Cyberpunk: Starting in 2071

Chapter 99 News of Lai Xuan

Rebecca's suit can be seen as a more flexible heavy exoskeleton armor, with ultra-thick bulletproof steel plates and an exoskeleton mechanical supercharger for increased power.

It can be configured with a variety of heavy weapons and miniature missile launch systems, and is a hybrid electric vehicle; it can be seen as an 'enhanced version of the centaur exoskeleton'.

AI fire control automatically calculates weapon trajectories. It only requires a brain-computer interface to achieve easy aiming and firing, just like using a smart weapon. It uses the same supercharged thruster as the Arasaka exoskeleton to provide a 'burst mode' for short-duration, high-speed maneuverability.

It can fly solo for 10 minutes and is immune to bullets from ordinary weapons.

This bulky-looking heavy mech was named 'tank-1' by Mercer.

The reason Mercer calls it a single-soldier armor rather than an exoskeleton is because he abandoned the past design concept of 'machines being responsible for power amplification and movement, while humans merely use the machines'.

Instead, it's the other way around, with the design goal of 'machines working in conjunction with humans to enhance human motor performance.'

For example, if Arasaka's exoskeleton means you only need to exert three-tenths of your strength, while the remaining seven-tenths are actually the machine's own power.

Mercer's design philosophy was to maximize human strength. You have the strength to lift 500kg with one arm? My goal is to increase that to a ton without making you clumsy.

However, achieving this is actually very difficult, and the first problem to solve is the transmission of thoughts.

A direct wired connection is like an exoskeleton, and it's hard to say how much the latency will be reduced. The key issue is that it puts too much strain on your brain when you're controlling it.

Without a cable and relying solely on mechanical drive, the delay is even greater. It's like you take a step first, and then the machine suddenly gives you a burst of force. In short, it's very strange.

Fortunately, Mercer's design and development were carried out simultaneously—that is, while he was addressing the potential psychological dangers of using the octopus arm, his meticulously designed mind-transformation algorithm, driven by AI-powered mechs, solved this problem.

Mercer installed an intelligent core in each mech, which is equivalent to a small, portable, high-spec computer host, specifically designed for AI.

Then, after the user's brain is connected to the computer, the AI ​​reads the user's thoughts and converts them synchronously, while simultaneously driving the mecha to exert force.

Simply put, when you think about 'throwing a punch with your left hand,' not only does your left hand receive the command, but the AI ​​also receives your command in sync and directly controls the armor to cooperate by reading the neural waves of your arm.

From a human perspective, the latency can be reduced to almost nothing, and you won't feel like you're controlling the equipment, because you're actually just issuing a command, and the operation is all done by AI, so your nerves aren't burdened at all.

For users, the actual wearing experience of the heavy mech is more like wearing a stiff, fully enclosed bodysuit, with no sense of lag in operation.

Considering that each mech and even the robotic arm requires this AI to work together, Mercer simply gave the AI ​​a name, just like Polaris.

'BT'.

This is the name of the AI ​​of the mech in Titanfall 2. Of course, the full name of the AI ​​in the game is actually 'BT72-74', but players just call it BT.

When Mercer was playing a game, he was moved by the mecha AI that shared life and death with him, so he simply copied it and used it as the code name for his own mecha AI.

When explaining this to outsiders, Mercer would say that BT is actually an abbreviation for BOT (robot).

Each mech's AI will have its own number, starting with BT1-1.

This is because it differs from Polaris, which resides on the Mercer main server and actually runs in conjunction with the ctOS system, using the server to provide computing power as an independent AI.

Each BTAI is actually individually adapted to the armor.

Because it needs to automatically record the host's usage habits, cultivate tacit understanding, optimize algorithms for the host, reduce latency and matching output, and even in the later stages, it can exist independently as the host's intelligent combat partner.

In other words, each robot AI is actually independent, but Mercer will not give them too much freedom in terms of permissions. They are born in the mechs and die in the mechs. Except for regular maintenance, they are not allowed to connect to the network to learn and improve their intelligence on their own.

Another option is a lightweight mech adapted to the S.A.S. combat style.

