Seras
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Ghost in the City: Early Chapter 219
🕑 Added 2025-03-23 17:00:21 +0000 UTCI dropped down right onto the poor unsuspecting gonk. Knife into the eye socket, slight jerk to scramble everything and other hand grabbed tight onto his throat, squeezing to make sure not a sound could escape.
The death rattle practically squeaked out, and I held the body in the shadows as it twitched its final times.
Only once I was sure it wasn’t going to kick hard and hit something or make too much noise did I lower it to the metal grating. Taking just a second as I pulled free my blade to wipe it on his shirt, removing as much of the blood as I could. Kiroshi could track blood stains if I wasn’t careful, so it was a good idea to remove as much extra blood to keep it from dripping as I could.
500 XP Gained.
I’d been slowly picking off this group one by one. Onryo was pulling her weight, and I had to admit, while I usually like to think complete stealth is better. There is definitely something for causing so much chaos that your enemies are just as unable to deal with you as if they didn’t know you were there.
I’d circled the entire area, and was hiding in the darkness of a few pallets when I heard the cry that they found my most recent kill.
The fear that I could hear in their voices was delicious, and I couldn’t help but smile as I fucked with the one screaming.
Out of the corner of his eye Onryo would flash past, and the cry that he’d seen her was all I needed.
It gave me all the opportunity I needed to move. I leapt and slid into the open vent that ran above the hallway they’d all been coming in and out of.
I’d heard the elevator inside going up, and I’d now heard it coming back down.
I slid quickly on my belly along the metal venting until I found a spot I could peak down from.
A long hallway, and I could now see the targeting laser of an HMG turret going back and forth…
Heh.
I wormed my way forward, until I could see it, and slipped inside.
One moment to the next I opened my ‘eyes’ but I was the turret, slowly arcing back and forth, giving me a view of the tunnel from the end, and a few Scavs that were huddling down at the end of the tunnel guns pointed and whispering to each other.
The temptation was there to just turn the HMG turret, but I held off, the elevator was coming down.
I couldn’t see as the elevator dinged open, but I heard it, with my real ears.
“Get the fuck up! The fuck are you cowering for!?” Roared a booming voice, and the steps soon followed sounded like the footfalls of an elephant.
The man that walked past the turret was huge, borged out to hell and back. So I slipped through his security, I realized I was literally laying calmly just above this idiot, practically smiling as I felt like humming, but I never would, as I breached into his system.
Hmm. This had been an excellent test of the Onryo, but she still needed some work.
I ended up turning over onto my back relaxing as I used the turret to breach into each of the new Scavs systems, uploading Onryo and making some active adjustments. All I really needed was…
That should work, Agent vocal methods. Yeah that would do it.
Actively altering a hack as I listened too what the Scavs were up to.
“Well Where is this Runner fuck? Why isn’t he dead yet!”
“It’s like a ghost Dmitri! Nothing we do works!”
“A fucking ghost! Fuck off! Well! Runner come out so I can murder you already!”
I closed my eyes and smirked, overriding one of the Scavs that had been down here the whole time.
Time to make a show.
—---
Dmitri Agapov
“Fuck off! Well! Runner come out so I can murder you already!” He roared, his eyes scanning. Third gen Kiroshi let him find even sneaky fuckers, or so he thought, as he looked around and didn’t get anything but the scan pinging the dead bodies.
Who the fuck was this? Barghest? No, those fuckers would have crashed in with an APC and started shooting.
This stunk, and Dmitri hardened his grip on his HMG.
“What do you mean I’ve been here the whole time.” Whispered a sultry voice from behind him, and Dmitri shifted.
One of the fuckers, he hadn’t bothered to remember the name of, had just spoke, the look of horror on the gonks face was registered. But his optics flicked to the woman that was wrapped around his throat, sharp claws clutching the man's throat.
“The fuck?”
“It’s the ghost!” Cried one of the others, and to his irritation opened fire.
The woman cackled as the gonk fuck shot their own men.
The ghost was untouched. Not a drop of blood, or a bullet pierced her. And then as the gonk slumped having been shot up, she slipped behind him, and as he fell the fucking bitch was gone.
That was not normal.
“Naughty.” That sultry voice echoed out and he turned, another of his men, was now clutched by the ghost, the voice coming out of his throat not his own. “But you can’t stop me. Not until I get what I want.”
The man screamed flailing around despite the grip the… Ghost? Had on his throat and she cackled as she vanished once he broke contact.
Did you have to stand still to be affected?
“Boss!”
“Stay close.” He demanded, Dmitri had seen open warfare, Sov Oil and Petrochem had been in a cold war with each other for years. It wasn’t Arasaka, and Militech, but the two companies knew who their rival was.
He’d stared down Dragoon FBC’s. He’d rode atop a Tank piloted by insane Panzer Boys, and yet…
He’d never fought a ghost.
This was bullshit. He could feel the red rage flooding him, his biomon beeping informing him of another fit.
Yet, he didn’t see an enemy. How could he fight with a ghost that disappeared before his eyes?
His HMG shifted the barrel slowly scanning. Trying to find his target.
“What’s wrong?” Whispered in his ear, and he shifted, fingers scraping on his cheek, the sharpness so very very real.
He roared, pulling the trigger as he shot at the woman that had definitely just touched him.
The HMG chugged, throwing the rounds through her body until she vanished before his eyes.
