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

Seeing that the speech had achieved its intended effect, Leo concluded with a strong and powerful tone:

"Everything you have lost, everything you have longed for, is in Taipingzhou, in the Wings of Freedom! At 5 a.m. tomorrow, we will set off under the cover of night and end the battle before dawn. It will be a resounding victory, and I hope everyone will do their duty!"

As for those who doubt my words, I suggest you carefully reflect on my actions—I am unlike anyone you've ever met before! I always keep my word!!

"Now, let's begin the feast! Eat and drink our fill, and get ready to embrace a wonderful new life!"

"Oh oh oh——!"

"Long live the Wings of Freedom! Long live L!!"

Chapter 388 Mr. Hanz, the Uninvited Guest

The mobilization meeting was a great success!

Through his emotional perception abilities, Leo could sense that something called loyalty was growing rapidly among the members of Wings of Freedom, like a flame.

Money, promises, and the desire for a better future bound them firmly to Leo's cause, making them his loyal followers.

but…

Some people had ulterior motives, such as the company employees, and some who were clearly members of Wings of Freedom but didn't really like what he said.

Perhaps because he's new to the company, I don't know him or trust him enough.

They could also be spies sent by other forces, coming with a mission.

Of course, it's also possible that it was due to his personality; he joined Wings of Liberty simply to make a living.

There were too many people below, crowded together, and he wasn't proficient enough in this skill to discern the thoughts of any particular individual.

He could only keep it in mind and prepare to set up a new mechanism in the future—that any soldier promoted to the relatively high rank of sergeant major must be personally conferred the rank by him.

To the outside world, it can be claimed to be an honorary award, demonstrating the importance placed on non-commissioned officers. In reality, however, it's a secret selection process, blacklisting those who are not loyal enough and placing them under close surveillance!

Leo was thinking of various precautions, but on the surface he was completely at ease. After stepping down from the podium, he didn't put on airs and smiled back at the crowd that cheered for him.

After a lively banquet, his smiling muscles almost suffered from overuse injury.

At 2 p.m., he summoned senior officers for a small meeting.

In addition to the original group of five, four new faces joined the meeting. Three of them were family leaders who had brought their entire Wanderer families to join the Wings of Freedom, and the other was Carlos Wells, Jack's cousin.

After the number of Heywood members in the Wings of Liberty exceeded one hundred, Leo took it upon himself to select a junior executive from among them, and chose this familiar face.

This young man has always performed well and has no bad habits. In addition, thanks to his good friend's influence, he was promoted to this position.

Leo looked around at everyone, skipped the pleasantries, and went straight to the point: "After this banquet, our plan to march into Taiping Continent and eliminate the Voodoo Gang will be fully publicized. I know this isn't the safest option, but we've done it anyway. What are your thoughts on this?"

"I believe the leader must have a deeper meaning behind doing this! I fully support all of the leader's decisions!"

Thor was the first to jump out and pledge his loyalty.

Leo glanced at him: "Yes, it's genuine, not flattery!"

"Yes, I think so too!"

"Our leader is wise and mighty...blah blah blah..."

Those present were indeed the leaders of the Wanderer family; they spoke eloquently and showered Leo with praise.

However, their words came from the heart, and they all showed a high degree of loyalty, which was truly... delightful!

Leo raised his hand to silence the crowd and said loudly:

"Very good, I'm relieved that everyone understands my good intentions. My initial intention in creating Wings of Liberty was actually based on the operating model of local gangs in Night City, intending for you to be my secret agents, handling some matters that were inconvenient to bring to the forefront. But now I've changed my mind—"

The gangs in Night City are filthy and corrupt, and I don't want Freedom Wings to become like them. While there's still time, I want to lead Freedom Wings in a different direction, transforming it into a group similar to the old American militias.

After occupying Taipingzhou, the soldiers are responsible for maintaining order, organizing patrols, and combating crime—all legitimate activities. They are absolutely forbidden from participating in illegal activities such as drug smuggling and human trafficking!

The senior officers listened attentively to his speech, exchanging glances and seeing an even brighter light in each other's eyes.

In their expectations, Wings of Freedom was at most a slightly larger gang, no different in essence from gangs like Tiger Claw and Sixth Street, except that they served different people and companies.

