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

"...Let them in."

Lin Yue paused for a moment, then nodded and gave the instructions.

Before long, several people dressed in black cloaks were led in.

The man at the head of the group took off his hood; it was Shen He.

"Shen Shou...Shen He?"

Lin Yue's heart tightened, and she said.

It really was him? Although she had expected this, seeing him in person still made Lin Yue feel a little emotional—mostly because of Xu Shi's perfect planning; things turned out exactly as he had predicted.

"It's me, Lin Yue. Long time no see."

It had been a long time since I'd seen Shen He, and he looked much older. Although he didn't look dejected, he had long lost his former vigor and spirit.

Seeing Lin Yue sitting in the high seat, he was actually a little saddened - he had heard so many stories about her before, but he didn't quite believe it, since it didn't match the Lin Yue he knew.

But now that he has seen it with his own eyes, he has to admit that the new leader of the Sixth District has long lost his former naivety and has been replaced by the aura of a leader.

"...Where have you been all this time? Why haven't I been able to find you?"

Lin Yue showed him a seat, but couldn't help asking a few questions.

"It's more like clinging to life."

Shen He chuckled self-deprecatingly, but a strange feeling of unease crept into his heart.

Last time, she left the organization in anger because she couldn't stand staying in District Six.

Unexpectedly, a few months later, she became the leader here, and instead came to her with a request.

"So...what do you want from me?"

Lin Yue didn't ask any more questions. For some reason, she suddenly realized that there seemed to be some unspeakable distance between her and Shen He. Not only had her former admiration vanished, but even after a long separation, she couldn't feel any emotion in her heart.

Even their conversations felt awkward, as if they were strangers.

"I...have come to ask for your help."

Shen He also sensed the subtle atmosphere and felt a little awkward, so he just smiled and got straight to the point.

"You know, I became the way I am now entirely thanks to Xu Shi."

He continued, "Fortunately, I've finally found a chance... Are you still willing to be with me, Lin Yue?"

"Tell me about your plan."

Lin Yue did not agree immediately, but continued to ask.

With the defeat of the first generation of "Spark" preceding her and Lin Xing's capture following, she is now truly hesitant and timid, vaguely aware that Xu Shi is not so easy to deal with.

But Shen He seems quite confident... so that's why Xu Shi came to find me ahead of time, right? Given that guy's personality, he certainly wouldn't overlook any detail in this situation.

Besides, it's kind of annoying to be constantly stared at like this, isn't it...?

hiss!

She was startled when she realized what was going on in her mind.

It's one thing to be forced to back down by Xu Shi, but why are you even considering things from his perspective?

"I am not fighting alone, Lin Yue."

Shen He didn't pay much attention to her unease and just continued to tell his story.

From him, Lin Yue also learned about his plan.

Shen He has quite a few people in his camp—himself, Lin Wenhua of "Snake Ring", Long Tianding who turns a blind eye, and what she didn't expect was that one of the three leaders of "The Forgotten Ones" was actually his sister.

She knew that her former leader had a younger sister, but this was the first time she had heard of her sister's identity.

Their plan was simple: take advantage of the riots to launch a pincer attack from both inside and outside, thus carrying out a decapitation strike against Xu Shi... According to Shen He, the "Forgotten Ones" entrenched outside the city, including some within the city, were also willing to participate.

This is actually similar to the way Luo Zhikang was rescued at the time—in fact, when outnumbered, this kind of feint attack is the most effective method.

The important thing is that Shenhe's strength is no less than before, and may even be stronger, so in theory, he should be more confident.

"A city-wide riot... then what do you need me to do?"

Lin Yue was amazed by the audacity of Shen He's plan, but at the same time, she was also somewhat disappointed.

The rift between the two began because of Shen He's affair with Zhang Shijun—which was completely contrary to her expectations.

And now, would he really go to this extent for revenge?

Without even thinking, she knew what kind of impact the city-wide riots would have. In the past, people were discussing how to overthrow the corporation's rule and allow the people of Night City to live a better life... Now, she couldn't hear any of that in their conversations.

I have to say, the man in front of me has really changed a lot.

Lin Yue was even a little unable to accept it for a moment, but when she thought about it, she actually felt a little empathetic - she always felt that his mentality had been tormented by Xu Shi and that he was in a similar situation, not to mention him.

"It's simple, join us."

Shen He looked at her and said, "The more power we have, the more certain we are to succeed. I don't trust Long Tianding, so I need your power."

When he looked at her like that, Lin Yue's heart wavered for a moment.

But she quickly came to her senses and then let out a long sigh.

Xu Shi had said, "You know what to do," and she certainly knew that he didn't mean for her to refuse outright.

Instead.

