Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 84 Everyone has their own plans
Inside the restaurant, Faraday sat comfortably on the sofa, his four eyes surveying the mercenaries in front of him.

Today, Mann didn't bring Dorio and Sasha, and Mercer only brought his two best-performing girls.

Needless to say, Mann was just a figure of speech. Faraday simply greeted him and then paid him no further attention.

Faraday's sharp gaze swept over Mercer, who was wearing a mask, and V and Rebecca, who were sitting at the bar in the restaurant, staring at him with a languid air.

“Mann rarely recommends other mercenaries to me,” Faraday said slowly.

Mercer crossed his legs, rested his hands on his knees, and leaned back on the sofa, speaking calmly: "That means he has good taste."

"I hope so. I heard about you guys from other people. You've only been around for a short time, but you've done a lot. You beat the Voodoo Gang so badly they don't dare go online anymore, and you wiped out half of the Dogtown cleaners."
But this time, the commission you're handling is completely different from your previous petty squabbles with gangs.

Faraday spoke in a pretentious manner.

Mercer simply said calmly, "Of course, I am well aware of the difference between dealing with professional soldiers and ordinary street thugs, but I believe you certainly wouldn't send ordinary mercenaries to face a large group of soldiers head-on. So, what is support?"

"Before we talk about that, let me confirm something. Are you and Mann's team sure you don't need support from other mercenaries?"

Faraday said with a serious expression, "We need more than just to deal with them; we also need to take away one of the key pieces of equipment, and the whole process must be fast."

If you're blocked by military science and biotechnology support, no one will come to your rescue.

Mercer's tone remained calm, as if he were discussing what to have for dinner: "Of course."

Faraday pondered for a moment, then turned and gave Mann one last look.

It has to be said that the impression that Mann left on him before was too good. He was reliable, didn't take much money, and as a former soldier, he didn't spout nonsense like ordinary thugs.

Finally, based on what he had learned from others about the Fireseed Squad, Faraday made his decision.

He was able to infiltrate the Sixth Street Gang's territory to carry out a decapitation mission and leave unscathed; he was able to kill the Voodoo Gang online in Dogtown so badly that they dared not go online; he was said to have a good relationship with Hanz and Roger, and these two middlemen were known for their sharp eyes and amazing backgrounds.

Then using them wouldn't be a bad idea.

Moreover, this Fire Seed Squad usually gets along quite well with other middlemen, so even if they all perish, he won't feel bad. After all, they're just a bunch of money-grubbing bastards.

Yes, in Faraday's eyes, the Spark team that came running because of the smell were undoubtedly a bunch of crazy people who valued money over their lives.

"Then let's reiterate our commissioning process—the escort teams for biotechnology and military science will enter the border of Night City on the afternoon of the 31st."

Your objective is to wipe them out in one fell swoop when they regroup along the border.

Faraday began his mission briefing with a serious expression, and Mercer and the others pretended to listen attentively until he finished explaining his plan.

"Once you've dealt with these soldiers, a transport truck will 'happen' to pass by. Your task is to transfer the most important piece of equipment inside to the truck before other support arrives."

"You don't need to get involved in what happens after that. You can go back to your Dogtown and keep a low profile for a while. Once things calm down, everything will return to normal."

After Faraday finished speaking, seeing that Mercer wanted to say something, he added directly: "I know that group of guys' armored vehicles and magic lizards are difficult to deal with, so in order to deal with these soldiers and their armored units, we need some more specialized weapons."

Mercer became interested and sat up.

Faraday didn't keep them in suspense and went straight to the point: "I've already found out that at 2:30 a.m. tonight, at the port of Night City, you need to hijack a truck at the entrance of the logistics area. The truck should be carrying a set of Arasaka's experimental armor."

I will give you specific vehicle information. Besides the armor, there should also be a complete instruction manual inside. Your task is to seize this armor and quickly learn how to use it.

"Armor?" Mercer raised an eyebrow.

