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

The saintess's voice gradually weakened, and her body went limp again.

"Hey……"

Xu tried to stop it, but he couldn't stop it. He could only watch helplessly as she turned to ashes and disappeared into this space of consciousness.

Mr. Xu was no stranger to this method; Night City also had technology that could force cyborgs to self-destruct.

But the clue he had finally found was gone just like that, which inevitably made him a little unhappy.

But things have already come to this, and there's no use in cursing or complaining; it won't change anything.

All he can do is break free from the "threshold space" and return to reality from the spiritual realm.

Time flows slightly slower in reality, but by the time his consciousness returned, the battle inside the church had long since ended.

Without the Holy Maiden's leadership, the Church was instantly leaderless, and the outcome was obvious.

All Xu Shi's side needed to do was clean up the battlefield and tally the casualties.

"Young Master? How are you?"

Su Lin stayed by his side the whole time, and when she saw him come back to his senses, she hurriedly asked him what was wrong.

"It's alright, just don't teleport so suddenly next time... hmm?"

Xu Shi composed himself, only to find that the others were looking at him strangely.

Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?

He subconsciously touched his face and asked curiously.

Everyone shook their heads in unison, because the strange gaze wasn't actually directed at him, but at the legitimate first wife beside him.

At first, the scene was so chaotic that no one noticed. But after the puppetized Vatican personnel fell one by one like disconnected wires, they belatedly realized that some people had taken advantage of their positions to secretly kiss each other several times.

Su Lin, you have no shame! Everyone's fighting a war, and you're flirting like this? What kind of crazy woman are you?!

To reiterate, sharing things might not be a problem for everyone, but leaking them will always be an act that deserves to be condemned.

Director Su turned his face away as naturally as possible. He was a little guilty, but he really couldn't help it.

Who could blame him? The young master was just so adorable in that state! He looked a little silly...

Not to mention how long it's been since she's been with Xu Shi. She's only been shameless and knows how to restrain herself when they kiss, otherwise they might have just done it right there and then.

Don't even mention that the war is still raging. Once the enemy's commander falls, what's the point of expending any effort on the rest? We can clean up the battlefield without needing to do anything.

"...It's nothing, I just rarely see you acting silly, so I find it a little funny."

In the end, Jiang Chengcheng broke the awkward silence with a charming smile, rescuing her best friend from the predicament.

Both of these people were quite influential, and when she tried to smooth things over, the others had no choice but to keep quiet.

Xie Qingyan couldn't help but roll her eyes. She knew that Jiang Chengcheng had done similar things before, such as secretly taking pictures while Xu Shi was out of consciousness... It has to be said that you and Su Lin are truly good sisters, birds of a feather.

"Have the casualty statistics been released yet?"

Xu Shi didn't pay much attention to the strange interactions between the girls and went straight to the point.

"OK."

Of course, he didn't need to worry about such things. As soon as he finished speaking, Pan Ling came bouncing over to report.

Perhaps because the Saintess's control was abruptly cut off, the puppetized Vatican personnel were also disconnected and died instantly, beyond saving.

It can only be said that it fits the fate of cannon fodder.

However, there were survivors.

Lu Baiyan and Han Jingchuan were deliberately held back by Ye Shanshan at Xu Shi's instruction, and they had already fainted before the Holy Maiden was dragged out for a one-on-one fight.

This action saved their lives. As long as they receive proper treatment, they will definitely wake up; it's just a matter of how long it will take.

Besides that, there's only Qin Yiyan left. It has to be said that the red-haired silly girl is indeed a combatant. Despite being bombed by Tang Shuang like that, she actually survived with her thick skin. However, her situation is not as optimistic as that of her two colleagues.

Xie Qingyan then took the opportunity to provide her with temporary treatment as well.

"When did you become so kind?"

Xu Shi was greatly shocked.

"Nothing else, I just want to see how you'll get her to keep her promise."

His fiancée gave him a playful look. "Otherwise, I'll let her die."

The so-called promise is, of course, a flag that was set a long time ago.

"Unless she has her hands tied behind her back, kneels in front of me, and begs me to do *that* to her, don't even think about it, okay?!"

The other girls also unanimously approved the decision.

