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

He could imagine the upheaval that would occur in the desolate eastern suburbs when the "purge order" and "employment benefits" were combined.

This place will become the bloodiest battlefield, where hundreds and thousands of people will lose their lives!

"This is crazy..."

In his shock, he inadvertently blurted out what was on his mind.

Leo slowly shook his head and retorted, "How can wiping out robbers and criminals and restoring peace and stability to the eastern suburbs be considered madness? I believe the residents of Badlands will be very happy to see the scene I expect."

So, Chief Thor, what is your answer?

The immense pressure left the family head bewildered, with countless thoughts clashing in his mind, making it impossible for him to think calmly.

Panan felt much the same way. Who could have imagined that a simple request could lead to such a terrifying turn of events?

The members of the Immortal Squad exchanged glances and chatted enthusiastically in the team channel.

Even they were shocked by Leo's extravagant spending, let alone these navigators who had never seen the world.

The silence lasted a long time. Seeing that their heads were practically steaming, Leo had no choice but to back down.

"I know making this decision must be difficult, as it concerns the fate of the entire family. But if I may be frank, Chief Saul, the Bright family is already on the verge of collapse, which is why you want to cooperate with biotechnology companies to find a way out. But—"

He paused deliberately for a few seconds until both of them looked at him.

“Choosing biotechnology was a terrible move. They love homeless people like you who know nothing and have no legal status. You are perfect for human experimentation.”

"...Human experimentation? What evidence do you have?"

Panan cleared his mind of his chaotic thoughts and tried to remain calm.

"The evidence lies with the Red Ochre Tribe. You are all wanderers, so you should be able to contact them. Send someone to inquire about their situation, and then you will realize how foolish it is to cooperate with biotechnology."

By the way, here's a friendly reminder: don't have any physical contact with the victims, or you'll be lucky to lose an arm. Also, don't delve into the investigation. This human experiment was conducted by biotechnology companies, but the client is military technology; it's not your business.

Biotechnology and military technology...

Even one of them wouldn't be someone a homeless person would dare to mess with, let alone two.

Thor was about to politely decline when his expression suddenly changed. He turned to look at the person beside him and said, "Panan! You are not allowed to conduct an investigation on your own! Acting impulsively will only drag the entire family into danger!"

Panan's face immediately turned ugly: "Am I the kind of person who doesn't have a brain? But... we can't just ignore it completely, can we?! Red Ochre is in the same state as us, Adcado, and I remember their camp is over there on I-80."

“Parnan—” Thor was exasperated, drawing out his words, “The Bright family is in dire straits themselves, could they—”

Panan raised his hand, forcefully interrupting him: "Sol, don't forget, your suggestion was to sign contracts with biotech companies and work for them!"

"I...I...I don't know anything about red ochre!"

"Does it matter? A mistake is a mistake. You've already made the wrong decision once. Now shut up and stop babbling!"

In front of the Immortal Squad members, Panan staged an act of "subordinate overthrowing superiors," making the family leader, Thor, furious.

After dealing with the troublesome old man, Panan turned to Leo: "We need some time to verify your information, and by the way, tell the clansmen about your invitation. Although we are a family, everyone is free and has the right to choose their own future."

That's certainly a statement from a wanderer.

Vera smiled, indicating she had a good impression of Panan.

Leo nodded noncommittally: "No problem, we'll come again tomorrow, and bring some good young men with us as manpower."

He thought for a moment, then suddenly took out a money chip and tossed it to Panan.

"I'll leave my car and goods here for now. There's 30,000 euros in the chip. Consider it me hiring the Bright family to watch over the goods for me."

Panan raised an eyebrow and casually tossed the chip to Thor without a trace of greed.

Thor, on the other hand, seemed a little flustered.

He did a quick mental calculation: the things L left behind, including the car and the goods, were worth tens of millions of euros. If anything went wrong, even selling the entire Bright family wouldn't be enough to cover the losses…

"You...you're just leaving like that?" He spoke somewhat unclearly.

