Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 76 The Priest's Commission

The entire body can be built with a 3D printer for only 100 euros, while the remaining 600 euros are almost entirely spent on chips, batteries, and cameras.

If we can use Zeta Technology's micro lithography machine to achieve independent mass production of chips in the future, we can obtain stable and low-cost raw materials to make integrated circuit boards and chips ourselves.

If we find another stable supplier of low-priced batteries and cameras, the overall price could be reduced by another half.

If Mercer could reduce the cost of this simple drone to under 500 euros, he felt that his "Death Squad" drone might redefine the arms market in Night City today.

Despite its limited flight altitude and low payload, this drone, which boasts a mere ten minutes of flight time at maximum speed under full load, has rather poor performance on paper.

However, considering that each of them can carry up to 8KG of explosives and can swarm towards your face at a speed of up to 80KM/H, they are not suitable for use in such situations.
Mercer assigned the job to Anzu, who usually had nothing to do, and put her in charge of the 3D printing and assembly. Her only requirement was to do as much as possible and as fast as possible.

He had already decided who his first "real combat opponent" would be.

Without a doubt, it's a fleet of vehicles transporting biotechnology.

The day after speaking with Diana, Mercer used a drone to remotely retrieve the storage chip she had prepared, which contained the convoy's transport information.

The biotechnology company will airlift some of the equipment from its headquarters in the European Community to Southern California using transport aircraft, and then pack all the equipment together in Southern California.

Finally, heavy transport trucks were used to cross from the south of Night City and deliver the goods to Night City.

In terms of timing, the biotechnology shipment was scheduled to depart from a border city in Southern California on the evening of January 30th and arrive in Night City on the evening of the 31st.

We will only stop once for refueling.

The route was clearly marked by Diana, and even the model of the transport vehicle and the personnel configuration were clearly written.

The convoy consisted of six vehicles, including four armored vehicles loaded with biotechnology soldiers and two heavy transport trucks loaded with equipment.

Each armored vehicle has a crew of six, including a driver, a machine gunner, and four biotechnological soldiers.

In addition, there are two other senior biotechnology agents whose vehicle is uncertain.

One of these two high-ranking agents was equipped with a series of advanced cybernetic devices, including the S.A.S ...

In terms of security strength, let alone ordinary robbers, even a regular company would need to deploy a highly professional special forces team to pose a threat to this transport team.

Twenty-four professional soldiers, two senior agents, and four armored vehicles that were probably modified from Chevrolet 720s—this level of capability is incredibly high.

Not to mention.
Mercer believed that Diana must have prepared an extra surprise for her.

To find out exactly what happened, we need to see if she was secretly collaborating with people involved in military technology.

To figure this out, Mercer had to meet someone.

Stott.

Night falls at the Next Life Bar.

V and Mercer sat in the private room of the afterlife, idly watching TV to pass the time.

This is the innermost private room in the rest of the bar, far from the main hall. It's so quiet that you can barely hear the rock music playing in the bar.

What time did you arrange to meet that woman?

V lay bored on the sofa, legs crossed, looking rather uninterested.

Mercer glanced at the time displayed on his prosthetic eye: "They're almost here."

Just as Mercer finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the door. V sat up straight with a swift movement, his eyes sharp and his expression serious, looking quite like a professional bodyguard.

A middle-aged woman with slicked-back hair, giving off a cold and hard, or rather, aloof, vibe, walked to the private room. Behind her was a burly, handsome man wearing a military green vest, a thick bulletproof vest, and sunglasses.

"You're A?" Stott looked around with an unfriendly expression, strode into the private room, sat down opposite Mercer, and spoke coldly.

Mercer didn't reply, but simply nodded, also scrutinizing her. After a moment of looking at her with a slightly glowing prosthetic eye, he nodded to V.

V got up, walked to the tall bodyguard at the door, and tilted his head slightly.

Stott narrowed his eyes, then nodded to the bodyguard.

The bodyguard then turned his head, glanced at V, and walked out with the same indifferent expression.

