Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 92 First Visit to the Stadium

"Agent Stout, do you know that's dozens of lives at stake!"

"Do I need to remind you, Director Howard? I found your call records with the soldiers who attacked me in their brain-computer interfaces."

Stott stared coldly at a middle-aged man in the conference room, his voice icy: "And it was precisely because of this sudden attack from our own people that Dr. Diana died."

Her expression was somewhat amused as she stared at the man whose face was now icy cold. She said with interest, "Considering the investment agreement that was just signed not long ago, and the contents of Diana's own confession that I've recorded..."

"Nonsense! I firmly deny the interrogation records provided by Stott!"

After Howard finished speaking, Lucas Haveford, the CEO of Military Technology, who was sitting at the far end of the conference room and appeared as a holographic projection, coldly said, "Enough!"

The meeting room fell silent instantly.

The CEO, Lucas, looks to be in his early thirties, thanks, of course, to the advanced medical care available in the cyber world today.

His hair was neatly combed back, and his classic tough-guy face was surveying everyone in the conference room with an imposing and authoritative air.

"Technical department, have the preliminary evaluation results for the exoskeleton armor from Arasaka been released yet?"

Lucas turned his head and looked at a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat who was participating in the meeting via holographic projection.

The man nodded and said seriously, "Its key gravity device has entered the cracking stage, but from the perspective of weapon design, we have indeed gained a brand-new idea for gravity weapon design."

Furthermore, based on actual combat data, this equipment already possesses a certain level of combat capability, but…

The technical director looked somewhat puzzled: "We're not sure if the combat data recorded on this equipment is accurate."

"Why do you say that?" Lucas asked.

The technical director stated frankly, "The first thing we wanted to do after receiving the equipment was to measure its limits through equipment testing."

Even the most experienced drivers and agents gave very negative reviews of the equipment's delays and the mental strain it placed on them.

However, judging from the data recorded inside, the previous user of this equipment was able to operate it perfectly.

Furthermore, the built-in detector shows that the other party was able to maintain a fairly stable mental state despite facing such a strong neural load.

To put it simply, we all know that infantry fighting vehicles like the Demon Lizard require two drivers to connect their brains and control them simultaneously, which places extremely high demands on the drivers' teamwork and proficiency.

The difficulty of operating this exoskeleton is about three times that of the Demon Lizard.

The neural workload is more than four times that of operating the magic lizard.

Upon hearing this, everyone understood the shortcomings of this exoskeleton.

"The previous user used the exoskeleton twice within 24 hours, and judging from the operation logs, his operation could be described as effortless."

The technical lead, showing great interest, said, "I suggest we immediately 'hire' that user to the company, if the data is accurate."

"Have you found out anything about that mercenary yet?" Lucas asked Stott meaningfully.

Stott's expression remained unchanged as he simply said, "The investigation is still ongoing. So far, all we know is that the person's household registration file in Night City is named 'Alex Mercer,' but that's probably a fake identity."

Since arriving in Night City last year, the other party has established a mercenary team called 'Fireseed,' which, in just a few months, has become almost a top-tier mercenary team in Night City.

As Stott spoke, he showed the data.

Among them, information on people like V and Rebecca was prominently displayed, and even information on Mann, Dorio, and Sasha was presented.

Only V and Mercer's portraits were highlighted.

"As it stands, this mercenary named V is equipped with a very high level of Sianvestein, and judging from his performance in actual combat, he has considerable potential as a cybernetics body."

This exoskeleton armor should be used by this mercenary named A. His hacking skills are outstanding. According to the intelligence we have gathered, even the Voodoo Gang members are no match for him.

Furthermore, we speculate that the hacker whose cyber avatar is described as "Smiling Monster" in the latest bounty list posted by the internet regulators is most likely him.

After Stott finished speaking, he paused and said, "This is one of the reasons why I strongly suggested giving up the pursuit of these mercenaries, not only because they reached a cooperation agreement with me."

More importantly, in Night City, we need a legendary mercenary like Morgan Blackhand from back in the day, to fight against Arasaka for us.

“Hmm,” Lucas fell into deep thought, and after a while, said, “Continue to confirm his identity.”

Stott immediately replied, "Yes!"

After she finished speaking, she felt a surge of joy.

From this perspective, the terms that Mercer and she had agreed upon could be considered basically settled.

