Chapter 256
July 25th.
Inside the Gendarmerie, things were in complete chaos.
Last night, the military police on duty were attacked by unidentified forces. Ironically, no one saw who the perpetrator was. They didn't even see his face, let alone his physical features.
They kept their faces pressed to the ground and covered their eyes and mouths for hours in the cold environment.
The military police were furious and vowed to dig three feet into the ground to find the guy from last night.
They first conducted interviews and investigations, but found nothing. They then interrogated other prisoners in the jail and learned that they had seen a man wearing golden armor.
LOL, isn't that golden armor heavy? Who's so rich as to build something like that?
The military police had no clue who the killer was, but considering that the person being rescued was Azazel's Doctor.
They're definitely the murderers!
Ark Hanging Picture. jpg
322 Planet Befall Descend 6K
After leaving the hotel, Shi Lei and the others continued walking towards downtown Chernobyl. They eventually chose a hotel with an artificial hot spring and checked in.
Considering that the infected are very unwelcome in Ursus, FrostNova, Surtr, Mudrock, and the four Sarkaz were sent into the painting to rest temporarily.
Around 1 a. m., when no other guests were using the artificial hot spring, they were released to relieve their En route fatigue with the steam.
The Emperor soaked in the pool, looking at the rising White Mist around him, and for a moment he seemed to return to the past.
It's been almost a year since the last company team building event. But it feels like it hasn't been that long, just a few months apart.
Who would have thought that the employees recruited back then would now become key figures in the company?
Time really flies.
Shi Lei sat on the steps of the hot spring pool, the hot water just reaching his chest. Hearing the owner's remark, he felt it was a difficult topic to discuss, so he remained silent.
The Emperor assumed he was keeping silent because of the presence of outsiders. Looking up and seeing the Sarkaz mercenaries at the nearby pool, he then looked away and continued:
"Actually, there are some things I've always been curious about. But I haven't had the chance to ask them in person. Would you mind answering a few questions that have been on my mind?"
Shi Lei shrugged and readily agreed:
"No problem, ask whatever you want."
He worked at Penguin Logistics for over a year and got along well with his boss. You might not find a boss like that—one who doesn't micromanage but is protective of his employees—in other places.
"With your personal abilities, you could easily go solo. Even as a mercenary, you'd earn more than you're Messenger now. I'm curious, why did you even consider applying to Penguin Logistics in the first place?"
Recalling when he first transmigrated to Lungmen, Shi Lei was penniless and even lived under a bridge. During that period, he was desperate and happened to see a job advertisement, so he went there.
But he couldn't say it like that. He wouldn't reveal anything about time travel and the system to anyone:
"At that time, I just wanted to find an easy job, and somehow I ended up becoming Messenger. I did think about quitting, but I really liked the atmosphere of the Penguin Logistics family, so I never thought about leaving."
"What about the future? As more and more people gather around you, will you have the idea of quitting your job and going solo?"
Shi Lei turned his head to look at the Emperor, wondering why it kept mentioning the word "going solo" tonight. Did it think he wasn't cut out for the future and would leave the company someday?
"Boss, I don't have that plan for the time being. I'm very satisfied with my current life. If nothing unexpected happens, I can easily Messenger for a few more years."
Upon hearing this answer, the Emperor grinned. It was hard to tell if it was a smile of relief or something else entirely.
"The idea is good, but have you considered this? You're the only one in the vast land who has the ability to cure Originium-related illness. Sooner or later, you'll be elevated to a divine status. When that happens, continuing to be Messenger will be beneath you."
"Depreciation? Oh, no?"
Shi Lei shook his head, disagreeing with this viewpoint:
"So what if Messenger? Don't I earn my living through my own labor? There's no difference in status or value between me and other jobs. Even if many people gather around me in the future, it won't change my identity as Messenger."
"But with your abilities, you are perfectly capable of stepping onto a much larger stage and letting more people across the land know your name."
"Then what?"
His rhetorical question baffled the Emperor.
"Ah?"
Seeing that the boss seemed not to have come to his senses, Shi Lei patiently explained:
"I mean, so what? The whole Terra Planet knows my name, so what? Life goes on as usual, not much different from now."
