Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 51: Data in hand, Rebecca! (9K votes requested)
Lucy nervously touched Mercer's forehead, looking at the flashing red light on the hacker chair.

The whirring of the radiator made her forehead break out in a cold sweat. She hesitated, placing her hand behind Mercer's ear. The message she sent still hadn't received a reply.

Ten seconds ago, the hacker chair issued a warning. Mercer, unaware of what had happened, subconsciously activated his brain-computer interface overclocking. After overclocking, Lucy's attempts to communicate went unanswered.

She wanted to disconnect Mercer immediately, but the numbers displayed on the hacker chair indicated that although Mercer was overclocked, he had not yet reached his limit.

Lucy hesitated to make a decision, afraid of ruining Mercer's plans. Fortunately, it only lasted for ten seconds before the security display on the hacker chair started to decline.

Mercer took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes: "Why did you send me so many messages? You're still awake?"

"Why aren't you replying?" Lucy retorted. "With your brainpower, it would be easy for you to send an emoji in a spare moment, wouldn't it?"

"We encountered internet surveillance. They used a blocking program to shut down the network in that area, preventing data from going out or coming in. What a clever tactic! I've learned another trick."

After I dealt with the internet censors, I immediately erased all traces and came back to talk to you.

So don't be angry, I know you're worried. Just think of it as me being too excited today. I'll be more careful from now on and try not to worry you.

Mercer said casually, touching his head, "It's alright, it only feels like 39 degrees Celsius."

Lucy didn't know what to say to him.

I've never seen anyone so troublesome.

She sat back on the mattress, staring at him: "What exactly did you do tonight? Not only did you overclock several times in a row, but you also angered the internet regulators?"

The overclocking you did half an hour ago felt okay. Although the temperature was a bit higher than what most hackers would experience, it was still within normal limits for you.

But just now, both the cyber police's "hacker chair" and other security measures triggered alarms!

“I did a good deed and saved a poor girl, but I killed a lot of people—a group of women traffickers who forced girls to be sex dolls to make money for them.”

It turned out that among the guests killed was a company dog, and a high-ranking one at that. It's likely that his company's monitoring program triggered an automatic alarm because his biological signs disappeared, and the alarm was triggered based on his last IP address.

The result was that the NCPD and internet monitoring personnel came.

The internet monitors are pretty good; at least those two have a large server, so their skill level seems about the same as yours.

I originally intended to just jump away, but they were chasing me too relentlessly. To avoid information leaks, I had no choice but to teach them a lesson.

Mercer said casually, "Anyway, everything is settled now. As long as the internet police don't want to get themselves killed, they'll have to be careful and polite when they contact me in the future."

"What if they think you're an extremely dangerous criminal and send in their top agents?"

Lucy frowned with worry: "Mercury, we just escaped from Arasaka to Night City and now we're escaping again. Where should we go next?"

That's internet censorship! And we're currently on Arasaka's wanted list!

“Don’t be afraid.” Mercer sat up gently, looking from the hacker chair at Lucy sitting on the mattress on the floor.

He smiled, his confidence tinged with a gentleness that surprised Lucy: "Even if something unexpected happens, I promise I will make sure you live."

"If even you die, where can I run to? Arasaka's agents might be a quick solution for you, but for me..."

Lucy looked into his eyes: "You're not alone anymore, Mercer. You said you'd let me follow you, so you have to take responsibility and stop going on this reckless rampage!"
I asked Panan, and he said you almost died in your next life!

I knew you wouldn't behave yourself online, which is why I came here to keep an eye on you, but even so…

She lowered her head and buried her face in her knees: "Even if you don't consider me, think about Xingzi. She'll only be 12 next year. If something happens to her, she won't have anyone to rely on."

"You have the time and inclination to save a sex doll, but can't you consider our feelings? Be selfish, Mercer, you're only human."

Mercer scratched his head in frustration, and finally got up from the hacker chair, squatted down, and patted her head: "Okay, actually I'm quite confident."

"Bartlemos was also very confident, but what was his result? He was defeated by Arakawa."

Ottkeningan is also very confident, but what about her? Right now, she's just a wandering AI.

What about all those legends you keep talking about, like Johnny Silverhand? Where are they now? Weren't they all incredibly confident back in their day?
Mercer, I know you're a true genius, but even if I beg you, even if it's just for my sake, please tone it down a little, okay? Let's take it one step at a time.

