Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 80 The Day of Revenge
The casinos run by the Sixth Street gang are always booming.

After Mercer casually used the gasoline in his car to burn down the two-story building that the Sixth Street gang used for pharmaceuticals, he took Rebecca to the vicinity of the casino.

Even without entering, the two burly bodyguards standing at the door and the large number of expensive cars parked outside are enough to tell you how thriving the business is.

Mercer didn't park the car directly at the entrance; instead, he drove around to the back of the building and parked there.

Rebecca pushed the car door open again, or to be precise, this time she simply removed the door off, making it impossible to put back on.

So, he could only blink his big eyes at Mercer, holding up the car door with an innocent expression.

"Just leave it here. I'll call Polaris to bring our car over in a bit; that way we can evacuate faster. We'll leave this car here and have the old captain find someone to drive it away. If all else fails, we'll just abandon it."

After Mercer finished speaking, Rebecca confidently shoved the car door back in forcefully. The bulletproof door creaked and finally managed to wed it against the side of the car.

Fortunately, Mercer specifically chose a cheap car this time to avoid attracting attention, so he wouldn't mind if it got damaged.

"What's next? Shall we just charge in?" Rebecca seemed a little impatient.

Mercer shook his head and said, "There are still quite a few gamblers inside. Let's try not to hurt any of them. Let's see if we can handle the security first, and then finish this quickly."

Rebecca nodded: "Whatever you say!"

After Mercer got up, he looked around the building and finally fixed his gaze on the back door.

He walked to the back door, his prosthetic eye flashing. In just one breath, the back door opened—its control panel was hidden inside, but Mercer's prosthetic eye could see through network signals.

This kind of door security system is meaningless to a hacker like Mercer.

Entering through the back door, after taking only two steps, they were met by a burly man standing guard in the corridor. Upon seeing the two of them, his eyes widened slightly, but before he could speak, Rebecca, who had darted out like the wind beside Mercer, punched him in the chin.

She held back her strength, not punching him so hard he was slammed against the wall, but even so, the guy's body went limp, his cry for help caught in his throat, his head almost turned a full circle, his neck cracked, and he collapsed helplessly to the ground.

"Well done," Mercer said admiringly. "You're quite fast too."

“Definitely. Even if I can’t compare to V’s Sianwistan, I won’t be too far off.” Rebecca smiled, then stood at the edge of the corridor and peeked around furtively.

"Nobody's here," she said, dragging the thug's body to the back door.

Mercer nodded, his prosthetic eye scanning the surroundings, checking each piece of equipment before finally finding a camera at the end of a corridor and hacking into it.

After easily hacking into the other cameras connected to the security server, Mercer quickly switched perspectives, going through the view of all the cameras to get a general idea of ​​the casino's situation.

Mercer explained simply: "William James should be hiding on the second floor. The vault is most likely behind the private room on the first floor where you exchange chips. We'll deal with William first, then take care of the security guards one by one from the second floor down, get him to open the vault, and then we'll take the money and leave."

Rebecca, carrying her gun, walked ahead. Her short legs moved quite quickly. Mercer reached out and grabbed the back of her collar: "Slow down, don't rush."

"Oh, oh!" she finally agreed, slowing her pace.

"Don't get agitated," Mercer said soothingly.

Rebecca hummed in agreement, then said nothing more, only pursing her lips tightly. The closer she got to William James, the more memories flooded her mind.

Even many details of memories that Rebecca thought she had forgotten gradually surfaced in her mind at this moment.

"Two at the corner."

Mercer suddenly placed his hand on her shoulder. Rebecca took a deep breath, refocused her attention, nodded, and tiptoed to the corner of the corridor.

Rebecca glanced back at Mercer, and seeing him nod, she dashed out as if by teleportation. The power from the Berserk System allowed her to accelerate her body in a more ferocious manner.

While her acceleration wasn't as graceful as V's, it was still so fast that it was difficult for ordinary people to see her clearly.

