After negotiating with Yoshinobu, consider defecting, or if Military Science is too greedy and really plans to make him a guinea pig, then after Mercer gets his benefits, he'll turn to Kangtao first.
After using the exoskeleton, Mercer could finally confirm one thing—his cybernetic tolerance is not below V's.
Strictly speaking, he's practically a born saint of robotics. As long as he's given the right equipement, Adam's Hammer is just a weakling in front of him.
He is confident he could craft a set of battle armor not inferior to Adam's Hammer, but the problem is, he lacks the corresponding development and manufacturing conditions.
He already has some design ideas in his mind, and afterwards, it would be a matter of finding where he could get some assistance.
Mercer shifted the topic, not delving into this area. V and the others did not investigate further, they're used to him stirring things up. Before he makes a decision, he would definitely discuss it with everyone, so there was no need to talk too much when things were still in the early stages.
Everyone laughed and joked around for a while. When night fully descended, Mercer volunteered to take the night watch.
In the middle of the night,Lucy woke up groggily with a limp, looking for something to eat. She grabbed a bag of instant jelly, turned her head, and saw Mercer, sitting by the window, his prosthetic eye glowing, a slight frown on his brow.
"Running into some trouble again?" she asked.
"Hmm... Venus found some anomalies and is reporting the situation to me right now."
Mercer gave a brief answer, but his attention remained on the communication with Venus.
[Venus: It's confirmed that the people scouting around the base are disguised Netherworld Dogs. Based on personal information comparison, I've sent their profiles to your email.]
[Mercer: What's your judgment?]
[Venus: It doesn't quite seem like Hanssen's doing because the status and position of the Netherworld Dogs scouting the base don't match up with their strength.
I'm more inclined to believe these soldiers are tempted by Farah's three million euro bounty and have gotten greedy, or they've received a commission from Arasaka through certain channels.]
Mercer didn't give a direct answer but continued asking questions.
[Mercer: What do you think we should do now?]
[Venus: My suggestion is that it would be most prudent for you to communicate directly with Colonel Hansen.]
[Mercer: Oh?]
[Venus: You're currently wanted by Arasaka; even if Stout later publicly states that the exoskeleton is already in the hands of Military Science, the possibility of Arasaka's retaliation can't be ruled out.
Instead of waiting for Arasaka and Hansen to strike a deal that threatens you and the base's security, it's better to proactively negotiate with Hansen now.
Moreover, considering Hansen's character, collaborating with him in a way where you seek his help might make your cooperation less likely to have conflicts in the short term.
At least, as long as you don't plan to move out of Dog Town soon, dealing with Hansen is already an inevitable matter.]
Venus clearly also understood Hansen's character very well.
He's someone who likes to take the initiative and be on the dominant side. If you appear weaker than him, he might be willing to cooperate with you unless your interests diverge, in which case, he could easily cause trouble.
But if you come off too strong and make him feel threatened, this guy might lose control.
Mercer pondered.
And Venus continued to offer their plans.
[Venus: You've already proven your combat capabilities alongside the Spark Team and possess sufficient technical capability, no matter how you look at it, Hansen's need for you currently outweighs the threat you pose to him.
As long as you're willing to appropriately relinquish dominance, from my judgment, you and Hansen have at least a year-long honeymoon period during which you can mutually achieve your goals.]
Mercer nodded.
[Mercer: Let's do it then. Now I... forget it, I'll contact Hansen first thing tomorrow morning. As for the Netherworld Dogs around the base, are the security facilities within the base sufficient?]
[Venus: Based on calculations, the likelihood of them breaching the base's automated defense systems is 0.17%.]
[Mercer: Then I'll leave it to you. Tell Kyoko not to worry too much; if anyone has intentions towards the base, let them die.]
[Venus: Understood.]
After pondering for a moment, Mercer decided to start communicating with Hansen right away.
[Mercer: Send Hansen an email on my behalf in my tone, with these people's profiles attached, asking if the Netherworld Dogs surrounding the base were acting under his orders, and leave him my contact information, waiting for him to call me.]
The purpose is to remind Hansen that someone under his command is causing Mercer trouble without his orders.
As for Hansen's response... it's most likely to threaten him by making it clear who's in charge of Dog Town before seeking collaboration with Mercer further.
Dealing with such a warlord is truly frustrating.
Mercer shrugged his shoulders and no longer worried about the base issues. With security robots, automated turrets in place, and the entrance to the underground base being highly concealed, there's no need to fret over minor players.
He turned his head to see Lucy still looking at him and proactively explained:
"Hansen likely has his eye on us already, but hasn't made a move, planning to wait until I return to Dog Town after dealing with current troubles to see how I handle it, then contact me.
It's just that his subordinates can't seem to hold back. Not sure if it's clandestine Arasaka commissioning, or they're just eyeing the bounty, but meeting him earlier rather than later seems wise."
Lucy expressed concern, "Kyoko is still alone in the base..."
"No worries, Venus is watching. Heavy drones, folding machine guns, several robots in the base; it's not just about a few Netherworld Dog soldiers—they'd need an elite tactical squad just to think about breaching,"
Mercer reassured her, "With Venus on our side, these unmanned machines pack more punch than you think."
Lucy nodded, though still appeared somewhat uneasy.
Seeing her this way, Mercer comforted her, "Don't worry, I've already had Venus send Hansen an email to check on his attitude. If things turn unfavorable, I'll have Kyoko pull out."
"I should've sent her to Adcardo in hindsight," Lucy remarked.
"... Putting her there makes me feel even less secure," Mercer reminded Lucy, "We're worth three million euros now. Even if most Adcardans are good folks, if one unreliable one shows up..."
This was why he didn't hide the group in Adcardo, but simply entrusted Pan'an to find a hiding spot alone.
Lucy had no choice but to nod, "Alright, how soon can we go back? She's there alone..."
"Why do you sound like her mother?" Mercer chuckled, "She's tougher than you think."
Lucy glared at him.
Mercer assured her, "It won't be long, Stout should have results in one or two days, and we can go back soon."
"Hope so," Lucy said as she snuggled into the sofa, watching the dull commercials on TV, dozing off again.
Mercer turned his head back to the window, continuing his watch while spacing out, enjoying this rare moment of peaceful leisure.
...
While Mercer was enjoying the rare respite, trouble was brewing within Military Science because of him.