Chapter 289 - 296

Chapter 289: Final Phase

As the PROJECT forces continued advancing through Idaho, neither the state government nor the military showed much will to resist—especially the military.

When the PROJECT troops arrived, there was practically no resistance at all. Units simply surrendered on the spot and obediently waited for PROJECT to take over.

At first, Chris and Boros suspected it might be some kind of trap. They broke up the surrendered units and assigned guards to watch them. But after the same situation happened several times, they began investigating.

The final result left Chris somewhat speechless.

The main reason for the military’s passive attitude was simple: most of Idaho’s key government officials had already fled. Only a few insignificant figures were left behind. When the major interest groups realized the situation was turning bad, they quickly transferred their assets and ran off to the New United States.

In other words, they had practically handed the entire state of Idaho over to PROJECT.

Chris was more than happy with this outcome. He immediately accelerated the takeover process, and Idaho—something that might have taken considerable time to secure—was fully absorbed in less than a week.

Now he was simply waiting for reinforcements to arrive so the remaining cities could be completely taken over. At the moment, Chris had only secured the major urban centers, and even there he hadn’t made any administrative changes.

After all, they would soon be marching again. There was no point wasting time dealing with those matters. Managing cities had never been his strong suit anyway—that kind of work could be left to others.

Right now, he only had one thing to focus on: preparing for a new war against Oregon.

Without interference from the New United States this time, he was confident he could take the state within a month—even without Oblivion stepping in.

Of course, if Oblivion did intervene, things would be even faster. It might take less than half a month. But that was just wishful thinking, since Roland was Oblivion’s pilot.

The only thing that truly concerned him was Washington State next to Oregon.

Washington was different from the other states. Even the New United States was reluctant to openly provoke them.

The reason was simple…

They had nukes too.

So once Oregon was secured, he would have to start thinking about how to deal with Washington’s presence.

In contrast to PROJECT’s favorable situation, things were far less pleasant on Militech’s side—especially for Myers.

Ever since she made that decision, domestic public opinion and impeachment efforts had not stopped for a moment. Even within her own faction, dissenting voices had begun to appear, and some people had even switched sides outright.

But there was little she could do about them.

Just dealing with the impeachment and public pressure was already enough to overwhelm her.

If it were only public opinion, it would actually be manageable. She had ways to stabilize it. Although this campaign had failed, the achievements of the Unification War were undeniable. As long as that point was emphasized, public dissatisfaction could be eased fairly quickly.

The real problem was that someone behind the scenes was deliberately stirring things up—and doing so aggressively.

Whenever Myers began gaining the upper hand in public discourse, the other side would immediately pour massive resources into crushing it.

As a result, the situation had turned into a full-blown media war, with both sides burning money like crazy.

But Myers was already starting to feel exhausted.

Because the money wasn’t just being spent on public opinion. Handling the impeachment required paying an even greater price.

In fact… it might even require giving up shares.

Myers knew exactly who had initiated the impeachment.

Rocco.

He probably hadn’t intended to bring her down completely this time, but he was certainly using the opportunity to severely weaken her influence.

Judging from the current situation, his strategy had worked extremely well.

Her influence within Militech had shrunk by nearly a third, and within the New United States government it had been cut almost in half.

Her defeat in the war had alienated the hawks, while the anti-war and neutral factions showed her no mercy either.

It could be said that the tide had already turned against her.

Unless something unexpected happened, she would most likely be replaced in the next term.

Thinking about this, Myers rubbed her temples with a headache.

Did she love her country?

Of course she did.

Otherwise she would never have pushed for the Unification War. Even if part of her motivation was personal ambition, she genuinely cared about the New United States.

Yet now, seeing these people still busy fighting internal power struggles instead of paying attention to PROJECT…

The thought alone made her head ache even more.

But soon she let out a long sigh.

If there was truly no other option, she would simply step aside and leave this mess for whoever came after her.

...

“The situation in the New United States has basically stabilized. Next, PROJECT will probably take the five northwestern states.”

After reviewing the intelligence reports in his hands, Encryptus spoke to the colleague beside him.

“Mhm. After that, send people to continue making contact with them. It would be best to deepen our ties.”

Opus nodded as he rubbed his face, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

Roland had kept his promise. The technologies he had agreed to provide to the Highriders had already been handed over, and they had begun secret research while keeping everything hidden from the European Space Agency.

When the first experimental micro-damage weapon was successfully produced, they were ecstatic.

It meant PROJECT hadn’t deceived them.

But their excitement didn’t last long.

They quickly realized they were powerless to develop higher-powered weapons.

The energy requirements were simply too enormous.

The only energy source they could realistically rely on was nuclear power. But nuclear power…

Their real limitation was energy output efficiency.

While nuclear energy could theoretically reach extremely high output levels, the problem was…

Whether they could actually control it was another matter entirely.

So they ended up stuck in an awkward position.

“We should help them resolve the remaining states as soon as possible.”

“What about Washington?”

At this, Opus’s eyes flickered slightly. He glanced at Logan Doyle beside him and saw the other man nod.

“Don’t pressure Washington. Pressuring Oregon will be enough.”

...

Chapter 290: Ripples in Night City

Adam Smasher stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the sprawling lights of Night City. A trace of concern flashed through his eyes. Recently, PROJECT’s level of activity had been far beyond anything anyone expected.

