Chapter 201: Chapter 201: The Beginning of Calamity, The Mark of the Netherworld (Please Subscribe)
What the hell kind of ’surprise’ was this! That was probably the best description of the current situation.
Lu Luo sheathed Fenrir, then kicked Liu Yuan’s headless corpse to confirm the man was dead.
Second Tier Humanoid Species, incomplete mutation state, retained sanity, and possessed Netherflame, capable of using some Netherflame abilities.
Although the Dark Energy level in the Fourth Ring had drastically increased recently and was still rising, Lu Luo didn’t need to be told that such a unique mutation—one possessing Netherflame—was the Nightmare Demon’s doing.
After Liu Yuan’s death, those who had consumed the contaminated food continued their rampage, undeterred by the demise of the instigator.
This resulted in several troublesome consequences.
Firstly, these people had not entered a mutated state.
Secondly, Lu Luo was currently within the Wall, specifically at the pinnacle of East Ring civilization: East Ring University.
Thirdly, all of these people were his classmates.
To kill or not to kill?
Lu Luo had never been a merciful person. In the battles and skirmishes beyond the Wall, he always adhered to a beheading strategy, showing his enemies no mercy.
But were these people before him truly enemies?
Could they still change back? These were the questions Lu Luo needed to consider.
And he had known even before entering that the trouble at the school wasn’t confined to the cafeteria; word was there were incidents in the library too.
Lu Luo absolutely refused to believe this was a coincidence.
Effortlessly knocking away several of the Gluttons lunging at him, Lu Luo pulled Lu Yu behind him.
"These rioters are such a nuisance. Lu Yu, are you alright?"
But the look Lu Yu gave Lu Luo was no longer filled with the initial horror and despair, only dazzling shock and adoration!
She had imagined Lu Luo to be powerful, but she never thought he’d be this formidable. Such a powerful mutant, and Lu Luo had taken it down almost instantly! It was unbelievable.
"I’m fine, Second Brother. What’s your strength now?"
"Ah? Is that important?"
"Of course! You’re too incredible."
Praise naturally delighted Lu Luo, but as an expert, he still had to maintain a certain demeanor.
"Hmm, not too high. Just Third Tier, I suppose."
My heart’s practically bubbling over, and here he is, still playing it cool. What a sly dog.
"Third Tier!"
Hearing Lu Luo personally state his power tier, Lu Yu was at a loss for how to express her current emotions.
Lu Luo was the same age as her, and before entering university, he had been just an ordinary person.
She had once even mocked Lu Luo for lacking a Transcendent’s talent, so how could he have reached Third Tier so suddenly?
A late bloomer? Or had he been accumulating power slowly to strike fast?
Looking at Lu Luo, Lu Yu felt an inexplicable sense of security, but also a tinge of regret. Both her eldest and second brothers were formidable; now she was the weakest in the family.
"Second Brother, what do we do now?"
"Let’s get out of here first."
Lu Luo easily brushed off several Gluttons clinging to him. Just as he was about to make a run for it, the same people who had previously shoved Lu Yu grabbed him in the same manner.
"Please help us, fellow student."
"Yeah, student, if you don’t save us, we’re as good as dead."
One person was even more extreme, clinging to Lu Luo’s leg as if certain Lu Luo would save him.
Lu Luo glanced at the person gripping his leg and frowned slightly.
He wasn’t Lu Yu; all his kindness was conditional on his own preservation.
Lu Luo grabbed the person’s arm and lifted him. The vast difference in strength left the other unable to resist.
"Get lost."
With a casual toss, the wailing man immediately drew the attention of the other Gluttons.
Countless frenzied people surged toward him, and Lu Luo seized this opportunity to pull Lu Yu and smash straight through the wall.
BOOM!
Lu Luo smashed through the wall and the fleshy membrane, and the two of them finally escaped the cafeteria.
Some people followed Lu Luo and charged out, while others did not.
Before Lu Luo could treat Lu Yu’s wound, the piercing sound of alarm bells quickly rang out.
Despite the usual prohibition against vehicles on campus, a large number of guard vehicles now flooded in.
Lu Luo was surprised. Why was the guard response so fast today?
These guards were all fully armed, surrounding the entire cafeteria as if they had been prepared for such a sudden incident. The guards’ gun muzzles were pointed at everyone who had escaped, including Lu Luo and Lu Yu.
"Nobody move! Your current safety status is unknown. Until you’ve had an inspection, no one is allowed to move! Hands on your heads, squat on the ground!"
The guards’ actions weren’t wrong. For safety reasons, they obviously had to conduct inspections for such incidents, as this involved Exotic Species mutations within the Wall.
For those like Lu Luo and Lu Yu, who possessed Transcendent qualifications, it was fine; as long as the inspection was completed, there would be no issues.
However, if one was not a Transcendent and had Dark Energy residue in their body, then such a person would need to be quarantined. If ordinary people had long-term remnants of Dark Energy in their bodies, there was an eight or nine out of ten chance they would contract White Eye Syndrome or other Dark Energy-related diseases, and even a high probability of direct mutation.
