In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

That's absolutely true. If something had really gone wrong at the press conference, the responsibility would have fallen entirely on "Dragon City." After all, all the political and business leaders of Night City were present at the time. If one or two of them had died, the blame would have been placed on Long Tianding.

No one cares what the situation is with those gang members. Since you, "Dragon City," are known as the uncrowned king of Sin City, it is your original sin to allow your subordinates to cause trouble in Night City.

What? "Disgae" has been hollowed out by "Spark"? That's no excuse. Is it my fault that you can't manage your gang?

If you still have the nerve to say you don't know, then you're just making yourself look even more useless.

"Chairman Xu, you've misunderstood. That's not what I meant at all."

Long Tianding's heart tightened. He hadn't expected Xu Shi to take the initiative so quickly after he opened his mouth, making it seem like he couldn't even withstand a single move...

Xu Shi's words are not wrong, but anyone with eyes can see that this is caused by the infinitely magnified conflict between you and "Spark". The main reason is you.

But where did the conflict come from? It seems like "Spark" was the first to draw its sword, but who authorized it behind the scenes? It's all so confusing, the more I think about it, the more confused I get, it's just a mess.

Tsk.

Fortunately, he quickly adjusted his mindset, saying, "If I had to say something, it was my poor management that made me feel I should apologize."

“Special treatment for special circumstances is fine, but now that this matter is over, it doesn’t seem appropriate for Chairman Xu to still control two major regions?”

Long Tianding said solemnly, "It also doesn't conform to the rules."

"Rules? What rules?"

Xu Shi blinked and stared at him curiously, asking a question.

Lord Long was so angry he almost vomited blood.

What other rule could it be? It's the rule that Night City residents don't interfere in Sin City's affairs! It's been this way for years!

However, on the other hand, since it is just a "customary practice" and not a real written rule, you can use this as an argument and the other party can deny it. You really can't find anything wrong with it. Are you going to take it to court?

"Haha, just kidding."

Xu Shi suppressed his childlike curiosity and gradually became serious. "So, Lord Long means that I should return the Sixth and Seventh Districts to you?"

Even if I said no, you wouldn't believe me.

Seeing that the other party was being straightforward, Long Tianding stopped hiding his intentions and simply stated his position.

"Actually, it's not a big problem; it can be solved with a single sentence."

Xu Shi nodded thoughtfully. "But I previously provided the 'Longsword Gang' with a considerable amount of equipment, which was quite valuable. If I were to hand it back to you like this, I would suffer a great loss."

"I will make them return it all."

Long Tianding said in a deep voice, "I guarantee that Chairman Xu will not suffer any losses."

"That's not how it works."

Xu Shi shook his head. "Everyone knows that today's money is worth more than tomorrow's money. Moreover, it's unknown when I can recover the money after you give the order, how much I can recover, and whether the weapons and equipment will be intact. This kind of messy account is impossible to settle."

How could I not figure it out if I just calculated it? At worst, I'll take the loss and compensate you for the difference!

Long Tianding was speechless, but he could tell that the other party had no intention of returning it; it was just an excuse.

He finally understood the feelings of those "forgotten ones" back then; they were often more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

That's how it is. If you're not careful and the other party takes advantage of you, it's not so easy to make up for it later, especially if the other party is someone of similar strength... No, to be honest, Xu Shi is currently more popular than him.

That would be even more of a headache.

However, he quickly grasped the crux of the problem.

"So, according to Chairman Xu... what else do you want?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 137 Director Su, hurry up and learn some new tricks!

At this point in the conversation, the atmosphere truly became serious.

"What do I want?"

Xu Shi frowned and thought for a moment, "What I want is very simple: just let Sin City behave itself and stop trying to take advantage of me."

"Shouldn't I be the one asking this question, whether or not to say it?"

He then changed the subject, "It was you, Lord Long, who invited me here. Shouldn't it be that you want something, so you're talking to me about it?"

"..."

Long Tianding remained silent, his lips twitching slightly.

It seems... that's how it is?

It's only when someone is asking for a favor that they're actually asking for something. Who asks for a favor and then says, "I want this or that"? Whether it's a meeting to discuss business or treating someone to a meal, the principle remains the same.

From this perspective, my questioning was far below par.

This is enough to show that he's already a bit flustered—whoever stays in Bengbu first in this kind of conversation will definitely suffer a loss, and once those words are spoken, they can arbitrarily set prices...

Being manipulated to this extent is something people would laugh at if they told others.

Even though Xu Shi didn't do that, and even managed to get the rhythm back on track, Long Tianding found himself still a bit flustered.

What do I want? I want you to return Districts 6 and 7. Otherwise, why did I even bother with you?

But the other party clearly didn't mean that; they had just tried to shut me down with their words...

"Actually, I thought Lord Long had called me here to discuss purchasing equipment or something, but I didn't expect it to be for such a trivial matter."

Seeing that he remained silent, Xu Shi's lips curled up slightly. "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now?"

"...Chairman Xu, please wait."

