"...So that's an orbital weapon?"
"Yes."
The two stared at the footage of the explosion. At that moment, the terrifying white blast wave spread out in visible ripples. The camera used for surveillance, which had been hacked by the Skynet system, was instantly shattered the moment it came into contact with the shockwave.
Without a doubt, the underground portion of this building could never have withstood such a terrifying shockwave.
Afterward, Morning Star switched the feed to a surveillance satellite and took a photo of the aftermath. A massive, visible crater was proof enough that any underground facility that might have existed there was gone.
Morning Star thoughtfully cut to an emergency news broadcast from Tokyo for him.
On the local Tokyo television station, even the cartoons had been interrupted to broadcast this terrifying news.
"An unknown meteorite has landed in Tokyo, suspected to be a horrific orbital weapon strike targeting the Arasaka Corporation..." the news anchor said with a grim expression.
V stared wide-eyed for a long while before slowly turning her head. "That is a bit shocking... But how are we getting back? Are there any manned rockets left here?"
"Nope... But we have another way back."
Mercer smiled and pointed upward. "In eight hours, an Orbital Air manned rocket will land on the ground near the base. We just need to get on, and we can take the rocket straight back to Orbital Air's Lunar Orbital Station. Once we're there, we can switch to another rocket and fly directly back to Earth."
"So... that means we have eight hours to rest? Nothing else to do, right?" V looked at Mercer meaningfully.
Mercer blinked, realizing what she meant. "Uh... right."
She narrowed her eyes, took off her helmet, and shook out her now much longer, grayish-white hair. Then, she leaned back on the sofa and crossed her legs. "Good. Then let's talk... about you, me, Rebecca... and fine, Lucy too."
"Now?" Mercer felt a headache coming on.
"Now." V's expression turned serious. "I don't want to be with you without things being clear... Mercer, we need to talk. A proper talk."
With a sense of crisis nipping at her heels before, V had acted as if there were no tomorrow, unleashing her feelings without restraint. Who cared about this or that? She had to at least kiss the guy she liked before she died, right?
But now, with eight hours until their return to Earth, V had to consider how to handle her relationship with Mercer.
Mainly...
V glared at Mercer resentfully, but in the end, she could only let out a helpless sigh.
Only one question was on her mind now, after being so stubborn for so long, insisting she would never fall for Mercer, let alone date this scumbag, how did things suddenly turn out like this? How was she supposed to face Rebecca and Lucy?
Not wanting to be laughed at, V refused to overthink it and instead threw the problem at the man in front of her, staring at him intently. "Mercer, tell me. What are we going to do from now on?"
Mercer, ever perceptive, understood her thoughts. He pinched his chin, musing, "Hmm... How about we keep it a secret..."
V's gaze immediately turned dangerous. Mercer coughed and continued, "I mean, while that would be exciting, it wouldn't be fair to you... Look, just say I was the one who initiated it, and that'll be the end of it, right?"
As soon as Mercer finished, V resentfully collapsed into his arms and reached up to pinch his cheeks. "It was you! You! Were! The! One!"
"Right, right, yes... gentle..." Mercer only regretted that his armor was a bit too solid. All he could do was hold an iron lump, smelling the faint fragrance from her face.
"I'm serious! Think about it for me... Otherwise, won't those two laugh me to death when we get back? Oh, and Maine, Jackie... Shit, I must be crazy. I don't even know why I..."
Before she could finish, Mercer held her face and gave her a kiss. V's words were always the toughest, but her lips were surprisingly the softest. Seeing her become a little shy was especially stirring, awakening an indescribable desire to conquer.
Seeing the usually brash, street-smart girl become so soft in his arms, Mercer felt a sense of satisfaction and kissed her cheek again. "No take-backs."
"...I didn't say I wanted to take it back... I just don't know, ugh."
V sighed, looking at Mercer's face, and finally lay limply in his arms. "Whatever. When you piss me off someday, it won't be too late to break up then..."
"Still being stubborn?" This time it was Mercer's turn to pinch her cheek. V yelped and glared at him, but knowing she was in the wrong, she refrained from any more tough talk.