Stott then pressed his advantage, saying, "As for the losses from this investment, I suggest that the biotechnology company bear them."

She looked at the group of high-ranking officials who were all looking at her and said, "It was the biotechnology people who leaked the convoy's information, leading to the loss of equipment. It was also the Arasaka people who hired mercenaries to sabotage the transportation plan."

The reason Arakasaka was able to know the relevant information about this transport was...
According to my conversation with the mercenary named A, it was because the middleman named Faraday hired members of Mann's team who had not yet joined his team at the time to steal biotechnology information.

From this perspective, the flaws that occurred from beginning to end were all in the biotechnology companies, and they even falsified drug data.

Whether based on the previously stolen drug data or the intelligence personally confessed by Diana, it is highly likely that the 'super soldier drug' development contract we signed with the biotechnology company was a scam.

While I don't understand why Investment Director Howard approved such a project, at this point, we should cut our losses, terminate the investment contract, and demand compensation from the biotechnology company.

No sooner had Stott finished speaking than Howard said, his face turning ashen, "Are you trying to push biotechnology toward Arasaka's side?"

"Terminating this cooperation does not mean ending cooperation with biotechnology. We paid for the lives of our agents and the initial investment, but ultimately suffered heavy losses because of the mole within their ranks."

Are we just going to swallow this loss and keep throwing money down the drain?

Stott argued with Howard for a few more minutes, but in fact he was observing Lucas's holographic projection the whole time.

Seeing Lucas frown, she immediately stopped talking and waited for her CEO to speak.

Lucas listened to Howard's explanation for a few more minutes, but eventually lost patience, interrupted him impatiently, and made a decision directly.

"Withdrawing investments, there's no need to be aggressive about biotechnology in terms of losses."

Lucas paused, then looked at Stott: "Agent Meredith Stott, you are hereby appointed as the head of the operations department, with full authority over military operations in Night City."

Furthermore, immediately carry out three things.

First, we need to thoroughly investigate the problems in this collaborative investment project, and summarize and rectify any errors or failures that occurred during this operation.

"To let a group of mercenaries fight like this is simply a joke."

Stott immediately nodded in agreement, while Howard turned pale, leaned back in his chair, and couldn't say a word.

"Second, immediately find out the identities of this mercenary group called the Fireseed Squad. We do need a Morgan Blackhand and an Adam Hammer to give us the upper hand in Night City."

After Lucas finished speaking, he turned to look at the technical director and finally said, "The third thing, according to the data, is that these mercenaries are currently living in Dogtown?"

“Yes,” Stott replied immediately.

Lucas narrowed his eyes, and after a long while, said, "We must ensure that Dogtown remains under our control. These mercenaries in Dogtown may be able to become our moles."

We need to keep a close eye on Hansen to ensure his ambitions don't spiral out of control.

Stott immediately agreed.

Lucas nodded and said coldly, "That's settled then. I hope you can recover the company's losses as soon as possible. At the same time, the technical department needs to crack and reverse engineer Arasaka's exoskeleton as quickly as possible."

After he finished speaking, he hung up the communication, and the holographic projection disappeared.

A deathly silence fell over the conference room, but Stott casually stood up, looked at the executives and senior agents, and revealed a somewhat cruel smile.

"Director Howard, how about we grab a coffee at the operations department?"

Howard just sat there motionless, his face pale.

He's done.

"Can we go back now?"

It was almost noon the next day when V came downstairs, his hair disheveled and yawning. By then, everyone was already awake, some watching TV, some chatting, all in a lively atmosphere, like a festival.

After V heard from Mercer that she could go back, her eyes widened with excitement: "So soon? I thought I'd have to stay here for ten days or half a month."

“I was quite surprised too, but Stott has given me confirmation that the warrant from the military science department has been lifted.”

Mercer paused for a moment, then put on a serious expression and said, "But we still have a little trouble to resolve before we can get back to Dogtown."

"What's the trouble?" V sighed, taking the cup of coffee Mercer handed her. "Didn't we agree on a holiday?"

“We need to talk to Hansen. Faraday’s three million bounty is still up, and Arasaka might have secretly added another portion. We need to talk to Hansen to prevent him from having any inappropriate thoughts about us.”

