Chapter 42: Now Things Are Getting Interesting

Karl's greatest ability—what could almost be called his special power—was his talent for making connections and drawing conclusions. Now, as he reflected on everything he had encountered since arriving in 2075, he began to piece together the events into a single coherent thread, linking every piece of information that seemed relevant.

First, he started with the stolen goods.

The Maelstrom gang stirred up trouble in Kabuki, which was Tiger Claws' territory.Maelstrom hijacked a shipment being transported by the 6th Street gang through Watson.Maelstrom also hijacked a shipment belonging to Blanca's company in Watson.A Militech field agent questioned Old Huo today about shipments from Heywood to City Center—meaning Militech had lost cargo as well.

Let's pause there for a moment.

Which company does Blanca work for again?

Karl sent Blanca a message, asking which corporation she worked under.

"Why? Are you looking to do another job for me? I do appreciate mercs like you."

"Just trying to understand my employer's background. Consider it networking."

"What's with the sudden interest? Did you hear something from Faraday?"

It seemed Blanca had some free time, so after exchanging a few casual messages, she finally revealed the information—though it was never exactly a secret. Karl had just never asked before.

She worked for Militech.

That meant the Militech agent questioning Old Huo about the stolen cargo could very well be investigating the same incident Blanca had been involved in when she was selling transport information.

The timeline matched up.

Karl recalled what Blanca's subordinate and rival, Juanito, had said back then:

"You can destroy the evidence from this shipment all you want—I've got plenty more where that came from."

The shipment information that Karl, Oliver, and Jack had destroyed was related to Blanca's first contract with them. If Juanito said he had more, that meant Blanca selling vehicle route data wasn't a one-time thing—it was ongoing. And her previous buyer?

Maelstrom.

Which meant, if Militech's shipment from Heywood to City Center had been hijacked, it was highly likely Maelstrom was responsible. After all, Watson was right next to City Center.

And if that was the case... things were starting to look very concerning.

Let's sum it up.

Maelstrom had pissed off the Tiger Claws.Maelstrom had pissed off the 6th Street Gang.Maelstrom had pissed off Militech.If they had also been stealing cargo in Heywood, that meant they might have pissed off the Valentinos too.

Sure, Maelstrom was full of cyberpsychotic lunatics, but even lunatics understood the concept of death.

If they weren't deliberately trying to get themselves killed, that meant there had to be a deeper purpose behind their rampant hijackings.

Thinking back to Blanca's mission, Karl recalled that the cargo Maelstrom stole was casually handed off to a mid-tier goon named Demon. That suggested they weren't particularly interested in the shipments themselves.

So what were they after?

Karl's mind suddenly flashed back to the mission where they rescued a hostage from the Scavs.

The one where they found those ACPA schematics.

Everyone in Night City knew Maelstrom and the Scavs had a special relationship. Maelstrom loved cyberware modifications, and they often sold off their old parts—or the bodies of fallen members—to the Scavs in exchange for cash.

So if those ACPA images came from a chip extracted from a dead Maelstrom member...

Was there a connection?

Or was it just a coincidence?

Karl combed through his memory for anything else related to these gangs.

And then it hit him.

The cyberpsycho from a few days ago.

Karl distinctly remembered him muttering the word 'Tiger Claws' before going berserk. And for a brief moment, when he said that name, his mind seemed clear.

The Tiger Claws meant something to him—something important enough to snap him out of cyberpsychosis, if only for a second.

And where did this cyberpsycho attack take place?

Kabuki.

Tiger Claws territory.

That same cyberpsycho had been carrying an information shard, which contained a cryptic message:

"The cherry blossom born of the chrysanthemum and the rose has arrived in the City of Nightlight."

The Tiger Claws were a predominantly Japanese gang, deeply tied to their cultural roots. Their use of language often followed Japanese conventions.

So, if Karl analyzed the message with that in mind...

Japan didn't have an official national flower, but there were two that were commonly recognized as symbols of the nation:

The chrysanthemum, a symbol of the Emperor and nobility.The cherry blossom, a symbol of the common people.

If flowers were being used metaphorically to represent status, then the chrysanthemum likely referred to someone of high social standing, while the cherry blossom represented a commoner.

And the rose?

Roses were the national flower of America

Karl felt like he was onto something.

If he interpreted the flower metaphor this way, it would mean that a noble Japanese person and an American had a child. However, because one parent was American, this child—who might have once been considered noble—was now seen as just another commoner.

And this "cherry blossom", someone of Japanese descent, had already arrived in Night City—at least according to the information found on the cyberpsycho, who likely had ties to, or was outright a former member of, the Tiger Claws.

The Tiger Claws were a Japanese gang, and the only reason they could run wild in Night City was because they had corporate backing. No gang could operate at that scale without some kind of corporate influence.

Just like how the 6th Street Gang, where Oliver used to be, worked under Militech-backed fixers, and the gang itself was originally formed by American veterans, the Tiger Claws had their own benefactor.

Arasaka.

And now, this upcoming escort mission was set to begin in an Arasaka-controlled port in Watson—a place strictly off-limits to outsiders.

The objective was protection.

Protect who?

The cherry blossom?

If that were the case, then why was a Militech-connected fixer like Faraday handling the job?

The rose...

Could it be that the rose—the American parent—was the one behind this operation?

Was the rose trying to protect their child, the cherry blossom?

If this theory was correct, then this whole situation was touching on secrets that were never meant to be known.

Arasaka and Militech—sworn enemies—were, at least for this one job, working together?

Whoever this chrysanthemum represented, they had to be unbelievably high-ranking.

Whoever the rose was, they had to be powerful enough to pull Militech into this.

And whoever the cherry blossom was, they had to be extremely important—important enough for the two most powerful corporations in the world to temporarily cooperate.

Summary:Maelstrom seems to be looking for something. They're willing to pick fights with every major gang and corporation to get it.The likely escort target—this 'cherry blossom'—is someone of immense importance, connected to both Arasaka and Militech.

Now, let's bring in the bigger picture.

Cargo.

Smuggling.

People.

Could Maelstrom's real target be the cherry blossom?

If so, where the hell were they getting the guts to go after someone so important?

If this "cherry blossom" really was so special that even Militech and Arasaka were willing to collaborate, then how could Maelstrom possibly think they could get away with going after them?

Unless...

Karl thought back to Blanca and Juanito.

Just like Militech's internal power struggles, Arasaka and its Tiger Claws allies might not all be on the same page either.

What if Maelstrom was actually hired—just like Juanito hired them to betray Militech's secrets?

If there were traitors inside Militech, then there could also be traitors inside Arasaka.

People who didn't agree with this temporary truce.

Final Thought:

If Karl's theory was right, this mission was about to turn into something far bigger than just an escort job.

He couldn't wait to see if his hunch was correct.

And if it was...

ACPA.

Then things were about to get really interesting.