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

"Then I'll leave it to you. As for the selection of personnel for the voyage and the allocation of medicine supplies, we'll take care of that."

Xie Qingyan completely agreed, everyone should do their own job... It has to be said that as long as they agree on something and don't scheme against each other, their conversation goes surprisingly smoothly.

"If only we had been like this before."

So Xu Shi couldn't help but sigh.

Even so, he knew that the woman was hiding something from him. "By the way, if I'm not mistaken, you should have already developed a special version of 'Sublimation'?"

This was mainly something he discovered when he arrested He Yuxia. You have to know that the other party's ability to escape is not weak. If it only reaches the level of being able to nullify the ability through contact, how could Xie Qingyan have caught her so easily?

Ye Shanshan might not be able to be relied upon either, as her abilities are more suited to stealth than to tracking like Su Lin's.

The only possibility is that Xie Qingyan's abilities have also improved, allowing her to perform domain-based ability sealing. To achieve this in a short time, she must have created something similar to "Yujing," just like me.

"...Um, what's wrong?"

The woman rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed that her little secret had been discovered.

"Nothing much, just saying, why are you so upset?"

Xu Shi laughed and said, "Then why not share it? I have similar technology here. Since we're going to cooperate, let's be more open about it."

"Even small-scale application can enhance our overall strength."

That's true. Specialized superpowers are indeed difficult to promote on a large scale. For example, if we need to take a hundred people on this voyage, it's impossible to give each person one. Even if we could, it would take too long.

But there still needs to be important characters. Take Xie Qingyan or himself as an example. The ability that only takes effect when touched and the ability that becomes an aura are not on the same level at all.

"...Okay, let's rebuild the team and start research and development later."

Xie Qingyan spread his hands, "I don't know who's being dishonest. They said the second phase of the project would be led by us, but they're still doing dirty tricks behind our backs."

"We're in the same boat."

Xu Shi shrugged nonchalantly. "I have some juicy gossip to share. Want to hear it?"

"Oh?"

"Have you ever thought that one person could possess two superpowers at the same time?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 195 Ye Shanshan, whose side are you on?!

"……What did you say?"

Xu Shi's casual remark sent a whirlwind through Xie Qingyan's mind: "Dual superpowers?"

Even with all the things she could consider, this was something she never expected—everything can only be analyzed based on the premise of "existence," right? Shen Qin had been with Xu Shi the whole time, and she had hardly ever had any contact with him, so it would be strange if she could come up with such a concept.

Xu Shi kept this a secret very well; his own people basically all knew, but he only revealed it to Xie Qingyan today.

"Yeah, I noticed it by chance, and when I followed the clues, I discovered something incredible."

Xu Shi nodded. This was the main point he wanted to discuss. Expanding overseas would require time to prepare, and this was a crucial part of that.

Collaborating with Xie Qingyan was a given, since he was more skilled in biotechnology. He knew from Jiang Chengcheng's reluctant tone that she couldn't do it, and even if she could, it would be very troublesome.

We were just talking about "giving up infighting and working together for a better future," so bringing this up seems even more logical.

"……interesting."

After reviewing the information he obtained from Shen Qin, Xie Qingyan curled the corners of his mouth. "You really always come up with something new... Now I'm not worried that the days before setting sail will be boring."

As a genuine high achiever in this field, she naturally has more authority to speak than Su Lin and Jiang Chengcheng. From her eyes, it's clear that the superpower transplant project is just as attractive to her as the previous "Extra-Limit Project."

"So, according to your estimate, when can you get a rough estimate?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shi asked another question.

“If we start from scratch, who knows how long it would take? It could take several years or even more than a decade.”

Xie Qingyan smiled, "However, it would be much simpler if there were reference answers to copy... These documents are quite complete, we just need to improve them in this direction."

"If you and I work together, I can give you a result in three months at most."

She confidently assured him, "Of course, that's based on the premise that 'Prism' is in charge, since you're not an expert in that area."

"can."

Xu Shi didn't object. Professionals should do professional things. Adding unnecessary details would only make things worse. Anyway, he didn't have anything else to do recently, so he could just keep an eye on things.

Xie Qingyan was also very happy. Her ambitions had never been limited to scheming and intrigue, or conquering and controlling this and that. She was equally passionate about research in biotechnology.

Or perhaps this is the right way to leave a mark on history. Hundreds of years from now, people may not remember who the ruler of this city was in what era, but they will definitely remember the pioneers who created a new path.

Of course, she can't really do the former right now... She was just riding the wave of this riot; the real mastermind behind everything is someone else.

So, after a short while of being happy, she suddenly felt uneasy and looked at Xu Shi with a strange expression.

"What? I know I'm handsome, but you don't have to look at me like that, you lecherous guy."

Xu Shi felt uneasy under her gaze and subconsciously touched his face, wondering if something was on it.

