The agents were completely unable to imagine someone breaking through their agent-level military ICE so easily, and in an instant, all cried out in agony.
Electric sparks blossomed on overloaded prosthetics, thoughts froze as programs loaded, and Mercer simply stepped over the bodies burning with sparks and spraying blood, easily breaking through what seemed like an impregnable perimeter with V.
Adam's Hammer's body moved slowly, numerous bullets falling off his body slowly.
V casually threw aside an Arasaka agent impaled on his Mantis Blade and turned to Mercer: "Which way?"
Mercer just turned to look at Adam's Hammer's mangled body.
"Attempting to hack in... Analyzing consciousness data... Trying to search for networked devices..." Adam's Hammer's icy voice carried not a trace of human emotion.
Mercer turned to V and said, "Just move forward first, hurry up."
V hesitated not, stepping forward. "I'll go first!"
"No, let it go." Mercer pulled back V, and then Adam's Hammer, despite its shambling manner, suddenly picked up speed, stumbling into a run.
Despite its body being severely battered, the high metal content kept its structure relatively intact.
A narrow corridor led to a massive facility akin to a luxury underground sanatorium rather than an Arasaka base.
Likely Arasaka Saburo hadn't anticipated an intrusion here, resulting in sparse defensive measures and uncomplicated routes.
Even if one explored it on foot, navigating it wouldn't take long.
First discovered was a safe house—inside cowered the physicians responsible for tuning Saburo's body and the base's technicians.
Mercer couldn't be bothered with them; after Black Light controlled them, he swiftly extracted the locations of the server room and Saburo's direction.
"How do we stop the rocket launch?" Mercer straightforwardly asked.
"I, I don't know, but most likely you have to take over the server first... You probably need a computer to control it..." a researcher stammered.
Mercer turned to V: "You go after Saburo; I'll head to the server."
"We should split up?" V furrowed her brow: "Why not you go find Saburo? That guy probably didn't bring many people!"
"Do you have any clue about the tech? Know how to stop a rocket launch at the server?" Mercer retorted.
Mercer merely punched her shoulder: "See you in a bit, don't get hurt, no need to spar much with that old Saburo, just chip his head; memories in that old brain are still valuable."
"Got it... Be careful," V understood the urgency and, out of habit, followed his orders. She looked at him with concern, then directly sprinted toward the retreat direction given by the researchers.
And Mercer dashed straight for the server room.
The duo exchanged a glance through their helmets down the corridor, then resolutely proceeded separately.
In Mercer's prosthetic eye, the Sky Net System-drawn 3D map gradually clarified, outlining a route to the server, seemingly within reach.
Yet, pushing open the corridor door leading to the server room—the moment a familiar scene abruptly unfolded.
Countless micro-missiles like swarming flies materialized before him.
Following those micro-missiles, four towering Adam's Hammer emerged.
This squad of Adam's Hammer stared at Mercer expressionlessly, their Eight-Star Guns in hand emitting a heavy smell of gunpowder.
Ha...
Suddenly, Mercer's view rapidly slowed as his custom Devil May Cry Series prosthetic exhibited speed far exceeding Sianwistan's capabilities.
Inside his chest, two hearts thumped wildly while the modified lungs absorbed vast amounts of air; the nanotech-enhanced circulation system and reinforced vessels surged blood mixed with coolant.
Merzer's prosthetic eye and helmet mask suddenly glowed blue.
The next moment, something which surprised the expressionless four Adam's Hammer from afar took place.
The micro-missiles seemed manipulated, grazing Mercer's body in extremity as they skimmed by.
Meanwhile, Mercer merely stood still, unmoving, as the blue light on his helmet's eye portion shifted violently to blood red.
"Poor Adam treated as just a tool to be recklessly cloned... How does it feel?"
"Hahahaha!" Adam's Hammer burst into hearty laughter.
The four Adam's Hammer exchanged glances, collectively reaching a mutual conclusion at this moment.
"We'll kill you first, then those Arasaka fools!" Adam's Hammer said coldly.
"Wow, I thought you were a good dog," Mercer tilted his head: "But whatever... Out of my way, I'm pressed for time."
"Heh..." The cold sneer of the foremost Adam's Hammer hadn't yet sounded.
An unexpectedly swift phantom cut through his sturdy steel body.
The Octopus Arm at Mercer's shoulder snapped like a whip before his eyes—blue, red, and white liquid splattered into the air.
The leading Adam's Hammer had now become a headless metal shell.
Yet the remaining three Adam's Hammer merely gleamed red eyes with excitement.
Although they clearly understood they're clones, and such cloning angers them furiously, a reality they can't accept...
But nothing matters more than a life-and-death battle!
The trio of Adam's Hammer roared with laughter, activating Sianwistan, unleashing shoulder-mounted cannons and firing automatic arm guns, showering Mercer with gunfire.
"Die! Die! Just die!"
Mercer's silhouette flickered amid the gunfire, his helmet's visors showing intertwining blue and red lights.
"Everyone dies eventually... But not today."
As his words faded, the bodies of the three Adam's Hammer suddenly convulsed, and in that convulsive moment, Mercer's shadow darted past, exploding three heads.