Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 21 Target: The Chaotic Blade Society!
"Yes!" came a somewhat muffled voice.

In this wilderness, the outside network signal becomes very unstable because in today's cyber world, there is no longer a public network that can connect the whole world.

Yes, there are only city networks built by various cities, and various company intranets built by the companies themselves.

On this continent, internet censors and New America are trying their best to restore a new network that can once again cover the entire North American continent, but the difficulty of this is self-evident.

On the one hand, everyone is afraid that the old network will collapse again and that AI will kill people along the network cable. On the other hand, it also involves the interests of companies such as 'Pyramid Network'.

So in this desolate wilderness, getting online depends entirely on luck. Sometimes you're lucky enough to connect to some unknown public network, and sometimes you're unlucky enough to only get a basic communication signal.

Moreover, since it is now the end of 2071, only a year after the end of the unification war launched by the new United States, many public communication devices damaged in the war are still in a state of not being repaired.

Mercer was somewhat unskilled at controlling the glider's descent, but he eventually managed to land it smoothly on the ground. After opening the door, he pushed open the hatch, took a deep breath, and was immediately enveloped by the strong scent of the wilderness.

The sand mixed with a stench that was probably from hyenas—ah, that's the smell of freedom!
"Where is this?"

As Xingzi laboriously carried a refrigerator to the ground, she curiously looked around.

"In the desolate wilderness of Montana, on the edge of an abandoned town called 'Stone Town'."

We'll get off here, then go to town to find the car I booked, and then drive along the highway to Wyoming, and then to Colorado.

These states are all members of the 'Free States Coalition', so there are no border posts, and you can drive straight along the highway.

We don't enter any cities; we only resupply from the towns along the way and from the gas stations of Peizhuo Petrochemical.

After that, we need to stockpile enough supplies in Colorado, travel through the Badlands to Utah, and finally enter Nevada, from where we can take the highway directly into Northern California.

"Just follow the highway, and we can go directly into Night City."

Mercer stretched, and the four hours of autopilot had actually given him a good rest, relieving much of the headache.

The Relic chip seemed to constantly emit some kind of magical bio-current, giving him a feeling of being gently massaged on the head, which was quite comfortable.

When Arasaka comes up with these fancy things, he actually has some skill.

"You've already reserved a car? Do we have the money to buy one?" Kyoko asked, somewhat surprised.

"Huh, do we have to pay for things? Haha, anyway, let's move the stuff first, I'll tell you the details later."

"Okay. Montana, is this part of New America?"

Kyoko doesn't know much about this because the Metal War, which is the war of unification waged by the New United States against the Free States, took place in 2069-2070.

Meanwhile, everyone had already been sent to the isolated underground facilities of the base.

"Let's just say it."

As Mercer got out of the car to help unload the goods, he casually tossed the still-dazed Secretary Inoue aside and said:

"As everyone knows, the main purpose of the unification war was for the new United States, with the support of military technology, to try to reclaim all the independent states."

Despite having Arasaka's covert support, the Free State Alliance, composed of independent states, ultimately lost.

However, from the perspective of the free states, although they had signed a 'unity treaty' with the new United States, the states still retained their autonomy.

Moreover, the new United States was ultimately deterred by Arasaka's aircraft carriers at Night City, ending the war. So those politicians shamelessly claimed that they had won the war and that they were still 'free'.

So if you ask New Americans if this is New America, those guys will definitely say 'Of course it is'.

But if you ask people in these states this question, they'll say, "Fuck the new America, we are independent Montana people."

Mercer's words made Kyoko suddenly realize, "So, this place is actually still considered Arasaka's territory?"

"That's not wrong. Arakasaka's influence here still far exceeds that of the Military Science Department."

However, because Arasaka didn't dare to directly intervene this time, only providing weapons and equipment, the Military Science's influence in these independent states has increased significantly after losing the war.

Mercer summarized, finally finished moving all the luggage, and then called to Earth for help: "Come on, give me a hand, throw this guy into the cockpit."

Tetsuya Daichi walked over and, with a quick heave, hoisted Secretary Inoue up onto his shoulder. Mercer blinked, and in the end, he simply helped support Secretary Inoue's legs before stuffing him into the cockpit.

Mercer then lay on the cockpit, pulled the data cable out of Inoue's hand, and tossed an empty Relic chip cooler to his side.

Then he connected his data cable to the car's infotainment system, flashed the software, changed the car's authentication to his own, and deleted the previous usage records.

Finally, after setting up an autopilot program, Mercer used his network access module to deliver a final, ruthless blow to Secretary Inoue.

Make sure he doesn't wake up before the car reaches its destination, then immediately begin programming.

He connected his bio-monitoring prosthetic to the vehicle's infotainment system, and then wrote a synaptic melting program in the system.

If his brainwaves become abnormal, that is, if he awakens, then his head will be burned off by the synaptic melting of the car's infotainment system, as he is directly connected to the car's infotainment system via the connection wires in his body.