Two muffled thuds were heard. Mercer peeked out and saw that the Sixth Street Gang thugs guarding the stairs at the two corners had collapsed to the ground in strange positions, their bones broken in countless places.

Mercer gestured to Rebecca to drag the thugs' bodies upstairs. She then took two of the thugs, one in each hand, and pulled them up the stairs. When they reached the second-floor corridor, they saw only one burly thug lying motionless in the corridor, his head smoking.

Rebecca gave a thumbs-up and casually tossed the thug she was holding into the second-floor hallway: "Where is he?"

"I have to look for them one by one."

As Mercer spoke, he scanned the corridor door by door with his prosthetic eye.

Besides offices, the second floor of the casino also has some VIP rooms. One of them is currently in use, and the shouts and noises of gamblers can be heard from inside from time to time.

Mercer glanced at the VIP room and then ignored it, simply using the puppet program to seal the automatic door to prevent them from suddenly coming out and causing trouble.

At the end of the second-floor corridor is a room marked as the manager's office.

Mercer scanned the area with his prosthetic eye at the doorway and nodded.

"He's in there."

Then, Mercer stretched out his hand and made a countdown gesture of three, two, one. After the countdown ended, the door was opened, and Rebecca rushed in like an arrow.

Inside the luxurious office, William James only had time to utter a sharp question: "Who is it?!"

Then, a short figure suddenly appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye, stepped on his desk, grabbed his neck with one hand, and lifted him up.

William James reacted quickly, but before his hand could reach for the pistol on the table, it was violently snapped off by Rebecca's other hand.

Before he could scream, his mind went blank, as if he had been punched. Mercer then strolled into the office and closed the door.

"Okay, don't rush."

Mercer was terrified that Rebecca would be crushed by William, as he was hoping to make another quick buck from the casino.

“Who are you!” William James said with difficulty, while Rebecca gripped his neck, glaring at him through gritted teeth: “Do you remember me? William James!”

"Who are you!?"

William James looked at the young-looking girl in front of him and really couldn't remember who she was.

“Sunrise Daddy! You bastard, do you even remember his name?” Rebecca slammed him into his own chair. William James nearly fell to the ground along with the chair, barely managing to steady himself.

“Sunrise Daddy?” William James was genuinely taken aback. After a moment’s thought, he exclaimed in astonishment, “You’re his… his daughter?”

“That’s right!” Rebecca pressed the Iron Gallbladder firmly against his face.

"You came here because of him? Why? I have nothing to do with his death!" William James cried out, "You can't be here because of my debt collection, can you? Paying back debts is a matter of course!"

Please, for the sake of the fact that I didn't hurt you back then.

"Pay back your debts? You beast! How could your father possibly owe so much money that you could empty our house? You emptied our house, leaving me homeless."

Before Rebecca could finish speaking, William James exclaimed, sounding aggrieved, "How would I know how much his stuff is worth? The value of collateral depends on the creditor's perspective."

"Then your life is now up to me to value!" Rebecca angrily slammed a gun into his face, causing William James' head to bleed profusely.

Mercer could tell that William James genuinely felt he hadn't done anything wrong. Perhaps in his mind, he had already been a decent person by only taking the money and not using Rebecca and Pila as 'collateral'.

“Now, tell me the passwords to the vault and the safe.” Mercer wasn’t going to waste any more time.

Without a word, William James pointed to a safe in the corner and said, "I can open my own safe, but I can't open the vault's safe."

"If you can't open it, you're dead." Mercer didn't give him a chance to waste any words.

William James gritted his teeth and turned to look at Mercer, only to see his deep blue eyes. In the end, he could only nod resentfully and say, "Then you'd better spare my life! Otherwise, I'd rather die than let you get away with this."

"Rebecca."

Mercer, too lazy to waste words, gave an order, and Rebecca, with a somewhat sinister smile, grabbed his arm and, using only her palm, crushed his bones bit by bit, starting from his hand, like a crushing machine.

William James screamed, while Mercer walked to the safe in the corner: "Password."