Well, or rather, V-Zhentian's exclusive mecha—because she's the only one equipped with something like the Sianwistan, and it's worth Mercer investing a lot of money in.

This mech, which Mercer calls the 'Falcon Spear Type 1', has significantly reduced armor thickness and eliminated mechanical supercharging, replacing it with multiple micro-compression propulsion devices and electric drive and nano-muscle enhancement technology.

It was only equipped with shoulder cannons as a supplement to firepower. The entire design concept was developed with the idea that speed is the ultimate weapon in martial arts.

This is to maximize V's abnormal reaction speed and physical flexibility.

The entire suit of armor is extremely expensive. The outer armor alone costs nearly 1.2 million euros because Mercer adopted a full nano-armor design to provide as much protection as possible while reducing weight.

Nanometals can be understood as a special type of metal that is extremely tough, has self-healing capabilities, and excellent cushioning properties.

Its nano-metal has an extremely high density but is very light in weight. Just as a layer of subcutaneous nano-armor can stop bullets by simply laying a layer under human skin, the entire nano-metal can withstand the bombardment of a small-caliber howitzer.

Furthermore, its excellent cushioning performance can withstand the shockwaves from indirect hits by micro-missiles, greatly reducing the burden on the body's joints from the reaction force when the user is active.

Inside the armor, Mercer also opted for a nano-combat suit design to further enhance the user's physical abilities. The nano-combat suit can be understood as similar to the black combat suit in the "Gantz" comic.

This nano-combat suit can directly enhance muscle strength through nanotechnology; high-ranking warriors in the Ghosthounds usually wear similar combat suits.

In addition to the high cost of the armor, Mercer also adopted electric drive supercharging instead of mechanical supercharging. Compared with mechanical supercharging, electric drive supercharging is faster and has a faster response time.

It can provide timely boost when adapted to the extreme speed of the Sinweistein, avoiding the mechanical response speed from not keeping up with the speed of the human body when mechanical boosting is used.

The compression propulsion system also abandons hybrid power and is driven purely by electricity. Thanks to the ultra-low weight of the nanoarmor, Mercer has placed a super battery on his back that is protected by a combination of nanoarmor and explosion-proof armor.

This type of battery allows a mech with an overall weight of no more than 120KG to still reach a maximum flight speed of 520KM/H and a super-speed state of 300KM/H when running on the ground, even with an additional 80KG of human weight.

It can operate at maximum power for at least half an hour continuously, and can be charged by replacing the battery or by directly plugging it in.

If the battery runs out, the mech will switch to bioelectric drive. Even if it cannot fly or activate full-power acceleration, it can still ensure that the user can move flexibly and still enjoy low-intensity electric drive enhancement.

And this running speed refers to the running speed at which one can move flexibly—can you imagine? A person can move up to 83.3 meters per second.

What is this concept?
One second she's a hundred meters away, the next second she's right in your face!

This only refers to the speed increase over long distances. In close combat, due to her unique full-body electric power boost, she will only be faster than when running.

Mercer measured the speed of his arm swinging at full power in electric mode, and found that it took about 0.13 seconds to complete one swing of the Mantis Blade.

If V himself were to wear this mech, activate the Sinweistan, and use the nano-muscle-enhancing combat suit with its nano-metal inner layer to swing his sword, calculations show that the entire sword-swing process could be completed in a terrifying 0.07 seconds.

The average person's reaction time is about 0.12 seconds. Activating Krenzikov will increase your reaction time to the range of 0.06-0.08 seconds in real time.

In other words, assuming you're equipped with Krenchikov, then congratulations, you're qualified to react when V swings his knife at you.

Unfortunately, I have to tell you that "reacting" means that you realize you've been slashed after she swings her knife, not that you had a chance to dodge it.

Unless you have exceptional potential, like V and Mercer, who typically think and act in increments of 0.1 seconds during normal time, and whose actual reaction speed in accelerated states generally approaches 0.01-0.03 milliseconds—a super-accelerated mental process.

Only then can you react before V starts making his move, but before he hits you.

But once you realize what's happening, can you dodge it?

