Chapter 160: Manager Xia, What Are You Doing? - It’s the Cyber Age—Still Playing a Traditional Villain?

### Chapter 160: Manager Xia, What Are You Doing? "Quit saying things like that." Upon hearing Xu Shi's words, Lin Yue's expression turned cold. "Trying to humiliate me won't work... How is my sister?" "Oh~ Leader Lin, you're as dull as ever." Xu Shi smiled, and with a flick of his finger opened a secret door to the side, revealing Lin Xing confined there. No, saying she was 'safe and sound' would be too misleading—Xu Shi had deliberately or accidentally positioned her just as he had once imprisoned Lin Yue, even using the same chair... "You!" Lin Yue's face flushed, equally touched by anger and shame. Having been the victim before, witnessing it as a bystander now felt entirely different... Coupled with her own past painful memories, the shame was more than doubled. "You promised not to harm her!" Seeing Lin Xing in such a state, Lin Yue glared at him. "I haven't even had the chance to enjoy her yet." Xu Shi feigned regret with a smile, "Or could it be that Leader Lin hopes I'll harm her?" "No!" Lin Yue hurriedly stopped him. "Mm?" "...Please don't, I'm begging you." The little assassin came to her senses, suppressing her pride to speak softly in near supplication. "That's more like it." Xu Shi nodded contentedly, "I told you I'm a man of my word. You do what you're supposed to, and I absolutely won’t touch her." Truth is, even if he wanted to, he couldn’t—Lin Xing was a combat-specialized cyborg, not some pleasure model. Anything untoward might end up being as fun as trying to engage with a hunk of iron—utterly unamusing. "I, I understand..." Lin Yue thought to herself, "I don’t believe you for a second," but had no choice but to hope that Xu Shi would have a shred of conscience. She glanced at her sister, longing for any sign of life, but received none—Lin Xing remained in a coma, with no will to respond. In fact, she was in a state of suspension... Xu Shi was not overly sadistic, knowing that playing mind games with two personas at once could lead to genuine psychological splitting, which would be counterproductive. In the eerie atmosphere, Lin Yue ended the communication dejectedly. Xu Shi laughed so hard he almost fell forward. Such is the way of villainous characters, who derive pleasure from others’ suffering. Just as he closed the interface, Xia Wuyou walked in. “What’s happening?” Xu Shi smiled as he asked, inwardly surprised at how she, too, had stopped knocking before entering. “There are some reports that require your review, Chairman Xu.” Xia Wuyou placed the documents on the table, smiling at him. “What about you? What were you up to?” She had overheard Xu Shi speaking to someone just now, with a malicious tone that suggested he was once again up to no good. “Wanna hear?” Xu Shi didn’t hide anything from her and beckoned her over with a finger. With familiar ease, Xia Wuyou sat on his lap, listening to him recount the recent happenings. “…I see.” After listening, she remained mostly indifferent; after all, she barely knew Lin Yue, and why would she be expected to feel sympathy? But upon closer reflection, the experiences of the Sixth District leader did somewhat mirror her own past: both were coerced by villainous figures into certain actions, and the target of those actions was once Shen He... “Hey, do you have some kind of hobby for this sort of thing?” Thinking about it, Xia Wuyou couldn’t help but find it amusing, questioning why there seemed to be a repeated pattern. “It's not quite the same, though.” Xu Shi shamelessly replied, “At the time, I wasn’t beside you under a different identity to correct things... this one’s just a wilder cat, even less obedient than you.” In essence, it was something of a nurturing game, with the added thrill of an immersive experience in the exciting power struggles of the Sin City gangs. “So, you’re pretty pleased with yourself, huh?” Xia Wuyou feigned reproach, her glances flitting to Lin Xing in the hidden chamber led her to grasp the situation immediately—it was the same modified cyborg assassin she had apprehended near the company... Although she hadn’t expected this kind of playstyle, it only confirmed the vast array of tactics at the disposal of a wicked man. “Looking closely, Lin Xing is rather attractive... Amazing how our Chairman Xu managed to refrain from laying hands on her.” Gazing at the opponent in such a 'defeated CG' pose, she couldn’t help but tease. “Well, what’s there to do?” Xu Shi feigned distress. Then he saw Xia Wuyou giving him a meaningful look, pointing at herself in a self-recommending manner. “We’re in work hours, Manager Xia, oh wait, Director Xia.” Her docile demeanor amused him. “Isn’t taking care of one’s own chairman considered part of the job?” Xia Wuyou replied nonchalantly but momentarily paused when she heard Xu Shi’s comment. After brief contemplation, she blinked and slowly slid down. As everyone knows, the space beneath large office desks often has a gap. Naive Little Chairman Xu