"I...I'll tell you!" he said in a pitiful voice, "79615281!"

Mercer placed his fingers on the keypad of the safe, entered the password, and before pressing the open button, suddenly turned his head and said, "You're a tough guy, huh?"

Rebecca was stunned for a moment, then angrily lifted William James up again, and with a clenched fist, punched him in the face, knocking out one of his teeth.

"I...I didn't lie." He was still trying to argue, but Mercer just shook his head, and then Rebecca punched him again.

The lie detector program he got from Arasaka worked wonders, and William James had no idea why Mercer could tell he was lying.

Only when William James felt he was about to be beaten to death did he weakly correct himself, saying, "The last four digits are 5283."

"Yes, that's more like it. There are different ways to die. Anyway, you can't take this money with you. If you cooperate, you'll suffer less, isn't that better?"

Mercer's words turned William James's face ashen. The other party hadn't even tried to fool him; he was truly doomed now.

He could only try a more forceful approach to find a way out: "Aren't you afraid of the Sixth Street Gang?"

"Idiot, I've already stormed into your office, and you're still worried about the Sixth Street Gang?" Mercer sneered, opened the safe, and pulled out a lot of good stuff.

Mercer wore an antique brand-name mechanical watch directly on his wrist, along with several large gold bars, a large amount of cash, and a storage chip kept in a box.

Mercer was too lazy to collect the IOUs and such. The cash in the safe alone amounted to over 100,000 euros, but the 20, 50, and 100 euro denominations were mixed together and piled high.

Perhaps to make it easier to escape in case of danger, all the money was put into a large black handbag, which made things convenient for Mercer.

After taking the money and gold bars, Mercer turned to William James and asked, "How much money is in the vault?"

"Not much, maybe only a few hundred thousand euros."

After William James finished speaking, Mercer sneered: "Are you kidding me? Just those gamblers in the lobby downstairs make hundreds of thousands a night. Do you guys have to clear out cash every day?"

“What I’m saying is true! Large bets are all made through online payments or money chips. We move those large sums of money out every day, whether it’s through online payments or money chips. Only the large amounts of cash are settled weekly.”

William James said in a mournful tone, "We're just a small casino, where would we get millions of euros in reserves? When we need to pay large sums of money, we'll use anonymous money chips to transfer funds."

If you're willing to give me a little time, I...

Mercer shook his head, glanced at Rebecca, and said, "Go downstairs, take the money, and leave."

"it is good!"

Rebecca angrily grabbed William James's only remaining intact arm again and dragged him off the ground toward the house.

William James's wailing voice suddenly echoed down the corridor, and the VIP room on the second floor suddenly fell silent. Mercer ignored it and simply dragged William James downstairs.

As Mercer walked, he began hacking into the Sixth Street gang's entire lobby using the first-floor camera's view.

By the time Rebecca dragged William James down to the first floor, the lobby was already in chaos.

Mercer signaled to Rebecca to fire a shot, and then Rebecca picked up the iron canister and sprayed it at the ceiling.

"Everyone get out!"

The hall instantly descended into chaos, filled with screams and the chaos of people gathering chips and looting. Mercer's job was to deliver a sonic shockwave to those who were still trying to escape, telling them not to waste time.

Rebecca did the same. Seeing that some people were taking advantage of the chaos, and some even seemed to want to play the hero, she picked up her gun, aimed at a card table, and fired again. A female dealer screamed, dropped her gun, and ran away.

The gamblers fled, and Mercer and Rebecca dragged William James to the private room where the chips were exchanged.

William James readily opened the door to the room; the vault containing the cash was located behind the private room.

By this time, the employees inside had already run away, so William James could only beg Rebecca to let go first before getting up to enter the vault's password and open it.

Mercer stood at the door without going in, then turned to Rebecca and said, "Don't go in, keep an eye on him. I'll go get the money bag."

Mercer, who had long planned to rob the casino, naturally prepared bags to hold the money in advance, but simply didn't bring them in for convenience.