"...Okay, I agree."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 159 What a good dog, Miss Lin Yue

Seeing Lin Yue's quick agreement, Shen He was secretly pleased, but the unpleasant feeling in his heart had not completely subsided.

What pleased him was that, in his view, the fact that the other party agreed so easily meant that their past friendship had not been completely severed.

But this friendship probably can only stay at this level—not to mention Lin Yue, even he himself has lost much of the feeling he had when he was in "Spark". Lei Song and Zhang Shinian are gone, and all that's left is him and Lin Yue. Shen He can't let go, and Lin Yue probably feels the same way.

So he didn't bring up anything else. He couldn't possibly rely on his former status as leader to ask her to hand over the Sixth District to him, could he? It was obviously unrealistic... Besides, he was already on a different track now, and the "Forsaken" were his new base.

"So that's it for now?"

After briefly explaining the details of the plan to Lin Yue, he stood up to take his leave. "I'm very grateful that you're still standing with me. As for the rest... we can talk about it later when things are over?"

"……OK."

Lin Yue forced a smile, sent someone to see him off, and then sat in the same seat that Xu Shi had sat in that day, lost in thought.

When she came to her senses, she realized that there were many things she hadn't asked Shen He—what had he been through these past few days? How did he return after leaving? Including some details about his relationship with the "Forgotten Ones"...

Was it overlooked? Or...?

Upon reflection, she realized that, without realizing it, matters concerning Shen He seemed to have become insignificant in her heart.

On the contrary, it was her younger sister, along with that devil Xu Shi... Perhaps that's why she was able to make such a choice so easily? Thinking about it carefully, using Shen He as an exchange to ensure Lin Xing's safety, she even felt it was quite a good deal.

He abandoned himself first, didn't he?

Ugh……

Thinking this way, Lin Yue felt much less guilty.

However, to be fair, there are actually quite a few details surrounding Shen He's return to Night City.

After leaving District Six, he led his men back to District Five.

There were quite a few people waiting here—Shen Qin, Lin Wenhua, and Long Tianding's subordinates also sent several envoys, as well as capable henchmen like Li Tang from Shen Qin's faction, who also mingled in with him.

"Has an agreement been reached?"

Upon seeing him return, Lin Wenhua cleared his throat and asked.

"Yes, Lin Yue is willing to support our actions."

Shen He nodded, not particularly fond of the old man either.

The main reason is that he feels nauseous just hearing the word "snake ring," and even though Lin Wenhua is a traitor who is on their side, his opinion of him is not much better.

"My brother used to have quite a lot of influence."

Shen Qin pouted, her tone revealing a hint of jealousy.

She harbored an equal hatred for every girl who had feelings for her brother, regardless of who they were.

"Mr. Shen is indeed a very good leader."

Li Tang smoothed things over for him, saying, "As for outside the city, our people and Zhao Yuan's side are all fine. We just need to give the order, and then we will launch an attack on Night Sin City."

Having spent these days with him, he had witnessed the abilities of his elder brother, the leader—in just a few months, he had secretly integrated all the "Forgotten Ones" outside the city, and they were all loyal followers of him.

He didn't deny that there was definitely help from capable people involved, but for "the forgotten" like them, the methods were not important; the result was what mattered.

The truth is that although Zhao Yuan is nominally the leader of the "Forgotten Ones" outside the city, he is actually in a state of being semi-powerful... There is no need to take him down now, but once the matter is settled, he should be out of office soon.

It's quite terrifying to think about, but fortunately, he's a big fan of the Shen siblings, so he doesn't feel any psychological burden.

"You don't need to worry about weapons or anything like that."

The person sent by Long Tianding continued, "The extra batch ordered by City Lord Long is already on its way and will be delivered directly to the Fifth District. You can distribute it yourselves."

However, he also gave a heads-up, "But apart from that, Lord Long will not help you with anything else. If you fail, please keep your promise and do not involve him in the matter."

"...We are already very grateful that Lord Long has been able to help us so much."

Shen He nodded in understanding, but he also knew that if they really failed, no matter how much they tried to pin it on him, Long Tianding could probably still remain neutral... Just because he provided the Fifth District's base and these weapons, they thought they could drag him down with them? He could easily absolve himself of all responsibility with a simple excuse of oversight and ignorance.

As for the envoy's pessimistic predictions... to be honest, they certainly weren't 100% certain either.

It can only be said that the people present were a loser's alliance. Who hadn't suffered at Xu Shi's hands? He was the first to suffer. To say that he was full of ambition would be self-deception.

But having concerns is not a reason not to do it. Otherwise, like a frog being slowly boiled in water, these people will still not have a good ending. They can only try to take a chance.

"In that case, I wish you all success."

Having said that, the envoy had no choice but to leave after giving a few instructions.