Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 66: Another Upgrade, The Red Ochre Tribe (1.2 views, please vote!)
When Mercer brought Rebecca and the others to the clinic, Victor couldn't help but make a joke as soon as they met: "I thought your team only recruited girls."

“Who says women are inferior to men, Old Vie? You’re being too idealistic. When we hire people, we only look at their skills and personality, not their gender.” Mercer chuckled and pulled Rebecca, who was looking around with great curiosity, to sit down.

Victor looked at Rebecca and Lucy's small figures and couldn't help but say, "Mercer, I should have told you that I don't usually put prosthetic bodies on children, right?"
You've already made an exception for me.

"Just change Lucy's network access module. The Mk.2 version is still a bit outdated. Let's get her the same one as Qiwei."

As for Rebecca, she's almost an adult, fifteen or sixteen years old, and her body has basically stopped developing.

After Mercer finished speaking, Old Vie said noncommittally, "Let me get a check-up first."

"Okay, it's up to you. If you think she can still develop further, then we won't change too much."

Mercer readily agreed and didn't insist—it was his own business whether he risked his life or not, but he wouldn't stand by and watch his subordinates do the same.

The reason he rushed to install the prosthetic body was that he wanted to protect them from the wind and rain, so that they wouldn't have to rush to become stronger and could have plenty of time to grow slowly.

Rebecca wanted to say something more, but Mercer stopped her with a look. In the end, she could only sullenly cross her arms and wait for Old Vie to examine her.

But she was determined—Mercer had no choice but to become stronger, no matter what.

Rebecca felt that she didn't understand technology and wasn't particularly smart. What else could she do in the team besides fighting and killing?
She had witnessed V's terrifying strength. Even if she couldn't become like her, she shouldn't be completely powerless against an enemy like her, right?
If she can't even do this, what kind of marginal traveler is she? She should just find someone to marry as soon as possible, following her father's childhood jokes!

She didn't want to hold Mercer back!

“As usual, let’s first assess her physical potential.” Victor gestured for Rebecca to lie down on the operating chair.

Rebecca suddenly perked up: "I heard that V's value is as high as 20? Old Victor, I mean, Dr. Victor, could it be that the machine made a mistake?"
I think her IQ of 6 is the only realistic point.

"Only your team would think there's something wrong with my machine," Victor said with a wry smile, as he plugged the wire into Rebecca's brain-computer interface and picked up the instrument to start scanning.

Seeing Rebecca's eager expression, as if she couldn't wait to see her data, Mercer walked over to Old Vieux and looked at the numbers on the instrument.

As the test data was gradually read out, Mercer raised an eyebrow, and Old Wei couldn't help but turn to look at Mercer with some surprise: "You have a pretty good eye for people, don't you?"

"Right?" Mercer smiled smugly first, then looked at Rebecca: "Not bad stats."

"Physical potential 15, reaction potential 14, composure potential 13, intelligence potential 7. Congratulations, you won, Rebecca."

Mercer pretended to clap his hands.

Rebecca looked at him with a somewhat worried expression, then asked, "Isn't 15 a bit low?"

"That's not low at all. You're already at the level of an outstanding mercenary. You truly deserve to be the daughter of the legendary mercenary Sunrise Old Man. You were born for this line of work."

Mercer gave her a thumbs up and said seriously, "Although you may be a step away from being a true legendary mercenary, compared to ordinary mercenaries or street urchins, you are already a genius."

Rebecca's face lit up with excitement: "Then can I also install Sianwaystein? Or a berserk system or something?"

“Old Viktor, what do you think?” Mercer turned to look at Viktor.

After a brief moment of thought, Victor shook his head and said, "I'm not sure, but the stress on a person with a prosthetic body like Sianwistan's is too great. I suggest avoiding it if possible."

"Alright, let's be cautious. This time, let's do it her way and put a gorilla arm on her, add a Krenzikov to enhance her reaction speed, and inject a nano armor."

As Mercer spoke, Victor hesitated, but finally said only, "I need to do some further checks to see if it will affect her development."

Let's do a detailed bone examination and a growth hormone level test.

Regarding prosthetics, my advice is to take it slow; not everyone is like you and V.

Rebecca retorted, "Let's do it this way! If I can't even fit these three prosthetic bodies, then even if I shamelessly go on missions with V, I'll only be holding her back!"