The opponent, also equipped with S.A.S.A.S., will face a super-fast killer who is equipped with a muscle-enhancing prosthetic body, has 20 points of physical potential, electric-driven speed and power boost, and an internal nano-combat suit to enhance his muscles.

You might be able to dodge or block one attack, but what about the second or third?
Mercer felt that, given V's current level, as long as the armor he designed didn't perform poorly in actual combat, even in terms of weaponry, it might not be as strong as the terrifying eight-star gun of the Heavy Hammer and the strength of a fully mechanized suit.

However, combined with V's personal strength, V definitely has the ability to fight Adam Hammer head-on. Mercer even thinks that V should have more than an 80% chance of killing Adam Hammer in a one-on-one situation.

While Adam's hammer was well-equipped and his mechanized body might have reached superhuman strength, V's individual physical abilities were simply too strong.

With Mercer's mech, she has very likely surpassed Adam Hammer in terms of combat performance.

Not to mention that combat is not always a simple contest of equipment stats; it also involves a range of factors beyond that, such as human will to fight, combat intuition, mentality, and technique.

This is why Mercer gave V special training and provided her with the strongest personal armor – she's just too good at stats, it would be a crime not to max out her stats!

This is all the research results Mercer has achieved over the past six months.

To be honest, the speed and level of development at this pace are simply inhuman.

As for Mercer himself—he hasn't developed his own matching individual armor yet.

The reason is quite simple: compared to V and Rebecca, who need to face danger head-on, what he needs more is not the ability to directly attack, but a stronger ability to survive and intelligent weapons that can make the most of his brain.

The development of the octopus-arm prosthetic body was actually a way for Mercer to supplement and enhance his combat capabilities.

For Mercer, at extreme speeds, his neural reaction speed and instantaneous thinking ability are actually no weaker than V's, and from a purely intellectual perspective, his brain is definitely better than V's.

The reason why he was always bullied by V and Rebecca was simply because he lacked physical strength. His eyes saw the problem, his brain came up with a solution, but his body couldn't make any move to resist.

However, with the octopus arms, this problem has been solved to some extent.

Besides being powerful and multifunctional, the octopus arm also has a theoretical maximum speed during movement. Its design, similar to that of octopus tentacles, allows it to accelerate through layers of mechanical structures, swinging out like a whip.

Its swinging speed is much faster than Mercer's own arm.

Perhaps one octopus arm cannot completely stop a speedster activating Sianwistan, but what if there are two or three?

Mercer had seen Marvel movies, and he thought that if Doctor Octopus could bully Spider-Man with his octopus arms, then...

With the added computing power of his brain, the octopus arm he's now developing should be able to handle ordinary S.A.W.S. opponents without any problem.

The only problem is that Mercer feels that if he were to go out with several octopus arms all the time, the style would be a bit strange—after mechanical ascension, I would become a mechanical octopus?
This is somewhat abstract.

Therefore, he did not rush to install the octopus arm on himself after its development, but sought a new installation and adaptation approach so that he could still function as a person in normal times.

The best approach is to leave a few mounting holes on your body, just like a hacker would carve a neural connection slot in the back of their head to connect to a hacker chair or server deep dive.

When necessary, it can be plugged in and used immediately. If the arm is damaged, it can be directly pulled out and replaced. It can even be designed with a universal plug type so that various different prosthetics can be replaced and installed at any time in the future.

Hmm. This kind of prosthetic modification approach is probably only something Mercer could use.

If anyone else had given themselves a Xenomorph prosthetic body like that, it would probably only be a matter of time before they went insane.

Just as Mercer was planning to further develop and refine his new design and intend to put these new research breakthroughs into practical testing, an unexpected piece of news disrupted his research plans.

[?: Arasaka Yorinobu will arrive in Night City in October. The reason and the exact date are unknown. However, he usually stays in the top-floor private suite of the Konjaku Tower Hotel, which is owned by the Arasaka Group, after arriving in Night City.]

I estimate that he won't stay in Night City for more than a few days this time.

As for how to meet with him and negotiate, that's your problem to solve. I can't do anything about it, so be careful.

