Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 107 The Lark Has Arrived!
Mercer knew very well who the first person he should see was.

He arranged a time with Stott and the head of Comtau, then packed up the items Mercer deemed valuable from Poseidon and sent them to Bryce. After that, Mercer had V and Rebecca put on their armor again and go with him to see Hansen.

The stadium's underground facilities were as usual. In Hansen's meeting room, Coca-Cola and whiskey were already laid out on the table. Through a glass window, in the equipment development room, the men in white coats were pretending to be busy with dark expressions.

Mercer became famous, but in contrast, the other research and development personnel who shared Hansen's salary with him were now being stared at by Hansen with a chilling gaze that made their scalps tingle.

Hansen was truly speechless—he had spent so much money and hired so many people, yet the progress and speed of their equipment development was still inferior to that of Mercer, a mere mercenary kid.

Hansen had long been annoyed by Mercer's attitude of simply doing things for money, especially since Mercer had secretly cultivated relationships with many Netherhounds, which set off alarm bells in Hansen's mind.

But he really can't do without Mercer's technology, whether it's network technology or equipment development technology, it's just too important for the Ghost Hound right now.

An uncontrollable young genius who knows many secrets of the Netherhound, is wealthy and influential, and is gradually building his reputation within the Netherhound.
Hansen's apprehension towards Mercer is quite evident.

But when they met, both Mercer and Hansen gave each other friendly smiles.

"Colonel Hansen." Mercer's helmet and the octopus arm on his shoulder caught Hansen's eye, but what really caught his attention were the two completely different styles of armor worn by Rebecca and V.

"You rascal, when did you secretly get your hands on such a powerful thing? You didn't even tell me beforehand!" Hansen laughed, but it was hard to tell from his words whether he was joking or complaining.

But Mercer knew very well that he was definitely dissatisfied, so he just smiled and said, "Because these equipment are still in the testing phase, they are not very practical at the moment."

Therefore, there's no need to let Major Hansen know. What if he gets excited for nothing, and that would be a waste of the colonel's time?

"Not very practical? You used these things to defeat the Voodoo Gang in Taiping Prefecture." Hansen said, feigning displeasure, "Don't hold back when it comes to your own people."

"That's because those thugs from Taiping State are too weak," Mercer said with a chuckle. "Even if we, the Ghost Hounds, only send out an elite squad, plus some Minotaur robots, we can do something similar."

"Capable of solo flight, compatible with the S.A.S. and Rage operating systems, able to ignore conventional firepower coverage, and clearly also possesses power amplification."

Hansen recounted the details with a hint of complaint: "The Hound of the Underworld doesn't have such good stuff. Even if you let V and Rebecca use these two suits of armor to deal with the Hound of the Underworld, I bet it would be difficult for the Hound of the Underworld to put up an effective counterattack."

"So, this isn't something you discussed with Colonel Hansen immediately after the practical test?" Mercer chuckled as he sat down opposite Hansen.

Behind Hansen, Bennett, the Ghosthound executive who had once been somewhat menacing towards Mercer, no longer had that same expression. He simply smiled and nodded at Mercer.

He was just drooling over V and Rebecca's armor right now—he really wanted such good stuff!

Mercer didn't waste any words. He placed the laptop he was carrying on his octopus arm on the table, opened it, and immediately began showing Hansen the equipment's stats.

"The V-set armor, which is compatible with S.A.S., is the most expensive. If Colonel Hansen is interested, I can make a replica for you for six million euros."

Mercer's words made Hansen a little uncomfortable—I know you want to make money, but don't treat me like an idiot!

But then Mercer's words made Hansen's heart flutter.

"In my vision, this armor adapted to the Sianwistan was not intended for widespread deployment, but rather as a customized armor for a very small number of talented elites who were capable of adapting to the Sianwistan system."

"Fully nano-metal, with an integrated nano-combat suit, powered by my own designed electric drive, and equipped with a built-in neural adaptation operating system, it can minimize the delay between the mech's reaction speed and that of a human."

Mercer began to speak eloquently about the armor's individual configuration, from flight speed to armor thickness, and he emphasized:

"The two sets you see now are actually just the initial versions. The reason we chose this kind of close-fitting personal armor, rather than an exoskeleton-like design, is that..."