"I'll just tell them I took advantage of the situation, that I made a move during a moment of crisis and got you to agree. Won't that work?" Mercer said with an amused smile. "Everyone knows you already had a bit of a crush on me. It's a natural progression. The only thing people might gossip about is that I've charmed a few too many girls... But as long as we can live a long and happy life together, who can stop us from loving freely? When we get back, I'll push for a new marriage law in Night City. Then we can get married openly and no one can say we're wrong..."
"Who's gonna marry you!" V, blushing for once, buried her face in his neck, feeling only the cold metal. "Take off your cyberware when we get back. Look at you, you're all iron chunks. I hate it."
"Mm..." Mercer was actually planning on it. He looked at his own hands, thinking of the body he had cloned from his consciousness source code.
Before coming to the moon, Mercer had already started considering these things. This body, bearing the Devil May Cry series cyberware and the armor, was, in his opinion, far from the limit of his abilities.
He needed a stronger, more promising vessel, one that could better unleash the mysterious power carried within his consciousness code, to house his soul.
Correspondingly, with a stronger body, he would no longer need to mechanize most of himself. Moderate chroming would be enough to handle most tasks.
The rest could be left to his Super Deep Dive state to resolve. In any case, he probably wouldn't need to abuse his body like this in the future, always being on the front lines.
But as for the specific method, whether to gradually modify his body through genetic engineering to match his vision, or to directly switch to a body reverse-cloned from his consciousness source code, that required more thought.
To him, the body was just an interchangeable vessel. The only thing that was real was his own soul.
If someone had asked him when he first arrived in this world if he wanted to go back, Mercer might have hesitated.
But now, he wouldn't hesitate for a second, he would stay here. Even if one day in the future he could only wander the net like Alt, he would stay, stay by their side, until a distant future so far away he couldn't know what would happen.
"What are you thinking about?" V noticed Mercer suddenly staring at her in silence, his gaze surprisingly gentle. She felt a little embarrassed but was unwilling to let go, simply holding him tighter as they snuggled on the narrow sofa.
"I was thinking... V, I want to stay here forever, by your side..." Mercer said with emotion.
"Why are you suddenly saying that? You're not thinking of leaving, are you?" V grew tense.
Mercer smiled and pressed his forehead against hers. "Of course not. I just wanted to say... even if someone wanted me to leave, I wouldn't be willing to go... No matter what we face in the future, no matter how many difficulties, I want to be by your side forever."
"That's more like it..." she whispered, but then took the initiative to kiss him. "...Anyway, don't even think about running off. If you dare to suddenly disappear one day, I'll turn myself into an AI like Alt just to find you and punch you hard."
She brandished her fist, but it looked rather cute at the moment. "A serious punch. If it kills you, you'll have deserved it."
"Heh, it's not even certain who's stronger between us now," Mercer said with a smile, his face close to hers. Before long, it was unclear who couldn't resist first, and they were kissing passionately again.
The two were lovey-dovey on the sofa for a long time before V got up, scrounged up some food and drinks, and the two of them ate, drank, and watched TV to pass the time in the half-destroyed Arasaka Base.
Seven or eight hours passed. Just as V was starting to feel sleepy, the manned rocket from Orbital Air finally descended from lunar orbit and landed on the ground.
Mercer and V put their helmets back on and boarded the rocket. The vessel, capable of returning on its own, reignited its engines according to its preset program and launched, sending them back into space.
Upon arriving at the Orbital Air space station, which Blacklight had hacked its way into when it traced the connection back from Orbital Air's lunar base, Mercer and V chose not to rest. With the help of Blacklight and Morning Star, they boarded a rocket bound for home.
Making no attempt to be discreet, they chose to land directly in Night City.
The long twenty-hour journey began again. This time, the trip back with just the two of them was much more relaxed and pleasant than the journey there.
Mercer and V enjoyed their private world on the ship, as if on a date. It wasn't until the rocket landed and they walked out of the spaceport that V's pretty face suddenly tensed up.
"Mercer!!"
When Rebecca shot forward like a small cannonball, dove into the arms of an armor-less Mercer, and eagerly started nibbling on his face, V couldn't help but clench her fists.
