Cyberpunk: I didn't cheat.

"Uh, okay, goodbye, Panan."

Carlo's expression became unnatural again after hearing the name Sami.

Chapter 66 Whoever is unlucky

Snakebon was a good friend of Adcardo, and Saul readily agreed to the request for armed escort. He sent Mitch and Scorpion with four carts of Adcardo's gunmen and Carlo back to Snakebon's camp.

The vehicle drove into the vast, desolate wasteland, surrounded by endless yellow desert, with howling winds and jagged rocks and clusters of thorny cacti.

Carlo drove on the way back, and he was much better off than when he first came out of the Snakesport camp.

Speaking of the camp, Jack found that the Adcado camp was huge and heavily fortified, surrounded by thick fences, with wanderers on guard duty everywhere.

The Snake Gang's camp, in comparison, was much less impressive, suggesting that the Bayonet Gang's attack on the Snake Gang was more severe than he and Vito had anticipated.

As soon as the car came to a stop at Snake Point Camp, the camp's homeless people rushed forward to carry the items, and they carried them into the warehouse tents in an orderly fashion.

Carlo didn't linger. He gave Max a brief greeting and hurriedly slipped into his tent, which he pulled shut tightly, leaving no trace of movement, as if trying to completely isolate himself from the camp.

Jack and Max arrive at a large, chaotic place, where various electronic components, wires, and dismantled bombs are scattered.

The emergency lights gleamed coldly as Vito's fingers flew, skillfully assembling the electromagnetic coil, capacitor, and simple detonator together. He focused intently on crafting the electromagnetic bomb, not even lifting his head, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

"Uh, Vito, what new thing are you making? Won't it explode?"

Upon hearing Jack's voice, Vito put down everything he was doing, then lit a cigarette, a move that startled both Jack and Max.

"No! There are bombs everywhere, why are you smoking!"

Vito didn't mind and handed the two men cigarettes back.

"What era are we living in? These things don't explode from a spark. I'm going to conjure up a giant electromagnetic pulse grenade and paralyze the Bayonet Gang's robots right away."

Jack and Max were relieved to hear this, but they still refused to smoke there.

Seeing that there were only the three of them in the carriage, Jack lowered his voice and spoke, his voice heavy with seriousness.

"To tell you the truth, something's really off about Carlo's journey."

Vito glanced at Max, then let Jack continue.

"I was distracted from the moment I set off. I almost crashed into the wilderness several times while driving. I was so mentally unstable that I was like a cyberbully. On the way, I even asked me how mercenaries deal with traitors."

Vito nodded and looked at Max.

"Max, what do you think?"

Max spoke immediately, without the slightest hesitation.

“Carlo is not the mole, but his relationship with the mole is unusual.”

Jack echoed his agreement.

"I'm sure he knows who the mole is. Why don't we just call him over and ask him directly to avoid any more trouble?"

Vito shook his head.

"No need yet, Jack. Just recount every single thing you two talked about on the way here, and everything that happened to Carlo that was unusual."

Jack then recounted in detail what happened on the road and at Camp Adcado.

Vito analyzed the situation after listening.

"He probably only figured out who the mole was halfway there. Max, who is this Sammy?"

Max answered.

“Sammy Wilson, like Carol, was raised by me. She and Carol are very close. Carol is a little older than her and has always protected her younger sister since she was little.”

But the traitor couldn't be Sami; she wouldn't betray her people to those beasts, the Night Wanderers.

Vito was speechless. How many children had Max adopted? How come you always said he was definitely not a traitor as soon as you got a clue?

"Alright, then let's not alert them. I'll have Jack keep an eye on Carlo, okay?"

Max hesitated, afraid that Carlo would find out he was being watched and become resentful.

“Max, I consider the entire Serpent State to be my ally, not just a tribal chief.”

Vito's implied meaning was that Max should think about the tribe's future and not ruin the entire Serpent Kingdom because of his personal feelings.

"Okay, but hopefully Jack is a skilled stalker."

Jack patted his chest.

"Don't worry, even though I'm big, no one will notice me doing this surveillance."

Although Vito knew Jack's abilities, he still reminded Jack of the importance of the matter.

"Stirring up trouble will only make the people behind the scenes hide even deeper, and it will also disrupt the morale of the Snake Gang, affecting the subsequent plans to deal with the Bayonet Gang."