Even the four who arrived later were the same – they were initially confused, but after hearing the whole story, they found it quite interesting, especially since Xu Shi actually fulfilled his promise about Dongfang Xiao, which made it even more interesting.

It's true that you become like those you associate with. Don't be fooled by their serious demeanor; they're all quite the comedians once you get down to business.

The only two who seem relatively innocent are probably the sisters, Feng and Ling, but do these two younger women have a choice? Sorry, no.

Xu Shi shrugged. "If you guys hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten about this..." To be honest, he wasn't really interested in the red-haired silly girl, but what's said is said, so he simply went with the flow and let them arrange things.

Anyway, he doesn't lose out, and it's a kind of benefit for his family (just kidding).

His attention was actually more focused on the saintess in front of him.

I reached out and touched him; he wasn't dead, he just looked like he was asleep.

Yes, turning into ashes happened within the "threshold space," and her physical body was not greatly affected.

If I had to put it bluntly, she's either in a vegetative state or brain dead.

"How to deal with it?"

"Let's settle her down and observe for now. She has connections with that old pope. We'll deal with that first."

Xu Shi glanced at the old pope on the other side, who had collapsed with a bang and was now like a skeleton, and thought for a moment before speaking.

Putting everything else aside, this is at least a complete SS-class "Ascensionist" corpse, which even retains a certain degree of bodily activity, and has considerable research value.

Not to mention that Miss Saintess is not completely dead; if possible, we might even be able to try to modify her as well.

If we can make use of it, it would be a good gain.

"it is good."

Su Lin nodded, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Young Master, did you... find out anything from her?"

Almost everyone present was focused on the matter of "Heavenly Principles," and it would be a lie to say they weren't interested.

Xu Shi certainly wouldn't keep such things a secret. Now that everything had settled, he explained to them what had happened within the "threshold space."

"Is this so..."

After he finished speaking, everyone's expressions were different.

The so-called experimental fields or protagonist-villain storylines are not difficult to accept since we've experienced them before.

The difficulty lies in the fact that the clues related to "natural law" have been lost again, which is undoubtedly frustrating.

"So, what are your plans for the future?"

The one who reacted the most was probably Xia Ke'an. Her obsession with "heavenly principles" was probably even deeper than Xu Shi's own. After going to such lengths, she only got such a small result, which was obviously not what she wanted.

"how to say……"

Having just withdrawn from the spiritual realm, Xu Shi didn't think too much about it.

But his attitude will not change.

"The 'Heavenly Principle' is hiding its true nature, which isn't a big deal. The trail has gone cold here, so we'll continue our search."

He said in a deep voice, "These things can't be rushed; we have to take it one step at a time."

He needed to process the information he received from the saintess before making any further plans.

Of course, the Hualan Empire cannot be abandoned either.

It's a place I've poured my heart and soul into, so there's no way I can just let go.

Moreover, another great advantage is that if, as we just heard, "Heavenly Principles" have abandoned this place, then this place will be an area that is no longer under their surveillance.

For them, who have to contend with "natural justice" for a long time, such a good thing is hard to find even with a lantern.

Xu Shi had even planned that in the future, part of the development focus might be moved here, so that when facing "Heavenly Principles" next time, he might be able to give them some unexpected little surprises.

That being said, the place is still a mess, not much better than when Shen He had just wreaked havoc on Night City.

In fact, the problems here haven't even been fully resolved yet, have they?

……broken.

Upon thinking about this, Xu Shi suddenly realized that he seemed to have overlooked something.

Sure enough, the next second, Xia Wuyou’s anxious message came through the communication bracelet.

"Cheng Gujian...has raised an army in rebellion!"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 298 So this is actually just one part of your play?

2023-10-23

Who is Cheng Gujian?

When they heard Xu Shi say that, everyone else immediately looked like they had seen a ghost.

What happened to you, my darling?

Amnesia? Or did something go wrong during his duel with that saintess?

Not to mention those who went to sea with Xu Shi, the others who came later were just as worried—everyone had kept in touch since communication was established, and the people of Night Sin City knew about the basic situation of the Hua Lan Empire.

"Hey Xu, are you alright? Did you bump your head?!"

Miss Black Rabbit was the first to rush over, her face filled with anxious concern. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, even if you become an idiot, I will never abandon you..."

"...Go away, are you hoping I'll become an idiot?"