Chapter Summaries

Lier and his crew tried to escape after Woolie’s hidden grenade launcher devastated the Arasaka Waterfront and triggered a corporate response. Woolie was killed after firing on Arasaka’s AVs, but a grenade then struck Holt’s car.

• Holt relaxed as Emperor Ragnar’s armored vehicle left, but a Mackinaw suddenly rammed Woolie and sent him flying.
• Woolie drew a concealed automatic 40 mm grenade launcher and fired a two-second barrage at Arasaka’s guards and warehouse, causing heavy destruction.
• Lier freed Woolie’s jammed arm with his Sandevistan, ordered Maine to drive, and asked Lucy and Kiwi to build a network bridge into Woolie’s mind.
• Holt saw Woolie’s attack from a distance, failed to access his Cyberware through its Backdoors, and watched him turn the launcher on Arasaka’s AVs.
• Arasaka’s forces overwhelmed Woolie after his Cyberware overheated, but a grenade then struck Holt’s car as he sighed in relief.

After Woolie Crawley's attack on Arasaka Waterfront, Lier and the crew brought the unconscious Kanek to Padre's church, where Lier investigated the strange events and questioned him. Kanek recounted his life with Nadia Neves and asked Lier whether his enemy was dead.

• Woolie Crawley attacked Arasaka Waterfront, killing employees and breaching Warehouse No. 15 before Arasaka's forces ended the fight.
• V, Jackie, Lier, and the others took Kanek to Padre's church and closed it to the public.
• Lier wondered why Kanek had stolen an AV and gone to Arasaka Waterfront, where Deputy Mayor Holt was also injured.
• Regina told Lier that Kanek had been Nadia Neves's colleague at Trauma Team and warned that their client would come for him soon.
• While Lier recorded data from Kanek's Sandevistan, Kanek recalled meeting Nadia, joining Trauma Team, and failing to save her.
• Kanek asked whether his enemy was dead, and Lier nodded.

Lier questioned Kanek Roswald about Wooly Crawley’s death and learned from Little Octopus that Kanek’s Reality Distortion Sandevistan could rebuild damaged nerves at the cost of severe pain and instability. Kanek refused to be taken by Kang Tao for research, and Lier shot him after deciding to spare him that fate.

• Kanek told Lier he had used Woolie’s Cyberware and expected Holt to meet him discreetly, then provided a list of the injured and dead at the scene.
• Kanek said the Deputy Mayor’s Office Director had also been an unusual victim, but he did not know whether the Director survived.
• Little Octopus analyzed Kanek’s Sandevistan and explained that cyberpsychosis and nerve damage could unlock its capabilities while leaving Kanek unable to control his body.
• Kanek refused to be handed over to Kang Tao, believing they would use him as a test subject, and said he wanted to deny the corporations his data.
• Lier told Kanek he had already obtained the data, pressed a pistol to his forehead, and shot him.

Lier explained why he killed Kanek, who had chosen to die rather than return to Kang Tao, and told David the second rule of being a mercenary. David accepted Lier’s offer of vehicle parts and invited him to discuss something important.

• Regina’s messages said Kanek’s death and Nadia’s death could have been prevented, while V and Jackie discussed the choice to send Kanek back to Kang Tao.
• After Kang Tao employees took Kanek’s body, Lier explained that Kanek had wanted to end his life on his own terms and that Lier had helped him do so.
• Lier told David that no one wanted to die by accident like a joke, and urged him to protect what he loved by thinking carefully about every job.
• Lier offered David spare engines and upgrade parts, and David accepted the offer to modify a car.
• David asked Lier to come with him because he had something important to discuss, while Lucy watched Lier enter the church.

Lier explained to Padre how a traitor had exposed Woolie’s team during their attempt to steal data from Javier Alvarado’s server. Padre agreed that the betrayal threatened Heywood’s unity, and Lier offered to deal with the traitor.

• Lier reconstructed the fight using a three-dimensional map and concluded that someone on Woolie’s team had tipped off Javier Alvarado.
• Lier told Padre that Javier’s money and influence might have tempted a Valentino to betray the team for a chance to become a gang boss.
• Padre said the Valentinos’ mission should not have caused such a commotion and asked Lier whether he had evidence of an inside betrayal.
• Lier offered to handle the traitor and warned that punishing him would deter others from betraying Heywood.
• Padre accepted Lier’s offer and said he knew he could count on him.