He’d just mowed down Ivan.
“Bitch!” He roared out, blood rushing through his ears. “I’ll kill you!” He screamed.
“Oh but why? We’re becoming such good friends! Kill that one next. His ugly face annoys me.” She whispered sweetly into his ear, and pointed at… Some fucker he didn’t actually know the name of.
His eyes widened behind the Scav mask and he stepped back.
Dmitri wanted to murder him just because he acted like he was going to kill the gonk.
“Fuck off!” He roared, punching at the stupid ghost woman on his shoulder only for faint laughter to come to his ear.
His Biomon beeped.
What? He felt his heart pick up, adrenaline spike and he roared as rage washed over him.
How? What? Where was the enemy? What was- His Kiroshi shifted, the fuckers around him! All of them had their IFF change to red! Enemies!? HERE!?
“FUCKING DIE!” He screamed as he unloaded, the sound of his biomon beeping in urgency was silenced never to reach through his agent as he killed the traitors. Yes. This was their plan to kill him. A Ghost? Nonsense. These were just traitors!
—--
I was honestly a little surprised at just how effective that had been.
Hacking into the borgs agent, had given me access to some of his cyberware, and well…
His Biomon had actually already been shrieking about panic attacks of all things. Trying to keep him calm, so I’d just… flipped it around. A real big shot of adrenaline and a few other things the man kept his Bloodpump, and he’d flipped out.
I think I’d just sent the guy into a full on Cyberpsycho event…
Cool!
I still felt like humming but kept it to myself as he did all the work in murdering a few scavs. I was a bit disappointed not to get XP from the kills, but that was fine. There had only been a few left, and they did fight back.
The borg was bloody, a few of the scavs had fired on him when he started attacking them, and well…
That was all to my benefit. He continued to pace around like a bear screaming for the traitors to come out. For them to reveal themselves…
I thought about taking him out. Burya would do it without much issue but… I had a nice situation here.
The appearance of Onryo flashed in his optics, the IFF in his optics marking it as an ally. She waved for him, and headed back inside.
This was just… Fucking sinister. I felt myself grinning like some evil villain as he followed in a rush not sure whether he was going to try and kill her or not, but he followed, all the way back inside, past my overwritten HMG turret, and into the elevator as I lured him in again.
Then… The elevator went up.
“Look at them. Traitors, they’re going to kill you. Kill them.” Onryo whispered in his ear, using his agent to speak to him, as she lured him into a bloodbath.
Unfortunately I opened my eyes and sighed. I couldn’t see what was happening through his optics, I’d have to work on something that let me do that, so this game was over.
I slipped back out of the vent and took just a moment to activate the HMG to fire at any of the scavs that came down. Then I looked over the now dead quiet construction site.
I took my fingers and used them to make a little square like I was filming a movie and pointed them right at my Quadra, still sitting there nice and pretty.
“Don’t steal my car.” I whispered loudly enough my BD recorder would pick it up, and then I hopped down to make sure everyone was actually dead.
Stupid scavs.
I kept a slight bit of attention on the connection I still had to the poor gonk that I’d just sent upstairs, and the alerts on his biomon to new injuries.
Huh. That had actually worked out pretty well.
I looked at the Quadra.
I looked back up at the building behind me that I could hear gunshots hammering…
I should just leave. I had my car. I’d killed Scavs, earned some XP…
Hiromi was probably worried…
This was Dogtown, I had no idea what the politics of this place was like. I should just leave…
On the other hand?
Fuck Scavs. Fuck this place, and fuck people like them.
The Biomon confirmed my poor Cyberpsycho was dead.
That meant there were more scavs. Disrupted confused scavs. Easy to surprise and kill scavs.
I turned and headed for the elevator.
Just a few more murders wouldn’t hurt.
I headed back into the little pathway reaching the HMG turret, and the elevator, but I left the HMG where it was, as much fun as it would be to bring that up with me, she’d do a good job making sure no rats ran away.
Besides, I was on a quest.
The elevator closed behind me, and I closed my eyes to focus myself. My hand reached over and grabbed at the hilt of my Katana.
I was close to reaching that final number. Sensei would be very surprised if I manage it before I have to head back to the dojo.
So now was my chance. I’d let Onryo play out down below, but here? Where things would be closer? I was going to be the deadly flash of a blade.
“The perfect cut.” I whispered to myself, and the elevator opened revealing the first room. The dead bodies of scavs already lay around, my pet Cyberpscyho had done his job. But I moved forward, calm strides, as I was on a sort of walkway around a lower floor room. It might have been pretty fancy if it wasn’t half complete, and covered in scav entrails.
I stepped forward and looked down, instantly seeing a few scavs, and my poor cyberpsycho. He’d been shot to hell laying in a slump in the center of the room.
Ping went out, spreading golden lines across my vision, as I instantly started breaching into the Scavs system.
[Weapon Glitch] Uploaded into their network, and then I readied the next hack. Stepping up onto the railing I stepped over and into the air letting myself drop.
Calm. Cool.
The Perfect Cut.
My foot touched the ground, and I activated my Sandevistan, Instantly I shifted my momentum forward and launched at the Scavs that hadn’t even registered I was there yet.
The blade slipped from my sheath, with a whisper, flash of steel and I was through the first Scav.
