"Hey, do you have any idea why the boss suddenly called us back?"
V looked at Sasha beside her, curiosity written all over her face.
"How would I know… I thought we'd be staying in the New United States for quite a while. Didn't expect us to be back this soon…"
Sasha twirled a strand of hair on her right side and shrugged.
"There's new movement from Arasaka's. This time, the boss plans to deal with them once and for all."
Zed, who had been quietly polishing his spare arm blades, spoke in a calm tone.
"Arasaka's? The former boss of Night City?"
V rubbed her chin.
"More precisely, the boss before the last one."
Dorio, sitting across from them, picked up the conversation.
"Now that I think about it, I was actually planning to try my luck inside Arasaka's before…"
V blinked and leaned back, staring up at the cabin ceiling.
"Then your luck's really something. If you'd actually gone over to Arasaka's side, you probably wouldn't have had any future in Night City."
"Heh, that's true. My luck's always been pretty good."
V grinned and gave Sasha and Dorio a thumbs up.
"Looks like we can go all out this time."
Jhin, leaning against the wall with a data cable connected, suddenly chimed in.
At the same time, inside another armed AV, Yasuo silently wiped down the katana in his hands.
"The longer this blade cuts, the fiercer it becomes… I just hope this time brings a worthy opponent."
...
Meanwhile, back in Night City, Smasher and the others began to sense that something was off. The main reason was that, recently, all PROJECT forces targeting them had suddenly gone completely quiet.
That didn't sit right with Smasher. From what he knew about PROJECT, they always acted aggressively and without hesitation. For them to suddenly pull back across the board felt wrong.
If it had only happened once or twice, it could have been written off as an accident. But for everything to stop at once was far too strange.
"How is it? Any useful intel?"
Takahashi turned to the captain of the Arasaka operatives who had just entered.
The man simply shook his head.
Takahashi's heart sank. He had a growing feeling that something big was about to happen.
"Any chance to make a move?"
Adam Smasher finished maintaining his weapons and looked at Oda.
Oda shook his head as well, glancing at the two energy katanas in his hands, clearly puzzled.
Just as they were preparing, all the targets had suddenly returned to base and stopped going out entirely.
It made them suspect their plan had been exposed. But that shouldn't have been possible. Everyone involved in the operation was under control, leaving no chance of a leak.
So all they could do was wait.
Maybe something had changed on PROJECT's side.
...
"Samuel, how's the development of the Tyrant Sword Demon Unit coming along?"
"Mm, progress is going very smoothly. But for now, we've only completed the humanoid form. As for the transformation you mentioned, we only have a concept. Actually building the transformation modules is still quite difficult."
Samuel scratched his head. Working on this thing had already cost him quite a bit of his already thinning hair.
"So it's ready for combat now, right?"
Roland focused on the key point.
"Yes, no problem at all. The Energy Shields, energy engine, and overall frame are fully completed. The weapon you requested is also finished. The only issue is that a single individual can't pilot it. The load would be too high."
"That's not a problem."
Roland waved it off casually.
He could just have Lissandra pilot the Tyrant Sword Demon Unit for now. Of course, that wouldn't be a long-term solution. Later, he could capture an AI from the Blackwall and install it instead.
The reason he was asking now was because of Arasaka's supercarrier still parked in the waters near Night City.
Enjoying loitering around Night City?
Then don't leave.
Perfect timing to test the blade.
"Make the preparations. Calibrate the Tyrant Sword Demon Unit and keep it ready for deployment. If needed, I'll notify you to send this big guy out."
"Understood."
Samuel nodded. As he watched Roland end the call, he couldn't help but sigh.
Another long night of work ahead…
Just as that thought crossed his mind, his scalp suddenly itched. He scratched it, and a few more strands of hair came loose…
...
Hiss—
The hatch slowly opened.
Several towering figures stepped out from the armed AVs and transport vehicles that had secretly arrived in Night City.
"Whoa! Now that's a lineup!"
Pilar was the first to exclaim. On the way here, Heavenly Eye had kept him completely shut up, and he had nearly suffocated from holding it in.
Pyke glanced at Pilar as he passed, then silently walked over to Zed's side. The rest gradually gathered.
During this time, Jackie and the others had already swept through the outskirts of Night City, essentially clearing out the Raffen Shiv and the Nomad clans.
The Raffen Shiv had either been turned into labor or used as expendable resources. As for the Nomads, they were either absorbed or relocated into the city as residents, depending on the situation.
Through Jhin's vision, Roland looked at the assembled crowd and smiled.
Wind, Thunder, Mountain, Shadow, Ambition, Frenzy Hunter, Heavenly Eye, Justice, Judgment, Purification, Ascension, Hardware, Destruction, Burn, Spirit of Seduction, and Apocalypse…
All of them had arrived at the PROJECT base.
Roland slowly closed his eyes and sank into the cockpit.
If they were going to make a move, they might as well make it a big one.
Honestly, sending this many people to take down Arasaka Tower was already giving them plenty of respect.
Thud.
A heavy series of footsteps echoed.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
A massive, beast-like figure slowly stepped out from the main gate.
It was PROJECT: Oblivion.
"Let's go say hello to them."
Far away, inside an Arasaka branch tower, Adam Smasher and Oda both suddenly shivered.
They exchanged glances, seeing the unease in each other's eyes.
It should be fine… right?