Chapter 173: Don't Even Think About Running Away - It’s the Cyber Age—Still Playing a Traditional Villain?

Chapter 173: Don't Even Think About Running Away How many times has it been now? When the good news from the Governor's Office of the City Hall arrived, the first thought that popped into Xu Shi's head was to start counting. Indeed, he had been leveraging Tang Shuang time after time... This was something he couldn't deny. By rights, he wasn't the kind of person to feel guilty, but continually fleecing the same sheep did make him feel a bit uneasy. But this time should be alright, right? Didn't she also have the desire to rectify the municipal system? And there was the promise of the governor's position. You'd think they would cancel each other out, and she'd actually be grateful to him. "Even so, that's not quite how things work, is it?" Xia Ke'an took on a mature air while looking at him, clicking her tongue. "If I were her, and unknowingly got used as a pawn, even if my greatest wish got realized by someone else, I'd probably want to fire a gun at you." "And honestly, Tang Shuang isn't like my foolish niece, who'd lose her way just by you beckoning her. Your relationship isn't that strong yet, right?" "What do you know about it?" Feeling a bit embarrassed, Xu Shi had no choice but to poke the forehead of the white-haired loli to cover his awkwardness. He was also aware that what Xia Ke'an said was probably on point. Hoping that Director Tang would be grateful to him was just fooling himself; with her personality, being furious was more likely. As for their relationship... it seemed quite subtle. Xu Shi was sure that Director Tang wasn't at the level of Xia Wuyou and the others, who were utterly obedient to him, but she also wasn't like Lin Yue, who was internally resistant but had no choice in her actions. Perhaps she was somewhere in between? Although he'd taken advantage of her quite a few times, it wasn't as if she hadn't received any benefits. Last time, she even mysteriously asked him to change clothes... Who knew what she was plotting. However, he would likely have a headache afterward — just using Yu Xingchuan without her permission was enough to bother him, he couldn't stand it if he were in her shoes. But Xu Shi wasn't too concerned, since these strategies prioritized the big picture, and he had already considered the various future consequences when making these arrangements. "I knew it long ago." Xia Ke'an didn't notice what he was thinking, but she seemed to misunderstand, standing with her hands on her hips proudly. "When I heard you making those empty promises to that Deputy Yu, I could see right through your intentions." Xu Shi wasn't about to give up Tang Shuang for Yu Xingchuan, so if he was clearing the way for Director Tang, he must be offering an even higher stake. Apart from the Chief Inspector position, that only left the Governor's role in City Hall. For someone at the level of an old auntie like her, such arrangements couldn't escape her notice. "And yet you acted all innocent." Xu Shi couldn't help but laugh. "Some people take me for your daughter, so I figured staying quiet was better." The white-haired loli shook her head, "Little kids are cuter when they're clueless." "But next time, make sure to give me a smarter mom, okay? This one is too silly, I don't like her." "...Who are you calling silly?!" Black Rabbit was taken aback, then angrily retorted. "Whoever answers, that's who." Xia Ke'an stuck out her tongue and quickly darted into Xu Shi's embrace, "Not only silly, but fierce too, eek~" "That's enough already." Xu Shi was amused by the childishness of the old auntie, "I once thought you were a mature and steady behind-the-scenes boss?" More like a little troublemaker. "What's the point of being mature if you're around?" The white-haired loli took a nonchalant attitude, "Though have you considered what to do if Tang Shuang flat-out refuses to become City Governor?" "Then I'll find someone else." Xu Shi nodded, "As for her... I'll keep her under my command to work hard." "...That's so like you." "Thank you, thank you." "Hey, are you done chatting?" Seeing she couldn't get a word in, Black Rabbit rudely interrupted them, "Things outside should be wrapped up by now, right? Are we still staying here?" Honestly, it felt a bit surreal to her; wasn't this a big deal? How did it get resolved with such nonchalance, making it seem less significant than last time's banquet... But after thinking it over, she felt relieved — from the beginning it was destined to be a