If only... she were an ordinary girl, how great that would be.
She wouldn't have to suffer like this, or struggle through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, let alone endure such a torment.
Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking.
"Squeak—"
Lao Wei walked over and pulled open an iron door of a storage cabinet, selecting a few items from inside.
"Pneumatic injectors, pneumatic sprays, and two different strengths of painkillers."
He took the prepared bottles of medicine and screwed them onto the uniform pneumatic heads.
"Press this slider before use to puncture the sealing membrane, then use it normally."
He then took a plastic bag and stuffed several boxes of variously sized medicine compartments inside. The pills were divided into batches, obediently staying in their compartments. He explained the usage of each one to Luo Qi.
"When the symptoms are severe, take a dose of the red medication once a day, and don't take any other medication on that day; initially, take these green pills, a total of six doses, once a day; after the condition improves, switch to the large blue pills, which contain 24 doses, also once a day. Use the pneumatic doses as needed, it's best to carry them with you..."
As Lao Wei explained the precautions, he was like a mother, using a marker to clearly label the usage instructions on the outside of the medicine boxes.
"Thank you, Lao Wei, I really don't know how to thank you."
Luo Qi smiled bitterly, looking into Lao Wei's eyes. The latter was interrupted and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
"The most important thing is to be alive, everything else is empty."
"Alright, young man, I won't keep you any longer. Take your girl and enjoy your time together."
He stuffed the pile of things into Luo Qi's hands, then casually placed a bottle of juice from the table into the bag.
"This one's on me, not on the bill."
Looking at the medical bill sent by Lao Wei, Luo Qi's face showed even more gratitude and guilt.
The price was almost at cost.
Lao Wei's labor fee was basically a friendly gift.
"Alright, thank you, Lao Wei."
He didn't know how many times he had thanked Victor today.
But gratitude is not valuable to outsiders and not important to those close to you.
What matters most is the heart.
Mo Er also rarely said "thank you very much"—apart from communicating with Luo Qi, she was mostly silent at other times.
"You transferred two thousand extra."
Lao Wei accepted the transfer without even looking, and then realized Luo Qi's little trick.
"Goodbye, Lao Wei."
Luo Qi pulled Mo Er, holding the bag in his left hand, waved to him, and disappeared around the stairway corner.
"Heh...you little rascal."
He watched the doorway, chuckled, and his eyes behind the sunglasses were unclear.
He opened a can of juice, continued to watch the boxing match replay, and the just-quieted basement became lively again.
...
"You're right, there's still so much beauty in this world that hasn't disappeared, life is not meaningless."
Walking along the bustling streets, Luo Qi surprisingly felt that everything around him had regained its color, becoming slightly more vivid.
"..."
The girl beside him was silent, and Luo Qi thought she was lost in thought. But when he turned his head, those pitch-black eyes were staring directly into his own.
"Is he your dad?"
The world went as quiet as a block of cheese.
"Cough..."
Luo Qi sprayed out a laugh, and then burst into laughter.
He couldn't stop laughing, and the corners of his eyes were moist.
Passersby first showed stiff expressions, then their faces changed drastically, looking at him cautiously as if he were a cyber-psycho, and slowly backed away.
"This is what family is like..."
Walking down the road, slowly strolling through the decayed prosperity and the chaotic hustle and bustle, they looked at the relatively calm sea, where the sunlight shone brilliantly amidst the waves and ripples.
The rain had stopped at some point.
He put away the umbrella, holding it and the bag of medicine together in his hand.
There were still raindrops on her cheeks.
In the past, he had heard from Jack what a family was. He understood and comprehended, but he didn't truly grasp it.
In Night City, having blood relations doesn't necessarily make you family.
When a few hearts are close enough to resonate, they form a family that feels "as close as neighbors even if far apart."
Now, it seemed both he and Mo Er understood.
"Bang!!!"
Before Luo Qi could see clearly, a figure spun and flew out, trailing sparks and lightning all the way, landing in a wet pile of trash by the roadside, writhing like a pill bug.
Mo Er retracted her fist, with the residual heat on it quickly dissipating.
The surrounding crowd was somewhat startled, but their expressions remained relatively calm.
A petty thief who tried to snatch a bag was beaten half to death—a common scene.
To the hoodlums on the streets, the bag in Luo Qi's hand was like mobile cash.
These days, not many could afford a proper doctor. If it weren't for a recent successful robbery of a scavenger crew, Luo Qi's journey would probably have left him broke.
Medicine monopolized by corporations, even at cost, was still so expensive.
This was also Night City.
"Well, it's a pity that my mood just improved a few seconds ago."
Luo Qi spread his hands helplessly.
"We can continue to be happy now."
Mo Er said this, but Luo Qi didn't see any hint of joking on her face. Instead, she was genuinely in a good mood.
The air after the rain was a bit smelly, but it had become much fresher, which wasn't contradictory.
"This is Lucky."
Luo Qi accompanied Mo Er all the way to Japan Street, sitting on a bench by the roadside, admiring the sea view of Night City when a call came in.
"Lucky, about Evelyn, I think there's something you need to know."
It was V, his voice filled with exhaustion.
He seemed to have had a bad night's sleep, dealing with Evelyn's affairs at Judy's house. In any case, his condition didn't sound great.
"Of course."
Luo Qi handed the phone to Mo Er as well.
"Evelyn didn't tell us everything."
It was hard to tell if V was angry, but the fatigue etched into every syllable was unmistakable.
"Her background might be connected to the Voodoo Boys; I saw a Vifver mark."
Voodoo Boys?
Luo Qi glanced at Mo Er, who hadn't expected such an outcome either, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"You mean that sinister gang? The one full of hackers?" He asked in amazement, "What do they want with the relic?"
Luo Qi had always thought that those who needed the relic must be competitors or someone with designs on Arasaka's technology. He never imagined that it would be a gang, and a mysterious hacker gang notorious for its dark arts.
"I found a clue in Evelyn's braindance, likely a small chapel somewhere in the Pacific. Judy said their hacking skills are brilliant; I don't even know what she looks like."
V sighed, his throat a little dry.
"They want the relic for the soul of Johnny Silverhand inside it, saying they want to... find Alt?"
"Do you know anything about this Alt?"
Alt? Who was that?
Luo Qi's first reaction was various images of giant beings of light.
[Damn...]
Johnny unexpectedly popped out.
[Johnny? What do you know about this?—This Alt.]
From a single word, Luo Qi noticed the change in his emotions and subtly furrowed his brow.
[How the hell would I know?]Johnny was furious and kept taking deep breaths,[I've been dead for half a century; I don't know any more than you do.]
[Then why are you so agitated?]
Luo Qi was puzzled, but he knew that Johnny must be holding something back.
[Damn it...]
This was the first time he had seen Johnny so frustrated.
That gloomy, irritable demeanor was a far cry from his usual unrestrained wisecracks.
[Alt Cunningham, she's a genius hacker.]
Johnny's tangled and angry tone seemed like he wanted to bite off his own nails.