Seeing Rebecca's determined expression, Mercer and Victor exchanged a glance. In the end, Victor simply didn't say anything and gave her a thorough examination.

Just as Mercer had predicted, Rebecca's development had basically reached its peak.

At fifteen, or rather, in 1972, when Rebecca was already sixteen, her skeletal development was basically complete, and her physique would not change much anymore.

She might grow another centimeter or two, but that would be the limit of her growth. In that case, she could have a prosthetic body installed without having to consider the changes in her body structure caused by development.

"Then let's pick out a list of prosthetic bodies."

Seeing this, Victor took out a tablet and let Rebecca see for herself which type of prosthetic body she wanted to have installed.

Rebecca simply turned to Mercer and said, "You choose for me."

“Okay.” Mercer didn’t refuse—otherwise, given Rebecca’s aesthetic sense, she might have come up with some strange, oversized item.

"Moore Technologies' Housestock-W? This thing isn't available for sale yet, is it?" Mercer took a liking to a metallic-colored gorilla arm.

“I’m an illegal clinic, I only sell the company’s commercially available versions, so what’s the point of opening my shop?” Victor said with a smile. “His products are indeed good.”

This gorilla's arms are incredibly strong; they can easily smash through concrete pillars with both fists without deforming.

Moreover, being a military-grade model, it is sturdy, durable, cost-effective, and can be equipped with combustion or electric shock modules.

However, if you plan to install it as a set, I would recommend this one.

Victor opened the tablet, pressed a few more buttons, and showed it to Mercer: "The gorilla arm from the 'Destroyer' series of military technology, which is paired with the berserk operating system of military technology."

The price is even higher; the basic version of these two arms costs 130,000 euros. However, as a high-end prosthetic body sold to the military, it can be equipped with a wide variety of accessories.

Electric shock and burning plugins go without saying, but most importantly, they can be used with the largest number of prosthetic bodies.

The built-in powerful nano-shock absorption technology allows users to hold a heavy machine gun and fire without significant swaying, which is especially important for the small-sized Rebecca.

Furthermore, it utilizes the same nanotechnology as the military-grade Berserk system, which can further amplify arm strength and control when the Berserk system is activated, allowing you to almost ignore the recoil when firing a heavy machine gun.

Moore Technology's arm is more suited to adapting to their own Sianwaystein system, taking a relatively sensitive approach. Moore Technology's Berserk system, on its own, has decent data.

However, in terms of supporting other prosthetic components, it is far inferior to the Military Science prosthetics, especially after the unification wars, when a large number of Military Science prosthetics were tested in actual combat, making them more reliable.

Victor pointed to the military technology's berserk system and said, "This berserk system from the military science department is driven by nanotechnology and can be perfectly adapted to nano subcutaneous armor, Destroyer Arm, and Destroyer Muscle Enhancement series."

When paired with Krenzikov at startup, it can even allow you to engage in close combat with enemies equipped with Svenwistan.

Of course, speed is not the Berserk System's strong point. The important thing is that when the Berserk System is activated, it can greatly enhance your muscle strength and prosthetic response speed.

The operating system's built-in defense computing system can use nanotechnology to better mitigate damage to your body when it is attacked, reducing the lethality of enemy long-range attacks.

If equipped with the matching nano armor, you can better utilize your subcutaneous nanobots to further enhance your defensive capabilities when subjected to blows and impacts.

If you also purchase the same muscle-enhancing series, the system's support will allow your muscles to unleash 20%-30% more power during the Berserk mode activation.

Based on muscle enhancement, this is already a terrifying number.

After Victor finished speaking, Rebecca couldn't wait to ask, "Then how come V can run so fast and be so strong with only one Sinwistan equipped? Doesn't Sinwistan need any other prosthetic bodies to adapt to it?"

"Of course it's needed. V is purely... how should I put it, a numerical value."

Victor could only sigh, "Many people who have muscle-enhancing equipment don't have the same muscle strength as hers from simply overclocking and stimulating them."

Rebecca pouted: "Then I'll get the Berserk System first! My physical abilities are definitely up to par!"

“I can handle it, but you should ask V how he feels after each Sianwaystein ride, then you definitely won’t be so stubborn.”

Victor, with his extensive experience, said, "Ask her if she experiences muscle aches like her muscles are being torn apart, chest tightness, and joint pain every time she drives a Sinwiss."

