Deus Ex Diaries Part Eight

This is my ongoing exploration of the Deus Ex Universe, in preparation for when Mankind Divided arrives later this year. Whether you’re a newcomer or an old-goer, I hope to make this something you can read along with and enjoy. We continue on with Deus Ex.

With twelve hours on JC’s 24-hour killswitch already gone, I’ve arrived in Hong Kong to find Tracer Tong. Having aided Jock the pilot to escape the “secret” Majestic 12 base by using my best talent -- mass murder -- I left and entered the market place. Deciding to ignore the advice of heading for the compound Paul used to frequent (handy it’s so close to the “secret” base…), I made my way for the Lucky Money club.

I am greeted by a couple of patrons, Tessa and Mercedes, wanting to get in, but without the required cover charge of 20 credits each. As with every other thing JC has been asked to do since I started this game, I went ahead and gave them the money and followed them inside. I nosed around a little before deciding I should go and see what was up with Paul’s peeps. After all, there was nothing interesting to be found without sneaking into places I shouldn’t be.

They were waiting for someone, but I imagine they're thirsty

I went back to the market and found Gordon Quick, leader of the Luminous Path Triad. He wasn’t keen on working with me, a known member of UNATCO who definitely wasn’t Paul, but he tasked me with finding out what Maggie Chow knew about a weapon which had been stolen from the Red Arrow Triad, and she blamed the Luminous Path for taking. So off I went to find Chow’s place.

Before that, I went back to the Lucky Money for some snooping, trying to find the sword “stolen” from the Red Arrow Triad in their own club! I managed to get past the guards and into the ticket office, opening a safe and stealing 200 credits, consequence-free, before heading into the back room. The owner, and leader, Max Chen was in his office just past the board room containing six of the higher-ups, and I was allowed to waltz right on inside. Where I was basically told to sod off...

Hong Kong was quite confusingly set out, so I next wound up in a kitchen on the canal. There I was accosted by a man eagerly telling ‘Paul’ that he had the blueprints - before realising his mistake and wandering off. He didn’t reply to me when I spoke to him, but I followed him into a nearby dive bar. I went to the bar and had a chat with the barman, before finding the guy again.

I got lost SO DAMNED MUCH

After a little coercion I managed to get out of him that Paul had offered him a ton of cash to steal some blueprints and gadgets from Versalife, well the nearby headquarters of the bioengineering firm. 2000 credits later, I had three maps and half as much money as I used to, then resumed my search for Chow’s place.

I reached Tonnochi Road and got told “half a block down and to the left”, and enter the nearby apartment building. Checking the building directory, I found that Miss Chow was expecting me and headed up in the express elevator. I was greeted by her maid and followed her to where Chow was in the next room.

She explained that she and Paul were lovers, and that I could find evidence of who took the sword -- the Dragon’s Tooth Sword -- in the police station, and she had the code. I told her that Paul was dead and she was upset, so I left. Well, I would have if the maid hadn’t said “Please, take a look around”...

"I hear about a lot of swords..."

So I went searching about, as I was told. However, the maid seemed to regret telling me that, as she soon changed her tune. Especially when I tugged on a lantern and opened a secret door: she told me she would call the police. Deciding it wasn’t worth the risk, I left to find this evidence. But first I went in the other elevator using the code in the directory, to gain access to a floor which was under construction.

Once there, I found a homeless woman who told me that the only ones who used the floor were guards, who used the nearby laser-guarded entrance. I once again decided not to take the potentially-dangerous route, no matter what lovely murder I could inflict, and head to the market.

Back at the market (which was a little easier to find via one of the other many routes between the two places), I went into the police station and promptly alerted the officer inside by breaking in. His buddy left the next room to also… I dunno, chase me? Neither actually attacked me… so I slipped inside and into the secret room Chow told me of.

Shh, it's a secret!

There, I found evidence implicating Maggie Chow in working against the Triads. Because of course she was lying to me… Though I have no idea why she would send me to the police station, other than that they might have attacked me? So I exit, once again alerting the two and completely avoiding any penalty.

I went back to Tonnochi Road to confront Chow, up the elevator to be greeted once more by her maid. Apparently Chow had gone and so should I - then she called “Guards!”. I bravely stabbed the unarmed, elderly, French-maid-outfitted Chinese woman in the back with my sword, then hid from the two guards that had appeared behind me.

After roughly 30 seconds they decided I’d gotten away. Whilst I was watching them from the corner of the room, crouched and cloaked in a slight shadow. They wandered off and I followed stealthily, for once.

Shhh!

They went into the room I’d found earlier, behind the false wall activated by the lantern, and I let them turn the corner before heading further in, still sneaking. It was a huge place with multiple levels and large rooms, making me wonder why one would hide such a place in the penthouse of an apartment building. I snuck into a room with a large device in the middle, surrounded by computer banks, just as my comm crackled to life.

Tracer Tong was on the other end, congratulating me for finding the Dragon’s Tooth Sword -- apparently contained within the device I now shared the room with. He was watching my progress, and if I could take the sword back to Max Chen, that would be super. Once more, following the orders of someone I didn’t know from Adam, I went ahead and retrieved the blade.

An intern at Bethesda would later be fired for trying to give the dragons in Skyrim a mouth full of these...

The Dragon’s Tooth Sword happened to be a freaking katana-shaped lightsaber! By now you can guess, but I’ll tell you regardless. I went barrelling into the next room and murdered the six or seven guards in there with my fancy new laser sword!

Happy with my unwarranted massacre, I left to head back to the Lucky Money. By now I knew the way and was back in no time at all. Through the upstairs bar, the stockroom, the boardroom and in front of Max Chen. I know I have to give him the sword, but it’s such a handy implement of homicide...

They're sleeping... To recover from their laser stab wounds...