Awakened Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra

January 5th.

Shi Lei slept until he woke naturally, feeling like his body was about to fall apart. Penguin Logistics was officially on holiday now, so he no longer had to rush to the top floor to clock in for work.

He buried his head and went back to sleep, only getting up close to noon. He made lunch with the ingredients left in the Safe House, then went out for a stroll through the city after eating.

It was still too early to read, so taking a leisurely walk there was just right. As Shi Lei passed through the current district, he ran into Chen and Officer Hoshiguma, who were out on patrol.

After not seeing her for a few days, Officer Chen seemed rather haggard. There were dark circles beneath her eyes; she had probably not been resting well.

This entire area was part of their patrol route. Shi Lei took the initiative to approach them and greeted the two:

"Officer Chen, how have you been lately? Why does it feel like you don't look so well?"

Looking up and seeing that it was him, Chen told him honestly:

"I've been busy filing the Infected Residency Act lately. I've had to run around submitting applications and collecting feedback. I may have overworked myself because of that, but I'll be fine after a while."

Shi Lei felt that sounded like she was raising a death flag, so he quickly advised her further:

"Officer Chen, don't take it lightly. Your health is the foundation of your work. You need to rest more often."

Chen knew he was concerned about her. She pursed her lips in a smile and said teasingly:

"Easy for you to say. The Lungmen Guard Department has so much to deal with every day—why don't I see you helping solve any of it?"

Shi Lei did not take the bait, smoothly turning it back on her:

"That's different, Officer Chen. I'm freelance—I do as much work as I'm paid for. If you need my help, as long as the money's enough, everything is negotiable."

It had only been a little over thirty days since he had transmigrated to Lungmen and slept beneath bridges. Yet he had already transformed into someone who did not lack money. He was no longer a drifter who did not know where his next meal would come from, and had integrated quite well into Lungmen.

How did that movie line go again?

Life was good.

If they wanted him to put in effort, they had to pay more.

"A reasonable request. If the Lungmen Guard Department needs your assistance, we will contact your company in advance."

The three walked side by side and chatted for a while before eventually parting ways at an intersection. Shi Lei went to the library to read, while Chen led Hoshiguma onward with their patrol.

Night fell.

After two days of travel, Mudrock's Squad had finally reached Yan territory. Looking at the Mobile City of Lungmen ahead, a small disagreement arose among the squad members.

Some wanted to sneak across the border and quietly enter the Lower City. Others wanted to pass through the checkpoint openly, using the opportunity to see what kind of attitude Lungmen had toward the Infected.

If they noticed anything wrong early on, they would immediately withdraw from Lungmen. If they went after Rhodes Island's forces now, they might even reach Sargon before them.

"Lord Mudrock, what do you think?"

Mudrock was caught in the middle, with men on both sides. After a brief moment of thought, she decided to proceed with both plans at once.

The mercenaries who wanted to sneak in would first scout around the Lungmen outpost and look for an opportunity. Once the advance team passed through successfully, they would follow through the checkpoint openly. If they encountered difficulties at the outpost, the infiltration team would carry out the original plan.

Once the roles had been assigned, Mudrock led ten Sarkaz mercenaries into the outpost to undergo inspection.

The traits of a Sarkaz were easy to recognize—the pair of black horns that resembled those of demons.

Several Sarkaz, along with a burly man carrying a massive hammer, approached with an overwhelming sense of pressure. The Lungmen Guard Department personnel stationed there immediately treated them like formidable enemies and drew their weapons.

"Stop! Who are you people?"

Seeing the situation grow tense, Mudrock set down her iron hammer and raised both hands to explain, hoping not to escalate the conflict.

"Don't worry. We only want to enter the city and find a place to stay. We mean no harm."

But she wore heavy armor, armed practically to the teeth. Her voice emerged from behind the faceplate, muffled and low, making those words rather unconvincing.

The stationed Lungmen Guard Department member swallowed. He did not want to clash directly with this Sarkaz squad, so he gave his companion a look and had him notify his Superior.

"Could you please come inside and remove your armor? We need to confirm whether you're carrying any prohibited items."

Such cautious and serious treatment had already exceeded their expectations. Since the Sarkaz had long been active in wars, their reputation across Terra was not very good. Even the cities and towers of Sargon might not readily accept war-hardened executioners like them.

"All right, no problem."

Mudrock answered decisively and cooperated fully with the inspection. She moved her hammer aside, placed both hands against her neck, and slowly removed the helmet at the top.

To support that suit of armor, Mudrock had used Originium Arts to fill the spaces between its cushioning materials. This made her entire figure appear enormous, creating an intimidating effect.

Many times, that exaggerated size had indeed scared off plenty of enemies, achieving victory without a fight.

After Mudrock removed her helmet, she revealed beautiful white hair and delicate features. Her restrained red eyes were even more captivating.

If not for the black horns growing from either side of her head, her looks alone would have been enough to make her the center of attention.

"A... a woman?"

The Lungmen Guard Department member looked stunned. Before she removed her helmet, he had not guessed her gender at all.

The male Lungmen Guard Department member consciously stepped out of the inspection room, leaving the Female member to continue the inspection.

After she removed her helmet, the Originium Arts filling inside the armor instantly deflated, as though air had leaked out.

They quickly formed continuous folds, making it look extremely ill-fitting—like a white-haired, red-eyed beauty wearing one of those mascot costumes shopkeepers used to attract customers on opening day.

"Rustle..."

The heavy armor peeled away, revealing Mudrock's jade-pale skin and her impressively ample bosom.

The Lungmen Guard Department members noticed black hair ribbons wrapped around her arms, used to conceal irregular Originium growths.

An Infected!

