The Giant Corporations that Started in Night City

Chapter 15: A Dazzling Debut, Highly Anticipated!

Recently, Little Chinatown has become a pilgrimage destination for mercenaries across Night City. After all, only here can they find the perfect tools of their trade to make their mark.

The reputation that the Triads earned through two intense gunfights also secured them significant smuggling deals from intermediaries.

But the center of everyone's attention remains the LA Company led by Li Ang

From the wealthy elites of Westbrook to the underprivileged youths of Santo Domingo, everyone is keenly interested in LA Company.

In Night City, any enterprise that can establish itself must possess unique "signature skills."

For instance, the Night Corporation, which built Night City, dominates its infrastructure projects: bridges, tunnels, skyscrapers, gigantic billboards, and neon lights.

Arasaka Corporation, with a century of heritage, owns diverse sectors like banking, security, education, weaponry, and cybernetics, making it the most comprehensive conglomerate in Night City.

Biotechnica sustains the city's food supply and energy needs. Without it, the city would quite literally come to a halt.

Meanwhile, Militech has been trying to penetrate the market with its mercenary services and quality weaponry. However, the city is saturated with independent mercenaries, making the competition brutal.

With so many retired soldiers like Johnny Silverhand around, the middlemen assigning jobs have been thriving, amassing mountains of cash.

Militech, unable to consolidate the mercenary market, still relies on national defense contracts for revenue. But with the end of the Central American wars, the New United States can no longer afford further invasions.

Without defense contracts, Militech lacks the funding to expand, resulting in sluggish corporate growth.

In the international arms market, Militech's situation is mediocre at best, given its competition with firms like Constitution Arms, Darra Polytechnic, and Kang Tao.

On top of this, Arasaka Corporation, a formidable opponent, has joined the weapons market.

Although Militech appears to dominate the arms trade, it is constantly at risk of being overtaken.

In short, a company must possess exceptional strength to establish itself in Night City and earn the privilege of constructing a corporate tower at the city center.

Now, LA Company has risen abruptly, with the potential to sweep through the city's weapons market and make a dazzling debut!

This has led countless people to have high expectations for the company.

When corporate giants compete, the ultimate winners are always the consumers. After all, no one wants to use outdated junk. As long as it's new and excellent, there will be no shortage of demand.

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Watson District, NCPD Precinct

Detective River had just returned from Kabuki when his boss, Mr. Lucius Rhyne, summoned him to the office.

Recently, rumors had circulated that the City Council planned to cut NCPD's budget. As a result, the police had been frantically arresting small-time thugs without connections to bolster their superiors' political performance.

While these actions might not have much impact, they could still leave a favorable impression on higher-ups. Even a small budget cut saved is better than nothing.

River entered the spacious and tidy office hall, where he saw the portly precinct chief, Lucius Rhyne, deep in troubled thought.

Lucius Rhyne, a former top lawyer for Night Corporation, was one of the leading candidates to become the new mayor. However, compared to his competitors, he lacked a heavyweight political achievement.

If he could resolve the stalled major projects in Watson District, the position of Night City mayor would essentially be his. But this task was no easy feat.

"Mr. Rhyne, you called for me?" River approached and gave a brief report on his recent work.

"Arasaka Corporation is pressuring us to resolve the gang chaos in Little Chinatown and Kabuki as soon as possible. Otherwise, they'll pull out of investing in large-scale projects there," Lucius said, massaging his throbbing temples. He had been pulling all-nighters to handle these issues, leaving him utterly exhausted without any breakthroughs.

"What do you think, River?"

Lucius looked at his trusted detective, a savvy operator well-connected across Night City's NCPD precincts and a reliable strategist.

"This is tough—nearly impossible," River said, shaking his head.

The Triads and Tiger Claws were formidable opponents. With the police's limited manpower and equipment, there was no way to contend with these powerful gangs.

Adding to the complexity, the newly emerged LA Company had further strengthened the Triads. Even the Anti-Terrorism Squad would struggle against them.

"Those bastards at Arasaka know full well we're understaffed, yet they deliberately unleash the Tiger Claws to wreak havoc. They're just waiting for me to beg their security division for help!" Lucius growled through clenched teeth.

It was blatantly obvious: the Tiger Claws were merely Arasaka's security team creating demand.

No problem? Create one! The Tiger Claws managed illicit dealings, while Arasaka's security division "solved" the issues. Both profit and reputation flowed to Arasaka.

Their business acumen was unparalleled.

But Lucius couldn't afford to provoke these madmen. If pushed too far, they might ambush him on his way home one night.

"The beachfront and industrial zones are the only bargaining chips we have left. If we sell them off to Arasaka for a pittance, how will I explain it to Night Corporation?" Lucius fumed, pacing in circles.

As a Night Corporation representative, he couldn't stand by and watch Arasaka devour Richard Night's brainchild piece by piece.

Legally speaking, Night City belonged to Night Corporation. While other conglomerates had invested in the city, most of their rights were limited to land use.

The corporate plaza at City Center, for instance, was exclusive to original investors like Arasaka, Petrochem, and Biotechnica, granting them prime locations for their corporate towers.

However, with the new Night City rising from the ashes of the nuclear explosion, all interests were being redistributed.

Arasaka now had its sights set on the Watson District's coastal areas and vast industrial zones.

The beachfront was one of Night City's few coastal access points. Whichever company controlled this prime location would thrive in business.

Lucius and Arasaka were both acutely aware of this simple truth.