"Mr. Roland, this represents our sincerity."
Burke looked at Roland and transmitted the chips the Highriders had prepared.
Receiving the data through Lissandra, Roland narrowed his eyes. After a quick scan, he clicked his tongue softly.
As expected of deep-pocketed elites. The offer was extremely generous. At the forefront was funding on the scale of tens of billions of euros, followed by policy incentives and resource support. They would also assist PROJECT in establishing strongholds and bases around the world.
There were even internal Highriders channels included in the proposal. If PROJECT agreed, the two sides would become tightly bound, forming a unified community of interests.
So they're looking for a powerful ally to strengthen their voice on the ground…
Roland kept the thought to himself. His expression barely changed. When his eyes returned to normal, he spoke calmly.
"Mr. Burke, your terms are indeed generous. But I'm afraid I don't have the fortune to accept them."
"Mr. Roland, there's no need to reject us so quickly. If you agree, we can grant satellite orbital usage rights, access to our lunar orbital launchers, multiple colonial bases, even considerable land on the Moon…"
As Burke continued, Roland sensed a faint but unmistakable undertone of threat. Subtle—but deliberate.
They were outlining their assets while flexing their strength.
"But I don't necessarily need to work with you," Roland replied with a mild smile. "The European Space Agency might be an even better option for me. After all, your Twelve Angels above the Crystal Palace aren't just for show."
Burke fell silent for a moment before looking at him again.
"Since you chose to launch satellites, Mr. Roland, that suggests much of your technology depends on space-based resources, doesn't it? Compared to the European Space Agency, the Highriders are the true rulers of space."
"…You make a fair point. But I refuse."
Roland nodded as he spoke.
Burke's expression darkened at the second rejection.
"However," Roland continued, a smile returning to his face, "I have another proposal. Are you interested?"
Burke hesitated briefly, then nodded.
"I'm willing to provide you with the orbital energy cannon technology and the Energy Shield technology. In return, you will support PROJECT with global base construction and financial backing. Nothing beyond that."
Burke fell silent again. Then a smile slowly spread across his face.
"Agreed."
Roland smiled warmly.
"Then here's to a pleasant cooperation?"
"To a pleasant cooperation."
After further discussion of the details, the communication ended.
The moment the call disconnected, a perfectly innocent smile appeared on Roland's face.
The reason was simple.
The two technologies he had offered might look powerful—but they were both bottomless pits.
Both the Energy Shield and the orbital energy cannon shared a fatal requirement: efficient, high-density energy supply.
And unfortunately, the Highriders did not possess that technology.
To truly make those systems operational, they would need to break through the bottleneck in energy technology—a breakthrough that was anything but easy.
If they relied on existing technology, they would have to construct a massive energy cannon in space—several times, perhaps even over ten times larger than the satellite cannon PROJECT had built—just to match its output.
The Energy Shield faced the same issue.
And unlike PROJECT, the Highriders lacked powerful ground strongholds. Surrounding bases with clusters of nuclear power plants wasn't a viable solution for them.
In short… they were locked in.
Space construction required enormous resources and inevitably had to pass through the European Space Agency's channels. By the time such a structure was completed, who knew how long it would take? And the European Space Agency would never ignore shipments of materials on that scale.
If these technologies had fallen into the hands of the European Space Agency, they could have been used effectively. Large-scale ground energy cannons were entirely feasible—even if compact energy weapons weren't. Massive Energy Shield generators could also be constructed.
But the Highriders had approached PROJECT precisely to break free from the European Space Agency's control. Cooperating with them again defeated the purpose.
There was no better partner for Roland than this one.
Meanwhile, Opus and the others, unaware of the trap they had stepped into, were already celebrating. Only Encryptus felt that something was off, though he couldn't quite pinpoint it.
Earlier, Burke's brief silence had been the result of their remote guidance behind the scenes.
…
"Kelly, how's the situation at the Blackwall?"
After wrapping up matters with the Highriders, Roland contacted Kelly through Lissandra's data link.
"Very smooth. I've already penetrated deep into Bartmoss's territory. I've converted quite a few intelligent AI units… Honestly, bringing them back would make for excellent resources."
"Good. The AI can wait. We'll have plenty of time to capture them later. Focus on locating Bartmoss."
"Understood!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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