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

He recounted the events in fits and starts.

However, He Yuqiang was also careful, glossing over the important parts and not specifically mentioning Shen He and "Spark," instead using the names of other gangs.

But that was enough for Xu Shi to understand everything.

Goodness, this is getting weird.

He wasn't surprised that He Yuqiang and Shen He could still negotiate under those circumstances.

Because Xu Shi knew very well that this was Shen He's ability.

"Unity is strength" – eliminate negative emotions in the other person's heart and inspire positive emotions as much as possible and spread them.

This is strikingly similar to the effect of "increased entropy of evil thoughts," but in essence, they are somewhat contradictory.

That's why I say I'm a really pitiful villain, even in terms of superpowers, I'm completely outmatched by the protagonist.

Unless they can be influenced to the extent of Jiang Chengcheng or Su Lin, no matter how villainous the female cadre is, it would be difficult for her not to be moved by the protagonist's kindness. (Sigh)

At this point in time, Shen He should have already "upgraded" his superpower, giving it a halo-like area effect, instead of needing physical contact to activate it like I do.

If we go a step further, the positive emotions generated by those he influences, such as trust, loyalty, respect, and love, can all be fed back to him as a buff, thereby greatly improving his physical and mental abilities.

A standard commander-type superpower... cough cough, I'm getting off-topic.

However, it's understandable that He Yuqiang would waver under such influence.

But then again, if that's really the case, then the person who plotted against He Yuqiang definitely wouldn't be him.

Shen He isn't stupid. After losing the drone, he will definitely try his best to salvage his relationship with "Shark Tooth".

To take the risk of stabilizing He Yuqiang, and then assassinate him? Only a fool would do that.

Even if it meant turning him into a one-eared man, or even taking his life, it would still be a loss for Shen He.

Someone else must have been the one who shot him in the back... but who would want to add fuel to the fire at this critical juncture? Xu Shi really had no clue.

The main problem is that people like them usually make a lot of enemies, so when you look at them, it seems like anyone could be a suspect, making it difficult to confirm anything in a short time.

The only certainty is that, as a result, there will be no possibility of cooperation between "Spark" and "Shark Tooth" anymore—even if He Yuqiang can figure it out afterward, he would never want to have anything to do with Shen He again after such an incident.

"Okay, I get it."

Xu Shi nodded thoughtfully, "Old He, you should take good care of yourself. I'll go back and mobilize troops to wipe out the villains who framed you!"

Of course, this is just talk; you can't actually believe it.

However, it is still very important to figure out who is behind this, since this is a situation that has never occurred in the original work, and Xu Shi does not want to see such an unexpected thing happen.

Stepping out of the ward, Xu Shi was still somewhat confused. He hadn't even heard Su Lin calling him, his mind preoccupied with this question.

at this time.

His gaze inadvertently fell upon the virtual paintings displayed in the hall.

Upon seeing the person in the portrait, he instantly realized who it was.

...Could it be her?

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 45 Are You the Boss or Am I the Boss? (Please Read On!)

This private hospital in the 16th arrondissement is a property under the "Prism" organization.

The portraits displayed in the lobby are, of course, those of the group's contemporary leaders.

Xie Qingyan.

The moment he grasped this information, Xu Shi suddenly understood.

She's the one who did it!

This is not a baseless speculation, but a well-founded conclusion.

Although the story of "He Yuqiang turning into one-eared" did not appear in the original work, the situation of "Shark Tooth" itself was quite chaotic.

The current head of "Shark Tooth," Ho Chia-yuan, has three children.

He Yuqiang is the youngest of the family; he has an older brother, He Yuzhao, and an older sister, He Yuxia.

In the storyline he knew, He Yuxia was devoted to art and had little interest in inheriting the conglomerate, but He Yuzhao and He Yuqiang both coveted the position of the group's leader.

If even an only son like himself has to be restrained by old men like Lin Wenhua, one can imagine how much more serious the struggle between the two brothers must be.

With He Jiayuan now nearing the end of his life, the chaos within "Shark Tooth" is likely to escalate further.

Under these circumstances, He Yuzhao and He Yuqiang naturally had their own thoughts.

He Laosan, a good friend, sought cooperation with Shen He's "Spark," while He Yuzhao's chosen partner was his fiancée, Xie Qingyan, the person in charge of "Prism."

Compared to him, the difference in their abilities seems obvious... However, this is only because He Yu is stronger than Xie Qingyan, who looks down on him.

The result was naturally quite dramatic—under the influence of Shen He's protagonist aura, He Yuzhao and Xie Qingyan, despite joining forces, were unable to subdue He Yuqiang and instead suffered repeated losses and retreats.

In the end, He Yuqiang successfully turned the tables on his elder brother and inherited "Shark Tooth".

Although this did not affect the fact that He Laosan ultimately met a similar fate to himself, the grudge between Xie Qingyan and Shen He was gradually built up during this process.

Once you think about it this way, everything makes sense.

