Chapter 225 -226
Chapter 225: Head of Giant Mech Operations
“What is it? Did you run into some kind of problem?”
Roland frowned slightly as he looked at Mudor.
Mudor gave an awkward smile and explained, “Yes. As you know, my main research focus isn’t on giant mechs, so… when it comes to building and calibrating some of that equipment, I’m not very familiar with it.”
“I see… I’ll handle it,” Roland said, nodding. “By the way, do you have anyone you’d recommend?”
He recalled the personnel files he’d seen earlier—most of them organized by Lissandra. Still, asking Mudor directly made more sense. After all, Mudor was the real colleague here.
“Of course. I recommend Moket. He was our primary researcher for giant war weapons back then, and he was also responsible for developing giant soldier mechs and high-intensity warfare arms.”
“High-intensity…” Roland’s expression sharpened. “What exactly do you mean by high-intensity?”
Mudor scratched his head. “Let me think… roughly speaking, weapons capable of destroying a city or more.”
Roland nodded slightly. That sounded powerful, and still within acceptable limits. But then something occurred to him.
“The cities you’re talking about… are they cities in this world, or…?”
“Of course, cities in our world,” Mudor replied, scratching his head again, clearly puzzled by the question.
Roland’s expression stiffened. If he remembered correctly, even a small city on PROJECT’s side was probably as large as two or three cities here. And if it was a major one…
“…That actually sounds promising.”
Roland fell into thought. In any case, if he was going to build it, he wasn’t afraid of the power being a bit excessive.
With that decided, he stopped hesitating and began searching the system for Moket. Before long, an image appeared—a scruffy, bearded old man who looked frail, as if he didn’t have long to live.
“…System, do you offer after-sales service?”
“?”
“I’m worried he’ll drop dead before finishing the job.”
“…Host, please rest assured. Moket is currently at his peak. He only looks lacking in vitality because of his appearance.”
“I’ll trust you on that.”
Roland shook his head and finalized the exchange, bringing Moket out.
“At your service, Boss.”
Moket stood up slowly, leaning on a cane as he spoke.
Only then did Roland notice that one of Moket’s legs was a mechanical prosthesis.
“Boss, you seem concerned about my leg. Don’t worry—it won’t affect my research efficiency.”
Moket rested both hands on the cane and continued speaking at his leisurely pace.
Roland twitched at the corner of his mouth but didn’t comment. Instead of wasting time, he had Lissandra project the rough outline of the Overlord-class mech he’d previously described.
With just one glance, Moket rushed forward to examine it closely, then frowned.
“Boss, are you planning to design a war machine like this?”
“Yes. That’s the idea. Is it very difficult?” Roland asked.
“It is difficult—quite difficult,” Moket replied. “We’d need to consider the structure of the frame, energy distribution, and more. Given enough time, it can be done. But I wouldn’t recommend it. The time required for design and manufacturing doesn’t match the returns.”
After running calculations in his head, Moket gave his honest assessment.
“That’s not a problem. Time is what I have the most of right now,” Roland said with a smile.
After all, strength was temporary. Style was forever.
“I understand. I’ll do my best to complete this masterpiece.”
Moket nodded and accepted the rough design. He could already see traces of technology that differed from the PROJECT world, which greatly piqued his interest.
After having Mudor escort Moket to the Nevada base, Roland returned to his office.
Even though he hadn’t spent long in the virtual world, it was still worth checking on the situation here—especially the Twelve Angels who hadn’t left yet.
“What’s Jamil been up to lately?”
“He’s been having a great time at nightclubs in Night City,” Kelly replied after glancing at the intel.
“And the custom equipment we made for him? How’s the progress?”
Roland nodded. The Crystal Palace had its own pleasures, but they were different from what could be found on the ground. Going wild at nightclubs was perfectly normal.
Speaking of nightclubs… he wondered how things were going with the Mox. He hadn’t paid attention to them in a long time. Maybe it was because he’d moved up a level—many things no longer required the Mox’s involvement.
