Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 118 Power Upgrade
Mercer stood up and stretched – the damaged hacker prosthetic on his back had left his entire back numb, but thankfully his arms and legs were still relatively responsive.

He walked around the wards to make sure everyone's condition was relatively stable, then told Lucy that they would all return to the base to recuperate after they had rested.

Then he went out, got into the Ghost Dog's car, and for the first time went to the stadium alone.

Seeing Mercer arrive alone and sit wearily on the sofa, Hansen didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "Where is what Arakasaka wants?"

Mercer then pulled a Relic chip out of his head.

The chip's neural circuitry was also damaged by the EMP. In Mercer's view, the only value of the Relic chip he had was its architecture template.

Repairing it is basically pointless; there are fuses and damaged circuits everywhere. It would be easier to just build a new one than to go through all that troubleshooting.

The materials used in this chip are not something that can be obtained casually. The core components are basically under the monopoly and control of Arasaka. In Mercer's view, as long as the core part is damaged, it can be regarded as a piece of junk.

Hansen took the chip, examined it for a moment, then frowned: "It's broken?"

"The people from Arasaka launched an EMP attack on us. Not only did the chip malfunction, but my own prosthetic body was also damaged in many ways."

After Mercer finished speaking, Hansen turned to look at him and said meaningfully, "You're not blaming me, are you? After all, if you hadn't attended the banquet, they wouldn't have had a chance to take advantage of you."

“No, of course not.” Mercer smiled. “I’m just curious how those people managed to evade my surveillance and bring in such large electronic warfare devices and EMP transmitters.”

Hansen frowned: "You mean there's a mole?"

"I'm just curious how they managed to move so many people and equipment, especially today, when I've already made ample preparations, given that there are quite a few surveillance cameras near my home and reconnaissance drones patrolling regularly."
According to safety regulations, our route was patrolled and checked by hounds, but the ambush still happened. You know what that means.

Mercer stated bluntly, "Furthermore, without our own people covering for Arasaka, it would have been impossible for them to carry so much equipment and attack me in Dogtown. I'm talking about large-scale EMP attack equipment and large-scale electronic warfare devices."

Colonel Hansen, think about it carefully. If their goal today wasn't to capture me alive, I'd probably be dead by now. This means that if they wanted to do something to you…

Mercer's words made Hansen's face darken completely. He stared at Mercer for a moment, but in the end, he knew exactly where to vent his anger.

"Go investigate." Hansen gave the order, and Bennett, with a dark face, left the stadium, both angry and excited.

This guy is a psychopath, extremely fond of torture. People who fall into his hands often endure a wave of terrifying torture before facing their destined fate. At this moment, it is undoubtedly the moment that Bennett both loves and hates.

Hansen then looked directly at Mercer and made an arrangement: "They plan to capture you alive?"

"Of course, that's not all. They also gave me an ultimatum: either surrender with your belongings within ten days, or they won't hold back next time."

After Mercer finished speaking, Hansen frowned deeply. Finally, he looked up at Mercer and asked, "What do you plan to do?"

“First of all, I need to stay in the base and lay low for a while.” As Mercer finished speaking, Hansen nodded noncommittally.

"Secondly, we need to speed up the production of various weapons and equipment as soon as possible. I will monitor the factory's operation 24 hours a day online to enhance the strength of the Netherhound as quickly as possible."

At the same time, I need you to arrange more members of the Ghost Hounds, especially those I consider highly skilled, to provide me with security.

After Mercer finished speaking, he paused and said, "I will develop some anti-infiltration equipment at the base as soon as possible to deal with today's special situation. I need a batch of funds and raw materials to start construction as soon as possible to deal with the threat from Arasaka."

Upon hearing this, Hansen remained silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "If you want security for the Ghost Hounds, you also need a new batch of funds and supplies, to further develop new equipment, and you also want to accelerate equipment production to enhance your strength."

He smiled slightly: "Then why not choose to stay in the Netherhound and do these things directly?"

For example, if you move your accommodation to Gemstone Blue, I can reserve a luxurious penthouse suite for you there. You can bring that beautiful girl named Lucy with you, or even a few more, no problem.

Or you can move to the stadium, and I'll arrange a dormitory for you here, which will definitely be better than living in your own underground base.

I will provide you with 24-hour security, and it will also make it easier for you to develop new equipment using the Ghost Hound's devices. You can also accelerate the production speed of weapons and equipment.

The moment he finished speaking, Mercer could sense, without turning around, that the hound behind him seemed to have subtly adjusted its position.