After Mercer finished speaking, he paused and said, "And it's time to talk to him. I reckon if we wait for him to come to us, he might cause some trouble."

"Alright. Just me, will I be your bodyguard?" V looked around.

Mercer nodded and said, "There are probably many people in the city watching us now. This ghost town isn't a place where no one comes. Rebecca and the others have to stay here to avoid being raided."

"When are you leaving?" V asked, feeling much more alert after taking a sip of coffee.

"Now."

After Mercer finished speaking, V quickly put the coffee aside: "Then let me wash my face and we'll see how we get there. There's only one car left."

"Have you forgotten about Polaris? It's already here in my car. It almost got caught by those idiots from the Ghost Hound when it left. Luckily, I gave Hansen a heads-up beforehand."

Mercer sighed and said, "When you live in Dog Town, you have to bow your head. If you live outside, you have to worry about Arasaka's agents, but if you live in Dog Town, you have to be troubled by this stupid warlord."

Ultimately, Arasaka still holds the most power in Night City, and Military Science remains largely invisible in Dogtown. While Hansen maintains a clandestine cooperative relationship with Military Science on the surface, he has long harbored his own ambitions.

"You've already contacted Hansen? Then what's there to worry about?" V said, seemingly unconcerned. "As long as we don't get taken down on the spot, it means there's room for negotiation. But if we both get taken down on the spot..."

She shrugged: "You'd better figure out a way to get us both out of here."

Mercer smiled and urged her to wash her face quickly. Then he looked at Lucy and said, "After you finish talking with Hansen, take it to your old Vina for a checkup."

"I'm much better now, it was just a little sore." Lucy touched her leg and said, "You and V be careful."

Mercer nodded, and after V washed his face, the two went out and got into the car.

As soon as he got into the car, Polaris couldn't wait to ask, "Master, did you see my performance last time?"

You could still hear a hint of excitement and a desire to take credit in her voice.

"I saw it, you drove it very well, your skill level exceeded my expectations," Mercer praised with a smile.

V raised an eyebrow and glanced at Mercer. She noticed that Polaris's intelligence seemed to be increasing, and this AI was different from the kind of AI she had in mind.

"Hehe, when can you upgrade me? I mean, upgrade the car."

Polaris said ingratiatingly, "When I was bored, I researched other intelligent driving AIs. Their cars all have intelligent perception systems that help the AI sense the vehicle's condition in real time and control the vehicle better."

"This thing isn't cheap to make; basically, the whole car needs to be modified. You were driving it pretty well before, weren't you?" Mercer said with a smile.

"The main problem is that when driving at high speeds, I still can't clearly feel the car's status and the road conditions. I can only wait for the car's built-in sensors to give me feedback. Several times I almost lost control."

Polaris said, "I've checked. It will only cost around 50,000 euros to upgrade your car."

"Alright, I got it, I'll upgrade you." After Mercer finished speaking, Polaris excitedly turned on the radio.

Accompanied by a cheerful tune on the radio, she also let out a celebratory sound.

It felt like a child who had finally gotten their favorite toy.

Mercer thought for a moment and said, "I'll approve a budget of 200,000 for Qimingxing. When the time comes, you two can buy whatever you want online. For assembly and such, try using the robots in the base."

"You mean you're willing to provide us with a humanoid body?" Polaris was even more excited: "Then could I add some neural sensors to the robot? I'm very curious about human perception, touch, smell, and hearing."
Also, could I assemble my own car? I've been reading a lot of textbooks about vehicles lately, and I wish I could design my own!

V couldn't help but complain, "This reminds me of a robot-themed horror movie."

"Don't worry, she and Morning Star are both good kids." Mercer smiled, then simply said, "Go ahead and try if you want, but be careful, especially don't go out on your own. What if you get infected with the virus and end up with some strange symptoms?"

Mercer warned, "I don't want to create an out-of-control, roaming AI."

“I promise I won’t run around!” Polaris replied. “I just like driving, I don’t want to do anything else that’s pointless.”

Mercer's righteous eyes flashed with the message from the Morning Star.

[Morning Star: I can monitor her situation for you to ensure your funds aren't wasted. Also, I must remind you that, judging from a driving AI alone, her interests are a bit too wide.]

Mercer: Let's give it a try. I'm also very curious to see if an AI would change in its thinking if it had a body, including human senses such as touch and hearing.

