Cyberpunk Maniac

And it doesn't matter how strange it is, even if we don't know what a monster is for now, one day we'll figure it out, and since rarity equates to value, we can speculate, cough cough, I mean invest now.

In a mature market system, as long as there are buyers, anything can be appraised, and anything can be traded.

In plain terms, TheM Monster Company is an exchange that specializes in the trading of monsters, buying those monsters from the Science Ethics Committee, Celestial Company, and scavengers that the others' technology can't analyze.

Then, according to their rich experience in this field, they analyze, purchase, value, and resell the monsters at a higher price to the tech labs of the giant corporations for more in-depth research. That is the main source of income for monster companies.

These days, the little money that poor people have is hardly enough to fill the gaps between their teeth; it's more profitable to make money from companies.

And indeed, the monster market has infinite potential; after all, at the level of super Celestial Companies, in the struggles at the Safety Committee level, even the meaning of money diminishes, and in the end, it strictly comes down to technological competition. Whoever takes the lead controls the game; that's the iron rule that has stood since the dawn of humanity.

And the most sophisticated and advanced technologies naturally concern the study of monsters and other unknown domains, cutting-edge science.

Of course, when it comes to trading at the level of monsters and companies, it's definitely the board of directors at the Earth Zero Main Company making the decisions, while subsidiaries like Earth 0791 are, plainly speaking, just one of the regional storage and logistics centers under Monster Company.

And the task of the general manager of a subsidiary is naturally to recover and safeguard the monsters from Earth 0791's dimension and complete the monster trades between the main company and other conglomerates. Considering the rarity, high value, and high risk of monsters, it is typically a business of feasting for three years after remaining closed for three years, so the routine work is mainly inventory checks...

Li Pan, "Damn, after all this, I'm still just a warehouse keeper!"

After hanging up the phone, Li Pan stood up and noticed that the cheap suit and checked shirt he was wearing were torn. Although his flesh had been restored by the archive cabinet, these clothes hadn't been 'revived'...

Li Pan thought for a moment and picked up the suit the coffee monster had worn from the ashes.

The material was really odd, soft yet tough, like touching human skin, but now cold to the touch. It's a bit weird to say, but for some reason, Li Pan felt that this suit was already 'dead.' It would tear easily with a bit of force, and naturally, it no longer had any bulletproof effect.

So Li Pan picked up the phone again and dialed 0791001.

"What is this? Some kind of monster?"

He heard his own echo on the other end of the phone.

"Suit/Guardian,

Identification, Controllable

Internal purchase product, monster sub-project.

Suit/Guardian may be the projection of a youngling of a Different World creature on Earth.

Suit/Guardian can symbiotically protect employees from harm, but Suit/Guardian can also feel pain and die.

If an employee doesn't respect their Suit/Guardian, the Suit/Guardian might get angry and run away.

If an employee treats their Suit/Guardian well, the Suit/Guardian will fight alongside them to the end.

The company only reimburses the first Suit/Guardian for formal employees.

Although I'm still an intern, as an acting manager I can also enjoy this benefit."

"Oh, it can be reimbursed? Then get me one," Li Pan said.

Li Pan put on the 'dead' suit, which was a bit large, but it would have to do.

"The general manager can find suit customization in the telephone directory, and fax an order to customize a Suit/Guardian.

However, equipping a Suit/Guardian requires passing the Suit/Guardian's trial and the use of a Silver Key."

Li Pan squinted, "Hold on, what's this Silver Key for again?"

"A key can open doors."

"...No kidding, be more specific."

Then the voice on the phone became more emphatic,

"A 'key' can open 'doors,' in the definitional sense. Monsters' attributes cannot be explained by science, they can be used as long as they fit the rules.

I can use a key to open any entrance, to unlock any seal, or directly open the warehouse, borrowing monsters in the company's inventory.

As the general manager, I have the right to utilize the company's inventory for monster procurement tasks, but considering I only have one key at the moment, maybe I should be more cautious and take a good look at the inventory before making a decision."

Monster Key, huh? How mystical...

Li Pan took another look at the key,

To hear the phone tell it, this thing is a one-time use, probably some sort of in-company reward or currency.

But indeed, who knows when this custom suit will be delivered, and what trials are involved? He wasn't sure he'd succeed. However, there definitely was stock in the company's warehouse, and as a general manager, he could borrow it... wait a minute! Which warehouse? The one targeted by the Whirlpool Gang?

"I've suddenly become aware of a potential safety hazard in warehouse number 7. Considering unexplained attacks that resulted in the deletion of all former staff, perhaps I should carry out an inventory check, investigate the cause of previous attacks on the company, and report to the main company."

Li Pan caught on too, the personnel of monster companies died so cleanly, surely some power was targeting them. Of course, the real mastermind wasn't the Whirlpool Gang; they were at most used to test the waters by walking into a minefield. Since monster companies are members of the Safety Committee, it's quite possible that their adversaries could be the likes of the Ye Clan or Takamanohara, such super dimensional companies.