88: Chapter 87 Stealing a Moment of Leisure from a Busy Schedule

The afternoon sun filtered through the apartment window, casting lazy patches of light into the air.

Lin Yi sat cross-legged on the carpet, a small electric hot pot bubbling away in front of him, emitting wisps of steam.

He skillfully picked up a piece of tender synthetic tofu, swished it in the clear broth, added a bit of homemade pickles, and popped it into his mouth. He then took a delightful sip of liquor, his face radiating pure contentment.

This kind of uninterrupted alone time had become incredibly rare since V moved in.

The tofu in the pot bobbed gently with the boiling broth, and the unique aroma of the pickles mingled with the subtle fragrance of the tofu, filling the air.

"Ah, refreshing!" He set down his glass, as if talking to himself, his tone a mix of three parts wistful and seven parts playful. "Ever since Lily moved in, my body... has actually been worn down by wine and women."

He sighed theatrically, then straightened his back and declared, "Starting today—I, your brother, am swearing off sex!"

Before the words even left his lips, a little scene couldn't help but play out in his mind—if V were home right now...

"Bang!" A dull thud! In his imagination, he lunged forward, nearly face-planting into the hot pot.

Turning back, he saw V, one long, beautiful leg still extended in a side-kick position, her indigo-colored short hair swaying slightly, a dangerous smile plastered on her face.

"Funny mud pee!" The imaginary V retracted her leg and crossed her arms. "You want to swear off sex? Does that mean I'm supposed to live like a widow? No way! Get it together, you Cosmic Superman!"

He quickly shook his head, driving the absurd fantasy from his mind.

Just then, his personal comms chimed right on cue; the caller was V.

After he connected, her hologram popped up, the background suggesting she was in a fast-moving vehicle.

"Yo," V in the projection raised an eyebrow, looking at his slightly disheveled appearance and the hot pot beside him. "Finally decided to get out of bed?"

"What kind of talk is that?" Lin Yi sat back up properly and picked up a piece of tofu to calm his nerves. "Business is done, no new jobs, so this is just a vacation. What about you? Being all mysterious—how long will you be out?"

"The thing I asked my friend to keep an eye out for has been located." V's tone was excited yet hinted at complications. "But it's a bit tricky. It'll take some effort to get my hands on it. This trip will probably take about two days."

Hearing this, Lin Yi kept a straight face, but inside, he was setting off digital fireworks—(Finally, two days of peace! Heaven knows what my kidneys have been through these past few days!)

Despite his thoughts, he had to express appropriate concern: "What's so troublesome about it? Is it dangerous? Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, no, no! Forget it!" V waved her hands repeatedly, wearing an expression that said, "Don't you dare come and make a mess of things." "If you come to help with this gig, what's left for me to do? Besides, haven't you been teaching me for long enough? I need to practice on my own and complete a decent job independently, right, my dear 'tutor'?"

She emphasized the word "tutor" with obvious teasing and a kind of unspoken intimacy.

V paused, a sly smile appearing on her face, like a little fox that had stolen a chicken. "Alright, I won't banter with you anymore. When I get back from this, I'll bring you a 'surprise'."

Upon hearing the word "surprise," Lin Yi's scalp instantly went numb.

The last time V said she had a surprise, it turned out to be a set of "couple's interactive gear" that nearly threw out his back; the time before that, the surprise was opening his prized limited-edition whiskey and drinking it all with Jackie.

He hurriedly tried to stop her: "Don't! Miss, please don't ever again..."

"Beep—beep—beep—" The call had already been cleanly disconnected, leaving only a series of busy signals.

Lin Yi held the comms device, frozen in place. After a long while, he helplessly lowered his hand and subconsciously rubbed his lower back, which was aching faintly as if issuing a warning.

"Great, I'm done for." He muttered to himself, starting to seriously consider whether he should ask Viktor or Misty to prepare some nutritional supplements in advance.

V's "surprises" often meant huge "shocks."

For the sake of his aging back and his future happiness, perhaps... he really should find a way to replenish himself?

Or, maybe go rummage through the studio to see if there was anything among the things he'd scavenged that could enhance his physique, or help him handle high-intensity... er, "combat" (don't think about it, not that kind of big cannon), or find some technical data?

Thinking of this, he couldn't be bothered to slowly enjoy his rare solo hot pot anymore.

He shoveled the remaining pickles and tofu into his mouth, downed the rest of the liquor in his glass, and stood up, heading toward his private studio piled high with various equipment and parts.

The studio door slid open silently, revealing rows of neatly arranged instruments.

Several unfinished circuit boards were scattered on the workbench to the left, and various models of cyberware components were displayed on the shelves to the right.

The air was filled with the scent of metal and electronics.

He walked straight to the terminal at the very back, his fingers sliding rapidly across the control panel.

His personal storage space immediately popped up on the holographic screen, displaying technical data for various types of cyberware enhancements and all sorts of other data packets.

His gaze lingered for a moment on several data packets labeled "Biological Adaptability Enhancement," and then he pulled up a few research reports on neural reflex augmentation.

"If only I could find a solution that enhances stamina without affecting agility..." he muttered to himself, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the console.

Suddenly, he remembered seeing some research materials on biological adaptability in the Voodoo Boys' data before.

Just as he was preparing to access that data, the corner of his eye caught V's travel route displayed on the screen.

The light representing her was moving rapidly toward the outskirts of the city; the destination appeared to be an abandoned industrial zone.

His brow furrowed involuntarily—that place was notorious for corporate fencing and the black market for illegal cyberware modifications.

"This silly girl, she wouldn't be going to find those underground modders, would she..." he muttered, a sudden sense of unease rising in his heart.

Although he knew V's capabilities all too well, those lawless little modification workshops used materials and technologies that were quite dangerous.

He hesitated, wondering whether to ping V to remind her to be careful, but thinking of her "don't come and make a mess" attitude from earlier, he dismissed the thought.

In the end, he simply accessed the surveillance permissions for that area and set up a few security sentry programs, which made him feel slightly more at ease. He hoped everything would go smoothly.

Turning to look out the window, the sun had begun to set, painting the outline of Night City in a layer of golden red.

Lin Yi sighed softly and continued searching the database for a suitable solution.

Regardless, before V returned with her "surprise," he had to be fully prepared for the "tough battles" to come.