"So... you're saying the Voodoo Boys are behind all this?" Mr. Hands looked at his subordinate's troubled expression on the video call, his own face darkening.
Another one of his properties in Pacifica had been hacked, and a small server was even fried.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Mr. Hands hung up. With a grim face, he waited a moment before dialing Mercer's number.
On the other end of the line, Mercer appeared to be lazing on a sofa, watching TV.
"A, the Voodoo Boys have been causing a lot of trouble lately. I was wondering if you had any information you could share?"
Mr. Hands asked, his eyes sharply scrutinizing Mercer's expression.
But Mercer just replied listlessly, "Lately? I just had some cyberware installation done a few days ago, so I'm still recovering. I haven't been paying much attention. What, what kind of trouble are they stirring up now?"
"...It's nothing major. It's just that a few of my gigs in Pacifica have been disrupted by netrunners. You know the Pacifica net is your turf. Haven't you found any clues?"
After Mr. Hands finished, Mercer simply put on a thoughtful expression and said, "There has been someone causing some trouble on the Net recently. The network's been fluctuating for an hour or two almost every day.
But they're fast, and I haven't been able to catch them yet. Are you saying the Voodoo Boys are behind all this?"
Mr. Hands didn't reply immediately. He watched Mercer on the screen for a moment, then suddenly smiled and changed the subject. "You've been working with Slider for so long. When do you plan on making a move to take care of the Voodoo Boys in Pacifica?
If you run into any trouble and it's not convenient to ask Colonel Hansen for help, perhaps I could lend a hand?"
"Ah, that's not it. It's mainly that the recent development of weapons and equipment has cost a lot of money. I can barely scrape together the ammo funds to deal with the Voodoo Boys. So, I was planning on taking some gigs first to raise money for ammo and whatnot."
Mercer said.
Only then did Mr. Hands understand his meaning. He cursed inwardly, but after some thought, he said, "The network in Dogtown hasn't been very stable recently either. Doesn't Colonel Hansen have an opinion on that?"
"It's just network fluctuations, there's nothing I can do. Control of the city's Net is in the hands of City Hall and NetWatch. Who knows what tricks the Voodoo Boys are using to cause trouble? They pop up on the Net and then run. I can't be online 24/7.
You know, I have a lot to do. In any case, Colonel Hansen's business hasn't been significantly affected. I'm only responsible for maintaining his dedicated Net line, and he has no complaints about it. As for everyone else's network security, he doesn't care."
Mercer's words left Mr. Hands with no choice but to say helplessly, "Alright, it seems we'll have to put up with it for a while longer."
"Mhm. But if any gigs related to the Voodoo Boys come up, you can give us priority. As long as the money's right, dealing with them ahead of schedule won't be a problem."
Mercer's cheerful words left Mr. Hands feeling a bit speechless, but he just smiled on the surface. "No problem, I'll keep an eye out for anything relevant.""Okay." Mercer hung up directly, but Mr. Hands's expression darkened after the call ended.
He opened his email. As expected, the netrunner he had commissioned had sent the investigation report.
"According to the investigation, the network fluctuations and other incidents could indeed be the work of the Voodoo Boys. Their netrunning skills are very strong, and I did detect multiple network signals originating from Voodoo Boys' strongholds simultaneously.
It's possible the Voodoo Boys are retaliating against the Kindling Squad, attempting to regain control of Pacifica's network."
Mr. Hands sat in his chair with a grim face, his fingers tapping on the desk, feeling rather displeased.
Recently, the Voodoo Boys had suddenly become active on the net again. They began to brazenly cause network fluctuations, indiscriminately hacking into connected devices throughout Pacifica.
Although Mercer would "resolve" each incident quickly, these round-the-clock, unpredictable cyberattacks still severely affected many of Mr. Hands's business dealings.
At first, Mr. Hands hadn't paid the matter much mind.