500 XP Gained.
“Wha-” Their eyes went out, and a moment later my blade slipped through an open neck, sliding out, to cut through the second Scav’s arm that had been raised up to fire a Omaha, which never fired, limb and gun flipped away as I finished the final cut, and all the Scavs in the room slumped dead.
My neck burned lightly, but…
I breathed in and out.
More. I needed a bit more to find that perfect cut. To push myself just a little bit farther. I turned towards the hallway leading out of this lower room, and followed the golden lights.
The next Scav I found never even realized he was dead as I simply cut through him and moved into the room he had just left. Sandevistan activated, giving me the time I needed as I rushed forward. The two scavs in the room shifted up in shock, crying out rising to their feet, before I made them blind and I reached them. First the arm to remove the gun and then a single strike through the neck, head flying, I considered it for a moment a blissful perfect moment as my Sandevistan kept everything still.
My hand reached up grabbing dirty hair and I spun sending the now decapitated head soaring through the air right into the blind face of his compatriot, I gave it a moment mostly because I wanted to see what would happen.
I watched as he stumbled back sputtering and shrieking blind to the world.
One step. Two step. Three step.
One step too many.
There was a hole in the wall, and nothing but open air. He fell back screaming for a long while.
500 XP Gained.
I turned and moved to keep killing. To keep hunting, and more importantly, to find that perfect cut I needed to improve my Blades.
I cut through scav after scav. Blind flailing, weapon failing Scavs, each of them nothing but bodies to cut down as I systematically removed their ability to harm me, and then simply removed them.
Until I was chasing the last golden light, leaping down I found a bridge just settling and a Scav rushing across a sort of draw bridge of all things.
I chased after, easily catching up foot steps utterly silent as instead of simply cutting him down I kicked him square in the back sending him smashing face first into the metal grill floor.
“Going somewhere?” I asked, Sexy Motoko voice, active and sinister.
“Fuck! Bitch!” He cursed me as he spun around and raised a Burya himself, the borg killer pointed and nothing. A noise of failure as he pulled the trigger a few times earning the same thing.
“Mines better.” I offered and drew my own Burya and fired, his shriek was music to my ears as I shot the Burya right out of his hand, the shrapnel sending his flinching back and screaming.
So this was it? A pathetic Scav crying as he held his bloodied hand. No grand battle? I mean this would be an awesome place to have a cool sword fight or something. I realized that I was expecting too much. This guy wasn’t going to give me anything worthwhile.
So instead of listening to his blabbering anymore, or even giving him the benefit of my own words, I just pulled the trigger.
1000 XP Gained.
Wait that meant he was the leader? That guy? Crying on the ground guy? Jeeze, what a waste.
That guy was good enough to take the entire scraper under his control, and craft it into a fortress… Of sorts anyways.
That guy? How embarrassing.
Too bad their little fortress wasn’t good enough to even slow me down. I looked out over Dogtown from a few stories up and just watched all the people move around.
Then I blinked as I recognized something.
Huh. I blinked my eyes as I made a call, and then used that to route through a connection.
Ichi picked up the call.
Motoko! There you are! Hiromi is freaking out, but we got a location. Everything good?
“It’s fine choom.” I replied, not through the call, but as the Onryo, sitting right beside him in his van. I smirked as I watched the van jerk a bit as Ichi definitely freaked for half a second before getting control so he didn’t smash into the little side street he was heading down.
Jesus Christ Motoko! What the fuck!?
“Sorry choom, just trying out a few things. I’m fine. Head straight from where you're going and then hit a right when you can’t go anymore, there’s a drive down into an old construction lot, I’ve cleared everything so get looting.”
Loot-Alright well you sound good. You found your car?
“Yep. Killed the gonk that stole it, and the gonks that he sold it too. Anyone with you?”
Yeah I got Malcolm and Rebecca in the back. Hiromi is still at the Heavy Hearts, she demanded I come help you before we pick her up.
“That’s sweet of her. I was pretty mad so I rushed off, I’ll give her a call now. Just start grabbing stuff. They took over this entire scraper so there might be a lot of stuff up here to grab too.”
No shit? He asked, obviously sounding very interested.
“No shit. Alright I’m out.”
I hung up and instantly called Hiromi, who didn’t hesitate before picking up.
Motoko! Tell me you’re okay!?
I’m fine Hiromi, everything is cleared up here, and Ichi is pulling up too. Good timing on his part.
You sure? It’s been a while Motoko! You had me worried!
Sorry Hiromi, it just took me a while to clear this place out. Ichi is pulling up in his van right now, so we’re going to loot up. You want me to come pick you up first, or just get looting?
It’s best to just loot things. I’m fine here I guess. I’m glad you’re okay.
No problem choom, we’ll talk soon, bye!
—--
“Yo.” I called out as I stepped out of the entryway path to the elevator to see Rebecca, Malcolm, and Ichi all already looting.
“Motoko! Yo!” Malcolm greeted grinning like a loon. “Looks like you had a hell of a scrap.”
“It actually wasn’t that bad. I used a new quick hack, and basically made them go crazy. Remember my Onryo hack?” I asked him, and he blinked and just shook his head.
“Nope.”
“Remember me now?” Whispered my voice in his ear as my claws ran up along his throat.
“Frgle! Fuck! Motoko!” Malcolm hissed, waving his arms as if trying to dispel the illusion that was already gone.
“Hehehe!” I cackled and Rebecca looked from him to me confused.