Once V and the bodyguard were out of sight, Mercer slowly spoke: "Military Science recently reached a cooperation agreement with Diana Kuno of biotechnology, or more precisely, an investment in a viral immunotherapy agent, right?"

Stott simply crossed his legs and looked at his face: "A, a hacking expert who suddenly appeared in Night City, who, right out of the gate, led a group to steal a Behemoth and also utterly crushed the Voodoo Gang on the Pacific State's network."
I'm very curious, what kind of face is hidden beneath that mask?

She didn't seem to be in a hurry to get straight to the point, and the meaning behind her words was very clear—you investigated me, and I investigated you.

But Stott didn't know that Mercer had already confirmed his guess just from her actions at that moment.

The collaboration between the military science and Diana has been officially finalized.

But Mercer had no interest in playing along with her probing questions. He simply said, "I think you're not interested in getting to know me better, so let's be direct."

“Very well, then I’ll give you the time it takes to smoke a cigarette to convince me to stay.” Stott took out a cigarette, lit it, blew out a puff of smoke, and held out a hand, meaning: you can talk now.

"First, the entire immunization program is a scam."

As Mercer finished speaking, Stott merely chuckled, unconcerned. The collaboration on drug development had just begun, and even if he knew the other party was lying, what could he do?

To deal with that group of people, we'll have to wait until the investment fails to yield any returns and becomes a complete bad debt before we have a chance.

"Secondly, even if you don't think this is a scam, I can guarantee that all of the military science's investments will go down the drain."

Mercer's words piqued Stott's interest. She tapped her knee lightly with one hand and said, "Should I get rid of you now to ensure the project progresses smoothly?"

"Very good, a loyal dog of the Military Science Department. I hope that before you become an old lady, you can be promoted to the Operations Director of the Military Science Department based on your loyalty."

Mercer chuckled, then placed his hands on his knees, leaned forward slightly, and stared aggressively at Stott with his dark blue eyes beneath the mask.

"I need to know if there will be a special operation following the action group. As long as you can find out this for me, I'll handle the rest."

After Mercer finished speaking, Stott looked at him coldly: "You want me to become your informant in the company? Ha, you've got it wrong."

That being said, Mercer knew very well that when dealing with this kind of aloof woman, you shouldn't look at what she says, but rather what she does.

The fact that Stott is still sitting here obediently shows that she is already looking forward to a plan that she can 'consider'.

“I have a robbery plan. Biotechnology will be shipping a batch of production equipment that I’m very interested in to Night City at the end of January.”

Mercer calmly began to speak.

Stott narrowed his eyes: "Aren't you afraid I'll sell you to biotechnology companies?"

"Really? But this was something the biotechnology director and I discussed." Mercer chuckled softly. "Why do you think biotechnology would send over a batch of equipment like this?"

Mercer pointed to himself: "Because it's what I want."

Then, Mercer sat back down on the sofa, his voice calm: "I've figured out the transportation route and personnel configuration. The only thing I don't understand is how the Military Science Association is getting involved in this matter."

Stott probed, "So what? You're planning to take over a convoy transported by a combination of biotechnology and military science? With your bare hands? A bunch of greenhorn mercenaries?"

"How I rob it is my business, I just need you to provide me with information."

Mercer then said meaningfully, "Think about it—your boss and your colleague have finalized a major collaboration involving tens of millions of euros."

Now that the contract has been finalized, it means that things are beyond repair.

If this investment succeeds, it will have nothing to do with you. They will get promoted and receive a raise, while you will remain just a senior agent.

But if this investment goes wrong and is beyond repair, you might be the hero who recovers that investment.

“That sounds nice.” Stott stared intently into his eyes.

"The entire collaboration is based on the development of immunomodulators. To develop an immunomodulator, two conditions are required: equipment and developers."

Mercer raised his finger and said slowly, "This batch of equipment was sent under the pretext of 'for the development of immunosuppressants,' which means that in the eyes of the military science personnel, this batch of equipment is intended for the development of immunosuppressants."

