Lu Luo quickly arrived at the hospital. The panicking, screaming crowd made it clear that a mutation had definitely occurred here, and there might even have been an Exotic Species attack.

Staring at the hospital's entrance, Lu Luo narrowed his eyes without speaking and chose not to take the stairs. Instead, he stepped back, then with a sudden leap, grasped the wall and jumped toward the fourth floor, where Bai Yuetong was.

Peering through the window, the ward was empty, which made Lu Luo involuntarily worried.

Could something have happened?

Lu Luo didn't linger. He immediately jumped to another ward, where Zhou Kai was supposed to be, but still, no one was there.

These mutations are all low-level; most haven't even reached First Tier. Bai Yuetong has Lu Mengna protecting her, and Brother Kane is pretty strong. They should be okay, right?

Although he thought this, Lu Luo couldn't shake off his unease.

He shattered the glass and broke into the room.

After entering the hallway, Lu Luo started sprinting through the hospital's fourth-floor corridor.

There are signs of battle here—firearms and branches from Brother Kane's body!

[The end of the corridor... that should be where the operating room is.]

The operating room?

Lu Luo activated his jets and accelerated to the operating room door, then kicked it open.

Seeing this, Lu Luo breathed a slight sigh of relief; Bai Yuetong and Zhou Kai were both here.

"Brother Luo?"

"Lu Luo, why are you here? Is there nothing else for you to do?"

Lu Luo's sudden appearance surprised both Bai Yuetong and Zhou Kai.

Lu Luo stood still, just watching them quietly for a good while.

Dumb Hair and Zhou Kai also noticed something was off with Lu Luo's emotions. Zhou Kai pointed to a pile of Exotic Species corpses behind him and said, "Brother Luo, do you want these? We killed them and kept the bodies especially for you. We were just about to call you; we didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

[These friends of yours are pretty good!]

Lu Luo suddenly stepped forward and hugged Bai Yuetong, patting her back.

"It's good that you're okay!"

The current environment in the Fourth Ring genuinely made him afraid of losing more friends.

Well, as long as they're not married, they're friends.

"What are you doing!" Dumb Hair's face turned red. She pressed her head against Lu Luo's chest, her voice so quiet it was almost inaudible.

But she still meekly leaned against Lu Luo's chest, enjoying their moment together, right in front of Zhou Kai.

The two hugged for quite a while, until Zhou Kai, somewhat bored, kicked a nearby water bottle, muttering, "So, you're just going to pretend I don't exist? Lu Luo, don't you know about my eight-kill streak across three rounds? Who in Entertainment Street doesn't know the name Zhou Kai? Trying to rub your romance in my face? Not happening in this lifetime!"

[He's been muttering for a while now. Aren't you going to comfort him?]

Lu Luo had heard Zhou Kai's muttering and couldn't help but chuckle. He released Dumb Hair, walked over to Zhou Kai, reached out, and hugged him.

This immediately moved Zhou Kai, who had just been talking tough.

"WAHHH, Brother Luo, we've bled together!"

"Yeah, we've bled together. Let's go home, Brother Kane."

[Someone is coming!]

BANG!

The door was suddenly burst open, and Gu Fangyi, fully armed, arrived just in time.

Then, his gaze fell upon Zhou Kai and Lu Luo embracing, a strange expression in his eyes.

Zhou Kai quickly pushed Lu Luo away.

"Brother Gu, let me explain."

"No need for explanations."

"No, Brother Gu, you really have to let me explain! It's not what you think..."

The three of them watched the door, waiting for Lu Luo to absorb all the Exotic Species inside the room.

"Alright, let's go!" Lu Luo said once he was done.

The four of them headed back to Circle Studio together.

On the way, they encountered a total of four Exotic Species mutation events. The current situation in the East Ring truly didn't look optimistic.

It was still unknown whether this increase in Dark Energy was affecting the entire Fourth Ring or just the East Ring.

"Brother Luo," one of them asked, "if the Fourth Ring becomes like the areas beyond the wall, will ordinary people be in danger too?"

"Yes," Lu Luo replied.

Lu Luo, Zhou Kai, and Gu Fangyi all looked at Bai Yuetong, who immediately understood what they meant.

"Why are you all looking at me? I'm telling you, Lu Luo, I'm not going back to the Inner Ring! I have a special Constitution. Even though I'm an ordinary person, I won't mutate, so don't worry!"

"Are you sure?" Lu Luo was skeptical.

"I'm sure, and I'm not lying to you. Although I'm stubborn, I do care about my own safety. I may be weak, but my Constitution is truly very special. I absolutely won't mutate, but Dark Energy still poses a threat to me, so you have to protect me!"

Bai Yuetong emphasized the "protect me" part, but Lu Luo pretended not to hear.

"That's good," he said.

