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

Although upon closer reflection, this is unrealistic; there are far more efficient methods... If he really wanted to do something big, he might as well have directly persuaded He Laosan to give his father a good beating and make him lose gold coins. That would be much more direct. Why bother tying up the relatively insignificant He Erxiaojie? It would be superfluous.

But as long as similar rumors circulate, they will inevitably have some impact on him—the Six-Eyed Flying Fish is still quite terrifying. He can silence Qi Maoyang, but he can't silence people's hearts.

Especially on Wen Shengkui's side, it's obvious that the old man favors He Yuxia far more than her family. If the ice hadn't been broken and the relationship hadn't been improved, it's hard to say whether "Feather Pen" would have harbored resentment towards him because of this.

We really can't just stand by and watch.

He also knew that Tang Shuang's visit to him was actually a way of returning a favor. He had given her a lot of convenience in terms of chips before, and now that this had happened, she came to him immediately, which was to let him know what was going on so he could take precautions.

They're quite grateful, aren't they?

"So, I don't know if you have any clue about this."

Director Tang gradually calmed down. "Or, is there... anyone we suspect?"

"Investigating cases isn't my forte; that's yours."

Xu Shi stroked his chin and said, "I can think of nothing that I would do."

If we're really going to talk about suspicion, there are only two possibilities: Long Tianding and Xie Qingyan, but if we break them down, neither of them is possible.

He had just returned from Long Tianding's place, and the situation between "Snake Ring" and "Dragon City" had just stabilized. At this time, he would never do anything that would harm himself, unless he went mad.

As for Xie Qingyan, that bastard is good at making underhanded moves, but the problem is that she, like me, has the big boss in her hand. If she really wanted to take down "Shark Tooth," she wouldn't need to go through all this trouble.

Are there any other possibilities...? Thinking about it, it seems there aren't any. Xu Shi was truly at a loss for a moment.

"Your investigation bureau should have searched the premises. What's the result?"

"Nothing."

Tang Shuang shook her head. "If He Yuxia were still in Night City, we wouldn't need to go through all this trouble, but we've already been to Sin City, and we still haven't found her."

Actually, she was the one under the most pressure.

Although she and Xu Shi appear to be sitting and talking, there is actually a difference of at least two levels in their status. If something really happens to He Yuxia, she will be the first to be blamed.

So when she came to find Xu Shi, besides giving him a reminder, she also wanted him to come up with some ideas—after all, she knew that this guy had a lot of ideas, and maybe he could help her analyze something.

"There's no need to worry too much, is there? Didn't they say Miss He has bodyguards with her?"

Xu Shi reassured her, "At least her life is safe; it's not that easy for something to happen to her."

"...This matter was reported to us by her bodyguard."

Director Tang gritted his teeth. "They said they followed the person and then disappeared. They didn't dare tell 'Shark Tooth,' and the leader kept begging me not to expose the matter."

"..."

Xu Shi was dumbfounded; he had never been so speechless before.

Okay, so this is how you put pressure on people?

It's only human nature to say that He Jiayuan sent some bodyguards to his daughter, but these people probably wouldn't take it too seriously. Firstly, they don't think she could really encounter any danger, and secondly, He Yuxia is all alone, with no say or status, so there's no future in following her... so naturally they would be somewhat negligent.

But if something like that really happens, they'll be in deep trouble and have to bear the consequences.

Xu Shi could even picture those people begging Tang Shuang, probably with snot and tears streaming down their faces. In an ancient setting, they might even have kowtowed twice... But who knows? Can't they kowtow nowadays?

"...Okay, then I'll help you look for it?"

Xu Shi thought for a moment and immediately gave the order, asking Su Lin to transfer some personnel from the field operations department to work with the inspection bureau. He also informed Gu Yi, as the cybersecurity department would be very useful in this situation.

He also informed Wen Shengkui, and the old man was indeed very concerned and willing to provide assistance.

It's actually quite funny; after notifying so many people, they never thought to notify the "Shark Tooth" team.

This isn't really about the future of those bodyguards; he doesn't care if those kinds of people die... The truth is, even if they were notified, it might not be useful. Which of the eldest and third brothers in the He family has ever cared about their relative? Maybe they'd even be happy if something happened to He Yuxia, so they could use it against her.

"Thank you so much, Chairman Xu."

Seeing that the other party made these arrangements in an orderly manner, Tang Shuang felt much more relaxed and thought to herself that she had made the right decision to come to him.

Consider it a favor you owe me.

Xu Shi was quite blunt, saying, "You'll have to pay me back later."

Yes, if you really want to know, that's his real purpose.

On a grander scale, if he has ambitions to unite and unify the City of Night Sin, then all aspects must be considered. Although the Bureau of Investigation does not carry the weight of the six major conglomerates, it is no exception.

On a smaller scale... it's not necessarily a bad thing for Director Tang, one of the female protagonists in the original novel, to owe someone a favor; the more favors she owes, the better.

