"Because I'm interested in you."
Lucy froze at Roland's words, instinctively taking a step back as she watched him with rising caution.
"Don't get the wrong idea—it's not that kind of interest. I'm just… curious about who you are."
Roland waved a hand as he spoke. At the same time, a system prompt appeared, revealing the PROJECT template Lucy was aligned with. To be honest, it surprised him.
She was matched with Project · Ambition, the espionage operative template in the Project universe.
"My… identity?"
"That's right. A netrunner drifting through the streets, scraping by on cheap gigs—yet equipped with top-tier cyberware and a high-end netrunning pod. Tell me, who wouldn't find that intriguing?"
Lucy's pupils tightened. Her eyes flared with a sharp orange glow as countless data streams surged toward Roland's chip interface.
Neural burnout, cognitive disruption, visual meltdown—every hack she knew slammed into Roland at once.
From her perspective, whether he knew her identity or not didn't matter anymore. With the situation already like this, discovery was only a matter of time. So… she was betting everything.
Roland immediately felt Lucy's hacking assault. Lin's internal defense systems blared nonstop warnings, asking whether he needed to initiate countermeasures.
Roland gave a slight shake of his head. He ignored Lin's defensive options and instead signaled Lissandra to act.
Boom!
Just as Lucy thought she had succeeded, a thunderous roar detonated inside her mind. A wave of dizziness hit her, and her ears rang violently, drowning out all sound.
Moments later, as her senses returned, she found herself standing in a space of pure darkness.
Lucy blinked, disoriented. There wasn't a single trace of light around her… no, there was. Faint—coming from below.
She looked down.
The only source of light in this pitch-black space was herself.
"Is this… Cyberspace?"
"Welcome to my world."
A gentle woman's voice rose behind her. Lucy spun around and saw a completely mechanical woman hovering slightly above the ground, hands suspended in midair, strange drone-like objects flanking her head.
"Who are you?"
"I am the AI of PROJECT Corporation— Lissandra."
At that answer, Lucy's eyes widened with fear. She collapsed to the floor, curling into herself as she wrapped her arms around her legs.
The scene before her dredged up memories she desperately wished she could forget. Back then, under Arasaka orders, she and her teammates had been forced beyond the Blackwall to search for so-called "spells." One by one, they were hunted down and killed by roaming AIs.
And now, she had fallen into an AI's hands again…
Lucy didn't resist. Having dealt with AI before, she knew all too well—she stood absolutely no chance against a megacorp intelligence.
"Am I… going to die? It feels so unfair… I haven't even made it to the moon…"
Lucy bit down hard on her lower lip until it turned pale, tears pooling in her eyes.
No matter how tough she tried to be, the truth remained—she was still just a girl.
A sudden, searing pain crashed into her. Her vision blurred, then shattered like glass. With a crackle of static, Lucy slipped into unconsciousness.
Roland rushed forward and caught her before she hit the floor. When he noticed the single tear trailing from the corner of her eye, the corner of his mouth twitched.
A strange guilt crept into his chest, though he forced it down quickly.
After settling Lucy into the seat of the AV, he climbed in as well and signaled the vehicle to return home.
It was worth mentioning—he had moved recently.
He now lived in North Oak, the most famous affluent district in Night City.
…
"Ugh…"
Lucy woke slowly, rubbing her forehead. A faint ache pulsed at the back of her head, but it faded quickly. She blinked, confused, taking in her surroundings.
"Am I… in heaven?"
"You're awake. Get up. The boss has been waiting for you for a while now."
Sitting nearby, Kiwi set down a glass of water and spoke calmly.
"The boss?"
Still dazed, Lucy stared at her in confusion.
"Think carefully. What happened?"
At the reminder, Lucy dug through her memories. Roland's face emerged first, followed by the chilling image of Lissandra.
Whoosh—
Lucy instantly tensed. She ripped the blanket off, rolled away, and put distance between herself and Kiwi.
Kiwi didn't react much. She simply stood, walked toward the door, and tossed back a quiet "Hurry up" before leaving.
Lucy stared blankly after Kiwi, then quickly checked herself. Her clothes were untouched. Nothing missing. No injuries.
Her netrunner cyberware was fully functional—meaning she still had considerable combat ability.
Confusion weighed heavily in her mind. After hesitating, she drank the water on the table, slipped on her shoes, and cautiously stepped out of the room.
Bright sunlight poured in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. Green plants filled the space, and Lucy even spotted flowers she thought only existed in old movies—she never expected to see real ones again.
From the second-floor landing, she could see a piano downstairs. An AI robot sat at it, playing a tune she didn't recognize.
Roland, sitting on the sofa watching TV, seemed to sense her presence. He turned—and their eyes met.
"You're awake."
Lucy didn't respond. She descended the stairs quietly and approached him, her gaze complicated.
"Sit."
Lucy obeyed. She still didn't know what his goal was, but at least for now, he didn't seem hostile.
"Miss Lucy, I'd like to formally invite you to join our corporation's PROJECT team."
"Your company shouldn't be short on manpower."
Lucy cast a glance toward Kiwi, standing behind Roland, before speaking.
"If I'm inviting you personally, then I have my reasons. I don't do pointless things."
Roland's lips curved into a smile. Faced with his invitation, Lucy hesitated—something she rarely ever did.