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

The contrast between the dignified Deputy Director of Kangtao and his bag-carrying assistant left Li Qixuan momentarily stunned. After realizing that what he was holding was not Chun-2 rice, but a seemingly ordinary pot of algae, he had a sudden inspiration and hugged it tightly.

He followed Leo back to the car, glanced at the empty seat opposite him, then turned to look at the red-haired female mercenary waiting inside like a statue, and asked in surprise, "Are you planning to go alone? Aren't you taking a bodyguard?"

Leo shook his head calmly: "It's not like we're going to fight, why bring bodyguards? Okay, let's drive, don't be late for our appointment."

Li Qixuan had been repeatedly instructed on related matters before he arrived. Seeing his insistence, he didn't say anything more and directly ordered the airship to fly along the set route.

"The vehicle is starting. Please hold on tight and sit down."

The hovercraft's built-in AI responded in standard Mandarin.

Immediately, the vehicle shook slightly and began to rise into the air at a steady speed.

As V's figure disappeared out of the window, Leo looked away and happened to see the elite soldier take out a set of high-tech testing equipment from his backpack.

Noticing Leo's gaze, he took the initiative to introduce himself: "Zhu Kaixuan, from Shandong, one of Commander Xu's bodyguards. It's a pleasure to meet you."

“Good name. My full name is very long, so just call me Leo.”

Looking at the burly Shandong man in front of him, Li Ao inexplicably thought of Takemura and Oda. The three of them were bodyguards of important figures, the elite of the elite, the kind of people with maxed-out combat skills in a game.

After spending half a minute adjusting the testing equipment, Zhu Kaixuan said politely but seriously, "Mr. Li, you are about to participate in a very high-level meeting. In order to ensure everyone's safety, I need to check your personal belongings."

It's perfectly normal to conduct routine inspections to meet with leaders who are suspected to be at the vice-national level.

Leo was prepared. He took out the Blue Diamond phone from his pocket and placed it on the tray in front of him. As for the Infinity Gauntlet, he didn't intend to take it off and simply extended it directly in front of the other person.

"I only have these two things with me: my personal cell phone and the verification machine for our company's most cutting-edge technological creation—the Infinity Gauntlet."

“A verification machine…” Zhu Kaixuan’s customized eyes flashed, “and not a concept machine, then this creation should already have some functionality. Could you please explain?”

Leo smiled calmly: "This is a combat cybernetic body. I will demonstrate its specific functions during the negotiations. I believe that with Kangtao's resources, they shouldn't be afraid of a small weapon, right?"

Zhu Kaixuan remained silent.

Leo knew that his every word and action would be observed and analyzed repeatedly by the Kangtao Think Tank and AI, but he didn't care.

It's a seller's market now, and Kangtao will definitely indulge his "little whims".

Sure enough, after a dozen seconds, Zhu Kaixuan nodded: "Okay, but I still need to check it first."

"It's a very reasonable arrangement, please proceed."

The two reached an agreement, and the routine inspection proceeded smoothly.

The deep blue-disguised smartphone perfectly replicated all the functions of the prototype and passed the test smoothly.

The only minor surprise occurred during the material testing—a pure natural blue diamond, and such a large one at that. Even the soldier king couldn't help but twitch his lips when he saw it.

This isn't a cell phone, it's like using a seaside villa as a case!

Leo's Infinity Gauntlet is also made of amazing materials. In addition to six priceless large natural gemstones, the other parts are made of military-grade high-grade alloys, making it very expensive.

However, the testing equipment failed to detect the function of the Infinity Gauntlet, which left Zhu Kaixuan somewhat disappointed.

After examining those two items, he performed a simple full-body scan on Leo, recording his prosthetic information. Finally, it was time to examine the bathtub that Li Qixuan was holding.

Leo explained, "That's the second item we're trading today: water-purifying algae."

The testing instrument scanned the plant and liquid and confirmed that they were both safe.

The security check is now complete.

Only then did the hovercar begin to move forward, demonstrating Kangtao's caution.

Leo had no interest in chatting with the two people who came to pick him up, so he simply turned his gaze to the window.

Skyscrapers, colorful neon lights, and holographic advertisements from major companies and shopping malls occupy every inch of the sky, creating an indescribable sense of chaos when viewed from above.

Further away, vehicles resemble colorful beetles, while pedestrians are like even smaller ants, weaving through a steel forest woven from neon lights and light trails, exuding a vibrant energy that can be oppressive.

