"So, did they join?"
In the base, Kyoko looked at the delighted Mercer and asked curiously.
"Yeah." Mercer smirked, saying, "Mann was eating with a face full of doubt about life, constantly asking me if I used a face-lift board."
"I think so too... if I hadn't known you from the start, I'd probably also think you're some kind of pervert who loves young faces, specifically getting yourself a makeover like this..."
Kyoko's mumbling prompted Mercer to tap her skull. She grinned and tilted her head, swinging her little legs from the chair, asking, "Why haven't V and the others returned yet?"
"According to Faraday's intel, they won't be back with the stuff until three or four in the morning... Dog Town's idiots are causing more trouble these days.
We had agreed before to get a pass issued by paying monthly, and now they've changed their tune, saying they want to raise the price starting next month."
Mercer said, his brows slowly furrowing.
Kyoko mused, "Logically speaking... we're somewhat well-known in Dog Town now, right? Why is the appetite of those Netherworld Dogs getting bigger?"
"I think maybe Hansen is trying to force me to make the first move to approach him."
Mercer speculated, "He might have something he wants to collaborate on with me, but he doesn't want to come to me directly... Given his character, even if it's cooperation, he certainly wants to be in a more proactive position."
Kyoko frowned, "Should we ask Hans? He can act as an intermediary in Dog Town, should have a good relationship with Hansen."
"Binding too closely with him might not be a good thing, but for now, maintaining a good relationship with both Hans and Hansen might be better for development."
Mercer said simply, pondering, "I guess they won't hold back for long before coming over to cause trouble. By then, give them a lesson and then chat with Hansen."
In Mercer's view, in Dog Town, there are only three factions worth attention, one being Hans and the Cubans behind him.
Another is the New America force currently lurking in Dog Town — Mercer is sure that the Military Science and New America are still in touch with Hansen to some extent now.
Apart from Li De and Alex whom he met in the game, there must also be other New America agents buried here.
And then there's Hansen.
At first glance, Hansen might still have some secret ties with the Military Science and New America, but from what Mercer has seen in the game, Hansen's ambitions are large. More than just an agent, he aims to become a military leader ruling a territory.
In the game, whether from his attempt to control Lark, the 'human-shaped network bomb', or from his audacity to directly shoot down United States President Miles's plane, these things all reflect his audaciousness.
Dealing with such a person, being too kind might make him see you as weak and easy to bully, while being overly tough might kindle murderous thoughts in him. Finding the right balance for cooperation is very difficult, like planning with a tiger.
Shaking his head, Mercer set Hansen's issues aside for now, then instructed, "I'm going online, you don't need to stay here, go back and sleep."
"Are you diving alone?" Kyoko frowned, "No way! I have to watch you, in case anything unexpected happens?"
"Anyone who can prevent me from logging off... all right, let's wait until V and the others return. My program left online discovered something interesting, I need to check what it is."
Seeing Kyoko's determined gaze, Mercer ultimately decided to let her keep watch.
Sitting on the hacker chair, Kyoko skillfully helped Mercer plug in the wire, and then, in a flash of light, Mercer sat cross-legged on the chair, entering the Cyber World.
He opened his eyes in the Cyber World space, wasting no time, with one step, traversed through numerous blue data streams, simply taking a few steps, and made several IP jumps to conceal his identity.
On Mercer's mask, blue data streams flashed like waterfalls, and screen after screen appeared before him.
He first used cameras to check on V, Rebecca, and Qiwei's situation.
At this moment, they should all be in the car, quietly waiting for the target outside the logistics zone at the port.
Mercer zoomed in on the image with city surveillance cameras, only able to see metal-made bulletproof car windows.
So Mercer kept just an auxiliary screen displayed in the corner of his Prosthetic Eye, then started focusing on the actual task.
"Venus, report the situation."
When he finished speaking, a cute black kitten jumped onto his shoulder, gently nuzzling his side face, "Please follow me."
The kitten transformed into a blue data beam, and Mercer followed closely, instantly jumping to a network IP location.
Here was a data pile that looked very inconspicuous, with network fluctuations almost non-existent, meaning this equipment usually doesn't connect to the network for data transmission.
Is this a 'private channel'?
When Mercer began trying to analyze and interpret the data pile, he immediately discovered that the volume of data here was astonishing - this was not a privately connected device, but a medium-sized server cluster!
Mercer observed for a while and said, "Is this the ctOS System's automated hack information gathering device?"