"Go on. I'll decide whether to agree after I hear your terms."
Roland narrowed his eyes as he looked at Jamil, waiting for his final answer.
"I'm certain you won't refuse this proposal," Jamil said with a confident smile.
"I want you to custom-build a complete set of weapons and Cyberware for me—entirely based on energy technology. Naturally, I want the most cutting-edge version you have."
"Oh?" Roland looked at him in mild surprise, but quickly understood the reason behind the request. "Looks like the Twelve Angels aren't exactly peaceful on the inside."
"No, no, no. We're quite harmonious internally—there's just a bit of competition, that's all."
Jamil waved his hand with a smile. As for how much of that 'harmony' was real, that was another matter.
"Well then, if I refuse again, I'd be the one lacking goodwill," Roland said with a genial smile. "We can agree to your request. But tell me—what kind of benefits does this bring us?"
"Hm… let me think. First, you keep all your core technology. The agreement would only require you to sell us a certain quantity of energy weapons and high-grade Cyberware. However…"
Jamil paused, watching Roland closely. "Your stable electromagnetic technology should be something you're willing to sell us as well, right?"
The terms were exactly what Roland had expected, so—
"We'll take the deal. As for the specifics and quantities, you can work those out with my subordinates."
"Of course."
Once Roland agreed, a brilliant smile immediately spread across Jamil's face.
"By the way, if my information is correct, people from the Highriders should be arriving in Night City tomorrow. Will you be handling them yourselves, or will you leave it to us to decide?"
Roland smiled as he spoke, casually tossing a difficult problem back at Jamil.
In truth, Roland didn't mind dealing with the Highriders. With the European Space Agency already involved, the Highriders wouldn't make overly unreasonable demands. It would simply mean earning a bit more money.
But for the European Space Agency, things were different. They had gone to considerable lengths precisely to get ahead of the Highriders.
"Leave that matter to us, Mr. Vimers. You're free to focus on your own affairs," Jamil replied after only brief consideration.
As for whether intercepting the Highriders would cause the upper echelons to tear into each other—that wasn't his problem. He was just an ordinary member of the Twelve Angels.
"How long will it take to prepare my equipment?" Jamil asked.
"Hm… You'll need to speak with our scientist, Mudor. He'll collect your data and customize everything for you. It should take about half a month."
"Understood. I'll come back tomorrow."
Jamil nodded, then activated his thrusters and departed.
Roland waved him off. For benefactors like this, the more the merrier.
The fact that Jamil dared to have him build Cyberware at all meant he was extremely confident in the European Space Agency's netrunning capabilities. Since they were that confident, how could Roland not return the favor by slipping in a few backdoors? Right?
"I thought I'd be offending another faction," Roland muttered with a chuckle, "but instead, I avoided that entirely—and even gained a high-level combat asset hidden inside their organization…"
The Twelve Angels had excellent potential. Roland intended to let Mudor really go all out this time. After all, they would soon be his own people. He couldn't afford to treat this lightly.
After leaving, Jamil immediately began negotiations with his superiors.
At first, they were unhappy that he hadn't obtained the source of the technology. But after listening to his explanation, they found it oddly persuasive.
Simply put, the other side would never willingly hand over that kind of technology. If things escalated into mutual destruction, neither side would gain anything, while their own strength would be heavily depleted—a completely losing trade.
It was far better to let Jamil secure a deal, obtain the other party's top-tier products, and then conduct research on them. Through reverse engineering, they could derive foundational weapon technology at a far lower cost in resources.
After hearing Jamil's argument, the European Space Agency's upper management split into two camps. In the end, they decided to try Jamil's approach first and reconsider if it failed.
As for intercepting the Highriders, they had no objections at all. Having already reached a cooperation agreement with PROJECT Corporation, they naturally considered it theirs. This time, they wouldn't let the Highriders interfere.
With the orbital launcher incident as a cautionary tale, the European Space Agency's vigilance toward the Highriders had reached an extreme level.
They were also fully aware of Jamil's personal ambitions—he wanted to use this opportunity to enhance his own strength, status, and influence.
They welcomed it. After all, no matter what, he would remain a top-tier combat asset on their side. They would be more than happy if the strongest member of the Twelve Angels became even stronger.
That said, they still issued a warning. After all, this did brush up against the European Space Agency's interests.
...
"Hm… the threat from above seems to be dealt with for now," Roland murmured. "What's left is handling the New United States in front of us, and quickly swallowing up Nevada's territory…"
Nearly a third of Nevada had already fallen under their control without anyone noticing. The state government remained completely unaware, believing everything was proceeding as normal.
Roland had no intention of bringing this into the open. Operating as Nevada's unseen ruler was far safer, and far less likely to make him a target.
"Lissandra, how's the underground project coming along?"
"The modifications in Elor City, Mog City, and Gallas City… are complete," Lissandra replied. "Once the final city is finished, we can connect them all and begin installing the internal mechanical systems."
Roland nodded in satisfaction. These cities were close together and located on favorable terrain. Once the upgrades were complete, they could serve as surface bases connected via shafts to the underground complex below.
And what was that underground complex for?
The answer was simple: manufacturing colossal war machines. Sky Carriers, massive combat mecha, even space battleships—all of them were produced in these gigantic facilities in the PROJECT world.
Once the underground base was fully operational and those colossal war machines rolled out, they could finally step into the open.
As for the Super Body…
With these weapons, they could turn hostile without hesitation. Roland couldn't imagine anything capable of withstanding an invasion by the Super Body—just as his own words had declared:
If technology is your god, then kneel.
Kneel before me.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.