Lier, V, and Jackie punished Radrillo for betraying the Valentinos, then identified Dexter DeShawn as a Night City contact working with Muramasa. Bryce revealed that Holt’s hospital room had just been bombed.

• Radrillo expected to profit from Holt and Javier, but a Ripperdoc anesthetized him and NCPD officers arrived to issue his death certificate.
• Jackie confronted Radrillo about betraying his people, shot him, and had his body taken away by the Valentinos.
• Lier told Jackie and V that Dexter DeShawn had connected Muramasa with Night City, and Jackie recognized Dexter as a famous former In-Betweener.
• Lier messaged Bryce about Dexter’s connection to Muramasa, and Bryce replied that Holt’s hospital room had just been bombed.

Lier investigated the bombing of Deputy Mayor Holt’s hospital room and learned that a hard-to-detect Phase-Change Bomb had caused the devastating blast. Jefferson Peralez offered Lier support and a City Hall security-advisor position in exchange for investigating the foreign mercenaries, while Bryce revealed that Mayor Ryan had a similar offer tied to capturing Muramasa.

• Lier and Bryce examined the hospital crime scene, where a Phase-Change Bomb had destroyed Holt’s room and left him unlikely to recover normal brain function.
• Bryce told Lier that the bomb likely came from outside Night City and offered to share specifications for imported armor and combat robots.
• Bryce brought Lier to meet Jefferson Peralez, who asked him to investigate Holt’s attack and the foreign mercenaries behind the escalating violence.
• Jefferson offered Lier support, a special security-advisor post in City Hall, and representation at a Dogtown gathering in exchange for dealing with the mercenaries.
• Bryce messaged Lier that Mayor Ryan would create a powerful security department for him if he captured Muramasa, leaving Lier with competing offers from Jefferson and Ryan.

After accepting that Night City’s leaders wanted to recruit him, Lier discovered that his body had developed a tumor and went to Vic for surgery. He planned to investigate Dogtown for advanced medical equipment, while he, V, and Jack agreed to take more jobs to afford treatment.

• Lier, V, and Jack watched NCPD officers secure the scene as they discussed the offers from Jefferson and Ryan.
• Little Octopus told Lier that his brain readings were abnormal and that he appeared to have a tumor caused by his damaged cells and radiation exposure.
• Lier took Jack and V to Vic’s clinic, where Vic struggled to remove the tumor because Lier’s cellular DNA was inconsistent.
• Lier said he wanted to visit Dogtown for high-end medical equipment, but he needed more money, so he and V and Jack agreed to take more jobs.

Anthony, the former mover and Lier’s neighbor, became New York’s mayor and defended a plan to include medical blood and affordable medicines in city health insurance. He left voters with a promise to answer their questions personally on a weekly hotline.

• A television program promoted Tony’s MK-5 Iron Soldiers and criticized New Yorkers for electing Anthony, a former mover, as mayor.
• Anthony mocked a councilman’s talk of political dynasties and outlined New York City’s plan to provide blood and medicines through health insurance without raising premiums.
• A voter accused Anthony of pursuing communism and asked whether citizens would have to contribute their families.
• Lier sent Anthony a prepared response, and Anthony described how a worker received a transfusion, a basic prosthetic, and a chance to return to work after an accident.
• Anthony credited scientists, workers, blood and bone-marrow donors, and city staff, then announced a weekly mayor’s hotline.

Lier advised New York City Mayor Anthony on governing and directed him to lead a major crackdown on organized crime. The chapter ended with Lier wondering whether Kingpin was the mayor who was supposed to take office around this time.

• After Anthony’s speech, Lier rode with him in an Atlas Group electric limousine and urged him to study the city and its history.
• Anthony told Lier that United Construction Company, owned by Kingpin, was close to going under and that its board was trying to move the business elsewhere.
• Lier instructed Anthony to prepare a coordinated NYPD crackdown on organized crime, backed by new Atlas combat exoskeletons, and to put his own name on the operation.
• Lier outlined plans for electric government vehicles, power-grid upgrades, infrastructure spending, worker protections, and a data-driven minimum wage, while warning that New York could go bankrupt if a future war hurt Atlas Group.
• Anthony accepted Lier’s plans, and Lier told him to prepare for the first major move of his term.
• Lier wondered whether Kingpin was supposed to become mayor around this time.

