Mercer wasn't just offering simple comfort; he was telling the truth. For V, an amateur relying solely on battle instincts to hold her own against these two high-level agents, it was an exceptional talent.
But V seemed quite confident, saying, "It's just that I don't usually encounter this kind of expert. Just wait until I go back and think it through, figure out some moves and strategies, and next time will be different.
I feel like I'm faster than him, and stronger too, just missing a bit of technique."
"...Then let me go back and think it over. After we're done with this, let's keep a low profile for a while, and I'll see how to improve your skills."
Mercer thought of his relic chip. In the upcoming research, its priority was certainly not low, so he might as well figure out how to develop something to enhance V's combat skills.
While the two were talking, a drone emitting blue flames approached from afar, carrying a large trash bin, stopping precisely in front of Mercer and V.
Mercer opened the lid, glanced inside, and saw it was a bit messy, making V show a disgusted expression.
"Let's get our VIP inside first," Mercer instructed V. V, somewhat used to it by now, simply lifted Diana with one hand and tossed her into the trash bin.
Then she just jumped up, sitting on the drone's frame, and extended her hand to Mercer.
Mercer reached out, was pulled up by her, and sat on the drone's frame as well. Then the Halo drone reignited and, after a vertical takeoff, flew into the sky.
Say what you will... it was kind of scary.
This drone wasn't designed for carrying people. Sitting on the trash bin, Mercer could only cling tightly to something like the drone's mechanical arm to steady himself. Looking down, the entire Night City seemed to shrink.
The night wind was a bit piercing at high altitude, and as the Halo drone picked up speed to fly away, the sensation of speed became even more daunting.
Mercer had to focus on something else first—his prosthetic eye glowed as he connected to the camera on the first floor of a biotech restaurant.
He had just taken control of it on his way, and now he used the camera to lock onto the agent who had questioned him and V on the first floor and had seen him up close, then began hacking using the camera.
That agent's ICE didn't even react because he connected to the first floor's security system, which meant when Mercer secretly cracked and hacked into the first floor's security server and cameras, the local network was undefended against him.
It only took a little extra time to find the vulnerabilities in the agent's ICE before the agent realized he'd been hacked when he suddenly had a foreign program running in his head.
The result goes without saying.
"Why are you so pale?" V's voice snapped Mercer back to reality.
He turned his head to glance sideways, unconsciously gripping the drone's mechanical arm tighter: "Damn, I should've just fought our way down and run... No way, I need to get the drone to descend sooner."
"...Hahaha!" V was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing without any reservations: "Weren't you going to look at the stars and the moon?"
"Damn, this is really something else... I'm not like you, able to do a one-arm pull-up holding the drone. If I slip, I'm done for."
Mercer, feeling a bit unnerved, looked around. Earlier in the morning, he'd been flying confidently in an exoskeleton. He never expected that sitting on this drone would make him feel uneasy.
V laughed and grabbed his arm: "Alright, I'll hold onto you. Don't worry, even if you jump off now, I can catch you. We'll fly away directly, because I don't want to run through the city again."
"...Alright." Mercer felt a bit awkward—mainly feeling miffed at being laughed at by this woman—but he indeed felt much safer.
He looked around, then grabbed her wrist in return, finally relaxing, his other hand no longer clutching the drone's mechanical arm tightly.
Mercer looked at the brightly lit city full of neon lights beneath him, observing the various drones flying in orderly patterns at different altitudes, momentarily captivated by the view.
V was feeling much the same—they were both seeing this city from such heights for the first time. Even the faint odor, ever-present in Night City, seemed to fade significantly at the drone's flight altitude.
"You know... it's kind of pretty," V said softly.
At this moment, she appeared completely relaxed, holding onto the drone's arm without the slightest concern of falling off, swinging her legs freely, occasionally kicking the trash bin with a thud.
Mercer turned his gaze skyward. The stars, faintly visible among the clouds, seemed to twinkle just like the neon lights below.
Perhaps those weren't stars but satellites—this thought suddenly made it seem less romantic.
Mercer adjusted his gaze and saw V looking up at the stars as well.
Her face, pale under her white hair, didn't look like a street punk at all. When silent, she rather exuded a chic and cool aura.