Awakened Zhongli Template, Retiring in Terra — Chapter 48

"Young man, I advise you not to be so hot-blooded!"

Considering that other gangs nearby were watching closely, the Shovel Gang boss did not want to fight to the bitter end. After leaving behind a harsh warning, he took his subordinates and left directly.

Before long, the six mercenaries who had entered the low building returned to Mudrock and reported on the situation inside the stronghold. There were quite a few empty rooms, as well as stored food. If they claimed it outright, it would be enough to sustain them for a while.

"Alright, I'll hold this place. Go back and bring everyone over. Be careful on the way."

"Mm, Boss, you have to hold on!"

The mercenaries had great confidence in her strength. After answering, they headed outside, but upon noticing people out there, they returned to the stronghold, found a ladder, and climbed over the back wall to leave.

Not long after, the second gang showed itself voluntarily.

News that the Cat Gang's stronghold had become ownerless territory had only just spread through the underworld. They had summoned casters from other districts for support, which was why they had delayed until now before making their move.

Mudrock stood at the entrance, both hands gripping her hammer's handle. When the caster's energy struck her, a shield unexpectedly appeared over her body, blocking wave after wave of attacks.

The rain grew heavier, making Mudrock feel cold. Yet she still forced herself to endure, unwilling to hand over the stronghold.

The local gangs could not chew through this Tough Bone, and there was nothing they could do to Mudrock. They could only choose to give up. They could have thrown everything they had into an assault, but there was no need.

Few were willing to take on something where the gains did not match the cost. If they were badly weakened because of it, they would only attract the attention of other gangs. After confirming that there were no priceless valuables inside the stronghold, they withdrew decisively.

After Mudrock had blocked the fierce assaults of three gangs at the entrance, no one else stubbornly tried to charge in. The people of the Slums seemed somewhat weaker than she had imagined.

Following the principle of joining if they could not win, the third gang extended an olive branch for an alliance. But she had no desire to get involved in any power struggles and decisively refused.

That day, the name "Iron Hammer Strongman" became famous in the Lower City, gradually drawing the Rat King's attention.

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078 I Treat, You Pay

The next day.

Around noon, Shi Lei received a call from the dog-headed person landlord. They agreed to view the warehouse at 1:00 PM, and if he found it suitable, they could sign the contract on the spot. Before setting out, he called Texas and arranged to meet at the warehouse.

By the time Shi Lei arrived, the dog-headed person landlord was already there. Its left hand was wrapped in white bandages, and faint bruises remained on its face after being treated with liniment.

"Hey, what happened to your hand?"

"It's nothing, just a slight fracture. Only superficial wounds. The doctor wrapped it up and told me to move around less these next few days. Come on, come on, I've opened the door for you. Don't stand outside. Go in and see if you like it."

Shi Lei looked back but did not see Texas, so he entered the warehouse first to inspect the surroundings.

The space inside was enormous, roughly estimated at around 500 square meters. At a full price of 500,000, that came out to only 1,000 Lungmen Dollars per square meter.

Housing prices like this were far lower than in the world before he crossed over. But this was how normal housing prices should be, rather than being inflated until ordinary families could not afford homes at all.

The warehouse was seven or eight meters high and had complete water and electrical connections. Since the landlord had used it to stockpile goods, there were quite a few empty wooden crates inside, along with miscellaneous clutter such as plastic foam.

Thinking back to the layout he had seen at Croissant's place, he could divide the warehouse into different areas. Besides the usual bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom, he could even set aside an area specifically for parties. Even so, there would still be plenty of empty space left after the layout was planned.

Long strips of transparent glass ran across the center of the warehouse ceiling, allowing moonlight to shine through at night. Shi Lei was very satisfied with this design, as it would make it easier for him to absorb the essence of heaven, earth, sun, and moon after switching to Immortal Body Mode.

Standing inside, he could feel how quiet the environment was. Warehouses stood on both sides, and even the cargo warehouses normally had few people around. Besides, it was only one or two kilometers from the company, making the commute extremely convenient.

Before long, Texas drove over. She stood at the warehouse entrance without any intention of going inside.

Seeing Texas, Shi Lei waved in greeting. Then he made his decision on the spot and stated his intention to buy.

"When can we sign the sales contract?"

The dog-headed person landlord pulled out the documents and explained, "You'll first need to go to the Housing Administration Bureau for notarization and filing before you can receive the deed. Young man, I've actually already found enough funds to handle my family's affairs. If money is tight for you, I can lower the price some more."

Shi Lei had already made it clear that he had not saved someone for financial compensation, so he refused. "No need. We agreed on 500,000, so it's 500,000. You can't just change your mind whenever you want."

Unable to argue with him, the dog-headed person landlord nodded. "Alright, alright, alright. 500,000 it is."