This feeling of jealousy and possessiveness, so obvious and never before experienced, made V recognize her own feelings with unprecedented clarity for the first time.
But when V looked at Lucy, who was standing to the side, raising a hand only to lower it, looking away only to sneak glances at Mercer, her heart suddenly felt much lighter.
Well, no matter what, compared to Lucy...I should be in a better position, right?
She's only played around with Mercer in a BD at most...Ha, she's still a minor, right?That's just great!
For the first time, V felt that Mercer was actually a man of principle.
Only Lucy and Rebecca had come to pick them up. The others had wanted to come too, but Mercer had said no. It was only an hour's drive from the spaceport to home, so why waste time making a big fuss?
"Hurry up and tell me! What did you two do on the moon? Did you take care of that Lilith? What about Saburo Arasaka? Is that old geezer dead?"
After getting her fill of kisses, Rebecca sat in Mercer's lap, excitedly asking one question after another.
Lucy sat in the back. Although she didn't say anything, she watched Mercer silently, clearly very curious about what had happened.
Before Mercer could speak, V reached out from the passenger seat with a swagger and pulled Rebecca into her own arms. "You! I'm back and you've barely said a few words to me!"
Rebecca bared her teeth. "What are you doing! Didn't I already say it? Welcome back, V. Didn't you hear me? Let go, I'm not done hugging him!"
"No way! We have a new rule in our house now. No being all clingy in front of each other! That's enough out of you! You've kissed his lips swollen!"
After V spoke, Rebecca suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Wait, they were already a little swollen before I kissed him... Shit! V! You were sneaking snacks behind my back?"
Lucy couldn't help but widen her eyes slightly. "V?"
Seeing that even Lucy couldn't help but speak up, V's gaze darted away for a moment before she shot a fierce look at Mercer.
Mercer coughed and took the initiative. "I think we need to have a family meeting when we get back... a small one, just us."
"Huh?" Rebecca was stunned, but Lucy turned her head away. "A family meeting? Would I be in the way?"
Where did this damsel in distress come from?
Mercer couldn't help but laugh, but before he could get two laughs out, Rebecca stomped on his thigh and kicked him viciously a couple of times. "You're so done for today. When we get back, you're going to confess everything!"
"Okay, okay..."
Mercer agreed with a smile, then turned to look at Lucy. "Of course you have to come, Lucy... What we need to talk about includes you, of course. Or do you think it's still a bit too soon?"
Too soon?Any later and I'll be the godmother to the children these two women have!
How did things turn out like this in the time it took to go to the moon?!
Where will my place be then?
She fell silent, looking first at Rebecca, then at V. Then, she actually leaned forward from the back seat and, in front of both girls, grabbed Mercer and started kissing him without any hesitation.
Rebecca ground her teeth in anger. "V! Let go! I was first! What are you all doing!"
V, strangely, felt a bit of vindication. At this moment, rather than feeling jealous, she actually wanted to see Rebecca get flustered. "What's the rush! In terms of time, didn't Lucy know Mercer earlier than you? Look at those two... Shit, how many times have you two secretly kissed before? Wait, didn't you bastard say you had absolutely no interest in minors?"
"We practiced in a BD... and stuff in a BD... does that even count?" Mercer argued evasively. Then, looking at the blushing Lucy, he couldn't help but smile and give her another kiss.
By the time the three girls were jealously glaring at each other and then at Mercer, Mercer, caught in the so-called "shuraba," suddenly felt completely at ease.
Since it had come to this... he no longer needed to pretend to be a gentleman.
And so, after returning to Dogtown and finishing the welcome dinner amidst the teasing gazes of the crowd, Mercer, in a four-person meeting with only him, Rebecca, Lucy, and V, made a series of classic statements that made all three girls think his skin was unbelievably thick.
"Only children make choices. I want them all!"
"I didn't dare to talk about it when Arasaka was hunting me. Now that I've even killed Saburo Arasaka, if I still don't dare, didn't Saburo Arasaka die for nothing?"
"The law? What law! I'll pay a politician to write me a new bill tomorrow!"
"Morals? Ha, talking about ethics and morals in Night City... Hey, everyone here, let's not forget we each deserve to be executed in prison a few dozen times over..."
