CHAPTER 154 - 155: SCAVENGER'S INDUSTRIAL CHAIN, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT!

As Dolio's figure disappeared into the distance, the members of the Beast Gang, who had been frozen in place, finally dared to move. Their trembling legs carried them forward cautiously as they gathered around the Savage King to check on her condition.

"Boss... are we really going to cooperate with that 'David' team just like this?" one of them asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, it feels humiliating, being crushed and then just... agreeing to it. Can't we reach out to other gangs, try to work something out, and ditch that damn 'David' team?" another chimed in.

The murmurs of rebellion and second-guessing grew louder among the lower-ranking members. Their pride was wounded, their gang humiliated—and now they were being told to just cooperate?

But the Savage King, wounded and clearly in pain, suddenly snapped.

"Hiss... Fk, fk your mothers!"

She gritted her teeth, clutching her injured arm, and shouted furiously, "Are your brains made of garbage chips? Did you not see the kind of strength that guy just displayed? Do you think the boss of David's team is going to be any weaker?"

The gang members fell silent, guilt creeping into their faces.

"You want to look for other gangs?" she spat. "Go ahead. But don't come crying when you're turned into scrap metal! If you want to die so badly, then say so out loud!"

Though known for her violent temper, the Savage King wasn't a fool.

In the current landscape of Night City's Taipingzhou District, going up against David's team head-on was akin to lighting a candle inside a sewer pit—utterly pointless and guaranteed to end in death.

"Boss... then what's your decision?" another member asked, trying not to tremble.

"What do you think I mean?"

The Savage King took a deep breath and exhaled sharply, her voice low but commanding. "We cooperate with the 'David' team—for now. Keep our heads low, observe carefully, and wait for an opportunity. No one's asking you to be cowards, but we can't afford to be idiots either."

"Hiss—damn, this injury's killing me!"

"Somebody find me a prosthetic doctor. Now!"

"Yes, boss!" one of the gangsters shouted, immediately calling for help.

As they scrambled to tend to her injuries, the gang's members began moving quickly. The day had ended with a decisive defeat. David's team hadn't just issued a warning—they had made a statement.

Meanwhile, in a shady alley just two or three blocks away from the Beast Gang's base, another part of David's operation was already in motion.

A low-riding, heavily modified car bounced slightly as it rolled into the alley. Its neon-lit rims and graffiti-covered panels screamed hip-hop bravado. The car came to a slow stop, its subwoofers blaring heavy metal music that shook the concrete walls of the alley.

The tinted window on the driver's side rolled down slowly.

Inside, the driver—Pila—tilted his head out, a cigarette in one hand and a cocky grin on his face. His gold-rimmed sunglasses glinted in the low light of the alley.

"This should be the place..."

He looked around the dim surroundings, cringing slightly at the filth and the graffiti-stained walls.

"Scavengers, huh?" he muttered to himself. "These rats really would pick a dump like this to hole up in..."

Just as he spoke, a secret door embedded in the alley wall creaked open.

Two thuggish-looking scavengers stepped out. Both wore mismatched cybernetic gear and tattered jackets. One of them held a modified SMG while the other twirled a spiked bat casually. Cigarettes dangled from their mouths, and both looked irritated.

"Who the hell are you?" the one with the gun barked. "Blasting that loud music in our alley—are you trying to die?"

"Hey! What's up?" Pila grinned and waved, stepping out of the car with all the swagger of a rock star.

He slammed the door shut behind him and began walking toward them, sunglasses still in place, hands in his pockets, head held high.

"I'm looking for the largest scavenger stronghold in Taipingzhou. This the place?"

The two scavengers eyed him warily, glancing at each other with barely concealed suspicion.

"Who's asking?" the one with the bat growled. "You don't look like a junkie, and you sure as hell ain't one of ours."

"I'm not," Pila replied calmly. "But I've got a proposal. And I think your boss is gonna want to hear it."

At that moment, a third figure emerged from the shadows behind the door—a tall, bald man with augmented eyes and a chrome jaw. He looked Pila up and down before speaking in a robotic voice.

"You alone?"

"Yeah," Pila said, holding his arms up. "I'm not here to cause trouble. Just wanna talk business."

The chrome-jawed man stared at him for a few seconds, then jerked his head. "Bring him in."

The first two scavengers stepped aside, letting Pila pass.

As he walked through the dark corridor, the walls echoed with strange noises—whirring machines, clanking metal, and occasional screams from deep within. It was the unmistakable sound of the scavenger industry at work.

They passed rooms filled with dismantled cyberware, crates of stripped-down implants, and unconscious bodies on slabs—likely kidnapped people being harvested for parts. This was Night City's underbelly in its rawest form.

Finally, they arrived in a room that resembled a control center, albeit one covered in dust and grease.

The boss of the local scavengers, a massive man with red cybernetic arms and a scar that stretched from ear to ear, turned to greet Pila with a grim smile.

"So," he said. "What brings someone like you here?"

Pila smiled and reached into his coat, pulling out a data shard.

"Let's talk sustainable growth," he said smoothly. "David wants to make a deal."

The scavenger boss raised an eyebrow. "David? As in the 'David' team from downtown?"

"The very same."

There was a long pause.

Then the boss burst out laughing. "You got balls walking in here with that name, kid. But I'm listening. Talk."

Pila inserted the shard into a port on the nearby table.

Images projected onto the wall—a flowchart of the scavenger operations, combined with projected profits, growth potential, and system optimization.

"You keep operating like this, you'll hit a ceiling fast," Pila said. "David doesn't want to shut you down. He wants to help you grow. With proper support, regulated targets, and better cyberware recycling, you can multiply your profits without making as much noise."

The scavenger boss watched the presentation, then leaned back in his chair.

"And in exchange?"

"You work with us. David's team takes a cut of every shipment, but we keep the cops off your back. You get regular clients. We get clean tech. Everyone wins."

Another long pause.

Then, slowly, the scavenger boss nodded.

"Tell David... we'll cooperate. For now."

Back at the Beast Gang's territory, news of the scavenger deal had already begun to spread.

David's influence was spreading like wildfire.

One gang bowed their heads. Another joined his network. Piece by piece, the underworld of Taipingzhou was being rewritten.

At the heart of it all was a single truth:

Violence was only the beginning. Power came from control.

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