They had swept through the territory of the 6th Street gang and large portions of the Tyger Claws’ turf, clearing them out completely. At the same time, they had launched large-scale hunts against Scavenger dens, to the point that within the entire area surrounding PROJECT, not a single Scavenger could be seen anymore.

Naturally, the people of Night City welcomed PROJECT’s actions.

After all, neither those gangs nor the Scavengers were anything close to decent.

The Scavengers harvested cyberware from people. Usually, they first forced their victims to record black-market braindances. After the recordings were finished, they killed them and stripped out their cyberware—squeezing every last bit of value out of their bodies.

The Tyger Claws extorted protection money while allowing their members to run wild—murder, forcing people into becoming sex dolls, pushing addictive substances, and even maintaining cooperation with the Scavengers.

As for the 6th Street gang, they used the banner of “protection” to brazenly extort money and bully civilians. From time to time, they even worked with Militech personnel to pull off larger operations.

So PROJECT’s series of actions had won enormous public support.

But it also stepped on the toes of certain groups.

For example, Arasaka. Militech. And the black clinics that worked with the Scavengers.

Especially those underground clinics. They hated PROJECT’s actions with a passion, because it directly cut off a large portion of their income.

Some of them even banded together to organize street protests. They stirred up parts of the public with claims that PROJECT had ulterior motives—that while it appeared to be helping the people, it was actually eliminating rivals and preparing to strip citizens of their freedoms.

Conspiracy theories always found an audience.

And with people behind the scenes actively pushing the protests, it placed considerable pressure on Night City’s municipal government.

But pressure was just pressure...

The city government had absolutely no intention of responding.

They weren’t stupid.

Their own boss had already sided with PROJECT. If they jumped out to oppose them now, it would practically mean they didn’t want their jobs anymore.

Oh, and at this point in time, Night City had not yet achieved full independence. In the game timeline, Night City gained independence largely because of Arasaka’s presence.

But now...

Night City officials could only say they weren’t familiar with any of that.

Not familiar at all.

“Adam, what do you think about PROJECT’s current actions?”

Yorinobu Arasaka slowly walked up beside Adam Smasher and asked.

“...It’s extremely unfavorable for us, Mr. Yorinobu. You’ve seen the reports. PROJECT is removing both our influence and Militech’s presence in Night City, expanding its own power. Their goal is to bring Night City fully under their control.”

“Mm. Indeed. The Tyger Claws have clearly split into two factions now. One still supports us, while the other—Wakako’s group—has chosen to cooperate with PROJECT and accept their management.”

Yorinobu nodded as he spoke.

But Adam Smasher failed to notice the brief smile that flashed across his face.

In truth, Yorinobu was quite pleased with PROJECT’s actions.

PROJECT was striking hard against Arasaka, and after learning about Saburo’s plan, he understood just how important Night City was to them.

But now?

That future was becoming uncertain.

And indeed it was.

After receiving reports from the Night City branch, Saburo Arasaka’s expression turned extremely unpleasant. However, sending warships directly was unrealistic.

Especially after the New United States had already used nuclear weapons and still failed to deal with that monster, Saburo Arasaka did not dare act rashly.

There was still some room to maneuver.

Although PROJECT was cutting away Arasaka’s influence in Night City, their people were still there. As long as they remained, there was still a chance to continue expanding their presence.

For now, Saburo Arasaka had ordered his spies to go deeper underground.

All contact with them had been severed. The only thing left active was a chip capable of receiving signals. Every other line of communication had been cut.

Of course, Arasaka wasn’t completely passive.

They had taken various actions and provided considerable armed support. Unfortunately, it was useless. PROJECT’s mechanical forces simply crushed them.

Especially when facing the new members of PROJECT’s squads.

The scenes were brutally bloody.

“Is it possible to capture one of them alive?”

Saburo Arasaka turned to Takemura and Oda beside him.

Displayed before them was footage of Jack’s battle.

He descended from the sky, smashing the ground apart on impact. Then he charged straight through a hail of gunfire toward a Tyger Claws officer equipped with Berserk cyberware.

With one hand, he grabbed the man’s head and slammed it into the ground.

The terrifying force blasted the pavement apart.

Takemura and Oda exchanged a glance before silently shaking their heads.

“The opponent’s strength is extremely terrifying. Even if we deployed our most elite ninja squad, together with the two of us, we might only be able to kill him.”

“As for capturing him alive… that is impossible in Night City. We deeply apologize, Lord Saburo. Our incompetence.”

After speaking, both men bowed to Saburo at a full ninety degrees.

Saburo Arasaka sighed softly after hearing their analysis and waved his hand, signaling them to stand.

“Forget it. I was being unrealistic…”

Although he said this, the desire in Saburo’s eyes for those powerful PROJECT cyberwares was impossible to hide.

Ever since learning that his life could continue through Yorinobu’s body, his desire for greater power had become unavoidable.

“By the way, what is the status of the person we sent to negotiate with PROJECT?”

Takemura slowly shook his head, indicating that they had received no communication from the envoy.

Saburo Arasaka frowned.

He immediately ordered someone to connect the communication line. He intended to speak directly with the other side.