Lucy looked pleading, tears welling in the sockets of her beautiful rainbow-colored prosthetic eyes.

Mercer is most susceptible to this kind of thing—especially since Lucy is still a little girl, which makes him even more susceptible to it.

He could only nod obediently and then say, "I understand, safety first."
Unless it's for work, I'll keep a low profile as much as possible, even if it's just for you, okay?

Lucy stared into his eyes and, seeing his serious expression, knew he wasn't just saying things to appease her.

“Okay, it’s a promise.” She held out her hand, and Mercer paused for a moment before smiling and extending his hand as well, making a pinky promise with her.

"A liar has to swallow a thousand needles."

Lucy said something terrible with her cute little face.

"Okay, but you also have to understand that it's impossible to make a name for yourself in Night City without taking any risks."

Mercer said, while Lucy just looked at him and wiped away her tears: "So going up against the internet police is a risk you have to take? Don't tell me you really can't leave safely."

"Alright, alright, I just want to spar with a real master." Mercer told the truth.

He sighed and said, "The hackers I encounter nowadays are all trash, not even close to me. They're basically useless, even the internet monitors backed by servers are no match for me, they'd be taken down in ten seconds."

Either the program is written in a pile of crap and I can spot the flaws at a glance, or it's just trying to crush me with pure computing power. I've never encountered a real master, uh, I mean the living kind.

I just want a fair fight, to see how true geniuses operate in cyber warfare, not...
Using these pieces of junk as my opponents, I can't even test whether my own program is good or not.

Mercer simply sat down on the mattress on the floor next to Lucy, turning his head to look at her: "Do you understand? I want to see what level I am at now, and what I can do."

I just browsed around the Night City network, and it felt like my playground. You might think I'm exaggerating when I say that.

But apart from servers belonging to large companies, I can't even find any other targets worth practicing on.

I've been quite restrained. I was actually planning to browse the Arasaka server, but I held back for a long time before trying to hack in.

“Mercury.” Lucy gave him a disapproving look.

Mercer shook his head helplessly: "I know it's hard for you to empathize with me, but I also want you to know that I am really strong, so strong that I don't even know where my limit is. I need practice to test and improve my skills."

My skills are difficult to learn from books.

Because the path I'm walking now is one that no one has ever walked before—my programming style and my way of looking at data are my unique talents.

If I just stay cooped up in my local area network writing programs, I can only become an excellent programmer. But I want to become a top hacker, and hackers are born with goals and practice.

Instantaneous network attacks and defenses involve capturing vulnerabilities in milliseconds, employing targeted programs, and even impromptu, targeted programming.
I enjoy these exciting moments, and they also inspire me.

Lucy pursed her lips, while Mercer turned his head and said sincerely, "I will do my best to ensure your safety, but you have to get used to it, Lucy. I really know what I'm doing and I won't just abandon you like that."

As for the internet censorship, don't worry. As a new hacker, once I make a name for myself in Night City, I'll definitely be targeted by the internet censors sooner or later.

In Night City, they're not that capable yet, don't be afraid.

Seeing that he seemed to have no other choice but to back down, Lucy turned her face away helplessly: "Anyway, you and I made a pinky promise."

"I see."

Mercer said, relaxing on the mattress: "I won't cause any trouble or wander around for a while. I'll just focus on writing programs, okay?"

At most, they'll do some commissions to help us build our reputation and make some money.

I happened to be looking into AI, so I'll be focusing on programming research for now.

Lucy suddenly thought he should go to an internet cafe instead.

Mercer patted her head and stood up again: "Alright, stop worrying about this and that. I'm the older brother, just leave things to me."

"I just wish my older brother could be more reliable," Lucy muttered, wearily rubbing her face. "Not going online anymore?"

"Okay, I'm going to sleep too. You should get some rest. I'll run my AI program to test the data first. Don't worry, it won't cause any trouble. I'll use my computer and the hacker chair's network and CPU to run it."

Mercer said, then lay back down in his chair and plugged in the cord: "Don't worry, I'm just going to plan a learning range for the AI ​​program. I'll go to sleep in a bit. You should get some rest."

Lucy pouted, not believing he would actually go to sleep, but she still tucked herself back into the covers. After watching him for a while, seeing that he really did unplug the wire and cover himself with a blanket to sleep soon enough, she finally closed her eyes in peace.