Rebecca looked at Mercer, and seeing Mercer nod, she stopped pretending and simply said, "I'll listen to Mercer. If you think the Berserk System is more suitable for me, then I'll use the Berserk System."

"Then let's leave it at that. Don't you also prefer using high-powered weapons? The Berserk System can also make you feel faster. After all, they are both operating systems, just with different focuses."

Then you won't feel defeated because you can't even see a trace of V.

After Mercer finished speaking, he smiled and said, "Old Wei, then let's use the military science package. Replace her prosthetic eye and brain-computer interface as well. Just use the brands of Qilu Si and Zeta."

"The burden is too heavy, so we'll arrange for multiple batches to come. We'll install the Berserk system after the surgery when the patient has fully recovered."

“At least a month,” Victor suggested a rough surgical plan: “Today we’ll install the gorilla arm and nano armor, and replace the brain-computer interface and prosthetic eye.”

Wait a while before considering installing the Berserk System, Krenzikov, and other things—the Berserk System can better control Krenzikov and reduce neural load, so the order needs to be changed.

Victor looked at the prices and finally said, "The total cost of the surgery without any additional accessories is 42, which includes the price of some necessary muscle enhancements and artificial tendons."

Adding accessories or upgrading to a higher-end version will make it even more expensive.

Rebecca grimaced, a little distressed, but still said, "That's all the money I have. Let's take it one step at a time."

“It’s alright, we can use the team’s funds if we don’t have enough for now.” Mercer nodded.

"Forget it, that little bit of money is needed to renovate our base, and you still want to buy equipment, right?" Rebecca looked at him and said with a smile, "I'll just try to take on more commissions! It'll also be a good opportunity for me to gradually get used to the things I'm installing."

She looked at her arm and said, "With a gorilla arm and subcutaneous armor, I should be considered to have some fighting ability, right?"

Before Mercer could say anything, Rebecca immediately changed the subject, preventing him from talking about loans or anything like that.

"You damn bro, come and see what you're trying to prove!" Rebecca turned to look at Pila.

Pila rubbed her hands together, her expression also somewhat excited: "Come, come, let's see what our attributes are! Dr. Victor, this place is really different from other places. This is the first time I've ever heard of testing human potential attributes."

"Most unlicensed clinics are just lazy. They'll install whatever you want, so what's the point of testing? The more you know, the more trouble you sometimes get, and you even have to spend time cracking the company's backdoors."

Victor smiled as he watched Rebecca get off her chair and walk to Mercer's side—she seemed carefree, but was also a thoughtful and kind girl.

Putting everything else aside, this kid has a really good eye for girls, but Victor has started to figure it out a bit.

After glancing at Lucy and then at Rebecca, Victor decided that he would never say a word about Mercer's feelings for him again, and would not think about it at all.

He had a feeling that this kid was going to get into big trouble sooner or later.

After Pila connected to the program himself, Old Wei looked at his long arms and asked, "Did you save these yourself?"

"Yes, to store genuine, high-quality items. I didn't have that much money before, so I could only find secondhand goods and piece them together. This arm was even pulled off a dead person."

Pila said without any hesitation, "That guy was always showing off his arms, but he got shot dead outside a bar. I figured it was better to just take them from the cleaners and use them myself."

"Hmm, you're interested in tinkering with prosthetics and gadgets?" Victor asked.

"Yeah, I used to make a little money on the street by occasionally repairing people's arms and legs, tinkering with weapons, and making weapon attachments."

Pila proudly said, "Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm pretty skilled. Although I haven't had much formal training, I can still make sure that I don't mess up common weapon components or prosthetic modifications."

"I can tell that your arm has a lot of things attached to it," Victor nodded.

"Intelligence 13, composure 10, reaction 9, physical potential 11, slightly worse than your sister, but enough."

Those who work in technology don't need to look at attributes; true wisdom cannot be tested.

After Victor finished speaking, Pila beamed with joy: "Right! I think so too!"

Mercer couldn't help but laugh—she should have brought V along too, so she could see what her IQ of 6 really meant.

"And you? How do you plan to change it?"

Mercer didn't have many demands on Pira.

Pila thought for a moment and said, "Let's get a new prosthetic eye. I want one with higher precision. These days, many things require too much precision, and my eyes can't see details clearly when magnified."

Then fix my arms too—I'm used to these long arms, I'll just change the hands. I think Zeta Tech's 'Engineer' series is pretty good.

"Gild them in gold! I want two big gold hands!"

