This page looks best with JavaScript enabled
Chapter 78 Two Bowls of Noodles
Ji Xiaoman chose this place wisely, Ruan Xian thought to himself.
The street where the noodle shop is located looks more chaotic than Xia Street. There are still airtight walls and buildings above their heads, but compared to the dilapidated Xia Street, the buildings in this area are not complete at all. The cracked concrete slabs fell on the side of the street, and the broken steel bars stick out sharp fractures, like the ruins of the bombed old city, or the dry and moldy honeycomb.
If Xiajie in Xiacheng District is an old man suffering from a serious illness and dying, this area is more like a highly decomposed corpse.
Ji Xiaoman walked through the maze-like building structure and parked his car deep in the steel jungle. She meticulously put camouflage nets on the car and nailed alarms to almost every corner.
"Mom, stay here, don't run around." She half-kneeled in front of the female android, holding each other's hands with both hands. "I'm going to have a meal. It won't take more than half an hour. If you have anything, please contact me directly."
"Xiaoman." The beautiful android smiled gently and patted her head. That smile was a bit similar to Tang Yibu's initial disguise, bright but empty, so standard that it made people uncomfortable.
After locking the car door, Ji Xiaoman touched the alarms one by one as if he had an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and then led the group out of the small sinkhole full of dust.
"For your safety, please do not move around after curfew."
Drilling out of the terrifying ruins, the voice of the city became much clearer. The pitch-shifted electronic sound cuts through the fog and the crowd, and is played over and over again.
"The defenders have the absolute right to dispose of those who disobey, cherish life, and start with me. For your safety"
The crowd was still surging in the night, as if those harsh words were just noise. Ji Xiaoman parked the car very close to the noodle shop, and they almost bumped into the sign of Li Ji noodle shop head-on.
A thin old man was squatting in front of Li Ji Noodle Shop. He was smoking a strangely shaped pipe through his gas mask. He even made a special hole for the pipe in the mask. The old man sprayed smoke rings at the poisonous mist, and the goggles of the mask reflected a little light. They couldn't see the old man's eyes at all, let alone where the other party's sight fell.
The decoration of Li Ji Noodle House is very "retro".
With the further development of virtual reality technology, fewer and fewer companies need to work together in reality. People are beginning to tend to work remotely, nesting in places they are familiar with. In addition to the economically underdeveloped remote areas, under the influence of the over-developed drone delivery business, the ancient store format has gradually disappeared. Since most of the living needs can be met without leaving home, a considerable number of people will not go out specifically. Find a small shop and eat bowl noodles slowly.
In densely populated central cities, land is expensive. Except for big brands that need to maintain gateway stores in business districts, private stores are becoming increasingly rare. Ruan Xian's memory of the catering industry is still like this, not to mention the more advanced technology a few years later.
Ruan Xian let out a slow breath through the sultry gas mask.
The Li Ji Noodle Shop in front of it is more like the kind of shop depicted in the works of the times. In the corner of the store supported by steel bars and neon, the flesh-red plastic cloth signboard is slightly faded, and the white font is extremely simple, and there is no sense of design at all. There was a greasy thick curtain in front of the door, and the menu was written on the plastic board with a highlighter pen, and it was randomly placed at the door.
Tang Yibu looked at everything in front of him with interest, and the iron beads on his shoulders tilted his head like him. Ji Xiaoman got him a pair of light-colored filter glasses from the corner. Under the dim light, those golden eyes looked more like ordinary light brown.
Protein meat half noodles, meatballs slashed, vegetarian noodle soup. Toppings are extra, and supports are hereby exchanged. The instructions on the plastic board are mixed with a few typos, and the words themselves are fairly regular.
An air filter was placed in the store, and there was no poisonous smoke, but it was full of choking oil smoke. The tables, chairs and stools seem to have been picked up from different ruins, and they are completely mismatched, and it is even difficult to find two similar styles.
Ji Xiaoman was the first to rush into the store. She covered her prosthetic leg with gloves and a poorly fitted jacket, and went straight to the darkest corner, then tucked herself into a corner close to the wall. After the remaining three sat firmly, the girl's slender body was almost completely covered.
No service staff came to say hello, and a blurry screen appeared next to the table, which kept shaking due to quality reasons, and the resolution was very poor. Loud music was playing in the store, and it was almost impossible for a normal person to hear what the next table was saying. There were not many people in the store, and most of them gathered together and muttered, all kinds of guns were exposed at their waists, and they were obviously not very interested in the people around them.
"Choose whatever you want." Ji Xiaoman ordered a bowl of vegetarian noodle soup for himself, pointing to the light screen. "I have enough parts."
"I understand protein meat, what kind of meat is this meatball?" Yu Le touched his chin.
"Everything, you don't want to know." Ji Xiaoman replied in a low voice, staring at a piece of dirt on the table. "But it tastes good."
"Let's mix noodles with protein and meat." The former head of the Ruins became cautious.