Mercer looked troubled, but in the end, he just sighed and lowered his head: "But my people have to stay at the base, and I don't want to involve them anymore."

"You're not even bringing your two beautiful bodyguards?" Hansen asked, somewhat surprised.

Mercer looked up, a hint of disappointment and sadness in his eyes, and nodded. "That's settled then. I'll move in alone. Let them stay at the base."

"No problem. Here's what we'll do: I'll still send a certain number of people to protect your players. Don't worry, the security at the stadium is even better than the security at your training base."

Hansen curled the corners of his lips into a smile, a rare occurrence he had shown in front of Mercer recently.

Seeing Mercer back down, he even waved his hand, signaling someone to bring Mercer a glass of iced cola. Mercer looked somewhat disheartened and slumped onto the sofa, while Hansen showed a gentle smile.

“Child, encountering such things is not always a bad thing—people always have to encounter some setbacks to understand that a person’s strength is ultimately limited. This is one of the reasons why I formed the Netherhound.”

Arasaka is terrifying, but believe me, after today, we will not give them the chance to continue hurting you and your friends.

All you need to do is focus on what you're good at, and unleash your talents to the fullest. Trust me, one day, in Night City, it won't be Arasaka who calls the shots, nor will it be Military Science, Kangtao, or Biotechnology. It will be us, the Ghost Hounds!

Hansen comforted Mercer gently, saying in an inspiring tone, "The Ghost Hounds are my home, and they can be your home too. Once you truly integrate into this group, you'll find that Arasaka isn't so scary after all."

At least in Night City, we don't need to worry about their power.

Listen, Mercer, go back and get a good night's sleep. I'll arrange a room for you as soon as possible. As for the threat from Arasaka, you don't need to worry about it—they are very strong, but we also have our own trump cards.

"If they dare to force their way into the stadium, I guarantee that even Adam's hammer won't let them leave alive! And I will definitely stand up for you in this matter. Dogtown isn't a place for Arasaka to run wild; just you wait and see."

Hansen's confident demeanor made Mercer ponder many things, but in the end, he maintained a forced smile.
"Thanks, Colonel Hansen. I'll see what I need to move tomorrow. I'll stay at the stadium; it'll be more convenient for my research and production."

“No problem.” Hansen agreed immediately, and reassured him in a very friendly manner, “How is your friend doing? Does he need any help?”

"Most of our prosthetic bodies have been severely damaged by EMP weapon attacks, and we need many new prosthetic bodies and electronic components to repair them."

Mercer began to make a list as usual, and this time Hansen agreed with unusual ease: "These things aren't expensive, I'll get them for you right away."

Mercer sighed, then took a sip of his drink listlessly: "That's settled then. I need the Ghost Hound to take me back to base, and my friends too."

"Gago, go and make the arrangements. Arrange for people to ensure the route before we set off!" Hansen said.

Mercer, however, did not look up. He simply nodded, still appearing somewhat dejected, and left with Gago.

On the way, Gago, looking like a nice guy, said, "Listen to me, Mercer, don't put too much pressure on yourself. That's Arasaka!"
"Arasaka's other businesses may have declined, but when it comes to assassination, he's not much worse than the Military Academy, especially since you faced Adam's Hammer head-on this time—that's a terrifying behemoth."

Mercer sighed and remained silent.

Gago continued to comfort Mercer until he got him into the car. Mercer then returned to the prosthetic doctor and stayed there for most of the day until Rebecca regained consciousness. Only then did Mercer have the hound clear the way and take them all back to the base.

Qiwei and the others who were staying at the base finally breathed a sigh of relief. If they hadn't been worried that Arasaka might be lying in ambush, they would have rushed over to meet up with them after Mercer was ambushed.

But Mercer didn't give them a chance to relax. He immediately called a meeting and announced his next action plan.

"What? You're moving to the stadium? All by yourself!?"

V objected almost immediately after hearing what Mercer was saying: "No way! What if Arasaka comes looking for trouble again? You don't expect those hounds to be able to protect you, do you?"

Listen to me, V.

Before Mercer could finish speaking, Rebecca, who had been lying listlessly in the chair, immediately sat up straight: "I disagree too! If you feel it's not safe to stay in the base, we can leave now and go somewhere anonymous!"

Lucy echoed almost without hesitation, "Mercury, you're the leader of the team. At a time like this, you're going to abandon us and leave alone? What are you thinking?"