Pila's eyes lit up: "I'm not interested in operating systems or anything like that. Just add a smart hand connection, and some heavy subcutaneous armor so you don't get shot and blown up easily."

What I'm most interested in is mechanics, Dr. Victor. Just put together all the finger welding components and prosthetic eye hardware testing components for me.

"Simple, ZetaTech 'Engineer' Kit."

Victor offered a simple surgical plan: "There's a discount for buying the whole kit, which includes the Engineer series multi-functional hand that will replace half of your forearm and palm, and can support hand modifications with nanometer-level precision."

Once you install that, you'll basically not need any small tools; you can complete most technical tasks with just your two hands.

With a Zeta Technology engineering computer, and as long as you have the necessary professional knowledge, you'll basically be a qualified technical expert.

Mercer, feeling a bit itchy to learn, said, "Old Vince, what do you say?"

"Just get an external one, I'm begging you—look, I haven't changed anything, has it affected my surgery?"

For the first time, Victor glared at Mercer.

Mercer could only sigh and say, "Then let's use the external one for now, it's just too much trouble to keep sticking needles into my arm."

"I've been performing surgeries for so many years and I've never gotten tired of it, so don't join in. I'm not going to change your clothes anytime soon. Just looking at your mechanical frame annoys me."

After Victor finished speaking, he turned to look at Pira: "Any other requests?"

“That’s it.” Pila shook her head: “I don’t think I’ll improve much by modifying my prosthetic body. I just need to avoid getting shot dead.”

"With that money, I'd rather get something bigger and modify some powerful gadgets; that would suit me better."

“That’s the right approach.” Victor glanced at Mercer.

Mercer shrugged: "I need to have both hands, and both hands need to be strong!"

“You’re the kind of person who wants to do the work of ten, Mercer. You need to learn to trust the people around you—you’re not alone anymore, are you?”

"I'm saying this."

Mercer nodded, smiling as he looked at the people around him: "Alright, alright, don't lecture me anymore."

“Lucy, come on, you can take the test too. I’ve actually been curious about your stats for a long time.” Mercer looked at Lucy.

Lucy simply nodded and then sat down in the operating chair without saying a word.

Old Wei was familiar with a set of procedures for checking the values.

"Physical potential 13, not bad. Reaction potential 14, also quite high. Calmness potential 14, it seems this little girl has a good level of nerve endurance. Intelligence 16?"

Victor blinked: "That's really high. Where did you find this treasure?"

This number is higher than Mercer expected—he thought Lucy would only have 15 points at most, a little better than Qiwei.

"Haha~ I didn't expect that either. Sixteen o'clock, that's great, Lucy!"

Mercer looked delighted and gave Lucy a thumbs up, while Lucy simply smiled and said, "Mm."

Has she become a little quieter lately?

Mercer thought about it for a moment, but didn't say anything then, deciding to observe for a while before making a decision.

"Alright then, let's prepare for the surgery. According to the schedule, first replace Lucy's brain-computer interface and network access module, then replace Pira's arm, and finally Rebecca's surgery. You can have the gorilla arm, and I'll handle the rest of the surgeries."

After Mercer finished speaking, Old Vie found it somewhat unsurprising.

Rebecca looked at Mercer with a grin and gave him a flirty wink, but she didn't say anything bold in front of so many people.

The surgery was arranged, and everyone had money in their pockets. After closing this biotechnology deal, including the money he got from extortion, Mercer earned a whopping 1.6 million.

After deducting 40% of the team's funds, which is approximately 64 euros, there is still a full 96 euros left for team bonuses.

Even Rebecca and Lucy, who only receive 10%, still have an average income of 100,000 euros per person.

Mercer and V each received 290,000.

With the team's 640,000 euros in funding, Mercer decided that in addition to renovating and reinforcing the base in Dogtown, he would also purchase a batch of equipment, such as a small server worth 200,000 euros to use temporarily, and to set up a secure intranet for the base.

Then, a batch of automatic cannons, cameras, and other defensive equipment must be prepared to deal with the complex environment of Dogtown.

But even more important than all of these are the members of the trauma group.

Mercer decided that before his next assignment, he would make sure to include all the members of the trauma group in his own circle, no matter what.

So, although this amount of money seems like a lot, Mercer will probably have to put some of it into his own pocket when it comes to actually using it.

"By the way, Old Vince, did you sell the mantis knife I gave you?" Mercer suddenly asked.

