Upon hearing this, Luo Zhikang's expression changed.

How did you find out about the "Over-Limit Project"?

To be honest, this is probably his biggest secret and his biggest regret.

In the world of Night City, there have always been several schools of thought regarding research on weaponry.

One type is the so-called mechanical ascension, which involves modifying human body parts with prosthetics or digitizing personal consciousness to achieve various purposes.

For example, it can enhance combat capabilities and improve work efficiency... Of course, the most important thing is to extend lifespan. Artificial organs are always much more resistant to "rust fog" than native organs.

This is also a common and widespread type in the city—most people give up some physical functions for various reasons and then use machines as a substitute.

Another approach focuses on the ultimate mechanical aspect, most notably exemplified by the "Snake Ring" Type I, II, III, and IV combat teams. They arm themselves with high-tech mechs and weapons, but in essence, anyone can be replaced under the armor.

Or it could be genetic modification—people generally attribute the superpowers of "Ascended Ones" to genetic mutations caused by "Rust Fog." Large companies like "Snake Ring," "Shark Tooth," and "Prism" have also developed methods to actively detect and activate superpowers.

The "Overlimit Project" that Xu Shi mentioned is a combination of these different schools of thought.

—By analyzing the abilities of "Ascended Ones," weapons, mechs, or body modifications can be tailored to maximize their capabilities.

In gaming terminology, this is called specialization or weapon specialization.

Back then, "Tianhe" was at its peak, with interests in various fields. Chairman Shen Tianhong had such a plan and secretly launched such a project.

Unfortunately, not long after, "Tianhe" suffered a devastating disaster, and the plan was thus aborted.

However, Luo Zhikang, who escaped with his life, never gave up.

Although he had been living in anonymity all these years, he had been constantly refining and improving the plan. After learning that Shen He was still alive, he intensified his research in this area.

The reason is simple: as a loyal subject of "Tianhe", he has always hoped to use this plan to help Shenhe return to its peak.

And when the time comes, he, as the chief designer, will surely be remembered by history.

But this is the most puzzling part: how did Xu Shi find out?

It should be noted that the Shen siblings were still young when "Tianhe" was destroyed, and all the other people who knew about it had already perished. He was the only one who knew about the plan.

He didn't even know about Chen He—after all, in Luo Zhikang's view, the other party's foundation was still shallow and the time was not yet ripe.

Xu Shi knew, of course.

After all, in the original story, the original owner of this body suffered quite a bit in this regard.

Originally, relying on the foundation of a large conglomerate, even with the protagonist's halo, "Snake Ring" would not be suppressed by "Spark," and they would usually fight back and forth.

But things started to go wrong after the "Overlimit Project" began.

Even some of the first-generation mass-produced machines were enough to upgrade the abilities of ordinary "upgraded individuals" by one level, which can be considered a physical "upgrade", such as from D-level to C-level, or from C-level to B-level.

Not to mention the specialized equipment equipped by the main characters—even characters like Chen Fang and Lei Song were able to withstand two or three V-shaped heavy armors of "Snake Rings" on their own later on.

How can we play then? No way!

By the time "Snake Ring" realized its mistake and tried to imitate it, it was too late, and there was nothing it could do.

Therefore, Xu Shi was well aware of the importance of this plan. His previous actions against Luo Zhikang were aimed at obtaining the initial draft of the plan from him, thereby gaining the upper hand.

"I……"

Luo Zhikang hadn't expected his request to be like this, and he was immediately caught in a deep dilemma.

If we hand this over, it would be like doing someone else's favor by doing their bidding.

Moreover, exchanging the "Over-Limit Program" for the disassembly and analysis of a drone is like exchanging gold nuggets for steamed buns—a huge loss.

"But steamed buns can fill you up, can't they?"

Xu Shi seemed to see through his thoughts and said with a smile, "Of course, Mr. Luo can think about it again. I don't lack that little bit of time."

Since the other party is imprisoned here, he has plenty of time to wait.

But Luo Zhikang really couldn't wait any longer.

Xu Shi's grasp of human nature was undoubtedly accurate. If he had not told Luo Zhikang the design concept behind "Sea Crane" at all, the other party might have been better off.

What I fear most is this kind of manipulation: stirring up a little addiction, and then instantly suppressing it.

The Inch-Stop Challenge is like this: it can easily drive people crazy. (Scratch that)

The longer he didn't get an answer, the more anxious Luo Zhikang became.

His increasingly pale face also showed how much he was suffering.

Time passed little by little.

"...I agree to your deal, but I can't tell you."

After an unknown amount of time, the old man finally relented, saying, "Regarding the 'Over-Limit Project,' I can only tell the designer of this drone."

"Okay, okay, okay."

Xu Shi chuckled and then called Jiang Chengcheng over.

To be honest, telling her or telling myself makes no difference.

It would only lessen Luo Zhikang's sense of guilt.

Let's leave him some shreds of decency then; I'm such a good person.

...

"The designer of the drone...is she?"

When Luo Zhikang saw Jiang Chengcheng, he could hardly believe his eyes. "Not Jiang Fengshan?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!