[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-protagonist-system":3,"chapter-the-protagonist-system-the-protagonist-system-chapter-538":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Protagonist System",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1824146,2426,"531 A Day To (Not) Relax Part Three","the-protagonist-system-chapter-538",538,"\u003Cp>I hopped into the car and mentally pinged Victor Vektor's cyberdeck at the shop and found out where he filed the missing person reports. That would be the best station to drop off the two remaining rescues I had as well as the list of the other victims. I added some contact information on the list for the police to leave a message for me, in case any of the families of the victims wanted the remains returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I drove out of the alley behind the bar and around the front. Several women were there, dressed scantily, and they all smiled when they saw my car and one waved to get my attention. I didn't wave back and only nodded my head, acknowledging her without agreeing to stop, and drove down the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn't take long to find a more reputable spot to park out of the way and I closed my eyes to search the net again, because it was way too early to deal with the cops so soon after the last time. I couldn't explain how I had rescued two people after delivering the bounties, because I should have mentioned it then. I didn't, because I had to get rid of the altered victim first. So, waiting was the better choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus, I had some basic information to track down about garbage disposal and bothering an important Fixer about it had been a huge mistake. Offending someone that powerful could lead to a lot of things being blocked or hampering me in some way, so I retreated to let the old woman cool off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that line of thinking led to me wondering if another Fixer would react in the same way. I didn't want to take that chance, and potentially ruin another cordial relationship like I had with Wakako, so I took the chance and did some digging on my own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bit of probing gave me my first answer. PetroChem was the main company that contracted with various other corporations and businesses for garbage removal in the city, mostly to try and recover some materials costs as they harvested as much refuse as possible to recycle. The problem was, the city was packed full of millions of people and it was too much for a single organization to handle by itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city subcontracted with PetroChem's rival company, SovOil, and their SMKP Hauling company split the municipal waste responsibilities for the more common areas while PetroChem's Coastal Carting company handled the executive zones and more important businesses. They used flowery names on their companies to make people ignore the fact they were garbage collectors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That first inquiry led to other, less reputable sources, and I easily found out that the various gangs around the city also picked up private contracts for garbage removal and squeezed some local businesses for extra eddies to remove the trash on a more regular basis. Since there was always going to be trash to remove, it was a constant source of income.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mess those various contracts created, explained why there were entire sections of the city with piles of garbage stacked everywhere, since it was only gathered up monthly in the more impoverished areas and weekly or even daily in the more upscale areas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The official Night City Municipal Landfill was located in the badlands fairly close to the city itself, which was so massive that it could qualify as an entire district of Night City. It was a sprawling area that stretched across a literal canyon of garbage and had toxic waste pools that spilled into the deeper Coronado Dam basin to the southwest, and it encroached partially into the Santo Domingo district, which was an actual part of Night City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive dump site was also full of scavengers and people down on their luck, endlessly searching for something to sell for some eddies to get their next hit of Glitter. Funnily enough, it was actually an official government disposal site and was classified as government property. Any scavenging by non-official personnel was highly illegal and could be punished by massive fines and jail time, so of course the place was full of people doing exactly that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The various trash processing facilities, sorting machines, and transport belts scattered about the area, could never keep up with the sheer amount of refuse being collected and dumped there. The machines were a constant power drain on the city's power grid as they worked endlessly, day and night, and never made a dent in the continuously growing pile of garbage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I floated there in cyberspace and thought about what I could do. Did I create a disposal company and submit an under-cost bid to help clean up the place officially, or do I just go do what I wanted and potentially earn millions of eddies in fines for illegal scavenging for technically stealing PetroChem corporate assets? Decisions, decisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The NCPD captain of the Watson District, Robert Kowalsky, entered his office and stopped dead when he saw two unconscious people slumped in the visitor chairs in front of his desk. He immediately yelled for his best cop, Detective Anna Hamill, and she rushed in and saw the same thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two of them went to work investigating and missed the small stack of innocuous papers on the captain's desk for several hours as they tracked down who the two people were. If they had spent a few seconds actually looking at the papers before they rushed around, they would have found the two names had been on the very first sheet of the report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Robert cursed openly and Anna rubbed her face at all the wasted time and effort, then they both read through the report and saw the added pictures, found out what had happened, where it had happened, and how many other victims had been murdered in the same area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take command of two squads and get a team out there to do a sweep with forensics, both physical and cyber.” Robert ordered and Anna nodded. “I want the deets yesterday and every case these names were involved in, put to bed as soon as possible. Understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, sir.” Anna said and walked out of the office at a normal pace. She had done enough useless running around already, so it was time for calm and collected Anna to be in charge as she worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calm and collected Anna barely lasted the drive out to the designated area near Rocky Ridge and then she saw the entire place had been erased from existence. There were no trailers, nomad cars, or even traces of tracks or blood stains. How the hell did that happen so quickly? It wasn't possible to be that thorough in cleaning up in such a short time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was going to be a short and frustrating debriefing with the captain when she went back to the station to deliver her