Chapter Summaries

Arakawa Sesen joined Carl, Jack, V, Oliver, and the others as they headed into Japantown to kill the Tiger Claws members who had attacked them. He identified the remaining gang members as loyal to Arasaka Saburo and entered the district ready to sever one of Saburo’s tentacles.

• Arakawa Sesen used a disguise chip to reveal his handsome younger face and reminisced with his companions about his past and the Steel Dragons.
• Oliver and the others reacted with surprise to Arakawa Sesen’s former appearance, and he recalled the trouble his looks had caused him.
• Carl checked his gun and said the group needed to kill the sixty-five Tiger Claws members who had left the organization, along with anyone who tried to stop them.
• Arakawa Sesen explained that the remaining Tiger Claws members belonged to Arasaka Saburo, then entered Japantown with his Kongou to attack them.

Carl and the others raided a Tiger Claw apartment in Japantown and recovered an encrypted order from Japan. Arakawa Sesen deciphered it and discovered that Arasaka Saburo had ordered his people to control Sesen and wait for his arrival.

• Arakawa Sesen killed a suited Tiger Claw member while Oliver praised his shooting, and Carl searched the apartment’s computer.
• Carl found records of prohibited drug sales and an encrypted order, while explaining that she had killed many of Arasaka Saburo’s operatives.
• V and the others examined the encrypted message, and Arakawa Sesen recognized its Purple Cipher code.
• Arakawa Sesen deciphered the order: “Control Sesen. Wait for my arrival.”

Carl and Arakawa Sesen decoded an order indicating that Arasaka Saburo would soon come to Night City, raising the prospect of a dangerous Arasaka family gathering. Carl’s team prepared for a possible confrontation with the Ninja Hundred, then left the Tiger Claws member’s apartment as sirens approached.

• Carl realized that the cipher order addressed Arakawa Sesen and likely came from Arasaka Saburo, who was coming to Night City.
• Arakawa Sesen warned that the Arasaka gathering could turn violent and suggested he might need to pay Carl’s team more.
• V and the others grew eager to face the Ninja Hundred, while Carl weighed their likely strength against Chiyome and Takemura Goro’s abilities.
• Carl decided to prepare for the possibility of skilled Ninja Hundred members by adapting to his Access Port and its precognitive sensation.
• Arakawa Sesen packed the laptop, Jack and the others took valuables from the apartment, and Carl led the team out as sirens neared.

Carl and his companions were detained by NCPD after an officer discovered Arakawa Sesen had no registered identity. As the group rode to the station, Tiger Claws members arrived in Japantown, unaware that their quarry had already been taken away by police.

• An NCPD officer stopped Carl and his companions after spotting their bloodstained weapons and identified Arakawa Sesen as an unregistered drifter.
• Oliver agreed that the group would go to the station rather than reveal their identities and expose their presence in Japantown.
• The officer handcuffed Arakawa Sesen and took him and the others away in an NCPD transport vehicle.
• A group of Tiger Claws rode past the police vehicle and assumed their targets were still nearby.
• The red-haired Tiger Claws member said the attack had been bait and claimed their forces had surrounded the area.

Deputy Director Johnson released Carl’s group from the holding cell and helped their new companion register an identity in Night City. Arakawa Sesen chose the name Yori, while Andy recognized who he really was.

• Johnson questioned Carl’s group about the Tiger Claws’ violent brawl and learned Carl and T-BUG had helped provoke it before Carl called the Psycho Squad.
• Johnson explained how the Tiger Claws’ cyberware strain and fear had fueled their collective madness as he unlocked Arakawa Sesen’s handcuffs.
• Arakawa Sesen discussed herd mentality with Johnson, who grew curious about the newcomer’s education and place among Carl’s crew.
• Johnson offered to register an identity for Arakawa Sesen, and he filled out the details under the name Yori.
• Johnson found the name familiar, while Andy recognized Yori’s true identity from his face.

Johnson received a City Council order to lock down Watson District, and he and Carl suspected it was connected to Arasaka Saburo’s expected arrival. The lockdown was scheduled to begin in four days, with no end date given.

