Cyberpunk: I didn't cheat.

Rick Morton, the leader of the Sixth Street Gang, was chatting and laughing with Daiki Kazusa of the Tiger Claw Gang.

Those below them should lead those below them, so those in leadership positions should naturally have a broader perspective; the money that should be shared shouldn't be left to fall to the ground.

Rick Morton's second-in-command, Will Cannon, watched his boss with a cold eye. Not long ago, they had a disagreement about cooperating with the company.

Gradually, the crack grew larger and larger, until the cannons could see Morton's funeral through it.

He has already arranged for an assassin to take out Morton tonight, after which he will lead the Sixth Street Gang to the throne of the city's king.

A few Cubans, dressed in suits and wearing sunglasses late at night, attended the party. The Ghost Hound soldiers who saw them along the way greeted them respectfully.

The already magnificent sapphire blue pavilion was further embellished, with countless champagnes served on trays for the guests to enjoy. Hansen held Vito in high regard and even reserved a booth for him.

Vito sat in his booth, neither talking to anyone nor drinking; he simply observed the other people at the party quietly.

He could tell that some people were all smiles on the surface but not on the inside, and that they might turn on each other and have a bloody fight on the way home tonight. Others were openly making deals, and with just a few words, they could ruin an entire neighborhood. The unfortunate residents of that neighborhood would then have to pay the price for many "accidents".

Hansen's lieutenant colonel deputy, Bennett, arrived at Vito's booth. The muscular hulking man plopped down next to Vito, while a sergeant named Ghosthound stood in front of the booth to keep out any outsiders.

"You're the guy who noticed something was wrong with Leipzig?"

Chapter 146 Good Time

Vito deliberately released old Dutch so that he could enjoy the cyber landscape and taste some fine wines of the new era.

Dutch sat on the booth sofa, shifting his hips uncomfortably to adjust his posture.

"It should be me. You're Chester Bennett, Hansen's second-in-command?"

Bennett's white-patch prosthetic face moved, making his rugged features appear even more ferocious.

"Please address Colonel Hansen. You should be glad you're a friend of the Colonel, or I would have ripped your tongue out."

Vito felt helpless. Why were these people from Dogtown acting like little monsters, trying that same probing trick again?

Before Bennett could finish speaking, Vito swiftly punched Bennett in the throat with his left hand. Although he held back and didn't directly shatter the throat protected by the skin prosthetic, it still made him gasp for breath.

Bennett's mouth dropped open in disbelief. Vito shoved a glass of champagne into Bennett's mouth with his right hand, then delivered an uppercut that shattered the glass, with some shards being swallowed by Bennett.

Everything happened too fast. Bennett didn't even have time to scream before the sergeant in charge of his guard heard some noise behind him. He turned around blankly and a puppet with its prosthetic eye reactivated was released to launch an invasion. Everything went black before his eyes.

"There's an emergency!"

Sergeant Ghost Dog hurriedly reported, and several Ghost Dog soldiers in suits immediately came over and surrounded the booth.

Vito ignored him and continued talking to himself.

"I specially let you out to watch the show. How was it, old Dutch? Exciting, wasn't it?"

Dutch removed his hand from the ivory gun handle.

He clapped his hands lightly.

"Not bad. Who's this guy? Is he from the Apache tribe? Are you going to do business with the Indians?"

Dutch mistakenly thought Bennett's prosthetic face was just a Native American face paint.

Vito wasn't quite used to talking in his head yet.

"No, this man is a colonel's deputy. They broke away from the federal government, brought in some private armed groups, and took control of a town. They invited me to meet with them tonight."

Dutch stroked his chin, reminding Vito.

"Don't get too involved with the military, especially military leaders who are just a hair's breadth away from bandits."

Bennett recovered and drew his pistol, about to point it at Vito's head.

Vito spoke softly.

“I’m a fair person. I allow others to test me, and I will also test others. You can point a gun at my head, but I also want to see if my bullet will go into your brain first.”

"You fucking..."

"That's enough, Bennett. Go and clean yourself up. Your mouth is full of blood, which has already attracted the attention of the other guests."

Colonel Kurt Hansen arrived; he was a man who controlled Dogtown entirely through his personal abilities and prestige.

In the hearts of the Ghosthound soldiers, Colonel Kurt Hansen was their only pillar of support.

Hansen sat down in the booth and looked Vito up and down.

"You caused quite a commotion on your second visit. You're quite an interesting person."

Vito was also sizing up Kurt Hansen; the Dogtown boss still had the air of a superior.

"Does your Dogtown just like doing this 'trial and error' thing?"

Hansen chuckled.

"There are many things in Dogtown that are overrated. You won't know if these things can help your career until you try them. A hothead like you is best suited for the army. I'll stuff you into an armored vehicle and throw you into the middle of the artillery fire."

"Maybe so. I'm just a little impatient with you guys. I'm very patient with people who are having a hard time. Besides, the Ghost Hounds are just a gang these days."

Hansen's men brought over a bottle of tequila and two glasses.

"I have some connection with Thomasino, and I will send people to find him in Leipzig. Traitors will be taught a lesson; the mummified corpse hanging under the needle is an example."

As for you, Thomasino said you're a skilled fighter. I need your help with something, and the reward is quite generous.

Vito could tell with his own eyes that these people would always be doing the same old scumbag stuff.

"Tell me, Commander, which island have you set your sights on this time? Don't you have plenty of elite troops under your command? Why do you need me to do the work?"

Hansen rubbed his bald head, raised his glass, and took a big gulp of tequila.