Still, it was an asset he’d secured here. He could check on it later.
“Production is basically finished. The final program upload has already been handed over to Lissandra.”
“Since when did you two get so close?” Roland asked, suddenly curious.
“…A long time ago,” Kelly replied, avoiding the topic.
“Heh, never mind,” Roland said with a chuckle. “Once Lissandra finishes, let Jamil know he can come over. He’ll probably bring some people along to watch the whole process…”
“Should we refuse?”
“No, let them watch. It’s just the installation process—nothing sensitive will be revealed.”
Roland shook his head. Even if they saw it, they’d only be able to make rough guesses about the technology. It wasn’t like they could dismantle it afterward just from watching.
...
“Has PROJECT Corporation contacted us yet?”
Jamil asked lazily, one arm around each of two high-end sex dolls, as he turned to his entourage.
“Not yet. It’s probably not finished. If they’re aiming for top-tier quality, it’ll take some time.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
Jamil nodded, an image of Apocalypse briefly flashing through his mind. He quickly laughed and shook his head.
Anyone with half a brain knew PROJECT would never actually hand over something on Apocalypse’s level.
Truthfully, Roland would have loved to deliver it—but his ambition exceeded his current capabilities. Even though they now had some grasp of PROJECT technology, the gap between them and the real PROJECT Corporation was still enormous.
...
Chapter 226: Yours? Mine!
“Mr. Jamil, the full set of cyberware our corporation custom-built for you is complete. You may come and collect it.”
“So fast? You’re not just brushing me off, are you?”
Jamil frowned immediately, his voice carrying a trace of irritation.
“Of course not. During this period, our corporation devoted all available resources to your project and placed your order at the highest priority. The entire corporation worked together to build this full cyberware set for you.”
The receptionist on the other end hurriedly denied it.
“Is that so? Then I’d like to see exactly what kind of cyberware you’ve made.”
Jamil narrowed his eyes, shoved the sex doll off his body, strapped on his exoskeleton, and ordered his AV prepared before heading out.
Not long after, Jamil arrived at PROJECT Corporation.
“Mr. Vimers, I hope your finished product will satisfy me.”
“Of course. This is the absolute limit of what our corporation can achieve at present.”
Roland smiled, nodded, and gestured for him to proceed.
Jamil gave a slight nod. Then, upon spotting a figure, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
The person who caught his attention was Lucy, beneath the Ambition Template.
“Mr. Roland, your corporation truly has no shortage of talent.”
“You flatter us. This is my bodyguard, Ambition.”
Roland glanced at Lucy as he introduced her.
Hearing this, Jamil cast Roland a strange look, as if silently asking whether he really needed a bodyguard.
Roland ignored the odd glance and quickly led everyone down into the research base beneath the corporation. Because of Moket’s arrival, Mudor had returned to Night City after handing things over and continued his research there.
After all, his specialty lay in small-scale individual combat units, and Jamil’s cyberware had been developed under his direction.
“This is Mudor, the chief person responsible for developing your cyberware, Mr. Jamil, as well as our corporation’s chief scientist.”
Mudor stepped forward and calmly greeted Jamil.
“Mudor, please introduce Mr. Jamil to his cyberware.”
“Yes, boss.”
Mudor nodded, walked over to a control console, and pressed a button. One by one, the cyberware units sealed in cryogenic pods slowly came into view.
“The Eagle Dragon Thrusters and Angel Wings both use new energy technologies combined with power systems. At full output, they can reach supersonic speeds, but there are certain side effects, so they should be used with caution.”
Mudor pointed to the cyberware above—angel-wing-like structures formed from blue energy and special alloys.
“The Taberon Warframe uses ultra-high-strength alloys capable of withstanding direct artillery fire. It has excellent impact absorption and ductility, and is integrated with a Vilan energy core and energy electronic blood technology.”
As Mudor spoke with effortless familiarity, Jamil’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency scientists who had accompanied him became increasingly bewildered.
