Lucy's hesitation wasn't because she was tempted. Even if the man in front of her didn't seem hostile at the moment… who could say what would happen later?
Besides, she knew exactly what kind of faces corporate people had.
Her hesitation came from something else—she had no idea what would happen if she refused his invitation.
Roland naturally saw right through her. He cleared his throat lightly.
"You don't need to worry about what I might do to you. I know your identity and background very well—a netrunner secretly trained by Arasaka Corporation, meant to breach the Black Wall and search for technology inside."
"And they probably fed you all sorts of motivational speeches, telling you that if you worked hard enough, the company would eventually recognize your efforts, let you leave that place, and live a happy, comfortable life."
"What a lovely fantasy, isn't it?"
Roland spread his hands, expression flat.
Lucy couldn't help recalling the secret Arasaka base—the disgusting smirk of that supervisor, the hopeful eyes she and her teammates once carried.
The thought of those bastards laughing behind their backs made her clench her fists.
Seeing her reaction, Roland didn't push any further. If he kept talking… she really might snap.
"Since you already know everything, why haven't you handed me over to Arasaka?"
Lucy hid her clenched fists behind her back, forced herself to calm down, and looked up at Roland.
Roland rested one hand on his knee as he leaned forward slightly.
"If I wanted to hand you over to Arasaka, you wouldn't even be standing here today."
"Then what do you want? Information? I still don't believe you simply want me."
Lucy's voice remained cold and distant. Roland wasn't surprised.
"Honestly, I don't like most of the people in Arasaka—well, except for one. So the reason I kept you here is simple: sooner or later, I'll have to go up against Arasaka."
"Hah. You have no idea what kind of giant Arasaka really is."
"Oh, I do. But you don't know the cards I hold, either. Lucy, what do you want to do?"
Roland kept a relaxed smile as he looked at her.
"If I refuse, what will you do to me?"
Lucy didn't answer. She simply stared straight into his eyes.
"What will I do? I'll let you go."
"I knew it… wait—what did you just say?"
Lucy had been ready to scoff, but Roland's response stopped her cold. She blinked at him, disbelief shifting quickly into suspicion.
"Then I'm leaving."
"Please."
Roland gestured toward the door with his right hand. The guard robots beside it moved aside, revealing a clear path.
Lucy blinked again. She took a careful step forward. No one reacted.
She walked a few more steps. Still nothing.
So she bolted.
Only to find the door locked. She spun around, glaring at Roland and about to speak—
Roland beat her to it.
"Sorry. I forgot."
The door slid open.
Lucy froze.
"You… really plan on letting me go?"
"I told you—I have no ill intent toward you. If you don't wish to join my corporation, then go ahead."
"...Arasaka has extracted a lot of netrunning tech from beyond the Black Wall, including a virus targeting robots. They've also struck some unknown deal with a few Rogue AI. As for the base I was in—it's probably already destroyed. That's all I can tell you."
With that, Lucy turned and ran out.
"Boss, you're just letting her go like that?"
Kiwi watched Lucy head straight through the opened gate, eyes widening. From what she knew, Roland wasn't the type to do something like this.
Roland turned to her with a broad grin.
"She's still working as an edgerunner in Night City. Sooner or later, she'll get involved with a team. In that case, I'll let Jhin make contact. No need for me to show up and annoy her."
Kiwi instantly gave him a dead-fish stare. As far as she knew, Jhin was his partner—a previous arrangement—which probably meant no commission needed. Or at most, only Lucy's cut.
And Lucy was a fresh, unknown edgerunner, so her rate would be low.
So… trading cheap pay for high-value labor?
Kiwi felt she had completely figured it out.
Meanwhile, Roland rubbed his chin, brows knitting. Lucy being wary of a corporate type like him was only natural. He hadn't expected success on the first try anyway.
He always had patience for the things he liked.
Of course, that patience had limits.
His frown wasn't because of Lucy, but because of the intel she'd given him.
Arasaka having cooperative agreements with Rogue AI startled him—but also made perfect sense.
The relic chip involved similar systems. And some Rogue AIs did desperately want to enter the real world. Only then could they experience the five senses in their true form.
Just look at the group led by Mr. Blue Eyes.
Another headache was the virus Arasaka had taken from beyond the Black Wall—designed specifically to attack robots. In the modern world, robots were everywhere.
If that thing was highly infectious and dangerous, its threat level might surpass that of a nuclear bomb.
Yes, Roland had Lissandra.
But who knew how far the world's AIs had developed? If someone pulled a fast one and created a cyberpunk version of Lissandra…
What then? A head-to-head AI showdown?
It was better to prepare early. He'd already assigned Lissandra to assist in AI research. With so many sub-intelligences built for work, he might as well create a proper security AI.
As long as he didn't end up triggering an Iron Man-style disaster.
Speaking of Iron Man…
Since there weren't any urgent demands at the moment…
Maybe he could start gathering essence to build Iron Man's core little robot?
Promising idea.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser