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

Lu Baiyan was taken aback for a moment, then returned a smile, "You can't fool me with this kind of joke."

He hadn't forgotten what had happened before, and he had his own estimate of who would win and who would lose. He certainly didn't believe that Xu Shi would lose.

It's quite possible that I'll die, but as for Xu Shi... that's unlikely.

Since Xu Shi is still alive, I must also be alive.

The main focus is on clear logic.

"Ugh, boring."

Seeing his nonchalant expression, Xu Shi shook his head in disdain.

Why is it so normal when it comes to you? He didn't even have a chance to say the classic "surgery was a success" opening line, and you're not like Xu Ying, who woke up and immediately called his buddy "Dad"...

Boring!

However, he was also wondering, if everyone else was acting strangely, was Lu Baiyan acting normally or not?

Lu Baiyan recovered quickly and got straight to the point.

"I'm still a little confused... What exactly happened that day?"

Xu Shi didn't hide anything from him and told him in detail what happened after he was turned into a puppet on the day of the final battle, including the various changes that have taken place in the Hualan Empire.

As he spoke slowly and deliberately, the expressions on his squinty-eyed face were quite rich.

He clearly hadn't expected that everything around him would change so drastically during his coma—he knew Xu Shi would definitely implement various reforms, but the scope was much broader than he had anticipated.

"Brother Xu's methods are indeed brilliant, managing to drive the Vatican to desperation."

However, he only made a few sarcastic remarks about the fate of the Vatican, saying, "Even someone like me has to be sent to the battlefield... hahaha."

Indeed, he wasn't a combatant; how long could he have held out under those circumstances?

But the saintess at the time didn't care about such things; she just piled people on top of each other, thinking that one more person was better than one less.

No one would laugh off being forcibly turned into a puppet; Xu Shi could clearly hear the anger in his tone.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. You're one of the Vatican's people."

His response was rather cold: "Offering your heart to the Vatican is your job, don't complain."

"...Yes, I guess I have only myself to blame."

Lu Baiyan could understand the underlying meaning in his words, and could only smile wryly.

He was quite different from the other Templar Knights. The others were either like Qin Yiyan, whose faith was deeply rooted, or like Luo Yu, who were from humble backgrounds and could not leave the order once they joined.

But Lu Baiyan is different. His family still has some influence in the Hualan Empire. Sending him to be this so-called Templar Knight is just to hedge their bets. His family also has many important members in the royal family.

In addition, he is not an indecisive person, so this job is probably more like a clock-in-the-clock job for him.

In short, his faith in the Papacy was not very strong, which is why he was repeatedly tempted by Xu Shi's attempts to win him over.

But it only stayed at the level of being attracted; in the end, he couldn't take that step.

As for why, that's a bit hard to say... It can be said that the long-term influence of his family has cultivated his personality of making decisions only after seeing the results; to put it bluntly, he's a fence-sitter.

So even though he was tempted and had a good talk with Pan Ling, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to take that step.

It always takes a lot of courage for a person to step out of their comfort zone, but unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have that courage.

Or perhaps, by the time he truly wanted to take that step, it was too late—under Han Jingchuan's surveillance, he was coerced into going to the Vatican, and when he met Xu Shi again, it was already a battle to the death.

"Feel sorry."

He suddenly felt a little guilty. He felt that Xu Shi was so honest with him and had even saved his life, while he was always ambiguous. In comparison, he really felt ashamed.

"What's there to apologize for? I understand."

Xu smiled, indicating that he didn't need to say such things.

It is indeed understandable. In fact, the person who is very similar to Lu Baiyan is probably Qi Maoyang, the one from "Imaginary Number", or rather, the Qi family father and son.

Those two were also indecisive. When they went to war with Shen He, they only made their move to take down the "Shark Tooth" He family at the very last minute. To put it bluntly, it was like locking the stable door after the horse had bolted.

Their approach seems completely different from Lu Baiyan's, but upon closer examination, their positions are also different—"Imaginary Number" is a neutral and independent entity, while Lu Baiyan is a member of the Holy See, and to put it bluntly, he could even be considered an enemy.

Therefore, it is understandable that he was unable to break free from the Papacy and join them.

Lu Baiyan was somewhat surprised by Mr. Xu's magnanimity.

Qin Yiyan, who was eavesdropping outside the door, was also surprised. It seemed that Xu Shi was really tolerant of them, the members of the Holy See. Being tolerant of himself could be said to be just for show, but being like that to everyone was not the case.

Is he really that easy to talk to? He doesn't seem like it...

The scene of Xu Shi publicly debating with a group of scholars in the Vatican is still vivid in my mind. Who would believe that he is a refined and easy-going person?

Ok……

I just had a long talk with Pan Ling. The red-haired silly girl is planning to put aside her prejudices and take a closer look at this annoying guy.

