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

"We've taken Poseidon's head; that's a done deal, so there's no need to rush."

Xu Shi stroked his chin and thought for a moment, "Let them fight like dogs for now, I'll see how to prepare a big gift for them."

A retaliatory strike is definitely necessary, but efficiency is key. Ideally, it should strike at the heart of the problem, leaving the enemy either dead or crippled... This requires careful planning.

Before figuring out the specific details, it would be better to rest and recuperate on Silverpine Island first. After defeating the Sea God, Xia Ke'an did not choose to return directly to the Imperial City, but went to the closer Silverpine Island.

Who told the bad dad to fall into a coma? In this situation, it's best to avoid confrontation on someone else's turf.

"well done."

Xu Shi agreed wholeheartedly, hugged her and kissed her. He said that if he were to leave, she would be his pillar of support; the white-haired loli was still very reliable.

He was more interested in the crystal that the sea god turned into after his death. He seemed to have briefly noticed it before shattering the heart of the sea god, but he had no mind to think about those things at the time.

"Chengcheng, have you studied this thing? Let me see one."

He waved and gave the order.

"It's already under investigation, and we should have results in the next day or two."

Jiang Chengcheng nodded, took out a crystal and handed it to him, "Also, the base stations you asked me to build are basically completed. The signal was tested yesterday, and they will be officially put into use soon."

"……Great."

Xu Shi was overjoyed upon hearing this. He had just woken up and was still a bit groggy, so he had forgotten about the matter. "Contact me as soon as the communication is connected. I miss them too."

"You don't seem to miss me at all."

Jiang Chengcheng snorted, "And your 'Jade Capital,' I'm fixing that for you too... I was planning to upgrade it anyway, so we can do it all at once."

"Madam is wonderful."

Xu Shi pulled her over and kissed her; she was always reliable, no matter what.

"what about me?"

Xia Wuyou might not be jealous of a little kid, but Jiang Chengcheng might be. Not wanting to be outdone, she leaned over and asked for a kiss.

Their stance, one on the left and one on the right, seemed to suggest they were going to take advantage of him completely.

"Yes, the Second Madam is also wonderful."

Xu Shi was both amused and exasperated. Having so many girls was one of those downsides; they were irresistible when they started to act cute…

"What about Qingyan and Shen Qin? How are they?"

After kissing them both until they were dizzy and dazed, he got out of bed while changing his clothes and asked, "And where is my silly apprentice? Why hasn't she come to serve her master?"

"I checked before I came, and neither of them was awake yet."

Xia Wuyou replied, "As for your apprentice... she has put in a lot of effort for you. She also brewed this medicine, saying that it will replenish your vital energy."

"...At least she has a conscience."

Xu Shi paused, then his smile brightened considerably. "Where is she?"

"Go back and rest, right? She took care of you last night, and even picked herbs for you before... The young lady hasn't slept for several days, she can't keep up."

"Let her rest well first, I'll go see Brother Pan later."

Xu Shi nodded and stretched. "I'll go check on Qingyan first... Do you want to come with me?"

"Go on your own."

The three of them gave surprisingly consistent answers, clearly indicating that none of them had that intention.

Xu Shi didn't insist, changed his clothes, and went out on his own.

Xie Qingyan's residence is right next door, just around the corner.

Pushing open the door, I found the room quiet and deserted, with only Ye Shanshan resting on the bedside table.

Hearing his movement, the curly-haired boy subconsciously raised his head, "Hey, Chairman Xu..."

"Shhh."

Xu Shi gestured for silence. "How is Qingyan? Is she alright?"

"All the indicators have stabilized, but he just won't wake up..."

Ye Shanshan lowered her head in disappointment, "Chairman Xu, look..."

"Really?"

Xu Shi glanced at her twice, walked straight to the bedside, and without saying a word, reached out and tickled Xie Qingyan's waist.

Unfortunately, the sneak attack failed, and before he could even reach out, the person on the bed grabbed him.

"How did you know I was awake?"

Xie Qingyan opened her eyes and asked in an annoyed tone.

"What kind of relationship do we have? We're like telepaths, we understand each other perfectly."

Xu Shi laughed happily, "If you don't get out of bed after waking up, you'll turn into a lazy pig."

The truth is that he is very perceptive and could see through Ye Shanshan's subtle expressions. It was clear that they had planned this in advance and were preparing to take advantage of him.