I suspect that the biotechnology director who persuaded the military science institute to provide transportation protection must have used this as a pretext to get the institute to provide free security.

"The biotechnology person you partnered with, is that Diana Kuno who also negotiated the cooperation with the military science department?"

Stott spoke astutely, no longer bothering to conceal Diana's name.

Mercer nodded.

Stott nodded in realization, then sneered, "It seems your biotechnology friend is trying to take this opportunity to kill you."

"I guess so. Even if she fails and the equipment is hijacked, she can easily shift the blame to the military and her own security."

After all, she went to such lengths to protect this equipment, and it still got stolen. She'll truly be a force to be reckoned with then.

After Mercer finished speaking, he paused and said, "Then, she can continue to demand that the Military Science provide her with even higher levels of security, and because of this incident, both the Military Science and the Biotechnology Department have lost face and suffered huge losses."

I would also become a wanted criminal by both companies simultaneously. She could send agents and soldiers to cause me endless trouble without lifting a finger.

Stott watched Mercer quietly.

Mercer simply chuckled and said, "Most importantly, if her research ultimately fails, there will be a reason—without equipment, how can she develop new drugs?"

Among the equipment transported, there happened to be some rare pieces that had already ceased production and existed only as technical reserves. I reckon even with her abilities, she couldn't procure a second one.

Stott pondered for a moment and said, "What else? Although someone will be held responsible for the losses if the operation fails, the investment project is not yet at the point where it must be terminated."

"What if Diana Cuno also dies?"

After Mercer finished speaking, Stott raised an eyebrow: "You mean, you plan to first deal with the convoy transported by the biotechnology and military science joint forces, steal the goods, and then take out Diana Kuno."

"The people are dead, the equipment is gone, can the military science investment continue?" Mercer asked rhetorically.

Stott looked at him, and after a long while, he laughed: "Then of course we'll have to terminate the project immediately, but without a doubt, you'll get into big trouble."

But you don't think it's a good thing for you to take these things away and let the military science investment plan go down the drain, do you?

Mercer simply said coldly, "But I guess you'll be promoted to head of operations soon."

"So you're trying to use these to exchange for my 'lenient treatment' of you when I'm hunting you down later?" Stott said.

"What I need is for you to close your eyes and do other things after you become the operations director. As for me, I don't think you want to be my opponent."

After Mercer finished speaking, he paused and said, "The Military Science Academy was in a position of being used by Diana Kuno throughout this whole affair. I will preserve evidence of what Diana Kuno did, perhaps..."

He tilted his head slightly and offered a more cost-effective suggestion: "You could try to claim compensation from biotechnology using this evidence?"
Essentially, this whole affair was Diana Kuno trying to use the military to get rid of me, this big problem, by sacrificing company interests and deceiving the military into facing an unexpected and powerful enemy, causing huge losses.

If we can prove this, prove that Diana Kuno exploited and deceived the military science, then the so-called investment would become a case of 'being scammed'.

Given the strength and status of the military sciences, even if the chain of evidence isn't complete, I think biotechnology would be willing to grit its teeth and cut off a piece of its own flesh to compensate for the military sciences' losses in order to maintain the honeymoon period between the two sides.

“Oh?” Stott’s eyes lit up. “To confirm this, perhaps we would need a living Diana Kuno.”

“I can hand her over to you for interrogation and have the evidence verified according to your procedures, but I must watch her die with my own eyes.”

Mercer's voice was cold: "Those who betray me must die."

As he spoke, he stared intently at Stott, who merely gave a similarly cold and hard smile: "Coincidentally, I also hate being betrayed. Perhaps we do have some things in common."

"If the investment fails, let the responsible people take responsibility, and you can become the 'hero' who recovers the losses of the military science department, get promoted and get a raise. All you have to do is give me intelligence."

After Mercer finished speaking, Stott simply smiled and then said, "I am very interested in your proposal, but as a member of the Military Science Institute, I would never betray the company's interests."