Mercer could only blink, waiting for them to each object in turn. Even Pila couldn't help but say, "If you ask me, if you think we're holding them back..."

"Stop, stop, stop." Mercer waved his hand helplessly under everyone's gaze: "Let me finish!"

V glared at him angrily, Rebecca showed a rare hint of disappointment, while Lucy stared at him silently without moving.

Jack and his group had it easy; the girls had said everything for them, and all they had to do was remain silent to express their opinions.

"There are three reasons why I did this."

Mercer stated his plan directly:
"First, we must take control of the Netherhound as soon as possible. There is no time for us to drag things out any longer. As can be seen from this attack, the Netherhound is not as reliable as I thought."

We need to take control of Dogtown and, at the same time, find a way to take over Hansen's connections as soon as possible, find a protective umbrella, and truly build Dogtown into an impregnable fortress. Only in this way can we prevent Bamboo Village from easily infiltrating again.

After Mercer finished speaking, he paused and added, "But we can't just go in with guns like before, do you understand what I mean? If we kill Hansen, the other hounds will just split into smaller factions."

If we cannot quickly integrate these forces, it means that Dogtown will fall into chaos. Dogtown will only become more chaotic and worse, and how can we defend against Arasaka's attacks and infiltration?
The number of Netherhounds we've befriended so far is far from enough.

“But what does that have to do with you moving into the stadium?” Rebecca said, her expression grim, a mixture of anger and sadness in her eyes. “I can protect you, Mercer.”

"I know."

Mercer smiled at her, but then said seriously, "But if we're in the base, how will our strength increase? Hansen has put all the armor built at the base into the stadium, and all the weapons and equipment are there too."

Our weaponry hasn't been upgraded for some time now. Ultimately, it's because Hansen doesn't trust us to continue upgrading our own forces, which is why he's imposed various restrictions, even affecting the equipment development progress within the Ghosthound.

To accelerate the upgrade of weapons and equipment and prepare for the upcoming attack from Arasaka, I need to reassure Hansen and give him the authority to freely develop and produce various types of equipment.

Moreover, being in the stadium, I can directly control the movement of this equipment, making it easier for me to tamper with it and prepare in advance. We can't foolishly charge in head-on; our goal is a swift and coordinated victory from both inside and outside.

Mercer said with a heavy expression, "If I had a good set of armor today, perhaps the situation wouldn't be so dangerous—but now Hansen controls the import of raw materials, and we can't leave because of Arasaka."

Rebecca lowered her head in silence.

V, frustrated, slammed his fist on the table: "Damn it, I should have killed Hansen earlier, before Arasaka attacked us."

"Killing him sooner would only make things worse. At least for now, after operating for a while, we've established relationships with a significant number of the Netherhounds."

I've maintained a good working relationship with Hans, even though I still feel this isn't the best time.
But now we finally have some confidence to take over Dogtown, so that after killing Hansen, Dogtown won't fall into complete chaos.

Mercer reassured him, then continued, "The second point is also for safety reasons. Please listen to what I have to say."

"It's not that I think you guys aren't strong enough. On the contrary, it's precisely because I think you're strong enough that I dare to leave you at home to rest and recuperate at the base."

Mercer said softly, "We don't have much time left. Although Takemura said he would give us ten days to consider, I suspect that the timing of his next operation depends on whether they have a suitable window of opportunity."

Hansen told me he would handle the security. I guess he definitely wouldn't expect those few scoundrels like the Ghost Hounds to protect me. Most likely, he'll ask the Cubans behind him for help.

Don't underestimate the Cubans just because they are a criminal gang spanning across the new America; their connections and power should not be underestimated.

Furthermore, the Ghost Dogs will crack down on traitors and expose those who betray their own side. I suspect that Takemura will have a very difficult time finding any opportunities for at least ten days, or even a month.

Then Mercer said seriously, "The stadium is the center of the Cuban and Hansen smuggling trade. If it is attacked, it means they are proving to buyers and sellers all over the world that they are unreliable."

If Arasaka can kill people there today, he can intercept goods there tomorrow. If the safety of goods and people cannot be guaranteed, what is the point of Dogtown's existence?

Hansen and the Cubans would never allow something so shameful and business-damaging to happen. I'm perfectly safe staying there in the short term.

With you all staying at the base, I don't need to worry about them having designs on our base—the Morning Star can't be harmed; I need to rely on it to negotiate with the Night Corporation during this period.

Although I don't know what agreement the Yoru Corporation reached with Arakawa to trip me up at such a crucial moment, I absolutely cannot give them another chance. Since they want to cause us trouble, then we must fight for peace.