He figured that, given Mercer's skills and temper, the Voodoo Boys were just asking for another brain-frying, and all he had to do was wait patiently for Mercer to retaliate.
But to his surprise, several days passed, and not only did the situation fail to improve, but the Voodoo Boys' cyberattacks even began to affect Dogtown.
This forced Mr. Hands to consider if something had gone wrong, and now, the problem seemed quite clear.
Mercer's attitude just now clearly indicated he intended to jack up the price.
And Mr. Hands had no intention of paying for network security out of his own pocket.
But...
On second thought, Mr. Hands suddenly felt this might not be a bad thing for him.
Assuming Mercer was deliberately allowing the Voodoo Boys to cause trouble online, or even that he himself was pretending to be the Voodoo Boys stirring things up all over Pacifica, what was his ultimate goal?
Mr. Hands could understand why Mercer had yet to move against the Voodoo Boys. It was nothing more than a classic case of "nurturing a threat to increase one's own importance." By using an external threat, he could force Slider in Dogtown to give him a cut, and Hansen would have to pay him a network maintenance fee.
Was he trying to raise his prices now? Or did he have something else in mind?
Mr. Hands mulled it over and ultimately concluded that the reason was likely what Mercer had implied: he could take care of the Voodoo Boys, but he needed someone to pay for the "ammunition" before he would act.
If no one paid, the trouble caused by the "Voodoo Boys" would likely escalate until someone couldn't take it anymore and decided to pay for peace of mind.
And when it came to dealing with the Voodoo Boys, everyone knew exactly who to call.
Pacifica's most renowned merc crew, the famous Kindling Squad, would surely be happy to do the job for a fee.
Once Mr. Hands had figured out the key points, he wasted no time and began contacting the various factions in Pacifica.
The Animals, some small and medium-sized businesses still operating in Pacifica, clients who had grudges or conflicts of interest with the Voodoo Boys...
As expected, all of them had also recently suffered attacks from the Voodoo Boys. Some small companies and factories had even been hit with cyber-blackmail and extortion, and the amounts demanded were not low.
After a moment of contemplation, Mr. Hands sent an email to Mercer first.
[Mr. Hands: How much of a fee do you think it would take to get you all to deal with the Voodoo Boys as soon as possible?][Mercer: Three million eurodollars to solve the Pacifica Voodoo Boys problem once and for all. Of course, I want their Rezo Agwe server. As for their turf and other markets, you'll have to discuss that with Slider yourselves. We'll only be responsible for taking care of the Pacifica Voodoo Boys.]
[Mr. Hands: That's too expensive. No one is willing to spend that much money to deal with a single gang.]
[Mercer: Then find more people. With so many clients in Pacifica, are you telling me no one is willing to pool three million eurodollars for Pacifica's network security?]
[Mr. Hands: But getting rid of the Voodoo Boys doesn't mean no one else will cause trouble on Pacifica's network from now on, does it?]
[Mercer: I'm planning to set up a network security company. For a small monthly service fee, I can guarantee everyone can browse Pacifica's network safely. What do you think?
As long as I have enough clients willing to support me, I could also consider taking care of the Voodoo Boys security threat offline, free of charge, for the sake of everyone's network security.]
[Mr. Hands: A good idea, but I still think three million eurodollars is too high a figure.]
[Mercer: Then let's see just how hated the Voodoo Boys really are. In any case, I'm really busy lately and have no time to be Pacifica's net cop. If someone can't take it anymore, they can contact me to pay for their peace of mind.]
Mr. Hands closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before asking.
[Mr. Hands: Then you'll have to give everyone a service standard and a price list. I can try to help you promote it.]
[Mercer: Enterprise-level network security services, 1.5 million eurodollars annually. Includes ICE updates, local virus scanning and protection, server architecture, enterprise system vulnerability patching, and remote network technical support.
If a netrunner hacks in, as long as the network connection is stable, we also promise to provide expert-level network support within one minute.
