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

—Your calculations are quite accurate.

The white-haired loli was suppressing her laughter until her stomach hurt. It was obvious that she knew this would happen, which was why she deliberately kept it a secret.

"Director Yu, what are you doing?!"

Xia Wuyou was a little annoyed, mainly because her fall looked so fake! Anyone with eyes could tell what she was up to... Anyway, she really disliked this kind of behavior. Bad woman, please don't bother our Xu Shi!

"Hehe, the ground is slippery..."

When his little trick was exposed, Yu Xingchuan wasn't embarrassed at all. He brazenly got up and made up a lame excuse to get away with it.

You should seize any opportunity... She never actually imagined that she would be able to go to sea as a member of the fleet.

But now that we're here, we should make the most of it. Don't be fooled by our clumsy tricks; as long as we work hard, we might one day climb up to Chairman Xu's... cough, no, I mean gain his favor and rise to the top in one step.

Keep it up, Xiaoyu!

"Okay, okay, stop making trouble."

Xu Shi sighed and rubbed his forehead. "What is it?"

"We came to check out the situation because we sensed energy fluctuations here."

Xia Wuyou cleared her throat and said seriously, "So it's my turn to ask you, what are you doing?"

The so-called energy fluctuation is what Xu Shi previously referred to as the aura—the higher the level of the "Ascended One," the more sensitive they are to the fluctuations caused by the "Rust Mist." It's normal for them to sense it, especially since Xia Ke'an is an SS-level individual.

"Ah, this..."

Xu Shi thought for a moment, then downplayed the incident and told them what had just happened.

Hearing that nothing was wrong, Xia Xiaomao was relieved. She didn't care much about anything else, but she was also relieved to hear that her aunt was alright.

This is a good thing for her. Although the relationship between the aunt and niece has changed a bit, they are still the most important relatives.

"Um, and also..."

Yu Xingchuan, however, didn't care at all and weakly interjected with something else, "Chairman Xu, we've sailed about 500 nautical miles now. Shall we start setting up the first signal relay station?"

"...Okay, you guys go and make the arrangements."

When it came to serious matters, Xu Shi became more focused. "Safety comes first. Let's bring Chengcheng along. We can ask her if we don't understand anything."

Xia Wuyou and Yu Xingchuan are both capable and strong in combat, so Xu Shi naturally trusted them to serve as the first and second mates. They were also in charge of the daily coordination and management, which is why they came together earlier.

They did a really good job; they managed the entire fleet very well, not just the command ship.

As for the other selected combat personnel, there were no problems either. To be on the safe side, Xu Shi mostly selected combat teams that had undergone significant modifications.

The training is relatively simple; just plug in the brain-computer interface and input the relevant information. There's no need to worry about them getting seasick like Xie Qingyan did. Otherwise, would we have to connect all the ships together? Even though we have the potential of a prime minister, we can't make the same mistakes that prime ministers have made.

"Also, double-check the course to ensure there are no oversights in any aspect."

"Yes!"

Yu Xingchuan gave a somewhat imperfect military salute. "I checked before I came. The heading is due west, the speed is thirty knots, and all the ships' power plants are working properly."

The fleet uses standard warship speeds and is powered by seawater, or more precisely, by real-time extraction of "rust mist" from seawater—the work of engineering genius Jiang Chengcheng, an inexhaustible resource.

Xu Shi nodded. He hadn't had much interaction with this former adjutant, now the director of the inspection bureau, but there was no doubt about the other's abilities. His performance in dealing with the riots had already impressed him.

That's just his personality... Anyway, Xu Shi knew that Yu Xingchuan was a complete scoundrel when he was an adjutant. He even bought a big house in District 16 with his shady income, something that many executives of conglomerates couldn't do.

This small example reveals what kind of person she is. No wonder Tang Shuang has such a headache with her... Including why she went to such lengths to get into his bed? Was it simply because he's handsome? Nobody would believe that.

You're still so greedy! We've already made you the head of the inspection bureau, what more could you want?

One glance at her reveals her to be a two-faced, greedy, and wicked woman—a wolf in sheep's clothing.

However, he didn't care. Bad women were much more interesting than good girls. The journey was long, and having more people to train them was also a kind of fun.

"...Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Yu Xingchuan, unaware of his thoughts, continued his report earnestly and respectfully, "As per your instructions, we used sonar to detect and capture some marine species. Would you like to... ah, Miss Xia..."

"...Okay, take me to see it."

The "Miss Xia" in question is Xia Ke'an. She was commissioned by "Feather Pen" to record various observations. Hearing this, she knew she couldn't just sit idly by. Little Ke'an has a proper job!

"Xu Shi, would you like to come along?"

The older woman stretched and asked with great interest.