"Dogtown is a duty-free arms center, not an independent city that wants to start a war. Positions are positions, and business is business. I don't want to play any tricks on you. You do the work, and I'll pay you."

I am not the new American government or military technology. I will give those who work for me a good contract, and I believe you will be satisfied. I will arrange for someone to contact you later.

I'll give you extra money to apologize to Bennett. He's one of my old buddies, one of the six who survived with me back then. He's a bit blunt, but not so blunt as to hurt his pride in public.

After saying that, Hansen left the booth. Vito didn't know much about Colonel Hansen, only that he had a group of Ghosthound soldiers who followed him fervently and that he had turned Dogtown into a weapons trading center that exported duty-free weapons to the world.

He set up a radio station in Dogtown, where he often gave speeches, and sometimes he would share stories from his time in the military with the residents of Dogtown.

Colonel Hansen's kindness was not yet over, and some fanatical Ghosthound soldiers believed Colonel Hansen's story wholeheartedly.

"What do you think of this colonel, Mr. Van der Linde?"

Dutch had unconsciously drawn his pistol, and the dangerous aura emanating from Hansen made his hair stand on end.

"He is more dangerous than any soldier I have ever seen. You'll be in trouble if you're with a guy like that."

Vito smiled.

“Old Dutch, I thought you would like Colonel Hansen. After all, you two are quite similar sometimes, both thinking about not being swallowed up by the system.”

Dutch twirled the pistol twice before putting it back in its holster.

“I just like being free. I have a feeling I’m leaving. The next person is already in line. I hope you like him, Vito boy.”

"Leave? Aren't you just in my head?"

“I am in your head, but there is a lot in your head, so I have to make room for others as well.”

"Okay, if you never show up again, I'll burn some railway company bonds and give you fifteen dollars and twenty-five cents."

Dutch frowned, trying to draw his gun, but he knew he couldn't hurt Vito at all.

"You're quite eloquent. Here's a piece of advice: never believe the American government. I've seen them cheat people out of their land to build railroads, and they burned those people's homes to the ground, leaving no grass for horses to grow."

Those idiots who believe them would be killed before they could even lift a weapon. Don't be that kind of fool. Also, a proper man should know how to take care of his horse. If you don't have one, remember to buy one.

Vito urged.

"Alright, I'm going to discuss business. These days, almost all the animals in Night City are dying out, so where am I going to get horses? But we do have quite a few carts."

Dutch left, and Vito took a sip of tequila.

Does your brain contain many people?

He's like a cyber lunatic.

Of course, this doesn't mean he wasn't like a cyberbully before.

Chapter 147 Happy new year

It's 2077, and Vito has to go to work on the first day of the new year, which may indicate that he's destined to be a busy man this year.

Returning to the main street of Night City, Night City hadn't changed much, except that several large screens had appeared on the main street, playing campaign speeches by the celebrity politician Románo Musso.

What do we mean by declaring war on hunger, declaring war on poverty, and declaring war on substandard medicines?

Romeno is turning into an old lady; he's about to launch a massive propaganda campaign.

Sitting in their Type 66 Dangerous Driving car, Vito and Li Ying were heading north towards Long Beach.

Watson District is still Watson District, but the Vortex Gang, which is based there, has become much more successful. Their new boss, Royce, is now the leader, and even Doom Doom, who used to push machine guns against mercenaries when Vito first came to Night City, is now the gang's second-in-command.

Hansen's situation is related to the Vortex Gang. A military technology person colluded with other moles to sell a secret weapon. This anti-personnel spider-type robot assassin, codenamed "Hunter," has great power and can quickly capture and kill intruders.

Moreover, this thing is said to have a new technology that makes its behavior and combat intelligence seem to be controlled by a master 24/7, and this master is always in top condition.

The Whirlpool Gang got their hands on this thing. They know it's a hot potato and are eager to sell it. The only buyer in the city willing to pay a high price without resorting to underhanded tactics is probably Hansen.

Vito marveled that Hansen had somehow raised Night City's overall moral standards, and also gave a thumbs up to their military technology research and development capabilities.

The fact that they could come up with something like this means they're a company born for war, the ultimate military-style enterprise.

Listening to the news on the radio, Vito couldn't help but sigh at how fast time flies.

beep.

[Image]

Happy New Year, Vito!

It was a photo sent by David. It showed David and Lucy in spacesuits looking at Earth from a lunar base. Judging from their physiques, he probably had some of his prosthetics removed.

[What, Gloria doesn't like taking pictures with her daughter-in-law?]

[Haha, no, Mom said she wanted to take a separate picture and send it to you.]

[Image]

Gloria held a medical gown with the VT logo in her hand and took a picture with her back to the earth.

[That's great. How come I didn't notice Gloria took my medical coat?]

beep.

[Gloria: Because you never wear them when you have surgery!]

Okay, but I usually use myself for surgery, and I have to cut it open after wearing it.

We'll chat again when we have time; I'm on my way to a mission right now.

[be safe.]

Vito shared the photos with Li Ying.

"David and Gloria sent messages, and they seem to be doing well."

Li Ying smiled with satisfaction.

"That's good. I miss Gloria."

"It's alright, tickets to the moon aren't expensive, we'll go to the moon and meet them eventually."

……

Unlike the others who were relaxing, Valerie did not have a good time on the first day of the new year.

The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind. The security department regarded Valerie as a thorn in their side, and no matter what she did, someone was watching her.

An incident in Frankfurt made her situation even more critical.