For any other software or network security services, members get a 20% discount. How about it?
If Mr. Hands can help me land clients, I'm willing to give you a 10% commission on the contract price for each one.]
[Mr. Hands: I can give it a try. If the Voodoo Boys continue to wreak havoc so recklessly in Pacifica, and even across Night City, I imagine quite a few clients will be willing to pay for peace of mind.
But I suggest that if you're planning to run a legitimate network service like this, perhaps you should try to establish a company now.]
[Mercer: Hmm, I'll think about it. Let's leave it at that for now. Once we've saved up enough for ammunition, we'll make our move and eliminate that Voodoo Boys menace.]
Mr. Hands ended the call. After a long moment, he let out a soft laugh.
Menace?
He shook his head, unable to resist muttering to himself, a rare occurrence. "I think the real menace is you, kid."
—--
November, 2072.
A network security services company named "Titan" was quietly established, unnoticed by anyone.
The legal representative of the company at the time was V, who had signed her name with great delight, because she thought that by signing and becoming the legal representative, she was the person in charge of the company. Well, that wasn't exactly wrong; the person responsible for legal liabilities was still a person in charge, after all. Meanwhile, the actual company president and majority shareholder controlling 51% of the company's shares, Mercer, had swiftly leveraged Mr. Hands's connections after founding the company to sign cybersecurity service contracts with numerous companies and enterprises in Pacifica.
Of course, for the time being, all the companies had opted for monthly contracts, paid on a month-to-month basis. Only one major client, Hansen, had directly opted for the annual service at a fee of 1.5 million eurodollars.
For Hansen, this was actually quite a bargain, because the network maintenance fee he previously had to pay Mercer separately was 350,000 eurodollars a month.
The remaining 49% of the company's shares were held by an investment firm registered under the name of the Kindling Squad. Within this investment firm, Mercer held 51% of the shares, while the rest were divided among the other members.
So, strictly speaking, Mercer controlled 75.5% of the company's shares, while the rest of the team's shares each amounted to just a little over 2%.
Of course, it wasn't an even split. It was based on when each person joined the team, with founding members like V and Lucy getting more, followed by Rebecca, Pilar, and Kiwi, and finally Maine, Dorio, Jackie, and Kyoko.
The crew had no objections to this method of splitting the money. After all, things like cybersecurity services and company dividends sounded too distant to them.
Without knowing the company's stock price, they naturally had no real feeling or concept of the shares they held.
The reason Mercer was able to establish a company that met Night City's standards in such a short time and was even directly accepted into the "Outstanding Local Enterprise Support" program, enjoying the city hall's extremely high tax exemptions and low tax rates, was all thanks to the strong support of one gang: the Voodoo Boys.
Yes.
When you opened Pacifica's network and saw even Animals' grunts posting complaints like, "The Voodoo Boys have been way out of line lately. I was just trying to buy some protein powder supplements and got scammed out of three hundred eurodollars," you knew just how much trouble the Voodoo Boys had been stirring up recently.
Starting from Pacifica, the Voodoo Boys began attacking Night City's public network as if they had gone mad.
They relentlessly hacked into the intranets of various companies, enterprises, and gangs, stealing secrets, openly attacking the public websites of major corporations, hijacking online shopping interfaces to scam money, and engaging in cyber extortion.
Then they would swagger through the Net, ostentatiously riding the Rezo Agwe. It was even rumored that NetWatch agents had suffered a major defeat at their hands.
Although the Voodoo Boys repeatedly denied it, claiming they were being framed, few people actually believed their bullshit. Everyone knew that seventy percent of Night City's cybercrime originated from the Voodoo Boys. Just because they said it wasn't them, it wasn't?
Who were they trying to fool?
So, in this climate, someone finally couldn't hold back any longer and proactively sent a signal of cooperation to Mercer, intending to eliminate the Voodoo Boys menace once and for all.
