Great, we're doomed now!

Mann breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Ye Shou curiously: "Why are you doing all this? Since you can travel between parallel worlds, you can make money without going through all this trouble, right?"

Yes, if it's just about doing business, there's no need to hire anyone; you can just smuggle and act as a middleman.

You can easily sell a bunch of plants or a bag of eggs from the Overworld for a fortune in Night City!

But judging from Ye Shou's request... it seems like he wants to start an internet company?

"Making money? Actually, I've been investing in it all this time, but I haven't made a profit from any related projects yet."

Ye Shou smiled, then became serious: "I'm doing this to build up my strength."

"Huh?" Mann asked, puzzled.

“I am a superhuman, or rather, a magician… You’ve already experienced that.”

Mann glanced at the skin on his arm and nodded.

“There are occasionally people like me in my hometown, but they are very few in number. Some of them can even predict the future.”

I heard such a prophecy:

In the not-too-distant future, the world will face many crises, and the ancient darkness will return. Humanity must save itself to overcome these challenges.

Ye Shou's expression had become very serious, which made Mann nervous as well.

"I'm building up my strength for that day!"

"……I see."

Looking at the young man who was much younger than himself, Mann was immediately filled with respect.

Ye Shou was slightly lost in thought, as if he was pondering something. When he came back to his senses, he gave Mann an apologetic smile and assured him, "Don't worry, if that day really comes, I will send you back."

"what?"

Mann immediately objected: "No need!"

We might not survive long in Night City anyway, so we might as well stay with you; at least we're living comfortably there!

Chapter 84 Rest? Go tell my ghost back!

It feels a bit too bright...

When she finally woke up around noon, a ray of golden sunlight shone on her face, and the silver-haired beauty wearily opened her eyes, spreading her arms wide and yawning.

Her current posture was anything but peaceful; her head wasn't pressed against the pillow but parallel to it, and she was haphazardly wrapped in a soft, thin blanket. Her waist and legs were almost diagonally across the entire bed, as if she were about to become a crab claw to clamp it down.

Ye Shou's house originally only had a fairly large single bed, but she took over the whole thing after doing this. It's hard to imagine what it must feel like for the person sharing the bed with her.

Speaking of this, the girl turned her head and saw the empty other side, her lips curling into a displeased smirk.

"He's not here... Oh right, I think I mentioned him this morning... Hmm~"

What an inconsiderate man... Even though it was Lucy who overslept, she felt she could at least complain a little.

Why is it that I'm so listless, while he's so energetic and gets up early?

The physical exertion was undoubtedly greater on the other party. I had even undergone prosthetic modifications to the muscles in my back and thighs that I used for the exertion. As a result, after a night of passion, I was completely exhausted, while the other party seemed to be completely unaffected—this doesn't make sense!

Was it magic? Did that guy secretly use magic?

Damn it... Since it has this effect, let me use it too!

and many more!

The claim that the first battle will be filled with earth-shattering lightning is just false advertising from games and comics. In reality, it's all kinds of awkward situations. Even guys who seem to have a lot of theoretical knowledge can get injured if they act according to stereotypes.

"..."

Recalling the details of last night, even if Lucy was "modest," she had to admit that the intensity had reached a certain level.

Just by looking at the marks on the bed, you can tell that it's at a level that makes you wonder, "How many people were messing around here?"

But Lucy doesn't feel much discomfort right now, or rather, quite the opposite. She still feels a sweet yet disheveled sensation, and her body feels light, as if she can't feel gravity...

This made her feel that she might be a shallow woman with too much desire.

This is not normal, this is very abnormal!

Could it be that he secretly used healing magic on her, thus blocking out pain and the like?

Tsk!

Although it wasn't a bad thing, and she even benefited from it, Lucy was still a little unhappy:

It felt like being silently controlled, losing all initiative and being at the mercy of others. For the silver-haired girl who liked to take the initiative, this could even be considered a humiliation.

Thinking this, Lucy suddenly blushed.

Oh no, the memory is too vivid; my temperature is gradually rising...

To prove that she was a free-spirited woman who wouldn't let desire cloud her judgment, Lucy quickly shook her head, got up, and left the bed.

"Hmm...it's already noon~"

She glanced back at the messy bed, her eyes darting around: "It'll be such a hassle to clean up..."

She's not a woman who's good at housework.

-

When Ye Shou returned home, the bed sheets had already been spun out of the washing machine and were hanging on the line like curtains, swaying slightly in the wind.

The simply furnished apartment offered no hiding place, and Ye Shou immediately spotted Lucy busy in the kitchen, his eyes lighting up.

