Awakening Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra

After the illegal organization was shut down, no one took over the business here, so it remained vacant.

He wandered around the docks for a few minutes and found a blue, empty shipping container. The lock had already been smashed, and nothing was left inside.

Shi Lei walked into the shipping container and first tested his shield.

Before, it was at the game implementation level, requiring him to do a chest-expansion exercise to release it. Now, he could activate the shield with just a thought.

He couldn't test things like the range of the shield, whether it was still fifty meters, from inside the container. He tested everything he could and would deal with the other items later.

Shi Lei activated the Jade Shield on himself, and there was no longer a 20-second time limit. He didn't refresh the shield, and after standing there for five minutes, the shield hadn't broken. His combat effectiveness had soared.

As his thoughts coalesced, he could actually create a Rock Spear out of thin air. The Rock Spear was about a quarter of the thickness of a Rock Spine, and its overall shape was rectangular, like a cuboid. It was very light in his hand, but when it struck the shipping container, it made a loud clang, proving it was solid inside.

What about Immortal Body Mode?

"BANG!!!"

At this moment, a lazy middle-aged man with black hair and golden eyes stood by the docks and suddenly looked back in the direction of the sound.

063 Come to my place for a bit

Seeing the Rock Spear easily pierce through the sheet metal of the shipping container, Shi Lei was very satisfied with the effect.

This promotion to the Immortal Realm was mainly an improvement in precision, not just a simple increase in strength.

However, there was a difference between gods and mortals; even basic techniques were not something ordinary people could withstand.

Immortal Body Mode only had a description of its effects, with no specific numerical values. It only said that maintaining this state could absorb the essence of the sun and moon, but it didn't say how much of an amplification he would actually get.

It was like a charging bar, where he could gradually accumulate energy by transforming into a beast form. When he released an immortal technique, he could consume energy to exchange for amplification. As for how effective the amplification was, or what the upper limit of the charging bar was, the Embarrassing System provided no detailed data whatsoever.

Also, could the half-human, half-beast semi-Immortal Body Mode accumulate the same amount of energy?

Shi Lei felt that he would need to rent a large house in the future and couldn't keep staying in the safe house. For the sake of personal privacy, it needed to have a large footprint. There should be no neighbors nearby, so he could have parties anytime without worrying about disturbing anyone.

Wait, the more he talked about it, the more it sounded like a warehouse?

He exited Immortal Body Mode, put his clothes back on, and walked out of the blue shipping container.

Shi Lei had spent a month reading books and knew that dragons and qilin were highly respected in Yan. That's why he didn't dare to expose his beast form casually, lest it cause unnecessary trouble.

He looked around and didn't see any other outsiders coming to investigate the sound, so he continued to try summoning Rock Spine alone.

Now, summoning Rock Spine and activating Jade Shield could be done separately. He didn't have to forcefully insert a Rock Spine to activate the shield, which greatly increased his stealth.

Rock Spine, which could spread Originium elements to create resonance, was currently a special attack against the Infected. He just didn't know if the improved precision could reduce the activation intensity. Through operations comparable to surgery, he could cause Originium to explode on a small scale.

In this way, the Infected wouldn't die, and Originium could be stripped through activation. Theoretically, this would achieve the effect of curing the Originium-related illness. As for the actual situation, there were no suitable Infected cases to practice on yet.

In the past, after summoning Rock Spine, it had to be planted on the ground. Now, without such restrictions, he could flexibly control the ascent and descent of Rock Spine. If he could continuously apply force to its tail, it might become something like a booster.

He shouldn't casually try elemental bursts like Meteorite. He felt that by condensing a Rock Spear now, he could already make it stab diagonally from mid-air, forming a terrifying "spear rain."

He had tested enough, so Shi Lei squatted on the ground. He placed his palm flat on the ground and used his mind to feel.

The moment he touched it, his mental power spread out like radar, as if he had opened a holographic map. All the information about the surrounding ground was displayed in his mind.

Including a purebred kitten, a middle-aged man, and a maze-like array of shipping containers.

There was someone nearby???

Continuous scanning revealed that the middle-aged man was standing still and not approaching.

Considering that there was an outsider, Shi Lei temporarily halted the rest of his tests and left the scene from another side.