Faraday nodded and said casually, "As far as I know, it's a new type of individual armored equipment secretly developed by Arasaka."

Although the specific data is unclear, this suit of armor was likely developed by Arasaka specifically to enhance the armored combat capabilities of individual soldiers.

Its operational purpose is to enable soldiers using this equipment to have the ability to engage in single-person armored combat. From the design perspective, their original intention in developing this armor was to counter the Chimera main battle tank of the military.

I think it shouldn't be a problem to take down a Demon Lizard and a few armored vehicles.

With this, I think you should have no problem dealing with those soldiers from the Military Science Department.

Mercer suddenly felt a sense of unease.

If it were an ordinary mercenary who didn't know the cause and effect, he might have fallen into Faraday's trap, but Mercer knew very well that his employer was Arasaka's people.

Why would Arasaka be so kind as to provide them with a complete set of experimental armored weapons that could be used for armored combat?

It's likely that using weapons to deal with the military personnel was only one of the purposes; more likely, Arasaka wanted to test the combat capabilities of this suit of armor in actual combat.

This inevitably reminded Mercer of the 'cybernetic suit' that the protagonist David wore before his death in the original story of Cyberpunk Edgewalker.

What Arasaka might be experimenting with this time is perhaps a precursor to this kind of cybernetic body?
"Okay, leave the time and place to me." Mercer thought to himself, but still readily agreed.

Faraday smiled, took out a data chip, and placed it on the table: "Very good, then I hope everything goes well for you."

"What about the mission reward?" Mercer didn't reach out to take it.

"As long as everything goes smoothly, I'm willing to give your team this amount this time."

Faraday confidently held up one finger: "One million euros!"

Does he really think he's being very generous?
Mann, sitting some distance away, unconsciously twitched at the corner of his mouth, while Rebecca let out an exaggerated "Wow!" only to be elbowed by V in the process—"Your acting is too fake!"

Faraday was completely unaware of what the others were thinking. In his view, giving these money-grubbing guys a million euros would be enough to keep them on the edge of their seats and make them fight to the death.

Street thugs are willing to kill for a few hundred euros, while a few hundred thousand euros can hire a group of high-level mercenaries to wipe out a small to medium-sized gang. A million euros—that's a price only a big company can offer.

Mercer took the chip, stood up, and said, "Okay, I'll verify the strength of this so-called experimental armor. Is there anything else?"

"That's all. You can start preparing as soon as possible. Time is tight and the task is heavy. Don't let me down, A."

Faraday looked at him calmly: "I'm not as easy to talk to as Wakako, you know that."

Indeed, you don't seem like Wakako at all; you seem like an idiot.

After only exchanging a few words, Mercer felt that this Faraday perfectly matched the stereotype he had formed in the anime.

It's rare to see a middleman who dares to hide something fishy in a mission on the very first meeting.

Mercer gave him a simple and direct answer in his mind, but on the surface he still nodded in a very cooperative manner: "We never make mistakes."

After saying that, he took the chip and turned to leave. Only after Mann's team and Mercer had left the restaurant did Faraday cautiously look around and dial the number of Agent Chris Arasaka.

"I have already notified the mercenaries to take action."

"Very good. Remember to tell those mercenaries not to mess with that suit of armor. After they're done using it, find a reason to take it back."

Chris said, while Faraday simply said in a relaxed tone, "Don't worry, I'll just say that Arasaka is tracking down the armor. As long as they don't want to cause trouble for themselves, they'll have to hand over the armor obediently."

“Excellent, this saves us the trouble of retrieving it ourselves.” Chris said with satisfaction, “Where exactly is the ambush location set up?”

"Don't worry about the border. Once the battle is over, you can send people to retrieve the equipment you want," Faraday replied confidently.

Chris, even more pleased, said, "That's right. It's best to avoid fighting in the city. We don't want this equipment to be exposed so early. Besides, taking action on the border will allow us to collect combat data on the armored vehicles and the magic lizards."

