"Guys like Pira, who seem useless everywhere, might have some special skills after all."
"Haha~" Mercer couldn't help but laugh.
V rolled her eyes, "I knew you were up to no good, just trying to make fun of me, right?"
She looked at the pale mask on Mercer's face, itching with curiosity, "By the way, since no one's around... show me what you look like..."
"Shh, don't talk, I'm listening to the news."
Mercer deliberately turned on the car radio and ignored her, leaving V crossing her arms and sulking in silence.
Truth be told, she's really quite pretty when she's not speaking.
"Good morning, Night City! I'm your good buddy, Stan! And today's Deadpool numbers are a surprising forty-eight!
Even more thrilling, just yesterday afternoon, there was a breathtaking heist on the road to the southern checkpoint of Night City!
A group of mysterious edgerunners took out an entire van of biotechnical employees in just ten seconds. Oh, and by the way, that bio-tech car they had? It was a military-tech Behemoth!
That Behemoth was left on the single-lane road, causing a solid half-hour traffic jam. NCPD and biotech folks were fuming, but our mysterious bandits had already vanished without a trace!
Ha! I bet plenty of you lost money today!
Thanks to that unknown group of edgerunners, it's been ages since Night City's had a corp-related incident! Will biotech strike back? Who knows!
Next up, we turn our eyes to Taiping Prefecture—Haitians are once again protesting, and Colonel Hanssen's Netherworld Dog troop in Dog Town has clashed with the Taiping NCPD again.
Many predict that the NCPD in Taiping won't last long and will soon have to pack their bags and leave. This is going to be a riot.
Will NCPD ultimately suppress Taiping Prefecture, or will Taiping become Night City's 'Free Zone' after driving NCPD out? Let's wait and see!
News from the Haywood District: the conflict between the Sixth Street Gang and the Valentino Gang is intensifying, with cases of casualties over territory disputes growing by the day.
Last night, the Sixth Street Gang raided Valentino Gang's neighborhood, causing significant financial and personal losses.
But hey, I guess none of you are surprised, because, well, this is Night City!
If you have any insider info, go ahead and place your bets for today's Deadpool, because I'm guessing today's death toll will only go up!
I'm your trusty buddy Stan, welcoming you to another day in the Dream Chasing City!"
As the radio voice faded, V couldn't hold back her laughter. When the radio switched to music, she excitedly slapped Mercer on the shoulder, producing a 'clang clang' sound.
"Hey, don't break the parts here!" Mercer frowned, glaring at her, "Do you even know your own strength?"
"Not that exaggerated!" V grinned sheepishly and pretended to brush his shoulder with her hand, then continued excitedly, "Did you hear? We made the news!"
"Wow! No way, I gotta head to The Afterlife today and brag big time. Damn, does this mean we're famous now?"
V was so happy she nearly spilled the Monkey Shoulder she hadn't finished drinking.
"As long as you're not worried about V's name ending up on biotech's wanted list, I don't mind if you go a bit high-profile."
Mercer said, and V just looked at him blankly, "Isn't that inevitable? With your knack for stirring up trouble, soon enough we won't even be able to stay in Night City. Eventually, we've got to bail, so what's there to be afraid of?"
"Wow, such wisdom in your foolishness?" Mercer marveled.
And V just raised her fist, "Do you want to test the impact resistance of your metal body?"
"I was complimenting you! Didn't the auto-translate tell you that's an ancient Chinese way of praising someone?"
The two joked around, and soon the car arrived at Taiping Prefecture.
This was the most chaotic place in Night City now, with big guys from the Animal Gang and Haitians from the Voodoo Gang frequently spotted.
Mercer just parked the car by an abandoned construction site and started contacting Diana Kuno.
Diana was already prepared with the money chip, sitting anxiously on a bench by a coastal road in Taiping Prefecture, waiting for Mercer's message.
Mercer launched a drone, scouting from a high altitude to ensure there were no hidden ambushes before remote-controlling the drone to fly over her.
The area around the coastal road was desolate, with a beautiful giant Ferris wheel not far away. Unfortunately, those places had now become the contested territory between the Animal Gang and the Haitian Gang, off-limits to outsiders—a waste of good land.
[?: Good morning, Dr. Kuno.]
Diana Kuno had already noticed the approaching drone, and when an unknown contact popped up in her prosthetic eye, she knew it must be those extortionists coming.
Quite cautious...
Seeing this, Diana actually felt relieved. She had stayed awake all night and just had a shot of stimulant, feeling no fatigue at all, her mind crystal clear.
"It's me. The money you wanted is already in the chip."
Diana waved the large money chip at the drone.
[?: If I were you, I wouldn't flaunt it casually—at your nine o'clock, some Voodoo Gang members have already had their eyes on you.]