Awakening Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra

The three of them ate snacks and chatted idly. The hottest news on Terra recently was the assassination of the Sarkaz Queen, Theresia.

Her brother, Theresis, had taken the throne and was gathering troops to invade Londinium.

Shi Lei wasn't interested in politics, and Texas was a woman of few words, so it was mostly Croissant doing the talking.

After an unknown amount of time, Exusiai returned with a case of beer. The previously subdued atmosphere reignited with her arrival:

"Aha, I'm back! Hey, hey, hey, don't fall asleep drinking. Get up, let's keep the party going!"

After two bottles of beer, Shi Lei couldn't drink anymore. They didn't pressure him to drink; how much he drank was

entirely voluntary. The most important thing was to have fun.

After a few rounds of finger-guessing games, Exusiai kept losing to Texas. This made her a little embarrassed, so she got up and walked to the record player in the corner:

"No wonder I can't win at finger-guessing. How can you have a party without music, just like a gathering without alcohol? That won't do!"

Exusiai felt the atmosphere wasn't lively enough, so she put on a music album produced by the boss.

As a veteran rap superstar from Columbia and a record producer under Siren Records, Emperor's music often incorporated various elements and was full of aggression:

"Anyone who dares to invade my ghetto (slums) will be killed, dropping dead. My territory keeps expanding, all the way to Lungmen and Kazimierz. The baptism of my struggle in the underground has revealed so many mysteries. The merits I've created and sung about in the underground, no one can match. It's stimulating, like Texas play, so I have no time to bother with you. 6O6O, back off, back off. Unworthy of being my opponent, KO'd by me. After I finish this job, I'll add two more digits to my account balance, ZeroZero."

The four of them cracked sunflower seeds, drank beer, listened to music, and played games, carrying on until late into the night.

Shi Lei was temporarily staying at the safe house, so he didn't have to walk home in the dark. After the three of them left, he picked up a broom and cleaned up the mess. Although his body felt sluggish and tired from the alcohol, his heart felt very full.

023 Target Locked

November 30th, 7:45 AM.

Lungmen Guard Department.

Winter hadn't arrived yet, but the chill of late autumn already hung in the air over the city, carried by the breeze and descending upon the world.

Chen Hujie strode through the hall, her sword Chixiao in her right hand. The blue hair at her temples was slightly curled, gently swaying with the rise and fall of her steps.

As the fastest female officer to be promoted to the Special Inspectorate, she was admired by many Lungmen Guard Department officers as a nemesis of crime. However, her usual stern, unsmiling demeanor always gave people a sense of distance, making them hesitant to approach. Even when they bumped into her face-to-face, they didn't dare to greet her.

Chen Hujie entered the locker room and took out her key to open her locker. She put on her Lungmen Guard Department uniform and clipped a walkie-talkie for communication onto her left shoulder. This custom uniform was highly waterproof and looked somewhat like a windbreaker.

As she tidied her appearance in the small mirror on her locker door, Officer Hoshiguma appeared behind her.

Her height of 1.84 meters, combined with the visually elongating oni horns, gave her a commanding presence up close.

"Morning, Old Chen."

"Morning."

There was no time for pleasantries, as Chen Hujie's phone suddenly rang. She pulled out her phone, glanced at the caller ID, and frowned slightly.

As her partner of many years, Hoshiguma immediately understood and gestured towards the outside of the locker room:

"I have other things to attend to, I'll head out first. If you need anything, just call me."

"Mm, okay."

Chen Hujie walked to the window, answered the call, and put the phone to her ear, but didn't speak immediately.

Sometimes, when an informant's or undercover agent's identity is questioned, outsiders will call back the number they were recently contacted from. If she spoke first and was recognized, it could get them killed.

"Officer Chen, are you there?"

Hearing the informant's voice, she finally spoke:

"Yes, I'm here. How's the investigation going?"

"The Rat King is indeed offering a bounty for a man, and he specifically stated not to harm the target. However, there's no specific portrait, and the identity information is very vague. They only said he's around 1.75 meters tall and in his early twenties."

"Do you know what race he is?"

"Unclear, they said the race doesn't matter."

Chen Hujie pondered for a moment and continued to ask:

"Any other clues?"

"That's all. Officer Chen, when will the informant fee be approved? My wife is due to give birth soon, and I urgently need money."

"The finance department is quite busy at the beginning of the month. It's estimated to be approved around December 4th. Hold on for two more days. If you really can't wait, you can come to me for money."

"Uh, no need for that. How could I trouble you, Officer Chen? I'll wait two more days then."

The informant's records showed bounties up until yesterday, proving the Rat King hadn't found his target. Combined with Lin Yuxia calling herself for the first time ever, I deduced that the person who secretly helped out near the basketball court that night didn't live in the slums.

"Mhm, keep an eye on things, prioritize your safety, and notify me immediately if you get any new information."

"Officer Chen, you can count on me."

"Click."

After hanging up, the informant stared at Lin Yuxia by the window and forced a strained, awkward smile.

"Miss Lin, I've said what you told me to. Can you let me go now?"

"I'm afraid not, not yet. I'll let you go once I find the person I'm looking for. For the next few days, I'll trouble you to stay here."

Chen Hui Jie hung up the phone and paused for a moment, as if lost in thought. After a beat, she closed the locker and left the changing room.

She looked around and saw Hoshiguma in the hallway. She walked over and asked, "Do you remember the informant Old Zhang from District 26? Did he have a pregnant wife?"

