Awakening Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra

Shi Lei opened the package, catching the faint, sharp smell of chemical dyes common in new clothes.

He definitely couldn't wear them directly; it would be bad for his skin. They needed to be washed and dried to get rid of any lingering odors on the fabric.

He went downstairs to the safe house to put the clothes and pants in water, wrung them out, and then began searching the room. He couldn't find any hangers, so he ended up hanging them on the coat rack.

By the time Shi Lei took the elevator back to the top floor, Texas and Exusiai had already arrived.

"Morning."

"Morning."

While he was pouring water, Texas took a pure black eye mask from a drawer and tossed it onto Exusiai's workstation.

"Here, your gift."

Almost all Sarkaz were affected by the halo above their heads, which made resting at night difficult. This oversized, light-blocking eye mask made Exusiai very happy.

"Wow, thank you, thank you."

When Shi Lei returned with his water, he saw it too. After a moment's pause, he asked, "Exusiai, I don't know what to get you. Is there anything you want?"

The motorcycle, beer, barbecue, and pizza were all bought by Croissant; he hadn't spent a single cent.

"Oh, you don't have to. Your company last night was the best gift."

As they were talking, the Emperor walked out of the office.

Seeing the employees arriving so late, he looked displeased. With a slightly comical gait, he walked over to Shi Lei and instructed him, "Little Shi, there's a client specifically requesting you. Meet them at the Lungmen Guard Department building at 5 PM. If you don't have anything else, you can leave early now."

Leaving work right after arriving? That sounded amazing.

"Boss, who's the client?"

"Don't ask what you shouldn't. You'll know when you get there. Clock out, you won't be marked as late or early today."

Since the Emperor had learned of Shi Lei's excellent performance during the annihilation operation, his attitude towards him had improved significantly. Employees who brought revenue to the company were good employees.

Exusiai envied this treatment. She poked her head out from her workstation and, with a grin, raised her hand to ask, "I was late today, can you not deduct my pay?"

The Emperor huffed, sounding like a penguin about to let out a shriek, "Hmph, how dare you. You have the most compensation lawsuits in the company. You want a reduction for being late? Impossible, deduction! You must be deducted!"

"Boss, I haven't had any lawsuits this month."

"Don't think I'm trying to fool you just because I'm recording songs all day. You haven't had lawsuits because there's been no business this month."

Seeing her cover blown, Exusiai playfully stuck out her tongue. Because she was used to using his codename, and after Shi Lei took one, she was the only one who consistently called him by it.

"Then can I go with Zhongli?"

"The client is looking for him, why are you tagging along? You're not going anywhere today, stay at the company."

The Emperor didn't want to argue with her. He still had music demos to send to the studio and turned to leave.

Seeing Exusiai looking a bit down, Shi Lei prepared to comfort her. Unexpectedly, the next second she was grinning, her smile returning as she looked up and asked, "Aren't you leaving work? Aren't you going yet?"

He tidied up his workstation briefly and stood up, saying, "I'm leaving now, see you tomorrow."

Shi Lei swiped his card to clock out and first went to the safe house to catch up on two hours of sleep. He had drunk a bit too much last night and his head was still a little fuzzy.

By 2 PM, he set off for the public library, where he spent two and a half hours reading to gain Roleplay Value.

As his reading volume increased, Shi Lei gained a deeper understanding of the Originium-related illness. Perhaps when he ascended to the Immortal Realm, he could combine the systems of two different worlds?

His current roleplay as the Rex Lapis felt a bit sporadic. He would intervene when he encountered injustice, but wouldn't actively seek it out if he didn't see it.

The Embarrassing System was different from the roleplay systems he'd seen in other novels; it had a daily Roleplay Value cap. No matter how well he roleplayed, he could only earn ten Roleplay Value points per day. This allowed Shi Lei to learn to become an excellent person like the Rex Lapis while maintaining his own identity.

Achieving 100% roleplay of this deity, who surpassed all ages and embodied the virtues of emperors from multiple dynasties, was nearly impossible.

He had a clear understanding of this from the moment he bound with the system.

Asking a young man in his twenties to emulate an old man who was thousands of years old. Even if he had watched the game's story and fully understood his life, it wouldn't be possible.

Without experiencing the tempering of time and history, without the traces of flowing time in his heart, there was a significant difference.

Shi Lei had spent more than half a month reading, covering the geography of various countries. He knew that Terra was not as safe as it seemed and was full of crises. Perhaps it was only because Lungmen had slightly better public order that he hadn't felt it yet.

He heard from Texas that they occasionally took on business trips. If he had the chance to participate in the future, he could use his work as an excuse to experience the scenery outside.

Leaving the library, he arrived at the Lungmen Guard Department building. It was 4:55 PM, so he wasn't late.

Since he didn't know who the client was, and the boss had been so mysteriously secretive, Shi Lei stood alone by the steps, quietly observing the people coming and going.

Soon, a Lungmen Guard Department employee recognized him. They approached him to express their gratitude and even asked for a photo.

Shi Lei refused twice, but they wouldn't leave. He had no choice but to cooperate with the photos to send them away.

"Mr. Zhongli, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I would have lost my stable job."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, you don't know. Some of the brothers who stormed District 21 that day were affected by Originium bombs and contracted the Originium-related illness before you arrived. Now, half a month has passed, and some have resigned, some have retired..."

Mid-sentence, the employee suddenly stopped. He looked behind Shi Lei, put on a smiling face, and quickly left.

Before he could turn around to confirm, a voice preceded him.

"I said we would meet again."

It turned out that today's employer was Miss Swire!

Shi Lei wasn't too surprised. The people he knew at the Lungmen Guard Department were only Swire, Chen, Hoshiguma, and Nine; he wasn't familiar with the others.

