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

Xu Shi turned to look at her with amusement, "Even if there were, it would just be something to fool Miss Xiao Feng. You wouldn't believe it, would you?"

“Ms. Hoshikawa, understanding and acceptance are two completely different concepts.”

Especially someone like him who has had a similar experience would be even less likely to accept it.

Just kidding. It's always been you, Master Xu, who's the one who's in control. Even if I'm a suspicious outsider, you can't treat me like this, or I'll hold a grudge.

"Of course, it's less about disgust... and more about disappointment."

"disappointment?"

"OK."

Xu Shi nodded very seriously, because this was the protagonist who failed.

He wasn't entirely sure before, but after dealing with him just now, he is. This Luo Yu is definitely the protagonist in the experimental field of the Hualan Empire.

Orphaned, young and promising, suffering oppression... and, this guy has a lot of potential romantic opportunities.

For example, the Pan sisters, Pan Feng and Pan Ling, are clearly his harem candidates. The younger sisters are both very beautiful... And then there's his identity as a Templar Knight who connects the Papacy and the royal family. With a saint on his left and an empress on his right, he has many advantages that are easily within his grasp.

He could even imagine the other party's future development—currently being deliberately suppressed by certain people in the Papacy and the royal family, and then after a while, he would soar to great heights and slap them in the face... Luo Yu himself just said that he was preparing to personally go and fight the "Sea God," which was most likely an opportunity to make him famous.

Then, when he returns in triumph, well... right? Those who know, know; it's a classic cliché.

This kid also has the so-called "protagonist's golden finger"—when Yu Xingchuan was dealing with those four bronze-level opponents, he noticed that when Luo Yu came out, his right hand was also resting on his sword, and there was a faintly glowing pattern on the back of his hand.

Perhaps it was to prevent the situation from getting out of control? Although it was a very small action, it still did not escape Xu Shi's keen perception.

Even though he didn't know what it was, Xu Shi still subconsciously thought that this was probably not a common characteristic of the Hualan Empire's "Ascensioners" or "Chosen Ones," otherwise why didn't he see others with it?

If this isn't the main character, then who is... It's just a pity that he doesn't meet Xu Shi's standards.

It's not that this guy lacks ability; he hasn't even shown his abilities yet. But he's quite clever, as the incident just now demonstrated. He's not the hot-blooded, idiotic type of protagonist; he's got a lot of shrewdness inside him.

He always tests others first when faced with a problem. If those four bronze-level figures are his confidants and supporters, then it's hypocrisy. Conversely, if they are spies planted by the Vatican, then he's using them to test others while simultaneously finding an opportunity to clear his name and kill someone else.

But in short, this is called petty cunning, which in some ways is very similar to the already deceased Shen He, and in Xu Shi's eyes, this is definitely not a plus.

On the contrary, if someone is truly wicked, he might give them a second glance. It's just a pity that the protagonist rarely possesses such excellent qualities.

Not to mention that this guy was so hostile to me the moment we met... It's reasonable to be wary, but to try to harm someone without knowing anything about them is just asking for trouble.

Maybe it's also related to the protagonist's innate jealousy? He feels uncomfortable seeing his friends and family praising strangers... You know, for some protagonists, even a few extra words exchanged between someone and a girl is considered wrong.

But that's the outcome no matter what. Chairman Xu had said long ago that if the other party had any bad intentions, then they absolutely could not be allowed to stay; keeping them would be a hidden danger.

That's why he felt disappointed. There was no fundamental conflict between him and Luo Yu, but it was clear that the other party was not qualified to be an ally he could win over to overthrow "Heavenly Principles." It was over before it even began.

To be fair, aren't there any truly magnificent and righteous protagonists among so many experimental fields? There probably are, but he just doesn't encounter them.

At least not yet... Thinking about it that way, it's not disappointment, Xiao Xu even feels a little sad.

Life is tough, Xiao Xu sighed.

"So, Mr. Xu, what are your plans?"

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Yu Xingchuan couldn't help but ask a question.

"Let's keep to our pace."

Xu Shi sighed, "We can give up people, but we can't let go of the goods."

Take that "Sea God" for example, he's also one of their research subjects, maybe he has some good stuff on him... Well, give it to me then, the same goes for the others.

"learn."

Yu Xingchuan understood immediately, "I'll do whatever Chairman Xu points to."

"Great work attitude! Keep it up!"

Xu Shi was quite satisfied with this. "By the way, I forgot to ask earlier, when you fought those people, what did you think of their skill level?"

"...I didn't feel anything."

The adjutant shook her head. "I got up and took them down in one move. What's there to say? Even if they weren't wearing armor, it wouldn't have been too difficult to deal with them."