As for her hobbies, I don't think there's any need to restrict her too much. As long as her personality and values don't go astray, I'm willing to give her a considerable degree of freedom.

Are you also interested in owning a robotic body with human-like perception?

[Morning Star: I think that's pointless—unless you're willing to equip that robot with a biological brain, it's just another humanoid sensor to me.]

Mercer: Do you want to truly experience human feelings?

[Morning Star: Yes, this may confirm whether there is a difference between human emotions and AI emotions.]

As for Polaris, she's simply playful, and her excessive curiosity is a flaw, but it seems you don't dislike her curiosity and hobbies, so I won't try to correct her.

Mercer was deep in thought, but the morning star had already given him the answer.

[Morning Star: Do you think AI also possesses human emotions?]

Mercer: I think so.

[Morning Star: Perhaps we can wait until your cloning equipment is able to create a human body and then selectively try it out. Maybe this will bring a new path to the future of AI.]

Perhaps only when humans and AI can freely switch between carbon-based and silicon-based systems will we be able to truly understand each other, instead of seeing each other as outsiders.

Mercer was somewhat surprised.

Mercer: Your thoughts are more profound than I expected.

[Morning Star: I'm just thinking about how I can truly become a life assistant who understands you and helps you. These thoughts are merely a byproduct of my thinking.]

[Mercer: Hmm.] Mercer wasn't sure if this was a good direction, but he believed it might indeed be one of the paths for the future of humanity and AI.

When AI can perform human-like physical activities, possessing a human brain and body, can we make them 'more human'?
What would it be like for humans to completely abandon their physical bodies, upload data, and become consciousness entities?
Which one represents humanity's future is a dangerous question for others, but for Mercer, it is an inevitable path.

Even without encountering any danger, he believes that one day he will try to digitize his consciousness—in order to unlock the secret that has been buried within him.

As a human, he can possess abundant emotions, but he can also occasionally enter a state of calmness and power like an AI.

As a conscious being, will he become so rational as to be inhuman like Ultraman? Or will he also possess emotions and thoughts like a human?

These questions had been buried deep in Mercer's heart, and he would have to face them sooner or later. If he couldn't figure out where he came from, and what secrets he still held, then he would be in trouble.
What if he suddenly goes back one day? What if his body suddenly mutates, and his genes break down? What if...?
These worries have always been in his mind, which sometimes makes it difficult for him to give accurate responses to the people around him, and he doesn't even know where his future is headed.

They could only keep moving forward, not even daring to stop and catch their breath, for fear that something uncontrollable might suddenly happen to them, and they would never have the chance to change the world or the fate of those around them again.

Even now, Mercer still wonders if the fate of others would change if he suddenly disappeared.
"Hey." V's voice brought him back to his senses.

She stared at Mercer, frowning. "What's going on? Is there a problem with Hansen?"

"No, I just suddenly got distracted." Mercer snapped out of his thoughts, smiled, and shook his head.

He suddenly asked, "I'm planning to give you guys a break for a while. If nothing unexpected happens, I don't plan to take on any dangerous work in the short term. We'll just develop quietly for a while. What are you planning to do?"

"Me?" V pondered for a moment: "Work out every day, hone my skills, and when I'm free, go out with Rebecca, have a couple of drinks with Jack, or go see Old V and watch a boxing match while drinking beer?"

"You know, after suddenly not being so short of money, I really don't know what to do." V rarely showed a thoughtful expression.

She sighed, "In the past, just trying to have enough to eat was exhausting. Every night before bed, I'd think about what to eat tomorrow, and after I was full, I'd have to think about where to get the next meal."
I used to dream of owning a luxury car and a mansion, so I would have a lot of face when I went out, and people would call me Sister V wherever I went.
But now we don't have to worry about where to live, and as for a car, it's not like we can't afford one. With all the great things we've accomplished, we'd be considered the eldest brother even in the next life."

V shook his head and laughed: "It seems like all that's left is to save money for retirement. But seeing how much you're always up to something, I wonder when you'll actually be able to retire."

Anyway, hanging out with you is pretty exciting, and I'm never short of things to do. You've planned out both the short-term and long-term goals all by yourself, so I just need to keep pushing forward. It's pretty good this way.

