Night City, District 12, Liu Pangpang's Home-Style Restaurant.
If we were to say which industry is declining the fastest in this era, it would undoubtedly be the mass catering industry.
This is also an inevitable trend—in order to reduce the cost of living and improve work efficiency, more and more people are giving up the right to eat and modifying their digestive system into a machine that can maintain bodily functions with just nutrient solution.
In addition, under the influence of the "Rust Fog," the average life expectancy in Night City is decreasing year by year, causing the business of this small shop hidden in the old neighborhood to decline year by year.
The room was dimly lit from the outside, with only a handful of diners and a few employees sitting listlessly, exuding a dejected atmosphere.
However, the scene in the kitchen was quite different.
The elderly man wearing a chef's hat was busy at work, but not cooking. Instead, he was using various high-precision tools to disassemble a Rubik's Cube-like instrument in front of him.
"Uncle Luo, how's it going?"
The receptionist came in and asked, "This has been here for two days. Can you replicate it?"
"It's not that easy. Do you think this is like building blocks?"
The old chef replied without looking up, "It will take at least another week and a half."
"It's been that long?"
The waiter curled his lip, "But Chief Shen is pressing us hard, isn't this a bit..."
"I know he's in a hurry, but I told him not to rush."
The old chef took off his magnifying glass and glared at him, annoyed. "The research and development of such precision equipment would take an unknown amount of time. If you were in charge, even ten years wouldn't be enough."
"Well... alright, alright, just hurry up."
"Do you need to rush me? By the way, ask Xiao Shen if I should make a robotic arm for Lei Song?"
"I see."
The waiter paused, sighed, and left.
Despite working with the other party for so long, he still couldn't quite accept the old man's temper.
Or perhaps it's more accurate to say he doesn't understand why Chief Shen would take such good care of him, not only buying this shop for him but also arranging so many elites to be the old man's bodyguards.
In his view, this behavior was meaningless.
We're gang members, so why don't we just rob some equipment we need? Why bother making our own?
However, if he knew the old man's true identity, he might... he might not change his opinion of him.
Even if the old man's true identity is really amazing.
Luo Zhikang, one of the veterans of "Spark", is one of the few mechanical engineers in the organization.
His special skill is turning the rotten into the miraculous; even broken copper, scrap iron, and waste parts can become deadly weapons in his hands.
Since its establishment, "Spark" has been primarily supported by him in terms of equipment over the past three years. Most of the captured damaged items have been restored to life under his reconstruction.
Many of the equipment he modified were even better than the originals.
Before this, his name was already widely known.
Chief Engineer of the "Tianhe" Consortium.
The fact that the old man was able to hold an important position in the former Night City power speaks volumes about his personal abilities, and countless companies have tried to poach him with high prices.
However, after the destruction of "Tianhe", his whereabouts also became unknown.
Most people thought he was dead, but they didn't know that he had simply gone into hiding and worked as a chef in a small restaurant.
And secretly, in this way, he continues to be loyal to his former employer.
The waiter naturally didn't know much about these secrets, but fortunately, although the old man had an eccentric temper, the job of taking care of him was easy, and he did nothing but slack off every day.
His cooking was also quite good, making one feel that not modifying his stomach with a mechanical one was a wise choice.
As she muttered to herself, the restaurant door creaked open, and a short-haired woman wearing sunglasses walked in.
The waiter was taken aback; he had never seen such a beautiful woman before… but he quickly recovered and greeted her with a smile, “Welcome! What would you like to eat?”
However, what greeted him was a black gun barrel. In a moment of distraction, the other party appeared behind him, took out a silenced pistol from his waist, and cleanly and decisively pulled the trigger at his temple.
Sizzle.
A single shot to the head sent the waiter sprawling to the ground, bleeding profusely, dying without ever realizing what had happened.
"...What's going on?!"
Upon seeing this, the others were immediately startled and drew their weapons.
"Kill her!"
This is one of the "Spark" safe houses in Night City. On the surface, it's just an ordinary little restaurant where you can get whatever you need to eat.
But most of the time, no one visits this place. From the waiters to the cashier, including the few customers who seem to be eating, they are actually bodyguards that Shen He has provided for Luo Zhikang.
They are not ordinary gang members, but "Ascended Ones" skilled in combat, each possessing the formidable strength to take on multiple opponents.
It must be said that Shen He is very clear about how precious human talent is.
However, faced with all this, Su Lin simply took off her sunglasses and unconsciously curled the corners of her lips.
At least Xia Wuyou isn't doing these things anymore.
...
One minute later.
The fight that took place in the front hall did not reach the attentive old man, Mr. Luo.
He only realized something was wrong when he saw Su Lin walk into the kitchen with a gun.
Something's happened!
His first reaction was to activate the defense system here, but before he could even reach out, the other person's pistol was already pressed against the back of his head. "Don't move."
"...Who are you?"
Luo Zhikang gritted his teeth and reluctantly raised his hand.
The fact that the other party was able to break through to this point proves that she has already taken care of all the bodyguards in the front hall.
He was not good at fighting and had no ability to resist.
"Young Master wants to see you, so he sent me to invite Mr. Luo."
Su Lin gave an irrelevant answer and narrated her story with a blank expression.
"Young Master...?"
Before Luo Zhikang could react, a sharp pain shot through his neck.
Under the influence of a powerful sedative, he lost consciousness within seconds.
Su Lin put the "Sea Crane" on the table into her pocket, dragged him out the back door, stuffed him into the trunk, and then drove away.
It's clear that Miss Su Lin is in a good mood. She not only has a smile on her face, but she has also specially chosen some of her favorite music to suppress her inner turmoil.
That's right, wouldn't I be much more efficient than Xia Wuyou?
But then again, how many fish have you caught with this one bait?
The young master has really thought things through to make such an arrangement.
There were also people in charge of cleaning up the mess in the front hall. In less than half an hour, the corpses and the mess inside were all gone.
With the roller shutter door down and a "Shop for Sale" sign hanging up, to outsiders it's just another small restaurant that's going out of business due to the changing times.
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