report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just after lunch when security was called at the Night City Hall. It was the seat of the municipal government and where the mayor did his business, as well as the various civil programs the citizens had available. When the group of guards reached the street, they found a tall hunk of a man choking out the last of the protesters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, hey guys.” The man said and waved. “I hope you don't mind me taking care of them. I had some frustration to work out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn't see a weapon on him, so they only relaxed slightly. The guy was still wearing armor and looked dangerous, especially after what he just did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What's your business here?” One of the guards asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I came to register a business and all these people were blocking my way.” He said and wiped off his hands. “I mean, it's one thing to complain about city policy and express their opinion. It's another thing to shout it into my face and then demand I had to share their opinion or I was going to regret it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards looked down at the group of about 30 people that were unconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I made them regret it instead.” He said and wiped off his hands again, as if he hadn't gotten something off of them the first time. He walked over to a nice car and took out a suit jacket to put on. It was almost like he suddenly transformed from a heavily armored mercenary into a corpo with that one move, and even his demeanor changed to fit. “I made an appointment a short time ago with the registration office and I hope this delay didn't make me late.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the guards nodded at another. The two of them stepped forward and motioned towards the building's entrance. The man nodded at them with a small smile and walked by them towards the front doors, then the two guards followed at a discreet distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The receptionist in the lobby looked bored as the three of them approached her. She perked up slightly when the man sent her a message of where he needed to go. She produced a small ID badge and handed it over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you.” He said and clipped it to his suit coat. “What floor am I going to?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The eleventh.” She answered. “The elevator opens on another lobby. Just head to the left and it's the first door. You can't miss it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you.” He said and walked over to the elevator. It beeped and he had to stand there and wait for a minute before the elevator arrived and stepped inside. Only one guard went with him and he pushed the button. They rode the elevator to the eleventh floor and followed the receptionist's instructions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Welcome, Mr. Atlas!” The smarmy guy in a suit said as soon as the door opened. “Please, come in and sit. Yes, right there. Thank you, James. You can go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guard looked a bit surprised at the dismissal, shrugged, and shut the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I'm glad they did their jobs for once and stopped the protesters from assaulting you when you crossed the picket line.” The smarmy guy said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Atlas didn't correct the wrong assumption. “I couldn't let something like that stop me from benefiting the city with my services.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smarmy guy smiled a smarmy smile. “Yes, let's talk more about what your new business can offer the municipal government.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Atlas knew the man didn't mean his actual services, just how much he was willing to pay in bribes to let the registration go through. Since there wasn't really a lot of money involved in garbage disposal, despite how much of it there was, it cost money to gather it and transport it. It also cost time and effort, so there was little room for another company, no matter how small, to survive off of just that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smarmy guy didn't care about any of that, or any of the details in the business plan Atlas had prepared. All he wanted to see was how many zeros was after the initial sum Atlas was going to pay for a legitimate business license. Another ten thousand eddies was added to the nominal fee for a real business license and the smarmy guy let out a giggle as the payment cleared and it wasn't from a fake account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was a pleasure doing business with you.” The smarmy guy said and handed over a registered license with the company name left blank, then also sent him the electronic version. “You can fill that in at your leisure and send a copy to the main server. It has my authorization code already attached, so it will go through without trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Atlas let a huge smile spread across his face. “Thank you for handling this so efficiently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It's my job to help those that need it.” The smarmy guy said with a straight face, then he laughed. “If you have anything else you need done, just contact me and I'll see to it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Atlas nodded and stood. “Have a good day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good day.” The smarmy man said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Atlas left his office and walked back to the lobby. Instead of leaving, he went to the bathroom and pretended to use one of the stalls as he cleaned the place with magic and sat down to do a bit of net surfing, now that he had been given the literal keys to the city's main server farms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He started by doing exactly what the smarmy guy said. He filled out the business license for garbage disposal and sent it to the server, which gave him a perfect way to access the servers without getting caught. He had the proper authorization, after all. He then registered a second business to sell cyberware, a third to sell fruits and vegetables, and a fourth to sell raw materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Atlas then registered them all under a new corporation name, Atlas Incorporated, and they all qualified for cheap business loans as both separate companies and then again because they had been 'bought out' by a full corporation. That they were all registered to Atlas made no difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Atlas used the second loans to pay off the first ones, giving him a stellar credit rating. He went from a tiny garbage collection company with nothing to a top tier corporation that was millions of eddies in debt, which is exactly what the financial institutions wanted, because that kept the high interest payments coming indefinitely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since no one ever paid off the principal loans after they reached a few million eddies, the bank never expected them to. If a company ever came close to coming out of debt, a more lucrative loan offer was made, for expansions or new equipment, and ensured the debt remained high and those interest payments kept coming in for as long as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Atlas owned it all, all of that money, from the loans, to the buyouts, to the new loans, all went