I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said today. I hope you'll still be alive and well when I see you next time.

Trying to steal from a joint transport convoy of military science and biotechnology companies? That's tantamount to suicide, and I'm not getting involved.

Furthermore, I suggest you don't contact anyone else. I hope I won't hear of your death tomorrow.

After she got up and said those words, she turned and left. Mercer watched her walk away without saying a word until V strolled into the house.

"A deal's done? So fast?"

She looked around.

“She verbally refused.” Mercer stretched and leaned back on the sofa, clearly still thinking about something.

V was taken aback: "A verbal refusal? Doesn't that mean the deal fell through?"

"Look over there. Our senior military intelligence agent actually 'accidentally' dropped a business card."

Mercer pointed to a small electronic business card on the sofa.

V walked over, picked up the business card, opened it and looked at it: "What does this mean? She asked you to meet her here?"

“I suspect there might be an easier way,” Mercer said, his lips twitching slightly as he looked at the 'Keep Quiet' hotel's business card.

He took the business card, looked it over, and finally noticed a scratched '307' number on the hotel's contact number.

"Go check room 307 at the hotel tomorrow night. I suspect there might be a memory chip or something that was accidentally left behind."

After Mercer finished speaking, V took back the business card and looked at it over and over again: "Damn, how could this woman choose such an unreliable place?"

"How is it unreliable? It's an anonymous hotel, there aren't even any security cameras around, and the front desk registration is done at an unmanned self-service counter. For people who need to have a secret date, this is a paradise."

After Mercer finished speaking, he saw V looking at him suspiciously.

"How come you know so much about this?" V said, staring at him with a teasing tone, "You've been there?"

“No, I’ve never been to a place like this in my life. Let’s go experience it together tomorrow,” Mercer said with a smile.

"Get lost. Go with your Rebecca tomorrow. I bet you just want to spend more time with her inside and she won't mind."

After V finished speaking, she snorted and got up to walk outside: "Come on, I have something to do today and I need you to keep me company."

"Oh?" Mercer was somewhat surprised. He stood up and followed her outside. "What is it?"

“Jack Wells, you know him, right? I remember he said he met you once, and you even tried to recruit him, but that guy wasn’t so lucky. He turned it down himself,” V said.

"You arranged to meet him?" Mercer asked.

"Well, he said he has something he wants me to help with, but we're about to do some big work, so I can't just agree to it. I'll take you with me. If you think it's suitable, I'll go; if not, I'll decline."

After V finished speaking, she paused and looked at him seriously, saying, "Let's do the most important thing first. Don't be too kind or worry about my feelings or anything like that."

“Okay, it would be good to meet with him. The Valentino gang and the Sixth Street gang are fighting fiercely right now. Maybe we can talk to them and see if we can sell them a batch of weapons and equipment.”

Mercer, quick-witted as ever, said, "To be honest, our store is just for show, for display purposes. The real big customers are still in Night City."

"Do you have anything to sell now?" V looked at him with some skepticism. "How much time has passed?"

"Yes, I took some time to discuss with Pila a design for a commercially viable handgun, emphasizing its durability, low price, and the fact that basic parts can be printed using a 3D printer."

The cost is less than 200 euros, not much more expensive than those disposable 3D-printed pistols on the street, but it can be reused. Although its durability isn't much better, I plan to sell it for only 500 euros. For 500 euros, you can buy a pistol that can fire fully automatically and has a magazine of 17 9mm bullets. Where else can you get such a good thing?

Furthermore, an optional drum magazine can be added, which holds 40 rounds of 9mm ammunition. Although due to material limitations, it can only fire 10 rounds per second, look at the cost-effectiveness! Isn't that great?

After Mercer finished speaking, he added, "I plan to name this gun 'Glock Easy Killer,' and all future 3D-printed plastic and metal weapons will be named 'Easy Killer.'"