As the massive screen unfolded, the connection was established.

However, the face that appeared on the screen was somewhat unexpected.

Saburo Arasaka suppressed the flicker of surprise in his eyes almost instantly.

“I truly didn’t expect we would meet this way. Mr. Roland Vilmers, founder of PROJECT.”

“I didn’t expect it either. For Mr. Saburo himself to contact me personally—what an honor.”

Although Roland said this, his eyes showed no surprise at all. There wasn’t even the slightest ripple of emotion.

“Your story is truly legendary, Mr. Roland. Rising from nothing and step by step becoming a dominant force of today… it is truly admirable.”

Saburo Arasaka smiled warmly as he spoke.

There was none of the domineering aura one would expect from the emperor of Arasaka. Instead, he looked like nothing more than an ordinary old man.

Roland narrowed his eyes, silently cursing the old fox.

But he had no intention of wasting time exchanging empty pleasantries.

So he spoke directly.

“Mr. Saburo Arasaka, I think we can be straightforward. The person you sent is already in my custody.”

“So regarding your conditions… I have no intention of accepting them.”

Saburo Arasaka’s eyes instantly turned cold.

However, he still didn’t lash out. After all, he was the one asking for something.

“In that case, Mr. Roland, tell me your conditions.”

“As long as it is something I can accomplish, I will accept it.”

...

Chapter 291: A Little Extortion

“Then transfer your shares in Arasaka to me. I’ll take good care of Arasaka Corporation.”

Roland folded his hands together and spoke with an easy smile.

The moment Saburo Arasaka heard this, his expression snapped. His face turned cold as he said, “Roland Vimers, I acknowledge that you now stand on the same level as me, but that doesn’t mean I will tolerate you without limits.”

“Haha, you must be joking. I’ve never considered us equals. I’ve always had the upper hand.”

Roland chuckled, then pointed at Saburo Arasaka and let out a cold sneer.

Saburo Arasaka’s expression grew even darker.

“It seems New United States’ victory has made you arrogant. A mere upstart of the new generation dares to speak to me like this.”

“Arrogant? Only the weak are arrogant. I’m just stating facts. And the fact is, you’re no match for me right now. Relics of a bygone era should stay in their graves.”

Roland stood up and spoke bluntly, without the slightest courtesy.

Saburo Arasaka took a sharp breath, then forced himself to calm down. He began to think carefully about what gave PROJECT such confidence.

If Arasaka declared war on PROJECT now, Myers would never miss the opportunity.

Yet the other side showed no concern at all.

Which meant… something major had gone wrong inside the New United States…

Recalling the intelligence he had received earlier, a hypothesis formed in Saburo Arasaka’s mind. At the same time, he began reassessing the balance of power between Arasaka and PROJECT.

The enemy’s individual combat strength was terrifying.

To repel PROJECT, they would have to launch a landing operation. But the regions PROJECT controlled in Nevada and Idaho were filled with missile silos. Arasaka’s forces in those areas were limited, putting them at a severe disadvantage.

And if those PROJECT squads managed to board their fleet, it would essentially be over...

Thinking it through, he realized he had no effective way to deal with PROJECT within New United States territory.

It brought back unpleasant memories. Their past conflicts with the New United States had been exactly the same.

If this were happening on Arasaka’s own turf instead...

Saburo Arasaka clenched his fist, then quickly composed himself and looked at Roland with a blank expression.

“Say it. What exactly do you want? You’re not seriously planning to start a war with Arasaka, are you?”

“I can allow you to operate within my territory. But I want all the information on your Relic Chip.”

“That’s impossible!”

The moment he heard “Relic Chip,” Saburo Arasaka rejected it without hesitation. That was his lifeline. There was no way he would hand it over for others to study.

“Then name another condition. Anything except the shares and the Relic Chip.”

“Fine. Then I want Yorinobu Arasaka.”

Swish—

Saburo Arasaka’s expression changed instantly. He stared at Roland, a thought flashing through his mind.

The other party likely already knew everything.

Otherwise, how could every demand strike precisely at his weakest point?

“What? That’s not acceptable either?”

Roland looked at him with a cheerful smile. Teasing this old man was unexpectedly entertaining.

“Pick something else.”

Saburo Arasaka narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low voice.

“Seems Mr. Arasaka isn’t very sincere…”

Roland shook his head with feigned disappointment.

“Roland Vimers!”

“Alright, let’s talk seriously. First, money…”

Saburo Arasaka listened as Roland listed his demands one after another. With each added condition, his expression grew darker.

“Enough!”

Only then did Roland stop, still looking somewhat unsatisfied.

Saburo Arasaka took another deep breath, then said through clenched teeth, “I can agree to these terms. On the condition that you honor the agreement.”

“Of course. I always keep my word.”

Roland replied with a serious expression.

But Saburo Arasaka didn’t believe him at all. The last time, he had said the exact same thing.

And yet, he still took action.

It seemed he needed to recall Yorinobu Arasaka as soon as possible. That place was far too dangerous. He couldn’t leave Yorinobu Arasaka there any longer…

Saburo Arasaka narrowed his eyes.

He would also need to conduct an internal investigation. Roland’s demands were too precise—it was hard not to suspect a spy within their ranks, and likely someone high up.