In my vision, this suit of armor can serve as a mobile weapon base station, compatible with various large-scale combat equipment.

When facing armored forces, anti-armor weapons can be added; when facing urban warfare or street fighting, personnel-killing equipment can be the primary means of attack.

Hansen feigned composure and said, "But where are the compatible weapons? If it's just a set of armor like this, six million euros is not a cheap price."

Mercer simply smiled confidently: "Is six million euros really that expensive? Can you buy a Chimera main battle tank for that price? Or are you planning to compare this suit of armor to a magic lizard?"

"To be honest, with just V's armor, I'm confident I can let her take on multiple Demon Lizards one-on-one."

Mercer spoke eloquently: "The locking speed of the automatic machine gun that comes with the Demon Lizard is determined by the human brain, but this armor can make people burst out with speeds far exceeding those of ordinary S'anweistein users."

Furthermore, the built-in micro-missiles have difficulty locking onto armored users in high-speed motion.

In other words, even the Demon Lizard would be considered a sitting duck in front of the current V-Force—and even the Chimera main battle tank would be no exception.

"Of course, considering that I also received a lot of investment from Ghosthound in the design and development of this armor, I can customize a set of the same high-grade armor for you for five million euros, which I will name 'Spear Falcon'."

After Mercer finished speaking, Hansen fell silent. He stared intently at Mercer, but in the end, he simply nodded and changed the subject, saying, "What about armor like Miss Rebecca's?"

"I call this set a tank. As the name suggests, its combat strategy is to enable the user of this armor to rampage on the ground like a tank and crush non-heavy units."

Mercer continued explaining the tank's specifications, and finally, he gave a price quote: "And the price of this set of individual armor is two million euros."

"Great, I'll take both of them."

Hansen made a decision.

But then he simply smiled and looked at Mercer, saying, "I will purchase the raw materials, and the assembly work will be carried out at the stadium—you will personally lead the work group to carry out the production."

Let's develop two sets of equipment first and see how they perform.

After finishing speaking, Hansen paused, then smiled and said, "As a reward, I will give you a bonus of three million euros, as a reward for your contributions to the Netherhound in your position as the Director of Equipment Development and Design."

"Furthermore, once both sets of equipment are developed, I will personally host a celebration banquet for you in Gemstone Azure, and award you the first honorary medal of the Netherhound. I guarantee that all the important figures in the city will attend."

Mercer tilted his head slightly and did not reply immediately, while Hansen just smiled and looked at the red light flashing from the camera in his helmet.

The oppressive silence lasted only two or three seconds before Mercer chuckled and said, "No problem, then we'll assemble it in the workshop. I'll remotely guide the designers, which will save me some time."

"Since that's the case, let's go a step further and put the supporting weapons and equipment into development as well. I'll provide you with a materials list when it's ready."

“Sure, as long as the design and development are all within the stadium, I won’t limit your budget this time.”

Hansen readily agreed, but then suddenly changed the subject, saying, "I bet a lot of people will contact you this time to ask about the equipment?"

“Quite a few,” Mercer said with a light laugh. “Kangtao, the military science department, the internet surveillance bureau, and quite a few middlemen.”

"Seriously, don't these guys know you're the equipment development and design director for the Netherhound? Trying to get you to bypass the Netherhound to do business is a taboo, isn't it? Don't worry, you don't need to worry about the conditions they offer, I'll negotiate for you."

Just like with the other weapons and equipment we develop, I will give you at least 30% of every piece of equipment we sell. I'm talking about 30% of the sales revenue, not the net profit.

As for the costs, the Ghost Dog will naturally bear them; you just need to wait to collect your money.

Hansen said with a smile.

Mercer simply smiled, seemingly without objection: "Of course, but shouldn't my salary be increased? In a big company, a design director like me only earns a million euros a year. That's a bit low."

“You know that our Netherhounds have limited income right now. However, what you said makes sense. With your skill level, it is indeed not fair to only receive your current salary.”

Hansen said directly, "Although your base is not small, to be honest, the living conditions and facilities are still a bit lacking. Here, I'll prepare a large suite for you on a high floor of the Gemstone Blue Hotel."

"Forget it, our servers are all located at the base. If we move them all to the Gemstone Blue Hotel, we'll have to rethink security and other aspects."

Mercer politely declined.