one-sided crush, reflecting Xu Shi's current strength. And although the process was understated, the result certainly wasn't — the six syndicates, the "Forgotten," even City Hall wasn't spared... From now on, could it be said that Xu the Bastard will truly become the master of this city? Thinking this, she couldn't help but laugh to herself. Damn, my man is strong! Also, I used to stand up to him! That feels like a story I can brag about for years! Not succeeding isn’t the problem; it's not like others did either! "Pretty much." Hearing this, Xu Shi put down Xia Ke'an, stretched lazily, and said seriously, "Just a little bit of cleanup remains." "Come on, it's time to go enjoy the faces of those who lost." — Sin City, Fifth District, an unknown corner. While Xu Shi was leisurely heading out as if on a family outing, the disastrous news pouring in hit Shen He like a sledgehammer to the heart. The riot outside the city, failed! The insurrection inside the city, failed! The mental contamination of the populace, failed! Even "Dragon City" was overturned in an instant... This not only meant that all of his plans had failed, but any escape routes were also cut off! "Shen... Leader?" The people around him were already stricken with panic, cautiously asking, "What should we do now?" "...We need to get out of here." Shen He took several deep breaths, forcing himself to remain calm, "See if we can find Xiao Qin, and once we have, figure out how to escape the city first." Even though he felt apprehensive about this — not just because of the difficulty in fleeing, but also because of his worries about his sister. Honestly, ever since the internal disruption failed, he had a very bad feeling. His associate's question was further salt on the wound. "Escape the city... and then what?" Indeed. Shen He suddenly came to his senses. Last time during a setback, at least there was the "Forgotten" outside the city to rely on, but this time, returning in defeat, even they were no longer an option. Where could they go? Into the more desolate areas where even the "Forgotten" couldn't survive? Or dive into the endless sea? Wait, wait. Cold sweat trickled down Shen He’s palms, his limbs beginning to numb involuntarily, as he forced himself to calm down. This isn't supposed to end here; there must be a way... right! He hurriedly opened his communication device, attempting to contact He Yuxia. Maybe, just maybe, he could hide with her for a while until things blew over. But the results were disheartening — he couldn't reach her at all, every call went unanswered, like stones sinking into the sea. At this moment, news about the "Shark Tooth" incident just reached him, "Leader Shen, something happened to 'Shark Tooth,' the entire He family has been secretly taken away, their whereabouts unknown!" "What?!" Shen He felt as though he had been struck by lightning, his arms falling limply to his sides. Whether because "Virtual Numbers" and Xu Shi's moves were too covert, or because Shen He was preoccupied, his intelligence network lagged behind, and the news came just at this crucial time, delivering him another hard blow. As for City Hall... that wasn’t even on his radar yet. "Shen He!" The others fell into chaos, even dropping his title — most of them were "Forgotten," lacking the loyalty of the previous "Starlight" members. "Be quiet!" Shen He was equally agitated, grinding his teeth as he issued orders, "Proceed with the original plan for evacuation, some people try to get out of the city first, some with me to find Xiao Qin, then contact outside the city, hurry!" Staying here was the worst possible choice! Calling it an evacuation was more like fleeing in panic — they were too disorganized; honestly, even when the "Forgotten" stumbled into the city in disgrace, it wasn't this bad... However, the process went relatively smoothly. This was mainly thanks to Old Master Wen's grand chaos, which had not only disturbed the First District but the entire Sin City, to the point where the "Serpent Coil" combat team couldn't keep up with their tasks. Thanks to this advantage, they managed to sneak past several checkpoints. Then, they discovered something even better. "Look, isn't that a group from 'Starlight'?" Someone sharp-eyed spotted a small team nearby, neatly dressed and moving quickly, seemingly unaffected, with recognizable logos on their sleeves. "Starlight?" Shen He jerked his head up. Right, how did he forget about that? Honestly, after returning to Nightfall City, Shen He didn’t fully trust Lin Yue and the new "Starlight" she