Chapter 204: Another Invitation
Thud!
Roland casually tossed Wilson to the ground. All four of Wilson’s limbs had been twisted and broken; his face was deathly pale as he lay there screaming in agony.
Neither Roland nor Jackie and the others felt even a shred of sympathy. After all, this was the man who had just tried to kill them.
Roland tilted his head, signaling the mechanical unit behind him to deal with the remaining guards in the area. Then he walked over to Jackie and the others.
“How are you holding up?”
At his seemingly concerned question, Jackie and the group exchanged glances. Confusion was written clearly in their eyes—none of them recognized this towering presence.
“We’re not dying anytime soon. Just a few injuries,” Jackie said, shaking his head before looking up at the Angus Robot under Roland’s control. “But who are you people? Why are you here?”
There was no real caution in his gaze. After all, judging by the strength they had just witnessed, this thing could wipe them out in an instant if it wanted to. And they didn’t have anything worth coveting anyway.
Roland didn’t answer. He simply pointed at the emblem on his shoulder.
The moment they saw the striking inverted triangle symbol, understanding dawned on all of them.
“The corp Jhin joined?!” Pilar blurted out.
Rebecca narrowed her eyes at the Angus Robot, clearly deep in thought.
“To be precise, PROJECT Corporation,” Roland replied calmly. “And these people weren’t the corporation mentioned in your gig. They’re Militech operatives. My objective here was to intercept their cargo.”
As he spoke, he gestured toward Wilson lying on the ground.
Jackie nodded. The signs had been obvious—their gear, their tactics. They clearly hadn’t planned on leaving any witnesses alive, so there had been no reason for them to hide who they were.
“Which is why,” Roland continued, “I’m extending the invitation to you again—join our corporation.”
He lowered his head slightly as he looked at Jackie and extended a hand.
Jackie was just about to open his mouth to refuse again when Roland spoke once more.
“This is the final invitation. I suggest you think carefully. After this gig, Militech will absolutely have their eyes on you. If you join us, PROJECT Corporation can offer you protection.”
“Final invitation?” Pilar poked his head out. “So if we refuse this time, that’s it?”
“That’s right,” Roland said with a nod.
The group fell silent, exchanging looks. Hesitation was obvious on every face. Everyone had something they cared about, something tying them down.
Getting tangled up with Militech had been sheer bad luck. And if PROJECT hadn’t intervened just now, they would have been completely wiped out.
Jackie thought of his mother and Misty. Falco thought of his family. Pilar and Rebecca had fewer concerns—just their friends, and each other.
While everyone was still hesitating, Lucy made her decision.
She bit her lip and stepped forward, then bowed deeply to Jackie and the others.
“Thank you for taking care of me during this time,” she said softly. “But… I think I have to leave.”
She turned her head awkwardly toward the Angus Robot.
“I’m willing to join PROJECT Corporation. I want to work for PROJECT Corporation.”
Roland rubbed his chin, instantly understanding her choice.
A former Arasaka defector, now marked by Militech as well. And the fact that PROJECT had mobilized a mechanical unit like this meant the situation was far from trivial.
More than that… she was tired of running.
Roland’s earlier invitation, combined with Jhin’s decision to join, had finally pushed Lucy to choose a different path.
“Then please come this way, Miss Lucy,” Roland said, stepping aside slightly and gesturing.
After Lucy walked over, he turned his attention back to Jackie and the others.
“And now, everyone—tell me your decision.”
“I’m in.”
A hand suddenly shot up from the group. It didn’t rise very high, making it immediately clear who it belonged to.
“Rebecca?!” Pilar stared at her in shock.
Rebecca walked forward with her hands in her pockets. She had only just woken up earlier, and a wound was still visible on her forehead.
She responded to Pilar’s shout by raising a single middle finger.
“Tch, what a hassle. Sorry—looks like I’m joining too.”
Pilar scratched his head irritably.
“Damn it… guess I don’t have much choice either.”
He followed after Rebecca.
In the blink of an eye, only Jackie, Falco, and Jessica were left—though Jessica’s condition was clearly not great.
“Looks like we’re out of excuses,” Jackie said.
The three of them exchanged a look, then made their decision. Once it was done, an unexpected sense of relief washed over them.
At the very least, they were now on the same side as these machines. No more need to stay constantly on edge.
Roland was very satisfied with the outcome. He had finally brought these familiar faces under his command. Once all the PROJECT templates were extracted and replaced, he could assemble a true PROJECT squad.
“With Pilar secured, we can start preparing for the previous operation…” Roland murmured, rubbing his chin and narrowing his eyes.
Honestly, if he got the chance, he wanted to leave one slot open for a certain someone.
That guy’s foul mouth was still painfully vivid in his memory.
But before he could get his hands on him, Roland planned to first implant two consciousnesses into Pilar, complete the Heavenly Eye, and establish PROJECT Corporation’s reconnaissance unit.
The Heavenly Eye was terrifyingly powerful—long-range penetration strong enough to rival siege weapons, a perception range capable of monitoring the entire city, combined with hacking abilities and electromagnetic paralysis technology. It was an exceptionally well-rounded asset.
After notifying the medical team to come and retrieve the injured, Roland turned his gaze to Wilson, who had already passed out from the pain.
Without hesitation, he stomped down hard on Wilson’s foot.
“Ah—”
Thud!
Wilson’s scream died instantly as he stared at the deep crater inches from his face. He looked up in terror at the figure before him.
This Executive named Rosen… wasn’t human at all.
“Now,” Roland said coldly, “it’s your turn to be useful.”
He grabbed Wilson—limp as a dead dog—and sprinted toward their base.
They soon arrived at a massive sealed gate.
It was protected by a mechanical lock, rigged so that any incorrect attempt would cause everything inside to explode. That was why Roland had kept Wilson alive.
He tossed Wilson straight in front of the door.
“Open it, and you live,” Roland said, arms crossed as he looked down at him. “Fail… and you already know what happens. If you don’t value your life, feel free to try your luck.”
Wilson nodded frantically, making it very clear that he understood.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser
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