"How do I divide myself among you? That's simple. Monday and Thursday for V, Tuesday and Friday for Rebecca, Wednesday and Saturday for Lucy. Sunday? On Sunday we can all be together, so everyone gets a share... Ow, V, hit lighter!"
In short, after Mercer shamelessly bared his heart, although everyone showed disapproving expressions on the surface, each one saying Mercer was not a good man...
No one objected either, oh, everyone had strong opinions about the Sunday arrangement, but Mercer was confident that sooner or later, he would have a wild party on a Sunday!
Anyway, although everyone argued fiercely, their words sharp and unforgiving, when it was time for bed, Rebecca was quick on the draw, grabbing Mercer and trying to drag him back to her room to "refine" him.
But Lucy, who had just been showing a melancholic expression at the scheduling plan and the so-called "building a big family," spoke up without hesitation. "Today is Wednesday."
"Huh?" Before Rebecca could react, Lucy grabbed Mercer's hand. For the first time, she looked at Rebecca proactively, revealing her true personality. "I said... today is Wednesday. Wednesday and Saturday belong to me... right?"
She turned to look at Mercer, who immediately blinked apologetically at Rebecca. "Uh... it does seem to be Wednesday."
Rebecca huffily let go and gave Mercer a hard kick. However, she didn't say anything nasty to Lucy. Instead, she just gave Lucy a helpless but gentle smile. "Fine, that bastard really got lucky... But you and V, you have to explain things to me tomorrow! You sneaky, bad woman!"
V, now with Mercer's shamelessness as a reference, became righteously indignant herself. "What do you mean I was sneaking? He was the one who insisted on seducing me, I just wasn't strong-willed enough... Stop yelling! If you yell at me again, you can cook tomorrow! Why do I always have to do it?"
"Would you dare to eat the food I make?" Rebecca glared at her angrily.
"Can't I just cook for myself? At most, I'll make a portion for Mercer..." V crossed her arms and looked down at Rebecca smugly.
Rebecca stared, and finally, with a leap, she crashed right into V's arms. "You're not getting a good night's sleep today! I'm not letting you go until I get a clear answer. Let's go! Tonight is girls' night!"
"Shit, I wanted to get a good night's sleep. Riding a rocket isn't comfortable at all..." V was half-dragged, half-pulled away by her.
Mercer turned his head to look at Lucy, whose makeup was alluring, but whose eyes held a hint of coldness.
"So, I was the last one?" she said in a low voice, clearly in a bad mood.
But Mercer just smiled.
He waited until V and Rebecca disappeared, then swept Lucy up into his arms and walked towards her room.
"You were the first... If I said that the first time I saw you, I was already thinking that I had to wait for this girl to grow up and become my wife... would you think I'm a bit of a pervert?" Mercer spoke his true feelings in a joking manner.
Lucy just looked at him. After a long moment, a smile touched her lips. "Prove it to me."
"The BD..." Entering the room, Mercer looked around.
"I threw it away," Lucy said softly, her expression incredibly determined as she gazed at him. "You already took V to the real moon... so, I don't need the fake one."
Mercer was silent for a moment, then could only fall into troubled thought. "Hmm..."
Lucy lay on her side on the bed, propping her head up with one hand, watching his expression from a short distance away. Her posture was elegant with a hint of allure. "Scan my info with your cyberoptics."
Mercer did as she said.
[Name: Lucy Kushinada] [Age: 18 years old]
Mercer blinked.
"When did you change it?" Mercer asked curiously as he very naturally shut the door tight and started filling the bathtub with water.
"While you were on the moon." Lucy's eyes held a smile, her expression slightly shy, but also filled with bold anticipation.
This wasn't an impulsive act. In the days Mercer was gone, she had thought about it seriously and come to a conclusion.
Just waiting was not enough.
She still hated sharing Mercer with others, because he was her only harbor. Other ships docking there only made her feel insecure.
But no matter how much her heart wanted to monopolize him, she had to take the first step. Only then would there be a possibility of competing, right?
She didn't want to wait anymore. In the few short days Mercer was gone, the long-forgotten anxiety and panic had kept her up almost every night. She was sick of this feeling of only being able to wait in the background.
