"Me?"
Lucy pointed dumbly at her own face, then glanced at Rebecca, who looked a bit displeased but merely grunted, and V, who was pretending to be indifferent, sipping on a beer while watching TV, but with ears perked up.
Yep, and there's Qiwei, who seemed to have not participated in the conversation from the beginning, yawning and looking like she wanted to go back to sleep early...
Mercer nodded: "When the time comes, V will appear as the bodyguard in battle armor, and the rest of the Spark Team will handle on-site security. Qiwei and the others will be responsible for monitoring and server security in the security room... so let's have Lucy do it."
Lucy looked at Mercer, momentarily at a loss — she truly hadn't expected that Mercer would choose her without hesitation, not even giving others a chance to compete.
Rebecca mumbled with a meaningful look, "Ah~ it's because you're a bit taller and seem to have a better presence. Unlike me, who just doesn't look presentable..."
Mercer reached out and lightly knocked on her head, speaking earnestly: "Don't forget, this is our first public appearance. Arasaka people will definitely not miss this opportunity, so be careful and don't mess up! I'm putting my life in your hands."
Rebecca snorted, lying on the table, still grumbling a bit jealously, "Yeah, yeah, I'll be the one standing guard in armor... Trying to act like an undercover cop, huh? Don't think I haven't seen those Mewtwo films…"
Mercer was finding it hard to keep a straight face, patting her on the head with a smile: "That's enough, it's just a banquet! Also, what kind of Mewtwo movies have you been watching? Stop learning from Pira!"
Pira rolled his eyes upon hearing this, "Bro, I usually only buy those Mewtwo films from Liz's real-experience store! The kind Rebecca's talking about, I wouldn't even watch!"
Rebecca retorted confidently: "Nonsense, the Mewtwo movies I watch are all from your collection!"
"Nonsense, I never buy story-driven movies! They're a waste of time!" Pira immediately countered.
Rebecca scoffed, "Then whose do I watch!?"
The sibling pair's argument quickly spread to the others, and soon everyone began debating whose Mewtwo films they watched. Before long, a blushing V slammed his hand on the table, forcefully changing the subject.
Lucy sat at the edge of the table, looking slightly awkward and at a loss — her mind was full of thoughts about attending the banquet as Mercer's escort tomorrow.
Mercer just lowered his voice, smiling with a wink as he said to her, "Remember to put on some makeup and dress up nicely tomorrow. You can go online later to pick out an outfit, using VR equipment to check out their fitting room website.
Pick a gown you like, and the store will deliver it first thing in the morning — these rich folks sure know how to enjoy life, being able to try on clothes in VR or even Mewtwo before buying online, really convenient."
"...Oh!" Lucy looked a bit blank for some reason, unsure what she was thinking.
Today is Christmas, and everyone is gathered together, the room decorated with a Christmas tree, looking joyful and festive.
Despite many pressing matters, no one discussed work out of tacit agreement on such a day, so Mercer just briefly mentioned it, made the arrangement, and then everyone went back to drinking and chatting with merry laughter.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Pira excitedly switched on the speakers and played music, then turned off the ceiling light and switched to the neon lights he bought online, pushing the living room table to the side, turning the living room into a nightclub.
Even V showed off his 'wobble-dance' moves, fully enjoying the Christmas night atmosphere, with the group drinking, singing, and dancing until several people had passed out before midnight.
Mercer usually doesn't have to deal with these drunkards, so he only sipped a glass of red wine for appearance's sake, and after admiring the chaotic dance moves for a while, he discreetly followed Lucy out of the living room once she left first.
Qiwei gave Mercer a suggestive look, but Mercer shook his head, declining her proactive invitation.
Instead, he followed Lucy with a swagger, until her steps stopped at her room door, and she turned back with a slightly bewildered expression at Mercer, "What's up?"
Christmas — what was he doing here?
A lot of random thoughts popped into Lucy's head, and even though she tried to maintain a composed look, her hands instinctively clasped behind her back.
Mercer, smiling, said, "Wanna help you choose an outfit? I also need to get a suit myself, so instead of splitting up, we might as well go shopping together in VR."
"Aren't you just wearing a suit? Or going in a Netherworld Dog outfit, Hansen would be happy." Lucy said this, but still opened the door and walked in, leaving it ajar.
Mercer followed her in, casually plopping down on her bed, lying back lazily: "Go grab the VR, there's a VR headset in Rebecca's room, and grab me a can of coke, I'm thirsty."
"This is my room!" Lucy gave him a dissatisfied look, but still obediently went to Rebecca's room to get the stuff. Mercer took a sip of coke, put on the VR glasses, and started connecting to the internet.
Once they found the gown shop's website, they could directly download the VR program, entering a store virtually replicated from the real one, for a cyber shopping experience.