"I think... maybe," Hoshiguma tilted her head, uncertain. She hadn't been back to the slums in a while. "Should I call and ask?"

"Never mind, no need. Go change into your work uniform, I'll wait for you here."

"Okay."

Two to three minutes later, Hoshiguma emerged from the changing room. Her dark combat suit had a latex-like texture, and the thick triangular shield gave off an inexplicable sense of security. "I'm ready, Old Chen, let's go."

Chen Hui Jie went straight to the transportation department in the same building and asked the person in charge to pull up the road surveillance footage.

"Please help me retrieve the surveillance footage from November 27th, between 9 PM and 10 PM, for the two intersections leading from the city center to District 24 and District 26. Thank you."

District 25 had no main roads, so the only way in at that time was through these two intersections. Since there was no surveillance within the slums, they chose these locations.

Considering the possibility that the other party might have scouted the area beforehand, she extended the retrieval time from half an hour to an hour. If there was no result, she would extend it to two hours.

"Old Chen, who are you looking for with this?"

"Male, early twenties, around 175cm tall, race doesn't matter. You and I will each watch one intersection's footage and note down everyone who fits the description."

Chen Hui Jie initially just wanted to find the person and thank them with a meal on behalf of Nine. But with Lin Yuxia and the Rat King's involvement, she felt things weren't that simple.

Perhaps something she didn't know was brewing in the shadows. All the mysteries could only be solved by finding that man.

She and Hoshiguma used two computers to review the road surveillance footage separately, pausing occasionally to record information.

After less than half an hour of review, Chen Hui Jie actually spotted a man who shouldn't have been there.

This vagrant, who was interning at Penguin Logistics, matched the height, appearance, and age. Most importantly, there were no discernible racial characteristics about him.

"Hiss..."

Chen Hui Jie stared at the screen for a long time, not wanting to make a hasty decision. She still watched the complete surveillance footage to avoid overlooking crucial information due to carelessness.

After their persistent efforts, they identified a total of 28 suspects who met the criteria. Subsequently, Chen Hui Jie and Hoshiguma went to the population records department and, after comparison, ruled out civilians who couldn't use Originium Arts.

The only one not screened out was this outsider whose information wasn't registered in the system. The vagrant who was sleeping under a bridge when they first met, Shi Lei.

"Thank you for your trouble."

Chen Hui Jie was decisive and disliked dawdling. After thanking the employees in the records department, she led Hoshiguma out of the Lungmen Guard Department building.

"Old Chen, where are we going next?"

Chen Hui Jie didn't answer. She walked several blocks to the Penguin Logistics building. It wasn't far from the Lungmen Guard Department and was usually within her patrol range.

Hoshiguma hadn't participated in the operation that night and didn't know why Chen Hui Jie was looking for this person. But since it was something Old Chen wanted to do, she would support her wholeheartedly.

As they entered the elevator, Chen Hui Jie pressed the button. The elevator doors slowly closed, heading straight to the top floor.

At the same time, a man wearing sunglasses arrived at the elevator. Seeing it stop on the top floor, he immediately made a call to report: "Miss, I've found them."

024 Left and Right Are Women

"Ding!"

Hearing the elevator announce its arrival at the top floor, Exusiai, who was by the water dispenser, assumed a guest had arrived and instinctively called out, "Hello, Penguin Logistics, mission..."

The next second, Chen Hui Jie and Hoshiguma walked out of the elevator.

The moment she saw them, Exusiai turned and fled as if a mouse had encountered a cat. With her back to the two members of the Special Inspectorate, she muttered inwardly.

Please, today's the last day!

Tomorrow the boss pays us, please don't show up with a ticket, I'm begging you.

Just by looking at the halo above their head, Chen recognized who had just turned and bolted. Exusiai, the Penguin Logistics vehicle killer, streetlamp destroyer, troublemaker, and Lungmen Guard Department regular. An old offender.

But she was here today for something else.

"Knock knock."

Chen reached out and gently tapped on the glass of the large door. Croissant heard the sound and poked their head out. Seeing no one around to greet them, they got up on their own and walked over, smiling:

"Officer Chen, hello! Are you here to deliver a ticket today, or are you here for business?"

She never liked wasting words and got straight to the point:

"I have something I need to confirm with your front desk. Do you know where he is right now?"

"The front desk? You mean Shi Lei? He's in the warehouse below with Texas."

"Thank you, that's all."

Having gotten the location of her target, Chen didn't linger. She turned and entered the elevator with Hoshiguma, heading downstairs to find the person.

Officer Chen didn't have any tickets with her this time. Croissant wondered if Shi Lei had gotten involved in a murder case? They stood there, hesitating for a moment, watching the two disappear. In the end, they decided to go down and take a look.

Shi Lei placed the Emperor records, ready for shipment, at the entrance of Warehouse No. 2. His morning's work was done.

He took the cigarette Texas handed him and sat on a cart by the door, puffing away. The taste of the cigarette was similar to before he transmigrated, but it had a strong kick.

Shi Lei wasn't a heavy smoker, only occasionally having one or two. He'd smoke if someone offered, otherwise, he wouldn't.

From a distance, he saw Officer Chen and Hoshiguma walking towards them. Today, she was wearing the dark blue Lungmen Guard Department uniform. Even though it had cooled down, she was still showing her legs. She wore a pair of dark blue, knee-high leather boots that made her legs look perfectly straight.