Chapter 185: You're Yelling at Me? Are You Trying to Rebel?! - It’s the Cyber Age—Still Playing a Traditional Villain?

### Chapter 185: You're Yelling at Me? Are You Trying to Rebel?! The sudden attack caused quite a stir. Before long, various groups scattered around the demolition zone began to arrive one after another to assess the situation. They soon stumbled upon a ground littered with remnants of the "Forgotten" and saw Xu Shi and Tang Shuang standing face-to-face. The smoke had barely dissipated from Xu Shi’s gun, and he wore a faint smile on his face. Tang Shuang, on the other hand, appeared bewildered, her body trembling slightly, and her complexion was somewhat pale. Not far behind her lay a fresh corpse, face-down, a bullet wound to the center of its forehead—clearly killed with a single shot. His skin color had blended with the surroundings, something that only adjusted after his life signs had completely faded, suggesting he had an ability similar to a chameleon. This person had explosives strapped to his body, an indication that he had known regular methods wouldn't suffice, choosing instead to attempt a suicide attack to take Xu Shi and Tang Shuang down with him. “…Governor Tang?!” Someone finally reacted, “And this gentleman…Chairman Xu?!” Their expressions of astonishment made it evident that they had just come to realize the presence of these two here—understandable, considering a mere inspector vehicle passing by wouldn’t draw much attention. Who would think that two such high-ranking individuals would choose to conduct an inspection in this manner? “Chairman Xu, are you alright?!” A junior leader from the "Snake Loop" faction hesitated for a moment, then rushed over, nervously offering his concerns, “Are you hurt? Do you need a doctor? It’s a grave oversight on my part not realizing there were remnants of the "Forgotten" here. Please, place the blame on me.” The fear of Xu Shi coming to any harm near him—along with the consequences—was unmistakably terrifying. Otherwise, Director Su might very well skin him alive. “Alright, alright, I’m fine,” Xu Shi nonchalantly waved his hand, brushing away the gun smoke, “Tang Shuang and I were simply curious and decided to visit Sin City without notifying you in advance.” “However, you should also be more vigilant. Building is essential, but hidden threats like these need to be dealt with first; otherwise, trouble won’t be far behind, understand?” “Yes, yes, absolutely.” Not only did the "Snake Loop" faction resonate with this, other corporate representatives echoed these sentiments, relieved that Xu Shi didn’t seem enraged… “Alright then, that’s it.” Xu Shi really wasn’t in the mood; he pulled Tang Shuang along, ready to leave, “We’re going now, you all carry on with what you were doing.” “Would you like us to send an escort…” “Scram.” “Oh, right.” The junior leader from "Snake Loop" scrambled off promptly, and the others sensibly dispersed as well. Tang Shuang remained a bit in shock, not even reacting to Xu Shi holding her hand as he led her away like a puppet, following him into the car. Even when back in the car, she maintained a blank expression for a while. “Oh dear, seems the chief can’t drive at the moment.” Xu Shi regretfully shook his head, taking the driver’s seat, and handed Tang Shuang her water bottle, “I’ll drive then. How about some water?” “…” Tang Shuang wordlessly took a couple of mechanical sips from the bottle, only then seeming to come back to herself, letting out a slight sigh. “Xu Shi…” She licked her dry lips, hesitantly calling his name. “What’s the matter? Don't worry, my driving skills are quite good,” Xu Shi replied nonchalantly, his eyes fixed ahead. “What exactly happened back there?” Director Tang clung tightly to the cup, her tone low as she inquired. “What happened? You mean the shooting?” Xu Shi laughed, “It’s not like I can’t handle a gun… Granted, I’m no match for you professionally trained folks, but my aim isn’t too shabby.” That’s true. Enjoying firearms and mechs is a common pastime among playboys; the ultimate masculine pursuit, one could say. He certainly wasn’t limited to merely brandishing a gun at someone when everything had already settled. “Being a ‘non-professional combatant’ doesn't mean lacking combat ability; those are two different things.” Besides, he usually traveled with people protecting him, seldom needing to draw his weapon. “Who’s asking about that? I mean what you did just now…” Tang Shuang’s brow furrowed slightly, and her tone sank further. “You mean how I discovered the assassin? Probably due to my awakened abilities?” Xu Shi interrupted again, thoughtfully responding, “I can sense things not visible to the naked eye.” The “Entropy of Malevolence” is a mental-type ability; using the cultivation analogy, you'd refer to it as mental awareness or divine sense—quite natural as a gift of its kind. He had already evaded Lin Yue’s assassination at the A- level. Now, with the little assassin’s seed completing its cycle, he had firmly reached A+ tier, expanding his sensory scope even further. In this regard, he was actually stronger than most professional combatants. Though surely not stronger than the person beside him, he was sure to remind them, “On that note, even as a governor, you shouldn’t become complacent. If you suffer for it later, it won’t be good…” “You shut up!” This time it was Tang Shuang who cut him off, her voice an octave higher, startling Xu Shi. “I wanted to say… Xu Shi, you bastard!” Her voice held a rare tremor, “Is scaring people fun for you?!” “Who’s scaring… What do you mean?” Xu Shi frowned slightly, turning to look at her. “How could you act so nonchalantly after everything that happened?” Tang Shuang glared back heatedly, “Do you know how I felt when you pointed that gun at me and said those things?” She felt tears welling up. Judging by her current state, she had truly been frightened—not because she nearly became a successful target for an assassin, though that was nothing new. To be honest, not even if ten assassins had charged her, she probably wouldn’t have flinched—the inspection division recruits people who have rolled around on the knife's edge; their mental resilience is well-tempered. Her true fear stemmed from Xu Shi’s actions, or rather, the distressing associations they evoked. Now she had straightened out the cause and effect, but back then, she couldn’t fend it off, the overwhelming