Awakening Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra

021 Having a party without me?

Few people in the slums could afford a car, so a garishly painted orange pickup truck stood out.

Croissant drove the car up the steep slope, only leaving the scene after seeing smoke rising from the old man's chimney.

Wang Ju hadn't come out after so long, and there were no complaints from Isu's side. This proved that Shi Lei's unconventional plan had achieved decent results.

She sharply turned the steering wheel onto the main road and floored the accelerator, her expression very relaxed:

"Shi Lei, while the outcome this time was good, I still suggest you do this less often in the future. The risks if it fails are too great, and I don't recommend it without complete certainty. In our line of work as messengers, our primary duty is to deliver items to the recipient. The second is to get paid, or find a way to get the payment. As for the process in between, the boss won't interfere. You can do whatever you want, just don't damage the company's reputation."

"I know. It's just that one was lying and didn't want to talk, and the other was silent and unwilling to speak. When communication breaks down, I just help break the ice."

"Shi Lei, I'm not blaming you. I just want to clarify the risks involved and hope you'll consider things more carefully before acting."

"I know you mean well, think twice before acting, got it."

This run for a regular order was profitable overall. After deducting costs, the five framed paintings of daisies covered the 2000 Lungmen Dollars fee. One was given to Wang Ju, and the other four could be taken back to the company's safe house.

However, the quantity was too small to bother taking them to the art market. Perhaps they could be sold as a bundle when he had time to set up a stall.

By the time the two returned to Penguin Logistics, it was almost 7 PM. Croissant parked the pickup truck at the entrance of the building and opened the door to let Shi Lei out:

"I've been hoarding rust remover lately, and I'm a bit short on cash. I'll pack some home-cooked meals today, and I'll treat you to something good next month when I get paid, okay?"

"No problem, you're the boss."

It was fine as long as she explained her financial situation clearly. Everyone had times when their wallets were thin. As long as she didn't make empty promises, Shi Lei had no objections.

He waved goodbye to Croissant and headed to the basement. He took out his employee ID and swiped it to open the safe house door.

It was empty inside; the employees must have gone home after work. Shi Lei couldn't find a microwave and didn't know if such household appliances existed on Terra.

He took a sausage out of the freezer and put it directly into the oven to thaw and heat. After deciphering the instruction manual for over ten minutes, he adjusted the settings and heat, then pressed start.

"Sizzle... pop!"

Within a few minutes, the crisp sound of the sausage casing bursting could be heard. Instantly, a fragrant aroma wafted out from the oven's seams, filling the entire safe house.

Shi Lei took a deep whiff, wondering how the sausages here compared to those before his transmigration.

"Oh, it smells so good!"

Croissant returned to the safe house, inhaling the scent and exclaiming. She was carrying packed meals and a bucket of takoyaki:

"You have to try the octopus balls from this place. I buy them every time I pass by; they're delicious."

Shi Lei's lips twitched, his expression a little troubled:

"Uh, you should eat these octopus balls. I'm allergic to seafood. If I eat them, my skin will itch, and if I eat too much, my body will turn red and swell."

[Based on the host's performance, 1 acting point has been awarded.]

Wait, the system counts this too?

As he grumbled internally, Croissant sighed:

"Ah, that's a shame. His takoyaki is really good."

"It can't be helped. I used to eat seafood at company gatherings, and I ended up in the hospital. I haven't touched that stuff since."

"Tsk, I'll be careful from now on. Come, come, the stir-fried dishes here are quite good. Let's eat while they're hot."

There were no knives in the safe house, so Shi Lei used chopsticks to break open the burst sausage casing and divide it into several portions.

Suddenly, Exusiai's surprised voice came from the doorway:

"Hey, you guys! Having a party without inviting me? And eating delicious food behind my back, how unfair!"

The way she said it made it sound like a secret party.

Croissant patted the sofa next to her and laughed:

"We didn't buy food for you guys, but you can grab a pair of chopsticks and join us."

