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

The mercenary looked at the gleaming gun in his hand and thought about the reward he had offered. He couldn't understand what had gotten into a group of cleaners to dare attack such people.

"Yeah, I just took a stroll around Watson District and visited some landmarks, and those bastards dared to attack me and even scratched my bulletproof car. If I didn't make them bleed, wouldn't it make me look like an easy target?"

Even after Leo led the group out of the conference room, the mercenary who had asked the question was still in a daze.

Just because they were attacked by street cleaners once and fired a few shots, they were willing to spend a huge sum of money to kill all the street cleaners in that area!?

He even commissioned an exorbitantly priced firearm, just so he could personally kill the enemy!?

This goes beyond just being vengeful; he's downright insane!

And he's an incredibly rich madman!

The mercenary captains exchanged glances, seeing the same realization in each other's eyes—don't mess with that L, he's more terrifying than a gambling psychopath...

First Glimpse of Talent: Chapter 145 Assigning Tasks, Preparing for Action!

At the Laisheng Bar, the once frenetic and noisy rock music has been quietly turned down, and even the light pollution has been reduced considerably.

In the half-empty hall, the mercenaries chatted amongst themselves, pointing and gesturing at the soundproof doors leading to the private rooms.

Today's hot topic is undoubtedly L, and his enormous commission.

Mercenaries have already set up betting pools in private, betting on which company he will target.

Currently, the lowest odds are for Arasaka, followed by military technology, and the highest are of course for Comto. Although this option exists, almost no one bets on it.

L, with that face of his—the Kangtao look is practically overflowing—how could he possibly lay a hand on his backer or even his own family?

The existence of this gamble is also the reason why these mercenaries don't apply for the job: the game between large companies is the most dangerous type of contract, and a slight mistake can lead to certain death.

They want to make money, but they're afraid they won't live to enjoy it...

Unbeknownst to them, the heavy soundproof door opened automatically.

The mercenaries craned their necks, eager to see which "lucky ones" had gotten the chance to commit such a heinous act while caught between the companies.

However, the first person to step out was none other than the mysterious middleman, L.

Behind him followed a group of imposing mercenaries, all of whom looked somewhat unfamiliar.

Further back were mercenaries from various gangs and several more independent mercenary groups, each with a relaxed and cheerful smile on their face...

So... the deal's been finalized?

When the mercenaries who hadn't gone in saw that all of the more than one hundred people who went in had the same expression of high fighting spirit mixed with a bit of ease, they were all dumbfounded.

They hired all of the more than one hundred people?

That averages out to only 20,000 to 30,000 per person.

The money isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either. What kind of job requires so many people? Aren't you worried about the news getting out?

The mercenaries contacted acquaintances if they knew them, and asked friends to subtly inquire about the commission. Everyone wanted to know the details of the commission.

But the replies I received were all the same—you'll find out later, it's a secret.

Leo enjoyed the bewildered expressions of the mercenaries, and as he passed the bar, he encountered a "roadblock" with an unhappy expression.

"It's been a while. You look great, Roger."

He approached her familiarly and started talking, but no one except the Immortal Squad dared to get close to the queen of the Rebirth Bar.

Roger maintained his arrogant demeanor, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if he always carried a hint of impatience.

"L, what are you trying to do by making such a big fuss? Taking over a hundred mercenaries away from here in one go, and then waiting for the NCPD to raid the bar?"

Leo smiled calmly: "I bet there are your people among the mercenaries, as well as people from the company and various gangs. You've all sent spies over, so why bother with these fake inquiries?"

His fingers tapped lightly on the solid wood countertop of the bar, making a rhythmic tapping sound. "I'm dealing with a bunch of despicable scum, and I don't think any company would protect that trash."

After saying this, he waved goodbye to Roger and led a large group of people toward the exit.

[Ignore the company and gang spies; if there are NCPD spies, intercept the information and add them to the priority list.]

[Rest assured, everyone who entered the private room is under my close surveillance, and so far, no one has been found to have leaked information.]

Leo's smile widened even more.

Having a powerful AI assistant makes Night City so awesome!

*

Before the mercenaries waiting for their chance could even surround them after leaving the bar, they were scared back by the even larger number of Brother Laisheng.

The presence of over a hundred elite mercenaries completely extinguished any lingering thoughts they might have had.

This looks a bit eerie; it's best not to get involved.

Leo said "Let's go" on the public channel and then got on the bus with his men first.

The thug "Weller" led the way, followed by two vehicles from Mann's team.

Jack sat in the passenger seat, glancing at the purple Type 66 Avenger and the super-sized driver in the rearview mirror, and couldn't help but feel a little pressured.

That guy named Mann looks pretty good in a fight, but he's not really confident he can beat him.

It seems I'll need to equip myself with some powerful combat cybernetic devices after this mission; I can't let the newcomers outdo me.

The car was kept quiet; not even music was playing.

The group wasn't just spacing out; they were assigning tasks to each other through the communication channels between the two teams.

The commander of this operation was Chunbai, who obtained the position through her exceptional intelligence.

"Pure White: The objective of this mission is to eliminate a large 24-person scavenger team that has rented an old auto repair shop as their base. The repair shop is surrounded by a low wall, and inside is a large factory building divided into several areas, as well as a basement."

I've hacked into all the surveillance equipment; I'll send you the topographical map first.

After receiving the data, everyone saw the large auto repair shop that covered several hundred square meters.

Opposite the factory building were several makeshift parking sheds and simple watchtowers built from sheet metal boxes.

Pure White adjusted the orientation of the topographic map and marked the three entrances and exits.

