The lightning around Lu Luo gradually extinguished. For some reason, Lu Luo had seemed excessively savage just moments before.

Although Li Tanya had not had much contact with Lu Luo, she still had some impression of his character.

Such explosive behavior was somewhat inconsistent with Lu Luo's usual style! This person usually prioritized his own interests.

Lu Luo sighed. He also felt that there was a problem with his behavior and mindset.

Punching is a moment's pleasure, and then...

Will I have to pay for damages? Am I supposed to fight like this?

"Uh, I didn't know your company's biological mecha was so fragile, sorry about that. But you asked me to hit it, so I shouldn't have to pay, right?"

"Hahaha, well done. I just wanted to test the mecha's durability. Your ability to break it shows its flaws even more. What's wrong, Mr. Lu Luo? Feeling suppressed lately? If you need some entertainment, our company can certainly arrange something!"

"No need, no need, thank you for your kind offer, Dr. Li, I'm fine."

Lu Luo quickly waved his hand dismissively, indicating that he was alright.

Li Tanya's gaze flickered. She had already thoroughly investigated Lu Luo's background. What kind of potential did his young age imply?

Only the strongest constitution can control the strongest mecha!

A Third Tier energy reaction, yet with Lu Luo's physique, even a strength-type Transcendent among the Hunters couldn't compare.

No, it wasn't a matter of comparison; it was a world of difference!

Such talent deserved to use the company's most cutting-edge achievements, and only someone like him could maximize the true power of a biological mecha.

Perhaps...

"Doctor, the G1-Toxic Experimental Model was damaged. Will the company blame us?"

The assistant's words interrupted Li Tanya's thoughts and made her somewhat displeased.

Such a guy. What a shame he's not part of our company!

Li Tanya ignored the assistant and just continued to watch Lu Luo below.

Compared to Lu Luo, the company's Third Tier testers are like trash. So uninspiring.

"Doctor?" The assistant thought Li Tanya was still shocked by the destruction Lu Luo had caused and reminded her again.

"I said it's fine."

Li Tanya was getting annoyed; her thought process was not as simple as that of an ordinary researcher.

She already had a new idea for the six physical functionality tests Lu Luo had signed up for.

"But the mecha's production cost is very high, and the company spent so much money—won't they really blame us?"

"Money? Do you think the company lacks money under the current Fourth Ring situation? Everyone is looking for ways to spend money, whether it's us or Lan Tian. As for blame? It's an experimental model anyway. Report to the company that we obtained excellent experimental data and found an outstanding test subject. With a substantial breakthrough in research, the company will only reward us greatly. Why would there be any blame? Little Liu, your thinking is flawed, do you understand?"

The scolded researcher, Little Liu, quickly nodded. "I understand. I will be more careful in the future."

Li Tanya watched Lu Luo on the ground and spontaneously applauded him.

"Lu Luo, to possess such strength at such a young age is truly unbelievable. As per our contract, we will purchase Titan's Blood for you today, and you can come to collect it tomorrow morning. However, I also hope Mr. Lu Luo will fulfill the requirements of his contract and bring us at least four pieces of Lords' Exotic Species meat within eighteen months, as well as data from an additional six experimental trials. If there are no issues, Mr. Lu Luo can go and rest now."

The agreement Lu Luo had previously made with Li Tanya was to exchange four pieces of Lords' Exotic Species meat, plus six real-combat mecha trials, along with Bai Yuetong's construction theory, for Titan's Blood.

The things he offered seemed plentiful, but the truly valuable item was still the four pieces of Lords' Exotic Species meat.

Extracting four pieces of meat from four different Lords' Exotic Species was almost as difficult as killing four Lords.

Because even if you stealthily approached a Lord, took a piece of its meat, and fled, it would chase you to your death.

So, hunting four Lords' Exotic Species was still incredibly challenging.

The six-plus-one experimental collaborations were also part of the servitude contract. The six were the official experimental collaborations, while the test just now was actually a freebie, like an inspection of goods.

As for Bai Yuetong's construction theory, Lu Luo had indeed intentionally leaked it to Hongtu Armaments.

This was mainly because Circle Studio, with its current funding and capabilities, simply couldn't support Bai Yuetong in completing such a project.

Since Circle Studio couldn't complete it independently, seeking a partnership was naturally the best choice.

Among the three strongest companies in the Wasteland Alliance, only Hongtu Armaments' weapon research and development capabilities were the most suitable.

They leaned towards mechanics, and their financial strength was the greatest, even surpassing Lan Tian Biotech.

Moreover, Li Tanya was also currently researching biological armor. If they could collaborate, there would definitely be substantial breakthroughs regarding the construct concept.

Bai Yuetong had previously been limited by funds and family troubles; partnering with Hongtu Armaments was the best option Lu Luo could think of.

Bai Yuetong's talent should not be wasted; with the funding, technology, and personnel support from Hongtu Armaments, her ideas would have a chance of becoming reality.

As for a bottle of Titan's Blood, that was just an incidental accessory. Hmph, he was just that selfless.

