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

"There can only be one He Yuxia in this world, right?"

Miss He smiled again, "If the old doesn't go, how can the new come?"

The subtext of these words is clear to everyone: the original He Yuxia was probably, no, definitely dead, and from that moment on, the He Yuxia in front of us took her place.

This caused everyone's expressions to become somewhat solemn.

If the sudden change of dynasties is a macroscopic horror, then this is a microscopic horror—who knows how many "righteous" people are still hiding in the City of Night Sin, and they could very well be anyone around you, or even someone's close family member, friend, or even your bedmate?

All of this is extremely difficult to detect. To be honest, if it weren't for Xia Ke'an's help, even Xu Shi might not have been able to be completely sure that He Yuxia was hiding something. She's been disguising herself so well for so many years.

This situation is not an isolated case... For a time, no one could remain at ease.

"We can't get anything out of her for now... Let's take her away."

After a long silence, Xu Shi finally sighed softly.

Ning Wei nodded knowingly.

"Is it really that you can't get any more information out of me? Or... do you just not want to keep asking?"

Seeing that she was about to be placed under house arrest, He Yuxia suddenly raised her voice, "Then why don't I tell you more things?"

"For example... there may be many people who 'represent Heaven's Principle,' but I know that there will only be one 'Observer.'"

"so?"

The little curly-haired boy didn't quite understand at first.

“I arrived in the City of Night Sin ten years ago, and before that, this position had been vacant for about fourteen or fifteen years.”

He Yuxia's expression twisted slightly. "Aren't you curious about who the 'observer' before me was?"

"Do not want to."

Xu Shi waved his hand, contrary to his usual behavior, "I'm disgusted enough just looking at you, it doesn't matter who that person is."

"I have to say it even if I don't want to!"

He Yuxia shouted uncontrollably, "That person is your mother, and also your own daughter, Wen Rujin!"

!

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions and turned to look at Xu Shi.

Everyone knows Wen Rujin's name. She was once a rising star in the City of Night Sin. When she married, she broke the hearts of countless young men. She died of illness not long after giving birth to Xu Shi. Her beautiful but short life is truly lamentable.

But that's not the point. The point is, is she also a person of "heavenly justice"? It cannot be denied that this is a malicious accusation made by He Yuxia, but it is hard not to make people suspicious.

If Wen Rujin is truly the "observer" of the previous generation, then what is Xu Shi?

The only one who didn't look at him was Wen Shengkui. His face was filled with unprecedented shock. He wanted to say something, but it was as if his throat was blocked, and he couldn't say anything.

The old man absolutely did not want this to be true. In a sense, He Yuxia was a spiritual support for him after his daughter's early death. The simplicity and beauty she showed were very similar to Wen Rujin in the past. Now that the truth has been revealed and it was just a scam, how could he feel good?

Now that this student has revealed such a shocking revelation, the situation is even worse. When was the daughter recruited as an "investigator"? Or was she switched at some point, like He Yuxia? Does that mean the real Wen Rujin is already dead, and the one after her was just an imposter...?

Thinking of this, the old man suddenly clutched his chest, and although he managed to hold on for a while, he was still somewhat unsteady on his feet.

"Chairman Wen!"

Ning Wei reacted quickly, catching him, feeding him the medicine, and adjusting his wheelchair to make him more comfortable.

"...I'm fine."

Wen Shengkui took a few deep breaths and waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need to worry.

"It's just a psychological attack; who would believe that?"

Xu Shi was even more composed than him, and smiled mockingly, "How dare you corrupt my Dao heart?"

"You know better than I do whether it's true or not! You probably already have the answer in your heart!"

He Yuxia laughed loudly, her expression one of unprecedented madness as she was forcibly dragged away.

And so the farce came to an end.

After such an incident, it was difficult for everyone to calm down, so the three parties only had a brief discussion, determined some matters for the future, and then went their separate ways.

The development of Night City cannot stop, but the search for "Heavenly Justice" cannot be relaxed either.

"Xu Shi, Xu Shi, are you... really alright?"

As soon as she got home, Xia Ke'an went into Xu Shi's room and tentatively inquired about his well-being.

"How did you know I was in trouble?"

Xu Shi held her in his arms as usual, saying, "You should worry about yourself instead of me. You were acting like a madman just now."

"But I'm all better now."

The white-haired loli pouted, "On the contrary, it's you... You look so calm, but I know you're not feeling well inside. Don't argue, and don't think you're the only one who can read people's expressions."

"Alright alright."

Xu Shi didn't argue with her and tacitly agreed, "Although I don't really have any memory of my mother, she is still the one who gave birth to me... Anyone would find it hard to remain unmoved upon hearing something like this, right?"

"So feel free to cry if you want to. You can cry in my arms."

