After alerting the nearby security patrol, Kiwi left the area with Sasha in her arms.
Once she returned to the corporation and sent Sasha into the medical room, Kiwi waited outside for the examination results.
Only after receiving confirmation that there was nothing seriously wrong did Kiwi step inside. When she saw Sasha again, she froze on the spot.
The person before her was indeed similar to the character model Roland had constructed, though there were some differences. They weren't major—the only real distinction was her hair. This girl had brown hair.
"Did I find the wrong person?"
Kiwi put her hands on her hips, feeling a bit unsettled. Still, she found it hard to believe that two people could look this alike naturally—unless it was artificial.
So even if this wasn't the exact person she was looking for, she had to be connected somehow.
Once she woke up, everything would be clear.
With that thought settled, Kiwi left after telling them to notify her as soon as Sasha regained consciousness. She still had some cleanup work to handle.
Meanwhile, Roland received an unexpected surprise.
"Sasha was actually found…"
Roland stared at the figure on the surveillance feed and rubbed his chin. As for the hair color, he knew that had been his own mistake back then—thinking about it now, Sasha really had been brown-haired as a child.
He just hadn't expected Kiwi to stumble across her by pure chance. That genuinely caught him off guard.
"System, does Sasha have any compatible templates?"
"Frenzy Hunter, Union, Devourer."
"O.o? Union I understand, but what the hell are Frenzy Hunter and Devourer?? And Frenzy Hunter sounds way too brutal—there's no way you're planning to shove Sasha into that, right??"
"The PROJECT template will adapt based on the compatible subject's condition, so it will not force them into a beast form. Of course… if the host requires it, that option remains available."
Hearing that, Roland's mouth twitched. He imagined a Naafiri-version Sasha for just a second… then shook his head violently.
Nope. Absolutely not. Unacceptable.
"Then what about Devourer? Same situation as the hardware-type ones?"
"Yes. According to the host's memories, it would be equivalent to the Widow's PROJECT-modified body."
"Got it."
Roland nodded. That meant he could think it over later—decide which template suited Sasha best. Naafiri… If Sasha were matched with a Naafiri-style template, what would that even look like?
A dog girl?
Hmm… oddly enough, not completely impossible…
"Ahem. Enough of that." Roland cleared his throat. "What actually matters right now is keeping an eye on Militech and Arasaka's movements."
He shook his head, forcefully pushing those questionable thoughts out of his mind, and began reviewing the situation surrounding Militech and Arasaka.
As he read through the intelligence he had gathered, Roland's expression slowly became more contemplative.
The year was already nearing its end, with 2068 just around the corner. Based on what Kuroda had said earlier, their actions should have pushed Militech's timeline forward by at least a year—possibly even more.
And judging from the intelligence at hand, that assessment was accurate.
The New United States was already on the move. No—calling it "restless" was too mild. It had already bared its fangs.
Their military forces were essentially fully assembled, actively redeploying toward the border regions. It was clear that the first war wouldn't be far off.
The horn of the Unification War was about to sound.
Militech was continuously leveraging its influence to support the New United States—intelligence sharing, agent infiltration, financial inducements, and countless other methods. Their determination to see unification through was unmistakable.
President Myers had even delivered that all-too-familiar line:
"Make New United States Great Again."
Compared to all this, Night City seemed strangely quiet. But anyone who understood the situation knew this was merely the calm before the storm.
As the border zone between Northern and Southern California, once Southern California was absorbed into the New United States, Night City would become the very front line of the north–south conflict.
Whether its prosperity could survive that was anyone's guess.
Many were taking a wait-and-see approach. In Roland's view, once Southern California surrendered without a fight, a large number of corporations in Night City would likely relocate. No one wanted to be trapped in a warzone.
But Roland also knew that Arasaka had coveted Night City for a long time. When those corporations inevitably pulled out, he could take full advantage of the opportunity—and enjoy this rare and lavish feast.
Still, Arasaka's movements were something he had to watch carefully.
It was simple. When Militech controlled Night City, he and Arasaka were allies. But once Arasaka took control…
Things would become far more delicate.
He knew Arasaka had been eyeing some of his technologies for years now. But the PROJECT Corporation was no longer the soft target it once was.
What Roland needed to do was cooperate as much as possible with Militech and the Night Corp when the time came, maintaining a balance of power. After all, unless absolutely forced, Arasaka wouldn't just flip the table by sending in aircraft carriers.
To put it bluntly, by then, they would already see Night City as their own property.
And people tend to be careful with things they consider theirs.
"But… as for the Night Corp, I'll probably need to talk to that Rogue AI roaming over there…" Roland rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. Maybe letting Lissandra handle the negotiations would be better."
He continued planning the next steps in silence.
...
Kuroda sat with a faint smile on his lips as he looked at the man before him.
"Councilor Lucius, to what do I owe this visit?"
"Mr. Kuroda, let's skip the pleasantries," Lucius said calmly, meeting Kuroda's gaze. "Arasaka must already be aware of the New United States' movements. Are you really planning to do nothing?"
"I'm not sure what you're referring to," Kuroda replied, his expression unchanged as he gently shook his head.
Lucius clenched his teeth at that response, but there was little he could do. After all, he was the one seeking help.
"Then I'll be direct. We can each get what we want. I can help Arasaka secure as many interests in Night City as possible—on the condition that you help me raise my profile and become the city's mayor."
"Councilor Lucius," Kuroda said, narrowing his eyes slightly, "you may be misunderstanding something. Arasaka isn't here merely to claim a larger share of Night City."
He slowly extended his hand—and then clenched it into a fist.
"What we want is the entire city."
"You're insane!" Lucius shot to his feet in disbelief. "You're planning to go head-to-head with the New United States?!"
"You won't believe it now," Kuroda said calmly, sitting back down and taking a sip of tea. "But when the New United States arrives here, you'll understand. Until then, I'll need you to do everything you can to maneuver around the situation."
Lucius stared at him for a long moment, then turned and left.
He hadn't expected Arasaka's ambitions to be this vast. His original plan had been simple—use Arasaka's influence to become mayor of Night City as quickly as possible. That way, even if the New United States took control, they wouldn't replace him immediately in the name of stability, giving him time to secure his position.
He had been confident in that plan, which was why he hadn't worried much about what would happen after Night City fell.
But Arasaka's stance now…
It left him deeply unsettled. And it strengthened his resolve to investigate what Arasaka had been up to lately.