Chapter 135: The Dishonest AI
“Sir, representatives from Zetatech and BioDyne would like to meet with you.”
Lissandra’s holographic projection suddenly turned to Roland as she spoke.
“Oh? Did they say why?”
Roland looked at Lissandra with interest, then walked over and took a seat.
“They said they want to discuss, in detail, the cyberware developed by our corporation.”
“Cyberware? Oh—right. You mean that pre-installed component used to suppress the side effects of the Berserk module?”
Roland was momentarily taken aback, but quickly recalled it and nodded.
“Yes, but that isn’t the only one. According to them, there are many other cyberware projects involved. They’re proposing what they call a more comprehensive collaboration.”
“Hmm… who did they send?”
“Public relations directors from both companies.”
“Fine. Let them in. Let’s see how sincere they really are.”
Roland nodded, approving the meeting.
“Understood. I’ll notify the security robots downstairs to escort them up.”
While Roland was preparing to meet the representatives from BioDyne and Zetatech, Mr. Blue Eyes had already begun to stir, quietly making moves against several PROJECT Corporation factories.
...
“How’s the situation on PROJECT Corporation’s side?”
Mr. Blue Eyes turned to look at the wasp in front of him—the yellow rogue AI under Lissandra’s control.
“Everything is normal. They haven’t detected my presence yet. There’s been no unusual activity lately. Even the PROJECT squad has been less active and has suspended their cyberpsychosis capture operations.”
“Hmm… cyberpsychosis…”
Mr. Blue Eyes murmured as he nodded. “They’re probably targeting cyberpsychos to develop stronger cyberware. After all, cyberpsychos have already broken through the original threshold and reached a higher one.”
“If their mental issues can be resolved, they’d be able to withstand far more extreme cyberware modifications.”
As he spoke, Mr. Blue Eyes continued nodding. The situation wasn’t much different from MaxTac—many of their members were originally cyberpsychos as well.
“For now, come back. I have something I need you to do.”
“Oh? What is it?”
Hornet tilted his head slightly, looking at Mr. Blue Eyes with curiosity.
“The Red Queen has set her sights on one of PROJECT Corporation’s secret bases in the Santo Domingo district. Not a surface-level factory, but a fully concealed base. She plans to infiltrate it quietly, and she’ll need your help.”
Hornet nodded, his expression unchanged.
“Understood. What about PROJECT on this side—”
“I’ll have Avoc keep an eye on it. You don’t need to handle that for now.”
“Alright. Should I go meet the Red Queen now?”
“Hmm… no. First, find a way to insert this program into the PROJECT team’s communications channel.”
“You have plans for that squad?”
Hornet glanced at Mr. Blue Eyes.
“Exactly. Every member has undergone extremely high-level cyberware modification—except for that violent woman and a few netrunners. The rest are advanced PROJECT robots. If we can track their movements and find an opening to infiltrate them, it would be hugely beneficial to us.”
Mr. Blue Eyes didn’t deny it, nodding calmly.
“I’ll do my best, but I can’t guarantee success.”
“That’s enough. PROJECT Corporation’s AI technology is genuinely terrifying. It’s the first time I’ve seen an AI of this caliber in the human world. If we can free her, I believe… she could lead us to truly liberate this world.”
“You mean… she’s on the same level as the thing behind the Black Wall?”
“I think her level might be even higher. But for us, it makes no difference. We must not draw their attention. If we do, that would mean real death.”
A trace of wariness flashed through Mr. Blue Eyes’ gaze.
The entity they referred to was a top-tier AI lurking beyond the Black Wall. They didn’t know the specifics—only that its existence was terrifying beyond measure.
This intelligence was naturally relayed to Roland by Lissandra. After asking her about it, he felt reassured. If they couldn’t overpower Lissandra, then everything else was manageable.
Meanwhile, Roland had already finished squeezing Zetatech and BioDyne dry. Only after both companies’ representatives left with forced smiles did he finally begin reviewing the intelligence Lissandra had sent him.
They may have been smiling—but you tell me whether those smiles were genuine.
The moment Roland saw the report, he frowned.
“Base Five’s location has been exposed? What happened?”
“Most likely they analyzed the volume of resources transported to that region over the past period, compared it with historical data, and combined it with surveillance scans to pinpoint the location,”
Lissandra replied, laying out several charts that illustrated the possible causes.
Roland sighed helplessly. “Forget it. I didn’t plan on settling accounts with them this early anyway. Since they’re blind enough to provoke us, we’ll teach them a lesson this time. …Oh, right. They should have some research related to so-called ‘souls.’ Lissandra, leave behind an AI that might understand this technology. I want to verify it personally.”
“Understood.”
Lissandra nodded and vanished from view.
The wasp they had previously captured didn’t possess any data related to that technology—possibly because it lacked a physical body.
Given the circumstances, the most likely one to possess such technology was Mr. Blue Eyes. And beyond him… that so-called Red Queen also had a high chance of knowing it.
As long as they captured one of them, they could obtain the necessary information. There would be no need to trouble Arasaka.
After all, they were still allies on the surface. Stirring up trouble with Arasaka now would be rather impolite…
Better to keep extracting value from the rogue AIs instead.
No, that wasn’t “extraction”—it was fair compensation. After all, they were the ones trying to attack him first.
Charging them for mental distress and equipment losses sounded perfectly reasonable, didn’t it?
“Have Kelly accompany you on this operation. She needs the training, and this is the perfect opportunity to face her fears head-on. With you watching over her, nothing should go wrong.”
“I understand. I’ll message Miss Kelly right away.”
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