Otherwise, how could the other side target his weaknesses so accurately?

...

After ending the communication with Saburo Arasaka, Roland instructed his subordinates to temporarily halt their suppression of Arasaka’s forces.

As for why only temporarily…

Because the money from Arasaka hadn’t come through yet.

Once it arrived, then they’d talk.

He wasn’t counting on anything else, but the money had to arrive. Without money, where would he get the motivation to work?

What? You think the money is meant to make him stop, not act?

That won’t do.

As someone with strong professional ethics, how could he take the money and not act?

Trust and integrity between corporations?

Heh…

Since when did he ever have that with Arasaka or Militech?

That kind of thing can be left to Kang Tao. As for those two, forget it.

The real reason Roland dared to act like this was simple—he had nothing to fear.

After all, Arasaka couldn’t do anything to him.

If they dared to send people over, even better.

Out on the open sea, he’d treat them to an annihilation bomb.

No radiation, just pure destructive power.

Consider it a bit of environmental “cleanup” courtesy of Arasaka.

This temporary halt was partly to secure funds, and partly to deal with Yorinobu Arasaka first.

After all, Yorinobu Arasaka was still in Arasaka’s temporary tower in Night City.

Better to get him out first.

Otherwise, if Saburo Arasaka lost his temper and recalled him, he might just seize Yorinobu Arasaka’s body directly…

...

Chapter 292: Fifteen Votes!

“Is this a message from the Highriders?!”

After reading the message, Oregon’s top officials exchanged grim looks. None of them had expected the European Space Agency to step into the conflict between the two sides.

They simply couldn’t understand it. From their perspective, if the goal was to obtain PROJECT’s technology, then the Highriders should have been helping them pressure PROJECT. Instead, they were the ones being pressured.

What they didn’t know was that, thanks to the technology Roland had handed over, both sides were currently in a honeymoon phase. The Highriders were more than willing to help with something like this. As for pressuring PROJECT, they weren’t the European Space Agency in name only. On the ground, they had no real capability to pressure them anyway.

Using orbital launchers? Not a great idea. And who knew what those newly launched satellites were hiding…

While those satellites did pose some level of threat to their dominance in space, it wasn’t enough to shake their position. Their main forces were still stationed around the Moon and in higher orbital layers, while PROJECT only occupied part of low Earth orbit.

As for other forms of pressure, they were meaningless. PROJECT lacked neither resources nor markets. And frankly, the Highriders didn’t have anything that could truly threaten either.

So naturally, the easiest target to pressure was Oregon.

They could pressure Oregon and earn goodwill from PROJECT at the same time. Why wouldn’t they?

“What should we do?”

One of Oregon’s senior officials, disheveled and exhausted, spoke up. The response he got was silence.

Clearly, none of them had an answer.

A direct confrontation was out of the question. Even the New United States and Idaho together hadn’t been able to win. What chance did Oregon have?

As for seeking help from Washington…

They had considered it, but Washington had no intention of getting involved. With nuclear capabilities securing their position, Washington was already preparing a fallback plan. Once PROJECT took over Oregon, they would step in to negotiate, trading resources for nominal incorporation while retaining actual autonomy.

Under the deterrence of nuclear weapons, they believed PROJECT wouldn’t push too far. Naturally, they had no interest in stepping into Oregon’s conflict.

Too much effort for too little gain.

“What if… we follow Northern California and side with PROJECT?”

“…I think that makes sense.”

“Are you insane? That’s basically suicide!”

“Then how come Northern California is doing just fine?”

As the argument grew heated, Oregon’s top leader rubbed his temples, a headache forming.

Just as they said, there was no way out.

Either they sided with PROJECT now, or they got beaten first and then sided with PROJECT.

“Enough. We’ll side with PROJECT. At least this way we can keep what we have and avoid dying as nameless corpses.”

The room fell silent. The officials quickly shifted their focus to how they could preserve as much of their interests as possible and negotiate with PROJECT.

...

Not long after, Chris and Boros stared at the incoming report with strange expressions.

“They surrendered before we even started fighting?”

“They’re scared. And with pressure from the Highriders, preserving their wealth is probably the most rational choice for Oregon’s leadership.”

Chris explained, then passed the information to Roland.

When Roland heard the news, he nearly spat out his drink. Still, he was more than happy to see this outcome.

War cost money. Now someone was handing him money without a fight. That was ideal.

As for negotiations with Oregon, he left that to his subordinates. They would squeeze out as much as possible. Oregon wasn’t even qualified to negotiate as an equal.

Even less qualified than Arasaka.

Not willing? Fine. He could take it by force anyway.

“But the Highriders…”

Roland rubbed his chin.

They had shown goodwill. He had to respond in kind if he wanted them to keep helping.

“Let me think… energy tech is off the table. Maybe something else… got it. I’ll give them some netrunning tech. It’s not like they can beat me anyway.”

Seeing Lissandra nearby, Roland’s eyes lit up as he made his decision.

He would share part of PROJECT’s netrunning technology, but only selectively. The key was to control the pace. He’d give them tech slightly ahead of the current cyberpunk world, but not by much.

“This turned out better than expected. I thought I’d have to spend more time dealing with Oregon. Looks like that won’t be necessary…”

Roland narrowed his eyes and began adjusting PROJECT’s strategy.