built. After all, many things fell under his radar, and he could clearly sense that some of its members had a rather peculiar attitude toward him. But surely, in a situation like this, they should be reliable, right? At least they were his former associates... Before he could make up his mind, the opposing group noticed them. Before Shen He’s group could react, the "Starlight" members had already rushed over to surround them. "You guys..." "...Ah, Leader Shen, no rush." The small group leader smiled after darting his eyes around, "It's chaotic here, we've been looking for you. Hang on, I'll call Leader Yue over, and we’ll leave together." While speaking, he subtly gestured to the people behind him. His words didn't have the comfort effect intended—forget Shen He, even the smaller, unaffiliated fighters behind him sensed something was off. One immediately raised a gun, "Hold on, something's not right..." Bang. Before he could finish, a bullet had already pierced through his skull. "Didn't I say? No need to rush." The shooter, the small group leader, said, "Leader Shen, your subordinates are a tad unruly, which is why I had to shoot... Surely you understand?" "..." Shen He remained silent. What more was there to say? Even a fool could see that these "Starlight" people weren’t on their side; this was no protection, it was a capture mission! But realizing it did no good; their weaponry and equipment were on a completely different level. It wasn’t long before he and his people were all captured. Including Shen He—he wasn’t any combatant to begin with; with his faith benefits almost nil, "not adept at running" fittingly summed him up. During this exchange, Lin Yue had also arrived from a short distance away. Upon seeing Shen He forcefully subdued on the ground, her first instinct was to feel a pang of delight, only to feel a bitter mix of emotions as she regained her composure. "Lin Yue! You... you're in on this too?!" Upon seeing her, Shen He erupted uncontrollably, spitting profanities that were seldom heard from him. This might not have been the tipping point pushing him over the edge, but it certainly was the final straw. He admitted that he couldn’t entirely trust this former subordinate, but he never expected her to be aligned with Xu Shi— really, why else would she go through the effort of capturing him? In all of Nightfall City, who else would commit this much effort to hunt him down but Xu Shi? "I..." Lin Yue looked down at him, her lips moving with intent, but in the end, no words followed. She had initially contemplated apologizing—trading Shen He for her sister was a necessity. But just as she was about to speak, Xu Shi’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind. "But he gave up on you first, Miss Lin Yue." ! Lin Yue whipped her head around, only to find the man absent from the scene. But that voice remained, pervasive and unavoidable, and worse yet, she found herself utterly agreeing with Xu Shi’s words. With that realization, her apology disintegrated. "...Restrain him. Follow my original instructions." The young assassin gave no further attention to Shen He’s impotent rage, merely waving her hand indifferently before closing her eyes. Perhaps this was her final act of mercy. Seeing no response from her, Shen He’s voice gradually weakened. But this didn’t mean he intended to surrender without a fight. He still had his last and most critical trump card. The "Beacon." A life-saving tool left by his father, with one last use remaining. This is not over yet! Not yet! However. Just as he silently attempted to activate the "Beacon," Lin Yue’s communication device abruptly rang. Then. She answered it, her expression first becoming slightly irked, then reluctantly removing her wristband and tossing it at Shen He’s feet. The speaker was activated, revealing Xu Shi's voice. "Hey, hey, can you hear me, little darling Shen He?" The voice from the device was taunting, "Bet you didn’t expect her to be the one to catch you, huh?" "Xu Shi!" Shen He, triggered, roared uncontrollably. Xu Shi paid him no mind, continuing leisurely, "I know you have a way to escape, but you really shouldn't consider it." Alongside his words, a photo that Shen He least wanted to see was transmitted. Shen Qin, artistically bound and hanging from a beam, eyes closed, in a terrifying but composed manner. "Your dear sister is currently my guest. If you decide to escape, I'll have no choice but to snap her neck without mercy." Xu Shi: You've used that escape tool three times already, it's only fair to save one for me, right?