The Emperor's lips twitched as he carefully chose his words:
"What I'm trying to say is, since you have the ability to heal Originium-related illness, will you help more people? Once you do that, it will take up even more of your time. It Tai He for you to also act as Messenger."
"Why isn't it suitable? Serving as a Messenger can still help treat infected people, right?"
Shi Lei found this logic somewhat inexplicable:
"There are tens of thousands of people Originium-related illness on this land, and new infections are occurring every day. I can't save them all by myself. Boss, you've lived for so many years, you should know this better than I do."
The conflict between infected and uninfected individuals is intensifying. At its core, it reflects a growing tension between different social classes. However, Originium-related illness has been exploited by certain individuals who are using it as a scapegoat.
If this land were free of Originium-related illness, would the conflict disappear? No, boss. There is a natural resource disparity between nobles and commoners.
Even if all noble families were to perish and ordinary people were to divide their wealth equally, new noble families would still emerge. This would be an endless cycle. To eliminate class conflict, everyone would need equal wealth. But such a society is too idealistic and unattainable.
I don't possess Officer Chen's sense of justice, her vow to eradicate all evil. I will only do what I can within my capabilities. There's nothing I can do to help in places I haven't been. But I won't ignore anything I encounter that I have the opportunity to intervene in.
Admittedly, doing so would attract many followers. It seems that in their minds, being reborn requires sacrificing an equal amount of one's life to one's benefactor. But I'm now a Doctor, and I don't care about that at all.
If that day ever comes, and the number of people willing to follow me reaches a sufficient scale, I might establish a home in the wilderness to protect their safety. But even then, I will still be Messenger for Penguin Logistics. From the moment I became a member of this family, I have never considered leaving or quitting. Day and night, it has always been the same.
The Emperor stared at the young man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, and smiled with satisfaction. His perspective on things was insightful and penetrating, completely unlike someone his age.
Anyway, the Emperor felt that Shi Lei couldn't possibly be only in his twenties. His analysis of this land was more thorough than that of the Beast Lord who had been playing music for thousands of years.
Perhaps they are actually the same age?
The true identity and background of Shi Lei have always been in doubt, but the Emperor doesn't care.
He considers Penguin Logistics his home and acknowledges it as part of a large family, so there's no need for him to pry.
Everyone needs privacy.
Thinking of this, the Emperor reached out his penguin paw and patted Shi Lei on the shoulder like a friend:
"I don't know how old you are, so I'll take the liberty of calling you Brother Shi. You've already answered my questions very clearly. From now on, we'll have to rely on you to take care of these younger colleagues in the company."
Hearing his boss call him that, Shi Lei felt strange and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The next day.
The group got up around 8 or 9 a. m. and had the hotel's homemade black bread for breakfast. After asking the staff about the major attractions in the city, they prepared to go out for a stroll as a group.
We're on a team-building trip to Chernobyl, and we don't know how long we'll be staying. Since it's a vacation approved by the boss, he can decide the travel dates.
If they're really here to escape the summer heat, they'll probably stay until August or September, and then go back when it's not so hot in Lungmen.
The sights in Chernobyl were only somewhat novel a few days ago, and I wanted to wander around and explore. After a few more visits, I probably won't come back again.
At noon, after visiting the history museum, they drove to Grand Cathedral near the city's outskirts.
Before they even entered, they saw several men dressed as military police posting notices on the bulletin board.
Shi Lei hadn't paid any attention at first, but after only a glance, he realized it was a wanted poster.
The message is simple and straightforward: the Gendarmerie are offering a hefty reward for information about the black market clinic 'Azazel'. Anyone who helps locate it can receive a reward of up to 500,000 yen.
The General Hella I met last night is the head of Azazel's clinic.
After the military police left, the local residents and the priest gathered near the bulletin board, pointing and discussing its contents:
"The Gendarmerie are usually so stingy, how come they're willing to spend so much money on a public reward this time?"
"Who knows? Maybe those guys at the Gendarmerie are playing word games. It says the maximum is 500,000, but it's not always 500,000. They just pay the whistleblower a few hundred dollars and send them away, and nobody can say anything."
