Cyberpunk 2074: Shadows of the Past

2074, January 17, 23:30

"I heard that this place once belonged to a biotechnology company?"

"Yes, Mr. Paul." Zhang Xian'an replied with a smile, leaning back straight on the seat.

"It's good to be able to snatch a big piece of fat from those Americans." The man named Paul leaned on the leather sofa, chuckled and clapped.

"My pleasure, sir." Zhang Xian'an wiped the sweat from his forehead and lowered his eyes, not daring to have the slightest contact with the man's blue, absorbing eyes.

"Okay, that's enough chatting." Paul tapped the armrest of the sofa lightly.

The sound of fingers hitting leather lingered, clearly audible in the silent office.

"Of course, Mr. Paul." Zhang Xian'an nodded, lifted the silver lockbox at his feet, and gently placed it flat on the table in front of the two of them.

"CPH-4, the latest product that our Zhang Group will launch soon."

As he spoke, he opened the lockbox.

Countless blue particles form a small blue sea, quietly stored in transparent plastic bags.

"medicine?"

"Simply put, taking this drug can greatly unlock the potential of the human brain..."

"Get smarter?"

"Becoming more rational, wise, and can effectively cure cyberpsychosis..."

"It sounds like the market is quite broad..." Paul smiled, slowly picked up the package of medicine, and examined it carefully under the bright light above his head.

The medicines were bundled into a ball by the packaging, vaguely reflecting the beautiful arc light, as if they were holding all the bright stars in the palm of their hands.

"What about the side effects?"

"According to experiments..." Zhang Xian'an looked at the pouring rain outside the window and stated word by word, "It has a certain addictive nature."

"Ha." Paul put the medicine in his hand back to its original place and tapped it three times on the table.

"Yes, I can consider investing in this project." He paused and continued, "But...the observation period of your experimental data is too short..."

"I don't want to see those dear customers shorten their lifespan after taking this medicine. It's the direct cause. You know what I mean."

"I understand, Mr. Paul." Zhang Xian breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows with a smile on his lips.

Billions of abundant cash are about to pour into him like a flood, which will greatly help increase his own voice within the group.

"As for the data collection cycle..." He gently rubbed his chin, "Our company just found a subject suitable for long-term experiments..."

"Then it's a pleasure to work together?"

“A pleasure to work with.”

January 18, 2074, 0:00

A high-end cafe in Westbrook Japan Street

"Yahweh...Yahweh!"

"Has he been like this all night?"

"It's been getting weirder and weirder in the past few days..."

Heda sat next to Yahweh, pressing his fingers back and forth between his eyebrows in distress.

"I have seen in the information that in order to avoid the growing exploitation of his young wife, a middle-aged husband automatically sleeps like a dead pig at night..."

"Am I that kind of person?"

Xi Ta frowned, her pretty nose twitched, and her hands gestured back and forth in the air, eager to prove her innocence.

Lucy took a sip of her hot drink and shook her head.

"That's not certain."

She chuckled, her face full of teasing.

Heda gave up the meaningless struggle and collapsed on the comfortable sofa cushions together with the sleeping Yahweh.

It seemed that the gorgeous chandelier above her head was a bit dazzling, so the silver-haired girl covered her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Are you angry?" Lucy held the steaming porcelain cup, her fingers tightly attached to the cup, greedily absorbing the heat from the cup.

"He always lies to me... He clearly promised... I feel so useless... I can't do anything to help him..." Xi Tao murmured and let out a long sigh.

"I envy you very much..." Lucy whispered, putting her face on the turbulent water, covering her expression with the steaming mist.

"oh?"

As she expected, Xi Da put all the lost emotions behind - the silver-haired girl straightened her lazy back, tightly protecting the sleeping Yahweh behind her, and the beautiful violet gem immediately Bloom with vigilance.

Just like a cat protecting its food, it is honest and cute.

Lucy couldn't help but narrow her eyes as she thought about it, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Okay, okay...don't be nervous...don't be nervous." She repeatedly whispered soothing words as if coaxing a child.

"snort……"

The little kitten with fried hair gradually relaxed and slumped down on the sofa again.

"I just envy the relationship between you and him..." Lucy tapped her chin lightly with her finger, organizing her words, "Your relationship is unique."

"Unique?" Xida patted Yawei's sleeping cheek in disgust, and simply ran to Lucy, who was sitting across from him, and squeezed in with her.

"You and him are as unique as the earth and the sun." Lucy grabbed Xi Da's troublesome little hand.

In order to prevent Xi Da from continuing to play tricks, Lucy simply took her into her arms and restrained her hands so that she could not move.

"ah……"

Xi Da moved a few times and could only reluctantly accept the outcome of being ruthlessly suppressed by Lucy.

"The earth and the sun?" The silver little head shook, rubbing back and forth on Lucy's chin.

"Yes... the earth and the sun..." Lucy ignored the various little movements of the girl in her arms and continued, "If you are too far away, it will freeze into solid ice, if you are too close, it will burn into ashes. There is only one between the sun and the earth. Just enough distance to give birth to the only civilization…”

"Ever since the first man curiously looked up at the stars, mankind has never stopped pursuing other civilizations..."

"Until the Great Collapse...the moment when the global network was completely paralyzed by the death of the God of Hackers, mankind had not found the slightest trace of other civilizations..."

Lucy glanced at the confused Xi Da in her arms and sighed deeply.

"Human beings have spent hundreds of years and exhausted the distance of 93 billion light years, but they have not been able to find the second 'Earth and Sun' that exist together... The relationship between you is so special, the boundlessness of the entire universe There is only one pair in the starry sky."

Xi Ta pursed her lips, silently feeling the sole heaviness of the entire universe.

"What about you, Lucy?"

"I?"

"If there is the earth and the sun between me and him, what is Lucy?"

"Mercury." Realizing Xi Da's sincerity, it was rare for her to reveal her true thoughts.

"Mercury?"

She didn't answer Xi Da's confusion, she just kept talking to herself. "Like now, only if you and him keep a certain distance from each other can we continue to be in love..."

"So he always hides things from me?" Xi Tao rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I always feel like Lucy knows a lot...Have you met before?"

"It's just because it's too close...that's why it's Mercury..."

she whispered.

She once wandered in the deepest shadows of the old network and witnessed countless AIs gathering together to sing the legend of the supreme god.

"Anyway... just don't be too angry with him... wait for the day when he tells you all the truth."

"Hmm..." Xi Tao responded softly, but hesitated to speak.

"Do you like him?" After a long silence, she asked the question that was deep in her heart.

"It's not that I like him... I just... I'm a little obsessed with the light on him." Lucy answered decisively without any hesitation.

Her long-term pride and loneliness did not allow her to intervene in this relationship without authorization.

"Actually... I don't care... I just want him... I don't care about anything else..." Xi Da lay in her arms and whispered.

"I care about you, and he only cares about you. That's enough, isn't it?" Lucy smiled and rubbed Xi Da's soft little head.

"By the way, don't let him know what we said tonight..."

"Tch...Lucy is just not brave enough..."

"Still saying? I have no such thoughts about him at all!"