So I winked at her, and started hacking, which she noticed and instantly crossed her arms.
“Hey! Don’t even think about it Strings, no hacking!”
“Aww.” I whined at her while smirking evilly. “It’s really funny though.”
“Nuh uh! No!” She pointed and I raised my hands in surrender.
“Okay okay. So how’s looting coming?”
“Eh. Mostly trash so far, that guy had a Grad.” Rebecca pointed at weapon resting against Ichi’s truck as Ichi stepped off the truck grabbing a few weapons and then bringing them into the back to store away.
“Preem, there’s a ton of stuff upstairs too. We’ll need to gather everything we can.” I said loud enough for all three.
“One step ahead of you, Motoko.” Ichi called out, and came around the back of the truck pushing a loader.
“Alright, I’ll show you both where the elevator is.” I called out to the boys and guided them back to the tunnel, making sure to disable the HMG turret. Which both boys were already eyeing.
“Go on, get that later if you want it.” I told them laughing, and went back to help Rebecca.
“Hey Strings! Come nab these will you?” She called out waving as I approached where Rebecca was squating over one of the corpses. It was one of the more borged out guys that came out with my pet Cyberpsycho.
“Oh Eddie shards?”
“Yep! You can get them right?”
“Yeah.” I confirmed, although I didn’t usually think about it. I leaned down and after a few seconds the shard port popped the shard out, which I collected, Rebecca grinned seemingly pleased at the minor eddies on shards like these, and immediately started grabbing guns.
I shrugged if it made her happy.
Comments
Bable Zmith
until she gets bored... Then politics! She can be her own assassin... Um, character assassin. (Shifty) Character...
David Hoyt
It's not the best, but hey https://youtu.be/GjwK1Xd_-MY
Mikah Burdette
Didn’t Motoko have a moral dilemma about that earlier?
Idiot Pigeon
Oh god imagine the onryo doing the Left4dead Witch crying agro that would be preem
EnderScroll
She didn’t make a cyber psycho quick hack. She made him go psycho! That is so much worse!
EnderScroll
Honestly i know it’s supposed to be an insult when a character only gives 250px but the gamer in me says just kill 4 of them and it’s the same as killing a strong target. It almost incentivizes cyber psycho tendencies lmao.
Morog T Tiny
Some organizations would consider this a glowing resume.
Suls
Thanks for the new chapter!
Kaloth
You know, I can absolutely see Judy coming up with this idea/fear and muttering about it, only for Motoko to be lurking around and overhear her then start doing it because she thinks it's funny.
Seras
Eeeeh. Imagine what you actually have to do to scav Cyberware, then try to imagine yourself pilling dozens of bodies into a van and then literally tearing them apart to get at the stuff inside... Yeah. No thanks.
Seras
lol Gotta pull a Loki and Thor every time. "Sup Judy!" Chucks can. Goes through Motoko. "YOU BITCH!"
Seras
Niiice.
Neferyti
She is terrifying if you see her coming. She is curl up in the fetal position and pee yourself in fear if you DON'T see her.
Joyeus
250 xp is more a ‘in no way an actual threat’ when it’s a person she kills
White Neko Knight
No she killed him. She gets 250xp for the truly week and powerless. If she killed a random worker on the street she'd get 250. Fun idea though.
Just A Dude
You really think she can't make someone hallucinate that they're holding something they're not? Gotta throw something at her and have it hit.
Jordan
While that is true it is exactly the kind of thing Lucy for example would make. Which actually fits with you reason because the one thing that makes her different from most runners makes her the exact same as songbird. The were both used to dive the Blackwall. That's something which takes subtlety and indirect tactics to even hope to survive.
Paul Torres
Judy's probably gonna make sure Motoko is really there from now on everytime Motoko comes to visit. Like instead of returning a greeting, Judy would straight up walk over and grab Motoko by the shoulders first before saying hi.
Talon88
So one thing I noticed from the last chapter was that when she “killed” the actual car thief she only got 250 experience for him doesn’t she normally get 500 experience for a kill so she didn’t kill him but she did defeat him. So I’m thinking he somehow survived the cutting of his throat. I might be grasping at straws, but that could be a cool possible storyline of a new opponent that she makes bigger by her actions
matt
That's just Night City.
Melissa Proffitt
"While considered fairly normal. Motoko doesn't really scav Cyberware. It's a bit of a thing. " That's what chooms are for! :)
Z H
Well since she didn't manage the Blades level up I guess she'll save "The Perfect Cut" title for a later BD. Obviously this one should instead be called "Choom, Wheres My Car?"
Alexander Jonsson
Kinda like knife laws here, only way police know you have an illegal one is A doing stupid shit with it, or B searched while detained or arrested for a separate offence. Illegal to have on you, or in a public place, legal to buy though, could legally go and buy an illegal knife at a store, and get done for it's possession on the way home... In most cases it's used as you described, to add extra charges to someone already charged with another crime or in police custody. A lot of those laws out there, that are mostly used for quota and PR by the police or judicial system.
Melissa Proffitt
It's subtle and indirect and takes time to build up. So most wouldn't think of it as a tactic. It takes sideways thinking to turn it into a total exploit. Motoko's specialty.
Z H
Boo!
Z H
Lol, now I'm imagining Hayato's dad trying to ground her: "Alright hand over your phone and your private mercenary, you can have them both back in a week if your grades improve!"
