Awakening the Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra

The landlord frowned slightly at this, giving the two burly men a look. Exusiai and Texas stood on either side, stepping forward.

They had left their weapons in the car before coming to Antiquity Square to shop. Even fighting empty-handed, these fake muscles from the gym were no match for the two of them.

Seeing the atmosphere becoming tense, the landlord didn't want to get into trouble and ordered:

"Lock the door quickly, what are you standing around for?"

"Sir, isn't this a breach of contract? Those who break their word shall face the Punishment of Eating Rock."

The landlord didn't understand the flowery language and ordered again:

"Lock the door!"

At the critical moment, a woman's voice was heard approaching from a distance.

"I was wondering who was arguing, turns out it's you."

"Miss Swire! What brings you here?"

Shi Lei looked towards the sound and saw a young woman about 1.6 meters tall, with blonde hair and green eyes, and a very elegant demeanor. The thigh-high stockings she wore had three leg bands, making her calves appear more slender and shapely. A tiger tail with natural stripes swayed silently behind her, exuding a tempting allure.

Seeing the landlord's subservient attitude, the newcomer was clearly someone important.

"I just happened to be passing by and saw so many people gathered here, so I came to take a look. What, do you have a problem with my family's property?"

"No, no, we'll be leaving now."

Seeing that they intended to leave, she glared:

"Wait a minute, who gave you permission to leave?"

As Swire gave the order, her accompanying bodyguards blocked the three of them.

"Miss, may I see the contract?"

The shop owner seemed to know who the newcomer was. With someone stepping in to help, their attitude naturally became respectful, and they handed it over with both hands.

Swire glanced at it and asked:

"So, he wanted to unilaterally raise the rent before the contract ended, is that correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

The landlord secretly glared at her, saying in a low voice:

"You little girl, don't just spout nonsense!"

Miss Swire put away the contract and made a suggestion:

"How about this, I'll have the Commercial Union buy this shop from you. The relevant breach of contract fees will be handled by Lungmen's legal department. From now on, this shop belongs to me, and her rent will be paid to me. Any problems?"

The landlord lowered his head and dared not speak, implicitly agreeing.

"Miss Swire, thank you so much!"

After the matter was resolved, Shi Lei received role-playing points. This advancement would now be brought forward to January 2nd.

As the three turned to leave, they were suddenly called back:

"You're from Penguin Logistics, aren't you? And if I'm not mistaken, this should be Mr. Zhongli?

Shi Lei hadn't received his employee uniform yet, but Texas and Exusiai were wearing theirs, so it wasn't strange for her to recognize them.

"Yes, may I ask what you need?"

Swire sized up his face, a slight smile playing on her lips, her eyes twinkling with amusement:

"Last night I participated in the Lungmen Guard Department's crackdown on illegal organizations, and many people were talking about you afterwards. I didn't expect to meet you here, what a coincidence. Why not seize the day? Would you like to come to my humble abode for a simple meal?"

Heh, today's luck is really good. I bought a phone while shopping, and now a rich and beautiful young lady is inviting me for a meal. Earlier, she mentioned that Antiquity Square was her family's property, so she must be very wealthy.

Texas stepped forward slightly, refusing:

"No need, we'll leave after we finish shopping."

Swire's gaze shifted back to her, smiling charmingly, displaying her elegance perfectly:

"Is that so, what a pity. Mr. Zhongli, would you be willing to leave a private contact number? I might have work for you in the future."

Swire was too direct, making Shi Lei, who had been hoping to freeload a meal, feel a bit uneasy. Was this an invitation for a meal or an opportunity to "farm" for benefits? He felt it might be better not to go.

"No need, Miss Swire. If you have business cooperation, you can contact Penguin Logistics directly. It wouldn't look good for me to take private jobs so soon after joining the company."

Swire didn't insist, her green eyes flickering:

"For commissioned work, can I specify the messenger?"

"I suppose so, I'll follow the boss's arrangements."

She nodded, not showing any displeasure at Zhongli's refusal to give his contact number:

"Alright, we'll talk about it then. I believe we'll be seeing each other again very soon."

With that, Swire turned and left without any hesitation.

The landlord and the burly men were taken away by the bodyguards to the Commercial Union to sign the subsequent shop transfer agreement.

With the matter resolved, the onlookers dispersed.

The three of them were about to head west when Miss Waai Fu, with her tiger-like head and build, ran up to them. She was wearing a white uniform and looked like she was working there.

"Oh, you're from Penguin Logistics! Thank you so much for what you did that day."

Shi Lei had been going to the library every day recently, but he had chosen a detour on his way back. Seeing the looks from Exusiai and Texas, he explained:

"She was being ganged up on by multiple people that day, and I just happened to be passing by, so I took care of it."

"No way?"

Exusiai looked confused, finding it unbelievable. "She can handle ten people without a problem."

Waai Fu didn't want to bring up the matter of the videotape or the leverage, so she lowered her head and remained silent.

Hearing this, Shi Lei flinched.

"What, by the sound of it, you two know each other?"

"Of course! She's Miss Waai Fu from the Li Family Detective Agency. We occasionally have business dealings, but not much. It's usually security work."

"Yes, sir, I'm still at work, so I'll be heading back now. Now that I know you're an employee of Penguin Logistics, I'll visit you another day."

049 Exusiai's Birthday

December 4th, 11:32 AM.

Core City, Wei Yenwu's Office.