Mercer didn't cause any trouble. He sent a message to V and Qiwei to let them know he was safe, then yawned and went straight to sleep.

Before going to sleep, he planned a set of learning materials for his 'Morning Star' AI. After manually selecting the content, he fed it to the AI ​​in batches. It would take some time to cultivate an AI with basic common sense and intelligence.

Mercer was worried that it would go astray, so he preferred to slow it down rather than give it the opportunity to learn and grow independently during its early stages.

It feels like raising a child.
No, it should be cloned using Death Wish's core, so does this count as its own offspring?

He spent a long time letting his active brain calm down before finally falling asleep.

When you open your eyes the next day, it's a brand new day full of energy.

After Mercer got up, Lucy had already gone out to do something. He sauntered over to wash his face and picked out a bag of synthetic food from the snacks he had bought earlier—strictly speaking, this could also be considered the staple food of the lower class in Night City.

A vitamin supplement called "Chocolate Health" produced by Whole Foods Corporation.

It was like a lump of toothpaste that he ate. The texture was like meat jelly. As for the taste, Mercer bought the strawberry flavor. He squeezed out the 'jam' on top and ate it together. The taste was sweet and sour, which was okay.

After eating and drinking his fill, Mercer returned to his computer, first looking at the AI, then creating a new set of learning materials for it online and letting it run on its own. After that, he opened his emails.

Of these, the message from Rogge was the most noteworthy.

[Rogge: I got the information you requested. It comes from a friend at the city hall, so it should be reliable. You can check it yourself.]

Also, don't worry about Fenrir; the few who are still alive won't bother you.

Several mercenaries have asked me for information about you, probably hoping you can provide them with online support for their operations if necessary.

If you're willing to take on temporary jobs, I can give them your contact information and let them contact you themselves.

As for the VIP program, I must say it will take time, and a very long time, to get started.

Considering what you need to discuss with the VIP, I have to bypass everyone else as much as possible to get you in touch with the VIP. You know, I have to find a new way, preferably by creating a coincidence.

In short, safety comes first; it's good for both of us.

(Click to download attachment)

Mercer replied immediately.

Mercer: Thanks, Roger. I'll take on temporary jobs too, but I'll only provide online services to people I'm not familiar with, no fieldwork, and the prices are very high. If they don't accept it, then don't bother paying me.

Also, I know you have a good eye for people, so please help me out and don't push trash onto me. I don't work with scum.

Then, Mercer also saw a message from the old captain.

[Old Captain: Dude, I've got all the car infotainment systems I need hacked. Get them as soon as possible, and I'll pay you handsomely!]

However, I'm quite curious, in Santo Domingo, isn't it usually Faraday who you go to find a middleman?
Although I do similar work, to be honest, people are still more used to seeing me as a car dealer.

(Click to download the attachment.)

Mercer had a good impression of the old captain; he was one of the few decent people among the middlemen, reliable in his work, and devoted to his friends and subordinates.

And they're the kind of people who are down-to-earth and easygoing, so there aren't many trivial issues when dealing with them.

Mercer: Because I think Faraday is an idiot, a fool who doesn't know his own worth. As long as the company puts a bone in his mouth, he will lick it without hesitation.

A company dog ​​has no right to talk to me about buying and selling business.

I like dealing with reliable people, and you seem like a good person.

The program will be sent to you today.

Another one is from Hanz in Dogtown.

[Hanz: Hmm, was it you who caused trouble in the afterlife last night? It seems you weren't lying after all—a newbie can cause trouble in the afterlife and get away unscathed; you might indeed be a capable person.]

Contact me before you come to Dogtown, and I'll prepare your pass and a few requests that have been giving me a headache for a long time.

We guarantee that you will gain a lot from each one.

Looking forward to your call, A.

Mercer didn't reply to Hans's message. The old fox was waiting for him to decide to move to Dogtown before making a call, and maybe he could even save on rent.

It doesn't matter if he finds out where I live. It's just a small town. Mercer will only stay there for two years at most. After that, he'll definitely move his hideout to another place in Night City.

But Mercer decided to keep a certain distance from this old fox—he was a typical profit-driven creature, seemingly amiable but actually the kind of middleman who liked to have everything under control.

