The Lungmen Guard Department members carrying heavy shields earlier hadn't been able to withstand the infected casters' attacks. They didn't even have decent armor—wouldn't going in just be sending themselves to their deaths?
Exusiai couldn't be bothered to explain and called out:
"Zhongli, give us a shield. I bet an apple pie that we'll take down this stronghold within five minutes. What about you two? Want to compete?"
"Childish."
Texas had no interest in playing that game. She carried her light sword and headed inside, with Croissant quickly following after her.
Exusiai was busy checking her magazine. Seeing this, she hurriedly chased after them.
The moment the three entered the stronghold's front yard, several streaks of red energy shot toward them like cannonballs.
The Magic Attacks struck the shield without so much as a scratch, not even leaving the faintest crack.
Before the caster on the high ground could even react in surprise, Shi Lei picked his spot and summoned two Rock Spines on either side of him.
Come on, I'm practically built to counter the infected!
Faced with the Rock Spines that had suddenly appeared beside him, the infected caster's hair stood on end. Before the Rock Element could spread onto his body, he quickly retreated and opened up a safe distance.
Though he had successfully dodged, he had also surrendered the best high-ground position. Knowing the danger had been temporarily resolved, Shi Lei beckoned the Medical Operator over.
"Come on, it's time to treat the wounded."
When she remained where she was, he added:
"I'll be in front. Don't be afraid."
With that, Shi Lei took the lead, drawing a startled cry from the young girl. At the sight of the corpses in the front yard, the Medical Operator's body wouldn't stop trembling.
Tonight's operation had affected several entire blocks, so casualties were unavoidable. None of this was Shi Lei's fault, so he naturally felt nothing else about it.
After checking, they found that only the Lungmen Guard Department member with the broken leg had survived in the front yard. But his eyes were empty, and he neither cried nor made a fuss. He would probably need a long recovery before returning to normal.
Inside the stronghold, the three charged into the central courtyard.
The infected caster had retreated to another platform, guarding a woman's corpse with reddened eyes.
"Fuck, I'll make you pay for my lover's death! Every last one of you is going to die!"
Exusiai didn't care about any of that and opened fire immediately.
The rubber bullets made the caster howl in pain, forcing him to tightly cover his head with both hands.
At the same time, Croissant climbed onto the platform with her hammer, intending to introduce its striking face to him up close.
Just as she was about to land a decisive blow on his chest, Texas sensed something wrong and hurriedly stopped her.
"Croissant, wait!"
Hearing that, Croissant didn't strike his chest. Instead, she smashed his back, knocked him to the ground, and pinned him beneath her foot.
Texas kicked open the room behind him, but found no gang members inside. She immediately returned and demanded:
"Where are the others?"
"Hahaha, only noticed now? Too late!"
The infected caster lay face-down on the ground, unable to move, yet his voice remained arrogant. "When the Lungmen Guard Department evacuated the civilians, we'd already been discovered. Take a guess—what gift do you think we sent the other gangs?"
"Talk. What was it?"
He refused to cooperate and kept spitting obscenities. Texas made a snap decision and knocked him unconscious. As for the answer, they would find out by checking the other strongholds.
"Let's go. Get out first."
They swiftly left to rendezvous with Shi Lei, then rushed without pause toward the next stronghold. This place had already been taken by the Lungmen Guard Department, but the logistics staff had yet to enter the scene. Croissant drove closer and asked:
"Friends, haven't you already taken this place? Why are you still standing outside?"
Seeing the Penguin Logistics logo on the vehicle, the logistics staff recognized them as allies and explained:
"Well, someone used an Originium bomb in there. There are Originium Particles dust everywhere, and we don't have enough protective suits. We're waiting for reinforcements."
