Awakened Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra

Lin Yuxia smiled politely and got up to make a phone call in the corridor. There was truly nothing to criticize about her manners.

"What?!"

Hearing her voice suddenly rise, everyone turned to look in its direction.

"Mm, alright, I understand. Call them and make them stop for now. I'll be there right away."

A moment later, Lin Yuxia hung up and returned to the room, where she explained to everyone:

"One of the Infected in their group has suffered an episode. They're searching everywhere for an inhibitor, and they've gotten into a standoff with the Doctor at the black market clinic. My Subordinate only received the news and doesn't know the details. Should we go take a look now?"

In Lin Yuxia's eyes, Shi Lei's offer to help that group had been purely an act of kindness. If she handled this matter well, she could earn quite a few points with him.

"Did they start fighting? Sounds pretty serious."

Shi Lei wanted to go have a look, so he turned to the three colleagues for their opinions.

Exusiai keenly sensed that there might be a fight to join. Ignoring the grilled meat still in her hand, she raised both hands in agreement.

"I'm going! I'm going!"

Texas looked at him and nodded, expressing her support without a word.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Croissant chimed in as well.

"Then let's go. We're almost done eating anyway, so we can treat it as a post-meal warm-up."

Leaving the beer and grilled meat behind, they all walked out of the warehouse and waited for Shi Lei to lock up.

Lin Yuxia had originally had a car waiting for her, but she figured riding with them might help her get closer to everyone, so she took the initiative to say that she wanted to squeeze into their car.

Since Croissant was driving, she naturally had no objections. Shi Lei was in the passenger seat and unaffected, so he had no objections either. Texas neither agreed nor refused, while Exusiai was the sort who quickly warmed up to people. And so, she squeezed into the back seat with Lin Yuxia.

When the orange pickup reached the Lower City checkpoint, the Lungmen Guard Department officers recognized Shi Lei and greeted him first. They skipped the inspection entirely, having their colleagues open the passage and let them through.

Lin Yuxia knew that he had rendered great service during the operation to wipe out an illegal organization, but she had not expected him to be on such good terms with the police. Even her father had to be inspected according to procedure when passing through a checkpoint.

Croissant spent all year active in the Lower City, so she knew where the black market was. Once they passed the checkpoint, she floored the gas.

Since the black market was tucked away in cramped alleys, she parked the pickup outside and followed the others in on foot. Before long, they saw a burly man holding a hammer outside the clinic.

Mudrock clearly had both a Magic Shield and Originium Arts protecting her, yet there were strangely weapon-made scratches across her armor, as though she had deliberately let others hit her.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Lin!"

The Doctor had received a call from Lin Gerei's Subordinate ordering him to stop immediately. At first, he had been skeptical. How could a Sarkaz Infected like this possibly be the Rat King's Guest?

But reality left no room for argument.

After learning the full story, Lin Yuxia immediately made a decision.

"I'll pay for the inhibitor. Have someone come to the Lin Residence tomorrow to collect the money and give it to him."

The Doctor was not worried that she would renege on the payment. He hurried into the clinic and brought out a green test tube.

"Miss Lin, this is the only one I have left. If you want to buy more, you'll have to wait until after the New Year for new stock."

Lin Yuxia did not take it, merely tilting her head to indicate that he should hand it to Mudrock.

Mudrock accepted the medicine. Her massive body bent forward with difficulty as she bowed deeply and expressed her heartfelt gratitude.

"Thank you very much, Miss Lin. May I ask where you live? I will repay you as soon as possible."

Lin Yuxia had no connection with the hammer-wielding burly man. She had only involved herself today to do Shi Lei a favor, so naturally she would not take credit. Raising a hand, she pointed in Shi Lei's direction.

"No need to thank me. If you want to thank someone, thank him. He heard about what happened to you and asked me to look after you."

Mudrock turned toward the voice and spotted that familiar uniform. She recognized the man before her at once.

So this was what he looked like?

Seeing the matter resolved perfectly, Exusiai felt rather disappointed. She had thought they would get to make a big mess.