Victor turned and glanced at him: "Not yet? You're planning to install it on V?"

"Yes, I checked it out yesterday. The commercially available mantis knife might not be as good as the one I took apart. I didn't expect that Arasaka's mantis knife would be such a top-quality product on the market."

Mercer said, "Okay, you can take it back at the original price, and I'll just charge a small surgery fee." Victor said.

After exchanging a few words, Mercer remained silent once Victor officially began the surgery.

Lucy's surgery was the fastest, finishing in less than half an hour, which is unusual considering Victor's usual meticulous and deliberate approach.

Once she's finished with her work, Pila can go up without him needing general anesthesia. He just needs to cut off the nerve sensation to his arm via the brain-computer interface.

He replaced his two long arms with a set of Zeta Technologies' Engineer series prosthetics. While the surgery was underway, Pira chatted idly with Old Vi.

Old Vie gave him a can of beer, and Pila chatted with Old Vie while drinking. This scene made Mercer a little uncomfortable - it really was cyberpunk enough, wasn't he afraid of drinking beer on his arm and short-circuiting himself?

When it was Rebecca's turn, she insisted on having the surgery under spinal anesthesia. After the gorilla arm was attached to her, Old Vince turned to Mercer and asked, "You take over?"

Mercer nodded and took over, immediately anesthetizing Rebecca without a word. Then Old Vera took Pila out to Misty's place to have a few more beers, leaving only Lucy behind, quietly watching him sit down at the operating table.

Rebecca initially tried to resist the anesthesia with her willpower, but she soon passed out obediently. Mercer then removed her protective gear and injected her with nano armor.

Let her stay awake, who knows what outrageous things she might say during the surgery—Mercer doesn't want to accidentally inject the nano-armor into her flesh.

After the surgery, Rebecca slowly woke up, followed Mercer's instructions to test the prosthetic body, and after completing the calibration, she lay on her side with a grin, looking at him.

"Does it look good?"

“It’s a bit small,” Mercer said honestly.

Rebecca rolled her eyes: "Then I'll get a big one installed in a few days. How big do you want?"

"Come on, I prefer the original, don't try this on me." After saying that, Mercer still complimented her a couple of times: "The proportions are great, don't worry."

"I'm not anxious, I'm just asking if you like it or not."

She chuckled and glanced at Lucy, only to find that Lucy was still watching TV with a cool expression, showing no interest in her and Mercer.

After Rebecca finished her surgery, she kept complaining about feeling dizzy and weak, and insisted on staying with Mercer for another ten minutes. Finally, under Mercer's warning look, she returned to normal, swinging her arms loudly and excitedly.

The gorilla arm that Rebecca was given wasn't as exaggerated as in the cartoon; it just looked a bit thicker than her previous arm and didn't seem out of place.

But just by listening to the hollow sound of her casually throwing a punch, you can tell that her strength is no joke.

"I feel like I could kill ten Pilas with one punch!"

she said.

"Damn it, why are you using me as a unit of measurement?" Pila rolled her eyes, then excitedly moved her fingers, watching the various repair and modification tools that kept changing and emerging from her fingertips, gesturing happily for a long time.

"This thing is way more agile than my old one! I'll have to study it carefully tonight!"

After he finished speaking, Rebecca gave him a disdainful look: "You'd better go to the bathroom to study it, don't let me find you lying on the sofa fiddling with it - unless you want to get a big steel cannon."

The group of people had a casual meal nearby, laughing and joking around, before parting ways and going home.

When Mercer was alone with Lucy, he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

Inside the car, there was only the quiet sound of the engine and the wind outside the window. Other than that, when he turned his head, he could only see Lucy staring blankly out the window.

"What are you thinking about, Lucy? You've been a little too quiet lately, ever since the last few days."

Mercer couldn't resist asking her directly, "Are you in a bad mood?"

“No, not really.” Lucy turned to look at him, her face still expressionless. She looked at him for a moment, then turned her head away again. “They’re just noisier. I’m actually quite quiet.”

“To be honest,” Mercer rolled his eyes, “is it because of Rebecca? Or V? Do they think I’m too close to them? Or is it because I didn’t put in enough effort for this mission?”

“Neither.” After Lucy finished speaking, she paused for a moment and said, “Or maybe a little bit of both, but that’s inevitable. We’ve talked about it many times, and I don’t need you to keep coaxing me.”

"What's that for?"

