So, after signing the paperwork and officially filing a report with the NCPA on behalf of the company, Li Pan moved on to the next one.
Right, what could he do about it? Burst into the sewers, beating the Ninja Killer to the chase, and drag back those two contraptions capable of tearing apart alloy armor with bare hands to lock up in the warehouse?
Give me a break, he'd be better off spending that time drafting a couple more daily reports.
So, Li Pan continued with the container inventory, well, strictly the containers only, not the goods inside. As long as the system monitoring and visual check of the container's integrity showed no issues, and the pocket watch indicated no signs of anything amiss, he could consider his task done.
If he had gleaned any insight from his temp work over the past couple of days, it was to leave the already secured monsters well enough alone. As long as the rules and regulations seemed flawless, any mishap wouldn't fall on his shoulders and could be thrown onto the previous administration. Conversely, if problems did arise, it would still be his ass on the line to clean up the mess.
Fortunately, the other warehouses were relatively fine—even though all the temp warehouse workers had perished, there had been no mass thefts or large-scale company breaches, and the security systems were intact.
However, Li Pan did notice something peculiar—he observed that after people from the office were erased, not a trace was left, but the dead temp workers in the warehouse usually left behind prosthetic bodies.
While reviewing the security footage, he could see that the remains were swept away by the cleaning robots as trash. If not for Big Bear's cybernetically modified body being too large and Li Pan having the habit of sifting through trash bins, this detail might have gone unnoticed.
Could it be that the queer mechanisms of three-year temp work and file deletion were also at the behest of some monster...
Li Pan shuddered involuntarily. Wait a minute, what was he doing? He was actually making excuses for the company! Two thousand five hundred a month! No excuses! Don't ask! If asked, the answer is that the company is trash!
With his mindset adjusted and his thoughts solemn, Li Pan immediately started voluntarily applying for worker's compensation loans for all the temp workers. Who knew if in a couple of days a new general manager might just come parachuting in? Now was an opportunity to stick it to the company any way he could.
So another day passed by with Li Pan engaged in inventory checks and compensation claims.
"Just drop me off at the parking lot ahead, I can make my own way back after I'm done."
'Given the slightly elevated local deviation value, are you sure you don't need a security drone escort?'
At the entrance of a nearby block, a bunch of gang members dressed in flashy, multicolored garments, adorned with gold and silver, and looking utterly flashy, were menacingly gripping their guns, glaring at the hovercar that took up the community parking lot. Their appearance was as distinctly separate as if they were from two parallel worlds.
"No worries, these guys are what you'd call 'lawful evil'."
Li Pan was unconcerned. Of course, the deviation value was high; this was the outskirts, a slum area where Big Bear lived, a Latino neighborhood. It was hard to believe he was a Latino after his transformation.
'Please be careful with your safety.'
So Mr007 and the hovercar returned to the company, while Li Pan unbuttoned his suit and walked toward the flashy gang members, briefcase in hand.
The area was dominated by the Valentino Gang, or Lover's Gang, Warren Beep Gang—call them what you will. After the nuclear war turned the American continent into a wasteland, Latino refugees became one of the main labor forces in Neo Tokyo's reconstruction. With their numbers came gangs united by native Latino culture, which oppressed the lower rungs of society while banding together to protect the interests of their ethnic group from the local Tokyo gangs.
In Night City's age, due to the ambiguous relationship between the Tokyo underworld and Takamanohara, the Ye Corporation exploited external groups like the Valentino Gang to suppress the indigenous population, overtly and covertly allowing their expansion to incite gang wars and eliminate threats through proxy.
In light of the opportunities provided by the company, the Lover's Gang was relatively courteous to it. After all, as long as they maintained an advantage, they were naturally inclined to play by the game's rules.
"Looking to die, corporate dog! Get the hell back to your doghouse!"
The other party raised their arsenal towards Li Pan's head.
Yep, this was already considered polite. If it were the Whirlpool Gang, they would have already fired an RPG at the sight of the hovercar. Isn't that what 'lawful evil' is all about?
Li Pan handed over his business card.
"I'm from Monster Corporation, I need to see your boss."
"See your mom! Do you even know how many bosses we have? Who the hell are you going to meet? Meet meet meet!"
Li Pan thought about it, his eyes flickering,
"Hmm... 'Priest'?"
"Hey! Are you an idiot? You just looked this up online, didn't you? You searched it on the web after you came here!? Just a quick search and you want to meet 'Priest'?!"
Li Pan shrugged,
"He posted his contact information online, isn't it for the convenience of arranging meetings? Look, I made an appointment and it seems he's available."
The toughs, "..."
Although conflicted and seemingly eager to smash the corporate dog's head, in the end, they were lawful. A cyber eye flashed, checking out Li Pan's business card, probably touching base with 'Priest', and then they lowered their guns,
"Follow me."
Li Pan was then escorted by three Lover's Gang members into the neighborhood.
The entire nearby community was turf of the Lover's Gang, and not just Latinos—people of various races lived there. The Lover's Gang was much more 'rational' than the Whirlpool Gang. With the covert support of the Ye Corporation, Latinos had hidden advantages in the labor market, with relatively good pay and high employment rates. Additionally, the Lover's Gang had a hand in legitimate enterprises, including light industry, catering, and machinery manufacturing. These small private businesses might not rake in profits like underworld trade, but they helped ease the financial liquidity and money laundering issues for the gang.