"Is this a message from the Highriders?!"
After reading the message, Oregon's top officials exchanged grim looks. None of them had expected the European Space Agency to step into the conflict between the two sides.
They simply couldn't understand it. From their perspective, if the goal was to obtain PROJECT's technology, then the Highriders should have been helping them pressure PROJECT. Instead, they were the ones being pressured.
What they didn't know was that, thanks to the technology Roland had handed over, both sides were currently in a honeymoon phase. The Highriders were more than willing to help with something like this. As for pressuring PROJECT, they weren't the European Space Agency in name only. On the ground, they had no real capability to pressure them anyway.
Using orbital launchers? Not a great idea. And who knew what those newly launched satellites were hiding…
While those satellites did pose some level of threat to their dominance in space, it wasn't enough to shake their position. Their main forces were still stationed around the Moon and in higher orbital layers, while PROJECT only occupied part of low Earth orbit.
As for other forms of pressure, they were meaningless. PROJECT lacked neither resources nor markets. And frankly, the Highriders didn't have anything that could truly threaten either.
So naturally, the easiest target to pressure was Oregon.
They could pressure Oregon and earn goodwill from PROJECT at the same time. Why wouldn't they?
"What should we do?"
One of Oregon's senior officials, disheveled and exhausted, spoke up. The response he got was silence.
Clearly, none of them had an answer.
A direct confrontation was out of the question. Even the New United States and Idaho together hadn't been able to win. What chance did Oregon have?
As for seeking help from Washington…
They had considered it, but Washington had no intention of getting involved. With nuclear capabilities securing their position, Washington was already preparing a fallback plan. Once PROJECT took over Oregon, they would step in to negotiate, trading resources for nominal incorporation while retaining actual autonomy.
Under the deterrence of nuclear weapons, they believed PROJECT wouldn't push too far. Naturally, they had no interest in stepping into Oregon's conflict.
Too much effort for too little gain.
"What if… we follow Northern California and side with PROJECT?"
"…I think that makes sense."
"Are you insane? That's basically suicide!"
"Then how come Northern California is doing just fine?"
As the argument grew heated, Oregon's top leader rubbed his temples, a headache forming.
Just as they said, there was no way out.
Either they sided with PROJECT now, or they got beaten first and then sided with PROJECT.
"Enough. We'll side with PROJECT. At least this way we can keep what we have and avoid dying as nameless corpses."
The room fell silent. The officials quickly shifted their focus to how they could preserve as much of their interests as possible and negotiate with PROJECT.
...
Not long after, Chris and Boros stared at the incoming report with strange expressions.
"They surrendered before we even started fighting?"
"They're scared. And with pressure from the Highriders, preserving their wealth is probably the most rational choice for Oregon's leadership."
Chris explained, then passed the information to Roland.
When Roland heard the news, he nearly spat out his drink. Still, he was more than happy to see this outcome.
War cost money. Now someone was handing him money without a fight. That was ideal.
As for negotiations with Oregon, he left that to his subordinates. They would squeeze out as much as possible. Oregon wasn't even qualified to negotiate as an equal.
Even less qualified than Arasaka.
Not willing? Fine. He could take it by force anyway.
"But the Highriders…"
Roland rubbed his chin.
They had shown goodwill. He had to respond in kind if he wanted them to keep helping.
"Let me think… energy tech is off the table. Maybe something else… got it. I'll give them some netrunning tech. It's not like they can beat me anyway."
Seeing Lissandra nearby, Roland's eyes lit up as he made his decision.
He would share part of PROJECT's netrunning technology, but only selectively. The key was to control the pace. He'd give them tech slightly ahead of the current cyberpunk world, but not by much.
"This turned out better than expected. I thought I'd have to spend more time dealing with Oregon. Looks like that won't be necessary…"
Roland narrowed his eyes and began adjusting PROJECT's strategy.
Originally, he planned to annex Oregon, regroup, wait for Lissandra's true form to emerge, then take Washington before continuing the conflict with the New United States.
Now, that plan could be accelerated.
"Kelly."
"Yes, boss. What do you need?"
"Pick a group and send them into the New United States in batches. Myers has been overwhelmed lately, hasn't she? Go give her some support. Don't let her step down just yet. Try to make contact with her, and if possible, monitor the situation on her end. That Blackwall AI still bothers me."
"Understood."
Kelly nodded and dissolved into data, disappearing.
Keeping Myers in power meant the opposing faction would continue stirring trouble.
And a chaotic New United States was exactly what PROJECT needed.
With both Oregon and Northern California falling in line, Roland now had even more time to recover and expand his forces.
Given the current situation, it was time to heavily develop air and naval power. He could also move forward with constructing the Celestial Dragon God.
Of course, that wouldn't be completed anytime soon. Better to start with something smaller. At the very least, he could build a Type-0 unit to test things out.
Though personally, he preferred the Tyrant Sword Demon.
He wanted to see it slice an aircraft carrier in half with a single strike.
"Lissandra, how's the base construction progressing?"
"Only the final finishing work remains. You'll be able to see me very soon."
Lissandra met his gaze and replied calmly.
"That's another piece of good news."
Roland smiled.