Chapter 260

September 21, 8:30 am

The weather today was fairly sunny, with neither blazing sun nor overcast skies.

Texas got up, had breakfast, and went out with Exusiai, preparing to go to work with Shi Lei.

He usually ate breakfast in advance and gathered directly at the entrance of Warehouse No. 2. But today he sat in the living room chair and showed no intention of getting up.

Texas, puzzled, stepped forward and asked:

"What's wrong with you? Let's go."

Shi Lei smiled and shook his head, responding politely:

"You guys go ahead. I asked my boss for a day off today to fulfill Mudrock's wish."

Texas knew about this, and ultimately it was their own problem. Because they were tied to Shi Lei for so long, they couldn't act alone. They had no choice but to entrust the task of protecting their employer, Amiya, entirely to Mudrock.

To express his gratitude, Shi Lei promised to grant Mudrock one wish. But what that wish was, she never seemed to mention.

Texas was very curious and asked:

What is Mudrock's wish?

Shi Lei, demonstrating a strong sense of contractual responsibility, politely declined.

"Sorry, I promised her I wouldn't tell, so please don't ask anymore. Go to work with Exusiai now."

A fleeting glint of something unusual flashed in Texas's eyes, and she didn't linger at the scene for long. She called Exusiai, and together they left the alleyway.

Upon arriving at Taiheng Road, Texas slowed down, seemingly pondering something.

Exusiai had been quietly observing from the sidelines, grinned mischievously and challenged her to a bet:

"How about I bet you a week's worth of barbecue money? Guess what Mudrock's wish is? I bet she wants to create an opportunity to be alone with Shi Lei. If you don't believe me, you can take leave and secretly follow them to confirm."

Texas rolled her eyes at her upon hearing this:

"You can take leave, but you shouldn't go."

Exusiai stretched her neck forward, looking utterly bewildered:

"Why? Because I have good dynamic vision, so if we go together, I won't lose sight of my target in the crowd."

Texas was speechless, and pointed to the shiny halo above the other person's head:

"Tell me, with your physical attributes, are you even capable of carrying out a tracking mission? You'll be exposed the moment Shi Lei turns around. How will you track him after that?"

Exusiai gave an awkward twitch of her lips; the aperture brightness wasn't something she could adjust on her own. If she could turn it off whenever she wanted, she wouldn't need to wear that thick eye mask every night.

"Well, there's really no way around it. But it's not safe to follow just one person, so it's best to call Xi along."

Texas tilted her head and asked in confusion:

"Why would you want to see her? We're not that close yet, are we? Croissant 'd be better off contacting Croissant than Xi."

"But her ability is very special; it makes it difficult to expose you when you're inside the painting."

That's true, but Texas still didn't want to invite Miss Nian, and instead gave the order:

"You stay here and turn on the real-time location feature on the chat app. I'll go change my clothes quickly so I don't get recognized later."

She's going back to Warehouse No. 3 now, and she'll inevitably pass by Warehouse No. 2 where Shi Lei will see her.

In order not to arouse suspicion, I could only buy a random set of clothes outside to disguise my identity.

Croissant will contact Texas later; two people working together to track someone is definitely more reliable than one person alone.

Seeing that she was preparing to leave, Exusiai rather helpless:

"If all of you take leave, won't I be all alone in the office? That'll be so boring."

"Exusiai, this isn't a matter of being bored or having nothing to do. Just tell me, are you going to help or not?"

"I'll help you, I didn't say I wouldn't help. You go first, I'll keep an eye on things here."

The time that Shi Lei and Mudrock agreed on was from 9 a. m. to 12 a. m. on September 21.

With the time fast approaching, he didn't urge them. He stayed alone in the living room, browsing current affairs news on his phone.

In the latter half of last year, the Blood Knight won the 23rd Knight Competition in Kazimierz. This year, the rules were changed, allowing infected individuals to participate.

When Shi Lei was on a business trip to Columbia in March, he passed through the border of Kazimierz, but did not go in.

I heard that a kind of gladiator-like fighting has sprung up there, called Knight Competition. The whole city is involved in gambling, and it feels like the development is somewhat abnormal.

Shi Lei looked at the news on his phone for a while, then suddenly heard the sound of footsteps and slowly looked up.

Today, Mudrock wore a white Qipao, with a carefully tailored front that revealed her impressive cleavage. The tight fabric accentuated her graceful figure.

She had limited funds and could not afford expensive jewelry; she only had a pair of teardrop-shaped earrings.

I bought this one Mudrock from a roadside stall after shopping at the supermarket. I really liked it, so I bought my first piece of jewelry.

To prepare for her date with her owner today, Mudrock did her homework in advance. She never used to wear makeup, but now she's willing to follow online tutorials. She not only put on false eyelashes but also bought a moisturizing lipstick.

The price was a little high, but she felt it was worth it.

When Mudrock arrived at the entrance of Warehouse No. 2, he wasn't in a very good mood. Perhaps because he was too excited, he tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep no matter what he tried.

She kept her eyes closed and pretended to sleep until five or six o'clock before she finally felt a little sleepy.

I dozed off for an hour or two before being jolted awake by my alarm. After quickly washing up, I had to choose clothes and put on makeup, keeping me incredibly busy.

Even if it's difficult now, we have to hold on. As long as the Mudrock is by its owner's side, it can stay energetic at any time.

"My lord... have I kept you waiting?"

The moment she lowered her head, her charm was like a delicate Phoebe. Especially the gesture of raising her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear was incredibly captivating.

