Cyberpunk: Nirvana of Shoko Toyokawa

"Ha, haha. Boss, you handle the report really quickly."

Miao Meng began to sweat coldly.

"The work on Chuhua's fence is almost finished," Xiangzi said, "You two come with me. There's a new task."

Chu Hua nodded of course.

Miao Meng still wants to make a final struggle.

"Is... is it a mission to play drums in a bar?"

Meow Dream asked.

"Do not."

Xiangzi shattered Miao Meng's last hope.

"Get your [Insect Swarm] troubleshooting laptop, [Single Molecule Wire], and [Quick Hack] ready." Xiangzi said, "This is an exploration mission with the risk of combat."

……

Miao Meng screamed "Eh——" beside the birdcage.

The sound reached outside the door.

Side porch.

Hai Ling closed her eyes, folded her arms, and stood against the wall.

Mu stood beside her.

“…Aren’t you going in?”

Mu asked Hailing softly.

Hailing opened her eyes and looked at Mu.

Hai Ling said nothing.

She just stretched out her hand, and when Mu came over, she helped Mu to tidy up the hair that was scattered on his shoulders.

Chapter 400: First Cat Partner

"I still hold out a glimmer of hope: the boss was lying when she said we were going on an 'exploration mission with the risk of war', and then she took us around to the bar where she was stationed and told me that I was responsible for playing the drums."

Miao Meng said.

As he said this, Miao Meng lay face up on a railing on the dilapidated street of [Comprehensive Area 1 - Outer Area].

She supported herself on the rusty railing with both hands, looked up at the sky with her mouth wide open, like a detection submarine that had just surfaced from an ocean environment with excessive nitrogen concentration.

"...Although, playing the drums is not very easy...but it is much better than the long-distance training of checking the [insect swarm] on foot along the way..."

Meow Dream groaned.

"Here's some water for you."

Chu Hua came over and handed a bottle of [Benbenhou co-branded - corn flavored syrup electrolyte water - no syrup - no corn] to Miao Meng.

"...Gu...thank you..."

Miao Meng poured the sparkling water on his head.

Water splashed on the road.

Empty streets. The wind blew up the dust on the ground.

There's not many people around.

Only a faint sound could be heard in the gaps between the buildings.

Here we have bypassed [Comprehensive Area 1 - Inner Area] and arrived at a relatively northern area in the entire [Comprehensive Area 1].

Chuhua and Miaomeng will appear here, and of course there is only one destination.

Those tiger-head nails swimming in the bar.

……

Xiangzi got information in the bar: a group of thugs from "Tiger Head" took a "secret weapon" stolen from the BCPD "scramblers" and went to a shopping mall five kilometers north to test it.

Once you know it, you need to take action.

After Miao Meng's debugging work was completed, Xiangzi took Chuhua and Miao Meng and left Ave Mujica's territory again.

Xiangzi did not go back to the bar directly. She went there to see what this "secret weapon" held by Tiger Head's thugs was and what its function was.

...It would be great if we could get it back at the same time.

This sounds simple.

However, there is a serious problem:

no car.

Due to the long-term blockade, gasoline and any other form of fuel have become the highest "equal price" goods in [Comprehensive Area 1]. One liter of hybrid diluted gasoline can be exchanged for a person's life.

In this case, no one was driving in the area.

The [Food, Fuel, and Processed Products Area] was up and running. Xiangzi was not short of ethanol fuel.

However, driving in an area where no one else drives is as risky as covering yourself in sugar and being thrown into a giant cricket breeding box.

Of course Xiangzi couldn't do that.

[Comprehensive Area 1 - Inner Area] The section closest to the central defense line in Ave Mujica territory is two kilometers away.

[Comprehensive Area 1 - Inner Area] The diameter is approximately one kilometer.

The test site, the "Comprehensive Shopping Mall", is five kilometers to the north and is the farthest area.

In this way, if you want to reach the "comprehensive shopping mall" from Ave Mujica, the straight-line distance alone is eight kilometers.