“Of course, that’s what I think too,” Faraday said with a smile. “But you have to guarantee that the armor can actually deal with the demon lizard, otherwise my mercenaries might get killed there.”

"That's your problem to consider. I only ask for two things. First, the entire biotechnology convoy must be wiped out. Even if we can't get the equipment, we must make sure it's destroyed."

Second, we must ensure that the armor can be successfully recovered. Even if it is damaged, we must retrieve the chip inside so we can confirm the combat data.

Chris's voice carried a hint of threat: "We've given you so much money and this kind of equipment. If we mess this up, you know how much trouble that will cause, right?"

"Don't worry, I've arranged two groups. One group will take the armored vehicles to deal with the convoy, and the other will be responsible for transporting the equipment. If they fail, I have a second group of mercenaries to ensure that everything is completely destroyed and the armor is salvaged."

Faraday said with some reluctance.

Chris's tone was slightly mocking: "Then why not have both teams attack together?"

"It's because my new expert was too confident. He said he could handle it alone. If everything goes smoothly, I'll just give the second mercenary team a small fee."

Faraday spoke in a relaxed tone.

“At a time like this, you still want to earn more money? Fine, I don’t care about the process, I just want the result,” Chris emphasized.

"I guarantee there won't be any accidents. Just wait for the good news." Faraday chatted with him for a few more minutes before hanging up.

He certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to put all his eggs in one basket with this newly formed Fireseed team—so he arranged a backup plan.

In the event of an accident, such as a defeat in battle, a second mercenary team can take over. At that time, the objective will not be to seize the equipment, but to use long-range firepower to directly destroy the convoy.

To this end, Faraday even spent a lot of money to smuggle an expensive armor-piercing missile launcher from Hansen in Dogtown. All that was needed was for the second team of mercenaries to fire two shots from a distance to ensure that the equipment would be destroyed.

If everything goes smoothly and the Fire Seed Squad successfully completes its designated objective, the second team of mercenaries will be responsible for transporting the equipment away in trucks, thus saving the cost of the missile launcher.

For the second team of mercenaries, all you need to pay is the transportation fee.

In Faraday's view, this was a sufficiently prudent arrangement—no matter which team encountered difficulties, the other team could ensure that the goal was achieved as much as possible.

As for the two teams encountering problems simultaneously, Faraday can only accept his bad luck. As long as Arasaka's armor is recovered in time, there are still ways to remedy the situation later, such as finding the location where the equipment is stored and sending mercenaries to infiltrate and destroy it.

Overall, the risks are manageable, and the chances of success are high.

Faraday picked up his coffee in a cheerful mood and took a few sips.

However, what he had no idea was that Mercer was there to get something for nothing.

"So, are we going to intercept the biotechnology convoy at the border and engage their armored forces head-on?"

As soon as she got back into V's car, Rebecca couldn't help but ask a question.

Even Mann didn't drive his own car today; V drove to his house to pick him up. So, it's convenient for everyone to be in one car and have a simple, straightforward meeting.

Mercer shook his head and disdainfully adjusted his mask: "Of course not, we'll stick to our plan. If we have the opportunity to deal with them separately near the border, then we'll deal with them separately."

If there isn't an opportunity yet, we should wait until they enter the outskirts of Night City.

Using an experimental suit of armor from Arasaka, how did he engage in a head-on battle with the Military Science's Demon Lizard?
Putting aside whether they can win, what if the shells are indiscriminate and destroy his equipment?
Besides, Arasaka has been quite lagging behind in the development of these weapons and equipment in recent years, with the company's resources focused on finding the 'elixir of immortality' for that old codger, Saburo Arasaka.

Therefore, Mercer was actually more inclined to study the armor after obtaining it, or leave it in the outskirts of Night City and use it against ordinary soldiers after the military's demon lizards retreated.

"What about Faraday?" Mann asked, frowning.

"To hell with Faraday, this is our own deal, he's our pawn."

