Awakening Zhongli Template, Retiring on Terra Chapter 8

Glass shattered, tables and chairs flew everywhere.

The Lungmen youths dancing in the center of the dance floor, all eager to watch the show, abandoned their dancing and moved to the edge of the venue to get a closer look at the intense fight between the two sides. They occasionally booed the losing party, thinking they were just noobs.

Facing the chaotic scene, a large-headed man, presumably the owner, shouted hoarsely:

"Heavens, I just renovated this place!"

"Stop, you guys, stop fighting!"

But his cries seemed to fall on deaf ears, receiving no response. The brawny men had no intention of stopping, and the guests at the scene joined in the commotion, hoping for an even more intense fight.

"Mr. Shi Lei."

Hearing his name called, Shi Lei looked towards the sound. Seeing Sora, he asked:

"Miss Sora, what's wrong?"

"They're fighting like crazy, but the shop owner is miserable. Can you escort me to the stage over there? I want to borrow their microphone."

He was a corporate slave before transmigrating, not a fighter to begin with, and the Embarrassing System hadn't instilled any combat experience. Although he fought without getting hurt, it felt awkward. Hearing this, he bowed in a gentlemanly manner and gestured:

"No problem, Miss Sora, this way please."

Under Shi Lei's cover, Sora went up to the stage and asked the DJ to turn off the electronic music. Then, she picked up the microphone, adjusted the volume, cleared her throat, and began to sing a cappella.

The melodious singing echoed through the spacious hall, and the brawny men who heard it immediately stopped fighting. They were like they had been petrified, unable to move at all.

The customers watching the scene were the same, frozen in place and unable to incite further. In an instant, a fierce brawl came to an abrupt halt.

Sora sang for nearly a minute before stopping, sticking out her tongue sheepishly as she put down the microphone. As soon as the song ended, the petrifying sensation vanished.

The brawny men, completely deflated, knew they would lose if they continued fighting. They helped their injured companions and slunk away from the scene.

"My sofas, my floors..."

Looking at the severely damaged venue, the bar owner was on the verge of tears. He slumped to the ground dejectedly, as if his soul had been drained.

A bartender in a vest walked over and asked:

"Big Head, should we inform Sister Gui?"

"No, Sister Gui just joined the Lungmen Guard Department. Let's not bother her again."

As they talked, Sora led Shi Lei over:

"Excuse me, are you the owner here?"

"I am."

Sora put on a professional idol smile and said:

"I'm sorry, could you please calculate the losses for tonight? We will compensate you for the full amount."

With that, she returned to the booth, took out a pink mobile phone from her bag, and called the Emperor to come.

014 Make them pay!

"Disperse, disperse, everyone move along. Go back to drinking and dancing, don't crowd here."

Croissant urged the onlookers, young men and women, to leave, doing her job with practiced ease. It seemed that during her time away on assignment with Sora, she had plenty of experience dispersing fans.

Texas picked up a broom from the corner and swept the glass shards from the booth to the side. Exusiai, meanwhile, brought another case of beer and slammed it onto the table with a bang:

"Hahaha, it feels right to have a party after a fight! You guys were too sneaky, you ended the fight before I could even warm up."

Texas didn't bother to argue and poured herself half a glass of wine. She wasn't wearing her uniform tonight; her upper body was a white shirt with a red jacket, and her lower body was black capri pants. Her brows were still as indifferent as ever, like an ice queen.

Croissant, hearing this, wasn't about to indulge Exusiai and directly became the mouthpiece for a certain Lupo:

"How dare you say that, you only showed up when we were almost done fighting. Do you always slack off like this when you and Texas go on missions?"

"No way, I always plan out the optimal delivery routes for her, making the commissions easier."

Exusiai's voice grew less confident as she spoke, and she didn't want to continue the conversation. She steered the topic to Shi Lei:

"Your shield just now felt pretty good! Let's do a comprehensive medical examination sometime."

"A comprehensive medical examination? Is that necessary?"

