Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 817 - 62 Loyal Anthem

Chapter 817: Chapter 62 Loyal Anthem

"Corporate espionage... hah..." Facing this answer, Tumor Xiang Shan was so amused he couldn’t help but laugh, "At this time? Of all times... you’re not even trying to come up with a believable excuse? Haha... corporate espionage? Gorgeous? Haha, you say it like she’s a professional trained by top-notch intelligence organizations like the KGB."

The phantom of Tumor Xiang Shan crossed its arms, placing a foot on Li Zheyuan’s head: "You fool. You think your assistant’s personnel file hasn’t crossed my desk? You think I don’t know? Isn’t your assistant the graduate student you mentored? A genetic research associate from Harvard Medical School. Ha, you think I haven’t seen her photo? Gorgeous? Haha, you have a rather unique taste, huh? Ah?"

"Moreover, we! Superman Enterprise at that time! Did we have competitors? Where did a corporate spy come from? Moon Enterprise? Parallel World Enterprise?"

However, this image of Tumor Xiang Shan was actually a kind of "illusion" for Jeanne. He couldn’t interfere with Li Zheyuan no matter what.

Jeanne struggled to suppress her urge to step on Li Zheyuan’s head: "Your assistant should have been the knight apprentice you brought up yourself..."

"Oh? You’ve studied me? Makes sense, if you’ve found me, you must have done a lot of research." Li Zheyuan openly admitted, "It’s very simple. She seduced me. We ended up in bed together. Then this leverage was used against me."

Jeanne held her right hand with her left, stepping back three exaggerated steps, as if wrestling with something unseen. Jeanne said, "So, this is... why do you think she’s a spy?"

"I slept with her, then someone keenly used that to blackmail me." Li Zheyuan’s tone carried a tinge of disdain: "Is that so hard to understand?"

With a "smack," that head was sent flying again.

This time, however, the force Jeanne used was much less. Li Zheyuan did not lose consciousness. Asgard grabbed the head, holding it in his hands, and said, "No, I find it quite odd, right? It’s your freedom to fulfill reproductive obligations with whoever you please?"

Clearly, there was a fundamental ideological difference between the parties involved.

The pleasure accompanying reproductive acts is an evolutionary reward mechanism, encouraging animals to reproduce and leave behind offspring. Yet, in this era, various direct stimulative techniques targeting neurons offer far more immediate pleasure, making reproduction itself a mandatory sacred obligation. The mid-to-upper echelon of Protectors lose interest once the associated obligations have been fulfilled.

"In past eras, such acts were laden with meanings of ’conquest and being conquered,’ where ’females became the private property of males.’ A few higher-status females mimicked male behavior in such relationships to gain the position of the conqueror." Tumor Xiang Shan futilely tried to grind Li Zheyuan’s face with his nonexistent foot: "’Procreative behavior’ itself brought pleasure, becoming an accessory. These scum merely enjoyed the pleasure of violating others’ wills and humiliating them—with their paltry money and power."

—People are equal...

—Distorting oneself because of external objects... such alienation...

—These things... should not exist...

Static noise... more static noise.

Along with the anger of Xiang Shan, numerous ideas flowed into Jeanne’s mind. Jeanne had to divert part of her mental focus to combat this ubiquitous noise.

Jeanne took two more steps back, addressing Li Zheyuan, "You really are a scumbag."

She then roughly explained to Asgard.

Asgard still couldn’t quite understand: "But... just... just this little thing?"

"You also think ’just this little thing,’ right." Li Zheyuan laughed: "Yes, ’just this little thing.’"

"Just this little thing, and you... you..."

Li Zheyuan suddenly spoke angrily, "Yes! ’Just this little thing’... I also know, ’just this little thing’! But do you know what such a thing would mean to that idiot Xiang Shan? Huh? My future would be ruined! I’d lose the projects and shares I could have had! I wouldn’t have the chance to operate outside under the company’s name anymore! I can’t even protect what I already have!"

"Why is that? Because Xiang Shan, The Great Sage Xiang, despises ’under-the-table deals’ the most, and he always sides with the weaker party. Because he believes that such issues invariably stem from the powerful showing the attitude..." Li Zheyuan gritted his teeth, "He won’t tolerate such behavior within the enterprise... Rumor has it that even Republic executives feared and were thrown into marginal departments just for coercing interns into drinking. How could I possibly say "she seduced me"... I can’t explain it that way!"

Asgard looked at Li Zheyuan, pondering for a moment: "So in reality? You... did indeed imply such things, didn’t you?"

"I did not." Li Zheyuan was very adamant, "It was she who seduced me."

"According to historical records, your spouse wasn’t your assistant." Asgard retrieved previously collected information, "It’s certain she lived until the midway point of the Secret War. Was she executed by the Usurper of the State for trying to contact Hero? You didn’t do it yourself, did you?"

"You!" Li Zheyuan spoke angrily, "That foolish woman! I was always trying to protect her! How could you slander me like that! You..."

Asgard slammed Li Zheyuan’s head onto the ground, then caught it again: "Honestly, you really are a bastard."

"Bastard..." Li Zheyuan’s synthesizer emitted a hissing noise: "Ah, yes. Yes, I am a bastard. But... at least, I was once a bastard loyal to Xiang Shan! I was a loyal bastard to him!"

"But then? How did that idiot treat those loyal to him? Hey, does your history lesson include someone called Bernard Dubois, the poor fool?" Li Zheyuan loudly mocked: "Bernard, that poor fool, initially saw Xiang Shan as just another boss among many in his life. Then, he went nuts. He began to think Xiang Shan was a savior sent by God—he actually believed Xiang Shan could sweep away all injustice. He was also very loyal to Xiang Shan and his ideals. But how did Xiang Shan treat him? Huh? Is this part recorded in your history?"

"And me? I was also wholly loyal to him! But I know, because I slept with my assistant, he’d loathe me... I’d lose so many things. But why, huh? Why? Why does he have to trample on my loyalty like that?"

"At this point, if someone offers to cover for you, with the condition being a bit of insignificant stuff, how would you choose?"