Late at night, Lu Luo ended up staying another night because the battle with the otters had drained him significantly. Being with the people from Sea Star allowed him to get a slightly better sleep.

Right now, the people from Sea Star were celebrating nearby, and Lu Luo noticed they even brought alcohol.

True to the Minsheng Company, rich in resources indeed!

However, regarding the act of drinking, Lu Luo didn't know whether to call them optimistic or oblivious to death. No matter how skilled, anyone outside the walls should stay sober. Alcohol is classified by the Hunters as a top-level hazardous substance outside the walls; it's not just about targeting alcohol—its danger is no trivial matter. Because, apart from physical injuries, there are a myriad of mental threats from Exotic Species and Specter Species in the outside world. These species can pose a lethal threat to you when you're drunk, and they're unpredictable. Alcohol will numb your nerves and can also bring death—that's an adage of those living outside the wall.

While Lu Luo was reflecting, Luo Ya approached him with some food in her hands. She initially wanted to ask why Lu Luo hadn't been joining them for meals in the past three days, but after hesitating several times, she still didn't ask.

"Having killed the otter mother and offspring, they are naturally very happy. This is a form of self-worth, I guess. So they drank a little, to liven things up."

"Drinking outside the walls to liven things up? Seriously badass. I think you people from Sea Star are really optimistic!"

Lu Luo's pointed comment was understood by Luo Ya, who wanted to defend her teammates.

"When a life with no pressure suddenly changes, everyone needs time to adapt. Maybe they are not mature enough, but they definitely want to change!"

Lu Luo shook his head at her words.

"Maturity is never about slow adaptation; real maturity can happen in just a moment."

Luo Ya didn't expect Lu Luo to say such words, but she was still somewhat unconvinced.

"But the incident in the Fourth Ring happened so suddenly. We were living well in the Inner Ring and never expected something like this. We are trying our best to adapt. Don't they deserve some time?"

Lu Luo's crudely worded speech left Luo Ya looking uneasy, and she grew a bit angry. "When the road is slippery from the rain, if you fall, it's up to you to get back up. If you can't take a dump, don't blame the pit for lacking gravity, got it?"

"Everyone's fate is different; you can't generalize everything."

Lu Luo curled his lip.

"Fate is the excuse of the weak; luck is the modesty of the strong."

"You talk as if you're really old, with all these sayings in your mouth!"

"You were the one who asked me to teach you as much as I could these past three days. When I'm in the process of doing so, you're the one unsatisfied. Do you still want to continue this conversation?"

Seeing that Lu Luo seemed ready to call it quits, Luo Ya finally gave in.

"Then please, continue."

"Life is as frail as an ant; one should aim to have the ambition of a great swan. Fate is as thin as paper; one should possess an unyielding spirit. We from the Fourth Ring may lack many things compared to you from the Inner Ring. But there is one thing we never lack: an unyielding spirit. We from the Fourth Ring are always prepared to face setbacks. Grow up, young one."

Well said! Truly worthy of the title 'Chicken Soup King' Lu Xiaoluo.

"You've made all the good points."

Luo Ya was disheartened; she had wanted to chat with Lu Luo. But after all that talk, she hadn't managed to say what she actually wanted to say.

"Lu Luo!"

"What's the matter?"

"Do you, have you ever..."

Luo Ya had just started speaking when Lu Luo preemptively responded.

"Been in love. Can we settle the bill now?"

Exactly. We've talked so much, but she hasn't paid the 300,000 yet.

Luo Ya was somewhat speechless; that wasn't what she wanted to ask at all. But since Lu Luo was asking for money, she had no choice but to pay. She took out a bank card from within the walls and handed it over to Lu Luo.

"There's roughly 300,000 here, not much more. You take it."

"Thank you then, wealthy lady!"

Wealthy lady, what kind of title was that? Luo Ya looked at this greed-driven, easy-going, powerful man and couldn't help asking, "Lu Luo, do you have someone you like?"

"Yes, and we're about to get married," Lu Luo replied very naturally.

Upon hearing this answer, Luo Ya widened her eyes, uncertain whether she was feeling disappointed or some other emotion.

"You're getting married soon? When?"

"December 19th!"

"Oh, what's her name?"

"Qi Xinzhu."

Luo Ya's eyes widened once again!

"Priest Qi? That's not possible, is it?"

"Yes, the Priest Qi you all talk about is very likely to become my wife."

「...」

Outside the Southern Ring amusement park, Qiao Xing stood silently at the entrance. Holy Radiance burned continuously on him, and his aura kept climbing, but he never made a move. By now, the amusement park had stopped admitting visitors; he stood alone, as if in a standoff with the entire park.

Finally, Noah appeared.

SIZZLE! With every step he took, a faint sound of electricity crackled, as if the machinery was aging. In reality, Noah had the ability to switch to a new mechanical body at any moment. But he never did, and no one knew why.

Today, Noah was dressed in a human denim jacket, topped with a hat, and had even lit himself a cigar. Although his body was still entirely mechanical, he gave off a much more human vibe.

"Mr. Qiao Xing, I've long admired your name." Noah took the initiative to speak, removing his denim hat and nodding slightly toward Qiao Xing.