Hearing Bai Yuetong's confident tone, Lu Luo felt somewhat relieved. If she couldn't remain safe in the Fourth Ring, I'd have to send her back home. The Fourth Ring is no longer safe, but the Inner Ring is still relatively so. I can't let Bai Yuetong stay here risking mutation at any moment.

Currently, Lu Luo was pessimistic about the future of the entire Fourth Ring. This was just the first wave of mutations brought on by the increased Dark Energy. If the Dark Energy Level didn't decrease, new mutations would certainly continue to appear in the Fourth Ring—some strong, some weak—until everyone fully adapted to the new Dark Energy Level.

"Let's go," Lu Luo said. "We'll talk more back at the company."

The increase in Dark Energy brought tremendous changes to the people of the Fourth Ring.

In the following days, similar events kept occurring throughout the Fourth Ring.

「A stormy night.」

Inside a house in the villa district, the interior was pitch black.

A little boy clung to a man's arm, crying pitifully, "Mister, mister, there's thunder outside! I'm so scared!"

The man's fingers trembled as he took out a cigarette pack, trying to light one for himself, but his lighter failed to ignite after several attempts. His lips began to quiver too. It took a good while before he finally managed to light the cigarette, his face briefly illuminated by the flame.

"Kid, I'm even more scared than you are! Damn it, I remember being the only one in this house! Where did you pop out from?"

"Mister," the boy said, "have you forgotten about the forced demolition of that old house here?"

The man's hands shook even more.

「...」

「At a certain company.」

Wu Wei was working overtime. Despite the dire situation in the Fourth Ring, his boss still demanded he work late; otherwise, he wouldn't get paid.

Working late into the night, Wu Wei suddenly received a phone call.

This number is very unfamiliar. "Hello, this is Wu Wei from De Man Coatings. May I ask who is calling?"

A somewhat hoarse voice came over the phone, "Wu Wei, you've lost something at home."

"I've lost something? Who are you? What have I lost? Hello? Hello?"

Wu Wei held the phone, puzzled. After such an interruption, he had no desire to continue working. He could only go home. Once there, Wu Wei ransacked the place, searching for a long time. His ID card, bank cards, cell phone, wallet... nothing was missing.

He began to suspect the earlier call was a prank and simply went to bed.

That night, as he slept, someone whispered eerily in Wu Wei's ear, "Haven't you found me yet? I'm your key!"

「...」

「A certain vegetable market.」

The butcher was methodically chopping meat on his cutting board, though the market was already deserted. A large amount of bloody water flowed from the board, a rather unsettling sight that made one wonder if the butcher had even bothered to bleed the pig.

Only by looking from the front would one realize the butcher wasn't chopping pork...

It was an unplucked chicken!

"Damn it, there's no one left in the market, and I have no idea why they still want me to slaughter a few chickens here. What a pain in the ass, those damn women," he cursed.

The butcher's knife skills were superb. With one chop, he bled the chicken, then deftly plucked its feathers before continuing to carve the meat.

While the butcher was grumbling and slaughtering chickens, an eerie figure approached him.

Thinking it was a customer wanting to buy meat, the butcher shook his head. "No pork today. Come back another day."

After he spoke, the figure didn't leave but continued to stand there.

This made the butcher frown. "I said, there's no pork today..."

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing the figure standing before him had no face.

"FUCK! What the hell is this!"

The butcher swung his cleaver. The immense force even produced a faint blade aura, splitting the monster before him in two.

The seemingly terrifying monster hadn't even managed to block a single strike, which greatly surprised the butcher.

As copious amounts of black liquid flowed from the faceless monster's remains, the butcher confirmed that the thing before him was indeed a monster, or rather, an Exotic Species.

And it was only then that the butcher realized something was off about himself.

I know I'm usually strong, but this kind of strength... it's clearly not normal!

The butcher flourished his cleaver a few times, then suddenly grabbed the nearby cutting board, lifting it with one hand.

Now, a butcher's cutting board is vastly different from those used in ordinary homes—almost several, or even ten times, heavier. This thick, heavy board weighed at least 50 to 100 kilograms (approximately 110-220 pounds), yet the butcher could lift it with a single hand.

Good heavens, have I really become a strongman?

Similar incidents to the butcher's were constantly occurring across the Fourth Ring. Some people mutated, while others gained the power of Dark Energy.

Benign mutations, attribute enhancements, Sequence Awakenings.

All sorts of things were happening, and the Fourth Ring was undergoing unprecedented changes.

It was impossible to say for now whether these changes were good or bad, but one thing was certain: the Inner Ring's dominance could be shaken. The high Dark Energy Level that the Inner Ring had always prided itself on had now been completely matched by the Fourth Ring.

Perhaps the Fourth Ring's environment wasn't as pure, but Dark Energy purity was something that could be adapted to over time. Given the Fourth Ring's population, once they adapted to the new Dark Energy environment, the Inner Ring's previous advantages would be completely wiped out.