Since it's a gang, it's hard to avoid committing crimes. At the very least, they have to collect protection money, otherwise they won't have enough revenue to support their members.

But judging from what Leo is saying now, it seems that their family members can gain a more honorable identity and live with dignity?

They would never believe it if others said that, but this is L, and he really doesn't need that little bit of money!

Without needing to say more, Leo had already seen the answer on their faces and made the decision:

"Specific rules can be drawn up after we take Taiping Island. The most urgent task is to organize manpower, check vehicles and weapons, and prepare to meet the challenge. Remember, soldiers are not allowed to harass innocent civilians. Of course, if anyone is misled by the Voodoo Gang and tries to attack us, we should not hesitate to kill them!"

Revolution is not a dinner party; sacrifice is inevitable.

Leo was not a conservative man; he would not allow his soldiers to turn into bandits, nor would he tolerate those who tried to stop him from advancing!

"Time is precious, let's start now!"

"Yes!"

"understand!"

Senior officers filed out to organize manpower and prepare for battle.

Leo also incorporated Mann's squad into the combat force, assigning them to lead an elite 50-man unit as a battlefield fire brigade.

He then led the Immortal Squad back to Night City to make some gadgets.

Twenty minutes later, when they returned to Vera's garage, the equipment they had purchased from Dogtown had arrived.

A total of twelve portable searchlights, twenty sets of small cargo components for drones, and several printers were provided.

Why did you buy a searchlight?

Click—click—

V不灵*-m!en$g%梦^首开解拼了几点转点，发现就是就是普通搜索灯，没有特别的机制。

"Let's add a touch of ceremony!"

Leo took a Wings of Freedom logo out of the printer, applied some glue, and stuck it on the lampshade. When the light was turned on, the image of a pair of wings was projected onto the ceiling by the searchlight.

Bat searchlight... cough cough, no, no, this is the Wings of Freedom searchlight!

He got his inspiration from the bat searchlight.

"Imagine that every time you capture a strategic location, a searchlight is turned on, projecting the Wings of Liberty logo into the night sky. Doesn't that sound cool?"

"Um..." V hesitated, but finally couldn't hold back, "What's the point? Besides sending a message to the enemy..."

Leo's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Bangbang punched her twice: "Don't you know what a sense of ceremony and style is! Think about it, wouldn't those ordinary citizens who were awakened by the gunfire feel at ease when they see the Wings of Liberty symbol in the sky?"

V rubbed his lower back in dissatisfaction: "Reassuring my foot! Who can feel at ease after being woken up in the middle of the night and seeing an unfamiliar sign in the sky? This is just intimidation!"

"I don't care! Night City is mine, I'll do whatever makes me happy! Go—get to work!"

Leo herded his friends to the printer and had them put the printed cards into the drone's cargo container.

After dinner, something fell from the sky—

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

A phone call interrupted his thoughts.

An unfamiliar contact, but the number is quite well-known, with the caller's name marked in pure white—Mr. Hans.

The middleman between Taipingzhou and Dogtown is quite a capable guy.

You can even strike up a conversation with the extremely xenophobic Voodoo Clan, and in the game you can directly send the silly "V" to work for the Voodoo Clan.

Not only that, he also manipulated Dogtown behind the scenes, with only Colonel Hansen able to keep him in check.

It seems they've lured him out of Taipingzhou...

Chapter 390 Things Are Not Peaceful in Taipingzhou

"Hello, the renowned L. My name is Hans. Mr. Hans, I've heard about your 'Pacific Rim Strategy' and think we should have a talk."

After the call was connected, Hanz's live image appeared in the upper left corner of his retina.

His upper body was mostly hidden in the shadows, with only a tuft of white hair on his head and a large beard vaguely visible. Apart from these, only his crossed hands were clearly visible, gleaming with a metallic sheen under the light.

Hidden between light and shadow, it has a mysterious and stylish feel.

Leo generously revealed his face, looking at him calmly: "Nice to meet you, fellow traveler. Before we begin, could you please turn on your light? Are you perhaps preoccupied with something? The club is currently experiencing a power outage, forcing you to use a desk lamp?"