"Morning Star didn't tell me?" Mercer looked at her, a little surprised.
"I'm a netrunner... I don't need Morning Star's help to hack into the records system... Although my skills aren't as amazing as yours, I'm not so useless that I need help with something this small."
Lucy smiled, twirling a strand of her short hair with her finger, her eyes fixed on him. "So, how much longer are you going to make me wait?"
"Hmm... the time it takes to shower?" Mercer leaned in gently. She naturally wrapped her arms around his neck. Her alluring and sophisticated demeanor was a far cry from the shy girl Mercer once knew.
She proactively tilted her face up slightly, kissing his lips, then moved closer to his ear and whispered softly, "But I don't want to wait even that little while... Mercer, I love you."
Only a saint could wait through this.
Mercer blinked, then lowered his head.
And he was no saint.
He was a man of the world!
A complete man of the world!
—--
"Yes! Yes!"
At this very moment, inside Arasaka Tower, Yorinobu Arasaka's expression could only be described as ecstatic.
His collar was uncharacteristically wide open as he waved a bottle of liquor, his expression having lost its usual composure. He shouted, cheered, and laughed maniacally, "Father is dead... Saburo Arasaka is dead! Good riddance! Good riddance!"
He laughed wildly while chugging expensive whiskey, the blood rushing to his head.
"Silverhand's chip? No problem! You can have whatever you want! Tomorrow, I must meet with Mercer tomorrow. He can have anything he wants! Hahaha!"
At this moment, Yorinobu's face was laughing, his eyes were laughing, and his voice was laughing, yet tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
For a moment, the complex emotions flooding his heart almost made his mind go blank.
But this did not affect Yorinobu's ability to make a judgment.
When Morning Star, disguised as Mercer's assistant, told Yorinobu that Saburo was dead and handed over the relevant evidence, Yorinobu had already made up his mind.
He had to seize control of Arasaka, and fast.
The dovish faction led by Michiko Arasaka, as well as the old guard behind Hanako Arasaka, were all targets he had to suppress, or even eliminate.
Beyond that, there was much more he had to do.
This included thoroughly confirming and zeroing all possible existing backups of Saburo Arasaka's consciousness code.
And, completely eliminating any die-hard loyalists who remained faithful to Saburo!
Yorinobu laughed, cried, and schemed all at once, while also giving Morning Star a firm reply.
"From this day forward, Mercer-san is my, Yorinobu's, best friend! Whatever reward you want, just name it. I will not hesitate for a second!
But please tell Mercer-san that I still need his help. I need him to work with me to completely sweep away Arasaka's filthy past. Afterward, we can look to the future together as allies!"
Yorinobu's promise was resolute, but Morning Star's reply remained gentle and unruffled. "Thank you very much for your trust. I will schedule a meeting with you for Mr. Mercer right away."
"What is Mercer-san busy with? Hasn't he already returned? Did he run into some trouble because of this matter? If so, please don't hesitate to ask. I can now mobilize Arasaka's power to assist him."
Yorinobu said with genuine sincerity.
But Morning Star's tone remained gentle. "Thank you for your generosity. Mr. Mercer is just very tired and needs a full day to rest. How about he discusses the specifics with you in person tomorrow?"
"Fine." Yorinobu Arasaka said no more. After hanging up, he had to take several deep breaths before his breathing finally calmed.
And after his breathing steadied, he narrowed his eyes and immediately began making decisions, dialing a number.
"Number One is dead... Get ready. I am formally taking over Arasaka. Also, immediately begin preparing the obituary to put a final seal on Number One's death."
A shocked voice came from the other end of the line. "What!?"
"Didn't you hear me?" Yorinobu retorted.
"No! I'll get on it right away! Congratulations, my lord. Arasaka's hopeful future is finally about to arrive!"
The person on the other end hung up excitedly.
After a moment of silence, Yorinobu stared at Hanako Arasaka's contact in his list. After a long while, he still didn't dial.
He turned his head and stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of Konpeki Plaza, gazing out at Night City.
This city, which seemed to be in a constant state of change, yet also seemed to never change at all, now looked different in Yorinobu's eyes.
"Yes, a new world... is coming."