Texas had been to Croissant's home and knew that large spaces like warehouses came with both advantages and disadvantages. Overall, it would still be quite comfortable to live in, so she did not offer any suggestions.

After Shi Lei inspected the water and electricity one last time and confirmed there were no issues, he went with the dog-headed person landlord to the Housing Administration Bureau to register it. The procedures were not particularly complicated, and everything was completed in an hour.

Now that he had the deed in hand, things were far from over. An empty warehouse was not livable at all.

After saying goodbye to the dog-headed person landlord, he and Texas went to a furniture store in the Core City. They selected ordinary furnishings such as beds, wardrobes, tables, and chairs. Since all the warehouse windows were high up, there was no need to buy curtains. As for color schemes and matching, she was basically the one making the decisions.

The furniture displayed in the store were samples used by the shopkeeper for display. Only after Texas made the payment did the employees head to the cargo warehouse to retrieve and deliver the goods.

All told, Shi Lei now owed her nearly 300,000 Lungmen Dollars. But she had no intention of urging him to repay it, and did not even mention it.

By the time they left the furniture store, it was already four in the afternoon.

Shi Lei returned to the warehouse to prepare for cleaning, when an idea suddenly struck him. He summoned several stone pillars and joined them together, their bottoms pressed tightly against the floor. Then, like a bulldozer, he pushed them from left to right. He shoved all the wooden crates and other trash to the warehouse entrance, making them easier to clear away.

Shi Lei was currently in the Immortal Realm, so he could decide whether the stone pillars he summoned would disappear or remain. If he summoned them and simply left them alone, they would become like Cloud Recess. The stone pillars were square and hard, capable of enduring a thousand years of ocean waves without being damaged.

However, the realm classifications in the world of Genshin Impact were rather vague, and even those in the same realm could differ greatly in strength.

Take the disaster caused by the resurrection of Vortex Demon God Osial. Even when all the adepti joined forces, they were powerless to stop it. In the end, Ningguang had to use the Jade Chamber as a nuclear bomb and crash it down to resolve the crisis.

During his free time, Shi Lei had learned from the Scam System how Immortal Body Mode was calculated. If he maintained Immortal Body Mode for one day, he would gain one year of adeptal cultivation.

The bug-abusing half-human, half-immortal body mode was unaffected and granted the same cultivation. Even if he later advanced to the Archon Realm, the accumulated years of cultivation would remain.

Based on the guaranteed 5 Roleplay Value he earned every day—3 for being penniless and 2 for reading—he would need at most 100 days to advance to the Archon Realm. Once he did, he would become an Archon with a hundred years of cultivation.

He would not be particularly strong, but neither would he be weak. It should be more than enough to handle ordinary enemies.

After clearing out the trash, Shi Lei summoned stone pillars and divided the warehouse into different sections. He was not setting up a stall to do business, so there was no need to buy shelves in bulk like Croissant.

By the time everything was done, it was already six-thirty. There was not much furniture for now; he could buy more as needed once he had money.

Looking at the completely transformed warehouse, Shi Lei felt the satisfaction of playing a life-simulation game. Still, he had not forgotten the day's greatest contributor and thanked Texas.

"Thank you so much for today. You not only helped me buy the warehouse, but also picked out furniture. If you're free tonight, would you do me the honor of having a simple meal with me? My treat."

Texas's expression did not change. She still looked like an icy beauty. Yet when Shi Lei invited her to dinner, she directly refused.

"No need."

He was rather surprised and insisted, "How could that be? You helped me so much today. I have to show my appreciation somehow."

Texas stared at the man in front of her, unsure whether she should voice the complaint lodged in her throat.

Shi Lei was currently broke and still owed her 280,000 Lungmen Dollars. He did not even have a cent, yet he wanted to treat her to dinner.

Wouldn't that mean he was treating while she paid the bill?

But seeing the sincerity in Shi Lei's eyes, Texas softened a little. They were good friends, after all. There was no need to make things unpleasant over such a small amount of money.

"Fine. Mainly because I'm not that hungry."

Seeing her yield, Shi Lei grinned. "It's already seven. You should eat something, at least. I'll adjust the layout again tonight, and tomorrow we can have Exusiai and Croissant come over for a party."

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The Mistress's Demeanor

Texas agreed to dinner, and the two found a nearby Shangshu-style restaurant. When it was time to pay, just as expected, she was the one who settled the bill.

Shi Lei ate with complete peace of mind and did not think anything was wrong with it. Owing 30,000 Lungmen Dollars was still debt, and owing 300,000 Lungmen Dollars was also debt. Once he landed a big job and made some money, he would definitely repay this debt first.

Penguin Logistics had recently gone on an extended holiday, and the New Year was approaching. Unless some wealthy client specifically requested him, he would not be able to officially return to work until after the New Year.

