Chapter 65: Closing the Net!

After informing Kiwi, Roland also deployed two other security units to clear out the remaining two bases. His orders were simple: unless they surrendered, leave no survivors.

These weren’t the company’s usual security teams. The company’s official units were still mostly human-operated, with robots as secondary support—strong firepower, yes, but still support.

Instead, he sent out the security forces stationed in Lissandra’s secret factory.

The units built there were entirely robotic, with Imperial Guard robots serving as the main combat force.

Worth noting, Roland had Lissandra reverse-engineer the AV he’d purchased and redesign it into a new model. It hadn’t gone into mass production yet.

He planned to find a good moment to start selling AVs and similar vehicles to make money. And if possible, he also wanted to trade for those air motorboats from the PROJECT world.

He was certain they’d be insanely profitable. With something that cool-looking, he’d be doing it an injustice if he didn’t charge a premium!

Meanwhile, although Brown was furious and overwhelmed by helplessness, he still hadn’t given up. He was determined to make a comeback—and take Roland down with him.

After all, he still had plenty of people under him and a hefty amount of savings. Even if he couldn’t stay a CEO, he could still make it as a gang leader.

What he didn’t know was that nearly all his top executives had already fled, each securing new backers, waiting for him to fall so they could switch sides instantly.

His current plan was to gather his own security forces and hit Roland hard. But even he knew the chances were slim—Roland had already survived one attack and would definitely be more cautious now.

Unless he stormed straight into PROJECT’s HQ and killed him inside.

But that was obviously impossible. First, he probably wouldn’t even get past the front door. Second, it violated the rules.

Ever since the Arasaka Tower attack, Night City corporations had become vehemently opposed to such actions. And even though Militech had been behind that attack, it didn’t mean Militech wasn’t disgusted by it too.

If he tried something like that now, he probably wouldn’t live to see the next day. He didn’t even have an armed AV. And after learning all the details of that previous assault…

Brown was left with one single thought: What the hell is wrong with PROJECT?

They jump into the security business and instantly pour in massive investments? Armed AVs? Heavy firepower? An entire army of security robots?

He strongly suspected PROJECT had been plotting his downfall from the very beginning!

PROJECT seeks our destruction! Luvena Tech will resist to the end!

Aside from all that, if he wanted Roland dead, the only realistic chance would be once Roland left the city again. Just as Brown was stuck, completely at a loss…

He suddenly remembered Night City’s rising star. He didn’t like edgerunners, but that didn’t change the fact they were incredibly useful.

Especially those legendary types—the more dangerous and high-paying the job, the more they loved it.

Since doing nothing meant death anyway, he might as well play his strongest card.

With that thought, Brown immediately contacted Rogue, the Queen of the Afterlife, intending to request that legendary merc specifically.

...

Meanwhile, inside an unusually bright factory, a massive computer occupied one room. It was currently connected to a small figure standing at its center.

Streams of data flashed across the screen on the figure’s helmet, as if searching for something.

Suddenly, a call came in. Jhin, immersed in deep dive mode, snapped awake and looked at the caller in confusion.

It was Rogue, the Queen of the Afterlife.

“Rogue? What is it? What do you need?”

Jhin, while under Lissandra’s control, looked at Rogue with clear interest.

“Jhin, there’s another huge Gig. The client specifically named you for the job. Interested?”

Rogue glanced at the information in her hand. Even she was stunned by the number—she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen a Gig this big.

“Oh? Let’s hear it. How much is the reward?”

Jhin was curious. If Rogue herself said it was big, then the price must be extraordinary.

At that moment, Roland also noticed the commotion and dove into his consciousness, watching like a movie.

“The reward is three million eurobucks. You should know what that means.”

The moment he heard the number, Jhin froze. That amount was enough to make even a wolf crack a grin.

“Take the Gig. Earn the extra cash, Lissandra!”

In his office, Roland couldn’t resist giving the order.

Jhin paused for a moment, then replied, “I am Jhin, Lissandra’s sub-AI—not Lissandra herself. But I have received your directive. I will perform accordingly.”

Roland blinked, scratching his head. Good grief—he’d assumed Lissandra was directly controlling things. He hadn’t expected someone as proper-looking as her to slack off like this.

Still, he could clearly sense that he could take over Jhin’s body anytime, so he wasn’t bothered. Honestly, it felt nice not having to do everything himself.

Even though Jhin was essentially an avatar, having both his main body and avatar act together all the time was tiring. Watching the action like a movie felt much better.

“I’ll take the Gig. Tell me the specifics.”

Jhin looked at Rogue and spoke calmly.

“Decisive as always. I like that, Jhin.”

Rogue raised an eyebrow, then sent over the complete Gig data.

Jhin began reviewing it immediately. When he finished, he froze completely—while Roland stared with a very strange expression.

“Kill the CEO of PROJECT Corporation, Roland Vimers!”

Roland was stunned. What, I’m supposed to kill myself??

“What’s wrong? Something difficult?” Rogue asked, puzzled by Jhin’s reaction.

In her mind, Roland might have been a former client and a company owner, but he was just a small-time CEO. The person before her had taken on political targets—there was no way this should have been an issue.

“I can’t take this Gig. But I can warn you—the client won’t live much longer.”

As he spoke, a red glow slowly surfaced on the upper half of Jhin’s mask.

Seeing this, Rogue immediately connected the dots. She guessed there was an eighty percent chance Jhin had already accepted a Gig from Roland—and that the target was the very same client who posted this job.

After reaching her conclusion, Rogue simply shook her head. She felt a bit sorry for the client, but it didn’t affect her much. And as for calling in a favor from Jhin… please. Someone of his caliber shouldn't be wasted on something like that.

“Alright. Understood. I’ll notify the client.”