Cyberpunk 2074: Shadows of the Past

I forgot who said that snow is what rain looks like after death.

In Night City, it rarely snows all year round.

Just like the people here, most of them died in obscurity, with no bones left.

"Pearl! A portion of mandarin duck hotpot for table 11!"

"Sister Doug! Table 4 wants three pairs of chopsticks, plus three porcelain bowls!"

"Waiter! Add more soup to the pot!"

…

Pearl Doug hated noon and night.

Every meal time, she would turn into a busy bee, circling back and forth between the tables, dizzy.

When did life start to become like this?

Cross your arms together, holding the bottom of the hot pot.

He held a heavy kettle in his left hand.

His right hand held three stacks of porcelain bowls, and three pairs of chopsticks between his fingers.

Pearl Doug was busy walking in a hurry, his posture was like a prisoner in handcuffs, awkward and funny.

"The porcelain bowls and chopsticks from Table 4... the bottom of the mandarin duck pot from Table 11... and one... more soup from Table 6..." With her lips moving slightly, she chewed one request after another, asking for more. Inhaling some food-scented air to satisfy your hunger can also help you arrange your food in order in your mind to prevent your exhausted brain from making any mistakes.

The guests at table 4 were three beautiful women, two of whom were dressed as students, and the remaining one looked like a working elite.

The guest at table 11 is a little strange. The clothes he wears look like military equipment. Of course, they may also be cosplay clothes.

There were many people at table 6. One man, four women and five people filled the round table, which looked very lively.

"Please use it slowly..." With a mask-like professional smile on his face, Pearl provided services to the guests at these tables in sequence according to the order he had just reviewed in his mind.

The guests at tables 4 and 6 were all very friendly, even the little waiter like her was greeted with a smile.

The guests at table 11 were somewhat taciturn. The brown-haired woman frowned, while the other woman with short red hair held her head up and looked expressionless.

Vaguely, she smelled a familiar smell of blood from them.

Just like her boyfriend who left without saying goodbye.

Yes.

The rusty brain slowly rotated, and the memories of the past became clear little by little.

Pearl Doug recalled why he had fallen into such a situation.

Her boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend, works in military technology.

Calling work is actually equivalent to serving in the military.

On the tender night when they reunited after a long separation, Pearl also smelled a similar smell from her boyfriend.

The smell of iron blood and chilling.

Originally, she had a job that paid well according to her boyfriend, and because she was working in the company through her relatives, she seemed to have a promising future.

But within a few days, everything fell apart.

First, my boyfriend suddenly lost contact for some unknown reason.

Then the family of the uncle with the same surname Doug suffered a disaster - her aunt died of a medical accident, her uncle Rob Doug went crazy and detonated explosives on his body in the street, and was accused by public opinion of being a murderer. Her cousin, who had a good relationship with her, He also committed suicide by taking medicine...

On the 18th, there was also a robot kidnapping incident, and most of the store was bombed.

Thanks to her cleverness in hiding under the table, her head was not blown open by the impact of glass fragments like another waiter...

Before experiencing this personally, she had no idea how fragile life was.

Those once beautiful lives have become gradually blurred memories.

Just like a bubble, it distorts the light in a flamboyant manner, dressing up as a phantom.

Until it breaks into fragments.

Like someone spitting on the ground.

"Pearl! Table No. 11 wants two beef slices!"

"Come right now!" She responded subconsciously, even though her brain didn't respond at all.

Pearl rubbed his blurry eyes and slapped his face hard a few times to wake himself up.

Although strictly speaking, the store provides a self-service mode in the evening, but the customer is God, just satisfy any requirements.

She curled her lips, trotted directly to the kitchen, took two fresh beef slices and quickly returned.

"You said you only had late-night snacks, why did you suddenly bring me to such a high-end store?"

From a distance, I could hear the guests at table 11 talking.

"Seeing that you are restless, I'll give you a reward... Don't think too much, just work peacefully and peacefully..." the red-haired woman comforted and glanced casually in Pearl's direction.

"Two beef slices...please use it slowly..." She lowered her eyes and respectfully held two plates of beef and placed them on the vegetable rack next to the table.

"Thank you..." The brown-haired woman thanked her and then continued to communicate with her companions.

Pearl Doug did not continue to listen to what they were saying.

The red-haired woman's intentional or unintentional look just now scared her into a cold sweat and made her whole body tremble.

Combining the previous details, it can be inferred with high probability that these two guests are soldiers or agents with special professions.

Just like her ex-boyfriend, everything involved carries the label of military secrecy.

Even if she had nine lives, she would not dare to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Pearl Doug is an ordinary ordinary person, but he has some strange habits.

She always likes to secretly listen to a few words while serving customers, hoping to find some stories or materials that can relieve her loneliness and make fun of her.

For example, there was a table of guests who cried and complained for several hours because they broke up with their girlfriend. She liked to go around that table one time after another, listening a little here, a little there, and finally pieced together some A story for your own entertainment.

After all, this is the only place where she can have fun in her busy work life.

"Pearl! Table No. 4 wants a mandarin duck hotpot!"

"Coming!"

It seems that during festivals, there will be many more customers ordering Yuanyang Hotpot than usual.

Pearl was thinking casually, and steadily brought out a pot of mandarin duck pot from the back kitchen.

She didn't know if she was overthinking it, but she always felt that the customer at table 4 looked familiar.

"Bonnie, do I want to take you home tonight?"

"Why are you asking this? You can't hold it any longer?"

"Go, go, go...my mother is still here, what can I say?"

The blonde girl was teased by another girl with dimples on her face until her face turned red.

Full of youthful flavor.

Pearl was a little envious of such a normal life.

"Yuanyang Pot, please use it slowly." She repeated mechanically, gently put down the bottom of the pot, turned around and left.

"If Bei..." the mature working woman changed her words with a smile, "If Bonnie has this wish and Sophia is also willing, I actually have no objection..."

"Mom! What are you talking about..." Sophia's face turned red and she just lay on the table and pretended to be dead.