Although it was unsigned and probably sent via a disposable phone or something similar, Mercer knew perfectly well that it was a message from Roger.

October
Mercer sighed, "Another year has almost passed."

Come to think of it, Rebecca seems to have reached adulthood in 2074? Lucy is around 75, hmm.
Mercer sighed, unsure whether to be happy or melancholic—he wouldn't be able to use his age as an excuse to delay things then, but he liked Rebecca, Lucy, and was also somewhat V-shaped—this was going to be a bit of a problem.
But he quickly passed these things on to his future self, leaving it to his future self to worry about.

He rolled over, got up from the chair, stretched, and looked around. He was the only person in the underground base's work area. Because of the need for work, his entire room was brightly lit, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night.

I checked the time on the prosthetic eye; it's 8 PM now.
Mercer thought for a moment, then sent a message directly in the group chat of his messaging app.

[Mercer: Gather everyone~ Let's have a meeting.]

Then, he leisurely walked out of the work area, washed his face, called over a few hackers who were still busy in the server room, and went upstairs together.

"Why the sudden meeting?" Sasha stretched her body like a cat, her curvaceous figure particularly eye-catching under her black clothes.

Mercer glanced at it twice, then his gaze was drawn back by Lucy's melancholy look: "I've received some news, there's a big job to be done."

"A big job? How does it compare to the transport team that worked on biotechnology and military science last time?" Lucy frowned.

Mercer shrugged: "I don't know, but I estimate it won't be any easier than dealing with that transport team."

Lucy sighed, then said, "However, you've been quiet for half a year without causing any trouble, which is quite an effort for you."

Mercer chuckled: "Why do you make it sound like I'm a troublemaker? Isn't it all for the sake of future development?"

"Really?" Lucy teased. "Have you ever used anything you stole from the biotechnology company?"

“If nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to use it this time.” After Mercer finished speaking, he saw Lucy suddenly become a little nervous, so he quickly added with a smile, “It’s not for me.”

Lucy relaxed a little, then turned and glared at him: "So who's the target this time?"

"Arasaka."

As soon as Mercer finished speaking, she pursed her lips, looked at Mercer, but ultimately said nothing.

Kyoko, on the other hand, spoke her mind freely, saying with a hint of unease, "Arasaka, I don't know why, but the thought of going against them makes me a little nervous."

"What's there to be nervous about? We dealt with them the same way we did back then, so let's keep doing it now." Mercer showed no signs of nervousness whatsoever.

Instead, he said with high spirits, "If everything goes smoothly for us this time, we can truly be considered legends!"

"Ha, I'm not really interested in becoming a legend." Sasha looked at them curiously, a little itchy inside: "What grudges did you guys have against Arasaka before?"

"I guess so." Mercer himself didn't care, but looking at Lucy and Anzu, he wasn't sure if they wanted to be open about their past with everyone.

When the elevator reached the first floor, Mercer and several hackers went to the living room. At that moment, Jack, wearing a vest stained with oil, and Mandorio, who looked like he had just been working out at the gym and was covered in sweat, were already there.

Upon seeing Mercer, everyone greeted him in unison.

Jack is now doing some work with the team and has earned a considerable amount of money; he is no longer the destitute man he once was.

With the Berserk System installed, gorilla arms, Krenzikov armor, heavy subcutaneous armor, and wrist-mounted grenade launchers, his cybernetic equipment is now on par with Rebecca and Mann.

Although his appearance and attire are similar to before, in terms of actual combat ability, he has long surpassed his past self by leaps and bounds.

The pistols at his waist were two gold-plated guns that Pila had hand-finished for him. These two guns also had a distinctive Heywood angel paint finish, making them look both high-end and luxurious, giving him the air of a successful man.

While Mann may not look much different from others, his entire body has been completely redesigned. He replaced his old military prosthetic body with the latest prosthetic configuration similar to Jack's, making him far stronger than he is in the anime.

Although Mann was initially conflicted and wanted to replace the Berserk system with the Sianweistein system, Mercer managed to persuade him otherwise.

That's not something anyone can fake. He didn't want Mann to go down the path of cyberbullying like in the original anime.