Tang Shuang remained silent upon hearing this, but her expression became somewhat strange. Having this matter laid bare before her, she didn't know how to respond…

"Of course, given the capabilities of your investigation bureau, the fact that you haven't been able to find anyone after these past few days suggests that there's more likely another possibility."

Xu Shi continued, not forgetting that He Yuxia's "going out to collect folk songs" had been going on for several days, "which means He Yuxia wasn't even in the city."

"...You mean she might have left the city?"

Tang Shuang suddenly became alert. "Impossible, right? Ever since the 'Forgotten Ones' incident, the passes outside the city have been heavily guarded by the Inspection Bureau, and there are significant restrictions on entering and exiting..."

"Getting in is not easy, but getting out is another matter entirely."

Xu Shi shook his head. "All I can say is don't ignore this possibility."

"……you're right."

Director Tang thought it made sense. "I'll go out of the city to look for her myself. If that's the case, she might really be in danger."

"Then I won't keep you any longer, Director Tang, take care."

Xu Shi nodded. "No, it should be 'hurry up'."

I have to run.

Tang Shuang joked back, but stopped at the door and turned to look at him.

"Is there anything else?" Xu Shi asked curiously.

"Chairman Xu, could you... come with me?"

Tang Shuang thought for a moment and then tentatively asked a question.

"no!"

Before Xu Shi could answer, Su Lin, who was standing to the side, immediately refused.

She can keep quiet when the young master is talking to others, but how could she possibly do something like this?

"Director Tang knows the situation outside the city better than we do. Young Master isn't a combatant. Will you take responsibility if something happens to him?"

Let alone her overstepping her bounds and answering for Xu Shi, the fact that she didn't scold her for making such a request shows that Director Su is quite well-mannered.

"...Yes, my mind is still a bit muddled."

Tang Shuang thought for a moment and waved her hand, "I'm sorry, Chairman Xu and Director Su, please don't take it to heart."

"it does not matter."

Xu Shi chuckled, "Let's find the person first. As for the rest... we can talk about it when you get back."

To be honest, he felt that Tang Shuang's behavior of personally going out of the city to do everything was inappropriate. After all, she was the director of the inspection bureau, and it didn't seem right for her to do everything herself.

But she seems to have always been like this.

If I really had to say... a competent and good bureau chief?

He could also sense that the other party's invitation wasn't really about asking him to help find someone. Good heavens, what kind of person am I to do something like this? It would be ridiculous if word got out.

Her real purpose is probably to have a private talk with me.

Xu Shi could tell that although they hadn't had much contact recently, Tang Shuang's attitude towards him seemed to have improved. It wasn't because of the previous cooperation that she was so nice, but rather because of her overall demeanor in front of him.

From the initial tense standoff to the gradual easing of tensions, she even gave me a small gift before... Now she's whispering secrets to me?

This made Xu Shi a little strange, because he really didn't care much about Tang Shuang, or even if he did, it wasn't much. He hadn't even planted a seed in her heart... What factors caused her attitude towards him to change again and again?

Yes, it must be my personal charm.

Some people shamelessly thought this way.

Besides, we can just have a good talk with her when she gets back, and then we'll know everything, right?

The words are divided into two parts.

While Xu Shi felt slightly lost, Shen He, who was hiding in the temporary base of the "Forgotten Ones" outside the city, had the same thoughts.

how to say?

During this period of recuperation, his condition has improved a lot, and his position is no longer as awkward as it was at the beginning.

At least Li Tang, one of Shen Qin's subordinates, is now very respectful to him—this is a sign that his ability to "unite as one" is gradually recovering. Not only Li Tang, but also the entire branch of his sister's people left outside the city, including Song Chen and Zhao Yuan's people, he has also managed to contact some of them and establish good relationships with them.

As for his sister, the two of them naturally kept in touch, and she told him that she had found some people with whom she could make contact and unite.

In conclusion, everything is moving in a positive direction.

However, even so, he still didn't think he had enough strength to defeat Xu Shi.

At least now he's much more clear-headed, and he can see the obvious gap in his eyes—the highly skilled talents of the "Forgotten Ones" might not even be worth his attention, while he's still dealing with these people who stayed behind.

Although I hate to admit it, we're really not on the same level.

But he still couldn't swallow his anger; the scene of being humiliated by the other party was still vivid in his mind.

Was he really destined to spend his entire life stuck here, or return to Night City as an ordinary person under his jurisdiction? He simply couldn't accept it.

But what else can he do... at least he can't think of any solutions right now.

Feeling upset, he went to the vicinity of the camp to clear his head and relax.

That's when.

Shen He noticed a seemingly incongruous scene at the foot of the mine not far away.

Ok?

Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was actually a person.

She was a girl wearing a pale yellow dress.

The other person seemed to have lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground. The backpack next to him was also opened, and the photography and painting equipment inside was scattered all over the ground.

Ah this?

This is definitely not one of the "Forsaken," it's probably someone from the City of Nightsin...