Rebecca could only smirk—Is that your server?
[V: Leave it to me!]
V walked to the door and winked at Rebecca, who reached out and grasped the handles of the double doors.
The group heard a buzzing sound from Rebecca's mechanical arms, and with immense strength, she brutally tore the wooden door down!
Then, blue flames shot from V's back. They only saw a flash of blue light, and the next moment, there were a few crisp snapping sounds inside.
Mercer peeked in and tutted twice—two members of the Voodoo Gang who had been sleeping soundly on chairs behind the door were now headless, with only splattered flesh and shattered bones left.
V shook her fist and wiped it disdainfully on a relatively clean wall.
Turning their heads, the group saw a pathway leading downwards.
The sides of the deep stairs were surprisingly lit by candles, and the walls bore the glowing blue Voodoo Gang emblem, providing some illumination.
The dim corridor looked like it led to some medieval dungeon.
[V: Suddenly, our underground base feels quite cozy by comparison.]
[Mercer: Lucy, use my little spider to check it out.]
[Lucy: Got it. Go ahead and release it.]
Mercer's Octopus Arm set down a briefcase and took out a palm-sized mini spider drone.
The pitch-black drone lit up with a row of red indicator lights on its back after being powered on. Once the lights turned green, it reverted to its non-illuminated state.
Then it started moving nimbly, quickly climbing the wall to the ceiling and making its way down along the stairs.
V couldn't help but click her tongue in wonder.
[V: What kind of black tech is this?]
[Mercer: It's a reconnaissance spider robot I developed. Though small, it can thermal scan enemies and detect electronic signals.
It also shares its vision, highlighting targets in a Prosthetic Eye. I integrated the view into the software; you can access the footage captured by the spider robot via the Prosthetic Eye.]
The group eagerly stayed along the corridor that led in from the side door, watching the real-time footage shared by Lucy.
In the footage, the spider robot traveled down the hallway and quickly identified several cameras.
It marked them and climbed past through the blind spots of their view.
A few seconds later, Lucy sent a message.
[Lucy: Do you want to do it, or should I?]
[Mercer: Go for it.]
After their conversation, the large spider robot next to Mercer, resembling a flat-headed robot, immediately began its way inside.
[V: So what's this one? The earlier was for reconnaissance; what about this?]
[Mercer: This one has more functions; it can be considered a hacking-capable reconnaissance robot. It's stronger, able to remove obstacles alone, with its eight mechanical legs housing various tools, even capable of picking locks and ductwork.
Most importantly, it captures network signals and establishes connections, aiding hackers in remote hacking of local network targets, and it can plug into servers or network equipment, bypass ICE, and insert viruses directly.]
[V: Sounds impressive.]
[Mercer: Indeed, in Dog Town, similar-functioning robots from Military Science are priced at 500,000 Euros, without scanning and hacking features and real-time control capabilities.]
[V: Uh...so how much is it?]
[Mercer: Don't even think about it; until the algorithm patent is filed, anyone selling it is an idiot.]
[V: So why not file for a patent?]
[Mercer: You think patent law protects your profits? Nope, it's your legal team and combat power; you need both.]
While Mercer gave V a quick rundown, both the large and small spider robots continued to crawl inside.
The small robot scoped out traps and electronic devices along the way, while the larger spider connected with nearby electronic equipment.
Lucy quickly cracked the ICE of those devices on her laptop, obtaining access before messaging Mercer.
[Lucy: You can enter now, but don't move faster than the robots.]
At that time, the small spider robot had passed through a retractable iron gate, uncovering a newly excavated spot on the wall beyond.
Discarded rubble was piled casually on both sides, and beyond the breached wall lay another corridor extending in the opposite direction.
[Lucy: Laser alarms, smart mines, cameras... the usual stuff, but I suggest using robo-dogs to lead; you never know if the spider's scan is reliable.]
[Mercer: It has to be reliable.]
He waved to the others, and Rebecca took the lead—her armor was so strong that even a mine explosion wouldn't faze her.
Mercer followed behind her, helmet lens continuously scanning his surroundings.
The spider robot he developed was indeed reliable; nothing had slipped through its scans.
With the spider robot clearing the way, all the group needed to do was proceed quietly and in formation.
Not until the spider robot entered a suddenly spacious area did Lucy send a message.