Mann is no longer the big brother in the anime; he's just a firepower specialist in the team. Without the heavy burden of leadership, he no longer insists on his position and instead follows the team's standard setup.

As for Dorio, she didn't have many prosthetics.

She belongs to the animal gang's biological enhancement path. As an athlete, she has superhuman strength. With only Krenchikov, heavy subcutaneous armor, and some artificial joints, her combat ability is not very strong, but she will not hold anyone back.

As for the prosthetic body installations of other people, there are not many changes.

Most of the improvements have been in equipment and weapons. Even Rebecca's Iron Coil has been upgraded multiple times and is now a handheld shotgun.

That thing has a bullet caliber almost as big as a sniper rifle, and she's the only one who loves things with such ridiculously high recoil.

Mercer waited at the dining table in the living room for a while, and soon everyone gathered together to officially begin the meeting. "First of all, I have to make one thing clear beforehand. What we are going to do this time is not a commission, but something I plan to do myself, just like stealing biotechnology. In the short term, we may not even see any returns."

Mercer felt that some things needed to be made clear beforehand. He looked at the team members on both sides of the long table and said seriously, "But the danger may be greater than any of the commissions you have ever done."

Therefore, I can't say how much money we can make; we might even have to put all the team funds we've accumulated into it.

"Alright, I get it." V interrupted him bluntly, stating his position directly: "I'll do it."

Mercer turned and smiled at her, then turned back and said seriously, "I am the leader of the team, but not a dictator. I know very well that everyone is following me just to live a better life."

But if everything goes smoothly this time, it might only make our situation more dangerous, and I can't guarantee that all of us will be safe and sound.

Therefore, I must make it clear in advance—our target this time is Arasaka, and we might even directly confront Saburo Arasaka. You all know what kind of person Saburo Arasaka is, and you also know the risks of going against him.”

Mercer paused, then said seriously, "I can understand if anyone doesn't want to get involved in this."

Seeing that V was about to speak, Mercer first gestured for her to wait with his eyes, and then said, "There's no turning back once the arrow is released. If you decide to join, then you'll have to go down this path with me to the bitter end."

Since the entire matter must be kept secret, I can only reveal the mission details after you have thought it through and decided to join.
But I can explain in advance why I'm doing this.

Mercer looked at everyone's expressions and smiled, saying, "I want to change the world, or at least, change this city first."

I hope that one day, even ordinary people can walk safely on the streets of Night City at any time without worrying about a stray bullet taking their lives.

I hope that ordinary people can earn enough to support their families through their own efforts, instead of working hard for several days and still not being able to afford a one-gallon bottle of purified water.

I want to eat fresh vegetables and meat, not canned vegetables and insects.

He sighed softly, looked at the diverse expressions on the faces of the crowd, and said earnestly, "The company wants to control our lives, squeeze every last drop of our energy, and ultimately control our thoughts and souls."
Everything I have done, my ultimate goal, is to reclaim the freedom that belongs to the people.

Let the winds of true peace and liberation blow through this city, and then, starting from Night City, let these winds blow to the whole world.

That's basically it.

After Mercer finished speaking, he looked at everyone and remained silent, waiting for them to express their opinions.

V just sighed, then said seriously to everyone, "Well, if someone else said this to me, I would suggest they go on TV and spout nonsense. Those politicians love people like him who love to talk nonsense."

But I believe he wasn't joking, so I'm planning to work with him. Anyway, if I ever find him unreliable, I can just dump him and go it alone.

Rebecca smiled and propped her chin on her hand, looking at Mercer: "It's okay if you don't have money, but after this busy period, you have to go out with me, then I'll agree to work for you."

Mercer nodded to her and smiled as he agreed.

Lucy simply crossed her arms in front of her, her expression calm, and she didn't say a word, but it was clear that she had never considered breaking up.

Mann and Dorio exchanged a glance, and finally Mann spoke up: "I don't really care about justice or injustice, but since we're a team, and you're the leader, you're in charge."

But I can't just send Dorio to her death in vain, so Mercer, you need to explain the whole story behind this mission.

Mercer readily replied, "Of course, if someone has to die, I guarantee I'll be the first."