As they spoke, the Walkie-Talkie crackled. Jiu's voice came through, issuing a warning to all personnel:
"Attention, all units. Any Lungmen Guard Department members who have not yet taken their strongholds must immediately cease operations, withdraw, and remain on standby where you are. Among the illegal organizations being eliminated tonight, there are varying quantities of Originium bombs, creating a risk of widespread infection. I repeat, any units that have not taken their target must cease operations immediately!"
The logistics staff had heard the announcement too, and he looked helpless.
"See? It's not that we don't want to go in. The conditions just don't allow it right now."
"Mm, thanks. Bye."
Croissant started the engine and drove away, then asked Shi Lei in the passenger seat:
"I remember Officer Chen treated you to dinner because you put shields on them and blocked the Originium Particles, right?"
"That's right, they can block them. Other than falling from great heights and bleeding, the shield can absorb any kind of damage."
"Bleeding?"
There were no bleeding dogs in Terra. Shi Lei gestured as he gave a vague explanation.
"Not bleeding from a wound. How should I put it... the blood inside your body gradually starts decreasing."
Texas immediately understood.
"The Blood Demon branch of the Sarkaz has Originium Arts related to blood. Perhaps that's the natural counter to your shield."
Tch, this world has bleeding dogs too?
Disgusting.
After chatting for only a short while, Croissant drove to the next stronghold. Seeing a group of Lungmen Guard Department members standing outside, all four got out and prepared to breach through the front entrance.
"Don't go in, you—"
The four put on Jade Shields and openly walked in through the front gate. From the defensive fortifications in the central courtyard, gang members took turns firing crossbows at them. The bolts thudded against their shields, but couldn't harm them.
Suddenly, a magma-colored Originium bomb was thrown from the shadows toward the Messengers. Just as it was about to explode, Shi Lei lunged forward and covered the Originium bomb with his body.
Bang!
The Jade Shield covered the surface of his skin and clothing, absorbing all the damage. The Originium Particles that should have spread with the explosion lost their momentum, as if the bomb had misfired.
The Lungmen Guard Department members waiting outside stared at the scene in disbelief, each one dumbfounded.
"Holy shit, that's fucking awesome!"
"He blocked a bomb with his body? Am I seeing this right?"
Forget an Originium bomb—even an ordinary bomb was something they wouldn't dare block. Without heavy armor, death would be certain.
Seeing that the unfamiliar man was completely unharmed, the gang members thought they had thrown a dud and tossed out another one.
"Me, me!"
Exusiai thought it looked incredibly fun. She rushed over and plopped herself down on top of the Originium bomb.
Limited by the area of contact, the bomb only had its upward explosion absorbed. It looked as though she had let out an especially loud fart, sending rings of air rippling outward.
That utterly worldview-shattering sight left the Lungmen Guard Department members around the perimeter frozen like wooden chickens.
What was going on?
She sat directly on a bomb—wasn't she afraid of being blasted into the sky?
Texas noticed that the shockwaves had blown the black particles throughout the courtyard, and she frowned slightly.
"Stop playing around. You're scattering Originium Particles everywhere, and it'll be a nightmare for logistics to clean up."
Exusiai wore a broad smile and readily admitted her mistake.
"My bad, my bad. I was wrong. I shouldn't have messed around like that. Come on, let's hurry up and finish the people inside."
Tonight's elimination operation targeted illegal organizations in Upper City Districts 19 through 21, aiming to maintain Lungmen's public order.
The Lungmen Guard Department should have been the star of the show, but Penguin Logistics stole all the spotlight instead.
More precisely, it had all been stolen by a man codenamed Zhongli. Rumors about him included clearing strongholds without a scratch, rising like a phoenix from the flames, and blocking bombs with his bare body.
To keep a low profile, Shi Lei had rarely acted tonight and hadn't used his Elemental Burst. Unfortunately, three—no, two—Zhongli fanatics had suddenly appeared at his side.
Whenever they resolved trouble at a stronghold, Exusiai and Croissant would boast to the Lungmen Guard Department about how amazing Zhongli was. They even handed out business cards and drummed up work for Penguin Logistics.
