Shi Lei had no intention of lingering either. He returned to Penguin Logistics' Safe House, ate some snacks to tide himself over, and played video games alone to kill time.
"Ding!"
With the elevator's chime, Exusiai and Texas led two people through the door and swiped their cards to enter the Safe House.
Seeing the guest she had encountered earlier appear here, Croissant's mouth fell slightly open.
So he was the new coworker???
Get It Done
Exusiai stood at the front and failed to notice Croissant's odd look. She pointed at the man getting to his feet and introduced everyone.
"His name is Shi Lei. He's the new receptionist we hired recently. This is Croissant. Like Texas and me, she's one of the company's Messengers. This is Kong, an idol. Her agency has a long-term partnership with the boss's music studio. Although she isn't an official Penguin Logistics employee, she's very close to us."
Seeing her future coworker, Croissant nodded. Shi Lei did the same.
Exusiai caught that little exchange. Her gaze shifted back and forth between them as she asked, "What, do you two know each other?"
Croissant shook her head slightly and immediately denied it.
"No. We'd never met before today."
Shi Lei did not know why she was unwilling to mention it, so he answered with silence.
Since Exusiai could not get anything out of them, she returned to the main topic.
"Where should we go celebrate tonight? The boss's bar, or somewhere new? I heard a newly opened bar in District 11 had an opening promotion yesterday. How about we go there?"
Texas remained silent, neither agreeing nor objecting. Truthfully, she did not care where they went.
Shi Lei was obviously there to mooch food and drinks, so naturally the benefactors should decide where to hold the party.
"I don't know Lungmen well. I'll listen to you."
Croissant had no objections. Kong cast the final vote of approval, settling the matter.
"I don't mind. Let's go with Exusiai's suggestion."
"Awesome! Then let's go. At this hour, I wonder whether they'll still have a table."
The five of them took the elevator back to the first floor and arrived at the sedan parked by the street. Exusiai wanted to drive, but Texas and Croissant stopped her together.
"With Texas and me here, why would you be driving? Go sit in the back."
Seeing Croissant's intense reaction, Shi Lei guessed Exusiai was a menace behind the wheel and drove like a maniac.
"Hehe, just let me drive once."
"No!"
Texas directly took the driver's seat, refusing to let Exusiai get her way. Shi Lei opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. After all, the rest were female coworkers. As the only man, squeezing into the back with them did not feel appropriate.
Exusiai did not hold a grudge over being stopped from driving. She squeezed between Kong and Croissant, then pointed forward.
"Texas, charge!"
Lungmen Guard Department rooftop, 6:30 p.m.
Located in Lungmen's Upper City, this was a landmark building in the surrounding area. Jiu stood alone by the railing, looking into the distance.
She looked down at the pedestrians flowing through the streets as though they were tiny ants.
The wind on the rooftop was strong and rough against her face. There was none of the street's clamor here, nor the bustle of the marketplace. It felt like a pure land beyond the mortal world. It seemed that only here could she be her true self.
"Creak."
Officer Chen pushed open the rooftop's iron door and saw Jiu's clothes billowing fiercely in the wind. She walked over and stood beside her, looking toward the farther sky.
"I investigated all day and still couldn't find out who protected us that night. Maybe it was some hidden expert in the Slums, or a Sargon caster. In any case, that person doesn't seem to intend to reveal themselves."
"..."
Jiu's silence caused the atmosphere to plummet.
After hesitating for a moment, Chen cautiously asked, "What did the higher-ups say about that matter?"
The Infected leader had already been terminally ill and died before he could even be brought back to the Lungmen Guard Department. As for the fact that the illegally crossing Infected were actually Lungmen's own Infected, the leadership had not disclosed that information before the operation.
Every member who joined the Special Inspectorate had sworn an oath at the entrance of the Lungmen Guard Department. They had vowed to protect every Lungmen citizen to the death. That was why Jiu found the extermination operation that night deeply baffling.
Could it be that once they contracted Originium-related illness, Lungmen citizens were no longer considered Lungmen citizens and deserved to be hunted down by their own people?
The look she gave Chen was full of emotion. With Chen's personality, which hated evil as fiercely as she did, she was not well liked in law enforcement. Only her familial connection to Wei Yenwu ensured that the spark of justice would not be extinguished.
"I've been in this position for years. I always thought I understood Lungmen very well. Only today did I realize it. I was wrong, and wrong all the way through."
Chen's eyelids twitched. She understood the concession in Jiu's words. By working backward, she could guess that Jiu's discussion with the leadership had likely gone badly.
"You mean they knew the whole time?"
Jiu did not answer. Instead, she took a stack of documents from her clothes and handed them to Chen. Some convictions she was destined to be unable to carry through had to be upheld by someone else.
"This is my draft proposal for the Infected Residency Act. Its purpose is to secure the rights Infected people living in the Slums deserve through legislation. If the Lungmen Guard Department could establish an office in the Slums, perhaps the public security situation there could improve. It's just..."
"Just what?"
Jiu bared her teeth in a bitter smile, still refusing to answer directly.
"If one day I suddenly resign, I hope you won't investigate the reason behind it. Those of us at the forefront must think more about the people. Pushing forward the Infected Residency Act is far more useful than venting a moment's anger."
Chen stared at the more than ten pages in her hands with a complicated expression. They felt exceptionally heavy at this moment.
Lungmen District 11, 7:11 p.m.
The five from Penguin Logistics parked the car, and it was already past seven when they entered the newly opened bar. At this hour, many people's nightlife was only just beginning.
Texas booked a booth and led everyone inside. She ordered another two cases of beer, and they gathered around the table for a casual drink.