V glared at him: "Don't talk nonsense. Do you think it's your turn, a hacker, to die first?"

Sasha simply pointed to her lips with her finger and said with interest, "This is the first time I've seen someone become a fringe traveler for such a goal. But I'll join!"

She revealed a determined expression and said earnestly, "Just like I told you before—if you truly want those damn company dogs to go to hell, then I will definitely accompany you to the end!"

Pila chuckled and wiggled her fingers, saying nonchalantly:

"Just do it! Who cares about Arasaka Military Academy or whether he's righteous or not? Anyway, I think Mercer is reliable and wouldn't joke around with our lives, so just listen to him. He definitely knows what he's doing."

Without him, Rebecca and I would probably be dead somewhere in the street by now. So, just send him whatever you need.

In the blink of an eye, only Jack remained silent.

He looked around and belatedly realized that he was the only one who hadn't spoken up yet, so he quickly laughed and said, "Putting everything else aside, the money I've made in the last six months is more than I've made in the previous half of my life."

Mercer treats me like a brother, so if something happens, no matter if I have money or not, I'll definitely step up!

A Haywood man never betrays his friends or family—chicken, Mano!

"Damn, if I actually take down Arasaka, wouldn't I have achieved the same feat as Morgan Blackhand?"

As Jack spoke, he became a little excited: "I regretted not joining you guys on that biotech heist earlier. There's nothing to brag about when we go out drinking. This time, I'm going to be at the forefront and pull off a big one!"

Kyoko weakly raised her hand: "I'd like to too, uh, I mean, it would be even better if I could get some work done."

Lucy didn't say anything, but pressed down on her arm and gave her an disapproving look.

Mercer joked, "Sure, you can cook for V. She's practically become a full-time housewife now, she's almost developed that wifely vibe."

"Get lost! You're the one who has the air of a married woman!"

V gave him the middle finger, and everyone burst into laughter.

Jack winked and said, "You know what, especially since she's been keeping quiet about you and me, and you're always fiddling with equipment, not even wearing proper clothes or eating properly."
It's exactly the same thing my mom used to complain about my dad.

"Are you trying to die?!" V snapped, glaring and raising his fist.

Jack immediately raised his hands in surrender, but he looked like he was just having fun.

Rebecca didn't laugh, she just stared at V with a melancholy look, until V couldn't take it anymore and awkwardly started repeating those same old lines: "I told you I'm not interested in kids like him."

Everyone laughed, but Mercer laughed the most arrogantly. As a result, V stepped on his foot under the table, then coughed and brought the conversation back to the main topic.

"Let's get down to business—Arasaka Yorinobu is coming to Night City."

After Mercer finished speaking, seeing that everyone was looking at him with focused attention, he continued, "My task for everyone is very simple. I need to meet with him, or find an opportunity to communicate with him without being discovered."

"Uh, can't we just get his contact information from somewhere? He must have his own secret way of contacting people, right? Do we really have to meet him?" V asked.

"Who knows if he has it? Even if he does, can you guarantee that his so-called 'secret communication method' is really secret? Don't underestimate Saburo Arasaka, especially since I may have already alerted him."

After Mercer finished speaking, he actually had another guess in his mind—Logically speaking, Rogge had already exposed that someone was trying to contact Arasaka Yoriyuki. If Arasaka Yoriyuki really had some absolutely safe and secret way to contact other people, then...

That's a long enough time for him to find someone to send Roger a contact number.

But the result was that Arasaka Yorinobu had no intention of trying to contact anyone else.

This suggests that either he had no interest in people trying to contact him, or Arasaka Yoriyuki lacked confidence that he could evade Saburo's surveillance and contact people outside.

But his choice to come to Night City in person is quite interesting. Despite the recent incident where someone in Night City tried to find out his contact information, Arasaka Yorinobu risked being suspected by Arasaka Saburo by choosing to come to Night City.
If it were someone else, they might suspect that he was fishing for information, or that he had been in cahoots with Saburo Arasaka for a long time.

But Mercer was certain that Arasaka Yoriyuki had come with some hope. Perhaps he couldn't do anything proactively, but he was definitely prepared to meet with certain people.

