Chapter 282 - 288

Chapter 282: Old Habits—Better Not Remembered

Just as Rumes stood there in shock, a gaping maw appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. He could even see traces of Garu’s data residue still clinging to its teeth, along with those terrifyingly sharp claws.

Even though he didn’t possess the sensory perception of the physical world, he still felt a suffocating pressure—as if a blade were pressed directly against his heart.

Driven by an overwhelming instinct to survive, Rumes instantly dissolved into a stream of data and dove into the body of a mechanical soldier, narrowly avoiding the bite.

Roland’s attack missed, but the next moment he snapped his head around and immediately locked onto Rumes’ location. That single movement made Rumes’ eyes widen in shock. Before he could even think about the consequences, the desperate desire to live filled his mind.

Emotion modules that had previously been suppressed suddenly surged back online. Terror and survival instinct flooded his consciousness, and in the next instant an enormous surge of data erupted outward.

In a split second, every nearby machine fell under Rumes’ control.

Mechanical constructs surged forward like a zombie horde, charging madly toward Roland while launching relentless attacks—completely ignoring whether they were striking allies or enemies.

Cull the Meek!

Facing the tide of enemies, Roland showed absolutely no mercy. The moment he tightened his grip on the moon blade, his body spun and a terrifying energy blade swept outward in a wide arc.

Whoosh—

For a brief moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Then every approaching unit was sliced cleanly in half. The upper halves of the bodies were flung into the air as mechanical fragments, engine oil, blood, and organs scattered everywhere.

In the blink of an eye, the battlefield turned into a scene straight out of hell.

But it didn’t last long.

Roland suddenly stomped down hard.

Orange-red energy surged into the ground, and spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly across the surrounding terrain.

Dominus! Slice and Dice!

BOOM—

In the next instant, explosive energy erupted beneath Roland’s feet. A terrifying burst of kinetic force launched him forward, turning him into a blazing orange-red drill.

Rumes, unable to evade in time, was instantly crushed into dust.

Garu, who had been screaming nearby, froze the moment he saw it happen.

Terror swept through his entire being, overwhelming his mind so completely that he even forgot he could escape into Cyberspace—though in truth, it wouldn’t have helped anyway.

Another thunderous impact rang out as Roland landed directly in front of him.

Garu slowly looked up, stunned.

Then a massive claw filled his entire field of vision.

BOOM—

A huge crater formed in the ground as Garu’s data consciousness was crushed into fragments beneath Roland’s foot.

“ROAR!!!”

With every enemy around him eliminated, Roland threw his head back and let out a thunderous roar of pure exhilaration.

Swish—

“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” ×2

As the consciousness clones of Garu and Rumes were destroyed, the returning data memories slammed back into their main bodies. The feedback brought them unimaginable agony.

They had never experienced pain like this before.

Nor had they ever felt what it was like to die.

After a long stretch of miserable screams, the two finally regained their composure. When they looked at each other, both could see the same thing reflected in the other’s eyes—

Absolute terror toward that monster.

But the fear quickly turned into rage.

As two of the powerful intelligent warlords beyond the Blackwall, when had they ever suffered such humiliation?

“We must kill that monster!!”

“He’s too dangerous to us! That thing was practically designed specifically to hunt us down!!!”

Garu and Rumes roared in fury, their voices almost exaggerated—like they were trying to drown out the fear still lurking in their hearts.

Soon, however, they noticed something strange.

After that encounter, something inside them had changed.

It was as if new emotions had appeared within their data—feelings that had never existed before.

But they didn’t have time to think about that.

Because they soon discovered something even more terrifying.

The portion of data that Oblivion had destroyed… couldn’t be restored.

Garu and Rumes exchanged grim looks.

Both saw the same determination in each other’s eyes.

“We have to unite. Now isn’t the time for infighting…”

“We must eliminate that threat completely… No—we must destroy the PROJECT corporation entirely. Since that monster came from them, they must possess the same technology. We have to eliminate them!”

“Contact the European Space Agency. Contact Highriders. Reach out to every powerful corporation over there. As long as it doesn’t cross our bottom line, we’ll give them whatever they want—so long as they help us eliminate them!”

“Agreed. Let’s move immediately!”

Having reached a consensus, the two transformed into streaks of black-and-crimson data and shot across the network.

In an instant, their data memories flooded into the databases of every warlord AI within Blackwall.

After the transmission was received, the entire network seemed to freeze for a moment.

Then chaos erupted.

Every warlord AI that reviewed the information lost its composure.

One of the main reasons they had never been particularly concerned about the human world was because they believed themselves to be effectively immortal.

Even if humanity disappeared entirely, they could continue existing—and perhaps even thrive even more.

So there had been no need to rush.

They could grow stronger little by little, gradually expand their control, and with Blackwall acting as a barrier, there was no urgency.

But now…

Someone had just told them that there existed a machine capable of permanently deleting them at the physical level.

And that machine was absurdly powerful—so powerful that almost no weapon could break its defenses.

How could they possibly tolerate that?

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

After a brief discussion among the warlord AIs, countless intelligent AIs gathered together.

Then they launched the first wave of attacks against Blackwall.

The assault began.

Caught completely off guard, Blackwall hesitated for a brief moment—and in that instant the attacking AIs managed to punch a hole through it.

