Chapter 160: Chapter 160 The Color Critique Shield Has Failed (Requesting Full Subscription)
"Captain! The guy from before has come back, and there’s something odd about him." The female scout, Liu Yu, was naturally the first to spot Lu Luo. She immediately warned Zuo Mingliang, who was beside her.
Even though there was only one person, this was, after all, outside the Wall. Moreover, the Thousand Lakes District was already a Second Tier area, so vigilance was essential.
Zuo Mingliang looked at the drenched Lu Luo and seemed to recall something, a chill running down his spine. Did this guy fall into the water? What’s he here for?
"Stay on alert for now. Maybe he’s mutated? The mutation rate is so high these days!"
Some team members already had their guns aimed at Lu Luo; this was the most basic discipline for mercenaries. In the middle of the night, anyone could be an enemy, and Lu Luo was no exception.
Lu Luo wasn’t angered by their aimed guns; he was here to negotiate, not to cause trouble. "Sorry for bothering you again," he said. "I’d like to exchange some Second Tier Exotic Species’ brain oil and marrow for food and water."
Lu Luo’s attitude was very humble. However, his soaking-wet clothes, coupled with his somewhat comical outfit, still caused some of the night-watch soldiers to burst into laughter.
"Ha-ha! Coming for food in the dead of night? You three really have it rough."
"Go back! It’s too dangerous outside the Wall for Scavengers like you."
"Don’t you have a woman with you? Why not trade her for what you need?"
The mockery hadn’t bothered Lu Luo in the slightest, until one team member mentioned the woman. In an instant, Lu Luo’s gaze and aura transformed. His body temperature rose rapidly, and the moisture on him began to evaporate. A chilling killing intent started to spread. These few team members felt they were no longer looking at a destitute Scavenger, but at a true high-tier Exotic Species—a monster.
Jokes, belittlement, banter—Lu Luo could endure it all when directed at himself. But Qi Xinzhu was different; she was the exception!
Zuo Mingliang immediately noticed Lu Luo’s posture shift, his frame slightly lower than before. His first reaction was disbelief. Is Lu Luo really about to attack? With so many of us here? How is that possible?
Yet Lu Luo suddenly stepped forward, a wisp of steam hissing from him. Zuo Mingliang quickly stood up to shield the team members behind him.
HISS!
Zuo Mingliang clenched his fist, then nodded at Lu Luo and said apologetically, "Sorry, my team lacks discipline, and they spoke recklessly. It was my oversight. You lot, shut up and apologize to him!"
The team members exchanged glances; Lu Luo’s sudden move had genuinely startled them. Despite the reluctance clear on their faces, they didn’t dare refuse their captain’s order. One by one, they apologized to Lu Luo. The apologies lacked sincerity, but they were apologies nonetheless. "Sorry, we were out of line just now."
Surprisingly, Lu Luo also lowered his head. "No, I was the one who acted impulsively. I’m sorry."
A tiger in the first year, a wolf in the second, and by the third, you become as docile as Pleasant Goat. Having infiltrated the underworld for years, Lu Xiaoluo still understood this.
Lu Luo was someone who would do anything to achieve his goals. He was here for food and water—necessities for Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi. Compared to his companions, his own pride meant nothing!
Moreover, this captain of the Hongtu Armed Forces, Zuo Mingliang, seemed to be a man of some substance.
Zuo Mingliang observed the apologetic Lu Luo, his curiosity about the man growing, along with a flicker of goodwill. Such Scavengers are indeed rare.
"It’s alright; it was all a misunderstanding. Is it just food and water you need?"
"Yes. My team encountered some trouble, and we lost our supplies."
"Alright, I’ll have someone bring you some."
Zuo Mingliang didn’t negotiate extensively with Lu Luo, but he conducted himself with principle—his hands were clean, and his words were fair.
Lu Luo received the food he requested, though not a large quantity. Resources from Exotic Species traded outside the Wall were typically marked down by over eighty percent. This meant that items worth one hundred dollars inside the Wall could only be exchanged for twenty dollars’ worth of supplies outside.
