Actually, the reason Li Lin called those two Blacksteel operators inside was also very simple.
This room had too much yin and not enough yang (overwhelmingly female energy and lacking in male energy).
In the beginning, freeloading off Exusiai, at most it was just shooting the breeze with Exusiai on the bunk beds, having to wear an eye mask to sleep, and nothing else. Then came the sudden attack and the subsequent tense trap situation, deadly serious. Even this morning, it was just being hungover, head fuzzy.
But now, having gradually sobered up, Li Lin looked at the surrounding situation and felt something was off.
Isn't this Penguin Logistics a bit excessively skewed towards yin and lacking in yang?
Sora, the idol, a seemingly very cute blonde Lupo (questionable) girl, clung to Texas with a mournful expression. Texas, the cool-faced harem king, calmly dealt with Sora's rambling words and actions, occasionally casting glances towards Exusiai beside Li Lin. And Exusiai, not long after waking up from being drunk, felt a bit sleepy after messing around with Li Lin for a while, happily put on an eye mask, sat on the chair, and ascended to heaven on the spot (fell asleep instantly), unclear if she was actually asleep or not.
As for Croissant, who just jolted awake, needless to say; her unrestrained sleeping posture, head thrown back as if roaring at the sky, and the snot bubble blowing from her nose, you'd believe it if someone said she was a manga character. Every single one of them was a super beautiful girl above standard level, and every one of them seemed very kind.
This made Li Lin feel uncomfortable all over.
It wasn't that Li Lin was being difficult (fànjiàn - acting cheap/masochistic), liking people hitting him, but rather that this kind of suppression by looks and gender imbalance itself was very discomforting.
Just think, you arrive at a company, just two days ago you were still freeloading at home feeling ashamed, then after finally finding a job, you discover all your teammates are female and very beautiful. Moreover, the dormitory is mixed-gender, the cramped room is clearly full of personal belongings everywhere, and Li Lin absolutely dared not look at the things drying on the windowsill. Although there weren't many cosmetics, girls more or less still had some foundation and things like that. Plus, it was summer, everyone dressed relatively lightly, and the room was always filled with a somewhat strange fragrance. He didn't notice when he was sobering up earlier, but looking now, how is this a place for a normal person to stay?
Then look at those two big guys standing outside; one glance and you know they are two tough men. Although they might look a bit short, no matter how you put it, they exuded a sense of security. Heavy armor, sturdy shields and greatswords, also equipped with pistols and tactical flashlights, standard stance and ID tags, looking trustworthy at first sight.
Although he didn't know why these two seemed to be muttering something privately, Li Lin felt it was quite normal for such tough guys to have some hobbies and life privately. Moreover, it was leisure time now, letting them stand outside all the time wasn't appropriate either. So Li Lin looked for a moment, felt it was the most suitable time, and opened his mouth to invite the two inside. To sort of disperse the subtle atmosphere in this room.
"It's quite hot outside too, and it's not easy to protect from outside, right? Come in and sit down. The living room is quite spacious. You can come in and rest for a bit. Can I make you two a cup of black tea?"
Opening the door and inviting the two big guys outside, Li Lin wore a very eager and sincere smile on his face.
And the two people clad in heavy armor exchanged a glance, then the slightly shorter armored soldier nodded at Li Lin.
"Thank you. Sorry to trouble you."
"…?"
Wait a minute, this voice doesn't sound right? Where are the promised tough guys?
Hearing the soft voice coming from inside the helmet, Li Lin's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
He watched with wide eyes as the two individuals who appeared to be burly guys took off their helmets, revealing two pretty faces. Then, one looking slightly lively, the other slightly reserved, they greeted him and sat down on the sofa inside the room.
The round-faced girl with blue horns on her head looked quite stern and serious; after sitting on the sofa, she maintained that posture, looking very professional, her large shield still placed in front of her, ready to deal with potential attacks at any time. However, the other brown-haired fox-eared girl casually placed her sword aside, then propped her chin on her hand, looked at Li Lin, and showed a somewhat flirtatious smile.
"Eh? This little brother looks very disappointed? Is there something about us two that dissatisfies you?"
"Ah, no… You two look surprisingly young."
I thought those large figures were two fat guys outside.
Looking at the subtle fragrance in the room deepen by several degrees again, Li Lin took a deep breath, then turned around to find where the black tea was placed.
In his remaining memory, it seemed he brought back a few unopened bottles of black tea. No need to search in a specific place. Soon, he found a portable refrigerator in the corner of the wall, found three bottles of black tea inside, handed one bottle each to the two, and opened one for himself.
These two elites from Blacksteel International indeed had quite the personalities. The girl who looked like a fox raised her eyebrows, quickly twisted open the cap and started drinking, then let out a sound of satisfaction. The girl with blue horns glanced disdainfully at her companion, then opened the drink bottle, sipping it mouthful by mouthful, refusing to relax her vigilance in the slightest.
And perhaps it was an illusion, but it felt like when they sat down, they inadvertently bumped each other's butts?
'…These two were definitely considered troublesome by their superiors and then thrown together to complement each other, right?'
Looking at the two with sharply contrasting personalities, Li Lin thought secretly.
"Ah~ Black tea really hits the spot~"
The fox-eared girl sighed contentedly after finishing the iced black tea in one go, looked at Li Lin, and said with a smile:
"Alright, little brother. If you have any questions or thoughts, just ask us directly. You definitely wouldn't randomly invite us in if you didn't have some request, right?"
"No, really, I initially just wanted you two to rest a bit."
But who would have thought they weren't two big guys, but two young ladies.
Seeing the fox-like girl's disbelieving expression, Li Lin sighed and cleared his throat.
"Ahem, actually, I just wanted to casually ask, what are the prices like in the outside world? What is life generally like? What should one pay attention to when going to outside cities, that kind of information. If you could include personal feelings, that would be even better."
"Hm? Why ask these things? Are you planning to jump ship from Penguin Logistics?"
"No, I'm not! Really! I just plan to ask, really not planning to leave! You can't wrongly accuse me!"
Feeling several inexplicable gazes coming from behind him, Li Lin intuitively sensed the atmosphere around him was a bit off, and hurriedly explained to the two in front of him.
"Just curious. Besides, I personally plan to write a novel, so I'm gathering material. For me, people like you who are both beautiful and capable are excellent interview subjects. It's okay if you don't want to talk."
I can't possibly say I want to run away from Penguin Logistics, right? Staying long in this Penguin Logistics, wouldn't I die from stomach ache (stress)?
Feeling the gazes around him gradually calming down, Li Lin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, looking somewhat expectantly at the two in front of him, hoping they would provide some material suitable for writing a novel. The two Blacksteel operators exchanged a glance, seemed to have conducted some hidden mental communication and fighting that Li Lin couldn't see, then the fox-like girl pouted, while the blue-horned girl glanced at the Penguin Logistics logo, coughed, and said seriously:
"I wonder what kind of information you wish to understand? I will do my best to answer within the scope permitted by Blacksteel International. If possible, please also be mindful not to ask overly sensitive questions. Some related information still needs attention, I hope you can understand."
"No problem, no problem. Then I'll start asking…"
Although he might be leveraging Penguin Logistics' influence, Li Lin himself still wanted to write a novel. After clearing the distracting thoughts from his mind, he began to seriously ask questions to the two before him.