Upgraded versions of the same gun will follow: one is the 'Glock Metal' series, featuring more metal components for greater durability, sturdiness, and stability; the other is the 'Slaughterhouse' series, equipped with a smart weapon system.

After listening, V said with great interest, "Why don't you get me a sample to play with? I'll know if it's good or not once I use it."

“Pira and I made a prototype gun, tested it out, and then left it there without doing anything else. You can go back and play with it. It’s basically an upgraded alternative to the 3D-printed weapons from Affordable Firepower.”

After Mercer finished speaking, V excitedly said that he definitely had to go back and try it. But then, as if remembering something, he couldn't help but chuckle and looked at him with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"I understand. Give me your pistol, and I'll upgrade it for you in the next couple of days."

As soon as Mercer finished speaking, V happily put her arm around his neck: "I knew you wouldn't forget your sister! Go ahead and change it, I want the most powerful one!"

"Okay, okay, I promise I'll build you a hand cannon." Mercer rolled his eyes, grabbed her hand, and moved her arm away—this girl doesn't know when to stop when she's dribbling.

V chuckled and eagerly got into the driver's seat of the sports car that Mercer had driven out, Mizutani Jun, and drove for him. Once Mercer was settled, they headed straight for the Haywood neighborhood.

When the stylishly modified Mizutani Jun parked outside the Wild Wolf Bar, it still attracted a lot of attention.

For most street kids, even though the modified Jun Mizutani is only worth two or three hundred thousand euros, it is already an unattainable 'dream car'.

V, looking refreshed, pushed open the car door, slightly raised his chin, revealing a gold-plated chain around his neck that he had bought at some unknown time, and swaggered towards the Wild Wolf Bar.

After Mercer got out of the car, seeing her smug expression, he suddenly realized—this guy had been his driver just to show off.
Damn, I thought she was trying to please me because I modified her gun!

Intelligence level 6 has improved too.
Mercer grumbled to himself as he walked into the bar with her.

The two pushed open the door of Wild Wolf's bar and went inside. The bar was only about half full. V looked around and said, "This place isn't bad, is it?"

"It's alright, it's a little pub, but it feels quite comfortable," Mercer said.

"I'll treat you to some French fries. They were pretty good last time I had them, savory and spicy, really delicious." V pulled him to sit at the bar, generously declaring that she would treat him today.

Mercer asked curiously, "They sell food here? What kind?"

The bartender, who was walking towards him, smiled and looked at Mercer: "These are all Mexican dishes, generally spicy, and the portions are small. They're mostly snacks to go with drinks."

"A beef taco, please. Oh, it's a beef-flavored insect taco." Mercer moved it away disdainfully. "And a small cocoa, please."

V said, "Why do you go to bars all day drinking Coke? Be a man and have a few drinks with the girls."

"Hackers need a clear and calm mind, understand?" Mercer shook his finger. "And drinking too much affects intelligence."

"Get lost! You'll push me too far one day." V ​​shook his fist and flicked his white hair: "A Rabbit God, with ice."

After saying that, V looked at the bartender and said, "Where's Jack? He invited me here, but I haven't seen him anywhere."

"He took two bullets to the arm, and he didn't cover them up properly. He's getting a scolding from his mom right now. Look, that's the bar owner, Jack's mom, Guadalupe Arahandra Wells."

You can just call her Mrs. Wells; that's what everyone here calls her.

After the bartender finished speaking, Mercer and V turned their heads in unison and saw a middle-aged woman with a full head of silver hair walking out from the back of the bar. Her complexion was not very good.

Jack, with a fawning smile, followed her around saying nice things, occasionally gesturing for Mrs. Wilson to look in their direction.

Clearly, he was trying to gain his mother's sympathy by saying things like, "My buddy's here, give me some face."

Mrs. Wilson glanced at V and A a few times, then slapped Jack hard on the back, turned and left with lingering anger, which was the only way she could let him off the hook for the time being.

Jack finally breathed a sigh of relief after she walked away, straightened his back, and swayed over: "Hey! V,A, you're here?"