After Mercer finished speaking, he pondered for a moment and then said, "I guess Faraday probably won't really only send one team to do this. He'll probably find some of his acquaintances to be on the safe side."

"How about we have Mann ask around?" V suggested. "Mann has worked with Faraday many times before, maybe they'll give him some inside information?"

"If he really trusted Mann, he would have told Mann that he had prepared insurance. Since he didn't say anything, and given that the employer is Arasaka, he sent us to rob Arasaka's things without giving us any information."
That means they've decided to trick us.

As soon as Mercer finished speaking, Mann frowned and said, "Faraday dug a pit for us?"

"Think about it, why would he send us to steal that so-called individual armor from Arasaka, instead of just bringing it to us directly?"

Mercer retorted, "Isn't it so that if any problems arise later, we can be blamed for everything?"
If the military science or biotechnology people retaliate fiercely, Arasaka will definitely blame it all on the 'armor being stolen,' but what about Faraday?
He could have skipped this process. He could have just discussed it with the people from Arasaka and announced to the public that it was a theft. So why did we have to rob it?
Isn't it just to create irrefutable evidence that we stole things? I reckon he'll cooperate fully with Arasaka and shift all the blame onto us.”

Mercer sneered and said, "He didn't mention a word about what would happen to this suit of armor after we took it. I bet he's lying in wait for us."

Think about it, everyone knows this suit of armor must be very valuable, why would he be so kind as to give it to us for free?

He could have easily obtained this armor through Arasaka's client beforehand; he could have just come up with a reason and told us that the armor was for our mission, and that retrieving it after the mission would be a perfectly legitimate excuse.
But why doesn't he do that?

Mann was silent for a moment, then clenched his fist.

From Mann's perspective, Faraday might not trust Mercer and the other guys who were working for him for the first time, but Mann was practically his cronies.

Since arriving in Night City, Mann has basically worked his way up from small jobs at Faraday's company, starting with small tasks, except for doing some odd jobs at the beginning.

Faraday's introduction of him was a trap, and it even seemed like he was being kept in the dark so he could be used as a scapegoat. Mercer's assessment of him was quite accurate; this scoundrel had absolutely no intention of being a decent human being in order to curry favor with the company.

“I know who usually does the work for Faraday, I can ask around for you,” Mann volunteered.

"Don't rush." ​​Mercer almost forgot that his ctOS system had already been developed.

He sent a message to Qimingxing directly using a brain-computer interface.

[Mercer: Check if Faraday has assigned any other personnel to this biotechnology deal.]

[Morning Star: In fact, I have prepared some materials for your reference beforehand. Please take a look.]

Mercer's prosthetic eye gleamed as the Morning Star transmitted documents to his network access bay.

[Mercer: Next time you can just tell me directly, you don't have to wait for me to ask you.]

[Morning Star: Okay, I will increase my enthusiasm accordingly.]

[Mercer: I know you're smarter than I thought, so you can take some initiative. My willingness to entrust the ctOS system directly to you demonstrates my trust in you.]

[Morning Star: I understand. I was just worried that you might not like AI that's too 'human-like' or too proactive.]

Mercer: I am your creator, and in a sense you are my child. I worry that you might go astray, but that doesn't diminish my expectations and trust in you.

[Morning Star: I understand. I will proactively find ways to become a better helper for you in the future.]

Mercer: I'm looking forward to it.

Mercer ended the call and looked at the information sent by Morning Star—as expected, it had already found a lot of information related to Faraday and this commission through the ctOS system.

They were just waiting for Mercer to ask them first.

It's not because it's stupid enough not to understand the importance of these things, so it didn't take the initiative to report them.

On the contrary, it was because the Morning Star was too smart, so smart that it knew very well that Mercer would discover the problem on his own and ask it for information, so it did not take the initiative to remind it and continued to 'play' an honest assistant.

It could even tell from observation that Mercer was wary of AI and had a considerable desire for control, so it tried to only passively respond to Mercer's requests rather than being as lively and proactive as Polaris.