Z H
Motoko made a calculated response, but as Hiromi will vouch, she's not the best at math.😆
Z H
Lol, after the last chapter I went and did the underground Animal base mission to retrieve a stolen van. I intentionally basically did the same thing, set a cyberpsycho amongst the biggest groups and just hang back in the upper levels while they slaughter each other. 🤣
Z H
You know I've still never figured out what the deal was with the random car bombs you can witness in game. Was there a bigger story to them or just random violence?
Z H
Indeed, Hiromi knows it's a good idea to unload some of their loot before leaving Dog Town and here's this big time fixer right here next to her! How convenient. If Mr. Hands isn't careful though she'll end up swindling those hands right off of him.
Z H
Nah, I doubt the guy they bought from at the stadium had any connection to this group. There are LOTS of people kleping and selling chrome that doesn't mean they're all connected or even know each other.
Z H
I wouldn't go that far. This is actually only a slightly altered version of what Songbird pulls with V in Phantom Liberty. Yeah SB is a top tier netrunner, but she hardly the only one with similar abilities. Motoko's hack is even slightly less versatile of arguably more sophisticated in that she so far hasn't used it to jump to controlling nearby equipment, but she has used it to do more than just sight and sound. Still pretty impressive but not necessarily Bartmoss level just yet.
Joseph Schultz
God I fucking love BD chapters, we finally have one to top "the only thing they fear is you". Motoko's new quickhack is so cool! I hadn't even considered borgs, but anyone close to cyberpsychosis already is absolutely not going to be able to deal with that. I can already see like three potential new sources of fallout/conflict from this chapter, which is good because these guys didn't get Motoko to her next level of Blades, lol. This feels like such a cool place for this story right now, like it has so much potential energy building up with the Rockerboy storyline with Alice and co, the Netrunner storyline with Sasha, Kiwi, and Lucy, and now this storyline is going to lead to at minimum to a new BD, but probably also new interested parties from Dogtown and the Scavs in this area. Genuinely, I don't think I've ever read a story with over 200 chapters that still had me this on the edge of my seat to see what happens next. Thank you so much for the chapter! Can't wait to see what comes next
Kara Nina
Hands most likely ended up in Pacifica after Petrochem stocks fell in 2076 when many harvests failed and Brazil tried to seize the local harvest to fight a famine caused by those failed harvests (though lobbyists prevented this). It seems reasonable to assume the shake up in upper management due to which Mr Hands had to hide was caused by this. Also he only shows up in videocalls showing his hands, not his face despite the fact he changed his looks. He wouldn't meet someone on the fky in person.
lizard King
Hiromi got that covered. She will make them pay royalty for stealing her art and come out with a business deal which will benefit herself and her friends. But especially her crush. If they refuse will she could throw them with the Ghost in the Shell. That is a good incentive to not screw someone over. Especially someone who's willing to you super violence.
Jared Obermeyer
Oh god. I can totally see Quadra putting out a "ghost" edition with the Onryo painted on it, and Makoto getting pissed that they stole her art.
Zeroingdark
“I’d like to return these items!”
Jordan
Frankly the biggest surprise about the quick hack is that basically no one has done it or tried it before.
Esotericbill
Given that Hiromi is basically hanging out at Mr. Hands' home base, it'd be amusing to find out that she took the opportunity to make that connection while she was waiting for the crew to loot up.
Esotericbill
These last 2 chapters are right up there with the best so far. Finally, a BD that puts even 'The Only Thing They Fear' to shame. The reactions to this will be great. I'm just wondering if these Dogtown scavs won't have a bunch of seriously badass chrome hidden away. After all, Motoko probably just picked up some chrome from one of their sellers. If that's what they were selling, what did they keep?
Esotericbill
The BD IS the warning.
Duke of Coffee
Welp meat wagons are probably be called after Section 9 finishes looting and leaves the scene by someone if they comes across it, thus being scavenged for Cyberware and chrome parts...
Nef Mccrimmon
We need more op povs lol
lizard King
I believe they do have gun laws. Key difference is that they don't enforce them. And they don't care and they will only use these laws to add charges to your sentence. Especially if they need good PR. After all adding gun crime and charges could be a good PR move for corporate police or local police. More charges that more PR materials for the PR department to work with.
N0ct3m
Well holy bawls, I'm feeling spoiled this week for chapters!
wanderer117
If people know that Ghost in the Shell owns a modded out Quadra. Good News: Random gonks off the street will not steal modded out Quardas Bad News: People that Do Not Like Ghost in the Shell may start planting bombs in modded out Quadras parked on the street.
Alexander Jonsson
You have to enter the room, or get close to the 'fatal funnel' doorway, for Line Of Sight weapons like guns to be effective, lobbing a grenade around a corner is a lot more effective, and significantly reduces risk to the user, never-ending the whole reliability issue a lot of automatic and semi auto shotguns have. Be better to use an electro-magnetic weapon or a sufficiently high calibre gun to pen the walls, but then gotta work about over pen, hitting civies. Shotguns have cool factor sure, but they really aren't used that often for good reasons. Hell soft body armour in cyberpunk or skin weaves are not uncommon, and would stop most 12g loads. Maybe specialised sabot rounds, but you might aswell use a normal rifle at that point anyway. Same effect more mag capacity. Not like they have gun laws to stop you, like they have IRL in many places, including USA.
