Elizabeth Peralez looks like she has it all. She’s poised, wealthy, and married to the man likely to become the next mayor of Night City. But when you meet her in a parked SUV during the Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought the Law quest, the air feels different. It isn’t just another merc job. You aren't just hunting a cyberpsycho or stealing a shard. You’re stepping into a rabbit hole that eventually leads to the most terrifying realization in the entire game: in Night City, even your thoughts might not be your own.
Most players remember this mission as the "River Ward quest." That's true, technically. It’s the introduction to River, the NCPD detective with a heart of gold and a cybernetic eye that’s seen too much. But if you focus only on the romance option or the police procedural vibes, you miss the existential dread baking under the surface. This mission kicks off a chain of events that makes the Arasaka Corporation look like amateurs.
The Setup: Why the Mayor Died
The official story is simple. Mayor Lucius Rhyne died of a heart attack. Case closed. Except, Elizabeth Peralez doesn’t buy it. She hires V to look into a braindance of an attempted assassination that happened days before the death.
When you dive into that BD, you see a grainy, glitchy mess. You see a man named Peter Horvath—a disgruntled former employee—trying to off the mayor. It looks like an open-and-shut case of a lone nut. But as you dig deeper with River Ward, you find out the NCPD is burying evidence faster than they can collect it.
The pacing of Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought the Law is brilliant because it starts as a noir detective story. You go to a seedy club called Red Queen's Chess. You punch some Tigers. You find a secret warehouse. It feels like Chinatown with neon lights. Then, the tone shifts. You find a van. You find transmitters. You realize the "assassin" wasn't just crazy; he was being pushed.
Entering the Red Queen's Chess
Finding the club is the first real challenge. It’s hidden inside a shipping container at the docks. Honestly, it’s one of those moments where CD Projekt Red rewards you for actually paying attention to environmental cues rather than just following the gold waypoint like a zombie.
Inside, it’s grim.
It isn't a "fun" club. It’s a sensory deprivation and brain-mapping hub. When you find the footage of the mayor actually dying, you realize it wasn't a heart attack in the traditional sense. His cyberware was spiked. His heart was stopped by a signal, not a clogged artery. This is where the quest stops being a murder mystery and starts being a political conspiracy.
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The NCPD isn't just lazy. They are actively complicit. Detective Han, River’s partner, is the face of this corruption. He’s not a cartoon villain; he’s just a guy who knows that if he pulls the thread, the whole sweater uncurls and strangles him. He tells River to drop it. River doesn't. That’s why we love River, even if his family dinner later in the game is one of the most awkward scenes in RPG history.
The Invisible Hand Behind the Peralez Family
Let's talk about the big "Why." Why kill Rhyne? Why involve V?
If you've played through the follow-up mission, Dream On, you know that Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought the Law is just the appetizer. The real threat isn't a rival politician. It isn't even Militech. It's an unnamed entity—likely rogue AIs from beyond the Blackwall—rewiring the brains of the city's elite.
Think about that for a second.
In a world where everyone has a chip in their head, you don't need to win an election. You just need to change the candidate's favorite color. Then their policy on taxes. Then their memories of their own childhood. By the time V finishes investigating the Red Queen's Chess, the scope of the conspiracy is so large that Johnny Silverhand actually sounds reasonable for wanting to blow everything up.
Johnny’s commentary during this quest is some of his best. He’s cynical, sure, but he’s also genuinely spooked. He recognizes that this isn't the old-school corporate greed he fought in 2023. This is something colder. It's the "Quiet War."
Crucial Choices and Rewards
You can't "fail" this quest in the traditional sense, but how you handle the information matters for your relationship with River.
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- The Braindance: Don't rush it. Scan the audio layers. You can hear the "Blue Danube" playing, which is a recurring motif for the brain-washing conspiracy.
- The Warehouse: You can go in guns blazing, but stealth reveals more dialogue from the guards. They’re scared too.
- The Confrontation: When you talk to Detective Han at the end, you realize the police force is totally neutered.
The reward for finishing the mission is a decent chunk of Eurodollars and the start of River Ward’s personal questline (The Hunt). But the real reward is the lore. You gain access to the Peralez apartment later, which is arguably the most detailed interior in the game. It’s a tomb of glass and gold.
What Most Players Get Wrong
A lot of people think this quest is just a prerequisite for a romance. That’s a mistake. If you treat Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought the Law as a checkbox, you miss the foreshadowing of the game's secret "Blue-Eyed Man" ending.
Mr. Blue Eyes.
If you look closely during your meetings with the Peralez family, you might spot a man watching from a balcony in the distance. He’s there. Always. He’s the one pulling the strings that V just started to trip over. This quest is the first time the game tells you that despite your high-tier implants and legendary katanas, you are a very small fish in a very dark ocean.
The quest also highlights the failure of the "Law" mentioned in the title. River tries to work within the system. V works outside it. Neither of them actually "wins." They just survive the discovery. The Mayor is still dead, the replacement is being mind-controlled, and the NCPD still takes bribes. It’s pure Cyberpunk. It’s bleak.
Practical Advice for Your Playthrough
If you are jumping into this mission right now, here is how to get the most out of it.
First, high Technical Ability or Intelligence helps. There are computers in the warehouse and the club that fill in the gaps. They explain how the "spiking" of the mayor's braindance worked. It wasn't magic; it was a sophisticated piece of malware.
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Second, listen to River. He’s one of the few NPCs who isn't trying to use V for personal gain—at least not initially. His insight into the "Animal" gang members guarding the club is actually useful. They aren't just muscle; they’re hired contractors for a shadowy security firm.
Finally, don't rush to the next objective marker. After you finish the quest, stay in the area. Read the shards. The lore found in the Red Queen's Chess links back to several other side gigs involving "Night Corp." It turns out the corporation that built the city might be the one trying to lobotomize it.
The Existential Impact
We spend so much time in Night City worrying about the Relic in V’s head. We worry about Johnny taking over. But Cyberpunk 2077 I Fought the Law reminds us that everyone in the city has a back door in their skull.
The Peralez family believes they are making choices. They think they are fighting for the people. In reality, they are puppets. Their personalities are being edited in real-time.
When you finish this quest, go look at the statues in the city center. Look at the advertisements. Look at how often the color blue appears in high-tech contexts. You’ll start to see the "Invisible Hand" everywhere. It makes the ending of the game feel much more urgent. You aren't just saving yourself; you're the only person who even knows the world is being hijacked.
Actionable Next Steps
To fully capitalize on the narrative weight of this quest, follow these specific steps in your game:
- Check your Shards: Read every encrypted message found in the "Red Queen's Chess" warehouse. It explicitly names the contractors involved in the Mayor's "accident."
- Observe the Balconies: During your final meeting with Elizabeth and Jefferson Peralez in the follow-up quest, use your scanner to look at the surrounding buildings. You can actually find the observers watching the meeting.
- Complete River’s Arc: Don't stop at this mission. The Hunt is widely considered one of the best-written horror sequences in modern gaming and provides the emotional payoff for River’s character.
- Connect the Dots: Keep an eye out for "Mr. Blue Eyes" in the Phantom Liberty DLC and the "Sun" ending. This quest is your first introduction to his sphere of influence.