“That’s the Night Corporation!” V sighed, looking at Mercer: “Do you want to offend the Night Corporation before you’ve even resolved the trouble with Arasaka?”

"Do we have a choice? If we do nothing, they'll still cause us trouble. If we do something, they might feel bad about it. We can talk. If I take the initiative to go to them, who knows what outrageous conditions they'll propose?"

Mercer stated bluntly, "I even suspect they've set their sights on my Morning Star and ctOS system, which is why they're in cahoots with Arasaka. Even the internet police have remained silent on this matter, which shows it's definitely not a spur-of-the-moment decision."

Since everyone thinks we're pushovers, let's just knock some teeth out of them first!

For the first time, Mercer revealed a somewhat fierce expression in front of them: "In the real world, I might be too fragile to withstand a sniper bullet, but online, whoever dares to come, I'll kill them!"

The others were somewhat worried, but seeing that Mercer was determined, they could only sigh inwardly and feel uneasy.

Can he really withstand this? What's the difference between this and declaring war on those big companies?
Mercer then continued, "The third reason for moving into the stadium is also to confuse Arasaka, increase the time and difficulty they need to investigate, and buy us a valuable window of opportunity to seize power."

What we want is not a broken Dogtown, but a safer and stronger Dogtown. For this goal, a temporary separation of at most ten days or so is acceptable.
"I promise you, give me a maximum of one month, a minimum of fifteen days, and we can take over Dogtown and move together to the Sapphire Blue Hotel."

Mercer's words made everyone's expressions look somewhat better, if it was only for ten days or so.
"Are you sure you'll be okay going alone? Or should V go with you?" Rebecca asked worriedly. "What if they just put you under house arrest?"

"What's the value of confining me? Even if I'm confined, they'll still keep me under house arrest and make me continue developing equipment and programs. And as long as I have access to these things, the consequences won't be up to Hansen to decide."

The armor plating for the third tank produced in Dogtown is almost complete; having this equipment in Hansen's hands is a complete waste.

Mercer stated bluntly, "Anyway, I've already made up my mind. I'll upgrade the armor further during this time, and when we kill Hansen, all this equipment will be ours."

"If we can equip everyone with a high-level suit of armor, then if Arasaka comes again, we'll fight them head-on! After that, I'll quickly master the Black Wall AI in the Little North Star facility. As long as I have a cyber nuclear weapon in hand, even Arasaka's biggest temper will have to be put to rest."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, and finally, Rebecca said softly, "Then you'll go to the stadium tomorrow?"

"My idea is to do it as soon as possible, but I will wait until you are almost fully recovered and have all the necessary surgeries done before we talk about it."

Mercer smiled, looking at Mann, who was still getting used to his new 'weak' arms and legs, at V, whose shoulders were still wrapped in bandages, and at Rebecca, whose head still bore a surgical scar that hadn't healed yet.
He smiled and clapped his hands: "Okay, you don't all have to look at me with such worry, as if I'm going to some hell."

Hansen will definitely treat me to good food and drink; he still thinks I'm in a time when my Dao heart is broken and I need to be comforted.

You all need to relax during this time. The most important thing is to recover your health as soon as possible. We're supposed to work together from the inside and outside to take down Hansen, but let's not let me get everything sorted out inside while you guys mess things up outside.”

V buried her worries deep inside and smiled, "Alright, everyone's been busy all day and hasn't even had a bite to eat. If I go cook, who's going to lend a hand? I just had a new bone in my shoulder, and I'm still a bit stiff."

Her shoulder was punched through, but in reality, half of the bone in her shoulder was shattered. Mercer had to replace it with synthetic bone and muscle ligaments for repair. It would indeed take her a few days to recover.

As for Mercer, his own surgery is still pending—but he's not in a hurry. Once his octopus arm is repaired, he'd rather perform the surgery himself than have that quack doctor, Ghost Dog, come; his skill level is really mediocre.

Mercer estimated that Hansen wouldn't go to Ghosthound's own doctor if he were to perform the surgery himself.

Regardless of what everyone is thinking at this moment, at least on the surface, with Mercer stubbornly finalizing the action plan and V, the action leader, not objecting, the matter is basically settled.

Everyone put aside their inner thoughts, smiled again, and after eating and drinking, they quickly went back to their rooms to rest.

Mercer, however, did not sleep. Instead, he worked through the night using the equipment at hand to build some more advanced anti-submarine surveillance devices.