"Haha, I'm just taking it as a joke. The Gendarmerie usually plunder the people's wealth, but today they actually coughed up some money for the first time. How interesting."
Someone overheard the two priests talking and interrupted:
"You probably don't know, but something big happened at the Gendarmerie last night."
"I remember your cousin is a military policeman, right? Tell me what's going on."
Fearing trouble, the man didn't dare make a scene in public. After gesturing with his head tilted, he led the two Ursus priests to a quiet corner on the right before speaking:
"The Gendarmerie recently bribed several infected individuals to obtain Doctor. Azazel's temporary address. They went out yesterday morning and arrested him. But last night, someone broke into the prison and kidnapped the Doctor."
Even though they were hiding in the shadows, they couldn't escape Shi Lei's ears. With his Archon Realm strength, eavesdropping without being detected was a piece of cake.
"Go break into the Gendarmerie, damn it!"
"Wait a minute, that's not right. Those officials in the Gendarmerie are all very concerned about their image. They should have kept this prison break a secret and investigated it covertly. Why would they offer a large reward and make such a big fuss?"
"You just don't understand."
The man raised his chin and smiled smugly:
"The director's Childe, Alexey, was on duty at the station last night. I heard that the people who broke into the prison used Originium Arts to summon gold. Alexey was covered in gold and couldn't move at all. Then, for some reason, his computer started playing movie sounds aloud. He felt extremely humiliated by this, so he offered a large reward."
A priest, upon hearing this, became very curious:
"Alexey Vasily? Isn't that the Childe who got his position as our Purple Cardinal through connections? What movie leaked information that made him feel humiliated?"
The man didn't finish his sentence, pretending to be mysterious:
"Little boy, that's all I can say."
When Shi Lei infiltrated the Gendarmerie last night, he used his powerful Psychic Power to obtain the location of everyone through the walls.
He remotely created 'Rock Red Gold' to control the guards, not caring what those people were doing at the time.
The two priests exchanged a glance, neither of them seeing anything wrong with watching a little boy's movie.
"This doesn't seem like a big deal, does it? Even the cardinals are watching, so even if it gets exposed, it's not a major problem."
"Yes, I feel that the Gendarmerie are very interested in the person who can summon gold. They just made up an excuse and offered a high reward for information."
"I knew it! Why was the Gendarmerie so generous all of a sudden? Turns out they've discovered someone who can make gold and want to spend a fortune to find out more about them."
Shi Lei was secretly watching the drama unfold at the Grand Cathedral entrance when, unexpectedly, he found himself caught in the crossfire.
Texas had already gone inside, but seeing him still standing at the door, she turned back and asked:
"What's wrong?"
Given the presence of many tourists and church clergy at the scene, Shi Lei did not offer a direct explanation:
"You can continue shopping with them, I need to go out for a bit."
Texas knew he was new to Chernobyl and unfamiliar with the area. His going out at this time could only be related to those people from last night.
Having been rejected by Shi Lei so many times, she had gradually learned from experience. There are some things you should never ask for permission or ask if you can do; once you ask, it's usually hopeless.
It's best to answer in a tone that assumes the other person has already agreed, as this makes it less likely to be rejected.
"Then I'll drive you there."
Flying during the day makes you more likely to be spotted, so it's best to use regular transportation.
Shi Lei nodded and agreed.
"Tell the boss and the others that I'll wait for you here."
"Okay, sure."
Texas went into the Grand Cathedral and told everyone that she was going to take Shi Lei out to run some errands.
Exusiai instantly understood, and grinned mischievously:
"Hehehe, going out to fight again? Count me in!"
Croissant was also eager to try and expressed her desire to participate.
The Emperor's face darkened upon hearing this, realizing that these Messenger under his command were a real headache. Every time they came out, they seemed intent on causing trouble, and the bigger the commotion, the better.
"Last year during the team building event, you guys went out late at night, and I had to leave before I got enough sleep. Are you doing it again this year? Exusiai, Croissant, neither of you are allowed to go."