Chapter Summaries

V and Carl attacked the abandoned hospital where Black Braindance directors were producing KK films, convincing them that the real KK had arrived. The directors fled toward the Badlands, but Carl detonated explosives around their vehicles, leaving their escape uncertain.

• An explosion in the hospital's west wing caused Black Braindance directors to hear Scavengers screaming that KK was attacking them.
• A camera monitor rushed in and said she had seen KK smile at her through a surveillance camera, prompting the directors to panic and flee.
• The directors escaped the collapsing hospital and drove toward the Badlands, believing KK had not followed them.
• Carl detonated a chain of explosives outside the hospital as V showed Panam his hacking work.
• Carl said none of the fleeing directors would escape.

After helping V rescue kidnapped hospital patients, Carl learned that Night City might exclude Pacifica and the Badlands from its law enforcement system. A new message from Haruko drew him away from a nearby confrontation involving Will Firecannon and toward North Oak District.

• Andy told Carl that Mr. Johnson was working overtime as Deputy Director and described a proposal to remove Pacifica and the Badlands from the city's law enforcement system.
• Carl said goodbye to Andy after V's rescue contract was completed, and V explained that Panam had left to deliver cargo to the Sixth Street Gang.
• Carl and V heard gunfire in Coronado Farm, and Carl recognized Will Firecannon's name from Oliver's account of his expulsion from the gang.
• Haruko messaged Carl that a new Monomolecular Wire had been delivered to her residence and asked to discuss something with him.
• Carl decided to let Will Firecannon go for now and asked V to drive him to North Oak District.

Carl visited Haruko and learned that Arasaka had developed a unique, more powerful Monomolecular Wire for him. Haruko offered him a mission in Dogtown that would let him enter openly as the mercenary KK hired by Arasaka.

• Carl asked Haruko about Arasaka's newly developed Monomolecular Wire and learned that his performance during the tower cleanup had inspired the project.
• Haruko explained that the wire had improved data transmission and could achieve twice the penetration and destructive power of Carl's current model.
• Carl discussed his special treatment with Haruko, who said she had arranged the cyberware because he was Carl, not Morgan Blackhand.
• Haruko offered Carl a mission in Dogtown under the cover of mercenary KK being hired by Arasaka.
• Carl realized that Haruko's mission would let him enter Dogtown openly.

Carl, V, and their crew headed for Dogtown on a highly paid job while Oliver explained how Kurt Hansen had turned the district into an independent stronghold. They reached Dogtown’s checkpoint, where uniformed guards ordered them to stop.

• Oliver drove the modified Hella through Pacifica as T-BUG discussed the crew’s six-hundred-thousand-eddie payment per person, and Carl revealed he had traded his share for Monomolecular Wire.
• V asked what Dogtown was, and Oliver explained that Kurt Hansen had built it into an independent kingdom after Militech abandoned him and his soldiers.
• Jack described Hansen’s power in Dogtown, and Carl compared his role arranging corporate deals to that of a fixer.
• Oliver slowed as the crew approached the checkpoint, where green-uniformed guards signaled for them to stop and walked toward the car.

Oliver, Jack, and Carl arrived at Dogtown under Arasaka's name, but Barghest guards denied them entry because none of their passes verified. The gate supervisor recognized Carl as KK and shouted that he was there.

• Oliver stopped the car when Barghest personnel ordered it to halt and learned that his pass was not on record.
• Oliver argued with a Barghest soldier who insulted him, and Jack tried to have his own pass checked, but it failed too.
• Carl asked the soldier to scan his face, but his pass also came back unverified.
• The soldier recognized Carl as KK, and the gate supervisor shouted, "KK is here!"

Carl and his companions entered Dogtown after the Hellhound gate squad recognized him and apologized for the misunderstanding. They headed for a Hellhound-managed hotel to meet Kenichi Kazuya, while Oliver questioned Carl about the Arasaka employer's intentions.

• A Hellhound squad leader apologized to Carl for stopping his car and opened the gate into Dogtown.
• After Carl's group drove away, the squad leader scolded the young Hellhound who had insulted them and told him Oliver and Jack were dangerous fighters.
• Oliver and Jack admired the distant EBM Petrochem Stadium and discussed rumors about its nuclear generator supplying Dogtown with power.
• Carl checked Kenichi Kazuya's message and explained that they would stay at a Hellhound-managed hotel before later meeting Kurt Hansen as Arasaka representatives.
• Oliver wondered whether Carl's relationship with the young Arasaka woman went beyond mercenary and employer, and worried she might be drawing him into corporate affairs.

Carl and her squad arrived in Dogtown ahead of their meeting with Kurt Hansen and decided to explore the area while they waited. Kenichi Kazuya gave them disguises and temporary identities, prompting Carl to suspect that Kenichi Shiro still intended to recruit V.

