You’ll naturally pick up “Discrete Mathematics” while playing through the main story quest “On the Trail of the Traitor” in the N-Ray Range on Golden Ridge. If it doesn’t trigger automatically, you can trigger it by speaking with Exemplar Foxworth, an NPC whom you’ll encounter shortly after entering the range.
After you exit the first room with the switch puzzle, leave and go to the right — Foxworth will be nearby. Talk to them to begin the quest.
(Tip: You can make a Medical skill check or use a Trauma Kit to save Foxworth’s life when you’re having a conversation with them. Doing that makes an alternative quest ending later on.)
Regardless of what you do, your next objective will be solving the switch puzzle in the same room. Once completed, you’ll unlock the main segment of the quest and receive the instruction to “Neutralize Victor.”
How to Reach Victor
Charge up your N-Ray Scanner — invisible enemies are ahead. Sneak through the small vent on the left side of the room and head to Victor’s terminal.
Talk to it in order to get access to an alternate ending path. You don’t require any skill check for this, but do read his logs first before acting. If you skip this, you’ll lose one of the important outcomes further into the quest.
From here, take the left-hand corridor. You’ll reach a small lab area with a workbench and several enemies. Clear them out and talk to the NPC inside to learn more about Victor.
Then, draw the lever beside the obstructed door to proceed. Watch out for tripwires and mines in the following corridors — the N-Ray Scanner helps to uncover them. Detonate traps using Explosives Level 5, or destroy them remotely.
Proceed with caution until you reach a door that is sealed by multiple laser beams. To get past this section, you have to solve the laser puzzle.
How to Defeat the Laser Puzzle
There are two main ways to disable the lasers:
- Method 1: Use the maintenance hatch (Hacking Level 3).
- Method 2: Manually traverse the lasers (no skill check).
Both routes are possible — the first is faster and safer if you possess the required skills.
Method 1: Unseal the Maintenance Hatch (Hacking 3)
Equip your N-Ray Scanner and drop carefully down the ledge to your left.
- There’s a tripwire in front of the circuit panel — jump it or disable it with Explosives 5.
- Dialog the circuit to close the maintenance hatch.
- Show the vent behind you, but don’t go in yet — instead, shoot or disable the two mines inside first.
- Move towards the hatch on your left. There’s a mine before it and three more after it — destroy them all.
- The far end of the hallway has a lever you can operate to shut off power, drop the lasers, and open the sealed door.
- Exit through the vent on your right to rejoin the main path safely.
Method 2: Bypass the Lasers (No Skill Checks)
If you’re short on enough hacking level, you can force your way in manually — just take your time and watch for traps.
- Follow the movement of the moving lasers and drop down the second ledge to the right.
- Move forward as you drop down — there is a mine just behind. Turn around and shoot it, or disarm it if you have Explosives 5.
- Open the vent to the side and shoot the two mines inside from a distance.
- Use the lever to the right to shut off power and deactivate the lasers.
- Since the beams are deactivated, you can now go back to the top floor safely. Keep in mind — another mine is in front of the elevator ahead of you.
- Go down using the elevator to reach Victor’s room.
Neutralizing Victor
As soon as you step out of the elevator, a cutscene begins, and you will engage in a conversation with Victor Clemens. This depends on your past actions.
There are two possibilities for this to occur:
1. Victor Blows Himself Up (Aggressive Response)
In order to unlock this ending, choose any of the following lines:
- “[Attack] You’re gonna be a lot calmer once you’re dead.”
- Couldn’t you have killed yourself first before I had to come all the way here?
- “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
- “I don’t think you really want to do this.”
- “Violence isn’t the answer, Victor.”
Once this, Victor will attack and blow up. Fire him quickly or jump off the ledge of the cliff to get away from the blast.
2. Negotiate Victor to Stand Down (Peaceful Solution)
In order to negotiate Victor down, you’ll have the necessary options and some prerequisites:
- You must have talked to Victor’s terminal earlier in the quest.
- Saving Exemplar Foxworth’s life makes this easier (or opens a special conversation).
- When prompted, select these options
- “I thought you were a scientist, not a martyr.”
- Present the information you garnered from Victor’s terminal.
- Select either “You’re here to limit collateral damage” or “Wait a minute… De Vries put you up to this.”
- Next, select “Would pure scientific certainty have saved your co-worker?”
- If Foxworth is deceased, you may instead make a Science 5, Speech 5, or Intimidator perk test.
- Last, select “I finally understand you.”
Avoid any attack options for the remainder of the conversation. Victor will surrender peacefully, completing the quest.
