"So, how are things on Night Corp's side?"
Roland turned his head and asked Kelly, who was standing beside him.
"We've pretty much taken everything in hand. Their boss doesn't feel a thing yet—he still believes PROJECT Corporation is already under their control. That's why they're staying so quiet."
"Mhm."
Roland nodded. He had already gained a fair understanding of the current head of Night Corp. Like the Night Corp couple before him, this one still clung to the idea of building a utopia.
They wanted to eliminate every possible variable, relying on Rogue AI–related technology as well as Night Corp's own developments to preserve autonomous consciousness and prevent Rogue AI intrusion.
So finding a spot inside Night Corp that directly connected to the Blackwall came as no surprise to him.
During this period, he had been having Lissandra continuously infiltrate the Blackwall, which meant Kelly had been suffering for it—most of the company's computing power had been supplied by her alone.
Fortunately, Lissandra should be finishing up soon. Once that was done, they'd have a grasp on NetWatch's situation as well.
Roland had been curious about what lay beyond the Blackwall for a long time. And besides… there was someone over there who'd supposedly been waiting for him to go arrest them.
Bartmoss: Nonsense! When did I ever say I was waiting for you to arrest me? That's slander, I tell you!
"Oh, right. Call Jack and the others up here."
Roland suddenly remembered something and spoke to Kelly.
"Understood."
At that moment, Jack was sprawled across a motorcycle, half-asleep. Rebecca, as always, was at the firing range, though the resentment in her eyes was obvious.
Nearby, Pilar was busy tinkering with PROJECT's auxiliary single-soldier combat equipment—folding turrets, jump mines, and the like.
Falco and Jessica were nowhere to be seen. No one knew where they'd run off to.
That said, every one of them had changed noticeably.
Jack, for instance, now bore obvious signs of cyberware modification. Both arms had been replaced with PROJECT cybernetic arms. A PROJECT acceleration module had been installed along his spine, and his eyes had been swapped out for combat optics.
As for the cost…
The answer was debt—debt to PROJECT. A portion of his monthly pay was docked to repay it.
Rebecca, on the other hand, had added more armor and combat gear, complete with weapon slots. Her path diverged from Jack's; most of her implants leaned toward biotechnical enhancements.
She had also installed Kerenzikov and auxiliary targeting cyberware, mainly to support dual-tasking—or even triple-tasking.
The biggest change was Pilar.
His beard was gone. He hadn't wanted to shave it at first, until one close-quarters mission ended with someone grabbing his beard and beating him senseless.
Both arms had been replaced with PROJECT-manufactured charged arms. They were expensive—far beyond what Pilar could afford. The price he paid was an extra consciousness implanted in his body.
After Pilar's fierce protests, at least the implanted consciousness was still male.
When Rebecca found out, she mocked him relentlessly for a full month.
That was why Pilar sometimes wore a completely blank expression. In moments like those, it usually meant the other consciousness had taken over.
"He wants us upstairs? Got it."
Jack nodded after receiving the message and waved the others over.
"The boss wants to see us. Let's go."
"Damn, that's rare. Been at PROJECT this long and I've never even seen the boss once. And Miss Lucy too—no idea where she went off to train. She's been gone forever."
Pilar sprang up and raised an eyebrow as he spoke.
Rebecca nodded. If she hadn't stayed in contact with Lucy during this time, she might've thought something had happened to her.
"But the boss, huh…"
Rebecca slowly narrowed her eyes. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something fishy between the old man and the boss here.
Before long, the group arrived at Roland's office.
"Glad to finally meet you all. I've been watching your excellent performance in Nevada—you've created considerable value for our corporation. If there's anything you want, feel free to ask."
Roland smiled warmly at the three faces before him, familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. There was a hint of emotion in his heart. They had finally met in person.
Standing silently off to the side, Lucy was also watching the trio. They had changed quite a bit, but judging from their expressions, they seemed to be doing fairly well.
"Hey, then can I ask to have my loan wiped?"
Jack laughed and said it half-jokingly.
"Of course. Though you're asking for too little. You can ask for more."
Roland spread his hands with a grin. Jack froze for a moment, then laughed as well.
"Then I'd like you to look after my mom's bar."
Roland nodded. "No problem. Your request is approved."
"Then can I ask to live separately from the guy inside me?"
Pilar raised his hand and spoke up.
"That's not possible. But I can add another neighbor for you."
Roland shook his head and rejected Pilar's request, leaving him thoroughly dejected.
Rebecca laughed beside him. "Make sure you get along, big bro!"
"Go to hell. Then at least swap in a hot girl."
"Are you serious?"
Roland raised an eyebrow.
"Of course!"
Pilar nodded firmly, completely unaware of how bad an idea that was.
Seeing how stubborn he was, Roland didn't say anything more and simply agreed.
"And you, Miss Rebecca?"
Roland turned his gaze to Rebecca. She was quietly studying both Lucy and Roland.
Both of them gave her a strong sense of familiarity, like she'd seen them somewhere before.
"Have we met before, uncle?"
"…You must be mistaken, Miss Rebecca."
Roland's expression stiffened slightly. He coughed before replying.
"Really? I think the lady next to you looks pretty familiar too."
"M–Ma'am…"
Lucy clenched her teeth the moment she heard that.
Roland nearly laughed, but managed to hold it in.
"I want to commission a custom weapon. And if possible, I'd also like to talk to you properly."
Rebecca raised her hand, her eyes half-lidded.
"Very well."
Roland nodded in agreement.
...
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