"...I'm not the first person to know about having dual superpowers, am I?"

The woman's tone turned sour. Actually, she knew the answer to this question without even being asked. The riots had ended some time ago, and she was the first one to have a problem.

"Why do you ask?"

Xu Shi blinked, looking completely innocent.

"Just say it or not."

Xie Qingyan sighed, "For example... Xia Wuyou must know that too?"

"of course."

Xu Shi readily admitted that Xia Wuyou was actually the first to know, and that he only noticed this small detail through her interaction with Shen Qin.

"Then her elder must know as well?"

The woman pursed her lips, her eyes growing increasingly hostile. "Including that little brat named Gu Yi?"

There's another one that goes without saying: Su Lin was no exception. Everyone knew about her relationship with this scoundrel; it would be strange if no one knew.

"So what exactly are you trying to say?"

Xu Shi didn't answer her pointless questions one by one; instead, he leaned back on the table and took a sip of water.

"I just want to know, besides me, who else doesn't know about this?"

Xie Qingyan's words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, each word spoken slowly and deliberately as he spoke to him.

"There are many more. For example, I haven't had a chance to talk to my maternal grandfather yet, and I haven't talked to Qi Maoyang either."

Xu Shi casually put down his water glass and looked at her calmly.

"Oh, so I'm only ranked ahead of Qi Maoyang?"

These words nearly made Xie Qingyan die of anger. For a moment, she even felt a bit short of breath. What kind of donkey was Qi Maoyang? He hadn't just bet on the right horse and latched onto a powerful figure; "Prism" would be the next to deal with him!

So you, surnamed Xu, are comparing him to me? Are you even human?

The thought of this made the dog woman's mouth ache.

"Do you... really have to be so distant from me?"

As if possessed, she blurted it out.

"Are you OK?"

Xu Shi stared at her as if he'd seen a ghost. Good heavens, is this the expression a villain, even more ruthless than him, should be making? "Besides," he continued, "when have I ever distanced myself from you?"

He felt truly wronged. "Heaven and earth bear witness, from the 'Overlimit Project' until now, in what way have I ever failed to benefit you? This time, you even won without lifting a finger, okay? If this is estrangement, then what is closeness?"

"You know what I mean, don't play dumb."

Xie Qingyan sighed and said, "Don't forget, I am your fiancée, Xu Shi."

As soon as she said that, even a fool would know that she was jealous. Yes, she was jealous right now... Although she didn't want to admit it, Xie Qingyan really couldn't fool herself.

Since she couldn't lie, she decided not to, but admitting it made her feel even worse.

Well, actually, who comes first and who comes last isn't really a big deal. After all, she knows in her heart that she's the only one who can really help Xu Shi in this matter, and he'll come looking for her sooner or later.

But thinking about it the other way around makes no sense. If only I can help you, why didn't you come to me sooner? Even after the riot, apart from routine meetings, Xu Shi never contacted her again. She had to secretly keep an eye on her and eventually get caught by him like a stalker.

The same goes for the Xia Wuyou incident last time. Besides Xie Qingyan, who else could help him cure that white-haired girl?

It's not that I won't get any thanks afterward; the insider information Xu Shi provided is invaluable. Even now, the investments I made in Sin City have already started to appreciate... This time, needless to say, the profits will be even greater than last time.

Logically speaking, this should be something to be happy about, but she just felt uneasy.

That's why she was so hostile towards Xia Wuyou... Su Lin was alright, she'd been serving the Xu family since she was little, what could you say?

But Xia Wuyou was a complete outsider who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere; no one had ever heard of him before.

But Xu Shi was always willing to ask for her help, letting her clench her fists until they were bruised and purple. Not to mention the days she spent in the hospital... If you didn't know it was a hospital, you'd think it was some kind of den of iniquity.

Anyway, she had never seen Xu Shi take care of or care about anyone like that. On the contrary, her relationship with him was just a purely cooperative one, with nothing more than a transaction of money and goods.

I have a feeling... things shouldn't be like this.

"Oh."

Hearing her say that, Xu Shi paused for a moment, then feigned sudden realization and asked, "So?"

"If I remember correctly, it was you who distanced yourself from me first, wasn't it?"

This was a very serious question, which instantly brought Xie Qingyan to her senses.

Is that so...? It seems so. My previous plan was to absorb "Shark Tooth" and then use the combined power to overthrow "Snake Ring". In fact, I had already gradually lost contact with him back in high school...

“If you’re talking about this kind of alienation, then yes.”

Xu Shi then said, "Put yourself in my shoes. If you were in my position, it's hard to say whether you could be so tolerant."

"So, does that explain why I can't fully open my heart to you?"

Xie Qingyan remained silent.

Admittedly, that scoundrel is right. If their roles were reversed, she'd be lucky if she didn't tear him to pieces, let alone continue working together so pleasantly...