The tension of meeting the important person made Leo start to have wild thoughts, but soon the "traffic jam" in the company square brought him back to his senses.

Yes, traffic jams happen in the company plaza too, and it's not just on the ground, the sky can be congested too...

Why are there so many cars today?

It felt like cars from all the major companies had come out of their garages, mixed with quite a few private cars, and the people in those cars were all wealthy and influential.

Li Qixuan said proudly, "Chairman Xu has personally made a friendly visit to Night City. Upon hearing this news, the company's employees and high-society figures naturally want to meet him. Even just catching a glimpse from afar is enough to make them brag about it over tea!"

Leo nodded silently. He had been worried that taking the hovercar into the Kangtao Building at this time would be too high-profile, but now it seemed that he had been overthinking it. Everyone was lining up to enter, so one more or one less wouldn't make a difference.

Perhaps this is a deliberate smokescreen by Kang Tao?

After queuing for a few minutes, they were able to enter the floating parking garage of the Contour Building without any problems. Because they were using internal vehicles, they were able to access a dedicated area and avoid having to squeeze into the public parking garage with other visitors.

After the hovercraft came to a stop, a team of elite security guards quietly separated them from the other employees and led them through the fast lane.

After passing through several heavily guarded corridors, Leo and his two escorts entered the elevator, leaving the others outside.

The numbers on the display automatically jump to the top level and rise rapidly.

It felt like two or three minutes passed before the elevator made a "ding" sound and slowly opened.

李奥下意识地看了一眼视网膜右上角——4月1日，上午08:59:55。

The timing was perfect; everything was exactly as Kang Tao had planned, even the traffic jam.

After the elevator doors opened, a long corridor came into view, with fully armed special forces soldiers lined up on both sides. Each of them looked imposing, not much less so than Zhu Kaixuan.

Without a doubt, these were Kang Tao's "Imperial Guards," and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that each of them was worth a hundred.

In the past, Leo would have been somewhat nervous, but things are different now. With Deep Blue protecting him, even if these people go all out, they can't even hurt a hair on his head.

A bunch of little trash~

He strode forward, his steps revealing an air of indifference towards family and friends.

however,

He miscalculated again…

"salute!"

At the captain's command, all the special forces soldiers turned their heads to look in his direction and saluted with impeccable posture.

At that moment, Leo got goosebumps.

He couldn't quite describe his feelings; he felt excited, nostalgic, and touched, but also somewhat awkward.

The Chinese people in the 2077 world are quite different from those in their original world. Simply put, they've been living in a cesspool for too long and have been corrupted by other, even more unreliable, countries.

At least at this stage, he doesn't really feel that the Chinese in this world are his homeland, but... there are too many familiar things, which makes him a little undecided.

He momentarily lost focus, but forced himself to regain his composure and continued walking forward without changing his expression.

He walked through a long corridor and was greeted by soldiers lining the way, before entering a magnificent, large conference room.

Standing there, the dome resembles an inverted nebula, with countless holographic images flowing within the translucent crystal glass. The circular conference table is shaped from liquid metal, with a three-dimensional star map suspended in its center.

At this moment, several people were already seated at the conference table, and the one in the center was Xu Shiming—the news said he would visit Night City at noon today, and in fact, he had already arrived!

Upon closer inspection, his silver-gray uniform was adorned with a subtle, shimmering identity badge, and the cuffs faintly revealed the metallic sheen of his nanotech armor, clearly indicating his military bearing.

"Welcome to the top of the Kangtao Building, young man. This isn't the highest point in Night City, but it's close."

Xu Shiming casually waved his hand, turning off all twelve floating holographic screens in front of him, and looked over with a gentle expression.

Considering that he was an elder and the head of Kangtao, Leo took the initiative to step forward and greeted him politely: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Xu Shiming. My name is Leo... the founder and chairman of Lanmeng Company."

Faced with someone of this caliber, Leo didn't bother using that fake name that was often criticized as being incredibly fake.

Xu Shiming looked at him, then suddenly stood up and extended his hand to him: "Going to the meeting alone, very good, very courageous."

With their hands clasped together, Leo breathed a sigh of relief.

He had never had the opportunity to meet with such a high-ranking leader in both of his lives, and he was really afraid of making a fool of himself, but so far the atmosphere seemed to be going well.

After shaking hands with the person in question, the other three attendees also stood up, shaking hands and introducing themselves.

Government diplomats, business representatives from Dongfang Petrochemical, and plant researchers from Zhongsui Group—each of them held a distinguished position, representing a powerful force in their respective fields.

