Damn, the more I look, the more out of place it seems—I can't quite say why, but I'm a bit pissed off.
"It's not about being scared or not, it's about if I get you all involved in these dangerous things just for fun, like a game... if something happens, I'll definitely regret it."
Mercer sighed, "Anyway, don't worry, I'll sort myself out, just do what you need to do, don't overthink it, it's really nothing."
"Damn..." V glared at him angrily, "Fine, I won't care about you then, as if I enjoy being concerned."
Why does it feel like a couple having a tiff? Mercer glanced at her.
"I'm totally into it!" Rebecca suddenly spoke, angrily hugging her V with such force her small belly was nearly squished.
"Ow, cough cough!!" Rebecca bared her teeth, prying her arm away, glaring back ferociously, "We're in the car now, your Sianwistan isn't as handy as my Gorilla Arm."
V tried to exert some force—hey, she actually couldn't pry her off!
Rebecca smugly pinched her arm, "Don't bother, I've tried at home, I can squeeze a chunk of metal like a rubber ball!"
"Damn, just wait until I get my muscle enhancements and Mantis Blade installed, then we'll see!" V dissatisfiedly tested her strength but soon gave up.
The two chatted and laughed, seeming to put the earlier issue behind them, but when Mercer dropped them off at the motel, they both lingered at the entrance for a while.
Eventually, V glanced at Rebecca, coolly pocketed her hands and headed upstairs first, leaving Rebecca alone.
Rebecca didn't get into the passenger seat, instead, she stood outside the door, seriously saying to Mercer, "Mercer, though I don't know who you're chatting with online...
But I'm not afraid of any trouble with Ye Corporation because of you.
So, don't overthink it, I'll always support you."
Mercer gazed into her eyes, smiling, "Alright, I got it."
"That's the spirit! Ye Corporation is truly disgusting, biotechnology at most just wants to toy with human bodies, but Ye Corporation wants to completely control human consciousness...
Mercer, if it's to deal with those Ye Corporation bastards with you, I wouldn't regret dying, nor would I be afraid."
Rebecca's expression was unusually serious on her small face.
Mercer nodded earnestly, "Yeah."
"Alright then, take a good spin... Remember to let me drive a couple of laps later, so I can show off to those idiots who mocked me and my brother for not being Edgerunners, heh...
Now let's see what they've got to say!"
Rebecca patted the car roof, stepped back, and closed the door.
Mercer rolled down the window, "Why not think about how to decorate your room? I discussed with the Adcardans, each person gets a thirty square meter room, enough space for a lot of stuff."
"Got it! Take it easy on the road, don't drive too fast."
She waved at him with a smile.
Mercer pulled up the window, driving around Night City with a somewhat complicated mood before heading back to the Adcardo in Evil Land.
The appearance of the Sword in the Stone naturally stirred a small commotion, and camp people, regardless of age or gender, crowded around curiously.
Mercer simply left the car there, letting Mitch keep an eye on it, allowing the camp folks to marvel and experience the charm of this supercar.
Since Mercer had left Mykino with Bruce, he found a car from the Adcardans to borrow, paying more than the car's worth as compensation—Adcardans treated their cars like life, so Mercer paid extra and apologized several times.
Fortunately, they didn't mind, just cheerfully told him not to worry about it, that they could use the money to save for a better car, no loss there.
When Mercer returned to the tent, he didn't work, just lay on the hacker chair in a daze until he heard Lucy's footsteps, then he plugged in, diving deep into the Cyber World.
Fiddling with the 'ctOS' system until late at night, when Mercer disconnected, he saw Lucy quietly writing code on the side.
Outside, it was already the hour of a sparse moonlit sky, with only a dim electric lamp casting a warm yellow glow in the tent.
"What are you busy with?" he asked.
"I thought you'd wait until I fell asleep before disconnecting." Lucy didn't lift her head.
"Why do you say that?" Mercer smiled, asking.
Lucy glanced at him, "Just a feeling."
"You've got an animal instinct too, huh?" Mercer chuckled helplessly, then straightforwardly recounted today's events to her.
After listening, Lucy just nodded, continuing her work on her computer, "Alright, I'll just take it as the reason for your bad mood."
"Alright, and also... should I be more cautious in my actions? Like you said, be careful, don't treat everything like a game.
I'm worried I might drag you all into something you shouldn't have to deal with...
Something like that."
After Mercer finished, Lucy stopped her work, turned around, and looked at him, first observing his expression closely, then tilting her head slightly, "Yeah, you should be careful, but not for us, for yourself."
"You're right."
Mercer sighed, "I once thought that no matter how bad things got, I could just do like Otter Cunningham, upload myself or whatever, Arasaka, biotechnology, Ye Corporation, when I become an AI, I wouldn't put up with them."
"Not thinking that way anymore?" Lucy looked at him, her lips subconsciously curving slightly.
"Yeah, I don't think that way now... I used to believe that even if I became a consciousness, I'd still be myself. But now... maybe that's true for the short term, but in the long run, that's uncertain."
Mercer conveyed the insight he'd gained from Murphy today, "If you lose the perception of life's weight, lose the feeling of being alive, then you'll inevitably become something that looks human, but is fundamentally different...
A digital lifeform."
Mercer didn't want to use terms like digital ghost to describe Murphy's existence, but the fundamental differences between this consciousness and humanity are like those between humans and monkeys.
No, it should be described as the difference between silicon-based life and carbon-based life.
Even if they look alike, they're fundamentally different.
Lucy smiled at him, speaking gently, "But I think... if it's you, whether in consciousness form or sitting here with me now, you'll always be Mercer, Alex Mercer."
Mercer felt she was hinting at something, looked at her for a while, then just smiled, "Alright, then I won't change?"
"No need, I'd rather see you and talk to you in person than just meet online someday."
Lucy quickly spoke, playfully winking at him, "You know, I have a psychological shadow with runaway AIs, so best not become one of those."
Mercer rolled his eyes, "Even if I became a consciousness, it'd be at Black Wall AI level, a runaway AI? If I turned AI, there'd only be runaway humans left."
"Fine, then please consider the future of humanity and don't easily deflect, huh." Lucy pointed to the table, amused, "Though it's a bit cold... latte, wanna try?"
"Try it, sure."
Mercer sat up, downing the coffee Lucy prepared for him at some point.
And then...
He found himself unable to sleep.
...
Night City, January 16, Dog Town.
The repeatedly delayed 'House of the Flame' finally completed its construction.
And it was on this day that Diana Kuno finally sent a message to Mercer.
[Diana: I've taken care of everything. If all goes well, tomorrow evening at 7, the news on Channel 54 will expose Joanna's poisoning in Sillan Town and poisoning of the Red Ocher Water Source.]