When Mercer sat back down at the bar, Claire's expression still carried a hint of shock as she got up from behind the bar, concernedly asking, "Are you okay? That was really..."
But he just waved his hand, "First, get me a cold cola."
"Oh man... are you okay?" Pan'an also climbed over from behind the bar, looking at Fenrir who was still twitching on the ground, disdainfully kicking him aside.
She clicked her tongue, feeling that Night City was far scarier than she had imagined—these lunatics who snapped at the slightest disagreement were truly terrifying.
Nobody thought it would really turn into a fight just now; this is Rebirth, who dares to shoot it out here, isn't that suicide?
And Fenrir's cybernetics, having been kicked aside, were still sparking in overload, making people worry he'd catch fire any second.
"I'm fine... it seems that in Night City, for a hacker like me, I really need to be a bit more cautious."
Mercer sighed, "If it wasn't for V being here, I might have ended up with a few holes in me today."
"Hey, I told you, these guys are all talk."
V's mouth was full of bravado again, sitting casually on the side, raising a hand to Claire, "Get me a 'Fortunate Rabbit Bacchus' tequila, pure, with little ice."
Pan'an said nothing, just looking a bit frustrated and annoyed as she glared at Mercer,
"Dare to make a move right in Rebirth...even if he doesn't die today, Rogue will have someone kill him later... ha, this counts as firsthand experiencing the intensity of Sianwistan.
Indeed, hackers like me should really stay away from the front lines."
Mercer said, lightly tapping the table in front of Claire, who looked like she'd just survived a disaster.
Claire complained out loud, but her actions were quick, "You guys are something else, causing such a mess and you still have the appetite to drink?"
She placed the poured cola in front of Mercer.
"Can you blame me? That hacker tried to sneakily hack me first, I just responded, and then his brother wanted to have a chat with me.
Chat, fine, I figured we'd just exchange a few harsh words...but then he suddenly went berserk."
Mercer helplessly picked up the iced cola Claire handed him, lifted his mask, and took a sip.
Claire shook her head, then saw Rogue with a stern face walking over from the depths of the bar: "What's going on?"
"The hackers on both sides somehow got into a fight, and then this guy stood up and went berserk without even saying much, his teammate tried to inject him with something, but before that could happen, Fenrir had already slashed him into three pieces...
After that, Brother A and this woman together finished off Fenrir."
The security gave a simple explanation of the situation, and Rogue turned his head in frustration to glare at Mercer, "I guess it's you...you really outdid yourself, causing this on your first day here."
"Honestly, this really wasn't me looking for trouble."
Mercer spoke truthfully, feeling he had been quite discreet, yet how did things escalate to this?
He and Pan'an both turned their gaze to V, who felt wronged, "Okay, Brother A, I admit I underestimated them at first, but it can't be my fault if he expects me to babysit him with a smile, can it?"
Mercer found it quite reasonable, turning to Rogue, "Exactly, Rogue, the hacker was about to hack into my brain, I can't just open my mind for him to see with a smile, can I?
He hacked me, I hacked back, and then his boss gets one look at me and goes berserk, I feel more wronged than anyone."
Knowing next time I'll strike first, get some distance, lock their cybernetics, and chat when they're rendered useless."
"Alright, alright, no one's blaming you... I just think, knowing you, you'll definitely stir up even bigger trouble next time."
Rogue was quite certain—she knew some people were just born troublesome, the kind who get hit by trouble walking down the street.
And Mercer...
Rogue glanced at Fenrir's corpse on the ground, thinking: Night City might just flip out again...
"Throw the bodies out to their people, and get the injured to the hospital quickly."
Rogue finished, nodding to Mercer as if warning, but with some concern, "Don't cause trouble here, Fenrir may not be much more than a minor name here.
No matter how strong a hacker is, it can't prevent a bullet or shell from flying in from outside the visual range, not to mention Sianwistan at close range."
Mercer nodded, agreeing completely, "You're right, this time I'm going back to lie quietly on my hacker chair for a while, no desire to test Sianwistan's strength up close again."
Having almost been one-shot by Sianwistan, Mercer decided to put his talents back on the hacker chair for now.
Going out to fight these lunatics... isn't that what V is here for? He'll just stay behind, connected to V's network, offering tech support when needed.
The rifleman, face buried, wiped his eyes, silently shouldered the hefty body, and walked out.
"Please help me get the body to the car." The rifleman spoke, the two guards glancing at each other, begrudgingly, but not saying much, they bent down to help carry Fenrir and the dismembered shotgun handler out.
One guard looked at the hacker, still breathing, "Need us to call you an ambulance?"
"They have a Trauma Team membership, just leave them outside." The rifleman seemed utterly defeated, not even bothering to exchange words with Mercer and V, only wanting to urgently save his bros.