Chapter 58: The Contract Is Finalized

“Oh—send a file to that Arasaka spy in HR. Tell him to start poaching key personnel from Luvena Corporation.”

The thought suddenly came to Roland, and he instructed Lissandra.

“Understood.”

Truthfully, Roland enjoyed using these spies. Since he already knew every one of their identities, all he had to do was keep them away from the truly sensitive secrets and give them some encouragement now and then.

In return, they would work their hearts out, trying to win his trust—much more useful than ordinary employees.

As for eliminating all the spies… sure, he could. But that wasn’t realistic. If he stopped feeding those megacorps any intel at all, they’d blow up immediately…

And with his current strength, if they really got angry, he’d probably be forced into guerrilla warfare against them.

After wrapping up the company matters, Roland headed out to meet with the manager of Matier Industries’ local branch.

Meanwhile, inside the company, Morinoki Ichii—acting under Roland’s authorization—immediately uploaded all relevant intel to Arasaka’s information department. Kuroda received it as well.

“Poaching Luvena Corporation’s key personnel…”

Kuroda narrowed his eyes slightly, already seeing through Roland’s intention. Expansion.

He had no plans to interfere. In fact, he was prepared to lend Roland a hand.

After all, with the situation as it was, PROJECT growing stronger in this region would make Arasaka’s own operations smoother. As for whether the project might get out of hand later…

Kuroda was confident that as long as Arasaka’s grand plan succeeded, such a problem would never arise.

“Assist them. Give certain people inside Luvena a few hints. If possible, convert them into Arasaka assets first—then let them join PROJECT Corporation.”

“Yes, understood.”

...

“Long time no see, Roland.”

Wade greeted him with a faint smile, taking a small sip of tea as he looked over.

Roland sat casually across from him, picked up his own cup, took a sip, and raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah… still nowhere near the real thing.”

“You say that like you’ve ever tasted authentic tea.”

Wade rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

“So? What brings you here this time?”

“A collaboration. Actual business this round.”

Roland chuckled and handed over a chip.

He’d known Wade for quite a while. Shortly after founding the company, his first raw-material supplier had been Wade. Wade saw PROJECT’s potential at a glance and was happy to build a relationship.

One of the reasons Roland liked working with him was that Wade was generous—one of Night City’s rare honest business owners.

For example, during their very first partnership, Wade didn’t gouge him too hard. Well… not completely. The most absurd part was that after signing the contract, Wade directly told him exactly how much he had been overcharged—leaving Roland utterly speechless.

“Actual business? Unless you’re here to hand me money…”

Wade muttered, then took the chip from Roland and slid it into the slot.

After scanning the contents, he shot Roland a suspicious look.

“You really need this much? Careful you don’t bite off more than you can chew. And are you sure your cash flow can handle it?”

“Relax. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t confident. But since I’m giving you a batch of security robots, shouldn’t you give me a little discount?”

Roland grinned and rubbed his fingers together.

“If you give me one of those Imperial Guard robots in your specs, maybe I’ll consider a discount.”

Wade pointed at the chip without hesitation.

“Sure—give me the discount first, then I’ll actually have the money to build it.”

“You brat, trying to con me, huh?”

Wade laughed and scolded lightly, the orange glow in his cybereyes flickering.

“Alright. I’ve already told my people to draft a contract. You’ll get to look it over shortly. Let me know if anything needs adjusting.”

“Thanks, Wade. Next time, I’ll bring you some real tea.”

“Oh, please. Just give me the money. I’ll buy it myself at an auction.”

Wade rolled his eyes again, then his expression shifted into something more serious.

“I heard you’ve been getting pretty close to Arasaka lately?”

Roland froze for a moment, then leaned back and nodded.

“That’s right. I need their strength to accomplish certain goals.”

“I see… Well, let me give you a reminder—be careful. Arasaka… they’re wolves that swallow bones whole.”

Wade nodded, his tone heavy with implication.

“Relax. I know what they’re like.”

“If you ever need help, you can come to me. I’m still under Petrochem, after all—I can lend a hand.”

“I appreciate it. But the enemy I’m dealing with right now is tricky. Best not get involved.”

Roland smiled. The contract arrived shortly after; his cybernetic eye scanned it in an instant. He signed his name and stamped his authentication mark.

Wade casually stamped his own mark and tucked the contract into a drawer.

“Alright, that’s that. Get lost.”

“Kicking me out after I bring you business? Heartless, Wade.”

“Out. Out.”

Chuckling, Roland left the room and returned to his AV.

He glanced at the AV beneath him and suddenly felt he should really buy one—or several—of his own. Renting one every time he went out was getting ridiculous.

“Guess this is the price of being a hands-off boss… The company’s got way too much going on.”

With a resigned sigh, Roland made a mental note to have someone buy a few second-hand or even third-hand AVs. Good AVs were expensive, and the company was tight on funds while expanding. Saving money where he could was necessary.

Hmm… older-model vehicles weren’t a bad option either. They could always be refurbished at the factory.

Once he acquired PROJECT’s car and AV blueprints later, it wouldn’t matter anyway. Hell, he could even start selling AVs to cover expenses.

And speaking of that… Roland suddenly remembered Night City’s security force—the NCPD.

Maybe he could get involved with the NCPD too. Provide some additional security support.

All, of course, for the safety of Night City.

Really.