This includes a detection camera designed for advanced temperature-mimicking optical camouflage, capable of identifying temperature differences as small as 0.1 degrees Celsius in real time and issuing warnings.

There's no need to worry about the base's underground structure. It was designed to the standards of a war fortress, making it highly reliable against riots and electromagnetic pulses. It also has emergency backup water and electricity power and underground tunnels for emergency evacuation. Theoretically, unless Arasaka uses more than 500 tons of aerial bombs to kill them all, or uses specialized bunker-buster missiles, they're unlikely to escape unscathed.

Otherwise, basic howitzers, rocket launchers, and conventional missiles would not be able to cause any damage to underground facilities.

All of the aforementioned large-scale weapons are strictly prohibited from appearing in Night City. If Arasaka were to use them, it would mean that Night City would become a war zone from now on.

The Arasaka Building was only recently built, and it's estimated that even Saburo Arasaka himself doesn't want to prepare for the third reconstruction of the Night City's Arasaka Building so soon.

But Mercer wasn't taking any chances—in fact, just like this time when he was ambushed, Mercer believed he had made ample preparations.

Not only were there Ghost Hounds escorting the entire way, but the Ghost Hounds also patrolled their escape route hourly to ambush suitable locations. Mercer himself also used reconnaissance drones for regular patrols, in addition to surveillance by the Morning Star cameras.
It can only be said that infiltration and ambush are always simpler than prevention. Unless there is a significant technological leap and a clear advantage, there is no such thing as absolute security.

This is why Mercer was so eager to join the Hound of the Underworld, without even considering whether he could successfully take over Dogtown.

Now, facing Arasaka's attack, it's clear that defense is impossible. Even if we can hold out for a month, what about next month? And the month after that? Takemura is not lacking in patience, and Dogtown is by no means an impregnable fortress.

Then why not try a different approach and use offense as defense? Mercer made up his mind, even if it meant turning Dogtown into chaos, even if he couldn't fully take over Hansen's business and his protectors, and even if he might offend some of the forces behind him.

He also needed to get himself moving.

Even if this might displace many people in Dogtown and even create new opportunities for action in Takemura, the cautious approach has already proven unreliable.
Mercer had no choice but to step on the gas, and then it would be a matter of whether he or she would die.

For the next two days, Mercer stayed at the base and didn't go anywhere.

It wasn't until Hansen quickly delivered the new prosthetics and components, allowing Mercer to perform another surgery on V and Rebecca, and repair the damage to their armor, that the team was able to begin the recovery process.

Mercer then went to the stadium alone and, at Hansen's enthusiastic invitation, moved into his new home—a dormitory that looked almost identical in style to his room at the Arasaka base, except that it was a bit bigger.

Then, Mercer immediately started three production plans simultaneously in the Ghost Hound's equipment production workshop.

The first production plan was about accelerating the production of personal armor. This time, he held nothing back from Hansen and fully unleashed his talents and abilities.

Through modular production and assembly line operations, the production time for a single piece of armor has been reduced to an astonishing three days. Of course, this level of armor is only for the most basic tank models.

The second production plan is for multi-functional octopus arms.

Mercer's excuse to Hansen was that these octopus arms could be controlled by computers, with processes set to achieve fully automated assembly line production, and were a multi-functional production device he had developed himself.

In fact, these octopus arms can all be controlled by AI, and most importantly, their modular design allows them to be adapted to armor.

He wasn't just trying to improve production efficiency; he was also preparing for his own personal armor.

The third production plan was a modification and development plan for his own prosthetic body and its supporting equipment, which was personally initiated by Mercer and jointly undertaken by several elite researchers.

Officially, Mercer applied for funding under the pretext of 'manufacturing new types of cybernetic bodies and equipment'.

Hansen was actually quite aware of this, but considering that the Mercers were right under his nose and he had a clear view of their development progress and equipment information, he turned a blind eye to it.

In Hansen's view, everything Mercer developed ultimately belonged to the Hound of the Underworld.

At first, Hansen was very satisfied with Mercer's diligence. In his opinion, Mercer should have been working this hard a long time ago.

But soon, Hansen suddenly felt somewhat overwhelmed by the enormous productivity that Mercer had suddenly unleashed.

He consumed resources far too quickly when he increased production capacity.

Hansen initially spent lavishly, even taking out a 20 million euro loan from the bank when his own money wasn't enough, specifically to provide Mercer with the raw materials he needed for production. More than a dozen containers were smuggled into the stadium every day, specifically to supply Mercer.

