"Us? Not much to say, just like most of the Edgerunners you know, we take jobs to make money."
Mercer explained simply, but Bruce shook his head and said, "No mercenary would go into the Vortex Gang's lair to pull me out without having a contract."
"Hmm, then just think of me as a hero driven by interest? Just like how you like to put on a suit and call yourself the Night Shadow Hero to fight crime, I occasionally do similar things out of interest."
After Mercer finished speaking, Bruce nodded, "A hero driven by interest? That's an interesting way to put it."
He reached under the workbench in the room, pulled out a cigar, bit it on the side of his mouth, and looked at the others in the room, "Mind if I smoke?"
"Your turf, no need to ask us." After Mercer said this, Bruce used one arm with some difficulty to clip the cigar, light it, and put it in his mouth.
After taking a deep puff of the cigar, he said to Mercer, "Ask away, ask anything you're curious about. For a lifesaver, I'll tell you anything I can."
"What do you usually do?" Rebecca asked with some curiosity, finding a table to sit on as a chair, her short legs dangling without touching the ground.
"Work during the day, then come here at night, change into my uniform, put on my armor, and drive out to see where I might be needed."
After Bruce finished speaking, he paused and said, "I left a backdoor in the NCPD server. During the day, I eavesdrop and gather some crime information, and handle the work they haven't finished during the night."
"So you're basically doing NCPD's job?" V summarized.
Bruce was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"What about your gear? Are you just relying on those simple cybernetics you have to deal with those criminals?" V was curious about what equipment someone as wealthy as him would use.
Bruce pointed to a wardrobe nearby, "You can open it and see."
V walked over and opened the wardrobe without any hesitation. Inside was something that looked like a black uniform and a pure black half-face mask.
V picked up the uniform and looked, "Just made of bulletproof panels and bulletproof fibers, nothing special, right?"
"The one next to it," Bruce said, and V opened the adjacent wardrobe.
Then, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!"
In the wardrobe was a black set of Exoskeleton Armor—it didn't look very big, basically designed for an adult male build.
But judging from the exoskeleton's armor and mechanical construction, this thing was definitely a rare and valuable item.
Mercer also became interested, walked over to observe for a while, "Hydraulic strike enhancement, bionic leg augmentation, lithium battery drive, with built-in weapon systems..."
"You also know about mechanics?" Bruce was a bit surprised because, to him, a talented hacker like Mercer, judging by his youthful voice, wouldn't have the time to develop skills in many fields.
"I know a little bit. You've referenced a lot of the military's Centaur Armor design concepts; many things are quite identifiable... However, it works fine against typical thugs, but if you were up against someone as formidable as V, this wouldn't cut it."
After Mercer's sharp critique, Bruce fell silent, sighed, "Previously, this armor could connect directly to my brain and work together with my Sianwistan, but now... I've removed the Sianwistan."
Bruce turned to look at V, his eyes somewhat conflicted, "The more powerful the Sianwistan, the greater the burden on a person's nerves. I'd rather take it off than lose my sanity and turn into a slaughter-crazed maniac."
V finally understood, then excitedly said, "Does that mean... I could also use this set of armor? Can it also be used with the Sianwistan?"
She turned to Mercer with a pleading smile, "A, look at this thing..."
"This thing might enhance your strength, but it would reduce your agility. Even if this kind of exoskeleton connects to the nerves, there's bound to be a delay. For someone with your extraordinary reflexes and body strength, it's not very meaningful."
As Mercer was speaking, he thought for a bit and continued, "If you really want to wear something similar, you have two paths to choose from. One is to transform the exoskeleton into a kind of special 'Steel Armor.'
It would provide support without significantly affecting your movements.
The other choice would be full-coverage large armor, going to the extreme in terms of destructiveness and defense, relying on your incredible physical prowess to drive it. By the time others have managed to tear apart your armor, you could jump out for a second round..."
V said nothing, just blinked her eyes at him, her purpose clear.
Rebecca snorted and said, "What about me?"
"Actually, you're quite suited for this kind of exoskeleton drive. This half-Centaur Armor design concept fits well with the military science's Frenzy Operating System, emphasizing raw power."
After Mercer finished, he turned to look at Bruce, "How much did you spend on this thing?"
"The basic materials cost 400,000 Euros, but that's because I have connections to directly buy the parts. If you plan to start from scratch and make it yourself, it's hard to estimate."
Bruce paused after speaking, "But if you're interested in this, you can take it back and modify it. I'll give it to you."
"Damn, that's generous of a rich guy!" V said, clicking her tongue.
Rebecca, however, asked thoughtfully, "What are you planning to use then?"