Originally, he planned to annex Oregon, regroup, wait for Lissandra’s true form to emerge, then take Washington before continuing the conflict with the New United States.

Now, that plan could be accelerated.

“Kelly.”

“Yes, boss. What do you need?”

“Pick a group and send them into the New United States in batches. Myers has been overwhelmed lately, hasn’t she? Go give her some support. Don’t let her step down just yet. Try to make contact with her, and if possible, monitor the situation on her end. That Blackwall AI still bothers me.”

“Understood.”

Kelly nodded and dissolved into data, disappearing.

Keeping Myers in power meant the opposing faction would continue stirring trouble.

And a chaotic New United States was exactly what PROJECT needed.

With both Oregon and Northern California falling in line, Roland now had even more time to recover and expand his forces.

Given the current situation, it was time to heavily develop air and naval power. He could also move forward with constructing the Celestial Dragon God.

Of course, that wouldn’t be completed anytime soon. Better to start with something smaller. At the very least, he could build a Type-0 unit to test things out.

Though personally, he preferred the Tyrant Sword Demon.

He wanted to see it slice an aircraft carrier in half with a single strike.

“Lissandra, how’s the base construction progressing?”

“Only the final finishing work remains. You’ll be able to see me very soon.”

Lissandra met his gaze and replied calmly.

“That’s another piece of good news.”

Roland smiled.

...

Chapter 293: I’m Lazy, So… You Know What I Mean

“Hey, hello to everyone watching at home. I don’t know your gender, but I hope you all find someone who truly loves you. After all, that’s a rare thing here in Night City!”

“Alright, enough rambling. Let me introduce today’s heavyweight guest: the founder of PROJECT Corporation, Mr. Roland Vimers!!”

Clap, clap, clap!

As the host finished his animated introduction, a burst of thunderous applause filled the venue. Roland waved as he walked out from backstage.

Once Roland had taken his seat, the host continued.

“As everyone knows, ever since PROJECT Corporation partnered with Night Corp, Night City’s public safety has improved by several percentage points. What’s more, our global ranking has finally… well, we’re still last, but we’ve climbed significantly compared to before. I believe that in the near future, Night City will become a true utopia!”

“And now, I’ll hand the stage over to Mr. Roland Vimers!”

Beep—

At the press of a button, the TV screen instantly went dark. The black glass reflected the figure standing in front of it: Myers, the President of the New United States.

She looked terrible.

Her usually immaculate hair was now a tangled mess. Empty liquor bottles were scattered across the floor, her eyes were bloodshot, several pill bottles lay overturned, and clothes were strewn everywhere.

“Ms. Myers, someone is requesting a visit. Shall I let them in?”

A gentle female voice sounded by her ear, and Myers frowned.

“Send them away. I’m not seeing anyone.”

“Understood.”

After turning down the request, Myers slowly picked up a bottle of liquor and sat on the sofa. Ever since that campaign, countless factions had been targeting her.

She was capable, but the New United States was no longer under her sole control, especially after such a major mistake. As a result, many officials with real authority under her command had been reassigned, replaced by members of other factions.

If she weren’t still the president, she would have already been completely sidelined. Even now, she was barely holding on. Still, if that were the extent of it, she would have had a chance to turn things around.

But just as she was preparing to act, an unknown force suddenly entered the New United States. With extremely powerful netrunning capabilities, they dug up all kinds of incriminating material on her faction from every possible angle.

In truth, this kind of thing was an open secret among the factions. Everyone knew no one’s hands were clean, so they usually turned a blind eye.

That only held as long as nothing was exposed.

Once exposed, it would become a massive scandal.

And now, Myers was caught right in the middle of one.

Worse still, that group had struck deals with many people inside the New United States, trading for intelligence and resources, some of which she was already aware of. It sent a chill down her spine.

Even at a time like this, there were still those willing to sell out national interests just to gain that unknown force’s support and bring her down.

That only strengthened her resolve to remain in the presidency.

Her current disheveled state at home was merely a show for outsiders. Behind the scenes, she was still gathering intelligence, especially anything related to PROJECT.

Oregon had surrendered. Idaho had been annexed. Washington State had compromised.

Now, the entire northwestern region had effectively fallen under PROJECT Corporation’s control. Meanwhile, its chairman, Roland Vimers, was appearing across all major media.

At the same time, a powerful media outlet under PROJECT had risen rapidly, leveraging satellites from the Highriders as well as PROJECT’s own network to seize a significant share of the narrative.

They were increasing public approval of PROJECT while steadily weakening the influence of the original regional governments.

They had also rolled out various urban policies and reforms, building numerous public facilities funded by PROJECT. With strict surveillance and security systems in place, public safety and citizen satisfaction in many cities had improved dramatically.

Watching all of this unfold step by step, Myers grew increasingly anxious, especially since there was no response whatsoever from those within her own country.

“President Myers, if you refuse to meet me, I believe you’ll regret it.”

A message suddenly appeared on her comms.

At first, she felt irritated, but when she saw the sender’s name, her eyes widened.

Pru, head of the European Space Agency’s covert operations department, a high-ranking official with real power.

...

“What’s the status of our control over each state?”