The other party's current actions did indeed make her waver—this person seemed to be quite different from what she had imagined?

Lu Baiyan was moved to tears and reached out his weak hand to shake hands with Boss Xu.

however.

Instead of doing as he wished, Xu Shi opened it with a swift motion.

"?"

Lu Baiyan was dumbfounded, his right hand hovering in the air, frozen for a long time.

"I understand that's my business, but I never said I wanted to shake hands and make peace with you, did I?"

Xu Shi's tone turned cold. "I've given you chances, more than once, but you didn't accept them."

"Now that we've seen the Vatican collapse, we've finally made up our minds... I'm sorry, but that comes at a different price."

"……Too."

Lu Baiyan paused, then laughed self-deprecatingly, "So, Brother Xu, what do you intend to do? Use my life to establish Her Majesty the Empress's authority?"

This wasn't sarcastic; it was an ending he subconsciously envisioned.

After all, he had experienced too many things like this before. The Vatican would do this when arresting people, and Cheng Gujian would do the same when purging political enemies. It was the simplest and most brutal method.

Find a surviving high-ranking member of the Papacy, behead him as a warning, and solidify the current status of the monarchy.

"It's not that no one has suggested this before."

Xu Shi laughed, then picked up several memorials from his side. "I don't know how the news that you are not dead spread. So far, many people in the court have submitted memorials hoping to use your head as a warning to others."

Want to take a look?

Without waiting for Lu Baiyan to refuse, he demonstrated it to him.

Lu Baiyan's breathing stopped abruptly.

Because the authors of these memorials were all members of the Lu clan.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. Noble families often have everything going on at once. The collapse of the Papacy doesn't mean the Lu family is finished. Those who are loyal to the royal family will naturally not be affected.

He thus became a pawn to be discarded—these people probably wished for his death so they could use it to demonstrate their loyalty to Her Majesty the Empress, and publicly claim it was a matter of upholding justice even at the cost of family ties.

"Good advice."

With mixed feelings in his eyes, he finally gave this evaluation.

"You think so too?"

Xu Shi took back the memorial and said unhurriedly, "But I have a problem: I don't like to accept other people's advice."

"And you might as well think about it carefully: if I really wanted to kill you, why would I save you?"

"Then what do you mean?"

Lu Baiyan was a little confused. It seemed like the other party was trying to protect him? But that wasn't what he meant before...

What I mean is, you're still somewhat useful to me, so it's not worth dying here.

Xu Shi said calmly, "So I can give you a chance to redeem yourself, it just depends on whether you want it or not."

Qin Yiyan, standing outside the door, frowned, sensing that something was off about what was being said...

Yes!

To be fair, Lu Baiyan was originally a member of the Holy See. Putting aside the question of who is right and who is wrong, his previous actions didn't seem to be anything wrong... On the contrary, it's the Holy See that should be angry, since he's wavering between the Holy See and Xu Shi.

How did you manage to turn him into a stubborn and unappreciative person just by saying a few words?

They even used the phrase "atone for one's sins with good deeds," but that phrase is completely inappropriate!

What she didn't know was that Xu Shi wouldn't think that way.

If Boss Xu sets his sights on something, whether it's a person or an object, he'll get it. If he gives you a chance and you don't take it, then it's your fault.

As for whether he had become a traitor, reputation and honor were not things he considered.

However, Lu Baiyan seemed oblivious to this. Upon hearing Xu Shi's words, he nodded almost without thinking, "I've already missed Brother Xu twice. To refuse again would truly be ungrateful."

Thankfully, the red-haired silly girl didn't have any strange hobbies, otherwise this sentence would have caused a lot of speculation.

"So that means you agree?"

Xu Shi nodded slightly. "Alright, to be frank, I need your abilities to help with my next plan. Take good care of yourself, and we'll begin once you've fully recovered."

"what's the plan?"

"You'll find out when the time comes."

"……it is good."

Lu Baiyan did not refute. Although Xu Shi's stiff tone made him uncomfortable, he had no reason to refuse now.

Qin Yiyan finally realized that Xu Shi was a man of great skill!

I have a feeling that he came here for Lu Baiyan from the very beginning, right? In comparison, I and Her Highness the Holy Maiden are like bonuses, or rather, we were on his list of people to be eliminated, and we were only kept on because of the change of circumstances.

So, if Lu Baiyan had chosen to switch allegiances from the beginning, the treatment he received would definitely not have been too low.

However, he didn't, which led to the current situation where Xu Shi casually issues orders, but people with narrowed eyes have no choice but to obey, giving the impression of being bossed around by their subordinates.

But that's the worst part, okay?!

To be honest, in her opinion, Xu Shi's threat to Lu Baiyan was ineffective. After all, Lu Baiyan himself could say something like "Should we kill me as a sacrifice?" If he wasn't even afraid of death, what else was there to be afraid of?