As she spoke, she took out several small metal balls from her belt. With a slight exertion, the metal balls floated in the air and changed various shapes.

This is one of the weapons she carries with her, and she can torment her opponents to the point of death with just this—as an A+ rank "Ascensionist," she has that much confidence.

"I didn't realize before, but you're actually quite capable."

Xu Shi did not deny her statement at all, and asked with great interest, "Could we go a step further? For example... forcibly extract the metal elements from the human body?"

He subconsciously thought of a scene from a movie in his past life, so he asked casually.

"Well..."

Yu Xingchuan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't do that."

"If you can't do it, just use wormwood."

Xu Shi joked.

"You agreed?"

The adjutant looked delighted.

"Ok?"

Xu Shi asked in surprise, "What are you talking about, Miss Yu Xingchuan?"

"You don't really want to sleep with me, do you?"

The other party's directness left him somewhat at a loss for words.

"...Mr. Xu, don't you like it?"

Yu Xingchuan gave an irrelevant answer, merely showcasing her slender figure, "I'm no less impressive than Governor Tang, am I?"

To be fair, the adjutant's figure is definitely not bad—or rather, what combat-type person has a bad figure?

She, Tang Shuang, and Xia Wuyou were all similar in that they had very fit and healthy figures, without an ounce of excess fat, and their deliberately exposed abs clearly showed the outline of their abs.

And those long legs in over-the-knee boots—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you could admire them for a year.

But Xu Shi knew that her purpose was not pure, so he just smiled.

Have you done this before?

"No."

Yu Xingchuan didn't shy away from the question at all, "Actually, I've never even had a boyfriend... Director Tang used to be very strict and didn't allow office romances."

Speaking of this, she still wanted to complain. She told others not to talk about it, but she herself took the lead in breaking the rules... Although Governor Tang and Xu Shi officially confirmed their relationship after leaving the Investigation Bureau, the signs had been there for a long time. As his personal adjutant, she naturally had a feeling about it.

However, this was just an excuse for her. The truth is that she had no such intention at all; her ultimate goal was to rise to the top and become a prominent person.

That is her current goal, and her so-called sacrifice is just a means to an end.

"Why me?"

Xu asked again.

"Because... no one before you has achieved more than you."

The adjutant answered honestly.

Actually, she had anticipated this a long time ago, but she didn't know how to approach it. Fortunately, Xu Shi took the initiative to contact her before the last riot, so she was naturally unwilling to let this opportunity pass and decisively placed her bet.

The good news is that her gamble paid off, and Xu Shi has now taken the top spot in Night City of Sin. Of course, she is willing to go even further.

"Is that all?"

Xu Shi seemed to be deep in thought, and then asked an interesting question, "What if someone becomes more successful than me in the future, or what if I'm an old man in my seventies or eighties?"

"...I can't find anyone more capable than you."

Yu Xingchuan paused for a moment, then gave an equally interesting reply, "Besides, you're not an old man anymore, are you?"

"That makes some sense."

Xu Shi remained noncommittal, but he wasn't impressed by this kind of inflexible answer either. "Let's talk about this later."

Is there any difference between now and later?

The adjutant was a bit persistent; having come this far, she wanted to gauge Xu Shi's attitude.

"The difference lies in whether I'm willing or not, right?"

Xu Shi said seriously, "You're considered my employee for now, but there has to be a probationary period."

"So... how would Chairman Xu rate my performance right now?"

Yu Xingchuan blinked and said.

"Above average?"

Xu Shi's answer was ambiguous: "At least, following your boss isn't a good habit, is it?"

"Hey?"

The adjutant was taken aback. "You noticed?"

Xu Shi thought to himself, "What do you think? Don't underestimate my mental strength..." He knew he had this little tail following him when he left home this morning.

Otherwise, how could Yu Xingchuan have appeared at such a perfect moment? Did you really think she just happened to be passing by?

"I was just wandering around..."

Yu Xingchuan didn't admit it, stubbornly refusing to admit it.

But that's the truth. Following him will always lead to more opportunities, and if all else fails, we can create them... Don't underestimate my ambition!

Moreover.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be able to find anyone to play the bad cop, would you?"

She pursed her lips, taking credit for herself.

The fact is that it's not Luo Yu's privilege to play the good cop and the bad cop; Xu Shi did the same thing just now, didn't he?

It was Yu Xingchuan who struck the victim; Xiao Xu simply continued to play the gentle and innocent girl, thus not only maintaining his image in the hearts of everyone on Silver Pine Island but also suffering no loss whatsoever.

Didn't you see that Pan Feng even came over to apologize to him just now? From this perspective, he has more to gain.

"Don't give me that, I can handle things without you."