Hot Zone

The Hot Zone was the area of Night City most affected by the 2023 Holocaust. During the Time of the Red, this exclusion zone was blasted terrain full of wrecked, twisted skyscrapers, burned-out vehicles, and entombed bodies of the unlucky.

Overview
The only things one could find in the Hot Zone were ruins, radiation and death. Anyone that went into the irradiated wreckage was probably either a ganger, suicidal, or had driven there to find something that was hidden in the endless debris.

The Night City Health Department usually reminded people that the Hot Zone was not safe for unprotected occupation or travel, and they had to make sure when entering the Zone to be properly equipped.

The City Council considered this area to have a threat level of "Combat", which basically meant it was one of the worst places in the city, where people died, and no one cleaned it up afterwards.

History
The Hot Zone used to be the central city corporate district before the nuke of 2023 completely destroyed the whole area. In the following years, much of the wreckage was bulldozed into the bay as fill.

By 2045, its remainders were still a haunted landscape of wrecked buildings, burned-out cars, and buried bodies within the rubble. Although the radiation had dwindled during the years, it was still present during that time, and most people abandoned the area to the worst of the gangs.

Several employees of Merrill, Asukaga, & Finch were diagnosed with radiation sickness after handling gold that was transferred to a Night City branch vault, as they were unaware that the gold was radioactive. During the Time of Red there was an increase in radioactive precious metals showing up across the city and on the Black Market due to scavvers raiding the Hot Zone. Several banks and financial institutions begun mandatory testing for all valuable metals prior to allowing them into any branch office.

Locations

 * Old Bank Block
 * Old City Center
 * Old Med Center
 * Old Corp Center