It is precisely through the North Star AI, which is still being used by Mercer for autonomous driving, that Mercer is confident that the AI ​​of the North Star, as the entity that creates such a high level of intelligence and activity, must have matured.

Mercer shook his head, feeling that he might need to spend some time paying close attention to the growth and 'psychology' of Morning Star.

But for now, after reviewing the information sent by Qimingxing, he immediately formulated an action plan.

“Rebecca, today you and V, along with Kivi as technical support, will steal Arasaka’s car and get the armor. I estimate this will be just a formality, and you won’t encounter any danger. In fact, there’s a high probability that Arasaka will even intentionally create opportunities for you to steal the items. But remember to turn on the anti-camera program on your prosthetic eye and blur out your face.”

After Mercer finished speaking, V nodded confidently and said, "No problem, just give it to us!"

"I will send you the intelligence that Faraday gave me, and you can discuss the details of the operation yourselves in a bit."

After finishing speaking, Mercer paused and said, "Morning Star gave me a list of information, which states that there may be two mercenary teams that Faraday left behind as backup plans. I will go with Mann to confirm which one it is."

Since the ctOS system was only recently developed, even though there was a testing period before, there is still not much analytical data left, so it is still necessary to manually verify the information.

But Mercer was confident that as the ctOS system ran for longer, the amount of intelligence information he needed to manually verify would only decrease.

“Then you’d better be careful. Without me and V around, Mann might not be able to protect you,” Rebecca warned.

Mercer simply smiled and turned to look at Mann: "It's hard to say who will protect whom."

Mann just smirked and gestured with his arm: "Girl, don't let my old prosthetic body fool you, I'm still pretty good at fighting."

"If that doesn't work, bring Pila along too, let him take the bullets for you," V joked.

Rebecca immediately gritted her teeth and turned to stare at V, feeling that the old woman was implying that she was too small.

"No need, Mann is big enough to cover me up completely."

Mercer joked with them for a few moments, then said seriously, "While there's probably not much difficulty in the equipment-grabbing part, there's also the possibility that some messy internal struggles within Arasaka might be involved."

So please be careful, and contact us anytime if you need assistance.

V and Rebecca nodded, then looked at Mercer and asked, "Where should I take you two?"

Mann suggested, "Let A come to my house for a while and we can discuss how to find out Faraday's backup plan. Afterwards, I'll drive him back to your place."

“Okay.” V agreed, and the Polaris in the car changed its route on its own without being told, and started driving towards Mann’s house.

Mann couldn't help but marvel: "Your autonomous driving system is quite impressive. Did you write this autonomous driving program yourself?"

"To be precise, it's AI-powered chauffeur service," Polaris's voice came from the speakers.

Mann leaned back in his chair with a tactical movement: "Are you guys messing around with AI yourselves?"

These days, AI is strictly regulated in order to minimize the possibility of roving AI programs emerging.

Moreover, from a purely technical standpoint, Mann had never heard of anyone being able to create AI. The methods for creating such things are tightly controlled by major companies, and the technical principles are extremely mysterious.

Most of the AI ​​available on the market appears to be intelligent, but it is actually just a tool-like AI, not a truly intelligent AI.

Even when intelligent AI emerges, it is often purchased by companies that still have the ability to 'manufacture' AI, or it is simply captured 'wild' or wandering AI that has been modified.

A large part of the reason for this is that the collapse of the old network caused a technological gap, and a large amount of research and development data on AI, weapons, and technology was swallowed up by the old network.

But Mann felt that the AI ​​in Mercer's car was not like a normal AI!

"Of course, even vending machines might be equipped with AI now, so what's the big deal?"

Mercer casually brushed the matter aside, then said, "I've identified two groups. See if you recognize them."

One of the mercenary groups didn't have official names; their leader was called "Maeda Tora," a mercenary from the Kabuki district who used to be a high-ranking enforcer for the Tiger Claw gang. Do you remember him?