Seeing Tang Yibu's solemn expression facing the doomsday, Ruan Xian couldn't help but want to laugh. This may be one of the few moments when Tang Yibu gave up his interest in observing human beings and fully focused his attention.
In just a few weeks, the number of times I naturally laughed may be more than in the first 20 or so years of my life combined, and my facial muscles were even a little stiff. After realizing this, Ruan Xian restrained his smile and patted Tang Yibu's back very naturally, with the illusion of comforting large animals, "Choose the one you don't like the most."
"Noodles in plain soup." Tang Yibu wrinkled his nose, sounding a little heartbroken.
Ji Xiaoman's bowl of vegetarian noodle soup had been brought to the table by a half-human-tall mechanical assistant. The noodles were gray and yellow, and the soup was a little cloudy. Ruan Xian recognized the chopped cabbage and mushrooms. He shook his head and checked the remaining two items on the light screen.
Yu Le's Meat Meat Noodles came at the same time as their additional order.
The smell of the two bowls of noodles was not a big problem. The square artificial protein meat was lying on the brown-yellow surface, mixed with some scallion oil and shredded shallots. The store owner obviously didn't plan to use chopsticks, and poked two pairs of peeled hard branches into the face. The meatballs looked relatively normal, although Ruan Xian could smell at least four kinds of animals.
"You can't eat it, don't worry." Ji Xiaoman sucked on the noodles, "At least chopsticks are ok, they are discounted now. This store has been open here for a long time."
Tang Yibu solemnly picked up the half-eaten jerky, tore them into small pieces, and dipped them into the amber-colored soup little by little, as if performing some kind of sacred ceremony. Then he picked up his chopsticks and sipped happily, as if he were tasting top-notch food.
It seems that he is not used to the glasses on the bridge of his nose, Tang Yibu was smoked by the hot noodle soup, and two mists rose on the lenses. He held the branch and chopsticks in one hand, and the iron beads in his arm, wiping the water mist a little in a hurry.
Ruan Xian wanted to laugh again.
"Why are you so persistent?" He pushed his bowl of noodles to Tang Yibu, and hugged the iron beads that almost fell asleep on his knees, without any intention of eating.
"Thank you." Tang Yibu was busy with noodles. The android puffed out his cheeks, thanked him inarticulately, and then tried his best to express his doubts in a single voice. "Well"
"Food." After reading the other's thoughts without any problems, Ruan Xian grabbed the shavings of onion from Tang Yibu's mouth. Warm fingertips swept across his cheeks, and Tang Yibu blinked.
"There are no two dishes that are exactly the same in this world." The android swallowed the pasta in his mouth, licked the corner of Ruan Xian's mouth that had just been brushed, and brought it to Ruan Xian's ear. "Even if it is made by the same person or machine, there will be differences due to the material, environment or state. Every bite of food is unique in the world. Isn't this a great thing?"
"Maybe they are unpalatable in their own way." Ruan Xian tapped the table with his fingertips in a relaxed manner.
"But there is no standard for this kind of thing." Tang Yibu took another breath, and carefully placed the two bowls in front of him, taking a sip from each side. "I can't tell if it's unpalatable until I try it myself. Mr. Nguyen, have you ever eaten a piney raspberry?"
"No." Ruan Xian hadn't even heard of this.
"I can tell you it's soft and glutinous, it tastes a bit like a mix of pomegranate and peach, it's medium sweet, and you can eat the soft seeds in the pulp. I can tell you its color, shape, size, smell, and even the List the nutrients in a table, and write the details into a book." Tang Yibu used a rough branch to pick up a noodle, "but you still don't know its taste, because you haven't smelled it, you haven't tasted it, you just can imagine."
Ruan Xian stopped knocking on the table.
"Everyone can only try limited things in a limited time. It's good to be sure that it is not harmful to health. If you deny it rudely, you will miss a lot." Tang Yibu took a bite of the protein meat, thought for a few seconds, and used a branch to hold it. Twist in half. "I agree with Miss Ji's point of view. It tastes really good here. Would you like to try it?"
"You can eat." Ruan Xian's voice flattened.
"Also, emotions can also affect people's judgment on the taste of food." Tang Yibu pushed his glasses unskilledly. "For example, you gave me this bowl, so I will find it delicious."
After speaking, he raised the corners of his mouth, trying to show a slightly jerky smile. Ruan Xian exhaled softly and looked away a little uncomfortably.
Ji Xiaoman put down the bowl gently, and the bottom of the bowl hit the table. The girl has been burying her head and eating hard, quietly stuffing a large bowl of noodles into her stomach, and there is still a third of the Yule bowl next to her.
"Whispering right here." Her metal fingers were gloved and oddly shaped. "I want to talk about the deal."
"Please." Ruan Xian immediately found himself a perfect target to divert his attention, even if he could guess what Ji Xiaoman wanted to say.
"I don't want to make things too extreme." Sure enough, after hesitating for a few seconds, she chose an opening statement for herself. "It used to be just a normal transaction, you guys got a mind-plug and I'll fix your car. Now I want to keep it that way too, I mean"
She raised her eyes to look at Ruan Xian, Ruan Xian responded to her gaze silently, and Tang Yibu lowered the sound of eating noodles.
