Chapter 34 - 34 34 Checking Posts

Words : 1753 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

34: Chapter 34 Checking Posts 34: Chapter 34 Checking Posts “By the way, how are you so formidable, thrashing three people all by yourself, and making it look so easy?” Walking onto the main road while waiting for a taxi, Sarah curiously asked James. James blinked his eyes and said, “You forgot I used to be a security guard, right? I also spent some time in the military; I’ve had training. Those three hoodlums were drunk and couldn’t even stand straight. Naturally, they couldn’t beat me.” “Oh, I really owe you one then. If it wasn’t for you, I would have been in trouble this time.” Sarah shuddered at the thought of being surrounded by three rogues. “Maybe it’s just my bad luck that’s too great. Otherwise, you normally wouldn’t encounter such rogues, but just after dining with me once, you bumped into them.” Sarah burst into laughter again and said, “It really seems like it. You say the funniest things.” James laughed heartily and replied, “It’s all good, at least my master hasn’t bothered me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to follow him on his spiritual journey.” “Then you would be the Second Disciple,” said Sarah, laughing again. Sarah’s smile was beautiful, her eyes curved into crescent moons, and her eyelashes fluttered softly as she laughed; even for someone like James, who had seen many kinds of women in the world, he couldn’t help but quietly praise her. “I’m so honest and simple; shouldn’t I be Junior Monk then?” Sarah was tickled by James’s earnest and naive demeanor, her laughter growing louder. If it weren’t for a taxi arriving, she might have ended up doubled over with laughter. The second warehouse wasn’t too far from here, and they reached it just as the taxi meter hit the starting fare. The person in charge here was already waiting and was very courteous towards Sarah and James. They even prepared fruits and beverages for them, seemingly rolling out the welcome mat for leaders. In terms of rank, the warehouse manager was slightly higher than Sarah, and the warehouse typically had about a dozen workers. However, since Sarah and James were there to inspect, both of them acted as subordinates, and the manager did not dare to be negligent. Although the military had a strict hierarchy, special departments like inspectors wielded real power—inspectors could even detain battalion commanders. It was similar to how things worked in a company, so James understood this quite easily. By the time the inspection was finished, it was already past four o’clock. Sarah and James hurried back to the company. Sarah then organized the inspection results before clocking out for the day. Working with Sarah on his first day, aside from her gentle and shy demeanor, what impressed James the most was her seriousness at work; she was meticulous, much like Gina Lopez. After work, James went out for drinks with some former security department colleagues. They went to a small restaurant and drank the cheapest bulk spirits. Everyone’s salary wasn’t high, just a bit more than two thousand dollars a month, so they usually pooled money when dining out. Although James had now become a white-collar worker, his colleagues did not make a big deal out of it. James had been well-liked in the security department, and everyone knew he had just joined the JYPP Region Company and hadn’t even received his first paycheck yet. They had a great time drinking. Being with these security guards always reminded James of his military days with his comrades. However, back in the city, he couldn’t keep hoping for a job that would pay a bit more. The reason was simple: he needed to earn money. Although he had received many awards and obtained quite a bit of money in the past years, he had almost squandered it all without any savings. Previously, food and accommodation were covered by the military, so even if he was extravagant, there was no pressure. At worst, if he ran out of money, he simply wouldn’t spend and wouldn’t starve. But now things were different; money was required for everything. Luckily, he had earned quite a sum recently from Gina Lopez, so there wasn’t any financial pressure for the moment. At around ten past ten, James and the others left and walked home. The restaurant where they ate was not very far from the small community he rented in, just over ten minutes on foot. His phone rang with a melody, and James glanced at the number—it was Emily Lopez. He felt a bit puzzled, as Gina hadn’t alerted him. Emily had seemingly called him directly, probably to check in on him, but James still answered the call with a cheerful, “Emily.” “Brother-in-law!” Emily’s crisp voice came through the phone, followed by a giggling, “I bet you’re not with my sister right now.” “How did you know? You didn’t hear the sound of cars outside, did you?” James asked with a smile. “Do you need to hear anything to know that? I just know