The third... is to ruthlessly trip up Military Science— the worse the losses for Military Science, the greater your credit.
Given Chris's age, capability, and character, the first two are practically out of the question, but now, the third path to promotion is right before him!
Faraday had a smug look of confidence, saying with a smile, "Of course, if I weren't sure, why would I dare to send the information to you?"
Chris Paul's smile lingered for a while, but eventually, he calmed down, closed his notebook, and said sternly, "I must verify the authenticity of this intelligence."
"Feel free to check. I can guarantee it was stolen from the biotechnology servers, identical to what Military Science obtained."
Faraday spoke with utmost confidence, but in reality, he was somewhat nervous. After all, Mann handled the job way too swiftly. He only mentioned that he had a connection by chance, which accomplished the task, but refused to disclose the specifics of the process.
Only because Mann had consistently displayed reliability did Faraday not suspect too much. He just consulted an expert to verify if the data was authentic, and after confirming that it was likely valid, he promptly contacted Arasaka for takeover.
Having reviewed the intelligence beforehand, there was no doubt that the sooner Arasaka was informed, the more time they would have to decide how to deal with it. If successful, Faraday too could claim credit with Arasaka for this intelligence.
Faraday harbored great ambition. Currently, the primary intermediary used by Arasaka in Night City is Wagako. Although Rogue is well-known, because she belongs to Michiko's faction, many Arasaka jobs don't go to her.
Faraday's goal is to replace Wagako, becoming Arasaka's go-to intermediary in Night City.
Thus, even if only for himself, he would do his utmost to push Arasaka to use the intelligence obtained by chance to deeply trouble Military Science and biotechnology. If successful, he would have significant accomplishments.
Chris Paul merely nodded and then said, "I'll approve the payment for you after verifying the intelligence data. If all this is confirmed to be genuine... we might have a big job for you."
"No problem. You know, I've never dropped the ball at critical moments."
Faraday smiled, his prosthetic eye modifications quite distinctive; his left eye had a yellow and red color scheme, while the right eye housed three red prosthetic eyes arranged vertically.
These three prosthetic eyes would curve down like ordinary eyes when smiling, giving a rather uncanny feeling.
But Chris showed no reaction, merely nodded calmly, picked up the chip, and stood up, saying, "Then wait for my message."
"Alright, no problem!" Once Faraday finished speaking, he stood up intending to see him off, but Chris merely waved and walked away quickly.
Mercer shifted his gaze away from the screen, smirking as he turned to Lucy and Qiwei beside him, "Seems like we don't need to exert too much effort... Just as I thought, once Military Science's intelligence hits Arasaka's face, they'll fight amongst themselves."
"What about that thing you had with the Military Science agent before? You brought in Arasaka's people; don't end up making them take the blame and rush to settle accounts with you."
Lucy said, with Qiwei giving her a sharp glance, slightly tilting her head, sensing her attitude towards Mercer seemed 'tougher' than before.
But then Qiwei merely returned her gaze to its usual calm state, saying nothing, quietly erasing her presence as always.
"As long as I don't say it, and she doesn't say it, we can throw the blame on Diana... Ha, this woman seems afraid I'll change my mind and want to off her first. Lately, she's been sending messages probing if I still plan to snatch things as intended.
She fears I won't crash head-on into the Military Science convoy."
Mercer spoke with an icy tone, "On the day of action, we must ensure Diana dies in Night City, giving her no chance to escape... If she hides back in her European home, it's really tough to deal with her."
"Let's see if things unfold as you expect first." Lucy said this, then turned back to her position.
Kyoko looked suspiciously at her back, then at Mercer, whispering, "You two... had a fight?"
"Not really, just a small issue." Mercer said casually, patting her head, "Once the job's done, with rare downtime, want me to take you out? Isn't it boring just staying here all the time?"
"Me? Hehe, actually, staying home every day is fine. V or Rebecca takes me out every now and then... But I feel staying in the base is better, feels safer."
Kyoko said, and Mercer simply got up, "Alright, let me see how well you did your previous assignments."
"No, please..." Kyoko's face instantly turned bitter. It's not that she dislikes learning, but Mercer's teaching always makes her doubt if her aptitude is subpar.
What others can grasp instantly, she might have to ponder over for a long time to understand, and the assignments Mercer leaves her often make her scratch her head for a while.
Once she finally managed the tasks he assigned, he'd plug in some brain-machine connection, and within seconds, turn the work into something even she struggled to comprehend...
Qiwei smirked lightly, "Let it be. She's been trying hard lately."