Half an hour later
Texas's car pulled into the parking lot of a massive shopping mall, and the first person to swing the door open was the familiar, cheerful red-haired angel.
"We're here, Ren!" Exusiai exclaimed excitedly, turning to speak to the boy still inside the car before rushing to open the back door to let him out quickly.
"You seem way more excited than I am," Ren muttered as he stepped out reluctantly. The oversized clothes he wore made him feel a little self-conscious. Though the outfit had been prepared for him by Yith, it was still too loose for his frail frame.
Yith—he was a staff member from a company that specialized in security and equipment management for Penguin Logistics. Ren hadn't exchanged many words with him when they met, since Yith had a lot of errands to run for the Boss. Still, he had been nothing but polite and had helped Ren prepare a number of essentials without complaint.
At least, that's what Ren assumed. Truth be told, he hadn't seen Yith's face clearly because the man wore a full-face helmet resembling a motorcycle helmet. Combined with his company-style uniform, Yith gave off the vibe of a very serious salesman—but with an air of mystery that made him slightly untrustworthy.
Ren didn't want to use his eye ability to read Yith's emotions either, as it felt rude to pry into a colleague's mind. Still, he was fairly confident that Yith had no ill intent toward him.
Besides the clothes, Yith had also given Ren several important tools, along with brief instructions on how to use them. These included a mobile phone, an employee ID card, and a company communication terminal.
Of all these, Ren was most fascinated by the mobile phone. He'd always been curious about it after seeing Exusiai and Texas using theirs to pass the time. As someone who used to be a bit of a phone addict, he'd longed to have one of his own.
However, his excitement dimmed slightly when he realized phones in this world were quite different from those in his own. For starters, there was no free access to search engines or online content. Everything required payment in a currency called LMD—short for Lungmen Dollar—before you could even read it. Texas had explained to him that LMD was the common currency here and in many other nomadic cities.
Entertainment, like music and mobile games, also required payment to access. Of course, Ren wasn't ready to start spending money, so he couldn't use any of those apps. The only accessible one was Penguin Logistics Messenger, the company's built-in communication tool. There was also a free app that resembled Facebook from his world, but you had to register your ID information to use it—and Ren hadn't felt inclined to sign up yet.
Still, he considered himself lucky when Exusiai introduced him to the car's tape deck, which played surprisingly pleasant music. The lyrics weren't particularly deep, but the singer's voice enchanted him. Exusiai had told him the singer was one of their coworkers, a girl named Sora, and that she'd introduce him to her during the next company party.
Back to the present—
As Ren walked into the shopping mall alongside Exusiai and Texas, he was instantly swept up in wonder, staring wide-eyed at his surroundings as if stepping into an unknown world for the second time.
'So this... is a shopping mall in another world?'
Honestly, this was the first time in years that Ren had been to a mall. The last time was a faint childhood memory with his family. He had seen places like this in movies and illustrated books, but none of that compared to actually being there in person. And this mall was even grander than any location he had ever seen.
The floors were covered in luxurious red carpets. Elegant chandeliers hung above. Escalators and elevators connected the upper floors, and you could see the whole layout from the ground level. The shops were neatly lined with a warm, cozy atmosphere. In the center stood a majestic piano-like instrument, almost like a display piece. All around, a wide variety of people passed by—many with animal-like ears or horns resembling cows or rabbits.
Among the crowd were even full-animal-looking people—like the Boss—walking upright on two legs and living side by side with humans as if it were the most normal thing in the world. There were humanoid wolves and lizards, just going about their lives. The sight made Ren feel like he had truly stepped into a sci-fi fantasy world, for the second time since seeing the mobile city just hours earlier.
"Hehe, look at your face, Ren. Is this your first time somewhere like this?" Exusiai teased him, amused by the wide-eyed, childlike wonder on his face.
"Yes... this is my first time seeing something like this," Ren admitted without realizing it, overwhelmed by the novelty around him. He looked just like a kid seeing Disneyland for the first time.
