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

But the qualitative change brought about by S-class is indeed terrifying. You want the adjutant to put on that show and see if she can do it? Sorry, she can't.

Xu Shi had no doubt that if combat power could be quantified, he conservatively estimated that Long Tianding alone could surpass the total of everyone outside the city. At least in terms of destructive power, his two behemoths were unmatched.

"This... Xu Shi, you really want the old man to fight him one-on-one?"

Gu Yi couldn't help but feel worried for Wen Shengkui... She couldn't help but think that the contrast between the current scene and Long Tianding was too strong. Compared with Long Tianding now, Old Master Wen was simply as insignificant as dust.

She had heard Xu the scoundrel mention that her grandfather was incredibly powerful, but he didn't seem like someone she could actually beat...

"...Don't be afraid."

Xu Shi, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. He patted her back and comforted her, saying, "The old man won't lose."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true, didn't you see Long Tianding standing on the left?"

"Hmm? What's the explanation?"

"Of course, as the old saying goes, you always lose when the ball is on the left."

“……┗|｀O′|┛I’m not kidding you!”

Gu Yi was taken aback, then punched him twice in the back. "I'm serious, don't tell me you don't have any other reliable methods... Hey?"

As she was talking, she suddenly noticed something.

The earthquake was incredibly powerful; even they felt it here, let alone the First District itself.

But only the area near Wen Shengkui showed no signs of cracking, not even a speck of dust.

The old man himself remained unmoved, as steady as Mount Tai.

"this?"

Miss Black Rabbit was dumbfounded.

Before she could even react, Long Tianding had already ridden the earth dragon and charged towards Wen Shengkui.

The earthen dragon sped by, causing countless stone spikes to rise from the ground, and a rain of stones filled the sky like shooting stars.

"You old bastard, you're dead!"

Long Tianding's eyes were wide open, clearly indicating that he had used his abilities to the fullest extent.

however.

Just like before, about five or six meters in front of Grandpa Wen, all the attacks suddenly weakened and could no longer penetrate any further.

"I am indeed an old man. As the saying goes, the new wave pushes the old wave forward. Perhaps one day, I will really be defeated and replaced by someone."

Grandpa Wen looked intently at his impotent rage, and a slight smile finally appeared on his lips. "But that person won't be you."

As he spoke, he pulled out his right hand from under the blanket and casually pressed it down.

There is only this one action.

then.

next second.

Everyone then saw the two enormous earthen dragons instantly turn into dust and disappear!

"!"

Long Tianding himself immediately lost his support and plummeted downwards.

However, upon closer inspection, his fall appeared unnatural, as if he were being pressed down by something, unable to even struggle!

In this process, he himself was like an onion, first his clothes were peeled off piece by piece, then his flesh, bones, and internal organs, little by little, turning into ashes at high speed!

When the smoke and dust cleared, not a trace could be seen on the cracked ground.

Ashes!

"See, I said it, didn't I?"

Xu Shi shrugged easily, "Don't even mention losing on the left side of the ball; the one who strikes first is usually the one who's going to die."

"what……"

Miss Black Rabbit was clearly still reeling from the shock, and mechanically turned her head to look at him.

"Um... what kind of ability does the old man have?"

"Well... how can I explain this to you?"

Xu Shi thought for a moment, "Actually, it's quite troublesome, but to sum it up, it can be summed up in six words."

"?"

"Knowledge is power."

The illness is almost cured, but my skin feels numb and it's really uncomfortable...

I heard that another fellow writer has also fallen ill. The news also says that there's a recent peak in relapses. Everyone must take care of their health.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 172 Xu Shi, you're driving me crazy!

Cheese, no, knowledge, is power.

Explaining Wen Shengkui's ability is indeed a bit convoluted.

However, there is a very similar example that can be cited, namely Shenhe.

As is well known, Shen He's "United We Stand" has a hidden effect: the higher the popularity he gathers and the more people he wins over, the stronger his own qualities, such as mental strength and physical fitness, will become.

Mr. Wen's abilities can also be understood in this way, except that what he needs is knowledge, not people's hearts.

The more he learns and the more he understands, the stronger he will become in other areas. Not to mention that the old man is a scholar and writer, so he doesn't need to spend too much extra time and energy to improve himself—it's just part of his daily life.

