Chapter 163: Chapter 163: This Person Must Die! (Seeking Full Subscription)
Even Li Tanya was somewhat surprised; Lin Zhiming’s mother was the matriarch of the Lin Family!
Qi Xinzhu clenched Lu Luo’s hand tightly, resting her forehead on his shoulder, giving him as much emotional support as possible for standing up for her.
And this feeling of Lu Luo stepping in to protect her, how should one put it, just felt great!
In Lin Zhiming’s eyes, besides disbelief, there was only resentment and anger.
He could insult others, but his status made it impossible for him to accept such insults from Lu Luo.
"Damn it, you bastard, do you know who I am?"
Lin Zhiming was so angry that he nearly lost control, but this time, Li Tanya stopped him.
"Lin Zhiming, stop making a fuss. Mr. Lu Luo..."
Lu Luo simply raised his hand.
"No need, Dr. Li. I really appreciate your invitation, but I feel that our business relationship is no longer possible. Don’t you think?"
Gu Fangyi, aware of the situation, had already strategically retreated, knowing Lu Luo’s character well.
Since cooperation talks had fallen through and they had clashed verbally, the likelihood of both parties becoming enemies was significantly increased.
As the team’s long-range shooter, he needed to distance himself from the main crowd as quickly as possible, maintaining distance in case of any sudden incidents.
The sudden shift in Lu Luo’s attitude left many people feeling caught off guard.
Zuo Mingliang and Liu Yu both looked very surprised. They had just agreed on a price of 300,000 and equipment, so why the sudden change of heart?
What did this mean? To give up so much money just like that? Over a single sentence?
Actually, the one who was truly surprised was Lin Zhiming.
He had been thinking that after Lu Luo joined them, he would gradually find a way to deal with Lu Luo and then get his hands on Qi Xinzhu.
Who could have guessed that this guy would suddenly change his attitude and refuse?
Haha, no matter, the Circular Hunter Agency, right?
When he got back, Lin Zhiming would have plenty of time to play with them. It was just a small Fourth Ring company, after all. He could squeeze them however he wanted.
The faces of the group were mostly filled with surprise, except for Li Tanya, who wore a gloomy expression.
Lu Luo’s change of attitude was too sudden, too decisive. He seemed like a man filled with desire, yet, when it came to giving up benefits, he could also be so resolute!
Li Tanya appraised Lu Luo as ruthless and decisive. This young man might not be an ordinary fellow in the future.
Even a formal Hunter wouldn’t so casually give up a profit of 400,000.
Simply due to Lin Zhiming’s attitude, Lu Luo made the decision to give up in an instant. This Lu Luo was dangerous.
"Mr. Lu Luo, are you sure about your decision?"
Li Tanya’s tone became somewhat chilling, the shift in demeanor quite sudden. Zuo Mingliang, as the leader of the mercenary team, immediately grasped Dr. Li’s intention.
He held a gun in his left hand and drew a sword with his right, and the other team members also made similar moves.
In the midst of a tense standoff, Lu Luo gestured to Qi Xinzhu beside him to retreat.
"You go first."
Qi Xinzhu would be lying if she said she wasn’t worried, but she remembered how Lu Luo had been able to deal with an expert like Li Qingshu.
At a time like this, the last thing she wanted was to drag him down. She needed to trust Lu Luo’s choices.
"Be careful."
As Qi Xinzhu slowly backed away, Lin Zhiming wanted to speak up to stop her, but Li Tanya’s stern gaze silenced him.
Although refusing her was seen by many as a very foolish act, Li Tanya still did not order an attack.
The Lu Luo before her was too calm. His confident demeanor—what was it based on?
Could a young man’s strength truly be enough to disregard all these people?
Even the top young masters from the Inner Ring would probably fail to do so!
Lu Luo swept a glance over the few individuals. With his steam power at level three, a Constitution of 50, and Ultimate, he was absolutely confident of escaping from here.
Even a Fourth Tier master would not be able to stop him.
He wasn’t an idiot; he never considered actually fighting them.
As far as he was concerned, being able to escape was already sufficient.
"What do I need to think about? Dr. Li, have you forgotten this is outside the Wall? Living outside the Wall, shouldn’t one be more vigilant? If something unexpected happens, it wouldn’t be good," he said.
Lu Luo’s words seemed to be about himself, but they were also a warning to Li Tanya and the others.
Who can say for sure what lies outside the Wall? If anything goes wrong, it’s hard to say!
Li Tanya was very clever. Naturally, she was able to pick up on the warning in Lu Luo’s tone.
After a standoff, Li Tanya suddenly burst into chuckles.