"Yes, it's not just a physical check-up, but also a test of your Originium Arts. It will help you better understand and master this ability, knowing its specific limits. I'll take you tomorrow if you're free. The location is Rhine Lab, not too far from the company."

Testing skills on random people in secret, like Shi Lei did, carried a high risk. Having a professional institution like this would be very beneficial for him. The better one understood their abilities, the more uses they could develop.

"Sure, but I'm telling you upfront, I'm broke right now and can't afford the comprehensive medical examination fee. How about I go after I get paid?"

Exusiai had been thinking about luring Shi Lei into the Messenger squad since he came for his interview. Hearing that he was worried about money, she immediately patted her chest and promised:

"Don't worry about it. As long as the boss agrees, the company will cover the fee to confirm your qualifications as a Messenger. As for how to talk to the boss, leave that to me!"

Texas didn't really care; frankly, she didn't need a shield for protection. But having a troublemaker in the team who often did crazy things, Shi Lei's addition might increase their margin for error.

Croissant had a good impression of him and had no objections to the proposal, thinking that Exusiai had finally done something useful.

Sora was an external personnel, so Shi Lei's status as a Messenger didn't concern her much. But if everyone else approved of him, she wouldn't mind casting a vote of agreement.

"Thank you all so much, cheers."

"What's there to thank? I've got your back from now on, cheers."

The five of them sat in a messy booth, drinking, and the atmosphere only grew livelier. After a few bottles of iced wine, they started playing drinking games like finger-guessing to liven things up.

After an unknown amount of time, the Emperor, dressed in hip-hop attire, arrived at the newly opened bar. It looked around and saw its employees, then stormed angrily into their booth:

"Exusiai, did you break someone's stuff again? Your performance bonus for this month is completely deducted!"

Exusiai felt wronged and quickly pleaded:

"Don't do that, boss, I won't have anything left if you deduct any more. It really wasn't me causing trouble this time, believe me, ask them."

The Emperor tilted its head back, its two penguin hands clasped together:

"Hmph, when do you ever say anything different?"

Exusiai was very helpless and cast a pleading look at everyone. Sora smiled and helped explain:

"You've misunderstood, it really wasn't her this time."

"Alright, I believe Miss Sora wouldn't lie."

The Emperor's anger flared up and died down just as quickly, and it stopped bothering Exusiai. It used a bottle opener to open a beer, gulped it down, and frowned:

"This tastes no different from what I sell. Why aren't you drinking at my place, why are you here?"

"Boss..."

Exusiai raised her right hand and said weakly:

"It's just that we're out of money at the end of the month, and since it's opening discount here, we decided to gather here."

The Emperor gave her a look and didn't bother with the troublemaker. Of the 16 lawsuits concerning property damage that Isu was responsible for this month, Exusiai alone accounted for 11 of them:

"I don't see much damage to the venue. Let the bar owner hire someone to repair it first. Since it was someone else who caused trouble, find them and make them pay the full price. If they can't be found, I'll just buy this bar."

Wow, good for them.

Its casual tone gave Shi Lei a feeling of a domineering CEO.

Sora stood up proactively and offered to relay the message:

"Since the matter started because of me, let me go talk to the boss. You guys continue drinking."

Croissant, worried about her going alone, volunteered:

"Sora, I'll go with you."

They left the booth together and returned in a few minutes. After all, it was a newly opened establishment, and no one wanted any fighting to break out. Upon hearing that they would pay double the price, the bar owner readily agreed.

Exusiai estimated that it was about time and said:

"Boss, there's one more thing. Shi Lei has a special Originium Art that can generate a shield. I want him to join the Messengers to deliver goods, do you think that's okay?"

The Emperor lowered its gaze, observing the man before it through its sunglasses. Lin Gerei had posted a high bounty for him before; was it because of this ability?

It didn't answer Exusiai directly. Its eyes turned to the person concerned, and it spoke:

"They said it, they said it. The key is your own willingness, do you want to do this? Our company's Messengers are more dangerous than other logistics companies. But high risk means high reward. One delivery might be worth several months of your current salary."

