The Sendai Lower Levels
Not to be confused with Taihaku, The Sendai Lower Levels are a collection of multiple districts. The general Sendai Lower Area is located far below the towering megacities of the Sendai region. However, the economic situation isn't as cut and dry with a range from the absolutely lowest in poverty to some districts being fit for Corporate Demi-Gods. This range allowed many people to grow from rags to riches, however many more wish to exit the region than to go back. This region is also completely saturated with gang activity, cyberpsychos, mass shootings, and corporate espionage. However, a large majority of Sendai Lower Levels are in ruins due to a catastrophic event in 2082 that caused the collapse of a megacity onto the region. This caused an exodus of the region but the region still functions to this day with many richer districts totally unaffected.
Corporations and Gangs
A large number of gangs and corporations have their origin within this area. These groups tend to overlap and intertwine with corporations and even countries using gangs as proxies or as personal hit squads within the region. It is not unheard of that a scandal breaks of Corporate Higher-Ups being directly linked and even participating in gang-related activities. This is because of the strategic importance of shipping and the lack of policing within the area. Whoever has control over the Sendai Lower Levels has near-unlimited access to ship drugs, weapons, contraband, and augments to other regions. This also coincides with the lack of policing within the region, as many politicians have outright enforced police agencies and corporate security firms to not be able to patrol the areas for a variety of reasons.
Lack of Policing
In 2081, the Corporate Police Chief of the region attempted to blackmail and bribe multiple corporations into submission. This was not a new practice as the Police Chief was known to abuse his powers against the public and companies alike. However, A now-defunct entertainment and security corporation was the victim of this and had him openly assassinated while he was in a strip club. His body hung from a light pole and paraded across the entirety of the city. This lead to days of unarrest as many of the Officers attempted to get revenge on anyone who participated or who opposed them.
The Police Chief's rampant abuse and the one-sidedness of the events afterward caused public opinion from the entirety of the Sendai Lower Levels to overwhelming be in favor of the corporation. This lead to months of protest that was backed by multiple corporations and politicians. These finally ended when the riots physically pushed out any remnants of policing within the region which has stayed that was to this very day. However, the idea of policing is not completely absent within the region.
Many gangs and corporations hold total control over their regions and do not attempt to expand their control into the lives of ordinary people or of other rival gangs. This unsteady peace is also compounded by the absolutely absurd amount of firearms that are circulating within the public. Every single person within the region is armed, every shop has turrets, and every door is bulletproof. Making the regions both incredibly hostile and unwelcoming while also being pretty safe for those who know the customs and who to pay.
