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

SSS level: ? (Due to missing data model, the rating system has doubts about the existence of this level of capability)

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 53 I really want to find someone to mess with!

Although the stability of "Hengwo" is guaranteed, Ms. Su Lin's concerns are not unfounded.

This is mainly because the base of the drug is a highly concentrated extract of "rust mist," which is extremely difficult to obtain.

To activate the "rust fog" effect, some of its inherent corrosive and corrosive properties must be retained.

It was something I had to do on purpose (sigh).

However, Xu Shi's ability is mental, so the effects of the targeted drugs will inevitably be deeper than those of other types.

In short, it's quite powerful.

As the medicine spread throughout his body, Xu Shi clearly felt it.

When he first used the "sundial," the suffocating and oppressive feeling he experienced was already making him feel very uncomfortable.

But now it's even deeper—if before it was just ordinary deep-sea area, now it's probably the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

My whole body was enveloped by seawater, my skin stung, my vision blurred, and my consciousness became somewhat hazy.

Strange, ethereal whispers could be heard from time to time.

"Sa sai sa, PDD~"

"Ha↓ha↓ha↓ha↓ha↓ha↑~"

"Osiseke, Osiseke..."

If you let this kind of thing cycle through your mind a thousand or eight hundred times, it's hard to imagine what your mental state would become.

But Xu Shi still tried his best to keep his mind clear, because he knew very well that this was an unavoidable process in the "re-upgrading".

Compared to other things, superpowers are probably relatively fair.

Regardless of one's status, anyone who wants to improve their abilities must take certain risks. All he can do is accelerate the process. No one can escape the impact of the "re-promotion".

Of course, Class D is an exception.

So you have to get used to it—this is just the beginning. "Constant Self" can only help you get up to A level at most, and maybe not even that... There are S and SS levels to come. If you don't suffer now, you'll definitely suffer later.

And all of this was not just to deal with Shen He or to control Xie Qingyan... Xu Shi felt that he had quite a lot of ambition, and to achieve his goals, he needed to have strong capabilities to support him, or rather, capabilities and goals were complementary to each other.

Even with Su Lin and Xia Wuyou, it's not advisable to rely solely on them; one must be strong oneself to succeed.

With this in mind, he felt himself gradually adapting and began to explore the boundless seabed little by little.

But then again, why is it always this style of mine...? The original work doesn't have any descriptions of him as the villain in this regard, but Shen He still managed to fill a lot of space in the story.

Every time it's about light and sanctuary, it's about darkness and the deep sea, which is absurd.

Xu Shi rolled his eyes inwardly, and just then, a bright light suddenly appeared in front of him.

Ok?

Based on previous experience, this should be the anchor point for a breakthrough... but Xu Shi always felt that something was not right.

Sure enough, a moment later he discovered that there was an anglerfish in front of him that was several times his size!

The so-called bright light was nothing more than bait it threw out.

Even knowing this, he seemed to have nowhere to retreat. As he pondered, the giant beast opened its blood-red maw full of sharp teeth at him!

Ouch... what's going on?

Although I know this is just my own consciousness dimension, it won't be a big problem even if it is devoured.

But wouldn't that mean the "upgrade" has failed?

Or...

Just then, Xu Shi suddenly realized something.

You're the villain yourself, right?

Therefore, what the villain needs to do is definitely not to be baptized in the light.

Instead, embrace the darkness.

Although there is still some uncertainty, Xu Shi chooses to trust his own judgment.

So he no longer hesitated and let the giant beast slowly close its mouth.

The next second, strands of ink-like substance tightly enveloped him.

The sense of fulfillment it brought made him smile unconsciously.

Sure enough.

……

"call……"

After an unknown amount of time, Xu Shi opened his eyes again.

"Ah Lin, Chairman Xu is awake!"

After regaining consciousness, the first thing she heard wasn't Su Lin's concern, but Jiang Chengcheng's, "Are you alright?"

"Hey? When did you get here?"

Xu Shi was still a little surprised, "How much time has passed?"

