Chapter 115: Doubt

Are you hungry?

He opened his eyes half-consciously, faintly sensing someone gently pushing his body.

"Mom? Did I fall asleep?" David rubbed his eyes with his hand.

"You've always been like this since you were a child—fall asleep the moment you get in the car," Gloria smiled, using her fingertips to smooth David's messy hair.

"Mainly because the air conditioning was on—it's pretty warm…" David sniffed hard.

"Are you awake now?" Gloria pinched her son's cheek, "Can you answer your mom now?"

"Huh? Oh… I'm fine, not that hungry." David shook his head; his back and waist ached from sleep, and he had no appetite at all.

"I see…" Gloria nodded, her hand resting on her abdomen subtly shifting elsewhere, "Then shall we go straight home?"

"Let's buy something to eat first…" David exhaled, "Just the ramen you love best."

"Then I'll go down and buy it—you wait for me in the car."

"Okay—" David dragged out the word, sighing deeply only after watching his mother step out of the car.

If he hadn't been paying attention to every tiny movement Gloria made, she might have gone to bed hungry again tonight.

How many times had he noticed this before?

David thought about it, then bumped his head lightly against the car door.

◎

"Waitress! Add soup to Table 11!"

"Coming right away!" Pearl wiped sweat from her forehead and hurried to the kitchen, fetching a pot of hot water.

"Please enjoy…" She maintained a polite smile while fixing her gaze on the pot's base, slowly pouring it into the clear broth.

"Thanks…" The red-haired woman thanked her.

Pearl didn't have time to reply—she merely nodded and hurried toward other tables.

"Pearl! Come here a moment…"

It was Manager Zhao calling her.

"Coming!" Pearl responded, set down her task, and turned toward the staff room inside.

She felt uneasy inside but pushed open the wooden door with gritted teeth.

"Manager Zhao, did you need me?"

"Sit down first…"

Manager Zhao pointed to the sofa beside him, his tone calm—apparently not the worst scenario she'd feared.

"Oh…" Pearl nodded and sat down obediently.

The soft, comfortable feel of the premium sofa instantly overwhelmed her aching body, finally allowing her tense muscles to relax slightly.

Pearl unconsciously closed her eyes in comfort—half a second later, she realized her lapse and disrespect.

"I'm sorry… Manager…"

She quickly stood up, ready to bow in apology, but Manager Zhao stopped her.

"Don't be nervous, Pearl…" Manager Zhao smiled warmly, "You've performed well these past few days… I'm considering offering you a permanent position…"

"Thank you, Manager!"

Pearl happily pinched her thigh hard to confirm this wasn't just a dream.

"But…" Manager Zhao rubbed his thinning hair, "There's one condition you must know…"

"Any condition! I trust you wouldn't harm me, Manager!"

"No, don't rush, Pearl… Read this contract… If you truly agree, sign it… If you don't, given your hard work and lack of mistakes these past few days…"

"How could I possibly refuse!" Pearl interrupted eagerly, snatching the Data Chip from the table and plugging it directly into the interface at her neck.

A flood of data surged into her mind, pressing against her skull with a dull ache.

Pearl felt dizzy—she had never seen such a massive volume of information, even during her time at the Company.

Without reason, a faint sense of foreboding rose in her heart.

◎

"It's snowing…" Yahweh glanced out the window.

"Where? Let me see!" Hita immediately put down her chopsticks, ignoring the grease on her lips, and leaned over her boyfriend to peer through the foggy window.

"It really is…" V, also seated by the window, pressed her forehead against the cold glass and looked upward.

Against the dark background, the scattered tiny white specks stood out sharply.

"It's snowing…" Gil sighed, "Feels like it's been ages since I last built a snowman…"

"Lucy, Lucy!" Hita shook Lucy, who was quietly eating winter melon slices, "How about we build a snowman tomorrow?"

"Too childish—I don't want to go. Ask your boyfriend—he'll definitely want to go with you." Lucy shook her head, clearly uninterested.

◎

"After the snow started, I suddenly feel cold…" Melissa looked up as the delicate white spirits spiraled down, whispering to Rowena behind her.

"It'll be even colder when the snow melts in the morning…" Rowena kept her hands in her pockets, hunched shoulders, yet showed no sign of shivering.

The two of them eating Hot Pot was much faster than a group meal.

Less than an hour later, both were full, paid, and left.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking… it would've been nice if more people had joined us for Hot Pot…" Melissa sighed, "The other tables looked like they'd been eating long before we arrived—and even after we left, they were still adding more food… It just looked so lively."

"Melissa…" Rowena shook the snowflakes from her red hair tips and exhaled a faint wisp of vapor.

"We won't repeat the past, right?" Melissa turned back, gazing into Rowena's eyes, asking softly.

"I'll try…" Rowena deliberately averted her gaze, answering ambiguously.

"Forget it..." Melissa shook her head. "So, are we heading back to the new Safe House now?"

"Although I'd also like to go back and soak in a nice, comfortable hot bath, unfortunately..." Rottweiler handed his phone to Melissa.

"What's this? A Wanted Notice?" Melissa arched an eyebrow; it was the first time she had ever seen such a novel thing. "What does this mean?"

"It's a special cipher... It seems this matter isn't simple..." Rottweiler took back the phone, speaking as he tapped characters into the phone's notepad, translating the message word for word.

"It looks so complicated; do I need to learn it too?"

"You don't need to while I'm here, but if one day I'm no longer around, you'll have to pull all-nighters and study hard..."

"Pah, pah, pah... Don't say such unlucky things..." Melissa pinched Rottweiler's waist, but alas, a certain person wasn't ticklish at all. "So, wanted for what? Another cyberpsycho?"

"It just says we need to cooperate with the operation, with specialists assigned to handle the search?" Rottweiler frowned. MaxTac had always been an independent department, at most engaging in simple cooperation with NCPD officers; the current situation was something she had never heard of before.