Cyberpunk 2074: Shadows of the Past.

Chapter 40 Icarus
2074年，1月17日，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 not bad to snatch a big piece of fat from those Yankees." The man called Paul leaned on the leather sofa, chuckled and applauded.

"My honor, sir." Zhang Xian'an wiped the sweat from his forehead, lowered his eyes, not daring to make any contact with the man's blue eyes.

"Okay, that's all for the chat." Paul tapped the armrest of the sofa lightly.

The sound of fingers hitting the leather surface lingered, clearly audible in this 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 piece of blue sea, quietly stored in a transparent plastic bag.

"medicine?"

"In simple terms, taking this drug can greatly unleash the potential of the human brain..."

"Get smarter?"

"Becoming more rational, intelligent, and effective in curing cyberpsychopaths..."

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

The medicines are packaged and bundled into a ball, vaguely reflecting a beautiful arc, as if holding the bright stars together in the palm of your hand.

"What about the side effects?"

"According to the experiment..." Zhang Xian'an looked at the pouring rain outside the window, and stated word by word, "It has a certain degree of addiction."

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

"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 who took this medicine and shortened their lives. The direct reason, you know what I mean."

"Understood, Mr. Paul." Zhang Xian breathed a sigh of relief, raised his eyebrows involuntarily, and smiled.

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

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

"Then happy cooperation?"

"Pleasant to work with."

2074年，1月18日，0：00
An upscale cafe on Westbrook's Japanese Street
"Yahweh... Yahweh!"

"Has he been like this all night?"

"It's been getting weirder these days..."

Sitting next to Yawei, Xita pressed her fingers back and forth between her brows in distress.

"I have seen in the materials that in order to avoid the growing oppression of young wives, middle-aged husbands automatically sleep like dead pigs at night..."

"Am I that kind of person?"

Xita frowned, her pretty nose twitched, and she gestured back and forth in the air with her hands, eager to prove her innocence.

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

"That might not be the case."

She chuckled, teasing.

Xita gave up the meaningless struggle, and collapsed on the comfortable sofa cushions together with the sleeping Yawei.

As if feeling that the gorgeous chandelier above her head was a bit dazzling, the silver-haired girl covered her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Are you angry?" Lucy was holding the white steaming porcelain cup, her fingers pressed tightly against the cup, greedily sucking the heat from the cup.

"He always lied to me... He clearly said yes... I feel so useless... I can't help him with anything..." Xi Tan murmured, letting out a long sigh.

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

"Oh?"

As she expected, Xita really put all the lost emotions behind her - the silver-haired girl straightened her lazy spine, and tightly protected the sleeping Yawei behind her, and the beautiful violet gem immediately Blooming vigilant brilliance.

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

Thinking about it, Lucy couldn't help squinting her eyes, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"Okay, okay...don't be nervous...don't be nervous." She repeatedly comforted her in a low voice like coaxing a child.

"Humph……"

The little cat with fried fur gradually relaxed and slumped onto the sofa again.

"I'm just envious of the relationship between you and him..." Lucy tapped her chin with her finger, organizing her words, "Your relationship is unique."

"Unique?" Xita patted Yawei's sleeping cheek in distaste, and simply ran to Lucy who was sitting opposite, and squeezed together with her.

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

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

"ah……"

Xita moved a few times, but could only helplessly accept the ending of being ruthlessly suppressed by Lucy.

"Earth and sun?" The little silver head moved, rubbing back and forth on Lucy's chin.

"That's right...the earth and the sun..." Lucy ignored all the small movements of the girl in her arms and continued, "Too far away will freeze into solid ice, and too close will burn into ashes. There is only a distance between the sun and the earth." The distance is just right enough to give birth to the only civilization..."

"Since the first man looked up at the starry sky curiously, human beings have never stopped pursuing other civilizations..."

"Until the Great Crash... until the moment when the world-connecting network was completely paralyzed by the death of the God of Hackers, human beings have not found the slightest trace of other civilizations..."

Lucy glanced at the bewildered Xita in her arms, and sighed deeply.

"Human beings have spent hundreds of years and exhausted the distance of 930 billion light-years, but they have not been able to find the second 'earth and sun' that accompany each other... Between you, it is so special, and the boundless starry sky of the entire universe is only Just this couple."

Xita pursed her lips, silently feeling the only heavy weight in the entire universe.

"What about you, Lucy?"

"I?"

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

"Mercury." Aware of Xita's sincerity, she rarely revealed her true inner thoughts.

"Mercury?"

Without answering Hita's confusion, she spoke to herself. "Like now, you and him keep a certain distance from each other, so that you can go on lovingly..."

"So he always hides something from me?" Xita rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "It always seems that Lucy knows a lot... Did you know each other before?"

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

she spoke softly.

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 get too angry with him... Wait for the day when he tells you all the truth."

"Hmm..." Xi Tan replied softly, hesitant to speak.

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

"It's not like I like it...just... I'm a little obsessed with the light on his body." Lucy answered firmly without any hesitation.

The 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 Tan lay in her arms and said in a low voice.

"I care about you, and he only cares about you, that's enough, isn't it?" Lucy smiled and rubbed Xita's soft head.

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

"Che... Lucy just isn't brave enough..."

"Also? I don't have that kind of thought about him at all!"

(End of this chapter)