She was somewhat interested in the hammer-wielding burly man. Circling behind Mudrock, she wanted to give her a hug and see how heavy she was. Unexpectedly, the moment her hand touched the armor, it sank straight in, allowing Exusiai's hand to touch the other person's chest through it.

A woman?

Mudrock had not wanted to seize the medicine by force, so she had dropped her defenses in hopes of trading a beating for the chance to borrow an inhibitor. She had dispelled the inflation from her Originium Arts and had not activated her Magic Shield either.

Being touched so suddenly caught Mudrock off guard. She reacted instinctively, reaching back to push away the person in her blind spot—only to touch Exusiai's chest.

A man?

Oh no, a woman.

After the brief farce, Mudrock thanked Shi Lei. Considering how urgent the situation was, every extra minute meant extra danger. She did not linger and led her group away. Everyone left the black market and headed for their base in District 27.

Just as they reached the gate, a woman came rushing over with a little girl in her arms, crying to Mudrock:

"My lady, please save my child. Not long after you left, her Originium-related illness flared up."

Shi Lei caught sight of the child's face.

His pupils immediately widened slightly. The little girl in the woman's arms was the very same child who had begged for help outside the hot spring inn amid wind and snow that day. The Originium on her skin had turned red, and her expression was one of terrible pain.

Mudrock froze on the spot, not knowing what to say.

She had only one inhibitor now, but two people were suffering simultaneous outbreaks of Originium-related illness.

Save V? Or save the little girl?

My Heart Was Beating So Fast

Mudrock found herself in a dilemma, unable to decide what to do. One was a comrade who had fought through life and death beside her; the other was a little girl who followed her. No matter whom she abandoned, it was not an outcome she wanted to see.

Moreover, the Doctor at the black market said he no longer had any suppressants. Other clinics were likely the same. The chances of finding any were minuscule. If they split the suppressant between them, the dosage might be insufficient and save neither of them.

If one lived, it meant the other might die. Such a choice between life and death tormented Mudrock beyond measure.

Seeing her frozen in place, Shi Lei keenly sensed something was wrong. If only the little girl had fallen ill, Mudrock could simply take out the suppressant and inject her. Yet she had not acted for so long—could another infected person have suffered an outbreak as well?

When he had gone to fight the fire last month, he had seen the Customer purchasing suppressants from out of town. Perhaps the local supply was out of stock or too expensive, which was why they had them mailed in from elsewhere.

"What's wrong? Has someone else fallen ill too?"

Mudrock held the man, who had helped their squad many times, in high esteem and replied politely:

"That's right. There's another one inside."

Upon hearing that, everyone immediately understood why she was hesitating. Two infected people were suffering an Originium-related illness outbreak, yet there was only one suppressant. It truly was a difficult situation.

Hearing that Mudrock had returned to the base, two Sarkaz mercenaries ran out of the low building and shouted:

"Boss, V isn't going to make it!"

Mudrock hurried inside upon hearing this. The others followed as well, crowding outside a room on the first floor.

Looking at the pale patient inside, a bold idea flashed through Shi Lei's mind. But he had never conducted a similar experiment before, so there was a risk of failure.

"Mr. Shi."

Lin Yuxia had a clear goal in mind—she wanted to win his favor.

"How about I call my family and see if we can get another suppressant?"

"Ahhhhhh!"

A man's screams and the little girl's sobbing came from inside the room. The Originium on the surfaces of their skin had darkened further.

"Miss Lin, there's no time. I need to discuss something with the patients. Could you please wait outside?"

Seeing Shi Lei display such a serious expression for once, the three Messenger colleagues and Lin Yuxia did not press him further. They left the corridor as instructed and waited outside the low building.

"Could these gentlemen leave too? Sorry for the trouble."

The mercenaries responsible for watching over V glanced at Mudrock. When they saw her nod in agreement, they left as well.

In an instant, only five people remained in the room: Shi Lei, Mudrock, V, the little girl, and the girl's mother.

"You all know the situation. Two infected people have fallen ill, but there's only one suppressant. We don't know how long it will take to find a second dose. By the time the medicine arrives, they may already be dead. I have a theoretically viable method, but it carries risks."

