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

"Miss Nan asked me what I meant?"

Xu Shi, however, was completely unconcerned about her reaction. He looked at her casually, his tone full of mockery, "What I mean is actually very simple."

"This level of sincerity... is far from enough."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 117 If this is a CPU, then it's already begun!

Not sincere enough?

Hearing Xu Shi say this, Shen Qin's expression grew even more unpleasant.

"...We 'Forsaken' are not like you; we really don't have much to offer."

After a moment of silence, she almost gritted her teeth and said, "This is all we can offer... Or rather, how much more sincerity does Chairman Xu want us to show?"

"Is that really all?"

Xu Shi's expression turned serious as he looked at her indifferently, "Take this pistol for example. Have you 'Forsaken' only ever used this one weapon in all these years?"

"...Of course not."

Shen Qin wasn't stupid; she quickly understood his meaning. "There are naturally some similar weapons, but we certainly can't bring them all. If it's just this, we can bring out more samples..."

What do I need so many samples for?

Xu Shi looked at her with a half-smile, "What I need is the relevant research and development data."

"The same goes for pharmaceuticals... Of course, this isn't our 'Snake Ring' area of ​​expertise, so you might need to discuss it further with Chairman Xie later."

He was indeed interested in these things.

But if it's just a finished product, it's meaningless to him.

It's not that we can't develop "snake rings". With Jiang Chengcheng around, how could we be worse than you? But if there's something readily available, how can we justify not taking it?

We can't let Ai-chan, or rather Ai-chan, do everything herself, she'll get tired, okay?

Moreover, to be fair, these research and development materials are the foundation supporting the development of the "Forgotten" group, or in other words, this is their greatest value.

"Regarding your technology for mining 'Rust Mist' ore, I'm sure you have your own unique methods, which I find very interesting and would like to learn."

Miners are skilled workers too.

Upon hearing his words, Shen Qin's expression stiffened.

She never expected Xu Shi's ambition to be so great, that his first negotiation would involve such an outrageous demand without any room for negotiation.

If the people of Nightsin City were to take these technologies and data, it would be tantamount to draining the "Forsaken" from their ranks.

The cooperation between the two parties has become a one-off deal, and it will be extremely difficult to make adjustments in the future.

"Under these conditions... I cannot make a decision immediately."

She couldn't accept these conditions from the bottom of her heart and immediately tried to argue, "At the very least, there should be information sharing... This is too unfair to us."

"Fair? Miss Nan, are you joking?"

Xu Shi scoffed, "Right now, it's you 'Forgotten Ones' who need the City of Nightsin's help. You're not so naive as to think we're talking about cooperation, are you?"

"If all you're offering are a few pieces of ore, a few potions, and a few broken guns... I really can't see any sincerity in you. If that's the case, there's no point in us discussing anything further."

"But if we follow your requirements, in my opinion, there's no need for further discussion."

Shen Qin couldn't hold back any longer and retorted defiantly.

"Then let's not talk about it."

Xu Shi spread his hands and said, "The gate is over there. Just take your things and go out."

He secretly sneered in his heart.

The young lady is still a bit inexperienced; she can't even handle this little bit of pressure?

But that's exactly the effect he wanted.

If you're putting pressure on the "forgotten," then this CPU battle actually started the moment you created public opinion.

But that alone wasn't enough. Clearly, it wasn't enough to break Shen Qin's defenses.

It's important to understand that his goal wasn't just the value of the "Forgotten Ones," but also that of Shen Qin herself.

Shen Qin ignored him and turned her attention to the others.

Unfortunately, no one else commented on this, and they even seemed thoughtful, probably considering what else could be extracted from the "Forgotten Ones".

Don't look at me, little sister, we're all just as bad.

If any of you here are truly intending to accept them out of kindness, then you should have stopped your actions in the first place.

The remaining few people actually had similar thoughts.

It's just that I spoke first, which is why they kept quiet.