"Heh heh heh, very well. Mr. Lu Luo is indeed unconventional. We at Hongtu Wubei highly appreciate young talents like Mr. Lu Luo. If Mr. Lu Luo is considering joining Hongtu Wubei, you are welcome to contact me anytime after returning inside the Wall," she said.
After speaking, Li Tanya walked straight up to Lu Luo and handed him a business card.
This act, in Zuo Mingliang’s eyes, was undoubtedly very risky.
"Doctor? Be careful, this man is dangerous!"
"There will be no trouble. I’m right, aren’t I, Mr. Lu Luo?"
Lu Luo took the business card from Li Tanya, then slowly backed away and left the place.
Although the woman was an ordinary person, she was very adept at manipulating people’s hearts, and her status within Hongtu Wubei must be very high.
While Lu Luo did not like people with such a disposition, he had to admit that Li Tanya’s approach had indeed alleviated some of his hostility.
If it was possible to avoid conflict, then he naturally would not choose to take action.
"Dr. Li is quite right. Even if a business deal falls through, goodwill remains. I’m the easiest person to talk to. So, since there’s nothing more to discuss, I’ll take my leave. Dr. Li, I wish you success on your mission and a smooth journey," he said.
When Lu Luo left, his gaze met Lin Zhiming’s once again.
This exchange of looks caused Lu Luo’s expression to turn gloomy.
Lu Luo did not say anything further and turned around to leave, exposing his back to Zuo Mingliang and the others.
It was also a risky move because attacks from behind were hard to defend against, such as a sudden sniper shot.
If there was no Dark Energy attached, or a Sequence that could eliminate Dark Energy fluctuations, then a sniper attack from behind would endanger even high-rank Transcendents.
As for not fearing firearm injuries? Impossible. Few in the Alliance dare to claim they are completely unafraid of firearms.
After Lu Luo left, Li Tanya let out a long sigh. Before she could speak, Lin Zhiming started shouting.
"Li Tanya, you act tough in front of me, but why do you back down in front of others? Really!"
"Shut up, idiot! Today’s affair was messed up by a waste like you," she retorted.
Li Tanya couldn’t understand why the Lin Family’s excellent genes produced such a waste as Lin Zhiming.
"Zuo Mingliang, what do you think of this Lu Luo?"
"He’s definitely a master with an extremely sturdy physique, and his energy application method is the Hunter’s Qi Path," he remarked.
"I have this feeling that if we’d managed to recruit him, our mission would go a lot smoother. It’s such a pity," she mused.
Zuo Mingliang remained silent. In truth, he shared the same feeling, but his identity and affiliations kept him from voicing it.
「 」
Lu Luo and his two companions regrouped. Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Lu Luo did not specify their next course of action, Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi both knew they definitely needed to keep an eye on the Hongtu Wubei team over the next few days.
The two sides couldn’t get too close, as conflict had already arisen between them.
Although there hadn’t been an Outburst, the relationship between the two parties was no longer the simple nodding acquaintance it had been before.
"Tonight, it seems like it was my fault again. Should I be the one to blame?"
Qi Xinzhu said somewhat helplessly, having covered up her own appearance and made herself all dirty.
She did not expect such a thing to happen, and was also quite helpless.
Wow, girls have learned to take the blame proactively!
If it had been before, Lu Luo would definitely have scolded Qi Xinzhu candidly, but this time he didn’t. He didn’t even seem to register what she was saying.
"Lu Luo, what are you thinking about?"
Gu Fangyi also looked at Lu Luo curiously. Since coming back, Lu Luo had been acting a bit strange, as if he was somewhat distracted.
What was he thinking about now that they were safe?
After a long silence, Lu Luo suddenly spoke up.
"That Lin Zhiming—he must die!"
Gu Fangyi was taken aback, then nodded belatedly.
Qi Xinzhu was somewhat puzzled. Was Lu Luo jealous? Because of her?
Feeling a little fluttery inside, she then timidly said, "Lu Luo, that person just looked at me a few times. It’s not a crime deserving death! You don’t need to do this for me. We’re already separated from them now, and it would be very dangerous to get involved with them again."
Qi Xinzhu’s voice grew quieter as she spoke, and Lu Luo could tell that she had misunderstood.
Jealous? How could I possibly feel such an emotion? Besides, Lin Zhiming really isn’t worth it.
"No, it’s not about you. Well, I can’t say that, at least it’s not all because of you. This matter involves me and Circle Studio—it has already become about us."
Lu Luo’s eyes gradually grew colder, and Gu Fangyi had already guessed what Lu Luo was thinking.