• Johnson accepted the City Council’s urgent order after wondering whether it involved a political scapegoat.
• Johnson read the order to lock down Watson District and worried about the disruption it would cause.
• Carl and Johnson reasoned that the City Council must have an urgent cause for the lockdown rather than a plan to expel Watson District.
• Carl connected the order to Arasaka Saburo’s instruction to wait for his arrival, and her companions shared her suspicion.
• Johnson discovered that the lockdown would begin in four days and had no specified end date.

After leaving the police station, Carl and his companions brought Yori to the Afterlife for drinks and snacks. When they entered the crowded bar, Carl recognized the massive Dexter DeShawn, whom he had not seen in a long time.

• Andy offered to drive Carl and the others to their parked car, but Oliver declined and Andy returned to the police station.
• Yori joined Carl and the others in the self-driving Hera, and they decided to visit the Afterlife instead of returning to Azure Tower for food.
• On the drive, Jack and Oliver explained that the Afterlife was a gathering place for mercenaries, fixers, and corporate clients.
• Carl and Yori agreed that the Afterlife's gloomy green décor and name felt unlucky as they entered the bar.
• Carl spotted Dexter DeShawn, known as Black Fat Jesus, inside the crowded Afterlife.

Carl and his crew visited the Afterlife, where Claire recognized them by their familiar food and drink orders and hinted that Rogue was occupied with something other than assigning jobs. The chapter left Carl watching a group of four unusually well-equipped young mercenaries approach Dexter DeShawn.

• Carl noticed Dexter DeShawn openly sitting in the Afterlife and reasoned that the Voodoo Boys' deaths had freed him to return to Night City.
• Oliver ordered fries and drinks for the crew, and Claire recognized them from their familiar choices and manner of speaking.
• Carl asked about Rogue, and Claire hinted that she was busy with matters beyond her work as a fixer.
• Carl suspected Rogue might be meeting with Arakawa Michiko and investigating the situation surrounding Arasaka.
• Carl observed four young mercenaries with unusual cyberware enter the Afterlife and approach Dexter DeShawn.

V, Carl, Jack, Oliver, and Yori noticed Dexter DeShawn meeting four unfamiliar but capable mercenaries at the Afterlife. Carl secretly used Mr. Johnson’s credentials to investigate them and discovered they had arrived that morning under unverifiable nomad identities, leaving their connection to the group under suspicion.

• V spotted Dexter DeShawn meeting four unfamiliar mercenaries, and Carl judged them stronger than the KK Squad had been when they first made a name for themselves.
• Oliver and the others found the newcomers’ unusually proper manner and calm behavior suspicious.
• Carl used Mr. Johnson’s credentials to search police records, and Johnson noticed the login but let it pass.
• Carl found that the four had entered Night City that morning as members of a nomad clan that had disbanded a month earlier, with no camera evidence linking them to the encirclement point or Tiger Claws’ residences.
• Carl remarked that the four’s pale skin, proper behavior, and uncalloused hands did not fit the nomads he knew.

Carl and his team discussed the suspicious mercs posing as nomads and Militech’s unexpected activity in Night City. Carl recognized a chilling blue-eyed woman among the newcomers and saw a flash of blue light in her eyes, suggesting a connection to the rogue AI.

• V pointed out that the four supposed nomads’ immaculate implants and lack of Badlands wear made their identities seem fake.
• Yori shared a warning about Militech agents in Night City and questioned why Militech had resources free during the New American presidential election.
• V implied that Carl’s team’s recent jobs had disrupted the struggle between Militech and New America, allowing Militech to intervene.
• Carl connected the newcomers to earlier incidents involving Rogue AI and blue-eyed people controlled by AI.
• Carl watched the woman with Monomolecular Wire meet his gaze, saw no humanity in her eyes, and noticed a flash of blue light as she looked away.

Carl realized Arakawa Sesen was seeking a way to live forever and agreed to help his friend Yori, not a Corpo Dog. Sesen returned to Azure Tower under the KK Squad’s protection, while an elderly man in Japan considered the squad as Sesen’s backing.