Mercer doesn't like being 'controlled' by him, so maintaining a certain cooperative distance is crucial.

After dealing with his work emails, Mercer immediately checked the documents Rogge had sent. The documents contained everything needed for the infiltration operation: architectural plans of the city hall, security arrangements, shift schedules, and more.

As expected of Night City's most awesome middleman, just from this intelligence, you can see that she is really capable.

Upon receiving the information, Mercer didn't hesitate and immediately emailed V to tell her that she had work to do and needed to start that night.

I thought V was still asleep, but I didn't expect that V would call me shortly after I sent the email.

"A, what kind of job is it?"

Her voice was full of eagerness.

Mercer thought for a moment and said, "Let's find a place to meet and talk."

He has to prepare things for V.

This includes access cards used for infiltration, chips used to implant viruses, and viruses on servers, etc.

"No problem, but what about Qiwei?" V asked, sounding a bit troubled.

"I'll transfer her 1,000 euros in a bit, as some start-up capital. After that, she can find her own work. With her hacking skills, she should be able to earn 10,000 euros a month."

After Mercer finished speaking, V was somewhat surprised: "I thought you were planning to recruit her."

“V, I don’t just look up to anyone. I’ve said it before, you’re special, you have that potential.”

As for Qiwei, it's up to her. If she really wants to work with me, then we'll see.

Mercer wasn't worried about having too many people to manage; to accomplish great things, you naturally need to have plenty of your own people.

As for loyalty, only time will tell, and adversity will reveal true character.

V then said somewhat embarrassedly, "I feel like your evaluation of me is a bit too high."
Alright, see you at noon then. It's not even 8 o'clock yet, how about we meet at 9:30?
Just in time for brunch.

I heard from someone that there's a nice shop in the Japanese district, and a pretty waitress there. Should we go there?

“Okay, right there.” Mercer pondered silently—Why are you telling me this, pretty waitress?

I always feel like I'm being targeted by certain stereotypes.

"Should I bring Qiwei along? She's quite curious about you too; I reckon she wants to meet you in person."

After V finished speaking, Mercer thought for a moment and said, "Whatever, she can come if she wants."

"Okay then, I'll send you the location in a bit."

V hung up the phone with a grin.

Qiwei's text message arrived shortly after.

[Qiwei: Thank you for what you did yesterday. I've been thinking about it. Would it be dangerous for us to meet? I heard from V that you're a newcomer here, and the internet police must have put you on their radar yesterday.]

What if they use me to catch you?

Mercer: Even if I don't meet with you, I can't get rid of the suspicion. Night City will soon know that a new hacking expert has come here. The internet police will definitely keep a close watch on people like me, regardless of whether I have done anything wrong or not.

But let them know, that's all. They just killed some scum.

The Voodoo Gang's work is far more complicated than mine, yet the internet police haven't done a thing. In this city, if you don't have dozens or even hundreds of lives on your hands, you can't even call yourself a mercenary.

Don't overestimate them. This is Night City, and there aren't many of them combined. They're no match for them online, and I wouldn't give them a damn in real life.

Moreover, the internet censors' stance is different from that of New America and Arasaka. Mercer is not too worried that they will side with Arasaka or New America. With his abilities and stance, he might even be able to cooperate with the internet censors in the future.

[Qiwei: Okay, see you later. I'll thank you in person.]

Mercer hung up the phone, tidied up, and immediately started working.

He first spent ten minutes studying the car infotainment system provided by the old captain, and then spent five minutes writing a universal cracking program.

The cracking program includes unlocking and vehicle system authentication. As long as the other party's system is not updated or the vulnerability is not fixed, the program will not become ineffective.

Then Mercer spent another ten minutes writing a car infotainment system remote hijacking software that could remotely and automatically lock the network of the target vehicle, automatically upload the program, and forcibly change the car infotainment system authentication.

The reason it took so long is that Mercer also kindly provided the old captain with a set of matching hardware design diagrams.

Mercer: It's done. I'll include a set of blueprints. Just assemble the hardware yourself, install the hijacking software, and even a fool can use this device to hijack a car.

Hacking efficiency depends on your hardware's computing power. Remember to use a good CPU; otherwise, you might end up blaming your program for being inadequate.

[Old Captain: Holy crap, buddy, you're serious? So fast!? Bro, A-bro, I'm going to try it right now. If it works, I'll send the money immediately!]

