Just as Eiffel had said, throwing money at it alone would not successfully restart the Weiton Project.
Weapons development was inherently risky, and anyone undertaking it had to be prepared to lose their entire investment.
That was precisely what the Wetting Conglomerate's board of directors had in mind. They wanted Jonas to go down with this project.
On the surface, they were handing Jonas the weapon data from the partially developed Weiton Project along with it, but turning that "partially developed" work into a finished product was hardly something he could accomplish overnight.
Jonas currently lacked a fully equipped research and development team. Outsourcing would risk leaking the data, for one thing, and cost far too much, for another.
That was also why the board of directors felt so comfortable handing the Weiton Project over to Jonas.
They believed Jonas could not handle such a huge undertaking on his own, and if he entrusted the Weiton Project's development to another conglomerate, they would have a new reason to attack him.
Sending money elsewhere was far worse than letting it rot in his own hands.
What they had not anticipated, however, was that Jonas had never intended to entrust weapons research and development to anyone else. This greatest obstacle had never posed a problem for him in the first place.
Weapons research required vast sums of money and precision equipment?
Did they know the game's original protagonist could cobble together cutting-edge weapons while leading a terrorist organization, evading pursuit by the conglomerates, and attacking their production facilities?
Well, perhaps they could never imagine how many coincidences and miracles it took to overthrow the conglomerates' rule in a cyberpunk setting.
Jonas was different, though. He could claim those achievements ahead of time, or strangle miracles in their cradles before they ever came into being.
Although Eiffel was somewhat puzzled about how Jonas would solve the weapons development problem, she did not ask.
Just as with his handling of the previous hacking incident, she believed Jonas would always make the right decisions when it mattered.
There was no basis for that feeling. Before she knew it, the ever-calm and objective Miss Eiffel had found something she trusted unconditionally.
The young woman herself simply had not noticed.
"All right, thank you for your hard work these past two days. I imagine you can take a break for a while now."
Jonas turned to Eiffel and asked with a smile:
"What would you like to eat, Miss Eiffel?"
His words brought Eiffel back to reality. She tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing a slightly reddened earlobe and her fair neck:
"Does this count as compensation, Mr. Jonas?"
"It's just a reward."
Jonas blinked and said:
"Of course, it won't count toward your salary or bonuses."
Eiffel lifted her chin and said:
"Then your reward is rather stingy."
Jonas could not help laughing at that.
He extended one hand and placed the other over his chest, offering an elegant, gentlemanly bow as he said sincerely:
"Then, beautiful lady, would you give the stingy Jonas Wetting the opportunity to dine with you?"
Eiffel gave a little huff at that and said:
"You should save these tricks for charming other girls, Mr. Jonas."
Then she turned her head aside and added:
"But this once, I suppose I'll accept your reward."
Although she had told Jonas to use those tricks on someone else, perhaps even she had not noticed the little thrill of joy in her heart, steadily growing like a flame.
Unlike the relaxed atmosphere as Jonas flirted with the [Steward]...
The Destiny Organization was shrouded in an oppressive mood.
Its monthly routine meeting was currently underway.
The Destiny Organization's senior members would use this opportunity to report on problems within the organization, discuss and establish their next course of action, and draw up plans accordingly.
Yet this routine meeting had followed none of those steps. Every member was locked in an endless argument over a single issue.
All of it was inextricably tied to one absent member.
And that person was still unconscious.
Inside the Destiny Organization's base, Aungus's expression darkened as he watched several of his companions act as though they were itching to fight one another.
"That bitch Amau Sueko leaked the information. Why else do you think the organization is in such a bad position?"
Rick, the head of the intelligence department known as [Gecko], kept his body concealed beneath a cloak. His tone was irritable, as though he had foreseen this situation long ago:
"If we want to stop being on the back foot, we either kill her or make her get out..."
"Kill her? If it hadn't been for Miss Amau back then, the Peacekeeping Forces would have shot you dead, you sewer rat!"
On the other side, a man dressed as a samurai could not help interrupting Rick. He was Liweike, the Second Combat Unit's deputy, known as [Skullcracker].
"Miss Amau has done so much for the organization, and you want to put her on trial over fabricated charges?"
"She may have done plenty in the past, but can you guarantee she hasn't betrayed the Destiny Organization now?"
Nearby, a woman in black leather sneered and said:
"If you can guarantee that, how do you explain what happened in the video?"
The meeting room had now split completely into two opposing camps, and their confrontational attitudes were giving Aungus a headache.
He tapped the table, and everyone around him fell silent.
Aungus rubbed his temples and was just about to speak when a message on the communication device in front of him made him pause.
Only after a long moment did he speak:
"Everyone, I've just received word that someone attacked Amau Sueko's hospital room..."
His gaze swept over everyone as he suppressed his anger and said evenly:
"I told you before, I won't let a single person trying to sow discord within the Destiny Organization get away with it."
"Who orchestrated this attack?"
Before you continue