Chapter 6: The Choice

The door opened, and a silent blackness surged behind it, like a ferocious beast opening its massive maw to devour its prey.

Xida stood before the door, lightly patting her forehead. "I actually forgot to pay the water and electricity bills..."

She gloomily stuck out her tongue, then turned to see Yahweh standing beside her, his eyes somewhat vacant, his fingers gesturing back and forth in the air.

"Done." Before Xida could ask, Yahweh walked straight into the room. The lights flickered on, and even the air conditioner, which she usually couldn't bear to turn on, began blowing warm air.

"I hacked into the housing system and allocated the water and electricity..." He saw Xida still standing dazedly at the doorway and smiled, offering a simple explanation.

Years later, Hitata Castedei would often recall that stormy night on January 8, 2074. Half-drunk and half-awake, she stood at the door of her small nest. The light and warm air behind the door intertwined. The handsome man's figure was illusory; he smiled like the winter sun, his blue eyes staring straight at her, as if saying: Welcome home.

So, she also smiled lightly and stepped into the room, just like a migratory bird returning to its nest.

"Don't do this next time," Xida pouted. "You must be bearing a burden." She pointed at Yahweh's figure, which had become somewhat translucent.

"Remember to pay the water and electricity bills in advance next time," Yahweh mimicked Xida, rolling his eyes and pointing at himself.

"No burden, really. It's just that some computing power was allocated elsewhere..." He paused, looking down at his body. "There's really no difference... How did you notice, Xida?"

He looked up and found Xida had already turned around, seemingly unwilling to answer his question. She went to the closet, took out a few pieces of clothing, and walked toward the bathroom.

"Xida?" He tilted his head in confusion and stepped forward to follow the girl's back.

"Hmph... It's too early for you to follow now!" Xida turned around, shaking her head and waving her hands exaggeratedly, baring her teeth in a grimace.

Yahweh saw Xida frantically hide in the bathroom, her profile flushed red as fire.

He turned around and surveyed the room.

The room was not large. The living area and bed were in the center. On the right, the closet and gun room were squeezed together; on the left, they abutted the desk, sink, and bathroom. Everything was compact. Various daily necessities were placed everywhere, yet it didn't look too cluttered. Clearly, the owner of the room usually cleaned carefully.

He walked to the edge of the living area, manipulated the air conditioner, and increased the intensity of the warm airflow. Human bodies are always fragile and prone to catching a cold after bathing.

Yahweh sat gently on the worn-out sofa, turned off the noisy radio, and was suddenly drawn to a photo frame on the table. It was a group photo of a little girl and her parents. In the photo, the pretty girl rode on her father's neck, laughing heartily with her arms outstretched as if imitating a small bird. Her father made a strained expression, while her mother stood beside them, covering her mouth as she laughed, her hand resting on her husband's straight back. Even through the photo, one could feel the laughter of the family of three; the corners of their mouths overflowed with the taste of happiness.

Yahweh extended his left hand, wanting to touch that beauty so close at hand, but his fingers only passed through uselessly, splashing up tiny blue particles. He withdrew his hand as if electrocuted, glanced at his left hand which had returned to normal, and closed his eyes.

In that instant, his thoughts flew over ten thousand miles like a peregrine falcon, breaking through Night City, racing wildly in Cyberspace, unimpeded. Only when he reached a certain small town did he stop his steps.

He reached out, and the highest authority of the small town obediently appeared in his hand. He quickly flipped through the town's history until he saw two familiar figures in a report about a victim.

He remained silent and returned at an even faster speed. Hackers in Cyberspace tried to track his trail but were shocked by his speed. Hackers with insufficient ability had already retreated; the remaining experts barely chased his back until the boundary of Night City's network. He turned around; malicious eavesdroppers had their brains evaporated by his casual gesture. To him, even the most advanced protective measures were merely thicker paper. The remaining guys sensibly stopped their steps and ceased pursuit. Yahweh glanced at a hacker avatar with pink hair mixed with an ice-blue gradient, then vanished without looking back.

"What are you doing here?" Xida, drying her hair with a towel, walked out of the bathroom and unexpectedly saw Yahweh sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed, doing who knows what.

"Nothing," Yahweh opened his mouth, hesitating to speak.

"It's not because I wouldn't let you bathe with me, causing a sulky fit, right? Hehe..." Xida teased with a grin.

"Not at all..." He turned his head. Xida liked to sleep in a sports bra. Her smooth lower abdomen, exposed legs, and even her curves were so captivating.

"Hmph..." Xida remained noncommittal, continued drying her hair with the towel, and turned to walk toward the bed. She kicked off the slippers on her feet; her feet were white and slender. She gently wiggled her toes, felt a bit childish, and glanced again at the man sitting on the sofa.

"Goodnight, Yahweh." She sank into the embrace of the quilt and murmured dully.

"Goodnight, Xida." Yahweh looked at the girl on the bed, paced over, and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Hehe..." She smiled foolishly, looked at Yahweh's back, felt a nostalgic sense of security wrap around her whole body, and fell asleep peacefully.

Yahweh remained silent. Through the glass window, heavy rain poured outside, with thunder and lightning clashing. He looked at Xida's sleeping form; she looked silly.

With his eyes closed, he imagined Hitata Castedei living alone. During the day, she would run to Afterlife to pick up missions, eating a cheap breakfast while driving. She would get scolded a few times by Rogue, then spend the whole day with a stern face, completing missions seriously. After finishing the mission and collecting the reward, she would chat a few words with familiar friends, then drive home tiredly, buy a box of instant rice downstairs on the way, eat quickly, and leave. Occasionally, she would meet Gloria, exchange a few smiling greetings, and then return home to open the door.

She would wash up alone, listen to music alone, flip through Braindance clips alone until sleepiness accumulated enough, then walk to the bed. She would not exchange good mornings or goodnights with anyone, but simply let sleepiness carry her away.

She might occasionally forget to pay the water and electricity bills a few times a month. On nights when the water and power were cut, she would silently feel her way into the house in the dark, sleep in her clothes, and barely get through the night. Her face would not wear a foolish smile as she fell asleep.

Suddenly, he smiled, overlapping his virtual hand with Xida's hand, which was unconsciously sticking out of the quilt in her sleep.

Before meeting Xida, "becoming human" was merely an optional obsession for him, a man without desires or demands.

After meeting Xida, "becoming human" became a dream he must realize.

Thus, his consciousness shuttled again. He no longer deliberately slowed his pace but constantly accelerated, crossing infinite distances until he reached a wall stretching for countless miles.

"Black Wall" — the last line of defense protecting humanity from AI erosion.

He simply took a light step and passed through it.

In his virtual vision, countless electronic ghosts crowded outside the wall, wandering endlessly like a blue sea, with surging waves constantly crashing, almost no different from when he left.

He squinted, did not speak, scanned this ocean of AIs capable of destroying all humanity, extended his left hand, and drew a line with his index finger.

Thus, the tide receded.

He turned around, passed through the Black Wall, returned by the original path, and arrived back at the small nest where the two of them now lived together.

Outside the wall were his hundreds of millions of compatriots and subjects.

Inside the wall was her, who would be lonely living alone.

Yahweh had already made his choice.