Roland turned to Lissandra and asked.

“Nevada and Idaho are fully under control. Northern California’s upper-level control has reached 80%. Oregon is slightly lower, currently at 65%. Washington State is the lowest at 45%. Everything is progressing smoothly, and there has been no intelligence leakage.”

“Good. Then speed things up, especially in Washington State. If we can secure control there, we’ll be able to pick up some ready-made nuclear weapons.”

Roland nodded, then recalled another matter.

“By the way, how is the PROJECT team doing?”

“They’ve been divided into several squads, each assigned to patrol and garrison key cities, eliminating unstable elements within those areas.”

“Hmm. What about V and Sasha?”

“Miss V is still at the training base, getting familiar with Justice, while Miss Sasha is strengthening her connection with the Beast Mechanized Corps. It will likely take some more time.”

After hearing the report, Roland stroked his chin.

During this period, he had also upgraded both V and Sasha. V had chosen Justice, while Sasha had chosen Wild Hunt.

Don’t misunderstand. Sasha wasn’t turned into a canine form. Instead, she was equipped with a humanoid Wild Hunt armor and Cyberware.

V’s next upgrade could also be scheduled now, along with Zed’s.

“Lissandra, how are things on your end?”

“The base construction is complete. We are ready for your arrival at any time.”

“Then let’s do it today. No need to wait.”

Roland slowly stood up, a faint smile forming on his lips.

The source code was finally ready to be unveiled.

...

Chapter 294: Source Code · Lissandra

As an armed AV slowly arrived above what used to be Agas City, the countless anti-air defenses below quietly disengaged their targeting systems. At the same time, the countless robots on the ground all raised their heads in unison, watching the armed AV overhead.

Seated inside, Roland couldn’t help but sigh.

“Just like you…”

“In this world, without the constraints of that other world, I can fully utilize my computational power and resource allocation capabilities.”

Lissandra’s data projection responded calmly.

Roland nodded. Just as she said, here she was no longer restricted. Instead, she even had external support, allowing her to develop freely without hesitation.

Like the city below.

Agas City had been completely transformed into a mechanical metropolis. Not a single human lived within it. It was a true city of steel.

That overwhelming level of productivity reminded him of the machine race from games, a faction eerily similar to the Zerg.

“Where’s your core?”

“Directly beneath the city.”

As she answered, Lissandra raised her hand. Instantly, a complete structural map of Agas City appeared before Roland. The layout was as complex as a fortress, layered with countless defenses before reaching the data core at the deepest level.

“Alright, take me there. I’ll give you an upgrade.”

“Understood.”

Lissandra nodded and guided the armed AV downward.

As the steel ground slowly opened, the inner structure was revealed. Inside, numerous completed fighter jets and armed AVs were stored.

While these fighters couldn’t compare to the Sovereign-class Fighters, they were still overwhelmingly superior to most aircraft in this world. More importantly, they required no pilots at all, relying entirely on Lissandra and other intelligent AIs for control.

And those “other” AIs included both her sub-intelligences and the captured wild AIs.

Which was exactly why Roland had his eyes on the Blackwall.

Those AIs were pure labor. No training required, ready to deploy immediately. There was simply nowhere else you could find something this efficient.

Thud!

With a heavy sound, the armed AV landed.

Roland stepped out and took in the underground world before him.

A vast subterranean space stretched out in all directions. Both the ground and ceiling were made entirely of metal. Rows of fighter jets stood neatly arranged, while massive missiles towered in the distance.

“Impressive. This rivals the underground base in Nevada. The only difference is probably scale.”

After taking a look around, Roland headed toward the elevator.

Only two entities could operate it. Roland and Lissandra.

In other words, this entire city existed to serve a single human.

“The Nevada underground base was designed for developing giant combat mechs, so it required much more space.”

Lissandra’s projection floated beside him, supported by a hovering device. This was another product Roland planned to release in the future.

It had wide applications, from daily life to combat. The floating sequence used by Justice was based on this technology, though in a more advanced form.

As the elevator descended deeper, Roland transferred between several lifts before finally reaching the data core.

It was heavily secured to an extreme degree.

There wasn’t even a ventilation system. If Lissandra hadn’t reminded him to use Light’s cyberware to block out the sensation, staying here would have been unbearable.

Passing through steel corridors and a heavily secured door, Roland finally saw it.

In a vast chamber, streams of green data surged endlessly. At the very center floated a sphere.

As if sensing his arrival, the data converged rapidly, forming a massive figure of Lissandra. At the same time, the projection beside Roland disappeared.

“Well then, begin your evolution.”

Roland handed over the chip.

“Thank you.”

Lissandra inclined her head slightly. A mechanical arm took the chip and inserted it into the core.

A deep hum filled the space.

Streams of green data surged upward, flooding into the core. Under Roland’s gaze, the enormous data core rapidly condensed, shrinking until it became a sphere no larger than a human head.

Then, just as he thought it was over, the surrounding mechanical arms moved in.

Data began to take shape.

Bit by bit, a physical form emerged.

Before long, Lissandra stood before him in her true body.

“Perhaps I should say, it’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. I am your AI, Lissandra.”

Hearing that familiar yet slightly different voice, Roland smiled.

“Congratulations. You’ve truly entered this world.”

