Chapter 558: NO.140: So he is indeed necessary (4k)

NO. 140: So he is indeed necessary (4k)

Hello, I'm a courier.

Having recited this line four times already, he walked through the unlocked glass door under the doubtful gaze of the eighth round; the boy was utterly calm.

Even if he were to face it again——

"Courier? Show your work ID. What courier company uses a kid as small as you? Are you a longevity species?"

Or perhaps——

"Courier sir, were you standing at the door? Our cameras couldn't confirm your presence, huh? Uh, please wait, I'll remotely adjust the camera angle."

Even to the point——

"Where did this little brat come from, loafing around the company? Didn't your elders tell you not to bring kids to work?"

He could calmly tell them his identity and job.

Then he noticed a drone repeatedly flashing past the window not far away.

It's not hard to imagine that, on the other side of the screen, two of the three people are probably laughing, one of them laughing hysterically.

Perhaps the third might also chuckle involuntarily; it's uncertain, after all, with only information and observation, he couldn't even grasp the extent of their sense of humor.

If that were possible, Lu Dao Fu would have long gone to him for scripture, rather than pulling out a joke notebook to ask his opinion.

Just guessing these is meaningless; the constant silence in the earbuds gives him no evidence, only the fact that those three have their mics off.

He only hoped Degreesi wouldn't be led astray by Lapulande…… He thought that, and in the corner inadvertently glanced behind him.

According to plan, Degreesi and Lapulande would be nearby in the rear, as possible responders to any emergency.

He had already seen that stern colleague's blunders several times today.

Whether it was stubbornness or losing his way, it felt novel yet frustrating; besides that, he only hoped humanity's 'depravity' wouldn't happen so fast.

Don't let a quiet, dependable colleague who never jokes turn into someone who schemes for mischief and constantly seeks fun.

The latter already predominates in Penguin Logistics, and around Aomo it's almost overwhelming—he really needs a sober person to provide balance.

Even if it can't balance things, being a reliable contact for that kind of situation tonight would still be good.

"Hey, kid, you're being watched by three people."

But unfortunately, the one who spoke up to warn him at this moment wasn't Degreesi, but the shadow behind him that lengthened and shortened in the corridor lighting.

Zhaluo, Lapulande's attendant, appears as a black wolf; his smoky form can solidify at any time and even grow to a certain extent.

On the Luodao forum, he is called the 'Wolf Lord'.

This is mostly a title, not a species name.

Because the forum's chat logs also have the term 'Beast Master', specifically used to define 'wild beasts with long lifespans, astonishing vitality, intelligence, and the ability to speak human language'.

The boss of Penguin Logistics, that penguin with the title 'Emperor', in Aomo's speculation also belongs to the Beast Master faction, making him of the same kind as Zhaluo.

This may to some extent relate to the boss's attitude toward Lapulande, but that doesn't matter.

What matters is that when he goes out, Lapulande summons Zhaluo to follow his current self.

Although his blocking of bandits and shield use in the carriage already show that Little Aomo's self-defense ability is not bad, even quite high.

But Lapulande still made this decision.

It's hard to say this is a continuation of the 'life-saving grace'; based on Aomo's observation of Zhaluo stepping out of the shadow, Lapulande's micro-expression changes.

This is more like seizing the opportunity to briefly cast Zhaluo aside.

At that time he still had some doubts, after all, his gathered intel contained little about Mr. Zhaluo.

Clearly an attendant, yet this Beast Master rarely shows himself in daily life.

In theory he should have a chance to shine in battle, but Lapulande is someone who enjoys combat and likes to release his power.

Thus, in ordinary combat there is no opportunity for Zhaluo to shine.

Yet when he does get a chance to act, he may not be effective—Aomo hasn't forgotten how he saved Lapulande; this Wolf Lord's performance against monsters is quite limited, so his combat positioning is somewhat awkward.

More than enough compared to those below, insufficient compared to those above.

But its own traits can also shine brightly in a support role.

Leaving aside other things, its habit of dwelling in darkness alone makes it an excellent 'eye position'.

"Now there are four; do you want me to give specific directions, kid?"

"Two at 3 o'clock, one at 12 o'clock, one at 10 o'clock," although he hadn't noticed at first, after the hint he could immediately tell; Aomo responded in a low mutter.