sense of despair and fear that washed over her when Xu Shi had aimed the gun at her head was suffocating. This was her underlying concern—it was evident to Tang Shuang that the ideological chasm between her and Xu Shi would be unavoidable, and on this subject, neither could easily sway the other. At most, they could compromise, which treated the symptoms, not the root cause. So the question was, what if the unified goals they shared became divergent in the future? Tang Shuang had been reluctant to ponder this question, given the current thriving circumstances. What use was discussing such discouraging topics? Wasn't it just like before, uttering placating phrases like “if you ever step out of line, I won’t let you off” and letting it go at that? But the incident earlier had forced her to confront this issue head-on, and had even provided an answer. The answer was things were far worse than she could have anticipated, because at the moment Xu Shi aimed the gun at her, her initial reaction was not to resist, but instead she experienced a hollow mental collapse, as if the world was crumbling around her. How could it be like this… she queried internally, knowing that her fondness for Xu Shi—something more than ordinary affection—was the root cause. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be compelling herself to concede, to continually try to influence and change him, or seek opportunities to be alone with him—all efforts to help him improve. Otherwise, why bother? Tang Shuang swore, back when they’d been hurling cups and insults at each other, she’d never imagined they’d end up like this, and she certainly didn’t wish their relationship to revert. So even knowing Xu Shi had done it to save her, she couldn’t help but express her misgivings in this way. “...The situation was urgent just now, don’t overthink it,” Seeing her so beside herself, Xu Shi could guess what was going through her mind and gently consoled her. His actions earlier were indeed easily misunderstood. Putting himself in her shoes, he likely wouldn’t have felt any different. It's no wonder you looked like you had lost your soul, he mused internally. It made sense; Tang Shuang wasn't the type to be rattled by such incidents. Truly, what a mess... As he pondered further, a trace of anger flickered in him. The day had started on such a high note, and now it was ruined. Where does one find justice in this? Damn those "Forgotten." “I…I understand, I just lost control for a moment…” Tang Shuang recovered, replying softly. “What do you understand? If you really understood, you wouldn’t be acting like this.” Xu Shi sighed with a smile, “Did you really think I’d shoot you?” “I… do you want to hear the truth?” Tang Shuang hesitated, then asked. “Of course.” “The truth is that I can’t be one hundred percent sure.” Director Tang gritted her teeth, deciding to be upfront, “Even now, it’s the same way… How about you answer a question for me?” “Go ahead.” “If, and I mean if, someday we encounter irreconcilable differences, what would you do?” Tang Shuang inquired seriously. “I would… Oh, this is a question I can’t answer,” Xu Shi pondered, then shook his head in a bit of a dilemma. “Why can’t you answer?” Tang Shuang pressed, unwilling to let it go, “Just tell me, I can handle it.” “Because we’re unlikely ever to be in such a situation,” Xu Shi rolled his eyes at her, “I admit there are differences in our viewpoints, but think about it—are we truly going to face ‘irreconcilable differences’ given the current circumstances?” “Why wouldn’t… uh…” Director Tang was about to instinctively counter when she realized Xu Shi was right. Her perpetual fear was that one day their goals might misalign, but now it seemed the goals had been reached—the ultimate goal, even. What could be greater than “making Sin City stable and prosperous”? She couldn’t think of any other major conflicts. Would Xu Shi want to dismantle the stability and prosperity he helped build, or would she aim to bring chaos to the governance of the city? Neither seemed likely… Oh, this... “Moreover, let's say, even if we do have disagreements in the future, should we really let it spiral into something irreconcilable?” Seeing her coming to an understanding, Xu Shi gently guided her thoughts, “You aren’t like Long Tianding, Shen Qin, or Lin Wenhua. That means that there’s always room to maneuver between us.” “Your repeated concessions and compromises towards me are the best proof of this… so why can’t you believe that I could reciprocate in kind?” “What you said… seems to make sense,” Tang Shuang rubbed her nose. She didn’t disagree with this perspective; was this a promise from him? She suddenly felt a sense of relief—her concerns partly stemmed from uncertainty about Xu Shi’s disposition towards her. Would he compromise for her sake? She never openly asked. How could you? It wasn’t about demanding someone reciprocate just because you did—otherwise, it would seem like emotional blackmail. She’d overlooked one point—despite Xu Shi's many schemes, he was excessively frank in this respect. Even something as shameless as wanting to poach her as his subordinate, he’d candidly share. So what could he not be upfront about? He would even express himself voluntarily, like now, even if you didn't ask. Had her sulking been self-imposed? A case of not seeing the forest for the trees? Otherwise, how had she ended up stuck in such a mental dead end just moments before… Thinking this, she felt much lighter and even self-deprecatingly chuckled. Many things weren’t as complicated as she’d imagined. “Said you weren’t overthinking.” Xu Shi chuckled seeing her realization. It was best she could understand this point. Of course, his words weren’t absolute—“irreconcilable differences” are highly unlikely but not impossible. If that minuscule chance occurred, what would happen? Chairman Xu’s answer was clear: use his abilities to ensure things fell perfectly into place! This woman dared to raise her voice at him, were she looking to cause an upheaval? Hmph. “...Stop the car.” Tang Shuang, oblivious to his mischievous thoughts, spoke cheerfully, her mood significantly improved. “What for?” Xu Shi blinked, but complied, pulling over to the side. “Come here.” Director Tang made a mysterious beckoning gesture, signaling him to come closer, “Come on.” “Hm? ...Hm!” Before Xu Shi realized, she cradled his face and kissed him with palpable force.