Kingpin watched news about Lier Lee’s rapidly growing companies and the spread of ctOS surveillance, realizing that his criminal empire had become nearly obsolete. As he prepared to move his assets, a dispute over missing property-management funds prompted him to order someone killed.

• Kingpin watched reports describing Lier Lee’s companies expanding across medicine, technology, infrastructure, and Africa while crime and corruption became harder to hide under ctOS surveillance.
• Kingpin reflected on how his criminal businesses had shrunk, leaving him trafficking undocumented immigrants for illegal labor and managing properties while his former rivals prospered.
• Kingpin asked Wesley whether the money was ready for his move, and his strategist reported that a property owner was demanding an explanation for missing funds and threatening to report them.
• Kingpin crushed the scepter in his hand and ordered, “Kill him.”

Captain Stacy tested the UG1 Police Exoskeleton and demonstrated its strength as Lier and Anthony prepared to promote it to the NYPD. A call about the Hell’s Kitchen Serial Killer Case drew George’s attention back to an unresolved investigation.

• Lier explained the UG1 exoskeleton’s design and capabilities, and Captain Stacy tried it on while Gwen inspected the armor.
• Captain Stacy lifted a 100-kilogram barbell with the exoskeleton, impressing the officers and confirming how responsive it felt.
• Anthony praised the exoskeleton’s potential for police and firefighting, while Lier considered expanding sales to other cities and departments.
• A detective received a call from Huashi Stone, who reported that his property management company had blocked the entrance to his home.
• George asked to review the Hell’s Kitchen Serial Killer Case, an investigation involving murders with steel picks that had remained unresolved after a suspect died in a truck collision.
• Lier and Anthony exchanged a glance because they had both given statements in the case.

Sean O'Malley and three Irish Gang thugs tried to intimidate Huashi Stone and his mother over their complaints about the property fees, but Captain Stacy and the NYPD arrived before the assault began. Captain Stacy charged into one of the thugs, leaving him crushed beneath the officer's Exoskeleton.

• Sean O'Malley led three thugs to Huashi Stone's apartment to pressure him over the property fees and Resident Repair Fund.
• The thugs jammed the phones and began picking the lock while Huashi and his mother waited helplessly inside.
• The men kicked open the door and threatened Huashi and his mother, but tremors from the elevator interrupted them.
• Captain Stacy arrived in an Exoskeleton and ordered the thugs to put their hands up.
• One thug charged at Captain Stacy, who slammed into him and crushed him so he could not breathe.

Captain Stacy stopped O'Malley and his men from threatening Edna Stone and Huashi, then learned O'Malley was tied to Kingpin. O'Malley's testimony prompted an NYPD operation against United Construction Company, leaving Kingpin facing a citywide investigation and a plunging stock price.

• Captain Stacy shot and subdued O'Malley's three men, then struck and electrocuted O'Malley when he failed to leave Edna Stone's home completely.
• Captain Stacy questioned Edna Stone about the attack, and she said the men had claimed they came to discuss property fees.
• O'Malley offered to talk and identified Kingpin and Wilson Fisk, revealing his ties to United Property Management and Kingpin's criminal past.
• Anthony helped connect the four gangsters' testimony to the NYPD, which cordoned off several blocks around United Construction Company's tower.
• United Construction Company's market value plunged as New Yorkers watched the police operation, and Kingpin learned from Wesley that O'Malley had implicated them.

Captain Stacy led an NYPD raid on United Construction Tower, using technology and Exoskeleton-equipped officers to cut off Kingpin’s control and secure evidence. As employees and managers were arrested, Kingpin lost contact with his people and tried to reach his escape route, leaving him to face the advancing police.

• Anthony followed Captain Stacy’s police convoy to United Construction Tower as ctOS cleared the streets and prevented the gang’s lookouts from warning them.
• The NYPD used Peter’s technical plan to disable the tower’s surveillance, and Exoskeleton-equipped officers secured the server room and its data.
• Police stormed the management offices and arrested senior staff while the employees watched in confusion.
• Kingpin found that the tower’s computers and cameras had stopped working, crushed his phone, and tried to contact Wesley and arrange his escape.
• Kingpin prepared to resist as police advanced toward him, and Captain Stacy’s officers confronted the massive crime boss.

