Chapter 108

"Boss, Lord Shi Lei is here. Shouldn't you get ready and come out quickly?"

"Ah."

Upon hearing that its master had arrived, Mudrock immediately broke into a smile. She released the Stone Statues, stood up, and tidied her hair and clothes. Then she ran downstairs so as not to keep Shi Lei waiting.

The owner usually lives in the Upper City and doesn't visit the outpost often. His arrival close to seven o'clock means he must have something to tell him.

No matter how difficult the task his master asked, Mudrock would do his best to repay Shi Lei's kindness to the entire team with his actions.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs on the first floor, she instantly felt a surge of energy. All the negative emotions that had been building up over the past few days vanished in an instant.

"Grown ups!"

Upon seeing Shi Lei, Mudrock quickly stepped forward.

But they discovered that, in addition to familiar faces like him, Texas, Exusiai, and Croissant, the silver-haired Female Lupo had escaped that day was also among them.

165 Are you a sore loser? (3K)

Huh?

Mudrock was initially surprised to see the other person there, but then he noticed that the Silver-haired Lupo was wearing handcuffs made of rock, and immediately understood.

"Sir, do you want me to hand her over to Old Master Lin for disposal tomorrow?"

"No, you misunderstand. The Rat King has already dropped the case against her for killing the gang leader."

Shi Lei met her questioning gaze and explained:

"Those things from the past are all forgotten. But she does have a criminal record, so we can't just let her go. That's why I'm thinking of having her stay with you for a while, and also to keep her from wandering off. Is that convenient for you?"

What matters to the master is what matters to the Mudrock. Even if there are difficulties, we must create the conditions to move forward:

"Convenient. Sir, please leave it to me. She got away last time, but she definitely won't do it again this time!"

As they spoke, the squad's infected and mercenaries all arrived nearby. They paid the highest tribute to their benefactor who had given them new life.

Only the low-rise buildings inside the stronghold had electricity, and the incandescent light cast long strips of light and shadow on the square.

Shi Lei also saw them and went up to greet them. He even squatted down and pinched the little girl's cheek before standing up and saying to Mudrock:

"I will completely disarm her and minimize the danger so that she won't threaten anyone else's safety. You don't seem to have a cell phone yet, right? You can write down my number so you can contact me if anything happens."

As he spoke, he took out his phone. He found the screen was black, and pressing the buttons repeatedly had no effect.

Shi Lei guessed that the phone had run out of battery and shut down automatically, so he conjured up a Rock Element tablet out of thin air. He engraved his phone number on it and handed it to Mudrock.

The latter respectfully accepted it with both hands and asked:

"Yes, sir. Is there anything else you would like to give me?"

Shi Lei pondered for a moment and replied:

"She's not a prisoner now, she's just temporarily being held here because she's considered dangerous. Don't insult or beat her, just provide her with food and water regularly and make sure she doesn't leave this base."

"Yes, I understand."

Lappland was quite surprised when she first heard the Sarkaz girl's name was Mudrock. She simply couldn't reconcile her with the image of a burly man wielding a hammer.

Seeing that Zhongli was about to entrust herself to Mudrock, Lappland tried to make a final stand:

"No, why don't you let me stay at your place? I promise I won't harm innocent people."

What? It actually wants to live with its owner!

That's really bold! I don't even get that kind of treatment!

Before Texas could interrupt, Mudrock patted his proud chest confidently:

"Sir, please rest assured and leave it to me. There are few streetlights in the Lower City at night, so please go back early and get some rest."

"Yes, I know."

Before leaving, Shi Lei began to disarm Lappland. First, he handed over the two oddly shaped longswords to Texas for safekeeping.

He then removed the original rock handcuffs and recreated smooth, oval-shaped Rock Element weights to lock Lappland's wrists and ankles.

Each other

Although there were no chains connecting them, the heavy burden would greatly reduce her flexibility.

Considering Lappland still had claws, Shi Lei focused on creating Rock Element finger guards. Wearing them would slightly affect daily life, but not much. They would protect her claws while also preventing her from using them to harm others.

Lappland stared at her ten fingers and complained:

"Isn't this a bit unnecessary? Why are you acting like you're guarding against a thief? If you really want to do this, you might as well add more. I have a broken rib here, and I need your help to fix it."

As she wished, Shi Lei made a fixing plate about half a finger's width thick and put it directly on her.

This means Lappland is carrying a load of several tens of kilograms. If she feels tired, she can choose to lie down, which will prevent her from being affected by the weight.

Shi Lei pondered for a moment, deciding she could still use a headbutt. But adding another one to her head would be... well, that's a bit much. She's not some irredeemable villain; that's enough.

"Mudrock, we'll head back now. We have to work tomorrow, so we'll come back the day after tomorrow when we have the day off."

"Yes, sir, I'll see you off."

The team members followed and watched them drive away from the base, getting further and further away.

Texas drove the return trip and breathed a sigh of relief after settling the matter.

The next thing to consider is how to persuade Lappland to leave. Given her stubbornness and uncontrollable nature when she's in a frenzy, it seems very difficult.

Shortly after, Texas drove through the checkpoint. Sitting in the back Exusiai suddenly spoke:

"Hey, Zhongli. What's that in your pocket? It seemed to flash just now."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lei took it out and realized that it was the radar that Lee had given him to find A.

Oh no, this is terrible!

How could I have forgotten about this?

His phone died because it ran out of battery, and I bet Lee has been calling him non-stop by now.

Shi Lei, feeling utterly helpless, rubbed his forehead and said:

"Quickly, get to the Hatton Hotel and rescue them!"