Hansen, feigning displeasure, retorted, "In Dogtown, would anyone dare to cause trouble at the Gemstone Blue Hotel? Don't worry, I'll send two more squads of soldiers to specifically guard your server."

"For a hacker, a server is like his wife. Who would entrust their wife to someone else to guard?"

Mercer chuckled, but his tone left no room for argument: "There's no place like home. We're not used to staying in luxury hotels."

Hansen looked at him for a moment, his smile turning slightly cold: "Alright, since that's the case, then I won't force you. But now you've become a darling of those big companies, so for your safety, you shouldn't leave Dogtown for a while."

I'll send several more squads to be stationed near your base, just in case anything happens to you.

V suddenly spoke coldly: "With me here, even those big companies can't threaten him. The Fire Seed Squad is not someone to be trifled with."

Hansen simply smiled and said, "I know you're quite capable, but if you underestimate those big companies because of that, you'll suffer a great loss."

I know your reputation on the streets, but believe me, corporations and gangs are two completely different things.

V wanted to say something more, but Mercer suddenly waved his hand and said, "Sure, it's not a bad thing to have someone keeping an eye on things for me, but just don't disturb me when I'm talking to other people about business or deals, okay?"

Hansen's smile widened: "Of course, as long as it doesn't go against the interests of the Ghost Hound, you can still do what you want as before."

Mercer nodded decisively, then stood up and said, "Since that's the case, there's nothing more to say. Once you have the three million euro bonus, I'll give you a list to start further weapons and equipment production and development as soon as possible."

"No problem," Hansen agreed, and Mercer then left gracefully without any intention of lingering.

It wasn't until Mercer left the base and got back into the car that Rebecca said resentfully, "Why don't we just kill Hansen? Isn't he robbing us? Does he really think we're working for him?"

V also said indignantly, "He clearly wants to put you under house arrest. Damn it, Mercer, how could you just agree to that?"

Mercer remained calm: "Think about it from Hansen's perspective. Right now, keeping me here isn't the most important thing for him. The most important thing is whether I'm still under control and whether he still wants to stay in Dogtown."

"What's the point of staying in this wretched dog town? Isn't he afraid we'll run away?" V raised his helmet, brushed his white hair aside, and said unhappily.

Mercer shrugged: "That's why he had someone keep an eye on me. I bet if I hadn't brought you two with me this time, he might have been up to something."

"Then why are you so nonchalant! If you ask me, why don't we find someone in the company to monitor the internet? Or Kang Tao? One of them is from Europe, and the other is from the East. Even if we turn Night City upside down, we can just run away abroad."

V suggested.

Mercer laughed, "It would be strange if he didn't have designs on it! But..." He narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, "I won't keep him around for long. After the conversation with Lai Xuan is over, it will be our turn to consider how to take over Dogtown."

“Uh, you mean…” V raised an eyebrow.

“Look how much money Hansen makes here in a year. With such a big business, I don’t plan to be a hands-off manager like the Voodoo Gang.”

Mercer said meaningfully, "Dogtown is the key to the power struggle between the Military Science and Arasaka in Night City. Whoever controls it can, without exaggeration, directly influence the course of the possible Fifth Corporate War in the future."

He spread his hands, looked at the dilapidated street, and said with a smile, "Don't be fooled by how bad this place looks now. If the situation stabilizes one day, the development plan for Taiping Prefecture will continue."

By then, Dogtown was undoubtedly the core of Taiping State.

"And if war breaks out, by occupying Dogtown beforehand, we will gain a relative advantage. Whether we choose to side with one side or try to remain neutral, there are many possibilities."

Rebecca didn't quite understand all this nonsense, she just said, "But like you said before, Hansen will get taken care of by those companies sooner or later."

Because neither the military science department, Arasaka, nor any other force could allow a warlord to occupy this place.
"If you were to sit in Hansen's seat, wouldn't that mean you'd become the most dangerous one?"

"Danger and opportunity are relative. If we take control of Dogtown, we can naturally have our own independent armed force."

Controlling Dogtown's smuggling resources also means that our research and development will no longer be limited by raw materials. We can have our own arsenals, army, research institutions, and companies.

Mercer's words did not excite V and Rebecca; on the contrary, they both frowned and looked worried.

