Hearing Qi Xinzhu's question, Da Tian momentarily stalled; the concept of "five of a kind" was indeed not easy to explain.

After carefully considering a reason, she responded, "Well, I saw someone playing it, so I just wanted to ask you!"

"Saw someone play? Who did you see playing poker with five of a kind, meaning 4+1?"

Qi Xinzhu clearly didn't want to let this question go. When they had returned from the amusement park earlier, Lu Luo had released his activity report with Bai Yuetong. All high-ranking members of the Circular had seen their report, and Qi Xinzhu was, of course, among them. The card game involving seventeen cards that Lu Luo and Bai Yuetong played was deeply memorable to Qi Xinzhu. After all, a comeback from the brink of defeat is the most exhilarating of events.

Although the poker game was thrilling, it was a game set up by Noah. Under normal circumstances, no one inside the wall would play with seventeen cards, so when Da Tian mentioned five of a kind, Qi Xinzhu sensed something was off.

At that moment, Qi Xinzhu's deductive skills actually bore a hint of Lu Luo's true teachings. For a while, she had Da Tian at a loss for words.

"Ah, this... I forgot."

Watching Da Tian's guilty face, Qi Xinzhu's expression grew even more skeptical.

"In our poker games inside the wall, there's no such thing as counting 4+1 as five of a kind. As far as I know, the only games that allow five of a kind are in Noah's amusement park. So, either someone who has been to Noah's amusement park showed you, or you have been to the poker hall in Noah's amusement park. Which is it, Da Tian?"

Da Tian scratched her head, somewhat puzzled as to how one sentence could reveal so much. Such a difficult question, how should I answer it?

"Qi Xinzhu, I really forgot. Can you please not ask anymore?"

Da Tian clearly didn't want to speak, but Qi Xinzhu obviously didn't want to end the conversation there. She squatted down. Her slightly tightened cheongsam highlighted her alluring curves. Holding Da Tian's arms, she said earnestly, "Da Tian, you mentioned before that you wanted to enter the world of humans, but have you considered your current situation? From your tone, it seems you must have been to Noah's amusement park, right? You are human but live in a world belonging to Exotic Species, which is similar to the people in Noah's games. But once you become a player in Noah's games, you take on the attributes of Exotic Species. Da Tian, the people inside the wall will never accept Exotic Species! So, if you want to join us inside the wall, never become an Exotic Species."

Da Tian raised her rather attractive eyebrows, not expecting Qi Xinzhu to say such words to her. Moreover, Qi Xinzhu remembered the offhand comment Da Tian had made about wanting to return to the human world. Da Tian's eyebrows twitched a few times, and the look in her eyes became complicated as she watched Qi Xinzhu.

This woman, she's really kind!

Da Tian sighed inwardly, but in the end, she still feigned an unconcerned demeanor.

"You guessed right about my identity as a Noah player, Qi Xinzhu, you're so clever! It doesn't matter; after all, there are many people like me. One more or one less won't make a difference."

These words made Qi Xinzhu's face fall slightly. Her bombastic act was wrong, wasn't it? If only Lu Luo were here, he would have guessed Da Tian's identity right away.

Without waiting for Qi Xinzhu to continue questioning, Da Tian took the initiative to change the subject.

"Alright, let's stop the poker lesson for today. Qi Xinzhu, would you like to learn about the cultivation methods of Exotic Species?"

"Exotic Species also have cultivation methods?"

"Of course. Some Exotic Species are quite foolish. Even when they reach the Fifth Tier, they can't control their Domain, so they remain just ordinary Fifth-Tier Exotic Species. Other Exotic Species are very clever. After reaching the Fifth Tier, they begin to contemplate their own abilities, thereby forming their Domains. This is the cultivation method belonging to Exotic Species."

"How do you know so much about the abilities of Exotic Species?"

Da Tian's eyes lit up, and she pointed at her own nose, saying, "Of course I do. I'm the boss around here!"

"Well, okay then!"

Qi Xinzhu wasn't particularly interested in such matters, but she still planned to listen carefully. Because even if she wasn't interested, Lu Luo would be, so she could share what she learned with him later.

With that thought, Qi Xinzhu's mood suddenly turned a bit melancholy.

Heh, who knows if we'll ever meet again.

"Don't worry, you definitely will," Da Tian said with certainty.

「…」

Meanwhile, Lu Luo had arrived at Sector S-11, formerly known as C13. Several months had passed, yet nothing significant had changed in the architecture here. Walking through the first area of the Exile's Jungle, there were still buildings that looked like they came from a third-tier city. Lu Luo even found the supermarket where he had killed Wu Sen, along with the memorable apartment building across from it.

Although these buildings hadn't changed at all, Lu Luo still felt something different about this place compared to before.

