Chapter 77: Undercurrents

"Why are you in my house?" Sophia grabbed the palm-sized Robot and gently tapped its cold shell with her fingernail tips.

"Bag..." The Robot's limbs were all gripped tightly by that fair hand, unable to move, so it could only slowly turn its round head, the blue light in its eye sockets pointing to a shoulder bag carelessly thrown on the floor.

"You mean... I brought you back? Why don't I remember?" Sophia frowned, trying hard to recall the events from two days ago.

Human memory is truly a strange thing; some things that clearly happened long ago remain vividly in mind, while others that clearly just happened not long ago have already become blurry in the details.

For Sophia, too many things happened on January 18.

She could only recall that sky-high explosion and clamor, the two times she proactively called the uncle, and the three words she ultimately failed to say—"I love you."

The flickering memories in her mind were like rotating lights, wrapping her tightly in the center, dazzling yet unclear in detail, truly making one dizzy and entranced.

"I... I don't remember..." She covered her head, sat down heavily on the bed, and curled her whole body into a ball.

The Robot was tossed onto the nightstand, face down, having a close contact with the wooden tabletop.

◎

"Ding!"

The sound of glass cups clinking against each other was so crisp.

It was like the spring sun shining on an ice-covered lake for the first time for a long while, so the thin ice on the water surface slowly melted, emitting a pleasant cracking sound, full of vitality and energy.

"To V's smooth career!" Jack stood straight, holding up his wine glass, shouting with a red face.

"Thanks, Jack." V smiled and gently clinked glasses with the slightly drunk Jack.

"Bless you, V." Misty, while supporting the somewhat staggering Jack, spoke softly to V.

"You too, Misty." V also smiled in response, and heartily drank the remaining strong liquor in her cup in one gulp.

"Bleeding Jane. Can cure hangovers." Gil smiled, watching the lively toasting between them, and silently prepared a hangover-curing drink for V.

"So considerate... Gil." V, across the bar counter, gave the cold-faced but warm-hearted bartender lady a warm hug.

"Tsk! Let go of me... you smell of alcohol all over." Gil pretended to be disgusted and struggled slightly in her arms.

Since breaking up with her girlfriend in college, she had rarely had any physical intimate contact with others. (Note 1)

"You still have to pay for this drink!" Gil wrinkled her nose, speaking with feigned ferocity.

"Alright, alright." V made an "OK" gesture, making Gil's teeth itch with anger.

Actually, she was just looking for an excuse to pay for this drink.

Through the previous brief exchange, V had already realized that Gil's financial situation was not easy.

To be able to take care of this bartender lady's face without leaving a trace really took some thought on her part.

"V, thank you..." Breaking free from the brief annoyance, Gil also understood V's good intentions.

"It's nothing... In Night City, everyone has it hard."

V playfully winked at her.

When a mature woman does this kind of action, it is completely different from a young girl, possessing a charming allure of many flavors.

It was as if an invisible hand, lightly bypassing the heavy defenses of the heart, gave a small scratch on the most sensitive point of the fragile soul.

"V, has anyone ever told you not to wink at people randomly?"

"No? What's wrong?"

V was picking up that glass of Bleeding Jane on the bar counter, lifting her head slightly, letting the spicy liquor drip drop by drop into her belly, savoring the hallucinogenic scent where heat and coolness coexisted.

"So charming..." Gil thought for a moment, then frankly spoke her mind.

"Ha..." Misty, having just settled the drunk Jack, happened to hear the bartender lady's honest words and couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Our V is indeed full of charm..." Misty, holding V's arm, watched the slight flush on her face and teased softly.

"Misty! Even you..." V, unable to withstand the two of them's joint attack, quickly broke free from Misty's prankish embrace, planning to flee towards the direction of the bar restroom.

A huge boom sounded, and the entire building seemed startled, trembling uncontrollably.

V and Misty quickly exchanged a glance, then turned and leaped behind the bar counter, pressing the still somewhat confused Gil down, protecting her beneath themselves.

Misty also quickly dragged the still somewhat dazed Jack to a safe place.

A second explosion followed immediately, and the fierce shockwave made this small bar emit a painful wail of being unable to bear the burden.

◎

"I feel Beros's state is a bit off..." The woman with short red hair leaned both hands on the metal railing that was trembling, whispering softly to her companions behind her.

"He..." Melissa frowned, gazing from afar at that broad back gradually moving away and slowly disappearing into the night, somewhat hesitant to speak.

"It's nothing, nothing..." Bit acted as if he didn't care at all, shaking his head and body while hopping a few times in place, then continued, "Men... always have a few days like this."

"Do you still have the leisure to make jokes now?" Melissa suddenly spoke out, roaring at that frivolous face.

"Huh?!" Bit was startled by the suddenly exploding Melissa; his modified legs instinctively exerted force, flying out a long distance in an instant.

"Calm down... Melissa!" Rottweiler was also a bit surprised and quickly stopped the obviously off-state Melissa.

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

All the vital energy in her body seemed to be suddenly drained by someone, spreading from the depths of the bone marrow to the muscles, leaving not a bit of strength in her entire body.

Melissa spoke intermittently, suddenly stumbled, and was about to collapse onto the ground.

"Melissa?" Rottweiler, with quick eyes and hands, supported Melissa, hugging her tightly into his arms.

"What's wrong with her?" Bit quickly returned from a distance, looking down from above at the rookie who was about to faint, and immediately asked with concern, forgetting to be angry.

"Beros... Melissa... unclear." Rottweiler pulled Melissa to sit on the ground, his brows tightly furrowed, his mind completely lost, with not a single clue.

"Ever since we killed that cyber-psycho yesterday... everything seems to have started going wrong." Bit took out the "Yinglong" smart submachine gun tucked behind his back, vigilantly observing the surroundings to escort them.

"What's wrong with her?"

Beros appeared behind him at some unknown time, pressing his voice, and asked softly.

"Damn! Boss! You scared me!" Bit broke out in cold sweat all over, quickly turned around, and looked at that Captain who seemed as steady as usual.

"Ha." Beros gently patted his tense shoulder and walked towards Rottweiler who was taking care of Melissa.

Two deafening explosions followed behind his billowing cape, lighting up the pitch-black sky twice in succession.

"Boss?" Bit hesitated, calling out to this enigmatic man. "Are you alright?"

"Me? I'm fine. Thanks for your concern, Bit." Beros did not turn back; he merely paused his steps for a moment before continuing onward.

Note 1: In the original setting of the Bartender's actions, Jill dated a girlfriend during her university years. (Not a boyfriend; the character was not typed incorrectly.)