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

She could completely understand that.

After all, in Taipingzhou, if you're not dark-skinned or Haitian, you'll be subjected to indiscriminate hostility and harassment from the "locals of Taipingzhou".

Even the big guys in the animal gang have to travel in groups, which shows how unfriendly this place is to other ethnic groups.

"One plays the good cop and the other the bad cop, what a timeless trick. Your Wings of Freedom organization acts as the friendly party and mediator, while the Animal Gang plays the villain?"

“That’s right. I believe you can do this job well as long as you play your own roles.”

Leo laughed as he spoke, explaining that the fierce-looking members of the animal gang could also play a positive role, which was why he wanted to keep them around.

In his vision, the Wings of Liberty would act as a friendly and benevolent militia, integrating themselves with the grassroots population.

However, Taiping Island is both chaotic and poor, and there are bound to be some troublemakers and tactless people. That's when the villains of the Animal Gang come into play.

They were to act as Leo's "black gloves".

The wicked will be punished by the wicked; the wisdom of our ancestors is truly useful.

While Angie was still pondering, the Savage King chuckled, his face full of menacing features: "We can definitely do this job, and we guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

Acting aggressively and resorting to violence and intimidation are the two things that the members of the animal gang are good at. They love doing this so much. If they could also have a street brawl, that would be even better!

After all that hard training, we need this kind of combat exercise to test the results!

Leo's lips curled up as he looked at Angie: "I see the Savage King has already agreed. How about your 'Carnivorous Beast Pack' comes and earns some extra money?"

Angie glanced at the Savage King with annoyance. They were sitting at the same negotiating table, supposedly sharing the same interests, yet they lacked any tacit understanding in advancing or retreating together. What a terrible teammate.

Sigh, whatever. If someone can get over 500 pounds of weight through injections, their brains have practically been replaced with steroids. What else can you expect from them?

“If you don’t have attendance requirements, then I can agree. Many of our people are involved in boxing matches, working as bodyguards, or guarding the club, so we need to be flexible with their hours.”

"Deal!" Leo held out both hands. "The contracts for the other work will be sent to you by my secretary later. I hope we can have a pleasant collaboration in the future."

The two animal gang leaders exchanged a glance, then reached out and shook hands with him.

This handshake was much more formal than a polite one, signifying that the first step in the appeasement process had been achieved!

"When does the work start? Seriously, I'm really good at swinging a sledgehammer! What takes others many blows to break down a wall, I can smash through in one swing!"

The Savage King pointed to the corner of the room, where there was a gleaming metal hammer that looked incredibly powerful.

But the thought that it was meant to be used to smash walls made Leo instantly unable to look at this "number one melee weapon" in the game the same way.

Eighty, eighty…

The false memories began to attack Leo's brain, so he quickly shook his head to get rid of the damned noise.

"Let's start working today, no, let's start right now!"

Leo stood up and pointed to the ground. "Tomorrow, Lanmeng Company will be established here. This messy state won't do!"

"You need to organize people immediately to clean up the main entrance area first, collect all the small pieces of trash, and pile them in a corner. Once the construction vehicle and the Blue Dream Company sign I customized arrive, replace that garish billboard, and then move the abandoned vehicles away and pile them in a corner of the parking lot."

The ribbon-cutting ceremony tomorrow will be held in front of the mall's main entrance. It's too messy inside; we definitely can't clean it up in one day. Let's just get the surface looking nice for now. Oh, and polish and wax that stone lion for me; that decoration looks pretty good!

His series of instructions completely stunned the two animal gang leaders, who hadn't expected the job to be so urgent.

However, when they thought about the fact that it was a daily wage, they felt that it wasn't so bad. Anyway, everyone was currently idle, so earning a little bit was always good.

"Alright, we'll go arrange some people. Aren't you going to send a quality inspector or something?"

Angie asked meaningfully.

Leo knew that this quality inspector was actually a supervisor, but he didn't really care.

"I've added your secretary. Just ask her if you need anything. I'll send a few drones to assist you later. That's all for now."

After saying that, he walked towards the door, saying, "You all go about your business. I'll take some people to the top floor to take a look."

Members of the Immortal Squad and the Mann Squad spontaneously followed behind him, and the group walked away in a grand procession.

Watching them leave, Angie turned her head, then looked up at her incompetent teammate: "You agreed too quickly. We could have negotiated the price."

The Savage King raised his swollen right hand and looked at it: "Don't be ridiculous. Your life is in someone else's hands. You still want to negotiate? The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, that's the survival rule of the animal gang. Have you gone mad from doing business?"

Watching the Savage King turn and walk away, Angie suddenly felt that what she said might have some truth to it, but it was also unlikely that what she said had some truth to it...

Chapter 402 Dawn Breaks, Sails Set Sail!