Rebecca sighed: "Since you feel that staying in Dogtown will allow you to better achieve your goals, then we have nothing more to say."

Mercer glanced at the disapproving expressions on their faces after their helmets were opened, but he just smiled and didn't explain anything further.

He could understand everyone's desire for stability, but in his view, time was running out for him.

A major shift in the global landscape is imminent, and he must seize this opportunity as much as possible, just as he did with the rise of biotechnology. He must accumulate strength and prepare before the Fifth Corporate War.

Every day, experts on television analyze how long the current ceasefire agreement between New America and Night City can last, and whether the next war will escalate.

In Mercer's view, instead of discussing how long a ceasefire could last, it would be better to discuss when Military Science and Arasaka would actually start the Fifth Corporate War.

When the next war begins, it will certainly not be like the past few years, with only the new United States and a few free states openly participating.

If Lai Xuan successfully seizes power, he is the leader of the hawks and, deep down, he desires to destroy the company. He will never give up this opportunity.

The relationship between military science and the new United States can be understood more directly as one where the two are almost inseparable in terms of interests.

Today, the president of the new United States, Myers, was the previous president of the Military Science and Technology Administration. Moreover, even the previous president of the United States was a former president of the Military Science and Technology Administration—which shows just how deeply the Military Science and Technology Administration is linked to the interests of the new United States.

When the new United States attempts to reclaim the independent states again, it will inevitably evolve into a war between Arasaka and the Free States and their allies against the new United States, the military, and their allies.

Such a massive war, and Night City is right in the eye of the storm.

Mercer didn't want to bring his anxiety to the team, so he had to make the decisions and judgments himself.

If all goes well, he might be able to balance the power of many factions, especially by bringing in European cyber surveillance and the Eastern commando, to save Night City from destruction in the Fifth Corporate War.

But what if things don't go so smoothly?
Mercer sighed. He also had to consider the Night Corporation, a company suspected of being controlled by a rogue AI, the rogue AI behind the Black Wall, and even extraterrestrial forces such as the European Space Agency and Orbital Space.
This ditched world is about to be destroyed.

Mercer cleared his mind and then said, "In short, you don't need to worry too much about Hansen's problem. It's not difficult to deal with him. Just find a few retired new American agents and they can take care of him."

The key lies in how to smoothly transition power back into our own hands. We need allies.

"Who are you planning to find?" V asked Mercer.

Mercer simply said calmly, "Then we'll see who offers the higher price."

He smiled, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

Although Hansen had warned him not to betray the interests of the Ghost Hounds, the implication was that he should not even think about selling the armor to anyone else.

What's the difference between locking a hacker in his own home and not locking him up at all?
Mercer had no intention of listening to Hansen. He planned to do what he was supposed to do, having already given Hansen plenty of face. If Hansen wanted to push his luck, then it would be time for a direct confrontation.

Good morning, Night City! It's your good buddy, Stalin!!!
Haha, I bet you guys have no idea why I was so energetic this morning!
Because yesterday's number of deaths in the Super Lotto was 89!
Haha, are you so angry you want to smash the table? But there's nothing you can do. Blame it on the shocking gang fight that happened in Taiping Prefecture yesterday!
The Voodoo Gang, hiding in Dogtown, hired the infamous Fire Seed Squad and wiped out the Voodoo Gang of Taiping Prefecture overnight—yes, you heard right, the Voodoo Gang of Taiping Prefecture is now a thing of the past!
Corpses littered the ground, burning vehicles, and ruined streets. An NCPD spokesperson publicly stated that this is the future chosen by the residents of Taiping themselves, and I bet there will be another protest in Taiping today.

How many more days do you think the police station in Taiping will remain open? I bet it will be completely shut down by the end of November at the latest!

However, what is most shocking is the 'mecha superhero' clip circulating online. I guess most of you have already seen the relevant video clips, but you probably don't know how many people they actually killed this time.

But now, you definitely know what's going on.

The new individual armor used by the mercenaries of the Fireseed Squad has sparked widespread discussion on Night City Network, but so far, no company has revealed any information about it.

However, this inevitably raised some new concerns – was Night City about to undergo a new round of military upgrades? Should the emergence of individual armor be categorized as part of heavy firepower?

Mercer's radio was cut off, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at Rebecca, who was fiddling with the radio.