Exusiai walked to the table and peeked, not treating herself as an outsider at all. She reached out and grabbed a piece:

"Wow, it smells amazing. What is this? Let me try it for you to see if it's poisonous."

This mischievous angel, if she wants to eat, just eat. Must she be so dramatic about testing for poison?

"Mmm, so hot, huff huff huff."

She licked the residual oil from her fingers and grabbed a small piece of sausage to offer to Texas, who had just entered. Texas looked disgusted and deliberately turned her head away. Exusiai contentedly popped it into her mouth and commented:

"Not bad, salty, with a hint of spice. It's like a Laterano sausage. If it were on pizza, it might taste even better!"

Exusiai's execution was top-notch; she acted as soon as she thought of it.

She immediately rummaged through molds, high-gluten flour, butter, onions, and other ingredients. It looked like she had prepared them in advance and just hadn't taken them out recently.

While she was busy, Croissant took a bite of her meal and said to the two:

"Do you know what happened when Shi Lei and I went on a regular order today?"

Texas remained silent throughout, not joining the conversation. Perhaps, as she said, she didn't know what to say, so she just didn't speak.

Exusiai, kneading dough, tilted her head and said:

"Regular deliveries aren't dangerous. I sometimes make dozens of trips a day, what kind of trouble could I possibly run into?"

Croissant, while eating and drinking, recounted the story of Old Man Wang and Wang Ju.

At first, Exusiai didn't think much of it. As a Messenger, all she needed to do was deliver the goods. If the recipient couldn't afford the delivery fee, they'd find a way to gather it; everything else was irrelevant.

That was until she heard about the thugs demanding protection money in the calligraphy and painting market. When Croissant, under the protection of her shield, took direct hits from an electric baton and a dagger, Exusiai's interest was immediately piqued:

"She's that strong?"

Exusiai brushed the flour off her hands, took out the firearm from her back, aimed, and commanded:

"Shi Lei, put up a shield first."

"What for? I'm eating here."

"Eat later, just cooperate, please, please. Don't worry, rubber bullets won't kill anyone."

Shi Lei was extremely exasperated, summoning Rock Spine to form a shield:

"You, you really just do things on a whim. Weren't you making pizza? Why do you want to test this now?"

Seeing a faint brownish-tan membrane shield appear on his body, Exusiai's gaze sharpened. She quickly retreated, increasing the distance to maximize the impact of the rubber bullets.

"Da da da da da..."

Each bullet hit the same spot, increasing the penetration power, but still couldn't harm Shi Lei:

"I told you, it's not..."

Suddenly, a cold glint flashed behind him!

022 Hey, What Are You Doing (Fifth Update, Seeking Votes)

Texas had made her move!

Shi Lei hadn't noticed at all. Where did she even draw her weapon from?

The sword passed through the left side of his neck, but was still blocked by the [Jade Shield].

The tip of the sword felt like it had hit an invisible wall, blocked by an unseen force, unable to advance even a millimeter further.

After being suddenly attacked, he instantly let out Kuro's voice:

"Ouch, what are you doing~"

In the past, when Texas made deliveries, she used her sword's scabbard against enemies. Only when it was absolutely necessary to kill an enemy, or in places outside of Lungmen, would she unsheathe her blade.

Even with nearly eighty percent of her strength, her sword couldn't break through Shi Lei's shield, not even revealing a hairline crack. This was enough to prove how impressive the protective capabilities of this special Originium Arts would be in actual combat.

Seeing Exusiai empty her magazine and prepare to load live rounds, Texas immediately shouted to stop her:

"Exusiai, stop! I couldn't even break through his shield, so live rounds will have the same effect. If stray bullets damage the safe house, we'll be docked pay again."

Hearing the words "docked pay," Exusiai felt terrible. Her performance bonus for the month was almost entirely deducted, leaving her to subsist on her base salary.