"...About three days."

Su Lin also hurried over, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was alright. "Chengcheng originally wanted to deliver some documents to you, but she stayed after hearing that you were upgrading your abilities. She has been taking care of you these past few days."

"That's it."

Xu Shi looked at Jiang Chengcheng and smiled, "Then you've really had a hard time."

"How could that be? It's only right that I take care of you..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chengcheng shook her head, her words filled not only with concern but also with deep self-reproach.

Xu Shi was the one who changed her life. What was taking care of him for a few days? She felt that she hadn't done enough.

At least during this period, she did basically nothing, except for refining the first draft of the "Overlimit Project" while receiving psychological treatment. She couldn't offer any help in dealing with this situation.

We should always try to repay Chairman Xu, shouldn't we...?

However, she has recovered quite well – you can tell from her appearance; she no longer has the messy, self-destructive look she had before, and she looks much more energetic.

Even in ordinary attire, she was still able to show how good her natural beauty was, giving people the feeling of a sickly beauty... Come to think of it, after all, the old man Jiang Fengshan adopted Jiang Chengcheng with the initial goal of raising her to be a socialite like Xia Ke'an.

"This outfit looks great on you, it suits you very well."

Xu Shi couldn't help but sigh.

Jiang Chengcheng blushed and lowered her head when she heard this.

"Data monitoring shows that your 're-promotion,' young master, was very successful, leaving no lasting effects."

Su Lin then got down to business, "However, the level after the 'upgrade' is only A-, which is still a little short of A-."

To be honest, Xu Shi's mental health data these past few days has been quite alarming—it's the first time in all these years that she's seen such dramatic data fluctuations, with his electrocardiogram even dropping to zero several times.

Fortunately, the outcome was a close call.

My young master is just different from everyone else.

Xu Shi was not surprised by this result at all; whether his abilities had improved or not was basically in his mind the moment he regained consciousness.

A- is certainly not bad; such minor branches are harmless and can be easily consolidated to reach a normal A-level.

However, this "upgrade" has not brought about any significant impact on its capabilities.

He still couldn't unlock the aura... but instead was granted a new effect that could take effect immediately.

"Injection of victimhood intent"

Unlike the long-term effects of "increased entropy of malice," this branch of ability is more abstract—it can use an extremely strong mental shock to make others no longer believe that they have become "victims" in a short period of time.

If the target has a low level of mental health, they may even develop a certain dependence on the experience of being "victimized" while their abilities continue.

That's not a bad idea... Xu Shi nodded secretly, wanting to find someone to harm right now.

However, he decided against using such a thing on the two of them and changed the subject, asking Su Lin instead.

"What's the situation outside while I've been in a coma?"

"...Let me tell you about them one by one."

Su Lin replied respectfully, "Over in Sin City... 'Disger's' strength seems to be growing rapidly recently. According to our informant, they've likely accepted 'Spark's' defection."

Oh ho?

These two chapters can be considered a small transition, and also some supplements to the setting.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 54 You bad man, you've broken her heart!

Upon hearing the news about Shenhe, Xu Shi immediately perked up.

It wasn't because he was particularly surprised; he had known all along that this would happen—whether it was dependence or cooperation, Shen He would definitely seek out a new backer.

His current strength is far from enough to cooperate with conglomerates, and he's not even qualified to be a dog anymore... A better option is those gangs in Sin City that were once as powerful as "Spark".

For example, figures like "Disge" and "Long Knife Gang"—in any case, "Dragon City" would definitely look down on them, so they can only choose to endure in such places.

But it seems like only a short time has passed, and things have actually started to improve again? You could say he's truly a protagonist; the young man has a bit of luck on him.

Okay, then have fun for two more days, and then I'll be going to push things a bit harder.

In fact, Xu Shi had long had the idea of ​​developing in Sin City. Since his father passed away, the connection between "Snake Ring" and Sin City had decreased significantly. At least he did not have a stable partner or a force he was secretly supporting at the moment.