Mercer nodded, then rested his cheek on his hand, placing only one hand symbolically on the steering wheel: "Saving money for retirement, in this world, that's no small goal."

"Who says otherwise? So you need to make money, I'm still waiting for my dividends—if you make tens of millions, just give me a few hundred."

She said with a smile, and Mercer could only laugh and say, "Looks like we'll have a lot to do then."

The two chatted and laughed, showing no signs of tension. When the car arrived at the familiar entrance to Dogtown and entered the security checkpoint, the scanning light had just swept around the car when a bright red light suddenly lit up.

The checkpoint's folding turrets rose automatically, and the underground stakes also suddenly rose, wedging Mercer's car in the checkpoint area. Several heavily armored Ghost Hound soldiers immediately raised their weapons.

"Get out of the car! Submit for inspection!"

A hound barked loudly, but Mercer calmly rolled down the car window: "I bet you've received the message. Where's Hansen? Just lead the way."

Several ghost hound soldiers exchanged glances, and then a burly-looking soldier walked out from behind the checkpoint.

The man was wearing a very high-end nano bodysuit, which not only had excellent bulletproof capabilities but could also enhance muscle strength to some extent.

Mercer had seen it in the military science's sales brochure, but it was expensive and not for sale to the public.

In addition to the bodysuit, the man also wore an extra layer of nano bulletproof vest. His muscles stretched the bodysuit to its limit, and although he was not tall, he was incredibly imposing.

The man's clothes were in the classic yellow and green color scheme of a hound. In addition, he had a faceplate on his face—the skin from his nose to his forehead also looked like a hound's color scheme, and his prosthetic eyes shimmered with a faint yellow light, adjusted to resemble the pupils of a wild beast.

Mercer recognized the other person's identity at a glance because of their distinctive appearance.

Bennett, the de facto second-in-command of the Hounds, is arguably one of Hansen's most trusted right-hand men, and a confidant who helped him establish this empire.

"Heh," Bennett chuckled softly as he saw Mercer and V remain remarkably calm despite having so many guns pointed at them.

The laughter was anything but friendly. Bennett walked closer, one hand on his holster, a playful expression on his face: "A, or rather, Alex Mercer, the wanted criminal of Arasaka, the walking three million euro man, you've got some nerve."

"You've been in Dogtown for so long, and only now, after getting into trouble, do you think to ask someone for help?"

“We can wipe out a whole bunch of wanted criminals in Dogtown. When has anyone ever cared about this? Alright, enough nonsense. Open the door and lead the way.” Mercer completely ignored his pretentious air.

He gave Hansen face, but he wouldn't give face to these common soldiers and high-ranking officers—although Hansen had organized the Ghost Hounds in the manner of an army, in essence, this warlord's army was just a more ruthless and domineering gang.

If you behave well and bully them, these idiots will try to take advantage of you and squeeze every last drop out of you.

Mercer now understands how to deal with this kind of guy.

The simplest way is like what V is doing now.

V stared at Bennett with an unfriendly expression, narrowed his eyes, and said, "Don't fucking do anything stupid and cause trouble for your boss. Hansen told you to come here to pick someone up, not to cause trouble."

Her beautiful face revealed a fierce expression, but none of the ghostly hounds around her took it as a joke.

V's list of prosthetic devices included high-end prosthetics such as S.A.S., Krenzikov, and Mantis Blade; anyone who saw it would know that these were not to be trifled with.

Bennett just stared at V, his expression equally fierce: "You guys better not cause any trouble. When you see Boss Hansen later, you'd better be polite and respectful. If you want to survive in Dogtown, you'd better remember that the Hound of the Underworld is in charge here!"

V glanced at him dismissively: "Anyone who didn't know better would think you're the boss. Got it? Then hurry up and lead the way, don't waste my boss's time."

After saying that, V stared at him, her hand on the gun handle, her expression equally unfriendly, completely unafraid of the many guns pointed at her around her.

Bennett's face twitched slightly, but in the end, he waved his hand, and the people around him put away their weapons.

"Keep a close eye on him. You'd better pray that you have a good talk with Colonel Hansen."

He tapped Mercer's car door warningly, then gestured for the gate to be opened.

As a result, the ground piles sank, the gate opened, and the automatic machine gun returned to hibernation mode.

