Already... No Going Back...

"Young Master, are you sure you still want to put her in charge of the escort mission?"

The atmosphere in the restaurant returned to calm. With her guard lowered, Su Lin asked softly.

"What's wrong with giving it to her?"

Xu Shi smiled and asked in return, "There's no one more suitable than her."

In fact, the moment he caught Xia Wuyou's inner hesitation, he knew he had this in the bag.

Not only were the terms he offered impossible for her to refuse, but more importantly, Xia Wuyou's only weakness was already firmly in his grasp.

Under those circumstances, how could she refuse to obediently listen to him?

That said, Xia Wuyou's mental fortitude really was strong. Even after being pushed and pulled for so long, her first reaction had not been surrender, but to fight him to the death.

That was within Xu Shi's expectations as well—she had suffered a terrible tragedy as a child, watched her loved ones die before her eyes, and then had no choice but to learn how to shoulder the burden of life alone with her fragile young shoulders.

After joining Serpent Coil, she had also been working dangerous Field Operations Department jobs where life and death hung by a thread... Experiences like that were not something a little brat like Gu Yi could compare to.

Fortunately, he had prepared in advance. With Malice Entropy, he easily shattered her final mental defenses and completely took control of the situation.

Otherwise, it really would have been troublesome... Xu Shi muttered to himself as he swept his gaze across the restaurant. Everyone still eating had fallen silent, utterly unable—and unwilling—to voice any opinion about the disturbance just now.

Ah, this was how normal people ought to react when faced with a villainous rich young master like him.

Su Lin had not considered it from that angle. From what she knew, supernatural abilities contained far too many uncertainties. There was no such thing as, "Because I know what my ability is, I'm eager to awaken it."

It was probably just a coincidence that happened to make things even better.

But she was still extremely surprised, because she had no idea when Xu Shi had learned Xia Wuyou's background so thoroughly.

That Gu Yi from last time too... He had never mentioned any of this before!

Was this really the same young master who only knew how to indulge himself, race cars, and throw parties?

If she had still harbored doubts before, then after what had happened this time, she could finally be certain that Xu Shi had been hiding his true capabilities.

"Young Master, how did you learn Xia Wuyou's true identity?"

She could not hold herself back any longer and asked cautiously.

"As a director of the group, isn't it normal to understand the circumstances of the employees under me?"

Naturally, Xu Shi would not answer her directly. He simply drained the tea before him in one calm gulp.

"...It was my oversight."

Su Lin paused at his words, then lowered her eyes uneasily. "Please punish me, Young Master."

It was clear that although she believed this was a good thing from the bottom of her heart, the methods Xu Shi had suddenly revealed still made her somewhat uneasy.

She had even taken his dismissive words as a warning directed at her, the HR director.

After all, this should have been part of her responsibility... If it really led to disaster, she would not escape blame either.

"What are you doing?"

Xu Shi was a little surprised by her reaction. "I'm not blaming you. You don't have to be so... uh..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented.

His heart rate instantly rose, and a tearing sensation spread through his mind. The sounds around him became distorted and muffled as they reached his ears.

When he looked at Su Lin again, a strange thought suddenly arose in his mind.

Come to think of it, although the original novel never mentioned it, was she really that trustworthy?

He knew better than anyone what he had been like before. Would anyone truly follow a spoiled young master like that with unwavering loyalty?

Could she have other intentions too? Should he investigate her as well...

As he thought this, Xu Shi immediately felt his thoughts becoming muddled, his breathing unconsciously quickening.

"Young Master?"

Su Lin panicked at the sight, but she quickly realized what was happening. She hurriedly took out a medicine bottle and fed him one of the capsules inside.

The medicine took effect quickly. In less than a minute, Xu Shi regained clarity, and the distracting thoughts in his mind ebbed away like the tide.

"Whew..."

After steadying his breathing, he still felt lingering fear. "Just now, I..."

"My apologies, Young Master. I failed to consider this properly."

Su Lin asked with concern, "It should be a complication caused by your ability. Since it's your first time, your reaction was probably more intense."

"I should have warned you sooner. Thankfully, I always carry suppressants with me..."

"...It's fine. You were thoughtful."

Xu Shi came back to himself. So that was what it was.

Since he knew the plot, he naturally knew about complications as well, aside from his own ability.

Paranoia.

More professionally, persecutory delusions.

However, the original owner had never cared about it. Coupled with all the eye-searing antics through which he constantly sank to new lows, this complication eventually left him with no one under his command and plunged him into severe madness.

It was one of the key reasons behind his failure.

And the inhibitor Su Lin had given him was a targeted drug meant to relieve the condition.

Of course, this only worked on mental illnesses. Physical symptoms could not be relieved with it.

"...If I remember correctly, Su Lin, you have mental complications too?"

Speaking of this, he suddenly grew curious. "And you're an A-class Ascendant, so your symptoms should be even more severe... But I don't think I've ever seen you take medicine?"

