"By the way, who was that armored freak? Why did they attack you?"
Under Song Lin's persuasion, Hyacine had ultimately decided to stay for a while to familiarize herself with the situation. Having followed him into a building, she posed her question.
Song Lin let out a sigh before speaking slowly. "They are people sent by a company from overseas called Genesis Tech."
"Genesis Tech?"
Hyacine immediately thought of the medical giant that controlled the United States of Pacific. "I know that company. But why would their people come here to attack you?"
"Because people are constantly getting hurt in the City of Chaos, healthcare is a very lucrative industry here." Song Lin gritted his teeth as he explained. "They want to monopolize the entire medical industry in the City of Chaos!"
"Are you all in the medical business too? Professional rivalry?" Hyacine was puzzled. Logically, if a medical mega-corp took over a city full of casualties, it should be a good thing, right? Given how much Genesis Tech bragged about their prowess, people shouldn't have to worry about critical injuries anymore.
"No..." Song Lin shook his head. "Those already practicing medicine in this city have become Genesis Tech's lapdogs. We oppose their entry mainly because their prices are too damn high!!!"
"A simple arm fracture costs ten thousand Credits to treat! And they demand that all other medical providers fix their prices accordingly. Anyone who refuses to follow their pricing has their shop—and themselves—wiped out!"
Song Lin slammed his fist onto the table to vent his rage.
"If they price things like that, aren't they afraid people in the City of Chaos would rather heal on their own than seek treatment?" Hyacine frowned. Such a move would make healthcare unaffordable for the majority. Wouldn't that lead to a boycott and a loss of profit?
"They don't care at all!" Song Lin scratched his head in frustration. "If you don't get treated, your recovery is slow, and then you'll be swallowed up by gangs that have been treated! To maintain stability, many are forced to pay exorbitant prices for their members' treatment—just so they aren't short-handed when another gang attacks!"
"Wait... according to that, are there gangs that have sided with Genesis Tech?" Hyacine felt something was off. What was Genesis Tech's end game? They were making less money overall just to make life hard for the gangs? Impossible. She didn't believe these "mega-corps" did anything that resulted in a net loss.
After thinking for a moment, Song Lin provided the answer. "Yes. Genesis Tech stated that any gang under their jurisdiction enjoys several free treatments and discounted rates for all members. Many gangs have already defected. Since they receive funding from those people, they aren't afraid of getting hurt in fights. They've already crushed many old-guard gangs—either absorbing them or forcing them to defect as well."
This isn't about monopolizing the medical industry; they're trying to seize control of the entire City of Chaos...
Song Lin's words confirmed Hyacine's suspicions. She knew Genesis Tech wouldn't go to such lengths for just a slice of the medical market. So this was the play.
But then, she looked at Song Lin with confusion. "If that's the case, why haven't you joined them? Why choose to resist? Since you know all this, you must realize how powerful Genesis Tech is."
"Hmph." Song Lin let out a disdainful snort. "I know, but so what? No matter how strong they are, they're just a corporation. The City of Chaos has existed for over seventy years; it wasn't sustained just by us gangs! Their reach is too long. The Sop government won't let them expand here unchecked."
"Eventually, the government will coordinate with the national medical industry to intervene. I don't believe a foreign company can be so brazen under the scrutiny of a sovereign government! When that time comes... those gangs that sided with them will be liquidated sooner or later!" He crossed his arms, looking completely confident.
"Well... good luck with that. I'm leaving."
After hearing Song Lin's reasoning, Hyacine sighed. she stood up, bid him farewell, and turned to leave.
"Eh? Why are you leaving? Won't you stay for a meal?" Song Lin was stunned by her sudden reaction and stood up to stop her.
"No thanks. I have some history with Genesis Tech, so I have things to handle on that end. Since you're currently hostile toward them, it's better if I go alone. By the way, as a reminder—Genesis Tech isn't 'just' a foreign company. You should look into them a bit more."
With that, Hyacine walked out the door without looking back.
"Boss, should we stop her?" one of Song Lin's lackeys asked. He was answered by a smack from Song Lin.
"Stop her for what? Can we even beat her?" Song Lin sat back on the sofa and lit a cigarette. "Sigh, you can't force someone to stay if they don't want to. But... 'not just a foreign company'... what the hell does that mean?"
"A mega-corp that controls a fifth of a nation... how could it be as simple as 'just a foreign company'..."
Walking down the street, Hyacine sighed. Song Lin didn't "know"; he had a half-baked understanding at best. Regardless, she hadn't planned on staying there anyway. She decided to check out other areas. Following the map Song Lin had given her, she began walking toward a hotel run by one of the gangs.
However, shortly after she left, a young man wearing silver-rimmed glasses and a white medical robe arrived at the spot where she had just been. Following behind him were two armored freaks, the same model as the one Hyacine had defeated.
The young man looked in the direction Hyacine had gone, then turned to one of the armored freaks. "Are you sure the Ability User with the powerful healing abilities went this way?"
The armored freak remained silent, only nodding solemnly.
"Lead the way. Let me go meet this Ability User myself."