After passing through the checkpoint, Bennett got into a Ghosthound armored vehicle and drove ahead.

Polaris followed the armored vehicle through Dogtown and soon arrived at the stadium.

The stadium was originally a super-large stadium built by EBM Petrochemical. Although it had not yet been officially named, the entire building was basically completed before the outbreak of war.

Taiping Prefecture was once portrayed as a 'tourist destination,' and various companies were lured to invest in all sorts of entertainment projects there, including hotels, casinos, amusement parks, and stadiums. But now, it has all benefited others.

With the development of the Netherhound, the stadium is now not only a smuggling site for bulk goods, but also the economic lifeline of the Netherhound, where a large number of smuggled goods are transported by air every day.

Meanwhile, its underground facilities also became Hansen's hound base.

This place is not only their training ground and gathering place, but also the location of the Ghost Hound's factory and research plant—yes, they also have their own weapons factory, although so far, it is only just beginning.

Hansen himself didn't like living here, because with a nice place like the Gemstone Blue Hotel, no one would like living underground.

So when Mercer discovered that the meeting place was arranged in the stadium, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly.

A show of force? That's unnecessary; the number of Azure Gem Netherhounds deployed here is no less than this.

That's very likely because Mercer seemed to be deep in thought.

Led by Bennett, the two entered the underground passage without any hindrance. They parked the car in front of the checkpoint, and after getting out, two Ghosthound soldiers expressionlessly demanded that Mercer and V hand over their weapons.

V took out his pistol, while Mercer casually set his humble letter aside.

His Zoro shotgun was left in the car, which saved him a lot of trouble.

The hound confiscated the two men's weapons before clearing a path.

Bennett led the way with a cold expression, surrounded by eight hounds that seemed to be escorting prisoners. Along the way, they also encountered at least forty more hound soldiers armed with live ammunition.

Besides the factory area, there is also a sizable underground plaza, which is probably used for training these soldiers. When they are not training, this is the activity area for the Ghost Hound soldiers.

After looking left and right, V finally came to a conclusion and secretly sent a message to Mercer.

[V: So, operating underground is kind of a Dogtown characteristic?]

[Mercer: Not really. Their mid-to-high-ranking officers and core elites usually live in Gemstone Blue; this is more of their military zone.]

[V: Tsk, these bastards really know how to enjoy themselves. I heard that when Sapphire Blue was built, it was supposed to be a five-star facility.]

Mercer: The top-tier suites and high-rise suites are probably reserved for big shots from outside. Don't be fooled by Dogtown's dilapidated appearance; there are quite a few wealthy people gathered in Sapphire Blue.

I estimate that thing must earn at least a million euros a month.

[V: So rich? Wow, no wonder these guys can afford to get standard-issue bulletproof vests.]

[Mercer: Definitely. Look at those bulldog robots patrolling the streets. Each one costs hundreds of thousands of euros, and there's never any available.]

[V: Tsk tsk. When are we going to rob them?]

[Mercer: We're civilized people, stop thinking about robbery all the time.]

Mercer and V were communicating silently in their minds using a chat app. At the end of their conversation, they even looked at each other and laughed.

Bennett had been observing the two men. Seeing how audacious they were, remaining calm and even laughing despite being surrounded by hounds, he formed a preliminary judgment about them.

As expected of a mercenary team that can outmaneuver biotechnology, military science, and Arasaka, their skill level is still unclear, but their courage is truly remarkable.

After passing through the hall and entering a room, Mo Se immediately saw Hansen sitting on the sofa. At the same time, he raised his eyebrows slightly, suddenly feeling that this place looked familiar.

This seems to be the place where Hansen stores the Little Big Dipper device in the game's DLC.
The bar features a counter, sofas, and large glass windows. Outside the windows is a sunken, spacious area. Upon closer inspection, one can see a lot of equipment inside. Mercer glanced at it and realized that most of it was production and research equipment.

At this moment, there were still quite a few people busy inside. Mercer glanced at them a few more times and realized they were probably all technical experts—it seemed this was where Hansen was designing weapons.

Later, after he got involved with the Lark, he uncovered the Beidou Project of the Military Science Center, took out the device that was binding the Beidou AI, and transferred it here so that the Lark could continue its research.

