Chapter 36: Sisters

She leaped from the high building.

Stretching out her arms, she resembled a bird pursuing freedom.

"Bang!"

January 17, 2074, 18:20

An Xianyuan gazed at the scattered specks of crimson splashing up not far outside the window, lost in a daze.

"Why aren't you eating?" The man sitting opposite also stared out the window, yet his hands and mouth never stopped moving.

The noisy clatter of bowls and chopsticks made her frown involuntarily.

"Your appetite is quite good, Zhang Xian'an." She turned to look at the man gobbling down his food, her tone sarcastic.

"I find it very appetizing." Zhang Xian'an withdrew his gaze from the window, lowered his head, and stirred the Mapo Tofu in his bowl.

The pristine spoon blurred the boundary between red and white; he opened his mouth wide, held it lightly with his hand, and slowly brought it to his lips.

"I feel a bit nauseous..."

An Xianyuan spoke softly, still staring out the window at the woman's shattered corpse lying on the icy ground.

On the ground, red and white intermingled, interspersed with a few strands of blue-green hair.

"Her skull has blossomed open; why keep staring at it?"

He spoke indistinctly, a bit of white stained with red accidentally spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Ah..."

She finally withdrew her gaze, letting out a long sigh; her tense back relaxed as she leaned back against the soft seat cushion.

"Do we have a test subject yet?"

He asked while reaching out to wipe the corner of his mouth with a napkin from the table.

An Xianyuan rubbed her temples, which throbbed slightly, and did not answer.

"It seems we don't, then?" He looked at the somewhat weary woman, the corners of his mouth curving upward slightly, revealing glimpses of white teeth like a man-eating demon.

"Can you stop for just one day?" she asked back with a frown.

The smile on the man's face made her feel somewhat nauseated.

"Miss An, you cannot resist me." He tapped the table, the smile on his face becoming increasingly ferocious.

An Xianyuan lowered her head, slowly eating the first bite of her dinner tonight, and spoke no more.

Zhang Xian'an nodded satisfactorily, rose from his seat, and sat down beside the woman.

"Stay away from me..."

"Look, that little mouse makes for a fine experimental material."

Zhang Xian'an ignored the woman's cold warning, gently grabbed her hair, and turned her head to follow his line of sight.

Under the neon iridescence of the night, a little girl wrapped up tightly was squatting beside a trash can, devouring somewhat filthy food in large mouthfuls.

"You are truly... a beast!" While looking pityingly at that pitiful little girl, she struggled forcefully against the familiar caress of the large hands beside her.

"Ha! Thanks for the compliment!"

Ignoring her struggles, he forcefully left a deep kiss mark on that exquisitely beautiful face.

"Alright, you know what to do..." He whispered word by word into An Xianyuan's ear, his finger tracing that deep cleavage, "Go bring her to me..."

He spoke lightly, issuing the final ultimatum.

An Xianyuan gave up struggling and slumped in the seat.

"Okay..."

She answered softly.

January 17, 2074, 18:30

"Hello..."

Laura tightly gripped the unfinished food in her small hands, lifted her head, and stared vigilantly at the mature woman greeting her.

Another rich person bored out of their mind.

Laura thought, still squatting on the ground, protecting the food in her hands.

"Hello, is there something you need?" she asked, her voice hoarse and unpleasant due to not having drunk water for several days.

She did not rashly choose to turn and flee.

Past experience told her that rashly refusing a rich person's extravagant "kindness" would only make them angry and humiliated, resulting in a severe beating for herself.

All she needed to do was obey, squat on the ground, act like a well-behaved pet, and quietly wait for charity.

Only then could she survive.

An Xianyuan pressed her lips together, lowering her head to gaze at the pitiful little girl before her.

"Is today... your birthday?" she asked softly.

"Big sister... how do you know?"

Laura asked back somewhat timidly.

She had heard that only criminals have their personal information known by others.

Had she committed a crime?

"Big sister... has installed cybernetic eyes that can scan your basic personal information, such as birthday, gender, name, and so on..."

An Xianyuan took a few steps forward, bent down, and while the little girl was stunned, embraced the dirty child without any sign of disgust.

"Sister?" Laura frowned awkwardly, carefully trying to escape her warm embrace.

The little girl was worried, concerned that the dirty spots on her cotton jacket might smear onto the big sister's expensive clothes.

"Just call me Sister Xianyuan..." An Xianyuan saw through the little girl's thoughts and hugged that trembling, petite body even tighter.

"My name is Laura..." Worried that her struggles would annoy the other, Laura could only lower her head helplessly and speak softly.

"Big sister will celebrate your birthday with you, okay?"

"Why?"

An Xianyuan opened her mouth, words dying on her lips, unsure how to answer.

"Am I... going to die?"

The girl in her arms stopped trembling, lifting her head, ripples stirring in her emerald-green eyes.

She gazed quietly at the older woman, asking softly, word by word.

"No..."

An Xianyuan gently stroked Laura's small, scar-covered face, answering in the same deliberate, word-by-word manner.

"Then please, Sister Xianyuan, take me away..."

Seeming to sense An Xianyuan's dilemma, Laura lowered her eyes and spoke softly.

All struggle and resistance was futile; she could only wait quietly for the end to arrive.

"... Let's go, big sister will take you to celebrate your birthday!" An Xianyuan, seemingly recalling her own deceased younger sister, felt her heart pounding incessantly, ready to burst forth with the most blazing emotions at any moment.

She wanted to just grab the little girl and flee, to leave Night City, to escape to the ends of the earth.

Alas, the man's cold gaze remained fixed upon her.

There was not even a sliver of hope for success.

For a traitor of the Zhang clan, there was only one path: death.

An Xianyuan sighed, tightly holding the little girl's dirty hand, and walked toward the shopping mall.

"Sister Xianyuan? Where are we going?" Even having accepted her fate, the little girl still looked around uneasily.

"To the shopping mall, to dress you up beautifully... and your face... big sister will also find someone to heal it for you."

Holding Laura's small hand, she was as gentle as she had been in childhood when holding the hand of her younger sister, with whom she had depended on each other for survival.

"Zhang Xian'an... I beg you, at least today..."

The moment she left the zone the man had designated in advance, the life-threatening phone call came immediately.

Before the beast on the other end could open its mouth to roar, she lowered her pride for the first time and made a request of him.

"The price... you know it, don't you..." Silence reigned on the other end of the line for a moment, followed by several bursts of arrogant laughter.

"Fine."

"Just for a little girl who scavenges trash to eat? You are willing to sacrifice your chastity and dignity?" Zhang Xian'an asked in a distant voice.

He suddenly realized he had never truly known her.

"I only hope that I am valuable enough to be worthy of Mr. Zhang showing mercy..." she murmured, then actively hung up the phone.

"Sister Xianyuan?" Laura tugged at the warm hand that had been holding hers all along.

"What is it?"

"Sister... why are you crying?"

"Crying? No... big sister's eyes just hurt a little."

"Sister..."

Laura opened her mouth, but ultimately chose to remain silent.

Under the moonlight, the two girls, one tall and one small, faced each other in silence, only gripping each other's hands more tightly.

Perhaps the ending was already destined.

But at least, they could choose dignity for themselves.