Chapter 252

It's past lunchtime, but Texas and Mudrock have already prepared dishes for Shi Lei. They just need to heat them in the microwave for a few minutes before serving.

Texas's cooking skills are beyond question. Shi Lei has eaten at her place countless times.

However, Texas is better at cooking Syracuse cuisine, while Yan cuisine is quite good.

Mudrock was different; he once secretly sought out Lee to learn cooking skills and studied several Yan dishes.

For example, the Snowflake Feathered Beast Paste we're making today is incredibly complicated. It requires selecting the finest breast and leg meat from the Fowlbeast. But you can't just cut it with a knife; you have to slowly pound it with the back of a knife.

While pounding, remove the tendons from the meat and mash it into a paste. Then add Feathered Beast Soup and seasonings to make a paste, and finally mix in the beaten egg whites for cooking.

This dish combines the umami flavors of the Fowlbeast with those of the egg, creating a savory and slightly salty taste. It has a very smooth texture, can be eaten without teeth, and leaves no residue.

Shi Lei could live a long time without eating. But his decades-old habits are not something that can be changed overnight. Even if he's not hungry at all, he'll still eat something to fill his stomach.

Texas sits on the left, Mudrock sits on the right.

The two sat on either side of Shi Lei, resting their chins on their hands and silently watching him eat.

Seeing this, Exusiai smiled silently and led FrostNova towards Warehouse Number Three. Noticing Shi Lei's questioning gaze, she offered an explanation:

"A few of us threw her a small welcome dinner. You can eat yours and don't need to participate."

Having said that, she led FrostNova away from the scene. That was all she could do for Texas.

The rest depends on individual performance.

Lisa is doing her homework in Surtr's room; there are only three people in Warehouse 2 at the moment.

Shi Lei noticed that Texas and Mudrock were sitting next to him watching him eat, and asked them if they wanted to eat together.

After receiving negative replies from both of them, he started eating on his own.

"Thank you for the meal, I'm full!"

After finishing his meal, Shi Lei picked up his bowl and chopsticks and went to the sink to wash them without asking anyone for help.

Texas got up, intending to go back inside to rest. She glanced to the side and noticed Mudrock hadn't gotten up. So she stood there, stretching her chest as if to loosen up.

After washing the dishes, Shi Lei noticed the two were still there. While drying his hands, he asked:

"Is there anything else?"

"I have."

Mudrock, like a student answering a question, raised his left hand and replied:

"I've decided what I want to wish for. Can I tell you about it in private?"

A complex look flashed across Texas's eyes, and she tactfully left the scene.

Although she really wanted to stay, she knew that if she did, Shi Lei might take Mudrock to heaven for a private chat. Just like with Miss Nian last time, there was no point in lingering.

Oh, I'm so envious. I wish I could make a wish to him.

Since benefiting from the Jade Shield, Texas has become increasingly reliant on it over the past year or two. Her evasion abilities have gradually diminished, making it impossible for her to carry out missions alone.

She used to think that this was a good thing. It allowed her to be paired with Shi Lei and go out on missions together.

But now it seems that this may not be a good thing.

Texas returned to the entrance of Warehouse No. 3 and glanced resentfully at the light spilling from Warehouse No. 2.

She made up her mind to train hard recently, hoping to regain her previous level of skill in carrying out missions independently.

"Sir, please wait a moment."

Mudrock seemed very afraid of being eavesdropped on; after Texas left, he even came to the door to check.

Shi Lei walked naturally to the door and asked:

"Didn't you say you already knew what you wanted to wish for? There are no outsiders here, so go ahead and say it."

"I... I want to... be with you..."

Seeing that Mudrock was stammering and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time, he tried to encourage him:

"Don't be shy, just tell me what you want to wish for. As long as it's not illegal or Morality, I'll try my best to fulfill your wish."

Her fair face grew even more rosy, like a newly ripened apple. Mudrock found it hard to voice her wish. At that moment, all she wanted was to escape this place and hide in a quiet corner.

But Mudrock felt as if her body was fixed in place, unable to move. Her heart was beating faster and faster, like a fertilized fawn pounding wildly in her chest.

Mudrock felt her face should be as red as fire. This burning sensation made her feel extremely embarrassed, as if her master was staring at her the whole time.

"I... I..."

Mudrock lowered its head, only its chest visible. The bold wish that had been on the tip of its tongue finally came out as:

"Sir, could you spend the whole day with me on my birthday?"

When is your birthday?

She didn't dare to look up, avoiding Shi Lei's gaze. At the same time, she felt annoyed; why hadn't she expressed her wish?

"September 21st."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lei took out his phone and opened the calendar. It wasn't the weekend; he needed to work as usual.

But working at Penguin Logistics is really too leisurely.

Asking the boss for a day off or voluntarily requesting a day's pay deduction shouldn't be a problem.

Seeing that he didn't give a direct answer, Mudrock panicked. She put her hands behind her back, her ten fingers nervously intertwined.

"What's wrong, sir? Is it not working? Or... should I try something else?"

"No need to change it, I was just checking the calendar. The time is from 9 a. m. on September 21st to midnight the next day, and the content is celebrating your birthday with you. Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I'm sure!"