• At the Afterlife, T-BUG agreed to act if Dexter DeShawn’s interests conflicted with the group’s job, and Oliver secretly ate V’s remaining fries.
• Carl and the others removed their disguises near Azure Tower, and Arakawa Sesen spoke with Carl about mortality and his goal.
• Carl guessed that Sesen was pursuing immortality and agreed to help his friend Yori.
• Arakawa Sesen returned to Azure Tower protected by the KK Squad, making their role public.
• An elderly man in Japan studied information about the KK Squad and wondered whether it would back Sesen.

Carl and the others watched Night City descend into disorder ahead of Watson District’s lockdown while discussing T-BUG’s investigation into Militech and Dexter DeShawn. Carl proposed inserting their crew into the scheme by offering Dexter another group of mercenaries to complicate the situation.

• Oliver worried that Old Vic and Misty’s shops in Little China would be caught up in the unrest, and Jack assured him that Andy had arranged patrols to protect them.
• Arakawa Sesen shared beer with the group, and Oliver and Jack found it harsh while V drank it readily.
• V asked Carl for an update on T-BUG’s investigation, and Carl said she had seen the unknown people meet Militech personnel and take data chips before an intrusion drove her off their trail.
• Carl compared Dexter DeShawn to a roast pig whose filling mattered more than the pig itself, suggesting Militech viewed him as a disposable pawn.
• Carl proposed that the crew approach Dexter with another group of mercenaries and put themselves in the middle of the operation.

Allen and his armed companions confronted Dexter DeShawn at his hidden residence and offered to help with the job Militech had hired him to do. Dexter DeShawn realized he might use the new faction to muddy the waters, and agreed to talk.

• Dexter DeShawn returned to his hidden residence and found Allen and four armed companions waiting for him.
• Allen introduced himself and said his group wanted to join Dexter DeShawn’s plan and provide help.
• Dexter DeShawn warned that Militech was too dangerous to oppose and said cooperating would mean certain death.
• Allen told Dexter DeShawn he would not die yet, prompting him to consider using the new faction to improve his chances.
• Dexter DeShawn agreed to talk with Allen rather than remain Militech’s disposable pawn.

Allen and his companions met with Dexter DeShawn to discuss stealing Arasaka’s Relic for Militech, while Dexter mistook them for agents of another corporation. They agreed to hear his preparations for the heist, though Allen suspected Dexter intended to expose them to Militech later.

• Dexter DeShawn explained that Militech had hired him to obtain Arasaka’s prototype biochip, and Allen identified it as the Relic.
• Allen described the Relic’s role in Arasaka’s immortality project, and Dexter revealed that Arakawa Sesen had stolen it and fled to Night City.
• Dexter DeShawn said they had to locate Sesen and the Relic before Watson District was locked down in two days.
• Dexter proposed using Allen’s group’s cover identities to pose as mercenaries and help prepare the operation.
• Allen agreed to let Dexter handle the preparations, despite suspecting that Dexter planned to reveal their identities to Militech.

Allen and Dexter DeShawn agreed to cooperate on stealing the Relic from Arakawa Sesen, with Allen’s group tasked with finding out what was inside the hundredth-floor suite. Dexter warned them not to provoke the KK Squad, and Allen left him to decide whether he would remain a nobody or become famous.

• Dexter DeShawn explained that he would find out when Arakawa Sesen was away, while Allen’s group had to discover where the Relic was kept.
• Dexter DeShawn described the KK Squad as a terrifying enemy and warned Allen’s group not to provoke them, even with Militech support.
• Allen agreed to bring Dexter information about the hundredth-floor suite as the basis of their cooperation.
• Allen’s companions disappeared, and Allen vanished after asking Dexter whether he would choose to be a nobody or become famous.

Arakawa Sesen explained how he once planned to use Alt Cunningham’s technology to provoke the Fifth Corporation War, but changed his mind after seeing Carl’s work and renewed hope in Night City. He gave Carl the Relic and agreed that they should deal with Arasaka Saburo before deciding what to do with it.