Now he isn't used to multitasking, so Nengtianshi initially had a chance to pat his head.

——At that time he was communicating and pondering with the super agent on the screen, while now he is observing every move in this building corridor, simultaneously pondering Zhaluo-related issues.

He wondered why Lapulande seemed a bit relaxed when throwing Zhaluo out.

If it were merely the annoyance of being watched, that would be an easy problem to solve.

But in fact, this problem might not need thinking; as long as he's patient, the answer will reveal itself.

Just like now, his shadow hides a pair of flashing red lights.

"You see it quite well, kid—can civilization's breeding ground still nurture this wild sense?"

"Civilization and wildness are often a mutual wrapping, Mr. Zhaluo."

"Mutual wrapping? How laughable—civilization only dulls wildness; only the wilderness can awaken life and vigor."

"That might be a bit extreme, Mr. Zhaluo—do you play games?"

"No interest."

"How about novels—have you read any?"

"A detestable vessel of civilization."

"Audio-visual?" Aomo recalled the land called Xulagu, similar to the Yiluo district, then brought up a relatively traditional art: "I think you've at least heard of opera."

"Unbearable to hear, the noise is nothing but human decadence."

Doesn't that mean you still listened seriously to some… and the content you heard was rather obscure…

Aomo fell into silence, feeling there was nothing to say about this stubborn attitude.

If you try to tell him the wildness and madness nurtured within civilization, or the civilization bred from nature itself, it will mostly be blocked by his rejection.

But after his silence, the other party would ask:

"Why are you silent? What were you trying to say earlier?"

"I wanted to say that the language you're using is also one of the carriers of civilization." Aomo murmured suddenly.

Now it was the other party's turn to be silent.

Then the earphones finally emitted a mic-on sound, followed by Lapulan De's hearty laughter: "You really have something, Aomo! I was still betting with Lei Miule on how long you could chat with Zaluo! He really values those he 'approves'!"

He deliberately emphasized the words 'approval' and 'value', clearly hinting at something.

Aomo didn't respond, merely gaining some insight into why Lapulan De disliked Zaluo.

The civilization-rejector Mr. Zaluo was releasing his talkativeness in an unfriendly manner.

"Don't focus too much on the conversation; you should be at the drop-off point," Dekesas's voice came through, "I and Lapulan De are just around the corner, Nengtianshi, how's your side?"

"I can't see that room number from any nearby window; I'm trying to switch to ground mode."

Penguin Logistics' drone transport wasn't great, but employees could carry special drones in their own name—before departure, Nengtianshi knew the functions of that foldable transformable drone inside out.

He had specifically mentioned the 'crab mode' ground-crawling transformation function, turning the flying drone into a mechanical crab that crawls to monitor; the main issue is the low angle, making it more suited for perverts to shoot up skirts.

But at times like this, there's no room for such concerns; when Aomo saw a swift mechanical crab rush out from the distant corner, he quickened his pace slightly and stopped in front of the door number written on the delivery address.

"Hello, I'm here to deliver a package; I have a parcel for Mr. Hadesen that needs signing for."

When he tiptoed to press the intercom button on the glass door, the very second after the call connected and he spoke those words, the entire upper half of the wooden door shattered completely, fragments shooting into the wall in the gale, leaving only an arm hanging in midair.

"Where is the person?"

The puncher was surprised at not feeling the impact of hitting anything.

"Lower your head."

Then, lowering his head at the words from below, he saw a dead-fish-eyed child looking up at him, and in the shadow behind him, something black spread out in an arc reaching his back.

"Just knock him out, Mr. Zaluo."

Before his vision went black, he had heard such words.

And when he was knocked flat by a slap, a palm-sized mechanical crab crawled up beside him.

"Really, there's an attack?" Nengtianshi's surprised voice came through the earphones.

Aomo also crouched beside him, eyeing the man's red and swollen hand, then peered at the other uniformed men and women standing up and approaching with calm expressions, thought a moment, and then projected a multifaceted rhombic shield of Jiedun around himself.

"Lapulan De and I are being held up by the people here—they seem off, and their numbers keep growing! I've damaged part of the floor structure to hold them back." Dekesas's voice also came through the earphones, accompanied by the sound of running footsteps.