Unexpectedly, the one who came to cooperate was not some corporate or business owner, nor was it the Animals who were fighting the Voodoo Boys for turf, and certainly not some middleman. It was a party Mercer had never considered.
NetWatch.
—--
When NetWatch sent Mercer a message, his first reaction was: which dumbass is trying to hack me?
But after Morning Star traced the email address, Mercer could finally confirm it. Well, damn, it really was NetWatch proactively reaching out to discuss a collaboration.
And, probably because NetWatch knew they were more or less infamous among netrunners, they very sincerely requested an in-person meeting with Mercer in Dogtown.
The time and place were left for Mercer to choose, with the only requirement being that it had to be as discreet as possible.
Mercer mulled it over for a moment, then simply invited them to meet at his base.
They agreed without hesitation and promised to send only one agent.
After settling the matter of the meeting that day, NetWatch eagerly scheduled it for the following afternoon.
Mercer had a vague feeling that their intentions weren't entirely pure, but he agreed without a second thought.
And so, the next afternoon, a low-profile black sedan pulled up at the entrance to Mercer's base.
The "retail service" originally planned for Mercer's base had been all but abandoned. The lobby, once designed as a storefront, had now been converted into a simple reception room.
Occasionally, Barghest soldiers would come over to hang out, or sociable team members like V would sometimes entertain friends from who-knows-where, watching TV, drinking, and shooting the shit in the reception room.
Naturally, Mercer's meeting with the NetWatch agent was also set to take place here.
"You must be the famous V, right? I'm the one who arranged to meet with A. Bryce Mosley."
V, who was in charge of greeting him at the door, heard the agent named Bryce Mosley recognize her as soon as he spoke. Cradling her smart submachine gun, she pressed her lips into a thin line, putting on a cold expression. After scanning him with her cyberoptics, she said, "Come in."
This NetWatch agent wore a suit. His high-end cyberware was somewhat similar to Mercer's, but the degree of modification seemed even more extreme. Metal components ran from his neck to the back of his head, and even both of his arms were metallic constructs.
Just by looking at his cyberware, it was clear this guy was definitely a powerhouse in netrunning and held a high rank; you couldn't just get your hands on a setup like that.
As V opened the main door, a reasonably clean reception room came into view. There were a few large sofas and a coffee table. At that moment, the masked Mercer was sitting on a sofa, lazily watching TV and sipping an iced NiCola through a straw.
"Hm." Bryce's lips curled unconsciously. Most netrunners were like mice seeing a cat when they met NetWatch. Someone like Mercer was a rare sight indeed.
As expected of the genius who got a "smiling prankster" warrant put out for him the first time he went online, and who to this day had repeatedly trounced NetWatch agents on the net.
Interesting.
He wore a smile, and his refined tone of voice immediately marked him as a high-level intellectual. "A pleasure to meet you, A. I'm Bryce Mosley, a senior agent from NetWatch's Night City division."
"A, or you can call me Mercer, either is fine." Mercer just waved his hand. V then reached out, took a chip, and pointed it unceremoniously at Bryce's head. Bryce subconsciously wanted to resist, but after calming down and thinking for a moment, he remained motionless, allowing V to insert a chip into his head.
As a long string of data scrolled past his eyes and his permissions were shut down or locked one by one, Bryce could even say in a relaxed tone, "We've always been the ones doing this to others. Ha, this feels pretty strange."
"Just a little trick. I hope you don't mind. It's to make our conversation more efficient, and so we can speak frankly from the heart in a bit. Sit."
Only after seeing Mercer nod did V move aside. Bryce sat down opposite Mercer with a chuckle and turned his head to say, "Could I get a cup of coffee? I haven't slept in 39 hours. To be honest, at my age, it's getting a little hard to bear."
Mercer just said flatly, "Fine, one moment."
But before the coffee arrived, Mercer cut straight to the chase. "The famous NetWatch sent a senior agent to see me. I'm guessing it's not just for a cup of coffee. Just say what you have to say. I don't like beating around the bush."
