Awakening Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra

The Lungmen Guard Department members who had been holding heavy shields before couldn't withstand the attacks from the Infected Arcanists. They didn't even have proper armor; going in would be suicide, wouldn't it?

Exusiai couldn't be bothered to explain, so she called out, "Zhongli, give us a shield. I bet an apple pie that we'll clear this stronghold within five minutes. What do you say, want to try and compete?"

"Childish."

Texas didn't want to play such games. She walked in with her lightsaber, and Croissant quickly followed.

Exusiai, who was busy checking her magazine, saw this and hurried after them.

As the three of them entered the front yard of the stronghold, several red energy projectiles, like cannonballs fired from their barrels, shot towards them.

The magical attacks hit the shield without causing any pain or damage, not even a trace of a crack could be seen.

Before the Arcanists on the high ground could be surprised, Shi Lei aimed and summoned two Rock Spines to stand on either side of them.

This is a joke, I'm a special counter against the Infected!

045 My Name is Zhongli (End)

Faced with the Rock Spines that suddenly appeared beside him, the Infected Arcanist's hair stood on end. Before the rock element could spread onto him, he quickly retreated to a safe distance.

Although he successfully dodged, he also gave up his optimal high ground position. Shi Lei knew the danger had temporarily passed and waved for the medical operators to come over:

"Let's go, it's time to go treat the wounded."

Seeing that the other party remained stationary, he added:

"With me blocking the front, don't be afraid."

With that, Shi Lei took the lead and walked forward, eliciting a gasp from the young girl. Seeing the corpses in the front yard, the medical operator's body trembled uncontrollably.

The operation tonight had affected several city blocks, and casualties were inevitable. These were not Shi Lei's fault, so he naturally didn't feel any particular emotions.

After inspection, only the Lungmen Guard Department member with the broken leg survived in the front yard. However, his eyes were vacant, and he neither cried nor made a fuss. It was estimated that he would need a long period of recovery.

Inside the stronghold, the three of them rushed into the central courtyard.

The Infected Arcanist retreated to another high platform, guarding the corpse of a woman with red eyes:

"Damn it, I'll make you pay for my lover's life! All of you will die!"

Exusiai didn't care about that and opened fire directly.

The rubber bullets made the Arcanist scream in agony, forcing him to cover his head tightly with his hands.

At the same time, Croissant climbed onto the high platform with her hammer, wanting to make intimate contact with the hammer's surface.

Just as she was about to deliver a decisive blow to his chest, Texas sensed something was wrong and quickly called out to stop her:

"Croissant, wait!"

Hearing this, the latter stopped hammering the chest. Instead, she switched to hammering the back, knocking the person down and pinning them with her foot.

Texas kicked open the room behind her but didn't see any gang members. She quickly returned and questioned:

"Where are the others?"

"Hahaha, you just noticed? Too late!"

The Infected Arcanist, unable to move on the ground, still spoke arrogantly: "They were discovered when the Lungmen Guard Department was evacuating the crowd. Guess what gift we'll give to the other gangs?"

"Speak, what is it?"

The other party refused to cooperate and kept cursing. Texas made a decisive move and knocked him out. As for the mystery, they could find out by checking the other strongholds.

"Let's go, let's get out of here first."

They quickly left and reunited with Shi Lei, then rushed to the next stronghold without delay. This place had already been taken by the Lungmen Guard Department, but the logistics personnel had not yet entered the scene. Croissant drove to the side and asked:

"Friend, isn't this place already taken? Why are you still standing outside?"

Seeing the Penguin Logistics logo on the car, the logistics personnel knew they were allies and explained:

"Ah, someone used an Originium bomb, and there are Originium particles and dust everywhere inside. We don't have enough protective suits, so we're waiting for reinforcements."

As the two parties were talking, the walkie-talkie crackled. Nine's voice came from inside, issuing a warning to all personnel:

"Attention all units, Lungmen Guard Department members who have not yet captured the strongholds, please stop your actions immediately and withdraw to your current positions and await orders. The illegal organizations we are eradicating tonight possess varying amounts of Originium bombs, posing a risk of widespread infection. I repeat, those who have not captured their targets, please stop your actions immediately!"

The logistics personnel also heard the announcement and looked helpless:

"See, it's not that we don't want to go in, it's just that the current conditions don't allow it."

"Okay, thanks, bye-bye."

Croissant started the engine and drove away from the scene, asking Shi Lei, who was sitting in the passenger seat:

"I remember Officer Chen invited you to dinner because you put up a shield for them and blocked the Originium particles?"

"Yes, I can block it. Except for falling from a height and bleeding, the shield can absorb all other damage."

"Bleeding?"

There were no "bleeding dogs" on Terra, so Shi Lei explained vaguely while gesturing:

"It's not bleeding from a wound, how to say it... it's like the blood inside your body is gradually decreasing."

Texas, upon hearing this, suddenly understood and said:

"The Originium Arts of the Sarkaz Blood Demon lineage are related to blood, perhaps it's the bane of your shield."

Tsk, are there bleeding dogs in this world too?

So disgusting.

After a short chat, Croissant drove them to the next stronghold. Seeing a group of Lungmen Guard Department members standing outside, the four of them got out of the car and prepared to break through the main entrance.

"Don't go in, you guys..."

The four put on their Jade Shields and brazenly walked in through the main entrance. From the fortifications built in the courtyard, gang members took turns shooting crossbows. Thud, thud, thud they struck the shields, but couldn't cause any damage.

Suddenly, a magma-colored Originium bomb was thrown from the shadows near the Messengers. Seeing it about to explode, Shi Lei lunged forward, covering the Originium bomb with his body.

"Boom!"

The Jade Shield covered the surface of his skin and clothes, absorbing all the damage. The Originium particles that would have spread with the explosion lost their potency, as if the bomb had misfired.