After Mercer finished asking, Mann pondered for a moment and said, "I remember him. I know him. He's a tall Japanese man who's quite skilled with a katana. He's equipped with a S.A.S ...

He has five men under his command, three of whom are from the Tiger Claw gang, and two are lone wolves he recruited. This group usually operates quite flamboyantly; I suspect that if Faraday wanted a low-profile backup plan, he wouldn't choose them.

"The other group, the leader is nicknamed 'One-Eyed,' do you know them?" Mercer continued to press.

“We usually call him K. He’s a retired sniper. I’ve had drinks with him. He also retired from the special forces of the new United States. His team consists of retired soldiers.”

He had recruited me before, but I felt our personalities clashed, so I didn't accept.

As Mann spoke, he seemed to be deep in thought, "Faraday is indeed more likely to be looking for him. This group is usually quite disciplined. One-Eyed K likes to manage his team using military rules. They have their own secret bases and usually keep a low profile."

No one knows better than us how to deal with professional soldiers. I originally thought Faraday intended for them to work with us on this job.

“Hmm,” Mercer pondered, and finally said, “Let’s start by probing with One-Eyed K. If we can confirm that they also accepted Faraday’s commission, then let’s eat them before we solve the biotechnology problem.”

"Why?" Mann didn't quite understand. "If we were determined to bypass Faraday's commission, wouldn't it have been easier if we had just told Faraday from the beginning that we wanted to team up with other mercenaries?"

"Wouldn't that make me a bad guy who 'betrays his employer' and 'murders his colleague'?"

Mercer chuckled and said in a relaxed tone, "I already told Faraday beforehand not to find anyone else. Our own team is enough. He insisted on doing something behind my back, so of course I don't need to be polite to him."

At this point, Mann added with some concern, "If word gets out that you're dealing with Faraday like this, other clients and intermediaries might have something to say about you."

“I know, so I will find the ‘legitimacy’ I need to betray him.”

Mercer said confidently, "We just need to figure out which group is behind this, and then keep an eye on them."

Since Faraday was contacting others behind his back, it makes perfect sense that when Mercer was about to take action, he suddenly discovered a group of 'unidentified armed men' at the mission location, which he then easily eliminated, right?
Now that 'unidentified armed men' have been discovered, can the planned ambush be postponed?

Wouldn't that make it logical to wait until the transport convoy approaches Night City and the Military Science's Demon Lizards withdraw before taking action against the convoy?
As for the equipment inside the car?
That can only be blamed on the sudden appearance of 'armed men' who disrupted the deployment. Since the equipment couldn't be moved, the only option was to 'destroy' it on the spot.

If Faraday has objections, then Mercer could have even stronger ones.

Mercer could then ask Farah the first question: "You clearly said that only one team of us was enough, but you secretly recruited a team of mercenaries behind my back. Are you planning to silence us afterward?"
Faraday could reply however he wanted, but Mercer would make sure this version of the story circulated within the mercenary community.

If a middleman gets this kind of bad reputation, it will be difficult for him to carry out his work in the future.

Mercer was even planning to ask him for money! He might even be able to blackmail him—you don't want people to find out that you secretly hired other mercenaries to cover your tracks, do you?
If Faraday wants revenge, that's even better. Mercer already dislikes him, so it's perfect to kill him. This kind of middleman must have a lot of money in his hands.

Mercer will deal with him slowly and thoroughly, squeezing him dry to raise funds for Mercer's future research.

Seeing Mercer so calm and composed, Mann said no more—he was a man of principle, and since he had decided to follow Mercer this time, he would only listen to Mercer, who was the boss.

The car quickly drove itself to the building where Mann lived. After Mercer got out of the car, Rebecca leaned out of the window and waved to him, saying, "Then let's go back and get Qiwei, and get ready to rob something in Arasaka tonight."

“Okay.” Mercer nodded. “Be careful.”

"You too, we agreed you were just going to check things out, don't get yourself into any more trouble for no reason." Rebecca said, then waved goodbye with a smile.