He greeted her warmly, walked to the seat next to Mercer, and said with a smile as he sat down, "The combination of your two names is quite interesting. I'm almost embarrassed to say A before V."

"Screw you, just call him Mercer then. I don't care what you call him." V finished speaking, then looked at Mercer with a smile: "You didn't tell me before, did you? How did you two meet?"

"I happened to run into him at Old Wei's clinic, where he was taking two of his underlings to load up some things. How should I put it, Jack is a good guy, but the young guys under him are a bit lacking."

"By the way, where are your two little followers today?"

Mercer was telling the truth.

Jack's expression suddenly turned serious. After a long while, he sighed and said, "Yes, they almost made it. In fact, just a few days after they met you, one of them died, and the other is still in the hospital."

Mercer's mind raced back to the news from those days: "The Sixth Street Gang did it? I heard from Night City Dead Lottery that the Sixth Street Gang raided your territory?"

"Yes, I remember that day, late at night, a group of people stormed into our gang's warehouse, set it on fire, and killed a lot of people. We received the news and rushed to provide support, but we were ambushed on the way."

I reacted quickly and hid. Those two idiots, one of them opened the window and leaned out to shoot, but he got shot dead by a single burst of fire.

The remaining one was shot five times, his kidneys were completely destroyed, and he almost didn't make it to the hospital in time.

Jack sighed, "Then those idiots showed up again a few days ago, and we had a huge fight with them on the street. Look at my arm, I still have two holes that haven't healed yet."

"You Valentino gang didn't retaliate?" Mercer retorted. "Don't gangs usually believe in an eye for an eye?"

"Of course we had to fight back. We organized a counterattack yesterday morning, but the situation wasn't very good."

Jack gritted his teeth and said, "The Sixth Street gang got hold of some powerful weapons from somewhere. As soon as we went in, five or six heavy machine guns blew up the lead vehicle in the blink of an eye."

There was also a really skilled sniper, who knows which rooftop he was lying on, aiming. Our gang leader rushed out with his gun, but he didn't kill many before he was shot dead.

With their leader down, the remaining men were unable to mount a proper counterattack against the enemy's overwhelming crossfire.

In the end, they had no choice but to drive away first, and even then, more than twenty of their brothers died on the way.

And guess what? Before our car had even driven a block, the NCPD arrived and arrested half of the rest of us, ostensibly for some gang fight or some other nonsense.

They brought anti-terrorist robots, heavily armed NCPDs, and even armored vehicles. This was a premeditated ambush!

Jack gritted his teeth and said, "In the end, it was the priest who was incredibly resourceful and somehow found out that there was a mole in the gang. That's how we found out that someone in the gang was in cahoots with the Sixth Street gang."

Joder! That bastard was skinned alive by his brothers that very day, forcing his own mother to move out of the neighborhood—she raised a son who betrayed his own people, and the families of those dead brothers must hate her and her son to death.

But it's too late now. So many people have died, almost half of our core fighting force has been wiped out, and half of the remaining brothers have been arrested by the NCPD and are in detention centers. They won't be out for several months, and some may even face serious charges.

Jack sighed heavily, took a bottle of beer from the bartender, and took two big gulps: "The rest of us can only honestly hold onto our own territory for now."

"Damn it, who is that kid?" V cursed indignantly, "What Haywood man would do such a beastly thing?"

“I’m not going to say anything more, Chica. Anyway, he’s already dead. Let God deal with the rest.” Jack said with a somber expression.

After Mercer understood the whole story, he said, "So you're looking for V because..."

"Actually, it's not me looking for him, but the priest who wants to talk to V. You should know him, right? He's the amazing middleman who got out of Heywood, and everyone in Heywood respects him."

As Jack spoke, he turned his head and said, "He's here. This is the priest."

Mercer and V turned their heads at the same time.

A middle-aged man with a receding hairline, wearing a priest's robe and a cross, slowly walked in from outside.

