But Mercer just shrugged and said, "His essence is quite similar to my approach, both charging at the front, utilizing close-range hacks in conjunction with firearms."
"It's just that his hacking is meaningless to us. He couldn't even break through the ICE on your armor. I didn't even bother to counter-hack him; he failed on his own.
He's lying under the car because he got burned by the automatic counterattack of the ICE and could only lie there to gather his wits…"
"I was wondering, this guy looks fierce and malevolent, why's he hiding under a car..." Rebecca muttered, "I thought maybe I hit him too hard and scared him off."
Sasha chuckled, "Well, that's not entirely impossible either."
While they chatted and laughed, Jack and Mann remained vigilant at the door, watching over the forty or so people that Hua Tiao brought.
But to be honest, there was no need to be wary at all.
Because Hua Tiao and his group were already stunned.
Bodies scattered everywhere, burning vehicles, walls turned to rubble, the road entirely blocked.
It didn't feel like a gang fight, but rather like a post-war wasteland.
The ground was pitted and cratered, marks that definitely couldn't have been caused by grenades or small arms fire.
Especially with a flattened car, its occupants reduced to paste, it was unimaginable what manner of attack could flatten a car with people still inside.
Hua Tiao was terrified, even worried that Mercer's team might have already been taken out by the Voodoo Gang—he couldn't fathom how such a small squad could wipe them all out.
At this moment, the silent expanse of cadavers underscored the gravity of conflict, and the eerie silence amplifying the fact that the battle was over.
Not until Hua Tiao saw Jack and Mann standing by the church, armed and smoking, did he gasp in shock.
"Where's A?"
He gingerly asked after getting off the car.
"The boss is inside waiting for you." Mann glanced at the large group trailing Hua Tiao, expressing coldly, "Just take a few people inside, the rest should stall the NCPD a bit; you'll need to get Sea God back to our base shortly."
"...Alright." Hua Tiao looked at his caravan—he rushed out, not bringing any transport team, but fortunately there were enough vehicles; by dismantling the servers, leaving only the drivers in each car, it should suffice.
He looked at Jack, then back at Mann and Dolio, his voice unconsciously becoming softer. "Placid, Brigitte, what about those guys?"
"Those hackers died in the server room, Placid... the boss said he wanted to test the combat effectiveness of the robotic dog on him. As for the others, you'll need to check who's alive yourself."
Mann and Jack stepped aside, and the usually unruly street thugs suddenly appeared to be quite docile.
Hua Tiao swallowed saliva, called his guards along, pushed open the doors, and upon entering, first saw the large cross behind the podium directly opposite the entrance, then Mercer lazily leaning against Octopus Arm on the podium.
Although he replaced his mask with a helmet, with him being the only man in the team with a normal physique, there was no doubt—that had to be A.
As for Placid, he lay on the ground, eyes rolled back, mouth and neck smeared with blood, evidently dead for some time.
V and Rebecca, their white and black mechs, stood leisurely on both sides of the aisle.
Hua Tiao's breathing turned heavier—sitting on the podium before the cross, Mercer seemed to be bathed in golden light from the cross behind...
Dammit, are you some kind of Celestial God descended onto Earth?
Hua Tiao just glancing at V and Rebecca's attire caused his palms to sweat anxiously. What on earth were these things? None of the common exoskeleton or armor types he knew were anything like this?
Especially Rebecca's suit, it looked like a smaller and rounder version of Adam's Hammer, damn fierce!
"Uh... I'm here."
Hua Tiao broke the silence, mostly because the oppressive atmosphere made him uneasy.
Mercer's laughter came from inside the helmet, "Haha, no need to be so tense, my friend. As per our agreement, we've basically taken care of the leaders and key members of the Voodoo Gang, and now, Taiping Prefecture is your territory."
"No, no, it's our territory, our territory." Hua Tiao corrected Mercer's words with a full smile: "Once we deal with the Animal Gang, we'd be the sole masters of Taiping Prefecture!"
"That's none of my business then. I wish you luck in dealing with the Wildman King and his big guys, while I will just settle in Dog Town for now."
Mercer's words unmistakably delineated his boundaries with Hua Tiao.
Hua Tiao was taken aback, then said, "You mean... you won't accept the Voodoo Gang's assets?"
"That would be asking you to go through the trouble of accounting for me, wouldn't it?" Mercer smiled, "You take over the territory, tally the assets, and then I'll take seventy percent, that settles the deal."
Seventy percent!?
Hua Tiao held his composure and said, "What about the other businesses, factories or small trades..."
"I just want cash, convert all those things into money and give it to me, the territory here, shops, supply chains are all yours, I just want money."
Mercer's words brought a bright smile to Hua Tiao's face, but it hadn't lasted long before Mercer added, "In the future, the Voodoo Gang's markets, whether it's software program chips, arms sales, or cyberware smuggling markets, you also have to give me seventy percent."