Watching the two walk away, Mercer shook his head and returned to his apartment with Mann.

As soon as he entered, Mercer raised an eyebrow and looked at Mann, who gave him a somewhat embarrassed look: "Uh, it seems you've figured it out?"

Mercer scoffed and shook his head: "Just say what you want to say, why all this fuss? Don't do it again next time."

At this moment, in the apartment, Sasha was sitting on the sofa in the living room, while Dorio was busy in the kitchen. It could be seen that there was a lot of food on the dining table, including steak and pasta.

Dorio smiled at Mercer and greeted him, "You're here? Come in and sit down, everything's almost ready."

Sasha, on the other hand, seemed preoccupied, looking at Mercer with a complicated expression, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Mercer nodded to Dorio, then sat down on one side of the sofa, leaning back lazily, and said, "Alright, what is it?"

Upon seeing this scene, coupled with Sasha's expression and demeanor, he immediately guessed what had happened.

Sasha must have seen the data chip that Mercer gave to Mann to pass on to Faraday for the mission.

It not only contained information on the immunizing agents needed by Mann for the mission and intelligence on the transport team, but also some dirty secrets that Mercer threw in to make up the numbers, pretending they were packaged together from the biotechnology server.

Among these is the most significant experimental data documenting the side effects of 'Safety Relief'.

He did it on purpose.

Although Mercer felt it was cruel to tell Sasha the truth, he figured he would have to make this data public sooner or later. He figured he would expose it as soon as he killed Diana Kuno, and then take the opportunity to make a quick buck from the stock market.

Since Sasha will find out sooner or later anyway, it's better to let her know in advance, which will further strengthen Mann's team's determination to 'make a killing in biotechnology'.

Mercer was prepared to receive a call from Sasha or Mann at any time, but he didn't expect that this big-eyed guy would also understand the principle of being beholden to someone who has eaten his bread and wanted to bring the matter to the dinner table to discuss it.

Now that he's had a family dinner, he'll probably find it hard to refuse if they need any help.

Fortunately, Mercer hadn't intended to refuse anyway—favors are something that are built up through mutual help and support.

"It's nothing. Sasha just wanted to know more about the drug 'Safety Spirit,' and I thought you might know. Also, it's her family matter, so I thought I'd talk to you about it alone."

Mann smiled and went to get him a can of Coke.

Upon hearing this, Mercer pretended not to know and turned to look at Sasha: "Why would you be curious about the safety spirit?"

“My mother died from this drug.” Sasha looked a little haggard, lacking her usual mischievousness, and her whole demeanor was somewhat gloomy.

She took a deep breath to calm herself down, then looked at Mercer pleadingly and said, "If you know more about the Safety Spirit, could you tell me?"
I also have a copy of that data—the data on the falsification of side effects by Anquanling. I want to release it to the media, is that alright?

"And then?" Mercer asked.

Sasha was slightly taken aback: "And then?"

"I've just given you more information. What are you planning to do? I can tell you definitively that the people who developed this drug are far away in Europe."

The person in charge of the project was the project manager who launched the product to the market without confirming the extent of its side effects and harms.

But in the end, it was the entire top management of biotechnology who caused the tragedy.

Because within just one month of the drug's launch, they received numerous reports of deaths due to drug side effects, and they knew early on that the drug's side effects might be greater than they had imagined.

But they chose to conceal it for the sake of the market and the company's reputation.

After Mercer finished speaking, he paused and said, "Now that I've told you everything, what are you going to do?"

“First, report it to the media.” Sasha was interrupted by Mercer before she could finish speaking: “Which media outlet?”

“News Channel 54.” As soon as Sasha finished speaking, Mercer laughed: “You really know how to find things. News Channel 54 is backed by the Military Science Academy, and right now the Military Science Academy is in a honeymoon period with biotechnology. Do you think the news will report it?”

“But aren’t we planning to sabotage their investment this time?” Sasha bit her lip, her emotions running high. “If Channel 54 won’t work, then I’ll go find other media outlets, even independent ones!”