But Shi Lei paid no attention to any of that and stared at his phone screen to check the time.

There are two minutes left until nine o'clock.

He didn't need to worry about how to spend the day. Mudrock said he had a detailed plan and everything was arranged.

The sky is vast, the earth is vast, but the God of Longevity is the greatest.

Since it's her birthday today, Shi Lei will carry out whatever arrangements the birthday girl makes.

Seeing that its master was still sitting in the same spot without moving, Mudrock was so nervous that it didn't know what to say.

"Master, don't you want to leave?"

"Or did you suddenly change your mind?"

After a two-minute standoff, Shi Lei checked his phone and saw it was nine o'clock before getting up. This meant that the verbal agreement between the two had officially taken effect.

"Let's go."

"Um."

Shi Lei didn't close the door when he left, so Lisa could go inside and sleep by herself after school.

The two walked side by side out of the alley.

Mudrock's five fingers contracted like chicken claws, as if trying to grasp something. Yet, even after reaching the street, she didn't make any drastic moves.

"Sir, have you had breakfast?"

Shi Lei didn't need to eat anything; whether she asked or Texas asked, he always said he had eaten beforehand.

"I've already eaten, so don't worry about me. Also, since it's your birthday today, please don't call me 'sir.' Just call me Shi Lei, otherwise it sounds too formal."

"Okay, Da... Shi Lei."

After saying that, Mudrock suddenly laughed. Shi Lei didn't know why she was laughing, so he gestured for her to continue.

"Mudrock, you decide where to go today."

"Good."

While passing by a steamed bun shop, Mudrock bought a few steamed buns and a cup of porridge.

She originally wanted to eat better food with her master, but Shi Lei had already eaten, so she figured she might as well save some money.

Mudrock ate as they walked down the street, then led him to a nearby commercial plaza and headed straight for the movie theater.

She specifically checked the online ticket booking and found that there was no one else at the early morning showing, which was practically a private screening. In that case, she would have to choose a seat right in the center for a better viewing experience.

To be honest, Mudrock has never seen a movie in all his life. This time, it's his first time with his owner.

The movie is called "Love in Shang Shu". It has many tags, but it should be a romance movie.

Shi Lei wasn't particularly interested in this kind of subject matter, but he was there to celebrate the birthday of the celebrant, so he couldn't be picky.

After collecting the tickets in the cinema lobby, Mudrock suddenly asked:

Would you like some popcorn?

In preparation for today's date, she had been frantically searching for dating tips online.

One relationship blogger's post taught that you should always buy your partner a bucket of popcorn when you go to the movies.

Once inside the theater, place the popcorn between the two of you. When the other person reaches for it, casually take some yourself, which will create physical contact.

More contact can help spark new ideas.

Since Mudrock had no experience in this area, she believed it because of the high number of likes. She even took notes and compiled her own 'dating guide'.

To everyone's surprise Shi Lei completely ignored the offer and refused, saying:

"No, thank you."

He drinks, eats meat, and parties almost every night, so he's long since become immune to these high-calorie foods. No matter how much he eats, he can't feel happy.

The joy of having a party comes from the family members eating and drinking together, not from the food itself.

"Oh no, this isn't what the walkthrough says."

Mudrock paused for several seconds, seemingly recalling the contents of a dating guide. After a moment's hesitation, she still bought a serving of popcorn.

The two waited in the cinema lobby and entered the screening room fifteen minutes before the screening.

It's not the weekend, so there's absolutely no one here this morning.

Mudrock looked around curiously, finding her middle seat based on the number on her ticket. She took a deep breath and silently encouraged herself.

At the same time, Croissant, who had completely changed her outfit and was wearing a hat and sunglasses, along with Texas, whom she had called, arrived at the scene.

Texas quickly secured one of the only two audience members for the early morning show by booking tickets online. Using online payment, they selected seats in the last corner row.

Exusiai completed her tracking mission and left reluctantly. After Shi Lei and Mudrock entered, Texas and Croissant went to the theater lobby to have their tickets checked.

They didn't rush into the theater; instead, they waited until the staff turned off the lights. Using the sound of movie advertisements playing on the screen, they quietly slipped to the last row.

As the movie commercials ended, the film "The Love in Shang Shu" officially began. The scene opened with a school campus in Yan. Young men and women were jogging on the playground, exuding youthful energy.

Shi Lei had no interest in this subject matter and remained expressionless throughout, treating it as just a way to pass the time.

With her master sitting beside her, Mudrock had no interest in watching the movie. She glanced at Shi Lei's profile twice, then quickly looked away like a thief.

A few minutes later, Mudrock began to act. She first grabbed a few kernels of popcorn and put them in her mouth. After chewing them thoroughly, she said in an approving tone:

"Hmm, this popcorn tastes pretty good, why don't you try some?"

If there are no opportunities, try to create them.

She can casually make physical contact whenever her owner reaches out to grab her.

To everyone's surprise, Shi Lei remained unmoved, still shaking his head. He had said he wouldn't eat before, and he still wouldn't eat now.

"No need, you eat."

In a single sentence, he completely shattered all the strategies and techniques that Mudrock had learned online.

Mudrock was suffering inside, but he couldn't say it.

She paid no attention to the movie plot, occasionally turning her head to steal a glance at her owner's profile.

Shi Lei hadn't been paying attention either, but soon noticed Mudrock staring at him and asked curiously:

Is there something on my face?

"Oh, no, no."

Mudrock's smile was quite awkward, and he quickly turned his gaze back to the big screen.