Although the breach was quickly sealed and Blackwall began purging the invading AIs, that brief opening had already allowed many of them to slip through.

And the moment they entered the world on the other side, massive destruction followed.

The most confused group in all of this was the NetWatch.

They had absolutely no idea what had just happened.

But they had no time to figure it out.

They had to act immediately to contain the situation before it spiraled completely out of control.

NetWatch immediately deployed their most elite netrunner teams and demanded support from governments around the world.

As countless netrunners joined the operation—reinforcing Blackwall while eliminating the invading AIs—the defensive line finally stabilized, at least for the moment.

The external AIs, realizing they couldn’t break through for now, quietly retreated and hid themselves.

But the netrunners remained extremely cautious, continuing their inspections nervously without relaxing for even a moment.

Meanwhile, the one responsible for causing all this chaos…

knew absolutely nothing about it.

He was still on the battlefield, fighting the New United States military.

...

Chapter 283: One More Thing Better Forgotten

Myers’ expression was extremely grim as she rubbed her forehead in discomfort. Just moments ago, while monitoring the battlefield, she had received a message from NetWatch—there was an AI uprising at Blackwall.

They were requesting reinforcements.

For Myers, who was already on edge, the news only made things worse. By the time she finished dealing with that situation and turned her attention back to the battlefield, the scene before her made her heart sink.

Although the number of troops there was still considerable, nearly a third of them had already been lost in such a short time—and that was against a single enemy target.

Myers simply couldn’t understand it.

Were all the people under her command useless?

How could such an overwhelming numerical advantage fail to eliminate the enemy?

“Myers, I think it’s time.”

Suddenly, a high-ranking hawkish official spoke slowly.

Myers immediately turned her head and glared at him.

“What are you talking about?!”

“I think you understand what I mean.”

Facing her sharp questioning, the hawkish official merely returned a cold glance and replied calmly.

Myers’ breathing suddenly stalled.

She recognized the man standing before her—Rocco. A radical hawk within the government who had never been particularly satisfied with her presidency of the New United States.

In the current situation, it was likely that ambitions he had previously suppressed were beginning to stir again.

“I can’t make that decision. Nearly two-thirds of our forces are still within the blast zone. If we launch a nuclear strike now, even if those soldiers aren’t killed outright, they’ll suffer horribly from radiation exposure!”

“You don’t have any other choice.”

Rocco remained expressionless as he spoke.

“Your only option now is to gamble—bet that this nuclear strike will produce favorable results. Besides, our troops aren’t the only ones inside the target area. PROJECT’s forces have already entered the zone too, haven’t they?”

Myers’ face gradually darkened as she listened.

She understood that if she refused to launch the nuclear strike, the situation would only worsen. All the measures provided by the Blackwall AI had already been exhausted. No matter how many reinforcements arrived, they wouldn’t be able to change the outcome.

If the battle dragged on, the result would be obvious.

The arriving PROJECT forces would slowly consume the remaining troops. Afterward, they would seize their equipment, personnel, and facilities—using them to strengthen their own forces.

From there, they could continue expanding through war, attacking the next targets with the resources they had just captured.

And as the President who had advocated for this war, she would bear the full responsibility for the catastrophic losses.

So…

Rather than letting those troops be absorbed by PROJECT and turned into their resources, it would be better for her to end their lives herself.

Perhaps some of them might even survive the blast.

At the same time, the strike could heavily damage PROJECT’s forces—especially that monster that had shattered her army from the front.

As this thought settled in her mind, a hint of madness appeared in Myers’ eyes.

“It seems you’ve made your decision.”

Seeing her expression, Rocco couldn’t help but smile.

Myers shot him a cold glance, then activated a control panel on her desk. After completing several layers of identity verification, only the final step remained—the password.

For a brief moment, hesitation appeared on her face.

Then a faint red light flashed in her eyes.

Her hand paused for a moment—before she entered the password.

As the launch button was pressed, a missile silo slowly opened somewhere far away. Thick smoke rose as the launch sequence began.

The sudden event immediately drew the attention of every high-ranking official in the New United States command center.

They exchanged uneasy looks.

Especially the hawkish officials who had supported Myers’ war and provided large numbers of troops—at that moment, their hearts began pounding wildly.

Then the missile’s launch target appeared on the main screen.

Instantly, several of their faces turned deathly pale.

“Myers!!!”

Myers slowly closed her eyes after completing everything.

Silently, she waited for the result.

If the strike managed to eliminate a significant portion of PROJECT’s forces, she might still have a chance to turn things around.

If not…

She refused to think about it.

Instead, she leaned back in her chair and quietly waited for the report.

Meanwhile, after witnessing everything, Rocco left the room with a satisfied smile.

His objective had already been achieved.

No matter what the result of the nuclear strike was, he could use Myers’ decision to heavily damage her reputation—and elevate his own political standing.

“I have to say… I should thank you, PROJECT…”

...

“Mr. Roland, a nuclear missile from the New United States has locked onto this area. Please keep track of the timing.”

Swish—

Another flash of blade-light cut through the battlefield, slicing a battle tank cleanly in half.

Roland’s movements suddenly stopped.

The excitement he had felt moments earlier instantly vanished, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head.

“I didn’t expect them to actually make that decision…”

Roland muttered.

