The landlord frowned slightly at this and gave the two burly men a look. Exusiai and Texas stood on either side, each taking a step forward.
Before coming to Taigu Plaza to shop, they had left their weapons in the car. Even fighting barehanded, the fake muscles built in a gym were no match for the two of them.
Seeing the tension rise, the landlord did not want trouble and ordered:
"Lock the door already. What are you standing around for?"
"Sir, does this not count as violating the contract? Those who break their word shall suffer the Punishment of Eating Rock."
The landlord could not understand this flowery language and ordered again:
"Lock the door!"
At that critical moment, a woman's voice suddenly came from afar, drawing nearer.
"Who's arguing? So it's you."
"Miss Swire! What brings you here?"
Following the voice, Shi Lei saw a poised young woman about 1.6 meters tall, with blonde hair and green eyes. Three thigh straps wrapped around the black stockings on her legs, making her calves look even slimmer and more well-proportioned. A tiger tail swayed silently behind her, carrying a striped allure of its own.
Seeing the landlord's respectful attitude after his earlier arrogance, she was probably someone important.
"I just happened to pass by and saw so many people gathered here, so I came over to take a look. What, is there a problem with me looking at my own family's property?"
"N-No, we'll leave right away."
Seeing him trying to slip away, she widened her tiger eyes.
"Wait. Who said you could leave?"
At Swire's command, the accompanying bodyguards stopped the three men.
"Miss, may I see the contract?"
The shop owner seemed to know who she was. With someone stepping forward to help, she naturally became respectful and presented it with both hands.
Swire gave it a quick glance and asked:
"So, he wanted to raise the rent unilaterally before the contract expired, is that right?"
"Yes, that's right."
The landlord secretly shot her a fierce glare and muttered:
"You little girl, don't spout nonsense!"
Eldest Daughter Swire put away the contract and made a proposal:
"How about this? I'll have the Commercial Union buy this shop from you. The Lungmen legal department will discuss the relevant breach-of-contract compensation with you. From now on, this shop belongs to me, and she'll pay her rent to me. Any objections?"
The landlord lowered his head and did not dare speak, forced to accept.
"Miss Swire, thank you so much!"
Once the matter was settled, Shi Lei gained Roleplay Value. This meant the day he could advance his rank could be moved up to January 2.
The three of them turned to leave, but she suddenly called out to them.
"You're from Penguin Logistics, right? If I'm not mistaken, this gentleman must be Mister Zhongli?"
Shi Lei had not received his employee uniform yet, but Texas and Exusiai were wearing theirs, so it was not strange that she recognized them.
"That's right. What can I do for you?"
Swire studied his face, the corners of her lips curling slightly as her eyes gleamed with a teasing smile.
"You took part in the Lungmen Guard Department's operation against an illegal organization last night. Afterward, plenty of people were talking about you. I didn't expect to run into you here. What a coincidence. Since we've met, why not come to my humble home for a simple meal?"
Heh, his luck was pretty good today. He had gone shopping and bought a phone, and now a wealthy beautiful girl was inviting him to dinner. She had just said Taigu Plaza was her family's property, so she had to be rich.
Texas stepped slightly forward and refused.
"No need. We'll leave after buying what we came for."
Swire's gaze shifted to her. She smiled sweetly, displaying elegance with ease.
"Is that so? What a pity. Mister Zhongli, would it be convenient for you to leave a private contact number? If there's work in the future, I can come to you."
Swire was far too direct, making Shi Lei, who had wanted to mooch a meal, start to wonder. Was this really about dinner, or was she trying to happily farm him? It seemed better not to go.
"That won't be necessary, Miss Swire. If there's business cooperation, you can contact Penguin Logistics directly. I've only been with the company for a short time, so taking private jobs would reflect badly on me."
Swire did not press him. Her green eyes flickered.
"For commissions and cooperation, can I specify a Messenger?"
"Probably. I'll follow the boss's arrangements."
She nodded, showing no displeasure over Zhongli refusing to give her his number.
"Fine, 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 by the bodyguards to the Commercial Union to sign the follow-up shop transfer agreement.
With the matter resolved, the crowd dispersed.
Just as the three were about to head west, the tiger-headed and dragon-brained Miss Waai Fu ran up. She wore a white uniform and appeared to be working here.
"So you're from Penguin Logistics. Thank you so much for what happened that day."
Shi Lei had been going to the library every day recently, but he always took a detour when returning. Seeing the looks Exusiai and Texas gave him, he explained:
"She was being ganged up on by several people that day. I happened to pass by, so I dealt with it."
"No way?"
Exusiai looked puzzled, finding it hard to believe. "She'd have no problem taking on ten people by herself."
Waai Fu did not want to mention the videotape or the leverage. She lowered her head and remained silent.
Hearing that, Shi Lei shrank his neck.
"What? From the sound of it, you know each other?"
"Of course. She's Miss Waai Fu from the Li Family Detective Agency. We occasionally have business dealings, though not many. Usually security work."
"That's right, sir. I'm still working, so I'll head back first. Now that I know you work for Penguin Logistics, I'll come visit another day."
Exusiai's Birthday
December 4, 11:32 a.m.
Core City, Wei Yenwu's office.
"Why did you dismiss Jiu from his position?"
