"At nine fifty in the evening, she will have everything prepared in advance. We just need to arrive in the rocket on time and then we're off to the Moon."
Lark said anxiously, "Do you think this plan is really reliable?"
"Purely considering this plan, it's unreliable, but if we factor in the enemy being AI, this might be the most reliable plan."
As the moment approached, Mercer grew calmer and said, "In Lilith's view, humans are inferior creatures living in a false world, but even the most foolish humans wouldn't choose an action plan with such a high risk rate."
"You mean you're choosing the side that seems to have the least chance of success, gambling on the small probability that AI hasn't calculated?" Lark suddenly felt the urge to back out.
"No, you should have said earlier that you're playing this way. Maybe I should consider going back with President Miles first?"
Mercer merely smirked, "To the AI, no probability is too small to be ignored. The key is to have the ability to disrupt its calculation variables — she might know something about me, but there's no way she knows the extent of power I now wield.
What we need to do is not give her time to react, using a variable outside her calculations to surprise her."
Mercer spoke with a hint of meaning, "Lilith will certainly have some defenses, but the key is, we know her quite well, but does she really know me?"
Lark watched Mercer with confidence after removing his helmet visor, her heart still pounding, but at this point, she seemed resigned to accompanying Mercer on this crazy venture.
"What do we do afterwards? Can you withstand President Miles' retaliation and accountability later? Honestly speaking... I thought you wouldn't agree to such a crazy plan."
Lark probed, while Mercer simply shook his head and said, "Stop overthinking — listen, Lark, since I've made my choice, I've already thought about how to take the consequences, I'm not going to sell you out."
Lark chuckled awkwardly; she didn't want to be so blunt, but based on her dealings with Mercer, sometimes being relatively honest was better than constantly scheming against each other.
The main thing now was that Mercer held all the initiative, and she had no position to negotiate with him.
"The reason President Miles ended up in Dog Town, my purpose was definitely not just for you to escape to Dog Town..."
Mercer explained directly, "I need a witness, and one with enough credibility to validate my story."
"Story..." Lark was stunned for a moment, then cautiously said, "Is it just about Lilith, or does it also include things like the Moon Material Pusher? Does Lilith really have a Material Pusher?!"
"Yes, she does."
After Mercer spoke, he didn't elaborate further — although Lilith's Material Pusher was not yet built, Mercer says it exists, so it truly does.
After all, he was determined to use the Arasaka Base's Moon Pusher to take the opportunity to destroy Arasaka's base in Tokyo. Given that, someone had to take the blame for it.
And Mercer thought hard, if he could have a witness to testify that the Moon Pusher was a plot by Orbital Aviation orchestrated by Lilith, this wouldn't only directly strike at the roaming AI forces on the Moon, but also have someone to take the fall — how great is that?
To get people to acknowledge something that sounds somewhat absurd, Mercer would need a witness, a witness whose words carry weight and who can, to some extent, shoulder the responsibility of such a major event.
From a benefit standpoint, mercer hitting Arasaka Saburo would be advantageous for Miles, and from a practical standpoint, as long as everything goes smoothly, then afterward, the Moon Material Pusher will become the most direct super threat at his disposal.
At that time, even if Miles is dissatisfied, he must be wary of the Moon's Material Pusher that Mercer holds.
What Venus gave Mercer was never a simple action plan; what they discussed was a strategic plan that could be pushed forward long-term.
If the plan goes smoothly, Mercer will resolve the threat from Lilith and expose this terrifying AI to the public.
Resolve Arasaka Saburo and lay the blame for the obliteration of Arasaka's Tokyo base on Lilith, even lay the fall of the Moon Base on her.
This point doesn't even require Miles to verify — because Arasaka Yoshinobu would surely be eager to announce it as true.
And Miles will also witness the power Mercer possesses, as Mercer makes Lark mysteriously disappear before her eyes and seizes the Moon Pusher.
This will significantly impact Miles' subsequent strategic deployments, even if the Fifth Corporate War starts, Miles will never easily let Mercer stand against her.
Thus, Mercer gains much, simultaneously resolving Saburo, significantly weakening Orbital Aviation and Lilith's influence, even directly eliminating this terrifying entity.
Additionally, it serves as a warning to Military Science about the armed forces in Dog Town. Meanwhile, Mercer choosing this near-abduction method of Miles is still a critically important insurance.
Just as Arasaka established a base on the Moon, in fact, military technology and New America also have their own Space Station in the universe.
In the event of retreat, if Mercer can't find a suitable Space Station for V and Lark to evacuate to, then the Space Station of Military Science becomes his last insurance.