"Pfft!..." Inside the Penguin Logistics vehicle, Exusiai couldn't hold back her laughter anymore once she realized they had successfully escaped the mall.
"Hahaha! That was amazing! What you just did was incredible, Ren!!"
"Who would've thought you could summon that stone pillar just in time to protect that kid?! Just like I thought! You're absolutely cut out to be one of us at Penguin Logistics!"
Exusiai, who unusually sat in the back seat beside the young man instead of her usual spot in front, gave Ren a hearty pat on the shoulder. Ren, unsure of how to respond, could only mutter with a strained smile:
"Would you believe me... if I said my hand moved on its own?"
"Huh?! Your hand moved on its own?! That just makes it even cooler! That means you instinctively put someone else's life before your own! Aahh... It's a shame I couldn't announce to Officer Ch'en that you saved her. Speaking of which—Texas? Why did we have to run out of there so fast? If we asked her for a little credit, maybe all those fines we keep getting could be forgiven!"
"You really think Officer Ch'en—the one who's dead serious about everything, even illegal parking under a bridge—would go easy on us for that?"
Exusiai paused for a moment before replying hesitantly.
"Uh... y-yeah, you're probably right. B-but I'm sure she's at least grateful!"
"That might be true. But more than gratitude, what she'd likely feel is increased suspicion toward Ren. As a responsible officer of Lungmen, her top concern would be public safety. Seeing someone suddenly summon a giant stone pillar out of nowhere would worry her. In the wrong hands, that kind of power could be dangerous."
After Texas finished, she glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed Ren looking rather downcast, eyes cast to the floor. She sighed and added softly,
"Still... what you did back there was truly admirable. I think Officer Ch'en would understand. By now, she's probably reviewing the footage from the security cameras and might have already spotted us. Who knows? She might even show up at the bar soon to ask about you."
"Ooh~ Getting a visit from LGD on your first day? That's my little brother for you! You've already got what it takes to be one of us!"
'What exactly does it take?' Ren wondered silently, but didn't voice it aloud—because just then, a string of notifications appeared in front of him.
[Lemuel (Codename: Exusiai) is impressed by your attitude. Affection +500]
[Celina Texas (Codename: Texas) is impressed by your support. Affection +200]
[Ch'en Hui-jie (Codename: Ch'en) is impressed by your support. Affection +200]
[Many citizens were impressed by your actions. Affection +3,000]
Ren was at a loss for words as he stared at the sudden windfall of affection points.
'With this many points... I could pull from the gacha dozens of times...'
Of course, that was just a joking thought. He wasn't about to let himself fall under the spell of gacha again—not this time.
With so many points in hand, the first thing he decided to purchase was something that could boost his mimicry stats.
Ren was beginning to understand now—his strength grew in line with the Mimicry Value he possessed. A few hours ago, he wouldn't have had the confidence to instantly summon that stone pillar. The power required a decent amount of concentration to gather the elemental particles.
But earlier, he did it effortlessly—just by lifting his hand to protect the child.
He was fairly certain it wasn't a coincidence. It was likely due to the boost in his power. He knew he couldn't compare to the real Zhongli, who could summon meteorites from the heavens, but if it was just pillars—and as long as there were enough particles—he should be able to manage... probably?
He opened the in-system shop and selected one particular item.
Would you like to purchase: [Zhongli's Outfit]? [Yes/No]
Ren pressed 'Yes' without hesitation.
...
Eventually, Texas's vehicle pulled up to what would be their new safehouse. According to Exusiai, this was going to be Ren's new home from now on.
Stepping out of the car, Ren looked up at the ordinary-looking three-story building before him. He had expected something fancier.
But when he heard what Exusiai said next, he was genuinely surprised.
"Looks smaller than you imagined, huh? But let me tell you, buying a three-story building in central Lungmen is no joke! Remember that big residential hotel we passed on the way here? The entire building is still cheaper than this place by a long shot!"