"Pure White: This stronghold has three entrances and exits. Except for the side entrance, which is relatively narrow and can only be used by pedestrians, the main entrance and the back entrance can be used by vehicles. Among them, because the back entrance is a narrow alley, they usually enter and exit through the main entrance, which is also the most heavily guarded area."

"Pure White: My plan is—the Immortal Squad will attack from the front gate, the Mann Squad from the back gate, and Vera will guard the side gate in the vehicle. If anyone escapes the base area, you will also drive and pursue them. Given the combined strength of the two squads, I don't think there's any need to devise more detailed tactics. Go ahead and use your skills to wipe them out!"

After thinking about it for a while, the group felt that the plan was feasible, since the opponents were just a group of cleaners who had done this kind of work many times before.

However, not everyone had no objections.

V: Wait a minute, I see there are quite a few guards around the outpost. Considering L's safety, I think he should wait in the rear until we deal with the enemies on the outside and advance into the outpost before he joins us and gets used to the real battlefield environment. However, I'm definitely going to push inwards, can Jack accompany him?

Jack: It's possible, but it's too risky for you to be alone without anyone to help you.

V: No need. You guys just need to guard the door. I can go in alone and kill them all.

"L: Rejected. Don't mess around."

V: What should we do then? Taking you along is risky, and leaving you alone in the rear is even more impractical. Why don't you and Vera stay in the car? What's the point of sending a middleman to the front lines...?

A minor dispute broke out within the Immortal Squad, leaving Mann and the others scratching their heads in disbelief.

To be fair, L has a pretty good temper, and the atmosphere in their team is harmonious; they seem like an easy team to get along with.

After thinking for a moment, he made a suggestion—

"Mann: I'll leave Pila and Rebecca with L. If someone attacks from the front, it'll distract them. Dorio and I can handle it on our own."

V: Are you sure you can do it? Your equipment looks pretty average.

Rebecca: I can protect the middleman by myself. Let that bastard brother go with you so he doesn't say anything that might upset people.

"Pira: Who's the one who talked nonsense and made me angry by undermining me in front of this newly acquainted middleman?!"

Rebecca: Enough with the nonsense, my suggestion is the most reasonable. What do you all think?

V secretly sent a private message to Pure White, and only responded on the communication channel after receiving a reply.

V: Okay, our hackers are watching everyone closely. I advise you not to mess around.

“Mann: We are here to cooperate in good faith, so please rest assured.”

Leo felt like he was being kicked around like a ball, but the final result was surprisingly not bad.

It was quite interesting chatting with Rebecca.

First Glimpse of Talent: Chapter 146 Rebecca's Special Request

Upon arriving near the mission location, the group parked their vehicles in a convenient evacuation spot and walked towards the repair shop.

They then split up and headed to their designated locations.

“V: I have reached the high ground with a good view. I can see two guards on the watchtower and two groups of scavengers patrolling the ground on alternates.”

"Jack: I'm next to the main gate. The hacker has already remotely unlocked the gate. I'll push in as soon as you fire a shot."

"Mann: The three of us have entered the alley. There are two thugs who came out to relax. We will kill them as soon as we start the operation."

Vera: Machine guns have been set up at the side door to ensure no one can escape.

With everyone ready and the mercenaries in place, the street cleaners in Little Chinatown can be cleared out within an hour.

Leo didn't speak in the team channel because he and Rebecca were just standing on the street not far from the main entrance, lost in thought.

Everyone else was preparing for battle, while he was just strolling around; it was really hard to keep up with him...

"Hey, Onii-chan, want some bubble gum?"

"what?"

Leo snapped out of his daze, turned around in surprise... and then looked down at Rebecca, who was standing beside him.

She held a green-painted shotgun in one hand, her mouth still bulging.

Kids make friends by sharing snacks...that's probably how it works.

Without giving it much thought, he smiled gently and said, "Okay."

Chew chew chew——

Rebecca stopped talking, stuck out her tongue, and on the tip of her pink tongue was a piece of bubble gum covered in saliva...

Leo's smile froze.

After a few seconds, Rebecca retracted her tongue and mumbled between chews, "I thought you'd want this that I've chewed, but it turns out you didn't."

She took a small bottle out of her pocket; the bottle was colorful and printed with chewing gum patterns.

Clatter. Clatter.

She poured a pink bubble gum from her palm and handed it to Leo, saying, "Here you go."

After that shocking statement, Leo was unsure whether he should reach out and accept it.

He then realized that this was probably his first time experiencing "real cyberpunk" up close, and that Rebecca's personality was quite different from the reliable V and Jack.

"Eat up. It's from the supermarket. Even if you're as precious as you are, it shouldn't upset your stomach."

Since she had said that, Leo had no choice but to accept it.

Before putting it in his mouth, he checked with Chunbai to confirm that the supermarket did indeed carry this brand of candy.

[The combination of artificial sweeteners and synthetic sugars might not be to your liking, but it should be safe.]

Pure white is always right, but after chewing it a couple of times, Leo found the candy to be cloyingly sweet.

He reached into his pocket, took out a loose honey-filled gummy candy, and gave it to Rebecca as a return gift.

"You even carry candy with you?"

Rebecca looked at the unwrapped candy and confidently popped one into her mouth.

This is the kind of candy that rich people carry with them; it's unlikely to be poisonous.

The rich honey flavor spread in her mouth. It wasn't as sweet as the sugar she usually ate, but the taste was surprisingly good, without any of the strange taste of industrial saccharin.

After exchanging candies, her eyes darted around furtively.

Given their current location, they shouldn't be disturbed. As for the hackers monitoring them at all times, she didn't really care.

"Although I've already introduced myself, I'd like to introduce myself to you again. My name is Rebecca, it's nice to meet you, Onii-chan~"