Gods, Ashes Descend

Chapter 31 Harmony Brings Wealth

The trailer camp had been taken over by Levi and his men, which naturally led to a counterattack from the Cleaners, but they underestimated how suicidal Levi and his gang were.

They launched several counterattacks, but the more they fought back, the better the enemy's equipment became. The combined casualties on both sides reached one or two hundred, which made them very desperate.

To be fair, they work as street cleaners to make money, not to fight or risk their lives against anyone.

The head of the scavengers couldn't understand it at all.

This garbage dump generates over 100,000 yuan in revenue each month, but it's not all for him. He has to collect bribes and appease various parties, so he only makes tens of thousands of yuan a month. When his underlings get their salaries, they only earn a few thousand yuan.

Since this powerful out-of-towner has so many reckless underlings, why doesn't he go out and do big business instead of competing with a low-level thug?

What happened next confirmed to him that this wasn't some powerful outsider, but a bunch of lunatics.

They took over the garbage mountain and started hiring garbage collectors to sift through the trash and dismantle corpses for parts. But Li Wei scratched his head in frustration at the huge pile of unsold prosthetic bodies and various parts.

What should I do?

Adcado couldn't afford to buy anything, so he only picked and chose some high-end goods, and sold the rest to scrap dealers, losing money hand over fist.

So, in order for everyone to be able to use the RPG as a gun, Li Wei figured they still had to find a way in Night City.

But here's the problem: who should we contact?

Li Wei only knew one person with connections, so he simply made a phone call to him.

"Hi, Regina, this is Li Wei."

"Li? Is something wrong? Or do you want to check on that fiery girl you introduced?"

Ignoring the hint of gossip in his tone, Li Wei spoke up somewhat embarrassedly.

"It's my business. Cough, do you know about the garbage dump outside the city? I took it from the scavengers with my men. I have a batch of goods, but I have no way to get them out."

".........".

"Hey, are you still there?"

Regina suddenly became worried that Levi might be an undercover agent sent by the company to infiltrate the underground channels, or that "that company" might be a capitalist force in Night City that controls the garbage mountain/cybernetic body recycling.

As a middleman with "extensive connections," she needs to eliminate risks first.

"Yes, but tell me honestly, you're really not that company's dog?"

"Individual business owner".

Li Wei was concise and direct, emphasizing that he was an independent force, trying to dispel Regina's doubts and prove that he only wanted to do "low-level business for making money."

Could she believe that? Of course not. It had been quite lively outside during that time, and Li Wei couldn't explain where these people who fought to the death came from.

"You're just burning newspapers on a grave, trying to fool me like a ghost! The bad luck of the Cleaners has spread far and wide. The reason no one is bothering you now is because no one knows what kind of people you are. You have a very obvious military style."

"Decisive, efficient, and taciturn—they're all ruthless and leave no survivors. Which big corporation have you joined? Or is it some new company planning to open up Night City's market and make a quick buck?"

Li Wei was utterly helpless; there was no way to explain this, so he could only ask.

"One question: Do you want to make this money or not?"

Unexpectedly, Regina made an outrageous demand.

"Go ahead and make money, why not? But I want 80%."

Li Wei's eyes widened. Good heavens, this means I'm working for you now?

"You're robbing me! You're even more ruthless than the company. You're not going to squeeze every last drop out of me. Are you going to starve my people? Fifty percent."

Regina then explained.

"You think this money is easy to make? I have to bribe people everywhere. If you want to sell your counterfeit products on the black market, you have to pay money to various gangs. At least 30% of the money goes to them. If you don't want to be checked by the NCPD every day, you have to pay 20% to them. The black market leader pays 10%. And I don't pay wages to the people who do the work."

"I'm not planning to do it for even a penny less; it's a bit of a struggle to keep this money."

Li Wei gasped. Was it really that ruthless? Anyone with a gun would be taken advantage of.

In a month, that's barely enough to make a pittance. Even if we don't eat, this amount of money is less than what I could earn as a mercenary. What's the point of this?

He simply rejected Regina's offer.

"Fine, I'll fucking do it myself!"

Regina sensed something was off about Levi's tone and, considering their previous good working relationship, gave him a heads-up.

"Don't do anything reckless. Cutting off someone's money is like killing their parents. You've offended many people at the bottom who make a living this way. If you try to force your way in, many people will die."

"Thanks, I'll see."

After hanging up the phone, Li Wei gathered a few people and planned to open a wholesale store for low-end prosthetic bodies in Night City and do retail. Li Wei refused to believe that without Zhang the butcher, they would have to eat hairy pork.

They're just dead people. Why try to outlive those who can't die? Anyone who dares to lay a hand on them has their legs broken.

But Li Wei wasn't stupid. He knew he couldn't afford to offend those big gangs, which had thousands of members, and he couldn't afford to mess with the authorities either.

But there's one place where the gangs are ruthless and there are no cops, yet they can't do anything about people like the "natural" ones who can't kill.

That's Taiping Prefecture, home to the Voodoo Gang. They have relatively few members, and their high-level combatants are all hackers.

Taiping was once the most profitable resort in Night City, but after its funding dried up, it became a dilapidated shell. Now, the area is no longer filled with tourists, but with gangs and thugs.

Neither the NCPD nor the corporate forces have any control over Taiping State; gang warfare and drug trafficking have become commonplace, and the locals have grown accustomed to it.

Outsiders aren't welcome here, but Levi is confident he can blend in with the local Haitian men.

Without further ado, they rented a large bus, loaded it with over thirty people, and headed towards Taipingzhou.

Upon arriving in Taiping Prefecture, Li Wei and his men opened the car windows, each wearing a hood and carrying a weapon, to show that they were not to be trifled with.

Li Wei randomly picked an abandoned building that looked good, slammed on the brakes, got out of the car, and blew open the roller shutter door with a grenade launcher.

They then neatly arranged the prosthetic bodies inside, occupying the entire first floor, and even conspicuously hung banners on the street proving themselves to be prosthetic body wholesalers.

Soon, before Li Wei and his men could finish cleaning up, a dozen or so slovenly black men carrying rifles appeared. They were peripheral members of the Voodoo Gang.

But as soon as they entered, they were met with over thirty guns pointed at them, and two heavy machine guns were mounted on the original reception bar, pointing towards the entrance.

"Friend, we're not open yet. How about you come back tomorrow?"

The Black men decided to speak properly in the face of the truth.

"Guys, this is our Voodoo Gang's territory. Wouldn't it be disrespectful to do business here without giving us permission?"

And you're all wearing hoods, are you afraid to show your faces?"

"We have no intention of seizing territory here. We are all business people, and we should make money peacefully. There is no need to make things tense."

Look, our prosthetic bodies are incredibly cheap here, only 100 each, take your pick! It's a service for the poor, after all.