• Oliver summarized that thieves had targeted technology Sesen had stolen from Arasaka Saburo, and Sesen said he no longer cared who took it as long as Arasaka did not.
• Sesen explained that the technology was linked to Alt Cunningham and revealed his former plan to involve Netrunner Oversight, draw out Arasaka Saburo, and provoke a war with Militech.
• Sesen said he had abandoned his belief that one corporation could defeat all the others and credited Carl’s actions and return to the streets with changing his outlook.
• Carl teased Sesen for finding a comrade with familiar ideals, and Sesen laughed and agreed that she had given him hope.
• Sesen gave Carl the Relic and told her to use it as she saw fit, while Carl said they should deal with Arasaka Saburo first.

Carl helped Dexter DeShawn identify likely Relic storage locations in the Tavernier Suite and anticipated that the thieves would use Azure Tower’s surveillance system to time their break-in. He arranged to fake the team’s departure while planning to stay behind, and a vehicle carrying four people arrived at Azure Tower.

• Carl gave Dexter DeShawn floor plans of the Tavernier Suite, and Dexter identified the Relic’s storage site among several possible locations.
• Carl reasoned that the thieves would infiltrate Azure Tower’s surveillance room through a nearby guest suite and its ventilation ducts, possibly using a cloaked mechanical device.
• Carl told the others to record a video of themselves leaving so he could overwrite the surveillance footage and make the thieves believe the suite was empty.
• Jack questioned why they should let the thieves enter, and Carl explained that he would stay behind while someone from Militech needed to be present when Arasaka Saburo died.
• The next day, a vehicle carrying four people stopped outside Azure Tower.

Mr. Chun and his companions checked into Azure Tower with a combat robot, while Jack, V, Oliver, Carl, and Arakawa Sesen watched them through hidden cameras. The group opened their case in their room, revealing the Flathead.

• Mr. Chun and three companions entered Azure Tower with a case containing a combat robot after the concierge confirmed it had been cleared in advance.
• Jack identified the group as the suspected traders and recognized Mr. Chun from the Afterlife surveillance footage.
• Carl explained that she had planted hidden cameras in every room scheduled for check-in that day.
• Carl found the group’s room on the surveillance feed and watched them open the case.
• The Flathead leaped out of the case.

Carl and the others monitored Militech’s Flathead as it infiltrated Azure Tower and began hacking the hotel network through its netrunner. With the takeover expected to take four hours, Arakawa Sesen arranged for Arasaka Saburo to arrive at Azure Tower on the same schedule.

• Carl and the others watched a white, unpainted Flathead enter the ventilation ducts under Optical Camouflage.
• Carl identified the neighboring guest as Hideo, and Arakawa Sesen judged that the famous designer was unlikely to be a Militech operative.
• Carl tracked the Flathead’s movement by spotting distortions in its camouflage as it made its way to the security room.
• The Flathead sent Azure Tower’s netrunner into data shock and connected a cable to hack the network, with T-BUG estimating the takeover would take four hours.
• Arakawa Sesen learned that Arasaka Saburo would arrive in four and a half hours and ordered his people to make it appear that Sesen was fleeing, prompting Saburo to arrive in four hours.

Chun and his Militech squad infiltrated Azure Tower to steal the Relic, while Chun’s memories and sense of identity repeatedly seemed to conflict. After they found the Relic and tried to escape, Carl blocked their route and confronted them.

• Chun ordered his three teammates to begin the operation after confirming that Arakawa Sesen and the KK Squad had left the penthouse.
• The four Militech operatives reached the top floor and searched for the Relic, while Chun struggled with strange sensations and doubts about his memories.
• The squad found the Relic inside a safe, and Chun lifted its case as Azure Tower issued an emergency alert.
• Chun tried to lead the squad out through the rooftop glass, but the female operative discovered that her access had been cut off.
• Carl appeared from the outer platform and told the squad that he would not let them escape.