Probably Stolen Butcher: Bounty and Retaliation
Story spoilers: This guide covers The Butcher's arrest, retaliation, and final Sawyer route.
The Butcher is a wanted Lower Levels customer with a 450-credit base bounty. Reporting him pays the bounty but does not end the threat: it starts a delayed retaliation sequence involving shop vandalism, a Meat Cleaver, and Sawyer's solution.
Quick answer
Match the customer to The Butcher's Wanted poster, then choose between recurring meat trades and the arrest route. If you report him, expect retaliation. After Sawyer offers help, activate Butcher Hunting through Joe Wild's services and verify the result in the overnight log.
How to identify The Butcher
Do not report a customer merely because the UI calls them a Lower Level Citizen. Compare the portrait and details with the current Wanted poster. A correct report has a base reward of 450 credits, although Starting Perks such as Model Citizen or Convict can change the amount actually paid.
Use the Incident Slip and current poster as the final evidence. The 450 figure is the base value, not a guarantee for every perk setup.
Report or keep trading?
If you let The Butcher leave, he can return on an approximately seven-day cycle to sell meat. This preserves a recurring supplier but leaves a wanted criminal active.
If you Call Security, you receive the bounty and stop the normal meat visits, but the full-release story continues into retaliation. The choice is therefore immediate cash and Security progress versus keeping a periodic trade relationship.
Vandalism and the Meat Cleaver
After the arrest, the shop may be vandalized. A Meat Cleaver and threat note later appear as part of the story. They are not a normal Marketplace Request, and you do not need to find another cleaver to satisfy a delivery.
The items signal that the retaliation route is active. Continue the story until Sawyer offers a way to deal with the threat.
How to activate Butcher Hunting
- Report The Butcher correctly.
- Continue through the delayed vandalism and threat events.
- Complete Sawyer's related conversation.
- Open Joe Wild's available services.
- Enable Butcher Hunting.
- End the day and check the overnight log for completion.
Current game data records a 500-credit base service fee, but the amount shown in your game may reflect service or difficulty modifiers. Follow the displayed quote.
The original bounty and the later hunting service are separate. Paying for the hunt does not award the same bounty a second time, and current evidence does not confirm a fixed extra item reward.
Troubleshooting
- If Call Security would be a wrongful report, recheck the portrait.
- If Sawyer has not offered help, allow the delayed retaliation events to occur first.
- If the hunt did not resolve, confirm the service was enabled before sleeping and read the overnight log.
- Do not treat the Meat Cleaver note as a shopping request.
Budget for the whole reporting route
The poster reward and later service belong to separate events. Taking a 450-credit base bounty does not mean the threat is resolved or that the later 500-credit recorded service is free. Keep the actual payout and service quote separate when evaluating the route.
For comparison of the recorded base figures only, 450 received minus 500 paid equals a 50-credit difference before other effects. This is arithmetic, not a guaranteed total storyline cost: perks can change the bounty, service pricing needs an in-game check, and retaliation can affect the shop. It explains why the bounty alone is an incomplete picture of the decision.
Recognize the stage before trying a solution
A normal meat-selling visit comes before the retaliation branch. Vandalism, the cleaver, and the note signal later story progression. Sawyer's offer then opens the service route; buying another cleaver does not substitute for that conversation.
Once the relevant service is available, confirm its displayed cost and enable it before the night calculation. Read the overnight log to distinguish selecting a service from seeing it complete. The original report does not itself perform Butcher Hunting.
What the evidence leaves open
待确认 (Pending confirmation): exact delays from the report to vandalism and cleaver delivery, all modifiers to the hunting fee, and the full consequences of ignoring Sawyer's offer. No fixed additional item reward is established by the supplied research. This guide does not invent one to make the service appear profitable.
The official release information confirms an expanded Butcher story. The detailed branch and service information comes from the recorded community story sources, with no complete current-release video walkthrough in the supplied material.
FAQ
How much is The Butcher's bounty?
The base poster reward is 450 credits. Starting Perks can change the final payout.
Should I report The Butcher?
Report him for the bounty and Security route, but expect retaliation. Letting him go preserves recurring meat trades.
What does the Meat Cleaver mean?
It is a retaliation story signal, not a normal item request.
How do I stop The Butcher?
Wait for Sawyer's help, activate Butcher Hunting through Joe Wild, then sleep and check the nightly log.