Kingpin was arrested at United Construction Company Tower after police subdued him with Tasers, bullets, and anesthetics. Mayor Anthony Flour confronted him over his crimes and revealed that he had been in the van Kingpin’s hired killer caused to crash.

• Gwen watched police officers shock Kingpin and take control of the arrest outside United Construction Company Tower.
• Captain Stacy showed Kingpin the arrest warrant for ordering former criminals to threaten and confine the Stone mother and son.
• Anthony Flour greeted the arresting officers and considered Kingpin a danger who could not simply be left in prison.
• Kingpin recognized that Lier’s organizing had helped ordinary people resist gang control, then insulted Anthony as Lier’s dog.
• Anthony told Kingpin that he had been in the van involved in the Steel Pin Killer’s attack on Mr. Lee.

After Wilson Fisk and his gangs were arrested, Anthony struggled with whether to pursue the death penalty for Kingpin, while Lier urged him to act in the name of justice. The chapter left Anthony preparing to seek support from the governor and councilmen as the case against Kingpin developed.

• The NYPD used ctOS to arrest Kingpin and the gangs, and the city continued detaining gang members as they tried to flee.
• Anthony worried that Kingpin might have become mayor if Anthony had not, and he questioned whether he should push for the death penalty.
• Lier argued that Kingpin’s crimes and past evasion of justice justified pursuing death, and Anthony agreed to seek the death penalty through the state government.
• Anthony told his secretary to arrange meetings with the governor and councilmen to gauge their support.
• Anthony ordered that Kingpin receive medical care and told his secretary to contact Hammond at the International Gene Cooperation Corporation.

Lier learned that New York’s recovery and crackdown on Kingpin’s network were advancing, while his examination revealed a worsening cancer risk. Gwen struggled with feeling obsolete as a superhero but began working as a research assistant, and the chapter left Lier preparing to address his health and the next political steps.

• Lier discussed the governor’s response with Martin, who said the governor was now asking Anthony to speak on his behalf.
• Martin said Negative Energy might be able to cure Lier’s cancer, and Lier agreed to keep him informed about changes in his health.
• Matt brought Lier files linking the Kate Waste Disposal Company to arrested gang members and Kingpin, and promised to continue investigating.
• Lier told Gwen that helping people could remain a serious hobby rather than a career, while she admitted she felt like a joke beside his actions.
• Gwen packed away her Spider-Man suit and started a part-time job as a research assistant to Peter Parker at the International Gene Cooperation Corporation.

News of Wilson Fisk’s arrest and the corruption surrounding United Construction Company reached Roxxon CEO Dario Agger and Tony Stark, while Tony continued testing a miniaturized arc reactor. Dario discussed moving Roxxon’s headquarters and using Iron Soldiers abroad, and Tony left the lab with the reactor still falling short of his goal.

• News reports said the NYPD had arrested Wilson Fisk and uncovered coercion, bribery, and building violations tied to United Construction Company.
• Dario Agger discussed the New York upheaval with Tony Stark and suggested moving Roxxon’s headquarters to other cities.
• Dario told Tony that a new batch of high-energy concentrated petroleum was ready to activate his soldiers in Africa.
• Tony tested Arc Reactor Miniaturization Attempt No. 33, which produced sustained energy but did not meet his intended results.
• Tony left the laboratory, but its work-mode light turned back on after the room entered privacy mode.

Lier reviewed the Biological Laboratory’s completed second-generation cyberware project, which used Lizard Serum and Peter’s cell-weaving technique to grow functional artificial muscles and skin. Professor Connors reported successful results and a human trial, while Lier asked about the risks.

• Peter and Gwen entered the laboratory as Professor Connors presented the second-generation cyberware research.
• Connors explained how Lizard Serum, cultivation solutions, and electrical stimulation turned stem cells into organized muscle tissue using Peter’s Cell Functional Group Weaving Technology.
• Connors reported that the grown muscle produced up to 230 newtons of force per square centimeter and that tests covered more than 600 muscle groups across 1,860 experimental subjects.
• Connors demonstrated a nearly natural-looking artificial arm and described artificial skin made from collagen and skin cells.
• Connors said the first human trial had succeeded and suggested a grading system for products with different strength levels.
• Lier asked Connors what risks the new cyberware carried.