Cyberpunk 2074: Shadows of the Past

Chapter 39 Countdown
2074年，1月17日，23：00
There is still an hour until the end of little Laura's birthday.

"Sister? Let's go."

An Xianyuan stopped where she was, but the little girl's tugging several times did not wake her up from her meditation.

"elder sister?"

"It's going to rain..."

An Xianyuan murmured tremblingly, her eyes drooped in the shadows that the light could not reach, blurred and dazed.

Storms and storms swept from the distant horizon, responding to her established prophecy.

Cold air and humidity seep in from all directions, and even the abundant heating of high-end shopping malls cannot completely drive them away.

"It's okay... elder sister." Laura held the woman's cold hand tightly and comforted her softly.

Those who face their fate are always brave.

"There's still an hour, isn't it? Wait..." An Xianyuan stood where she was, her prosthetic eye kept flashing red in the dark night.

She was talking to Laura, but she was making a plea to the ghosts of hell.

"Enough has been played, hasn't it?" The male voice lingered in the ear with a touch of impatience, and the fiery emotions were like rolling magma flowing silently.

An Xianyuan hung up the phone, staring at the grand symphony played by wind and rain outside the window, dazed.

The little girl kept holding An Xianyuan's hand tightly, trying to warm the severe cold that radiated from the inside out in her heart.

"Lola, will you go somewhere with my sister at last, okay?" This was the first and last time she made a request to the little girl.

"Okay."

Laura just chuckled, took the initiative to take An Xianyuan's arm, and walked obediently with her.

"Photo studio?"

In just a few minutes, they arrived at their destination.

Laura asked in surprise, her silent heart resurfaced with curiosity.

An Xianyuan is a nostalgic person, and the few hobbies are so unpopular and old.

"Photography" is really a distant word for people living in 2074.

Recording super dream, prosthetic eye screenshot, visual sharing, etc., there are too many more advanced methods that can replace the role of that thin layer of photos.

But An Xianyuan likes it, just like she would rather sacrifice everything to piece together the final beauty for Laura, without asking logic or reason.

"Yes, the photo studio... let's take a group photo."

An Xianyuan stretched out her hands, and hugged the somewhat dazed little girl tightly from behind.

The closeness of heart to heart can dispel the severe cold that cannot be driven by heating.

"Why does my sister like to take pictures?" Laura asked curiously. The gradually shortening life span didn't seem to affect her in the slightest.

"I can use this thin photo to draw a ladle of water from the endless river of time..."

Holding Laura's little hand, An Xianyuan walked and shuttled through the corridors in the store full of photos, and didn't stop until she reached the end of the corridor.

"This is the key I use to time travel... With it, I won't forget you, Laura."

While ordering the shop assistants to make preparations, Ahn Hyun-won stroked the girl's long black hair, her eyes were fixed on Laura's pair of sparkling emerald gemstones.

She belatedly realized that maybe she would spend her whole life forgetting these beautiful green eyes.

"elder sister……"

Laura lay in the woman's arms, her eyes were red.

The delicate little girl who just turned 18 finally took off all her thick armor.

She trembled and wept as a reservoir opened above the green lake and all poured out.

"Lola..."

Patting the little girl's slender back lightly, An Xianyuan comforted her softly, but her voice became trembling along with it.

They hug each other forgetfully.

Until someone looked up at the electronic clock hanging on the wall and sighed softly.

"Don't cry... put on makeup, let's take a group photo." An Xianyuan gently kissed away the mottled tears at the corners of the girl's eyes with her lips.

"Um……"

Laura nodded obediently, and let the most professional makeup artist in the shop leave the first smear on her little face.

There is still half an hour.

Facing the mirror, An Xianyuan looked at the completed makeup on her face and breathed a sigh of relief.

There is still half an hour.

She stood up holding Laura's hand, walked out of the dressing room, and walked into the shooting room side by side.

An Xianyuan was wearing a fire suit, and Laura was wearing a bright moon suit. They stood side by side, holding hands, and left the brightest smiles in front of the most advanced cameras in Night City.

2074年，1月17日，24：00
The bell of death rang, and they boarded the floating car leading to hell.

An Xianyuan hugged the little Laura tightly in her arms.

"Sister, do you believe in God?"

The little girl in her arms spoke softly and asked.

"I do not believe."

She answered decisively.

If there is a God in this world, how could He sit back and watch this tragedy happen.

The music player in the car was turned on, and the old singing voice from a hundred years ago actively explained their unspeakable thoughts for them.

"It doesn't hurt me..."

"Do you wanna feel how it feels..."

In the noise of the wind and rain outside, someone sang along with the singing.

"And if I only could..."

"I'd make a deal with God..."

"And I'd get him to swap our places..."

The passionate music is linked with two fiery hearts, burning a silent fire together, riding the wind and waves in the increasingly grand wind and rain ensemble.

"Lola...don't be afraid..."

They hugged each other tightly, as if this could bring all the strength of each other together.

"Sister, we're here."

Laura spoke softly.

The floating car, the wind and rain, and the music all stopped at this moment.

They stared at each other for the last time.

"Um……"

An Xianyuan responded in a low voice, pushed open the car door, took Laura's hand, and slowly got out of the car.

The wind and rain began to roar again.

An Xianyuan stood where she was and let go of her hand.

Watching the girl walking alone, step by step towards death.

They did not say goodbye.

The employees of the Zhang Group who came to pick up the plane all bowed and said, "Miss An has worked hard."

Zhang Xian'an also greeted him with a smile.

Standing by the tarmac, she just felt that they were noisy.

The furious gust of rain roared unwillingly behind her.

Holding a photo in her hand, An Xianyuan stared blankly at the direction Laura left, as if her soul left with her.

"An Xianyuan?"

A low male voice tried to wake her up.

She lowered her head, her eyes were as silent as death.

She turned, her back to everyone, and sat on the edge of the tarmac.

"I want to smoke." She said, her voice hoarse.

So the exquisite cigarette case was handed over from behind.

She snatched it up, like an addicted smoker.

This is her first time smoking.

Facing the wind and rain, she lit one after another.

She coughed, silently feeling the painful screams from her fragile lungs.

She looked at the two blooming flowers in the photo and clutched her chest hard.

The mist that she spit out over and over again covered her entire expression.

She just sat there on the cold ground until dawn.

"fail……"

"Anatomy..."

"Efficacy..."

There are countless ghosts screaming in their ears.

She dropped the expensive cigarette case from the sky.

Sitting on the cloud, she was wearing a red dress, hugging her knees, curled up like a fire that was about to go out.

"elder sister?"

In the blur, she seemed to hear a familiar voice.

An Xianyuan turned her head abruptly.

Tears dripped on the ground, and a flower bloomed.

(End of this chapter)