Shi Lei walked Texas to the entrance of her residential complex, then turned and returned to his new home. He dismissed and resummoned the stone pillars, repartitioning the warehouse.

Considering that half-human, half-immortal body mode received the same cultivation bonus as Immortal Body Mode, there was no need for an especially large bedroom. He divided the place into fourteen rooms of roughly twenty-five square meters each: one bedroom, one kitchen, one storage room, and the rest left unused for now. The straightened corridor covered around fifty square meters, while the remaining hundred square meters were turned into a room specifically for parties.

The advantage of using stone pillars as walls was that they could be dismissed at any time. If he ever felt like changing the layout or combining rooms, he could reshape everything whenever he wanted.

As night fell, Shi Lei switched to half-human, half-immortal body mode and absorbed the essence of the sun and moon. He kept only his Golden Dragon Eyes and did not retain his Dragon Horn, since it would feel uncomfortable when he slept.

Shi Lei had no intention of displaying it to Outsiders and wanted to conceal Immortal Body Mode as much as possible. Cultivation was like money, anyway. A few more years or a few fewer years did not make much difference—as long as he had enough.

The next day.

Shi Lei sent a party invitation to his coworkers in the Messenger group chat. Everyone was on leave and away from the company, so the chat app was currently the most convenient way to contact them.

"I just moved into a new warehouse yesterday. If you're free, come over this afternoon and we can have a meal together."

Exusiai: "Awesome, party time! I haven't had a drink in days—I'm starting to wither away. You probably don't have any food there, right? How about a barbecue party? Croissant and I will bring the meat, and Texas can bring the beer."

Croissant: "Sure. I'll probably arrive around five."

Texas: "1"

Exusiai: "(Image)(Image)"

Shi Lei opened the images and found a palm-sized clay figurine. Its face was hidden behind a mask, making its features impossible to see, but the style of its clothing looked somewhat familiar.

Exusiai: "Look, look! Doesn't this clay figure look like Zhongli? I think it really does!"

Croissant: "That's him. Our employee uniforms are privately customized and aren't sold on the market. Exusiai, was it made by some Young Girl?"

Exusiai: "No, the seller was a male Sarkaz. He wore a hat, but he couldn't fool me."

A male Sarkaz?

Shi Lei thought back over the past few days. He had only worn the Rock mask once to hide his identity. At the time, he had been facing Ursus troops, and showing his real face could easily have caused trouble.

"It was probably a clay figure made by the infected people I rescued in the wilderness when I went to the hot spring inn. I didn't expect them to come to Lungmen. As for why they made one of me, I have no idea. If you see that seller again, remember to let me know."

Exusiai: "Sure. Are you staying at the warehouse all day today? I'm so bored at home. I want to come over early."

Shi Lei had originally planned to visit the Cat Gang's base in District 27 to see whether there were any other clues. Since Exusiai wanted to come over, he decided not to go. He would have to ask Isu to keep a closer eye on the Cat Gang's recent movements. If even Isu could not find anything, Shi Lei probably would not have any luck either.

"Yeah, I'll be home all day."

After successfully inviting three people, Shi Lei called the others. Isu was busy and had no time. Chen and Swire had work, so they had no time either. Once he confirmed Chen would not be coming, Lin Yuxia readily agreed.

Shi Lei did not invite Emperor. He felt that having Boss around at a gathering of people their own age would make everyone feel uncomfortable. He was not particularly familiar with Miss Kong, so he privately asked Croissant to notify her. As it turned out, she had rehearsal that evening and could not make time.

Artists in this world were really diligent.

Just after noon, Exusiai arrived carrying several bags of vacuum-packed barbecue meat and an electric grill plate.

It looked like she had been cooped up at home for the past few days. The moment they met, she pouted and complained:

"Why didn't you call me when you went house-hunting that day?"

"You didn't say anything, and Croissant found the listing while Texas helped pay for it, so I didn't call you."

Exusiai did not like sitting on small chairs. She hopped onto the steps and sat there, her slender legs swinging back and forth.

"You didn't call me when you attacked the stronghold either. Do you even consider me a friend? Don't do that again next time!"

Shi Lei knew she wanted to vent and release the destructive urge inside her. He wondered whether angels who enjoyed violence like this were rare exceptions or whether they were all like that.

He had not met many Sarkaz. Other than Exusiai, the only ones he knew were members of the Lungmen Guard Department, so they were hardly useful as reference.

Close to five o'clock, Croissant arrived at the warehouse.

Shi Lei had discussed the Number of People attending the party with her beforehand through Changliao, so she drove over with extra barbecue meat. That way, they would not run out in the middle of the fun and spoil everyone's mood.

Not long after that, Texas arrived as well.

However, she was not alone. She directed furniture store employees as they carried a bookshelf into the warehouse.

With a bookshelf, naturally there had to be books.

Texas bought a hundred books.