The Lungmen Guard Department members waiting outside watched this scene in disbelief, completely stunned.

"Holy crap, that's so badass!"

"He blocked a bomb with his bare body, I'm not seeing things, am I?"

Let alone Originium bombs, they wouldn't dare block ordinary bombs; without heavy armor, they'd be dead for sure.

The gang members, seeing the stranger's action, thought they had thrown a dud and tossed another one.

"I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Exusiai found it very amusing and quickly rushed forward, sitting down on the Originium bomb.

Due to the limited contact area, the bomb only absorbed the explosion damage directly above it. It looked as if she had let out a particularly loud fart, creating rings of shockwaves.

This world-shattering scene left the Lungmen Guard Department members on the periphery frozen in shock.

What's going on?

Sitting directly on a bomb, isn't she afraid of blowing up?

Texas noticed the shockwaves scattering black particles around the courtyard and frowned slightly:

"Stop playing around, you're getting Originium particles everywhere, it'll be hard for logistics to clean up."

Exusiai, with a smile on her face and an attitude of sincere apology, said:

"My bad, my bad, I was wrong, I shouldn't have been so reckless. Let's go, let's finish this quickly."

Tonight's suppression operation aimed to eliminate illegal organizations in districts 19-21 of the upper city and maintain Lungmen's security.

It was supposed to be a shining moment for the Lungmen Guard Department, but instead, all the glory was stolen by Penguin Logistics.

To be precise, it was stolen by a man codenamed Zhongli. Rumors of him being invincible, a phoenix of desire, and blocking bombs with his body were everywhere.

To maintain a low profile, Shi Lei hardly made any moves tonight and didn't use his elemental burst. Unfortunately, he suddenly had three, no, two 'Zhongli fanboys' by his side.

Every time they resolved a stronghold's trouble, Exusiai and Croissant would brag to the Lungmen Guard Department about how powerful Zhongli was. They even handed out business cards to solicit business for Penguin Logistics.

This made him incredibly embarrassed, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground, and he repeatedly told them not to do that. However, they thought Shi Lei was being humble and praised him even more.

It wasn't until he sternly expressed his displeasure that Exusiai and Croissant stopped. But the codename Zhongli had spread throughout a large part of the Lungmen Guard Department within two hours.

046 Night Anecdote

Tonight's joint operation to crack down on illegal organizations wasn't like leveling up in a game. It was about using swift and decisive measures to suppress small and medium-sized gangs of varying scales.

It was just that some gangs had obtained Originium bombs, and the Lungmen Guard Department judged that a frontal assault would result in heavy casualties, so they had been in a stalemate.

Tonight, Shi Lei and the other Messengers became the firefighters, going wherever they were called for help. The strongholds that the Lungmen Guard Department had been unable to attack for a long time were resolved by them in a few minutes. While they were shocked by the results, they didn't forget to advertise their company.

In reality, there were more gangs in the lower city, and their numbers were larger than these illegal organizations. Some of them even possessed prohibited weapons, but at least they didn't openly display them.

The slums were entirely under Lin Gerei's watch, preventing the lower city from falling into chaos easily. As long as the local gangs abided by the rules of the underworld he established, everyone could coexist peacefully.

The stronghold in District 21 was handled personally by Chen. Seven gangs, including the Golden Hook Gang, were eradicated, and countless crossbows, sabers, and illegal standard weapons were confiscated.

By around 9 PM, today's joint operation to crack down on illegal organizations finally concluded.

Initially, Officer Chen didn't quite grasp what her subordinates were reporting about Zhongli's deeds. She thought Penguin Logistics had just hired a new employee.

It wasn't until her subordinates mentioned the exaggerated shield ability that she realized that was Shi Lei's codename. She used the intercom to ask him to switch to channel five for a private chat to express her gratitude.

Before they set out, Officer Chen had specifically hinted for him to keep a low profile. But if he had kept a low profile tonight, many Lungmen Guard Department members would have contracted the Originium-related illness. For most of the officers, this would undoubtedly be a huge blow.

"Officer Chen, what can I do for you?"

"I've heard about what you've done. On behalf of all the Lungmen Guard Department employees who participated in tonight's operation, I want to express our gratitude to you and Penguin Logistics."

As the saying goes, with greater reward comes greater responsibility. Shi Lei earned his money, so he naturally did the work:

"Ah, you're too kind. I'm just taking money to solve problems, that's all."

"It's something we agreed upon."

"Mhm, thank you for your hard work tonight. I need to escort the prisoner back to the Lungmen Guard Department now, so I won't be able to thank you in person. Your payment will be calculated by the finance department tomorrow and deposited into your company's account then."

"No problem at all."

After the communication ended, Exusiai, sitting in the back seat, leaned forward, her halo above her head a bit dazzling.

"It's only nine o'clock, not even time to rest yet. How about we find a place to grab some food and drinks, and have a party to celebrate?"

Late-night snacks are also called parties now?

Thinking of her obsession with parties, Shi Lei couldn't be bothered to correct her and accepted the term.

"Count me in."

Croissant, who was driving, raised her hand when she heard that.

"We took on a big job today, so we can take the rest of the month off. We definitely deserve a good meal to celebrate."

Exusiai, having gotten a response, looked to her side.

"Texas, what about you?"

She nodded, indicating her willingness. Texas basically attended every party. Even if she wasn't interested in the food or drinks, it didn't matter. Attending a party was mainly about enjoying the lively atmosphere.

"Yay! We get to have a party again!"

Exusiai was incredibly excited, practically buzzing with energy.

"Croissant, why don't you decide where we should go?"

Shi Lei covered his eyes with his hands, trying to avoid being stimulated by her halo, and blurted out, "Since you asked, why didn't you ask me?"