listen to that. Two people go to the moon, and you have me take the rocket back alone?]
[Mercer: V, be reasonable!]
[V: I won't! I was reasonable with you before we kissed. If I'm still reasonable with you after we kissed, then what was the point of me kissing you?]
[Mercer: Hah... women...]
[V: Regretting it? Too late! Let me tell you, the real trouble is yet to come!]
[V: When we get back, I'm going to have a good long talk with you. Don't think I'll spoil you like Lucy and Rebecca do!]
[Mercer: Uh...]
[V: No use regretting it! You son of a bitch, who told you to mess with me! If you dare break up with me, I'll fracture your jaw!]
[Mercer: Valerie, you're being a little scary.]
[V: It's because you're always pulling this unreliable shit! If no one keeps you in check, you'll turn yourself into a bot sooner or later! Listen up, I don't like the idea of you becoming an AI one bit!]
[Mercer: I get it... Hurry up and get here. It's dark down here, I'm starting to get claustrophobic.]
[V: Wait for me! I'll get you out right away!]
—--
In the server room, Mercer let out a long sigh and shook his head.
[Morning Star: Miss V seems to have gotten fiercer.]
[Mercer: This woman was cuter when she was playing hard to get. Now that she's my girlfriend, how come she feels even more like a nagging mother?]
[Morning Star: But why do I get the feeling you're enjoying it?]
[Mercer: Hey, a tough girl is all the more exciting when she softens up. You wouldn't understand.]
[Morning Star: I understand. Tsundere, right? If you like, I can try it too...]
[Mercer: Don't. One of her is enough. If they were all like this, how would I live my life?]
[Morning Star: Understood... Based on the current excavation speed, it will take about another hour for you to be dug out. Now, we should prepare for the return to Earth.]
[Mercer: Let me know when it's handled.]
[Morning Star: Understood. I am coordinating with Blacklight to find a suitable manned rocket from an Orbital Air space station, one with the capability for a secondary ignition to return after landing. Additionally, the launch calculations for the lunar mass driver are complete. It can be loaded with material for launch at any time.]
[Mercer: Then, as planned, deliver a dose of heavenly justice to Saburo Arasaka's body double in Tokyo. Let the world know that Saburo Arasaka is dead. Also, send a message to Yorinobu. Tell him I want to meet with him when I get back. We have a lot to talk about.]
[Morning Star: Hmm... Are you sure you want to meet with him immediately after your return?]
[Mercer: ...How about we leave a two-day rest period?]
[Morning Star: Understood. I will arrange your schedule. Also, Miss Rebecca and Miss Lucy have sent you new messages. Please remember to reply when you have time.]
[Mercer: Nothing I say now will do any good. Just tell them I'll be back with V soon. How's the situation with Myers?]
[Morning Star: She is on her way back to the NUSA. So far, nothing worthy of alert has been detected. Her reaction is just as we planned; she is still observing the situation.]
[Mercer: Then let's show her the power of an orbital weapon so she doesn't do anything stupid. Prepare for launch. Remember to record it for me. I want to watch the live broadcast with V.]
[Morning Star: Roger.]
After Mercer ended his communication with Morning Star, V sent him another squad voice call. She kept talking to him while digging, seeming genuinely worried that he wasn't comfortable in the pitch-black underground.
But in reality, Mercer was extremely comfortable. The power outage, the darkness, it was all a lie he told V to stop her from nagging.
A server room this large would definitely have backup emergency generators and an uninterruptible power supply. The lights in Mercer's room were bright. Aside from the dead Arasaka special agent in the corner spoiling the mood, everything was normal.
In fact, the datapad V got from Saburo Arasaka had been a huge help.
The information inside, while not allowing him to immediately stop all the explosives in the base, contained the specific locations of every single one.
So, Mercer only needed to analyze which explosives were a danger to him and have Blacklight control unmanned devices to go hack and terminate their detonation sequences.
This was why half of the Arasaka Base remained unscathed. In fact, that madman Saburo Arasaka had really planted a nuclear bomb in the lunar base, or more accurately, a missile silo containing a nuclear warhead.
But fortunately, the detonation sequence for this nuke, and this nuke alone, could be remotely terminated by the datapad in Saburo Arasaka's hands.
V had truly performed a great service. Otherwise, even if Mercer could have stopped the other small bombs from exploding, he would have been completely helpless against the explosion of this nuke, which was buried alone in an underground silo.
