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

Jiang Chengcheng was a little disappointed upon hearing this, but she did not object.

To be honest, this person's personality is a little twisted—to be fair, she has always harbored a strange possessiveness, or rather, a possessiveness, towards Xu Shi. He is irreplaceable to her, someone she is willing to dedicate everything to, so of course she doesn't want to share him with anyone else. At most, she might add Su Lin, but that's already the limit.

She lives alone with this idea in mind: he can come over whenever he wants, and once the door is closed, the two of them can do whatever they want, which would be great.

However, she also knew that this was unlikely... She knew Xu Shi's personality very well; he was essentially a womanizer, and it was unrealistic to expect him to focus all his attention on her.

So she compromised after thinking about it. After weighing the two options, the idea of ​​"going along with him" prevailed. Otherwise, how could she have so easily flown together with Xia Wuyou?

Moreover, she can distinguish between what's important and what's not. Xu Shi's request wasn't meant to make her jealous or anything, but was genuinely for her safety, which made her quite happy.

"There's just a small problem."

While she was happy, she also had a question: "Since Chairman Xu has already arranged everything, why not just take the initiative?"

She understood from the other party's narration that Lin Wenhua, Shen Qin, Long Tianding, and even the He brothers of "Shark Tooth" had all their thoughts seen through him. So why wait for them to take action and retaliate?

"That's why I say you're a little fool."

Xu Shi flicked her nose. "Have you heard that saying?"

"Ok?"

"Let the bullets fly for a while."

……

"That's why I said you're one of the worst seeds in the world."

Jiang Chengcheng's understanding of this matter is actually not very thorough; in fact, very few people do have a thorough understanding of it.

The only one who realized what was going on first was Xia Ke'an, so after Xu Shi returned home, she took the initiative to find her brother Xu Shi and didn't hold back in complaining about him.

"Have it?"

Xu Shi pretended to be confused even though he knew the truth.

"Not yet."

The white-haired loli rolled her eyes at him, showing him how to use someone else's strength against them.

She knew exactly what Xu Shi needed—he wanted these people to create chaos in Night City so that he could further enhance and solidify his position.

If the riots are uncontrollable, that's certainly not a good thing. But if the riots are within a controllable range, from a capitalist perspective, that's a great thing.

As the saying goes, where there is demand, there is a market, especially when social contradictions are relatively acute.

The original residents of Nightsin City were already harboring resentment due to the arrival of the "Forgotten Ones" and his deliberate provocations.

If things continue like this, it's fine, but if the "Forgotten Ones" really cause trouble, it will turn into a powder keg that can be ignited at any moment.

We've already done a great favor by accepting you and giving up our already strained living space. And you still want to cause trouble? Isn't that a bit much? Don't think that only Shen Qin is the one instigating this. In the eyes of the general public, there aren't so many factions. If you're going to fight, you'll be wiped out in one fell swoop.

In this environment, it would be fine if Shen Qin succeeded, but if she failed, the entire "Forgotten" group would suffer as well, and in the worst case, they could be completely reduced to second-class citizens... This just happens to give the original residents of Night City a good explanation, and the public opinion they have been building up these days has not been in vain.

At the same time, don't forget what "Snake Ring" does. It's a military-industrial enterprise! If a large-scale riot like this really happens, its status will actually rise. Even an old lady can tell with her feet that after the incident, this guy in front of her might start to bluff, no, urge everyone to carry guns. Isn't he willing to pay a tiny bit of money for his own safety?

What's that saying again? The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish, right...?

This is just in the lower-tier markets; the higher-ups also have a lot to say – "Snake Ring" was already considered a top-tier (T0) item in the current version, and this will further solidify its position, especially since "Dragon City" can be used as a scapegoat. The most interesting thing is that "Shark Tooth" has also actively gotten involved…

As the saying goes, if one cut isn't enough, then cut again.

"So, I should thank them."

Xu Shi smiled, not denying it. To be honest, he really didn't expect the He brothers to actually get involved in this mess. It was a pleasant surprise for him.

—He had been keeping an eye on He Laosan. Ever since he heard his good brother Qiangzi was being restless a few days ago, he had become curious. Following the clues, he discovered that this guy had indeed secretly conceived another child with Shen He.

A leopard can't change its spots, you know. Mr. Xu's heart is aching. Haven't I been good to you, brother? Why are you always plotting against me behind my back?

However, as heartbroken as he is, he can also understand why. Even if He Yuqiang is stupid, he can't possibly not see that he is trying to gradually devour "Shark Tooth". As long as he is not a weakling who accepts his fate, this alone is enough for him to take a gamble.

And he really wasn't, so this is quite logical.

What's even more interesting is that he soon received a call from Xie Qingyan, who said that He Yuzhao was also acting strangely, experiencing a similar situation to his younger brother.

After a moment's thought, he realized this was Shen He's clever trick—the two brothers probably didn't know the other had also been dragged into it, so once they were both worn down, Shen He's side could simply reap the rewards...

Even he had to admit that the arrangement had some merit, but that was about it; it wasn't much and was still within his manageable range.

