From Gotham to Night City, my notoriety is known to everyone

“No, no, no.” Leo shook his head quickly. “What kind of place is the Badlands? Who would put a gang headquarters there? Stone Ridge Mountain is just an outpost or a recruitment point to help us recruit new members from the wanderers. I plan to turn that area into a small market, serving as a supply station and rest area for the wanderers.”

"Where are you going to place the gang members? Buy some real estate like the Mox Gang did?"

V started thinking and soon found a possibility from his own experience.

"Nothing to show for it..."

Leo's answer hit her head like a dart, making V's fist harden.

"Ahem... We have a better option, a tourist resort that has been abandoned by the government and has unlimited potential!"

Leo stood up and walked to the window, facing south.

Everyone followed his gaze and quickly understood what he meant.

The south of Heywood is Taiping Island!

Night City's famous war zones and lawless areas are filled with Haitian refugee communities and slums.

Ever since the Taiping Island reconstruction project that emerged in the 60s was completely destroyed by the Unification War in 2069, it has become a no-man's land, full of gang fights and smuggling trade.

What is more troublesome is that it is the base camp of the Voodoo Gang, and most of the locals are Haitian refugees who are very unfriendly to "outsiders".

The Valentino Gang and the Voodoo Gang lived next door to each other and had a lot of dirty dealings, so Jack soon raised a series of difficult questions.

Leo answered easily: "What do you think I want so many people for? Of course, I want to uproot the Voodoo Gang and take over the entire Taiping Island!

I have been in Night City for a month. It is time to build my own power and find a place to stay. Although Heywood is not bad, it is the territory of the Valentino Gang after all. It is not as comfortable as living in my own territory. "

The friends were so frightened by his bold words that it took them a while to come back to their senses.

Sasha felt heartbroken when she thought about the cozy little home she had worked so hard to build and had to move after only living there for a few days: "Then what should we do with this place? Should we just... not have it?"

"Of course, let's use this as our base in Heywood. I'll talk to the landlord and buy the building directly and re-plan the security."

Leo's answer soothed Sasha's heart, but not everyone's attention was diverted.

V looked at his plan from a mercenary's perspective and quickly raised a question:

"Even if we ignore the Haitians who might help the Voodoo Gang, there are still about 200 Voodoo Gang members. Taiping Island has been their base for many years, and the internal defense is very tight. If you want to attack them with the same force, it may not be that easy."

Vera saw further than her: "The Voodoo Gang can control Pacific Island, which must be the result of the checks and balances among the major forces in Night City. After we defeat the Voodoo Gang, the company's army and NCPD will definitely intervene and try to grab the fruits of victory. What are you going to do then?"

Leo waved his hand, signaling them to be patient.

"You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to answer the questions one by one—"

"First of all, it's not about defeating the Voodoo Gang, it's about completely wiping them out. Do you understand what I mean? Wipe them out, without a single one left alive!"

He raised his hand to interrupt the audience who was about to ask a question and continued:

"The most annoying thing about the Voodoo Gang is their hacking skills. At least half of the cyber-hacking crimes in Night City are due to them. But for me, this happens to be their Achilles' heel.

My hacker team is stronger than theirs, much stronger. I will find a way to bring the Voodoo Gang's main hackers into cyberspace and massacre them there.

At the same time, ground forces coordinated an attack to eliminate all Voodoo Gang members and those who aided them.

I plan to eliminate them within six hours to prevent other forces from causing trouble."

"Secondly, let's talk about the aftermath. Once we go to war with the Voodoo Gang, no matter what the outcome, the big companies and the NCPD will not sit idly by.

My plan is to bring Kangtao and Internet Security into our camp and let them fight against other big companies."

As soon as the words fell, the living room fell into dead silence.

But before long, the tense atmosphere suddenly eased, and everyone's faces showed an expression of sudden enlightenment and relief.

I see……

No wonder Leo’s plan is so radical and he looks so confident of winning.

It turns out that Kang Tao and the Internet Monitoring Center are backing them up, so this matter suddenly makes sense.

