Case and Molly travel via Paris and Amsterdam to the Sprawl, the giant city covering most of the American East Coast. Armitage, who travels separately and stays at luxurious hotels, comes to the abandoned factory in which Case and Molly are based. When Case complains about no longer being able to get high, Armitage tells him to worry instead about the 15 sacs of mycotoxin that have been placed in his bloodstream. Unless Case continues to obey Armitage and receives an enzyme to break down the sacs at the end of the job, the sacs will poison him, again rendering him unable to access cyberspace.

Left alone, Case confronts Molly, who insists on her ignorance of the toxin. She works for Armitage out of “professional pride” and knows nothing. To try to find answers, she takes Case to the Metro Holografix building, where they meet the Finn, a technology expert for hire. He scans Case for the venom sacs but cannot confirm or disprove their existence. His shielded lair, however, allows Molly and Case to talk freely. Molly reveals that she, Armitage, and Case have a “shopping list” that she has seen once.