From Gotham to Night City, my infamy is known to all.

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

"So where are you going to settle the gang members? Will you buy some real estate like the Mox gang did?"

V racked his brains and quickly found a possibility from his own experience.

"Nothing to show for it..."

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

"Ahem... We have a better option: a tourist resort area that has been abandoned by the authorities but has unlimited potential!"

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

Following his gaze, everyone quickly understood what he meant.

South of Heywood lies Pacific Island!

Night City is a notorious war zone and no-man's-land, filled with Haitian refugee communities and slums.

Since the Taipingzhou redevelopment project, which began in the 60s, was completely destroyed by the unification war in 2069, the area has become a no-man's land, rife with gang warfare and smuggling.

The problem is that it's the stronghold 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 history of dirty dealings, so Jack quickly presented them with a series of difficult questions.

Leo answered casually: "What do you think I need so many people for? Of course, it's to eradicate the Voodoo Gang and take over the entire Pacific Continent!"

I've been in Night City for a month now. It's time to build up my own power base and find a place to stay. Heywood is nice, but it's Valentino's territory; nothing beats the comfort of having your own place.

His friends were stunned by his boastful words and it took them a while to come to their senses.

Sasha's heart broke at the thought of having to move out of her cozy little home, which she had worked so hard to build, after only a few days: "Then, what about this place? Should I... just leave it?"

"Of course we should. Let's use it as our base in Haywood. I'll talk to the landlord later and we can buy the building and redesign the security."

Leo's answer reassured Sasha, but not everyone's focus was so off-topic.

V, examining his plan from a mercenary's perspective, quickly raised questions:

"Even ignoring the Haitians who might help the Voodoo Gang, the Voodoo Gang still has about two hundred members. Taipingzhou is their stronghold that they have been operating for many years, and its internal defenses are very tight. You think it will be easy to attack them with the same number of troops?"

Vera saw further ahead: "The Voodoo Gang's control over Pacific is definitely the result of the various forces in Night City checking and balancing each other. After we defeat the Voodoo Gang, the Corporate Army and NCPD will inevitably intervene, trying to seize the spoils of victory. What do you plan to do then?"

Leo waved his hand, signaling them to calm down.

"You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to answer one question at a time—"

"First and foremost, it's not about defeating the Voodoo Cult, it's about completely annihilating it. Do you understand what I mean? Annihilate it, annihilate it without leaving a single one alive!"

He gestured to interrupt the audience member who was about to ask a question and continued:

"The most troublesome thing about the Voodoo Gang is their hacking skills; at least half of the cybercrime in Night City is thanks to them. But to me, that's precisely their fatal weakness."

My hacking team is far superior to theirs. I will find a way to lure the Voodoo Gang's main hackers into cyberspace and slaughter them there.

Meanwhile, ground forces launched a coordinated attack to eliminate all Voodoo gang members and those who aided them.

My plan is to eliminate them within six hours to prevent other forces from interfering.

"Secondly, regarding the aftermath. Once we go to war with the Voodoo Cult, no matter how the battle goes, the big corporations and the NCPD will not stand idly by."

My plan is to bring Kangtao and the internet monitoring department into our camp and let them fight against the other large companies.”

After he finished speaking, the living room fell into a deathly silence.

But before long, the tense atmosphere suddenly eased, and everyone's faces showed expressions of sudden realization and relief.

I see……

No wonder Leo's plan was so aggressive, and he seemed so confident of victory.

It turns out that Kang Tao and the internet police were backing him up, which makes perfect sense now.

Just as the Tiger Claw Gang is Arasaka's black glove, and the Sixth Street Gang has been receiving funding from military technology for years, it seems that Kang Tao is not content to remain in the limelight and wants to increase his influence in Night City.

It's perfectly reasonable for them to choose Leo as their spokesperson, support him in creating a new gang, and occupy a piece of territory!

He really is one of Kang Tao's men, and he came to Night City on a mission!

Of all the people, only V vaguely knew that the truth was not so, but she couldn't expose her own people at this time, so she could only keep her doubts to herself.

Seeing the expressions on his friends' faces, Leo knew they must have misunderstood.

But that's fine too. Anyway, after today, no one will believe him no matter how he explains. Let them be...

"In short, this is my strategy for conquering the Pacific. Our first step is to make contact with Adcardo, gain their trust by doing business and eliminating the Night Wanderers, and recruit soldiers from the wanderers!"

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

Everyone nodded, their gazes inadvertently returning to Vera.

The blonde mother put her hand to her forehead and thought for a few seconds: "My family is from the northern United States, not Adcado. But I am a genuine homeless person, so I have common topics with them and can try to communicate with them."

Leo was pleased, but then he raised another idea:

"To them, we are strangers after all, so it's better to have a 'local' to lead the way. This is easy to handle. I'll go to the Rebirth Bar later and post a new job advertisement—find a homeless person from Adcado who is familiar with smuggling and delivery routes to act as a bridge between us."

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

Last time he tried to find her, he unexpectedly brought Vera along. This time, he wants to personally oversee the process and make sure she's recruited into the team!

Despite some personal motives, the suggestion itself is not problematic. When traveling to an unfamiliar city, one needs a local guide; similarly, when contacting an unfamiliar family of homeless people, one naturally needs a familiar face to lead the way.