Just like the Tiger Claws are Arasaka's black gloves and the Six Street Gang has been receiving funding for military technology for many years, it seems that Kang Tao is unwilling to be lonely and wants to increase his influence in Night City.

It was completely reasonable for them to choose Leo as their spokesperson and support him in creating a new gang and occupying a piece of territory!

He is indeed Kang Tao's man, and came to Night City with a mission! !

Among the crowd, only V vaguely knew that this was not the case, but she couldn't ruin her own family at this time, so she could only keep her doubts in her heart.

When Leo saw the expressions of his friends, he knew that they must be thinking the wrong thing.

But it was fine this way. After today, no matter how much he explained, no one would believe him. So he could just let them be...

"Anyway, this is the [Strategy for Taiping Island] I formulated. The first step we need to take is to establish contact with Adecardo, gain their trust by doing business and eliminating night wandering ghosts, and recruit soldiers from the wanderers!"

Rise to Fame: Chapter 253 Mercenary Gossip: L is indeed Kang Tao's man!

Everyone nodded, and their eyes inadvertently focused on Vera again.

The blonde mother held her forehead with one hand and thought for a few seconds: "My family is from the northern United States, not from the Adecado State. But I am a legitimate wanderer, so I have common topics with them and can try to communicate with them."

Leo was pleased, but he came up with another idea:

"We are strangers to them after all, so it's better to have a 'local' to lead the way. This is easy to do. I'll go to the Next Life Bar and post a new recruitment notice - looking for a wanderer from Adecado who is familiar with smuggling and delivery routes to serve as a bridge for communication between the two sides."

He even had a name for the man in mind—Panam Palmer.

Last time he wanted to find her, he accidentally found Vera. This time he has to personally check and make sure that she is recruited into the team!

Although there are some selfish motives, there is nothing wrong with this suggestion. Traveling to a strange city still requires a local guide, and to interact with a strange family of wanderers, you naturally need a familiar face to lead the way.

That's how it was settled.

Leo glanced at the time and found that it was just after eight o'clock, so he asked, "Has everyone had breakfast?"

Everyone nodded unanimously.

"Very good, then there is no need to wait until the afternoon. I will contact Kang Tao's people and arrange a meeting with him to discuss in detail."

Everyone nodded again, holding their breath and not disturbing him.

Leo also adjusted his breathing and found the phone number of Mr. Li. He was not sure about the other party's specific position, but from the two contacts, his status was definitely not low, and he was a suitable person to discuss.

This matter was more important, so he decided to call the other party directly to communicate.

“Buzz…Buzz…”

The call was connected, and the other party's external display image appeared in the upper left corner of the retina:

Kang Tao

——Intelligent Electronic Solutions——

The fact that this icon can be used as an avatar frame speaks volumes.

After the busy tone sounded a few times, the other party answered the call.

Mr. Li, with a stern face and still wearing sunglasses, spoke first: "It's you, young man. What do you want to talk to me about so early in the morning?"

He spoke Mandarin this time, but still with a slight Cantonese accent.

Li Ao also switched to Mandarin to communicate with him: "Good morning, Mr. Li. I have something important to discuss with you in person this time, and it's not convenient to talk on the phone."

The middle-aged man did not answer immediately, and there was no change in expression on his face behind the sunglasses.

After a full half minute, he suddenly nodded: "Okay, I can spare an hour to see you. Time and place?"

"Thank you very much." Leo nodded to thank him, "Let's choose the venue at the Laisheng Bar. I have a private room there. The time is up to you."

"Next life? Are you sure you want to meet in the next life? If someone sees us walking into a private room, it will be difficult for you to distance yourself from Kang Tao."

"No need. Kang Tao and I are about to become strategic partners. There is no need to hide it."

"Strategic partner..." Even through his sunglasses, the middle-aged man's eyes were still sharp. "This term is usually used between forces. I hope you didn't get its meaning wrong. Then see you at the Laisheng Bar at 9 a.m."