How to get there without a car?

There is only one answer.

Hard walk.

……

Almost two hours passed after we set off.

Miao Meng looked like he was about to fall down at any moment.

"We have walked... a hundred kilometers... right?"

Miao Meng said strugglingly.

"Including a little detour, I walked about nine kilometers."

Chuhua was drinking electrolyte water beside Miao Meng, looking at the data in his artificial eyes, and said.

"...Only nine kilometers?" Miao Meng said with a bitter face, "I feel like I have walked for a lifetime..."

"Strictly speaking, I don't think it's nine kilometers." Chu Hua blinked, "Most of the way there wasn't much danger. I ran all the way here holding you and Xiao Xiang."

"Even if it's one kilometer, it's fatal to me..." Miao Meng groaned, "I can only accept dancing on the dance floor and spinning such a large number..."

Miao Meng looked to the side.

Next to the narrow sidewalk, Xiangzi leaned against a wall with the huge words "Fuck XXX's World" spray-painted on it, sipping on a jelly to replenish his energy.

She didn't look tired at all.

At least, it's much better than the crying and shouting meow.

“…Does the boss really have the same [Physical] points as me?”

Miao Meng held the bottle of electrolyte water and looked at Xiangzi with a puzzled expression.

"She's just better at controlling herself."

Chu Hua said.

"Eh... having a boss like this is the scariest thing... because she is very strict with herself, and you can't say anything... although it's good to meet her in person... but it would be better if she didn't have to work. All orders are issued by email..."

Meow Dream began to roll around on the railing.

"Really?" Chu Hua said, "I think it's better to have a job. Work together."

"Wow." Miao Meng's face wrinkled. She said, "Chu Zi, you can't have such thoughts! No! Absolutely not!"

"is it?"

"That's right!" Miao Meng said, "The boss also needs to take his time!"

Chuhua blinked again.

"I remember you said before that thanks to you, Xiaoxiang has become more motivated. That's great." She said, "Do we need to take it slow now?"

"Although it's like this, although it's like that... it's good that the boss has regained his enterprising spirit... at least it's better than before! But... how should I put it... it seems like something is right, and it seems like something is wrong... the boss... uh... Haizi also..."

Miao Meng began to moan some incomprehensible words.

Chuhua blinked and watched Miao Meng like this.

After a while, Miao Meng stopped.

"Hatsuko wouldn't worry about this kind of thing." Miao Meng rolled over to face down, and she said, "Have mercenaries long been accustomed to teamwork that is linked to the fate of others?"

"...Is that so?" Chu Hua thought for a moment and said, "Because if our fates are connected to this extent, then we have become like family members, right? Family members don't need to care so much about each other."

"It's great that Lao Da and Hai Zi are treated like this. I really hope they can at least notice this."

"You too."

"……what?"

Miao Meng turned his head suddenly.

Chu Hua looked at Miao Meng as if he was talking about something very normal and said:

"You too? You are like my family."

“——Wait, wait, wait, wait——Hey, wait!!!”

Meow Meng yelled.

She blushed and began to wave her hands:

"Don't be like this! Hatsuko! Really, don't say something like that all of a sudden—"

“…Is it strange?”

Chu Hua really didn't realize it. She asked.

"Of course!" Miao Meng yelled, "The beauty said that she is 'like a family member to me'! Help - Chuzi, this is not okay - you have to know that this is not okay -"

"Have you rested enough?"

Footsteps.

At this time Xiangzi came over.

"Eh."

Meow Dream stopped.

"...Are we going to keep going now?" Her expression changed again and again in a short period of time. "Boss, I can't walk any more - how far is it?"

Xiangzi pointed back with his thumb.

Miao Meng looked over there.

At the corner of the block, there is a complex building with a sleek facade that looks different from the nearby office buildings.

"That's it?"

Oh! Isn't this already very close?

Miao Meng became happy again——

But that's it.