Shortly after he left, the middle-aged man leaning against a lamppost gently flicked the brim of his black fedora with his left hand, a very elegant gesture. He ignored the tiger-headed girl approaching on an electric scooter and gazed into the distance.

"Hey, Lee. Weren't you looking for your beast kin? Why are you slacking off here?"

The middle-aged man grinned and raised his hand to point:

"I heard a noise just now. It sounded like it came from that yellow shipping container over there. Can you go up and take a look?"

Waai Fu took out her glasses and put them on, about to help search. Upon hearing this, she was startled and unceremoniously rolled up her sleeves.

She jumped up with ease and indeed found the beast kin that the owner had offered a high reward for. The kitten, with its tail standing on end from being startled by the fierce-looking girl, was scurrying around in the cramped yellow shipping container. After a brief skirmish, it was finally captured and put into a cat carrier.

"Alright, I get it. You've been waiting here all along, just wanting me to run errands, right?"

"Heh heh, not exactly."

Lee lowered the brim of his hat, looked in the direction someone had left, and a faint smile appeared on his lips:

"I just met an interesting fellow."

Shi Lei left District 21 Docks and entered a roadside library. He picked out a thin picture book and used rapid reading to earn guaranteed role-playing points.

He had taken the day off, so he finished work early. As a result, after finishing the book, it was only two o'clock in the afternoon.

At this time, he should have already eaten lunch. But today, he didn't feel hungry, not even a bit of appetite. He was in a state where he could eat or not eat.

Could it be that reaching the Immortal Realm meant he no longer needed to eat?

But asceticism is asceticism, if you really want to eat something, you should still be able to eat it, right? Otherwise, if a quarter of your life is gone on eating, drinking, and having fun, how boring will life be in the future?

"Someone! Catch the thief, catch the thief!"

"Get lost, don't block the way, damn it!"

Seeing such a heinous crime occurring on the streets of Lungmen, which was known for its simple folk customs, Shi Lei was truly heartbroken, wishing he could immediately seize the opportunity to deliver the acting points to his doorstep.

He aimed at the Zhalak fleeing across the street, conjuring elemental weapons of Geo as if controlling a flying sword.

The next second, eight Rock Spines shot out at high speed from different directions. The intersection points of every four Rock Spines formed a circular shape. The eight Rock Spines perfectly trapped the thief's thighs, completely restricting his mobility.

The thief pushed with all his might but couldn't move the Rock Spines.

"Lungmen vulgarity, what kind of crap is this?"

These Rock Spines were as thick and long as steel bars, deeply fused into the ground, impossible to pull out. He could only move his hands and, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free.

Enthusiastic Lungmen citizens, seeing this, rushed forward to offer their New Year's blessings. There were "Congratulations on Getting Rich" punches and "New Spring Blessing" palms, beating the thief to within an inch of his life.

Not long after, the breathless female victim chased after him. She retrieved her stolen purse and unleashed a "Descendants Full House" kick, delivering a potent stimulus to the thief's kidney area.

Only when the Lungmen Guard Department officers arrived to apprehend the thief upon hearing the commotion did Shi Lei remotely withdraw the Rock Spines, deeply hiding his merits and fame.

At the same time, a prompt sounded in his mind:

[Received 3 Acting Points based on host's performance]

Not bad, not bad. Very high concealment.

From now on, when acting in secret, he no longer had to worry about his movements being too large and being discovered. He could summon Rock Spines or Rock Spines at will, blocking enemies invisibly.

Having resolved the unexpected incident, Shi Lei continued walking in the direction of the company.

A tangerine-colored pickup truck drove past him on the road and then stopped ahead. As he walked by, Croissant, with one arm resting on the car window, proactively called out:

"Hey, what are you doing here? I heard from them that you took leave. Are you feeling any better now?"

Seeing a familiar face, Shi Lei got into the car from the other side:

"Much better, thank you for your concern. Are you heading back to the company? Could you give me a ride?"

"No, I'm on my way home. If you're free, why don't you come over to my place for a bit?"

Today's Beautiful Picture.jpg

064 Never Go Empty-Handed (Two-in-One)

In Shi Lei's understanding, only when the relationship was close enough would one invite the other to their home.