Alexander Jonsson
Harder, more time consuming, and just plain less effective, anyone can don a filtered mask, having a vacuum rip the mask from you face and destroy your lungs is a lot harder (more expensive) to defend against.
Jared Obermeyer
Quadras suddenly become the one car you do not steal in night city.
Alzhan
That's fine. She just needs to post 2 or 3 BDs of her murdering them and they'll get the message. Meanwhile, each new BD being more and more nightmarish will scare the shit out of anyone ELSE from even looking at her Quadra.
Wargen
Soooo gooooood! I wonder if Motoko will get a little personal message from Col. Kurt Hansen or Mr. Hands after this saying thanks for killing scavs but also this isn't your turf.
runedead56
Motoko: I'm not a cyber psycho. I'm a high functioning cyber psycho.
Happy
I hope she goes full James Bond with it, but lethal. I’m talking guns hidden behind the headlights, rocket launchers that pop out the side like that one transformer in the third movie, a fuckin jet engine in the back like the Batmobile, an ejector seat.
Bable Zmith
AA12. Designed for launching 20 18.5mm grenades in about 5 seconds.
Derek Palm
She could just have her car edited out so they can't see what it is
Happy
Nice.
Bable Zmith
Time for a new paint job and maybe an armor upgrade? Pop-up Sniper turret? Integrated missile launcher or two? Ooh, Ooh Rocket Boosters! Or maybe a flight mode? So many options. Hehehehehehehe... Oh, and the third gen Kiroshi's sound like a Mil spec upgrade.
Seras
Keep this up Scavs, and I'm going to get real "Proportional" in here.
KarmaA
Dude, the idea was to gift not commit horrifying crimes against children. Gorilla arms for someone that had lost an arm to injury or had crappy chrome already. The chrome the orphanage couldn’t use like monowire or mantis blades gets sold so they can buy necessities. Night City is horrible enough no protagonist should be trying to make it worse.
matt
She's gonna put out the BD and the Russian scavs are gonna track her by her modded to fuck quadra. Fucking bet on it.
ciaran mullen
This chapter gave me chills. That was epic <3
Byakuran
More like Wakako just gave her granddaughter an access to boogeyman and personal slaughter machine to play with.
FiveBoxes
"The Perfect Cut" would have been a great side-B if she actually managed to get a decent 1v1 and the actual perfect cut.
W Maxwell Cassity-Guilliom
The scav leader was pretty worried about a Barghest raid in both chapters, so I imagine they won't care too much. It's already a pretty lawless place with Barghest just barely protecting their trading posts, and not even very well as we saw with the carjacking right under their nose I think the more important point is these guys weren't just copycat native scavs, they were the original Russian backed type. Motoko might now be on their radar if they manage to ID her from the BD
Byakuran
Wonderful chapter as always. BD is gonna be a hit for sure, especially among sword maniacs and runners. Poor Judy will definitely need strong sleeping pills and spiritual cleansing after this, as well as Rita and Nox. Would be nice to read about reaction to this from some people like Maine, Sasha and Rebecca or V. Btw Seras wanted to ask is Hayato even aware about Motoko’s BD? Would be great surprise for her to know that she is friends/sparring partner with functional cyber psycho.
PlasmaticPi
I wonder how Bargest will react to someone coming in and killing a faction like this on their turf.
Scarletmenace
This whole fight was amazing! I’m loving the psychological warfare. Shame no perfect cut yet. My deranged blade build yearns for it.
RageLord
The perfect cut. When this happens, it is going to be glorious.I can hardly wait. Ascended Swordfighter incoming.
Fortunis
Fucking hell and I thought Taylor Hebert was the Queen of Escalation 😆 🤣. Seriously though that hack is nasty as hell. Flipping the Borg into a cyber psycho rage fit and sending him back upstairs was fucking inspired. Im really looking forward to people's reactions to her BD. Outstanding. I wonder what kinda goodies these guys had stashed around since it's apparently a major holding for them. I can't wait to see the loot list. Great chapter.
Kayden High
That was totally wicked!!!
Kara Nina
Very few coddled kids. David Martinez had a lot of resistance against cyberpsychosis compared to most because his mom was protective and he had a happy childhood. Only when he was looked down upon at Arasaka Academy he became dissatisfied and later his mom was killed and all that, then he took mental damage.
Kara Nina
You could just throw grenades with teargas. Or laughing gas. Or hallucinogenic mushroom spores.
runedead56
Operation Gremlin Mantis!
Einar Strandberg
Jesus Christ, well that's one way to cause the number of car jackings of Quadras to crater.
Hangwind
Just because the proportion is 50 to 1...
SpaceingMouse 17
"Proportional Response"
Carrotglace
Horror movie bakemonogatari: onnryo
Vexdt
Thanks for the great last few chapters, Seras!! After the big Raffen camp und this scav base Wokato and Rouge must realise they have a solo merc/netrunner with the ability for mass slaughter on speed dial. ;)
Alex Moffatt
Fantastic chapter. Loved it. Thank you.
michael stitcher
Cyberpsycho kids could be a freaky thing. They already lack some of the brain development of adults (child soldier issues). I wonder if malestrom has ever kidnapped kids and borged them up for giggles? Night city is screwed up, but cyberpsycho kids would be something else... scavs tried it with motoko...