That's how it was settled.

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

Everyone nodded unanimously.

“Very good, then there’s no need to wait until the afternoon. I’ll contact Kang Tao’s people right now and arrange a meeting to discuss this in detail.”

Everyone nodded again, holding their breath so as not to disturb him.

Leo took a deep breath and found the phone number of "Mr. Li". He wasn't sure of the other party's specific position, but based on their two meetings, his status was definitely not low, making him a suitable person to discuss things with.

This matter was quite important, so he decided to communicate with the other party directly by phone.

"Whoosh...whoosh..."

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

Kang Tao

——Intelligent Electronic Solutions——

The fact that this icon can be used as a profile picture frame speaks volumes.

After a few rings, the other party answered the phone.

Mr. Li, with his stern face still wearing sunglasses, spoke first: "It's you, young man. What brings you here so early in the morning?"

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

Leo switched to Mandarin to speak with him: "Good morning, Mr. Li. I have something very important to discuss with you in person, so it's not convenient to talk on the phone."

The middle-aged man did not answer immediately, and his expression remained unchanged despite wearing 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 his thanks. "Let's choose the Laisheng Bar as the location. I have a private room there. The time is up to you."

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

“There’s no need. Kangtao and I are about to become strategic partners, so there’s no need to hide it anymore.”

“Strategic partner…” Even through his sunglasses, the middle-aged man’s gaze remained sharp and piercing. “This term is usually used between forces. I hope you haven’t misunderstood its meaning. Then let’s meet at the Laisheng Bar at nine o’clock this morning.”

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

"How so?" V asked curiously.

"See you in the next life at nine o'clock this morning. If you have anything to do, hurry up and do it. We'll leave at eight-thirty and prepare the venue in advance."

As soon as Leo finished speaking, V stood up.

She turned and walked towards her room, her steps slightly hurried. "I need to put on some makeup and change into something suitable."

Upon hearing this, the others also hesitated before standing up.

Since we're going to the Laisheng Bar to meet Kang Tao's "big shot," it's best to pay attention to our attire.

Finally, everyone changed into their best clothes and carefully tidied their appearance.

At 8:30, everyone set off on time. The three ladies and Leo rode in a car, while Jack rode his beloved motorcycle alongside them to ensure their safety.

Upon arriving at the parking lot in front of the Rebirth Bar, Leo took out a mask and put it on.

Noticing his friends' puzzled looks, he explained, "I was careless before and didn't distinguish between L and my ordinary identity. From now on, when I use the identity of L, I will wear this mask to add a bit of mystery."

This isn't for showing off... well, at least it's not just for showing off.

He genuinely felt he should separate L from Leonardo to avoid trouble when they went to school.

Although it's a bit late now, and we already know what we need to know, let's still try to learn from this experience.

After putting on his mask, he led the energetic Immortal Squad toward the Rebirth Bar.

Along the way, many mercenaries recognized Jack, who frequented bars, and naturally deduced from his position that the leader was the rather mysterious middleman "L".

Looking around, Leo saw that everyone there was a stranger, so he maintained his aloof demeanor and walked straight to the main entrance without glancing to the side.

Emeric was still the one guarding the gate.

Upon seeing Leo, he lowered his head and silently stepped aside.

As Leo passed by, he patted the man's arm as a way of greeting the veteran security guard.

Upon entering the bar, the loud rock music hit him again. No matter how many times he heard it, he felt that this kind of music didn't quite fit the cool atmosphere of the bar.

Hi Claire! Long time no see!

Leo walked to the bar and waved to the bartender.

Claire strode over and couldn't help but tease, "You're right! It's really not easy to see someone as busy as you. Here, this drink is on me; I've been waiting in line for ages!"

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

"Try this new cocktail—Amber Iced Tea. I believe it will be very popular in the summer."

Looking at the pale amber-colored cocktail, Leo roughly knew where the name came from.

He took a small sip, then drank it all in one go.

The wine, bursting with fruity aromas, is sweet and sour, and tastes quite good.

"A few more drinks, and a few cans of Coke and mineral water too. I'm meeting some guests later, so I need to prepare some non-alcoholic beverages as well."

"no problem."

Claire quickly served the drinks.

After paying the bill, Leo gestured to Jack and Sasha to check on the private room and take the drinks inside.

We and the others waited here for the "VIPs".

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

They weren't wearing any Kangtao insignia, but their three Eastern faces and unusual aura still attracted the attention of the mercenaries and customers.

No, it's not just them.

The "Queen" of the Laisheng Bar also came out of the private room and greeted them with a puzzled look on her face.

“Mr. Li?” Roger sized up the senior executive at Contour, his gaze suddenly falling on Leo’s face. “Welcome, what brings you here?”

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

Now that Roger knew who the real culprit was, he couldn't help but wonder: It's L again. What is he up to this time?

Leo looked at her calmly and said casually, "We agreed to talk about something in the next life. It's nothing important, so you don't need to worry about it."

As he spoke, he gestured for them to come this way, Mr. Li, let's go to the private room to talk.

Roger watched them leave quietly, feeling he had collected another piece of the puzzle—L was indeed entangled with Kang Tao and was no pushover.

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