"Alright." Bryce sighed, then began to speak slowly and deliberately. "I came here today to discuss three things with you."
"The first is about your AI and your programs."
Bryce's words didn't faze Mercer in the slightest; even the sound of him sipping his NiCola didn't change.
Seeing how calm Mercer was, Bryce shrugged and continued, "The second thing is about Alt Cunningham, Johnny Silverhand, and Yorinobu Arasaka."
"As for the third... it has to do with the Voodoo Boys." After Bryce finished, V, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but glance at Mercer. Did this guy know a little too much?
Mercer just chuckled. "NetWatch, indeed. Tell me more."
"We know you have more than one AI. Based on their power, we believe there's a high probability they are rogue AIs from the Old Net. Of course, there's another possibility: you've mastered some kind of highly intelligent Soulkiller source code.
I think you should know that, no matter which it is, from NetWatch's perspective, both are extremely dangerous hidden threats."
After speaking, Bryce paused and added, "Therefore, you must accept monitoring and strict regulation from NetWatch, and especially abide by the various regulations concerning AI under current international law..."
"I refuse. Next," Mercer said bluntly before he could finish. "I don't admit to having any highly intelligent AI, and I refuse to register them. If you don't have evidence, you can do whatever you want, but don't expect to use NetWatch and international law to pressure me."
Bryce sighed, but then said calmly, "But you should be aware of the losses that can be caused if a rogue AI goes out of control, and the private possession, distribution, and replication of Soulkiller source code are explicitly forbidden..."
"I said, next. If you have evidence, come and arrest me. Cut the crap." Mercer rolled his eyes. "Arasaka, Militech, NUSA, Kang Tao... I refuse to believe these megacorps don't have unregistered, highly intelligent AIs.
If you're really capable of regulating them, then go sort them out first before you come talking to me." Seeing that Mercer wasn't taking the bait, Bryce's expression remained unchanged. He simply continued, "Alright, then about the second matter: we've heard someone is impersonating us, trying to establish contact with Yorinobu Arasaka.
I'm guessing all of this might have something to do with Alt and Johnny Silverhand?"
Mercer could glean a lot of information just from his question, but he merely said without betraying any emotion, "I don't understand why you're telling me this. You can't possibly think I'm connected to those guys, can you?
The most powerful rogue AI on the net, a dead man, and the future heir to Arasaka. Heh, if I really had those kinds of connections, I'd have made it big long ago. Would I still be hiding out in Dogtown?"
But Bryce just said calmly, "No, what I mean is that on this matter, at least, we're on your side. To be precise, we've cooperated with Alt Cunningham a few times, and we're well aware of the situation regarding Johnny Silverhand."
Mercer just shook his head and said nothing.
Bryce had no choice but to continue more directly, "Alt has already told us plainly. Your goal is the same as ours: to get Johnny Silverhand, and ideally, to figure out a way to deal with Mikoshi and release the engrams within.
You gain Alt's friendship, and we gain another collaboration with Alt Cunningham. A collaboration that concerns the rogue AIs behind the Blackwall, and also the future of humanity.
So, we know you've been using our name to try and get in touch with Yorinobu."
Mercer pursed his lips and tutted. "What else did Alt tell you?"
"Nothing, actually. In fact, we're very curious. How exactly did you get in contact with Alt Cunningham? And why would she entrust a netrunner like you to help her?"
Bryce's gaze burned as he looked at Mercer. "In fact, the reason we've allowed, or I should say "indulged," your activities in Night City is precisely because of this.
We even once thought you might be an advanced AI sent by Alt. But now we can confirm you have nothing to do with AIs. That's why we've taken the initiative to come to you and seek cooperation."
Bryce spoke with confidence. "You don't really think NetWatch has been turning a blind eye to everything you do online for so long just because they're intimidated by your netrunning skills, do you?