Mercer then wrote an automatic deletion program to ensure that the car's infotainment system would not be able to find any information about him when it was checked later. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, climb out of the cockpit, and close the door.

"Alright, our Secretary Inoue, no, he's an FIA (New America's intelligence organization, short for Joint Intelligence Agency) agent from New America, who will head straight for the heart of New America and the Military Science Institute, only to die in the car halfway there."

When someone discovered the car had landed in the wilderness, Agent Inoue's brain had been damaged by a hacker, and everything inside had vanished.
"Hey, let them investigate on their own. If they're lucky, some homeless person or a rogue might find it first and dismantle the car, making the clues even more confusing." Mercer watched with satisfaction as the hovercar automatically took off, accelerated, and sped away into the distance.

"And we were just a bunch of small-time hackers who took advantage of the chaos to escape, although some people might suspect us."
But who would have thought that a group of small-time hackers could handle server security on their own, kill so many agents, brazenly steal a hovercar and escape without leaking a single message?

Mercer finished moving his things, wiped his sweat, and then sat down with a smile on a refrigerated box containing his prosthetic body.

He checked the refrigerator's battery level—it was okay, it should last another week without any problem. After that, he could just find a place to charge it; a full charge would last for half a month.

"What's next?"

Lucy, clutching her pistol, climbed to the top of the hill, lay down, and cautiously observed the town in the distance before asking Mercer a question.

"What's the first step to venturing into the wilderness? Of course, it's getting a sturdy and durable vehicle, along with ample supplies."

The loot is in the town, which is the territory of a small gang of thieves. They usually rob other roads, bring the stolen goods here, and then go to the city to sell them.

I looked around from the hovercar just now, and it seems there's no one inside for the time being, but we still need to be cautious, just in case.

Mercer also took out his specially made pistol and demonstrated it, skillfully aiming, disengaging the safety, and loading the gun.

Although the 'Mercer' in his memory had undergone basic shooting training, this was the first time he had ever handled a real gun.

Unable to resist the urge, he pressed the charging button. With a soft hiss, two tungsten-tipped bullets were launched, kicking up a cloud of dust in the distance.

"Wow~"

He let out a soft sigh, then smiled and said:

"Check all the weapons and equipment. I'll go see if there's anyone in town."

If there are any people around, they've most likely already noticed that our hovercraft has been parked behind the hillside for a while.

"So..." The children's expressions became tense again.

"Hmm~ The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak and the wicked devour each other, is a classic experience you can't escape in this wilderness, in this cyber world!"

Mercer laughed and grabbed two grenades, stuffing them into his lower back. Then he said casually:
"Be careful when you open fire. After all, you've all passed the chip training exam at Arasaka Academy. Don't lose points when dealing with a few bandits and robbers."

“We connect our own people through the network, and if we see the enemy, we can illuminate the opponent in our righteous eyes.”

Kyoko raised her hand and suggested, "I brought my laptop, let's try to find a Wi-Fi signal in this town now."

"good idea."

Mercer praised, "With me here, you don't need to worry about the hackers on the other side getting into our sub-network and turning it into a blackout."

"What if we see someone?" Leon nervously picked up his rifle and, like Lucy, stood on the edge of the hill, observing the town not far away.

"Don't worry, we'll kill every single one of them here, no matter who they are."

Mercer spoke calmly, stood up, and walked to the edge of the slope.

In view, the dilapidated town remained peaceful.

After observing for a while, Kyoko's voice rang out.

"I didn't find any network signal, only some signals from fixed devices. I estimate there's probably no one there."

"Then let's sneak over and take a look. Be careful, spread out. Anzu, you stay on high ground and keep an eye on my precious prosthetic body. We'll come pick you up once we get a car."

Mercer made his judgment.

"Received! Please be very careful!" Kyoko said worriedly.

Mercer raised his pistol, carrying only one magazine, stood up straight at the top of the hill, and then, looking at the slope with an incline of about forty degrees, jumped down and then jogged down the hill.

Lucy quickly followed and sent him a message using the connected subnet.

[Lucy: What kind of stealth is that?!]

[Mercer: We've taken care of everyone who saw us. Who says we weren't stealthy?]

[Leon: Wait for me! Wait for me!]

The four of them rushed down the hillside and headed straight for the town.

"Idiot!" Kyoko hurriedly opened her eyes wide and tried to scan the town from above with her prosthetic eye.

Just as Mercer rushed to the back of the town's buildings, Anzu suddenly looked up and gazed into the distance.

In the distance, dust suddenly rose—the tracks of the convoy!
[Apricot: Quick! Quick, get hidden! Someone's coming!]

[Mercer: Received.]

[Mercer: Ready! Once I confirm they're from the Chaotic Blade Society, I'll leave no one alive!]

(End of this chapter)