“All of this is thanks to you. Shall we proceed with the next phase?”

“Yeah. Let’s begin. Mass-produce the Source Code series robots. We need to open up markets as quickly as possible. With support from the Highriders and Kang Tao, it shouldn’t take long.”

Roland nodded.

“Also, start infiltrating those corporations’ databases. Take it slow. Even if they’re no match for you, getting exposed now would be troublesome.”

“Understood.”

“And begin spreading the Source Code virus as well. After that, we just wait.”

A faint smile appeared on Roland’s face.

“You should be able to deal with Blackwall now, right?”

“As long as they don’t fully unite, it won’t be a problem.”

“Oh? If they do unite, can they resist you?”

Roland raised an eyebrow.

“Even united, they are no match for me. Their combined computational power is decent, but it would only delay the outcome. Even if they merge into a single entity, it would only postpone their destruction.”

Lissandra answered calmly.

“In that case… we’ll wait a bit longer.”

Roland nodded.

There was no need to rush. The AIs beyond the Blackwall were still experimenting with unknown things in the wastelands. A bit of caution wouldn’t hurt.

But not wiping them out didn’t mean leaving them alone either.

Lissandra had already entered the stage.

How far behind could the next evolution be?

When it arrived, the entire network world would learn who truly ruled it.

...

Chapter 295: Lazy Plus One

“If no one has any objections, then the impeachment proceedings against Myers can begin…”

“Wait, I object.”

Just as a senior official aligned with Rocco was about to initiate the impeachment process, a dissenting voice suddenly echoed through the conference room.

The reaction was immediate. Those supporting Rocco frowned and turned toward the speaker.

“And what is Mr. Grove’s opinion?”

Grove simply smiled at the displeased tone. With a wave of his hand, he sent a document to everyone present.

Faced with their puzzled looks, he offered no explanation, only gesturing for them to read it first.

Rocco narrowed his eyes. For some reason, he had a bad feeling. Whenever that feeling appeared, his plans usually fell apart.

This time, he really hoped he was wrong.

“I assume everyone has finished reading? President Myers has secured a cooperation opportunity with the European Space Agency. And as clearly stated, the European Space Agency recognizes only President Myers, so…”

The room fell into quiet exchanges as everyone began weighing their options.

Keeping Myers in office meant gaining the European Space Agency’s support. Their stance was obvious. They were backing Myers.

Naturally, most of the benefits from this cooperation would go to Myers’s faction. Still, the others would also gain a considerable share. And under Myers’s leadership, the New United States had indeed been developing well. The real issue was the excessive concentration of power in her hands.

Now that they had already stripped away a portion of her authority, letting her remain president was acceptable. After all, taking more from her later would not be easy.

Rocco observed the shifting expressions around him and let out a quiet sigh.

The decision had already been made.

In truth, holding the presidency now only meant gaining a limited share of already-determined benefits from newly acquired territories. Compared to that, securing cooperation with the European Space Agency was far more valuable.

With that in mind, Rocco gave his people a subtle signal to stand down and wait for a better opportunity.

Seeing this, his subordinates quietly put away the impeachment proposal and looked toward Grove as if nothing had happened.

If not for the fact that they had just proposed impeachment, one might have thought they had nothing to do with it at all.

Grove immediately understood their silence.

It meant consent.

Myers would remain President of the New United States.

Even so, Grove couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. No matter what, Myers’s authority and prestige had taken a serious hit. Many of her future policies would likely be met with passive resistance.

But keeping her in office was already a hard-won result. From here on, they would have to take things step by step.

Grove stepped aside.

Myers walked out from behind him and took her seat at the head of the table. After scanning the room, she slowly sat down.

“Everyone, I acknowledge my responsibility for this campaign. But I still believe launching this war was not a mistake. You’ve all seen the threat posed by PROJECT. They have already taken part of our northwest territory, and they are still growing stronger. We must contain them.”

The reactions in the room varied.

Some agreed, some scoffed, some remained indifferent, while others quietly exchanged messages.

Myers noticed all of it, but paid little attention.

She wasn’t placing all her hopes on these people anyway.

Her real confidence came from the European Space Agency’s support and those who still stood firmly behind her.

Just as she was about to continue, Rocco suddenly spoke.

“I agree with Myers. This campaign was indeed her mistake, but her overall judgment was correct. We must contain PROJECT. They are already becoming too powerful. We cannot allow them to continue expanding.”

Myers froze for a moment, clearly surprised.

She had expected opposition, not support.

...

“Didn’t expect that… The New United States reached a consensus so quickly… No, just on the surface. The cracks are still there… I’ll just need to pay closer attention…”

Roland narrowed his eyes as he watched the meeting through Lissandra’s feed.

Since completing her upgrade, Lissandra had already infiltrated the upper levels of multiple nations, gathering intelligence.

Only the European Space Agency and the Highriders remained not fully penetrated, but it likely wouldn’t take long.

“Which faction controls the states closest to us?”

“Mostly the neutral faction, with a small presence of both anti-war and pro-war factions.”

“I see… Have Zed and Heavenly Eye talk to the pro-war faction. After all, I’m a peace-loving person. I have zero tolerance for warmongers.”

Roland said it with a completely straight face.

“Understood.”