"Why did you dismiss Nine from her position?"

Chen Hui Jie looked directly into her uncle's eyes, her constantly wagging tail expressing her displeasure.

Although Nine had told her in advance that she might be removed from her post, she hadn't expected it to happen so quickly!

Madam Wen Yue was not present. Wei Yenwu, just by sitting on the sofa, exuded a chilling pressure.

"What, are you questioning me?"

Seeing Chen Hui Jie lower her head in silence, he narrowed his dragon eyes into slits and released the goodwill of an elder towards her.

"Considering you're my niece, I might as well give you a private heads-up. Do you know what the appearance of Originium bombs in the upper city means? Disregarding the lives and safety of thousands of citizens can only indicate the incompetence of the Lungmen Guard Department's leadership."

Chen Hui Jie knew that her resignation wasn't really because of this reason. The main issue was that the "Infected Residential Law" that Nine had recently promoted had touched upon the interests of many nobles. Therefore, they would do everything they could to bring down the disobedient troublemakers and restore everything to its proper course.

Even if there hadn't been Originium bombs during this extermination operation, those nobles could have used "public disorder" as an excuse to report it and demand Nine's dismissal.

Wei Yenwu glanced indifferently at his niece. After so many years together, her personality hadn't changed.

That sense of justice from the depths of her bones. It could be both a good and a bad thing. It could be the justice of the Lungmen Guard Department, or it could be the justice of the weak. When the two sides clashed, it would become an opposing force.

Therefore, Wei Yenwu could at most allow Chen Hui Jie to serve as the head of the Special Inspectorate. He had no plans for further promotion in the short term.

Anyway, her current position was neither too high nor too low. As long as she didn't touch the core aspects, he didn't care what she did.

Justice is a double-edged sword, and most of its wielders feel invincible. They eliminate anything they dislike, which prevents them from entering Lungmen's core management.

"Knock, knock."

Hearing the knock, Wei Yenwu replied, "Come in."

A middle-aged man with the distinctive feature of a tiger's tail, wearing elegant glasses, walked into the office.

Wei Yenwu picked up a list of names from his desk and handed it to Chen Hui Jie.

"According to intelligence. The remnants of the gang that were distributing Originium bombs everywhere that day are suspected to not have been completely eradicated and are still hiding in Lungmen. You will dedicate your full attention to tracking their whereabouts during this period. I want them alive or dead."

For matters like protecting the safety of Lungmen's citizens, his niece couldn't possibly refuse.

She glanced at the middle-aged man with the tiger's tail, knowing that he would be taking over as the Director of the Lungmen Guard Department. Judging by his biological features, he should be from the Swire family.

Perhaps her uncle never needed a talented subordinate like Nine from the beginning. What he valued was simply whether they were obedient.

It was absurd and laughable.

Chen Hui Jie clearly remembered swearing in front of the Lungmen Guard Department building when she joined, vowing to strive for the citizens of Lungmen her entire life. But what was the result? In the face of the interests of those in power, were the weak destined to be sacrificed?

December 23rd, 9:00 AM.

Time flew by like a fast-forwarded movie.

Shi Lei hadn't encountered any major events for over ten days. He delivered goods every day and then went to the library to read. Since he didn't carry money with him, he consistently gained 5 points of acting value.

In about ten more days, he would be able to upgrade to the Immortal Realm. He wondered what abilities he would awaken; he was truly looking forward to it.

Croissant appeared in the office area early in the morning, which was quite surprising. She usually either arrived late or left right after clocking in, rarely staying at the company.

When Shi Lei went downstairs to the warehouse to deliver goods, Croissant followed him into the elevator. As the elevator doors slowly closed, she hooked her finger, signaling him to come closer.

What's going on?

He felt puzzled but still leaned in.

"What's with the mystery? What's going on?"

Confirming no one else was eavesdropping, Croissant lowered her voice and said:

"Zhongli, tomorrow is Exusiai's birthday. I've been saving up to buy her a motorcycle as a surprise. I hope she'll like it."

Shi Lei didn't quite understand and shook his head, asking:

"If you want to surprise her, just do it. Do you need any help from me?"

"You're smart. I'm going to set up a surprise at Exusiai's place for a birthday she'll never forget. Can you and Texas keep her busy today and make sure she doesn't go home before midnight? Can you do it?"

Given Exusiai's love for parties, if they took her out for drinks after work, they should be able to keep her occupied for a long time:

A motorcycle sounded incredibly expensive. The other party was being so generous that Shi Lei felt very envious:

"No problem, leave it to me. I'll take her out for a party after work, and we should be able to keep her busy for a while. By the way, does Texas know about this plan?"

As the elevator reached the first floor, Croissant waved goodbye:

"She knows. Contact me on my phone if anything comes up. I'm heading off now."

Shi Lei went downstairs to make deliveries and finished in just over ten minutes. Nowadays, there were very few music albums and singles available, so everyone was free to do as they pleased.

He seized the opportunity to go to the library to read and get his 2 acting points first. Immediately after, he used the social app to ask for Texas's location and met up with them for a meal.

"Hey, why are you back so early today?"

Shi Lei replied evasively, showing no signs of anything amiss:

"There weren't any good books today, so I came back early. It's so cold out, why don't we have a party tonight to warm up with some drinks?"

The mention of a party immediately excited Exusiai:

"Yes, yes! Let's invite Sora and Croissant too. New Year's is coming up soon, it'll be great to get together."