Leo stopped and turned to look at him: "Otherwise what? You expect me to live in the middle of nowhere just to guard this little thing?"

Saul felt there was something wrong with what he said—goods worth tens of millions couldn't possibly be considered "this little bit of stuff"...

Before taking another step, Leo said loudly:

"Chief Saul, I read through 'The History of the Wanderers' before I came. The second rule of the first edition of the Wanderer's Code reads: 'You are as important as your words carry weight.'"

I approached the Bright family first simply because you are closest to Stoneridge Hill. If you are unwilling to cooperate, I can easily find another family head to renegotiate. I am confident that once they see my job posting, the younger members of your families will come to me on their own initiative.

So… is it you who will be my mouthpiece, relaying the message, or will we wait for someone else to take that position and gain the initial voice? The choice is yours. Think it over carefully.”

After saying that, he led his men out of the carriage, across the homeless camp, got into the car, and drove away.

Goods worth ten million were simply left lying there.

If it weren't for the drones patrolling, these three trucks would have been practically unwanted.

"This time we're in big trouble..."

Panan casually opened a few boxes, looking at the neatly stacked smart weapons and ammunition inside, and seemed to see the future of the Bright family before his eyes.

No one could refuse such a wealthy and powerful employer; the younger members of the family would become his fervent followers, vying to join the yet-to-be-formed gang.

Thor understood this as well, and the scales in his heart had already tipped.

Even the clan leader cannot stop the clan members' desire for a better future. The consequence of trying to stop a chariot with a mantis's arm is that the clan will be torn apart and completely disbanded.

“Panan, gather the elders of the family... Sigh, never mind, gather everyone and have a meeting in front of the campfire. This kind of thing can't be kept secret, so let everyone speak freely.”

Panan nodded and stepped out of the carriage.

*

Meanwhile, Leo and his group had already begun their return journey.

Having grown accustomed to hardship, V's heart bled at the thought of such a large quantity of goods lying abandoned next to a camp for homeless people.

“I said… Leo, isn’t your decision a bit too casual? It’s such a large sum of money. People’s hearts can’t withstand the test.”

Leo tightened his grip, pulling her into his arms and kissing her twice passionately.

"That's exactly the effect I wanted. There's an old poem in our area that says, 'It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.' I want to use this method to shatter their values ​​and make them unable to bear the kind of hardship they used to take for granted."

Then I can use money to control them and train them to be loyal soldiers!

V blinked: "Soldier? Not a gang member?"

"It's the same. People who prove their ability and loyalty can join the company's security department and become full-time employees. It's a clear path for them to advance their careers."

Leo turned to look at the desolate, barren land.

"The most useful knowledge I learned from Arasaka Academy is—how to sell hope. Because hope can make people risk their lives and disregard everything else..."

Rising to Fame: Chapter 272 Leo: "A middleman in the eastern suburbs? Just a little karami."

"Then the hope you're selling had better be genuine hope, otherwise you'll become the next Arasaka or biotechnology..."

V leaned against him for a while before getting up on her own, afraid of pressing on his surgical wound.

"My beliefs differ from theirs, just you wait and see!"

Leo gave a confident answer, stretching out his body in the back seat.

Seeing that their conversation had come to an end, Sasha eagerly turned around, leaned on the back of her chair, and asked, "Leo, what's the deal with the Red Ochre Tribe? Can you tell me about it?"

Leo had anticipated this would happen.

After all, "biotechnology" is a sensitive word for Sasha. If you whisper it in her ear in the middle of the night, she might have to open her eyes and look at it.

"Sure, wait a moment while I look at the information..."

Leo agreed and quickly urged Chunbai to take out the materials he had found in advance so he could review them again.

After glancing at it once, he began to explain:

"The tragedy of the Red Ochre tribe stems from Project Nightingale—a commission from military technology to biotechnology to enhance the physical fitness of military technology soldiers and make them immune to biological weapons."

The biotechnology executives in charge of this research chose a radical human experimentation method, targeting the Red Ochre tribe, who were completely unaware of the consequences. This experiment is still ongoing, and according to my intelligence, it won't be long before it goes horribly wrong.