"You investigated me? Hmm, that's quite normal. However, I'm sorry to refuse, but I'm... shy and don't like to show my face in public like you do."

Leo was not satisfied with the inequality that he had shown his face while the other side had not.

He decided to give this rude guy a little punishment: "Is that so? I thought you were afraid that someone would recognize you as a former senior executive of Peizhuo Petrochemical and arrest you to collect the bounty, Hanz... oh, no, I should say Mr. Wade Blick."

"..."

The great box magic took effect, silencing Hanzgan instantly.

Leo waited calmly for a few seconds.

A soft "click" came from the opposite side, and the headlights turned on.

Hanz's true appearance was revealed: a handsome older man in a luxurious red suit, with thick, black and white hair, a full beard, and deep-set features. Combined with his darker skin tone, he looked somewhat like an Egyptian.

Behind him was a huge plant display stand, inside which was a holographic projection of a cheetah.

After a moment's thought, Leo recognized where he was—Colonel Hansen's room.

So, the "Dogtown's No. 1 Internet Celebrity" is here too?

Hanz and Hansen got together; they really value him.

Hans stared intently at Leo, his tone deep and enigmatic: "You've investigated thoroughly enough. No wonder people say you're well-informed; it seems there's nothing you don't know."

Leo humbly replied, "You can't say that. I only pay attention to the more important people and things. If you ask me what's going on in the streets and alleys, I really don't know."

"Heh, should I say 'I'm deeply honored' then?" Hans shook his head. "Alright, enough of this small talk, let's get down to business. What exactly do you want?"

"Didn't you read the 'Pacific Ocean Strategy'? I'm going to destroy the Voodoo Gang and take over Pacific Ocean with the Wings of Freedom."

"Then you should have done it secretly—under the cover of night, lead a team to raid the Voodoo Gang's stronghold, kill those who should be killed, arrest those who should be arrested, and take care of everything before anyone can react, then force the city government and major companies to swallow this bitter pill."

In my opinion, this is a safer approach, and you can do it, right? Instead, you've created such a high-profile scene; aren't you just waiting for someone to try and pull strings with you?

Leo paused for a moment, realizing he hadn't considered the issue from this angle before. Judging from Hanz's reaction, it was possible that the Voodoo Gang's distress call had reached him directly.

These people probably still think they're just talking, with the aim of forcing the Voodoo Gang to back down.

"Mixing things up... there's no need for that. You've misunderstood me, Hanz." Leo smiled arrogantly. "I'm not a rat in the gutter, why should I hide and act sneakily? The Voodoo Gang isn't law-abiding citizens either. I'm going to eliminate them, so I'm issuing a public notice to prevent innocent citizens from being implicated, that's all."

Hanz clenched his fists tighter and frowned: "Big companies won't let you run wild."

"They can do it, I've got it covered!"

"call--"

Hanz let out a long sigh, his tone tinged with annoyance.

“I know you’re rich, L, but money isn’t everything. In fact, sometimes, money is the most useless thing. Reputation, intelligence, personal connections… any of these things carry more weight than money.”

Have you ever considered that your actions might label you as 'reckless and unruly,' bringing you a lot of trouble in the future...?

“Hmm, that makes sense…” Leo nodded repeatedly, but then changed the subject, “But is it possible that you feel money is useless because you don’t have enough? If you add a zero, or two or three, to your total savings, then money becomes all-powerful?”

"..."

Hanz fell silent again, and even seemed about to curse.

"You said it yourself, that's only one possibility..."

"No no no."

Leo wagged his right index finger in an annoying way.

"What might be a possibility for you is a reality for me. So I'll be blunt: you stay put in Emerald City and keep your men in check. If you dare to interfere in the affairs of Taiping Continent, I won't hesitate to send your men, or the Netherhounds' men, down to keep the Voodoo Gang company. That's the threat, remember that!"

"Click."

Leo hung up the phone on his own initiative, a cheerful smile spreading across his face.

Hanz, the miser, is among the stingiest middlemen. In the game, no matter how well he completes the task, the reward remains unchanged.

How dare he call himself a "thorough businessman"? He deserves to be a heartless capitalist who hangs streetlights!

"Who is it? Why are you being so rude?" V asked curiously.

The other children also perked up their ears.