In his view, the things he bought were enough to keep the stadium running for three months, so he simply announced that the research funding for this quarter had been prepared in advance for Mercer.

In fact, Mercer used up all of these things in just over ten days.

Once the first multi-functional octopus arm was produced, Mercer began to frantically expand the production capacity of octopus arms.

When Hansen saw the octopus arm production workshop two days later, he was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a moment—can you imagine?

In a production workshop, workers are only responsible for moving raw materials, while those strange, flexible octopus arms, like octopus tentacles, seem to have their own consciousness, assembling another octopus arm.

Once a new octopus arm is assembled, it is grabbed by the other octopus arms and inserted into a pre-drilled slot. After being powered on, it immediately begins working, producing a new octopus arm at an even faster pace.
It's like a monster is multiplying itself!
Once the number of octopus arms met the workshop's needs, the produced octopus arms were sent to the armor assembly workshop and the equipment development workshop where Mercer himself spent at least 18 hours a day.

Simply connect them to a computer and insert them into a matching bracket slot, and these octopus arms can quickly be integrated into the relevant production workflow.

Ten days later, almost no living people were needed to participate in the production and assembly in the entire production workshop—all that was needed was to feed the raw materials to these terrifying octopus arms!

Hansen couldn't understand whether this was normal or not. He asked some researchers, but they all seemed incredibly enthusiastic, praising him with unwavering devotion.

"You don't need to worry about Director Mercer's affairs. He's a true genius, and we're involved in a great project that could change the future!"

The researchers were unaware that all of this was inseparable from the assistance of the Morning Star. In their view, the octopus arm designed and developed by Mercer was so unique in its bionic structure that it was worthy of worship.

Such powerful, such flexible, such a simple and straightforward modular design, and even the cost is quite low! Yet its applicability is so wide and its efficiency is so high!

This is simply a great invention that could have propelled another leap in productivity in industrial history!
However, the development of such intelligent AI in terms of programming is relatively less eye-catching.

Because in the current Ghosthound work system, any programmers who truly understand network technology and programming have been transferred to other positions by Mercer, leaving him to be the only one independently responsible for program development, operation, and management.

So nobody knows that the servers of the Ghost Hound have long been taken over by the Morning Star, and nobody knows that such terrifying Octopus Arm production capacity is actually built on a highly intelligent AI with the support of supercomputing power.

What truly excited and thrilled the researchers was not the octopus arm or the mecha, but the new generation of weapons and equipment that Mercer had developed specifically for himself.

This is the first time Mercer has truly not needed to consider budget or cost-effectiveness; he can focus solely on effectiveness and purpose when developing equipment.

Although the Fire Seed Squad earns a lot of money, to be honest, it's not enough to cover the cost of developing equipment.

This is why Mercer has been slow to develop his own armor and new cybernetic body—it's too expensive and the cost-effectiveness is very low.

No matter how strong he becomes, he's still just a hacker at heart. Even if he and V wear the same Falcon armor, he still can't match V's combat prowess.

If he wants to have the same fighting power as V, he has to start with his cybernetics, having a completely custom-made super cybernetics system, plus armor.

Considering the cost-effectiveness, he couldn't selfishly use everyone's money to invest in himself. Instead, he used the money that could upgrade V three times to upgrade himself once.

But now, he has no worries about spending Hansen's money.

Thus, under the astonished gaze of the researchers, Mercer designed a complete set of super prosthetics and put them into production without testing or theoretical experiments.

First, there was a major overhaul of his hacker prosthetic body—because when Arasaka designed this hacker prosthetic body, he prioritized the fact that hackers spend most of their time sitting at the server, performing network work, so he didn't consider many security issues at all.

This is why Mercer was destroyed by an EMP attack; no hacker needs to face such an attack. Most of them fight from afar, leaving the actual battlefield to professionals.

However, Mercer faces a severe survival crisis. Even if he wants to stay in the back, the enemy will come knocking. Therefore, he must ensure that his cybernetic body can not only dissipate heat but also meet his combat needs.

The 'Devil May Cry' series of prosthetic bodies is a super prosthetic body that Mercer had long planned but lacked the capital and resources to develop for his own use.

The reason for choosing the name is very simple—if those companies are evil forces that wreak havoc on the world and seem invincible, then he will prove with his actions that evil forces also bleed and weep!
Furthermore, Mercer also really likes the sharp yet agile action style of the game Devil May Cry.