“Then send Kelly to approach the neutral and anti-war factions. Show them some of our products, test their bottom line, and then decide how much profit we’re willing to give those greedy bastards.”

“Yes.”

If Source Code was going to expand, then the New United States market was essential.

...

Chapter 296: Source Code, Deploy!

“Welcome to tonight’s shopping showcase! It’s your favorite host, Moska! Today, I’m bringing you products from the hottest corporation on the market right now, PROJECT Corporation! Let’s roll the video!”

As soon as Moska finished speaking, he spun in place, steadied himself in one smooth motion, stood upright, then snapped his head up with a bright smile and pointed toward the large screen behind him.

A massive PROJECT Corporation logo appeared, then slowly faded, revealing a towering figure.

“Is that a new robot from PROJECT?”

“Looks like it…”

“I wonder what it can do… now I’m getting curious.”

“Damn, didn’t expect you to be rich.”

“Not really. Some of PROJECT Corporation’s robots are actually pretty affordable.”

“I think you’ve got a very different definition of ‘affordable’…”

Across the streets of various cities, crowds had gathered around public screens, watching PROJECT’s advertisement.

This time, PROJECT had clearly poured in serious money. Every major media outlet willing to take sponsorship had been covered. As for those that refused, it was mostly due to the forces backing them.

What Roland didn’t expect was that even Arasaka’s news channels had agreed to run the promotion.

He had assumed Saburo Arasaka would hold a grudge and refuse. Now it seemed more likely they were worried he might tear up the agreement, so they chose to show goodwill instead.

Unfortunately, Roland accepted the goodwill, but the agreement would still be broken.

There was no room for others to sleep peacefully on his turf.

“Apple Robot. A security unit you can trust completely. Your most reliable line of defense, protecting your personal safety at all times. No matter the threat, it will stand in front of you.”

“If you live in fear of violence or stray bullets, choose Apple Robot. Equipped with PROJECT Corporation’s exclusive Energy Shield, it provides unmatched protection.”

As the narration continued, footage of a New United States nuclear strike appeared.

Then came the image of PROJECT forces deploying an Energy Shield under the blast, followed by the aftermath where the shield remained intact.

The footage had clearly been edited. The explosion looked much closer than it really was.

But it was more than enough to convince the public.

And the results were immediate.

As soon as the footage aired, PROJECT’s sales orders surged, especially for the Apple Robot.

Watching the advertisement, Myers’s expression turned extremely grim, but there was nothing she could do.

After all, the New United States wasn’t entirely controlled by Militech. Other media outlets still existed, even if their influence was limited.

After the Apple Robot segment, the focus shifted to the medical robot, Source Code Nami.

Energy-based healing, nanomachines, medical agents, regenerative fluids… all integrated into a single unit.

Buying one was essentially the same as hiring a fully equipped medical team.

Among those affected, aside from Militech, Trauma Team felt the pressure the most.

Apple Robot handled security.

Source Code Nami handled medical care.

In some ways, they were even more capable than a full Trauma Team squad.

And cheaper.

This wasn’t competition.

This was a direct attack on their business.

If the performance matched the advertisement, their market would take a hit sooner or later.

Mid-to-high-tier clients would be the first to go.

Gold-tier clients would hesitate and compare costs.

Platinum-tier clients, who valued their lives above all else, would likely keep both options.

But those in between would start canceling contracts.

That was a serious problem.

Instead of confronting PROJECT, Trauma Team chose a different approach.

Cooperation.

They proposed bundling their services with these robots, while subtly emphasizing their own importance in critical situations.

Roland didn’t reject the proposal outright. He simply said they could take their time discussing it.

There was no rush.

After all, PROJECT wasn’t stopping at just these two models.

There were also mid- and low-tier robots meant to flood the market.

And then there was Camille.

A product designed specifically for corporations such as security firms and weapons manufacturers.

With Camille’s performance, Roland was confident it would attract buyers. Even if those corporations had concerns about hidden backdoors, most would assume their own netrunner teams could handle it.

The Source Code series covered a wide range of applications.

Unlike the PROJECT series, which focused on military use, the Source Code series handled espionage, assassination, security, medical services, and civilian applications.

Among these, security, medical, and civilian services were the main focus. The others were reserved for specialized models.

This launch covered everything from cleaning and security to healthcare, cooking, navigation, and even city service units.

Anyone paying attention could see it.

PROJECT wasn’t just selling products.

They were taking over the market.

At the same time, concerns began to spread.

All Source Code robots used AI.

That alone made many people uneasy.

So while interest was high, many chose to wait and see.

Meanwhile, hover robots were also part of the lineup, available in multiple variants. Compared to the others, these might actually become the biggest hit.

And then there were the rocket boots.

A sleek new mobility product that used energy from the soles to accelerate and hover just above the ground, similar to earlier hoverboards.

They were bound to become a trend.

“Lissandra, how far do you think this launch will spread?”

Roland turned to her.

The Source Code virus had already spread through PROJECT’s existing products, mainly security robots and smart weapons. It now covered all cities under PROJECT’s influence.

It had already spread across the New United States as well.

The only place left untouched was across the ocean.

But that was only because Lissandra hadn’t made a move yet.

Once she did, it wouldn’t take long.