The Joker Gang ' base has now been completely transformed into a sea of joy.
Several old neon lights were turned up to their brightest, the table was covered with food they had scavenged from various places, and a dozen or so members of the Joker Gang gathered around, raising bottles of liquor and cheering loudly.
"We did it!"
"Wuhu! The District Nine Data Center is gone!"
"We've breached one of Nite Owl's surveillance networks!"
" Chen Mo is awesome!"
Some people even climbed onto the table in excitement, raising their weapons as if preparing to deliver a passionate speech.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was pulled down by the person next to him.
"Eat something first, don't waste time with that long-winded talk."
"This is a victory celebration banquet, why are you still thinking about eating?"
"How can we continue the celebration later if we don't eat our fill?"
That makes a lot of sense.
The man immediately sat back down in his chair, picked up the plate, and began stuffing meat into his mouth.
Before setting off, everyone thought that there would definitely be casualties in this operation.
The Joker Gang prepared spare vehicles, medical equipment, and an escape route.
Some people even wrote their wills in advance.
As a result, they didn't get hit by a single bullet from the moment they entered the data center.
Chen Mo kicked open the blast door, swallowed the guards whole, packed up the server and took it away, and finally even dismantled the data center into a pile of scrap metal.
The whole process took less than ten minutes.
No one was injured, not even a twisted ankle.
They accomplished a miracle!
Respect to Chen Mo!
I don't know who shouted it.
Everyone simultaneously raised their bottles and looked at Chen Mo was sitting in the corner.
Chen Mo was holding a piece of roasted meat when he heard this and looked up.
Don't toast me, toast yourselves instead.
Everyone was stunned, somewhat confused.
We didn't do anything, so what are we offering sacrifices for?
"After all, you didn't do anything and still managed to come back alive; that takes skill in itself."
The bustling base fell silent for a moment.
V, sitting next to Chen Mo, lowered his head and took a sip of his drink, his shoulders twitching slightly.
Harley Quinn wasn't going to give her the same courtesy and burst out laughing.
"Honey, what he said doesn't seem to be wrong."
The Joker looked at everyone, gave a forced smile, and then looked back at the screen in the center.
The screen displays real-time network data for Night City.
He had been staring at that spot for a long time.
From the moment he returned to base, he kept refreshing the surveillance page, news channels, and city forums, hoping to see a riot break out in a certain neighborhood, or a group of citizens suddenly rushing into the corporation's building, brandishing weapons and shouting slogans like "freedom."
Once a gap appears in the Nite Owl's control network, the people should know that they finally have a chance to rebel.
The Joker refreshed the forum.
No.
He switched to another channel.
Still no.
The city continues to operate as before, just like always.
Transportation routes were operating normally, shopping malls remained open, and billboards on the streets continued to display advertisements for the Luthor Corporation's new products.
The only addition is an announcement at the very top.
[The data center equipment in District Nine has malfunctioned and is currently undergoing emergency maintenance. Residents are advised to plan their travel accordingly.]
They didn't even bother to cover it up.
The Joker stared at the announcement for a few seconds, then reached out and opened the comments section.
There weren't many comments.
The top message reads, "When will today's nutrient solution be distributed?"
The second question is whether there will be a power outage at night.
The third complaint was that the nearby garbage truck was half an hour late.
No one is discussing the impact of the data center being destroyed.
No one discussed what Nite Owl or Luthor had lost.
No one cared about these rebels hiding underground.
The Joker kept refreshing the page.
It's still the same.
The cheers in the distance grew louder, but the silence in front of the screen was almost excessive.
Harley Quinn walked over to him with a glass of wine, stood there for a long time, and then whispered, "Honey, come and celebrate with everyone. You've been sitting here by yourself for an hour."
The Joker stared intently at the screen, not turning around.
I'll wait a little longer.
"Honey, you know the outcome won't change."
She reached out and pressed the Joker's mouse.
The Joker's fingers froze in place.
The suicide notes that had been written earlier were now lying quietly in everyone's rooms.
Everyone thought they would die for their ideals.
But after they actually returned alive, they discovered that their ideals hadn't suddenly fallen from the sky just because they destroyed a data center.
Ordinary people in the city had no idea what was happening.
They neither applauded nor cheered.
They just went to work as usual, lined up to receive their nutritional supplements as usual, and evaded the street patrols as usual.
The madness on the Joker's face gradually faded.
He stared at the numb words on the screen, slowly leaning back in his chair.
They should be happy.
Harley Quinn didn't say anything.
The Joker stared at the equipment maintenance notice, his voice gradually lowering.
"We ripped the Nite Owl ' eyes out for them; they should know they're free and should do something about it."
"Honey, I understand what you mean, but..."
Harley Quinn placed the glass on the table.
"They probably just want to know if there's dinner tonight."
The Joker did not refute.
He raised his hand, wanting to continue jumping to the next page, but his fingers hovered in mid-air, unable to fall.
The celebrations continued inside the base.
Some people had already started singing, some were discussing the next operation, and some were even seriously calculating how long the captured weapons would last.
Only the Joker was sitting in front of the screen.
That face, which was once full of fervor, was now just an empty shell.
Chen Mo sat not far away and watched him for a while.
Then, he leaned against the two long legs behind him and casually asked V, who was cleaning his gun next to him.
What's your opinion on this?
V didn't even lift her head, as if those two legs weren't hers, and continued wiping the gun with the strip of cloth in her hand.
She remained silent for a few seconds, her tone as numb as a piece of cold steel.
There's nothing we can do about it.
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow.
V finally raised his eyes and looked at the Joker in the distance.
When people can't even get enough to eat, who really cares who's in charge?
The base suddenly fell silent.
Harley Quinn lowered her head.
The Joker remained staring at the screen, saying nothing.
Chen Mo took a bite of the roasted meat in his hand and nodded seriously.
That makes sense.
V looked at him.
"Don't you have any other thoughts?"
"Yes, I have."
Chen Mo glanced at the food on the table.
"Remember to prepare plenty of meat for the next victory celebration. Only when you're full will you have the energy to care who's in charge."
V paused for a moment while gripping the gun.
The Harley Quinn standing next to her couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The Joker still didn't laugh.
But a slight change finally appeared in his empty eyes.
He looked at the city map again, then reached out and closed the forum page.
"This time, we'll start by ensuring everyone has enough to eat."
This time, no one cheered.
But everyone in the base raised their heads.