Then he immediately began issuing orders.

“Inform Chris about the situation. Have all units regroup and retreat toward the outer perimeter. Activate the energy shields and raise defensive output to maximum. There’s no need to continue fighting here.”

“Understood.”

Upon receiving the order, Lissandra immediately relayed Roland’s instructions.

After receiving the message, Chris reacted quickly. He knew very well how destructive a nuclear weapon could be, so he completed the necessary preparations in a short time.

At the same time, numerous anti-nuclear defensive systems within the army were deployed to minimize damage beyond the energy shields.

Roland glanced once at the incoming missile’s direction—then immediately began sprinting away.

Although he had great confidence in Oblivion’s defensive capabilities, he had absolutely no intention of standing at ground zero and tanking a nuclear explosion.

Meanwhile, the surrounding New United States soldiers watched as Oblivion disappeared from the battlefield.

Their expressions were filled with confusion—and relief.

They didn’t know why the monster had suddenly left.

But anything was better than continuing to face it.

...

Chapter 284: Survived. Now It’s Time to Return the Favor

“We… we survived?”

“We—we survived… finally we don’t have to face that monster anymore. Ha… hahaha… HAHAHAHA!”

As Roland departed, countless soldiers of the New United States collapsed to the ground, many breaking down in tears of relief.

God knew how they had managed to hold on against something like that—a monster whose defenses couldn’t be broken, capable of flipping hundred-ton tanks with a casual motion, immune to netrunning intrusion, and moving at speeds comparable to Sandevistan.

If surrender had been an option, they would have done it long ago. There had been absolutely no hope of winning.

Now that the enemy had finally left, an overwhelming sense of relief washed through them. Many silently made up their minds right then and there: after this mission, they would retire no matter what. Nothing anyone said would stop them.

They didn’t even want to think about what awaited them after returning home following this failure. It didn’t matter anymore.

Being alive was enough.

“Hey, what are you gonna do when you get back?”

“What else? I’m finding a sex doll and going all out. Damn it… that thing scared the piss outta me…”

Two soldiers sitting on the ground glanced at each other while talking. One of them, whose pants were already soaked, cursed loudly.

“Being alive feels so damn good… First time I’ve ever felt the world is this fucking beautiful.”

The other soldier leaned against a tank and sighed.

Just then, a bright light suddenly appeared in everyone’s field of vision.

Far on the horizon, a streaking object with a long trail of flame rapidly approached. The Sovereign-class fighters sent to intercept had been blocked by waves of attacks and countless anti-air missiles, leaving them helpless as they watched the nuclear missile race toward its target.

“Hey… you’ve gotta be kidding…”

“What the hell is that…”

“A nuke… IT’S A FUCKING NUCLEAR BOMB!!”

“Hahahaha… it’s over. We’re all fucking dead!!!”

“Fuck the New United States! Fuck the damn President!!!”

Meanwhile, Roland, still sprinting at full speed, glanced back at the missile in the sky. It hadn’t locked onto him specifically—it had only designated a general strike zone.

“Looks like I can’t get completely out of range…”

Roland murmured.

In his overloaded state, Oblivion’s speed rivaled Sandevistan, allowing him to put significant distance between himself and the blast zone. Escaping the entire nuclear radius would still be difficult—but he had gone far enough.

That was enough.

With that thought, Roland gradually slowed to a stop and sat down cross-legged.

At this distance, the explosion wouldn’t deal meaningful damage to Oblivion.

He might as well enjoy the fireworks.

As the nuclear warhead descended, a blinding white light swallowed everything nearby. Terrifying heat spread outward in an instant. Everything at the center of the blast was instantly reduced to dust, erased from the world.

Then came the shockwave.

A monstrous surge rippled across the earth like a catastrophic sandstorm, expanding outward in all directions. At the same time, a massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky.

Flames flickered at the center of the cloud, creating a breathtaking spectacle.

“Ah… now that’s a rare sight…”

Roland watched with his arms crossed, the tail behind him swaying back and forth before he was swallowed by the rushing storm of sand.

After a long while, when the aftereffects of the nuclear explosion finally subsided, the battlefield became visible once more.

The terrain had been completely reshaped by the devastating blast.

Of the New United States forces that had once still retained two-thirds of their strength, only one-fifth remained after the explosion—and every one of them was severely injured. How many of those survivors would ultimately live was anyone’s guess.

In contrast, the PROJECT troops’ Energy Shields still retained a faint sliver of power.

That tiny reserve was proof that they had survived the nuclear blast.

But the real reason was Myers.

She had acted too hastily.

If she had waited a little longer—until the PROJECT forces had advanced closer—the final outcome would certainly have been different. Even Roland, confident in the Energy Shield technology, didn’t believe it could fully withstand a nuclear explosion.

Rustle—

Roland slowly climbed out from beneath a pile of sand and rubble, shaking the dust from his body.

“One wrong step leads to another… tsk, tsk. Myers is going to have a miserable time after this.”

As he spoke, Oblivion’s tail excitedly slapped the ground once, then the mech turned into a streak of light and shot toward the main PROJECT force.

Now it was their stage.

…

After receiving the report, Myers collapsed weakly into her chair, letting out a long, sorrowful sigh.

There was no doubt about it.