The Embarrassing System didn't pay directly, and a comfortable retirement was impossible without money. Just like a leader drawing a picture of a cake, one could only hope for future sweetness after current hardship:

"Boss, I've never been a Messenger before and I'm not sure if I can handle the job. But there's no point in fearing defeat before the battle. I'm willing to give it a try."

Originium Arts like generating shields were very rare on Terra. The Emperor felt that his potential was likely more than just protecting people. The specific situation would have to wait for the comprehensive examination report.

"Very good, young people should have the spirit of young people. I'll approve a paid leave for you tomorrow, go do a comprehensive medical examination first."

After speaking, the Emperor drank the rest of the beer in the bottle. It picked up another bottle from the table, opened it, and asked:

"Did the guys who were causing trouble run off? Did they say when they'll be back?"

Texas, holding her cup in one hand and crossing her legs, elegantly gestured with her chin towards the entrance of the bar:

"They're here, over there."

The Emperor's cheeks flushed slightly, perhaps from the alcohol. It downed the beer in one go, stood on the sofa with the empty bottle, and waved its claws, commanding:

"These Lungmen vulgarities actually have the nerve to come back, go get them!"

Shi Lei and Exusiai exchanged a smile and, in unison, picked up their beer bottles and said:

"Received, boss!"

November 28th, 9:54 p.m.

Lower District Slums, Lin Family Residence.

Lin Yuxia, dressed in a black qipao, stood on the balcony gazing at the night sky, lost in thought.

After a day of searching, she hadn't found a man who fit the criteria. She deduced that he probably didn't live here and only appeared in District 25 because of that night's operation.

Her father's influence was limited to the slums. If she wanted to investigate personal information in the Upper City, the Lungmen Guard Department, with its vast archives, would be the best choice.

She knew two people at the Lungmen Guard Department: Chen and Swire.

The three of them had grown up together and she had even been classmates with Chen.

However, Lin Yuxia had a falling out with Chen and a disagreement with Swire, and they hadn't been in contact for many years.

She stood on the balcony, hesitating for a long time. After weighing her options, she picked one and pulled out her phone to make a call.

015 Midnight, Time for Emo

Chen answered the phone, surprised and confused that Lin Yuxia was calling her. After a brief silence, all her thoughts condensed into a single word:

"Hello?"

In comparison, Lin Yuxia's relationship with Swire was closer. But Chen was an eyewitness to the operation that night, making direct communication with her less complicated:

"I know about your Lungmen Guard Department leading a team into District 25 last night."

They hadn't interacted recently, so Chen guessed Lin Yuxia was mostly calling about this matter. She just wasn't sure if the call was Lin Yuxia's personal idea or if the Rat King had instructed her to do so:

"Yes, we received orders from above to eliminate illegal immigrant Infected in the slums. However, we later discovered the intelligence was incorrect; they were Infected locals of Lungmen who had been deported and returned. I am truly very sorry about this. But the tragedy has already occurred, and the Lungmen Guard Department is trying to find ways to compensate the victims' families."

The entire slum was managed by the Rat King, Lin Gerei. If something happened, he and Governor Wei Yenwu should be the ones negotiating, not Lin Yuxia acting as a messenger:

"No, Chen, I'm calling you about something else this time."

"What is it? Do you want to seek justice for the Infected? That's no problem. I promise to continue investigating this matter and bring them justice. Of course, empty words are not convincing. I'm currently pushing for the passage of the 'Infected Residence Act,' which aims to help the Infected in the lower districts. I hope Lungmen is a city inclusive enough for both local and non-local Infected to live well."

Hearing this, Lin Yuxia couldn't help but sigh.

She recalled how timid and shy she was as a child, often hiding behind Chen. Back then, just like now, she possessed a sense of justice for all the common people.

"You're still the same as you were before, righteous like a sharp blade, so keen it pierces anyone who dares to look directly at your brilliance, making them feel inadequate. Honestly, I envy you, but I'm destined not to become you."