Exusiai smiled warmly and nodded in understanding. Having lived in Laterano all her life, she knew exactly how he felt—just like how she felt when she first arrived in Lungmen. That made her feel an instant connection with him, and she gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, little bro! As your expert big sis tour guide, I'll show you around!"
"Exusiai, don't forget that we're supposed to—" Texas began to protest, but it was too late. Exusiai had already dragged Ren over to her favorite cake shop and was ordering apple pie with the Boss's money like it was nothing.
All Texas could do was sigh and rub her temples in frustration. She wanted to scold her coworker, but when she saw Ren's beaming face as he received the apple pie, she let the thought go. Once in a while... it's fine, I guess.
Hours passed—
It seemed like Ren and Exusiai were having a little too much fun. By the time Texas came to remind them, it was already close to 8 PM. Since the mall would close at 9, they had to rush and use the last hour to buy Ren's essential personal items.
Nearly half an hour later, Ren and Exusiai finally stepped out of the clothing store—the last stop on their list—arms full of shopping bags.
"Don't you think these clothes are a bit too much? And a lot of them aren't even my size..." Ren couldn't help but ask as they walked out, noticing several outfits that were way too big for him. He felt a bit guilty using the Boss's money on clothes he might not even wear.
But Exusiai just smiled and waved it off.
"Oh, come on, Ren. These clothes aren't too big—you're just too skinny right now! Remember, thinking ahead is a vital survival skill for us salary workers! You might bulk up later, so having clothes that'll fit you then is totally smart. That way, we won't have to shop so often—wait, no! We should shop more often! Because we're still growing!"
She said it with such passion, and—Ren wasn't sure if he was imagining it—but he thought he saw her glance at her own chest briefly at the end of that sentence... but he decided to pretend he hadn't seen it.
"You two done yet?" Texas asked without looking up from her phone, glancing over as the two approached.
"All done! Let's head back to the safehouse and celebrate!"
"Hmm. Is there anything else you want, Ren?" Texas turned to ask him, and Ren shook his head, looking slightly guilty.
"No, that's all."
He felt a little bad for making Texas wait so long while he and Exusiai were messing around. But she didn't seem upset—or maybe she just hid it well. Ren didn't want to use his power to find out either, for the same reason he held back at the start. So he quickly apologized directly.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Texas. It's my fault we took so long."
[Selina Texas [Codename: Texas] feels sympathy for you. +100 Emotion Points]
'Huh?' Ren quickly looked up at Texas, only to see her already turned back to her phone, her face expressionless as usual.
"No need to apologize. I'm used to it."
"Yeah, Ren! Texas, me, and the others come hang out at the mall until late all the time! Don't worry about it!"
"No... You, on the other hand, should think a bit more," Texas replied, putting her phone away and lightly pinching Exusiai's cheek. The cheerful angel squealed in pain.
Watching their friendly interaction brought an unconscious smile to Ren's face.
Hanging out with close friends, being able to joke and talk about anything... That was something Ren had once dreamed of. But he couldn't even remember if he'd ever had that kind of friend in his previous life...
Just as Ren was lost in thought, a sudden commotion from downstairs caught all three of their attention.
Ren walked toward the railing overlooking the lower floor. There, by the entrance, someone in ragged clothes suddenly burst through the glass door, ignoring the automatic sliding doors. Behind him, a group of patrol officers—dressed in uniforms like the ones Ren had seen earlier that morning—chased after him, led by a dark-blue-haired woman who was rapidly closing in, moving at a speed even Ren was shocked to witness. Was it really possible for a normal human to move that fast?
But suddenly, the ragged man turned and hurled a fireball from out of nowhere at her.
"Tch!" The dark-blue-haired woman had no choice but to leap aside. Once she regained her footing, she charged after him again—only to stop when the man grabbed a nearby woman and took her hostage.
"Don't come any closer! If any of you take another step, I'll burn this woman to ashes!!"
Hearing his threat, the female officer froze. It was clear he wasn't bluffing—he began conjuring another fireball and held it close to the terrified woman in his grasp. Her skin started to redden from the heat. The officer grew increasingly anxious and slowly raised her hands to show she was backing down.
