Zero
/ZEER-oh/ verb/noun
≈ “Murder / Kill”
Night City slang for murder. Reducing a life to zero — complete erasure. More deliberate and cold-blooded than 'flatline.'
“People aren't zeroed if they die peacefully. It's for murders.”— V, various fixers and mercs
Etymology
To reduce someone to zero — nothing. More clinical than 'flatline,' implying deliberate erasure rather than just death.
Usage History
Used since the original TTRPG. Central to the nihilistic vocabulary of Night City.
Taboo Trajectory
Extremely cold-blooded in implication. 'Flatline' at least references biology; 'zero' reduces a person to mathematics.
Semantic Drift Timeline
Consistent from TTRPG through video game. 'Zeroed' is the past tense form used most commonly.
Regional Notes
Universal across Night City.
Real-World Euphemisms
MurderKillEliminateErase