Mercer pressed on with further questions.

Lucy pursed her lips and after a long while, she said softly, "I just feel... how should I put it, it's like my family, who used to belong only to me, no longer belongs to me. It makes me a little sad."

It feels like you've been stolen away.

You are close to V and also close to Rebecca. Although Pila may seem unreliable at first glance, he can usually liven up the atmosphere and has a pretty easygoing temperament.

Xingzi is carefree and gets along well with everyone.

I just can't. Whether it's with V or Rebecca and her brother, I just can't feel close to them.

Treat me like family? I can't. I feel like my only family is you, oh, and Anzu.
Anyway, leave me alone. I just need to adjust; I'm not as quick to adapt as you guys.

Mercer was finally relieved.

This isn't a big problem—frankly, it's just that we haven't known each other for very long. He feels that once we move into the new house and live together for a while, this feeling will gradually disappear.

When Lucy first arrived in this unfamiliar place, he was the only person she could rely on and trust. But now he has many more friends and companions, which makes Lucy feel a little empty inside, which is understandable.

She's always been the kind of girl who lacks a sense of security, from Arasaka to Night City.

He took off his mask and casually put it aside, saying in a gentle tone, "Rebecca and V are both very warm people, Lucy. Don't rush, take your time."

Haven't you noticed? Rebecca and V are always bickering and saying all sorts of random things, but they've never said anything similar to you. It's not that they're deliberately distancing themselves from you, but rather that they know you're not a street kid and aren't used to that kind of behavior.

Even Pila will deliberately keep a low profile when she's next to you—it's all because the big guys are intentionally taking care of you.

You don't need to feel that this feeling is wrong. Think about how we took care of Xingzi in the past.
In the current Spark Squad, aren't you the youngest, similar to Kyoko's role?

“According to my ID card, I’m a year older than Rebecca,” Lucy insisted.

"Haha. Anyway, Lucy, take your time, no one will rush you."

Mercer gently reached out and patted her head: "There's no such thing as instant rapport. It's normal for feelings to develop over time. It's just that you like to keep everything to yourself and try to do everything by yourself. That's not a good habit."

“Aren’t you the same? You shoulder everything by yourself, silently change yourself, and still don’t feel it’s enough.” Lucy’s expression finally softened, and she spoke to him with a hint of reproach.

"I guess you have the same personality—if you were faced with the same choice, you would make the same choice as me."

Mercer smiled.

Lucy fell silent. She couldn't refute it. If she were the one who could wear that prosthetic body, she would also put it on Mercer without hesitation.

"But actually, everyone thinks the same way. Haven't you noticed? Whether it's V or Rebecca, everyone feels the same way. Modifying their bodies is more about being able to do more for each other and take on more responsibility for the team."

Mercer said casually, "Of course, as long as I'm still here, you won't have to shoulder the burden. On this point, whether you like it or not, you have to listen to me."

“That’s so domineering.” Lucy said this, but a smile involuntarily appeared on her face: “I know, take it slow. You don’t have to worry about me all the time.”

"Ah, women~ If you keep them at a distance, they resent you; if you get too close, they become subservient. They're hard to please~"

Mercer drew out his words, prompting Lucy to gently pat him on the shoulder: "Impossible."

“When I truly stop worrying about you and start caring about you, you won’t think that way anymore,” he said with a smile.

"Really?" Lucy tilted her head, looked at him, and suddenly smiled: "When are you planning to inject me with nano-armor?"

"Ask Old Wei when he's free, then we can go alone." Mercer chuckled.

"Sure, just let me know in advance so I can take a shower." She said it casually, but her face turned red.

After a moment of eye contact, Mercer looked away: "I don't think it's necessary. When I'm performing surgery, I have no emotions; I'm just a heartless surgical machine."

"Really? I don't believe it." She smiled, resting her cheek on her hand, her iridescent eyes sparkling. "But... never mind."

Mercer didn't ask her what she originally wanted to say.

Upon arriving at the camp, after getting out of the car, she put her hands behind her back and walked slowly with Mercer, saying softly, "Now that the new base is set up, will we have to live separately?"

"Yeah, what's wrong? You've gotten used to being with me?" Mercer looked at her with a smile.

Lucy simply looked at him, leaning slightly forward with her hands still behind her back, and brought her face closer: "Yes, most importantly, I don't want to dive if you're not here."