“Okay!” Rebecca nodded, then looked at William James, who was leaning pitifully against the wall.

Mercer rushed back and retrieved the large bag of money from the back door, only to find William James, whose legs had been broken, sitting weakly against the wall.

"He was trying to crawl inside."

Rebecca immediately offered an explanation.

“Good job. This vault is reinforced with cement. This guy is probably trying to sneak in and hide. Go and put the money away. I'll watch over it for you so you don't get locked up,” Mercer cautiously instructed.

William James's anxiety finally died completely.

He did have a similar idea: whether he locked the two guys up or hid inside himself, he could activate the vault's emergency locking device and lock the vault door completely.

Rebecca gave James a cold look, took the large duffel bag, and went inside to start stuffing money into it. She roughly shoved all the cash on the shelf into the bag, and it was unclear how much she had packed.

Only after the duffel bag she had looted from William James's safe was full did she zip it up and lift the two incredibly heavy bags with one hand: "Let's go!"

Mercer nodded, then glanced at William James one last time: "You take care of him."

Rebecca glanced silently at William James, who was leaning against the wall, his eyes devoid of hope. Finally, she simply raised the iron cannon with one hand: "How does it feel to have everything taken away from you? Hmm?"

William James just gave a bitter laugh: "Give me a quick death! Okay?"

He knew he was doomed, and if he could die a quick and painless death, that would be a relief.

Rebecca gritted her teeth, and two seconds later, silently pulled the trigger.

Iron-Blooded smashed his head into pieces and stuck it to the wall. Rebecca turned her head without hesitation and looked at Mercer: "Let's go."

"That's it?" Mercer was somewhat surprised by her decisiveness.

Rebecca felt no sense of relief at having avenged herself; instead, she felt an inexplicable emptiness. She nodded gently, "That's fine."

Mercer knew this wasn't the time to talk, so he didn't press the matter. Instead, he overclocked the server and set the casino's server room on fire.

Because most buildings in this world are constructed with substandard polymer building materials, once a fire starts somewhere, it can quickly ignite into a massive fire that burns the entire building.

Then, Mercer and she walked out the door together. At that moment, at the end of the street, Polaris, piloting his Mizutani Jun, sped over without anyone in his saddle.

"Morning Star has already given me a warning. There are about seven or eight cars of the Sixth Street Gang on their way to provide support. Fortunately, V has drawn enough attention to them. These cars are probably all the remaining manpower that the Sixth Street Gang in the River Valley can mobilize."

Mercer spoke, while Rebecca merely responded with a blank, uninterested "hmm."

When Mercer's Mizutani Jun drifted to a stop in front of her, she picked up her bag and was about to get in when Mercer pulled her back: "What's wrong with you? Put your things in the trunk."

"okay."

Rebecca responded as if waking from a dream, put her things away, and then got into the car. After Mercer also got into the driver's seat, Polaris started to accelerate.

"The Morning Star has planned an evacuation route for me. Please confirm the evacuation plan it provides in your eyes."

Polaris's voice sounded somewhat agitated: "We are currently in an emergency evacuation phase. May I lift the safety speed limit?"

"Okay, go faster, but safety first," Mercer cautioned—he wasn't sure if the Morning Star's high-speed mode was stable.

Unlike humans who can directly experience changes in vehicle acceleration and the details of the vehicle body, the current system, which is simply connected to the Polaris AI for intelligent driving, is not yet able to perfectly control the vehicle's state.

"Understood! I will ensure your safety while allowing you to enjoy speed and passion!"

Polaris even automatically played a very lively background music.

It's Johnny Silverhands' "Chippin' In," which, when translated, is the extremely classic song "Intubation."

"Can you fell it! Can you touch it! Get ready 'cause here we go!"

(Can you feel it? Can you touch it? Let's go when you're ready!)
When the familiar electric guitar melody and Johnny Silverhands's screams came from the radio, Rebecca seemed to finally come to her senses. After taking a deep breath, her eyes sharpened again.