As a professional fruit-platter killer, Shi Lei kept his head down and quietly ate fruit. He listened to Kong and Croissant tell amusing stories from rehearsal, nodding along from time to time.
An intense electronic song blared through the venue.
The relentless thump-thump beat never stopped. A man dressed in hip-hop fashion passed by them, but quickly backed up again. His eyes behind his sunglasses surveyed the group for a moment before he called out, "Hey, beauties. You've got way too few men over here. Why don't you come have a drink with us?"
Before Shi Lei could swallow his fruit and reply, Kong put on a polite yet awkward professional smile and declined.
"Sorry, sir. We're just having a simple gathering with coworkers, so we won't be joining your fun over there."
"It's just one drink. You can't even give us that little bit of face?"
"It has nothing to do with that. We're not interested in drinking somewhere else. Please understand."
The man looked displeased and muttered something under his breath. Exusiai was just about to speak when Texas tugged at her sleeve. Only after the man left did she say, "Why did you stop me? Those guys deserve a beating!"
Then Exusiai called out to Shi Lei.
"If those guys dare to bully Kong later, beat them up with us. Don't worry about damaging the place. The boss will pay for it."
Shi Lei also felt that the other side would not let things go so easily, so he quickly cleared the fruit platter.
He was the only man here. How could he hide behind the women?
Since Exusiai said there was a boss to cover the bill, they just had to get it done!
How I felt after learning about Hedgehog Cat's The Great Silence:
Stop, Don't Fight Anymore!
Seeing that Exusiai had set a bad example, Kong felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles. She spoke up to explain to him, "Mister Shi Lei, don't misunderstand. It isn't really as bad as she makes it sound. If fans ask for autographs or photos, normal requests like that are usually fine."
Exusiai pouted, finding that hard to agree with.
"But that guy didn't look like a fan at all. You could tell at a glance he was some arrogant, prideful man. If you don't believe me, just wait and see."
Texas stayed silent and had no personal stance on the matter. Soldiers came, generals stopped them; water came, earth dammed it. If the other side truly came looking for trouble, she would act.
Croissant rolled her neck from side to side as if warming up, then looked over toward the sofa.
"Mister Shi Lei, do you have combat experience?"
"Me? Sort of."
Shi Lei's current role leaned more toward support, providing shields. If he wanted to become the main damage dealer on the battlefield, he would probably have to wait until he reached the Immortal Realm. That would not take too long, only a month or two.
There was no way to know Exusiai and Croissant's actual combat ability. Judging from Texas's performance in the warehouse alone, her skills definitely would not be poor. She should be more than capable of handling those people.
Croissant thought he lacked combat experience but was too embarrassed to say so. Suppressing a laugh, she said, "What do you mean, sort of? You either have experience or you don't. Nobody's going to laugh at you."
Seeing everyone grow more excited the longer they talked, Kong hurriedly interrupted them.
"You guys, stop discussing this already. Whether they'll come back is still unknown. After we finish these drinks, let's go to KTV. I've been practicing a new song lately, and I want to sing it for you."
Exusiai's eyes immediately lit up. With idol singer Kong around, listening to her sing was like hearing a live performance in a live house.
"Tap, tap, tap."
A set of approaching footsteps drew everyone's attention. The man who had left earlier returned to the booth with several large, burly men. Perhaps because he thought the difference in strength between both sides was obvious, he spoke with some smugness.
"My brothers heard there were beauties over here and insisted on coming to take a look. What, still chatting? Once you're done, give us some face and come have a drink at our table."
Facing the blatant threat, Kong was not intimidated in the least. She still maintained an elegant smile as she explained, "Sorry, sir. I already said I won't be going to another booth. You should go back."
"Lungmen profanity, asking you to come drink with us is doing you a favor. Don't be so fucking ungrateful..."
Given Penguin Logistics' leading position in the logistics industry, its employees often encountered provocations and troublemakers. Croissant, who was closest to Kong, was not afraid at all. She grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it straight over the man's head.
"Ahhh! You actually dared to hit me?"
With the man's miserable scream, both sides locked eyes, and battle was on the verge of breaking out!
Croissant's arm strength was absurd. With one hand, she lifted the screaming man over her head and slammed him heavily into the ground.
After blocking with her forearm, Texas raised her leg, spun into an outward kick, followed with a hook to the liver, then a high kick to the chin. She quickly rendered an even larger brute incapable of fighting. Judging from how effortlessly she moved, she was probably holding back.
Exusiai jumped onto the table and began cheering. Rather than joining the fight, she acted as an armchair commander from the fountain.
"Over here, hit him! Yes, just like that! Watch the left! Hahaha, nice one!"
Seeing everyone fighting enthusiastically, Shi Lei felt too embarrassed to keep shamelessly watching. He summoned Rock Spine and put Jade Shields on his coworkers.
Croissant immediately noticed a light brown film covering the surface of her body. She asked in confusion, "What is this?"
Before her words had even faded, one of the brutes ignored all rules of fair play and attacked from behind. His fist struck the shield, but it was as weak and powerless as punching cotton.
Exusiai recognized Rock Spine at a glance and knew this ability was related to Shi Lei. She looked extremely excited.
"Cool! Is this your Originium Arts?"
Texas threw a left hook at a man's chin, spun into an outward kick, and followed up with a front kick. Even when several brutes surrounded her, none could touch her. Whether she had a Jade Shield or not made little difference.
Croissant, on the other hand, had not brought her Ballistic Shield, so the Jade Shield's effect was extremely obvious. Exusiai watched with envy, jumped down from the table, and joined the fight.
For a moment, the venue was thrown into complete chaos.
Before you continue