No sound of gunfire.
Only agents and staff clutching their heads, wailing in agony.
Their prosthetic eyes flicker with the blue glow of data streaming through them.
Their connection pods burst into flames.
They struggled to keep their eyes wide open but couldn't see the shadows of their comrades.
Their screams echoed but couldn't pierce ears already deafened by the roar...
Because all over the first floor of the base, there were the largest number of security personnel, Agent Arasaka.
So Mercer decided to simply send out a viral package of quick hacks he had stored.
Included within are multiple Sorcery Puppet Viruses like prosthetic failure, prosthetic overheating, synaptic fusion, sound wave concussion, prosthetic eye malfunction.
With the powerful computational power of the server, and because these unlucky souls were all connected to the subnetwork provided by the server.
Once their ICE was erased by the 'Desire for Death' at a speed humans could hardly detect, the viral package silently infiltrated their brains.
They were unprotected, helpless, their will overwhelmed and shattered by data, and then their brain matter was cooked by the sparks igniting on their heads.
Even the Agent Arasaka captain equipped with military-grade ICE held out for only a second, his whole body contorting into a twist, screaming, clutching his burning head, dead amidst the flames.
He twisted like a pretzel because he was trying to activate Sianwistan to slow down time, seeking a last chance for survival.
But due to prosthetic failure, his prosthetic mistakenly activated, moving at different speeds in different directions, making him look like a pretzel.
Luckily, the tough Sianwistan prosthetic remained, preventing him from snapping his spine.
The hellish scene made even the oldest child, no more than fourteen years old, gasp in awe, momentarily forgetting to step out of the elevator.
But immediately, Mercer's figure appeared beside them.
"Move, according to the signal, the hovercar will arrive in roughly ten minutes, it seems we have ample time, I will continue to forge normal signals.
Once they land, wait for my controlled robot to take care of the driver and agent on the car, then take over the hovercar.
Hmm... Meanwhile, I'll chat with our director to see if she has any kind of gift left for me.
By the way, just strip that agent's Sianwistan, the other prosthetics are unnecessary, don't worry about damaging them.
I suspect it's already partly broken, I'll take it for research to see if it can be repaired...
I didn't expect the attack triggered under computational support to be so strong, maybe it's because I deployed too many Magic Puppet Programs? Should've left out a couple when composing the virus pack."
Mercer still appeared nonchalant, looking at the bodies as if admiring a bonfire.
"Understood... Are you okay, Mercer?" Lucy struggled not to vomit, the air reeked of burnt smoke, mixed with the grotesque odor of roasted flesh.
"Hmm? Oh, don't worry, didn't take much effort. They're all connected to the same subnetwork. Sending viruses via the server is as effortless as pulling the trigger of an automatic weapon—push the button, and they're dead."
Mercer commented, and then said:
"Not chatting anymore, see you later, I'm currently busy orchestrating software distribution and trying to chat with our director. Meanwhile, I'm looking for ways to mine useful data from Arasaka's server...
These damn fools stored our mined data on the server too, I'm trying to package them up and see if there's anything interesting afterward.
Besides, there's plenty of valuable information I need to figure out how to take, these guys stored a lot of junk on the server too..."
Lucy perceived that his conversation with them was purely instinctive, or perhaps stream-of-consciousness, because his brain was so occupied that he couldn't focus on chatting with them properly.
Multi-tasking... How does his brain function? Is he perhaps an AI on the run... Or did that accident transform him into a bizarre data-consciousness?
Such feats should only be achievable by legendary genius hackers like Bartmos and Ultraman! Is Mercer on par with them?
Lucy speculated wildly while following his directions.
Then she noticed that Mercer had thoughtfully marked out the route in her prosthetic eye while applying mosaic to certain particularly gruesome faces of the agents.
He's truly...
Lucy didn't know what to say, but simply noticing those mosaics brought her a great sense of relief.
No matter what, someone who could be considerate enough to apply mosaics for his companions during such times is certainly a person she could trust without doubt.
Meanwhile, Mercer was indeed overwhelmingly busy, ensuring the base remained sealed from transmitting any signals while accessing the equipment in Ena Tanino's top-floor office.
The hidden turrets installed in her room, automatic alarms, and emergency rescue button were swiftly scanned and pinpointed by Mercer.
But surprisingly, Ena Tanino's office network opted not to connect directly to the server but linked to another subnetwork.