"Barther... Let her go. With your current offense, there's still a chance for leniency. But if you harm an innocent civilian, Lungmen law will never forgive you." The officer called him by name, trying to reason with him. But it didn't seem to help.
"You... You think I'm stupid?! That law only protects people like you! Infected like us have never meant anything to you! Just look around! While we're starving, struggling to survive day by day, these people here live lavishly in the city, safe and sound—completely carefree! While we're oppressed, treated like slaves, robbed of our dignity like we're not even human! Where were the enforcers like you then?! Or do you think the Infected aren't citizens who deserve the same protection under your laws?!"
"No... I won't tolerate this anymore... We'll make you pay—we'll make you feel our pain!"
"That's not true! Lungmen never treated the Infected that way! We're doing everything we can to help everyone equally! We've never discriminated or upheld a caste system like you think!" the officer replied seriously. Still, she silently noted his words—he wasn't acting alone. There were others behind him.
"Lies!! You think pretty words will make me surrender?! Enforcers like you are all the same—liars who don't give a damn about the Infected!!—"
While he kept shouting, up on the third floor, Exusiai watched with a small grin.
"Wow... Looks like a rough day for Sir Chen. What do you think, Texas? Should we go help her out?"
Texas didn't answer right away. She glanced behind them and spotted someone slowly approaching the Infected man—a plainclothes officer nearby. Texas figured that Chen must've known her people were close, so she was just stalling for time and keeping the guy's attention.
"No need. If we do anything now, we'll just make things worse. Plus, we still have unfinished business with her."
Exusiai looked slightly disappointed.
"Boo... Boring. Then let's just leave. The front entrance should be clear by now—"
But before she could finish, a child's cry rang out from below.
"Mommy!!"
Exusiai and Texas both widened their eyes. So did Ren. He saw a little girl running out from the crowd that had gathered to watch. She must've been the daughter of the woman being held hostage. When she saw her mother's pained expression, her instincts kicked in, and she cried out and ran toward her.
The movement was so sudden that even the crowd couldn't react in time to stop her.
The Infected man, startled as well, reacted out of fear and paranoia. Seeing something rushing toward him, he reflexively hurled the fireball at it—unaware that it was just a small girl.
"No!!!" Chen, seeing the fireball flying toward the child, ran to intercept it. But the distance was too great—there was no way she could reach the girl in time.
WHOOSH! Suddenly, a massive brown stone pillar erupted from the ground in front of the girl, blocking the fireball completely and absorbing its explosive impact like a lightning rod siphoning energy.
The girl, shocked, tripped and fell, bursting into tears on the ground.
"What the hell was that—Ow!!" The Infected man stared in confusion at the mysterious stone pillar, failing to notice the figure who had snuck up on him. The undercover officer tackled him, locking his arm and prying the hostage free, then slammed him to the ground.
"Officer Chen, the target has been restrained!"
"You bastard!! I'll ki—"
SMACK! Before he could finish, Chen's foot slammed into his chin, knocking him out cold.
"Take this guy back for interrogation! And make sure his arms are restrained with mineral-suppressing metal!" Chen barked orders to her subordinates. She turned to the little girl, now sobbing on the floor, as her mother—still shaken—ran to embrace and comfort her, tearfully thanking the unseen savior over and over.
Chen let out a relieved sigh, then stared in amazement at the brown stone pillar that had appeared out of nowhere. She wondered who had summoned it. But before she could investigate further, the pillar vanished in a burst of light. She looked around quickly, trying to identify who might have done it. No one looked suspicious—until she caught sight of three figures hurriedly fleeing out the mall's front entrance.
One of them appeared to be a red-haired girl with a familiar halo above her head—clearly a member of Penguin Logistics.
Chen didn't even need to guess.
"Those were people from Penguin Logistics?" Chen immediately started after them, but when she got outside, she saw their van—with the Penguin Logistics logo—already driving away.
Seeing they had already left, Chen chose not to pursue. Instead, she turned to one of her subordinates.
"Han, call that sausage-cat and tell her to have the mall send us all surveillance footage from the last hour. We've got something to investigate."
"yes! sir chen!"