hadn’t figured out why it was designed that way until now, realizing it was conveniently spacious enough for her to kneel. Oh~ that’s how it’s used. “Technically, that’s the secretary’s job… You seem exceptionally proactive today.” He tutted twice, yet maintained the air of a gentleman. “Ugh... and who’s been deliberately ignoring me these past few days…” Xia Wuyou complained, only to bite her tongue. Was this still her? Xu Shi inhaled sharply, marveling at her lovesick-like behavior, although he realized this was something he had cultivated… Alright, alright. He shrugged, contentedly indulging. Though, in terms of typical story progression, isn’t someone supposed to walk in next? Indeed, yes. So it wasn’t long before there came a knocking at the door; a quick glance at the monitor showed it was Jiang Chengcheng... Actually, there was no need to look, as among those they knew, she was the only one who knocked now, whereas unfamiliar ones never came by at all. Xu Shi’s eyes flickered, and he opened the door for her. “Chairman Xu.” Though Jiang Chengcheng’s face showed fatigue, her eyes couldn’t conceal her happiness. “What brings you here?” Xu Shi asked, feigning calmness. “The task you assigned to me is complete.” Jiang Chengcheng raised the metallic box in her hand, “It’s a personal enhancement weapon customized for you~” “!” Xu Shi jolted awake, it arrived? Goodness, amidst the indulgent delirium, he hadn’t registered. Compared to the secondary chip designed to mess with Lin Wenhua, this was the main event... “!” Beneath the desk, Xia Wuyou was also suddenly startled. How... did Xu Shi let someone in? She was so engrossed in enjoying her lollipop, she hadn’t stopped Xu Shi, only regaining her senses at Jiang Chengcheng’s voice... This... And judging by the sound, it pertained to legitimate business, so what was she supposed to do now? “?” Witnessing Xu Shi’s reaction, Jiang Chengcheng appeared confused. Mainly, she felt a bit displeased, as she hadn’t been with Xu Shi during this period because of this task. She thought, shouldn’t he at least come over and embrace me? What’s with sitting still like a fishing master? “…If you want it, come over and get it.” So she grew a bit petulant, retracting the box behind her with a pout. “I can’t.” Xu Shi regathered his composure, motioning her over, “You come here.” “I don’t want to.” “Are you being disobedient?” “…Okay.” Jiang Chengcheng couldn’t resist him; truth be told, even refusing Xu Shi proved difficult for her. Holding herself back from rushing over was already challenging enough... so she quickly relented, approaching Xu Shi’s side. Then, it was only natural she spotted the panicked Xia Wuyou beneath the desk. “Ah! Y-you... Manager Xia?!” Jiang Chengcheng was startled, utterly unaware anyone else was there, much less that it would be Xia Wuyou. “Manager Jiang, h-hi?” Xia Wuyou froze for a few seconds, then greeted woodenly, yet couldn’t hide her embarrassment as a droplet of saliva escaped from her mouth... Both felt similarly flustered, as they both knew each other to be the other icy pillar within the company. For Xia Wuyou, the situation was slightly better, already aware this woman was Xu Shi’s primary confidante, comparable in loyalty to Su Lin, but this gentle and humble demeanor still came as a surprise. As for Jiang Chengcheng, she was genuinely stunned, unaware Xu Shi and Xia Wuyou had reached such an extent; goodness, in broad daylight, you two are too much... Some inwardly placed strong blame, conveniently forgetting the extent of her own audacity from before... “Alright, alright.” Xu Shi nonchalantly waved his hand, motioning for Xia Wuyou to rise and tidy up. “Oh.” Xia Wuyou hurriedly wiped her mouth, then stood up quickly, blushing deeply, and stood beside Xu Shi with her head lowered. Why is it that every time she ends up being caught in this situation here? What kind of hellish side quest is this? "Care to demonstrate?" Xu Shi ignored her embarrassment and pointed at the long metal box on the table. "…Alright." Jiang Chengcheng came to her senses, sighed helplessly, and opened the box. Before the three of them lay a slim, elegant cane. Its appearance was quite lavish, adorned in gold and engraved with designs, with a snakehead handle that included some fine connection clasps. "And this is?" "A personalized enhancement weapon designed just for you," Jiang Chengcheng reiterated. "Your ability is based on spiritual powers, and by connecting with it, you can enhance your prowess." "As you mentioned earlier, your abilities require physical contact to work and generally affect only one person at a time. So, I've designed it to allow your powers to spread and influence a range of people simultaneously without direct contact." Xu Shi nodded; the explanation was intricate but quite easy to grasp. Through technological means, was this essentially forcing his abilities to achieve an aura-like effect? He couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised—on one hand, he had long yearned for such an aura, and on