Chen stared straight into her uncle's eyes, her constantly swaying tail expressing the dissatisfaction in her heart.
Although Jiu had already told her that he might be removed from office, she had not expected it to happen so soon!
Madam Wen Yue was not present. Wei Yenwu's mere presence on the sofa was enough to exert a chilling pressure.
"What? Are you questioning me?"
Seeing Chen lower her head in silence, his dragon eyes narrowed into slits as he extended the goodwill of an elder.
"For the sake of you being my niece, I'll give you a private hint. Do you know what it means for an Originium bomb to appear in the Upper City? Disregarding the lives and safety of countless citizens can only demonstrate the incompetence of the Lungmen Guard Department's leadership."
Chen knew that this was not the real reason Jiu had been dismissed. The main reason was the Infected Residency Act that Jiu had recently pushed through, which had touched the interests of many nobles. That was why they would do everything possible to pull down an unruly thorn like him and return everything to normal.
Even if there had been no Originium bomb during this operation, those nobles could have reported it under the excuse of "chaotic public security" and demanded Jiu's dismissal.
Wei Yenwu gave his niece a bland glance. After all these years, her personality had not changed.
That sense of justice that came from her bones. It was both a good thing and a bad thing. It could be the Lungmen Guard Department's sense of justice, or the weak's sense of justice. When the two came into conflict, it could become something that turned against him.
Therefore, Wei Yenwu would allow Chen to rise only as far as the leader of the Special Inspectorate. He had no plans to promote her further anytime soon.
Her current position was neither too high nor too low. As long as she did not touch the core matters, she could do whatever she wanted.
A sense of justice was a double-edged sword. Most people who possessed it thought themselves invincible. Those who eliminated whatever displeased them could never enter Lungmen's core leadership.
"Knock knock."
Hearing the knock, Wei Yenwu responded:
"Come in."
A middle-aged man with tiger-tail traits and refined glasses entered the office.
Wei Yenwu picked up a list of names from the desk and handed it to Chen.
"According to intelligence, the remnants of the gang that distributed Originium bombs everywhere that day may not have been fully eliminated. They are still hiding in Lungmen. For the time being, devote yourself fully to tracking them down. I want to see them alive, or their corpses if dead."
His niece could not possibly refuse something that protected the safety of Lungmen's citizens.
She turned to look at the middle-aged man with the tiger tail, knowing that he would take over as director of the Lungmen Guard Department. Judging by his biological traits, he was likely from the Swire family.
Perhaps her uncle had never needed a capable subordinate like Jiu in the first place. What he valued was only whether someone was obedient.
How absurd. How laughable.
Chen remembered clearly that when she joined the Lungmen Guard Department, she had sworn before its building to fight for Lungmen's citizens for the rest of her life. But what was the result? Before the interests of those in power, did Vulnerable Groups deserve to be sacrificed?
December 23, 9:00 a.m.
Time raced by as if a video were being fast-forwarded.
Shi Lei had not encountered anything major for more than ten days. Every day, after delivering goods, he went to the library to read. Since he did not carry money on him, he was guaranteed to gain 5 Roleplay Value.
In a little over ten days, he would be able to advance to the Immortal Realm. He wondered what ability he would awaken. He was truly looking forward to it.
Croissant appeared in the office area early in the morning, which was quite surprising. Normally, she either arrived late or left immediately after clocking in. She rarely stayed at the company.
When Shi Lei went downstairs to the warehouse to send out deliveries, Croissant followed him into the elevator. As the elevator doors slowly closed, she crooked a finger, signaling him to come closer.
What was going on?
Though puzzled, he still moved closer.
"Why are you being so mysterious? What's going on?"
After confirming that no outsider was listening, Croissant lowered her voice.
"Zhongli, tomorrow is Exusiai's birthday. I've been saving up for a while and bought her a motorcycle. I want to give her a surprise then."
Shi Lei did not quite understand and shook his head.
"If you want to surprise her, then surprise her. Do you need my help with something?"
"Smart. I'll set up the surprise at Exusiai's home and give her a birthday she'll never forget. Today, you and Texas need to keep her occupied. Don't let Exusiai go home before midnight. Can you do it?"
Given Exusiai's love of parties, as long as they took her drinking after work, they should be able to keep her out for quite a while.
A motorcycle clearly cost a fortune. Seeing how generous Croissant was, Shi Lei felt deeply envious.
"No problem, leave it to me. We'll drag her into a party after work. That should keep her occupied for a long time. By the way, does Texas know about this plan?"
When the elevator reached the first floor, Croissant waved goodbye.
"She knows. Contact me anytime by phone if anything comes up. I'll get going first."
Shi Lei went downstairs to send out deliveries and finished the work by himself in just over ten minutes. There were pitifully few music album orders or regular orders now, so everyone was free to do their own thing.
He hurried to the library to read and secured 2 Roleplay Value first. Then he used social media to ask Texas where she was and met up with them for a meal.
"Hey, why did you come back so early today?"
Shi Lei brushed it off without revealing any flaws.
"There weren't any good books to read today, so I came back early. It's so cold out. How about we have a party tonight and drink a little to warm up?"
At the mention of a party, Exusiai immediately became excited.
"Sure, sure! Let's call Kong and Croissant too. New Year's Day is almost here, so we should all get together properly."
Before you continue