Awakened Zhongli Template, Retiring in Terra

"BOOM!"

Same-sized meteorites, the same instant-vaporization damage—the control over his power had reached an almost perfect level.

The two Planet Befalls had already left the stubbornly resisting Felines completely stunned. Before they could recover from their shock, a third meteorite arrived right on schedule.

Like a god high above, looking down upon the masses below. With utterly unreasonable raw power, he crushed and destroyed every shred of human pride.

"This is the Heavenly Way."

Chen seemed lost in thought, as though she were watching a deity above the heavens. With meteorites and blazing flames in hand, he swept away all filth and evil from the world.

I understand now...

Why I couldn't fully draw Chi Xiao, and why I couldn't earn Uncle's approval.

In the end, it was because I was too weak. I lacked strength. From now on, I have to work twice as hard!

Because of the gathering order issued by their leader, three Planet Befalls directly incinerated nearly two hundred Felines. The rest were scared out of their wits, so it was better to leave them for Officer Chen to deal with.

Not only them—even the civilians who had survived the disaster were utterly incredulous, still unable to come back to their senses.

"Officer Chen, I'll leave the rest to you."

Shi Lei turned toward Lin Gerei, raised a hand to point in that direction, then waved as he said:

"There's an Old Man in a white coat over there. He's Lin Yuxia's father, Lin Gerei. Though you have some history with his daughter, it'd be best to discuss the cleanup with him."

Chen followed his gaze and saw that it was the Rat King. She immediately nodded to show that she understood.

"Received."

Even she had not noticed that, when facing Shi Lei, she had unconsciously lowered herself as though she were speaking to a superior.

The Special Inspectorate elites accompanying her were even more shocked, not daring to say a word throughout the whole exchange. All they could do was scream holy shit internally.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

He straightened his Penguin Logistics uniform and turned to leave the scene. Everyone still alive watched this legendary figure gradually disappear into the distance, each wearing a different complicated expression.

Received 5 Roleplay Value based on the host's performance

Current Roleplay Value: 162

Before Shi Lei had even left District 27, he saw Texas driving toward him. Exusiai leaned out from the passenger seat, raised her gun, and teased him with a grin.

"See? I told you he'd be fine. Zhongli, did someone bully you? Want me to join in? We can blow up those guys' hideout tonight!"

060 We Are Family

When other people talked about blowing up houses, they were usually joking. But when Exusiai said it, it was best to hope she was joking, because she was fully capable of doing something like that.

"You're overthinking it. Who would bully me for no reason?"

She did not press the matter further. Her gaze passed over him toward the distance. "There were meteorites falling from the sky just now—several at once. Did you see them?"

Hearing that, Shi Lei turned back and glanced in the direction he had come from.

"I did, but the meteorites shattered into dust the moment they hit the ground. There's nothing to see now. Besides, I'm curious—how did you find me?"

"Isu contacted us tonight. He said there was a problem with the account that received the payment, so he asked us to come take a look."

Croissant did not live in the same neighborhood as Exusiai, so only she and Texas had rushed over this time.

"That commission is over, so there shouldn't be any follow-up. I want to find somewhere to have a drink. Do you have any good recommendations?"

"Aha!"

At the mention of that, Exusiai immediately perked up.

"Of course! Why not call Croissant and Kong too? We can throw a Christmas party together!"

Shi Lei had only intended to find a bar, have a couple of drinks, and head back to the Safe House early. Yet she insisted on turning it into a party. There was No Way around it.

"Fine. A party it is."

With two votes in favor, Texas tacitly approved the suggestion without objecting. Seeing this, Exusiai contacted the others and arranged to meet at a quiet bar one block away from the company.

After causing such a huge commotion today, there was no way to keep it hidden. If the Governor truly came looking for him, he would not be able to hide anyway. The only difference was whether it happened sooner or later.

"Done. They'll come out after changing clothes."

Exusiai had Texas turn on the car's music, then swayed her body to the rhythm. The halo above her head happened to work perfectly as a little colored light. With a fashion magazine held in front of it, the car instantly took on the feel of a tiny nightclub.

December 25, 7:05 p.m.

The civilians who had survived the disaster had already returned home. Having been pelted in the face by meteorites and still escaped unscathed was enough for them to brag about for a long time.

The Special Inspectorate elites arrested the surviving Felines and prepared to escort them back to the Lungmen Guard Department for interrogation. At the same time, Chen's private phone rang.

"Ring, ring."

Seeing Wei Yenwu's number, her expression turned somewhat grave. After hesitating for a moment, she finally pressed the answer button.

No one knew what was being said on the other end, but Chen remained silent the entire time, offering neither rebuttal nor explanation.

The last time Shi Lei used Planet Befall at the docks to scare people off, she had reported it as a Catastrophe. This time, three meteors had fallen in succession. Chen could no longer brush it off so easily.

"Chen, let me talk to him."

Lin Gerei had appeared behind her at some point, holding out his right hand for the phone.

Chen stared at him for a moment before finally handing it over.

"Hello, it's me."

Longmen Governor Wei Yenwu was taken aback. He had not expected Lin Gerei to be near Chen:

"Old Lin? What are you doing there?"

"Yenwu, how long has it been since we last met? How about coming out tonight and having a drink with this old man?"