Your next step is to quietly observe him, without making a sound, and record his every move. Make sure he doesn't notice, and avoid any direct confrontation. If anything happens, notify me and Max first.

After saying that, Vito lowered his head again and devoted himself to making the electromagnetic bomb.

The soft hum of machinery filled the carriage; his movements were skillful and efficient, each component placed with perfect precision.

This electromagnetic pulse bomb, designed to target the Comtau civilian robot, can instantly paralyze all surrounding electronic devices, prosthetics, and mechanical devices once detonated. It is the core weapon of this operation, but Vito must control its power carefully. If it explodes and destroys his and Jack's brains as well, they will be in big trouble.

Jack nodded, said no more, turned around and found a secluded spot, seemingly resting casually, but in reality his eyes remained firmly fixed on Carlo's tent, not daring to relax for a moment.

Time passed slowly, and the night in the wasteland completely fell. The lights on the ground lit up sporadically and then gradually went out. Most of the tribesmen had already fallen asleep, and only the sentries on duty patrolled back and forth in the wind and sand. The wind howled, conveying a sense of oppressive tranquility.

Carlo's tent remained still until late at night, when the tent flap was quietly pushed open a crack.

In the darkness, Carlo's figure slowly emerged, crouching low. He had changed into combat gear, his face expressionless, but his eyes swirled with a complex mix of panic and determination. His right hand was gripping the pistol at his waist, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He cautiously glanced around, avoiding the sight of the patrolling sentries, and moved with utmost lightness, like a ghost in the dark, making no sound as he strode quickly toward the corner of the camp, toward Sami's tent.

The night was as dark as ink, and Carlo's figure was hidden in the sandstorm as he approached his target step by step, the pistol at his waist gleaming with a cold light.

He pulled back the tent flap and pounced into the tent like a cheetah. He dragged Sami from the bed to the ground, and Sami's screams were muffled by Carlo's rough hands.

Carlo's voice was low, but it contained suppressed anger.

"Sami, tell me where that guy is!"

Tears streamed down Sami's face. She shook her head desperately, but didn't struggle; she just kept sobbing.

"Hey, you're covering someone's mouth, how are they supposed to say anything?"

Chapter 67 Crying

Upon hearing the sound, Carlo quickly put his hand on the holster to draw his gun, but the owner of the sound was faster than Carlo, pressing a pistol against Carlo's temple.

Sammy, who was standing nearby, came to her senses. She was so frightened that her face turned pale. She got up from the ground, rushed over and hugged Carlo, sobbing and crying uncontrollably.

"I thought you were here to silence me. Tell me, what is it?"

The gun that was pointed at Carlo's head was removed.

"Vito, what are you doing here?"

Just then, another person slipped into the tent; it was Jack.

“Vito, no one has been alerted.”

Vito pointed at Sami with his pistol and euros.

"Bring your sister with you, let's talk somewhere else."

Carlo didn't say much. He gently patted Sami's back, but Sami cried even harder. She clung tightly to Carlo, and the tent was filled with Sami's suppressed sobs.

Jack looked at the two of them and said to Vito with a hint of reproach.

"This job made us feel like corporate dogs collecting houses!"

But Vito and Jack didn't urge the two on the ground; they waited until Sammy finished crying.

The wind blowing outside the tent sounded more like a sob than the whimpering from inside.

Finally, Sami's tears dried up, and she silently got up, as if she were heading to the execution ground.

Carlo draped a coat over Sami and led her and Vito to Max's large shopping mall.

When Sami saw Max, her eyes darted away. She dared not face her adoptive father, nor the leader of the Snake Clan. She simply lowered her head and spoke softly.

"It's my fault for betraying everyone. It's all my fault. I'm the one who hurt Katya, Qiqi, and Xinyu..."

She uttered name after name, her voice growing louder and louder, until finally she collapsed, covering her face and swaying as if she were about to fall.

Carlo rushed over and helped Sami up, shouting.

"It's not Sammy's fault! She was fooled by that bastard! That bastard tricked Sammy into revealing information, and Sammy had no idea she'd been fooled by that guy!"

Max knew that Sammy wouldn't betray the Snake Gang. To her, everyone in the Snake Gang was family. She could just clearly name each of the victims. Max knew that this little girl was more heartbroken than he was.