"Then I'll just head back and await your good news, Dr. Li."

"Go ahead. The company's pretty busy recently, and I still have to find time to purchase the Titan's Blood for you—from Lan Tian Biotech, no less! It's truly troublesome!"

There was a hint of teasing in Li Tanya's tone, but Lu Luo didn't respond.

Apart from their professional collaboration, he really didn't want to have too much contact with this astute woman.

This woman was tough to deal with—their few interactions had ended in a stalemate, with neither gaining a clear advantage.

Besides, he had killed Lin Zhiming, the young master of a family associated with Hongtu Armaments, and he wasn't sure if this matter would ever be investigated.

Therefore, both emotionally and rationally, he preferred not to have too much in-depth contact with people from Hongtu Armaments.

"Then I'll take my leave now, Dr. Li."

"Alright, keep your phone on tomorrow. Once it arrives, I'll have someone notify you."

"Okay."

After saying this, Lu Luo left. The assistant, Liu, glanced at Li Tanya beside him, still not quite understanding why she would give Lu Luo so much preferential treatment.

In his view, Li Tanya's behavior at this moment was somewhat uncharacteristic of her, but he dared not ask any more questions now.

Li Tanya noticed the assistant's gaze.

"Don't overthink it. This person seems easy to talk to because he currently needs something from us. If he held the upper hand, we'd lose a chunk of flesh at the very least."

"Doctor, what about the cultivation of the biological mecha?"

"Ganmu's flesh isn't strong enough. We need new Exotic Species flesh now—flesh from Exotic Species with high Constitution."

"We don't have any Exotic Species flesh stronger than Ganmu's. If we need a higher grade, we can only apply to the Hunters or the Church."

"Actually, there is some available. Something big just happened in the East Ring church district."

"Are you talking about… the Nightmare Centipede? But the company said that thing was dominated by a Nightmare Demon, and it's extremely dangerous!"

"I know it's extremely dangerous, but experiments, by their very nature, are conducted amidst danger, aren't they?"

Li Tanya smiled, yet to the assistant, this smile looked like that of a madwoman. A madwoman who, for the sake of her experiments, would stop at nothing.

「…」

When Lu Luo left Hongtu Armaments, he headed straight for the hospital.

Although Lu Yu had been sent back to school, Zhou Kai and Bai Yuetong were still in the hospital recovering from their injuries, and he wanted to check on their conditions.

He had already made arrangements with the Wasteland Security Bureau: if there were no issues with their health, he could take them both back to rest.

But before he could board the orbital train, Lu Luo sensed something was off.

[Dark Energy Level is rapidly rising. It's an 85% increase compared to before. Compared to the Fourth Ring's most primitive state, the total Dark Energy value has increased approximately fourfold.]

"A fourfold increase? This Dark Energy Level almost exceeds that of the original lands outside the Wall! What is the nature of this Dark Energy?"

[The nature of the Dark Energy is chaotic and twisted. Its properties are already very similar to the Dark Energy from outside the Wall, and it lacks stability.]

Lu Luo's brows furrowed. If the area within the Wall couldn't maintain a low Dark Energy Level, nor maintain the purity of Dark Energy like the Inner Ring, then there was only one outcome for the Fourth Ring: survival of the fittest, and the emergence of mutations!

Moreover, the first wave of mutations would occur rapidly, within a short period!

"The world's overall Dark Energy Level is increasing. This is a change that not even an Eighth Order disaster could bring about. What exactly is the reason?"

Lu Luo didn't bother with slow transportation like the orbital train. He broke into a run, using his Jet Belt to dash and glide through the streets of the East Ring.

While running, Lu Luo witnessed an old lady mutate right before his eyes, albeit the mutation was not intense; it didn't even reach First Tier.

Fortunately, patrolling guards nearby killed the newly mutated old lady on the spot. But even though she was dispatched quickly, it still caused a degree of chaos in the crowd.

This change in the environment deepened Lu Luo's frown.

"I hope Bai Yuetong and the others are alright!"

「…」

In the hospital, Zhou Kai smiled as he took the food brought by the nurse—there was meat and vegetables.

This kind of expensive meal was something he rarely ate. However, now that he was hospitalized, he naturally let himself indulge a little.

"Sister Wang is getting prettier and prettier!"

Zhou Kai teased the female nurse. This nurse, surnamed Wang, had become quite familiar with Zhou Kai over the past few days.

Sister Wang wasn't married and was very open-minded, not minding at all when Zhou Kai made some colorful jokes.

However, today she didn't seem in the mood to engage with Zhou Kai, only putting down the meal tray before hurrying out.

"Sister Wang is really playing it cool today!" Zhou Kai said in surprise, though he didn't harbor too many suspicions about Nurse Wang's behavior today.

Every woman has a few days like that each month, after all! It's understandable.

Picking up the meal tray, Zhou Kai took a bite and then narrowed his eyes. "This taste is off! That person just now was suspicious."