"Well, I don't know you at all. It doesn't matter if you succeed in erasing Qian Yigeng. If it fails, let's not talk about what to do with the device in my mother's mind. We have to hide and seek a living under Qian Yigeng's eyes, or completely Get out of this town."
Ji Xiaoman cleared his throat and raised the volume a little. She rubbed the edge of the bowl nervously, "The dungeon is so big, Qian Yigeng is just a small role. Abandoning the contacts here, rushing to an unfamiliar place and committing suicide is no different. I'm alone, but she can't stand it. Mom. Yes. As newcomers, you just need to get out of here and find someone with poor craftsmanship to fix the car."
She started biting her lip again.
"The price difference is too big, isn't it?" Yu Le struggled to finish the noodles and coughed twice.
"As long as you stay here, Qian Yigeng will always force you to make a high-quality imitation brain. You know this." There was no tendency in Tang Yibu's tone.
"As I said, I'm not a good person. If I had to choose one from my mother and those electronic brains, I would choose my mother." Ji Xiaoman shivered a little, this time she didn't look anyone in the eyes. "I'm at this level, and I can't be noble. It's as long as I can last."
Ruan Xian still didn't say a word, he just continued to stare at each other.
"Everyone knows they are suffering. No one cares, do you understand that I can't even save myself." Ji Xiaoman took a deep breath and finally raised his eyes. She seemed to be trying to persuade someone, but she wasn't quite sure who to persuade. "Either keep the original conditions, or stop the business. Anyway, one day I have to make peace with Qian Yigeng. He An is on his side, and there is no hope for the city guards on his side."
The young girl grabbed the heavy fabric on her trousers, her shoulders shaking a little, as if she was under extreme pressure. She gripped her hands so hard that sharp metal fingertips pierced through gloves, through overalls, and pierced her thighs.
The dark red blood gradually seeped out on the dark pants, and the faint smell of blood permeated.
She was in fear, and Ruan Xian was familiar with this emotion. The girl in front of her is in her early twenties at most, with excellent skills, a smart brain, and a calm personality compared to her peers. If this is a one-on-one fight, Qian Yigeng will not have a chance.
But this is not.
The fine net was swept down by the poisonous mist, Ji Xiaoman was at best a sturdy fish, and in the end he could only slowly suffocate in the mesh. When a person is faced with an unknown number of hostile crowds, there is always an instinctive panic. In the case of despicable opponents, this panic will expand endlessly.
She was too young, and it would wear her down and eventually crush her. Ruan Xian knew very well, but he didn't want to be someone's spiritual mentor at all. He knows the repression that comes when confronting an established network of "order" alone. Pretty words won't solve the problem, and comfort won't change anything.
Just as you can't tell a guy with a knife in his back to "get up and live and get up and it won't hurt."
"I understand your concern, it's that I misestimated the level of hatred you have for Qian Yigeng." He responded simply and neatly. "In that case, you decide for yourself."
Ji Xiaoman looked at the other party in surprise, half expected and half secretly disappointed.
"If you want us to steal the needle, leave quickly. You struggle for ten days and a half, and when you can't stand it, listen to Qian Yigeng. I have no opinion." Ruan Xian patted the iron beads in his arms, "We don't have to work with you."
Tang Yibu just shrugged, "When will I start Mr. Ruan, it will take some time to repair the car anyway"
Ji Xiaoman turned her gaze to Yu Le, she seemed to be trying to get something easier to understand or easier feedback from the other party. Yu Le's expression became serious, he clasped his arms, and the teasing and indifference in his eyes disappeared without a trace.
"You may have misunderstood something, little girl." Yu Le didn't smile, "We didn't shoot Qian Yigeng to make a deal with you, but to make a deal with Qian Yigeng and make a deal with you by the way. You should be an adult. Adults will make their own decisions."
He stopped talking, raised his eyebrows, and the unseemly aura returned. "Of course, you'd better find a corner cat, and it's not impossible to see the wind."
"But you have no reason." Ji Xiaoman looked a little confused.
"I don't think Qian Yigeng is pleasing to the eye." Yu Le replied simply and neatly, "I rarely really dislike a person, but as long as it is not pleasing to the eye, I don't mind using my life to cause trouble for others."
"Because it's very interesting." Tang Yibu answered sincerely.
The young girl looked at Ruan Xian. The young man opposite looked elegant and handsome, and looked the least aggressive.
Maybe the other party will reveal some real motive, she thought. Otherwise, such an approach is tantamount to suicide, and even absurd. No matter how you look at it, these people do not intend to carry the banner of justice, but are closer to another group of villains.
"Do you need a reason?" Yet he gave such an answer.
Ji Xiaoman looked at the other party's dark eyes.
The man's expression was calm, and she suffocated for a moment before realizing that it was the fear in her bones. Like seeing an unknown venomous snake, or a giant spider with its feet open.
He is serious.