Chapter Summaries

Carl confronted Chun and the other thieves at Azure Tower, discovering that their emotionless behavior came from a chip he could disable. As two Arasaka-connected people approached the tower, Carl prepared to finish cleaning up the theft.

• Chun ordered his team to continue the escape plan while he charged at Carl.
• Carl dodged Chun’s punches and used his Monomolecular Wire to interrupt a chip in Chun’s neck, causing Chun to collapse.
• The remaining three thieves showed no reaction and sent another member to delay Carl while the others stayed by the window with the briefcase.
• Carl suspected the group was conducting trial runs and prepared to deal with them before the arriving guests came.
• Two people bearing the Arasaka name headed toward their imminent meeting, one in an elevator and the other in an aerodyne.

Carl and the others uncovered that the incapacitated Militech operatives had been set up as expendable pawns, while Dexter DeShawn planned to seize the shipment after rival forces clashed. Their plans were interrupted when Arasaka Saburo arrived at the penthouse with Takemura Goro.

• Carl learned that the four former Militech employees' neural chips had destroyed their brains and that their clean records emphasized their former corporate status.
• Dexter DeShawn sent Allen a retreat route and vehicle, then warned V about mercenaries targeting the shipment while asking for extra payment.
• T-BUG reported that Dexter was heading to the location, and Carl ordered Andy to arrange his detention once the lockdown began.
• AVs arrived at Azure Tower, and Takemura Goro appeared before Arasaka Saburo entered the penthouse.

Carl met Arasaka Saburo in person while Takemura Goro watched her and the others warily. Arasaka Saburo sent Takemura Goro away and asked to speak with Arakawa Sesen alone, then stopped Carl from leaving with the others.

• Carl assessed Arasaka Saburo and sensed that Takemura Goro was ready to fight.
• Takemura Goro asked whether he should recover the stolen item, but Arasaka Saburo told him to leave it to him and go.
• Arakawa Sesen signaled for Carl and the others to leave while he spoke with Arasaka Saburo alone.
• V, Jack, and Oliver surrounded Takemura Goro as they prepared to leave together.
• Arasaka Saburo called Carl by name and told her to stay.

Arasaka Saburo ordered Carl to stay behind, but Carl openly defied him and asked what he was. Arasaka Saburo restrained Takemura Goro and turned to Arakawa Sesen, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Arasaka Saburo told Carl to stay while the others prepared to leave, surprising everyone.
• Arakawa Sesen silently considered why Arasaka Saburo wanted Carl to remain and saw the situation as an opportunity.
• Carl asked why he had to stay, and Arasaka Saburo said it was because he had ordered it.
• Carl refused to obey and asked Arasaka Saburo what he was, prompting Takemura Goro to move against him.
• V, Jack, and Oliver blocked Takemura Goro, but Arasaka Saburo ordered him to stand down and leave.
• Carl sat opposite Arakawa Sesen and told Arasaka Saburo he trusted him to discipline his subordinate.

Arasaka Saburo forced Arakawa Sesen to order Carl to sit, believing he had subdued both men. After Takemura Goro and the others left, Saburo told Carl he had heard about him and Haruko.

• Arakawa Sesen objected to Carl staying, but Arasaka Saburo rebuked him until he reluctantly told Carl to sit.
• Carl sat down, and Arasaka Saburo interpreted the act as submission and considered how to control the mercenary.
• Takemura Goro dismissed his departure as part of training a hawk, while Oliver silently doubted that Carl and Sesen had truly yielded.
• After the bodyguards left, Arasaka Saburo told Carl he had heard things about him and Haruko.

Arasaka Saburo tried to win Carl over by preaching that the strong should rule and offering him a path to power and Haruko. Carl rejected his worldview and prepared to answer with a dream embodied by Allen’s gun.

• Arasaka Saburo accused Carl of pursuing Haruko and claimed that the Arasaka family had cared for her.
• Carl challenged Saburo’s claim of concern, recalling the deadly trial Haruko had faced, and mocked Saburo’s wartime defeat and surrender.
• Saburo defended his rise to power and declared that the strong preyed upon the weak, while everyone else existed to serve those at the top.
• Saburo considered Carl’s response a test of whether he could be brought under his control, with destruction awaiting him if he refused to submit.
• Carl rejected Saburo’s offer and said that ordinary people had dreams too, drawing attention to Allen’s gun at his waist.

Carl rejected Arasaka Saburo’s offer, and Arakawa Sesen revealed that he had no intention of surrendering the biochip. The two men exposed their trap and shot Arasaka Saburo, leaving the Emperor dead.

• Carl told Arasaka Saburo about Allen’s dream and refused to submit to him.
• Arasaka Saburo demanded the biochip from Arakawa Sesen, who calmly rejected him and challenged his claims.
• Arasaka Saburo realized he had dismissed his guards and tried to summon Takemura Goro and the Ninja Hundred while appealing to Arakawa Sesen’s family ties.
• Carl confirmed that no ninjas were hiding nearby, and Arasaka Saburo recognized that the relic and their apparent submission had been a trap.
• Arakawa Sesen drew Kongou and Carl drew The Final Night, and they shot Arasaka Saburo in the forehead.

