Mercer didn't respond, just provided the evacuation route to V, then heard V exclaim, "Damn, what the hell did you upload to my prosthetic eye?"
"Evacuation route, follow it." Mercer said.
V rolled her eyes, "Of course, I can see it's an evacuation route... I mean, how did you mark this route so clearly?
Even marked where traffic jams are, how many seconds the red lights last, and how fast I should drive! Damn, it even marked the overtaking route for me? Amazing!"
Mercer touched his slightly warm forehead, "Isn't it amazing."
Currently, relying solely on AI to temporarily gather data and perform on-the-spot calculations and analysis is still too rough.
Just maintaining such a simple route, monitoring just a few cars, the real-time power consumption even makes his head feel warm.
If I really wanted to monitor the entire city, my brain would be fried.
And this is with AI doing the work without requiring me to analyze or think.
It seems that writing the Ctos program and setting up a separate server for Venus has become imperative.
This thing is indeed quite useful—at least, judging from the real-time map data provided by Venus, several Vortex Gang cars are visibly left behind.
Some cars that chose other routes and tried to intercept from the highway exits had almost no chance of catching up with them.
Because every intersection they crossed had red lights, and there were even NCPD patrol cars intentionally led onto their route.
Even though NCPD generally doesn't care much, they can't just ignore the Vortex Gang's rampant red-light running and speeding. If they see it, they gotta do something.
In other words, when Venus started intervening, using the NCPD database and simulating Ctos to take action, that group from the Vortex Gang basically had no chance of catching up with Mercer.
And on Mercer's escape route, all NCPD positions became extremely clear—he could even hear news about himself from the NCPD dispatch.
[NCPD Radio: All units please note, we received a report on the expressway heading east to the suburbs, spotting severe speeding and shooting incidents, suspected Vortex Gang involved in a shootout with an unknown target, received?]
[NCPD Officer: 3-0-1, received, heading to the expressway...]
[NCPD Officer: 3-0-22 calling headquarters, serious speeding event in the Watson District, requesting support from headquarters. Who knows who provoked this bunch of lunatics, now they're speeding through red lights, and it looks like they're also targeting those on the expressway.]
[NCPD Officer: 3-0-1 calling dispatch! What's with the traffic signals today, all I see are red lights! Give me a green channel, will you?]
[NCPD Radio: Dispatch received, coordinating now.]
[NCPD Officer: 3-0-1 calling, what's the target vehicle's license plate and features?]
[NCPD Radio: Currently, cameras are experiencing interference. The other party may have installed camera jamming devices on the vehicle, making it unidentifiable, only Vortex Gang cars are visible—inquiring the reporter for details on the other vehicle.]
Mercer satisfactorily turned off the NCPD internal voice.
V easily drove the Mykino out of the suburbs—NCPD typically doesn't pursue this far.
Outside Night City in the Evil Land, there are no city cameras to help NCPD lock down criminals. If ambushed, it would be a pointless death with no time for support.
Unless they hit NCPD's lair, NCPD usually won't persistently chase ordinary crimes, as Night City experiences countless violent cases every day. If they pursued every single one, NCPD would never get off work.
The 'secret base' Bruce mentioned, is actually the abandoned tunnel where players in the game can get a Sword in the Stone for free.
By 2077, this tunnel had become a hidden spot for the Chaotic Blade Association, with the Sword in the Stone stashed inside a container.
For some reason, the Chaotic Blade Association never discovered the container's contents, but regardless, it's still Bruce's territory now.
V drove the Mykino into the abandoned mountain tunnel and curiously asked, "What was this originally for? Digging through a mountain like this, with roads and lighting inside."
"I guess it was for smuggling." Mercer suddenly sighed after speaking, "Ever since Dog Town emerged, smugglers in Night City have had horrible luck."
The car drove inside, and Bruce suddenly spoke up, "Over here... see that container? Open it, go inside, there's a hidden room in there."
V stopped the car, and Bruce struggled to get up. After getting out, he walked to the seemingly randomly abandoned container in the tunnel, fiddled with it, and the container door opened.
And what Mercer had been longing for, the Sword in the Stone, was parked inside this container.
The black sports car sat there unobtrusively, with a few toolboxes and tables behind it.
"Is this container your secret base?" V felt a bit let down in her expectations.
Bruce just silently walked to the table, opened a wardrobe, fiddled around, and then unlocked a switch inside.
Then, V heard a rumbling noise and turned her head to see a rock wall suddenly retracting.
Behind the door was an excavated room of about twenty square meters—something even Mercer hadn't seen in the game.
"Come on in, let's talk..."
Bruce limped into the room, and as he passed the black Sword in the Stone, the car's lights flashed, "I deregistered the car's system. Aren't you interested in it? It's yours, consider it your reward for saving me."
"Wow... dude, I really think you're a good person now." V's breath became heavy, and perhaps even a few million euros wouldn't make her as excited, but this was a Sword in the Stone!
The lifelong aspiration of a Street Kid isn't just fame and fortune, but things like big gold chains and watches, luxury cars, and mansions are also among their life goals.
For most Street Kids, a high-end Quadra Type-66 muscle car or a high-end customized Jun Mizutani sports car represents their life peak.
Sword in the Stone?
Damn it, she wouldn't even dare dream of it!
"Enjoy the ride." Mercer chuckled and followed Bruce into his secret base hidden in the tunnel.
Once inside, Bruce took out a medical kit, gave himself an injection, and then took out a hemostatic bandage.
Mercer took it, expertly wrapping Bruce's injured left shoulder, "Good thing they stopped your bleeding, though a tad rough."
"If using a torch to cauterize your arm counts as stopping bleeding, then I guess I should thank them." Bruce said hoarsely, taking out a medical spray and inhaling deeply.
After the pain relief took effect, Bruce's expression finally looked more relaxed, "After I catch my breath... I'll need you to take me to a doctor."
"Alright." Mercer casually found a table to sit at, "Let's chat, where do you want to start?"
Bruce turned to look at Mercer, speaking calmly, "I think, let's start with your introductions?"