Dog Town, Spark Base's living room.
"So, what you mean is..."
Pira opened her mouth wide, staring at Mercer in shock: "We not only have to deal with over twenty specialized soldiers from the biotech division but also a combat team from the military science?
This team also includes two elite soldiers equipped with Centaur Armor, a Military Behemoth transport vehicle, and a Demon Lizard War Chariot?"
Pira absurdly let out a laugh: "I mean, A... Even if you send Colonel Hansen from Dog Town, facing this transport security setup, he'd lose at least half his Netherworld Dog soldiers, right?"
"If we confront this joint transport team head-on, then I think we indeed have little chance of survival."
Mercer said, then knocked on the table, and said seriously: "So, I think if we want to successfully hijack what I want, we only have three methods."
"First, we break them one by one."
Mercer said in a deep voice: "We must split the security teams of biotech and military science to deal with separately. According to the intel, the security forces of military science will meet with biotech at the Night City frontier.
This means, before they meet, we still have some time to prioritize and handle either the military science or the biotech team.
I prefer to directly tackle the tough nut of military science. Once we manage that, we can even use their Demon Lizard to snatch biotech's stuff.
Then we just need to have Adcardo's people quietly transport the hijacked goods and temporarily leave them at the camp.
Later, I will use a program to hijack the vehicle system to create an illusion that the convoy is headed towards Northern California or Mexico to confuse the enemy and buy some time.
Afterward, we must quickly and decisively take care of biotech's Diana, then enter a stealth mode to see if our partners are really reliable.
If they're not reliable, we withdraw, using Adcardo's routes to take whatever we can carry to Mexico or Cuba, doesn't matter where, just to lie low for a while."
After Mercer finished, he looked around at everyone's expressions, then said: "If everything goes smoothly, after Diana is dead, it will all come to an end. Biotech will have to yield and compensate the military science.
And our newly appointed leader in the military science operations will turn a blind eye to us. Once military science gets enough compensation, they will not keep an eye on us. As for biotech, I guess they don't have the capability to come to Dog Town for trouble.
We can totally stay in Dog Town and continue what we are supposed to do.
Lay low for about a year or so to watch the situation develop, while further developing the base's business and strengthening cooperative relations with various parties."
Still, Pira frowned and asked: "This... is also quite hard, isn't it? Let's not even talk about if we fail to act quickly and decisively, and the opponent calls for backup.
What if they suddenly decide to change the meeting point before acting, or simply decide to meet up after leaving Southern California, then what?"
Mercer nodded, then said: "The second plan I'm thinking of is to let them deliver the goods first, then we steal the stuff from the biotech's company."
This time it was Qiwei who frowned worriedly: "Once that Diana realizes we haven't made a move, I'm afraid she might realize her secret collaboration with military science has been exposed. If we try to steal it later, chances are high we'll walk right into a trap.
And in Night City, we can't use heavy weapons, or else the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Squad might get involved by then, and each of those lunatics is probably no less modified than V..."
"Then let's talk about the third one... which I personally think is the craziest."
Mercer sighed, then said: "We will directly rob it inside Night City."
"What?" Pira gasped: "You mean... directly rob in the city? Wouldn't we still have to face the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Squad?"
"Yes, exactly during their entry into the city — bound by Night City's laws, neither military science nor biotech dare to openly bring heavy firepower.
This means neither the Demon Lizard nor the Centaur Armors would be armed upon entering Night City, and what we have to deal with, at most, are elite soldiers inside armored vehicles."
Mercer emphasized as he spoke: "I will perfect the ctOS System as soon as possible to ensure it is online before we act, by then, I will have control over the entire city's traffic signals and command dispatch.
We finish the fight within ten minutes in a relatively remote suburb, take the items, split up, retreat, and hide the machinery in the Evil Land, wait until things cool down, then dismantle into parts and bring them back to the base."
"The NCPD surely doesn't have only one set of communication systems, right? Also, if we fight within the city, the agents from military science and biotech will provide support very quickly."
Lucy reminded Mercer, speaking with concern: "If it is investigated and found out that we made the move, I'm afraid even Hansen from Dog Town won't go head-to-head with these two companies for our sake.
By then, even if we hide in Dog Town, we're likely to get caught by those agents, or Hansen might directly hand us over to ensure peace."
Mercer did not make a decision on his own but deeply discussed these three major plans with everyone, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of each option.
Ultimately, the group made a decision.