"It's that expensive?" Ren asked in disbelief. If he recalled correctly, that hotel had dozens of rooms. How could this little building cost more?
"It's all about the land. The closer you get to the city center, the higher the land value—and the security. I hate to say it, but the outskirts of Lungmen can be really dangerous. Robberies happen daily, usually by infected folks or illegal immigrants forced into underground work. So, of course, people want to live somewhere safer. That drives prices up every year. Whew... I'm lucky to have ended up with a good company. If I'd ended up with one of those back-alley operations, I'd be in serious trouble."
Hearing that, Ren asked curiously,
"So you used to live somewhere else, Ms. Exusiai? What was your hometown like? Was it very different from Lungmen?"
Exusiai, who was in the middle of closing the car door, paused to think. She touched her chin thoughtfully before replying:
"Hmm... Personally, I think the two places are really different. My hometown, Laterano, felt peaceful and comforting. But Lungmen? It feels free. Like I can do whatever I want. I don't know how to explain it—but I think I actually love it more than my hometown. No, scratch that—I fell in love with it the moment I arrived!"
"New experiences, great partners I can trust, a job I love... From every angle, it's been nothing but good for me! Ah—though I do wish the apple pies here were a little sweeter. But hey, I enjoy trying new flavors!"
"What about you, Ren? How do you feel about Lungmen compared to where you came from?"
It sounded like a casual, friendly question—nothing invasive or serious.
Texas, who was getting out of the car as well, didn't say anything, but one of her ears twitched slightly as she discreetly glanced over at Ren's face, waiting for his answer.
"...I'm not very familiar with the city I used to live in. But I think it was probably more peaceful than here."
At the very least, he had never seen a robbery in the middle of a shopping mall committed by someone summoning fire from their hands.
"Even so... I kind of feel the same as you, Ms. Exusiai. I feel like I have more freedom here. I want to do things for myself. As for whether I like it... I can't really say yet. I haven't seen enough of this place. But the people I've met—Ms. Schwarz, you, Ms. Texas, the Boss—everyone's been so kind to me. So maybe... I might grow to like it as much as the place I came from. That's how I feel right now."
After hearing his reply, Exusiai's face flushed slightly—probably from a hint of embarrassment.
"I was only joking around, but you took the question so seriously... Now I feel kinda bad for not thinking harder about my own answer."
"But I'm really glad you said that! It feels like we're already close friends!"
[Lemuel (Codename: Exusiai) Affection +300]
'Huh? Even raising someone's affection gives me points?'
It seemed his system was quite generous—unlike those overly strict ones he'd read about in novels.
"Alright, let's go inside! Everyone's probably been waiting!" Exusiai, clearly in high spirits, grabbed his hand and pushed the door open.
"Waiting? Who's—" Ren began to ask, but before he could finish, a soft popping sound greeted him, followed by confetti drifting through the air.
Two unfamiliar girls were standing inside.
"Welcome to Penguin Logistics, times two!" said one cheerfully—she had horns like a bull. The other, with yellow hair and ears like Texas's, looked a bit awkward but still smiled and spoke in a warm, friendly tone:
"Welcome officially to Penguin Logistics, Ren! Now come on—we're gonna celebrate!"
Exusiai led the way in. Still stunned, Ren found himself gently nudged from behind. Turning around, he saw Texas smiling softly at him, nodding encouragingly.
Seeing that gave him a bit more courage... and he stepped forward.
'From today onward... this will be my second life.'
Without him realizing, a small notification popped up in the lower-left corner of his vision as he reached for the apple pie Exusiai was handing him:
[Hamuel Tu Faelra Gustaf (Codename: Zhongli) has joined Penguin Logistics. System will now automatically register to database.]
And without anyone noticing, a mysterious app quietly installed itself on everyone's phones.
The logo showed a Carter girl.
And the app's name was... 'Arknights.'