Lu Luo had no intention of resisting. He patted Lu Yu beside him, gesturing for her to raise her hands and put them on her head to cooperate with the guards’ investigation.
If they were outside the Wall, Lu Luo would certainly ignore the guards, but now they were inside the Wall. Inside the Wall, one had to abide by basic order; this was inevitable.
When Lu Yu saw Lu Luo naturally put his hands on his head and squat, she followed suit.
To say something unbelievable, the host has become a good citizen!
At this time, two Hunters from Hunter Team 33 spotted Lu Luo in the crowd and immediately rushed over.
"Lu Luo? What are you playing at here? Hey, stop messing around and get up. What’s the situation inside?"
The Hunters had many close collaborations with Circle Studio by now, and Hunter Team 33 had partnered with them multiple times. So they were quite familiar with Lu Luo and naturally approached him first to understand the situation.
Lu Yu looked surprised. She knew Lu Luo had started a studio that dealt with Hunter business, but she had never expected them to be so familiar with the Hunters. Had her decision to reject Lu Luo’s offer to work there been a terrible mistake?
Hearing the two men’s questions, Lu Luo didn’t hold back and stood up to reply, "Inside, there was a Second Tier Humanoid Species, which has been dealt with. But the real problem isn’t the Exotic Species. It’s those who ate the contaminated food. They seemed like insane Gluttons, gnawing at everything. You guys should see how to handle them."
"Ah, good that the Exotic Species is dealt with. The others can be handled gradually."
The two heaved a slight sigh of relief upon hearing that Lu Luo had already resolved the Exotic Species. And indeed, compared to the so-called insane Gluttons, the Exotic Species itself posed the greatest threat.
At this point, Gluttons were continuously rushing out of the cafeteria.
They charged madly at the crowd. Without any mercy, the two Hunters immediately ordered all the guards to attack.
"Everyone, put away your firearms! Take out your batons and engage! You will not be held liable for your actions in this engagement!"
With orders from the Hunters, the well-trained and fully equipped guards began their advance. Their own strength was substantial, and armed with weapons and sturdy riot gear, dealing with the defenseless Gluttons, who attacked without any method, was a breeze for them.
Many of the guards were quite strong, with many being Entry Level Transcendents. A few swings of their batons could incapacitate a Glutton, stripping them of their ability to fight and move.
Many Gluttons had their bones broken on the spot, but the guards’ advance didn’t pause for even a moment and continued relentlessly.
While Lu Luo couldn’t intervene earlier, these Hunters and guards had the authority to do so. This was the difference between Hunters and ordinary Transcendents within the Wall: the authority to enforce the law.
As the guards used force, the riot was quickly quelled.
The Gluttons lay on the ground wailing. Some were still mad, but others had regained lucidity in their eyes. The pain of broken bones made them cry out loud. The whole area outside the university cafeteria was in chaos!
The two Hunters walked back over to Lu Luo. He glanced at them, growing suspicious.
"What on earth is going on today? It’s like you were prepared for this."
"Ah, it’s chaos, complete chaos in the East Ring—it’s a long story. You’ll understand once we get to the station. The routine inspection is still necessary. Let’s go."
Lu Luo didn’t know what the other man meant by "chaos in the East Ring," but he had a bad feeling.
"Alright, let’s go!"
...
That day, the Wasteland Security Bureau was so packed it could hardly fit another person, and the phones were ringing off the hook. Alarms blared incessantly, and each Hunter team was split into small groups of two to three people and dispatched to various locations across the East Ring.
Lu Luo and Lu Yu merely went through the motions at the security bureau before being sent to a hospital in the East Ring. The hospital had also been temporarily commandeered to accommodate those injured in that day’s East Ring riots.
Lu Luo stood before Lu Yu. Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi had also arrived. Lu Luo wanted Qi Xinzhu to use her Healer abilities to treat Lu Yu’s injuries and to perform a separate examination of her body. So, Gu Fangyi and Lu Luo waited outside, chatting idly.
"Luo bro, just this morning, we received thirty-nine high-level commissions, all different ones."
"Thirty-nine commissions!"
High-level commissions meant Exotic Species-related commissions. This meant that just that morning, there had been thirty-nine requests for their help with Exotic Species incidents in the East Ring.
Normally, most Exotic Species incidents within the Wall were resolved by Hunters, with the Church handling a smaller portion. Circle Studio receiving thirty-nine different commissions that day implied that a thorough Exotic Species crisis had erupted that morning throughout the East Ring. The number would likely surpass several hundred; a scale that was truly outrageous.
"Have you figured out how many incidents involved Netherflame—those purple flames?"
"We do have that data, but there’s only one clearly recorded instance."
As Lu Luo had imagined, the riot in the East Ring was definitely related to the Nightmare Demon; Netherflame could be considered its signature power. Yet, Lu Luo couldn’t understand how the Nightmare Demon had breached the High Wall to penetrate so deep into the East Ring. The same question applied to Noah’s earlier appearance at the amusement park—how had they gotten in?