The Dark Energy level has risen so sharply. Is this because of the Nightmare Demon's influence?

[Observer: Calamities themselves indeed have the effect of inducing changes in Dark Energy; they are one of the primary sources of Dark Energy pollution.]

The stream of people coming and going was endless, lending the place an almost city-like vibe. Lu Luo even wondered if this place would eventually become indistinguishable from the Fourth Ring and be settled by humans.

[Observer: Not for the time being, because after the annual rotation of the Circular, the areas beyond the wall also change.]

That made sense. However, no one had yet been able to explain the reason behind these changes in the areas outside the wall.

There are so many more people than before. It seems people aren't very cautious about Grade S areas!

What Lu Luo didn't know was that the reason Sector S-11, formerly C13, had so many more people wasn't just because of changes in the area itself. The advent of the Nightmare Demon meant more Corrosive Items and Dark Spirit Stones were produced here. Added to that were the rewards offered by Hunters and the Security Bureau for information on the new changes in the S-11 area. That's why this area, once scarcely populated, had become so lively.

In just a short morning, Lu Luo had already seen countless waves of Scavengers. Moreover, the caliber of these Scavengers differed greatly from before; their strengths were clearly more formidable, and they were well-equipped. According to the terms inside the wall, anyone who could pinpoint the location of the Nightmare Demon and provide photos and detailed route maps would receive a reward of 200,000 yuan. Therefore, most Scavengers here were after more than just loot.

Even the little guys have dreams. What if they were the ones to discover the real location of the Nightmare Demon?

Of course, Lu Luo suspected this was just a method used by the Hunters to assess the new dangerous areas of S-11. They sent out large numbers of Scavengers to test the limits and true danger zones of the S-11 area as much as possible. If they really could find the location of the Nightmare Demon, that would be great, but if not, that was fine too. These people could help mark out the most dangerous places. This would make future, detailed explorations by Hunters or the Church much easier.

As Lu Luo moved on, due to the high volume of people, he could hardly see any living Exotic Species.

[Observer: This place has been picked clean! Exotic Species sure have it rough!]

This was a manifestation of humanity's collective strength, even though these people venturing out weren't formally united. In a way, they were already acting in concert. Because, regardless of who it was, their first reaction upon encountering an Exotic Species outside the wall was to kill. The more people there were, the more killings occurred. The more that were killed, the fewer Exotic Species remained.

The urban area lacked Exotic Species, so Lu Luo had no choice but to keep walking. When he stopped in the gravel wasteland, he realized that there were more people here than Exotic Species. Therefore, his plan to hunt low-tier Exotic Species had to be put on hold temporarily.

Forget it, this place won't work either.

Lu Luo had no choice but to cross the gravel wasteland and stop at the Mother-Child Marsh. As expected, due to the environmental conditions of the Mother-Child Marsh, there were very few humans around; indeed, none were visible.

This place should be fine. Maybe I can even get some blood pouches and make some money.

Lu Luo sat down to rest. He took out the food and water he had prepared earlier, planning to replenish his supplies before heading into the Mother-Child Marsh for a major hunt that afternoon.

While he was eating, several people carrying big bags approached him. At first, Lu Luo thought these people were either Scavengers or bandits looking for trouble, but their subsequent behavior dispelled that thought. Two of the backpackers sat down at a distance, built a fire, and began to cook. Only one of them slowly approached Lu Luo. He approached with his hands raised, clearly indicating he meant no harm and came in goodwill.

"Hello there, young man!"

The person nodded toward Lu Luo, and naturally, Lu Luo responded.

"Hello."

The backpacker didn't sit down but kept his hands raised.

"Young man! Uh, are you alone?"

"Yes, alone. What about it?"

Upon hearing Lu Luo was alone, the man grinned and sat down. He placed his backpack in front of Lu Luo and started rummaging through it.

"My name's Yao Kong, from the wild mountains. Need any weapons for self-defense? We've got a large selection of quality weapons from Hongtu Armaments, starting at a 50% discount today. Look at this: a Desert Falcon, 90% new. For only 2,000, you can take it, and I'll even throw in two extra magazines. And this HBK-42 semi-automatic rifle, for just 6,900—a price so good it would make an old lady weep. Finally, this S311 grenade launcher, which can even kill a Third-Tier Exotic Species."

[Observer: This person's body is covered in the blood of many people, but he doesn't emit much of a killing aura.]

Yao Kong's animated explanations gave Lu Luo a clear idea of the man's profession. He was a merchant who appeared to deal in second-hand weapons but was, in reality, a corpse looter.