Mudrock smiled, feeling a warm current flowing through her body.

"Can we not bring anyone else with us?"

Shi Lei thought they were talking about Lisa, and replied:

"You don't need to worry about that. She'll be starting school in September and won't have time to participate."

"No, I meant... well, then this is fine. I have no other wishes, thank you!"

"Haha, what are you thanking me for? You helped everyone on this business trip, I should be the one thanking you."

Mudrock could speak normally in front of the Sarkaz mercenaries. But once Shi Lei was watching her, she became nervous and very insecure.

Oh, does the owner dislike big breasts?

I feel that he never steals glances at those parts of his body; he's a very upright person.

Ugh, I wish I had smaller breasts.

After expressing his wish, Mudrock bowed again in gratitude and then quickly ran back to Warehouse One.

July 11th.

Trimon, Rhine Lab Headquarters.

Kristen's research lab and office have been renovated after being forcibly demolished by Saria.

She was typing on her computer, and lines of Columbia text appeared on the screen.

A few days ago, Rhine Lab's research station in the suburbs received a mysterious signal. Even with Kristen's technical skills, he couldn't decipher it.

This sparked her intense interest, making her want to trace the source of the signal.

Given that the research department's equipment was unable to pinpoint the signal source precisely, Kristen delegated the investigation to Nasti, the head of the engineering department.

318 A Exploration of Chernobyl 3K

Summer in 1096 was a little hotter than last year.

It's not even the Great Heat of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms yet, but the outdoor temperature at noon is already close to 40 degrees Celsius.

"Heh~"

Exusiai stretched while sitting at her workstation; it's very easy to feel sleepy on a hot summer day.

The company's central air conditioning was humming, but the cool air it sent out only made people feel more sleepy.

Hearing her yawning incessantly, Shi Lei, sitting opposite her, said with a smile:

"If you're sleepy, go wash your face with cold water, or lie down and take a nap. We'll call you when there's a request."

Compared to last year, the number of large orders received by Penguin Logistics this year has decreased significantly, to less than double digits.

The root cause is that the security situation in Lungmen is much better than before.

The gray industries and gangs that had formed industrial chains in the Slums were gradually eradicated.

Seeing that the Schwayer Group had made money, other major companies rushed to follow suit. They could save on land and labor costs while also enjoying government subsidies.

That former no-man's-land Slums has been swept into the dustbin of history.

If you can earn your own living with your own hands, why do something illegal and risk your life?

Lungmen has a good security record, so the Lungmen Guard Department and Beatrix have no reason to assign them contracts. The Schwayer Group only hires them as bodyguards for their annual meetings.

These are all changes that Shi Lei has made to Longmen since he came to the Lungmen.

The four Messenger did not receive any personal commissions this year, but they did accept commissions from businesses.

For example, at the end of February, a three-month business trip contract was signed with Rhodes Island. Given Shi Lei and others' outstanding performance, they received unanimous praise from many Operator. Amiya even increased their bonuses afterwards.

The reward they received from this business trip was equivalent to the money they earned from completing more than twenty large orders. It was truly a case of "not making a sale for a year, but making a sale to live off the rest of the year."

"A commission? What commission are there these days?"

Exusiai makes a comment, then changes the subject:

"The weather has been so hot lately, it's amazing that the boss can stand it. Ugh, why bother going to work? I might as well take a day off and go on a trip to escape the heat."

Speaking of which, Emperor is a penguin. He probably prefers a colder environment to summer.

"You really want to go out and have fun?"

Suddenly, the boss's voice came from behind.

Exusiai didn't know when it had sneaked over, and grinned mischievously, saying:

"Hey boss, are there any team-building activities planned for the company this summer?"

The Emperor gave a soft snort and raised his paw to adjust his sunglasses:

Whether or not to have a team-building activity is not a matter of a single word; it mainly depends on where you want to go.

Exusiai understood the underlying meaning, her smile widened, and she proposed a travel plan:

"How about we go to Sistag? I've heard it's a great resort."

Croissant, sitting next to her, disagreed with choosing this location. She shook her head and explained:

"It's so hot this summer, will going to Sistag be any cooler? It'll be over 40 degrees Celsius on the street, like a sauna. Even if we get there, we'll probably just stay in the hotel."

If you're going all that way just to enjoy air conditioning in a hotel, what's the point? If you really want to escape the heat, you might as well go to Ursus. I've heard that in the frigid north, it snows even in summer.

Seeing that the employees had differing opinions, the Emperor proposed:

"In that case, let's vote. There are exactly five of us here, so three votes will be enough to win."

Upon Exusiai quickly went to persuade Shi Lei.

His vote is equivalent to two votes. Once he casts his vote, Texas will follow suit. Combined with his own vote, the victory is already secured.

"Shi Lei, how about we go to Sistag? There's a sea there, we can feel the sea breeze, collect seashells, eat seafood... wait, that doesn't count."

Seafood?

Shi Lei has always been allergic to seafood, and upon hearing this, he immediately lost interest in going.

If you're only considering escaping the summer heat, Ursus is definitely a better choice than Sistag. The nearest Mobile Cities is only a few hours' drive from Lungmen. You could stay there for a while and come back when the weather cools down.

"I think it would be better to go to Ursus."