Chapter 48: The Human World (I)

"Let's go, Hita."

In the clear breeze, Yahweh whispered to the girl.

Silver hair brushed against his face, leaving only fragrance and a gentle refusal.

"If I hadn't met you, would I be like them, my fate not my own?"

January 18, 2074, 13:20

The sunlight was perfect, yet she was ice-cold all over.

"Every grain of dust in an era, when it falls on an individual, becomes a mountain... I can blow these dusts away for you, Hita, just like this wind." He spoke softly, gently gathering her wind-scattered hair together.

The railing on the rooftop swayed crookedly, one after another, being forcefully pulled down by the gradually frenzied wind.

"You saved him?"

"An awakened intelligent Robot, very interesting."

"I thought he was an AI fleeing from beyond the Black Wall."

"In a sense, he is a Pioneer."

"Pioneer?..."

Hita murmured, standing on the edge of the rooftop, gazing far down at the bustling ocean below.

Sirens, screams, interviews, gasps... all sorts of noise mixed together, evenly stirred, dripping with dark red blood, dotted with scarlet light, blended into a cup of strong wine from hell.

This taste made one nauseous.

"Are you sympathizing with him?"

"Sympathizing?" Yahweh held her cold hand and slowly shook his head. "I am just a bit surprised that flowers of humanity can bloom on these cold mechanical branches."

"Ha..." Hita smiled, gave up on asking further, turned around, hugged Yahweh, and buried herself in his warm embrace.

"Let's go?"

"Mm."

She answered softly, letting the singing wild wind take away all troubles.

January 18, 2074, 14:20

"Did you hear?"

"The kidnapping case in Downtown?"

"Yes, that one. I heard two students from our school were also kidnapped..."

"So scary..."

"So annoying. After this happened, the school definitely won't allow us to leave campus during lunch break anymore..."

"I heard they were two girls?"

"Why would anyone kidnap them for no reason? They must have been improper outside, right?"

"Makes sense..."

David frowned; the gnat-like chatterers made his head spin.

"Hey? David, class is starting soon, where are you going?"

"To the restroom." David waved to those behind him and quickly left the noisy classroom.

There are always people whose guts connect directly to their brains, spewing filth with their mouths.

David turned on the faucet, washing the boiling fire in his heart with clear water.

He looked up, staring fixedly at the boy in the mirror, pupils constricted, his internal organs freezing cold.

"Calm down... David... calm down." He bit his teeth hard, speaking word by word, as if he wanted to nail every word he said onto the wall.

Gloria had gone through great hardships to support his schooling; he could not so easily burn everything down with anger.

David took a deep breath and left the restroom with heavy steps.

Before the class bell rang, he rushed headlong toward the classroom.

Sister Heda had once told him that running could make a soul with nowhere to vent let out a silent roar.

So the frequency of his legs alternating became even faster.

Passing through the empty corridor and returning to the classroom, a series of thunderclaps fell behind him one after another.

"David?"

"It's nothing." He panted, answering slowly.

"Ding!"

The class bell rang.

January 18, 2074, 18:00

"Ding..."

Lucy gently pressed the elevator button.

She put on her hood, hiding her beautiful face in the shadows.

The news channel was playing inside the elevator.

"Good evening! Night City! According to preliminary statistics, this vicious kidnapping case in Downtown has caused a total of 88 deaths... Among them, all 45 NCPD officers who rushed to the scene died in the line of duty; additionally, 15 MaxTac members... 3 special sniper teams... all sacrificed gloriously..."

"Kang Tao Corporation claims that terrorists hacked into their armed Robots, among which Robot 003 broke free from control... successfully killed its out-of-control companion... Currently, the whereabouts of that Robot are unknown... Citizens, please be careful when traveling, pay attention to safety, and if you encounter dangerous situations, please call the NCPD hotline in time..."

These Corpo always have the ability to turn black into white.

Lucy brushed the few strands of hair exposed outside her hood and sighed lightly.

Because she heard someone accepted the commission to "catch the subway thief," she did not go out all day today.

Her stomach was already making dissatisfied cries.

Through the thick sports hoodie, Lucy touched her sunken stomach.

Fortunately, there were snack vendors with stalls downstairs open 24 hours.

She rubbed her chin, planning to make do for tonight.

"Ding!"

The elevator arrived.

Lucy stepped out of the elevator; a howling gale brushed past her, teasingly plastering her hair against her face.

"Lucy?"

A familiar voice came from beside her ear.

Lucy pushed aside her loose hair and saw a beautiful girl leaning close to her, wearing a reassuring smile on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Lucy asked, glancing with the corner of her eye at the man standing not far away.

"Come with us; we'll introduce you to some people."

"No, I haven't eaten yet..."

"Perfect; after we're done, we'll all go eat barbecue together. Here, take this to tide you over first."

"Bear Gummy Candy?" Lucy examined the small, bulging packet of gummies in her hand, somewhat stunned.

"Strawberry flavor..." Xida smiled, wrapping an arm around hers and revealing two round dimples.

Lucy raised an eyebrow and silently tucked the candy into her own pocket.

"Let's go, let's go, go back and change clothes."

"Who are we seeing that requires such formality?"

"Oh, just colleagues; that outfit we bought together last time... yes, that set will do. If you don't come... don't blame me for knocking on your door!" Xida, without another word, dragged Lucy into the elevator, leaving Yahweh behind.

Yahweh watched the numbers on the display increase and sighed lightly.

The last packet of gummies in his clothes pocket had also been snatched away.

He pouted, ran over to a nearby Vending Machine, and bought several more bags to stuff into his pocket.

"Brother-in-law?"

"David? Why are you back so early today?"

The big boy with a punk haircut ran breathlessly to Yahweh's side; his sore muscles contracted all at once, causing him to bend over somewhat awkwardly.

Yahweh raised an eyebrow and bought an extra bottle of sports drink.

"For you."

"Thanks, brother-in-law." David took the cold drink and sipped it in small mouthfuls. "Where's my sister?" He caught his breath and asked again.

"She went home to change clothes; we're going to meet some friends in a little while... do you want to come?"

"I won't intrude..." David rubbed the back of his head, hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly spoke: "Tomorrow evening, are you and my sister free? I have something I'd like to discuss with you both."

Yahweh pondered for a few seconds and nodded.

"Sure; I'll tell her in a moment. We'll wait for you tomorrow evening."

"Thanks, brother-in-law... so I'll head off now?"

David sighed in relief, waved at Yahweh, turned around, and ran toward the stairs.

It's a good thing young people love sports.

Yahweh asked no further questions, simply watching the boy's figure run away into the distance.