She snapped the magazine open again and began loading her large shotgun shells one by one.

"I'm sorry, I was a little..." Rebecca didn't know how to say it, she just said softly, "I wasn't feeling so good."

“Hmm.” Mercer didn’t delve into it further.

But Rebecca opened up: "I thought that killing him would avenge my father and bring an end to the days when we were homeless."

But it wasn't until I shot him that I realized I didn't hate him that much. He just did what everyone in Night City would do.

But damn it, I don't know how to say it, Mercer, I just feel a fire burning inside me.

She didn't know where her anger came from, but after loading the ammunition, she slammed it into the chamber, rolled down the window, and shouted, "Polaris, where are those bastards?"

"You can get ready, depending on the route, we will have an encounter with two Sixth Street gang cars at the intersection within a minute."

Polaris offered a very humane suggestion: "I suggest you don't bother shooting at them through the window; just let the owner hack into it remotely."

"Fine, let her have her fill of beating."

As Mercer spoke, Polaris said no more, but adjusted its speed. A minute later, the car almost collided head-on with two speeding American muscle cars.

Without a single word, Rebecca simply pulled the trigger, and the driver of the lead car watched in horror as a large, horrifying crack appeared on the bulletproof glass.

To be precise, this so-called glass could be considered bulletproof steel plate. It was almost pierced by a single shot? That's simply outrageous!

Then, Rebecca quickly sprayed another shot, shattering the bulletproof window with a large hole. The driver inside didn't even have time to scream; he died instantly in his seat.

Fuck you! Go to hell!

Rebecca yelled and fired her shotgun repeatedly. Members of the Sixth Street gang leaned out of one of the cars and fired back at her, but Rebecca was completely unafraid.

She just kept laughing wildly as she pulled the trigger, turning every guy who leaned out into a bloody mist.

The two cars only lasted a few seconds before she smashed them to pieces and sent them crashing into the roadside wall.

Then, Rebecca shrank back and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Feeling better now?" Mercer asked.

"No, but I did manage to vent my anger a bit." Rebecca clicked down in her seat and sighed.

Mercer thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Do you know what this song is called?"

Rebecca thought for a moment and said, "Intubation?"

"A rock star got kicked out of his house by his girlfriend. Guess why?" Mercer said casually.

Rebecca stared at him blankly: "Why?"

"Because he can't perform 'Intubation'," Mercer said righteously.

Rebecca understood the pun almost immediately, then burst out laughing. Seeing his serious expression, she laughed even harder: "Ha~ such a lame joke?"

“I’m not kidding. The chord is a classic of the Samurai Band. If a rock kid can’t even play the chord, he’s definitely a fake rocker.”

Mercer laughed as he spoke: "Alright, you've avenged your great grudge, no need to think so much—I know you feel empty inside, but it's better than doing nothing at all."

Say goodbye to the past. Screw it, we have a lot to do in the future. Let's leave the past behind.

“You’re right.” Rebecca took a breath and said with a smile, “What’s past is past. Dad’s story isn’t over yet. As long as I’m alive, his legend will continue.”

“It’s our legend,” Mercer corrected.

Rebecca looked at him with a smile: "That's right, that's right, he's our legend!"

Mercer smiled wryly: "What kind of double entendre is this?"

“It’s true.” She said, tossing the iron bullet aside casually and leaning back in her seat. “Anyway, thanks.”

Mercer teased, "Where's the thank-you gift?"

"Want more? Sure, leave the door open for me tonight." Rebecca blinked and pulled open her collar with one hand.

Mercer clicked his tongue: "Why are you always trying to take advantage of me? Is this a thank-you gift? I don't even want to scold you."

"Fine, fine! What do you want? I don't really need the money right now." Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"How about you treat me to a nice meal?" Mercer said.

“Sure, wait a minute. I’ll have Lucy contact Adcardo’s people tomorrow and smuggle some more good food over.” Rebecca agreed with a smile.

