Roland slowly climbed out of the large bed and stretched lazily, revealing a powerfully built body.
Not that those muscles had come from any particularly grueling training.
"Come to think of it, I still haven't fulfilled that promise to Rebecca…"
He rubbed his chin, considering whether he should just come clean with Rebecca. After all, she'd already been lured in. There was no way she was getting out now.
"Hmm… I'll just find a time to meet her."
Roland thought about it while washing up. After sorting things out on his end, he returned to the bed and patted the figure still lying there.
"Time to get up and work. Sleeping later than your boss? What kind of example is that?"
"…Are you trying to kill me?"
The figure on the bed slowly wriggled out and shot Roland a glare.
"Alright, go back to sleep. I'm heading out. Call me if anything comes up."
Roland simply smiled, straightened his collar, and walked out of the room, leaving Kiwi behind.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Just as Roland stepped out the door and was about to get into the AV, he glanced at Lucy beside him in confusion.
"…It's nothing."
Lucy pursed her lips and shook her head.
"Oh, right. Go call Dorio over later. Have her wait for me in the office."
"…Got it."
Lucy bit down lightly before nodding.
Her reaction felt a little strange to Roland, but he didn't think much of it. His mind was already busy planning Dorio's assignment.
Should she team up with Maine? Stay at PROJECT Corporation? Or head straight to the front lines?
Mountain's abilities were strong across the board. She could grant Energy Shields to allies, step up herself to block damage like a living shield, and she even possessed an aerial energy strike.
On the front lines, that ability would be a devastating super weapon.
But keeping Mountain at PROJECT Corporation in Night City was also a solid option. She could effectively protect company assets and serve as a powerful deterrent.
If she teamed up with Maine… that would basically be a werewolf tank wrapped in an absurdly thick shield.
"Hmm… Let Dorio go to the front lines too. Once things in Idaho are settled, she can come back."
After weighing it carefully, Roland decided it would be a waste not to put that kind of firepower to use.
Lucy watched him for a while. Seeing that he was still entirely focused on work, she let out a helpless sigh. She just felt a little frustrated. All the secretarial duties used to be handled by Kiwi, but now they—along with bodyguard responsibilities—had fallen onto her shoulders.
And on top of that, she had to endure Zed's occasional "interrogations"…
Naturally, resentment was starting to build.
Soon, Roland arrived at the PROJECT Corporation building. After arranging Dorio's matter in the office and sending her to undergo Mountain's modification, he immediately went to find Lissandra.
What Lissandra was overseeing now was the real priority.
"How's the construction of the Oblivion experimental base going?"
"It's fifty percent complete. The rest will take some more time."
"Good. Push to finish it as soon as possible. Keep a close eye on it—no accidents."
"Yes. Please rest assured."
Oblivion's template was different from the others. The rest relied on chips, but Oblivion directly covered and fused with the entire body, unleashing intense energy and data fluctuations in the process.
That kind of activity would easily attract unwanted attention. And Oblivion required a period of adaptation before its full power could be perfectly unleashed, so a dedicated experimental base was absolutely necessary.
As for why they were building the Oblivion base now…
Because it wouldn't be long before they had enough Orange Essence to redeem this ultimate weapon. All that remained was to prepare everything in advance—including Bartmoss as the Compatible Host and the Oblivion experimental base.
Once everything was ready, he could redeem Oblivion into this world immediately.
As for the super body—that was the final piece.
Oblivion was powerful, but in Roland's view, the super body was even stronger. However, the super body had its own exchange requirements, and those hadn't been met yet.
The reason was simple.
Oblivion's strength lay in its terrifying single-target combat power—an unstoppable force capable of erasing data-level entities through physical combat alone.
But against massive armies or multiple factions, Oblivion would take time to exert its full impact.
The super body was different. Release a single virus, and it would become the emperor of machines—the sovereign of countless mechanical forces.
"Boss, something's happened in Idaho. I need your authorization to mobilize additional forces."
"Hm?"
Just as Roland was thinking about Oblivion, a message popped up. It was from Chris, who was currently fighting the New United States in Idaho.
Without hesitation, Roland initiated a call to get a clearer picture.
The connection came through quickly.
"Boss."
Chris started to salute, but Roland stopped him.
"No need for that. Just tell me what's going on. What's happening with the New United States? Why the sudden request for support?"
"Yes. The New United States has deployed a large number of fighter jets and aerial reinforcements. We've secured victory on the ground, but our ability to counter their air power is limited."
"I see…"
Roland narrowed his eyes.
So developing battleships and fighters had indeed been the right decision.
"Then deploy the Sovereign Series. It's about time they made their debut."
"Thank you."
Chris gave a brief salute, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
He was ready to give the New United States a very big surprise.