Awakening Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra

Shi Lei didn't have a habit of napping at noon. He spent his lunch break playing video games with Exusiai and the others. Since the games were limited to two players, they mostly took turns, with wins and losses split evenly.

Croissant left after finishing her pizza without saying what she was doing. Perhaps she was setting up a stall, or maybe it was some personal business. Since she didn't mention it, no one asked.

They played like this until one in the afternoon, then the three of them took the elevator to the top floor, continuing to slack off in the office area.

Less than half an hour later, Texas, who had some free time, scratched her nose and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Exusiai quickly ran over and snatched them away:

"Didn't you say you were quitting? Why are you smoking again today? I'm confiscating these!"

Exusiai opened the drawer at Texas's workstation and took out a box of chocolate sticks. She opened one in front of her and shoved it into Texas's mouth:

"Here, open up. If you want to smoke again, just smoke this. I've confiscated your cigarettes, don't be mad, okay?"

Texas gave a wry smile and obediently bit down on the chocolate stick, not arguing.

Exusiai walked over to the water dispenser, took a paper cup, and filled it with water, then submerged the cigarettes in it. Shi Lei, who didn't have a smoking addiction, nodded in approval when he saw her do this.

Only true friends would dare to forcefully take away cigarettes like that.

"Ding."

The elevator's arrival chime at the top floor made him crane his neck back. It was nice that the boss only arrived at the company at this hour. It wasn't long after entering the office that it came back out with something. Walking up to everyone, it gave instructions:

"Texas, take Shi Lei out on some regular deliveries this afternoon to get familiar with the business. Consider it training."

"Understood, boss."

Exusiai poked her head out from her workstation, grinning, and raised her right hand to ask the Emperor:

"Boss, can I go with him on the regular deliveries?"

The Emperor rolled its eyes and refused outright:

"How much loss have you caused the company this month? Do you need me to remind you? You're not going anywhere today, stay here and reflect."

With that, it turned and left. It seemed, as Croissant had said, that the boss and Sora had been very busy lately.

Exusiai's mood immediately drooped upon hearing this. She slumped down in her chair, sighing:

"Sigh, you're all going out for deliveries, and I'm left alone at the company. It's so boring~"

If he didn't know her lively and restless nature, he might have thought she was speaking like a neglected wife. Shi Lei suppressed a smile and tried to comfort her:

"Don't worry, we're all colleagues. We'll have opportunities to work together eventually. Just consider it a paid vacation."

"Alas, I guess that's how it has to be."

Texas logged into the employee backend and took photos of the regular delivery information with her phone. Then, she stood up with her sword and tilted her head at him, signaling:

"Let's go."

Shi Lei nodded and followed her downstairs to the car.

Along the way, Texas was quite taciturn. Perhaps, as she herself said, she didn't have many thoughts, so she simply didn't speak.

This Texas was like an emotionless delivery machine. She didn't teach Shi Lei what to do, but simply and crudely repeated the steps: pick up goods → deliver → sign → collect payment → leave.

Admittedly, Texas's efficiency was much higher than Croissant's. If the delivery was cash on delivery, she would demand the shipping fee, and once paid, she would have them sign, with no extra steps.

The two of them started from one o'clock and worked until four-thirty in the afternoon, completing nineteen regular deliveries, their efficiency was truly astonishing.

Most people paid the shipping fees normally. The few who tried to default were "physically persuaded" by Texas's iron fists.

Lungmen was different from the world Shi Lei had come from before his transmigration; there were no widespread courier stations and sorting points in every residential area.

The prevailing model was one-on-one direct delivery, very similar to ancient escort agencies.

At four-thirty in the afternoon, Texas drove to Fengchi Logistics to pick up a shipment from out of town. It was a vial of medicine in a glass tube, packed in a shock-absorbent box, with a note declaring it was fragile. The delivery address wasn't far, in District 12, north of Lungmen's urban area.

"Last order."

"Mm."

Shi Lei was already used to her quiet demeanor and nodded in understanding. Perhaps considering that the medicine was life-saving, Texas didn't drive too fast.

After about ten minutes of driving, the car turned along the road ahead, and a building engulfed in flames suddenly came into view. Thick black smoke billowed towards the clear blue sky, like an enraged beast roaring at the heavens. Passersby stopped in their tracks, either taking pictures, looking, or gawking.

