Leo remains unconvinced that his former mentor could have turned into a violent killer, despite Max’s wife Ondine being found dead three months prior with wounds matching Max’s Cybrid Arts, and is determined to bring him back alive. At the same time, Chaser Guild member Jack Cayman is also searching for Max at the behest of Jeannie Caxton, his daughter, while a series of robot drones pursues him trying to kill him. Following an encounter with fellow bounty hunters the Blacker Baron and Mathilda, Jack is reminded of the incident in which his adoptive daughter, Stela was killed by friendly fire during a rescue mission. It is while visiting her grave that Jack is first contacted by Jeannie, who reveals that Max was the officer who shot Stela, after which he fell into self-destructive habits such as drugs and alcohol before disappearing, and that the BPS plans to kill Max. Jack begrudgingly agrees to find Max at Jeannie's request. Meanwhile, Leo begins following a trail of cyborg corpses with wounds identical to those of Ondine. Evidence suggests that Max’s cyborg body is damaged and Strike One determines he will head to Port Valenda to scavenge for parts. Upon arriving in Port Valenda, Leo runs into Jack, who fights him to try and draw Max out. The plan works, with Max briefly appearing before quickly leaving again, and Jack and Leo give chase. They track him to Hong Long, where they split up. Leo runs into Max, who suffers from varying degrees of memory loss and attacks Leo, not recognizing him, but fellow agent Sasha Ivanoff and team leader Nikolai Bulygin arrive to help. After fighting Max, Nikolai prepares to execute him, but Leo intervenes, demanding a fair trial for Max. While Nikolai and Leo argue, Max runs off, and Strike One begins tracking him. Later, Jack briefly teams up with the Baron, as the two find and fight Max, whose mental state is rapidly deteriorating due to the influence of his addictions. Jack nearly kills Max in revenge, but is barely stopped by the Baron, allowing Max to escape. The group follows him to Bari Shur, where they encounter Sasha. The Baron and Mathilda distract her, while Jack continues looking for Max. At the same time, Leo and Nikolai continue to argue over whether Max should be returned dead or alive, culminating in a battle between the two. Leo defeats Nikolai, and he and a sympathetic Sasha resume the search on their own.