"Payday is one day away, I'll endure a little longer. No more testing. Shi Lei, the strength of your shield is even harder than those heavily armored Vanguard operators. It's a good thing you're our teammate, otherwise, you'd be incredibly difficult to deal with."

She put away her firearm and went back to fiddling with the pizza. "I don't know about large heavy weapons, but it's definitely more than enough to deal with regular thugs. I'll talk to the boss tomorrow and request to go on missions with you."

"That's impossible."

Croissant shook her head, explaining the specific reasons:

"Do you think the boss would feel comfortable letting you go on a mission alone with him? Normally, either I or Texas would be present. But missions that require two Messengers to be deployed simultaneously are rare, and they're usually high-difficulty. How could you easily encounter one?"

Seeing Exusiai's dejected expression, Croissant chuckled and steered the conversation back to regular deliveries.

When they talked about Shi Lei tricking Wang Ju into visiting home and even spouting useless nonsense like 'live one day less one day,' Exusiai's happy energy returned:

"Hahahaha, that's too funny!"

Texas, for the first time, showed a hint of a smile, but she was very mindful of her facial expressions. In just a moment, she reverted to her usual cold demeanor.

Exusiai took the sausages as ingredients for the pizza and casually tossed in the takoyaki as well.

Croissant had mentioned Shi Lei's seafood allergy, but it was too late. Exusiai had already added them, so she could only say she'd bake him a new pizza next time.

"Mmm mmm mmm, Ding!"

The oven's chime was the signal to enjoy the delicious food. Exusiai put on her special gloves, took out the fragrant pizza, and used a mold to divide it evenly into eight slices.

"Tada, my special sausage, takoyaki, butter, and onion ring pizza is fresh out of the oven! Who wants a slice?"

Shi Lei, already full, shook his head, indicating he didn't want any more. Croissant raised her right hand, took two slices to go, which she could have as a late-night snack.

"Texas, open up, ah~"

"Childish."

Texas gave her straightforward evaluation, picked up a slice of pizza with a plastic bag, and quietly savored it.

Exusiai nodded with satisfaction, chewing as she looked at Croissant, and blurted out:

"This sausage tastes really good. Do you have a specific recipe?"

The king and his daughter hadn't seen each other in years, and it was a rare reunion tonight. Calling them now to ask would be quite impolite:

"I don't know about that. I'll ask again tomorrow. If it arrives, I'll text you."

"Okay, it's a deal then."

Shi Lei had no worries about Wang Ju's future career development. If she wanted to stay in her original position, she wouldn't be fired for leaving work due to an emergency during overtime. But her frequency of returning home would definitely be higher in the future.

If she wanted to quit later, Shi Lei would suggest the father and daughter open an art studio. Then Croissant could decide whether to collaborate with them or teach the packaging process. Selling the finished paintings in the art market would be a good way to make a living. They wouldn't become rich, but they'd have enough to eat.

The old man had bragged several times about his daughter's good painting skills, so maybe Wang Ju could take on more expensive custom commissions.

"That hit the spot, let's have more! Hey, is there no more wine?"

Croissant hadn't known the two of them were coming, so she had only bought enough for herself and Shi Lei. Now that the four of them were drinking together, it was gone quickly, of course.

Exusiai felt it wasn't satisfying enough and mumbled about wanting to go out and buy more wine. As she stood up, Texas, who was on the sofa, called out to her.

"Wait a moment."

Payday wasn't until the day after tomorrow, so her pockets were definitely emptier than her face right now. Going to the shop empty-handed like this, unless she resorted to stealing or running a tab, she wouldn't be able to get any wine.

Texas didn't have many expenses each month and didn't care about material possessions, so she quietly took out some Lungmen Dollars:

"Here, I'll treat you to this round."

"Hehe, I knew you were the best."

Exusiai didn't stand on ceremony at all. Grinning, she pointed her hands at Texas and then flicked the Lungmen Dollars, humming a little tune from Laterano as she went out to buy wine.