V still wanted to say something, but Mercer suddenly waved his hand, saying, "Alright, having someone watching over me isn't a bad thing, as long as it doesn't interfere with my regular business and deals with others. How about that?"
Hansen's smile grew wider: "Of course, as long as it doesn't go against the interests of the Netherworld Dog, you can still do what you want as before."
Mercer nodded decisively, then stood up and said, "In that case, there's nothing more to say. Once I get the three million euros bonus, I'll give you a list and start further production and development of weapon equipment as soon as possible."
"No problem." Hansen agreed, and Mercer left gracefully, without any hint of entanglement.
It wasn't until Mercer left the base and got back in the car that Rebecca angrily said, "Why don't we just take him out right now—Hansen, he's basically robbing us, isn't he? Does he really think we're working for him?"
V was equally indignant, saying, "He's obviously trying to control you, damn it, Mercer, why did you agree so readily?"
Mercer remained calm: "Think from Hansen's perspective. Right now, keeping me here is no longer the most important thing to him. The most important is whether I am still controllable and whether I still want to stay in Dog Town."
"What's there to wait for in this lousy Dog Town, aren't he afraid we'll just leave?" V lifted her helmet, shaking her white hair in annoyance.
Mercer shrugged, "That's why he wants someone watching me. I guess if I hadn't brought you two along this time, he might've tried something shady."
"And yet you're acting so nonchalant! I'm telling you, we should consider reaching out to people from the companies... Internet Supervision? Or Kangtao? Their bases are abroad, one in Europe, one in the East. Even if we turn Night City upside down, we can easily escape the country."
V suggested.
But Mercer just laughed, "It would be strange if he weren't scheming! But..."
He narrowed his eyes, smiling, "I won't let him stay for long either. Once the conversation with Yoshinobu is over, it'll be our turn to consider how to take over Dog Town."
"Uh, you mean..." V raised an eyebrow.
"Just look at how much money Hansen makes here in a year. For such a big operation, I don't plan to be just a hands-off manager like the Voodoo Gang."
Mercer said meaningfully, "Dog Town is the key in Night City for the power play between Military Science and Arasaka. Whoever controls this place can, without exaggeration, even directly influence the outcome of the potential Fifth Corporate War."
He spread his arms, gazing at the dilapidated streets and smiled, "Don't just look at how rundown this place is now, but if the situation stabilizes someday, Taiping Prefecture's development plan will still go ahead.
And by then, Dog Town will undoubtedly become the core of Taiping Prefecture.
And if war comes, by occupying Dog Town in advance, we gain relative initiative. Whether choosing to align with a side or finding ways to remain neutral, there are many possibilities."
Rebecca wasn't too interested in all these messy things; she just said, "But like you said before, Hansen is bound to be dealt with by those companies sooner or later."
Because whether it's Military Science, Arasaka, or other forces, they won't just let a warlord occupy this place...
So if you take Hansen's place, doesn't that mean you'd become the most dangerous one?"
"Danger and opportunity are relative; by controlling Dog Town, we can rightfully have our independent armed force.
Controlling the smuggling sources in Dog Town also means our research and development will no longer be limited by raw materials. We can have our own arsenal, army, research institutions, and company..."
Mercer's words didn't excite V and Rebecca; instead, they both frowned, looking worried.
Rebecca sighed, "Well, if you believe staying in Dog Town helps better achieve your goals... then we have nothing else to say."
Mercer glanced at their helmets open, revealing their disapproving expressions, but he just smiled and didn't explain further.
He understood everyone's desire for stability, but in his view, time left for him was running out.
The major shift in the global landscape was imminent, and he must seize this opportunity as much as possible, just like when biotechnology rose before, to accumulate strength and be ready before the Fifth Corporate War erupts.
On TV, experts are constantly analyzing how long the current ceasefire agreement between New America and Night City might last, and whether the next war will expand in scale.
From Mercer's perspective, rather than discussing how long a ceasefire can last, it's better to discuss when Military Science and Arasaka will start the Fifth Corporate War.
When the next war starts, it's impossible that only New America and a few Free States will be openly participating, unlike in past years.
If Yoshinobu successfully seizes power, he is inherently a leader of the hawkish faction, and deep down, he desires destructing companies and won't give up this opportunity.
The relationship between Military Science and New America can be more straightforwardly understood as the two almost being perceived as one unified interest.
Currently, New America's President Miles was the former president of Military Science, not to mention the previous president of the United States was also from Military Science's presidency—this shows how deeply Military Science and New America's interests are intertwined nowadays.