"Agent Stout, do you realize that's dozens of lives!"
"Do I need to remind you? Director Howard, I found communication records between you and the attackers in the brain-computer interface of my soldiers."
Stout gazed steely at a middle-aged man in the conference room, her voice cold: "And, it was precisely because of this sudden attack from insiders that led to Dr. Diana's death."
Her expression carried a hint of amusement as she stared at the man whose face was now cold, speaking with interest: "Considering the recently signed investment agreement, and based on what Dr. Diana personally confessed, and which I've recorded..."
"Utter nonsense! I staunchly deny Stout's interrogation record!"
After Howard finished speaking, Lucas Harford, the Chief Executive Officer of military technology who appeared as a holographic projection at the far end of the conference room, coldly said: "Enough!"
The conference room instantly fell silent.
Lucas, now seemingly in his early thirties, looked young thanks to the powerful medical maintenance in the Cyber World.
His hair was neatly slicked back, and his classic tough-guy face conveyed a natural authority as he surveyed everyone in the conference room.
"Technology Department, has the preliminary evaluation of Arasaka's exoskeleton armor come out?"
Lucas turned his head to look at a middle-aged man in a white coat participating via holographic projection.
The man nodded, seriously: "Its core gravity device has entered the cracking stage, but from a weapon design perspective, we've indeed gained a novel design concept for gravity weapons.
Additionally, from the combat data, this set of equipment already possesses a certain operational capability, however..."
The technical director showed a somewhat puzzled expression: "We're not quite sure if the combat data recorded on this equipment is genuine."
"Why do you say that?" Lucas asked.
The technical director honestly replied: "From the moment we received the equipment, we intended to measure its extreme data through testing.
Yet, even the most experienced drivers and agents made extremely negative assessments of the delay and mental load during operation.
However, according to the internal data, the previous user could manipulate this set with finesse.
Moreover, from the built-in checker on the equipment, it was evident that despite such a strong neural load, they maintained a remarkably stable mental state.
Let's put it this way, we all know that operating a vehicle like the Demon Lizard requires two drivers to connect their brain nerves, which demands a lot from the drivers' coordination and proficiency.
And the operational difficulty of this exoskeleton is about three times that of a Demon Lizard.
And the neural load is more than four times..."
With these words, everyone understood the flaw of this exoskeleton.
"And the previous user operated this exoskeleton twice in almost 24 hours, and from the operational records, their maneuvering could be described as effortless..."
The technical director expressed with significant interest: "I recommend we immediately 'hire' this user for the company, if the data is accurate..."
"Has the information of that mercenary been verified?" Lucas asked Stout meaningfully.
Stout maintained her usual expression, simply saying: "The investigation is still ongoing, and so far, all we know is that the resident file name left in Night City is 'Alex Mercer,' but this is likely a fake identity.
Since arriving in Night City last year, they founded a mercenary group called 'Fire Seed,' which in just a few months has become a top-tier mercenary team in Night City."
As Stout spoke, she displayed the data.
Among them, individuals like V and Rebecca were prominently listed, even Mann, Dolio, and Sasha's data were presented.
Only V and Mercer's portraits were especially highlighted.
"From what we see currently, this mercenary named V has a very high Sianwistan level equipment and shows exceptional potential in cybernetics based on combat performance.
And the exoskeleton armor was probably used by a mercenary named A, whose hacking skills are outstanding. According to the intelligence we've gathered, even the Voodoo Gang isn't a match for them.
We also speculate that the hacker known as the 'Smiling Monster' in the latest bounty list from Internet Supervision, with a cyber image, is most likely them."
After finishing, Stout paused and added: "This is also why I strongly suggest abandoning the pursuit of these mercenaries, not only because we've reached an agreement with them.
More importantly, in Night City, we need a legendary mercenary like Morgan Black Hand to confront Arasaka for us."
"Hmm..." Lucas fell into contemplation, and after a while, said: "Continue to confirm his identity."
Stout promptly responded: "Yes!"
After speaking, she felt a sense of joy in her heart.
This implies that the terms she discussed with Mercer are essentially settled.
Then Stout seized the opportunity: "As for the investment loss, I recommend it be borne by the biotechnology company."
She looked at the high-level executives all looking towards her, saying: "It was the biotechnology folks who leaked the convoy's information leading to the equipment's loss, and it was Arasaka who hired mercenaries to disrupt the transport plan.