Ch.311Side Story. Cyberpunk 2088 (1)

In the year 2088, Earth was engulfed in the flames of nuclear war and reduced to ashes.

Countless nations gradually became more extreme due to ongoing global threats and climate anomalies, until they finally turned their blades against each other. And so, the innumerable nations that fought against one another ultimately brought about their own destruction.

As these nations collapsed, there were powers that replaced the void they left behind.

They were called Megacorporations, or MegaCorps for short—massive companies that filled the power vacuum.

These entities, which controlled the surviving production facilities, factories, capital, and military power, chose to rebuild the cities that had once belonged to nations but now stood alone, gradually coloring these territories as their own domains through the power of capital.

Neo-Los Angeles, or Neo-LA for short, was also under the control of MegaCorps in the same manner.

More precisely, it would be correct to say that two corporations had simultaneously moved in and were squabbling over dominance of the city.

“Ananas Technology,” a MegaCorp that originated from an IT company in what was once the United States, and “Star-Galaxy Corporation,” which had expanded into the city from outside.

These two corporations, possessing superior military technology, had tacitly agreed to use Neo-LA as a laboratory for simulated warfare to test their new weapons. As a result, Neo-LA boasted absolutely chaotic public security due to the various conflicts between the two companies.

The MegaCorps deliberately created large slum areas outside their managed zones, encouraging poor security and making conflicts more likely to break out. They even openly supported slum gangs while pretending to be secretive about it, effectively dividing the city into two factions.

Moreover, they meticulously maintained security in their own zones, instilling a strange sense of superiority in their employees, and then blatantly promoted polarization by granting residence rights exclusively to employees.

They created systems that gave employees a sense of superiority while making them feel they could fall from grace at any moment, fostering “loyalty” to the company. Meanwhile, in the slums, they created just enough opportunity for people to think they might climb up, preventing them from thinking about anything else.

And for such a system to be maintained, sacrificial lambs that could serve as “examples” were almost inevitably required…

“You’re fired.”

“…What?”

“I said fired. Get the implants the company provided removed before you leave, and clear out of the employee dormitory by the end of today.”

David Sterling, an ordinary worker at an Ananas Technology parts factory, had become a sacrificial lamb of this system.

※ ※ ※

David Sterling, a 24-year-old man, had lived a life not much different from other MegaCorp factory workers.

Following in the footsteps of his parents, who had also been employees at an Ananas Technology parts factory, he got a job at the same factory. He was semi-forcibly implanted with enhancements to improve factory efficiency and worked his body to exhaustion in 12-hour workdays.

Well, by this era’s standards, it wasn’t particularly problematic. Although David had some complaints about the forced implantation, he could more or less accept it since all other companies did the same.

Refusing the implants meant immediate termination, and despite essentially being forced to get them, having to pay monthly rental fees that cut his salary by more than half… this was actually relatively good treatment compared to other corporations.

A significant number of companies didn’t “rent” implants but forced employees to purchase them, burdening them with debt. Using these debtors, who were deliberately prevented from repaying their debts, was quite common practice.

The problem was that David had been randomly selected as an “example” and summarily fired from what was considered an excellent workplace even by the standards of all of Neo-LA, or even the entire United States.

It was an extremely unfair and terrible situation, but what could he do?

For people living in the year 2088, unfairness was completely normal, and it wasn’t the kind of unfairness that discriminated between people.

‘…Sigh.’

So David headed to the company’s operating room with an inward lament, had the worker implants forcibly removed from both arms and his lower back-spine, and was then thrown out onto the street.

What made David chuckle bitterly was that the cheap implants and prosthetic hands Ananas Technology had given him instead of severance pay were considered the best welfare by this era’s standards.

And now David found himself in a position where he had to worry about real-life problems.

He had managed to save some money since he’d been alone ever since losing his parents, who had been caught up in gang conflicts. But that was literally all he had left.

Now that he was no longer an Ananas Technology employee, his residence rights in Ananas Technology’s jurisdiction would be revoked, and he had to vacate the employee dormitory he had rented at a dirt-cheap price by the end of the day.

At least with six years of work experience at an Ananas Technology parts factory, finding a job at a lower-tier factory shouldn’t be a problem even after being kicked out…

Even so, David was very suspicious of the areas where those lower factories were located.

Neo-LA was broadly classified into three areas: MegaCorp jurisdictions, general urban areas, and slums.

And David had to fall from a MegaCorp jurisdiction with almost modern-level security to a general urban area where murders were common, making him feel he couldn’t possibly survive there…

But what could he do when that was his only option?

So David trudged back to the dormitory, stuffed his meager belongings into a single trunk, returned his employee ID according to procedure, and was about to head from the MegaCorp jurisdiction to the general urban area when—

—RATATATATATATATATAT!!!

KABOOOOM—!!!

“…Damn it!!”

Just as he was walking down a relatively deserted street, he witnessed two gangs openly engaging in conflict right before his eyes, making him finally realize that he had indeed fallen to the general urban area.

In the general urban area, governed by small companies that couldn’t be called MegaCorps and the city’s public authority, gangs with decent backing could engage in shootouts in broad daylight without much consequence—

‘…What kind of gang has powered suits?!!’

Their level of armament was closer to that of a paramilitary organization rather than simply being described as a gang.

Two gangs, equipped with powered suits that, despite being welded from scrap metal, were not much different from military-grade, and all armed with assault rifles with grenade launchers attached, were engaged in combat with each other.

Having acquired some knowledge of mechanical engineering through self-study while working at the parts factory, David could tell that these two groups were probably sponsored by Ananas Technology and Star-Galaxy Corporation respectively.

Anyway, after briefly watching the gang conflict and clearly realizing his new reality, David was about to continue on his way to the cheap mansion he had contracted when…

“…Hmm?”

Suddenly, he noticed something like a blade lying on the ground.

It was a dagger with what looked like a blood-red jewel embedded in the end of its handle. Despite being slightly covered in dirt, it had a sharp blade, with an ornate appearance and curved edge as if it were meant to be a decorative item.

Somehow it caught his eye, and it looked quite valuable, so David inwardly rejoiced as he bent down to pick up the dagger—

“—Hey, you there!! What do you think you’re doing?!!”

The next moment, he was spotted by one of the gang members engaged in the conflict.

The situation was dire.

In a moment where the gang member might open fire and kill him, David naturally gripped the dagger, raised both hands above his head, and shouted:

“I-I was just passing by!! I was trying to run away!!”

“…What, a civilian? Fine. Just get lost.”

“Th-thank you!!”

The gang member, convinced of David’s civilian status by his clothes and physical condition, decided to let him go, allowing David to retreat in relief.

That is, until the gang member saw the dagger in David’s hand.

“Wait a minute, you. …Put down what you’re holding and then get lost.”

Perhaps coveting the seemingly expensive dagger, the gang member made this threat, and David was about to silently place the dagger on the ground when…

‘…Why should I?’

Suddenly, as if injected into his mind, an alien thought began to form, and David unconsciously agreed with that thought—

“—Huh?”

The next moment, when David came to his senses, he found himself standing in the middle of dismembered gang corpses, holding a dagger, covered in blood.