Leo led his friends on foot to the top floor of the Grand Empire Mall, partly for the sake of green transportation, and partly because the elevators were not fixed at all...

It's important to know that after Southern California collectively voted for New America, Pacifico became the front line where Night City and New America met.

The investors were all shrewd individuals; upon seeing this risk, they naturally withdrew their funds and abandoned Taipingzhou entirely.

Therefore, the problem here is far more than just years of disrepair; the developers withdrew halfway through construction, leaving behind a bunch of unfinished buildings that look impressive on the outside but are actually abandoned.

The same goes for the Grand Empire Shopping Mall. From the outside, it looks like a huge luxury shopping mall, but inside it's all concrete pillars. Forget about supporting facilities, there aren't even basic railings or glass inside, making it a safety hazard everywhere.

Leo carefully observed the surroundings and suddenly realized that this shopping mall and the domed shopping center in the company square were likely the work of the same construction company.

Both shopping malls have an open space in the middle designed as a leisure area, with the major shops arranged in a ring, making the overall bird's-eye view of the mall resemble a giant donut.

The Grand Empire Mall has a total of eight floors above ground. The middle six floors are all the same size, while the top floor is slightly smaller and seems to be a separate office floor.

Leo found a large, single-level office of over 100 square meters in a prime location on the eighth floor, directly facing the coast. It seemed to be reserved for a high-ranking leader.

Now, this place definitely belongs to him!

I pushed open the door and entered; it was completely empty.

Upon closer inspection, even the desk had been dismantled down to just a few rotten planks, and there were no chairs. It actually looked quite spacious, with great potential for renovation…

"This will be my office from now on!"

Leo nodded confidently and strode confidently to the floor-to-ceiling window. Thankfully, at least the outermost layer of the mall had glass, so he wouldn't accidentally step into thin air and experience the feeling of flying.

Looking into the distance, a ray of dawn gradually rises on the sea, the shimmering waves sparkling like countless diamonds, a breathtaking sight.

Dawn has broken, and the scenery is truly beautiful.

After admiring the beautiful sunrise for a while, Leo turned his attention to the encrypted channel.

Very good, all the news is about great victories achieved in various places, how many enemies were annihilated, and how many innocent civilians were saved.

Although the number of injured has increased further, most of them are minor injuries, and the number of seriously injured remains in the single digits.

It is only natural that an organized group, with superior equipment and manpower, could achieve such results against an unorganized group.

It seems that we can remove some of the boils on Taiping Island today. We can take our time with the rest. It would be bad if the bloodletting therapy was too harsh and killed the "patient".

It's time to give the patient a shot in the arm and let him catch his breath.

After organizing his thoughts, Leo dialed Li Qixuan's number.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

The call was quickly connected, and Li Qixuan's image appeared, with his job title "Chief Security Officer of Kangtao" displayed below.

It's clear he really wanted to show this off, hence the bright orange font.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Director Li. Now you can drop the 'Deputy' part, right?"

Leo catered to the other person's tastes by praising them in a teasing manner.

Li Qixuan's first reaction was to laugh, but for some reason, he restrained himself and maintained a serious expression.

"Ahem, I'm on a mission, holding off those annoying guys from Arakasaka for you guys. Just get to the point."

Oh, I see. It turns out that subordinates were watching from the side, and he needed to maintain a good image.

Since that's the case, Leo didn't waste any more time: "I need to urgently produce a batch of billboards, including a huge storefront sign and illuminated signs for the company. I'm afraid I won't have enough time to find vendors myself. Does Kangtao offer this service?"

Li Qixuan readily nodded: "We can just print it directly with 3D printing. Do you need our help with the design?"

"No need, I'll just have my secretary design something simple. I'll send you the document later. By the way, when is Chairman Xu available to take a call? I'd like to invite him to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Lanmeng Company tomorrow."

Since it concerned Xu Shiming, Li Qixuan's tone became even more solemn: "Chairman Xu has a military background and has always maintained a soldier's schedule. He gets up at six o'clock in the morning to start his morning exercise. Just call the number we used last time, and the secretary will transfer you."

"Okay, then you get back to work."

After hanging up the phone, Leo handed over the design work for the company's advertisements and logo to Chunbai, asking her to design them carefully and send the final draft to Li Qixuan.

He then contacted Xu Shiming.

Logically and emotionally, he should have been the first to be invited. Only by winning over this big shot could he leverage his influence to influence other forces in Night City.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

This phone call took a relatively long time, and was transferred once in the middle, with multiple layers of encryption, before finally getting in touch with Xu Shiming, the number one person in Kangtao.

Even though it was just past seven in the morning, this important figure was still in military uniform and looked very energetic.

"Young friend Leo, calling me so early, I suppose your 'Taipingzhou strategy' must be going very smoothly?"

