Awakening Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra

Shi Lei also had no intention of lingering, returning to Penguin Logistics' safe house. He ate some snacks to fill his stomach and played video games alone to pass the time.

"Ding!"

Accompanied by the sound of the elevator, Exusiai and Texas entered the safe house with two others, swiping their cards.

Croissant's mouth gaped open upon seeing the guests from earlier.

So he's the new colleague???

012 Just Do It

Exusiai stood at the forefront, not noticing Croissant's unusual gaze. She gestured towards the man who had stood up, introducing them to each other:

"This is Shi Lei, our recently hired receptionist. This is Croissant, like Texas and me, a courier for the company. This is Sora, an idol. Her agency has a long-term partnership with the boss's music studio. Although she's not

an official employee of Penguin Logistics, we have a very good relationship."

Croissant nodded upon seeing her future colleague. Shi Lei, seeing this, also nodded in acknowledgment.

Exusiai caught this small gesture and looked back and forth between the two, asking:

"What, do you two know each other?"

Croissant shook her head slightly, denying it outright:

"No, I've never seen him before today."

Shi Lei didn't know why she was reluctant to say, so he answered with silence.

Unable to get any more information, Exusiai steered the conversation back:

"Where should we go to celebrate tonight? The boss's bar, or the new place? I heard there's a new bar that opened in District 11 yesterday and they're having an opening promotion, why don't we go there?"

Texas remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. In reality, it didn't matter to her where they went.

Shi Lei was clearly there to freeload, so the venue for the party would naturally be decided by the benefactors.

"I'm not familiar with Lungmen, I'll go with whatever you guys decide."

Croissant had no objections. Finally, Sora cast her vote of approval, successfully settling the matter:

"I don't have any opinions, let's go with Exusiai's suggestion."

"Alright, let's go then. If we go now, I wonder if there'll be any tables left."

The five of them took the elevator back to the first floor and walked to the car parked on the roadside. Exusiai wanted to drive, but was jointly stopped by Texas and Croissant.

"With Texas and me here, what are you driving for? Just sit in the back obediently."

Seeing Croissant's strong reaction, Shi Lei guessed that Exusiai was a vehicular menace and drove very wildly.

"Hehe, just let me drive for a bit."

"No!"

Texas directly took the driver's seat, not letting her intentions succeed. Shi Lei opened the car door and got into the passenger seat. After all, the rest were female colleagues, and it felt a bit awkward for him, a man, to squeeze in the back.

Exusiai didn't seem bothered by being stopped from driving. She squeezed between Sora and Croissant and pointed forward:

"Texas, floor it!"

Lungmen Guard Department Building Rooftop, 6:30 p.m.

Located in Lungmen's Upper City, this was a landmark building in the area. Nine stood alone by the railing, gazing out.

She looked down at the pedestrians on the street below, like watching tiny ants.

The wind on the rooftop was strong, feeling a bit rough against her face. There was no clamor from the streets, nor the hustle and bustle of the marketplace; it felt like a pure land outside the mortal world. It seemed only here could she be her true self.

"Creak."

Officer Chen Hui-jie pushed open the iron gate to the rooftop and saw Nine's clothes fluttering in the wind. She walked over and stood beside her, looking towards the distant sky:

"I've been investigating all day and still haven't found out who was protecting us that night. Perhaps it was a hidden expert in the slums, or a Rhine Lab sorcerer. In any case, the other party doesn't seem to intend to show themselves."

"..."

Nine's silence caused the atmosphere to plummet.

Chen Hui-jie hesitated for a moment and tentatively asked:

"What did the higher-ups say about that incident?"

The leader of the Infected was already critically ill and died before being sent back to the Guard Department. As for the Infected who had illegally entered the country actually being Lungmen Infected, the leadership had not disclosed the relevant information before issuing the order.

Every member who joined the Special Supervisory Team had sworn an oath at the entrance of the Guard Department. They vowed to protect every citizen of Lungmen at the cost of their lives. Therefore, Nine found the suppression operation that night extremely perplexing.

Were Lungmen people no longer Lungmen people just because they were infected with Originium-related illness, deserving to be hunted by their own kin?

She looked at Chen Hui-jie with a look of emotion. In fact, with her righteous and evil-hating personality, she wasn't well-liked in the police force. It was only because of her relationship with Wei Yen-wu that the flame of justice could be kept alive:

"I've been in this position for several years, and I always thought I understood Lungmen very well. It wasn't until today that I finally understood. I was wrong, and I was thoroughly wrong."

Chen Hui-jie's eyelids twitched. She understood the compromise in the other's words and could infer from it that Nine's communication with her superiors had likely not gone well.

"You mean they knew the whole time?"

Nine didn't answer. Instead, she took a stack of documents from her clothes and handed them to Chen Hui Jie. Some convictions, she realized, were destined to be carried on by others:

"This is my draft proposal for the 'Infected Residential Law,' aiming to secure the rights of Infected people living in the slums through legislation. If we can get the Lungmen Guard Department to set up an office in the slums, it might improve the public order in that area, but..."

"But what?"

Nine gave a wry smile, still not answering directly:

"If I suddenly resign one day, I hope you won't pry into the reasons behind it. We who act as pawns must think more of the people. Pushing for the Infected Residential Law is far more effective than venting temporary anger."

Chen Hui Jie stared at the ten-plus pages in her hand with a complex expression, feeling their weight unusually heavy.

Lungmen District 11, 7:11 PM.

The five members of Penguin Logistics parked their car and entered the bar that had just opened, it was already past seven. At this hour, many people's nightlife was just beginning.