right into his account. It was all digital paperwork as well, so none of the loans actually came into play or needed the initial payments made, because they were bought out by the incorporating corporation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only loan that technically existed was the latest one, since it absorbed all the other loans into itself. The first payment of that one was actually quite reasonable, considering the juggling Atlas had to do with all the electronic records and to use all of their own tax law loopholes to get the best deal. The best part about that? It wasn't due for another month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such a huge influx of money, Atlas easily purchased a small business office downtown, the warehouse he needed in the corpo industrial complex, the large industrial 3D printer, and the first package of resources to get started. None of it was actually needed, of course. It was just to keep up appearances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of his plans were coming together much quicker than he had planned for and he was quite happy about that. He couldn't estimate how long it would have taken him if he hadn't decided to stop holding back. Then again, he might have also slowed down if he hadn't been transferred into another department. Being in counter-intelligence would give him a lot of leeway to move about unhindered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Atlas left the bathroom, after flushing the toilet and washing his hands of course. Again it was to keep up appearances, since he didn't actually use the bathroom for its intended use. He rode the elevator down to the ground floor and walked over to the receptionist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you handle everything you were looking to do today, Mr. Atlas?” She asked as he handed her the temporary ID.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I took care of a lot more than I thought I would.” Atlas said and smiled at her. “Thank you for your help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She preened and smiled back, then watched his backside intensely as he walked across the lobby and left the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Altas was surprised that all of the protesters were gone and there were also no more guards hanging around. A quick probe with his telepathy to the closest person, gave him the story. They all woke up completely unharmed, freaked out about that, and took off. He laughed and went over to his parked car. He checked it over, just in case, and didn't find anything wrong. He hopped in, honked the horn, and drove off into the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been a long day and it was still only the afternoon. He also had to return Victor's armor, so he drove over to the ripperdoc's business and parked in the alleyway. He put the helmet on and changed his appearance back to Veder's, then climbed out of the car and went around the building to go down into the basement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor looked relieved when he saw him. “Jesus, V! What the fuck were you thinking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veder took off the helmet and pretended to blush from embarrassment. “I had to try, choom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor tried to glare, only it didn't work, mostly because he didn't take off his sunglasses. “Just put the drek back and go home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem.” Veder said and went into the back, stripped everything off, and put them back into their proper places. He took his academy uniform out of the bag he left there and put it on, not bothering to fix the creases and bends in the fabric, and came back out into the main area. “Did that other guy leave on his own?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, his chooms came and got him.” Victor said and sat down at his workstation. On it was a replay loop of the back room security footage of Veder armoring up and leaving quickly. “You're lucky that you didn't suffer the same thing he did.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veder smiled and walked by him. “Naw, choom. You saw what I looked like.” He said and reached the door. “Ain't no scav or wraith is gonna fuck with a merc.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If they think they can cheat and win, they will.” Victor argued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veder grinned. “They're scavs. You shoot first and ask questions never.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victor couldn't help himself and barked a laugh. “Yeah, yeah. Get out of here, you gonk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veder waved and left, walked around the building, and climbed into his car. He changed the color to a deep chrome red and made the thing look sleeker and more like what a corpo would drive instead of looking like a normal car in the city. He drove home to his apartment and parked in his reserved spot, climbed out, and locked it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Home sweet home.” Veder said and entered the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They fired you on your first day at work, choom?” Tank asked with a laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yep! I broke the record for the fastest hiring and firing in history!” Veder joked and they both laughed. “Seriously, though. I got transferred to another department before I even finished orientation at the labs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tank grinned and stood up briefly to pat him on the back. “Damn, choom! You're working that corpo ladder like it owes you eddies!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You have no idea.” Veder said and grinned back. “The vendi's on me for the rest of the week.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tank looked shocked at the offer. “You kiddin', choom? That's a lot of eddies...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You're worth it.” Veder said and patted his shoulder as he walked by. “Maybe take a few entrees to the doll you're seeing on the side, eh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tank laughed. “Ain't no side, choom! She's my main squeeze.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Drek!” Veder said and stopped at the elevator to wait for it. “Remind me to send down a bottle of preem smash later. I'm celebrating and it's only fair to share.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tank again looked shocked. “Choom, that's... you shouldn't...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elevator dinged and the doors opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veder stepped backwards into it and hit the button for his floor. “I'm getting one, too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tank looked really grateful and gave Veder a thumbs up as the elevator doors shut. The elevator rose quickly and stopped on the right floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Veder stepped out and smiled when he saw a stack of packages in front of his door. His orders had come in and he could make the very thing that would let him produce as much fruit and vegetables as he wanted, because the thing would actually work. Printing things molecule by molecule could make many wondrous things.\u003C\u002Fp>",3405,"2026-06-09T05:52:49.484Z",1,"novelbin.me","5fc8af53f3ecb5f221957827d5c64edb13bc219b6fa7b71f39c3fe4ced7044d0","the-protagonist-system-chapter-539","the-protagonist-system-chapter-537",542,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-protagonist-system-cover.jpg"]