As for why Xiao appeared so "incompetent," there was actually a very simple reason—he couldn't help it.
He had always grown up in a civilized environment and was, at his core, a researcher. Coupled with his naturally cautious personality, this made him fundamentally unsuited for direct combat.
Strictly speaking, the only real battle Xiao had ever experienced was his first confrontation with his counterpart, and even then, his performance had been far from impressive.
Most of his other encounters were either sneak attacks or overwhelming victories where there was never any real danger.
Whenever he faced a truly difficult opponent, his approach was simple—send others.
His subordinates, his wife—he would let them fight head-on while he remained in the rear, acting as support, quietly amplifying their strength.
Even after absorbing memories and experiences from his counterpart, the problem remained unchanged. Those power systems had already been fully formed and were fundamentally incompatible with Xiao's Cyber Cultivation.
As a result, when facing weaker opponents, Xiao could still display the demeanor of a master. But against someone of equal standing, his shortcomings were immediately exposed.
This was the root of his current predicament.
He possessed immense power—
Yet did not know how to use it.
So, he made a decision.
He would deliberately suppress his own strength, blend into the lower tiers of the cyber arena, and personally participate in battles.
Through real combat, he would refine his instincts, sharpen his awareness, and internalize the optimized combat methods he had just reorganized.
At the same time, he could earn some points from his "little followers."
A convenient bonus.
Of course, the points themselves were secondary.
When the familiar neon lights once again flooded his vision, Xiao knew he had returned to the cyberpunk world.
In the previous arena, the situation with his teammate had left a lingering frustration in his chest. But instead of venting it immediately, he chose a different approach.
He first "rewarded" Kiwi and Lucy quite thoroughly.
Only after that did his mood improve enough for him to focus on more practical matters.
Picking up his phone, he casually opened the interface and placed an order for another Clouds headliner.
This time, his choice was very deliberate.
Evelyn Parker.
The woman who had triggered a chain of events in Night City.
An ambitious yet naïve figure.
Originally hired by the Voodoo Boys, she had been tasked with infiltrating Yorinobu Arasaka's suite to locate the Relic chip.
But after overhearing fragments of conversation, she convinced herself that the chip held immense value.
Without hesitation, she betrayed her employers and sought out a middleman to orchestrate the theft.
Unfortunately, she had completely underestimated the complexity of the situation.
She stepped directly into the vortex of corporate conflict—and paid the price.
In the end, her neural system was burned out by the Voodoo Boys, stripping away her sense of self.
What followed was even worse.
After being discarded, she was forced into recording Black Super Dreams, her body and mind thoroughly destroyed.
Though she was eventually rescued, the damage was irreversible.
She ultimately chose to end her own life.
Or perhaps—
Was made to.
In Night City, where hackers were everywhere, even death could not be taken at face value.
What made it even more tragic was that until the very end, Evelyn never truly understood the significance of the Relic chip.
After finishing her bath, Kiwi lay limply across the sofa, her entire body relaxed to the point of exhaustion.
She lazily lit a cigarette, exhaling a slow stream of smoke as her eyes drifted toward Xiao's phone.
The moment she saw the familiar Clouds avatar, she froze, then spoke with disbelief.
"Seriously? You're still ordering a headliner? Didn't Lucy and I already take care of you?"
Xiao didn't even look up. "No. I just heard Yorinobu ordered her before. I'm curious."
His tone was casual, as if there was nothing strange about it.
At that moment, Lucy, wrapped in a white bathrobe, walked over and sat down on Xiao's lap. She casually took his phone, glanced at the screen, and nodded thoughtfully.
"Hmm… I do want to see what kind of woman could catch the attention of Arasaka's heir."
When Evelyn Parker arrived and saw the scene in front of her, she was momentarily speechless.
Two stunning women surrounded the man—one leaning casually nearby, the other sitting directly on his lap.
This was not something she had ever encountered before.
Her rates were among the highest in Clouds. A single night with her cost a small fortune.
And yet this client had not only ordered her—
He already had two equally beautiful women with him.
For a brief moment, Evelyn genuinely questioned whether he simply had too much money to spend.
Still, her professionalism quickly took over. She put on a practiced smile and stepped forward.
"Good evening, sir. I'm Furong, the one you ordered. I should clarify in advance—I usually only provide one-on-one service. If this involves multiple people, there will be an additional charge."
Before Xiao could respond, Kiwi spoke first, smiling lazily.
"That's fine. We'll pay double. Money isn't an issue."
At the same time, her eyes flickered with a faint red glow as she silently infiltrated Evelyn's system, scanning through her data and history.
Evelyn's expression stiffened slightly.
A strange thought surfaced in her mind.
Wait… was the one who ordered me actually her?
But that didn't make sense. The system clearly showed the order came from the man.
For a moment, her thoughts spiraled dangerously close to overload.
Lucy, meanwhile, glanced at Evelyn and clicked her tongue. "So, this is Yorinobu's taste? Not that impressive."
It wasn't that Evelyn lacked beauty. As a top performer at Clouds, her appearance and charm were undeniable.
But there was a certain worldly, transactional aura about her—
Something Lucy instinctively looked down on.
"Everyone has their preferences," Xiao said with a faint smile, lifting Lucy's chin and pressing a light kiss against her lips. "Yorinobu likes that type. I prefer yours."
Lucy's cheeks flushed instantly.
"Hmph. Smooth talker."
She turned her head away, clearly embarrassed. Unlike Kiwi, she still had some sense of restraint in front of others.
Through their conversation, Evelyn gradually pieced everything together.
So that was it.
The man had ordered her purely out of curiosity—because of her connection to Yorinobu Arasaka.
The two women beside him weren't colleagues.
They were his.
Realizing this, Evelyn couldn't help but feel a flicker of envy.
Because the life Lucy and Kiwi were living—
Was exactly the kind of life she had once dreamed of.
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