• Kenichi Kazuya told Carl that the meeting with Kurt Hansen was set for the following evening and that they would travel in a designated vehicle.
• Carl got permission for the squad to leave the hotel, and the group chose to visit EBM Petrochem Stadium to look for heavy weapons.
• Kenichi Kazuya handed the squad Virtual Visage Chips and temporary Arasaka identities.
• Carl noticed that V's identity card named her a captain in the Second Operations Squad and concluded that Kenichi Shiro still wanted to recruit her.

Carl explored the crowded weapons market in EBM Petrochem Stadium, where she found most of the firearms unremarkable. She met a wary former elite soldier selling used weapons for the stories attached to them, and learned they had belonged to celebrities.

• Carl walked through Dogtown’s crowded stadium market and noted how openly vendors sold ordinary weapons.
• Carl compared the market’s average merchandise with the weapons Kenichi Shiro had let her choose from Arasaka’s armory.
• Carl spotted a quiet stall run by a muscular, close-cropped blond man and recognized his military bearing.
• Carl approached the stall, and the shopkeeper tensed before realizing she was there to discuss a purchase.
• The shopkeeper told Carl he sold the stories behind his weapons, then said those stories involved celebrities.

Carl visited a gun shop in Dogtown and discovered that its weapons were genuine, including a pistol that had once belonged to his old friend K.K. He bought the pistol and a gun associated with Sunrise, leaving with both weapons after paying the shopkeeper.

• Carl questioned whether the shopkeeper’s weapons were authentic, then used his lie detection to decide the owner seemed sincere.
• The shopkeeper claimed a modified Constitutional Arms Defender had belonged to the legendary mercenary Sunrise, prompting Carl to consider buying it for Maine’s crew.
• Carl inspected a Kenshin pistol and recognized it as K.K.’s gun, despite the shopkeeper not yet identifying it.
• Carl paid thirty thousand eddies for the Kenshin and the gun associated with Sunrise, then told the startled shopkeeper he was willing to spend the money.

Jack, Oliver, Carl, and V arrived at Gemini Sapphire Hotel for their scheduled meeting with Kurt Hansen, which would take place during a crowded banquet. Carl suspected Hansen was publicly negotiating with Arasaka to invite competing offers, and the group headed inside to see who else had come.

• Jack and Oliver rode to Gemini Sapphire Hotel in a Barghest-driven car while Carl and V followed behind.
• Carl explained that Hansen had arranged a public banquet for the Arasaka meeting and might be using it to attract competing bids from Militech.
• V reminded Oliver that Kenichi Kazuya had offered to explain the negotiations, but Oliver had said they would not ask questions as mercenaries.
• V and Carl arrived twenty-five minutes early and noticed other guests entering the hotel.
• Carl led Jack, Oliver, and V toward the entrance as Barghest members reported KK Squad's arrival.

Carl and her team arrived at Kurt Hansen’s banquet at Gemini Sapphire Tower, where they split up to scout the hall and prepare for a possible fight. While waiting for Kenichi Kazuya, Carl found several acquaintances among the guests.

• Carl’s team passed the security check and rode the elevator to the banquet floor, where they admired the hotel’s elaborate decorations.
• Jack, Oliver, V, and Carl divided up to scout the banquet hall, identify exits, and assess the guests before Kenichi Kazuya arrived.
• Guests recognized Carl as KK and whispered about why Kurt Hansen had invited her.
• Carl met Deputy Director Johnson, who explained that he was representing the Night City Police Department at the banquet and had brought bodyguards.
• Carl spotted Andy and Brown talking nearby and realized that many people at the banquet were acquaintances.

Carl attended Kurt Hansen’s banquet as Arasaka’s hired representative and discovered Blanca was there too. Blanca revealed that her rival was Militech’s operative for the negotiations, and Carl offered to help her by dealing with that opponent.

• Carl reunited with Brown and Andy at the banquet and learned Kerry was performing as its opening act.
• Blanca approached Carl and learned she was representing Arasaka.
• Blanca explained that she had come to watch her rival handle the Arasaka negotiations, not to sabotage them herself.
• Carl realized Blanca’s rival was Militech’s operative and offered to deal with her as a favor.

Kerry Eurodyne opened the banquet with a live performance of “Chippin' In,” thrilling Carl and the other guests. After the song ended, Carl met Kurt Hansen, who welcomed him and invited him to sit.

• The banquet hall lights dimmed, and Kerry Eurodyne took the stage to perform “Chippin' In.”
• Carl watched Kerry sing and regretted not bringing recording equipment, while Brown promised to send him a copy of the performance.
• Carl, Andy, Oliver, Jack, and V discussed Kerry’s performance and the lasting impact of Samurai’s music.
• Kenichi Kazuya arrived on time, and a server told the Arasaka guests that Kurt Hansen was waiting for them.
• Carl approached Kurt Hansen, exchanged greetings, and sat in the seat Hansen offered him.

Carl and Kenichi Kazuya met with Kurt Hansen in Dogtown to negotiate for a Kang Tao software prototype, offering Hansen a transport route to Hawaii in exchange. Hansen revealed that Militech was also interested in the prototype, leaving the deal contested.

