Table of Contents
Intro Paragraph
Real Estate Rumble began with a promise to help Marianne rebuild the Forlorn Hope. After a week of recovery, the crew searched the Red Chrome Legionnaires’ captured truck. Its damaged radio and GPS history supported a simple conclusion. The gangers had heard the explosion and approached afterward, so they probably did not cause it. The crew passed that evidence and Iris’s security footage to Marianne’s investigators. However, the bomber’s identity remained hidden.
Downtime offered a few welcome distractions. Nova grew closer to Celine Moreau after dinner and several nights together. Iris visited family in Kabuki and saw Winter off before her trip north. Meanwhile, Thiago followed Defect’s search for Project Halcyon and produced an extraordinary lead. Bull heard conflicting rumors about the Forlorn Hope fire, while Defect discovered promising odds on the Woodland Park Muses. Soon, the group had thousands of eddies riding on roller derby and a questionable plan to influence the result.
The Real Estate Rumble started when Marianne sent the crew to meet Jack Skorkowski. The agent promised to find a new home for the bar. First, he wanted help with a troubled office renovation in the Haywood Industrial Zone. Workers reported accidents, strange noises, and blood covering the entrance. Jack offered 500 eddies each, but Thiago negotiated the fee to 600. Inside, the supposed haunting quickly became a deadly trap. A hidden voice locked the crew inside and challenged them to disarm a bomb before the roof collapsed. Nova and Iris beat the countdown, but Thiago’s attempt to recover the first explosive ended with the Vendit machine detonating in his face.
Key Characters Introduced
- Celine Moreau: Nova’s corporate partner became more involved in her life during their week together. Dinner and several nights at Celine’s home pushed their relationship toward something more serious.
- Jack Skorkowski: Marianne’s real estate agent promised to search for a new Forlorn Hope location. He also hired the crew to investigate the dangerous office project that launched the Real Estate Rumble.
Key Events
- The truck evidence narrowed the bombing investigation: Radio and GPS records showed the Red Chrome Legionnaires approached after hearing the explosion. The crew handed this information and Iris’s footage to Marianne’s investigators.
- Project Halcyon finally produced a strong lead: Thiago followed Defect’s ongoing search and achieved an exceptional result. The exact discovery remained unrevealed, but the pair now have a substantial thread to pursue.
- The crew placed a risky roller derby wager: Defect learned that the Woodland Park Muses were underdogs. Several crew members placed bets, while Thiago found a contact who could arrange a strategic fall and improve their chances.
- Jack launched the Real Estate Rumble: The agent agreed to seek a new property for Marianne. In exchange, the crew accepted a 600-eddie job investigating an office where frightened workers reported blood, accidents, and unexplained activity.
- The haunted office became a bomb challenge: A hidden operator locked the crew inside with two explosive traps. Nova disarmed the active Vendit bomb, while Iris neutralized a second device concealed inside a construction light.
Standout Party Member Moments
- Winter: Winter did not take an active role in the Real Estate Rumble. Iris spent time with her and their family in Kabuki before seeing her off for a trip to Canada.
- ChoJo: ChoJo climbed onto the Vendit and inspected the unfinished ceiling during the frantic search. His careful check ruled out an entire hiding place for the second bomb.
- Bull: Bull overheard rumors that the Forlorn Hope disaster looked like arson. The Red Chrome Legion, Iron Sights, Arasaka, cyberpsychos, and Black Wake Saints all appeared in the neighborhood speculation.
- Defect: Defect spotted the blinking device inside a construction light when the crew was nearly out of time. His discovery gave Iris the chance to stop the second trap.
- Thiago: Thiago found a roller derby contact who could influence the Woodland Park Muses’ match. Later, he tried to remove the Vendit explosive, critically failed, and took the blast directly in his armored face.
- Iris: Iris confirmed that the material on the office entrance was real blood and bypassed its lock. She later disarmed the construction-light trap and recovered an armor-piercing grenade.
- Nova: Nova traced the bomb countdown with her radio scanner, spent her remaining Luck, and disarmed the active Vendit explosive. Her steady hands kept the opening phase of the Real Estate Rumble from ending in a crater.
Closing Statement
Real Estate Rumble delivered exactly what its name promised. The crew began by discussing property, rebuilding, and a future home for the Forlorn Hope. Instead, they walked into a locked office controlled by an unseen tormentor. The blood outside was real. The voice on the speaker knew the building’s traps, and the active Vendit bomb could have destroyed the room. Nova stopped that device under pressure. Then Defect and Iris found the construction-light trap before anyone plugged it into the wall.
The victory did not remain tidy. Thiago tried to extract the Vendit explosive after Nova had disarmed it. His critical failure triggered the bomb, smashed part of the lobby, and damaged his armor. Fortunately, he avoided serious injury. The blast also proved Bull’s skepticism wrong in the loudest way available. These were not harmless ghost stories or simple worker nerves. Someone built a controlled death trap and watched the crew struggle through it.
The Real Estate Rumble ended only after they entered the next room. Water covered the floor while electrical arcs cracked through the unfinished space. Two closed doors offered no obvious escape, and the person behind the speaker remained unidentified. Elsewhere, the Woodland Park Muses wager still waits for a result. Thiago and Defect also have a major Halcyon lead waiting to surface. Even Grace Steel needs help rebuilding her band after losing friends in the Forlorn Hope fire.
Episode 5 turned recovery into another dangerous job, but it also moved several larger mysteries forward. The crew cleared the first trap room and kept Jack’s property standing, mostly. Next time, they must cross an electrified space without becoming part of the wiring. If the Real Estate Rumble has more rooms like this one, the new Forlorn Hope may need a real estate agent with better insurance.
Keep Following Hope Reborn
Read Episode 4, Night City Carjacking Unleashes a Brutal Gang Ambush to see how the crew protected the survivors and captured its battered truck.
Follow the complete Hope Reborn storyline or explore more dangerous contracts in the Cyberpunk RED category.
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