Shi Lei lowered his head and looked through the car window:

"Tsk, the fire's pretty bad. Texas, how far is the delivery location from here? How about I get out and check it out first, and we can meet up later?"

As the saying goes, fire is merciless, but people are kind. If he hadn't encountered this, it would be one thing. But since he had, there was no reason to stand by and do nothing. Even if Zhongli were here, he would have made the same decision.

Texas glanced up and replied:

"The delivery address is this building."

"..."

Shi Lei's neck recoiled, revealing a strange and complex expression. He then unbuckled his seatbelt and asked:

"I'll go in and check first. Which floor?"

"The eleventh floor, to the left."

Many onlookers had gathered at the entrance of the residential complex. They weren't helping with the firefighting, just standing below and watching. This caused the vehicles to halt, leading to traffic congestion.

He pushed through the crowd and rushed to the base of the burning building.

A middle-aged woman with cat ears tried to charge into the inferno but was desperately held back by several people. She slumped to the ground, looking up and crying out:

"Get out of the way, all of you! My child is still inside, someone save her!"

Shi Lei thought to himself that he had to go up anyway, and if he could save one person, that was one more. He approached the middle-aged woman and asked:

"Auntie, what floor is your child on? Give me the key, I'll go up and take a look."

The woman's pupils widened slightly, and she stared blankly at the stranger in front of her. After a brief moment of thought, she decided to grasp this last sliver of hope. She suddenly took off her thick coat in front of everyone and handed it, along with the key, to Shi Lei:

"I live on the eleventh floor, on the left. My child is locked in the bedroom. When you save her, can you use the clothes to shield her, please?"

Damn, isn't this the recipient?

Also, why did she lock her child at home?

Shi Lei looked up at the intensifying flames, a strange thought rising in his mind.

027 Borrowing a Knife to Kill

Time waits for no one. Although Shi Lei didn't want to take the item, he still took the thick coat with both hands.

The main reason was that the temperature at the fire scene was quite high, and taking this thing inside would make it flammable. It wouldn't help with the rescue at all.

Just as he stepped onto the stone stairs, preparing to rush in, he was stopped by a short girl dressed as a firefighter.

She was about 1.3 to 1.4 meters tall and wore a large firefighter's helmet that seemed disproportionate to her size. When the short girl tilted her head up to meet Shi Lei's gaze, the helmet's weight would pull it backward, revealing her fair forehead:

"Sir, you cannot enter. For safety reasons, please wait outside for the fire department's rescue. If you refuse to listen and insist on forcing your way in, it will add a lot of burden to us and affect our ability to rescue more people from the fire."

Don't let the short firefighter's size fool you; she spoke rapidly, without taking a breath.

Shi Lei didn't have time to argue. He just wanted to rush into the fire and save the child as quickly as possible. The Jade Shield attached by summoning Rock Spine was an all-purpose shield that could block any damage. As long as the shield's capacity wasn't exceeded in an instant, it could withstand any harm.

But the short firefighter was very stubborn, blocking him with her arms spread wide:

"You can't do this, sir. It's very dangerous for you to go in now. If you inhale too much carbon monoxide, it will cause great harm to your body..."

Before she could finish, Texas ran up to him and smacked the firefighter's helmet with the back of her hand.

"Ouch, what are you doing~"

Shi Lei turned his head and saw the woman who had received the package, holding the medicine box that had been delivered this time.

"Let's go."

Texas said concisely and then rushed forward. The firefighter tried to stop her but was overwhelmed. This gave Shi Lei an opportunity to accelerate and run up the stairs.

The elevator couldn't be used during a fire, so climbing the stairs was the only way up. He reached the seventh floor in one go and started to pant, his speed slowing down. Texas didn't wait and ran further ahead. She moved with exceptional agility, like a tireless wolf.

By the time Shi Lei reached the eleventh floor, he found Texas carrying a comatose adult back down:

"The door is locked, I can't open it. You hurry."

He stood at the stairwell and could already see bursts of flame. The fire was entirely on the left side; the rooms on the right were temporarily unaffected due to the corridor acting as a barrier.