In fact, ever since you first came to Night City and ran into our agents online, we've been observing the changing situation in the city.
You could say that no one understands your capabilities better than we do, or how much you've actually accomplished during this time."
Mercer's tone remained calm as he said, "So, you're willing to offer me some help? Great. Regarding that second matter, I have a proposal; how about giving me some operational funds?
Not much, ten million eurodollars will do. I guarantee I'll complete the task Alt gave me. How about it?"
The corner of Bryce's mouth twitched slightly. "The assistance I was talking about is technical."
"Then there's no need. Hey, wait a minute... that's some nice cyberware you've got on. How about this: you guys give me a full set of your latest netrunner cyberware, including the cyberdeck and all that.
If you can't even help with that, then don't even talk about cooperation. I don't like dealing with cheapskates."
Mercer's string of words made it a little hard for Bryce to keep his composure. This kid really has some nerve...
But he pondered for a moment, glanced at the gear on Mercer, and finally said directly, "If you want some finished products, fine. We can even give you some good lab-grade stuff, but we require data sharing."
"No problem, no problem at all." Mercer's attitude suddenly became enthusiastic. Even through the mask, Bryce could almost see the smile on his face.
This guy...
Bryce forced a smile. "I'll apply to my superiors later. But if we decide to cooperate, we hope that after you make contact with Yorinobu, you'll also give us a chance to talk with him. We can share our progress. How about it?"
"No problem. As long as you can bring me something impressive, anything can be discussed."
The way Mercer guaranteed it made him look exactly like a scammer.
Bryce could only cough once before changing the subject. "The third point..."
"Do you know what the Voodoo Boys are usually up to?" Bryce put on a serious expression.
Mercer just shrugged. "Running electronic scams, digging at the Blackwall, being racist betel nut chewers, committing violent crimes, running pharmacies... anything to add?"
"Uh, it seems you're quite clear on their dealings. Yes, they are digging at the Blackwall."
Bryce said very seriously, "You must know what it would mean if something happened to the Blackwall."
"So, we must stop them. We haven't been able to find a suitable opportunity or the right help before, but now we believe that you, the Kindling Squad, have the strength for it."
Fearing Mercer would demand an exorbitant price, Bryce spoke directly before he could say anything. "You help us take care of the Voodoo Boys, get rid of those lunatics.
All we need is for that group of Voodoo Boys netrunners to die. And, we also want the data related to AI and the Blackwall from the Rezo Agwe server.
As long as you can do that, we're willing to pay you a commission of two million eurodollars. And... you're interested in NetWatch's equipment? Good. We can give you some of the equipment you want."
Bryce paused, then continued, "I think this is a very sincere offer, my friend. You're gaining not just money and gear, but more importantly, the friendship of NetWatch, and we rarely make friends with netrunners."
Mercer narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
Every gift comes with a price tag.
NetWatch was no benevolent organization.
Bryce's generous terms immediately put Mercer on high alert and made him think.
Of course they wanted to deal with the Voodoo Boys digging at the Blackwall, but was that enough to warrant a personal visit?
No.
Was it his connection to Alt, and the business with Yorinobu and Silverhand, that had put him on their high-priority watchlist?
Possible, but definitely not the whole story.
So what was it that determined their surprisingly friendly attitude toward him?
Hmm...
"Alright, I agree," Mercer said without any more nonsense, getting straight to the point. "We can talk about the first two matters later, but as for the third, I can agree to it right now."
Bryce's brows rose slightly. "Oh? Then when do you plan to make a move on the Voodoo Boys?"
"...Tomorrow?" Mercer offered a time.
"Tomorrow!?" Bryce's eyes widened slightly.
"That's right... Look at what a mess Night City's network is in right now!" Mercer said with an air of righteousness. "These Voodoo Boys have gone too far! I must rid the city of this menace for the people!"
V turned her face away, trying hard to keep a straight face.
A, you bastard...
You've gone too far!
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