Texas booked a booth and led everyone inside. They ordered two cases of beer and settled in for a drink around the table.

As a fruit platter assassin, Shi Lei quietly ate his fruit, nodding occasionally as he listened to Sora and Croissant recount amusing stories from their rehearsals.

Loud electronic music was playing, the pounding beat relentless. A man in hip-hop attire walked by, but quickly retreated. His eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, scanned the group for a moment before he called out:

"Hey, beautiful ladies. You guys have too few guys here, why don't you come have a drink with us?"

Before Shi Lei could swallow his fruit to answer, Sora offered a polite yet awkward professional smile and refused:

"Sorry, sir, we're just having a simple work gathering, so we won't be joining you."

"It's just one drink, you can't even give me that much face?"

"It's not about that, we're not interested in drinking elsewhere, please understand."

The man's expression soured, and he muttered something under his breath. Exusiai was about to speak when Texas tugged on her sleeve. After the man left, she said:

"Why did you stop me? They totally deserved a beating!"

Finishing, Exusiai called out to Shi Lei, "If those guys dare to bully Sora later, you beat them up too. Don't worry about damaging the venue, the boss will pay."

Shi Lei also felt that the other party wouldn't give up easily, so he quickly cleared his fruit plate.

He was the only guy here, how could he hide behind the women?

Since Exusiai said the boss would cover it, then it was time to fight!

Mood after learning about the Hedgehog Cat's Great Silence:

013 Stop, you guys, please don't fight anymore.

Sora, seeing Exusiai start a bad precedent, felt like she was sitting on pins and needles and said to him, "Mr. Shi Lei, please don't misunderstand. It's not as bad as she makes it out to be. If it's a normal request like fans asking for autographs or photos, it's usually fine."

Exusiai pouted, finding this hard to agree with:

"But he didn't look like a fan at all. He looked like an arrogant man who cares too much about his pride. If you don't believe me, just wait and see."

Texas remained silent, taking no personal stance. She figured they'd deal with whatever came their way. If the other party really came to cause trouble, she would step in.

Croissant stretched her neck from side to side, as if doing warm-up exercises, and cast a glance towards the sofa:

"Mr. Shi Lei, do you have combat experience?"

"Me? I guess I do."

Shi Lei's current role was more of a support, providing shields. To become a primary damage dealer on the battlefield, he'd probably have to wait until he reached the Immortal Realm. This wouldn't take too long, maybe a month or two.

He had no idea about Exusiai and Croissant's combat proficiency. Judging by Texas's performance in the warehouse, her skills were definitely not bad, likely enough to deal with those guys.

Croissant thought he didn't have combat experience and, feeling embarrassed to say it, suppressed a smile:

"What do you mean, 'I guess I do'? You either have it or you don't, no one will laugh at you."

Seeing everyone getting more excited with the discussion, Sora quickly interrupted: "You guys, let's stop talking about this. Whether they'll even come is still unknown. After we finish these drinks, let's go to KTV. I've been practicing a new song recently and want to sing it for you."

Exusiai's eyes lit up at this. After all, with Sora, an idol singer, present, listening to her sing was like attending a live performance at a house concert.

"Dada da."

A sound of approaching footsteps drew everyone's attention. The man who had left earlier returned with several burly, tall men and stopped in front of their booth. Perhaps sensing a clear power imbalance, he spoke with a bit of arrogance:

"My buddies heard there were beauties over here and insisted on coming to take a look. What, are you still chatting? Finished talking? Do us a favor and come have a drink with us."

Facing the blatant threat, Sora was unfazed. She maintained her elegant smile and explained:

"I'm sorry, sir. I already said we won't be going to other booths, you should go back."

"Lungmen vulgarity, it's an honor for you to come and entertain us, don't be ungrateful..."

Given Penguin Logistics' leading position in the logistics industry, its employees often encounter provocations or people looking for trouble. Croissant, who was closest to Sora, wasn't intimidated at all. She grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it directly over the troublemaker's head.

"Aaaah! How dare you hit me?"

As the man's miserable screams echoed, their eyes met, and a fight was about to break out!

With exaggerated arm strength, Croissant lifted the wailing man over her head with one hand and slammed him heavily onto the ground.

After blocking with her arms, Texas turned, swept her leg out, landed a hook to the liver, and then delivered a high kick to the chin, quickly incapacitating a larger, burly man. Seeing how effortlessly she fought, it was clear she was holding back.

Exusiai jumped onto a table and began cheering them on. She didn't join the fight but acted as a backseat general:

"This way, hit him. Yes, just like that! Watch out on your left, haha, well done!"

Seeing everyone fighting intensely, Shi Lei felt awkward just watching. He summoned Rock Spine and cast Jade Shield on his colleagues.

Croissant instantly felt a thin, light brown film cover her body and asked in confusion:

"What's this?"

As soon as she spoke, a burly man, not playing by the rules, launched a surprise attack from behind. His fist, however, hit the shield with a soft, ineffectual thud, like hitting cotton.

Exusiai recognized Rock Spine immediately, knowing the ability was related to Shi Lei, and became quite excited:

"Cool, is this your Originium Arts?"

Texas landed a left hook to the chin, followed by a turning outward sweep and a front kick. Several burly men attacked her, but none could touch her; the Jade Shield made little difference to her.

On Croissant's side, however, since she wasn't using her riot shield, the effect of the Jade Shield was very noticeable. Exusiai, looking on with envy, jumped down from the table and joined the fray.

Suddenly, the area descended into chaos.