Qiao Xing stared directly at Noah, his body very stiff. The pressure from Noah was greater than that of the Nightmare Demon, and by a significant margin. However, as a swordsman and the Wasteland Alliance's last swordsman, he had no intention of backing down.

"You shouldn't have touched my people, especially my daughter."

Qiao Xing's aura was sharp like a sword, but Noah was unmoved. He took a pleasurable puff of his cigar, as his electronic eyes began to flicker incessantly. Putting down the cigar, Noah opened his mouth to reveal two rows of pearly white teeth, the material of which was a mystery.

"If you elevate your aura any further, you really will reach the Seventh Tier! Now is not the right time, is it?"

Faced with Noah's indifferent attitude and his words, Qiao Xing was silent for a moment.

"Nothing is certain and nothing is perfect!"

"So you wouldn't hesitate to break through to the Seventh Tier? It seems Mr. Qiao Xing really cares about his daughter. In that case, let me apologize for the actions of my subordinate earlier."

Qiao Xing narrowed his eyes and gripped the Frost Sword tightly, suddenly taking a step forward. Toward the Intelligent Machine Monarch who was feared by all and regarded as fearsome within the walls, he unleashed a sword strike.

BOOM!

The entire amusement park in the Southern Ring began to collapse, and the bystanders were unsure of what to do. Many had never entered the amusement park and were unaware of Noah's games within it. However, the sudden collapse of the amusement park still caught them by surprise.

After the collapse of the park, the Archbishop of the Southern Ring, Fandi, immediately called the Inner Ring to notify them. "Qiao Xing made his move, and the situation is unclear!"

"Keep an eye on it and be ready to act at any moment."

The entire Church and the Council were on high alert, but the anticipated outburst from Noah never occurred. What transpired between Qiao Xing and Noah remains unknown to everyone.

「...」

And so, the Fourth Ring endured a chaotic yet orderly month. Circle Studio scaled back its operations, recruited capable Transcendents, and experienced stable growth over the month. With the studio's renowned reputation in the East Ring, recruiting was a convenient task.

However, the Fourth Ring was indeed unstable during that time. This instability was not limited to the mutations of the Exotic Species. As Lu Luo had speculated, once humans became powerful enough, their nature would change. Once people gained a certain level of power, everyone started getting restless!

Now, the Fourth Ring was rife with gangs. Crimes committed by various Transcendents were emerging one after another, civilian mortality rates were rising, and social tensions were escalating. Riots could break out at any moment; it was only a question of when that spark would ignite everything.

"Brother Luo? Is that really you? You're back." Zhou Kai looked at the person at the door with a bit of surprise and joyfully stepped forward to embrace him.

"Yes! I'm back."

Lu Luo hugged Zhou Kai as well, but just at that moment, Gu Fangyi, who had just finished showering, came out of the bathroom and saw the two hugging, showing an expression as if deep in thought.

Look at Little Gu's expression. What a complicated relationship!

"Brother Gu! Let me explain..."

"It's good that you're back," Gu Fangyi nodded.

Lu Luo also smiled. He and Gu Fangyi no longer needed so much verbal communication between them.

"I'm going to check upstairs," Lu Luo pointed upwards.

"Go ahead, go ahead!" Zhou Kai waved his hand.

「Second floor.」

Bai Yuetong stood in front of one of the windows, watching several Transcendents fighting at the street corner opposite, and let out a slight sigh.

"Ah, it's really chaotic!"

"You're quite good at sighing!"

A very familiar voice came from behind her. Bai Yuetong turned around joyfully and went straight into an embrace, with Lu Luo's palm also resting on her head.

"You're back?"

Isn't that stating the obvious?

"Mhm, I'm back."

Today was already December 18th, but in fact, Lu Luo had already returned a day earlier. However, he had gone to the Si Ping district market to purchase some Dark Spirit Stone, and then lingered for a long time on the high walls, to see if there were any signs of Nightmare Demons appearing. After not finding any clues, he then returned to Circle Studio.

Bai Yuetong suddenly lifted her head.

"It's the 18th today. Tomorrow will be the 'dusk ceremony' that the Nightmare Demon mentioned, right? Have you found anything or made any preparations?"

"No!" Lu Luo said frankly.

"Sigh!"

For some reason, Bai Yuetong, who was always very cheerful, suddenly became a bit sentimental.

"What's wrong with you? You're not going to get jealous over this as well, are you?"

"No, I'm just worried you might not come back."

Dumb Hair rested her head against Lu Luo's stomach, suddenly falling silent even though she had a lot to say. Lu Luo felt a glimpse of Dumb Hair's emotions at that moment, so he too remained silent.

However, Lu Luo suddenly thought that he might see Qi Xinzhu tomorrow, and so holding another woman like this seemed a bit inappropriate. Although he thought so, looking at Dumb Hair in his arms, Lu Luo's grip tightened a bit.

Dumb Hair sensed Lu Luo's body warmth and suddenly looked up, saying, "Are you going to stay the night?"

Damn!

Hearing that question, Lu Luo was also stunned.

