Another early morning arrived. Roland dragged himself out of bed, opened his system panel, and went for a single Lucky Draw Chest pull.
With a steady daily income of Blue Essence now, he tried his luck from time to time—though nothing worthwhile had dropped ever since his Ascension...
Still, people need hope. What if today was the day?
"Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained: [PROJECT: Fanged Hound Beast-Type Robot Blueprint]!"
"!"
Roland shot to his feet at the notification, surprise written all over his face. He really hadn't expected to actually pull something good today.
Before this, it had always been either some kinetic pistol or random mechanical scraps. But today—an entire blueprint!
And judging by the description, it didn't look weak at all.
Roland quickly opened the blueprint's details.
[PROJECT: Fanged Hound Beast-Type Robot. Primarily produced for use alongside the Frenzy Hunter module, operating under the same intelligence system as the Frenzy Hunter. I Am One. When paired with a PROJECT Frenzy Hunter, it displays exceptional scouting and hunting abilities. You will have nowhere to run.]
Reading the description, Roland's expression turned a bit odd. This was the first PROJECT-grade weapon he had ever drawn—yes, to him, this thing definitely counted as a weapon.
It shared vision with the Frenzy Hunter and could act as its deployed strike unit when needed.
"Lissandra, accelerate Fanged Hound production and send a batch to Agas City."
The moment Roland gave the order, Lissandra's factory halted all ongoing mechanical production and switched entirely to manufacturing Fanged Hounds.
At the same time, Roland considered whether he should sell them. The production cost wasn't that high. But the problem lay in the technology it contained.
This thing was already touching on PROJECT-level black tech. After thinking it over, Roland decided to produce a batch for personal use first.
...
"Mr. Hasaka, what do you think of the proposal I mentioned earlier?"
Roland looked at the mayor, who kept smiling as usual—but Roland's eyes carried a trace of caution and suspicion.
The man didn't seem tempted at all by the offer. In fact... he seemed slightly disgusted?
That reaction made Roland's heart sink. He immediately guessed Hasaka must have some hidden ties to Hammos Industries.
"Haha, Mr. Vimers, you know our city has always welcomed outside investment. So you can go right ahead and handle it yourself.
However, I do have some difficulties on my end, so I can't offer much help.
At most, I can approve this land for you. The rest, you'll have to take care of on your own."
As he spoke, Hasaka pulled out a document.
The moment Roland saw it, he understood—the mayor had been waiting for this exact moment. Waiting for him to request establishing an industrial park, so he could present this document.
Roland took it and glanced at the title.
"Plan for Transforming the Western Slums into a New Industrial Base"
"I see. Thank you, Mayor Hasaka. One more thing—if possible, I'd like to handle security for that district myself. Would that be acceptable?"
"Of course, of course. If you so wish."
Hasaka froze briefly at the request but then agreed with a wide smile. Yet once Roland left, he immediately let out a derisive chuckle.
His original surname had been Hammos, meaning he still held a share in Hammos Industries. With Roland eyeing Agas City's industries and territory, there was no way he could sit idle. If someone reaches into your plate, you swat their hand away.
And the land he gave to Roland? That plot was originally intended for Hammos Industries. But the area was controlled by a local gang, negotiations had stalled, and the gang was demanding an outrageous price.
Using brute force wasn't realistic either. That district wasn't the kind of place Hammos Industries could just march into—any team they sent in would probably get beaten senseless. A full-force sweep... That was still a step too far. No point damaging their own reputation.
So Hasaka simply handed that land to Roland. If Roland couldn't handle it, he'd have to crawl back home.
If he could handle it—well, Hammos Industries could swoop in and take the fruit afterward.
Roland clearly understood the scheme. He immediately told Lissandra to investigate the area and dig into Hasaka's background. Soon after, he received a report from Jhin-Intel.
"Hasaka Hammos... and the Flame Kid?"
Roland rubbed his chin, his eyes turning thoughtful. The Flame Kid in the slums wasn't a big problem. The real issue was Hammos Industries' influence across Agas City.
So... he needed to remove Hasaka and install someone of his own—or perhaps... directly control Hasaka and turn him into one of his own people...
That thought reminded Roland of a certain faction he'd encountered in Cyberpunk 2077. If he guessed correctly, that faction was created by a rogue AI hiding behind the Blackwall.
They used special methods to exert mental control over specific targets—Mr. Blue Eyes.
"Lissandra, can you do something like that?"
"I can, but it is outside my designated role. However, I should remind you, sir, that PROJECT has many products suited for such tasks."
Roland's eyes lit up. Right—if the rogue AIs in Cyberpunk could pull it off, then the far more advanced PROJECT Corporation certainly could.
And the PROJECT universe's mastery of energy and AI was leagues ahead of Cyberpunk's.
Soon, Roland found exactly what he needed in the marketplace.
[Milan II Puppet Chip]
Its primary function was breaching personal electronic defenses and implanting a puppet virus. Once active, the virus could control every action of the host.
But it had clear flaws.
First, the virus couldn't spread through networks—it stayed confined to the single host.
Second, when activated, it caused noticeable fluctuations in the target, making it easy for others to detect.
And its design wasn't fully refined: strong offense, weak defense.
Roland checked the blueprint price. "A hundred thousand Blue Essence? Are you kidding me?!"
He immediately bought a finished model instead—ten thousand Blue Essence. Painful, but manageable. Once the Hasaka situation was resolved, he'd remove him, replace him, and recycle the puppet chip.
Yes. Perfect plan. Done.
"Sir, Ms. Elizabeth has sent you a message. Please review it."
Roland blinked, then opened his inbox. What he saw made him smile faintly.
"As you instructed, I've found information on one of the girls you're searching for. My people spotted a white-haired girl in Heywood who looks very similar."