Normally, if an Eighth Order calamity wanted to enter the High Wall, it typically involved launching a Dark Tide and mounting a fierce attack on the Alliance. So, what method had they used to infiltrate the Wall and control so many Exotic Species at once, inciting such a massive riot?
The Observer’s Wall stood there, unchanged.
What was their method? How had they managed it?
After much thought, Lu Luo still couldn’t figure out the key.
Do you think this is the Nightmare Demon’s ’looking for daddy’ act?
"Yes, but it definitely isn’t the whole story," Lu Luo thought. "Although the Nightmare Demon is a more insane calamity and lacks Noah’s rationality, their ultimate goal should be similar—the Dawn Disc! So, there must be a special purpose behind the Nightmare Demon’s extensive foreplay. Information is too scarce. I need to see Ludie; I need data from the Hunters’ side."
Lu Luo decided that once Qi Xinzhu finished examining Lu Yu, he would go find Ludie to request information on the East Ring riot.
Inside the room, Qi Xinzhu took off Lu Yu’s jacket and began healing her with her Healer abilities.
Lu Yu looked at the girl before her, so beautiful she was almost beyond description, and wasn’t sure how to start a conversation. However, her curiosity about uncovering Lu Luo’s secrets eventually overcame her reserve, and Lu Yu spoke first.
"Um, Sister, what’s your name?"
The term "Sister" made Qi Xinzhu a bit shy, and she quickly replied, "Ah! My name is Qi Xinzhu."
"I’ve seen you with my second brother before. Are you always with him?"
"Yes. Ever since I came to the Fourth Ring, we’ve always been together."
"Always together? Then, are you his girlfriend?"
Lu Yu felt a sense of anticipation, although she didn’t know exactly what she was looking forward to.
Qi Xinzhu blushed upon hearing her question. She was about to deny it, but after thinking it over, she nodded, acknowledging their relationship.
"Sort of. We should be considered boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Really? So how far have you guys gone? Have you held hands? Hugged? Kissed? Done... *that*?"
Qi Xinzhu felt sweat on her forehead and quickly patted Lu Yu’s shoulder.
"You should ask your second brother about these things. Your injuries are healed, and I’ve treated the bone damage. However, the burn scars on your right hand can’t be removed for the time being. You can get some scar-removal ointments from the hospital, which might help to a certain extent. As a girl, you should pay some attention to these things."
Seeing that Qi Xinzhu didn’t want to talk about it, Lu Yu tactfully didn’t press further.
"Thank you, Sister-in-law!"
After getting dressed, Qi Xinzhu brought Lu Yu to Lu Luo.
"She’s alright now, but there are scars from burns on her arm. She might need to apply some ointment and take care of it for a while to recover."
"Burns? Let me see."
"Oh!"
Having witnessed Lu Luo’s War God-like performance in the cafeteria earlier, Lu Yu naturally complied with his every word. She obediently extended her arm, revealing the scorched scars to Lu Luo.
It was a scar shaped like a crack, resembling a cracked triangular pattern spiraling on the back of Lu Yu’s hand.
You used Netherflame when you killed Li Qingshu; his body had similar scars then.
When Lu Luo saw the burn, his eyes narrowed unnaturally.
It was just as the Observer had said; he had seen similar burns before—when he had blasted Li Qingshu with Netherflame. When the Netherflame had consumed Li Qingshu’s life force, his body had displayed similar scars. Although the event was fleeting, with the Observer’s combat recording ability, Lu Luo naturally remembered it.
"This scar... how did you get burned? Describe what happened."
"At that time, the cafeteria door was enveloped by that rotten flesh emitting black and purple flames. I tried to hack my way out with my sword, but not only did it not work, I was burned by splattered purple fire. Then I got these burns."
"Burned by the purple fire, you say! I understand now."
There was a strange look in Lu Luo’s eyes. Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi beside him noticed something was off, but since Lu Luo wasn’t speaking, they didn’t probe further.
"You should rest well for now. I’ll have Gu Fangyi stay with you. I have some matters to handle, and I’ll come see you again tomorrow."
"I understand, Second Brother. But honestly, I don’t need anyone to accompany me; my injuries are all superficial."
"Protection is necessary. Let’s leave it at that! Brother Gu, come here for a second."
Gu Fangyi nodded silently and followed Lu Luo out.
"Luo bro, is there a problem with that purple flame?"
"I can’t be certain right now. I can only treat it as a clue, not a conclusion."
"What should I do?"
"Keep an eye on my sister tonight. Watch her constantly."
"I understand."
Lu Luo didn’t leave but instead took out some food he had picked up from the cafeteria earlier: meat rolls, sausages, and porridge.
Then he ate them right away.
There’s rotten Exotic Species meat in this, along with an extremely small, almost undetectable amount of Life Energy.
"Life Energy should disappear after a while; it shouldn’t last this long."
Have you forgotten about the Nether Guide Bead?