The expression on the Cuban's face remained calm as they left.
But under V's helmet, there was a hint of excitement. She whispered to Mercer through the team's voice chat, her tone barely concealing her thrill, "Damn, Mercer, you really pulled it off? You're quite the trickster!"
"Keep it low-key, it's just an investment fund of 50 million Euros, right?"
Mercer smiled at the corner of his mouth, speaking softly, "Besides, this 50 million Euros isn't free money. If you want a relatively stable tank series armor, how can you not be willing to invest a bit?"
V pouted, speaking happily, "Come on, everyone knows your tank series armor is already ready for mass production. Isn't this money basically free?"
"Who said that? I still need to write a new, lighter operating system," Mercer chuckled as he replied, feeling a bit nostalgic.
Not too long ago, he was racking his brains over a server costing several million Euros, even putting a group's lives on the line. But now, with just a half-hour conversation, he's got an investment of tens of millions.
The Cubans wanted mass deployable single soldier armor to enhance their strength, while Mercer needed a large sum of money to continue research and upgrade equipment. Both parties quickly reached an agreement.
Apart from the one-time investment of 50 million Euros, the Cubans also promised to provide various equipment and raw materials necessary for Mercer's research whenever possible.
Moreover, when purchasing the 'tank' series armor later, they would pay 500,000 Euros per standard model armor.
Nominally, Mercer sold them the 'Tank Type 2' single soldier armor with a modified operating system, promising to reduce the neural load to a level that ordinary people could normally use.
The Tank Type 2 will also include the latest anti-EMP pulse design, along with a high-level ICE protection program plugin written by Mercer himself.
Mercer further promised to grant the Cubans priority procurement rights for any new weapons developed subsequently.
For the wealthy Cubans, the 50 million Euros is a pittance. Considering Mercer's confident promises and his previously demonstrated capabilities, the Cubans ultimately decided to spend a little and see what Mercer has to offer.
Additionally, the key point was that the Cubans confirmed Mercer's stance—Mercer promised to maintain the smuggling trade routes of Dog Town and to uphold Dog Town's independence in Night City, not leaning towards other major corporations.
After sending off the Cubans, Mercer's work was far from over.
No sooner had he time to breathe than Scott, an agent from Military Science, approached.
"Congratulations, congratulations, it's truly unexpected that those mercenaries have become the owners of Dog Town so quickly."
With a smile, Stout walked up to Mercer, devoid of the previous aloofness, with a friendly demeanor, "I recall you're not even 20 years old this year? Truly unbelievable."
"Ms. Stout, you're too kind. It's been a while, how have you been?" Mercer smiled and greeted her, raising his champagne glass for a light clink against her whiskey, inviting her to sit down.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Mercer, Stout gradually probed, "From your words earlier, it sounds like you plan to lift the restrictions on commercial investment in Dog Town?"
"Is Military Science interested?" Mercer replied with a playful smile, "You're always welcome!"
"I wager our investment director would be very interested, but the key point is... how broad is this welcome of yours?" Stout said, "We're all aware there are plenty of messy rules in Dog Town."
"You see, there are so many good projects in Dog Town, like the spa, the expo, all left idle. Reviving these entertainment facilities sooner would be a great boon for Dog Town's economic recovery."
After Mercer finished speaking, Stout smiled and said, "Mercer, we've been old acquaintances for some time. Just be straightforward—if Military Science plans to establish a new research base here... what do you think?"
A research base? Why not cut to the chase and call it an outpost, along with the revival plan for the Little Beidou Facility.
"That could be quite troublesome," Mercer didn't outright refuse but said, "Dog Town's current focus for receiving investments remains primarily entertainment projects."
But then, Mercer gave a subtle hint, "Dog Town's future shouldn't be limited to this one neighborhood but should encompass the entire Taiping Prefecture."
Stout gave no clear response, saying, "Night City can tolerate a small Dog Town, but Taiping Prefecture? The interests here are quite complex."
"Then let's discuss it further," Mercer wasn't in a rush to push projects. If no one else was willing to invest in Dog Town, he would slowly rebuild it himself.
As long as he can make money, others will naturally be willing to follow.
The lawless nature of Dog Town naturally grants it enormous potential for entertainment project investment. Creating a land-based Crystal Palace is not out of the question.
But Mercer would never let Military Science come in unlimited for the sake of economic development—that would be lighting a match in a haystack, courting disaster.
However, Mercer didn't entirely shut down the possibility—allowing only Arasaka to have hegemony in Night City isn't in his interest either. If Military Science is willing to help him further expand his influence in Taiping Prefecture and offer support, then perhaps they could discuss cooperation.
Simply put, Military Science's goal is to bypass the regulations of Night City, leveraging Dog Town's independent status to project corporate power and heavy weaponry here.