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

Xu Shi knew perfectly well what was going on, and without any hesitation, he pulled her close and kissed her, saying, "That's wonderful."

If she's not a little treasure, then who is?

"I'm willing to do anything you ask, no matter how tiring it is."

Jiang Chengcheng became even more uninhibited, pressing herself against him, "It would be even better if you could make me worry less..."

Everyone present knew each other, so they didn't think much of it and instead laughed heartily, instantly filling the room with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Young master, please come and cut the ribbon!"

Yu Xingchuan handed over a small pair of scissors; a sense of ceremony is still necessary, after all.

"it is good."

Xu Shi was also a little impatient, and with a swift motion, he completed the simple ceremony.

"Signal tower, start!"

With his command, the massive steel machinery officially began operation.

The scene immediately fell silent, and everyone looked at the connected virtual projector.

A moment later, the device gradually emitted a voice, "...Hello?"

The voice sounded both familiar and unfamiliar, and soon, Su Lin's face became clear.

"can you hear me?"

Xu Shi was delighted and waved to her.

"...Young Master."

Su Lin could hear it too, and she tried her best to suppress her joy and said as calmly as possible, "Yes, I can hear you."

"Oh, so you only know that Sister Su Lin forgot about me?"

Her voice was quickly drowned out by a cheerful little rabbit, and Gu Yi forced her way in, taking up most of the screen.

Miss Black Rabbit has sharp eyes and spotted Xie Qingyan next to Xu the Scoundrel at a glance.

Although she was a few years younger than him, she was experienced in this area and could easily sense the difference between them.

This made her furious. "Fine, I knew it! You brought her but not me, it was all premeditated. You two really got together... Humph!"

"What, do I need your approval for this?"

Xu Shi didn't spoil her; he was ready to bully her from the start.

The timid Gu Yi instinctively shrank back, but quickly realized what was happening. "Hahaha, it's a video call now, you can't bully me anymore! Come on, come on, nyah nyah nyah..."

Hey.

Xu Shi rolled his eyes. This little brat's gotten bold, huh? She actually dares to be sarcastic and disrespectful... Has she forgotten what happened to her before? Besides, you think I'm never going back? I'll remember that!

Xie Qingyan laughed out loud when she saw this, "Hello, Gu Yi."

I used to find this kid irritating, but seeing her again today, I think she's quite cute... Maybe it's because we're in different positions, and that's how we see things from different perspectives?

She's even forgiven the time when the other party conspired with Xu Shi to deliberately provoke her. From now on, they'll probably be sisters... But I've heard that this little girl is timid. If it's her, she'll be able to bully her, right?

She looked at him calmly, while Miss Black Rabbit became a little embarrassed. "You, hello... Sister Qingyan?"

She was extremely familiar with Xu the scoundrel, so she spoke without any restraint. However, she wasn't as familiar with Xie Qingyan, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

However, she didn't have time to think about it and was quickly left aside.

The one who embarrassed her was Tang Shuang. Governor Tang looked at Xu Shi with a beaming smile, "Long time no see, Xu Shi."

In a quiet corner unnoticed by anyone, Lin Yue huddled to the side, her face flushed as she looked at her master, unsure of what to say—the communication time had been agreed upon, and they had been waiting together for a long time for this.

"Huh? You guys..."

Xu Shi noticed something was wrong. There was nothing wrong with Su Lin, Gu Yi, and Tang Shuang being in the same frame, but the addition of Lin Yue meant...

"Come on, you think you can hide your little secret forever?"

Tang Shuang rolled her eyes at him. "We all know about her situation... You really are something else. You have no other skills, but you're good at bullying little girls."

"No, there isn't any..."

Lin Yue stammered an explanation for her master. In the past, she might have minded about the things between the two of them, but now she didn't care anymore. Being able to see Xu Shi again was the best thing for her.

The atmosphere on the phone was quite cheerful. Seeing the two sides chatting and laughing, Xu Shi also showed a genuine smile.

There's a touch of melancholy in this feeling. To be honest, it's been quite a while since we set sail... Speaking of which, it seems like the girls who stayed in Night City have all become quite beautiful, especially Little Black Rabbit. Although she still has a bit of a rebellious air about her, overall, she's really blossomed into a young woman...

The person opposite him seemed to have similar thoughts. Had it been too long since they last met? Xu Shi even seemed a little more handsome than before…

"Alright, let's get down to business."

Finally, Su Lin interrupted them, her expression turning serious. "Chengcheng told me earlier that something happened to the young master. What exactly happened?"

This was the first time they had used video communication, but they had exchanged telegrams before and had received news about the campaign against the sea god. Now, they naturally wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"This one……"

Although it ended without any real danger, the atmosphere inevitably becomes a bit heavy when this is mentioned.

"Xia Wuyou".

Director Su called out Xia Xiaomao's name, unusually addressing her by her full name, "I asked you to protect the young master's safety, and this is what you did?!"

She was the recognized first wife, and although she might not usually discuss this, Su Lin would become extremely serious whenever it came to matters concerning Xu Shi. Not to mention that Xu Shi was in mortal danger this time, her tone was already calm and composed.

