"Come on, let me give you a quick rundown on how to live in this place."
Pan'an nodded her head, indicating they should follow her. From the garage, they could go directly into the house. It was a standard American two-story house with a living room, open kitchen, dining area, and bathroom on the first floor.
And the second floor only had a few empty rooms with mattresses on the floors.
However, the TV on the first floor was still there, and to their surprise, they could watch the news. Of course, they couldn't access the subscription channels.
There was no hot water, but in this godforsaken Ghost Town, having tap water filtered by a water purifier was a surprise in itself. After a brief inspection of the rooms and arranging the living arrangements, Mercer and his crew would be staying in this barren Ghost Town for the next few days.
But maybe it was the month spent in Night City that made Mercer accustomed to resting in such abandoned rooms; he unexpectedly felt quite alright.
At this moment, they were all sitting in the living room, chatting and laughing. Using a portable gas stove, they boiled water to make coffee and shared it. After having some snacks, Pan'an got up to say her goodbyes.
"I have to go, I'll keep an eye on things for you. Take care of yourself. If anything happens, just run to the camp. I might not have other skills, but I can at least help you sneak out of Night City."
Pan'an said seriously.
Mercer nodded with a smile, "Alright, I'll count on you when it's time to bolt."
She reached out and patted Mercer's chest, raising an eyebrow, "I'm off."
"Keep in touch if anything comes up." Mercer waved her off, watched her leave and then returned to the room.
After a whole day of ambushing and the thrilling escape from being hunted city-wide, even the usually energetic Rebecca felt too lazy to move.
Mercer, who rarely exerted himself, ended up squeezing onto the sofa with Rebecca and others to watch TV. On the screen, they were still reporting their escapade from earlier today.
Channel 54 accused Mercer and his group of being vicious robbers, and such blatant robbery seriously affected the stability of Night City. They also condemned Arasaka for developing secret weapons and bringing non-compliant firepower into Night City.
Meanwhile, a talk show sponsored by Kangtao and other corporations humorously showed Arasaka and Military Science operatives staring blankly at an empty car.
Arasaka-supported news programs angrily accused Military Science of slandering them...
The streets were in chaos, with various gang members and Street Kids searching everywhere, holding onto Faraday's three million bounty hope.
It wasn't until evening, when the sky darkened, that Mercer stretched lazily and slowly got up, "V, let's go, time to work."
V, who was lying on the sofa with her eyes half-closed, immediately perked up, "Let's go!"
Her lively appearance didn't match the fact that she had piloted Sianwistan multiple times today and experienced a fierce battle.
After Mercer bid farewell to everyone at home, he and V got into the van together.
These two vehicles hadn't been outfitted with AI-compatible autonomous driving systems yet, so V had to drive, and Mercer sat in the passenger seat.
Neither of them paid any mind to the city-wide manhunt.
They drove openly into Night City and, without any hindrance, arrived at the biotech hotel.
At this moment, Sasha, chewing bubble gum and blowing pink bubbles, was sitting on a small suitcase at the edge of the street opposite the building, looking like an ordinary citizen waiting for a taxi.
Mercer had V pull up beside her and rolled down the window.
Sasha, seeing his face, said with a hint of surprise, "Never seen you out in the open like this before..."
"That's why I asked you to get me two masks, didn't I?" Mercer said casually, "Been waiting long?"
"Not really... You guys sure had a thrilling day; my heart almost jumped out watching the live stream! But that was impressive, A."
Sasha smiled and turned to greet V in her distinctive way—unlike ordinary people who just wave, she extended her hand to her face, curling her fingers as if a cat were wiping its face with a paw.
After greeting, she lifted the small suitcase she had been sitting on and handed it through the window.
"Alright, make sure no one notices you're with us, unless you want to cram into that shabby place with us for a few days."
Mercer chuckled, taking the suitcase and opening it to reveal two sets of repairman's outfits and hats, with two identity cards.
"No problem... but you've got guts, daring to come back and target the biotech director."
Sasha said, looking at Mercer with twinkling eyes, a slight smile on her lips, "Why don't we go up together?"
"You better sit this one out. The escape route I set up today can't handle too many people... We'll have plenty of chances to mess with biotech later on."
Mercer grinned and looked around, "Alright, this isn't the place for a chat. Once things calm down, I'll treat everyone to a meal, and we'll catch up.
In the meantime, get in the car. Later, just drive it somewhere and leave it. Once everything's settled, we'll get rid of it."
"Alright!" Sasha stepped back from the window and opened the rear compartment, "I thought I was gonna have to walk back."