[Mercer: Colonel Hansen values me greatly now; our collaboration is just entering its honeymoon phase.]
[Lark: Ha~ Do you actually believe what you're saying?]
[Mercer: Don't underestimate my charm, right? Isn't President Miles crazy about you, wishing he could lock you up 24/7 to keep you by his side? Of course, I have my ways too.]
[Lark: Ugh, your words are kind of gross... Anyway, even though working in New America has its share of annoying stuff, it might not be a bad thing for you to connect with President Miles right now.]
[Mercer: If you had to choose now, going back to the time you were recruited by New America, would you make the same choice and join New America?]
[Lark: I don't think I had any other choice at the time, and your situation isn't much different now, right?]
[Mercer: I think I have options. I'll handle the Arasaka matter myself and won't go begging your dear President Miles for help.]
[Lark: I hope you won't regret it when the time really comes.]
[Mercer: Ha, do you think I would? I'd rather be blown to pieces by a missile than be locked away, losing track of who I am, aimlessly used till death.]
[Lark: Don't you worry about the people around you?]
[Mercer: I do, they all say they'll listen to me.]
[Lark: Well, just make sure you give me a heads-up if you run into any trouble, or it'll be too late for me to help you. President Miles's offer to recruit you is always valid.]
[Mercer: All right, if I'm ever at my wit's end, I'll consider becoming your colleague.]
[Lark: Ha, I hope you'll come early; I'm bored to death here by myself... By the way, have you ever heard of an AI called Lilith?]
[Mercer: What?]
[Lark: It's a roaming AI. I still haven't figured out where it came from, but it's all mysterious. If you have any intel, let's share it and practice some internet spirit, shall we?]
[Mercer: I haven't heard of it. You can give me some information, and I'll try to find out its origins.]
[Lark: Not sure. This thing probably targeted me because I frequently traverse the Black Wall, and it made some ominous comments... Well, not really ominous.
It said my body couldn't handle my mind, that my fragile brain will sooner or later be overwhelmed by data... You know, which hacker hasn't fried their brain and body a couple of times?
Anyway, it spouted a bunch of cryptic stuff, telling me to contact it when I'm at my wit's end.
Honestly, I'm a bit scared, Mercer. This thing is unexpectedly strong, definitely not an ordinary roaming AI left over from the old net; it must have a super-large server base.
The computational power of this Lilith AI is roughly on par with 'Boundless' AI watching penguins in Antarctica and Otter Cunningham!
I've never heard of any super-large server base controlled by AI on Earth apart from Hong Kong and Antarctica, let alone this Lilith AI.
I've currently pinpointed three areas: first, the ghost city in South Korea, swarming with roaming AIs, where Internet Supervision and Ultraman combined can't clean it up, situation unknown.
Another is in the Eastern country; you know, they've always had lots of secret plans there.
The third area... I speculate it might be on the Moon.]
Mercer's mind raced quickly, and suddenly, he remembered a game plot related to Lilith.
In the game, there's a side task, a part of the Cyber Psychosis series, called: Bloody Ceremony.
And in this side task, it's a group of crazy Vortex Gang members performing a blood sacrifice, ultimately creating a roaming AI that took over their bodies, and in the text, one can find bits of information on a roaming AI named 'Lilith'.
Mercer's expression grew serious. If this is true, it means this Lilith character is likely operating in Night City as well.
His mind immediately connected to that roaming AI that was causing trouble for him with Ye Corporation; could it be related to Lilith?
Mercer pondered for a long time and finally replied cautiously to Lark.
[Mercer: I'll investigate, but you'd better be careful. An AI of this caliber could easily play you like a fool.]
[Lark: Ha~ Thanks for your concern, you be careful too, contact me anytime.]
[Mercer: Come on, as long as you keep our chat records safe, just as you tried, I hope you retire early, or just join me for work; it's surely better than working for President Miles.]
[Lark: Are you inviting me to elope? XD~ Then New America will send people to arrest both you and me.]
[Mercer: I'm not interested in old aunties XD~ But, wait and see, one day, whether it's Arasaka or Military Science, they won't make me bow.]
[Lark: You're the old one! Say that again; I'm not much older than you! By the way, I wish your dreams come true, and you can give your sis a hand then.]
[Mercer: We'll see your sincerity then—ending chat, busy.]
[Lark: OK~ My coffee time's over, so goodbye.]
Ending the communication, Mercer fell into deep thought, and after a while, he sighed. There are some things he must confirm beforehand before making arrangements.
The sudden appearance of the name Lilith suddenly gave Mercer a bad feeling, and this bad feeling is precisely linked to the Little Beidou Facility he is currently exploring.
To ensure things remain under control, and to ensure he doesn't step into some deep pit, Mercer must quickly confirm some important intel.
And how does one get the intel on a roaming AI?
The answer, of course, is to find another group of roaming AIs to clarify things.
After days, Mercer entered a deep dive and, without hesitation, crossed the Black Wall with Venus's company.
And upon crossing the Black Wall, Mercer roughly sent out data streams representing the name 'Otter Cunningham' aimlessly into the old net.
In just a few minutes, in the dark world of the old net, huge streams of red data formed into the towering shape of a female giant.
"It's been a long time, Otter."
"It's been a long time, Mercer."
The resounding female voice echoed, and the figure of Otter Cunningham clearly emerged before Mercer's eyes.