There was no alternative. Carrying capacity was limited, and the varied, treacherous terrain outside the Wall meant there were no truly suitable transport vehicles. Aside from heavy hauling by powered armor, the most common vehicles were ordinary supply trucks.
Everyone knew that simply being able to venture outside the Wall meant an opportunity to make money, even if it was just by scavenging trash. Consequently, there was never a shortage of valuable items outside the Wall; the constant scarcity was a means of transporting materials. Ammunition, food, and water were essential, so those operating outside the Wall could never truly return fully laden. Thus, carrying capacity became extremely important.
"Thank you."
Lu Luo departed, but his visit left a deep impression on the team members.
"Captain, why were you so polite to him?" one disgruntled team member asked after Lu Luo had left. He couldn’t understand Zuo Mingliang’s reasoning. With their numbers, there was absolutely no need to fear a few Scavengers. Even if that man had some strength, what about their own team’s capabilities?
"You’re all incredibly naive. Let me ask you this: who among you would dare to jump into the waters of the Thousand Lakes District at night?"
"Jump in the water? At night? Isn’t that insane?"
"Then where do you think the Exotic Species brain marrow and oil he brought came from? Did it fall from the sky?"
"Ah!"
Only then did the team members recall Lu Luo’s drenched appearance. They had been too busy belittling and mocking him earlier. Now, thinking back... Did that guy really go into the water at night? Was he incredibly foolish or extraordinarily brave?
"Alright, don’t dwell on it. They were just a few passersby. Let’s get some rest. We’ll reach the C04 Swamp by tomorrow; that’s where the real danger lies. Those three are out of food and water. In a place like this, without sustenance, it’s practically impossible to survive, let alone travel. I doubt we’ll be seeing them again."
While Zuo Mingliang was speaking with his team members, Lu Luo hastily returned to what charitably might be called their camp.
Lu Luo’s illumination spell was about to fade, but Qi Xinzhu thoughtfully renewed it with Holy Radiance, causing it to brighten once more. The three of them gathered around the small orb of light, feeling a modicum of comfort.
"I’ve brought compressed biscuits, instant noodles, synthetic meat, and water. Enough for two meals," Lu Luo announced.
"Lu Luo, you’re amazing!" Gu Fangyi exclaimed, his praise entirely sincere.
They were all famished, so there was no hesitation. Qi Xinzhu quickly heated some water and prepared the food, and she and Gu Fangyi began to eat heartily.
"Lu Luo, aren’t you eating?" Qi Xinzhu asked, noticing he hadn’t touched his food. She was curious because Lu Luo was usually particular about his diet and would, under normal circumstances, at least eat a little.
Lu Luo raised his eyebrows meaningfully. "Actually, if there are Exotic Species around, I don’t get that hungry."
Hearing Lu Luo’s response, Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu paused for a moment, then, without further questions, resumed eating. They pretended not to have heard his words. After all, Lu Luo’s Sequence was Grade B Ghoul—yes, Ghoul. That was all they needed to remember.
"Finish eating and get some rest. Tomorrow, we head to the C04 Swamp. This time, let’s aim for 500 blood pouches. With the premium, we could earn over a million. After deducting 50,000 for settling accounts and investing 200,000 in the company, the remaining 750,000 should be just enough to resolve our contract issues."
"Five hundred pouches? You sure dream big!" Gu Fangyi remarked.
"Go to sleep, Gu," Qi Xinzhu said gently. "Dreams are nice. You can have anything in your dreams."
Since Lu Luo had decided that this entire operation would be dedicated to handling the contract, Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu raised no objections.
After the meal, Gu Fangyi quickly fell asleep to recover his strength. Qi Xinzhu, feeling replenished after eating and drinking, with some of her strength and Dark Energy restored, began to treat Lu Luo’s wounds.
Qi Xinzhu gently stroked Lu Luo’s calf, her expression pained. "Lu Luo, your leg bone is shattered. Your healing is so fast that it mended misaligned."
"I know."
Seeing Lu Luo’s apparent indifference, Qi Xinzhu felt even more distressed. "So, what do you plan to do now?"
"Break it again."
