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

Xu Shicai denied it, but what he said wasn't entirely false. Although it was a non-combatant like him facing four or even five opponents, he was carrying the latest technology from Night City, "Jade Capital."

When he was trapped in the sword formation, he only felt pressure for a moment. Once the protective force field was deployed, he felt no pressure at all. This is why he was able to handle the situation with such ease, which surprised those bronze-level players.

This is without Attack Mode enabled; we don't know what will happen if things get serious.

The fact that the protective force field could withstand it also indirectly proves that the supernatural abilities used by both the City of Night Sin and the Hualan Empire originated from "Rust Mist," or "Divine Breath," and are essentially the same.

But.

"Their sword formation was quite interesting."

Xu Shi did not deny this point, saying, "At least with the technology we currently possess, there is no such collaborative effort."

That's true. In the past, everyone in Night City fought alone, and when it came to cooperation, it was based on the division of labor according to their own abilities and characteristics. I've never seen a multi-person move like this where everyone works together in one direction.

This also proves that the Hualan Empire's superpower system does have its merits; every coin has two sides.

"That's really... not right!"

These words made Yu Xingchuan realize what was going on, but she quickly realized that someone was trying to change the subject. "No matter what, it was my turn this time! My performance... should give me some points, right?"

"...Okay, okay, add one point."

Xu Shi was both amused and exasperated. Good grief, why are you so fixated on that topic? Your ambition is practically overflowing the screen…

"Great!"

"The total score is still up to me..." Xu Shi muttered to himself, "Let's go back to the base."

On the way, he casually asked about something else, "Speaking of which, what did you call me just now, young master?"

"Uh...yes."

The adjutant nodded. "Wouldn't it sound strange to call you Chairman Xu here? Calling you Captain Xu is also a bit awkward... So I'll just use the way Director Su addresses you. I'm your bodyguard, after all."

"that's not allowed."

Xu Shi corrected him very seriously, "You can't just call someone that name casually."

The subtext is that only Su Lin can call him that, and no one else has the right to. The childhood sweetheart relationship is laid bare at this moment.

"……Know it."

Yu Xingchuan naturally understood what he meant, and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He really wanted to complain to Chairman Xu about his favoritism... but after thinking about it carefully, he decided against it. Everyone knew what kind of relationship Su Lin had with him, and it was indeed something that someone like him, who had only recently entered the field, could not compare to.

But at that moment, Xu Shi lowered his head and thought for a moment, then changed his mind, "But what you said seems to make sense... Never mind, you can call her that if you want when she's not around."

"Hey?"

The adjutant was stunned.

Xu Shi's attitude was quite interesting, and it instantly sparked her own little schemes.

Could this be considered a sign of goodwill? Thinking about it carefully, his attitude towards me is actually ambiguous, isn't it?

They were very concerned about me when we were on the ship, so what do you mean by saying this now?

She certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to think that Xu Shi would replace Su Lin with her, but it was certain that their relationship went beyond a normal employer-employee partnership, and there was probably still some goodwill between them.

This made her very happy, and she felt a little smug. She spoke with a straight face, but her intentions were not so pure.

I knew it! Xiaoyu has a certain charm!

"Understood, young master."

She responded sweetly, which reassured her much more than the vague promise of adding one or two points.

Xu Shi didn't speak, but simply smiled and nodded.

A wicked woman who makes no attempt to hide her intentions deserves to be disciplined in this way.

First, offer her a little something sweet to lure her in, then shatter it when the time is right...

Isn't that a bit too harsh?

He didn't think he could, and even if he could, he didn't care. After all, this was a task entrusted to him by Tang Shuang, and he had to do it well.

Anyway, this is the only trick I know. (doge)

Each with their own thoughts, they returned to the camp, where the others were already anxiously waiting.

"Dad, Dad, I heard you just had a conflict with that Luo Yu?"

Xia Ke'an was the first to rush over and ask, clinging to his arm and refusing to let go, "Are you hurt? What are they trying to do?!"

"You already know?"

Xu Shi was a little shocked, but upon closer reflection, it made sense. Silver Pine Island was such a small place, strictly speaking, it was just a slightly larger village. Luo Yu's residence wasn't deep in the mountains, so if something happened, the news would definitely spread very quickly.

"Nothing serious, just a bit of a fright at most?"

He gently rubbed his daughter's cheek. "I have to thank Miss Xingchuan for saving me a lot of trouble."

"...It was my negligence, I'm sorry."

Even though he said that, Xia Wuyou still felt a little guilty. It was too painful for her not to protect Xu Shi in time. No matter what their relationship was, protecting her was her duty.

Before she left, Sister Su Lin even gave her special instructions... Who would have thought that something would happen in a place like this so early in the morning?

"You flatter me, young master."

Seeing her like this, Yu Xingchuan became even more smug. Protecting Xu Shi isn't something only you can do; this is a real demonstration of your abilities.

"...No, I'm going to demand an explanation from them!"

Xia Xiaomao didn't notice how she addressed Xu Shi, but the more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she couldn't hold back for a moment.

Although I heard that those people were seriously injured, that's not an excuse!

