Adapting Steve Miller's The Ghost of Hong Kong (Mae Ling Chen) into the New Flesh RPG (the Red Room's Burroughsian/Cronenbergian biopunk setting) creates a perfect synthesis of noir-assassin tropes and body-horror mechanics. This session picks right up from here on the blog.
In this conversion, Mae Ling Chen—the "Ghost"—becomes more than just a stealthy assassin. She is a master of biological concealment and a specter in the city of Interzone.
1. The Concept: The Phantom of Interzone
In New Flesh, Hong Kong is either a distant corporate arcology or a mirrored version of Interzone’s "Avalidad." Mae Ling Chen is an Infiltration Architect whose "Ghost" moniker comes from her ability to move through high-security bio-locked facilities as if she doesn't exist.
The Legend: She is rumored to be the only person who can walk through a "Living Door" (a sentient, DNA-locked entrance) without triggering a rejection response.
The Mission: She still operates as a "scalpel" for criminal triads or as an "avenging angel" for those discarded by the corporate bio-lords.
2. Character Profile: Mae Ling Chen (The Ghost)
Archetype: Private Operator / Assassin
| Attribute | Focus |
| Prowess | Flowing Water: Her movement is liquid. She can climb vertical "flesh-walls" with zero friction noise. |
| Cunning | Biological Ghost: She knows how to mask her pheromones and body heat to match the ambient room temperature. |
| Violence | The Scalpel: She doesn't fight; she excises. Her attacks are aimed at neural bundles and major arteries. |
Signature Augmentation (Chaos Magic/Biopunk): * Chameleonic Dermis: Her skin can mimic the texture and color of the organic architecture around her.
Neural Dampener: A device (or a ritual from her origin) that suppresses her heartbeat and lung activity, allowing her to stay perfectly still for hours without being detected by life-signs sensors.
3. Integrating the Stories
The 15 short stories in the NUELOW collection provide excellent "Mission Files" for a New Flesh campaign:
The Scalpel vs. The Sledgehammer: The players are hired by a triad to protect a bio-engineer. They realize they aren't fighting a corporate strike team, but one woman who is picking off their guards one by one without tripping a single alarm.
Justice for the Defenseless: Mae Ling hires the players to hit a "Harvesting Farm" where a minor corporation is recycling the poor into nutrient slurry. She provides the intel; the players provide the "sledgehammer" while she handles the quiet extraction of the data.
The Ghost Rises (Origins): In New Flesh, Mae Ling's origin could involve a failed corporate experiment in "Ghost-Imaging"—trying to create a soldier with no biological footprint. She escaped, and now she is the bug in their system.
4. New Flesh Mechanics for The Ghost
If you are using the Red System (as found in the newest edition of New Flesh):
Ability: Un-Detected. As long as Mae Ling is in shadows or against an organic surface, she has a +4 to Stealth. Any attempt to track her using thermal or bio-scanners requires a Critical Success.
Weapon: The Ghost-Blade. A monofilament wire or a bone-shiv grown from her own marrow. It deals
High Damageand ignoresArmorif the target is unaware.Tag: Avenging Angel. When fighting to protect the "Wretched" or defenseless, she gains a Free Reroll on any failed Violence test.
5. Adventure Seed: "The Ghost's Burden"
The Hook: A high-ranking Takeda Technologies executive is found dead in a room locked from the inside. The cause of death? Sudden, total biological shutdown. The only clue is a digital signature that reads: “I am the debt you forgot to pay.”
The Conflict: The players are hired by ZoneSec to track the killer. However, they soon discover the executive was responsible for the "unraveling" of several children in the slums for a failed longevity project.
The Twist: The "Ghost" isn't the villain; she's the only one keeping the city's predatory bio-lords in check. The players must decide: do they collect the corporate bounty, or do they help the Ghost finish her "justice"?
Neon Kowloon Sector in Aviladad
In the world of New Flesh, the "Hong Kong Sector" (often called Neon Kowloon) is a vertical, hyper-dense sprawl of bio-industrial architecture. While much of the Interzone is a horizontal desert of flesh and scrap, this sector is a jagged needle of glass and organic towers jutting into the toxic smog.
It is a place where the ancient Triad codes of the "Analog Age" have merged with the wetware of the future.
1. Geography: The Three Levels
The sector is built in a "stacked" hierarchy, where altitude equals air quality and social status.
| Level | Name | Description |
| Apex | The Jade Arcology | Controlled by the corporate elite (Takeda-Chen). Manicured "living" gardens and filtered air. This is where the Crimson Orchid originates. |
| Mid-Tier | The Gutter-Stream | A neon-lit labyrinth of floating markets and "wet-shops." This is the home of Casa del Gato and the neutral ground for operators like T.H.E. Cat. |
| Foundations | The Sump | The dark, damp roots of the city. Flooded with nutrient-rich waste where the "Wretched" live. This is Mae Ling Chen’s primary hunting ground. |
2. Atmospheric Features
The Hong Kong Sector has a distinct "flavor" that separates it from the rest of the Interzone:
Bioluminescent Pollution: The rain isn't just water; it’s a dilute solution of glowing algae and industrial runoff. It stains the skin and makes true stealth difficult without a Cold Suit or Chameleonic Dermis.