"What?"
CRACK!
Lu Luo moved faster than Qi Xinzhu could react, shattering his own leg bone with a burst of Qi He.
"Alright, you can set it now."
Qi Xinzhu gazed at Lu Luo with a complex expression, then carefully placed her hand on his broken leg. "That must hurt terribly."
Qi Xinzhu lowered her head before Lu Luo. Because her clothes were badly torn, an alluring glimpse of her skin was inadvertently revealed.
"Actually, it’s not that bad," Lu Luo said, turning his head away to avoid looking.
A pale white healing light slowly enveloped Lu Luo’s calf. Under the dual restorative effects of Holy Radiance and her Healer abilities, Lu Luo’s leg began to mend rapidly. Once the bone had mended, Lu Luo still used a wooden plank to splint his leg. He would let his own Constitution handle the remaining injuries to conserve Qi Xinzhu’s Holy Radiance as much as possible.
After tending to his leg, Qi Xinzhu began to treat the wound on Lu Luo’s left chest. With a Constitution of 50, Lu Luo’s regenerative ability was remarkably strong; the massive wound had already stopped bleeding on its own. However, the wound was still contaminated with impurities and dust, so Qi Xinzhu carefully cleaned it for him.
Feeling such intimate tenderness, Lu Luo couldn’t help but rein himself in at the last moment. He shifted slightly, bowing his body to avoid exposing the ’sword’ that had unsheathed itself.
"Is your back uncomfortable?" Qi Xinzhu asked, noticing Lu Luo’s slightly hunched posture. She began to gently examine his back.
"Uh, I also have many fractures and cracks elsewhere on my body."
"Alright, hold still for a moment."
Qi Xinzhu’s gentleness evoked a strange new feeling in Lu Luo. Suddenly, having a woman like this by his side... it might not be so bad after all, he thought.
Observer: Lu’er, you’re succumbing!
Succumbing my ass! Lu Luo retorted internally.
Qi Xinzhu carefully cleaned Lu Luo’s wounds, meticulously using Holy Radiance to smooth over the scars on his body. Many say scars are a man’s badge of honor, but Qi Xinzhu disliked seeing such ’badges’ on Lu Luo and wanted to erase them.
"Lu Luo, what do you think our future holds?"
Faced with this question, Lu Luo didn’t dare to dwell on who Qi Xinzhu meant by ’us,’ or what ’the future’ might entail.
"Who knows what the future holds? I’ve never thought much about it. I just take things one step at a time. When a person thinks too much, they tend to do too little."
Qi Xinzhu was accustomed to Lu Luo’s peculiar yet somehow sensible reasoning. She nodded. "Thinking too much leads to doing too little... So, if I don’t think about anything, does that mean I can do one thing well?"
"Probably," Lu Luo conceded.
"I’ve mended all your bones. It seems that when I don’t think about anything, I really can do something well."
"Uh, I suppose so."
"Well then, I’m going to sleep now," she said, giving him a playful wink.
"Mm, go ahead."
Qi Xinzhu didn’t leave. To Lu Luo’s surprise, her eyes narrowed, curving like willow leaves, and then she rested her head on his thigh. "Your leg needs to be kept still. So tonight, I’ll reluctantly help you keep it stabilized."
Ah, this...! Lu Luo felt a wave of embarrassment, but ultimately, he didn’t refuse her.
Observer: It seems the host is about to be conquered. Where is your manly willpower? Has the ’pervert-proof shield’ malfunctioned?
The Observer’s teasing remark mirrored Lu Luo’s own thoughts. Lust, taking advantage of someone, and truly opening one’s heart to a woman were entirely different matters. Lu Luo felt he wasn’t ready for that yet, which was why he had always maintained a certain distance despite Qi Xinzhu’s attempts at closeness. The problem now was that Qi Xinzhu had grown wiser recently. She no longer constantly preached about Holy Light.
