[When we finished applying the whole BUFF and returned to that room, the woman was already dressed in the clothes we left there and had shot herself.]
[The body was sitting on the sofa in the room; this was the first and last time we saw her face.]
[She didn’t seem to die peacefully, she must have cried before committing suicide. I don’t know what she was thinking at that moment, maybe about her parents, maybe her husband and son. But I am sure she must have been in so much pain, pain so severe she lost the courage to continue living.]
[Yet, even so, she remembered us before she died, leaving a note on the table saying (Thank you, strangers).]
[Honestly, seeing that note was so heartbreaking. Maybe if we hadn’t left back then, if we had stayed to comfort her, she would not have committed suicide. And if we had taken her back for treatment, perhaps she wouldn’t have died.]
[In Skyrim, after killing an NPC, I could resurrect them using the console, and give them love. No matter how many times you kill the NPCs on the streets, they revive and refresh. Only very few main storyline characters face real death, but even then, I can choose a relatively less upsetting ending by rolling back.]
[But this game doesn’t allow such options; I can’t roll back to strive for a GOOD END that keeps her alive. Here, the NPCs do not refresh, dead is dead.]
[The impact she had on me was no less than many years ago when I attended a senior’s funeral for the first time. That was when I realized someone could leave this world forever, never to return.]
[She didn’t say a word to us, but that final note spoke more than a thousand words.]
[Water Moon Cave Heaven: We didn’t even know her name.]
The players’ systems haven’t accessed the personnel files of the NCPD yet, so scanning won’t reveal names.
[Potato: I wish we had left someone behind at that time.]
[Brother Ni: Impossible, the frontline was so intense back then, how could anyone stay behind with her? We should have notified Adcardo to come over and help look at that woman.]
[Titan: Don’t be too sad; she’s already dead. Just like that couple we encountered early on, killed by Night Wanderers. Avenging them is the best respect and moving forward, we need to stay more mindful when interacting with NPCs.]
[Mantou: Seems like Adcardo lost a few people too; there were noticeably fewer familiar faces in the crowd when we entered.]
[Red Bucket: The city’s situation should be better, shouldn’t there be police or something?]
[Brother Ni: I suggest you look at the Night City overview in the version preview, and then visit the Phoenix Club to see for yourself. The city might be even more chaotic than outside; at least there aren’t as many people in Evil Land.]
[Silver-haired Natural Curl: Guess this is life. Excessive sadness will only make you unhappy. I suggest visiting a foot massage place to relax and let a gentle big sister take all your worries away.]
[Madao: Damn it, can’t you refrain from ruining the mood at times ? What you’re doing is like playing an infomercial while everyone is engrossed in a tear-jerking drama.]
[Pandora: (nods in agreement)]
The forum updates were prepared in advance by Lin Miao, who was supposed to release them, but he had more important matters to attend to today, so he set up the computer for timed posting.
He even laid out tomorrow’s tasks for the players ahead of time, asking them to join Adcardo in inventorying supplies, as he planned to sleep in.
The tunnels and warehouses were both sealed with tapes by both sides, waiting for the loot to be inventoried tomorrow.
Then he drove Lucy back to Night City; finishing up all the odds and ends took until nearly eleven o’clock, leaving no time to check the forum.
"Whoa ~ I didn’t expect you to live in a place ; it’s quite surprising."
Lucy peered into Lin Miao’s room, quite astonished.
It wasn’t that the place was messy, quite the opposite. The room was quite clean and tidy, standing out against the dirty and chaotic environment of the skyscrapers outside.
To an outsider, Lin Miao’s frequent cash splurges should imply living somewhere nicer.
Even if not renting a big flat in Charter Mountain or Company Plaza, he ought to at least rent a decent apartment in Haywood Valley.
No one expected him to live in a small cubicle in a skyscraper.
It even seemed less spacious than Lucy’s own room.
Lin Miao took off his jacket and hung it on the hanger. After fighting all day, he was covered in dusty grime and gunpowder smell, feeling utterly uncomfortable.
"Living in those places, the information doesn’t flow as smoothly. This place has people from all walks of life: NCPD officers, mercenaries, vendors, black market dealers, small company employees—lots of useful insider information."
"In those fancy big flats and villas, without some connections, people don’t even give you the time of day."
Lucy removed her shoes and socks, put on the slippers Lin Miao prepared for her, and hopped into the room, curiously inspecting everything inside.
Lin Miao grabbed a set of change clothes from the cabinet and asked,
"Do you want to shower first, or should I go first?"
Lucy drew the curtains with a sly smile.
"You go ahead; I want to see if you’re hiding anything from me."
"Go ahead and look, I have nothing to hide."
No one could access the official website on his computer without his certification. Other than that, there were no secrets.