Cyberpunk: I didn't cheat.

"Alright, I'll go prepare the goods right away. You all rest and recuperate at the camp. But I hope you won't tell anyone else about Sami."

Vito took the cigar but didn't light it.

"Okay, is there any alcohol at the camp? Jack and I have been running around all day, we need to relax."

Max patted Vito's arm to reassure him.

"Of course, I'll have Carlo deliver them to you."

Vito nodded, thanked him, and left. Vito then sent a message.

"Did Max just dump all the blame on Toby?"

Vito replied.

"It's almost entirely Toby's fault. The old guy was acting like a pitiful old man a few days ago. Now that the Snake Gang's internal problems are resolved, we should be careful. I'm preparing a backup plan."

Back at the temporary tent that Snake Village had prepared for him, Carlo brought over two baskets of wine.

"Thank you for helping Snake Gang get rid of the mole, Vito. I'll give you a commission fee to express my gratitude. Oh, and your car, the family is already fixing it for you. They're all very skilled, and your car will be brand new tomorrow."

Vito pulled Carlo down to sit and drink with him, and the three of them drank and chatted like that.

……

"These Yakuza are all complete idiots! That Jotaro Seiho was supposed to be bait to lure the cube-headed guy, how could he have been killed by the mercenaries!"

Yoshitaka Sato has been very angry lately; he feels like nothing is going right.

Yoo Young-cheol, who was abandoned by the company, was perfectly eliminated by Arasaka using a scheme to kill him, but recently, his information was leaked and was even obtained and interfered with by the Hato faction (Arasaka Michiko's people).

"Go and make contact with those two mercenaries. I've lost patience with watching them do chores. Try to bribe them first, and if they don't know what's good for them, then use threats!"

Chapter 70 Walking in the Desert

As the sky began to lighten with a pale, fish-belly white, the sandstorms of the desolate wasteland finally subsided somewhat, and the Snakeband camp completely shed the tension and deathly silence of the past period, entering the rhythm of post-war recovery.

The once lifeless camp gradually regained the vitality that a wandering tribe should have. However, after the betrayal by an internal traitor, the tribesmen's eyes were more cautious and less relaxed than before.

As the sun rises, Vito leans against the restored Merrymark Magician, hands in his pockets, looking melancholic as he plays Han from Fast & Furious.

"Quick, quick, Jack, I'm getting into it now, just take a picture of me like this."

Jack took a few pictures of Vito as requested and then sent them to Vito.

"It doesn't feel like I imagined! Is the magician car too big? Next time I should get a sports car."

Jack went over and hugged Vito, leaning against the magician as he prepared to take some photos with Vito.

"Why are you so keen on doing those old movie moves? I think these photos I took are pretty good. Come on, Mano, let's take a couple of photos together."

Jack wasn't very satisfied after taking a few pictures.

“Vito, stop being such a wooden doll, do something!”

Upon hearing this, Vito could only put his right arm around Jack and give a thumbs-up to his chest with his left hand.

The desolation of the wasteland, coupled with the blood-red sunrise, made the two forget the limbs and betrayals they had witnessed yesterday. They enjoyed the present moment, doing what every Night City resident desperately did—to live, to live well.

Carlo approached quickly, accompanied by two members of his tribe, carrying a data disk. His tone was gentle and respectful.

"Vito, Jack, the commission fee has been transferred to your account. Max asked me to come and ask when the supplies are ready and when the plan can be started?"

"Wait for the message. Once my hacking partner confirms that everything is ready, we can move out immediately."

Vito pulled Jack to sit on the roof of the magician's car and spoke to Carlo.

"Carlo, take a picture for us, and don't forget to capture the sunrise too!"

A minute later, Carlo sent a set of photos to Vito and Jack.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Carlo, you're really something! You filmed way more professionally than Jack!"

Carlo scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

“I always take pictures of Sammy and Carmela, I guess I developed this habit.”

Vito nudged Jack with his elbow.

"You should learn from him too."

"You learned how to take pictures of Misty?"

"No, take the picture for me and Liying!"

"Tch, then you should learn it yourself."