"Well, as tempting as your suggestion is, I think it's best not to. Maybe some other time..."

"There won't be another chance in the future..." Dumb Hair pouted, looking a bit angry.

Sigh, the host was actually decent this time!

Lu Luo stroked Bai Yuetong's head again and drew her into his arms once more. There was a reason for refusing Bai Yuetong, and as ridiculous as it sounded, Lu Luo truly thought this way—he didn't want to disappoint a girl who was very good to him. Bai Yuetong might be lively, but at least she was a clean girl. If he didn't even know whether he would survive tomorrow, why ruin someone else's life?

Even though Lu Luo was sometimes quite scummy, juggling two, or even three women simultaneously, he believed that, even if scummy, one should be consistently scummy to a woman, because consistent scumminess at least implied ongoing responsibility. But if he were to sleep with Dumb Hair tonight and then have her become a widow the next day, that would be much worse than being a scumbag. It was something Lu Luo simply could not do, so he had to refuse.

Dumb Hair sensed Lu Luo's mood at the moment.

Therefore, their farewell became an intense kiss without a word.

「...」

The night of the 18th, the sky over the Fourth Ring was particularly clear; a moon visible for the first time in over a decade was also in sight. But the moon was not beautiful; it was close, and pockmarked with craters. For those with sharp vision, this moon gave off an odd impression, like a strange, um, dish? It was an uneven, pockmarked one—truly ugly!

Lu Luo leaned halfway on the bed, looking at the rare ugly moonlight, and picked up his phone, preparing to send Bai Yuetong a good night text. But when he picked up the phone, a text message from an unfamiliar number appeared on Lu Luo's phone.

"Don't fall asleep tonight, no matter what!"

Lu Luo found the text message a bit strange, though he quickly replied, "Why?"

But the message showed that it was not sent successfully. Lu Luo slightly furrowed his brow and dialed the number.

*Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service. Please check and dial again.*

Lu Luo picked up his phone again and flipped back to the previous text message page, but the text message he had just seen had vanished.

"Was that just an illusion?"

It wasn't. If it was an illusion even with the triple integration of sight, hearing, and touch, then the opponent's power must be above the Sequence.

Hearing the Observer's answer, Lu Luo nodded silently.

If the text message from before wasn't an illusion, was it a hint? Or a lure? Don't fall asleep tonight?

Lu Luo glanced at the clock, which was close to 11 o'clock, and immediately stood up, ringing the alarm at Circle Studio.

Ten minutes later, all the staff from Circle Studio had gathered in the studio hall.

"Brother Luo, what's happening?"

Actually, Lu Luo wasn't too clear on what was going on either, but it would be December 19th at 12 o'clock, and his intuition told him that something would definitely happen at 12 o'clock. What that something was, nobody knew!

"Brother Luo, what are we waiting for?" Gu Fangyi also asked.

Lu Luo looked at the moon that was getting brighter and felt an ever-stronger sense of unease.

"I don't know what I'm waiting for myself. Probably waiting for the moon at midnight!"

「...」

At this time, Qi Xinzhu put down her mobile phone in the Red and White Castle since it had run out of power. The phone was brought by Da Tian, and Qi Xinzhu thought she might as well try. Unexpectedly, in this place outside the wall where there was no signal, she actually managed to send a text message. It was a pity that she could only send one text message! There was no place to charge here, nor was there a charger, so she had to give up the idea of continuing to contact Lu Luo.

Qi Xinzhu glanced at the moon outside the window and stood up, walking to the room's balcony. By then, she had already changed out of her previous red cheongsam, putting on a red Chinese-style robe and wrapping herself in a red gauze outer garment. The attire revealed the graceful lines of her neck and visible collarbone, with the flowing pleats of the skirt shimmering like snow and moonlight, gliding to the ground, making her movements even more gracefully gentle. Her long hair was tied up with a hairband, crowned with a butterfly hairpin, a strand of hair loosely resting on her chest, lightly touched with makeup to enhance her natural beauty. The faint blush on her cheeks created an image of delicate, petal-like fair skin, irresistibly lovely and stunning. She was indeed a devastating beauty, rare in this world.

"Da Zhu, you look so beautiful!" Da Tian appeared on the stone balcony railing at some point, swinging her legs playfully. By this time, she had also changed out of her usual Goth-style purple Lolita dress, wearing an ancient red and white flower girl's dress instead. This outfit accentuated Da Tian's already cute and adorable features, making her all the more distinctive.

Qi Xinzhu wasn't too fond of being called 'Da Zhu,' but Da Tian's companionship over the past month had indeed brought much stability to her state of mind. Qi Xinzhu had come to consider her the only trustworthy friend here.

"It's almost 12 o'clock, right? After 12, it should be the day the Nightmare Demon mentioned." Qi Xinzhu sounded a bit sorrowful.

"Yes, yes, you'll soon see Lu Luo. Aren't you happy?" Da Tian widened her eyes, showing a very curious look.

"He's about to step into danger. How could I be happy?"

"Then would you refuse?"

"No, because I trust Lu Luo." Qi Xinzhu revealed a slight smile and then put on the phoenix crown and wedding cape prepared by the Nightmare Demon for her.

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