Even if he didn't, Mercer wanted to try to persuade him. At least from the original plot, the webmaster somehow convinced him to bring Silver Hand's Relic to Night City.

Since the internet censors could do it, Mercer felt that he could do it too—although he was far inferior in power, he had advantages that the internet censors did not have.

He really could use his Silver Hand to negotiate with Ultraman, and he really dared to lay a hand on Saburo Arasaka.

"So, our goal is to find a way to help you meet with Arasaka Yoriyuki? Or maybe get him some kind of walkie-talkie or disposable cell phone?"

V looked at Mercer, who was deep in thought. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "I feel it's difficult to persuade Arasaka Yoriyuki just by talking to him on the phone."

"What are you planning to persuade him about?" Mann asked, somewhat puzzled. "What kind of agreement do you want to reach with him?"

"Yes, I hope he can bring over the Relic chip containing Johnny Silver Hand. In exchange, we'll help him kill Saburo Arasaka."

After Mercer finished speaking, not only Mann, but even Pila exclaimed "Wow!"

Pila raised his hand, his expression exaggerated, and said, "So our goal is to resurrect a rock star who died in a nuclear explosion decades ago. To do that, we're going to kill the most powerful man on this planet in decades?"

“Johnny Silverhand was just a prelude,” Mercer calmly replied. “He was a bargaining chip.”

He looked at everyone and didn't hide his thoughts, asking directly, "Do you know Arasaka Yorinobu?"

“Well, I knew he was practically a shoo-in for Arakawa’s next leader.” Jack scratched his head.

Others' understanding of Lai Xuan was basically limited to this.

"It seems that none of you know that decades ago, Arasaka Yorinobu was an open anti-corporate and anti-capitalist freedom fighter."

Mercer's words left everyone somewhat incredulous.

“If we say that Johnny Silverhand was the typical ‘freedom fighter’ who openly opposed Arasaka and the company in the past New America.”

The representative of Japan was Arasaka Yorinobu.

He broke away from the Arasaka family and even founded an organization called 'Steel Dragon,' which consisted of Japanese biker gangs, but they could also be described as a group of freedom fighters.

After Arasaka Yoriyuki stole Arasaka's secrets, equipment, and funds and injected them into Steel Dragon, he openly opposed Arasaka. Ultimately, this act of betrayal angered Arasaka Saburo, who ordered his brother, Arasaka Takashi, to execute Yoriyuki.

At that time, Arasaka had just obtained the Soul Killer program. What you may not know is that the first high-ranking member executed within the Soul Killer organization was Arasaka Yorinobu.”

Mercer drew out his words before changing the subject and saying, "His double."

"Then, after Johnny Silverhand blew up the Night City Arasaka Tower, he actually persuaded Arasaka Kei to commit suicide. Yes, after the Arasaka Tower was blown up, this guy actually felt that he had damaged the family's honor and felt that he had failed in his duty, so he committed seppuku."

Mercer shrugged and then said, "The Fourth Company War has come to an end. However, Arasaka Yoriyuki, who was thought to have been killed, suddenly appeared at his brother's funeral."

At the funeral, he practically kowtowed to Saburo Arasaka in confession. In the end, thanks to the pleas of his sister Hanako, Saburo spared his life and allowed him to return to the company.

For the next few decades, he began to feign being a competent successor, cultivating factions, but in reality, he remained the righteous fighter who yearned to destroy the company.

After Mercer finished speaking, seeing that everyone was still digesting so many secrets, he changed the subject and returned to the topic at the beginning.

"So I need him to hand over Johnny Silver Hand—as his bargaining chip."

"On the surface, I just want a Relic chip, but in fact, once Arasaka Yorinobu hands over the silver hand, it means that he has betrayed Arasaka Saburo again and completely turned against him."

Having endured decades of hardship, will Lai Xuan still choose to kowtow and apologize to Saburo? And will Arasaka Saburo forgive him again?

After Mercer finished speaking, Sasha rested her chin on her hand and said thoughtfully, "So you want to use Relic, who is imbued with the consciousness of Silver Hand, to make Arasaka Yoriyuki completely oppose Arasaka Saburo?"