Zhou Kai flipped the meal tray over, and a large amount of food scattered onto the floor. Looking down now, he saw many twisted worms squirming there.

"That's really disgusting!"

Though Zhou Kai said this, his actions didn't match his casual tone. Over a dozen tendrils extended from his right hand, instantly crushing the worms on the floor. He then coiled the tendrils up, retracting them along with the crushed worms into the sleeve of his hospital gown.

Obtaining high-end ingredients like Exotic Species was still quite difficult within the Wall; he couldn't afford to waste them now.

"Better find Dumb Hair first," he thought. "If something happens to her, Lu Luo will be furious."

Zhou Kai lifted the hospital bed to reveal a large-caliber repeater gun taped to the underside.

Zhou Kai had already stepped out of the room, but the tendrils trailing behind him brought the repeater gun into his hand.

Among the passersby, Zhou Kai immediately spotted Nurse Wang standing at the nurses' station. Without hesitation, he raised his repeater gun and fired.

BANG!

Nurse Wang, who had been standing face-to-face with him, had her head blown off by Zhou Kai's shot.

"AHH! Someone's been murdered!"

The crowd screamed and scattered. Security guards from downstairs quickly surrounded Zhou Kai, their guns pointed at him.

"What are you doing?"

But Zhou Kai remained calm and simply pointed to the ground. "I am Zhou Kai, a senior Investigator from the Circle Studio Hunter's Office. Our Circle Studio grants us certain operational Hunter designations. My firearm is legal. Before you question me, you'd better take a look at what *she* is!"

Hearing Zhou Kai's words, the surrounding security guards finally noticed something was off about Nurse Wang's body on the ground.

Nurse Wang on the ground had no head; it had been composed of a multitude of worms. Now, these worms were scattered all over, bearing no resemblance to a human form whatsoever.

"Is this a mutation? Mr. Zhou Kai, what do we do now?"

"Call the police. Say there's an Exotic Species and let the Hunters deal with it."

Zhou Kai watched the scene with some regret. Because he had to find Bai Yuetong and there were too many people around, he couldn't sit down and slowly eat all these worms.

Somehow, eating worms had become a not entirely unacceptable prospect.

Meanwhile, Bai Yuetong was scribbling away in her room, her paper covered in messy scrawls that most people couldn't make sense of.

BANG! A gunshot rang out from outside the door. Hearing this sound, Bai Yuetong frowned slightly.

Judging by the sound, that should be a modified C39 Peacemaker. The only one here with that kind of gun should be Zhou Kai, right? Is he in danger?

Bai Yuetong got out of bed and walked toward the door. When she saw a nurse administering an IV to an old man, she stopped in her tracks and murmured to herself, "Sister Na, are you sure about this? Alright, then!"

Bai Yuetong narrowed her eyes at this nurse, then suddenly stepped forward and asked, "What form of Exotic Species are you?"

Huh? The old man beside her was stunned. Exotic Species? What does she mean? How dare this Dumb Hair disturb my chat with the pretty nurse?

Before the old man could react, Bai Yuetong, who was opposite him, had already drawn her pistol. BANG!

Bai Yuetong holstered her large-caliber handgun. The nurse in front of her had its head blown off, revealing its true form.

"It kind of looks like an owl, doesn't it? But Sister Na, they're so weak. They don't even have First Tier strength."

A red, shadowy form continuously drifted beside Bai Yuetong—it was none other than the Specter Species, Lu Mengna. It was she who had warned Bai Yuetong that the nurse was no longer human.

Because it wasn't the first gunshot, although the crowd was still in turmoil, the panic wasn't as severe as before.

The old man opposite Bai Yuetong was scared half to death; this kind of face-to-face shooting was pretty outrageous.

Now armed and protected by the Third Tier Specter Lu Mengna, Bai Yuetong wasn't particularly frightened by the unexpected events unfolding.

She hadn't gone far when she saw Zhou Kai firing his gun!

Fleeing pedestrians in the hospital corridor rushed past them, but neither took their eyes off the other.

Due to the Exotic Species' mutations, both had suspicions about the other's identity.

"Are you really Zhou Kai?"

"Are you really Bai Yuetong?" they asked each other simultaneously.

Zhou Kai looked skeptically at Dumb Hair. It was better to confirm each other's identity at a time like this.

"Prove your identity."

Bai Yuetong was not the type to be passive. "Then why don't you prove your identity first? One should identify themselves before questioning others, right?"

Zhou Kai hesitated slightly. Bai Yuetong seemed to have a point, so he spoke up first. "I've bled with Lu Luo."

"Pfft, bleeding is nothing; I've kissed Lu Luo!"

Speaking of kissing so casually… it had to be Dumb Hair. Zhou Kai nodded.

"It seems there have been some mutations here; some of the nurses have turned into Exotic Species."

"Not just the nurses, some patients have mutated as well! Look at that one up ahead!"

In front of them, a fat woman with an IV drip was mutating right before their eyes.

Zhou Kai looked on at the scene with some bewilderment. "Is mutation so easy now? Is this still within the Wall?"

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