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

"Look, Xu Shi!"

While muttering to himself, Xie Qingyan tugged at him forcefully, pointing excitedly to the sky above.

Suddenly, tiny specks of starlight rained down from the top, seemingly fragments of something, drifting down like snowflakes and emitting a strange light.

Chairman Xie's usually sharp eyes were now sparkling, filled with childlike joy.

She had never witnessed the real starry sky, but this was the scene she imagined watching the stars with her loved one.

The best part is that her beloved is actually right beside her, which makes her feel incredibly happy.

Xu Shi smiled. Everyone loves beautiful things, and he knew what his fiancée was thinking.

And more importantly.

The energy of the "rust mist" in these fragments is off the charts!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 237 Let's die here together!

"Be careful."

Sensing something strange about the fragments, Xu Shi instinctively pulled Xie Qingyan back a step.

Actually, he didn't need to remind her; the woman herself became wary—after all, she wasn't a love-struck little girl who would be unable to move when she saw beautiful scenery.

The creatures that were truly unable to move were those residing within the sea god's body. Upon seeing the specks of starlight falling, the fish instinctively formed a line and began to swim upstream, while the immobile seaweed and coral swayed their bodies as if dancing in the wind.

The starlight did not gradually disappear; instead, it slowly gathered together like a magnetic sheet, forming a smooth sphere that floated in this vast space.

"What kind of ore is this?"

Xie Qingyan blinked, her fascination turning into curiosity. "But it doesn't seem like it... This sphere doesn't even have a solid form."

Anyway, she could clearly see that when the fragments came together, they passed directly through the fish.

However, the "rust mist" energy contained in the fragments was exceptionally large. As an S-class "ascended one," when she calmed down and tried to sense it, she actually felt a sense of awe because she was too insignificant.

This has nothing to do with her personality; it's simply the instinctive reaction of the weak when facing the strong, a basic law of the jungle.

"Certainly not."

Xu Shi had the same feeling, which gave him a general idea of ​​what was going on: "I feel that this is more like..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the sphere change again.

The sphere, which had been relatively stable, suddenly shrank inward as if taking a deep breath, and then exploded silently. Instead of turning back into starlight, it was enveloped in brilliant colored light, rippling outwards.

The shockwave came so fast that there was no time to react before a warm current was felt coursing through the body.

This feeling wasn't bad at all; on the contrary, it was like a spa treatment, soft and comfortable.

He could even feel that the injuries he had sustained from the impact had recovered to some extent, which was much more effective than Xie Qingyan's medicine, and it only took a few seconds.

Ok……

His fiancée naturally sensed all of this as well. Her recovery was the best thing that could happen at this moment, but her first reaction was to ask about Xu Shi's condition, "How are you?"

This is no place to be careless; just because she recovered doesn't mean Xu Shi is the same.

Xu Shi waved his hand, indicating that he was alright, "I'm fine."

"It's okay."

Xie Qingyan was relieved and asked with a sigh of relief, "So what did you say this sphere looks more like?"

"...It's more like a manifestation of 'rust mist' energy, isn't it?"

Xu Shi calmed his breathing and continued his analysis, "Or rather, don't you think this looks a lot like some organ of the sea god?"

"For example...the heart?"

His fiancée suddenly looked enlightened.

This description is quite apt, because these ripples are completely different from the previous spikes; at least they don't carry any hostility. Instead, they seem more like an internal cycle within this small ecosystem.

Because the fish and plants here also obtain nutrients from it, they become visibly more energetic, and their scales become smoother.

"At first, I was just guessing, but after feeling that the ripples seemed to be actively nurturing us, I became even more certain."

Xu Shi continued, "This is perhaps why the Sea God was able to maintain its vitality even after being besieged for so long."

After all, these ripples mainly nourish the surrounding fleshy walls, which is the sea god himself, as can be easily seen from the excited wriggling.

The fish were just incidental. Come to think of it, the sea god has existed for so long, they might not be the only ones who were swallowed up and survived. There would always be some that escaped.

The sea god certainly wouldn't pay special attention to them; how much nutrition could these things possibly take away? Over time, this led to the formation of such a peculiar ecosystem.

Xu Shi and his group, who arrived here by chance, were tacitly accepted as part of the ecosystem and enjoyed such benefits.

"What on earth is this thing...?"

Xie Qingyan sighed, saying that the appearance of the Sea God had refreshed her understanding of many things. The most direct feeling was that this thing was not like a living being at all, whether in appearance, strength or internal cycle, it was unlike anything she had ever seen.

"Who knows? Perhaps it was originally just a small tentacle monster in the sea, which, through a series of coincidences, became the ancient god-like being it is today."

Xu Shi, on the other hand, looked relaxed. Since he didn't do scientific research, he naturally didn't bother to think about it in depth.

But some things are obvious, such as the source of Poseidon's energy.

It now appears that this thing possesses the means to extract and convert the energy of the "rust fog" in seawater, which is why it can continuously carry out this cycle of aggregation and explosion. Devouring marine life is merely a pastime, and it is mostly just following the instincts of living beings.

No wonder it has so much blood—the seawater is endless, which means the sea god's blood packs are inexhaustible. It can recover so much in just one cycle. In this state, what's the use of cutting off a thousand or ten thousand tentacles? The damage is not as fast as its recovery.