They couldn’t understand a single thing being described. That meant all the materials and technologies Mudor mentioned were newly developed by PROJECT—especially that so-called energy electronic blood technology.
What even was that?
For Jamil’s sake, Roland had truly gone all out, contributing a portion of Light and Wind’s electronic blood, diluting it, and injecting it into this cybernetic body.
“Can we proceed with the installation now?”
After listening to Mudor’s explanation, Jamil’s eyes burned with excitement as he stared fixedly at the array of cyberware before him.
“Of course.”
Roland smiled faintly and stepped aside. Mudor pressed another button, and a cyberware modification chair slowly rose up.
“This may be a bit painful, and anesthesia can’t be used. Mr. Jamil, you’d best be prepared.”
After Jamil sat down, Roland offered a considerate warning.
“What do you mean?”
A sense of unease welled up in Jamil as he asked, somewhat confused.
“Our technology will interface with your entire nervous system, ensuring that it can only be compatible with you. To prevent cyberpsychosis, we’ll dramatically increase the level of synchronization. If it were only partial, incremental modifications, anesthetics would still work, but…”
As Roland spoke, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Jamil clenched his teeth. “It doesn’t matter. Do it. I’ve already endured enough pain to obtain this body—this is nothing to me.”
“Alright. Begin the procedure.”
Roland nodded. Several mechanical arms slowly advanced and began dismantling the cyberware currently installed in Jamil’s body. At this stage, Jamil was still under anesthesia, since PROJECT’s cyberware had yet to be installed.
Roland had no interest in watching the process and left shortly afterward, instructing Mudor to inform him once the modifications were complete.
“Is there any opportunity to meet with Yorinobu Arasaka on his schedule?”
“Yes. Yorinobu Arasaka sent a request to meet with our corporation a few days ago.”
“Hm?”
Roland paused and frowned slightly. “Why wasn’t I informed earlier?”
“You personally issued orders not to be disturbed at the time.”
Roland sighed. “I understand. Then arrange the meeting. What’s his reason for seeing us?”
“He seems to want to represent Arasaka in discussing the distribution of interests in Night City.”
After confirming the details, Lissandra answered.
“I was just worrying about how to resolve this… and now an unexpected opportunity presents itself…”
Roland shook his head, then noticed the complicated look in Lucy’s eyes.
“Lucy, you seem afraid?”
“…Yes. Because that’s Yorinobu Arasaka—the heir of Saburo Arasaka.”
“He’s different from Saburo Arasaka. If he comes to power, returning to Arasaka and joining his side might actually give you decent treatment.”
Roland said calmly. Lucy, however, looked puzzled. She didn’t know much about Arasaka’s internal situation and had simply assumed everyone inside was the same.
“Your parents belonged to Saburo Arasaka’s faction, and Yorinobu Arasaka has a fundamental conflict with Saburo Arasaka. The two sides can’t coexist.”
Roland explained, then slowly outlined Arasaka’s internal dynamics to Lucy, including matters related to her parents.
“So that’s how it is…”
Lucy lowered her gaze, her expression unusually complex—whether from shock at Arasaka’s internal struggles or bitterness over her own background, it was hard to tell.
“In any case, that’s roughly the situation. But you’re my bodyguard now, so there’s no need to worry too much about Arasaka.”
Roland smiled as he spoke.
Lucy nodded slightly.
“Oh, right. There’s something I need you to take care of.”
“What is it?”
Lucy’s eyes showed a hint of curiosity. She’d thought Roland simply intended to keep her by his side—she hadn’t expected him to assign her a task.
“Go to Pacifica and look for a faction called Shadow Stream. Once you meet their leader, that’ll be enough.”
“I understand.”
Lucy acknowledged the order and left.
Not long after Lucy departed, Mudor sent word that Jamil’s modifications were complete.
“Looks like it’s time to reap the harvest.”
That familiar farmer’s smile spread across Roland’s face once again.
Author's Note
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