"Ahem, sorry, I didn't want to interrupt your heartwarming moment, but our primary task is to eliminate the internal threat."

Seeing Sami trembling but trying to suppress his fear, Vito continued.

"Of course, the internal trouble I'm talking about isn't Sami. From what you've said, I think I've got someone else involved. Could you tell me the whole story?"

After saying that, Vito gestured for the others to sit down. Jack brought over four plastic chairs, but Vito refused the chairs offered to him and plopped down on the C7 explosive box.

"Everyone, sit down and talk slowly. We have plenty of time tonight."

When Carlo and Sami finished telling the whole story, Vito could only sigh.

There's a reason why wanderers dislike going to Night City; it's not only smelly and dangerous, but the people inside are also incredibly cunning.

Carlo is a courier for the Snake Gang who runs errands in Night City. He often comes to Night City to deliver rare items to gangs and gun dealers.

Just the last time Carlo encountered Vito, Carlo and his partner Carmela were chased by the Night Wanderers. Carmela was shot several times, and although she was on the verge of death, she still had to lie in bed for a few days.

During this time, Carlo's younger sister Sami became his new partner. The two of them went into Night City together to deliver goods, and would occasionally buy some trinkets and drink a couple of bottles of good wine to treat themselves.

One day, Sammy met a man named Simpson who claimed to be a homeless man. The guy was indeed good-looking and had a witty and humorous way of speaking. Sammy got along very well with him.

Simpson was a good listener to Sammy's little complaints. He mostly agreed with Sammy's point of view, only engaging in friendly debates with Sammy on trivial matters, and ultimately siding with Sammy in the end.

Soon, Sammy and Simpson became lovers. Simpson would often call Sammy and talk to her about the nomadic tribe. Before she knew it, Simpson had tricked her into revealing information.

Carlo spent that time with Sami and was also fooled by Simpson's disguise. Later, the Bayonet Gang started causing trouble for the Snake Gang. Carlo and Simpson weren't very close to begin with, so they stopped contacting each other.

One day, Sammy found Carol, who had just returned to camp, and told her that she wanted to leave Badlands with Simpson.

Carol asked why, and Sammy said that Simpson wanted to take him to live in Night City. Simpson felt that the life of a homeless person was too oppressive, and he felt that going to Night City would be more liberating.

Carlo didn't want his sister and the blond guy he'd only known for a few days to go to Night City. Carlo often went to Night City to deliver goods, and he knew that if he went there, his lifespan would be measured in days.

Carlo persuaded Sami to stop, and just a few days later, Sami received a message from Simpson saying that he had broken up with the tribe and now wanted to come to Snakebon.

Sami, of course, welcomed her lover's arrival, and without any suspicion, she revealed the location of the Snakehead camp to Simpson.

On the day the camp was attacked, Carlo, armed with a modified gun from the Gunslingers, single-handedly killed six bayonet gang members and fought his way out. He rushed to his car, smashed through the mobile turret vehicle blocking the entrance, and opened a way for the tribe to break out.

In a daze, Carlo seemed to see Simpson driving the turret vehicle.

Two days ago, Sammy received a message from Simpson, who asked Sammy to come with him for freedom. He also confessed that he was a Night Wanderer and that he could now leave the Night Wanderers and live in Night City.

After learning the truth, Sami locked herself in her tent. Everyone else thought the girl was terrified by the attack a few days ago, but only Carlo realized that his sister seemed to be hiding something from him.

It wasn't until Vito arrived that Carlo figured out the whole thing in the car.

After listening, Vito told Jack to take Sammy and Carlo back to rest first, as he wanted to talk to Max.

Max no longer cared about bombs; he lit a cigarette and instantly seemed to age several years.

"Sammy is a good girl. When she was little, she was pecked by a scorpion in the wasteland. Her friends didn't believe she could have encountered something that was almost extinct."

She was in so much pain at night, but she was afraid that her crying would wake up her family, so she would cover herself with the blanket, grit her teeth and cry alone. It was Carlo who found out. When I went over, the girl's entire ankle was black.

That's just how she is; she always thinks of others, and before she knows it, she's sold herself out completely.

Vito lit a cigarette and sat down next to Max, gently patting Max's forearm.