The two joked and laughed, and with the help of Polaris and Venus, they easily bypassed all the Sixth Street Gang vehicles that came to their aid. They didn't even need to change cars, and swaggered back to Dogtown.

Mercer didn't need to call the priest; the priest called him almost as soon as his car returned to Dogtown.

[Father: Well done, very clean and efficient—my men have received the message, and I believe the Sixth Street gang will definitely behave themselves a lot from now on. I have to thank you on behalf of Heywood's men, A.]

[Mercer: Minor matter, all the targets have been taken care of.]

[Priest: I've transferred the money to your designated account. It's been a pleasure doing business with you, A.]

Mercer: It's a pleasure working with you.

After hanging up the phone, Mercer nodded with satisfaction as he looked at the 550,000 euros that had surged in his account.

Great, now we've saved enough funds for the campaign targeting biotechnology.

By the time Mercer parked the car in the base garage, V and the others had already safely retreated and were all waiting for him in the garage.

Seeing that no one was injured, Mercer finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "It's good that everyone is alright. As usual, let's divide the money first, then rest. In the next few days, everyone will have to start preparing for the biotechnology deal."

"Okay." No one had any objections.

Mercer had Rebecca bring out what appeared to be hundreds of thousands of euros in cash that they had stolen. The group divided the money on the ground, and then went back to rest, chatting and laughing.

In the following days, Mercer continued to work on improving the ctOS system, while Venus worked on improving Polaris and monitored the actions of Diana Kuno and others.

A few days later, Mercer suddenly received a text message.

[Mann: We heard from Faraday about a job in Arasaka that requires us to steal experimental data from the biotechnology building. Didn't you tell us before that we should be careful when we encounter biotechnology jobs recently?]

I'd like to hear your opinion. If there are problems with this job, we won't take it.

Mercer simply made a video call to Mann.

"He only told you he was going to the biotechnology building to steal data? When are you supposed to go?" Mercer asked immediately after the call connected.

Mann thought for a moment and said, "He didn't say the specifics, but it was probably at the end of the month. He said he had prepared a signal jammer for us. All we had to do was turn it on at night, let the hacker sneak into the office of a person named Diana Kuno, hack the data, and then leave."

"Did Faraday ask you to steal some experimental data on the immunizing agent?" Mercer asked.

“Yes, it’s the one Diana mentioned on TV before,” Mann replied, his expression becoming somewhat serious in the video. It seemed Mercer really knew a lot about biotechnology.

"He can't even catch the shit while it's still hot. Alright, you guys take the mission. I have a backup of the potion data here. Just take it and tell him you stole it."

After Mercer finished speaking, Mann cautiously asked, "This... will it work?"

"Why not? It was the Military Science Institute that commissioned us to steal it before. Now it's Arasaka's turn. I guess a high-level agent found out about the Military Science Institute and the Biotechnology Institute's cooperation project on this immune agent, so he wants to steal a copy of the drug data to see if it's true or not."

You just take the job and then take my data.

A bold idea suddenly popped into Mercer's mind.

Is it possible for Faraday to take over the biotechnology business for him?

Mann, oblivious to what Mercer was thinking, simply said happily, "Great! As long as the data is correct, we'll give you the lion's share of the mission reward for this one. What do you think?"

"Row."

Mercer had already made his decision, and this opportunity that had just come to him instantly sparked a plan in his mind to use one enemy against another.

He subtly offered the bait: "I'll send you all the data, including some that I think are useful. Also, do you want to team up and pull off a big heist?"

Mann's heart was pounding; he had hesitated when Mercer had offered him an olive branch earlier.

Now that Mann has witnessed the rapid growth of the Fire Seed Squad, he has to consider whether this might be his only and last chance to catch the fast train in his life.

"How big is it?" Mann asked cautiously.

Mercer gave a figure: "I can only say that at least you will be guaranteed a minimum of two to three hundred thousand euros each. If you are willing to participate more deeply and make additional contributions, you will be paid according to your work. The more you do, the more money you will make."