These words reminded Long Tianding, who quickly stopped him, "What happened just now is only one aspect; as for equipment... I do indeed need to make some purchases."

"Oh."

Xu Shi composed himself, turning his smile into a genuine one. "Then let's talk?"

"it is good."

Long Tianding sighed inwardly.

When he came to his senses, he was even a little scared. Damn it, this was his original intention, okay? He wanted to use Xu Shi's interference in the Sin City matter to suppress him and then take advantage of him to gain some benefits. But Xu Shi had completely forgotten about it after he had gone through so many twists and turns!

He felt like he was losing his mind, and his head was spinning.

However, since the conversation has come to this point, it can be considered a return to the right track in a sense. Xu Shi has given him a way out, so he must take it; otherwise, there's really no way to continue the conversation.

However, he also knew in his heart that the nature of this matter was completely different when he brought it up himself and when Xu Shi brought it up. The former was taking advantage of the situation, while the latter could only be considered a normal transaction, and the dominant power was still in the hands of the other party.

This little brat is terrifying...

But to his surprise, Xu Shi did not make things difficult for him further. Instead, he actually talked to him about purchasing equipment, discussing everything from models and prices in great detail.

Why not take this opportunity to further pressure him? Long Tianding found it strange, but he couldn't figure out what was going on. Then he thought, wouldn't this be a good thing for him? Are you begging him to mess with you?

He temporarily suppressed his doubts, and his mood gradually improved.

"Lord Long seems much more at ease?"

Seeing this, Xu Shi joked, "Aren't you afraid of being overtaken by your subordinates now?"

He knew in his heart that if we were to talk about the crux of Long Tianding's problems, this would definitely be one of them, and one of the best. Everyone else in Sin City would be envious of the good equipment Ding Jun had, and this guy in front of him would be no exception. His dissatisfaction was even stronger than that of the others.

He was the boss of Sin City, and Ding Jun was his underling. But his underling was driving a Mercedes and a Rolls-Royce first, while Ding Jun was still driving a Mazda. Of course, there was bound to be traffic jams…

"...I'm sorry, I didn't understand what Chairman Xu meant."

Long Tianding was taken aback, then shook his head. He did indeed have this thought, but he certainly couldn't reveal it; to say it would be beneath him.

So he changed the subject, "As you know, so many 'Forsaken' have been flooding into Sin City lately, I desperately need more equipment. I'm in a good mood because you've helped relieve my stress."

"With this equipment, even those 'Spark' remnants in Sin City will be even less likely to cause trouble... How about I use them to test Chairman Xu's new weapons?"

"No need, right?"

Xu Shi blinked. "I already resolved the 'Spark' matter. Why would Lord Long need to test those insignificant shrimps? Things are fine as they are now."

This statement is somewhat sarcastic. Back when Shen He colluded with He Laosan to frame me, I didn't see you, Long Tianding, being so attentive. It's no fun being so hindsight now.

Moreover, this can be seen as a declaration of sovereignty, telling people to stop thinking about encroaching on the sixth and seventh districts. Those areas are now my territory, and I'll be the one to deal with any serious consequences, not you.

Of course, what Long Tianding didn't know was that there was another reason: it was a training ground that Xu Shi had prepared for Lin Yue. "I'm having a good time playing this game, I don't want you messing around."

"Chairman Xu has a broad mind and a fine demeanor."

Long Tianding, feeling rebuffed, subtly retorted with a sarcastic remark.

How could he not understand what the other party meant? He doesn't deny that he didn't treat you like a human being when he stood by and did nothing in the past. The "Snake Ring" from a few months ago was already a bit rotten inside. If you ask someone else, do you dare say that he didn't have the heart to kick him and share a cup?

But Xu Shi's change of heart and subsequent operational arrangements were unexpected. The wheel of fortune turns, so now you can only endure their insults. What else can you do?

"...I also need a batch of 'twin' chips."

Long Tianding decided to continue with the main topic, "There are many 'Ascended Ones' in Sin City; ordinary weapons alone are insufficient."

"can."

Xu Shi nodded, "But I have conditions."

"Ok?"

"Why is Lord Long making such a fuss?"

Xu Shi laughed, "Didn't you ask me what I wanted before? I actually have something to ask you... Don't worry, it's nothing."

"Why don't you tell us first?"

Long Tianding didn't dare to completely trust him, always feeling that he already had PTSD.

"Actually, it's similar to what Lord Long was thinking."

Xu Shi explained, "The 'Forsaken' have taken over Nightsin City. Although we've been trying our best to contain and divide them, we still have to be wary of someone stabbing us in the back... especially someone like me who's taken the blame for everyone else, so I have to be even more careful."

"So my condition is very simple: if there are any disloyal people who try to use Lord Long to deal with me, you must help them."

You're going to take the blame for everyone? You've stolen the limelight... Long Tianding thought to himself, but he knew that Xu Shi wasn't joking; he genuinely had such concerns.

After all, everyone knows that Lin Wenhua is also in "Snake Ring," and that old guy is definitely not one to stay put.