The design philosophy behind his entire prosthetic body is singular: to maximize Mercer's intellectual advantages and, while ensuring corresponding hacking capabilities, to give him the same practical combat abilities as V.

This design concept sounds counterintuitive, because hacker prosthetics are the type that put the heaviest burden on the body, and to integrate functions like S.A.R.S. into this type of prosthetic is like trying to build a S.A.R.S. with the same functionality.
This isn't developing prosthetic bodies, it's developing torture devices!
But Mercer simply used the excuse, "I can handle the load with software," to silence the researchers who already had nothing to say about his technology.

Due to time constraints, Mercer found it difficult to develop a completely new prosthetic body with an entirely new architecture to meet his needs.

So he boldly disassembled Arasaka's hacker prosthetic body and used a military-grade S.A.S. spine to integrate a large built-in network access chamber, creating a basic, first-generation experimental prosthetic body.

Of course, it wasn't just a simple assembly. Mercer also made bold modifications to the military-grade S.A.W.S. spine, increasing the speed of its nerve transmission to the limit that current materials could handle—he didn't consider the limits of human tolerance.

In order to meet the higher heat dissipation requirements after the integration of its functions, Mercer had to include the entire upper body in the scope of modification, and even abandoned most of the options of covering with artificial skin, and chose a large number of shark gill-style heat dissipation designs similar to the previous ones.

Looking from the back, the back of this prosthetic body is basically the same as the Lark's prosthetic body in the game.

To avoid EMP attacks, Mercer racked his brains and developed a prosthetic plugin called Active Surge Suppressor.

This 'active surge suppressor' can be understood as a 'circuit guard' specifically designed to counter EMP attacks.

Once an electromagnetic pulse is detected, it will actively sacrifice itself to absorb the pulse within nanoseconds and guide it into a 'discharge unit' to protect the main circuit of the prosthetic device.

Furthermore, Mercer sacrificed some lightweight design for his outer shell, creating a 'reverse Faraday cage' subcutaneous implant for his entire body.

This is a subcutaneous conductive mesh composed of highly insulating nanomaterials. Its bulletproof function is negligible. Its main function is to act like an electromagnetic lightning rod, allowing the circuitry to slide across the skin and prosthetic surface without penetrating into the interior.

With this two-pronged approach, Mercer tested it several times and found that at least 90% of the functions remained intact after the initial attack when facing an EMP attack.

That's enough. Achieving 100% protection is unlikely with the current design. Furthermore, once Mercer is in a heat dissipation state and the cover is opened, its EMP resistance will be further reduced.

This means that other equipment must be used to compensate for this aspect of defense.

Mercer named it the 'Devil May Cry Type I Integrated Operating System'.

This prosthetic body not only incorporates S.A. Steinstein's neural and physical acceleration functions.

After repairing Arasaka's Soul Killer Network Access Module, Mercer integrated it and spliced ​​in a Military Science Advanced Network Access Module to increase his network data transmission capacity, and then deployed it directly to the back of his neck.

Furthermore, due to the massive amount of data transmitted in real time, the entire prosthetic body is equipped with an advanced microprocessor, utilizing the consciousness data conversion system developed by Mercer on the armor to optimize the prosthetic body's data transmission.

This processor is also connected to the network access bay, which can further accelerate Mercer's data transmission speed.

But in fact, this is only the first step in Mercer's transformation of himself—because if you want to become faster and stronger, you can't do it with an operating system, but with your body.

Mercer, aside from his amazing intellect, does not possess V's exceptional physical gifts; in fact, his physical abilities are inferior to Rebecca's.

What should I do?
The only option is to continue the renovation.

Mercer was thus forced to make a difficult choice.

At this point, the only remaining advantage of artificial muscles is their negligible 'human-like' quality.

In contrast, mechanical bodies have unlimited potential for expansion.

Mercer could even modify himself to be even more robust than Mann, allowing for more heat dissipation, more access points, more integrated functions, and even higher bulletproof, blast-proof, and EMP-proof properties within his chest cavity.
After hesitating and pondering for a long time, Mercer, unusually, did not choose efficiency and practicality, but instead continued to adhere to the human-centered approach to human body modification.

It uses stronger synthetic muscles, metal skeletons, artificial ligaments and other prosthetic components to complement the Devil May Cry operating system.

However, Mercer's need for equipment has increased significantly.

If simple modifications are insufficient to allow it to reach the upper limit of its pre-set operating system, then it can only rely on stronger external equipment to directly connect to the operating system in order to maximize its capabilities.