Leo's gaze sharpened slightly, knowing that this negotiation had introduced some new variables. Originally, he only wanted to talk to Kang Tao, but the other party had sent four representatives at once, demonstrating the importance they attached to this matter.

Theoretically speaking, this is a good thing; competition makes it easier for prices to rise.

Actually... we'll have to talk to find out.

Chapter 380 The Conference That Changed the World Order! (Part 1)

After the very formal introduction, Li Qixuan placed the fish tank he was holding on the experimental table to the side and quietly left the conference room.

Zhu Kaixuan stood at the entrance, flanked by another guard, like two gatekeepers.

Apart from that, the only actual attendees were the five people sitting around the circular conference table.

Leo subtly scanned the room, the unspoken rules of the workplace he had encountered in his previous life resurfacing in his mind—big matters are handled in small meetings, small matters in large meetings, and particularly important matters are handled in closed-door meetings.

This is a discussion!

"Please sit down, don't be shy."

As a powerful figure in the area, Xu Shiming's relaxed demeanor is unmatched.

Most people present obeyed his orders, except for one troublemaker.

Of course, this person is not Leo.

It was that female researcher surnamed Yuan.

She turned her head and raised her hand, requesting, "I don't know much about negotiation. How about I study this pot of algae first? Isn't it supposed to be the second type of traded item?"

Xu Shiming was very kind to her, waving his hand dismissively: "Go ahead, I'll call you when we get to the technical issues."

Researcher Yuan jogged away, leaving even fewer people at the conference table.

Once the four individuals were seated in two clearly defined camps, the meeting, which was poised to reshape the world order, officially began.

"Young Leo, since you initiated the meeting, why don't you briefly explain your point of view?"

Xu Shiming generously relinquished the right to speak to Li Ao, adopting a posture of listening attentively.

Whether he was faking it or not, the fact that the head of a giant company could adopt such an attitude is a testament to his respect for talent.

Leo was not intimidated and said frankly, "Thank you very much. Then I will get straight to the point. I am here on behalf of Lanmeng Company to establish a strategic partnership with Kangtao Company. All subsequent negotiations will be based on this."

Xu Shiming remained calm and did not reply immediately.

On the contrary, the other two representatives who were listening in frowned.

After quickly gesturing to Xu Shiming with his eyes, the diplomat spoke up:

“Mr. Leo, please allow me to ask a question first. Since it is a strategic partnership, why not talk to the Chinese government, but to Kangtao? Forgive my bluntness, but the planting and refining of the new alcohol-2 crop does not seem to be within Kangtao’s business scope.”

Xu Shiming glanced at the male diplomat indifferently, but remained silent.

Leo pondered for a moment and replied, “Sir Diplomat, Blue Dream Corporation is a newly established company that has not yet been formally established. We do not wish to get involved in national politics at the moment. The reason for choosing Kangtao is simple: we plan to set up our company headquarters in Night City and need Kangtao to provide security and military support.”

Night City…

The diplomat's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and his gaze drifted to his side again.

Without needing to be urged, Xu Shiming slowly spoke: "We can see that you received a standard Chinese education, and your parents are probably both Chinese. Since your company chose you to be the person in charge, why not consider returning to China to develop your career?"

"I don't need to tell you, you should have already figured it out—Night City is chaotic. If Arasaka and the Military Academy start fighting again, this will be the front line of the war. Moreover, it's rife with lies and deception; it's simply not a suitable place for a new company to start up."

"Our company has its own considerations on this matter, and the specific reasons are quite complex. Let's discuss this again once the cooperative relationship and trust between the two parties have deepened further."

Leo used a roundabout tactic to avoid the topic.

After all, if he were to say directly that he wanted to start from Night City, swallow up the United States and Mexico, and then take over the whole of North America, it would be too shocking and he would easily be seen as a madman.

His answer was within the think tank's expectations, but it was clearly not the answer they wanted to hear.

The three representatives exchanged several silent glances, with the government diplomat striking first and delivering a decisive blow:

"What if I told you that your research findings are very important to the country and that the motherland needs you to return home?"

The feeling of goosebumps all over my body came over me again.

Leo pursed his lips, trying hard to suppress that strange feeling.

That's shameless... They actually started by using "the call of the motherland".

In his previous life, Leo would have considered a compromise at this point: relocating back to China while maintaining the company's independence.

But this is the world of 2077, and he doesn't think going back home is a good idea.