Smart people did not need to spell everything out.

By using Chen's phone to make the call, Lin Gerei had made it clear that he was also present and among those in the know.

Now that he had a story, all he lacked was the liquor.

Shi Lei's matter could be considered serious or insignificant. How it would be handled depended entirely on the two people talking.

Wei Yenwu held back for a long while over the phone, seemingly burdened by something difficult to say. Only after quite some time did he reply:

"I'll discuss it with my wife first."

December 25th, 8:12 p.m.

Texas drove to the pub and booked a medium-sized private room that could accommodate eight to ten people.

Shi Lei seemed to be in a bad mood. He asked a server for a plate of sunflower seeds, then sat in a corner and slowly cracked them open.

Seeing that Croissant and Miss Kong had yet to arrive, he turned on the television to pass the time and listen to the latest current affairs:

"Recently, our station's reporters have frequently spotted a pharmaceutical company called Rhodes Island near the border. They claim to be committed to creating an environment where the Infected and non-Infected can coexist peacefully, specializing in handling Infected-related incidents..."

Exusiai glanced at the screen and commented:

"The Infected and non-Infected won't get along that easily. If this Rhodes Island can actually pull it off, I'll admit they're impressive."

No one took the organization too seriously. After all, it felt far too distant from their everyday lives.

"Ah, sorry, we're late."

Not long after, Croissant and Miss Kong arrived, dressed in red and white. The color scheme of their outfits was perfectly suited to Christmas.

"I really didn't expect there to still be so many cars on the road at this hour. No more nonsense—I'll drink three cups as punishment first."

After watching her finish, Exusiai continued to stir things up:

"Three cups? Are you feeding fish? The two of you came together, so shouldn't it be six cups at least?"

"Fine, six cups it is."

Miss Kong's alcohol tolerance was average, and her management company kept a close eye on her, so Croissant usually drank on her behalf. Once she had downed them all in one go, Exusiai burst into applause.

"Not bad, not bad. Let's keep drinking!"

As a master at livening up the atmosphere, Exusiai quickly noticed that Shi Lei was not himself today and asked with concern:

"Zhongli, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Eat and drink as you like. Just pretend I'm having my monthly man-period and leave me alone."

Men always had a few days like that every month.

Shi Lei only wanted to have a few drinks tonight, then return to the Safe House and get a good night's sleep.

As for whether the Governor would drive him out of Longmen after learning the truth, he would leave such matters beyond his control to fate. In any case, before using Planet Befall, he had already been prepared to bear all the consequences.

Seeing that he had given up, Exusiai was unwilling to let it go:

"If you've run into trouble, just tell us. What's the point of bottling everything up?"

Shi Lei knew she meant well and shook his head.

"I haven't run into any trouble, really. I'm just a little tired today. I want to have a few drinks and head back early to sleep. Enjoy yourselves. You really don't need to worry about me."

Exusiai was very dissatisfied with his perfunctory attitude. She jumped straight onto the table and scolded him:

"Seriously, you're still treating us like outsiders. Everyone here today is part of the big Penguin Logistics family. If a family member is in trouble, how could we let you shoulder it alone? Even if the trouble is big enough to punch a hole in the sky, Boss will be there at the front to hold it up. None of us are afraid, so what are you afraid of? Tell us, what happened? If there's trouble, we'll bear it together."

To encounter companions in another world who were closer than family—what more could he ask for?

"Fine, fine. I won't think about that crap anymore. Pass me the alcohol. I'll punish myself with three bottles."

"Hahaha, now that's more like it."

But I Refuse

December 26th, 10:37 a.m.

When Shi Lei woke up, it was already the morning of the next day.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and struggled up from the bed cobbled together out of sofas. Without even having time to rinse his mouth, he took the elevator to the top floor to clock in.

They had been partying every night these past few days, and he had been late for two days straight. He really had been slacking off.

Just like yesterday, none of the other coworkers had arrived yet. Only after Shi Lei clocked in did he return to the Safe House to wash up.

Too lazy to bake an apple pie in the morning, he made do with biscuits and water. Before long, he received a call from Isu, telling him to go to the Boss's office.

Shi Lei had not saved the Boss's number. After receiving the message, he took the elevator to the top floor. When he pushed open the beige door, he unexpectedly saw a familiar face.

The underground emperor of the Slums, Lin Gerei.

The other man leaned on a cane with one hand, still draped in that white overcoat. His expression had initially been somewhat unpleasant, but the moment he saw Shi Lei, he immediately revealed a kindly smile.

On the sofa beside the Emperor sat a man with a dragon head. He had a rather sturdy build, wore a neatly pressed brown suit, and held a small wineglass as he sampled its contents.

Shi Lei sized up the Dragon person twice and asked, "Boss, what did you want to see me about?"

Still dressed in his usual hip-hop outfit, the Emperor reached out a claw and nudged up the sunglasses on his nose as he introduced him.

"This is Longmen Governor Wei Yenwu. He came today to ask you about a few things."

Sure enough, what was meant to come had come.

Shi Lei had long known that the two would eventually meet. He just had not expected it to happen this way.

It looked like the Boss had quite a bit of influence.

Wei Yenwu set down his wineglass, his tone somewhat formal.

"Should I call you Mr. Shi or Mr. Zhong?"