Mercer sent Cassidy his bank account number without saying another word, and then hurriedly picked up another memory chip to start fiddling with the things for V.

Soon, a customized virus program was created. Its function was to help Mercer connect his network to the server's subnet without alerting the local ICE after it was transmitted to the server.

He himself should carry out the actual hacking, as that would be safer.

Lucy walked over while Mercer was busy at his computer: "Mercer, I've retrieved all the Relic chips."

She and Dadi each carried two large insulated boxes as they walked over.

Mercer nodded: "Keep these safe for now. Once someone officially joins, these things might be developed for other uses to enhance the team's strength. Of course, they will only be provided to our true members after the trial period ends."

Then, Mercer paused, turned to look at the ground, and joked, "Is the game I brought back for you interesting? If it's fun, I can play it too."

"It's quite interesting. By the way, Kyoko was insisting on watching Mewtwo with you this morning. She said she wanted to find someone to buy a Mewtwo headband that the two of them could share, because she didn't want to watch it alone first."

The earth was suppressing a laugh.

Mercer rolled his eyes speechlessly, but after thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll buy it for her. What about you guys? Is there anything you need to buy?"

"No, Leon and I have started taking on jobs at the camp now, flashing new car infotainment systems and writing some ICE programs."

They also said they could help us ship the goods to Night City to sell; with our technology, the programmed chips we write would definitely fetch a high price.

Dadi's eyes were full of hope: "I plan to save up money to buy a motorhome first, and then convert it into my home and work station. Who knows, maybe I can open a shop with Lyon in the campsite in the future."

The Adcado people can help us ship the goods out of the city. Mercer, are you interested? I feel like this could be quite lucrative.

I asked about the prices, and in places like the Japanese streets, a fast-cracking program chip can sell for at least 3000 euros, and if the program is powerful enough, the price can be tens of thousands.

Mercer looked somewhat relieved; these children hadn't stopped running away from him.

“It’s a great idea, and partnership is a good suggestion. I was originally planning to start doing similar work in Dogtown.”
Do you know where all the chips in Japan Street come from? They're from that new voodoo gang that just moved to Dogtown not long ago.

They also did cybersecurity work for Colonel Hansen, and tinkered with prosthetic bodies, reprogramming the ones in Dogtown, refurbishing the junk and reselling them.

After Mercer finished speaking, Earth understood his meaning and looked worried: "You mean the Voodoo Gang might cause trouble for us if they find out we're stealing their business?"

"Of course we'll look for them. In Night City, every profitable business is already taken. If you want to steal someone else's market share, you can't rely on product quality."

The main market is now dominated by the Voodoo Gang; any ordinary hacker who dares to get involved will be chased and bitten by the Voodoo Gang's rabid dogs.

After Mercer finished speaking, he comforted her, "But don't worry, the people of Adcado are not to be trifled with. The Dogtown Voodoo Gang is not as crazy as the group in Taiping State."

What I mean is, you do the business here first, and I'll go to Dogtown, chat with the Voodoo Gang leader there, and then we'll make a fortune together.

I'll need to find Lucy and Kyoko jobs later, starting with programming, since they probably don't want to go deep-sea diving anytime soon.

He nodded broadly and smiled, "Okay, I'll wait for your news, Brother A."

"Forget it, Panan is such a big mouth." Mercer knew immediately that Panan must have called him "A-ge".

He waved his hand, stuffed the chip into his pocket, and then remembered that he hadn't settled the fare for Panan yesterday, so he sent her a thousand euros directly.

Mercer was not stingy with the money at all.

For him, he could easily earn at least 100,000 euros from any job he took on.

But for people from the lower rungs of society like Parnam or V, one or two thousand euros is enough for them to live frugally for a month.

"I'm going out first. I'll get everyone a new identity—by the way, send me a photo, a proper one, and I'll get you a new identity."

"Please send me your new names, and if you have any special ideas about your age or birthday, feel free to let me know."

Da Di was taken aback, almost forgetting that the new identity required a name change: "I understand."

Lucy also fell into deep thought, beginning to recall the details of her new name.

Mercer waved his hand, letting them think for themselves, and prepared to leave—after putting on his mask, he decided to drive out alone today.

Yesterday was busy with a lot of things to do, so today we can't just have a meal together and something unexpected happens, can we?