As he hung up the phone, the rest of the Immortal Squad dared to breathe again.

"What do you mean?" V asked curiously.

"See you in the next life at nine in the morning. If you have anything to do, do it quickly. We will leave at half past eight and prepare the venue in advance."

As soon as Leo finished speaking, V stood up.

She turned and walked towards her room, her steps a little hurried, "I'm going to put on some makeup and change into some suitable clothes."

Hearing this, the other people also stood up hesitantly.

Since you are going to Laisheng Bar to meet Kang Tao's "big shot", it is better to pay attention to your dress.

Finally, everyone changed into their best clothes and carefully dressed up.

At half past eight, everyone set off on time. The three ladies and Leo took the car, and Jack drove his beloved motorcycle and followed the car to escort them.

When they arrived at the parking lot in front of the Next Life Bar, Leo took out the mask and put it on his face.

Noticing the puzzled looks from his friends, he explained, "I was careless before and didn't distinguish between L and my normal identity. Next time I use the identity of L, I'll wear this mask, which will add a bit of mystery."

This isn't for show... well, at least not just for show.

He really felt that he should separate L and Leonardo to avoid getting into trouble at school.

Although it is a bit late now and we already know what we should know, we should still try to make up for it.

Wearing a mask, he led the spirited Immortal Squad towards the Afterlife Bar.

Along the way, many mercenaries recognized Jack, who often visited the bar, and naturally judged from his position that the leader was the rather mysterious middleman "L".

Leo looked around and saw that they were all unfamiliar faces, so he maintained a cool attitude and walked towards the main entrance without looking around.

Emeric is still the gatekeeper.

When he saw Leo, he lowered his head and silently stepped aside.

Leo patted his arm as he passed by, as a greeting to the senior security guard.

After entering the bar, the noisy rock music hit him again. No matter how many times he heard it, he felt that this kind of music did not match the cool atmosphere of the afterlife.

"Hi, Claire! Long time no see!"

Leo walked to the bar and waved to the bartender.

Claire walked over quickly and couldn't help but teasing, "Who said it wasn't true? It's really not easy to meet a busy person like you. Come on, this drink is on me. I've been waiting in line for a long time!"

She took out a bottle of dry white wine, added some lime juice and mint leaves, and gave each member of the Immortality Team a glass.

"Try our new cocktail, amber iced tea. I'm sure it will be very popular in the summer."

Leo looked at the light amber cocktail and roughly knew where the name came from.

He took a sip and then drank it all in one gulp.

The wine is full of fruity aroma, sweet and sour, and tastes really good.

"A few more drinks, and a few cans of Coke and mineral water. I'm going to meet a guest later, so I need to prepare some non-alcoholic drinks."

"no problem."

Claire brought the drinks swiftly.

After paying the bill, Leo motioned to Jack and Sasha to check the box and bring the drinks in.

I and others are waiting here for the "VIP".

After waiting for about ten minutes, Mr. Li walked into the bar with two imposing bodyguards.

They didn't wear the Kangtao logo, but those three oriental faces and the unusual aura on them still attracted the attention of mercenaries and customers.

No, not just them.

The "Queen" of the Lai Sheng Bar also walked out of the box and came over with a puzzled look on her face.

"Mr. Li?" Roger looked at the Kangtao executive, and suddenly his eyes fell on Leo's face, "Welcome, what can I do for you?"

The middle-aged man nodded to her, but said nothing, just turned his gaze to Leo.

Now Rogge knew who the real culprit was, and he couldn't help but feel confused: It's L again, what is he going to do this time?

Leo looked at her calmly and said casually, "We agreed to talk about something in the next life. It's not a big deal, so don't bother with it."

As he said this, he made a gesture of invitation, "Come this way, Mr. Li, let's go to the private room to talk."

Rogge watched them go away quietly, feeling that he had put together another piece of the puzzle - L was indeed unclear with Kang Tao and was not an easy person to deal with.

The mercenaries who were well-informed and loved to spread gossip also came to the same conclusion.