Shi Lei threw the coat at the stairwell between the tenth and eleventh floors and quickly took out the key to open the door. There were many clear sword marks on the security door, likely left by Texas.

"Click."

As he felt the handle and pulled the door, he sensed an unusual weight. This security door was very sturdy, about four fingers wide, and had likely been specially reinforced.

It was much thicker than a household security door, no wonder Texas couldn't cut through it with her sword.

As the door was pushed open halfway, waves of heat rushed towards his face. Shi Lei's eyes stung, and he quickly summoned Rock Spine nearby to apply a shield to himself.

The room was engulfed in flames, with occasional crackling sounds like burning firewood. The ceiling was blackened by smoke, and the sofa in the living room, which had caught fire, emitted a blinding glow.

Most of the room doors were either wide open or ajar, making them easy to identify. Shi Lei immediately spotted the tightly shut bedroom door at the far end, which should be the place.

He picked up the key ring but didn't know which key to use. He had to try them one by one based on the grooves. To ascertain the situation inside, he knocked and called out while trying the keys:

"Hello, is anyone in there?"

No response.

The most severe part of the fire was the windowsill, and for some reason, so many combustibles had been piled there. Shi Lei clicked the right key into place and turned the handle, pushing the door open.

In the northwest corner of the bedroom, a little girl lay on the floor, unconscious and bound by chains on both her hands and feet. It looked like she had been imprisoned at home by her mother for a long time.

Staring at the black stone on the girl's arm, Shi Lei's eyelids twitched violently. No wonder the woman insisted on giving him the coat and asking him to shield herself – it was indeed an Infected child!

Although Infected could find a place to stay in Lungmen, their social status was low. This was mainly because the Originium particles generated by the explosion of their bodies after death could infect normal people. They were like walking bombs of contagion, feared by everyone.

If the child's infection became known, she would surely be jointly expelled by the residential community owners. At that point, she would only be able to live in neglected areas like slums.

The goods delivered today should have been medicine to treat or alleviate the Originium-related illness. The fact that the woman was still willing to spend money on her child indicated she hadn't completely given up on her. Shi Lei understood the act of imprisonment but felt it was too extreme.

Damn it, picking locks again, how annoying!

He cursed inwardly, but his hands didn't slow down. After trying a few keys, he clicked open the child's handcuffs and shackles in quick succession. He occasionally summoned Rock Spine from a distance to refresh his shield.

After these days of experience, Shi Lei had already identified the 'culprit' that could cause Originium resonance.

It wasn't a shield, nor was it a Rock Spine, but the elemental energy of rock that it pulsed out in a regular pattern. This energy would cause Originium to react violently, leading to a rapid explosion.

Shi Lei had vaguely guessed downstairs that the trapped child might be Infected, so he didn't summon the Rock Spine directly in the path they would take. He didn't want to accidentally cause an Originium explosion while helping them escape; that would be a grave sin.

After refreshing his shield, he used the 20-second protection mechanism to pick up the girl and run outside. Just as he reached the stairwell, he heard an old person's cry for help from upstairs.

"Damn it, there's still someone else?"

Shi Lei glanced towards the source of the sound, feeling like it was coming from the apartment directly above the girl's. As the saying goes, if he didn't know, he wouldn't care, but now that he did, there was no way he could just leave them.

Shi Lei carried the girl to the tenth floor, covered the Originium on his arm with a thick jacket, and quickly ran towards the twelfth floor. He didn't see Texas on the way, guessing she had gone down.

"Hey, is anyone in there? Say something?"

A moment later, a hoarse voice came from inside the room:

"Help... cough cough... help... cough..."

Shi Lei confirmed someone was inside, but unfortunately, he didn't have the key to this apartment. He could only deploy his shield and kick the door open with all his might.

With the Jade Shield's enhancement, he wouldn't suffer any backlash damage, but several consecutive heavy kicks failed to open it.

Even a Genshin's body has its limits.

Suddenly, Texas's voice came from behind him.

"Let me."

Shi Lei stepped aside at her words and watched her swing her sword.

"Swish swish swish!"

Dense sword shadows rained down like raindrops, instantly riddling the household security door with holes!

If he hadn't known this was an Originium Art, he would have almost thought he had transmigrated to a world of Xuanhuan cultivation.