the other hand, he marveled at Jiang Chengcheng's capability to craft it. Quite extraordinary, my little tech genius. “Based on the model simulations, the range can extend to about ten to fifteen meters, though the effect weakens towards the edges. This, of course, depends on your condition, so the numbers aren’t set in stone.” “Also, given your lack of close combat skills, I've included some additional mechanisms. Look here, it stores a few specially designed armor-piercing rounds. The part embedded with a mineral activates an anti-gravity shield, usable a few dozen times or so. Just regularly replace the 'Rust Mist' mineral…” “…Well, you’ve put a lot of thought into this.” Xu Shi nodded slightly, having to admit that Jiang Chengcheng’s thorough considerations addressed all three issues, like a delightful Kinder Surprise. "Would you like to test its effects?" "Sure." Xu Shi didn’t object and took out the cane, gripping the snakehead. He was tempted to joke about the cliché—glasses, walking stick, and a white suit—turning him into the ultimate sly gentleman… But the sensation upon activating the weapon drew his entire focus—truly, only the person involved could understand the details, and as soon as the connection succeeded, he felt a dramatic increase in his mental power. To draw a comparison: if it was previously a stream, then now, it must be a lake. And when he tried to use his ability, the difference was stark. Previously, targeting someone with 'Entropy of Malice' felt perhaps like administering an injection? Identifying and precisely injecting the target... But now, the ability coefficient would lean into this cane, and then disperse outward. While the energy consumption was greater than before, it indeed achieved an aura effect. Upon reflection, he was quite relieved; fortunately, through completing the 'closed loop' recently, he had considerably improved his abilities. If he had remained at the initial A- level, it might have been a bit of a stretch... What a fantastic piece of equipment. And come to think of it, this also marks a significant step in the integration of technology and superpowers. Compared to universal chips and potions, a personalized weapon was evidently harder to achieve, and he was fortunate to be the first to experience it. In contemplation, he quietly named the cane. "Yujing" “How does it feel to you?” Jiang Chengcheng asked from the side, eagerly awaiting Xu Shi's feedback. "It's excellent." Xu Shi did not hold back his praise. “Good to hear.” Jiang Chengcheng exhaled in relief, delighting in Xu Shi’s praise—her efforts over these days had not been in vain. “I’ve also left room for upgrades, in case your capabilities enhance in the future, I can further refine it.” “Got it.” Xu Shi chuckled, internally noting her exceptionally thorough consideration... He couldn’t help but pull Jiang Chengcheng closer, giving her a kiss on the cheek. What a precious gem of a girl. "Mm..." Being treated this way, Jiang Chengcheng, although thrilled, held herself tight against him, “Then I… deserve a reward…” "…" Xu Shi wasn't exactly surprised by her actions, knowing full well she was quite the little lovestruck girl. But, couldn’t she be a bit more patient? When he glanced over, Xia Wuyou was hardly faring better, her cheeks flushed and legs squeezed together, showing immense self-restraint. "You too...?" Xu Shi's curiosity was piqued. "It's, it's all because of your power." Xia Wuyou retorted with a mix of shame and irritation, her eyes filled with a playful kind of reproach. Earlier, when Xu Shi attempted to activate his abilities using the special weapon, she had tried to mentally block it off as a test, only to realize... she couldn't resist it. Being an aura user herself, she naturally had some understanding, yet spiritual energy—scientifically likened to electromagnetic waves—couldn’t be manipulated by gravitational control… And the essence of 'Entropy of Malice' was to provoke negative emotions in the target’s heart. So what, then, could be the predominant negative emotion in the hearts of these two ladies? There's no need to even say it. Ah, indeed. Xu Shi realized this, chuckled helplessly, and extended a hand to Xia Wuyou. Xia Wuyou hesitated for a moment, but eventually placed her hand in his. Was he implying for her and Jiang Chengcheng to join together? Well… together it is. Truthfully, with the previous unfulfilled attempt lurking in her mind, she felt much less burdened by this sort of thing. Besides, doing it with Jiang Chengcheng wasn’t much different from doing it with Gu Yi, right? With that thought, she even felt a tinge of inexplicable pride—she did it before Gu Yi! As for Jiang Chengcheng? She had already wrapped herself around like a water snake. **"Yujing": Another name for the snake, derived from 'Legend of Cui Wei' by Tang Dynasty writer Pei Xing. "Cui Wei asked, ‘Why is the snake referred to as Yujing?‘ He answered, 'In the past, An Qisheng often rode on dragons to visit Yujing, hence it was nicknamed Yujing.‘" (End of this chapter)