[Diana: I've already settled everything. If nothing unexpected happens, tomorrow night at seven, News Channel 54 will expose Joanna's poisoning in Sillan Town, as well as the poisoning at the Red Ochre Water Source.]
[?: So, what about the things I want?]
[Diana: Don't worry, once I drive Joanna away, I might even secure a regional director position through the cooperation talks with Military Science. By then, you can definitely get what you want.]
[?: I've waited for you long enough, Dr. Kuno.]
[Diana: I understand, please trust me, it's not that I don't want to do it, but the things you want, I can't apply for them as a deputy director. Once Joanna is dealt with, I will immediately apply for them.]
[?: I won't wait too long for you.]
[Diana: I know! Rest assured, if everything goes smoothly tomorrow, she won't be around for two more days, and I will act swiftly.]
Mercer did not reply to Diana.
He was busy with his team inspecting the house.
The reason for the prolonged construction period was mainly Mercer—he not only revised the design multiple times but also kept increasing the budget.
Originally, a renovation that could be done with tens of thousands of euros was pushed to over three hundred thousand euros by him, and that was just for basic renovation and hardware, excluding equipment.
He had the Adcardans patiently carry out secret modifications on parts of the basement.
Even the surface level warehouse was transformed by Mercer into a relatively high-end workspace and shop.
At this moment, the warehouse that looked dilapidated on the outside had been simply repainted by Mercer, and a simple neon sign was added outside the store door.
The sign didn't have a store name; it simply displayed a few words along with a bright little flame as the logo.
'Weapons, Equipment, Programs.'
Concise and clear, outlining the business Mercer planned to handle in the store.
First, there's some custom modification or crafting of personal weapons—Pira enjoys doing this, and Mercer also has an interest in these things.
Next, is the sale of equipment, mainly Mercer might do some work on things like custom drones and mechanical dogs; the creations can be used personally and also sold if simple, cheap, and durable ones are made.
The equipment section also includes some prosthetic modifications; while Mercer probably doesn't have the ability to create prosthetics from scratch, customizing and adding some black technology is possible through manual work.
It's not that Mercer lacks the technical skill and ideas, but producing weapons and equipment and modifying or merging weapon equipment are not the same concept.
The former requires raw materials and production equipment, while the latter only needs some ready-made parts and a high-grade private workbench.
Finally, there's the program section, including plugin chips for weapons, prosthetics, as well as various program chips Mercer and a few hackers specialize in, like ICE programs and quick decryption programs.
After a simple exterior look, V eagerly urged, "Hurry up, let's go inside, I want to see what you've done to the inside of this warehouse!"
Mercer smiled confidently, "Then, feast your eyes!"
He walked to the front door, the sturdy metal door with automatic opening was already in place, exposing a somewhat narrow space to V and the others.
In view, there was a huge counter and a new concrete wall blocking the path, leaving only a small metal door on the side.
This counter was entirely made of reinforced concrete, connecting to the ceiling, with a large bulletproof glass window in the middle.
The thick bulletproof glass was about six meters long, one meter high, with only a small rectangular opening that could be opened, appearing more cautious and sturdy than a bank counter.
Several sturdy stainless steel tables and a worn-out sofa were casually placed in front of the counter as a waiting area for customers.
Behind the bulletproof glass, there were only a few display shelves, and two not-so-small screens placed behind the glass, currently dark and unlit.
"This will be the storefront. Normally, no need for anyone to watch it; did you see behind the counter? Wall-separated is a workspace.
The warehouse outside and the counter both have cameras and microphones, guest service can be done with a tablet, we don't even need to serve guests, I plan to let AI manage the front desk sales and explanations.
We'll only handle certain emergencies."
While speaking, Mercer pointed at the bar corner, "This warehouse is quite high, about four and a half meters, so I installed a suspended ceiling.
Integrated the circuits, plumbing, ventilation system, and reserved cooling channels for the basement server room, and of course, hidden automatic turrets."
The group followed his fingers and sure enough saw two concealed automatic turrets hidden in the ceiling.
"This gadget costs over twenty thousand euros each, Military Science indeed makes money, I didn't buy many, left more slots to make our own later, it'll save a lot of money."
Speaking, Mercer led them through the side door; it also required identity verification for automatic opening.
What appeared before V and the others from here was a long corridor.