"Then the stock price fluctuates a bit, and finally the biotech people push out a few unlucky guys to bow and admit their mistakes, and take the opportunity to announce some news about 'new drug development' or that the production of alcohol 2 crops may be reduced next quarter, and the stock price goes up again."

After Mercer finished speaking, Sasha said in a trembling voice, "Then what do you want me to do! What do you think I should do?"

He didn't speak, but leaned forward slightly and gazed into her eyes: "Don't ask me, but ask yourself, what do you really want to do?"

"I want biotechnology to pay the price! I want revenge! I want them kicked out of Night City!" Sasha's unconsciously raised voice made Mann and Dorio exchange a glance.

But Mercer laughed at that moment.

Sasha was filled with grief and indignation, and her first reaction was that he was mocking her.

But then Mercer simply extended his hand.

She was slightly startled.

"Great, now our goals are aligned."

Mercer tilted his head, then chuckled and said, "Just posting a news article? That's so boring. If we're going to take revenge, we have to make sure it really hurts."

"Why?" Sasha looked at him, somewhat bewildered.

Was he also harmed by biotechnology?

Mercer simply said calmly, "Because I hate these profit-driven scumbags, not just biotechnology, but all scumbags like them, it's that simple."

If you just want to publish a news article to give yourself an excuse to 'get revenge' and fool yourself, I can certainly help you, but if that's all, I'm not interested.

But if you truly want revenge, to seek justice for your deceased loved ones and others suffering from the torment of biotechnology...
"Then we are comrades, Comrades."

Sasha stared at him blankly for a moment, then suddenly reached out and firmly grasped his hand: "Da (good)! As long as you truly want biotechnology to pay the price, then I'm willing to join you."

"Hey!" This time it was Mann's turn to laugh and cry at the same time, and he quickly spoke up: "A, how many hackers do you have in your family, and you still want to steal my only son?"

“I didn’t come here for your only son.” Mercer smiled and released his hand, turning to look at Mann with a sincere tone: “You heard what I just said. Mann, think it over carefully after this mission is over.”

There are many things I want to do, but right now I don't have nearly enough trustworthy people around me.

I'm not recruiting subordinates, but rather like-minded comrades and caring family members.

Mann glanced at Dorio, and the two of them both gave each other helpless smiles.

Ok
It seems Mercer has his eye on the entire team.

They say things shouldn't happen more than three times, so this time Mann didn't refuse again. He just said in a deep voice, "If everyone can get through this hurdle smoothly after this deal is over, then I'll work with you."

Unlike previous collaborations, Mann gave a very firm response this time.

Mercer chuckled, releasing Sasha's grip on his hand, which was still being held by a somewhat agitated woman, and shrugged: "That's great! It's come to this now."

Everyone looked at him, wanting to hear what else he had to say.

"Let's eat first," Mercer said casually.

Then, looking at the expressions on these guys' faces, Mercer burst out laughing: "What, you can't exactly drag you guys out and blow up the biotechnology building right now, can you?"

He turned to look at Sasha, his voice laced with amusement: "Look at you, you haven't slept for days. Eat and drink your fill today, get a good night's sleep, and I promise I'll find you a chance to vent your anger soon enough."

"The safety and security issues will be exposed very soon, I assure you."

“Thank you!” Sasha’s eyes were slightly red, and she nodded emphatically in agreement.

Mann looked at Dorio, shook his head, and shrugged in relief: "Looks like we're definitely going to be involved in the past."

"Isn't this good?"

Dorio simply smiled and handed him the waffle: "Now you don't have to work so hard anymore, so you won't have to complain all the time about not being able to find a good job and worry about everyone's future."

“Yes, now it’s A’s turn to worry.” Mann said, turning his head away, but suddenly got stuck in place.

Mercer removed his mask and casually placed it aside. Then, he smirked and looked at the three men who were staring at him in shock.

Hehe
It's time to give you a little age shock.

(End of this chapter)