49: Chapter 49 Certainty (V: Time to eat, brothers!)
The Delamain taxi drove through the eerily quiet villa district of North Oak, finally stopping in front of a brand-new villa with a detached garage and courtyard. This was the new residence that Lin Yi had exchanged for a high price using Old Net datasets from the platform a while ago.
[What? You ask what happened to the old one? Of course, I put it... just kidding, I just tossed the old one.]
The quiet here and the hustle and bustle of Japantown felt like two different worlds.
Lin Yi supported the drunk V as they walked into the spacious yet slightly empty living room. Before he could turn on the lights, V suddenly broke free from his hand, turned around, and pinned him against the wall on one side of the entryway.
By the faint light filtering in from outside, reflected by the city's neon lights, Lin Yi could vaguely see the lingering flush on her face and that pair of Kiroshi optics that were exceptionally bright in the darkness.
Her eyes no longer held the blurriness of drunkenness, leaving only a kind of desperate, all-or-nothing seriousness.
"Lin Yi," her voice carried the laziness of someone who had been drinking, but her tone was exceptionally serious. "Tell me, why won't you give me an answer? Do you think I'm not suitable?"
This question was like a bullet, catching Lin Yi off guard and striking right between his brows.
He froze in place, not knowing how to organize his words for a moment.
He had never thought about these things; he just habitually worried too much—worried about the dangers of this world, worried about the secrets he carried... but the more direct reason was.
On V's side, seeing Lin Yi's stunned expression, a trace of disappointment and self-mockery flashed in her eyes, but more of it was a long-suppressed sense of grievance and stubbornness.
"Wait, buddy, when did you ever say that?" At this moment, a string in Lin Yi's heart that had been tight all along suddenly loosened.
So that was it; this girl really meant that. Lin Yi had thought V just saw him as a buddy, and he thought his own ghost brain from two lifetimes as Xiao Chunnan had been overthinking things. Man, look at this mess.
What else is there to say? Let's do it, boys.
At this moment, words were powerless; let actions respond to all doubts.
"What, mph..." V's exclamation, turning from sorrow to joy, was cut short.
Lin Yi lunged forward, taking the initiative, and gently pressed her against the wall, one hand cushioning the back of her head, the other supporting her waist.
Without any warning, he lowered his head and precisely captured her lips.
It wasn't a gentle probe, but a thorough kiss, carrying unquestionable force and deep emotion, prying open her teeth, entangling, deepening, as if to weave their souls together.
V's body stiffened slightly at first, then, as if all her strength had been drained away, she softened in his embrace, responding awkwardly but passionately.
After a long while, their lips parted.
Both were breathing slightly heavily.
V's cheeks were even more flushed than before, her eyes moist, shimmering with an alluring glow in the dim light.
The romantic atmosphere swirled between them like something tangible.
She looked at him, licked her lips that were slightly reflecting the dim light, and said in a voice with a hint of seductive hoarseness: "Then what... are you still waiting for?"
This sentence was like the spark that ignited the final line of defense.
Lin Yi hesitated no longer. He bent down, one hand passing under the back of her knees, and scooped her up in one fluid motion. "Tonight is going to be wild," V exclaimed, subconsciously wrapping her arms around his neck.
He didn't head for the bedroom, but walked straight toward the spacious, marble-tiled bathroom on the side.
Warm water poured down from the showerhead above, quickly soaking their clothes and outlining the contours of their bodies.
In the swirling steam, the previous exhaustion, fear, and pretense were washed away, leaving only the most primitive and real desire of the moment.
They stripped off each other's soaked clothes, which symbolized the life-and-death struggles of the past few hours, as if shedding a heavy shell.
... (800 words of description regarding the "human heterosexual chimera test and validation experiment on dopamine-stimulated behavior" omitted here) ...
To ensure the accuracy and universality of the practical results, a rigorous researcher would naturally not be satisfied with a single observation in one environment; clearly, our two 'test subjects' had also considered this.
From the steam-filled bathroom to the soft, wide bed in the master bedroom, and even in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking part of the city's night view... controlling variables and repeating the experiment multiple times was necessary.
Finally, in the moments before dawn, all restlessness, unease, and passion subsided into calm.
V curled up in Lin Yi's arms, her cheek pressed against his warm chest, listening to his strong and steady heartbeat.
All the previous negative emotions—the fear of death, the confusion about the future, the doubt about her own charm—were replaced by a deep sense of security and satisfaction after this thorough "experiment."
Like a ship that had drifted for years and finally found a harbor, she closed her eyes in peace and fell into a deep sleep.
Lin Yi held her, feeling the real warmth and weight in his arms, and the sense of uncertainty that had lingered in his heart quietly dissipated.
He lowered his head and pressed a light kiss to her smooth forehead.
In this perilous Night City, they seemed to have finally found a clear coordinate for each other, named "Us."
Meanwhile, on a highway on the other side of the city, Jackie Welles was riding his beloved ARCH motorcycle, carrying Misty as they sped along the road on the edge of the desert known as the "Badlands."
The night wind howled, and Misty held tightly onto his waist from the back seat, her face pressed against his broad back.
"Jackie, where are we going later?" Misty's voice was somewhat blurred in the wind.
"Girl, I'm taking you to see something exciting in a bit!" Jackie's voice carried his usual boldness, but Misty, who had been with him for a long time, could hear a trace of imperceptible heaviness in it.
"You guys... got into big trouble this time, didn't you?" Misty asked softly. "Viktor told me a little bit about the situation the day you came back."
Jackie smacked his lips: "Hey, that big-mouth Viktor! It's fine, girl. In our line of work, if you don't get a few scars, how can you call yourself a legend?" He paused, his tone carrying a complex mix of lingering fear and excitement. "And we pulled off a big one! Tomorrow... no, I bet the news is out already, you'll know soon."
Misty was silent for a moment and hugged him tighter: "Forget it, just tell me now. I don't feel settled."
Feeling the worry coming from his back, Jackie's heart softened. He slowed down and stopped at a cliffside that offered a view of part of Night City's silhouette.
He pointed to the building in the distance—the Konpeki Plaza—whose magnificent silhouette could be seen even from far away.
"Look over there, girl." Jackie's voice carried a tone of pride that was almost like a pilgrimage. "We... just fought our way out of there."
Misty looked in the direction he was pointing, covered her mouth, and her eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.
Jackie looked at her, grinned, and didn't continue to describe the danger, but restarted the motorcycle: "Let's go, I'll take you to see something relaxing! I'm treating you to a place a hundred times better than a braindance!" He intended to use an audio-visual feast to dilute this overly heavy topic and soothe the frightened heart of the girl in his arms.
[What are you thinking? Jackie just found a place to look at the scenery; tranquility and beauty are the best medicine to soothe restlessness.]
Of course, more "in-depth" soothing might have to wait for later.