I underestimated my opponent a bit... Xu Shi slapped his forehead with a hint of annoyance. It's true that having things go too smoothly can make people arrogant.

However, he quickly came to terms with it. What's the use of regretting now that things have come to this? Since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it and think about what to do next.

"Let's get started!"

Thinking of this, he became more serious. "If this drags on, not only will we be dragged down, but the people outside will also be dragged down to their deaths."

What are you planning to do?

Xie Qingyan readily agreed and calmly inquired about his plan.

"The answer is written in the riddle, isn't it?"

Xu Shi smiled and said, "Since the Sea God recovers in this way, let's cut it off at the root."

"you want……"

The woman wasn't stupid; she instantly understood what he meant.

He's going to destroy the heart of the sea god!

"Don't you think it's cool?"

Xu Shi smiled and nodded, a hint of fervor in his eyes. "This might be the only way out, but of course, it won't be that easy."

Destroying the Heart of the Sea God sounds simple, but it's incredibly difficult to do.

First of all, this thing has no physical form. As mentioned before, it is a manifestation of energy that is too dense. The only chance is during each cycle when the fragments aggregate into a sphere for a few seconds. If you miss it, you will miss the opportunity and not even be able to find a target.

Secondly, although such cycles may occur countless times, there is only one chance to strike. Who knows if a missed strike will trigger some kind of protection mechanism, and then you'll be in deep trouble.

Finally, we must also consider the aftermath. Such an action is tantamount to hitting a bomb with a hammer. If such a concentrated energy ball is detonated by abnormal means, the resulting energy outburst would be terrifying.

In other words, this is a way out, but it could also be a dead end.

"You might die, are you scared?"

Realizing this, he took a deep breath and looked at Xie Qingyan, asking.

"It would actually sound nice to die with you."

The dog-woman responded with a smile, her answer quite straightforward.

She was even a little smug, "I'm even a little excited. All those little vixens around you have been bothering you for so long, but in the end, isn't it me who gets to enjoy this treatment? Get lost!"

What was originally a normal laugh became a bit strange when paired with those words, even giving off a distorted, tsundere vibe, turning into a yandere...

But upon hearing her say that, Xu Shi's smile grew even stronger. At first glance, the two of them standing face to face gave one the feeling of looking in a mirror.

Yes, they are not afraid of death, or rather, they all understand that it is better to be beaten to death than to be killed by a bear.

To put it more elegantly, a man can be destroyed but not defeated.

Anyway, Xu Shi wasn't afraid. If he had that kind of personality, he would have turned a deaf ear to the existence of "Heavenly Principles" long ago and chosen to hide in the shadows, instead of exploring the wider world and trying to find out the truth hidden behind the scenes like he is now.

"Instead of asking me, you should ask her."

Xie Qingyan was pleased that Xu Shi shared the same idea as her, and happily pointed to Shen Qin beside her, "If you decide to do this, she is the key to its execution, right?"

That's true. They say they're using a hammer to smash a bomb, but neither Xu Shi nor Xie Qingyan are actually qualified to be the hammer. Only Shen Qin is capable of doing something that requires violence.

Thinking about it this way, Xu Shi suddenly felt a little fortunate. It really is true that you reap what you sow. If he hadn't implanted the command in Shen Qin and had used other methods instead, he and Xie Qingyan would probably be trapped here now, which would be a truly unsolvable dead end.

So, doing good deeds really does bring good fortune... Oh, I was planning to punish her severely back then? Never mind then.

Xu Shi smiled inwardly, then looked at Miss Shen Qin meaningfully and said, "Stop pretending to be asleep, get up, what do you think of this plan?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qin, who had been leaning against the side with her eyes closed, reluctantly opened them.

She didn't actually need to rest at all. With the help of her self-healing ability, Shen Qin's physical condition was not affected at all. She just looked a bit miserable. Her battle suit was tattered and torn, and large patches of white could be seen without much effort. In addition to the spikes, a lot of corrosive slime had fallen off, and she had to bear all of that. She could heal herself, but her clothes couldn't, and there were no new clothes for her to change into.

But this doesn't mean she's in good spirits; on the contrary, she looks extremely haggard.

This was unavoidable. Every time the "protect Xu Shi" command took effect, she would be overwhelmed by the pleasure brought by dopamine. She repeated this at least twenty or thirty times along the same path. With such a high frequency of repetition in a short period of time, it's already a testament to her strong mental fortitude that she didn't break down.

But she was also somewhat numb, so when faced with Xu Shi's question, she simply nodded blankly, "Why ask me what my attitude is? What does it matter if I object?"

She was simply forced to comply by him; she was already well aware of his methods.

"Not necessarily."

Unexpectedly, Xu Shi changed the subject and shook his finger seriously, "This time I choose to respect you. If you are not willing, then we will die here together."

? !

Shen Qin wondered if there was something wrong with her ears; how could he possibly say such a thing?

However, after repeatedly confirming that it was indeed the case, she suddenly realized that it really was true... Before she did the detonation of the Heart of the Sea God as the main attacker, it had nothing to do with Xu Shi's personal safety, because this place was very safe, unlike the previous Tentacle Road which was full of dangers.