Sasha's expression turned serious: "What kind of big basket?"

"Many people died during the human trials because the study itself was absurd and had very serious side effects."

"Side effects... These bastards—!"

This word triggered Sasha's PTSD.

In her emotional outburst, the alloy claws in her hand sprang out, leaving several deep scratches on the back of the chair.

Leo quickly patted her shoulder, afraid that she would go crazy again like that day.

Fortunately, she only lost control for a moment and quickly regained her composure.

“Um… Leo, we can’t turn a blind eye to this. If we can get evidence of illegal human experiments on homeless people using biotechnology, it will definitely come in handy in the future!”

Seeing her pleading eyes, Leo smiled nonchalantly:

"Of course I know that. Some of the materials for Project Nightingale are at the Blackbuck Motor Company in the northeast corner of North Oak. We'll steal them as soon as we have a spare moment."

I will also protect the Red Ochre tribe. When we face off against biotechnology in the future, they will be living witnesses. Add to that other dirt, and we'll have a combined attack that will leave them utterly defeated!

“That’s right, that’s it!” Sasha became excited again, her heart burning hotter the more she looked at Leo. “I love you so much!”

As she spoke, she couldn't help but open her arms.

Then... he was forcibly embraced by V.

"Okay, okay, don't get excited. There will be plenty of opportunities to deal with biotech companies in the future."

V patted her back and pressed her back into the seat.

Leo wasted a lot of time talking but didn't get any "reward," so he became sullen.

But he also knew that dealing with V required skill; brute force would definitely not work, so he would have to be patient for now.

V finally managed to push Sasha back down, but before she could even catch her breath, Vera joined the conversation—

"I can assure you that your good deed in saving the Red Ochre tribe will surely be rewarded. News travels fast among wandering families, and every good or bad deed you do will spread throughout the Badlands and wastelands, attracting the attention of even more wanderers."

A benevolent leader who can provide stable jobs and safe havens will draw wanderers from all over America to you, and they will accuse you of being king.

"The king of wanderers? That sounds pretty good..."

Just as Leo was about to take the opportunity to indulge in some daydreams, he was interrupted by a message from Pure White in the team channel.

"Pure White: Hold on a minute. An old woman named Dakota Smith wants your phone number. She says she's the middleman for the Badlands area in the East Suburbs."

Leo: Okay, give her the number.

Just seconds after he sent the message, his personal phone rang.

He glanced at the caller's profile picture and answered the call.

"Hello, the famous L, what brings you to this barren land in the eastern suburbs?"

The speaker was an old woman with a wrinkled face and graying hair.

She looked about the same age as Roger, but she didn't have the latter's arrogant and cocky attitude.

Leo knew this person, but he didn't have a deep impression of him.

"Hello, Ms. Dakota, it seems you have spies in the Bright family, as you knew I was here so quickly."

“That’s right, they’ve been here for two months, and we’ve had quite a bit of contact.” Dakota didn’t deny it. “Let’s talk about you, L. Instead of staying in Night City, you came to the eastern suburbs and caused such a commotion. What are you trying to do?”

“I want to set some rules for the people who make a living in the eastern suburbs. Hmm…you might find them useful, so let’s meet and talk. I’m almost at your repair shop.”

"Looks like you've investigated me. Fine, I'll wait here then."

“No, you’ve got one thing wrong,” Leo retorted. “It’s not you waiting there; it’s you coming out yourself and talking in my car.”

Dakota frowned: "Are you sure? I'm the middleman in charge of this area. In your parlance—I'm the local bigwig."

"Whether you choose to be a snake or whatever, I don't care. But you must understand that on my turf, you'd better listen to me. I'll wait for you for five minutes after I arrive. If you want to talk, then come on over; if not, then you're out of the picture."

Without waiting for her reply, Leo hung up the phone.

"Vera, drive a few hundred meters more along the road, there's a repair shop on the south side of the road, stop there for a bit."

"Okay, I know that repair shop."

Having overheard the conversation, V was curious about the caller: "Who is it?"