Mercer thought for a moment and then straightforwardly said, "Why not make the funeral into a celebration, combine the two events."
"You really are something, throwing a party at someone's funeral, right?" V teased.
Mercer replied righteously, "What do you mean, party? We're hosting a luxurious funeral for Hansen at Gem Cyan, and we'll have Father conduct a blessing ceremony. We'll invite all the big shots.
Let them see Hansen's body with their own eyes, and meanwhile, I'll deliver a formal speech, officially taking over as the new boss of Dog Town.
The next morning, we'll find someone to take him to the cemetery; I'll personally write his epitaph, so at least he didn't work for me for free these past few months."
"You're quite compassionate, huh?" V commented.
Mercer chuckled: "Aren't I?"
"It's pretty good, anyway, everyone already knows what's going on. Following the process gives Dog Town an official new chapter."
Mann seemed to agree with Mercer's idea: "It's a good opportunity to invite clients from around the world, officially rebuild connections. Those who don't want to come just aren't our supporters by default."
Mercer nodded, growing serious: "That's exactly what I mean — especially the Cubans, we need to invite the powers behind them to come and talk directly with me.
If we can't come to an agreement, then I'll have to consider negotiating with big companies again."
The Cubans have been quiet for the past few months, but Mercer doesn't believe they've done nothing at all.
They surely understand the shady dealings between Hansen and Mercer, and during this time, someone has privately contacted Hansen and undoubtedly noticed Hansen's odd behavior.
But they haven't asked anything, nor actively approached Mercer. Obviously, while observing Mercer, they have been preparing for him to take the initiative to 'pay his respects'.
The Cuba Crime Group, unlike the typical violent gangs, is more akin to the Italian Mafia.
They keep their promises, act ruthlessly, and use any means necessary while maintaining their own rules and pride.
From their perspective, if Mercer insists on waiting for the Cubans to come to him, the situation will probably be quite unpleasant.
"Then there's Military Science, Kangtao, and the company originally responsible for developing Taiping Prefecture..."
Mercer gets annoyed just thinking about it; he genuinely dislikes wasting time pretending with these people. He'd rather spend time in the workshop thinking about cyberware improvement or being with girls like Rebecca and Lucy.
But now that he's in this position, he has to manage his temper and do certain things. At least, until now, as the 'temporary Dog Town boss', he doesn't have the status to make others cater to his temperament and preferences.
"What's the specific plan and schedule?" Mann asked.
Mercer scooped up some Spanish seafood paella: "Venus will notify Gago for me, spread the word outside, and she'll also sort out the schedule.
My plan is to host the banquet at Gem Cyan under the guise of a funeral within seven days at the latest, and then see what happens."
Even Mercer finds it difficult to predict what might unfold—the Cubans' stance on his new position, Military Science's view on changing the pre-established outpost, and other companies' plots in Dog Town.
All these remain unknown until then.
But it's certain that Dog Town's operations will see significant changes.
Dog Town's power and dominance mainly stem from its supporters. The identities of these supporters indirectly influence the scope of Dog Town's operations and business activities.
Even though Mercer has made the transition as smooth as possible, Hansen being alive versus Hansen being dead represents two entirely different concepts for other investors and supporters.
After Mercer finished speaking, he paused and said, "Let Venus discuss the specific security plan and event flow with you and Gago on my behalf."
"Alright," Mann replied and added, "By the way, the servers at the Little Beidou Facility have all been relocated underground at the stadium as planned, and the suite at Gem Cyan has been fixed up. In theory, we could move in anytime."
"Then let's move in after Hansen's funeral and officially taking over as Dog Town's spokesperson."
Mercer spoke with rare excitement: "When I first came to Night City, I had only one dream — to live in a luxurious, large-scale flat with a private pool. Now, it seems that dream's coming true."
"Top floor suite can meet your needs; it has not just a pool but also a hovercar parking space and a terrace garden."
Mann subtly reminded: "But the top floor's space is limited; everyone has to be spread across floors to fit. Your suite has a master bedroom and three guest rooms.
On the same floor, there are only two suites of the same level, but they face different directions; only yours is the largest, others are smaller."
Only then did Mercer realize the seriousness of the issue. He looked at everyone and felt a bit of a headache.
He's used to everyone living together, where living conditions don't differ much, but if they move to Gem Cyan, the floors are different, and the house layouts vary somewhat...
Is it too wasteful for him alone to move into such a large suite?