Mercer's head was a bit sore—physically, although he acted like Superman, in reality, he was at most Ultraman, and now his chest was starting to flash red.
His brain was at its limit, he even suspected that if he closed his eyes he would pass out right away, but at this moment, Mercer could only soldier on.
"Netherworld Dogs who surrendered, now pick up your weapons and come with me to the Gem Cyan Hotel."
At Mercer's words, how dare these Netherworld Dogs resist? They immediately complied with the training requirements, responding in unison: "Yes, sir!"
But some people, worried, said: "What's going on? Director Mercer, are we... are we rebelling?"
A smart Netherworld Dog was eager to slash that fool in half—nonsense! Do you need to ask? If you want to survive, shut up!
Mercer, however, just answered expressionlessly: "No, I'll repeat it once more, Colonel Hanssen was attacked and is currently in a state of severe unconsciousness.
The Arasaka Company has infiltrated the interior of the Netherworld Dogs, and I have accepted Colonel Hanssen's orders to act as the temporary leader of the Netherworld Dogs.
Right now, we're just clearing out the traitors.
Dog Town will undergo a period of martial law but will soon be lifted; specifics will be discussed after gathering at Gem Cyan."
Mercer looked around and picked someone he found pleasing to the eye—a squad leader who usually treated him quite politely, so it was him.
"Captain Stephen, you are now specially appointed as the temporary squad leader, responsible for all the Netherworld Dogs here."
After Mercer finished speaking, he immediately started to walk out.
The Netherworld Dog named Stephen was first stunned, then ecstatically nodded and said, "Yes!"
Afterward, this guy named Stephen quickly turned around, with a serious expression, and loudly shouted: "Didn't you hear? Fall in! Get your heads together, damn it!"
V walked up to Mercer, speaking softly in squad voice chat: "Wow! How did you move so fast earlier? Is your gear that powerful? How did you do it?"
Mercer didn't say much, just replied coolly: "Tried something bold at the stadium, I'll tell you more later."
His head was hurting quite a bit, lacking the strength to chat idly with V—just thinking about what to do next left him unusually short on energy.
Mercer chose not to fly over, but casually picked an armored vehicle and drove the team from the stadium to Gem Cyan.
At this time, nearly a hundred Netherworld Dogs were gathering in the lobby of the Gem Cyan Hotel.
V was now wearing a set of barely fitting standard tank armor, unable to drive for him, so once again, Mercer ended up being the driver.
She sat in the back seat, unable to hold back any longer, and asked: "Are you alright? You seem a bit..."
"Haven't rested well around here lately, I'll take a good sleep once this is over." After Mercer said that, he paused: "How's everyone doing lately?"
"What do you think? You're not at home, running off to the stadium on your own, who at home can sleep well or eat comfortably?" V said.
"Soon everyone will be able to move into Gem Cyan, can you imagine it? V, not long ago, we were crowded underground, relying on fans and air purifiers for air."
In a gentle tone, Mercer said: "We're moving to the top floor, we'll break through and renovate the entire floor so that each of us can live in a super spacious flat."
"What's so great about that..." V should've been the happiest—coming from the streets, moving into a mansion, driving luxury cars, having face wherever she went, this should've been her dream life since childhood.
But at this moment, she just looked at Mercer with concern.
Yet Mercer still softly said: "Once we settle Dog Town, take care of the assassination from Arasaka, and get Johnny Silverhand's Relic Chip, we can partner with Ultraman to deal with Arasaka Saburo.
After that, no one can mess with us anymore."
"Hey, are you okay?" V sensitively noticed that his condition was really not quite right: "Hey, listen to me, is it mental overload?"
"No... well, maybe..." Mercer didn't know how to describe his state, he felt eerily calm, as if he was in a state of accelerated thinking after deep diving.
His brain started to operate rapidly and wouldn't stop for a moment.
Although somewhat exhausted, both the amount of data being exchanged in his head and his stable temperature suggested he seemed to be in an optimal state.
Is this what cyberpsychosis feels like? A heap of medical literature popped into Mercer's head; he shook his head and then said: "Alright, let's talk after I finish up and take a nap."
V muttered a few words, unclear what she was saying, Mercer chuckled twice, not bothering to ask—just some nagging talk anyway.
The car quickly arrived at the Gem Cyan Hotel, at this moment, in the lobby on the ground floor, over a hundred Netherworld Dogs were gathered, surprisingly not crowded.
Rebecca, dressed in armor, was barely holding it together, facing a bunch of Netherworld Dogs with tons of questions; if it weren't for Mercer asking her to patiently stabilize the situation under Hanssen's name, this group of Netherworld Dogs would've probably started making a fuss.
And as Mercer appeared in armor, followed by more than thirty Netherworld Dogs entering the Gem Cyan Hotel, Rebecca finally breathed a sigh of relief.
And when Mercer calmly walked through the crowd, up the red carpet, onto the steps, and stood on a relatively high platform, he turned around to face the Netherworld Dogs lined up on both sides of the red carpet.