"So, you're going to the Moon to assassinate Arasaka Saburo?"
In the conference room of the Gem Cyan Hotel, members of the Spark Team like V, Rebecca, Lucy, Mann, and Jack sat on either side of the long table, all staring at Mercer with incredulous eyes.
Yet Mercer just sat calmly, nodded, and said, "Yes, due to the seating limitations of manned rockets, I'm planning to go with V."
"Just the two of you?" Rebecca immediately objected: "No! I don't agree!"
She stared at Mercer with a serious expression, not a trace of her usual carefree attitude: "Two people going to the Moon's Arasaka Base to assassinate Arasaka Saburo? Are you joking?"
Even V couldn't help but advise, "I'm saying... I'd be fine with you taking the gang to blow up the Arasaka Tower, but to blow up Arasaka's Moon Base? Mercer, that's a bit too much."
"Let's set aside the other issues for now, how do you plan to get up there, execute the assassination, and then return?" Jack looked puzzled: "I just can't imagine it... it sounds no different from a suicide mission."
Everyone was discussing, almost unanimously opposed to Mercer's decision, and Lucy expressed her disapproval coldly: "If you plan to do this, then I'd rather give up on assassinating Arasaka Saburo altogether.
Have you considered what would happen to us who stayed on Earth if something goes wrong?"
Lucy's words left the conference room in a dead silence, her words captured the sentiments of everyone.
Even if they abandon the plan to assassinate Arasaka Saburo, they didn't want to see Mercer go to the Moon and die.
However, Mercer remained calm, he said: "Let me explain my plan first..."
No one else spoke, they listened to see what he had in mind.
Mercer didn't waste any words; instead, he used Venus to project a 3D model of the Moon in the conference room through AR.
It's undeniable, having AI is truly convenient, it saves even the task of making a PPT, directly synthesizing a 3D model, clear and straightforward.
"Here, is Arasaka's Moon Base, and here is the Crystal Palace, typically, supplies to the Arasaka Base are transmitted via the Moon's orbital Crystal Space Station, occurring once a week at a fixed time."
Mercer paused, then continued: "Here is Orbital Aviation's Moon Base."
He pointed with his finger, and then three red dots lit up on the Moon in the AR projection.
"My plan is to first reach Orbital Aviation's Moon Base via their aircraft, then use lunar vehicles at the Moon Base to reach Arasaka Base, and swiftly wipe out all living forces, assassinate Arasaka Saburo.
If everything goes smoothly, the Arasaka Base should have an escape pod directly capable of returning to the ground, we can directly return to Earth by this pod.
If not, or if damaged, we can fake operational normality at the base, wait for Arasaka's Crystal Palace aircraft to deliver supplies, and then seize the aircraft to return to the Crystal Palace, from where we return to the ground by rocket."
Lucy bluntly questioned: "How do you plan to reach the opposing base by Orbital Aviation's rocket, and how do you get the vehicle to go to Arasaka Base? And how can you ensure you'll successfully get in and assassinate Arasaka Saburo?"
"I have a friend currently trading with a rogue AI likely in control of Orbital Aviation, the other party wants to get some Black Wall information from her, as well as some data and equipment from the Little Beidou Facility.
We will take advantage of this trading opportunity, posing as her bodyguards to land on the Moon."
As soon as Mercer finished, Lucy immediately countered: "How do you know they won't face control right when you land? On the Moon, you're isolated and helpless, clearly, they'll be on guard against you..."
"Hence, our first step is to deal with Orbital Aviation's Moon Base, along with that AI."
Upon Mercer's words, Lucy couldn't help but chuckle: "So before tackling Arasaka Saburo, you want to act against Orbital Aviation and a rogue AI on the Moon?"
Mercer nodded, while Lucy shook her head and cast her vote against it: "I don't agree, if that's your plan, I won't cast a vote in favor under any circumstances."
V scratched his head: "Take a rocket, first go to Orbital Aviation's base, and flip their base upside down, just to steal a vehicle to leave... Then just drive straight to Arasaka Base on the Moon? This plan is overly rough, Mercer."
"Strictly speaking, our goal is not simply to steal a vehicle and leave, but I hope to take this opportunity to eliminate Orbital Aviation's Moon Base too."
Mercer explained simply: "Currently controlling Orbital Aviation is the rogue AI named Lilith, in fact, that party is extremely dangerous, an anti-human AI.
And possesses a superprogram capable of influencing human will, altering the core of AI.
Resolving Arasaka Saburo is for peace, similarly, resolving Lilith is for this goal.
Inevitably, this is something that has to be done, since the opportunity has arrived, why not settle it all at once?"
V rubbed his temples: "So our target this time is not only to assassinate Arasaka Saburo but also to try dealing with a shadowy hand behind a big company like Orbital Aviation, a rogue super AI? Being a superhero is really not easy, huh?"
"Right, if everything goes smoothly, the supervirus I've developed might even directly rewrite Lilith's core program, even if not, Lilith certainly won't address my virus in the short term.