He wore several jewelry rings on his palms, and tattoos were visible on his exposed wrists. Even the cross necklace looked gold. He looked like both a church priest and a gang leader.

The priest sized up the two men for a moment, his gaze finally settling on Mercer, and he smiled: "You must be the famous A, right?"

But Mercer, upon hearing this, suddenly felt a little uneasy.

The moment this line came out
Why do I suddenly feel like this job is likely to be low-paying and demanding?
The priest spoke slowly and deliberately. After nodding to the two of them as a greeting, he said to Jack, "Let's go to the back and talk."

“No problem, there are tables reserved on the second floor,” Jack said.

The priest nodded, then looked at V: "As for Valerie next to you? If I remember correctly..."

And V, unusually, became like a well-behaved girl, nodding respectfully to the priest: "Father, just call me V."

"A and... well, V, are you working together now?" The priest felt it was a bit inappropriate to put the two letters together, so he paused for a moment.

“Yes, I’ll work with him.” V nodded honestly, then couldn’t help but add, “Our official name now is the Fire Seed Squad. Don’t worry about the work, just leave it to us!”
Don't let A's short stature fool you, his skill level is absolutely top-notch!

V gave a thumbs up: "Absolutely the most awesome hacker I've ever seen in my life."

“Yes, that’s what Jack told me too. He must be really good.” The priest smiled and gestured for them to go upstairs together.

Once Mercer and V were seated with him in a quiet booth on the second floor, the priest's expression turned serious, and he got straight to the point: "Since you've already talked to Jack, you probably know why I've called you here today."

“Taking on that Sixth Street gang? I’m definitely no problem!” V assured him, then gave A an awkward smile and said, “But the specifics are up to him.”

"I need you to cause trouble in the Sixth Street gang's territory, by any means necessary, just make them feel the pain."

The priest succinctly stated, "I strongly dislike the Sixth Street Gang's collaboration with the NCPD. Gangs should follow the rules. If they don't follow the rules, neither will the Heywood gang."

Burn down their stronghold, kill all those ambitious men trying to invade Heywood, and then let God judge their crimes.

Mercer asked casually, "What level of achievement is required? How will the compensation be calculated?"

"The base reward is 100,000 euros, but for every one of their strongholds you destroy, I will add another 100,000 euros. I will also give you a target list with three people on it. For every one you take down, I will give you another 50,000 euros."

The priest said calmly, "Theoretically, the highest price is 550,000 euros."

He had expected that the mercenaries opposite him would be somewhat shocked when he said the number, but to his surprise, even V just nodded calmly.

This made the priest immediately reassess the strength of the so-called 'Tinder Squad' in front of him.

Mercer turned to V and said, "This deal looks like it'll keep us quite busy. Considering we have other things piling up, we'll probably have to split up and get this done quickly. Do you want to take it?"

"Let's do it! I'm a Haywood woman, and these idiots from the Sixth Street gang are trying to cause trouble at my house. I'm definitely going to teach them a lesson," V said, rubbing her hands together excitedly.

Mercer nodded, then looked at the priest and said, "Take it. You don't need to look for anyone else. The Sixth Street Gang's level is just right for my men to practice on and test their equipment."

Send me a list, preferably with the danger level indicated, so I can plan my operation.

The priest looked at Mercer meaningfully: "You sound very confident, but A, the Sixth Street gang is not as simple as you think."

"How many people are equipped with cybernetic devices equivalent to S.A.S.A.?" Mercer simply asked.

"Of the three targets on your list, two are opponents of this caliber," the priest said truthfully.

Mercer thought to himself, "So much trouble and so little money."

But then I thought, wouldn't removing an advanced prosthetic body also cost money?

Go to Old Wei's place and prepare some boxes. Then let Pila rummage through them. His arms are from pulling dead bodies, so he definitely won't mind doing similar work.

Take them back, repair them, and then resell them. A prosthetic body of S. A ...

Mercer didn't see anything wrong with it—he was disgusted by the Scavengers because they kidnapped and lured living people to dig out their prosthetic bodies to sell for money, treating people purely as mobile parts to make money.