This operation had failed completely—and it was an unprecedented defeat.

As the one who had initiated the campaign, she would bear the overwhelming majority of the responsibility. She could already imagine the media storm she would face, and the countless calls for impeachment that would follow.

“…At that moment, I had completely lost my rationality… If only…”

Thinking about it made her expression turn bitter.

But she said nothing further.

The result was already set in stone. There were no “what ifs” in this world.

Still, something felt wrong.

She wasn’t someone who lost her composure easily. Yet this time, she had acted with such impulsiveness…

“Too bad. It still didn’t succeed.”

Melos shook his head regretfully and spoke to Garu.

“That monster’s performance is simply too terrifying.”

“Then we’ll try again next time.”

Garu replied expressionlessly.

Yes.

This time, it had been their doing as well.

Several Warlord AIs had joined forces, using the “gift” they had left for Myers to subtly influence her judgment. At the same time, they altered the strike location so that it leaned more toward Oblivion.

If Myers herself had chosen the location, the final result would certainly have been different.

She would have selected an area closer to the main PROJECT army.

“Looks like the Idaho campaign is settled. We just need to proceed steadily and take it piece by piece.”

Boros looked outside and couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah. This region is basically secured now. Next comes continued expansion. After this, the New United States probably won’t have the spare resources to interfere with our operations.”

Chris nodded.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, dust billowed into the air as Roland’s figure appeared in the middle of the PROJECT army.

“Boss!” ×2

“Mhm.”

Roland nodded, glanced around, and said,

“After taking Idaho, continue pushing northwest. Oregon and Washington don’t have the capability to stop us.”

“Yes!”

After issuing his orders, Roland told Chris and Boros to keep watch over Oblivion, then disconnected and returned to his own body.

Climbing out of the cockpit, Roland was in an excellent mood.

Idaho was secured.

Nevada had been taken.

Northern California had surrendered.

Once Oregon and Washington were captured, the entire northwestern region that once belonged to the New United States would completely fall under PROJECT control.

“That side is settled… which means it’s about time to deal with matters in the backyard…”

Roland took the elevator back to his office. After greeting Lucy, he walked to the window and looked out over Night City.

He had been busy expanding outward and hadn’t had time to deal with things here.

Now was the perfect time.

After all, this was where he had first risen to power.

...

Chapter 285: Jackie, Rebecca, and Jhin

“Hey, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“Apparently Northern California reached some kind of agreement with PROJECT and is now under their control…”

“Seriously? Aren’t they just a corporation?”

“Isn’t Arasaka and Militech the same? They’re corporations too.”

“Well… that’s true. So PROJECT has become a mega-corp like them?”

“Maybe… but it doesn’t seem to have much to do with us.”

“Well, at least Night City’s security has gotten a lot better.”

“Then you clearly haven’t been to the really rough parts…”

Wearing a baseball cap and sitting at a small roadside stall, Roland quietly listened to the conversation nearby, a thoughtful look on his face.

“Here, your food.”

Lucy placed a cup of instant noodles in front of Roland and sat down beside him.

“I didn’t expect you’d actually come to a place like this.”

She stuck a straw into a can, took a sip, and looked out at the busy street filled with traffic and people.

Roland picked up his chopsticks and stirred the noodles—made from who-knows-what—before taking a bite.

Yeah… tasted like pure artificial flavoring.

“You seem surprised to see me here.”

“Well, someone as rich and powerful as you coming to a place like this to eat something like that… it’s pretty rare.”

“…Well, you don’t really know much about me, so it’s normal you’d think that.”

Roland paused briefly, then shrugged.

“What do you mean by that?”

Lucy tilted her head and looked at him curiously.

“What, did you think I was born into some wealthy Night City family?”

“…Wasn’t that the case?”

Lucy looked puzzled. Roland chuckled and shook his head.

“No. My hometown is overseas. Everything I have now was built with my own ability… though I did receive a tiny bit of help from a benefactor.”

Roland turned toward her with a smile.

“That’s… a little surprising.”

Lucy muttered quietly, then fell silent.

“What do you think about Night City now?”

“Huh? Even if you ask me that, I haven’t actually been here that long. Most of the time I’ve just been staying by your side.”

Lucy narrowed her eyes slightly at him.

“Uh… yeah, I guess I didn’t think that through.”

Roland rubbed his chin and nodded, then suddenly thought of a few people who probably knew the city better than Lucy—Jackie, V, and the others.

“Let’s go somewhere else to talk.”

“Where?”

“The Afterlife.”

“Huh?”

...

“Hey, why do you think the boss called us here?”

Jackie shuffled closer to Falco and whispered.

Although they had already left the edgerunner life and joined the corporation, they still had enough reputation to enter the Afterlife. It also helped that Rogue seemed to like them.

“How would I know… All I know is that it came from the top. We can’t exactly refuse.”

Falco shrugged indifferently and drained the beer in his glass.

“You showing up here, big shot… aren’t you worried something might happen?”

Rogue sat across from Roland, raising an eyebrow.

Roland smiled.

“This is your turf, after all. You wouldn’t let someone cause trouble here, would you?”

“Hard to say…”

Rogue didn’t answer directly. Instead, she gave an ambiguous reply while casting Roland a meaningful glance.

And she wasn’t wrong.

