"Taking down a whole gang? There's thousands of 'em, literally. These guys don't dissolve into puddles once you've taken out their leadership, they push the next biggest guy onto the throne and keep going. Trust me, these gangers go toe-to-toe with Corpo-Cops, they ain't afraid of you." -Diego Koroveshi, Streamer
Megacity smuggling routes are a cherished commodity among the denizens of the lower levels. The ability to purchase goods that aren't provided by the host Holdings Company, thus depriving them of their own wealth, is both an act of quiet rebellion and a source of commercial choice in a world deprived of both. Hallucinogenic drugs, untraceable weapons and armour and off-brand cybernetics are greatly sought after, but even sundries like unaltered food and drink, tobacco, clothing and non-territorial pornotainment are purchased by civilians. Because of the demand for these items, as well as the brutal corporate taskforces dedicated to cracking down on smuggling, the ability to purchase and sell on smuggled goods has enabled the rise of gangs.
Megacity gangs purchase smuggled goods in bulk and fight each other over territory in which to sell it on for a premium. In exchange, smugglers can offload their product quickly and get back out of the megacity and on the road as fast as possible. Gangs also offer protection for smugglers by combating any Corpo-Cop incursions into the lower levels, fighting to the death to ensure the lower levels remain the anarchic paradise they thrive in.
Of course, many gangs desire to find extra and alternate sources of income. Protection racketeering, drugs manufacturing, abduction and ransoming, and robbery are some of the activities the more unruly gangs engage in. Members of these gangs find their portraits on the communal bounty boards, their bounties cobbled together by lower level denizens dedicated to financing bounty hunters such as Jesse the Gunslinger. Bounty hunters are reviled in territory controlled by these gangs, and gunfights and duels often break out upon the discovery of one sneaking in to claim a prize.
While all gangs are dedicated to the protection of smugglers the selling and their goods, some choose to avoid the other income generating activities listed above. These gangs are more akin to a neighbourhood watch or town guard, protecting the civilians of their territory from both other gangs and Corpo-Cops. Bounty hunters walk free in these territories, and adventuring parties often use these areas as staging areas before setting off on their next job.
The endless thrum of bodies in megacities means gangs style themselves around certain themes and dress codes to differentiate themselves among the civilians. For some it's as simple as wearing as a certain colour, but most gangs sport a dedicated aesthetic, such as dressing as mimes, wearing mascot helmets, or rolling around on rollerblades. While these outfits might look comical to an outsider, the constant neon and holographic advertising plastering every wall of the megacities, plus the threat of immediate and sustained violence, allows these strangely dressed gangs blend in with their world and saunter through their spires unimpeded.