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

Xia Ke'an was stunned for a moment when she heard Xu Shi say such words in a cold tone.

Judging from what the little boy said... he wanted to directly find out "the principles of heaven" and smash them to pieces?

"Hey you, aren't you being a bit too arrogant?"

Although it wasn't good to dampen his enthusiasm at this time, the white-haired loli still poured some cold water on him out of rational consideration.

She couldn't help but worry—they had only learned a little about "Heavenly Principle" through He Yuxia, and they hadn't even finished drawing the whole face yet... Making such a decision at this time made it hard not to think that he was acting impulsively.

"It's better to be bold than timid."

Xu Shi, however, wasn't buying it. "Setting the goal at the highest level from the start, even if you only complete half of it, is still better than setting the goal at the bottom and then easily completing it. Don't you think so, old lady?"

This is consistent with his usual style, and he has always done it this way—thinking back to when his memories first awakened, his goal was to gradually bring the entire Night City under his control through Shen He's affairs, rather than simply tearing up the script.

"But……"

"Don't worry, I'm not acting on impulse."

Seeing that Xia Ke'an still had reservations, Xu Shi explained while fixing her hair, "My mother's situation is only part of the problem. The most important thing is that we can no longer let this sword hang over our heads."

Especially now that he is the de facto emperor of the City of Night Sin, he cannot remain indifferent after learning all this.

My money! (Just kidding)

"Moreover, according to my estimation, 'Heavenly Justice' might also be pleased with this and may not intervene because of my actions."

He continued, "After all, if what He Yuxia said were true, I would have already disrupted their entire plan by now, but they still haven't taken any action, have they?"

Of course, there might be a buffer period... But whatever the truth is, he wants to delve deeper into the "principles of heaven," otherwise, no matter what achievements he makes or what heights he reaches, he will only be a guinea pig being manipulated by others.

What you said... seems to make sense, doesn't it?

The older woman thought about it seriously and couldn't refute his statement. "If that's the case... then you should give it a try. Of course, you must be fully prepared before you try it."

"Of course."

As he spoke, Xu Shi tied her hair into an extremely ugly double ponytail. "Aren't you going to think about stopping me anymore?"

"There's nothing we can do."

Xia Ke'an said helplessly, "Who told me to eat your food and use your things? If you have any grand ambitions, I can only support you from behind... It's so ugly! Stop playing with my hair!"

"You do have some self-awareness, huh?"

Xu Shi joked, letting her hair down again, "Don't worry, we'll definitely be squeezing you dry... The more unknowns there are in 'Heavenly Principles,' the more indispensable your abilities become."

"Tch, I knew you couldn't live without me."

The older woman sounded a little smug upon hearing this, "Then tell me, where do you want me to start?"

"This is not urgent."

Xu Shi shook his head. "You only used your ability a short time ago. Using it again now would be too taxing... Let's wait until Shen Qin's self-healing ability is decomposed. Then there shouldn't be any worries."

"Well, it's up to you."

Xia Ke'an nodded obediently, feeling a warmth in her heart. She had heard Xia Wuyou mention the dual superpowers, and at the time she had wondered if she could be the first to try it and completely suppress the complications of the superpowers in this way.

But it wasn't easy to ask him directly. She couldn't very well grab Xu Shi by the collar and ask him to give her his superpower, could she? To be honest, she felt she owed this little boy too much of a debt of gratitude, and she couldn't bring herself to say such a thing.

Unexpectedly, she was the first person they thought of. It felt really good to be cared for and valued.

"However, I can tell you about the relevant plans first."

Xu Shi smiled and said, "When He Yuxia mentioned the 'Observers' just now, she used 'we' instead of 'I,' which is enough to prove that Night City is definitely not the only place they are concerned about."

"Even the stronghold of 'Tenri' isn't located in this city. The fact that we've explored hundreds of meters underground and found absolutely no trace of them is the best proof of that... Perhaps we need to venture out and explore further afield."

"……for example?"

"For example...the other side of the sea."

Xu Shi thought for a moment and said, "The depths of the Birchwood Plains were once the land of the 'Forgotten Ones,' and 'Heavenly Justice' probably isn't in that direction... So all that's left for us is the vast ocean."

"……Um."

Xia Ke'an stared blankly for a long time before nodding mechanically. "You really dare to think big. To be honest, I've never considered that there might be other land or cities on the other side of the ocean..."

She seemed somewhat dazed; clearly, Xu Shi's words shocked her even more than anything that had just happened.

"...It's just a guess, isn't it?"

Xu Shi found it strange, but after a moment he realized that the old lady was probably not an isolated case. Anyone in the city would probably have reacted similarly upon hearing this.

This shattered everyone's long-held notions—perhaps hundreds or even thousands of years ago? People had never imagined that there was a wider world beyond the City of Night Sin; this was a long-standing mindset. And the heavily polluted sea area, tainted by the rust fog, became the perfect roadblock.

Even he himself was no exception. If he hadn't awakened his memories, he probably wouldn't have been able to make such a smooth connection to this point. At least for the previous twenty years, wasn't he just as muddled and confused as everyone else?