At this moment, T-bug's encrypted communication pop-up appeared: "[Toby]'s identity disguise is complete. Terminal data, voice characteristics, and communication encryption methods have all been replicated without any flaws. Information can be sent at any time."

Vito jumped off the magician.

"A message has arrived. Operation begins. As planned, you and four others will drive to the supply depot west of the area to load the bait goods. Both the vehicle and the goods are equipped with tracking chips for double protection. Do not reveal any weaknesses throughout the entire process."

Carlo nodded solemnly.

"Don't worry, I'll take out a few of the night ghosts before I leave. It'll look really realistic."

“Alright, when the time comes, take down Xiuqin, you guys retreat, let them chase for a while, and then Max and I will come to your rescue and entangle them for a while, so that the Bayonet Gang has a chance to take Xiuqin back.”

Carlo responded and left, taking four agile tribesmen with him and Max's huge heavy chariot loaded with valuable supplies.

The engine roared deafeningly, the wheels crushed the gravel of the wasteland, and headed towards the supply point on the west side of the camp, leaving two deep tire tracks on the wasteland with its huge body.

After watching them leave, Vito sent T-bug the message that the operation had begun.

Hidden in the Night City safe house, T-bug reclined in the hacker chair, controlling the replicated Toby personal terminal. Speaking in Toby's voice, he sent an encrypted message to the Bayonet Gang's secret communication channel: "Max's heavy heavy machine gun, pre-loaded with tribal war supplies. Route: Western Gobi Desert → Old Highway → Hidden transit point. Carlo is secretly departing with a few men; defenses are weak, and they can be intercepted in one fell swoop."

Ten minutes after the message was sent, T-bug reported back: the Bayonet Gang's communication terminal had received the message and was responding quickly internally, with a large number of men gathering at the ambush point along the designated route.

Vito greeted Max, then boarded the magician's chair. Watching the magician's movements, a smile crept onto Vito's lips.

Not long after, the heavy-duty sled M, carrying bait supplies, slowly entered the old highway section along the predetermined route. The terrain here was steep with towering sand dunes on both sides, making it an excellent ambush location.

Just as the sound of gunfire erupted, a burst of gunfire suddenly rang out!

Dozens of Bayonet Gang members suddenly rushed out from behind the sand dunes, driving modified off-road vehicles and wielding modified kinetic rifles and precision rifles. Their firepower was fierce, and bullets slammed into the armor of the Xiuzhen Suinan, making a crackling sound. The car windows were instantly riddled with bullet holes.

"The enemy is attacking! It's the Bayonet Gang!" The firepower of the enemy's counterattack was obviously insufficient, and he was in a state of barely resisting.

The bayonet gang's firepower pressed relentlessly, their stun grenades whizzing by, the blinding flashes and deafening roars causing a brief moment of disarray within the vehicle. As agreed beforehand, Carlo shouted gravely, "The firepower difference is too great! We can't hold out! Abandon the vehicle and get out of here immediately!"

Carlo helped the driver of the shuttle jump out of the car and led the rest of the group to safety. The Night Ghosts split their forces in half to give chase, while the other half went to steal the large shuttle.

"Hahaha, it's done! We've taken over Old Man Mai's car!"

"The boss said to quickly inventory the supplies and drive the car back!"

To avoid leaving any traces, the Bayonet Gang even sent people to install cleaning tools on the off-road vehicles, carefully removing bullet casings and debris from the scene.

As they drove the intercepted heavy-duty vehicle, they noticed that miniature trackers and positioning chips were releasing signals periodically, precisely tracking the vehicle's trajectory.

Vito and Max pretended to rush to the aid with their men. They killed some of the Bayonet Gang's pursuers and then accompanied the retreating Bayonet Gang on a few laps around the wasteland to put on a show.

Carlo also led a group to find the abandoned sword, and searched for a while.

Vito took the cigarette Max handed him and lit it.

"Seriously, Mike, you really went all out, even bringing out your own bedroom."

Max stared intently at the panel in Vito's hand, watching the location slowly disappear into the distance, and said through gritted teeth.

"I can use this car as a coffin for those Bayonet Gang bastards!"

Chapter 71 Toys

The Trojans pulled back the deadly Trojan Horse, while the Bayonet Gang drove off in their massive, doomed train.

