Chapter 29: Population Resource Cleanup

Kiwi froze for a moment when she heard Roland’s words. She gave him a brief, searching look, then brushed it off—remarks like that weren’t worth dwelling on in a place like this.

“Hey, Yi, your company’s supposed to have a top-tier netrunner, right? So why are you taking me out on a job?”

As she followed Roland into the parking lot, Kiwi couldn’t help but ask. She still remembered clearly that day—a netrunner had locked her down and stopped her from escaping. If not for that, she would’ve been long gone.

If Roland knew what she was thinking, he’d have told her she was overthinking it. If she had managed to escape, he definitely would’ve chased her down. The only reason he didn’t go after that squad later was because Kiwi had caught his attention.

“She’s responsible for corporate security and some management systems. She doesn’t attack anyone unless she’s provoked. You could say she’s an external consultant—a netrunner with an exceptionally high status.”

“She?” Kiwi’s curiosity sparked immediately.

“So the one who stopped me that day was a female netrunner too? Can I meet her? If possible, I’d really like to learn from her.”

Roland froze and gave her a strange look.

Realizing what she’d just said, Kiwi coughed awkwardly and fell silent. After all... not long ago, they had been on opposite sides.

“I’ll mention it to the boss,” Roland said after a pause. “Whether you get the chance depends on the situation.”

“Thanks, Yi.”

Kiwi smiled, clearly pleased with the answer.

“By the way, Yi, you’re not local, are you?”

“No, I’m from Huaguo.”

“Then… how did you end up… like this?”

Kiwi gave him a slow once-over before continuing, hesitant but curious.

“You mean all this cyberware?” Roland climbed into the car, glancing down at his arm.

“Well, the level of your modification is… incredible. I can’t even imagine what someone has to go through to end up like that…”

Kiwi trailed off, realizing her words might sound insensitive.

“This body was custom-built for me by PROJECT Corporation. Only I can perfectly interface with it. I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that. I was… badly injured once. This was the only way to survive.”

Roland paused briefly, mostly because he hadn’t actually figured out what excuse to use. Fortunately, he didn’t need one—Kiwi’s imagination filled in the gaps for him.

“You’ve really been through a lot…” she murmured, her tone softening. There was something in her eyes—sympathy, maybe—but she stopped herself from saying more. After all, they’d only just met.

“Ah, we’re almost there.”

Roland looked toward the rougher part of the district and slowly got out of the car.

Kiwi blinked, then glanced around. She’d been so caught up in conversation she hadn’t realized they’d already arrived—in Watson District.

“Uh… the corp guy lives here?”

“He ran here trying to save his own skin.”

Roland scanned the area, his sharp gaze enough to make a nearby thug back off from eyeing their car.

“Come to think of it, I still don’t know what he did…”

Kiwi looked around too. The place was far from peaceful—she could even spot a few Maelstrom gang members nearby.

“He stole the company’s weapon blueprints. We intercepted them online before they could leak, so no real damage was done—but that alone is enough to get him killed. After that, he took the money and ran. He couldn’t get out of Night City, though, so now he’s hiding in places like this.”

“So… you’ve already found where he’s holed up?”

“Yeah. Inside that factory. His backer must’ve paid him well.”

Roland nodded, pulling a thermal katana from the trunk.

“Then why bring me here?” Kiwi asked, visibly exasperated.

“Didn’t I say? I just need you to confirm how many people are inside and where they’re positioned. Oh, and…”

He reached into the trunk again and handed her a smart pistol.

Kiwi blinked, puzzled. “What’s this for?”

“Stay in the car and keep an eye on it. Don’t let anyone steal it. That weapon’s one of our upcoming prototypes. It’s got… pretty heavy firepower. Handle it carefully.”

Kiwi studied the pistol, turning it over in her hands. At first glance, it didn’t look all that different—maybe just a little more high-tech than usual.

She wanted to ask more, but decided against it and nodded instead.

“Alright, then—take a look inside.”

Roland crossed his arms and leaned against the car, waiting for her to start the intrusion.

After a while, Kiwi finally said, “There are about fifteen people inside. All armed—five rifles, seven handguns, and three shotguns. Two are chatting near the entrance, and two more are posted above with a clear line of sight to the door. And…”

Roland nodded in satisfaction. “Didn’t expect you to be this good. You got everything.”

“I am a netrunner with a bit of a reputation, you know. These amateurs don’t even have ICE defenses, and their surveillance setup’s full of holes.”

Kiwi rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed.

“Guess I underestimated you. Alright, stay here. I’ll be right back.”

He slung the katana over his shoulder and started toward the factory.

“Hey, you’re not bringing a gun? And you really don’t want me to help?” Kiwi called after him.

“If you went in there, you’d probably walk out puking. So, no. Besides, this thing works better than any gun.”

Roland waved the katana with a grin.

“Too bad I don’t have Alpha with me… otherwise, I could see what top-tier combat power really feels like.”

He muttered as he walked deeper in. The next instant, Kiwi saw his form blur into a streak of orange light and vanish.

Her pupils contracted sharply—only one word popped into her mind: Sandevistan!

“Well, I guess that explains it. With modifications like that, I was overthinking.”

Kiwi smiled helplessly, then quietly jacked into the surveillance feed. Roland had told her not to watch, but she planned to anyway. After all… he didn’t know a thing about netrunning.