It embarrassed him so badly that he wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground. He repeatedly told them not to do it, yet they only took it as Shi Lei being humble and praised him even more fervently.
Only after he sternly voiced his displeasure did Exusiai and Croissant stop. But the codename Zhongli had already spread through more than half of the Lungmen Guard Department within two hours.
Nighttime Anecdotes
Tonight's joint operation against illegal organizations wasn't like clearing game stages where the enemies got stronger and stronger. It was simply a thunderous crackdown on small and medium-sized gangs of varying sizes.
It was only because some gangs had acquired Originium bombs, and the Lungmen Guard Department judged that a forced assault would cause heavy casualties, that they had remained locked in a stalemate.
Shi Lei and the other Messengers had become firefighters tonight, going wherever help was requested. Strongholds the Lungmen Guard Department couldn't take after a long siege were resolved by them in minutes. While reaping stunned reactions, they also didn't forget to advertise their company.
There were actually more gangs in the Lower City, and they were larger than these illegal organizations. Some even possessed prohibited weapons, but at least they wouldn't flaunt them openly.
The Slums relied entirely on Lin Gerei to keep watch, preventing the Lower City from easily falling into disorder. As long as the local gangs followed the underworld rules he had set, everyone could coexist peacefully.
The stronghold in District 21 was handled personally by Chen. She led the operation to wipe out seven gangs, including the Golden Hook Gang, and confiscated countless crossbows, machetes, and illegal standard-issue weapons.
It wasn't until around nine in the evening that today's joint operation against illegal organizations finally came to an end.
At first, when Chen kept hearing her subordinates report Zhongli's exploits, she hadn't quite understood. She thought Penguin Logistics had hired another new employee.
Only when a subordinate mentioned the exaggerated shielding ability did she realize that it was Shi Lei's codename. She had him switch his Walkie-Talkie to Channel Five and opened a private line to thank him.
Before setting out, Chen had specifically hinted that he should keep a lower profile. But if he had stayed low-key tonight, many Lungmen Guard Department members would have contracted Originium-related illness. For most officers, that would undoubtedly have been a devastating blow.
"Officer Chen, what do you need me for?"
"I've heard about what you did. On behalf of all Lungmen Guard Department personnel who participated in tonight's operation, I would like to express my gratitude to you and Penguin Logistics."
As the saying went, greater pay came with greater responsibility. Shi Lei would naturally do work equal to the money he received.
"Ah, you're too polite. Taking someone's money means solving their problems. This was what you and I agreed upon."
"Mm. You all worked hard tonight. I need to escort the prisoners back to the Lungmen Guard Department now, so I won't come over to thank you in person. The relevant compensation will be calculated after the finance department starts work tomorrow, then transferred to your company's account."
"Sure, sure."
After the communication ended, Exusiai, seated in the back row, leaned forward. The halo above her head was somewhat dazzling.
"It's only nine o'clock. It's not time to rest yet. How about we find somewhere to eat, have a few drinks, and throw a party to celebrate?"
Late-night snacks count as a party?
Thinking of her obsession with parties, Shi Lei couldn't be bothered to correct her and accepted the term.
"Count me in."
Croissant was driving, but she raised a hand to sign up when she heard that.
"We landed a huge job today, so we can take the rest of the month off. We should have a good meal to celebrate."
Having gotten a response, Exusiai looked beside her.
"Texas, what about you?"
Texas nodded, indicating that she was willing. Whenever they threw a party, Texas usually attended. Even if she wasn't interested in the food or drinks, it didn't matter. The main point of a party was enjoying the lively atmosphere.
"Yay! We get to have another party!"
Exusiai was incredibly excited, practically buzzing with energy.
"Croissant, why don't you decide where we're going?"
Shi Lei covered his eyes with both hands to avoid being dazzled by the halo above her head, then blurted out:
"You asked everyone else. Why didn't you ask me?"
Before you continue