Xu Shi didn't really care. Anyway, the conflict between him and Shen Qin was irreconcilable. Giving her a nice face wouldn't get him anything, so he might as well just play the villain.

After her pleas for help went unanswered, all that welled up in Shen Qin's heart was frustration, humiliation, and despair.

In truth, she understood this principle all too well, but since the matter was of great importance, she naturally wanted to try her best to secure it.

But that's the reality. Because they are the "forgotten," they are the weak, so they can only swallow their anger and suffer in the face of these inequalities.

She could still tell that although there were seven forces here, Xu Shi had the most say.

Compared to him, I am indeed somewhat lacking in importance.

Under such pressure, she even felt a little dizzy.

"So, Miss Nan, have you made up your mind?"

Xu Shi didn't give her much time to think and urged her to make a decision.

"...Let's discuss it again. What Chairman Xu said makes sense."

Song Chen chimed in appropriately, thus helping Shen Qin out of the predicament.

"Okay, then I'll give you one more day?"

Xu Shi nodded generously, "Let's talk again after you've thought it through?"

He didn't care anyway; ten more days wouldn't make a difference. If these people really had other options, would they need to come to Night City in such a lowly manner?

However, he also discovered that the leaders of these three "Forsaken" were definitely not a united front.

That Zhao Yuan, no, Zhang Shan, is a brainless idiot; the other two are more or less so.

However, this Li Si, or rather Song Chen, is definitely a cunning old fox. He won't act until he sees the benefits. When something happens, he always pushes Shen Qin out as the first to take the lead, while he himself only makes his move when he's sure the wind is blowing.

Moreover, this guy is definitely a fence-sitter. I'm afraid he doesn't have the heart to fight for the interests of the "Forgotten Ones." His first consideration is definitely his own comfort.

Hmm... this is information that can be used?

In any case, as long as such a person exists, it will be much easier for him to do whatever he wants.

"...Okay, let's go back and discuss it again."

Shen Qin had no time to think about all that right now; she didn't want to stay in this meeting for even a second longer.

After a brief farewell, she prepared to leave.

The biggest problem is that no matter how much they discuss it, she seems unable to find a better solution.

This intensified her despair.

At this moment, she couldn't help but think about it too.

My own strength is still somewhat stronger than my brother's.

Even so, he still couldn't be on equal footing with Xu Shi, and didn't even have the opportunity for equal communication.

So, how exactly did the older brother offend such a person?

Or perhaps, given Shen He's previous strength, shouldn't he have avoided provoking him in the first place?

It seems that, unintentionally, the seeds of wavering had already been sown silently.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 118 Just wait, I'll make you meow sooner or later!

The first round of negotiations between the Forsaken and the City of Nightsin ended in complete failure.

When Shen Qin walked out of the conference hall, her face was somewhat pale.

She had originally thought that she could take this opportunity to talk to Xu Shi and find out his strengths and weaknesses.

The result was that he was humiliated beyond repair and left in a sorry state.

At that moment, she felt incredibly upset, as if she had lost all face.

This guy is absolutely wicked.

The remaining people weren't much better off, especially Zhao Yuan, whose face looked even worse than hers... Only Song Chen seemed a little more relaxed, lost in thought.

"Oh dear, Xu Shi, you really don't know how to cherish a woman!"

After the meeting, Xie Qingyan approached Xu Shi, covered her face and chuckled, teasingly saying, "At least give that Miss Nan some face, okay? If I were her, I would definitely be crying when I got back."

"If you're going to cry, remember to give me a heads-up beforehand, since I've never seen you cry before."

Xu Shi joked back, showing no remorse whatsoever.

He was focused on how to extract the most value from the bones of the "Forgotten Ones," as for Shen Qin's feelings and her attitude towards him? That was unimportant.

Besides, do you really think that bitch is blaming him for this? She's probably secretly gloating.

This is true.

Xie Qingyan had no sympathy for the "forgotten ones" either; all she valued was the worth they could bring.