The Shi peoples of San Francisco are the descendants of the crew of a disabled Chinese submarine that ended up in the harbours of the city. The crew managed to get enough equipment from the submarine ashore and began to use this technology to rebuild the city. Generations passed, and now the Shi have established themselves as some of the leaders in biotechnology and other sciences.
The Shi have been made famous over the past few years with their amazing advancements in what they call 'Resurrection Technology'. Through years of experimentation, The Shi have managed to develop a system to breathe life into the recently deceased using a combination of high-powered electric currents, super stim-paks and other 'top secret' methods. Still, the Shi see it as rudimentary - it only works within a few hours of death, anything beyond that is out of the realm of their technology.
The Shi's constant experimentation with this technology has led them to New Reno. While San Francisco is relatively peaceful, New Reno is hell by comparison. The widespread death and destruction is a literal gold mine for Shi scientists who continue to work with the resurrection technology. The Shi have transported their equipment to the newly established 'Life Science' center where they continue to conduct experiments. The center is located on the outskirts of the East Side - Wright town. While the Wirghts normally won't let any outsiders set up shop on their turf, they have made an exception for the Shi who they see as 'not causing any trouble'.
The Shi have a squad of scouts whose job it is to scour the city for the recently deceased. You can see them on stake outs at the Coliseum, Golgotha, the Jungle Gym, the two casinos and Salvatore's bar. Any fresh bodies are brought back to the center, where they are tested. Should the experiments prove to be a success, the Shi keep the newly resurrected for a day of observation before release. Any bodies that are unsuccessfully resurrected are sold to the caravaners as Brahmin food.
There is a common misconception that the Shi center is a hospital. This is not the case. The Shi will turn away any sick or wounded persons, delivering their favourite line: Come back when you're dead.