Transcendents would no longer need to stay in the Inner Ring for peaceful cultivation; the number of experts was set to increase dramatically.

Although mutated Exotic Species might appear here, the Wall of Explorers was still in place, so any such species wouldn't be of a high tier. Moreover, the transformation of the Fourth Ring's populace by Dark Energy would quickly grant them the ability to handle First and Second Tier Exotic Species.

It wasn't just ordinary people; even individuals like Zhou Kai and Gu Fangyi felt a very distinct change. The most direct evidence was that Gu Fangyi no longer needed to venture outside the wall for cultivation. And Zhou Kai was now able to hunt other Exotic Species within the wall.

「...」

Of course, none of this had much to do with Lu Luo, as he had already obtained Titan's Blood from Hongtu Arms.

Titan's Blood was a key item for enhancing Faithless individuals. Lu Luo wasn't exactly sure how critical it was. Regardless, the Observer had given him the tip, so he just had to follow it.

The Titan's Blood before him was sealed in a very special, constant-temperature hydraulic bottle designed to maintain its activity for a long time. According to Li Tanya, one kilogram of this Titan's Blood cost a staggering 710,000. That was 160,000 more expensive than the previous price of 550,000 from Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals.

The price sounded outrageous, but fortunately, Hongtu Arms hadn't raised it further. Li Tanya's meaning was also clear: as long as Lu Luo fulfilled the requirements of their previous contract—bringing back four chunks of Exotic Species flesh and completing six equipment tests—it would suffice.

Lu Luo naturally agreed readily; Titan's Blood was simply too important to him right now.

"Do I just drink this stuff?" Lu Luo wondered.

[With such a powerful Sequence as the Devourer, don't you know to use it proactively?]

"Ah, I see!"

Lu Luo extended his Devourer tentacles. They tightly wound around the hydraulic bottle and gradually constricted.

In fact, the Devourer tentacles already possessed Lu Luo's strength, but he had never used them in combat.

The main reason was a psychological barrier that was hard to overcome. Tentacle monsters and such were only amusing when watching... certain films. As for actual combat, unless I encountered an enemy that absolutely required tentacles to defeat, I'd rather skip it! I still prefer to maintain my human appearance!

CRACK!

The Devourer tentacles punctured the bottle and extended inside.

As the Devourer tentacles absorbed the Titan's Blood, it gradually flowed into Lu Luo's body.

[The Devourer is absorbing Titan's Blood.]

[The Fusioner is merging Titan's Blood with your Sequence Chain B-00 Faithless. Please wait...]

Lu Luo quietly sensed the Titan's Blood flowing through his body. After flowing for a period, the amount of Titan's Blood would diminish slightly. He knew this was because his body was gradually absorbing it.

Soon, Lu Luo felt a torrential power erupting from his core.

"URGH!~"

Lu Luo knelt on the ground, his expression savage, as his clothes began to tear. This was because his body was steadily growing larger.

2.5 meters, 3 meters, 4 meters, 5 meters...

Lu Luo even had to crouch to avoid bursting through the ceiling, an explosive sense of power coursing through his body.

This process lasted for well over two hours.

The others at Circle Studio heard the commotion from Lu Luo's office, but since he had warned them beforehand, no one disturbed him.

After two hours, Lu Luo's body began to shrink, his gigantic form gradually returning to normal. It wasn't long before he was back to his original size, though his muscles were somewhat firmer than before.

[Absorption of Titan's Blood complete.]

[Sequence Chain B-00 Faithless upgraded to Grade A.]

**Sequence Chain A-00 - Faithless**

**Effect 1 - Armor:** Reduces all damage taken by 40% (stacks with other damage reduction effects). All damage is ultimately reduced by an additional 25.

**Effect 2 - Swiftness:** Increases overall speed by 35%, reduces fall damage from heights, improves jumping ability.

**Effect 3 - Force:** Increases physical damage by 35%; physical damage gains 15% penetration.

**Effect 4 - Vigor:** Increases vitality by 60%; increases physical damage by 30%.

**Effect 5 - Superstition:** You are highly superstitious.

* You do not believe in the power of others, thus ignoring 40% of attribute-based energy damage not originating from yourself.

* You believe only in your own strength, so your attacks on others occasionally have additional effects.

* You do not believe in fate, thus gaining 60% resistance to control and mental effects.

**Introduction 1:** Only a Faithless who persists through the Extreme State can become one who transcends life and death.

**Introduction 2:** You require the Pride of 22 Lords.

**Introduction 3:** You require the Heart of Disaster.

The difference from before is that the Toughness Effect has become Armor. This kind of damage reduction really feels like powerful core armor. But these new requirements!

"The Pride of 22 Lords? The Heart of Disaster?" Lu Luo exclaimed internally. "Why don't you just tell me to go die instead?!"

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