This only strengthened his conviction: these completely isolated regions—weren't they Truman's world? Without exploring the outside world, they would be trapped here forever; to put it bluntly, they were just experimental fields…

Nobody wants to be the leeks in the experimental field, at least not Xu Shi after learning the truth.

That's where his resentment truly lay.

As for Xia Ke'an, she was still immersed in the shock brought by Xu Shi, but she slowly came back to her senses.

Well... Xu Shi seems to be that kind of person, doesn't he? I always feel that he can easily do things that others can't. At least half a year ago, she wouldn't have thought that he could take control of the entire Night Sin City in such a short time.

These enlightening remarks are also... To be honest, she is actually one of the people who hates "natural justice" the most, but that incident has long made her anxious and hesitant to do many things.

But if this little boy is with you, it seems like things can work out again.

Despite saying that, she acted like she was playfully complaining, "No, no, I feel like I can't always be with you."

"Hmm?" Xu Shi raised an eyebrow.

"I'm almost turning into an idiot who can't think straight anymore. I always feel like I could have figured these things out."

The old woman retorted stubbornly, "It's all your fault! Did you secretly use your powers on me?"

That's enough.

Xu Shi said irritably, "I've never seen you think of these things in the past twenty or thirty years, and now you're blaming me?"

"I don't care, this is the result anyway."

The white-haired little girl grumbled, "From today onwards, Xiao Ke'an declares that she is breaking away from Brother Xu Shi and spreading her wings to fly on her own!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she stretched and prepared to jump out of his arms.

But in less than five seconds, she stopped and curled up again.

"Forget it, you'll still be exploiting me later... I'll start by collecting some interest from you."

Xia Ke'an nestled into his arms. "Leaving now would be too easy for you. Don't move, let me take a nap first."

“…Ah, yes, yes.”

Xu was both amused and exasperated. Had it even started? It was already over!

Oh my, is this Mother's Friend?

……

After experiencing the He Yuxia incident, it would be a lie to say that Xu Shi had no emotional fluctuations whatsoever.

But this was a very positive psychological fluctuation. The appearance of "natural justice" even gave him renewed motivation. Indeed, it was a pipe dream to think that at the age of twenty-five, one could just give up and give up.

And thinking about it carefully, if things follow the original story, Shen He would probably follow the same path after defeating himself, right? Otherwise, He Yuxia's appearance and the showdown would be meaningless...

Tsk tsk tsk, how come I still ended up living in his shape? (Sad)

However, more than feeling sentimental, he was surprised that Xie Qingyan came to his door early the next morning.

What that scoundrel did was naturally a matter of "natural law".

"I don't know what you're thinking, but based on my estimation, those... those little rascals' hidden agents in this city are only a very small number."

She even went so far as to say, quite unusually, that this incident had a significant impact on her: "To find them, we'll probably need to do something really crazy."

Of course, she's still just as adorable when she's swearing.

"for example?"

Xu Shi began to play dumb.

"For example... trying to go to sea, something no one has thought of for hundreds of years."

Xie Qingyan said seriously, "There must be other places on the other side of the sea. Maybe this group of people are hiding there."

"Oh."

Xu Shi nodded, revealing an expression that said, "So you noticed too."

"...You knew that already?"

That bitch knew him quite well; she could tell everything just by looking at his deadpan face. "If you know, then don't waste your time... What's your attitude towards this?"

What is your attitude?

Can't you tell what my attitude is?

Xie Qingyan was a little anxious. "First of all, I don't want to be used as a pawn by 'Heavenly Principles.' Secondly, the technology these people possess is valuable to everyone."

That's true. From the past, we can see many things in small ways, such as the ability to easily destroy everything, or the perfect clone like He Yuxia... These alone are enough to make people feel both fear and excitement.

"Coincidentally, your attitude is also my attitude."

Xu Shi smiled upon hearing this, "So we need to cooperate on this matter. Even if you don't come to me, I will come to you."

To be honest, he had always admired Xie Qingyan, and this was even more so after hearing that she shared almost the same thoughts as him today—that's why she's the main villain in the original story, isn't she? Although Xia Ke'an's momentary inability to grasp the situation was quite endearing, Xie Qingyan's shared perspective also brought him joy.

So, this older woman really has become stupid under her influence... Oh well, you really can't expect too much from a ten-year-old girl. (doge)

And to be fair, that woman has been much more obedient lately, and she no longer schemes behind his back or contradicts him, which makes him even more gratified.

"Then, shall we not delay?"

Xie Qingyan unusually refrained from arguing with him. This was something that neither of them could do without the other—"Prism" needed "Snake Ring's" industrial technology, and conversely, their biotechnology was equally indispensable.

"Okay."

Xu Shi nodded, his expression gradually becoming serious. "The equipment for the sea trip will be provided by 'Snake Ring.' I'll send someone to contact the city hall and the maritime bureau shortly to obtain seawater samples for analysis."

The main reason why no one is willing to go to sea these days is the issue of vehicles—the seawater, which has been severely corroded by the "rust fog," is no longer something that wooden or iron boats can handle; more specialized materials are required.

However, such investments do not yield high returns, so neither "Snake Ring" nor "Shark Tooth" are interested in related projects.