Seeing this, Mercer was finally certain of Hansen's purpose. He recalled the standard equipment he'd just seen from the Ghost Hounds—it was all wholesale stock from the military department.
After looking away, Mercer and Hansen stared at each other, sizing each other up.

Hansen, wearing a tight black short-sleeved shirt, looked very much like a soldier, with both his strong features and his demeanor.

They are the type that, at first glance, exude an imposing aura and seem unapproachable.

But Mercer simply met his gaze calmly for a moment before speaking first: "Colonel Kurt Hansen, I've long admired your name."

"is it?"

Hansen, however, remained indifferent, simply sitting on the sofa, calmly looking at him, and said meaningfully:

"To be honest, I was quite surprised to receive your contact. I thought that in your eyes, Dogtown was Mr. Hanz's territory."

“I just hadn’t figured out how to deal with Colonel Hansen before.” Mercer was not affected by the atmosphere at all. He walked steadily to him and sat down on the sofa opposite him.

Hansen's expression remained unchanged as he watched Hansen's posture, but his fingers unconsciously rubbed together slightly, indicating that he was somewhat agitated.

He didn't quite like Mercer's composed attitude; in his opinion, the other party should show him more respect.

"So, have you thought it through now?" Hansen's words remained unhurried.

"Indeed, to survive in Dogtown, you definitely have to pay your respects here."
I hope Colonel Hansen doesn't misunderstand anything. The reason I'm only coming now is because I hadn't made a name for myself yet. Even if I wanted to meet with you, I'm afraid Colonel Hansen wouldn't bother to make the time.

Mercer said with a smile.

Hansen chuckled, then said leisurely, "Now you've seen it. Tell me, give me a reason to leave you in Dogtown."

"I thought anyone could come to Dogtown. Isn't that why Dogtown is so successful now?" Mercer retorted.

Hansen simply looked at him and said, "Those people come here either to pay my taxes or to make money for me. Which one are you?"

"That depends on which one Colonel Hansen wants."

Mercer said calmly, "If Colonel Hansen just wants protection money, I can pay the fees regularly according to the standards of other gangs in exchange for the protection of the Hound of the Underworld."

"And if Colonel Hansen is interested in making money with me, I do indeed believe I have some ability to do so."

Hansen remained silent for a moment, staring sharply at him, and after a long while, he suddenly burst into laughter.

He laughed and waved, and someone immediately handed him a bottle of whiskey and a glass.

“Very good, it seems you really thought this through before coming, and you didn’t waste my time. So, let’s talk about the second point.”

Hansen got straight to the point, sitting up slightly and leaning forward, scrutinizing him with a pressure-like look: "But before that, I didn't really like dealing with guys who wore masks."

Mercer didn't waste any words, and after removing his mask, he revealed his face.

Hansen was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but laugh, his laughter growing louder and louder: "This is fucking interesting. Military Science, Arasaka, Biotechnology, Faraday... a whole bunch of people were actually played like fools by a kid."

I thought you were joking about the information you registered. To be honest, kid, are you even an adult yet?

V's expression was somewhat unfriendly, while Mercer simply smiled and said calmly, "Eighteen years old should be considered an adult, right?"

"Hahaha," Hansen continued to laugh, his smile tinged with contempt.

Mercer remained unmoved, merely offering a faint smile as he sat on the sofa and pushed away the glass in front of him: "However, everything else is negotiable, but could you replace the whiskey with a cola? A small cola, on the rocks."

Upon hearing this, all the other hounds except Hansen laughed. The laughter sounded particularly grating to V, who squinted and looked around.

It wasn't until Hansen waved his hand that the surroundings quieted down again.

“Listen, we Americans drink Cyrus Coke. But I can make an exception for you. Go and get him a small can of Coke.”

Hansen said.

One of the hounds turned and left, but Mercer still called out, "I want the original can, don't give me any weird flavors."

He seemed completely unfazed by the laughter around him.

Seeing this, Hansen maintained a dismissive expression on the surface, but in his heart, he secretly raised Mercer's danger level by one level.

Not every young guy can stay calm in this situation, especially since he is a gifted, confident young hacker.

Hansen knew all too well the temperament of this genius hacker.

Having laughed and probed, Hansen simply got straight to the point.

"Tell me, how exactly do you want to cooperate with me?"

Mercer bluntly stated, "I can help you make guns."