After the explosion incident had passed, Texas's vehicle finally arrived at District 7. Strangely enough, after they entered the district, no other cars followed or caused any more trouble.
It was as if the earlier explosion served as a clear warning sent to all their old rivals who were thinking of starting something.
This left Exusiai, who was sitting in the back, visibly displeased. She complained the whole way that she should've just shot the guy in the face with her crossbow and been done with it. Sora tried to comfort her, saying that the fact nothing else happened was a good thing in itself.
In contrast, Ren, after calming down and accepting the reality of what had just happened, began to understand the perspectives of both the Observer and Miss Schwarz toward their company.
"Our company really is... kind of a problem, huh?"
But when he thought back on everything that had happened since yesterday until now... Ren started to feel like in this world, crime might actually be a normal part of life.
"That's right. Our company did nothing wrong. The problem lies with this city's violent society!"
Ren nodded to himself as if he had finally grasped the bigger picture. He looked at his coworkers with sympathy. He genuinely felt sorry for them—for having to go through so much violence on a daily basis that they had become desensitized to it.
"As their colleague, he had to be stronger! And he'd make sure his friends could live peaceful lives!"
After that, Penguin Logistics' deliveries continued smoothly.
Ren listened intently as Croissant explained how their deliveries worked. Their methods were quite similar to postal systems from his old world—traveling to a designated location, handing over the goods directly, and having the recipient sign a terminal device.
It was a simple process. So simple, in fact, that Ren began to wonder if they really needed people like them to handle the job.
But after recalling the earlier incident, he started to understand why deliveries here were far more dangerous than regular jobs.
Exusiai had already told him yesterday that Lungmen wasn't nearly as peaceful as it looked. The farther you got from the main city, the more frequent the riots and crimes became.
District 7 was right next to the slums, making it one of the most dangerous areas in Lungmen, where robberies occurred on a daily basis.
Of course, Ren asked why there weren't any officials stationed in the outer areas. Exusiai explained that although Lungmen was a large city with many officials patrolling daily, the massive difference in population size—combined with Lungmen's open-door policy that allowed foreign investments freely—made it difficult for authorities to intervene with cargo, even if they suspected it was illegal.
Many foreign investors who came to do business here were of all types. Some would bribe officials, smuggle contraband, or make shady deals with local organizations. As a result, many officials themselves could be dangerous, especially in the outer zones.
This didn't even include the constant struggle to control infected citizens who frequently caused chaos. Most officials prioritized dealing with the infected over tackling illegal smuggling. So, it was no surprise that gangs and smugglers had set up base in Lungmen, becoming an inseparable part of the city.
"And our Penguin Logistics is their number one enemy and rival, so of course it's normal for there to be some 'business conflicts' between us..."
"But because of certain 'accidents' (Exusiai), those guys really don't like our company and are always looking for chances to wipe us out."
Hearing Croissant's explanation only made Ren more convinced that the gangsters were the real problem—constantly making life difficult for their peaceful company.
...
Several hours later, after Texas drove up to a house—the last delivery stop of the day—Ren volunteered eagerly.
"Miss Texas! This time, let me deliver the package myself!"
Until now, he had only watched his coworkers deliver boxes to the recipients. He simply felt that, as a man, this kind of task should fall to him.
Texas turned to look at Ren. Seeing the hopeful look in the young man's eyes, she couldn't say no. She looked at Exusiai, who was holding the package.
"Exusiai, do you mind—?"
"Gladly! It's all yours, Ren!" Exusiai handed him the box without hesitation—almost like she was lazy to deliver it herself.
"Thank you!" With the package in hand, Ren opened the car door and walked toward the front door to ring the bell.
But for some reason, after stepping out, he noticed that the box he was holding glowed faintly with a soft light.
Although curious about what was inside, Ren remembered what Texas had told him: one of Penguin Logistics' key rules was to never ask about or peek at the contents of any package.
That statement had surprised Ren at the time. He asked, what if a client was using them to transport illegal goods? Wouldn't that cause problems?
Exusiai had just laughed and explained that all clients had their backgrounds checked beforehand by Yith. If anyone tried to pull something shady, they'd have to deal with the wrath of the Boss—and Penguin Logistics.
Hearing that, Ren thought, "In the end, they're not denying that we might be transporting illegal goods anyway..."
But he quickly dismissed that line of thought. "We're just delivery people. If anyone's at fault, it's the ones trying to use us to smuggle things..."
Ren didn't know how much longer he could keep lying to himself like that, but for now, he focused on enjoying the job. He walked up to the door and rang the bell.
Ding dong! "Penguin Logistics delivery! A package for you!"
"..."
Did I say something wrong?
Getting no response, Ren wondered if there was something strange about what he said. He rang the bell again and tried speaking one more time.
"Hello, I'm from—"
BOOM!!!
The door exploded violently, sending Ren flying onto the street. A large man emerged from the house, shouting loudly.
"Hah!! Take that, Penguin Logistics! This is the wrath of the Mad Bear Gang!!"
The voice belonged to a massive brown-haired man with round bear-like ears and a scar on his face. He admired his work—firing a stolen BlackSteel explosive round—then dragged his gun to the shattered doorway and aimed it at Texas's truck.
"Ren!!"
Texas and Croissant jumped out, weapons drawn. Sora and Exusiai rushed to check on Ren, who lay on the ground.
"No need to worry! I'll send you all to meet your friends right now!"
The bear-eared man grinned and pulled the trigger.
But suddenly, a brown stone pillar shot up in front of him. The explosive round hit the stone and bounced right back at him.
BOOM!!
"Ugh!" The man was blown back into his house. His gun shattered into pieces. While he wasn't seriously injured due to his physically tough race, the blast left him too dazed to stand. He coughed violently from the smoke.
"Cough! Cough! W-what the hell was that...?"
When he looked up, he saw the skinny young man he thought was already blown to pieces standing at the door. There was some dust on him, and the box in his hands was completely wrecked—but he was smiling.
And for some reason, that polite smile was more terrifying than any S.W.A.T. rifle ever pointed at him.
Then the young man tossed the ruined box to him.
"Here's your delivery, sir. I'm very sorry about the damage. To make up for it, I'd like to give you a small gift."
Suddenly, a round plushie resembling a rabbit in a red bag appeared in Ren's hand.
He threw it into the house, stepped back, and waited beside the others near the truck to watch what happened.
A few seconds later...
BOOM!!!!!
The entire house exploded into beautiful special-effect-laden flames.
Ren stood in front of everyone, holding up a shield to block the blast, nodding in satisfaction.
"Just like Miss Exusiai said, the sound of explosions really does stir the soul."
"Right?! I told you! Explosions are the best! But hey, what kind of bomb was that, Ren? I've never seen one with effects that pretty before!"
Exusiai nodded enthusiastically and asked him about the bomb he used.
While the two were chatting excitedly, Croissant leaned in and whispered to Texas,
"Texas... I might be overthinking this, but... aren't we sort of turning that kid into a delinquent?"
Texas didn't answer right away. She just pulled a Pocky stick from her pocket, putting it in her mouth like a stress-relieving cigarette.
"Look on the bright side. At least he'll be a good delinquent in the future."
Texas replied. Sora gave a nervous smile and added,
"...Or we might just end up with another Exusiai."
"Haha, true! Though I doubt that'd make Ch'en very happy."
Croissant laughed, but her laughter was cut short as they suddenly heard the approaching sirens of the L.G.D.
"Speak of the devil..." Texas sighed.
Right then, a familiar loud voice blared from a speaker in the distance.
"PENGUIN LOGISTICS, YOU IDIOTS!!"