"Either is fine. Your call."
Shi Lei wasn't familiar with him, so there was no need for formalities.
Wei Yenwu smiled, but it lacked Lin Gerei's kindly air.
Instead, it felt like a sharp sword:
"The Lungmen Guard Department has already identified the mastermind behind yesterday's assignment, which was really an ambush. That Commercial Union official has been arrested by Officer Chen."
He didn't know what to say, so his response was curt.
"Oh."
The Governor had come all the way from Core City. Was he trying to win him over?
Before Shi Lei could speculate further, the other party revealed the purpose of his visit. If he didn't, the conversation couldn't continue:
"I hold your skills in high regard, sir. Would you be willing to take a position in the Lungmen Guard Department's Special Inspectorate?"
That offer was phrased rather vaguely. Being a team member counted as taking a position, and so did being a janitor. It was an extremely broad invitation, one that left room to advance or retreat.
Shi Lei had absolutely no interest in the olive branch Governor Wei Yenwu had extended.
From what he knew, being a cop meant endless hassle, low pay, and few days off. Compared to his current job as a Messenger, it had no advantages besides a formal post.
"Governor, thank you very much for this precious opportunity. I know that everyone who enters the Special Inspectorate is an elite among elites. Offering me a position right away shows that you recognize my strength. I'm sure such treatment is unprecedented in the history of the Lungmen Guard Department..."
Wei Yenwu nodded and grinned, revealing his dragon fangs. At least the kid knew what was good for him. His exception in recruiting him hadn't been wasted. But the next second, his smile froze.
"However, I refuse."
"What?!"
Apology in his eyes, Shi Lei took the initiative to explain:
"Governor, I've never received professional training, so I'm afraid I can't shoulder such a responsibility. Besides, I'm doing quite well at Penguin Logistics. I get along well with everyone there, and I have no plans to switch sides for now."
When Emperor heard that, he was overjoyed.
Before calling Shi Lei into the office, they had agreed on three rules, one of which was not to interfere with Shi Lei's choice. Now, it had proven that he truly was someone who repaid kindness.
Hahaha, Wei Yenwu, didn't see that coming, did you!
"This opportunity isn't available to just anyone. You should think carefully before making your decision."
"No need. I've thought it through."
The terms the Governor offered simply weren't enticing enough, so his refusal was only natural.
"See? I told you that you couldn't poach him. Don't forget to honor your promise."
Wei Yenwu didn't press the matter further. He rose to his feet, nodded politely, and prepared to leave the office.
If Shi Lei had worked for another company, Wei Yenwu had plenty of ways to poach him. But he just had to be Emperor's employee. Who knew whether that was fortunate or unfortunate?
Looking across all of Lungmen, the three giants controlling the gray industries were Emperor, Wei Yenwu, and Lin Gerei.
Owell had only risen to prominence by picking up the scraps of business that everyone else discarded. He couldn't yet be considered a gray-market tycoon.
Seeing Shi Lei refuse the invitation, Lin Gerei seemed to want to say something, but ultimately followed the others out of the office.
His relationship with his daughter had only just been repaired and was still far from stable. Trying to win Shi Lei over now would be too hasty and could easily backfire. He still needed to lay more groundwork.
"Little Shi, I still have matters to handle today. See them out for me. Once you're done, you can clock out."
Holy shit, he could get off work before noon?
As expected of a private company boss. Just doing whatever he wanted.
"Yes, Boss."
Shi Lei accepted the order and headed out, catching up to the two of them. When the elevator arrived at the top floor, Wei Yenwu stepped inside first.
"Mr. Shi, there's no need to see us off. This is far enough. We will meet again."
Tsk...
Why did that sound so much like Swire?
Yesterday, Shi Lei had thought that once Wei Yenwu appeared, he would be dragged away for human experimentation. Who would have thought his boss had such powerful backing that even the Governor had reservations?
Shi Lei clocked out, but he wasn't in a hurry to leave the company. He wanted to wait until everyone came in at noon, then head to the public library after lunch to read.
Meanwhile, the descending elevator slowly rose.
"Ding!"
The elevator doors opened, and Texas stepped out in a red shirt, holding a Pocky stick she used to quit smoking. She had driven to the Slums yesterday, so when she saw the strange phenomenon in the sky, she should have known what had happened. She had also just seen Wei Yenwu and Lin Gerei downstairs, so she asked:
"I saw them downstairs just now. They must have come looking for you. How did it go? Are you okay?"
"Me? I'm doing fine."
"They didn't give you any trouble?"
Shi Lei smiled and gestured for her not to worry.
"No. They even invited me to work for the Lungmen Guard Department, but I turned them down."
Texas nodded. Once she confirmed there shouldn't be any further trouble for him, she didn't ask any more questions.
It wasn't until noon that Croissant finally arrived. Exusiai came even later, clearly having overslept.
Having their performance scores docked had become routine. They valued enjoying life in the moment more. Perhaps only a place like Penguin Logistics could have such a distinctive party culture.
Shi Lei didn't mention that he had already clocked out, lest he draw resentment. In any case, he would be reading at the public library all afternoon, so whether he was working or not made little difference.
Come to think of it, he was about to advance in rank.
I Become a Dragon!
Morning, January 1st, Year 1095.
Just as usual, Shi Lei had attended the party Exusiai hosted yesterday and didn't return to the Safe House until the early hours of the morning.
His consciousness had been drowned in alcohol. He failed to notice the system's rank advancement notification and drifted off to sleep in a haze.
When Shi Lei woke up, he suddenly found his neck incredibly stiff.
His head also felt terribly heavy. He casually reached up and touched something that he couldn't tell was a horn or a lump.
