Cyberpunk 2074: Shadows of the Past

Chapter 81 Undercurrent
"Why did you show up at my house?" Sophia grabbed the palm-sized robot and gently tapped its icy body back and forth with the tip of her fingernails.

"Bag..." The robot's limbs were clenched tightly by that white hand, unable to move, it could only slowly turn its round head, and the blue light in its eye sockets pointed to a shoulder bag that was randomly thrown on the ground.

"You mean... I brought you back? Why don't I remember?" Sophia frowned, trying to recall what happened two days ago.

People's memory is really a strange thing. Some things have passed for a long time, but they are still vivid; some things have just happened not long ago, but the details are already blurred.

For Sofia, too much happened on January 1.

She could only recall the loud explosion, the two unsolicited phone calls to the uncle, and the last three words she couldn't say - "I love you".

The memories flickering in her mind were like spinning lights, wrapping her tightly in the center, the brilliance was dazzling but the details could not be seen clearly, it was dazzling.

"I... can't remember..." She covered her head and sat down on the bed, curled up in a ball.

The robot was thrown on the bedside table, face down, and had an intimate contact with the wooden tabletop.

◎

"Ding!"

The sound of glasses colliding with each other is so crisp.

It was like the first long spring day shining on the frozen lake, so the thin ice on the water surface slowly melted, making a pleasant sound of cracking, full of vigor and vitality.

"I wish V all the best in his career!" Jack shouted blushingly while standing upright, holding a wine glass in his hand.

"Thanks, Jack." V smiled and lightly clinked glasses with Jack who was a little too drunk.

"Bless you, V." Misty whispered to V while supporting the stumbling Jack.

"You too, Misty." V ​​also responded with a smile, and generously drank the remaining spirits in the glass.

"Bleeding Jane. You can hangover." Jill smiled and watched the enthusiastic exchange of glasses between them, and silently mixed a glass of hangover drink for V.

"It's so sweet... Jill." Across the bar, V gave the cold-faced and warm-hearted bartender a warm hug.

"Tsk! Let me go... the smell of alcohol." Jill struggled gently in her arms pretending to be disgusted.

Since breaking up with her girlfriend in college, she has rarely had physical intimacy with others. (Note ①)

"You have to pay for this drink!" Jill wrinkled her nose and said viciously.

"Okay, okay." V ​​made an "OK" gesture, which made Jill's teeth itch.

In fact, she was just looking for an excuse to pay for the glass of wine.

Through the brief communication before, V has realized that Jill's economic situation is not easy.

In order to take good care of the bartender's face without leaving any trace, it really took her a lot of thought.

"V, thank you..." Breaking free from the momentary annoyance, Jill also understood V's kindness.

"It's okay...it's not easy for everyone in Night City."

V winked playfully at her.

When mature women do this kind of action, they are completely different from little girls, and they have a charming charm of various styles.

It was as if a pair of invisible hands deftly bypassed the heavy defenses of the atrium, and scratched a little at the most sensitive point of the fragile heart.

"V, did someone tell you not to wink at anyone?"

"No? What's the matter?"

V was picking up the glass of Bleeding Jane on the bar, raised his head slightly, and dripped the spicy liquor into his stomach bit by bit, savoring the psychedelic breath of both hot and cool.

"It's so charming..." Jill thought for a while, and then said her heart outright.

"Ha..." Misty had just settled down and drunk Jack, just in time to hear the frank words of the bartender lady, and couldn't help but burst out laughing softly.

"Our V is really charming..." Misty put her arms around V's arm, looked at her slightly rosy face, and teased softly.

"Misty! Even you..." V couldn't stand the pincer attack of the two of them, and quickly broke away from Misty's mischievous embrace, planning to flee towards the bar toilet.

A huge roar sounded, and the whole building trembled as if frightened.

V and Misty glanced at each other quickly, then turned around and jumped into the bar, pushing Jill down who was still a little confused, and protecting her under her body.

Misty also quickly dragged Jack, who was still a little drowsy, to a safe place.

The second explosion followed, and the violent shock wave caused the small bar to scream in agony.

◎

"I feel that Boros's state is a bit wrong..." The woman with short red hair leaned her hands on the trembling metal guardrail, and whispered softly to her companions behind her.

"He..." Melissa frowned, looking at the generous back that was gradually moving away and disappearing into the night, she hesitated to speak.

"It's okay, it's okay..." Bit looked like he didn't care at all, he shook his head and bounced on the spot a few times before continuing, "Men... there are always such a few days."

"Do you still have time to make wisecracks now?" Melissa said suddenly, yelling at that frivolous face.

"Huh?!" Bit was taken aback by Melissa's sudden outburst, and subconsciously exerted force on his modified legs, flying far away in an instant.

"Calm down...Melissa!" Rottweiler was also a little surprised, and quickly restrained Melissa, who was obviously in a wrong state.

"Sorry...I...suddenly..."

All the energy in the body seemed to be sucked away suddenly, spreading from the depths of the bone marrow to the muscles, and there was no strength in the whole body.

Melissa was speaking intermittently, but suddenly she staggered and was about to collapse to the ground.

"Melissa?" Rottweiler quickly supported Melissa and hugged her tightly into his arms.

"What's wrong with her?" Bit quickly returned from a distance, condescendingly looking down at the newcomer who was about to faint, and hurriedly asked with concern, and couldn't care less about getting angry.

"Boros...Melissa...don't know." Rottweiler pulled Melissa to sit on the ground, his brows were tightly frowned, and he was confused, without any clue.

"Since I killed that cyborg lunatic yesterday...everything seems to be wrong." Bit took out the "Yinglong" smart submachine gun attached to his back, looked around vigilantly, and escorted them.

"What's up with her?"

Boros appeared behind him at some point, lowered his voice, and asked softly.

"I*! Boss! You scared me!" Bit was sweating all over his body, and quickly turned his head to look at the calm captain who seemed to be the same as usual.

"Ha." Boros patted his tense shoulders lightly, and walked towards Rottweiler who was taking care of Melissa.

Two deafening explosions followed his flying cloak, lighting up the dark sky twice in a row.

"Boss?" Bit hesitated, and stopped the unpredictable man, "Are you okay?"

"Me? I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Bit." Boros didn't look back, but paused for a moment before moving on.

Note ①: In the original setting of Operation Bartender, Jill talked about a girlfriend during college. (It's not a boyfriend, the word is not wrong.)
(End of this chapter)