Kyoko remained silent, placing the Super Dream Headband she was holding aside, thinking that Mercer might be under too much pressure:
"Is there anything I can do to help? Should I...maybe look for some work online? Or join Daichi to find a part-time job at the camp?
Mercer, I think you seem a bit stressed."
Lucy's hand rested on Mercer's back, her expression hard to decipher—whether speechless, sad, or amused: "So what do you plan to become? A robot like Adam's Hammer?"
"Ahem, I was just joking..."
Mercer shifted the topic with a subtle smile: "By the way, I've named my new team 'Spark Team,' what do you think of the name?"
"...Not bad, it fits with the kind of things you keep talking about, very much your style." Lucy finished, her fingers gently caressing the mechanical seams on his back, feeling like she was touching cold scales.
"Don't touch that, it tickles a bit..." Mercer shrugged his shoulders, and Lucy saw the metal cover on his back lifting up and down, briefly exposing the intricate circuitry and mechanical structure inside.
Lucy withdrew her hand, realizing that he still retained some sensation after all.
"Tomorrow, I'll be calling in the people I've recruited from the city to celebrate Christmas, so everyone can get to know each other and become family from now on."
As Mercer finished, Lucy showed a somewhat disapproving expression: "Family? Mercer, you've only known them for a short while..."
"Trust me, Lucy, they're good folks. Yes, they all have their own flaws, but overall, isn't that what family is like?
Despite everyone's character flaws, each has their strengths, but as long as we have the same goal and want to make a good life together, that's all that matters."
After Mercer finished speaking, he actually understood what she meant, smiling gently and looking at her sideways: "Don't worry, your bond with each other will grow over time, anyway...
You're already my family, right?"
Lucy turned her face away with a disdainful expression: "Who knows."
"Ha, stubborn." Mercer looked at Kyoko with a smile: "What does Kyoko think?"
Kyoko nodded vigorously: "Yes! We are family! Even if we part ways for some reason in the future, as long as family needs us, we will come together again!"
She then showed a more mature side of herself.
Kyoko said with a cheeky grin: "I just wonder what kind of people our 'Brother A' has recruited. I'm sure... Mercer would never misjudge anyone."
"We'll know when we meet tomorrow... you all can go shopping with Pan'an tomorrow to get some food and drinks. Let's have a good time at the bonfire party and, by the way, we'll also have the first meeting of the Spark Team.
Discuss things like members' responsibilities and benefits."
After Mercer finished, Lucy just nodded: "You're the boss; it's your call."
"Mhm... I'm going to set up Venus to run in my new Access Vault. This 'Soulkiller' Network Access Vault is prepared with the right program chips and storage chips for AI, fitting my current needs by coincidence.
If you guys want to keep playing, go ahead. I need to finish up and rest early; I can't stay up all night today."
Mercer finished and then plugged into Lucy's computer, first checking on Venus's program. After a simple test, he transferred it directly to his Network Access Vault.
[Venus: Hello, Master~]
Mercer didn't need to speak; he could communicate using brainwaves.
[Mercer: You seem much livelier.]
[Venus: Is that so? I'm just growing towards what you wish for, hoping to become an AI that can assist you as soon as possible.]
[Mercer: Sounds good. You'll be in my Network Access Vault long-term, and I'll write some rapid decryption programs here.
Your task is to thoroughly understand these programs and assist me in hacking the enemy if needed.]
[Venus: Okay, I will understand the programs you write for me as soon as possible.]
[Mercer: You also need to self-learn various online technologies, including driving and mechanical engineering. Later, I'll give you internet access, and you can remotely connect to my computer.
You can use the Network Access Vault to independently connect to my computer without using my brain's computing power, learning autonomously.
My computer has a wealth of design drawings and knowledge from the Arasaka database stored in it. Learn and understand them as much as possible.
Store the data on my computer first; don't keep too much data in the Access Vault to avoid affecting my memory.]
[Venus: I understand, but during my network learning, I found some areas in your plan for me that could be optimized.]
[Mercer: Such as?]
[Venus: The knowledge I can access on the network is complicated but lacks systematization, and its authenticity is hard to verify.
Even as my intelligence grows, it's difficult to distinguish between useful, useless, or wrong knowledge.
I suggest purchasing some professional network courses from companies to help me further improve myself and share your burden as soon as possible.]
[Mercer: It's not easy for an AI like you to sneak into big companies' online courses. I'll consider buying some chips with stored professional course knowledge or giving you a chance to wander around big companies' servers to enhance yourself.]
[Venus: Great, as expected of you, easily discovering problems I hadn't noticed.]