Cliff246
I really hope she does something stupid unironically. Her mashing up her intelligence stat for perks and then having some consequences would be kind of funny
Seras
That happens about two years in the future.
michael stitcher
What happened to the guy with the stolen eye tech that would have been hiding out with the scavs?
Alexander Jonsson
Okay, gotta check, CP2077 has a load of grenade types, but one missing, one essential to CQB fighting these days, the ThermoBaric, displaces a substance into the air, ignites that substance, air ignites, vacuum created, 🫁 'squelch'... Motoko is doing a LOT of urban CQB fighting, and TB hand grenades like the Russian RG-60TB or the Russian 43mm pump action grenade launcher (mainly for using TB grenades) would be extremely useful. Unlike high explosive and fragmentation weapons, light TB vacuum weapons do minimal damage to 'loot', wouldn't do much to full borgs, but the chaff enemies, most aren't gonna get synthetic lungs, ecen most Maelstrom still have mouths and lungs... Maybe Motoko doesn't *need* TB style weapons, but her minions would greatly benefit from TB weapons, especially in the urban fighting NC necessitates. So, would Motoko make some TB 'nades for her minions? Hell, I think Rebecca would appreciate a pump action grenade launchers, and some grenade variants like EMP or TB...
michael stitcher
Yeah, people are going to go wtf a bit with this bd. Sadistic is the mildest thing to say, but meh, they are scavs so everybody will probably agree its okay. I wonder what bargest is going to think about this?
Duke of Coffee
When the tank doesn't have enough wisdom...
Duke of Coffee
So she made her own Cyberpsycho hack, Yoko is going to be asking for it to buy it off from her. 😜 "Don't steal my car." BD done, can't wait for the Hiromi reacts to it. 😉 Anyway so the connected building is occupied maybe by others huh, hopefully they are not scavs. Grad get hah, I wonder if Motoko is going do crafting with that gun. 😀
DurzoMandragoran
Yup. That's the thing about being a tank, you are taking hits. Dishing them out sure, but taking them all the same. You will take one too many hits eventually.
David Hoyt
My inner sociopath is satisfied.
lizard King
A legend who desired to burn bright and long. The ultimate statement it is not just to burn bright but to burn long very long. 180-year-old motoko still doing work still kicking ass. Is a statement of and legendary status. Other Legends die Young this legend still burning even old age. That's my friend is a true statement of skill.
David Hoyt
I suspect Rogue will be impressed, again. Every netrunner will be after the onryo quick hack.
Hector Gregorio
Well.....Makoto is scary.....or my god after her updates her meeting with kiwi and lucy will be legendary, does anyone remember what levels those two were at?
reeen
Dam that trick she done to the borg was devious.
lizard King
If one thing for you to go after someone and ripped out their cyberware. Is another thing for you to buy from people who does so. But if you kill the ones who are harvesting the cyberware and selling them. And taking it from those people there is more degree of separation. Those people already dead they're not coming back. If you killed or murderers in brutal fashion. Because somewhat justify your action as vengeance and for your spoils of war. Specially if you buy it from already dead person. Person was not hunted for their cyberware he died in a cyberware was harvested and sold off. Granted this logic is arbitrary but trauma is not rational. Everybody justifies some contradiction to make them life easier or to cope with reality. This is how I see the situation in a debate. Motoko view the Scavs that's not human but monsters. Or mini dragon people don't think twice about killing a dragon and taking their hoard for yourself. I used this analogy to help explain how I see the situation. A dragon eater mines his hoard or take it from other people. The ones who kill his dragons are entitled to his horde despite that a good chunk of it was from stolen people which are dead. Same thing with cyberware. Those people are dead. Killing their killers and taking their stolen hoard is justifiable in this context or you could justify. it through this lens.
Firefly Fanatic
Ohhhh this is gonna be a fun BD. Can't wait to see what Judy thinks about it.
Katherine
Awsome!
Seras
"Listen. Little Sally, really wanted to be Queen of the Jungle Gym. How was I supposed to know that meant she intended on grabbing and tossing any kids that tried it."
Teatime42
Don't touch America's Boats. Don't touch Motoko's car. XD
David Hoyt
Poor Judy. The onryo will give her nightmares.
Seras
Quadra Type 66's. But yeah.
Teatime42
Yeah, but having hangups or issues isn't about logic lol. I was a pedestrian hit by a car, and afterwards I didn't have issues being a pedestrian. I had issues driving and was super concerned about pedestrians. The stuff the scavs have gathered doesn't bother her as much as the stuff they scav from the dead scavs themselves. Shrug
Dwayne Parker
8 year olds running around with gorilla arms.
Kaloth
I think I'm looking forward to Judy's reaction more than anything else atm. It should be epic.
Teatime42
I mean, is anyone in CP77 actually healthy mentally? XD
Just A Dude
There will be a statistically noticable drop in the theft rate of Quadra Turbo-Rs.
runedead56
Hell I want to see what Maine's reaction to this would be. He's a heavily modified war veteran, but I don't think he could have pulled this off
Velleity
Great chapter once again, can't wait to see the reactions to the BD, maybe a chapter where some of the players in Dogtown react to it in different ways, and maybe something like Jackie or V's reaction, it would be really good in general for people outside the Section 9 to have a better view of her.
Just A Dude
Not at all. Gotta give back to the community, after all.
Kara Nina
Trauma doesn't follow logic. If she saw cyberware in someone she saw alive, killed and saw as a dead man...wearing that cyberware after would mess with her.