The difference is that this vehicle won't jump out at night to allow elite soldiers to quietly open the city gates; instead, it will continuously release signals to lure death to reap the lives of the bayonet gang.

"The signal hasn't moved for a long time; it seems the hornets have returned to their nest."

Vito and Max were monitoring the location tracking from inside a military tent.

"I'll go prepare the manpower; I'll personally lead the team to completely eradicate the Bayonet Gang!"

Max held a bottle of whiskey, bit off the cork with his teeth, and took several large gulps, as if he were drinking the blood of the Bayonet Gang.

"Jack, Carlo, and I will head out first to scout. Do you have any reconnaissance drones or similar devices at your camp?"

Vito stood up and stretched. Because he was worried that the Bayonet Gang might have some kind of signal jamming device, Vito had been watching the device for a long time.

In reality, the Bayonet Gang wasn't as professional as Vito imagined. In the end, the Night Wanderers were just a gang of criminals who had been driven out of the homeless.

Even though some of them were veterans from the battlefield, it didn't improve the Night Wanderers' skills much. After all, someone with real skills wouldn't spend all their time eating sand in the wasteland.

“We managed to salvage the military reconnaissance drone ‘Dragonfly’ last time. This device can achieve high-altitude, high-precision reconnaissance, but its dedicated battery couldn’t be taken out with us. It doesn’t have much backup power, so you’ll have to use it sparingly.”

Max has now laid out all his savings.

"That sounds exciting. Are there any experts who can use this to help me with the investigation?"

Vito originally thought that Snakebang was already quite good with two civilian drones, but he didn't expect that Max had also hidden military-grade good stuff. It seems that Snakebang has a solid foundation.

“Carmela is an expert in this area; you can have Carlo take her with you.”

"OK, let's go ahead first, lest things get complicated. Old Mike, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we miss it, it will be difficult to take down the Bayonet Gang again."

"Don't worry, I won't let you down. As soon as you send the signal, I'll lead my men in to attack."

Vito and his group set off for the signal location. The wasteland was chilly at night, and the wind carrying sand provided a layer of protection for Vito and his companions.

Upon arriving near the destination, Vito parked the car behind a high hill and looked towards the target point.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I thought the Bayonet Gang would set up tents in the sand, but I didn't expect these people to be living in such a nice place, they're even living in the town."

"Carol, if you were made a Western, your Snake Gang would look more like bandits!"

Carlo helped Carmela unload the device from the car, while casually responding to Vito's teasing.

"I don't watch Westerns; I've only ever heard of these old-fashioned movies."

Jack also went over to lend a hand to the two of them. Carmela's injuries had not fully healed, and she didn't look too good.

"Vito loves watching old movies, some of which I've never even heard of."

With everything ready, Carmela put on the device and began to control the Dragonfly drone to take off.

“Vito, you can share your view by connecting your personal line to the portable signal station.”

Carmela adjusted the dragonfly's flight posture and then spoke to Vito.

After Vito connected to the personal network, the dragonfly flew higher and higher until it merged into the night sky.

At this point, Vito began adjusting the zoom of the high-precision lens, gaining a clear view of the entire bayonet gang camp.

This is an abandoned town. The town is not big, but it has all the essentials: a gas station, restaurants, bars, and a small power station.

Jack and Carlo didn't connect to the dragonfly; they stood guard around with their guns.

"This place has been abandoned for many years, how can the power grid still have electricity?"

Vito couldn't help but complain as he watched.

"There are several trucks of fuel next to it. This power station must have been modified by the Bayonet Gang and replaced with methanol-2 to generate electricity."

Carmela flew steadily, observing the Bayonet Gang's camp and marking it according to Vito's instructions.

"The row of charging devices in the middle of the town is where the robots charge."

Let me see. There are two mobile turret vehicles next to the gas station. Please mark them for me. We need to take these out first if a battle breaks out.

Over there is Max's car. Could you scan the person next to it?

Vito noticed the group of people surrounded by ghosts. This guy was dressed very flamboyantly and was obviously not an ordinary night ghost.

"Okay, I'll activate the target confirmation mode, but this mode consumes a lot of power, so we need to speed things up."