Huh?!
Shi Lei's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly sobered up.
He pushed himself up and looked in the mirror, only then noticing that his hands had become claws and his body had turned into a dragon form striped in brown and golden yellow. His face went pale with shock.
Holy shit, I turned into a dragon!
Shi Lei stared at his claws for a long while before hurriedly opening the system interface. Sure enough, among the notifications he hadn't read since last night, he found the reason for his dragon transformation.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host, on advancing in rank!
Current Roleplay Value: 0 points (reach 500 points to advance to the third rank, Archon Realm)
Current Realm: Immortal Realm (possesses the strength of an immortal, unlocks Immortal Body Mode, unlocks exquisite control over elemental power, and can independently formulate immortal arts)
Immortal Body Mode: Maintains a half-dragon, half-scale beast form. In this state, it can absorb the essence of the sun and moon. The accumulated essence can be used to enhance immortal arts. This mode is enabled by default. The Host may activate or deactivate it at will.
In Genshin Impact, most of Liyue's immortals took beastly forms. Some were pure animals, like sika deer and cranes. Of course, there were also those like Xiao, who had human appearances.
Given Terra's aesthetic preference for Ancients, Shi Lei would definitely be more popular after turning into a dragon. But he only wanted to keep his original appearance and had no desire to make himself so flashy.
Change back!
As his body rapidly returned to human form, a bold idea suddenly flashed through Shi Lei's mind.
Like he was exploiting a bug, he rapidly switched back and forth between Immortal Body Mode: Enabled and Immortal Body Mode: Disabled. After tireless effort, he actually managed to glitch himself into a "half-immortal body mode" with a human body and dragon horns.
"Beep."
Hearing someone swipe their card to enter the Safe House, Shi Lei instantly reverted to normal. As he moved, he accidentally knocked something under the sofa, producing a clattering sound.
Exusiai opened the refrigerator and called out when she heard it:
"Zhongli, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"It's nothing. My neck hurts a little. I probably slept badly last night and got a crick in it."
He put on his employee uniform without showing Exusiai his Immortal Body Mode. Otherwise, with that big mouth of hers, the whole company would know within a day.
"Mm, I'm about to bake an apple pie. Want me to bake one for you?"
"No need. I'll just have some biscuits."
The lingering sensation of being hungover still hadn't completely faded. Shi Lei wanted to take a day off from the boss and find somewhere quiet to test his immortal arts and new abilities.
Exusiai didn't ask further after hearing that. Once breakfast was over, she rushed to the top floor to clock in for work.
Today was January 1st, the wonderful day when salaries were paid every month. Being late today would be far too disrespectful to the boss.
Shi Lei only stepped out of his room after she left. He looked himself over in the full-length mirror again and again. Touching his smooth cheeks, he found that he didn't seem any different from before.
He splashed his face with cold water, took two boxes of biscuits from the snack area, and went to the top floor to clock in.
Texas was still wearing that stunning red shirt today. Her black tactical vest could carry a great number of accessories to handle different assignments.
Unlike usual, she wore a green-and-white striped tie today. Paired with the red shirt, it made her look even sharper. Her bare legs were exposed casually, clearly prioritizing style over warmth.
Emperor didn't arrive at the company until after ten, dressed in nothing but a thin hip-hop shirt, without even a pair of pants underneath.
It was as though he had come to the company for a vacation. He brewed himself a steaming cup of coffee, loafed around until two in the afternoon, then left.
Mainly because no one bought albums during the New Year. Logistics companies on Terra needed holidays too.
Shi Lei sat at his workstation until ten-thirty. Estimating that the time was about right, he got up and knocked on the office door.
"Knock, knock."
"I'm here. Come in."
The moment Emperor saw him enter, he smiled. Now that Old Dragon Wei and that stinking rat both wanted to poach Shi Lei, Emperor naturally had to treat him better.
"Little Shi, what can I do for you?"
"I drank too much last night and don't feel very well today. I'd like to take a day off. Would that be alright?"
He claimed to be unwell, but he actually wanted to go out and test his abilities. Some immortal arts weren't suitable to display before others.
"Little Shi, are you alright? Your health is the foundation of your work. How about I give you another two days off?"
The boss's concern was more than Shi Lei could bear. He waved his hands repeatedly, saying one day was enough.
"No, one day will be enough."
Seeing that Shi Lei wouldn't be persuaded otherwise, Emperor readily agreed.
"Little Shi, clock out now. I'll talk to Isu about attendance later."
After receiving permission, Shi Lei bowed politely and left the boss's office. He greeted his coworkers, swiped his card to leave work early, and exited the company.
Although it wasn't New Year yet, the streets had already taken on a festive appearance. Bright red lanterns hung high in the air, colorful flags fluttered in the wind, and everything was filled with the atmosphere of the holiday.
Standing beneath the company building, Shi Lei considered where would be suitable for testing his abilities. The Upper City had surveillance cameras, while the Lower City had too few open spaces and was inconvenient. Was there somewhere in the Upper City without surveillance?
After thinking it over, he actually came up with a place: the District 21 Docks, where Croissant had hidden her motorcycle some time ago.
He had used Planet Befall there before, scaring off more than two hundred gang members. Later, the Lungmen Guard Department launched a purge and wiped out the local gangs and illegal organizations in one fell swoop.
There were no surveillance cameras at the docks, and the many containers could serve as cover. It was perfect for secret testing.
With that decided, he got moving.
Shi Lei had plenty of time today, so he walked to the District 21 Docks. There were hardly any dockworkers in sight during the day. As far as the eye could see, there were only red, blue, and yellow containers.
Before you continue