You only lost an arm, but my Anada suffered a great injustice!

Saying she wanted "an explanation" was already a very restrained statement; she couldn't wait to get rid of those bastards.

The reactions of the others were similar. Apart from Shen Qin, no one—whether it was Xia Ke'an, Jiang Chengcheng, or Xie Qingyan and Ye Shanshan—looked too unhappy.

What happens between them is an internal matter. To the outside world, they represent Night City, which is a unified entity. If anyone encounters this situation, it's like slapping everyone in the face.

Especially since everyone here is proud and arrogant, it would be strange if there was no reaction.

"My god, I haven't said anything, why are you all acting like you want to eat me alive?"

Xu Shi was a little touched by this. "Alright, let's leave it at that. Even if we want to settle scores later, it's not now."

"Besides, this might not be a bad thing, right?"

"Too."

Xie Qingyan was the first to calm down. "At least they know now that we are not to be trifled with. This will save us a lot of trouble when we go to the main city of the Hualan Empire later."

The people of Silverpine Island are a good example. As mentioned before, the people here treat them with respect, which is not just because of the debt of saving their lives. Witnessing their strength firsthand is also a very important factor.

At least Pan Cheng knew that with their strength, it would be difficult for them to contend with Xu Shi, so it would be better to find a way to befriend him. A powerful friend is always more reassuring than a powerful enemy.

The same principle applies to the Hualan Empire.

People go through all sorts of hardships to sail the seas to build relationships, which is essentially diplomacy. A crucial aspect of diplomacy is to intimidate the other party and let them know that you are not to be trifled with.

On this basis, you can then discuss this and that politely; otherwise, simply trying to curry favor won't work. To put it bluntly, that's called being obsequious.

What just happened is a great opportunity. Regardless of whether they go with Luo Yu and the others in a few days or not, the big stick has already been thrown down, and people will naturally start to take them seriously.

This is much more effective than having others say it; seeing is believing. Of course, Xu Shi also didn't want to use Pan Cheng to tell Luo Yu and the Hua Lan Empire about their strength. People who didn't know better might think that he was boosting the morale of others while diminishing his own.

This would put the people of Silver Pine Island in a difficult position, something Xu Shi definitely didn't want to see.

Regardless of their relationship, this place is their first base for overseas expansion, and maintaining stability is very important.

It's good as it is now. Our situation is laid out here for us to see and feel for ourselves.

Thinking about it, Xu Shi couldn't help but laugh. Luo Yu was trying to give him a hard time, right? He never expected to be outmaneuvered in the end. He must be feeling terrible.

If he were truly petty, he might indeed do what Yu Xingchuan said and seize any opportunity to make things difficult for him.

Oh dear, I've become the bad guy again without even realizing it... No, I should be the one being bullied and vulnerable.

"In short, everyone should not be petty."

As he gave instructions, he pointed at Xia Wuyou, "Especially you, Aunt Xia. I promised someone I would learn swordsmanship from you."

"Know it."

Xia Wuyou had long since calmed down. She could still tell right from wrong. Besides, when had she ever been petty? The person who said that was clearly the pettiest one...

Ok?

She reacted suddenly.

"Why am I an auntie again?"

First I was called "older sister," then "mom," and now "auntie"... What am I supposed to be called next?

Xu Shi burst into laughter.

……

The fact is that the conflict between Xu Shi and Luo Yu did not affect their lives on Silver Pine Island. At least the islanders were tactful enough not to mention it and continued to get along as usual.

It's likely that Pan Cheng gave them a heads-up, and Luo Yu and his group haven't made any moves since, remaining quite well-behaved for the past few days.

This was his hometown, and no matter what, he couldn't really break off relations, otherwise he wouldn't be able to face anyone... In the end, he stayed on the ship with those few bronze-level warriors for a few days. After they had their arms reattached and recovered from their injuries, he found an excuse to return to the Hualan Empire first.

I originally intended to send others back to the ship, but ended up sending myself back – it's quite amusing.

Pan Feng did indeed come to Xia Wuyou to learn swordsmanship. Over time, Xia Xiaomao and she became quite familiar with each other, which was a feast for the eyes of everyone. Every day, they could see the beautiful young woman training hard with another small, pretty girl.

Damn, what kind of gender-swapped Might Guy is this?

Jiang Chengcheng became closer to Xie Qingyan, and the two studied a lot of special materials such as silver pine trees together. They also seriously discussed how to apply them to existing technologies, and the project on superpower transplantation made some progress.

What about then?

Xu was shopping.

This person has always been like this: he would rather trouble others than trouble himself. Since there are other people to do the important things, he is happy to leisurely experience the local customs and culture of Silver Pine Island every day.

He had also surveyed the back mountain, and it was indeed suitable for building a communication base station. Even if construction couldn't begin, the preparatory work had to be done well... Apart from that, he spent his days getting along well with everyone, taking his beloved daughter and the guards with him.

Sometimes he would bring Yu Xingchuan along, enjoying his 360-degree, sycophantic flattery; other times he would bring Shen Qin, teasing her and appreciating her expression of wanting to kill him but being unable to, which was also a kind of fun.