V was drenched in cold sweat from the pain, his hands clenched tightly around the edge of the bed. After learning that the little girl had fallen ill too, he could not bring himself to ask Mudrock to prioritize giving the suppressant to him.

"What method?"

Over the past month or so, Shi Lei had read several books on Originium-related illness. Though he had no formal medical training, he had gained a certain understanding of the disease.

Put simply, Originium could be understood as an infectious substance. It adhered powerfully to the patient's skin, internal organs, and blood.

A Scientist in Columbia had once conducted an experiment, using various high-tech instruments to forcibly remove the Originium growing on an infected person's body. Then, through gradual blood drawing and transfusions, they reduced the Originium concentration in the blood.

In the end, the infected person's symptoms were noticeably alleviated. However, as time passed, the condition would still worsen. It could not be completely cured.

With Terra's current medical technology, Originium-related illness remained an incurable terminal disease.

Shi Lei did not rush to explain. Instead, he first placed a Jade Shield around the Sarkaz mercenary on the bed. Then he asked Mudrock for her iron hammer and violently smashed it into V's abdomen.

"Oh, no!"

The woman could not bear to look at the grisly sight. Frightened, she hugged her daughter and hastily turned away. Yet when she opened her eyes again, she was astonished to find the Sarkaz completely unharmed.

V was equally shocked. He strained to crane his neck toward his abdomen, but saw no wound at all.

Shi Lei raised the iron hammer and returned it to Mudrock.

"As you can see, I can grant shields that protect others from harm. In addition, I have an ability that activates Originium. In an extremely short time, I can detonate the Originium that has erupted on the surface of the body. My idea is to use the shield to block the damage caused by the explosions, then detonate the Originium on the patients' bodies one by one to lessen the severity of their infection. But let me be clear first: there are risks. If you want to try it, discuss who should go first."

In truth, he could detonate the Originium within their internal organs, but the risk of doing so was enormous. The urgent priority was to get the patients out of immediate danger. Once he advanced to the Archon Realm, he would have a better chance of detonating the Originium throughout their entire bodies.

The woman lowered her head and stared at her endlessly crying child, unwilling to make her an Experimental Subject in this mad plan.

V was also hesitant. After all, merely hearing about detonating Originium was terrifying.

Everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere abruptly turned cold.

"I'll go first."

Mudrock broke the deadlock. After her armor lost its puffed shape, it fell to the ground like oversized clothing.

Her fair skin was revealed. Beneath the black ribbon tied around her arm were several irregular black Originium crystals.

"I'm infected."

Seeing that she appeared healthy, Shi Lei reminded her:

"You're not having an episode, and you still want to try? If it fails, your life could be in danger."

"Mm, go ahead. I trust you, sir."

Thinking back to his walk beneath the moon that night, Mudrock did not know why, but her heart felt warm.

Perhaps their bloodlines shared some connection, or perhaps their abilities to summon earth and stone were similar. This man was like the earth itself, giving her an overwhelming sense of familiarity and closeness.

"No, boss, let me do it instead."

He was the one suffering an episode, yet Mudrock was being put in danger because of him. V could not bring himself to do something so unjust.

"Um, could we try one hand first?"

Shi Lei considered it for a moment and felt it was feasible.

"It should work. I'll use stone pillars and a shield to protect you, and only detonate the Originium on your hand."

After saying that, he turned to Mudrock and instructed her, "You should go outside first. Help inject the child with the inhibitor. I can start here right away—it'll be quick."

As he watched the woman clutch her daughter, thank them repeatedly, and leave with the inhibitor, a look of remorse flashed through V's eyes.

"Relax. Don't be nervous."

Shi Lei covered the Sarkaz mercenary's entire body with several stone pillars, leaving only the arm covered in Originium exposed.

When he turned back and saw that Mudrock was still in the room, he asked, "You're not leaving?"

She shook her head and remained where she stood. She had an inexplicable feeling that he would succeed.

Staring at Shi Lei's profile from so close, she gradually felt her cheeks grow hot. Her heart was beating so fast, too.