"I have three reasons for doing this."
Mercer straightforwardly explained his plan:
"First, we must take control of the Netherworld Dog as soon as possible. There's no time to drag this out any longer. The recent attack incident has shown that the Netherworld Dog isn't as reliable as I thought.
We need to get control of Dog Town in our hands and quickly find a way to take over Hansen's connections, find an umbrella of protection, and truly build Dog Town into a fortress; this will prevent Takemura from easily infiltrating again."
After Mercer finished, he paused and added, "But we can't just rush in with guns blazing like before. Do you understand what I mean? If we kill Hansen, the other Netherworld Dogs will only splinter into smaller factions.
And if we can't quickly consolidate these forces, it means Dog Town will descend into chaos, and it will be even harder to prevent an Arasaka attack and infiltration.
The number of Netherworld Dogs we're currently allied with is far from enough..."
"But what does this have to do with you moving into the stadium?" Rebecca said, her expression a mix of anger and sadness. "I can protect you, Mercer..."
"I know."
Mercer smiled at her but then said seriously, "But if we're at the base, how can we grow our strength? Hansen has put the armoured defense of the base into the stadium, and all the weaponry is there too.
We've been unable to upgrade our arms for some time now. Fundamentally, it's because Hansen doesn't trust us to continue upgrading our firepower, which is why he imposed all kinds of restrictions, even affecting the internal development progress of the Netherworld Dog's equipment.
To speed up the upgrade of weapons and equipment and to counter the ensuing attack from Arasaka, I must make Hansen relax and grant me permissions so I can freely develop and produce various equipment.
And being in the stadium allows me to directly control the direction of these devices, making it easier for me to tamper with them and prepare for action. We can't foolishly rush into it; a coordinated attack from inside and out, a swift and decisive strike, is our goal."
Mercer said gravely, "If I had a set of excellent armor today, perhaps the situation wouldn't be so dangerous—but now Hansen controls the import of raw materials, and because of Arasaka, we can't go out..."
Rebecca lowered her head in silence.
Meanwhile, V irritably slammed the table, "Damn, should've taken out that Hansen guy earlier, before Arasaka made a move on us..."
"Taking him out earlier would only make things worse. At least now, after running things for a while, we've established relationships with a considerable portion of the Netherworld Dog.
And we've maintained a good cooperative relationship with Hans. Even if this isn't the best possible timing...
But now we finally have some confidence to take over Dog Town, so it won't turn into a complete mess after killing Hansen."
Mercer continued to reassure them, "The second point also concerns safety... hear me out."
"It's not that I think everyone's strength is lacking; on the contrary, it's precisely because I believe your strength is strong enough that I can feel at ease leaving you at home, to rest and reorganize at the base."
Mercer spoke softly, "Our time is limited. Although Takemura said verbally he'd give us ten days to consider, I suspect his next move will only depend on whether they have a suitable opportunity.
Hansen told me he would handle security, and I guess he's not counting on those few Netherworld Dog misfits to protect me. Most likely, he's seeking help from the Cubans behind him.
Don't underestimate the Cubans; they're not just a cross-border criminal group in New America; their connections and strength are not to be belittled.
Moreover, the Netherworld Dog will crack down on internal traitors and root out those who eat inside and betray outside. I guess Takemura won't find any opportunities for at least a dozen days, or even a month."
After that, Mercer said seriously, "The stadium is the center of smuggling trade between the Cubans and Hansen. If it's attacked, it means they are proving to buyers and sellers worldwide that they are unreliable.
If Arasaka can go there to kill today, they can go there to intercept cargo tomorrow. If they can't even guarantee the safety of goods and personnel, what significance does Dog Town have?
Hansen and the Cubans would never allow such a disgraceful move that also affects business to happen. Staying there, I am absolutely safe in the short term.
And with you guys at the base, I needn't worry about them scheming against our base—Venus cannot be compromised. In the next period, I must rely on it to negotiate with Ye Corporation.
Although I don't know what deal Ye Corporation struck with Arasaka to trip me up at this critical moment, I absolutely can't give them another chance. Since they want to trouble us, we need to fight for peace."
"But that's Ye Corporation!" V sighed, looking at Mercer, "Are you trying to offend another company, Ye Corporation, before we even resolve the Arasaka trouble?"
"Do we have a choice? Do nothing, and they'll still trouble us. If we act, maybe they'll feel the pinch, and we can talk. If I take the initiative to approach them, who knows what outrageous conditions they'll propose?"