But Mercer didn't see anything wrong with the enemy he killed looting his equipment.

He also seized a batch of cybernetic bodies from the Cleaners. No one knows where those idiots dug them up, but that didn't stop Mercer from having V deal with them and then taking those cybernetic bodies back to study and sell for money.

Of course, there's no need to keep doing things like digging up corpses; it's somewhat unethical. If the body isn't valuable and there's no need to do it, it's best to leave the body intact.

“Okay, I got it.” Mercer agreed. “I need very detailed information, including information about the outposts, intelligence on high-risk targets, and so on. The more detailed the better.”

"No problem, A. So this order is yours. I was originally planning to have several teams work on it together."

The priest probed.

Mercer nodded decisively: "I won't take this job if you find someone else. It's pointless to go through so much trouble for a few hundred thousand euros and risk offending the Sixth Street Gang."

"Okay." Seeing his confidence, the priest didn't say anything more. Whether it would work or not, they would know after trying it once.

Mercer stood up, extended his hand, and the priest paused for a moment before standing up and shaking his hand as well.

“V is from Haywood, and Jack is also a friend of mine. I won’t haggle over the price for this job. If there are similar jobs in the future, you can introduce them to me. I might be too lazy to do them myself, but my subordinates might be interested.”

If you need any hacking work, feel free to contact me. I have a few hackers working for me; they can handle most small tasks, and I'll step in if they can't.

After Mercer finished speaking, he released the priest's hand, smiled, and said, "So, whether it's simple or complex, our team can handle jobs at different price points. Please continue to guide us in the future."

"okay, I get it."

The priest always judges people by their words and actions. Mercer spoke with great confidence, but in reality, we'll have to see how well he does his job.

People in the mercenary business are a mixed bag. Some talk a good game, but when it comes to actually doing things, they're incredibly sloppy and no different from gangsters.

At the same time, Mercer said with a smile, "In addition, we also take on similar work such as equipment and weapon production and customization. Perhaps you have any channels that can help us ship the goods?"
For example, suicide drones, cheap fully automatic pistols, or standard-issue rifles?

The priest nodded and said gently, "You can prepare a batch of samples for Jack. I'll put in a word with the Valentino gang. As long as your equipment is of high quality, I believe they will be willing to spend money to upgrade their firepower."

Upon hearing this, Mercer's smile widened beneath his mask: "Then thank you, Father."

"You're welcome. Isn't this what middlemen do? If you can handle the commission well, I can also try to help you distribute your goods to other gangs."

After the priest finished speaking, he exchanged a few more polite words with Mercer and V, and then left in a hurry.

V even personally escorted Jack to the door.

"This is the first time I've seen you respect someone so much." Mercer said this to V while eating the fries the bartender had brought him, only after V returned.

V casually picked up a fry and started eating: "To the Haywood people, the priest is more than just a middleman."

When I was a child, I didn't have money for food, but I ate the church's relief meals. This was because the priest had been donating money to the church, and he was the one who called on and organized people to do such things.

Although he started doing business with all sorts of people after becoming a middleman, and no longer just dealing with Heywood people, to be honest, none of the children who grew up in Heywood disrespected him.

In Heywood, regardless of whether you're involved in a gang or what business you're in, you have to understand one thing: respect the priest and obey him.

Mercer concluded: "A community leader, huh?"

"More or less," V said with a shrug.

But then V suddenly became serious and said, "You're busy with biotechnology right now. If you don't have the time or energy to handle this, then leave it to us."

Or we could talk to the priest and postpone this commission until we finish the biotechnology job.

"No, I'm not getting involved in this matter just because the priest asked me to."

As Mercer spoke, his prosthetic eye gleamed. The priest had already sent him the information from his email. After reviewing the data the priest had given him, he indeed found his target.

"You still remember what happened to Rebecca's father, right?" Mercer said.

V was taken aback, then his expression turned serious.

(End of this chapter)