Chapter 20: Dispute!

Chapter 20: Dispute!

Watson District was the most commercially promising area in Night City, boasting seaside zones and expansive industrial regions—ideal locations for corporate production facilities.

The most pressing issue now, however, was that they had lost all their territories in Watson. If the upper echelons of Arasaka Corporation caught wind of this, there would likely be a complete overhaul of the gang leadership.

After all, if the corporation were to keep dogs, they'd want ferocious ones. A stray incapable of guarding its territory was of no use to the company.

The situation was dire. Wutong, Sato Hiromi, Jotaro, and other Tiger Claw leaders were understandably anxious.

Watching Wutong's forehead veins bulge in anger while Jotaro sat silently with his eyes closed, Tiger Claw's leader, Sato Hiromi, finally broke the tension:

"Enough. Now's not the time for bickering. If we mess this up, the corporation will not spare us."

With external threats looming and a complex situation unfolding, any internal gang infighting would be utterly foolish.

The Tiger Claws had managed to secure their top position in Night City due to their cohesion and loyalty under the banner of honor.

"What we should be focusing on is how to deal with the Triads. Even if we can't reclaim Little China, we must at least take back Kabuki."

Sato Hiromi continued, "You can squabble over trivial matters all you want—I won't stop you, nor do I care—but when it comes to the gang's major affairs, you had better shape up!"

The other leaders present, despite their varying motives, respectfully nodded in agreement with Sato Hiromi's directives.

No matter how fiercely they vied for power internally, they couldn't allow outsiders to encroach on Tiger Claw territory.

Kabuki was a district the Tiger Claws had painstakingly built over years in Watson. Every brothel, braindance club, and casino in the area bore their mark.

These establishments generated annual revenues in the tens of millions of eurodollars for the gang. Kabuki was a veritable goldmine.

Even within the wealthiest corners of Night City, Kabuki was unparalleled in its prosperity. Losing its revenue stream would result in massive financial losses for the gang every year.

This wasn't something anyone could simply let s Reed .

"Wutong, have you figured out the details about LA Corporation yet? And who exactly is this Li Ang guy who suddenly emerged as a big player?"

Sato Hiromi glanced at Wutong. Like the rest of Night City, he had heard of the rising star that was LA Corporation.

However, like the NCPD, Sato Hiromi knew little about Li Ang himself. This new force in the corporate world was a complete enigma to him.

"Not entirely clear yet. But one thing I'm sure of: LA Corporation has nothing to do with the Triads. Li Ang is almost certainly not backing Chen Tao."

Wutong sounded confident.

He had spies within the Triads, and according to their reports, Chen Tao even needed someone to introduce him when purchasing kinetic weapons.

If LA Corporation were truly backing the Triads, there'd be no need for intermediaries.

Sato Hiromi nodded thoughtfully.

As long as the conflict remained between gangs and didn't involve a corporation, things wouldn't get too complicated.

When Sato Hiromi first heard of kinetic and tech weapons, he had dismissed it as a marketing gimmick by arms dealers.

After all, those damned gunrunners weren't above pulling such stunts—spreading false rumors and creating unnecessary chaos to drum up business.

In terms of ethics, underground arms dealers ranked lower than even the most debased sex dolls. Calling them scamming parasites wasn't an exaggeration.

Even someone as seasoned as Sato Hiromi had been burned by them several times.

"If LA Corporation has no ties to the Triads, then we should consider purchasing their weapons. Whatever Chen Tao has taken from us, he'll have to spit it back out!"

Jotaro Seimasa sneered coldly.

"If it were that easy, I'd have already taken back Kabuki! But LA Corporation refuses to sell weapons to Tiger Claw members. If we want their products, we have to pay extra and go through middlemen!"

Wutong slammed a M-76E Omaha tech pistol onto the floor in frustration.

"That single gun cost me two thousand eurodollars!"

A porcelain sake bottle tipped over, spilling onto the dry floorboards. The sight turned Jotaro's face pale, and he couldn't help but curse:

"Are you out of your damn mind? What if the gun had misfired? I still want to live a few more years!"

Seeing Jotaro ranting, Wutong laughed mockingly:

"Ha! You want to live a few more years? Without Kabuki's production revenues, you'll be begging on the streets within a year!"

Sato Hiromi ignored their bickering, raising a hand to interrupt Wutong and asking:

"You're saying LA Corporation won't sell weapons to Tiger Claw? Why?"

Logically, arms dealers should treat all customers equally. Favoring one side over another didn't make much sense.

Money talked, and whoever had it was king.

Yet LA Corporation appeared to be targeting Tiger Claw specifically, refusing to do business with them. This was highly unusual—what kind of company only did business with one side?

"Who knows? Li Ang is a proper Chinese guy. Maybe he just doesn't like us," Wutong said bitterly, shaking his head.

He was merely a gang leader. It wasn't as if he could start a fight with someone just because they refused to sell to him.

Night City's laws protected corporations and their interests. Messing with them meant being ready for annihilation.

"This is ridiculous!"

Sato Hiromi's brows furrowed deeply. This situation was proving far more complicated than he had imagined. LA Corporation wasn't just targeting Tiger Claw—it was aiming for the entire Watson District!

In Night City, each district was controlled by a gang: Tiger Claw in Westbrook, Valentinos in Heywood, Animals in Pacifica, and so on.

Tiger Claw acted as Arasaka's enforcers, while the Valentinos, bound by familial ties, dominated Heywood—even the local cops had to curry favor with them.

Now, with the Triads ousting Tiger Claw from Watson, thanks to LA Corporation's support, it was clear that Li Ang intended to seize control of the district entirely.

Controlling advanced weaponry and displaying ambition to dominate Night City, LA Corporation could only be backed by one power: Militech, with the support of New America.

Realizing this, Sato Hiromi felt his head throb. Militech was an untouchable giant.

Reclaiming Kabuki would likely require direct intervention from Arasaka Corporation. But why would the higher-ups ever agree to that?