Carl and Arakawa Sesen killed Arasaka Saburo, then concealed Carl’s identity as a Militech agent by changing his appearance. Arakawa activated a lockdown and declared that his father had been killed, triggering Azure Tower’s Red Alert as Takemura Goro feared the worst.

• Carl and Arakawa Sesen both shot Arasaka Saburo, and Arakawa confirmed that he was dead.
• Carl changed his appearance and explained that he would take the identity of Allen, a Militech agent, while KK would not be credited with the assassination.
• Arakawa ordered the hotel locked down and told its AI that his father had been killed.
• Azure Tower activated a building-wide Red Alert, and V and Oliver suspected Carl and the others had succeeded.
• Jack warned the group not to use their channel until they verified what had happened, while Takemura Goro grew alarmed that Arasaka Saburo might be dead.

Takemura Goro returned to the suite and found Arasaka Saburo dead amid unfamiliar corpses, then faced Arakawa Sesen's demand that he fulfill his duty to protect the Arasaka family head. After swearing loyalty to Sesen as the new head, Takemura heard that Militech or another corporation might have been behind the killing.

• Takemura Goro returned to the suite and found Arasaka Saburo dead with four unknown corpses around Arakawa Sesen.
• Arakawa Sesen asked Takemura what his responsibilities were, and Takemura answered that he was responsible for protecting the head of the Arasaka Family.
• Takemura recognized that Arakawa Sesen was now the rightful head of the family and bowed, pledging loyalty to him.
• Arakawa Sesen said he would investigate whether Militech or another corporation had arranged the attack.
• Takemura looked at the corpses and realized they might have killed Arasaka Saburo.

Takemura Goro investigated the attackers who killed Arasaka Saburo and pieced together evidence that pointed to Militech. Carl explained that she had protected Arakawa Sesen during the attack, leaving Takemura unable to blame her or question who had ordered him away.

• Takemura Goro examined the four attackers and suspected Carl had killed them after Arasaka Saburo died.
• Arakawa Sesen claimed he had not seen the attack clearly and reminded Takemura that Carl had saved him.
• Carl said the attackers emerged from the bathroom while Arasaka Saburo and Sesen were arguing.
• Takemura used intelligence reports to identify the attackers as Militech personnel searching for the Relic.
• Carl said one attacker activated a Sandevistan, so she shielded Sesen and killed them with Monomolecular Wire.
• Takemura realized Carl had not been hired to protect Arasaka Saburo and remembered that Saburo himself had ordered him to leave the suite.

WNS News reported that Arasaka Saburo had died inside Azure Tower, setting off shock and speculation across Night City. Arakawa Sesen emerged from the tower and told reporters that his father had been murdered.

• WNS News announced Arasaka Saburo's sudden death and said the Night City Police Department had begun investigating.
• Customers and passersby reacted with disbelief as the broadcast showed reporters, Arasaka representatives, and Militech personnel gathered outside Azure Tower.
• Arakawa Sesen emerged from Azure Tower, surprising the crowd and prompting speculation about his presence with his estranged father.
• Arakawa Sesen addressed the live cameras and declared that his father had been murdered.

Arakawa Sesen accused Militech of assassinating Arasaka Saburo and threatened revenge unless Militech surrendered those responsible. A tattooed man watching the broadcast recognized the listed gunman’s alias, Allen, as the name of his dead friend and realized Carl had remembered him.

• Arakawa Sesen publicly blamed Militech for Arasaka Saburo’s murder and demanded that it hand over the masterminds and repent.
• Militech personnel panicked as its Hawks searched for the assassins and its Doves prepared to investigate and oppose the Hawks.
• Arakawa Sesen released a list of the assassins, including the gunman who had killed Arasaka Saburo.
• A tattooed man watching the broadcast recognized Allen as the name of the friend he had grown up with.
• The tattooed man saw Carl behind Arakawa Sesen and understood that Allen, his deceased friend, had killed Arasaka Saburo.

Two hours after Arasaka Saburo's death, Carl and the others ended their protection assignment as Arakawa Sesen prepared to consolidate power and inherit Arasaka. Arakawa Sesen planned to keep Takemura Goro as a guard by holding his family, while Carl asked how to use the Relic he had given them.

• Arakawa Sesen bid Carl and the others farewell because he would remain in Arasaka Tower while securing control of Arasaka.
• Arakawa Sesen said he wanted Carl and the others to protect him but would avoid attracting suspicion until he dealt with Arasaka Saburo's contingencies.
• Carl asked what Arakawa Sesen planned to do about Takemura Goro, and Arakawa Sesen said he would keep him as a guard.
• Oliver warned that Takemura Goro might uncover the truth about Arasaka Saburo's death, so Arakawa Sesen revealed that he had taken control of Takemura Goro's family.
• Carl pointed to the case Jack was carrying and asked Arakawa Sesen how to use the Relic.

Carl considered how to handle the experimental Relic chip and realized it might work better with machines than with human nervous systems. She decided to test it on BallBall, asking V to make the robot more like a dog.