Mercer did not hesitate to develop the 'Devil May Cry' series of individual armor. His design philosophy and requirements were only one: it had to be strong enough that even if attacked again, he would not have to worry about being powerless and helpless like before.

But what does it mean to be strong enough?

Money, a lot of money, money that we couldn't even get our hands on when we were in the Fire Seed Squad!

Hansen looked at the financial expenditure documents Gago handed him, his fingers trembling slightly as he placed his cigar on the ashtray: "Tens of millions of euros gone?"

Now, as the CFO, Gago can only offer an awkward smile, his meaning left unsaid.

Hansen's vision went black.

Even if a Chimera main battle tank is smuggled in at a high price, it would only cost three million euros in the current market. If you didn't buy it in Night City, the price would be even lower.

Mercer has only been at the base for a few days.
Hansen counted the days: fifteen days.

He spent ten tanks!
Hansen slammed the report on the table in a fit of rage: "This is a quarter's worth of research funding, and you're telling me he used it all up in just fifteen days?"

"Well, judging from output alone, our losses aren't actually that severe; they're within the bounds of reasonable research expenditures," Gago said cautiously. "Could you flip through the pages a bit more?"

Hansen suppressed his anger, cursing as he flipped through the documents: "After this, don't expect me to approve the money obediently. These bastards won't give me a single penny unless they make me three times the income. I'd rather spend the money on equipment than continue."

Before he could finish speaking, he stared at the numbers on the report, his eyes widening in disbelief, and sat up straight: "No mistake?"

“No, I went to see it myself, and I guarantee that all this data is true.” Gago gave a somewhat ingratiating smile: “You can go and see for yourself.”

"In fifteen days, he built 11 tanks and armored vehicles, as well as eight of his newly developed advanced robots?" Hansen couldn't sit still any longer.

If everything is true, it means that these 11 tanks and armored vehicles can fulfill most of the global orders he has secured through the dinner show, which amounts to tens of millions of euros in revenue!
And what are these 8 new advanced robots?
This is fifteen days, not fifteen months!

Moreover, judging from this report, Mercer also developed a new prosthetic body and a new suit of armor for himself. The 'wear and tear cost' of that suit of armor alone reached an astonishing eleven million euros on the report!

This is wear and tear!
The actual cost was a staggering eight million euros!
He spent eight million to get himself a suit of armor?
Oh shit
Hansen was speechless for a moment—if he cursed him, he had done a decent job, at least he hadn't let his investment go to waste; but if he didn't curse him, all those 20 million euros had gone to getting him a new set of equipment?

Damn it, he himself only uses military-grade S.A.S. tanks, and the only ones he's ever driven are standard tank armored models. He even got a severe headache after just seven minutes and had to remove the armor.
When Hansen arrived at the development workshop, Mercer was nowhere to be seen; he had a somber expression.

Where is Director Mercer?

"To test my prosthetic body and equipment at the firing range." A researcher who initially looked somewhat dejected said honestly, then suddenly became excited and said, "Shall I take you to find him?"

Hansen glanced at him—you clearly wanted to go see it yourself.

"Lead the way!" But he still gave the order, demanding that the researcher lead the way.

When Hansen arrived at the firing range, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the armored vehicle floating in the air in the distance.

The towering armor was matte black overall, but with dark red veins at the joints and energy slots, like cooled lava. The cold metal armor gleamed with a chilling light, flashing in the air at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

The external armor is seamlessly integrated, with multiple layers of armor at the joints, ensuring both flexibility and protection at the joints.

When the four compression thrusters on its back are retracted, they resemble the skeleton of a demon's wings; when they are unfolded, they emit streams of eerie blue light.

The helmet resembled an alien creature, with blood-red eyes that drew streaks of red light through the air. The black protrusions on the sides of the helmet, resembling horns, were not merely for aesthetic purposes; Hansen could immediately tell that they were integrated radar and signal amplification devices.

Small compression propulsion devices at its feet and hands allow it to maneuver nimbly in the air, as agile as a bird.

His thick chest cavity didn't appear bulky at all; instead, it gleamed with the sturdy sheen of armor. Hansen could also vaguely see white steam rising from behind him—it was dissipating heat!
If white steam can be seen even in the room-temperature environment of an underground firing range, just how high is the temperature inside the armor?
The key is
Hansen's expression turned serious.

He had been observing Mercer using the S'anwestan, but even so, Mercer's speed still made it somewhat difficult for him to see clearly.
What the hell is this guy up to?!
(End of this chapter)