Other things aside, this long-lost feeling of talking to someone whose tech level isn't too different really made the two of them lose themselves in the conversation a bit.
It wasn't until over half an hour passed that Lark reluctantly said, "I have to go back. I can't let anyone find out I'm secretly using a dedicated line to connect to Night City's network.
It was fun chatting with you this time. To be honest, it's been a long time since I've had such a relaxed conversation. How about this, leave me an email, so we can chat and exchange some tech insights in the future.
Of course, don't expect me to reply on time—most of the time now, I'm not in control."
Mercer readily gave an email address, then said just as enthusiastically, "No problem, there's no one in Night City I can discuss these high-level tech issues with. It's nice to chat with you occasionally.
But next time, don't come by yourself. My suggestion is to give me a heads up in advance. If you get caught by one of my trap programs... I can't guarantee your ICE will let you log off unharmed."
Lark raised an eyebrow and smiled confidently, "Ha, I really want to try... Next time, let's choose a time to really go at it and see our skills."
Mercer was equally confident, "Sure, let's have a match using the computational power of the Netherworld Dog server and see who breaks the other's ICE first."
They agreed on a time, Lark smiled and waved goodbye before logging off.
Mercer's smile disappeared the moment she left.
[Venus: Hmm... You don't seem to like this Lark lady very much?]
[Mercer: Not really. Actually, I think she's quite pitiable, but she chats with me to pave the way for using me when the timing is right...
Being manipulated doesn't feel great, does it?]
[Venus: So how do you plan to turn the tables? What do you want to achieve by using Lark?]
[Mercer: It's all for Little Beidou—she must have come to Dog Town for this thing, and she surely has gathered a lot of its data and information.
As the top hacker in New America, once she sets her mind, it's easy for her to find out any internal secrets.
She wants to use me, probably to control the Little Beidou Facility or to find a way to gain freedom.
And I want to use her to get Little Beidou's related data, and importantly... information about some mysterious forces she's secretly involved with.
If she wants to escape, she needs to come to Dog Town, and once she's here, I'm in charge.
However, you need to keep an eye on the surrounding situation for a while. She might have other plans.]
[Venus: I'll keep watch on Dog Town's network for you.]
He sighed, disconnected from the deep dive, and returned to reality. Lucy, who had been watching him closely to be ready to unplug him in case of an emergency, saw him open his eyes and gave a small snort, turning away without a word.
Mercer called out to her retreating figure with a smile, "Thanks, everything went smoothly."
Lucy just left on her own without replying.
Mercer thought for a moment and decided he needed to have a good talk with her.
Even when fishing, you have to scatter some bait... Besides, Lucy's inherently an insecure girl, so he should be a bit more proactive and not leave her to deal with feelings of jealousy and insecurity all on her own.
With nothing else to do, he got up and caught up with her, "Got anything to do today?"
"Nothing, just resting." Lucy's response was a bit cold, but her pace slowed significantly.
Mercer effortlessly caught up to her and walked alongside her, "What do you do to rest? Watch Mewtwo? Watch TV? Read novels?"
"Watch you and Rebecca flirting." She immediately regretted her words—didn't they make her seem overly jealous?
And sure enough, Mercer turned to her with a teasing smile, "When have I ever flirted with her in front of you? Don't talk nonsense."
"Oh~" Lucy elongated the tone, "Anyway, she always takes the initiative, and you're just passively accepting. I get it, so anything else?"
"It's been a while since we've done something together. Let's find something fun and relax together?" Mercer winked mischievously.
But Lucy just turned her face away, "Do you think every time you're slightly nice to me, I should gratefully accept? And then you can go play with other women with a clear conscience?"
"I've never thought that way." Mercer denied it seriously.
"But I always feel that way... Never mind, I don't want to burden you. You're already dealing with a lot. Go on with your work, I'll sort it out in a few days anyway." Lucy said.
And Mercer knew exactly what he should do at this moment. He reached out and held her hand, and though Lucy initially tried to pull away, she stopped struggling when she couldn't break free.
Then she stopped walking, looked directly at him, and after a long pause, let out a long sigh, "Let's talk... What do you think?"
Mercer hesitated but nodded.
As he looked at her face beneath her short hair, beneath the light red eyeshadow, Mercer carefully examined her, suddenly finding her both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.
She seemed to have grown from that little pudding in the Arasaka Base into the charming young lady she is now in the blink of an eye.
Speaking of which, if going by her current ID card, she'll be an adult next year, and even by her real age, she's almost three years away from being an eighteen-year-old girl.