Xia Ke'an understood this perfectly; in this respect, they were truly in the same boat.

"...Let's forget it, I find it uncomfortable."

Xu Shi looked down at the old lady's flat chest and shook his head with a look of disgust.

"Are you trying to die?"

Xia Ke'an was furious and reached out to pinch his face.

Xu Shi didn't indulge her, and the two soon started arguing.

"...But I think He Yuxia is lying to you."

After a while of playful fighting, both of them seemed to be in a better mood and were able to think about the problem more rationally. "Actually, I'm quite familiar with Ajin. We've been playing together since we were little... I haven't noticed anything unusual about her. I'm afraid she's just trying to provoke you and destroy your spirit, just as you said."

"Not necessarily."

Xu Shi, however, had a different opinion: "Judging from He Yuxia's performance, the level of disguise these 'monitors' is far beyond our imagination. She hasn't been exposed by anyone all these years, has she? This alone doesn't prove anything."

"In fact, there's a very high possibility that my mom is a 'monitor,' because she fits the criteria perfectly."

"What conditions?"

The white-haired loli blinked her eyes.

"Firstly, the 'Observer' needs to possess a certain level of power; otherwise, it would become very difficult to manipulate the system and ensure the smooth progress of the 'natural law' deductions."

Xu Shi analyzed seriously, "Secondly, this person cannot be too conspicuous. Keeping a low profile is beneficial for them to act in secret. If something happens, no one will suspect them immediately."

At least He Yuxia was like that. At the beginning, Xu Shi's suspicion about her was "whether this girl is pretending to be weak to take advantage of others and plotting against 'Shark Tooth' or 'Feather Pen'", rather than what was going on between her and Shen He.

She is actually quite low-key, and not many people would usually notice her as a peripheral figure in this conglomerate.

In short, they are like those seemingly unimportant characters in novels who can be of great use at crucial moments.

Xia Ke'an nodded thoughtfully. Firstly, she would never deny that Wen Rujin's status and position could be described as illustrious, and she herself was also an S-level "Upgraded Person" with a rather heaven-defying mind-reading ability. Even now, she believed that Xu Shi's abilities were partly inherited from this former friend.

but.

"But Ah Jin doesn't fit your second point."

She still had some doubts about this, saying, "You're young and may not know, but back in the day, your mother was just as popular and influential as I was in Night City's high society."

"But she's not in the same core position as you, is she?"

Xu Shi tapped her on the forehead. "Not only did she not inherit the 'quill pen' business as the only daughter, but she also broke off relations with her maternal grandfather under pressure and married my father... It's like a movie star retiring at the peak of their career; no matter how glamorous they were before, they will gradually fade from people's sight."

"That makes sense."

The older woman thought about it carefully and realized that it was really hard to refute. "So what do you really think?"

"What I think is not important."

Xu Shi laughed, "If my mother isn't like that, then it's a win-win situation. He Yuxia is just saying a few words when she's at her limit. What effect can that have?"

"What if she really is?"

"If she really is... have you considered this question?"

Xu Shi breathed a sigh of relief. "He Yuxia took over my mother's position more than ten years after her, which means that the 'Inspector's' duties weren't important during that time; they were still laying the groundwork for Shen He's case... If that's the case, why did she suddenly die under mysterious circumstances?"

He hadn't delved into this much before, but given the premise that "his mother was the previous generation's 'watchdog,'" he couldn't really accept the claim that "his health was precarious after giving birth to him, and he eventually died suddenly."

It is more likely that Wen Rujin and "Tianli" had a disagreement, and the reason for this disagreement... is most likely himself.

Because if things went according to the original script, he would be the trashy villain who gets trampled on and slapped in the face by Shen He. As the "Monitor," Wen Rujin's next task is to guide him step by step to grow into the person he envisions.

So, as her own biological mother, would she accept such an arrangement? To raise her own flesh and blood into a useless person and then give them to the protagonist as experience points?

Most of them couldn't accept it, so she rebelled against "Heavenly Principles," and then... "Heavenly Principles" naturally couldn't let the "observer" who had escaped their control stay.

"...Shouldn't that be the case?"

Xia Ke'an pursed her lips. If that were true, it would be too upsetting. She felt it was going too far.

"This is just speculation."

Xu Shi smiled and said, "If that's really the case, I suddenly feel quite touched... You know, I've never experienced maternal love. If my mom really is only like this because of me... then I've let her down."

"And you said what you think doesn't matter."

The older woman pursed her lips; she had never seen the little boy make such an expression before.

"It doesn't matter, because neither situation will affect my decision."

"What decision?"

“Find the ‘principles of Heaven,’ then cut them off, slice them open, and chop them into pieces.”

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 194 Is this my mother's friend?

"what?"