The term "corpse looter" was a recently emerged occupation outside the Wasteland walls. Due to recent changes in the Fourth Ring, the overall number of Transcendents had increased. This, in turn, led to more people venturing beyond the wall. Consequently, some second-hand weapon merchants began to operate in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 dangerous areas outside the wall. Typically, they didn't engage in murder and robbery. However, they frequently scoured corpses and looted belongings when people died in dangerous areas. Most of these merchants were former Scavengers with some understanding of the areas outside the wall; they generally knew the dangerous zones. If they noticed a team with inadequate strength entering a dangerous zone, they would linger behind them. After the team was annihilated, they would loot the bodies and comb through their packs, profiting from death.

Lu Luo himself had engaged in murder and looting; such acts were, in fact, considered normal outside the walls. But as for this kind of corpse looting... well. Outside the walls, one couldn't speak of morality, let alone crime. However, the practice was deeply offensive, so many people resisted and rejected such merchants.

Lu Luo, frankly, wasn't too bothered; he didn't have any particular feelings about such behavior. He believed that if it existed, there was a reason for it. Corpse looters recycled equipment, reducing resource waste. Besides, wandering in Tier 2 and Tier 3 areas was already incredibly dangerous. Everyone was risking their lives, so there was no need to be too harsh on them. Still, buying second-hand guns was out of the question.

"No need, I rarely use guns."

Lu Luo's response was a bit of posturing, but an old hand like Yao Kong immediately grasped the implication. He stopped sitting cross-legged and instead knelt beside Lu Luo, appraising him for a moment. A trace of respect gradually appeared in his eyes.

"It seems I was shortsighted, brother. You must be an expert, right? An expert like you is probably here seeking the Nightmare Demon's location too? To be frank, brother, when it comes to this Nightmare Demon business, outsiders like us who go looking for it are just asking to be cannon fodder. Brother, you're young and powerful; take a piece of advice from an older guy like me—it's best you keep away from this affair."

[Observer: Say what you will, this guy's pretty sincere. Still willing to ramble on with you this much even if you're not buying anything. He's alright.]

The Observer's choice of words... Lu Luo felt there was something off about it. It was a well-intentioned gesture, so how did it become 'rambling on'?

Lu Luo shook his head at Yao Kong, denying, "I'm not here to find the Nightmare Demon."

Yao Kong shook his head, showing disbelief. "There's no need to deny it, brother. Those who truly come seeking the Nightmare Demon never admit they are. Since we've met by fate, how about this: I'll give you a piece of intel, brother."

"Intelligence? Let's hear it."

"Behind the Mother-Child Marsh is the Rift Valley, and to its left is the Red-Skin Forest. At the intersection of these three areas, including the marsh itself, a large number of red-skins are gathering. If you're heading deeper in, whatever you do, don't go in that direction. Their numbers are too great; several teams of experts have already fallen there. And these red-skins are strange. Some of them, after obtaining human weapons, have actually learned to use them. In short, they're much more intelligent than before. Just don't go there, that's my advice."

Lu Luo's eyes suddenly lit up. A large number of red-skins? Gathering? Too many in number? What kind of luck is this? Happiness came so suddenly, Lu Luo was somewhat overwhelmed.

"Red-skins using human weapons? Are you talking about firearms? How many of these red-skins are there, exactly?"

"Yes, firearms. They've even charged over to this side of the Mother-Child Marsh before. They're incredibly fierce. As for their numbers, they're beyond counting—whether it's thousands or tens of thousands, nobody knows. But one achievement is certain: the Marsh Otters that used to be here were driven away by this horde of red-skins."

The Marsh Otters were driven away? That's outrageous! Their numbers must really be something then! Lu Luo couldn't help but laugh.

The full name for the red-skins was Red-Skinned Goblin. Their size wasn't much different from the lowest-level goblins in many video games. However, their destructiveness, collective behavior, and cruelty were far more extreme than those of typical goblins. At least with Red-Skinned Goblins, you'd never see a scenario where they kidnap a beautiful girl, keep her alive, and wait for you to pay a ransom to rescue her. They hunt all other groups, whether human or other Exotic Species. Upon sighting any outsiders, they mount an organized attack, aiming to kill all life forms not of their own kind.

Normally, red-skins are Exotic Species ranging from First to Third Tier. A few mutated leaders can even reach the Fourth Tier. Even so, they were still leagues behind a Lord-type Exotic Species like the Marsh Otters.

How many would it take for a tribe of red-skins to drive away a Lord-type Exotic Species? Thinking of this, Lu Luo's eyes shone even brighter.

"This information is quite critical and very valuable. Thanks a lot."

Lu Luo took out a Corroded Coin from his pocket and tossed it to Yao Kong, then made to leave.

But when Yao Kong saw the direction Lu Luo was heading, he was startled.

"Hey? Brother, are you going the wrong way? The red-skin gathering place I mentioned is that way! If you go that way, aren't you heading toward certain death?"

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