His voice was gentle, like that of an elder in the neighborhood, showing no disdain for Leo's "minor antics".

Although he knew it was a diplomatic strategy with high emotional intelligence, Leo still appreciated it. After all, given Xu Shiming's status and position, it was something that ordinary people probably wouldn't even dare to imagine.

Leo responded with a friendly smile:

"Everything went very smoothly. With the big companies not getting involved, the local gangs are insignificant. I'm calling you today to invite you to the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Blue Dream Company, tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. tomorrow at the Great Empire Mall. The formal invitation will be sent to your secretary later."

Xu Shiming paused for a moment, tilted his head slightly as if to confirm the itinerary, and then nodded in agreement:

“Okay, then I’ll go and support you, so that other companies won’t have any ulterior motives towards Taipingzhou and your company. But I have to remind you, choosing friends is choosing enemies. Once Kangtao’s relationship with other companies deteriorates, you will inevitably be implicated.”

Leo knew what he was talking about. At the latest, within three days, the entire Arasaka counterintelligence department would defect to Kangtao and become tainted witnesses. Arasaka would definitely not be able to swallow this insult.

Soon after, Kangtao's Alcohol-2 rice technology passed patent testing and began to be widely promoted, causing the biotechnology industry to go absolutely crazy.

These two companies wouldn't dare to go to war with Kangtao all the time, but they would definitely retaliate fiercely in private. Small companies like Lanmeng, which are isolated overseas and "suspected to be Kangtao subsidiaries," would be perfect targets for their anger.

But will Leo be afraid?

Of course not!

With the mother box in hand, if the other party dares to come, he'll just slap them across the face, thus solidifying Blue Dream Company's reputation!

With the moral high ground and the full support of Kang Tao, we won't lose either openly or covertly. Let the storm rage on!

"I know, please rest assured, we chose Night City because we have made full preparations."

"Hmm...not bad. Have you figured out how to govern Taipingzhou?"

Upon hearing this question, Leo knew it was a "pop quiz" to test his skills and character.

Fortunately, he was prepared.

"Work-for-relief programs can resolve a dilemma. Old methods can also solve new problems!"

Seeing that Xu Shiming was all ears, he explained in detail:

"In my opinion, the current chaotic and disorderly state of Taiping Prefecture is no different from that of a disaster area. The most effective way to suppress the crime rate and riots here is to give money. As long as there is money and hope for survival, the animalistic and self-destructive tendencies in many people will be restrained."

But giving money directly is not a good idea, because people often don't appreciate things that are too easy to obtain, let alone be grateful for them.

I will first distribute a small amount of relief funds so that the truly impoverished can have a few decent meals and regain their senses. Then, I will use a work-for-relief program to differentiate the local population, selecting those who are hardworking, diligent, and possess basic obedience, and giving them better wages and benefits.

In this way, they can serve as role models and inspire more locals to join my ranks. Through this process of selection, only the most stubborn resistance fighters will remain. Once we deal with them, Taipingzhou will be essentially stable.

Xu Shiming listened quietly to his long-winded explanation and nodded in satisfaction: "When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame. The words recorded in Guanzi: Shepherd of the People are indeed very true. The vast majority of people in this world are ordinary people. If they have a decent job and can live a good life, they will not take the risk of committing crimes."

But...you must also understand that you are not the 'King' of Night City, nor is Taiping Continent your 'private territory'. If you truly govern Taiping Continent with perfect order and all the locals submit to you, then Ara-saka won't be able to sleep at night."

Leo nodded in agreement; he had already thought of that.

The Arasaka Company is the true tyrant of Night City; how can they tolerate others snoring beside their own bed?

There will inevitably be many troubles ahead, and we can only deal with them as they come.

After exchanging a few more words about governance ideas, Li Ao received the evaluation from Xu Shiming: "Ambitious, a promising young man."

Finally, Leo made another request: "I would like to ask you for a favor. Please help me contact Mayor Ryan and tell him that I would like to discuss the 'Pacific Rim Revitalization Project' with him in person. Blue Dream Company is currently insignificant and has no influence, so I can only ask Kang Tao to help me."

Xu Shiming naturally had no reason to refuse such a good thing that could further bind the two companies together.

So, just three minutes after hanging up the phone, the current mayor of Night City called Leo.

After the call connected, Leo succinctly invited Mayor Ryan to visit Taipingzhou, guaranteeing that it was absolutely safe there.

With Xu Shiming's influence, the other party agreed without hesitation, saying that they would set off immediately and would definitely arrive within fifteen minutes.

After making the three phone calls, Leo stretched and found the view outside the window to be quite pleasant.

Under the azure sea and sky, as dawn breaks, the ship named "Blue Dream" is finally ready to set sail!