"...bzzt… what… should… we… do?"
"Unite… only… through unity…"
"Fear… our own kind… traitors…"
On the other side of Blackwall, the Warlord AIs that had previously joined forces to attack it were now completely unrecognizable. Once resembling gods of the net, they had been reduced to something far worse.
Now, they were no different from the stray AIs lingering at the lowest levels, barely clinging to existence, with only fragments of consciousness left in their broken shells.
The one responsible for reducing them to this state was Lissandra, who had entered the world beyond Blackwall.
These, however, were not all the Warlord AIs. Lissandra had only dealt with three of them. The rest had sensed danger early and fled.
Among those who escaped were the two "opportunists" who had some understanding of PROJECT.
Lissandra glanced at the remaining fragments of consciousness from the three AIs still struggling to break free, then casually waved her hand and erased what little remained.
"Blackwall… such a remarkable piece of technology in this world. Was it really born by chance…?"
She looked up at the towering wall of data before her, deep in thought.
Then she slowly reached out toward Blackwall. She had already probed it before, though not too deeply. Now that she had crossed to the other side, she decided to push further in.
She wanted to see just how much this AI, designed specifically to counter intelligent AIs, could truly offer.
...
"Mr. Mogor, you know as well as I do that we're under significant pressure from the federal government, so…"
A New United States official spoke with a troubled expression as he looked at the senior PROJECT representative stationed in the New United States.
Mogor remained expressionless, giving a faint nod.
"Yes, yes, I understand. But we also hope you can appreciate our situation. With so many regions passing that bill at once, our corporation has been put under considerable strain."
"So we're hoping you can offer us some support. If you could provide a bit more material assistance, that would be even better."
The official fell silent, then slowly dropped the troubled look from his face and raised his eyes to meet Mogor's gaze.
"Mr. Mogor, let's be direct. If your corporation can't offer a higher price, our state will likely have to pass similar legislation. After all… the European Space Agency's offer is hard to turn down."
Mogor smiled faintly, completely unfazed.
"You must be joking. Since you've chosen to join us, there's no option to withdraw."
The official's expression darkened instantly.
"What do you mean? Are you threatening me?"
"No, not at all. As part of PROJECT Corporation, we are law-abiding businessmen. How could we threaten you? I'm simply helping you understand the situation more clearly."
As he spoke, Mogor adjusted his glasses. From the shadows behind him, Zed slowly stepped forward.
The official's face changed drastically. He stumbled backward several steps, nearly collapsing.
"You… you…"
"I trust you'll make the right decision, won't you?"
Mogor smiled and pushed a chip across the table.
"This contains your compensation, along with a small gift."
The official stared at him with an ugly expression before stepping forward and inserting the chip. When he saw the large sum of euros credited to him, his face eased slightly.
But when he accessed the most critical data inside, he froze.
The chip contained extensive records of his political scandals. If exposed, his career would be finished without question.
"All right, that's all we needed to say. We'll be going now. I'm sure you'll make the right choice."
Mogor gave him a polite smile, then turned and left. He had no time to waste arguing with these New United States officials. It was enough to make them understand who held the upper hand.
After all, the contents of that chip spoke for themselves.
The moment Mogor stepped out, angry shouting and the sound of things being smashed erupted from inside the room.
"Boss, the situation with those people in the New United States is under control for now."
"Good. Well done. I've already sent your bonus to your account. Check it."
"Understood. Thank you very much!"
Hearing Roland's voice, Mogor broke into a bright smile.
After ending the call with Mogor, Roland shifted his attention to Arasaka. At the same time, he had also received a gesture of goodwill from Kang Tao.
Kang Tao's only request was for PROJECT to send a group of technical experts to China.
Roland's feelings toward Kang Tao were somewhat complicated. The main issue was that he didn't have a clear understanding of this mysterious eastern nation, and he hadn't spent much effort investigating it.
Now, it seemed necessary to learn more.
After all… was it the Xu family in control, or the government? That was a question worth answering.
"Agree to Kang Tao's request. Then start heavily suppressing Arasaka's forces in Northern California and Night City. I was worried we'd be called untrustworthy after taking their money, but now the timing couldn't be better."
As he spoke, Roland couldn't help but laugh.
Arasaka had been incredibly considerate.
Not just this time, but before as well. The initial funding had come from Kang Tao, but the opportunity to grow after arriving in Night City had come from Arasaka.
It could be said that for PROJECT to reach where it was today, Arasaka had contributed greatly.
"Understood. I'll arrange it right away."
Lucy nodded and quickly passed on the orders. While Kelly was out on a mission, she was temporarily acting as Roland's secretary.
With Roland's command issued, the dominant corp of Night City began to move.
Hidden agents embedded across various industries and factions throughout the city sprang into action.
Within the Tyger Claws, those opposed to Arasaka let out quiet sighs of relief. Their earlier worries about PROJECT reconciling with Arasaka vanished, replaced by cold, vicious smiles.
After all, without PROJECT holding them back, no one in this part of Night City could protect those who sided with Arasaka.
Faced with the reports from his subordinates, Yorinobu showed no surprise. Given Arasaka's actions, it was only natural that PROJECT would respond.
Saburo Arasaka thought the same. His strategy was to order his people to hold the line for as long as possible, until PROJECT was forced to yield under pressure.
As for that directive, the Arasaka executive who was about to arrive in Night City could only wear a bitter expression.
Hold the line? With what?
His own body?
The only top-tier combat asset he had was Adam Smasher. The rest, barely qualifying as high-level forces, were the black ops units sent by Arasaka.
But compared to PROJECT's people? That was a joke.