"I……"

Xia Wuyou didn't know how to explain it. You could say she didn't protect him, but she really couldn't save Xu Shi. If Xu Shi hadn't had his own ideas, he might have really been in grave danger this time.

This made her feel a little wronged, and she avoided looking Su Lin in the eye.

"Okay, why are you blaming her? It's not what you think."

Xu Shi chuckled and sighed, pulling her close. "Let me tell you, it was like this..."

It was clear that Director Su did not know the whole story beforehand, and her brows gradually relaxed after Xu Shi finished telling the whole story.

"...So that's it."

She sighed, "That's really not Wuyou's fault; I was just a bit too hasty."

"No, no, me too..."

Xia Wuyou waved his hand, saying that this was not Su Lin's fault; if anyone was to blame, it would be herself for not being strong enough.

"I know, you don't need to explain."

Su Lin shook her head, "Isn't it Young Master's fault? Not that I'm saying anything, but Young Master, you're not good at fighting, so you shouldn't have rushed to the front in such danger. I was a little worried beforehand, but I didn't expect it to actually happen..."

The cheerful conversation instantly turned into a nagging monologue from her older sister. That day, Xu Shi recalled the fear of being controlled by her mother...

"In short, I'm still a little worried."

After nagging for who knows how long, Su Lin finally stopped lecturing. "Now that the route is clear... I think it's better for me to come over."

"I want to come too! I want to come too!" Gu Yi was the first to chime in.

"I happen to have nothing to do lately, so I can take a break," Tang Shuang said.

Lin Yue murmured from behind, "Me too..."

"Even if you come, you can't control me..." Xu Shi muttered to himself.

He then asked about something he was concerned about, "I haven't asked you yet, how was the situation in Night City while we were away?"

"Things are going very smoothly on our side. The reconstruction of Sin City is basically complete, and the regulations jointly promoted by several conglomerates have also begun to be implemented."

Su Lin pouted. "The 'Snake Ring' and 'Prism' have also undergone many improvements and updates compared to previous products. For example, the 'Twin' chip is now in its fourth generation, and there's also 'Sublimation'... Let me show you the demonstration images first; the specific information can be transferred later."

She was clearly well-prepared, with all sorts of pictures available. While she claimed to be gathering information, it was naturally a mutual exchange.

"You have worked hard too."

As the images flashed by, Xu Shi let out a soft sigh.

It can only be said that no one is really slacking off – you can tell a lot just from the situation in Sin City. Before we left, only the basic parts were completed there, but now, it feels like it's on par with District 13 and above, and it looks thriving.

It can be said that the entire Night City has been greatly improved, which makes him feel that leaving Su Lin to help with the construction was the right choice.

Of course, Tang Shuang and Lin Yue are also very capable, and Gu Yi, whom you mentioned, is also a major contributor.

He also took the opportunity to introduce Silver Pine Island and the situation of Pan Cheng's side. He invited him along so that Pan Cheng could have a more intuitive understanding of what he could provide for him, or rather, what Silver Pine Island's resources were like.

Pan Cheng was indeed shocked by this; no matter how well it was described before, it was not as shocking as seeing the real Night City of Sin.

This is like a completely different world from Silverpine Island! Even the imperial capital city is vastly different from them, or rather, in many ways, inferior and backward...

"Brother Xu, can these things be implemented on Silver Pine Island?"

He also asked bluntly, "It doesn't need to be exactly the same as your city-state, but there are many things that are really helpful to Silverpine Island."

Xu Shi had only shown him a part of it before, or rather, he could sense some of the things himself, such as circuits and things like lights, which he understood.

He knew then how precious these things were to Silver Pine Island. It wasn't that the Hualan Empire didn't have similar facilities, but the energy used to activate them was completely different. The Hualan Empire's usual practice was to use liquid "divine breath" for activation. You might not be able to tell much from the effects, but the cost was really high. Not to mention the island's inhabitants, even he, as the island's lord, might not be able to afford it.

Including the communication methods you mentioned, if they are driven by "divine energy," and the magic array has remained so stable for so long, it must have drained their entire fortune...

"Of course."

Xu Shi smiled, indicating that he didn't need to worry. "I had already considered this when I laid the circuits, as well as water supply, road access, and other aspects. I had the idea of ​​upgrading Silver Pine Island. As for the specifics, such as how to do it and who we will send to help you, Brother Pan, there's no need to rush. We can talk about it slowly."

"...Thank you very much, Brother Xu."

Pan Cheng was overjoyed. He knew very well how much these things would change Silver Pine Island once they were completed.

Xu Shi smiled faintly. He had always regarded Pan Cheng as a trustworthy person, and since Feng and Ling were now his juniors, he would naturally do his best to help them.

Moreover, transforming Silver Pine Island into a base would greatly benefit his subsequent plans.

This is definitely a win-win situation.

However, when it comes to the two sisters, Feng and Ling, their focus doesn't seem to be on this aspect.

Pan Ling, in particular, witnessed the whole thing with her foolish apprentice, and now she has only one thought in her mind.

Do all these people have to call me "Master's Wife" too? Goodness, Master, how many "Master's Wives" do you have... And that Gu Yi doesn't seem that much older than me.

What if Master also... Oh dear, what am I thinking?