She was wearing a satisfied expression and bursting into happy laughter: "Did you hear that? We're totally famous now!"

"I heard you. You've had related news reports playing next to me all day long," Mercer said helplessly, and then maliciously sent Rebecca a comment from an online forum.

The original comment was, "That brightly colored armored figure, I don't think it's as good as Adam's Hammer."

Rebecca clicked in and took a look, then gritted her teeth and glared at him angrily: "You did this on purpose, didn't you!"

She now absolutely loathed Adam Hammer—how did she resemble that big, clumsy guy at all? He looked like a ghost, how could he compare to her?
Mercer made a face at her, but then just smiled and continued assembling the octopus arm.

This time, what he's making is an octopus arm specifically designed for AI, used for assembly and processing. The material requirements are relatively low; all that's needed is the ability to use tools accurately and stably.

Rebecca snorted, but plopped down on the table next to him, swinging her short legs.

Mercer had no choice but to stop, turn his head, and look at her face: "Tell me, you've been clinging to me for almost a whole day since yesterday, what's the matter?"

Rebecca blushed slightly for some reason, glancing around before casually saying, "It's nothing, I was just wondering when you'd have time to go out together by yourself."

"Want to go on a date with me?" Mercer called out her question, and Rebecca blushed slightly. "Yes! A date! Is that not allowed?"

What's your rush?

Mercer chuckled and said, "Sure, why not? If you want to go, I'll go with you. Where to? Not outside Dogtown. We should give Hansen some face these days."

So that he wouldn't think I'm completely out of control and start any ulterior motives.

Rebecca simply turned her head away, and after a moment, she turned back to look at him, her expression becoming more serious: "But what if I want to go out?"

"Sigh, fine, I'll go with you then. Am I really going to have to live at Hansen's mercy? What's the point of me then?"

Mercer's words made her smile, and she practically jumped off the table into his arms, tilting her head back to give him a big kiss on the cheek: "I knew it!"

Mercer first glanced around to make sure there was no danger of a chaotic scene before lowering his head to kiss her forehead and then pulling her into a tight embrace: "So, where do you want to go?"

"Well, I'll keep it a secret for now, but I promise you won't be disappointed."

After Rebecca finished speaking, Mercer smiled and agreed: "Okay, December, I got it. As long as there's nothing important to do, I'll go out and have fun with you for a day."

"Then it's settled!" Hearing the faint sound of footsteps outside, she sat up with a smile, grabbed Mercer's face and kissed him hard a few times before jumping off him.

With her hands in her pockets, she waddled out like a happy little penguin, and when she saw Lucy enter, she simply smiled and waved as usual: "Good morning~"

"Good morning, you're up so early today?" Lucy was a little surprised, as Rebecca usually didn't get up until noon.

Rebecca said with a grin, "I didn't sleep well last night. I took a walk around this morning. If I'm free, I'll go back to sleep."

“Let’s go have breakfast then. Sasha made stew and bread this morning,” Lucy said, holding up her plate. Rebecca’s eyes lit up when she smelled the aroma. “It looks good! I’m going to eat now!”

Watching her run off happily, Lucy withdrew her gaze, took a few steps over, and unceremoniously placed the plate on the table. Then, she crossed her arms in front of her and looked meaningfully at Mercer's face.

Mercer calmly replied, "Good morning~"

"I didn't ruin your plans, did I?" Lucy said sarcastically.

Mercer, with a completely open expression, looked puzzled: "What good news?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, rubbed her hand on his face, and then showed him the lipstick stain on her fingers: "Rebecca put on makeup first thing in the morning to come see you. If you ask me, aren't you two about to get together?"

She said sourly, "Looks like I'll have to send a message before I enter your room next time."

"Well, not really. You know, she just likes to hug and kiss when she gets emotional. By the way, have you eaten?" Mercer said, wiping his face.

Lucy stared at him speechlessly for a long time before turning away angrily: "Scumbag!"

She strode away angrily.

[Morning Star: Hmm, why don't you go and say some nice things to her? I read in a book that girls are susceptible to that. I can provide you with a dialogue template.]

[Mercer: Never mind that. Just tell me, what happened?]

[Morning Star: Do you remember the detection program we buried in the Gemstone Blue server?]

A suspected network signal from the hacker "Nightingale" has been detected!

(End of this chapter)