The Mesh-Cloud: The density of neural signals is so high that "Un-Hacked" individuals (like Hewitt) often suffer from "Signal Migraines."
Organic Scaffolding: To keep the massive towers from collapsing, the foundations are reinforced with Titan-Bone grafts—massive, calcified structures that pulse with a slow, tectonic heartbeat.
3. Factions & Power Players
The Takeda-Chen Conglomerate
The undisputed rulers of the Apex. They specialize in Targeted Evolution. They don't just sell you a drug; they sell you a new set of lungs that can breathe the Sump’s smog—for a monthly subscription fee.
The 14K Myomer-Triad
A criminal syndicate that has replaced traditional tattoos with Subdermal Kinetic Fibers. Their enforcers can punch through steel doors because their muscles are reinforced with high-tension myomer. They are the primary employers of Mae Ling Chen.
The Silent Monks of Victoria Peak
A cult of "Purists" who live at the highest point of the sector. They have surgically removed their digital interfaces to remain "un-scanned," making them a major source of information for those who want to disappear from the corporate grid.
4. Landmark: The Vertical Walled City
In the heart of the sector lies a tribute to the ancient Kowloon Walled City. It is a 200-story hive of illegal apartments, secret labs, and "flesh-stalls."
The Vibe: Cramped, humid, and smelling of ozone and ginger.
The Hazard: The building itself is "Semi-Sentient." It has a rudimentary nervous system to manage its elevators and waste disposal. If the building gets "sick" (a virus in the plumbing), it might accidentally crush a floor or seal off a hallway.
5. Game Mechanic: The "Crowd-Pulse"
In the Hong Kong Sector, the density of life is a mechanic.
The Rule: Whenever the players are in a public space, they gain a +2 to Stealth because there are simply too many bio-signatures for sensors to track. However, they suffer a -2 to Initiative because the sheer noise and chaos make it impossible to stay focused.
The Gutter-Stream is the circulatory system of Neon Kowloon. It’s a vertical canyon of flickering holographic advertisements, steam-belching vents, and suspended walkways that sway with the wind of passing hover-skiffs.
In this district, the "Analog" and the "Bio-Digital" collide. You’ll find a noodle stall powered by a rotting microbial battery right next to a high-end cyber-clinic.
Mid-Tier Gutter-Stream: Sector 7-G "The Throat"
The following map outlines the key locations where T.H.E. Cat and Mae Ling Chen operate. This area is a "Gray Zone"—neither fully corporate nor fully lawless.
Location Coordinates Description Casa del Gato Level 104, North Spire Hewitt's sanctuary. A sound-proofed, signal-shielded lounge. Entrance is via a non-functional elevator shaft (climbing required). The 14K "Meat-Locker" Level 102, East Block A Triad front disguised as a synthetic protein warehouse. Beneath the vats lies the tactical hub where Mae Ling Chen receives her marks. The Whispering Vent Level 103, Central Shaft A massive, rusted atmospheric processor. It creates a "Dead Zone" in the sector's audio-surveillance. The preferred meeting spot for illegal handoffs. Takeda-Chen Satellite Level 105, Overhang A small, heavily armored corporate sub-station. It monitors the Gutter-Stream's bio-data flow. A constant target for "The Ghost." Navigating the Map: Tactical Rules
The "Verticality" Rule
In the Gutter-Stream, distance is measured vertically. To move from Casa del Gato to the 14K Meat-Locker, players must either take the public "Sky-Tram" (High Risk: Identity Scanners) or perform a series of Prowess Checks to navigate the exterior maintenance pipes (Low Risk: Stealthy).
The Signal Fog
The area between Level 103 and 104 is saturated with "Bio-Static."
Effect: Long-range communication is impossible. Players must be within 30 feet to use radios or neural links. This is why Hewitt relies on face-to-face meetings and handwritten notes.
The "Looming" Presence
From any point on this map, you can look up and see the underside of the Jade Arcology. It glows with a soft, predatory green light, reminding everyone in the Gutter-Stream that the Corporate Lords are always watching their bio-metrics from above.
Plot Hook: The Crossing
The players are at Casa del Gato when a 14K courier stumbles in, bleeding "triad-blue" (a synthetic blood substitute). He carries a message for Hewitt: The Ghost has been flagged. A Takeda-Chen "Hunter-Killer" team is moving toward the Whispering Vent to intercept Mae Ling Chen. Hewitt cannot leave his post without compromising the club's neutrality. He needs the players to move through the Central Shaft and provide the "Sledgehammer" distraction so the "Scalpel" can escape.
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