Mercer then found the Canary Viper that had stopped outside the camp.

After he picked up this broken-down car from the Chaotic Knife Society, he repaired and patched it up along the way, and it turned out to be a high-quality piece of broken-down car.

It's discreet yet defensively capable, and it should be enough to escape a hail of bullets in a critical moment. Plus, the Adcado markings on the car will deter many people from bothering him.

Mercer started the car and drove to the address V had given him. With the navigation, driving was not difficult for him.

The journey was smooth; there were no gang fights, and no one was speeding and shooting on the highway. Mercer hummed a little tune as the traffic in Night City was relatively smooth after the morning rush hour.

But it still took him more than an hour to drive from Badlands all the way to the city and then to Japan Street. By the time he arrived, it was already 9:40.

As soon as Mercer got out of the car, he saw V squatting by the restaurant like a street urchin, while Qiwei leaned against her car smoking a cigarette.

Seeing Mercer get out of the car, V stood up, clutching his stomach: "Hey A, why are you so slow? We've been waiting for half an hour."

"The road is a bit long. I drove all the way from Badlands, and it only took me a little over an hour, which is already pretty fast. You should be glad there was no traffic jam today."

However, Mercer reluctantly admitted his mistake: "But being late is being late, so it's on me."

“Great!” V immediately changed his expression, grinning and adopting an enthusiastic attitude: “Brother A, you’re so generous! It’s just a little late, no big deal!”

Qiwei had been staring intently at Mercer the whole time. When Mercer looked over, she nodded slightly, hesitated for a moment, put down her cigarette, and lowered her head seriously to say, "Thank you, A."

"It's no big deal. Even without me, with your skills, you should be able to escape on your own very quickly."

Mercer said, without having anything special to say to her, just waving his hand: "Come on, let's go inside and talk. V looks like she's starving. If we don't leave soon, I'm afraid she'll start eating people."

Saving Qiwei was just a casual thing for him, and the subsequent arrangements were simply to see things through to the end, but in reality, he didn't have any feelings for Qiwei.

Whether she wanted to go out and become a lone wolf hacker or follow him, Mercer wouldn't force her.

Anyway, Qiwei agreed to pay, 50,000 euros. That's enough for V to rip off that black doll shop ten times over.

"Go to hell, my sister is so hungry because you made me work in the middle of the night." V muttered, pushing open the shop door and going inside.

As soon as she entered, she paused in her steps.

Then V turned around and said, "This is unbelievable, there's a bunch of animal gangs here. They don't usually come here."

Mercer peeked out from beside her and took a look. Sure enough, in the not-so-big restaurant, a large booth was completely filled with a group of burly men.

These guys generally don't show any signs of prosthetics; their muscles are bulging, and the exposed blood vessels make them look like they've never trained properly.

There were only four people in total, but they all looked like they were not to be trifled with. They were carrying rifles and shotguns, making them seem like they were there to fight a war, not to eat.

"How so? They look like they're just passing by for a meal, so there shouldn't be any trouble."

After V finished speaking, Mercer glanced at her and said, "Don't say such unlucky things next time."

Mercer thought that if things didn't work out, they could try eating somewhere else—these big guys were the least liked group by hackers, as they generally didn't have any cybernetic bodies and relied solely on drugs to build up their Nine Dragons Power.

The prosthetic bodies they wear are at most subcutaneous armor, metal skeletons, or even just a layer of iron plating on the outside of their skin, so that there's nothing to overload their prosthetic bodies.

When faced with hackers, these big guys usually just disconnect the brain-computer interface from the internet and then rush over yelling. It's no exaggeration to say they are hacker killers.

But as my gaze drifted, a pretty little girl's face suddenly appeared before me.

This caused Mercer to immediately stop in his tracks.

Green twin tails, pale skin, a few pink tattoos, and a rebellious little face—their prosthetic eyes, modified with a red, pink, and yellow color scheme, are particularly striking.
Across from her sat a tall, thin young man, who wore sunglasses, had an exaggerated mohawk, and a full beard.

Rebecca! Pila!

That's it, it must be these two!
"Since we're already here, let's go eat."

Without saying a word, Mercer went inside.

To be honest, he's a true die-hard fan of Rebecca—he even went to her grave and searched for her urn several times in the game!
Since we're already here...
His collecting obsession began to stir.

(End of this chapter)