The reasons for invitations varied; some would say their cat could do backflips or their dog could do handstands. Others would be direct, simply asking the person to come over.

His relationship with Croissant was quite good, but it had always remained at the level of colleagues and friends. When he heard her invitation to visit, he was noticeably a bit reserved:

"Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"What's inappropriate about it? It's just that I happened to run into you on my way home, so I suggested stopping by. It's a simple matter, don't overcomplicate it."

With her saying that, Shi Lei found it hard to refuse. He fastened his seatbelt and went along to see the situation.

A short while later, Croissant drove the tangerine-colored pickup truck to a warehouse on Fangcao Street. Its size was similar to the warehouse behind the company where they shipped goods.

It was Shi Lei's first time here, and he found it quite novel:

"You live in a warehouse?"

"Yeah, residential spaces are too small, and there's shared common area. I have a lot of things, and a regular apartment simply wouldn't fit them. For the sake of convenience, I rented a warehouse."

As she spoke, she pulled up the roller shutter door.

Clatter...

Shi Lei followed her inside to look around, feeling as if he had entered a medium-sized supermarket. The goods on the shelves were arranged according to category and color, all neatly organized.

If price tags were added, it would be indistinguishable from a supermarket.

Croissant walked to a shelf and casually pointed:

"Here, you can look at anything you like. If you find anything you like, I can give you a discount."

Hearing the word "sell," Shi Lei pointedly asked:

"So you invited me to visit because you want to sell me something?"

Seeing her intention exposed, Croissant chuckled and brushed it off:

"Hehe, don't mind the details. I've stockpiled some supplies recently and I'm a bit short on cash. I was thinking of selling you some things to recoup some of my costs. I remember you liked a certain art book last time, how about I give it to you at a low price?"

"Then you'll probably be disappointed. I don't have a single cent on me, and I don't have anything I want to buy right now."

Croissant looked slightly disappointed and continued walking further in.

Deep inside the warehouse was a fifty-square-meter tin shed, complete with furniture, tables, and chairs. Only now did she act a bit more like a host and ask:

"What would you like to drink? Coffee? Juice?"

"I'm not picky, anything is fine."

Croissant nodded and took a can of coffee beans from the display rack. As she put them into the coffee machine, she introduced them:

"These are from Columbia, with full beans, rich aroma, and a sweet aftertaste. If you like coffee, you absolutely have to try this brand."

Shi Lei knew that her constant sales pitch was just her personality and didn't feel disgusted. After all, everyone who creates wealth with their own hands deserves respect.

This feeling of a WeChat seller who loves financial management could be seen from Croissant's chat nickname.

'AAA Croissant · New Stock Available Anytime @'

She made Shi Lei a pour-over coffee, and the ground beans emitted a rich aroma consistent with her description. While stirring the coffee, Croissant didn't forget to promote other products:

"Today's invitation was too sudden, please bear with the lack of hospitality. Why don't you browse around later? Perhaps you'll find something else you like."

What, you never come back empty-handed, huh?

Shi Lei truly didn't need these external possessions. After thinking for a moment, he stated his personal need:

"I don't really want anything right now. If I had to choose, perhaps a food guide would count. For an outsider like me, even after living in Lungmen for a month, I wouldn't know which district has good restaurants. Trying them one by one would be too much of a waste of time. If you have a food guide review, I'll definitely buy one."

Upon hearing this, Croissant's eyes lit up. She tapped her left fist with her right hand, praising him:

"Oh my, oh my, what a great idea!"

"Weren't we talking about a food guide? Why are you suddenly praising me? What's going on?"

Seeing Shi Lei's confused expression, she explained proactively:

"There are so many delicious foods in Lungmen, and quite a few tourists come here to eat and drink. Food reviews for local cuisine haven't really taken off yet. I can draft and compile a 'Lungmen Top 100 Food Guide.' This way, I can print and sell it to tourists, and also collect advertising fees from the restaurants. Ah ha ha ha, I'm a genius!"

Feeling the conversation drifting further off track, he tried to steer it back:

"Wasn't it about food reviews? Why did we start talking about advertising fees? Does that mean there aren't any books like this now?"