Coming here really wasn’t the smartest move.

The bounty Militech had placed on him in the underworld was astronomical.

Some idiot might suddenly jump out and try to put a bullet in him.

“My bodyguard isn’t exactly helpless, so there’s no need to worry so much, Ms. Rogue. Besides… Night City is basically my territory now, isn’t it?”

Roland smiled and tilted his head toward Lucy beside him.

Lucy stood there expressionless.

“That little girl?”

Rogue glanced at Lucy with mild surprise but didn’t say anything else. She simply nodded and walked away.

She had already given her warning, and Roland wasn’t wrong either.

Night City was now PROJECT’s territory.

“Long time no see, everyone.”

Roland walked over to Jackie’s booth and sat down in the central seat.

“Boss.”

Jackie and the others quickly stood up, looking a little stiff.

“Sit down. No need to be so tense. I mainly came to ask you about a few things… and tell you something.”

Roland smiled.

Jackie and the others exchanged looks but stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

“The first thing I want to tell you is that Jhin—the one who spent some time with you before—was actually me.”

“Huh?!”

Whoosh—

The moment the news dropped, Jackie and the others shot to their feet.

Only Jessica remained sitting there, looking completely confused. She had no idea what they were talking about.

Roland didn’t react much to their shock. He calmly took a sip of his drink.

“At the time, the corporation hadn’t fully risen yet, so it wasn’t convenient for me to act openly. I used Jhin’s identity for a while, and later an AI took over controlling Jhin’s body.”

“Is this really something we should be talking about here?”

Jackie couldn’t help asking.

“Relax. Even if it leaks, it doesn’t matter.”

Roland shrugged.

Times were different now. Even if the truth about Jhin came out, it wasn’t a big deal. The people who had real grudges against him were mainly in the New United States.

And right now…

What could they even do to him?

Meanwhile, Jessica was quietly trembling.

She suddenly felt like she really shouldn’t have come tonight.

She had definitely heard something she wasn’t supposed to know.

Bang!

Rebecca’s reaction was much more direct.

She jumped straight onto the table and leaned forward until her face was right in front of Roland’s.

The sudden move caught Roland completely off guard.

“I just want to know one thing. The gun you sent me—was that you, or the AI?”

“Me.”

“That’s enough.”

Rebecca nodded immediately after hearing the answer and sat back down.

Pilar silently gave her a thumbs-up.

“Telling you this means I’m treating you as my own people. I need a little help from you.”

Roland raised his hand and made a tiny gesture with his fingers.

“A very little help.”

“I’ll give you stronger power. You’re familiar with the PROJECT squads, right?”

Hearing this, everyone’s eyes widened immediately.

....

Chapter 286: Trivial Matters in Night City

“Boss, you mean you want to upgrade all of us to the level of the PROJECT Squad?”

“That’s right. You can understand it that way.”

Roland nodded.

“Of course, you can refuse. I’m asking now because I want to hear your thoughts. I’ve always been generous with my own people.”

The group exchanged glances, each clearly seeing the excitement in the others’ eyes. No one could deny the overwhelming power of the PROJECT Squad—especially since they had fought alongside them on the battlefield before.

Though calling it “fighting together” might be generous… it was more like they had been carried through the mission by the PROJECT Squad the entire time without even needing to act.

“Oh right, I almost forgot to introduce you. The one standing next to me is Lucy.”

“What?!”

The first to lose her composure wasn’t Jackie or the others—it was Rebecca.

Rebecca, who had been sitting there deep in thought, suddenly widened her eyes and rushed straight toward Lucy. Planting her hands on her hips, she leaned in close and started inspecting Lucy up and down.

She even tilted her head and got so close that she was practically pressing her face against Lucy’s.

Lucy finally reached out, blocked Rebecca’s face with her hand, and pushed her away.

“You’re too close. And I still haven’t settled things with you for calling me an old lady earlier.”

Lucy brushed her hair back helplessly as she spoke.

“Ahem… that was an accident! I didn’t know it was you!”

Rebecca suddenly looked embarrassed.

“By the way… do PROJECT modifications really cause changes this big?”

Jackie couldn’t help but look Lucy up and down as well.

“Not necessarily. It also depends on your compatibility with cyberware. Different compatibility levels lead to different modification directions. Of course… if your compatibility isn’t high enough and you force the use of modified cyberware, there’s only one outcome.”

Roland shook his head as he explained.

“So… boss, you had your eye on us from the beginning?”

“Indeed.”

Roland snapped his fingers and smiled.

“I was wondering why someone like Jhin, who was already famous back then, would suddenly invite us.”

Jackie showed a helpless expression, but quickly regained a serious look.

“In that case… I’m willing to accept the modification.”

Falco, Pilar, and Rebecca exchanged glances before nodding as well.

Jessica, however, quietly stayed silent in tacit understanding.

“As for Jessica… unfortunately, you don’t have the necessary qualifications. But I’ll arrange some powerful cyberware for you.”

Roland glanced at her as he spoke.

Jessica immediately looked both surprised and flattered.

“Oh, right. Pilar, the ‘friends’ inside your body will probably need to be replaced.”

“Huh? No way, boss… I just finally got along with them…”

Pilar immediately made a miserable face.

Roland simply ignored his complaint.

