death of hope

Chapter 1005 "Psionic Storm" (79) Vice City

The next day, Paul and his party got up very early.

As originally planned, we were to scout out the mission location and take a stroll around the lower city area.

During the morning rush hour, all I could hear were horns and drivers cursing. Nikolai was right; not driving was the right thing to do.

Near the station, a group of people were watching something. Donya, always eager to join in the fun, went over to see what was going on.

It turned out to be a group of heavily made-up biker gang girls fighting over a trivial matter of stealing a boyfriend. Instead of breaking up the fight, the onlookers cheered and encouraged them.

"What a fierce little girl! Sa Mi! Beat her up! Gouge out her eyes! Pull her hair!"

Sergei burst into laughter, his eyes bulging like belly buttons, while Paul couldn't bear to look at him.

"These kids... are hopeless... let's take a detour."

“Kid? You’re not that much older than him,” the bearded man retorted, but Paul ignored him.

Looking around, Nikolai explained the current state of the city to Paul and the others.

This colony planet is far from the power center of the Terra Federation's home planet. As the saying goes, "the emperor is far away," and apart from taxes, much of its administration is autonomous. It has prospered and become wealthy due to the large influx of Eastern capital.
These giant corporations have grown increasingly ambitious, constantly testing the limits of the federal government and attempting to break free from its control and develop recklessly.

The financial and service industries in Shin-Sapporo are highly developed, and the industry is also booming after the completion of the new development zone. Every year, tens of thousands of legal and illegal immigrants come here to pursue their dreams, attracted by the scent of money.

The moment the smuggling boat landed, the bubble of getting rich burst. It was completely different from the promotional videos made by the smugglers. The information about a land of milk and honey, money everywhere, and being able to buy a house and a car by washing dishes for a few years was pure deception.

The immigrants discovered that not only were jobs hard to find and rents expensive, but personal safety was also a problem. They felt it would be better to immigrate to an agricultural planet, where at least they wouldn't go hungry or cold. However, it was too late for regrets; they had given all their savings to the smugglers and had no choice but to stay.

·
Beneath Shin-Sapporo's glamorous exterior lies a breeding ground for savvy criminals and violent crime.

After large gangs like the 'Sannokai' and 'Kyokushin-gumi', which adhered to tradition and maintained order, fell, the small gangs scattered throughout the streets became even more lawless and audacious.

Nikolai had worked at the new Sapporo branch for many years and had seen through the underlying logic of the city.

Everything is controlled by Japanese capital, and everything is for personal gain.

The more chaotic the streets, the higher the crime rate. The wealthy then have an even greater need to purchase insurance and security services from various companies, forcing them to spend exorbitant amounts on real estate in the safer uptown areas, allowing these companies to extract huge profits. While the rich are squeezed dry, the poor are exploited even more. Street vendors offer unlimited supply of high-tech, high-potency hallucinogens, and supermarkets are filled with cheap, low-quality packaged foods with ingredient lists and shelf lives of over a hundred years. You could even hammer a nail into wood with a mooncake.

The weapons and ammunition that the federal military cancelled their orders for should have been destroyed, but instead they were sold to yakuza, street thugs, biker gangs, and even students in Shin-Sapporo. The slums became battlefields, and shootings at Shoenix Park occurred frequently.

There's a local saying that the dead are more valuable than the living, and this isn't a joke; it's a reality happening in Shin-Sapporo. A person who is dead, or about to die, becomes even more sought-after in the eyes of the Japanese.
In the underground black market, large corporations use gangs to conduct business, and businesses selling things like kidneys and other equipment are thriving. Some gangs even offer "intimate" services like "order now, kill now."
Large numbers of undocumented immigrants who can no longer make a living sell their children to medical schools or pharmaceutical companies for research. Children with psychic abilities are even more valuable, and research institutes offer high prices for them. Kidnappings happen every day.

“In today’s New Sapporo, federal government officials are all lining their own pockets, and major conglomerates are all involved in this lucrative business. Nobody cares about the lives of those at the bottom,” Nikolai said with a wry smile.

“It doesn’t matter, as long as we care,” Paul said firmly.

·
The deeper you go into the lower city, the more impressive and magical it becomes;

A cult member wearing a pointed hood and a black robe, holding a thick book, stood on a concrete block and shouted loudly at passersby:

"The day of the Mayan prophecy is approaching, and the world will be destroyed! The Federation is corrupt and incompetent! The congressmen are not trustworthy!"

Citizens! Join our Star Mystic Cult! Begin your journey of redemption! Achieve salvation before Judgment Day!

Nobody wanted to get involved with these lunatics, and before long, the cultist experienced the power of 'five blows per second'.

He was beaten up by the cops, his books were torn to shreds, and he was shoved into a police car and taken away. It must be because of the 'Great Memory Restoration Technique' that was arranged.

Nikolai led the group to a stinking vegetable market, where a small clearing had been set up with a makeshift wooden platform.

A greasy, balding middle-aged man stood on the stage, spitting as he gave a speech. Below him, a circle of burly bodyguards in suits and sunglasses surrounded him, all covering their noses from the stench of rotten vegetable leaves and stinky mandarin fish. What could they do? It was the federal rule; after all, even a poor man's vote counted.

The greasy-looking middle-aged man cleared his throat; "If I am elected, I will sign documents on the day I take office to immediately clear out and deport illegal immigrants! I will return jobs to taxpayers!"

Make NewSapporo Great Again!

(Let Shin-Sapporo be great again!)

MNGA!

Sparse applause and shouts rang out from the crowd.