“Let’s submit the data first. If there are no problems, I’ll split the money with you in person and we can talk about something else.” Mann was tempted.

For the job of stealing things from biotechnology, Faraday only gave him 150,000 euros. If it were done according to the normal mission procedure, the three of them would split it, with Sassan, who was in charge of infiltrating and stealing, taking the lion's share. Each person would only get 20,000 to 30,000 euros.

According to Faraday, he would handle the security plan for biotechnology himself and prepare signal jammers for them, so they would only get a share of the operation funds.

Mercer's opening offer was a guaranteed minimum of two to three hundred thousand euros per person.
“No, we need to meet and talk before you hand over the data, Mann. I don’t want to cheat you, so to be honest, I plan to add something to your data.”

Mercer's words made Mann silent for a moment, and finally Mann simply said, "Then see you tonight at the Next Life Bar."

“Okay,” Mercer agreed.

After hanging up the phone, Mercer turned and looked around: "Where's V?"

Lucy, who was transmitting the program to the chip for rapid cracking using a machine, didn't even look up: "Go look in the living room."

Qi Wei suddenly spoke up: "At the gym."

“Okay.” Mercer smiled at her, got up and walked towards the gym, but before he had taken two steps, a line of text suddenly appeared in his eyes.

[Qiwei: Mercer, I have something I want to talk to you about.]

Mercer glanced at her, nodded, and then chatted with her privately using a messaging app.

[Mercer: Okay, online, or to the room?]

[Qiwei: Are you going out?]

Mercer: Not yet. I'm going out tonight. I've invited V along; I want her to be my bodyguard.

[Qiwei: Then let's wait for you to come back and talk in my room.]

Mercer: Okay.

He glanced at Qiwei, who simply smiled at Mercer, as if it were nothing serious. Mercer returned the smile and nodded before heading to the gym to find V.

As Mercer pushed open the gym door and entered, he heard the sound of a punching bag being brutally beaten. Looking inside, he saw V standing with his arms crossed, teaching Rebecca how to box.

"Come with me to the afterlife tonight and have a chat with Mann."

As soon as Mercer finished speaking, V bluntly said, "Sure, what, you're planning to bring them on board? Indeed, with our small team, it's really going to be tough to pull off a biotechnology deal."

"I think that if you want to have so many elite soldiers, just relying on numbers won't be enough."

Mercer said, "But a professional mercenary like Mann, who comes from a special forces background, is still useful. At least we don't have to worry about him being so scared by those agents and soldiers that he doesn't dare to lift his head."

However, our main goal tonight isn't to recruit them. Instead, I've come up with a great idea. If we're lucky, we might get some assistance while simultaneously shifting the blame to Arasaka.

V clicked his tongue: "I knew it! You were going to drag all this mess into this sooner or later! We're only a few days away from making our move, do we even have time for all this complicated stuff?"

"Why not?" Mercer shrugged. "Give it a try. There are only benefits and no drawbacks anyway."

"I hope so." V sighed. "Which big companies are we still keeping from messing with? Kangtao?"

Mercer laughed: "When I'm ready to take on Arasaka, I'll bring Contau on board."

"Come on, fine. I'll go with you tonight. Anyway, all I'm good for is being your bodyguard," V said irritably.

Rebecca stopped what she was doing and looked at Mercer with some dissatisfaction: "What about me? I can be your bodyguard too!"

"Go if you want to," Mercer said, then added with a laugh, "The main thing is that if you're going to shield me from bodyguards, even if you stand in front of me and take bullets for me, with your build, you can't block them all."

V burst out laughing, while Rebecca gritted her teeth, raised her boxing gloves, and threw a punch at Mercer. Mercer nimbly dodged it and laughed, "Alright, alright, let's go together."

"What am I supposed to do? You couldn't even block all the bullets for me!" Rebecca glared at her, still furious.

Mercer blinked and said, "It's alright, blocking half of it is fine."

"Get lost!" Rebecca lunged at him, baring her teeth and claws. Mercer dodged twice before she pinned him to the ground. With her face pressed against his gauntlets, Mercer helplessly raised his hands in surrender: "V, don't just stand there, help him!"