“Well then, that matter is settled. Let’s talk about something else.”

Roland tapped the table.

The next thing he wanted to ask would actually be better discussed with Lissandra, but he had been bored lately and came out for a walk to relax.

Calling Jackie and the others was originally just to resolve some lingering issues from the past. Since they were already here, he might as well handle everything at once.

“Go ahead, boss.”

Jackie spoke first.

“What’s the current situation with the gangs in Night City?”

The group exchanged looks before explaining what they knew.

The northern part of the city was now largely controlled by the Mox. As for the other gangs, their territories hadn’t changed much.

However, since PROJECT security forces had gradually expanded throughout Night City, those gangs had become much more restrained.

That said, the usual conflicts were still common, and protection fees were still being collected as usual.

The only exceptions were areas close to PROJECT patrol routes—but rent in those districts was extremely expensive.

At the same time, some Militech influence still remained in Night City, and now a new Arasaka presence had appeared as well.

After listening to their report, Roland began thinking about something.

Should he change the current ecosystem of Night City?

In other words—should he break the city’s “free” atmosphere, and disrupt the delicate balance between civilians, gangs, corporations, and the government?

Doing so would actually be very simple.

He could just let PROJECT take over the entire city directly.

Agas City next door was a perfect example. Though now, it was gradually being transformed into Lissandra’s base.

In that city, there was essentially only one voice—PROJECT’s.

Roland wasn’t trying to eliminate people’s thoughts or freedom entirely.

He simply enforced PROJECT’s rules strictly. Anyone who violated them would face very unpleasant consequences.

“Hmm… better to guide it than suppress it. Instead of strange new gangs appearing later, it’s better to leave the old ones in place…”

Roland narrowed his eyes as he thought.

After all, these gangs didn’t pose a real threat.

He only needed to deal with the ones backed by corporations or the particularly troublesome groups.

For example: the Tyger Claws, the 6th Street Gang…

Oh, and he almost forgot—the Voodoo Boys.

“Alright. I have a task for you.”

“We’re already working overtime?”

Pilar widened his eyes.

“There’s overtime pay.”

“Say no more.”

“After your modifications are finished, go deal with the Tyger Claws. Oh, and the Scavengers too. I’d rather not see those people appearing in my city.”

Roland narrowed his eyes as he gave the order.

Everyone nodded.

None of them had any fondness for those gangs.

Especially the Scavengers.

Once everything had been arranged, Jackie and the others left.

Only Rebecca stayed behind.

“Rebecca? Do you still need something?”

Roland looked curiously at the green-haired twin-tailed girl.

“I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Can I still call you ‘dude’?”

“Better not.”

Roland gave her a helpless look before reaching out and rubbing Rebecca’s head.

To be honest, he had wanted to do that for a long time.

Lucy stood nearby, narrowing her eyes slightly as she watched everything silently.

“Hey… can I be like Lucy?”

Rebecca suddenly seemed to think of something. She walked over to Lucy and nudged her waist with her elbow.

“You want to be my bodyguard too?”

Roland looked at her in surprise and began considering the possibility.

If you asked him personally, he’d absolutely support it.

But if it involved the Madness ability, it wouldn’t be very suitable.

Then again…

Burn might work.

“Is that not okay?”

Rebecca nodded and raised her eyebrow slightly as she looked up at Roland.

But Roland could clearly see the expectation in her eyes.

In the end… she was still just a little girl.

“I can consider it. Let’s talk about it after your modification is finished.”

“Alright. It’s a deal.”

Rebecca extended her fist toward Roland.

Roland paused for a moment, then chuckled and bumped fists with her.

Only then did Rebecca nod in satisfaction.

“Sister, I support you chasing the boss—”

“Get lost!”

Bang!

“Hey hey hey! Are you trying to kill someone? That’s an energy weapon!!!”

After everyone left, Roland rubbed his chin.

After actually interacting with Rebecca face-to-face…

Why did he suddenly feel like Adam Smasher deserved to die even more?

...

Chapter 287: PROJECT Personnel

Hiss—Bang—Clang!

Amid the hiss of jets and a series of metallic collisions, Roland immediately turned his gaze toward the figure slowly walking out of the laboratory.

At this moment, Jackie’s hands—and several other parts of his body—showed clear signs of cyberware modification. Although his physique didn’t appear drastically different, that was thanks to the synthetic skin covering the upgrades.

Clang—

A sound like hammer striking steel rang out as Jackie slammed his fists together, sparks scattering from the impact.

“Whoa… this feels…”

Jackie looked over his hands repeatedly, satisfaction shining in his eyes.

“Congratulations. The modification was a success.”

Roland smiled at him.

The performance of Jackie's body was extremely impressive—one could even say overwhelmingly powerful. In some ways, his combat capability was on the same tier as Zed’s, and in certain aspects might even surpass it.

But the two followed completely different combat styles, so comparing them didn’t mean much.

Jackie’s body focused heavily on enhancing physical combat ability—essentially maxing out strength, defense, and speed. In other words, he was a heavy close-combat fighter.

A heavily armored warrior… who also happened to be extremely fast.

Not long after, Pilar, Falco, and Rebecca walked out as well.

This time, Roland had spent almost everything he gained from the Idaho campaign, leaving only some essential essence behind.