"Everyone I've seen I've knocked out! Dekesas didn't manage that, did he?" Lapulan De's tone sounded out of place: "Haha, how's your side? I'll bring Dekesas over right away."

"I'm still holding up here," Aomo stood firm amidst the crowd continually pounding his shield with punches, even gesturing for Zaluo not to intervene, "These people are in a light sleep state."

He just stood there behind the shield, watching those swinging fists hit it: "Their eyelids flutter quickly; they seem to be having vivid dreams, even muttering something—they must be hypnotized."

"What are they murmuring?"

Unfortunately the shield blocked everything too completely—Aomo couldn't hear a sound, and even on the energy-like shield surface there were only faint ripples from the physical impacts of punches and kicks.

"Did you hear any kind of sound? Something finer and sharper?"

"It's very quiet inside the vehicle."

"No."

"Does the sound of me scraping the ground with a knife count?"

Aomo ignored Lapulan De's antics and simply asked again: "Did you smell anything strange?"

The reply was still a chorus of 'no's.

Not relying on sound, not on gas, and not laying hands on Dekesas and Lapulan De—could it be a pre‑planted psychological suggestion?

Aomo felt some doubt, and in that doubt saw Lapulan De and Dekesas rush over to knock down everyone behind the shield one by one.

He didn't drop the shield either, just lifted his hand to press the earphone: "Wake one up and see."

Lapulan De did as told, stepping on one man's hand, then his wrist; the man howled in pain, opened his eyes, then immediately closed them again to launch a counterattack.

"Knock him out."

Aomo said, and so Dekesas kicked that man unconscious to the ground.

They were all fairly ordinary in combat ability—or physical fitness—but the fact that they could be knocked out and have their control interrupted shows the hypnosis wasn't deep; otherwise, a knockout would merely be more conducive to the hypnosis taking effect.

But after being wakened they fell back into the hypnotic state… even if one doesn't count any special source energy, even in his juvenile form he is still a source‑energy practitioner; though he can mobilize little magic, his ability to sense power remains.

He felt no source‑energy fluctuations.

That must be technological hypnosis? And it doesn't work on those two either.

I don't know if it works on me, and behind the Jiedun shield it's still unclear.

"What now? Leave the package there?" "Don't disturb him."

Lapulan De surveyed the scene, uttering words that revealed a severe lack of logistics experience, while Dekesas noticed Aomo was pondering, turned back to look at the densely packed people lying here, and frowned.

Among the obstacles she'd encountered in her past logistics work, this was the strangest; relying on force alone isn't a complete solution.

"Should we call the police first?" Nengtianshi lowered his voice, "I see new overtime workers coming over."

That's right; Dekesas instinctively nodded, gazed at the distant crowds in groups, pulled out his phone, but was interrupted by Aomo's voice.

"Don't rush, let's run a test first!"

As he spoke, he suddenly tapped away in midair, and at the moment he stopped, Dekesas saw a chat‑public‑screen message pop up on his phone.

The text occupied a full‑page screen, fortunately written in Dongyan script, not the mixed‑kana Jidong language.

"Let me know when you've finished reading the above," Aomo said, then turned from the doorway to the nearest window, peered down at the drop that would make acrophobics weak‑kneed, then looked up at the moonlit, sparsely starry sky and the remaining eight floors.

"Finished reading, any gentler options?" Dekesas approached and asked.

Already gentle enough, if I'm not mistaken," Aomo, who had turned his head back from the window, smiled, looking at Zaluo, who had already darted out from the shadows to intercept someone, and then at Lapulande, who was already cracking his knuckles, "You see she's practically itching to try."

The mentioned Lapulande simply grinned, his signature bad smile merely silent.

If you want it more gentle, help me restrain her, and you'll carry it out how?

Aomo said, raising his hand in a wave.

The all-around, no-blind-spot shield defense immediately receded, and his body swayed slightly, supporting his forehead as he stood unsteadily, revealing a faint smile.

Between his fingers was already Jatelong's card, flashing with electric sparks again, while his reddened, swollen finger pointed upward.

Good, it seems I guessed right.

He still had a little residual strength to resist, but not much.

After saying that, he had already sunk into a twisted, intense dream.