That's exactly what that woman was thinking. She didn't care about Ye Shanshan, and she wasn't interested in seeing anyone else. She just wanted to see Xu Shi first thing after waking up, and hopefully he would say some sweet words to coax her.

Who would have thought he'd do something completely unpredictable? What's with that? Not romantic at all...

Thinking of this, she glared at Ye Shanshan resentfully.

The curly-haired guy was completely dumbfounded. What does this have to do with me? I didn't say anything, okay?!

Fortunately, Xie Qingyan wasn't really blaming her. She just sat up and said, "Shanshan, you should go and rest first. I'll have a private talk with our Chairman Xu."

"Oh."

Ye Shanshan was very sensible and gave them some private space. It would be too tactless for her to stay and not leave... However, she was really tired and looked much more haggard than before.

Xu Shi had plenty of people taking turns to take care of her, but Xie Qingyan was different. The girls treated her only incidentally, and she was the only one really busy with everything, so the pressure was immense.

However, she didn't have any complaints. She was originally Chairman Xie's person... not to mention that Xie Qingyan told her everything when he woke up, which made her even happier.

The matter between Chairman Xie and Xu Shi has finally been settled, which means I can start now...

Yay! Spring is coming for Xiaoye!

"How does it feel?"

Xu Shi took her hand and asked gently.

"It feels pretty good to escape death."

Xie Qingyan winked mischievously, "But I'm not as lucky as you, with so many people taking care of you when something happens."

It's true. We discussed before who would cry for her if she died... Quite a few people cried for Xu Shi, but for her, only Ye Shanshan is left. Thinking about it, it feels so pathetic...

"I'm here to take care of you, aren't I?"

Xu Shi helped her lie down again and pulled the blanket up for her.

"So I didn't complain."

The woman smiled brightly, knowing that the man in front of her would really cry for her, and she didn't care about anything else. "Having you is enough."

"Oh, right, there's something I need to show you."

"Ok?"

Xu Shi raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything more, he suddenly felt someone pat him on the back.

He turned around abruptly, his eyes wide with surprise.

This is... a tentacle?

No, it's more like tentacles. To be more precise, it's a manifestation of the "rust mist" energy, just like the Heart of the Sea God we saw back then. It's just that she used this method to express it, and it's not the only form.

"...So you've transplanted the Sea God's powers?!"

Xu Shi was quite surprised. He had only intended to ask if the other party had gained anything, but he didn't expect it to be so amazing.

"Really?"

Xie Qingyan raised her slender hand, releasing even more branches from behind her. "Isn't it quite pretty?"

It's not bad looking, but I didn't expect... Xu Shi thought to himself, "I was wondering why the Sea God wasn't an octopus girl, but I didn't expect you to become an octopus girl?"

"It wasn't a fusion; it was probably due to special circumstances at the time, resulting in an incomplete transplant."

Xie Qingyan noticed what he was thinking and offered an explanation, "It's just a weaker version... You're so smart, can you guess?"

"If it's not fusion, then it must be... replication?"

Xu blinked and quickly came up with an answer.

"That's right."

The dog-woman laughed happily, retracted her tentacles, and snapped her fingers.

The next second, Xu Shi felt it and his heart fluttered slightly.

It was clearly his own "entropy of evil thoughts," only the effect was diminished.

Even a weakened version of this ability is still incredibly powerful... He barely noticed before the other party took over his ability.

You could say that he was unaware and therefore unprepared, but the truth is, once something happens, how many people are prepared?

Not to mention that the tentacles themselves are a gift. "Ability nullification" has long been a powerful feature, but with the tentacles, she can also achieve more precise remote account bans.

When the time comes, first block and then copy, use your tricks against yourself... no matter how you look at it, it's a good way to fill the gap in her combat power.

"How long will the copied ability last?"

Xu Shi pressed for an answer.

"That depends on how long the contact period is."

Xie Qingyan didn't hide anything from him, "Like when I touched you just now, it can only be used once at most. If the contact lasts longer, it's not a problem to say it's semi-permanent."

Most "ascended individuals" are unwilling to reveal this core secret to others, because the more others know, the smaller their advantage becomes.

But if it were Xu Shi, she wouldn't care.

She herself was quite satisfied with her ability, and she couldn't stop smiling.