Therefore, Long Tianding's previous belief that "the old man is too old and not strong enough" is completely unfounded. If Wen Shengkui decades ago was a dog stacked five hundred layers high, no, a desert reaper, then now he's probably stacked fifty thousand layers high...

"That's why it's SS-level," Xu Shi thought to himself. In his opinion, this was the very same sage who was holding the "Lunyu" manual.

Especially since this thing is stacked up and hard to fall off, while people's hearts can be lost, but the knowledge you acquire is not so easy to discard.

Of course, it's not to say that the old man is completely invincible—as an SS-level "ascended person," he has just as many complications as Xia Ke'an, such as his paralyzed legs, which can never be restored no matter how many times they are folded up... Don't ask why he doesn't use technological means; what can you do if he doesn't want to?

In addition, Wen Shengkui was already in his twilight years, and the decline of some functions was inevitable.

The most fatal of these is "memory decline," which may be the only way to weaken the old man's strength. But even so, he won't be like Shen He, who coughs up blood as soon as he encounters a backlash. This shows the high value of his top-tier superpower.

Thinking about this, Xu Shi still felt a little regretful. After all, this was no longer the peak of his grandfather's life. He had talked to Xia Ke'an before, and the other party clearly stated that he had seen the old man conjure fire and lightning with his bare hands before, just like the great masters and ancestors in fantasy dramas.

It's no exaggeration to say that if he could have maintained this level, Wen Shengkui would have been very likely to break through the SS limit and become an unprecedented SSS-level "ascended one". But unfortunately, there are no "ifs". A slight mistake can lead to an irreparable regret.

However, even now, without considering the potential backlash from complications, he still has the ability to single-handedly overthrow the other five conglomerates and become a major dictator.

However, the old man didn't have that in mind. What he was considering was the development of the city's people's livelihood and social welfare... Including this time, it was because Long Tianding crossed the line first. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

"Really...?"

After his explanation, Gu Yi understood and then involuntarily shrank her neck.

Good heavens, is this the same old man I dragged to play video games before?

Did I say anything disrespectful to him because he played poorly? Come on, think about it...

"Or I'll let you study more."

The answer to the question is right here, and Xu Shi just playfully flicked her nose.

Why don't you learn?

Miss Black Rabbit muttered a couple of things, saying that learning those things was really boring, and it would be better to drag Grandpa along to play video games.

"I'm the one who pays your salary."

Xu Shi argued confidently, "Once you've finished learning, I can just order you around, right?"

"Come on, if I were really that capable, would I be working for you?" Gu Yi said indignantly.

"So, are you going to quit?"

"No."

Gu Yi snuggled closer to him, instantly giving in.

Xia Ke'an lay quietly in Xu Shi's arms, blinking her big, watery eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

While the group was joking around, the situation in Sin City had already been settled.

Or rather, it was already settled long ago—although only Long Tianding died, the way he died was far too shocking. It wasn't enough to say he was killed as a warning to others; it was more like a cruel way to make an example of someone.

No one else dared to make any small moves. Everyone knew that this gap couldn't be bridged by numbers. Even the S-level Long Tianding was defeated in one move. For small fry like them, even ten thousand wouldn't be enough to fill someone's teeth.

Do you want to vanish instantly? No. If not, then stay put. When you're out in the game, the first priority is survival. Gang loyalty is worthless.

As they were talking, Ning Wei reappeared in everyone's sight, carrying a guy whose face was ashen.

Who else could it be but Lin Wenhua?

Butler Ning's face now had several dark marks, seemingly from engine oil? It seemed that Lin Wenhua had also eliminated all the cyborg assassins he had left behind for self-defense.

"master."

Ning Wei casually wiped away the dirt, took out the obedient little black dog from his pocket, and handed it to Wen Shengkui, pretending to be nonchalant as he shook off a few dog hairs stuck to the lining.

"Oh?"

Grandpa Wen gave him a strange look. "What did I tell you before?"

This little trick definitely didn't escape his notice.

"I……"

Ning Wei looked a little embarrassed. "I... I'll write my resignation when I get back."

"Fine, fine, this won't happen again."

Wen Shengkui suddenly smiled, then closed his eyes and ordered, "Push me back, I'm tired."