He Yuzhao and Xie Qingyan were definitely keeping a close eye on He Yuqiang's every move, and they didn't want to see him and "Xinghuo" get back together, which is why they did this.

As for why Xu Shi was certain that Xie Qingyan was the mastermind and not He Yuzhao... Nonsense, if it were He Yuzhao, then He Yuqiang would have lost not just an ear, but his life.

On the contrary, Xie Qingyan, although she has a cooperative relationship with He Yuzhao, may not be happy to see He Yuzhao dominate the market.

The most advantageous situation for her would be if the two brothers fought to the death.

She even has room to maneuver when the time is right.

Well, you're something else, you're definitely a bad woman!

Having figured everything out, Xu Shi couldn't help but feel a little emotional, while also feeling somewhat annoyed with his long-unseen fiancée.

Because their ideas, to some extent, coincided.

Although he was trying to exacerbate the conflict between He Yuqiang and Shen He, Xu Shi himself did not want anything to happen to his good brother. At least not now, and if anything did happen, it shouldn't be to someone else.

On the one hand, he wanted him to pay off his debts; on the other hand, he also hoped that, while keeping He Yuqiang under control, he could help him smoothly inherit the conglomerate.

In this way, before his strength reaches the required level, the unstable factors of "Shark Tooth" will be eliminated as much as possible, and once he is strong enough, it will be easier and more natural for him to swallow it up.

Yes, this bastard has big ambitions.

One military factory in Night City is enough; why have two more?

But the situation is now a bit tricky—He Yuqiang's injuries are not serious, and Xie Qingyan's actions seem more like a warning.

The problem is that his good friend is disfigured... The conglomerate will not allow someone with a damaged image to be their head, which undoubtedly reduces his competitiveness.

Furthermore, He Jiayuan himself is a conservative who advocates for a singular focus on military development rather than a combination of mechanical advancements. This means that if his good friend tries to use bionic organs to deceive him, the situation will only get worse.

This is why he ignored He Yuqiang after his accident; the old man had already abandoned his youngest son... At least until his death, this situation was unlikely to change.

If he were to die, He Yuzhao's position would already be secure, and He Yuqiang would have little chance of turning the tables.

This made it hard for Xu Shi not to suspect that his fiancée did such a thing based on this calculation.

It can only be said that when two ambitious people collide, the situation always becomes more complicated.

Compared to this, Shen He's whereabouts can be postponed a little.

After all, although He Yuqiang had been trying to cover things up, Xu Shi was still clear that he did not have the real strength to kill Shen He.

Because Shen He has something in his possession.

"Beacon"

That was his father Shen Tianhong's ascension ability—a special item created at the cost of his own lifespan, which could be activated when needed to teleport to a pre-set anchor point regardless of distance.

In the background, Shen Tianhong used the "beacon" to create a chance for Shen He and his sister to live when his family was being wiped out, while he himself gave up the opportunity and died a heroic death.

In the early part of the story, it was precisely because of the "beacon" that Shen He was able to turn danger into safety on several occasions.

This time will certainly be no exception, otherwise he would probably find it very difficult to escape from He Yuqiang's encirclement alone.

If I remember correctly, this item can be used three times at the beginning of the story, which means Shen He has two more chances like this.

Xu couldn't help but think to himself, "Hey, are you the boss or am I the boss?"

To kill you, I'd have to use up three of your lives first?

However, the opponent is certainly not having an easy time either—after two consecutive defeats and the encirclement and suppression by "Shark Tooth," many of his capable operators have been eliminated. He probably has less than one-tenth of his strength left.

Now, the only thing he can do is probably to take these remnants and find a new patron.

Even so, we still have to consider how many subordinates his abilities can still influence after a series of failures.

Xu Shi knew in his heart that trust had to be combined with reality.

They just keep making empty promises, then lose everything when they actually try to do anything. Unless there's an SS-level ability like personality erasure or mental rewriting to cover it up, no one can accept that.

Just like in the original work, even someone like Su Lin would eventually be utterly disappointed in the original owner.

Therefore, all Xu Shi needs to do with Shen He is to take advantage of his weakened state and add fuel to the fire.

On the contrary, Xie Qingyan needs to consider things more carefully... Although he didn't want to get involved with his fiancée so early, he absolutely couldn't let her be so arrogant.

He dares to disrupt your plans now, Master Xu; I don't even want to think what he'll dare to do in the future.

So, if you want to win her over, you have to offer her a price she can't refuse.

For example, the "over-limit plan".

Xu Shi knew very well how tempting this thing was, and with this bargaining chip, he wasn't afraid she wouldn't be tempted.

In fact, Xie Qingyan was one of the partners he was considering, and the most important one at that.

Unfortunately, the "Overlimit Project" requires biotechnology as support, and in Night City, only "Prism" possesses this capability. It is precisely for this reason that Shen He and Xie Qingyan became enemies later in the story.

Monopolies are indeed advantageous; the ancients were right.

However, Xu Shi also understood that he had to keep the initiative firmly in his own hands, especially when dealing with a woman like Xie Qingyan.