What was Qi Xinzhu like before? She was always talking about "pursuing the dawn" and would declare, "Holy Light be with me!" morning, noon, and night. Lu Luo had ample reason to reject that version of Qi Xinzhu; he disliked the Church and, by extension, hadn’t had a favorable impression of her. But the Qi Xinzhu now... how to describe her? She was more... womanly. And not just any woman, but an especially gentle, considerate one who genuinely cared for others. Who could possibly resist that?
Lu Luo felt he was nearing his breaking point. Yet, to refuse Qi Xinzhu now, to push her away—it was simply impossible. It wasn’t just about her abilities and value; his own heart couldn’t bear the thought of it.
Lu Luo gently played with a strand of Qi Xinzhu’s hair, trying to make her more comfortable. "Sleep," he murmured.
He didn’t want to try and define the ambiguous relationship between them. It was a tangled mess, difficult to unravel, and perhaps maintaining the current status quo wasn’t so bad after all.
「At night」
Since Lu Luo couldn’t move, he spent the night sitting in place, researching Netherflame. His connection to the Specter Species was still very faint, absolutely incomparable to the potency of his poison abilities. If he were to unleash his poison at full strength now, he estimated he could create a toxic fog capable of wiping out an entire village. However, the Netherflame he could currently summon from the Specter Species was barely the size of a lighter flame.
Lu Luo conducted some simple tests with this new power. Based on the results of his previous battle, he drew some initial conclusions: Netherflame’s most potent effect was its ability to strip away life. Regardless of whether the target was a life form like a Specter Species or something hidden within shadows, this energy could lock onto and extinguish its life force. It was an extremely powerful ability. However, releasing Netherflame consumed Life Energy, which seemed to be the inherent cost of wielding it.
Overall, Netherflame appeared to be a very high-level form of energy, superior even to shadow-based powers. Its specific effects and applications, however, still required further exploration and development.
That night, besides researching Netherflame, Lu Luo also practiced manipulating his poison abilities. As for Steam Form’s third gear, with Qi Xinzhu sleeping beside him, Lu Luo didn’t want to disturb her, so he refrained from practicing it.
It was safe to say he had gained a lot that night. He meticulously analyzed every detail of his battle with Li Qingshu, replaying it in his mind using his overclocking mode. It had been a fight where the disparity in strength was significant. Yet, due to the environment, his mindset, and adequate preparation, the outcome had been different from what might have been expected.
There’s still a significant gap between my current strength and that of a true Fourth Tier expert. This battle has given me a clear benchmark of where I stand.
There had also been an unexpected development during the battle: the shattering of the corridor room. Lu Luo hadn’t considered it deeply before because he’d lacked the time and opportunity. But reflecting on it now, the room’s destruction was highly problematic. The Nightmare Demon had created the Red Carpet Room world. Lu Luo was certain that without the Nightmare Demon’s permission, no one should have been able to destroy the Red Carpet Room. Even if the walls could be shattered, the Nightmare Demon’s power should have repaired the entire room instantly, just like it did with that suit of armor. His battle with Li Qingshu, if not for the Red Carpet Room’s collapse, wouldn’t have forced him to use Steam Form’s third gear, nor a power like Netherflame.
Thinking about it now, the situation at the time seemed more like... a setup! An arrangement by the Nightmare Demon?
Lu Luo didn’t dwell on it further. This was a matter he would have to discuss in detail with Ludie once he returned inside the Wall.
「The next day before dawn」
Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu were up early. After a simple breakfast, the trio set off, getting a head start on the neighboring team, heading directly towards the C04 Swamp, also known as the Silent Swamp.
This swamp was vast, comparable in size to the Mother-Child Water Mongooses’ territory in C13. It also harbored a Lord-grade Exotic Species—precisely the one the Hongtu Armed Forces team was searching for: Ganmu. However, Ganmu was vastly different from the Mother-Child Water Mongooses of C13. Its range of activity was quite unique; it wasn’t confined to a single area but roamed between the Silent Swamp and the deeper Rotten Valley.
Carrying only their personal gear and no other baggage, the trio moved swiftly. By around 11:00 a.m. on the third day, they had completely traversed the Thousand Lakes District and arrived at the Silent Swamp.
"This should be our destination," Lu Luo announced. "Let’s get ready!"