Celestin
Will we get reactions to this? Because the whole don't steal my car should be a Night City's meme.
Joe Foreman
You need to have some chatter coming from bargest people in a chapter or two that spreads the rumors of what happened there that spreads just before the BD starts selling.
Garrett Cannon
Seras this fight was amazing im waiting for this BD for sure and i wonder what the leader guy was doing wonder if he has any goodies on the skyscraper
Massgamer
BD title: "Don't Steal My Car" Truly gets the message across, I think, especially her murderous happiness, lol.
Just A Dude
I see Motoko remains blissfully ignorant about just how elite she really is even while playing the part of the monster in her own personal horror movie. Judy's gonna freak.
Kara Nina
'I shrugged if it made her happy.' Should be: 'I shrugged, if it made her happy.'
JTP
Nova
Crimson Grave
The fact that she is doing things like calling poor Dmitri her 'pet cyberpsycho' really goes to show that Motoko is not mentally well. At all. As if the roaring rampage of 'revenge' wasn't a good sign. Or the fact that she went all Hitokiri trying to find 'The Perfect Cut' (Going to be real popular that line and part. Also concerning. But well, the entire BD was concerning.). Or the fact that she was disappointed when the leader didn't live up to his position. Or the fact went all Horror Movie Monster on dozens of guys. Or that she used that and someone's own chrome to literally twist them around like a puppet on strings, setting him off against his allies. Or... Look, Motoko is not mentally well right now. So just, don't steal her car again. Or try to sell it for such a paltry amount. Or to FUCKING SCAVS. Ok? I think the BD should come with a warning like that actually... XD ... I kind of want to see the a part showing how the other three react to Motoko's ... well, no. Malcolm and Ichi are used to this shit. So really just Rebecca needs to react. As for the Method of how Motoko did it? Again, Malcolm is too chill and too much of a bro to care beyond how awesome it was and to be supportive of Motoko to help her not tip over the Edge. Might even joke about her going Horror Movie Monster. And Ichi might curse Motoko out for it in his head, but he wouldn't show any of that visually. He would be equally supportive though more wary. Rebecca is where the real potential for reaction is at. She isn't quite as 'close' as the rest yet, and has a very different direction she is looking in from. All in all, these two chapters have instantly become some of my favorites. Right up there with Motoko's mission for Scorpion (Amusingly when Motoko first accepts that she Likes Murder. But that Doesn't make Her a Bad Person.). Motoko's saving of Jackie and V from the Kang Tao. And Motoko's first performance at the Red Dirt. Though I also loved the Team Run of the Scav Factory.
Tim
Kinda want to see Judy's reaction to the horror show that is her hack in the BD.
Giperman
She was okay with the cyberware Scavs had in their storage. With the obvious connotations from where this cyberware came from. Damn, she even bought some just now. I get the morals of not ripping it out from the body by herself, but she already participating in all of that.
Lino
Looking forward to the reactions to that bd.
Velleity
Yes double chapter week let's fucking gggoooooo
Dwayne Parker
Boy, when that BD hits the streets…
Seras
While considered fairly normal. Motoko doesn't really scav Cyberware. It's a bit of a thing.
Bosparan
Thanks for the amazing chapter! Those two chapters really were entertaining, got us back into the Cyberpunk nihilism atmosphere, doing a great job of how someone just trying to make a living, Night City style, is just one wrong target away from flatlining. Also a good demo on the new perk and I've wanted to see Onryo in action since the chapter you introduced it. Which, to be clear, was incredibly entertaining and the perfect name for that monster ^^ Also probably a good pacing to throw these two in before we get to installing cyberware, upgrading her intelligence and raising the skills. If I remember that correctly, that will mean 3 new perks once they all hit 15 ... Just for the record, I'm extremely happy that GitC is back as the primary update series :)
Giperman
Is she going to loot Gen 3 Kiroshi for herself?
Special_target
W
Hangwind
Yeah, the real loot is the BD from this. One of those times where you might want to make several: the lightly edited experience, the horror movie soundtrack experience, and the Yakkity Sax comedy experience.
TheForgottenKing
Damn that was badass 😎
KarmaA
Is it wrong to gift looted chrome to an orphanage?
Hangwind
And literally did most of it lying down.
THE SAVAGE KITTY
Motoko warning all the scavs in the city not to steal her car or she will make them go cyber psyco
heh
Onryo stuff is so cool!
Danny R.
Thanks for the chappy!
runedead56
I feel like there's going to be some... Let's call it intense emotions.. As in regards as what makoto just accomplished. She just pulled off to 50 to 1 odds, along with several of them having heavy cyberware modification, and came away with it without a scratch. This is how Legends are born.
wylie99998
Scary Motoko is scary.
intata
0.0 Holy balls, Seras. This chapter was diabolical
Adam Daw
Damn that was epic.
Meaning Yellow
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD. Also, yay, finally a bd, "Dude, not the car"
Brendan Kane
Thank you for the chapter! Spooky Motoko is fun
THE SAVAGE KITTY
On time
Kim-Jong-Jesus
Awww man I lost lol. Thanks for the crac- I mean chapter
runedead56
Celebration time come on! A new Ghost in the City chapter!
Evertime
Man being hacked sounds like an absolute nightmare Cool cool cool cool cool
Boohya
I WIN, also thank you for the chapter
