Playing for Time

Playing for Time is a Main Job in Cyberpunk 2077.

Walkthrough

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V in cyberspace sees a red figure and follows it. V follows his flickering form a few times before they are eventually able to interact with him. They will wake up in a landfill and crawl out of it before Dexter DeShawn and Goro Takemura appear.

As V slips in and out of consciousness, Takemura ends up killing Dex and puts V in his vehicle to take them to Hanako Arasaka. However, when V comes back around, an injured Takemura needs their help and gives V an airhypo. V needs to take it and fight off Arasaka assasins who are attacking them.

If V fails to use the air hypo in time:

V failed to use the airhypo in time, and succumbed to their injuries.

If V uses the air hypo in time:

Takemura will hand V a JKE-X2 Kenshin to dispatch to take the assasins out, but then another with mantis blades will show up. After Takemura squashes the last assassin by crashing into a billboard, Takemura asks for a ripperdoc that V can trust so both of them can get medical attention they require. After V names Viktor, they will call Delamain, who picks the duo up. Takemura performs triage on V with Delamain's help, and narrowly manage to bring V to Viktor's Clinic in Little China, with Takemura almost succumbing to his own injuries upon arrival.

Several weeks pass with sporadic moments of consciousness—as Viktor tries to keep V alive—until one day V regains full consciousness, and is able to speak to Viktor.

Viktor explains that V's hallucinations are fragments Johnny Silverhand's memories, triggered by Dex shooting them in the head. The Relic inside of their shard slot was consequently triggered, using nanites to revive their brain. However, these nanites also recognize V's mind as a foreign entity, which it is now destroying in an effort to clear the way for the Johnny's engram.

Misty enters the room and takes V back to their apartment and gives them medicine: Pseudoendotrizine that speeds up the process, and Omega blockers that slow the process down. V talks with her a bit before she leaves.

When V wakes up, Johnny will be rather hostile and when V tries to leave, he'll instead push them backwards. However, Johnny and V will realize that they are connected, with Johnny attempting to disconnect the Relic, nearly killing V. However, when V come to and attempt to take the pills, he slaps them out of their hands and instead demands that they "stick an iron in your mouth and pull the trigger", before leaving them to crawl to their pills. After they take them, they will pass out.

V will wake up in the shower and Takemura will call when they are about to leave the apartment asking you to come to Tom's Diner to talk. He talks about why he saved V and his future goals, that proving that Yorinobu killed his father using V as a witness. He also promises that Arasaka can help V with their biochip problem. V talks about their alternative methods of possibly dealing with the biochip but Takemura disregards them and leaves the diner.

When Takemura leaves, Johnny Silverhand projects himself in front of V. He tells V that he has changed his mind and doesn't want them dead anymore and that he and Rogue knew each other long time ago and that she can help.

Journal Entry

Don't trust that Takemura. Meet with him, sure, check him out, but keep your eyes open. He's a corporat, meaning he's looking to use you.

Well, chica/broder, looks like we got ourselves into a real fix. No chance in hell I'm wriggling myself out of this one, but you're still alive. And as Misty says, "As long as you're alive, there's hope." Fate's given you a second chance, so use it - get back on your feet. Do that, and consider your best friend's last wish fulfilled.

Objectives

• Approach the stranger.
• Crawl to safety.
• Neutralize the motorcyclists.
• Survive the attack.
• Talk to the stranger.
• Leave the apartment.
• Crawl towards the pills.
• Take the pills.
• Stand.
• Find something to eat. [Optional]
• Stock up on ammo. [Optional]
• Open your inventory and put on some clothes. [Optional]
• Check your email. [Optional]
• Read the message from the Megabuilding H10 Administration. [Optional]
• Leave the apartment.
• Talk to Takemura.
• Meet with Takemura.
• Talk to Takemura.

Notes

• Although listed as the first job in Act 2, the part up until you stand up in the shower is still part of the interlude, and your in-game map, inventory, etc. is inaccessible until this point.
• The entire map and most activities like gigs and scanner hustles are unlocked after leaving the apartment, but some content remains unavailable until the quest has been fully completed by talking to Takemura.
• When Johnny tells V they don't have to talk out loud with him, their voice projection changes slightly to indicate they are now talking mentally. This can be noticed anytime V talks to Johnny after this quest, even when they are completely alone.

Gallery

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  Cyberpunk 2077 promo art depicting V crawling out of a landfill, with Goro Takemura appears in the background