The party plans were forced to be postponed.

Around 8 o'clock, Texas drove to his destination. He quickly got out of the car and, following the flashing signals on the radar, entered the lobby with its sea-blue walls.

Shi Lei couldn't see anyone around, so he flew into the air to check and found Ah, who was stuffed into a vase and had his mouth sealed. He quickly picked him up and brought him down.

With a crash, the vase shattered completely.

Shi Lei tore off the tape and shook A's body:

"Wake up, are you alright?"

Ah was arrested last night when he went out to buy things, and only ate a little something this morning. He's starving now. The first thing he said when he opened his eyes and saw everyone was:

"I'm so hungry..."

Upon Exusiai quickly reached into her pocket, only to find that all the snacks she carried with her had been eaten. Texas then pulled out half a box of chocolate bars and stuffed it into Exusiai's mouth.

The rich aroma of chocolate and the crispness of the biscuits slid down his throat and into his stomach, making him feel alive again.

What kind of angel is that Red-haired Sarkaz? The gray-haired Lupo is the real angel!

Shi Lei created a Rock Element tray with one hand, carrying Afu in mid-air, and gave instructions:

"Come on, I'll take you home right away. Otherwise, Lee and the others will worry. If you're sleepy, take a nap."

They left the Hatton Hotel and didn't arrive at the Li Family Detective Agency until after 8:40 p. m.

The door on the second floor was open.

The light spilling from inside the room fell on the stairwell, like endless white moonlight.

Hearing the clattering footsteps, Waai Fu was the first to rush out to investigate. Seeing Shi Lei and the other Penguin Logistics Messenger, he immediately turned and shouted into the house:

"Uncle Li, they've brought Ah back!"

In the afternoon, after Lee met up with Hong and Waai Fu, they captured all the Cat Gang spies who had been following them at the cinema. Later, they called in the Lungmen Guard Department and took away all the remaining members of the Cat Gang.

But when they were about to look for Ah, they realized that Lei Da had given it to them. And they couldn't get through to Shi Lei on the phone no matter what they tried, so they had to go back to the Hatton Hotel to find him.

By the time the three arrived at the scene, Shi Lei and the others had already left. Without radar positioning, Lee couldn't pinpoint A's location. He could only return to the office to prepare a meal, hoping A would be able to eat something hot when he returned.

"Mister Zhongli, thank you so much!"

Hearing Lee's thanks, Shi Lei felt embarrassed and took the initiative to admit his mistake:

"Don't say that, it was actually my oversight. After catching the Cat Gang leader, we sent that Silver-haired Lupo to the Lower City to be looked after, and we forgot about this. We only remembered it on the way back, so we immediately found someone to bring him over. I'm so sorry, I really apologize."

Lee had heard Waai Fu mention the silver-haired Female Lupo, who was the type to kill even her own people when she went mad. He quickly offered words of comfort and expressed his understanding of Shi Lei's actions:

"It's alright, it's good that Exusiai back safe. Actually, escorting that Lupo is more important. Otherwise, if we let her escape, we'll have to pay an even greater price to bring her back."

Hong lifted A onto the sofa and laid him flat, then reached out to massage his shoulders. Seeing this, Waai Fu massaged A's legs, treating him like the little emperor of the family.

Shi Lei glanced at the wall clock and offered his leave:

"We're sorry to have bothered you so late, we'll be leaving now. Hope to have the opportunity to work together again in the future, goodbye."

"Hey, wait a minute!"

Seeing them turn to leave, Lee quickly called out to them:

"You've been busy since this afternoon and haven't eaten yet, have you? If you don't mind, why don't you stay and eat with us? I've made a lot of dishes tonight to celebrate finding Ah."

"This isn't a good idea..."

Lee was warm and hospitable, and invited the four of them to sit down:

"No, please sit down. Oh, there's not enough space here, bring out a chair from my room."

Waai Fu stopped massaging his legs and echoed:

"Yes, Mister Zhongli. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to complete the task so quickly."

Whether he ate here or out, it didn't make much difference to Shi Lei. Since Texas always paid for his meals anyway, he turned to ask for the others' opinions.

Texas, knowing the importance of reciprocity, thought she'd invite them to her next party, and nodded in agreement. Exusiai raised both hands in approval, Croissant had no objections either.

"Alright, then I'll gladly accept your offer."

Eight people sat around a rectangular table, the space somewhat cramped. Hong moved a chair over and sat down, then immediately placed his index and middle fingers together on the clay pot used for stewing:

"You guys eat first. This food is getting a bit cold. I'll go heat it up and bring it back."

Exusiai first picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth, making a comfortable sound of enjoying the food:

"Wow, this is delicious! Who made this? It tastes even better than what you get in restaurants."

Ah has recovered and picked up his chopsticks:

"It must have been made by Hum."

He chuckled sheepishly, a little embarrassed.

"My cooking skills are not very good; I'm just a beginner. When it comes to cooking, Uncle Li's skills are truly excellent."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lei took the initiative to extend an invitation:

"I'm really looking forward to it! Next time you have the chance, can I try your cooking, Lee?"

"Haha, no problem, no problem."

April 1st, 8:20 pm

Lappland lay on her bed in her second-floor room, feigning sleep with her eyes closed. Hearing the light turn off, she abruptly opened her eyes. After waiting for a long time, she quietly opened the door.

She tiptoed down to the first floor without being noticed by anyone, and couldn't help but show a smug look on her face.

You think you can trap me?

Hmph, what a pipe dream!