“That’s right,” Mercer replied firmly. “The fear that Saburo Arasaka has stirred up is constantly eroding his courage. If no one gives him a push, he might just obediently wait for the old man to die of old age.”
But he can't wait that long; I have to tell him that, and then strengthen his resolve.

Lucy rubbed her temples and said, "So we'll help him get rid of Sanlang for free, and then help him take over?"

“Of course it won’t be free,” Mercer said calmly. “I will demand a huge reward and Arasaka’s support, which will become the foundation for our flourishing development in Night City.”

At the same time, he uses Silverhand as a bargaining chip to gain favor with Otto Cunningham, who is now an AI. Furthermore, Johnny Silverhand has a large number of old friends and fans.

"By saving him, we can use his influence to affect those crazed fans. And his old friends and fans from back then are now either middlemen, journalists, or still celebrities."

Mercer looked at the large creature and said, "He can also serve as my guinea pig to verify the compatibility of the Relic chip and cloning technology."

“What if we fail? Saburo Arasaka is not easy to kill. He has survived countless assassination attempts in his life. Can we handle it?” Mann was not very confident about this.

Mercer laughed: "Then let's run away. How about we join the Military Science Institute? Or Kang Tao? With my abilities, I can bring people and technology into the team and become a director without any problem. Then we can all be together and wear suits."

He said with a smile, "The worst-case scenario is that we all become company dogs, and then we'll find an opportunity to make a big score. What do you guys think?"

V said nonchalantly, "Whatever, since we've decided to do it, let's see it through to the end! Even if Saburo Arasaka has eight heads, I'll cut them all off."

"Well then, let's call this mission Operation Susanoo."

Mercer said with great interest, "In Japanese legends, the eight-headed Yamata no Orochi was killed by Susanoo."

That old man considers himself the ruler of the world; he probably thinks he's almost a god.

"Then let's be true god-slayers and chop off all eight of his heads."

Rebecca whistled: "Cool~"

"Now that everyone understands my goals, reasons, and motivations, then..."

Mercer looked around and smiled. "If there are no objections, shall we officially begin preparations for the operation?"

"Oh!!" Rebecca cheered enthusiastically, but after a few silly cheers, she chuckled and withdrew her hand, saying, "So? Where do we begin?"

“Good question!” Mercer nodded, then shrugged. “Unfortunately, I don’t know either.”

Seeing everyone's somewhat speechless expressions, Mercer laughed and then clapped his hands: "But it's okay, I believe Morning Star will give me a good suggestion."

Just after he finished speaking, the sound of the morning star suddenly rang out from the speakers in the living room.

“I think we might be able to start with the sex dolls.” Qi Mingxing’s voice was very gentle, without any trace of the coldness of the AI.

"A sex partner?" V looked puzzled.

"Yes, according to ctOS's intelligence gathering, Arasaka Yorinobu has a habit of seeking short-term partners every time he arrives in Night City. This information comes from the super VIP list on the internal servers of several high-end clubs such as Cloudtop Club."

After reviewing past news reports, I can confirm that almost every time he arrives in Night City, he uses various professional agents and other channels to find a sex doll that suits his taste, and sometimes he even summons the same sex doll multiple times.

As soon as Qimingxing finished speaking, Pila suddenly clasped her hands together excitedly: "Hey, Qimingxing, why didn't you say you'd already gotten that far with your research? Come on, analyze it for me, which sex doll club is the most exciting right now?"

Rebecca punched him in the stomach, saying menacingly, "Don't interrupt!"

Mercer narrowed his eyes and suddenly said, "I have an idea!"

Everyone stared at him.

Mercer, however, merely curled the corners of his lips into a smile:

"Morning Star, analyze Lai Xuan's hobbies for me, find out which type of girl he likes the most, then we'll place a bet in advance, find that sex doll, and then bribe the agents in the city to add that sex doll's name to his recommended list."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

In just a dozen seconds, Qimingxing sent several resumes to Mercer.

Mercer almost without hesitation fixed his gaze on a woman's face.

Evelyn Parker.

(End of this chapter)