"There will be a dedicated hacker room, which will be placed next to the server. We Deep Dive will all be gathered together to look after each other."

Mercer didn't respond.

“I see,” Lucy tilted her head. “What if we don’t want to use the hacker chair, but instead want one of those deep-sea diving chambers with ice in it? Do we still have to put it there for everyone to see?”

She smiled slyly, and seeing Mercer speechless and not replying, she curled her lips in satisfaction: "But if you were here with me, I could at least use the hacker chair."

"Tsk." Mercer felt like he was being manipulated, and quickened his pace: "Even Xingzi isn't afraid to use the hacker chair again, you're such a coward."

"Ha~" she chuckled, without responding, but quickened her pace, her steps light and graceful.

Laughing and joking, they returned to their tent at the camp. Mercer continued his deep dive into the program research that she couldn't understand, while she sat quietly beside him, assembling program chips with her laptop and borrowed chip tools.

Sometimes, Lucy wished time could just stand still.

The tent was small, the mattress was hard, and even the workbench was just a bunch of cobbled-together boxes.

But no matter when, I'm only a turn away from him—I can even fall asleep to the sound of his breathing.

However, Lucy quickly changed her mind.

Time would be better if it could go by faster.

When she grows tall and slender, and can confidently snuggle up to him like Rebecca, watching him blush and his heart race.
Tsk.

Lucy suddenly stopped what she was doing, sighed softly, and turned to look at his calm face as he lay deep in the water, thinking of Rebecca pressing herself against him so shamelessly.

The competition is fierce
"The person who helped you contact the Red Ochre?" Thor turned to look at Mercer with some surprise.

The next morning, Mercer found Thor and talked about the Red Ochre tribe.

Mercer was also a little surprised. He thought that given Parnan's personality, he would have already told Thor about the ochre, but now it seemed that Parnan had kept it a secret for him quite well.

Or rather, she trusted him quite a bit, knowing that he would definitely tell the Red Ochre tribe about the poisoning as soon as possible.

"Yes, we previously took on a biotechnology-related order and learned some unpleasant inside information."

Mercer paused, then said very seriously, "The biotechnology people bribed the 'Red Hand' of Red Ochre to poison their water source."

"Are you sure!?" Thor's expression instantly turned very serious, and he said with barely concealed anger, "Poisoning the water source? These corporate dogs really think of such a heinous thing!"

"It's probably a land dispute. Biotechnology wants to reclaim the farmland that Red Ochre currently owns, but the people in Red Ochre are definitely not happy about it. This kind of underhanded tactic is probably a traditional skill of biotechnology."

After Mercer finished speaking, Thor immediately asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

"There is a video, but I don't think it's really necessary—many people in the Red Ochre area must have been sick recently, and the reason why no abnormalities have been found in the land is probably because it's not spring planting season yet."

If they only discover something is wrong when spring planting begins, their problem will be much bigger.

After Mercer finished speaking, Thor nodded with a sense of sympathy: "Yeah, we'll use most of our savings to buy seeds for spring planting, but they won't even sprout! Biotechnology is such a pain!"

He didn't say anything more, but said directly, "I will contact the chief of the Red Ochre Tribe right now."

Mercer nodded, Thor's prosthetic eye glowed, and he began to explain the situation to the other party via voice call.

After only a few dozen seconds of conversation, the other party hung up the phone, and then Mercer received a call.

After answering the unknown call, Mercer saw an elderly man with gray hair, who looked somewhat old but had sharp eyes and wore a red ochre necklace.

“Hello, Mercer, I am Derek, the chief of the Red Ochre tribe.”

The old man spoke with a decisive and efficient manner, somewhat like Roger. After introducing himself, he paused only briefly before continuing:

“I heard Saul briefly explain the situation and I have a general idea of ​​what happened. I heard you have video evidence. I wonder if you could show it to me?”
"Red Hand is a very important member of the family. Even if I arrest him first without evidence, things could still go through a lot of twists and turns."

Mercer, without further ado, said, "Give me an email address and I'll send it to you."

After Derek sent the address via messaging app, Mercer sent the video that Qiwei had filmed with her webcam directly to his email address.

“It’s been sent.” After Mercer finished speaking, Derek immediately said, “Please wait a moment, I’ll get back to you as soon as I’ve seen it.”

Before Mercer could reply, Derek hung up the phone. It was clear that although he appeared calm on the surface, he was probably seething with rage inside.