"Who told you to hurt someone's heart?" V laughed, but suddenly felt something was wrong. Why was Rebecca clinging to him so closely during the fight?
Aren't you taking advantage of him?
V, speechless, reached out and lifted Rebecca, whose face had inexplicably turned into a smile: "What are you doing?"

"Tsk." Rebecca clicked her tongue, turning to look at her with a displeased expression: "Why are you asking when you already know the answer, old lady?"

"Old auntie?" V chuckled. "Fine, little brat!"

"Hehe~" Rebecca made a face, then took off her gloves: "No more training, I'm going to take a shower and go out for drinks tonight!"

She walked briskly and skipped out of the gym.

"Just you wait, I'm going to drink you to death tonight, and you're not leaving here standing up!" V clenched his fists angrily, glared at Mercer, and followed behind Rebecca.

The sound of the two bickering could be heard from time to time in the corridor, with one calling the other an "old auntie" and the other a "brat."

Mercer lay speechlessly on the ground, and after a while he sat up. He didn't know why V was glaring at him. It wasn't that he didn't want to fight back—it was just that Rebecca had almost strangled him to death.

If someone with 15 physical attributes is already like this, what about someone with 20 attributes like V? If they get excited, they might just fly straight to heaven.
Obediently
Mercer got up, shook his head, and went straight to Qiwei's room. He sent Qiwei a message, and the door opened. He went in and looked around.

Qiwei doesn't seem to be someone who likes decorating.

There were some reading chips piled on the desk, a SuperDream Device on the bedside table, a clean ashtray next to the desk, and a few SuperDream movies that Xingzi had probably recommended to her.

Mercer had been to Rebecca's room, which was filled with all sorts of colorful dolls and figurines, and the walls were covered with various posters and stickers. She had also ordered some gun racks and other similar items.

In contrast, Qiwei's room is similar to Moser's, almost like a newly renovated show flat.

Mercer sat in the chair in front of the desk for a while, and then Qiwei pushed the door open and walked in.

She picked up a can of Coke and placed it on the table in front of him. Then she sat down on the bed, remained silent for a moment, and said softly, "I want to burn that factory down before we do that biotechnology deal."

Mercer knew what she was talking about, and his expression turned serious: "Why are you in such a hurry to go?"

"Just in case," Qiwei could only say. She sighed softly and then said, "I'm a little scared. If something unexpected happens, I won't have another chance."

Mercer looked at her silently for a while, then smiled and said, "Don't worry too much about that one deal. You hackers don't need to fight on the front lines. You'll mostly be helping me control the drones from the back. If things don't look good, you can retreat first."

"Do you think Lucy and I would be able to evacuate immediately if you were in danger?" Qiwei asked in return, looking at him calmly.

Mercer rubbed his temples and said simply, "Then let's go."

"Huh?" This time it was Qiwei's turn to be stunned and frozen in place.

“I guess you didn’t just decide on a whim; you must have already planned what to do. So, you take charge and do it your way.”

I've got V and Rebecca as your bodyguards, just the four of us. Let's head out now, get it over with quickly, and head to the Afterlife tonight. We can even celebrate a bit while we're at it.

After Mercer finished speaking, he smiled and said, "What do you think?"

Qiwei looked at him, and after a long while, she also smiled and said, "Okay."

"Then I'll go call some people and try to get it done within three hours, making that scum pay the price." After saying that, Mo Se got up to leave. Qi Wei watched his back disappear from the doorway, and after a long while, she lowered her head.

Qiwei looked at her palm, and after a while, slowly clenched her fist.

The flames of revenge burned fiercely at this moment, causing her hands to tremble slightly.

I closed my eyes, and those nightmares from the past reappeared before my eyes.

However, this time, she no longer needs to endure, anticipate, and wait for the moment of revenge as before.

It's time to thoroughly clean up my shameful past!
(End of this chapter)