But this Sarkaz Infected was simply breathtakingly beautiful. She bore no resemblance whatsoever to the Infected they remembered.

After removing her armor, Mudrock unzipped it and began pulling off the bulky pant legs and the equipment around her waist.

As those long, snow-white legs stepped onto the ground, the heavy armor covering her body was completely stripped away.

At the same time, Chen arrived at the scene with her team.

Mudrock Bar Limited Edition.jpg

Lungmen Profanity

At that moment, Chief Chen happened to be in the Lower City looking after some children without parents. Upon receiving an urgent notice from her subordinate, she immediately rushed over with a team.

She quickly charged through the checkpoint and found a beautiful female Sarkaz inside the building, while a group of Sarkaz mercenaries stood outside. The burly hammer-wielding man mentioned in the report was nowhere to be seen.

"What's going on? Why doesn't what you reported match the actual situation?"

The Lungmen Guard Department members outside looked embarrassed, hesitating over how to explain this to their superior.

When this group of Sarkaz entered the checkpoint, there really had been a burly man carrying a massive iron hammer. His exaggerated physique looked exceptionally fierce and aggressive.

To stall for as much time as possible until Reinforcements arrived, the Guard Department members had followed the standard entry procedure and asked the burly man to remove his armor for a contraband inspection.

There was nothing wrong with that. It was entirely by the book.

The problem was that, after they submitted the report, they discovered that this burly man was actually a female Sarkaz.

Faced with Chen's questioning, the Guard Department members hesitated, unsure who should take the blame.

"Chief, this isn't their fault."

Mudrock pulled her pant legs back on and began getting dressed again. Without her faceplate muffling her voice, she returned to her usual gentle tone.

"We faced far too much suspicion and wariness along the way, and we understand the circumstances of the Infected all too well. To earn your trust and be allowed into Lungmen to find somewhere to settle, I had to show sufficient sincerity."

Chen did not respond. Instead, she turned toward the subordinates guarding the checkpoint and sternly warned them.

"Damn it, all male officers, turn around! Don't you know when to avert your eyes?"

In truth, the male Guard Department members at the scene had already left the room once they discovered that the burly man was a woman. The officers stationed at the checkpoint included both men and women, and they would consciously avoid being present during inspections of the opposite sex to avoid being accused of harassment.

They had only turned back because their superior had arrived, looking over out of instinct rather than intentionally staring.

Mudrock tugged up her loose-fitting pants, feeling deeply grateful toward this female leader. Chen was willing to speak up for the Infected, proving that they had not come to the wrong place after all.

Lungmen truly was an open and inclusive city—at the very least, it was far better than that hellhole Ursus.

She could only hope this would be a good beginning.

The situation developed just as she had expected. Her sincerity had earned sincere treatment in return.

Seeing that Mudrock had put on most of her protective suit, Chen shifted her gaze to the other Sarkaz mercenaries.

"These are restricted blades. They have to be confiscated."

The female Sarkaz's hammer could still be passed off as a renovation tool on the record. But daggers were far too sharp, and bringing them into the city posed a certain safety risk.

"No."

The Sarkaz mercenaries immediately refused.

"As long as we live, our blades live; when we die, our blades die! These weapons carry the will of our comrades. We absolutely cannot hand them over!"

Mudrock, who was putting on her helmet, tried to persuade them.

"Everyone, listen to me. You can hand your weapons over to the officers here for safekeeping first. Otherwise, entering the city armed will frighten ordinary citizens. You don't need to worry about danger—I'll protect everyone. If we want to start a new life in Lungmen, we need to make a clean break from everything in the past."

Chen nodded inwardly, forming a favorable impression of this sensible young Sarkaz woman.

Considering that the Sarkaz did indeed have a tradition of inheriting weapons, she thought it over before speaking.

"You may keep your weapons, but I have one condition."

"Officer, what condition?"

"Lungmen is a highly inclusive city. We welcome everyone willing to come here and build a future. But that does not mean you can do whatever you please.

"I'm allowing you to keep your weapons for self-defense, not for bullying the weak. If I ever find out that you've committed robbery, theft, or any other illegal act, I will personally arrest you. I guarantee it."

Chen's words rang with conviction, her expression utterly serious. After this brief interaction, she believed that this female Sarkaz could lead these people to obey the law and integrate into the metropolis of Lungmen.

"No problem, Officer. We can do that."

Chen nodded and began questioning them about their origins according to procedure.

"Did you come from Kazdel?"

She usually kept up with current affairs, including the "Theresia Assassination" incident at the end of last year.

Sarkaz's new king, Theresis, had only just ascended the throne when he led most of his followers in an all-out invasion of Londinium.

Those Sarkaz who refused to recognize the new king would leave their homeland and wander from place to place.

"Officer, you were right."

"Do you have any relatives or anyone you can rely on in Lungmen?"

Mudrock thought of Shi Lei, as well as the Sankta who had extended an invitation. But coming here had been an act of her own willfulness; she did not want to borrow anyone else's help, so she answered honestly:

"No."

"Alright. Next is a routine inspection. Please cooperate."

"Mm, alright."

After confirming everything was in order, Chen

"Let's go. I'll arrange temporary lodging for you. It's a little rundown, but it'll do for now. As for how you'll gain a foothold here in the future, you'll have to figure that out yourselves."

"Officer, thank you so much! But we still have another group. Can we call them over?"

Trust between people went both ways.

Since this female police captain was willing to provide temporary lodging, Mudrock naturally could not keep pulling illegal-entry stunts.

Otherwise, if they were caught by the officers, the trust they had worked so hard to build would crumble completely.

"Mm."

Chen nodded in agreement without saying anything more.

Before long, eight women and children entered the checkpoint at the mercenaries' call, bringing their total number to twenty-one.