"Bro Lu, are you saying that Lin Zhiming will seek revenge?"
Lu Luo nodded.
"This Lin Zhiming is very different from Song Hana of Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals. Song Hana might be a supervisor, but she’s grassroots—she has authority but no clout. Lin Zhiming is different. Judging from his prodigal behavior, his social status must be very high. Such a person is very likely to be a direct descendant of someone in Hongtu Wubei, or even a family member.
The wealthy second generation, when it comes to power, divides into two types: the elite heirs and the profligate sons. If it was just an ordinary direct member, say a genuine elite scion, then it wouldn’t matter, because an elite scion like that would be careful to protect their reputation. But the problem is that Lin Zhiming is one of these profligate sons.
Profligate sons think differently from the normal elite heirs—they have no chance of inheriting the family business. They don’t need to maintain a pristine facade like elite heirs do. But for this reason, their actions are more audacious, and they have no bottom line.
From this we can conclude, if he forgets about us after he goes back, then it’s fine. But if he still remembers us, a rich second-generation brat who has nothing but time on his hands will have plenty of time to deal with us."
Qi Xinzhu had already understood the meaning behind Lu Luo’s words, but she herself was also somewhat of a second generation.
"Lu Luo, I actually count as one of those second generations you mentioned."
Lu Luo and Gu Fangyi both looked at her, causing Qi Xinzhu to hasten her explanation.
"But I’m not familiar with the situation you were talking about, as I was sent to the Church since I was young. So I don’t know much about the habits of the pampered nobility."
Only then did Lu Luo withdraw his gaze. He had never inquired about Qi Xinzhu’s family background.
It wasn’t because he was magnanimous or because he was detached.
It was mainly because he feared that after asking, the class difference would give him a sense of disparity.
And he didn’t like that!
"Lu Luo, even if everything you say is right, trying to make a move on Lin Zhiming won’t be easy. They have too many people!"
"I know it won’t be easy, but if there’s a chance, we must seize it. Also, this person cannot die by our hands. He must die by accident."
"What do you mean?"
"We are outside the Wall, where they are going to hunt monsters like Ganmu! It’s very normal for accidents to happen during combat."
"What should we do next?"
"It’s simple: just keep tailing them. Don’t worry, I won’t stir up trouble unless I’m absolutely certain."
At this point, all three of them had lost their desire to sleep and began to carefully discuss their next move.
The first night in the Silent Swamp thus passed amidst complications.
The next day, the very practical Lu Luo began their plan.
While searching for and hunting ghost crabs, they used the Observer and Gu Fangyi’s Hawk Eye to watch the Hongtu Wubei team.
Over the next seven days, the trio kept up this tailing.
In those seven days, they accumulated nearly 14,000 energy points, almost 40 Sequence Value, 153 blood sacs, and several ghost crab eyeballs.
To be honest, this yield was already enormous, much better than Lu Luo had anticipated, but it was a pity it was only a one-shot deal.
The main problem was that the ghost crabs were just too scarce. With 153 blood sacs, they could get about 750,000 worth of goods.
Once the quantity increased, Lu Luo and his team’s profit could reach about 300,000 or more.
These weren’t the main issues. The real problem was that, from yesterday until now, they hadn’t encountered a single ghost crab, let alone blood mosquitoes.
"Making money is really hard!"
Lu Luo’s humblebragging tone caused Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi to roll their eyes continuously.
The harvest from this expedition was already enormous. Only 10 days in, it was a far greater yield than their last 10-day exploration outside the Wall.
It’s a pity that after such a harvest, the places that could produce blood sacs are now even fewer.
Ghost crabs and blood mosquitoes need some time to repopulate. Although the swamp is quite suitable for their survival, if they are all killed off, it would take several years for them to recover.
Therefore, compared to such wild hunting, the prospect of earning 400,000 by just tagging along with Hongtu Wubei for 10 days, possibly slacking off, and having the chance to snag a boss’s corpse, seemed extremely precious.
The tailing continued until they reached a huge valley. Only then did the three stop in their tracks.
Even from such a distance, they could smell the stench emanating from the valley.
From the tracks at their feet, it appeared that the Hongtu Wubei team had already entered the Rotten Valley.
Looking at the somewhat gloomy valley, both Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi began to get nervous!
Following such a powerful team was undoubtedly a crazy act.
"Bro Lu, ahead is the Rotten Valley! What do we do next?"
"Don’t rush. Let’s rest here for a while. Eat well, drink well, and make some preparations."
The preparation Lu Luo talked about was to allocate some points here in advance and use Enhancement on his equipment.