Mercer sat in Thor's tent, drinking coffee and chatting briefly with Thor about the matter. After a few minutes, Derek called back.

"Thank you, Mercer, you've been a great help. If it weren't for you, we probably would never have imagined that Red Hand had betrayed us."

During the video call, Derek stood up, bowed slightly to Mercer, and then said, "This information is very important, and the Red Ochre Tribe will never forget your kindness."

"Besides you, the people of Yulan Town have also been poisoned by the biotechnology people and used for drug testing. I plan to wait a while before exposing these two news items, so I'll have to ask you to be patient for a while."

After Mercer finished speaking, Derek finally couldn't contain the anger in his eyes: "Fine, I promise you, we'll be patient for a while! But we absolutely cannot let this matter of those bastards in biotechnology go unresolved!"

"Don't worry, I'm just waiting for a more suitable time. The exposure won't keep you waiting too long." Mercer could understand his anger.

The old man solemnly said, "The Red Ochre Tribe will repay kindness and avenge wrongs. Child, if you need any help from the Red Ochre Tribe, just ask. Once we've dealt with Red Hand, you're welcome to visit our tribe."

Mercer returned the smile: "Alright, then I won't disturb your purge of the traitors. I'll expose the biotechnology scandal in the media as soon as possible, and then we'll see how things go."

“Okay,” Derek agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Mercer turned to look at Saul.

Thor's expression remained somber, and it was unclear what he was thinking. After a while, he turned to Mercer and said, "Are you moving out soon?"

"Yes, I asked the people at the camp to tidy up the base for me, and then we'll move to Dogtown."

After Mercer finished speaking, he said gratefully, "We also have to thank the people of Adcardo for giving us a place to stay when we first arrived. If the people of Adcardo need any help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

Mercer would never take Adcardo's kindness in taking them in as a 'deserved' treatment after wandering with Cassidy.

Thor smiled and said, "I believe in your sincerity, Mercer. You seem like someone who can do great things, and I believe you will quickly establish yourself in Night City."

As the leader of Adcardo, my only wish for you to help in the city is to see if you can provide the people of Adcardo with some stable income opportunities.

"I will keep an eye out, and if a suitable opportunity arises, I will definitely prioritize taking care of my own people."

At this point, Mercer also offered his own views and suggestions: "But I think Adcardo at present needs to think about how to transform itself."

I respect your views on freedom and I agree with your philosophy of life.

But Night City now, or rather, this world now, never treats anyone who simply wants to work hard and live a good life with kindness.

After Mercer finished speaking, he looked at Thor and said sincerely, "If you just stay in the wilderness, it will be difficult for you to find a stable income. Perhaps you could try to start some businesses in Night City and carve out a piece of land with your manpower, which could help you reverse your current decline."

Thor sighed. "I know, but there's a reason we're all here, Mercer. If we leave the wilderness and go into Night City, we'll no longer be Adkado."

Mercer said no more, but at the moment he really couldn't see how the tribe could maintain its current life if it stayed in the wilderness and continued its original way of life.

Perhaps there are other hidden reasons for the tribe's difficulties. As an outsider, even if Mercer wanted to repay the favor, he would have to wait for them to speak first.

Mercer and Thor chatted for a few more minutes before he left his tent. Looking at the fairly clear sky, he felt quite cheerful.

The base has been purchased, the team is basically set up, and he has money in his pocket. It seems he's really about to settle down in Night City.

The initial feeling of racing against time seemed to ease considerably at this moment.

He doesn't need to worry about what to eat tomorrow or where to stay. This deal he made from biotechnology is enough to ensure he has enough to eat and drink for a short period of time.

Mercer, unusually, didn't immediately return to his tent. Instead, he did things that seemed endless, leaving all his worries about programming, studying, and thinking behind.

He sat alone by the food truck at the camp, ordered a Coke, enjoyed the breeze, and watched the wind sweep across the land, stirring up dust and sand.

Until the morning star, which had been lying quietly in his network access pod, suddenly sent him a message.

[Morning Star: The puppet program you previously placed in the Night City Hall has been detected to be running.]

Mercer: Coming right away.

Mercer was invigorated.

The program entering running state means that the puppet he previously placed on the city hall server has detected network transmission.

The fact that the city hall's household registration database is being transmitted over the network most likely means that the NCPD is updating data from the city hall's server!
That means
NCPD's database! Here I come!

(End of this chapter)