"So, what's the mission tonight?"

Swire's gaze swept over him, a half-smile playing on her lips:

"No rush, let's get you a change of clothes first. With your current attire, you won't be able to enter a high-end venue."

It seemed tonight's mission was personal bodyguard duty, a job he was well-suited for.

Swire walked down, her curly hair swaying with the steps, and her tiger tail swishing back and forth.

In front of the Lungmen Guard Department building, a driver was already waiting with the car door open. However, Swire didn't get in. Instead, she first let Shi Lei sit in the back seat of the luxury car.

Heh, quite a nice backside.

054 'Taken Care Of'

Shi Lei didn't hesitate and directly sat in the back seat.

The driver didn't know his identity but quickly ran to the other side to open the door. After Swire got in, he returned to the driver's seat.

"Missy, where to next?"

"Taigu Plaza."

"Yes."

The driver adjusted the rearview mirror, started the engine, and drove away from the Lungmen Guard Department building. Swire crossed her legs, her 30D black stockings accentuating the curves of her thighs:

"I was supposed to invite many security personnel today, but having you here is almost as good as having most of them."

Hearing her speak, Shi Lei turned his head to look at her, maintaining basic social etiquette and distance:

"I appreciate Miss Swire's favor, but my defensive capabilities are sufficient, while my offensive ones are lacking. To deal with various unexpected situations, you'd best hire more people."

"We have basic security in place, you don't need to worry about that. Also, my full name is Beatrix Swire. You can also use my codename, but it's the 'Shi' from poetry, Swire."

Shi Lei offered a polite smile and nodded, not engaging in further conversation. He was here for work tonight, not to chat and make friends.

By the time they arrived at Taigu Plaza, it was already 5:30 PM. Swire was very familiar with the place and led Shi Lei into a beautifully decorated men's clothing store.

"This one, this one, and this one, have him try them all on."

"Yes, sir. The fitting room is this way."

The female sales assistant knew who she was and was very enthusiastic. In this line of work, keen observation was key.

In high-end clothing stores like this, you wouldn't typically find employees who looked down on people, like in novels. The price tags on the clothes were enough to deter ordinary people. Even if they were dissatisfied, they wouldn't show it.

Shi Lei took three black suits into the fitting room and pulled the blue curtain. Looking at the tags, he was astonished – the cheapest one cost 128,888 Lungmen Dollars.

For such high-end goods, the fabric was undoubtedly top-notch. It felt comfortable and breathable. The extra price was usually for brand premium, or perhaps inflated to justify discounts.

Since trying them on was free, he changed and walked out of the fitting room, looking at himself in the mirror.

"Excuse me, is the attire you're getting for me included in the payment for this commission, or..."

"No," Swire interrupted, "this is my personal investment in you."

Shi Lei understood that she wanted him to stand by her side to add a touch of prestige, but he felt it was unnecessary:

"Investment? I'm afraid that's not appropriate. I can protect you just fine without standing next to you."

Swire shook her head, gesturing for the two female sales assistants to wait by the door before speaking again:

"I'm not just investing in you; I'm also buying myself an extra layer of insurance. Sometimes, the danger doesn't necessarily come from enemies. Do you understand what I mean?"

She had only returned to Lungmen this year, 1094. Initially, she hadn't joined the Lungmen Guard Department but was interning at her family's business, the [Commercial Union].

Later, due to a conflict with the head of the Victoria branch, she had a huge argument during an internal meeting. She exposed the other party's scheme to provoke conflict between the Commercial Union and Lungmen for personal gain, but she also resigned from the company as a result.

The family patriarch, Adams Swire, was her grandfather. He had been bedridden for many years. While his reputation remained undiminished on the surface, his actual control over the family had weakened.

The power struggles within the family were treacherous, with relatives fighting openly and secretly for benefits. It was possible she could be dragged down at any moment.

Swire wasn't sure if that day would come, but after learning that his shield could withstand flames, bullets, Arts attacks, and even Originium bombs and dust particles, she had this idea.

Using her pocket money to insure her future safety seemed like a surefire, no-loss deal. Even if her anticipated situation didn't happen, she could consider it making a friend.

"Missy, I understand, but I can't accept this gift. It's too valuable."

Swire acted as if she hadn't heard him and waved over a saleswoman, instructing her, "Put this suit on my tab."

Afterward, she turned back to ask for his opinion, "Why don't you try on the other two suits and see which one you prefer? Or you could just buy all three."

Just as Shi Lei was about to refuse, a prompt appeared in his mind:

[Gained 1 Roleplay Value based on host's performance.]

[Current Roleplay Value: 152]

Alright, so the reason I didn't get any Roleplay Value when my colleague paid for dinner earlier was because the unit price was too low. At this rate, it's like a hundred thousand Lungmen Dollars, which converts to 1 Roleplay Value.

While he was spacing out, Swire picked out two more pairs of black suit pants and shoved them into his hands, grinning.

"Try these on and see if you like them."

Shi Lei wanted to say something, but he went into the fitting room to try them on anyway. He figured he'd have to buy them sooner or later, so it didn't make much of a difference whether he bought them now or later.

After they finished shopping, they had bought two high-end suits, two pairs of high-end suit pants, two belts, and two pairs of leather shoes. His Roleplay Value increased by 2, reaching 154.

After the midnight settlement for being [penniless], he'd get an additional 3, bringing it to 157 Roleplay Value. It would take about 8 to 9 days in total, and he would reach the Immortal Realm tier by January 2nd at the latest.

Swire asked Shi Lei to take off his hat and mask, but he flatly refused. He relied on those two items to hide his face when doing good deeds anonymously; how could he take them off?

She couldn't persuade him and reluctantly gave up. Looking at Shi Lei carrying the large shopping bags, she tilted her head and said,