• Kurt Hansen greeted Carl and Kenichi Kazuya in Chinese and exchanged polite remarks with Carl before turning to business.
• Hansen presented a prototype designed to counter electromagnetic interference in intelligent-control systems.
• Kenichi Kazuya offered Hansen access to a transport route toward Hawaii in exchange for the prototype.
• Hansen revealed that Militech had made a competing offer and summoned its representative to join the negotiation.

Carl interrupted negotiations between Kenichi Kazuya, Hansen, and Militech over Kang Tao’s software prototype by killing the Militech representative. The chapter left Kenichi Kazuya and Hansen confronted with Carl’s violent answer to being ignored.

• Hansen brought in a Militech representative and invited her to bid against Kenichi Kazuya for the Kang Tao software prototype.
• Kenichi Kazuya recognized Hansen’s ambition and understood that neither Arasaka nor Militech could afford to back down.
• Hansen and the two corporate representatives focused on negotiating while overlooking Carl, who was sitting with them.
• Carl told a story about killing rival envoys, then stabbed the Militech representative in the neck.

Carl killed the Militech representative during negotiations with Hansen, then had Jack, V, and Oliver restrain Hansen’s guards. Hansen reconsidered his options and realized Carl might help him preserve his independence from both Arasaka and Militech.

• Carl killed the Militech representative in front of Hansen.
• Jack, V, and Oliver subdued Hansen’s four Barghest guards before they could act.
• Kenichi Kazuya chose to let Carl handle the negotiations in his own way.
• Carl called the dead representative a noisy rat and returned his bloodless knife to his hand.
• Hansen weighed his options and realized Carl might be an independent power like himself.

After the Militech operative was killed, Kurt Hansen treated the incident as a routine conflict and negotiated directly with Carl to avoid appearing aligned with Arasaka. Carl accepted the deal for the Hawaii shipping route and Kang Tao prototype correction software, and the group toasted their agreement.

• Hansen called the dead Militech operative an infiltrator and praised Carl's mercenary team, framing the negotiations as a deal with her rather than Arasaka.
• Carl recognized that Hansen was using her status as a hired representative to distance himself from both corporations.
• Hansen confirmed the original terms: the Hawaii shipping route and Kang Tao prototype correction software.
• Hansen slid a small box to Carl, while Jack and the others released the subdued Barghests.
• Carl said her subordinates would handle the details, and Hansen raised champagne to celebrate the agreement.

V, Carl, and Oliver ate grilled beef at Hansen's banquet while discussing Will Firecannon's dealings with the Cat Claw Gang and whether to kill him. Warchief asked V about work for the Animals Gang, and Jack arrived excitedly to announce he had landed a big one.

• V and Carl speculated that Hansen had recorded their negotiations to prove his neutrality.
• Oliver told V and Carl he had seen Will Firecannon talking with someone from the Cat Claw Gang, but said killing him could endanger his family in the Sixth Street Gang.
• Warchief approached V and offered to send members of the Animals Gang for bodyguard work, but Carl told her they had no other jobs to offer.
• Jack hurried over and announced that he had landed a big one.

Jack impulsively bought a Russian armored vehicle at Hansen’s banquet, and his friends considered using it for Badlands cargo runs. When they saw it beneath the Gemini Sapphire Tower, they discovered he had bought a heavily armed eight-wheeled personnel carrier.

• Jack told V, Carl, Oliver, and Kurt Hansen’s Warchief that he had bought an armored vehicle from two Russians at the banquet.
• Jack explained that the vehicle was parked beneath the Gemini Sapphire Tower under Hansen’s people’s watch, easing V and Oliver’s concerns about the deal.
• Carl asked what Jack would do with the vehicle, and Jack admitted he had bought it because it sounded cheap and impressive.
• Carl suggested asking Dakota Smith about Badlands cargo work, while V offered to guide them through the region.
• After two hours, Jack and his friends found the vehicle, and Oliver identified it as an armed eight-wheeled personnel carrier equipped with an autocannon, machine guns, a grenade launcher, and anti-tank missiles.

After finishing the Dogtown job, Carl spent a quiet morning while her companions worked on modifying Jack’s vehicle. On the street, she spotted a woman with Twilight Model 20-13 Mantis Blades and recognized that the model could drive its users cyberpsychotic.

• Kenichi Shiro called Carl to praise her work in Dogtown, but hung up after she asked whether he was free.
• Carl learned that Oliver, Jack, and V had gone to the Badlands to modify Jack’s vehicle for cargo runs.
• Carl made breakfast for herself and T-BUG and turned down fixers’ job offers because she wanted a day off.
• Carl used a Disguise Chip and went out, where she noticed a passing woman’s Mantis Blades.
• Carl recognized the implants as Twilight Model 20-13 Mantis Blades and recalled their flaw that made users prone to cyberpsychosis.