• Carl recalled Arakawa Sesen's explanation that Relic could store a copy of someone's nervous system, though the technology had no successful test case.
• Carl rejected testing Relic on herself, V, or a human test subject, and considered whether a bionic creature could provide suitable data.
• Watching V repair BallBall, Carl reasoned that circuit-based beings might be easier to copy and restore than humans.
• Carl called to V and asked him to adjust BallBall's system so they could test Relic on something more like a dog.

Carl modified BallBall to resemble a real dog, then tested whether the Relic could copy data from it. The chip activated with stored data already inside, and BallBall suddenly began cursing in a human voice.

• V spent ten hours modifying BallBall with help from T-BUG, and Carl thanked him over breakfast.
• Carl adjusted BallBall's temperature and prepared to test it with the Relic, first removing and saving BallBall's original chip.
• Carl inserted the Relic into BallBall while Jack, Oliver, V, and T-BUG watched.
• Carl discovered the Relic already contained data that was transferring into BallBall.
• BallBall came to life and angrily insulted Night City and its food.

Carl’s team discovered that BallBall’s body had been taken over by a digital personality from the Relic, which identified itself as Johnny Silverhand. After Johnny Silverdog attacked V and was knocked down, Carl confirmed that the personality appeared to be Johnny’s, who had died more than fifty years earlier.

• BallBall suddenly began cursing, and V lifted him while the team realized a digital personality might be controlling his body.
• Carl projected the Relic data, revealing a man with a silver arm who declared himself to be Johnny Silverhand.
• V set Johnny Silverdog down, but the dog lunged at V and was struck to the ground with a sword hilt.
• Carl questioned Johnny Silverdog, then unplugged the data cable after learning the personality had come from Johnny Silverhand, who died more than fifty years earlier.

Carl confronted Johnny Silverhand, whose Relic personality data had taken over her dog’s body, and questioned whether his memories of Arasaka Saburo were reliable. After explaining that Johnny was a copy from before his death, Carl charged him one million eddies for using her dog and showed him Night City in 2077.

• Carl questioned Johnny Silverhand’s memories of Arasaka Saburo and argued that Saburo could not have personally dealt with him during the Arasaka Tower incident.
• Carl explained that the Relic stored a copy of Johnny’s personality from just before his death, and Johnny accepted that he was still himself.
• Carl demanded one million eddies from Johnny for using her dog’s body, while Johnny protested about being turned into a dog and asked where his original body was.
• Carl showed Johnny that it was 2077 and let him see Night City, including the still-standing Arasaka Tower.

Carl told Johnny Silverhand that Kerry Eurodyne was still alive and arranged a visit to Kerry’s villa. Carl silenced Johnny’s insults with a digital mask, then set off with V and Oliver in a luxury aerodyne.

• Carl told Johnny that Arasaka Saburo had died and explained that he knew someone Johnny might want to meet.
• Carl called Kerry Eurodyne, who invited them to his villa, and Johnny recognized Kerry’s name as that of his old friend.
• Carl took control of Johnny’s program and covered his projected mouth with a mask labeled “Civilized Speech.”
• Jack and T-BUG declined to join the trip, while Oliver agreed to go with Carl and V.
• Carl used Andy’s authorization to take an aerodyne through the lockdown and carried Johnny up to the rooftop vehicle.

Carl visited Kerry with V and the others, and Brown and Kerry realized Carl had been involved in Arasaka Saburo’s assassination. The group discovered that Johnny Silverhand had taken over BallBall’s body when the dog grabbed a guitar and played “Never Fade Away.”

• Carl arrived at Kerry’s villa with his team and explained that Jack had gone with Misty and their job for Arakawa Sesen had ended.
• Brown and Kerry inferred that Carl had been involved in Arasaka Saburo’s assassination after Carl discussed the killing and Brown recalled the assassin’s cover name, Allen.
• BallBall broke free from V’s hold using its mechanical limbs and rushed toward Kerry’s guitar collection.
• Carl revealed that Johnny Silverhand was inside BallBall’s body as the dog picked up a guitar and began playing.
• Kerry recognized the melody as “Never Fade Away.”

Carl brought Johnny Silverhand, whose consciousness now inhabited a dog, to visit Kerry, who initially mistook the dog’s guitar performance for a recording of Johnny. After Johnny revealed himself and Carl explained what had happened, Kerry accepted that his old friend was back and suggested introducing him to their many acquaintances.

• Johnny Silverhand played “Never Fade Away” on the guitar, and Kerry mistook the performance for a surprise gift featuring Johnny’s old music.
• Kerry picked up the dog and thanked Carl, while Johnny became increasingly distressed that his friend did not recognize him.
• Carl removed Johnny’s muzzle block, and Johnny’s projection appeared beside Kerry to curse at him and reveal his identity.
• Kerry recognized Johnny’s voice and projection but struggled to believe that Johnny had returned inside a dog.
• Carl explained Johnny’s situation to Kerry and Brown, and Kerry accepted that the dog contained his old friend’s consciousness.
• Kerry joked with Johnny and told Carl that everyone would want to meet Johnny Silverdog.