"No, I'll go back to my cabin to rest."

Xu Shi patted her on the shoulder and said, "Go play. Tell me about it in my room tonight."

"I don't want to go to your room."

The white-haired loli pouted and beckoned Xia Wuyou and Yu Xingchuan to prepare to leave.

"Director Yu."

Before leaving, Xu added, "The sea is not like the city, remember to be careful, your health comes first."

This is true. The City of Night Sin has a very good protective system to protect everyone from the "rust fog" corrosion, while the version on the ship is weaker. There is also seawater constantly evaporating below. Logically speaking, they have been on the deck for so long, which is already quite dangerous.

"...Okay, got it."

The adjutant was taken aback. Was Chairman Xu concerned about her? And he specifically mentioned her...

Meeting the other person's captivating eyes, her gentle tone seemed utterly genuine.

This made Yu Xingchuan a little smug.

I told you, my approach worked, didn't it?

The two people standing nearby did not react at all.

Xia Xiaomao wasn't even jealous anymore, because she knew Xu Shi well; when this person showed you kindness, it usually wasn't for anything good...

I just don't know what he plans to do to Hoshikawa...

But she wouldn't remind the other person to be careful, since she herself had gone through the same thing.

People who have been caught in the rain always hope that others will also get soaked.

……

Xu Shi did not return to his own cabin, but went to the one at the stern.

Once the door opened, the interior was undeniably luxurious, spacious and comfortable, with everything one could need, no different from what one would find on land—most rooms on the command ship were like this. Although everyone was out there as pioneers of exploration, there was no need to deliberately suffer within the limits of their capabilities.

Even so, the people staying in the room were still not very satisfied. The furnishings inside were deliberately messed up, and the food that was delivered remained untouched.

"Not to your liking?"

Seeing this, Xu Shi blinked and then gently advised, "Eat a little something, Miss Shen Qin. What if you get hungry?"

That's right, the person staying here is Shen Qin, who was brought here by Xu Shi to be his bodyguard.

"...I don't need your fake kindness."

Sitting by the window in a daze, Shen Qin slowly turned around, looking at him with icy eyes, "You brought me here... how are you going to torture me again?"

She was actually a little confused about the situation—the truth was that ever since she was locked back in the incubation chamber that day, she had been completely unaware of everything that was happening outside, and when she woke up again, she was here, as if in a dream.

However, she was well aware that she was currently under Xu Shi's control, and as long as she understood this premise, she could not possibly be happy.

"What are you saying? Making you eat is torture?"

Xu Shi clicked his tongue. How could this little girl not appreciate kindness? "Or are you trying to starve yourself to death?"

"..."

Shen Qin remained silent, feeling only disgust at the other person's feigned concern.

She desperately wanted to find something to sacrifice herself and take the other person down with her, but when she thought about what had happened before, she gave up the idea.

The most contradictory part is this: she can't kill him, but she absolutely doesn't want to submit to fate either, which keeps her in a state of constant struggle and pain.

The feeling of helplessness was driving her crazy; this was the enemy who had killed her brother right in front of her!

However, just as she looked up and glared at Xu Shi, she suddenly felt a blur before her eyes.

In a daze, something seemed to overlap, causing her to blurt it out uncontrollably.

"Brother...brother?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 208 I'd rather die than eat a single bite of your food!

giegie?

Who are you calling?

Xu Shi was also stunned, feeling numb and confused. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

And what's wrong with Shen Qin? Has she completely gone mad?

Looking at her dazed expression, anyone who didn't know better would think someone had drugged her.

Anyway, Xu Shi would never have done such a thing—we guys always follow the KFC spirit of evil and depravity. Drugging someone is such a despicable and low-level tactic. It's a bit beneath him.

After a brief moment of confusion, he roughly sorted out his thoughts.

Could it be that because I have now fused with Shen He's ability sample, there have been some subtle changes in my aura, which is why this is happening?

It seems there is only one possibility... The aura of an "ascended person" is unique, so it is inevitable that I will carry some of Shen He's aura with me, which can be regarded as a bonus gift of superpower implantation.

This was originally a harmless matter, because the aura was not obvious and would not overshadow the main event. Not to mention Xia Wuyou and the others, even Xu Shi himself didn't feel anything.

Besides, this thing is useless; we have our own Observation Haki.

But it's different for Shen Qin. She is an A+ level "upgraded person" and her perception of aura fluctuations is not weak. In addition, the little sister cares about her brother and is more sensitive to everything about Shen He than others.

Considering her current mental state... it's understandable that something like this happened.

Oh, yoshi~

Having sorted out the cause and effect, Xu Shi's face showed a hint of amusement.

"Xiao Qin, it's me."