Cyberpunk 2074: Shadows of the Past

2074, January 17, 23:00

There is still an hour left before little Laura's birthday ends.

"Sister? Let's go."

An Xianyuan stopped where she was, and the little girl's several pulls failed to wake her up from her meditation.

"elder sister?"

"It's going to rain..."

An Xianyuan murmured tremblingly, her eyes lowered in the dim shadow that could not be illuminated by the light, blurred and confused.

The violent storm swept in from the distant horizon, responding to her established prophecy.

Cold air and moisture seep in from all directions, and even the abundant heating in high-end shopping malls cannot completely drive them away.

"It's okay...sister." Laura squeezed the woman's cold hand tightly and comforted softly.

He who faces his fate is always brave.

"There's still an hour, isn't there? Just wait..." An Xianyuan stood there, her prosthetic eyes flashing red in the dark night.

She faced Laura and spoke, but she was making a request to the evil spirits in hell.

"You've had enough fun, haven't you?" The male voice in my ear was filled with a hint of impatience, and the hot emotions were like rolling lava flowing silently.

An Xianyuan hung up the phone and stared out the window at the grand symphony played by the wind and rain, in a daze.

The little girl kept holding An Xianyuan's hand tightly, trying to warm the coldness radiating from the inside out in her heart.

"Laura, will you accompany your sister to a place for the last time?" This was her first and last request to the little girl.

"Okay."

Laura just chuckled, took the initiative to hold An Xianyuan's arm, and followed her steps obediently.

"Photo studio?"

In just a few minutes' journey, they arrived at their destination.

Laura asked in surprise, and her silent heart resurfaced with curiosity.

An Xianyuan is a nostalgic person, and her few hobbies are so unpopular and shabby.

"Photography" is really a distant word for people living in 2074.

Recording Mewtwo, prosthetic eye screenshots, vision sharing, etc., there are too many more advanced methods that can replace the role of that thin layer of photos.

But An Xianyuan likes it, just like she is willing to sacrifice everything to piece together the final beauty for Laura, regardless of logic or reason.

"Yes, photo studio... let's take a photo."

An Xianyuan stretched out her hands and hugged the confused little girl tightly from behind.

The closeness of heart to heart can dispel the severe cold that heating cannot drive away.

"Why does sister like to take pictures?" Laura asked curiously. The gradually shortening life span seemed to have no impact on her at all.

"I can use this thin photo to draw a scoop of water from the endless river of time..."

An Xianyuan held Laura's little hand and walked through the corridor filled with photos in the store. She didn't stop until she reached the end of the corridor.

"This is the key I use for time travel... With it, I will never forget you, Laura."

An Xianyuan was instructing the clerk to make preparations, while stroking the girl's long black hair, her eyes staring directly at Laura's pair of sparkling turquoise gems.

She realized belatedly that it might take her the rest of her life to forget these beautiful green eyes.

"elder sister……"

Laura lay in the woman’s arms, her eyes red.

The delicate little girl who had just turned 18 finally took off all her thick armor.

She was trembling and crying. A reservoir opened upstream of the green lake, and everything poured out.

"Lola..."

Gently patting the little girl's slender back, An Xianyuan comforted her in a soft voice, but her voice became trembling along with it.

They embraced each other passionately.

Until someone looked up at the electronic clock hanging on the wall and sighed softly.

"Don't cry... put on makeup and let's take a group photo." Ahn Hyun-won gently kissed away the mottled tears at the corners of the girl's eyes with her lips.

"Um……"

Laura nodded obediently and let the most professional makeup artist in the store leave the first stroke of smear on her little face.

There's still half an hour left.

Looking in the mirror, Ahn Hyun-won looked at the completed makeup on her face and breathed a sigh of relief.

There's still half an hour left.

She took Laura's hand and stood up together, walked out of the dressing room, and walked side by side into the shooting room.

Ahn Hyun-won was dressed in a fire suit, and Laura was in a bright moon suit. They stood side by side, holding hands, leaving the most dazzling smiles in front of the most advanced cameras in Night City.

2074, January 17, 24:00

The death bell rang, and they got on the float car leading to hell.

An Xianyuan hugged little Laura in her arms.

"Sister, do you believe in God?"

The little girl in her arms spoke softly and asked.

"I do not believe."

She answered decisively.

If there really is a God in the world, how could He sit back and watch this tragedy happen?

The music player in the car was turned on, and the ancient songs from a hundred years ago took the initiative to explain their unspeakable thoughts.

"It doesn't hurt me..."

“Do you wanna feel how it feels…”

Amidst the noise of the howling wind and rain outside, someone was singing along with the singing.

"And if I only could..."

"I'd make a deal with God..."

"And I'd get him to swap our places..."

The passionate music and two fiery hearts are linked together, burning a silent fire together, riding the wind and waves in the increasingly grand wind and rain ensemble.

"Laura... don't be afraid..."

They hugged each other tightly, as if this could bring all their strength together.

"Sister, we're here."

Laura spoke softly.

The float car, wind, rain, and music all stopped making noise at this moment.

They stared at each other one last time.

"Um……"

An Xianyuan responded in a low voice, opened the car door, held Laura's hand, and slowly walked out of the car.

The wind and rain began to roar again.

An Xianyuan stood there and let go of her hand.

Watching the girl with scattered moonlight walking alone, step by step towards death.

They didn't say goodbye.

The employees of Zhang Group who came to pick up the plane bowed and said, "Thank you, Miss An."

Zhang Xian'an also greeted him with a smile.

Standing next to the tarmac, she felt they were noisy.

The furious wind and rain roared unwillingly behind her.

An Xianyuan held a photo in her hand and stared blankly at the direction Laura left, as if her soul had left with her.

"Ahn Hyun Won?"

The deep male voice tried to wake her up.

She lowered her head, her eyes as silent as death.

She turned around, facing away from everyone, and sat on the edge of the tarmac.

"I want to smoke." She said, her voice extremely hoarse.

So the exquisite cigarette box was handed over from behind.

She snatched it away like an addicted smoker.

This is her first time smoking.

Facing the wind and rain, she lit one after another.

She coughed, silently feeling the painful screams from her fragile lungs again and again.

She looked at the two blooming flowers in the photo and held her chest hard.

The mist she spat out over and over again obscured her entire expression.

She just sat on the cold ground until dawn.

"fail……"

"Anatomy..."

"Efficacy of medicine..."

There were countless fierce ghosts howling in my ears.

She dropped the expensive cigarette case from high in the sky.

Sitting on the cloud, she was wearing a red dress, hugging her knees, huddled up, like a fire that was about to go out.

"elder sister?"

In the blur, she seemed to hear a familiar voice.

An Xianyuan turned around sharply.

Tears fell on the ground and a flower bloomed.