He even had to thank Shen He for helping him out, since Long Tianding was betting on both sides and his attitude wasn't very clear. Using him as an example wouldn't really achieve the effect of making an example of someone, but with "Shark Tooth" involved, he was completely used as a pawn.

In addition, since he originally had the idea of ​​annexing the other party, this gave him a good excuse to take action against them. He had to have a legitimate reason for his actions, otherwise it would be too thuggish.

Seeing his increasingly cunning smile, Xia Ke'an helplessly rubbed her forehead.

The more she spent time with this guy, the more she felt sorry for those who wanted to oppose him. While others were still thinking about how to target him, this guy was already thinking about how to take advantage of the situation and maximize his own interests... Their starting points and vision were on completely different levels. How could they possibly compete with him?

But then she thought about it again and felt quite gratified. As she said before, at least she made the right choice back then and didn't let Xia Wuyou go against him...

There are actually great benefits to being on the side of someone like Xu Shi.

Especially for someone like Xia Wuyou, who has turned back from the wrong path and now has physical intimacy with him, the relationship will only become stronger, so there's absolutely nothing to worry about.

"Of course, if I said it was because I wasn't sure, would you believe me, old lady?"

As she pondered, she noticed Xu Shi sigh, his tone becoming serious.

"real or fake?"

The white-haired loli blurted out.

"real."

Xu Shi nodded. "Logically speaking, I should have arranged everything, but I still feel like there might be something I haven't considered."

Moreover, it is very likely that a large part of it has not been considered, and it may even be the kind of part that could influence the final outcome.

"...Are you worried that 'those people' might make a move?"

Xia Ke'an blinked and asked tentatively.

There are some things that only she and Xu Shi truly understand. The so-called 'those people' are the masterminds behind the destruction of "Refraction" and "Heavenly River" that the two of them had discussed before... Just as she said at the time, when Xu Shi reaches a certain level, this is something that must be considered.

"Probably not."

Xu Shi shook his head. "Thinking about it, that's unlikely, isn't it?"

This is true.

After all, if 'those people' are involved, the most likely angle would be from the perspective of the 'forgotten,' which is a third party that is still unfamiliar to everyone.

But if that were the case, they wouldn't have been suppressed for so long. After all, the power of 'those people' is probably beyond everyone's imagination. If they really wanted to intervene, wouldn't they just deal with them directly? Why would Shen Qin and the others have to be bullied like this and forced to erupt in silence?

"It seems so."

After he said that, the older woman realized what he meant.

"What else could it be? Forgive me, Brother Xu Shi, I can't think of anything."

She sighed.

Looking at her mature demeanor, Xu Shi suddenly felt like laughing.

Logically speaking, the atmosphere should be very serious right now, but you keep calling me "brother" so naturally that it's really hard to be serious, okay?

He was even a little afraid of hearing words like "trash" or "small fry" come out of Xia Ke'an's mouth. He always felt that she might have some effeminate qualities? And in terms of figure, she even seemed more attractive than Gu Yi, right...?

"I can't figure it out either."

Fortunately, he quickly regained his senses and looked at the white-haired loli with anticipation. "But I don't want to be left in the dark. I want to understand everything before I say anything."

"so?"

Xia Ke'an was stunned for a moment, and then she probably understood the hidden meaning.

"So, for my sake, okay?"

Xu Shi held out his fist at her. "Use 'Foresight' on them."

Use Flame Fist (Disorder) on him.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 162 What the heck?! Old lady, why are you back to being like this?!

What does "predicting the future" mean?

No one knows the answer to this question. The fact is that since the destruction of "Refraction", no one has ever witnessed Xia Ke'an activate her ability. Xia Wuyou had never seen it either, as she was still young at the time.

Xu Shi had never seen it before, but he had always wanted to see it for himself.

And now is the best opportunity. As he said, he doesn't want to miss any opportunity that might cause unforeseen changes. Bad men are frighteningly steady.

"Ha, I knew Brother Xu Shi wouldn't be looking for me so late at night."

Xia Ke'an teased, "It must have been very hard work."

"Wait, wasn't it you who contacted me?"

"...That's not important. Right now, I still have to work for you, don't I?"

The older woman shifted her position, snuggling closer to him, then looked up at him and said, "The important thing is whether I want to help you."

Have some conscience!

Xu Shi chopped down with his hand, saying irritably, "Isn't this what we agreed on back then?"

"Breaking a contract is a girl's privilege, isn't it?"

"Give me a break, you're a ghost girl, it's disgusting for an old aunt to pretend to be young."

"...Tch, boys who don't understand romance are the worst."

The white-haired loli rubbed her head, pouted and pretended to be angry, "Just kidding, look how anxious you are... I didn't say I wouldn't help you, but I do have conditions."

"You say it."

Seeing her acting like a little kid throwing a tantrum to buy a toy, Xu Shi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"It's just... once you're done with this busy period, you can go out and have some fun with me."

Xia Ke'an burst into laughter through her tears, "I want to go to the amusement park!"