"Why? What's the matter? Is there something strange about my clothes?"
Judy looked at Peter blankly, wondering why he was staring at her like that.
Peter snapped out of his daze, realizing he had been lost in thought. Scratching his head, he quickly said, "No, nothing's wrong. You look great. This outfit suits you very well."
Judy raised an eyebrow at his response. "The way you were looking at me just now made me think something was off about my appearance."
Peter chuckled awkwardly but didn't press the topic further.
Judy walked towards the kitchen with some ingredients in her hand. "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
Peter thought for a moment before grinning. "How about this? You make a dish you're good at, and I'll make one of mine. Let's see who does it better."
Judy shot him a suspicious look. "You can cook?"
Peter puffed out his chest confidently. "Of course! I do all the cooking at home. The food outside is either too high-tech or just not that good."
"Really? Now I kind of want to try your cooking," Judy said with interest.
She went ahead and prepared her best sandwich. Carefully, she diced some vegetables and placed them on a slice of bread, drizzled some salad dressing on top, then added another slice of bread. She finished it off by placing two slices of ham over it, securing the layers, and cutting it into two equal triangles.
"Done!" Judy clapped her hands and placed the sandwiches on a plate, then turned to Peter with a proud expression.
Peter glanced at the table full of ingredients and then at Judy's simple sandwich. He twitched the corner of his mouth. "Judy, did you buy all these ingredients just to make a sandwich?"
Judy smiled innocently. "Oh, those? I got them just in case. I've heard that people from Huaguo are great at cooking. I love eating at Huaguo restaurants in Night City, but they're too expensive."
She smirked and added, "So I figured, since you're from Huaguo, maybe you could cook something delicious for me."
Peter sighed, realizing he'd walked right into a trap. "So that's what this is about, huh?" He shook his head. "Fine, fine."
He walked into the kitchen and examined the ingredients Judy had bought. Seeing a half-pound of pork and some chili peppers, he knew exactly what to make.
He heated the frying pan and placed the pork in it, skin-side down, searing it until the skin turned golden brown. Then, he cleaned the pork, boiled it briefly, and sliced it into thin pieces. Next, he chopped the chili peppers and stir-fried everything together. Soon, the aroma of twice-cooked pork filled the room.
Judy sniffed the air and turned to him with wide eyes. "What are you cooking? It smells amazing! And... are those chili peppers?"
Peter plated the dish and brought it over. "This is twice-cooked pork, one of our home-style dishes."
Judy's mouth watered as she looked at the dish. Without hesitation, she picked up the chopsticks and grabbed a piece. As soon as she tasted it, her eyes lit up.
"Oh wow! This is incredible!" she exclaimed. "The flavors are just right, and the spice level is perfect!"
She had eaten at various Huaguo restaurants before, but most of their dishes were either overly sweet or too greasy. While still tasty, they always felt slightly off. But Peter's cooking? It was just right.
"As long as you like it," Peter said with a smile.
He took a bite of the sandwich Judy had made. While it wasn't anything extraordinary, it was nutritious and, more importantly, made with care.
After finishing their meal, Judy stood up and stretched. "Alright, time to get down to business."
Peter changed into a diving suit Judy had prepared. As he adjusted the fit, Judy's gaze fell on him, and she blinked in surprise.
"Wow, Peter, I never realized you had such a great physique," she said, admiring the way the suit outlined his muscular frame.
Peter laughed. "You look great in yours, too."
Judy smirked but quickly turned her focus back to the task at hand. "Alright, let's get started."
She led Peter to a wooden platform by the water. After adjusting the diving equipment, she moved close to him, helping him secure the necessary gear to record the Mewtwo data.
This was the first time Judy had been this close to Peter. As she tightened the straps, she found herself blushing. Once she finished, she quickly stepped back, pretending nothing had happened.
"Okay, we're all set. Let's get in the water."
"I'll go first," Peter said.
Without hesitation, he jumped into the lake. The water was murky, unlike the crystal-clear swimming pool in his villa. Sunlight struggled to penetrate the depths, and Peter suspected it was due to pollution from corporate waste. If not for his sharp eyesight, he wouldn't have been able to see much.
Judy followed him into the water.
"Peter, when we record Mewtwo later, the system will capture our most genuine reactions, emotions, and voices," she explained. "It might even connect the two of us in ways we don't expect."
Peter chuckled. "Oh? Does that mean we'll be sharing thoughts and feelings?"
Judy laughed. "Theoretically, yes."
"Alright then. You lead the way, I'll follow."
"Got it."
They swam toward the bottom of the lake. Along the way, Peter noticed various pieces of trash floating in the water.
After a few minutes, they reached a sunken platform with handles on either side. Peter and Judy grabbed onto them as she pressed a button, activating the mechanism.
With an eerie grinding noise, the platform began to descend. The old machinery, unused for years, groaned under the strain, making a series of unsettling metallic screeches.
When the platform stopped, Judy took out some glow sticks and tossed them around, illuminating the underwater surroundings. As the light spread, Peter finally saw what lay before them—a submerged town.
His eyes widened. "What is this place?"
Judy's expression grew somber. "It's called Laguna Bay. I lived here when I was a kid."
Peter glanced around at the eerie underwater structures. "What happened?"
"The corporations in Night City decided to build a dam here, forcing all the residents to relocate," Judy explained, her voice tinged with bitterness.
Peter nodded, taking in the scene. "It kind of reminds me of Atlantis from mythology."
Judy chuckled. "That's actually a pretty good comparison. Both are lost cities buried underwater."
She sighed, staring at the ruins of her former home. The weight of the past seemed to settle on her shoulders.
Peter looked at her and said, "Hey, at least you're here now. That means something, right?"
Judy turned to him and smiled faintly. "Yeah... I guess it does."
They continued exploring the sunken town, their surroundings steeped in silence, save for the distant echoes of their own movements. The past and present intertwined beneath the dark waters, and though the town was lost, its memories were far from forgotten.
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