that you and my sister are faking it. How could you possibly be together?” “Emily, I went out for drinks with colleagues tonight. We just finished, and I’m heading home now.” “I don’t believe that. Would my sister let you go out to drink with colleagues?” “Don’t think of your sister as so scary. We’re actually quite equal in our relationship; we both have our own personal space.” “Really? I don’t believe it. Sooner or later, I’m going to expose you guys.” James could imagine Emily swinging her little fists, confident and assured, and laughed, “Alright then, I’ll wait for you to expose us.” James felt a hint that Emily was about to end the call, so he quickly shouted, “Hey, don’t hang up. I’m bored; keep me company for a bit.” James belched, having had alcohol, and responded, “Sure, what do you want to talk about? Anyway, I’m on the street sobering up, so I’ll just keep walking and chat with you.” “What did you drink? It wasn’t your mixed Nine-Colored Rainbow, was it?” “No, it was just a bunch of old guys, where would we drink that kind of cocktail, and we can’t afford it either.” “You could have brought some from home, yet you didn’t.” James felt a bit frustrated. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to bring any, but since he had already taken Emily’s wages, he couldn’t take more advantage of Jonathan Lopez. He laughed and said, “That would look so bad, haha. You started your job today, right?” S~eaʀᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Changing the subject, Emily got into it in full swing, “I started, but it’s boring. Teach those kids to dance all day; there’s no future in it.” “Haha, being a teacher has a lot of potential! Every day you get to control those students; they have to do whatever you ask them to.” Emily suddenly giggled and said, “Brother-in-law, nobody evaluates teachers like that.” “Then I’ll say you’re the engineer of the human soul, burning yourself to light the way for others…” “Haha… brother-in-law, stop, you’re making me laugh so hard it hurts!” The two were chatting and laughing. James was about to say he was reaching home but felt it inappropriate as Emily might ask Gina to pick up the call, blowing his cover. Thus, even though he was just at the entrance of the complex, James didn’t go inside. “Look, Emily, I’d better stop chatting now; it’s pretty cold, and if I keep talking, I’ll turn into an ice lolly.” “Oh dear, I forgot you were still outside. Sorry, brother-in-law, thanks for talking to me so long in this freezing weather. Hurry and take a ride home.” “Alright, I’ll hang up now.” After hanging up, James walked into the complex and called Gina. The call connected quickly, and before Gina could speak, James announced, “Emily just called me. I told her I was walking home after drinking. I’m turning off my phone soon. If she calls you, just say I drank too much and fell asleep.” “That girl, when will she give it a rest?” Gina muttered discontentedly, then cautiously added, “What did she talk to you about?” “Nothing much, just small talk. Clearly, she’s probing whether you and I are really in a relationship; you better be careful.” James couldn’t say he enjoyed chatting with Emily, or Gina, protective like a mother hen, would have become aggressive. “That’s fine, we’ll do this from now on. If she calls you, notify me immediately and then turn off your phone. Oh wait, that’s not convenient for us. Right, your phone is dual-SIM, isn’t it? Buy another SIM card tomorrow, and keep the other line active so I can reach you.” James agreed, but wondered when all this would end. However, because he got along well with his “little sister-in-law” Emily, he wasn’t annoyed. After hanging up, James took the elevator up to his floor. As he was about to open his door, he heard voices from the apartment on the left, which piqued his curiosity. The building where James lived consisted of smaller units and his was in the middle of three on his floor. The other two had always been empty, but now that the one on the left seemed occupied, it meant he had new neighbors. Due to good soundproofing, he couldn’t tell how many people or whether they were male or female. However, he was certain someone was there. James secretly hoped a beautiful and young woman had moved in. Perhaps then he could stir up some exciting happenings. Even if not, it would at least be a pleasant sight, especially when sharing the elevator and making small talk; it wouldn’t be so boring. Such thoughts might seem inappropriate, but for someone like James, who had faced life and death several times, many things seemed trivial, so some of his views were not understood by others, such as his views on women. Even the good ones, he wouldn’t consider taking back to marry. However, to James’s disappointment, when he got up early the next morning to take the elevator, he didn’t encounter his neighbor and rode down alone.

Chapter 34 - 34 34 Checking Posts

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