The girl, who had just washed and groomed herself, wore a slightly oversized white shirt that just covered the pert curves below her waist, revealing her fair, rounded, and naturally joined thighs, which looked almost seamless from behind.

Ye Shou also knew that these thighs could be quite powerful when necessary, almost like they were about to devour their prey and wouldn't let anyone leave.

The gaze then falls upon toned and shapely calves, and a pair of bare feet hidden in slippers.

Even after hearing the voice, the girl didn't turn around, creating a subtle atmosphere of displeasure.

In fact, the face she had her back to Ye Shou with was expressionless, which did indeed indicate that she was in a bad mood. Her eyes kept darting around, as if she was waiting for something.

It wasn't until a pair of hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her close, her back pressed against the man's chest, that Lucy rolled her eyes coquettishly, her aloof demeanor instantly crumbling.

"Oh my, isn't this our busy man? He left his girlfriend alone at home the day after they confirmed their relationship. Didn't he think about how lonely she might feel?"

Thank goodness you didn't leave any notes by the pillow, or I would have thought I'd had a one-night stand!

This sarcastic tone is completely different from Lucy's usual style!

Ye Shou found it amusing and rested his head on Lucy's shoulder. The girl deliberately acted as if she was resisting, but her weak resistance made it seem more like she was being coquettish, which only made the two of them whisper sweet nothings to each other.

"I'm so happy you said that."

"Huh?" Lucy turned around in surprise, only to be unexpectedly kissed by Ye Shou.

"Well!"

Her resistance gradually slowed down, and her body became limp. Just as she was about to turn the tables, the man suddenly withdrew, leaving her slightly upturned tongue feeling lost and immediately shrinking back in embarrassment. Lucy also bit her lip in embarrassment and annoyance.

"I'm so glad... you just admitted it's 'our family'~"

"!"

Lucy lowered her head, so her expression couldn't be seen, but her ears were flushed red, perhaps from anger.

"Don't get too cocky!"

"What, you don't want to?"

"..."

Lucy was lost in thought:

She doesn't have many memories of her parents anymore, and what she does have are quite bad.

Because she showed extraordinary talent as a child, her parents sent her to the training institution in Arasaka, ostensibly to receive high-end education, but in reality to undergo hacker training, where she explored the old network every day without sufficient protection.

Most of the other kids in the same batch died under the relentless firewall attack of the old network AI. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Lucy and the others were sentenced to a slow death!

Although she escaped, she did not go home. Her parents did not sell their child because they were desperate. As employees of Arasaka, they were actually doing quite well. They only offered Lucy as a sacrifice to "contribute" to the company.

Lucy, who feels no love from her parents and even doubts the concept of "family," trusts her "companions" more and has never had the idea of ​​building a family or raising offspring.

Now, she has never been so close to anyone, her relationship with Ye Shou is incredibly close to the definition of "family"...

So she was very scared!

She had absolutely no confidence in whether she could adapt to normal family relationships!

"You...you'd better marry someone else."

Lucy grasped the hands that were on her waist, leaned back against the man, and lowered her voice.

“I wouldn’t be a good wife…and probably not a good mother either. You deserve a better partner.”

Ye Shou remained silent, while Lucy listened to the man's heartbeat and closed her eyes.

She wasn't an innocent little girl; she dreamed of being saved by a prince on a white horse—although, in her eyes, Ye Shou was indeed a prince who brought light.

The happy endings in fairy tales are ultimately just romantic fantasies; reality is not so simple.

Her parents seem very open-minded and kind, but can she play the role of a good daughter-in-law? Can she meet their requirements and become the matriarch of the clan?

Lucy knew she wasn't cut out for it.

She was truly and deeply attracted to this man, and even felt that it wouldn't be a big deal if he were used and then abandoned one day, because at least she had experienced true love before that.

Furthermore, from an objective perspective, Lucy hopes that Ye Shou will have a better future.

Because this man is doing something truly remarkable!

She had been with the company for a while and knew that Ye Shou's plans were not just talk; they were being vigorously promoted with unimaginable resources invested, some of which could almost be considered charitable.

— Prosthetics, virtual reality, and medical devices are all profitable, but development cycles and returns are issues.

This is why many large companies are unwilling to engage in pioneering research and development: they tend to earn more by following in the footsteps of others.

Ye Shou's series of investments are genuinely aimed at promoting technological progress and implementing it at the level of people's livelihood, so that those in need can receive assistance.

As a member of the company, Lucy was deeply involved and witnessed firsthand how the children's smiles blossomed...

But she's just a technician at best, and whether she marries Ye Shou or not doesn't prevent her from contributing her own strength.

Fortunately, as a mercenary in Night City, she was indifferent to marriage and didn't care about not having a legally recognized marital relationship.