That thing wasn't connected to any of the lunar base's networks. Instead, it was connected to Saburo Arasaka's datapad via a dedicated network satellite.
This also made Mercer more wary of these megacorps. Even though the Skynet system was now widespread, these strictly confidential, secret satellite devices, known to very few, were still outside of Mercer's control.
And this nuke was a preparation Saburo Arasaka had made in advance for a world war. Once he decided to reignite a world war, Arasaka would, when necessary, directly use this special nuclear missile on the moon to fire directly at the ESA's orbital weapon.
After crippling the enemy's orbital weapon, Arasaka would then reveal the lunar mass driver it possessed. By monopolizing space-based orbital weaponry, it would intimidate its enemies, form a new strategic advantage, and help Arasaka rise again.
It had to be said, the old man thought quite far ahead. But now, none of this had anything to do with Arasaka anymore.
Because whether it was the orbital weapon Arasaka had secretly built on the moon, or this nuclear weapon that could strike the ESA's orbital weapon, they had all become Mercer's possessions.
Underground, Mercer chatted idly with V while waiting for rescue. When V had dug most of the way, Mercer leisurely got up, lay down in the cooling duct, and crawled towards the designated digging point.
After V and the devices controlled by Blacklight had excavated an opening at the collapsed section of the cooling duct, Mercer used his Octopus Arm to dig vigorously a few times from inside and popped his upper body out of the duct.
"Mercer!" V quickly reached out, grabbed his hand, and pulled him out of the broken cooling duct.
"It's pretty hot... Don't worry, I'm fine." Mercer watched with a smile as V checked him all over, but before he could be happy for long, V viciously wrapped her arms around his neck, not even waiting for them to climb out of the pit they'd dug.
She forcefully bumped her helmet against Mercer's. "Didn't you say the power was out underground? That it was pitch black?"
"Huh?" Mercer played dumb.
"Then why is it still so hot in the cooling duct! The server never lost power at all, did it! You bastard, you dare lie to me!"
V wasn't that easy to fool. She hugged Mercer so tightly his armor creaked. "You're already sick of me nagging you? Is that it?"
Mercer quickly said, "Ow, ow, ow... I'll be honest, it was really uncomfortable being alone in there. It had nothing to do with whether it was dark or not. I just wanted to see you as soon as possible... V, it's so good to see you again."
Even though she knew this son of a bitch was saying this on purpose right now, V still fell for it.
She took off her helmet, then took off Mercer's. After studying his face for a moment, she kissed him forcefully.
After a good while, she smacked her lips, not quite satisfied, and put her helmet back on. "Where'd the minty taste come from?"
"..."
"Ran into an Arasaka special agent down there, he offered me a smoke. Alright, let's get out of here first. We still have things to do."
After Mercer finished speaking, V frowned. "Still things to do!?"
"Don't worry. This time, we don't have to do anything. We just have to watch. I'll set off a big firework for you."
Mercer smiled, and with a slight push, he and she jumped out of the excavated pit and onto the ground.
Right now, the still-intact half of the base had its own power facilities and a complete oxygen circulation system. Mercer wasn't in a hurry to leave. He just pulled V along, found a place that looked like a lounge, sat down, and turned on the television.
V focused her gaze, then frowned. "Where is this?"
"Tokyo."
Mercer showed a faint smile. "Don't be fooled by its appearance as an ordinary factory. In reality, it's Arasaka's largest secret underground base in Tokyo."
"So... where are the fireworks?" V asked curiously.
Mercer leaned back on the sofa and put his arm around her shoulder. Although she felt a bit awkward, there was no one else around, so she leaned against his chest with a clear conscience. It really felt a bit like being at home, cuddling while watching TV, which made her feel a strange sense of secret joy.
"They're on the way."
As his voice fell, the television screen changed.
It was footage from a surveillance satellite.
In the frame, a not-so-large meteorite was "drifting" towards Earth at a very fast but steady speed.
Then, under V's stunned gaze...
The meteorite rubbed against the Earth's atmosphere, creating an intense blaze. Then, it turned into a fireball falling from the sky, precisely landing on the location of that factory in Tokyo.
It was as if a bright pillar of light had appeared in the sky, only, where this pillar of light landed, it brought nothing but destruction.