Chapter 91: Third Movement: March (II)

"... Hey! Haiji! Hey! Stop zoning out, take this towel and wipe the rain off your head!..."

The heated towel flew up and wrapped straight around her face.

It also covered the surging emotions in her heart just in time.

Haiji shook her head without answering, merely grabbing the towel and slowly beginning to clean the cold dampness from her hair and cheeks.

Finally, she took off her soaked coat, threw it on the floor, frowned, and let out a soft sigh.

"Are you okay?" Mu Lin asked a cup of warm Japanese Sake from the restaurant owner and handed it to her cold palm.

"I'm fine..." Haiji took the cup, murmured a soft thank you, and then fell silent again.

Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of this restaurant, one could clearly see how fierce the rainstorm outside was, like a tsunami sweeping in, determined to thoroughly wash this city of filth and corruption clean.

"Since I came to Night City, I've never seen such a heavy rain day..."

To break the gloomy atmosphere, Mu Lin struggled to find a topic.

Imitating Haiji, he moved a chair, sat by the window, opened his brown eyes, and took in the entire brief process of countless raindrops being born from the clouds and plummeting to their death on the ground in the blink of an eye.

"How many years have you been in Night City?" Haiji fell silent for a few seconds before finally reacting.

"Almost four years..." Mu Lin counted briefly on his fingers and answered somewhat uncertainly.

"Ha, you really can't tell..." Haiji sighed lightly, "I've been in Night City for exactly one year..."

"Were you transferred from another city branch of the Net Watch?... Or did you register directly at the Night City Branch of the Net Watch?..."

"Have you never chatted with girls? Why do you speak in such roundabout ways?"

After drinking most of the warm liquid in one gulp, Haiji chuckled lightly and couldn't help but mock him as usual.

"What I mean is..." Mu Lin looked a bit at a loss.

"Ha, I understand." Haiji tapped her head with her index finger, "After arriving in Night City, I was discovered by the Net Watch and exceptionally recruited as an Agent."

"The gap between people is truly vast..." Mu Lin remarked, ordered a strong liquor uncommon in Japanese restaurants, and began to sip it slowly.

"Ha, what should I say, thanks for the compliment?" Haiji gently placed the empty cup on the table, let out a relieved sigh of warm breath, called the owner, and ordered three more bottles of Sake and a bowl of Tenggu Ramen.

"Feeling better now? I see you even have the energy to eat noodles..."

Mu Lin quietly observed her changing expression, breathed a sigh of relief, and ordered a Beef Ramen and two bottles of strong liquor for himself as well.

"Were you... looking for someone to meet just now? Don't misunderstand... can I ask?"

He weighed his words and spoke cautiously, but his nervousness made him sound incoherent.

"Do you like me?"

Haiji poured a mouthful of warm liquor into her mouth and glanced sideways at the nervous Mu Lin.

"Ah? No... I don't..."

As she expected, Mu Lin indeed became embarrassed, and his earlobes turned bright red.

"Whether you like me or not, don't mumble and stutter. If you have something to say, say it. Don't walk around with your tail between your legs... Those verbal attempts at sincerity, care, and flattery, besides moving yourself, can move no one."

After secretly glancing at Haiji's serious expression, Mu Lin lowered his head and murmured a low agreement.

"Did you find the person you were meeting just now?" Mu Lin hesitated, struggling to force complete sentences out of his mouth.

"No..." Haiji shook her head, "Also, keep trying, you're still far from it..."

"Far from what?"

"Nothing..." Haiji shrugged, turned her head to continue watching the waterfall of water falling outside the window, and leisurely drank her second cup of warm Sake.

◎

"Virus?"

The surveillance video playing on the large screen had just finished.

Paul lightly tapped the solid wood table, his tone carrying a hint of question.

"Yes, a virus..." Zhang Xian'an replied, operated the computer a few times, and projected the results onto the screen behind him.

"Electronic Virus... contagious... non-lethal... Neurotoxin... madness?"

Paul murmured softly, accurately grasping one key element after another.

"Yes, the cause is currently unknown..."

"Ha, just like a vengeful ghost that won't let go, seeking revenge." Paul shook his head and lightly tapped the table three times.

"Mr. Paul, do you believe in ghosts and gods?" Zhang Xian'an asked with some curiosity.

"Ghosts and gods?"

Paul did not answer, turning his head to look out the pitch-black window.

On the bright, brand-new glass wall, his blurred figure was reflected.

"Mr. Paul?"

"Hmm... never mind, let's continue."

"Okay." Zhang Xian'an nodded, not bothering to dwell on what the big shot in front of him had just been thinking.

"So... is there a possibility of completely removing the side effects of this drug?" Paul propped his chin, carefully browsing the data on the screen that was scrolling and changing at high speed.

"Ha, Mr. Paul is joking... Unless God is on earth, no one can guarantee they can remove the side effects of a drug..."

"Continue." Paul remained noncommittal, waving his hand to signal Zhang Xian'an to continue reporting the experimental results.

"Besides this adverse effect, we also discovered some benign reaction symptoms..." Zhang Xian'an paused, his tone becoming somewhat excited, "We found that taking this drug has a chance to permanently increase the level of brain development."

"The level of brain development?"

"Yes, according to current research reports, the level of human brain development is generally less than 10%..."

"Another one of your human studies?"

Seeming to hear the faint dissatisfaction hidden in the other party's words, Zhang Xian'an lowered his head and said softly, "I hope you don't mind... we are just for the sake of all..."

"Stop, no need to say such things to me. Continue talking about the research results. I want to know where the remaining 90% of the human brain goes."

"Take an analogy: the entire human brain is like an unfathomable ocean; the thoughts and ideas of an ordinary person currently circulate and wander only in the top 10% of the surface waters... and the more the brain is developed, the deeper one can penetrate vertically toward the ocean's bottom..."

"If one day the human brain were developed to 100%, what would happen?"

"It would approach infinitely close to... the omniscient and omnipotent God of myths and legends."

Zhang Xian'an answered in a low voice, his words filled with barely contained excitement.

"Wow..." Mr. Paul gave him a light round of applause, saying nothing more.

"Mr. Paul, what is your opinion?" Completely contrary to Zhang Xian'an's expectations, the reaction of this great figure before him was far too cold.

"Very interesting. Keep working hard."