The Moon was much more desolate than Mercer had imagined.
Once they left the Orbital Aviation's Moon Base, soon, outside the car window, there was only a stretch of gray-black land, with specks of light in the dark universe.
The off-road vehicle traveled straight on the uneven road, and inside the vehicle, the only sound was the noise from the car itself running.
V sat in the passenger seat, lying sideways on the seat due to the oxygen pack on her back, looking at the metal car window simulating the exterior view. These were real-time images captured by cameras, but the scenery seemed indistinguishable.
"I heard you and Lucy often play that Moon Mewtwo game? Is it like this in there?"
V couldn't help but find a topic to talk about.
She couldn't sleep anymore; after more than twenty hours of the rocket journey, she had no drowsiness left.
At that moment, Mercer also had his hands off the steering wheel, with one hand resting on the car window, supporting his head, and he looked at the car heading directly toward Arasaka Base under the satellite GPS navigation. He looked a bit surprised and turned his head:
"How do you know?"
"Kyoko told me, she said you two often have dates in Mewtwo... also, it's amazing how you manage this as a playboy. Didn't Rebecca ever get jealous of you?"
V seemed just purely curious.
"Kyoko just says anything... yes, we often play Mewtwo together, and as for Rebecca, I play with her too."
Mercer turned his head towards V, his voice carrying a smile: "Why don't we find a Mewtwo and play together sometime?"
"Heh, what's the fun in those kiddie things?" V said this, but her mind soon wandered: "Mewtwo might be fun to watch as a movie; if it's just a simulation game, how is it any different from a VR headset?"
"There is a difference. The Mewtwo experience is more immersive, and the senses are more complete. The current Mewtwo technology is far more fascinating than you think."
Mercer continued.
V suddenly turned her head, looking at him: "You haven't told me, do you just mess around between Lucy and Rebecca, and neither of them gets mad at you?"
Looking at her, Mercer couldn't help but smile and open his helmet, showing a mischievous expression: "They do get mad, but I know how to placate them."
"I couldn't tell, you seem to have a knack for handling these girls... but what about in the future? Don't give me some nonsense excuses, I mean, surely you've considered future matters, right?
Like... starting a family or something."
V turned her head away, not wanting to see his smug face.
Mercer laughed: "If it's time to marry, then marry; if it's time to have kids, then have them. I mean, V, did you forget the rules of Dog Town are set by me?"
He raised his eyebrows at V, smiling widely: "Even Night City's laws aren't beyond my influence... as long as they're willing, I'd marry them both. What's wrong with that?"
"...Would they agree? Doesn't sound reliable." V said this, but couldn't help but change her position, lying sideways facing Mercer.
"Tell me, V, do you really think it's impossible?" Mercer retorted, and now it was V's turn to be suddenly speechless.
Determined to find flaws, she could only bring up Qiwei in the end: "And what about Qiwei with you?"
"Just friends... you know her personality, expecting her to form a family, she probably doesn't even think she can do it."
Mercer sighed, then simply said: "Anyway, she's quite satisfied with her current situation. Whenever she's not satisfied anymore, we'll talk. She's a smart girl."
"That's not necessarily true. Let me tell you, even the smartest girls can become fools once they're infatuated with someone..."
At this point, V suddenly stopped talking.
She glanced at Mercer, and her eyes flickered as she sighed.
"Why the sigh?" Mercer asked.
"It's nothing." V opened her helmet too, revealing her delicate, beautiful face, which didn't look like a street kid at all.
Mercer turned his head, and they looked at each other for a moment before both simultaneously turned their faces away.
V intentionally changed the subject: "Mercer, there's something I've always been curious about..."
"Go ahead." Mercer said openly: "With you, I never hide anything, considering your beastly intuition is quite accurate."
"Screw you, you beast... I want to ask, why did you approach me in the first place?"
V asked the question she'd been curious about, immediately adding: "Don't give me any bullshit about hacking skills or analysis.
Don't think I don't know, back then you didn't have Venus or the Sky Net System."
Mercer looked at V, saying meaningfully: "Do you really want to know?"
Before, V might have joked it off, but now, after a moment of silence, she turned to look at Mercer: "Yes, I really want to know."
"If I said I could foresee the future, would you believe me?"
After Mercer said this, V suspiciously stared at him: "Go on."
"Before I came to Night City, I saw the fates of you, Mann, Jack, Rebecca, Qiwei... and many other people.
So, of course, I knew you were Night City's best mercenary, and naturally, I had to recruit you first."
After Mercer said this, V proudly said: "Ha, you do have an eye for things."
"I told you, it's because I can foresee the future." Mercer smiled.
But suddenly, V stared at Mercer, took a breath after a long time: "You're serious? Then... then tell me, what future did you foresee?"
"Hmm..."
Mercer leaned back in his seat, his expression a bit dazed.