"Mr. Zhang, it's been a while since we last met, hasn't it?"
Roland interlaced his fingers under his chin, smiling at the impeccably groomed middle-aged man across from him.
"It has indeed. A few things happened in between, and lately Mr. Vimers has looked quite busy. I didn't want to disturb you."
Eric Zhang chuckled softly as he sat down opposite Roland. Seeing this, Tina brought over two cups of tea, then quietly exited the conference room, leaving the space to the two of them.
"Mr. Vimers has been making some big moves lately—directly absorbing an entire company."
"Isn't that a very common scene in corporate expansion?"
Roland's smile didn't waver. Internally, though, he was wondering what business this old fox had with him. Normally, the man sent people to make offers—trying to buy into PROJECT Corporation and the like.
Roland had always refused. They wanted too large a share; a small portion might have been acceptable.
But now… the old fox had come in person. Who knew what trick he was planning.
"Of course, of course. I'm simply curious about the new product your company recently unveiled, Mr. Vimers."
As he spoke, Eric Zhang slid a photo across the table. Roland only needed one glance to recognize the Night Owl robot.
Roland raised a brow, picked up the photo, and after giving Zhang a look, said, "Yes, this is indeed our company's latest security robot. But we're not planning to sell it for now—it'll be used internally only."
"Ah, that's actually why I'm here. I was wondering whether Mr. Vimers might be willing to part with a few units for our use."
Eric Zhang looked at Roland with a pleasant smile, his tone gentle.
Roland narrowed his eyes at him. Zhang remained unbothered, smiling as he met Roland's gaze.
"If Kang Tao is genuinely interested, we can provide a few Night Owl units for trial use—as partners."
Roland thought about it for a moment. He didn't reject the request, but he also didn't agree to any sale.
He was confident in the secrecy of the PROJECT world's technology, but unnecessary risks weren't worth taking. If Kang Tao dismantled a Night Owl and discovered even a hint of core tech…
Given PROJECT world's technological edge over the Cyberpunk world, that would become a textbook case of "treasure invites trouble."
Eric Zhang didn't refuse Roland's proposal. He simply nodded with a smile, then gave Roland a curious look.
"That's perfect. But this isn't the only reason I came today. There's something else I'm very curious about—if Mr. Vimers wouldn't mind helping me understand."
"Go ahead."
Roland nodded. After agreeing to the Night Owl matter, answering a single question wasn't a big deal.
"This person… he should be from your company, right?"
Zhang produced another photo. The moment Roland saw it, he stiffened—Jhin, caught on camera as he was leaving the building.
But Roland wasn't shocked for long. Jhin had covered his tracks somewhat, but he'd never intended to keep the matter hidden forever. Arasaka had already made their guesses too.
"Yes. Something like that. But he's not exactly a subordinate—more of a partner."
Zhang immediately understood. In his mind, that confirmed that PROJECT Corporation's exceptional netrunner was this man.
"Then Mr. Vimers should know Kuroda, correct?"
Roland's pupils shrank sharply. He looked at Zhang with sudden wariness, unsure what the man was after.
"Relax, Mr. Vimers. I mean no harm. I simply want to ask for Kuroda's address. We'd like to have a proper conversation with him."
Eric Zhang smiled broadly.
"If you're willing to share Kuroda's address and information with us, Kang Tao can offer you a batch of purchase orders, investment funds, and even help you open up markets for your smart weapons. How does that sound?"
Roland fell into thought immediately. If he handed over information on Kuroda, Kang Tao would absolutely sell him out—forcing Kuroda to rely on them, allowing Kang Tao to tighten their control over PROJECT Corporation from the inside.
If he refused, it wouldn't cause an immediate conflict, but Kang Tao would almost certainly suppress certain PROJECT products later. Not openly, of course—they still had a cooperative relationship.
But covertly, through subsidiaries? That was easy.
"If you want to talk to him, I'll need to call him and ask what he thinks."
Roland eventually replied.
Seeing Roland hadn't taken the bait, Eric Zhang didn't continue pressing for Kuroda's information.
"Then I'll trouble you with that, Mr. Vimers. By the way, about the task Mr. Harvey asked me to pass along to you—how is it coming along?"
"It's nearly finished. We should be able to deliver it in about five days."
"That's wonderful. I'm sorry for the trouble, Mr. Vimers."
With that, Eric Zhang slowly rose to leave. Roland stood as well, signaling Tina to escort him out.
When Zhang's figure finally disappeared from view, Roland narrowed his eyes and cursed him inwardly—old fox.
The man had left after applying just enough pressure to unsettle him, without pushing too far. A test of Roland's limits and bottom line.
Roland then planned to contact Kuroda and inform him of the situation. Whether Kuroda chose to meet Zhang was his own business. Roland's responsibility ended at delivering the message—nothing more.
He had his own affairs to handle as well. The Mox had been left unchecked for too long. It was time to take a look, impose some order, and maybe encounter a few useful individuals—or people who appeared in the storyline.
Worth mentioning, he had already sent people to look into Sasha's whereabouts. Whether they'd find anything remained to be seen.