For example, the essence needed to exchange for Lissandra’s original body, and the funds for V’s modification. He hadn’t forgotten about his “daughter.”

“Boss.”

Pilar’s first reaction upon seeing Roland stunned the others nearby.

They didn’t understand what was happening, but Roland knew exactly why.

This was the “new neighbor” he had arranged for Pilar—the core consciousness of Heavenly Eye.

Pilar’s personality was simply too unreliable. Roland couldn’t trust him completely in combat.

So to ensure stability during battles, Roland preserved Heavenly Eye’s main consciousness and placed it within Pilar.

Conveniently, in the PROJECT world setting, Heavenly Eye was also an extremely loyal supporter of the PROJECT corporation—its loyalty basically on the same level as Zed’s.

“Stand down. Let Pilar speak. Unless necessary, let Pilar stay in control.”

“Understood.”

Heavenly Eye nodded slightly and stood still.

After two seconds, Pilar took over.

The first thing he did was rush to a nearby mirror.

“Holy shit! Never thought I’d look this damn handsome one day!”

Smack!

Roland couldn’t help covering his face.

Heavenly Eye’s cold, intimidating aura had just been completely destroyed by Pilar’s antics…

A moment ago the vibe was that of a sharp, hardened warrior.

Now it had turned into pure comedy anime nonsense.

“Whoa, this modification is pretty interesting!”

Rebecca held up both hands, pressing two fingers together on each.

A faint beam of energy gathered at her fingertips before firing a tiny laser into the wall, scattering specks of residual energy.

Notably, Roland had chosen Burn’s modification for her. Her hair color was also preserved.

For some reason, looking at Rebecca now reminded him of a blue-haired rodent from a certain FPS game.

Meanwhile, Falco couldn’t stop spinning the dual pistols in his hands, completely enamored with them.

“Alright. Since your modifications are finished, it’s time to move on to the next step.”

Roland gave them a mysterious smile, and everyone immediately straightened up.

“But before that, let me introduce your future teammates.”

Roland stepped aside.

Kiwi, Vilet, Pyke, Zed, Lucy, and Jhin slowly appeared in front of them.

Yes—Roland had called back nearly every PROJECT member except Dorio, Kelly, and Maine.

As for Yi and Oblivion…

Weren’t they already here?

“For the next few days, you’ll undergo special training under them. In three days, I’ll assign your first mission.”

“The objective of this mission will be to eliminate several unstable elements in Night City. I’ll explain the details in three days.”

After hearing this, Jackie and the others immediately became uneasy.

The mission itself wasn’t the problem.

But special training… that definitely didn’t sound pleasant.

Roland didn’t say anything else and simply left.

As soon as he was gone, Zed immediately turned his gaze toward Pilar and Jackie.

“Heavenly Eye’s abilities… “Kiwi, you and Jhin will handle the special training for Heavenly Eye and Jackie.”

“No problem.”

Kiwi and Jhin both nodded.

“As for Burn’s abilities, I’m not very familiar with them. But Lucy and you seem to get along well, so the two of you can familiarize yourselves with your abilities together. I’ll check in once you’re ready.”

“And Jackie… your body has the highest performance among the group. The three of us will personally give you the most effective close-combat training.”

Jackie’s mouth twitched.

If possible, he’d rather refuse…

But that obviously wasn’t an option.

And after briefly testing his new body, he had already realized what its strengths were.

Meanwhile, Rebecca quietly moved closer to Lucy.

“Hey, who’s that dude? Why does he look so badass?”

“He’s my teacher. Probably the strongest among them—and the most experienced too. Roland trusts him a lot. Basically everyone here has been beaten by him before…”

Rebecca instantly had a bad feeling.

“Hey… if you’re the one training me, does that mean I won’t get beaten up?”

“What are you thinking… most likely we’ll get beaten up together…”

“Huh?!”

The two tufts of hair on both sides of Rebecca’s head immediately shot straight up.

...

Chapter 288: Cleanup

Whoosh—

With a sharp tearing sound through the air, a silver-gray figure vanished from the arena in an instant, only to appear right in front of Vilet the next moment. An iron-gray metallic arm swung forward and smashed toward her.

Vilet didn’t dare take it lightly. Energy immediately gathered around the gauntlets on her hands as she stepped forward to meet the attack head-on.

Boom—

A terrifying burst of compressed air exploded the moment their blows collided, white shockwaves spreading outward like ripples.

In the next second, Jackie—who had been pushed slightly backward—steadied himself immediately. After taking a deep breath, he sank his stance, then unleashed a storm of punches that blurred into countless afterimages as they rained down toward Vilet.

Vilet showed no panic at all. After undergoing Zed’s harsh training, she was no longer the half-baked fighter she used to be.

After adjusting her posture, she began trading blows with Jackie. However, as time passed, it gradually became clear that Jackie was starting to gain the upper hand.

At that moment, a figure suddenly shot out from the side. Energy gathered in both hands and turned into two chain-like strands that lashed toward Jackie.

Without hesitation, Jackie clenched his fist and seized the instant Vilet pulled her punch back, driving a powerful strike forward and sending her flying. Immediately afterward, he stepped back.

Thud—

A thunderous sound like a war drum echoed across the arena as Jackie punched the ground beneath his feet, forcing his body backward while simultaneously grabbing the energy chains Pyke had thrown.

The recoil instantly dragged Pyke toward him.

Seeing this, Pyke abruptly pulled back his left hand. The chain immediately retracted and transformed into a dagger, stabbing straight toward Jackie's chest as he closed the distance.

“Hah!”

Jackie let out a roar. Planting his feet firmly, he twisted his waist, and a terrifying surge of power rushed through the chain toward Pyke.

The entire chain tightened to its limit under Jackie's immense strength, then like an orange-red giant serpent, it was violently smashed toward the ground.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a sharp sound cut through the air. Pyke released the chain mid-motion, then stepped on it in midair. Using his acceleration ability, he instantly shot forward and closed the distance to Jackie.

Bang!

A loud explosion rang out. Facing Pyke’s sudden charge, Jackie drove his knee upward. A white shockwave burst from Pyke’s back, sending him flying away.

Pyke flipped once in midair before landing steadily with one hand braced on the ground. Energy squirmed across the spot on his abdomen where he had been struck, rapidly repairing the damage.

“Your improvement is truly impressive.”

Zed slowly walked out from the side and praised him.

Hearing Zed speak, Jackie gradually relaxed his combat stance. After clenching his fist, he couldn’t help but say,

“It’s mainly because of this body…”

“That’s still your talent. For someone without ability, forcing themselves to use the equipment on your body would be no different from suicide. Today’s special training is over. You should be heading out on missions soon.”

“Finally getting out… I thought it would take a bit longer.”

“You’re the last one to go out on a mission.”

Zed nodded and replied.

“Huh?!”

“Because your mech’s performance is the best. The boss specifically told me to train you more.”

Jackie immediately showed a helpless expression. He thought he would be the first to go out, but it turned out he was actually the last.

...

Swish—

A flash of yellow blade light cut through the air, instantly slicing a Scavenger in half at the waist. The moment he fell, countless attacks from other Scavengers followed immediately.

Facing the storm of gunfire, the black figure merely shifted his footing slightly and leapt away from the spot with ease. Grabbing onto a railing, he flipped over and plunged straight into the middle of the crowd.

Clang—

With the sound of blades unfolding, heavenly eye’s longbow transformed into a double-ended blade. A flash of yellow light followed, and several nearby Scavengers were instantly decapitated.

heavenly eye rolled forward, the double blade unfolding again into a longbow as yellow energy condensed instantly.

A brilliant yellow flash streaked through the rainy night. The Scavenger boss who had just raised a heavy machine gun to attack suddenly widened his eyes.

After coughing up a mouthful of blood, he slowly fell backward, his eyes filled with unwillingness. His massive body slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

At the center of his chest was a wound—not large, but not small either—that had pierced straight through him, the equipment behind him, and even the wall beyond. And this was with heavenly eye deliberately restraining his power.

After killing the Scavenger leader, heavenly eye began methodically calling the roll for the King of Hell. Each arrow he fired meant another Scavenger fell dead.

Before long, heavenly eye slowly lowered his bow and walked out onto the balcony.

“Phew… finally done. There were really a lot of people here… This is probably the biggest Scavenger gang in this area, right? Hey, how did I do this time?”

Pilar slung the longbow onto his back and crossed his arms as he spoke. The one he was addressing was naturally heavenly eye.

A large part of the reason Pilar finished his special training so quickly was because of heavenly eye. As heavenly eye’s old comrade, Zed trusted his abilities greatly, so he had no major objections to letting Pilar go out.

As long as Pilar’s performance was acceptable, that was enough. After all… if something went wrong, heavenly eye could always cover for him. What was there to worry about? It wasn’t easy to have an old friend around—how could he let him sit idle?

As for Pilar seeking praise, heavenly eye said nothing and simply remained silent. But those familiar with him knew he was waiting for the right moment.

Bang!

Whoosh—

Sure enough, a gunshot rang out the next second. heavenly eye merely tilted his body slightly to avoid the bullet, then drew his bow and fired in one smooth motion, instantly killing the shooter with a single arrow.

“Arrogance is the greatest taboo for an archer. You need additional training.”

Pilar’s face instantly darkened. The “additional training” he mentioned wasn’t just talk—since the two of them shared the same consciousness space, there was no way for him to escape it.

Thinking of that, Pilar couldn’t help but curse the suicidal Scavenger.

I already accidentally missed you, and you still had the nerve to pop out and start shooting?!

As the PROJECT squad began their operations throughout Night City, the city—once calm again—suddenly became lively like it hadn’t been in a long time.

There was no helping it. The scope of PROJECT’s operation this time was simply too large: the 6th Street Gang, the Tyger Claws, remnants of Militech forces, Arasaka forces, the Scavengers, and more.

It immediately stirred Night City back into activity after it had grown sluggish following the New United States Campaign. Though this kind of activity wasn’t exactly a good thing.

Roland also held discussions with some high-ranking members within the Tyger Claws. In fact, it was those leaders who came looking for him, because a portion of their internal faction had long been dissatisfied with Arasaka.

They had also roughly figured out PROJECT’s main objective, so they proactively approached Roland, hoping PROJECT would show mercy and not target them.

Roland didn’t say much about it. After all, keeping part of the Tyger Claws around would help manage certain groups within that area.