"Yes. After using my ability, I enter an extremely manic state."

Su Lin nodded, not hiding her weakness from him. "But I've received training. Now, I can restrain myself without medication."

Xu Shi became even more curious. "By yourself? How do you restrain it?"

"...Listening to music. Calming songs help soothe my mood."

Su Lin pointed to the earbud she wore in her left ear. "If you're willing, Young Master, I can share my experience with you as well... But that takes time. For now, it's best that you take an inhibitor promptly after using your ability, so as to avoid unnecessary corruption."

"Alright, got it."

Xu Shi took the medicine bottle and sighed with a smile.

There really was no need to doubt her... The truth was that Su Lin had entered the Xu Family at the age of seven, and she had dutifully remained by his side all these years.

From household servant to bodyguard, then to his right-hand woman within the group... Even in the original novel, no matter how Shen He tried to win her over, she still followed him steadfastly until the day she gave her life.

Her loyalty was beyond doubt. It could be said that if even she could not be trusted, then there was no one in this world worth trusting.

Still, thinking about it, he really had not bothered to get to know her properly before. He had treated her entirely like a servant to order around.

At that thought, Xu Shi rolled his eyes inwardly. No wonder the original owner had been utterly crushed by others. Could he really blame everyone else for that...

"Are you done eating? Want me to order you another cup of black coffee?"

With that in mind, he gently shook his head, then smiled at his childhood friend.

Huh?

Su Lin looked a little surprised when she heard that.

The young master actually knew what she liked?

He had never said something like that before... It truly made her feel flattered.

After a brief silence, Su Lin unconsciously smiled.

"Mm."

Serpent Coil Heavy Industries, 6:00 PM

Xia Wuyou had always left work exactly on time, never delaying by even a second, like a precision machine.

Today was naturally no exception. It was just that she seemed even more hurried than usual, as though she were trying to escape this place.

However, she had always kept to herself, so none of her colleagues in the Field Operations Department noticed anything unusual.

After anxiously taking the subway back to her residence, Xia Wuyou followed Spark's instructions, turned on her computer, and downloaded and launched a game.

"Divine Arrival"

The intense pressure of Night City made many office workers reliant on video games as a cheap and effective means of relaxation.

Divine Arrival was currently the most popular large-scale MMORPG. No matter when someone logged in, there would always be over a hundred thousand players online at once.

Xia Wuyou was not particularly interested in it, though. She simply created a character, then controlled it to the agreed-upon location.

Someone had already been waiting for her in the dimly lit alley.

Milky Way: You're here. Did you bring what I needed?

ahsiaoshd: Mm, the personnel deployment for tomorrow's operation is...

Halfway through typing, Xia Wuyou inevitably froze.

She was still hesitant deep down... But after a moment of silence, she finally forced her gaze away from the inhibitor on the table and picked up the note Xu Shi had given her.

ahsiaoshd: Three Type IV Assault Units, forty TC-II tactical drones, cargo divided among four heavy-duty trucks. I'll lead the team personally.

As Xia Wuyou typed those words, she felt as though her fingers had been filled with lead, every keystroke draining all the strength from her body.

Naturally, the person meeting with her had no way of knowing that.

Milky Way: (′▽`)? That's great! Just as I expected, Serpent Coil really did reinforce its defenses... Thank you so much. Otherwise, we definitely would've suffered a huge loss.

ahsiaoshd: ...Mm.

Milky Way: I'll notify the operation personnel. Be careful too, or I'm worried you might be in danger... Oh, right, speaking of which, once this is over, can I treat you to a meal?

I actually miss those days. When we were kids, Uncle Xia always brought you to Tianhe to play. Back then, we didn't have to worry about anything, and you always fought with me over snacks...

ahsiaoshd: Mm-hmm. We'll talk about it then. I'm going to take a shower. You should... get some rest too.

After sending that message, Xia Wuyou hurriedly logged off and shut down the screen.

Her haste did not arouse Shen He's suspicion. After logging out of the game, he immediately summoned the man in the hoodie from earlier.

"Serpent Coil has increased their personnel deployment. Old Chen, are you sure you'll be alright? Should I call Lei Song back to join you..."

"No need. I can handle this situation."

The hoodie-wearing man named Chen Fang patted his chest and shook his head. "Trust me, Leader Shen. Let me sound the first battle cry in the fight to overthrow the conglomerates!"

"...Alright. Then good luck!"

Shen He paused, then firmly bumped fists with him.

It was clear that he was incredibly happy right now.

Yet he did not know that inside the rented apartment, Xia Wuyou had collapsed helplessly into her chair. She shut her eyes in despair as tears slid uncontrollably from the corners of them.

Why? Why did he have to bring up those old memories...

I'm sorry...

But I... can't go back anymore...

PS:

Serpent Coil Internal File

Name: Su Lin

Position: Human Resources Director of Serpent Coil Group

Ability: Phase Shift—can lock onto any object within fifty meters and instantly appear behind the target

Ability Rating: A