He knew he wasn't good at big-picture planning, although he also had no idea whether Bai Yuetong possessed that capability.

But since Lu Luo had said so, he would definitely follow Lu Luo's wishes.

The reason Lu Luo decided to let Bai Yuetong lead the team was simple: Bai Yuetong was intelligent enough and had a strong enough background.

When making many decisions, although Bai Yuetong might come off as unempathetic, her choices would undoubtedly be the most rational.

In a crisis, rationality is far more important than personal feelings.

Zhou Kai was too prone to letting his emotions influence his judgment. The only one who could command him was Lu Luo himself, so it was necessary to inform him in advance not to act rashly.

"Alright, the Fourth Ring is still unaware of the specific situation. Finish eating and head back quickly!"

"Okay!"

Zhou Kai quickly finished two plates of food, then raised the card in his hand.

"I've finished two plates. I choose to drop out and leave the Red and White Castle."

Kuding looked at Zhou Kai with some surprise, then glanced thoughtfully at Lu Luo sitting next to him.

Many people had guessed that Lu Luo had the ability to identify food, and Kuding, of course, was no different.

However, the current situation clearly showed that Lu Luo had given up the winner's option to give Zhou Kai a chance to leave.

Was it worth it for a so-called friend, and one who wasn't particularly strong at that?

This wasn't a question for Kuding to ponder; it just needed to process the outcome.

"Very well, our first dropout has emerged. Lord Nightmare Demon is a trustworthy and strong individual, so Mr. Zhou Kai, place your candidate card on the table, and you will be free to leave."

Zhou Kai and Lu Luo exchanged glances, then did as instructed.

As Zhou Kai put his card on the table, Kuding gently tapped the surface, and Zhou Kai's card disappeared.

Then ripples began to undulate around him, just like when Lu Luo had arrived, and Zhou Kai was thus removed from this world.

Watching Zhou Kai disappear, Lu Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

One down! That takes some of the pressure off.

In the real world, Zhou Kai slowly materialized in his seat. There was no one left from Circle Studio around him.

This situation left him somewhat stunned. Outside, it was noisy and chaotic, with even some screams and sounds of fighting.

Zhou Kai, no longer a rookie to the Wasteland, quickly realized something might have happened in the Fourth Ring, perhaps even something major.

He walked straight to his bedroom and took a shotgun from a secret compartment in his closet.

Then he dug out a strip of shotgun grenades and, from under the bedside table, retrieved a large-caliber handgun and a large number of hand grenades.

These were all spoils of war given to him by Lu Luo, which he normally hesitated to use.

But now was not the time to be frugal.

BANG!

Zhou Kai kicked the door open, and an Exotic Species resembling a crow lunged at him.

It was very similar to a crow; the only difference was that it was ten, or even dozens of times larger.

With its wings spread, it could almost cover the large, mecha-accommodating gate of Circle Studio.

YAH YAH!

BOOM!

The crow had only cawed twice when a grenade from Zhou Kai blew the monstrous bird to smithereens.

CLICK-CLICK! He reloaded.

Zhou Kai shook his leather jacket, put on his night-vision goggles, and stepped onto the chaotic streets of the Fourth Ring.

The world has truly changed!

Screams constantly rang in his ears as numerous flying Exotic Species soared over the high walls, wreaking havoc inside the Fourth Ring.

Zhou Kai scanned his surroundings, shot another avian Exotic Species dead, then picked up his phone.

"Hello, Bai Yuetong, where are you?"

"Zhou Kai? You're back? We're currently at the base of the Third Wall. Where's Lu Luo?"

BOOM! A shot shattered a flying Exotic Species. Zhou Kai continued, "Third Wall? Got it, I'm coming to find you now. Lu Luo and the others are fine. We'll talk about the rest when we meet."

Although Zhou Kai was somewhat surprised that Bai Yuetong would take others to the Third Wall, what he needed to do now was figure out how to safely make it there.

Because at that moment, a very large, pot-bellied, strange bird was slowly flying towards him.

CRACK!

The strange bird's belly suddenly burst, and a large number of spiders, cockroaches, and various other venomous insects crawled out.

Zhou Kai stopped in his tracks and raised his arm. Numerous branches began to grow and spread!

His cheeks and eyes both emitted a green hue. Branches controlled the weapon in his hand, and then he suddenly extended his right hand.

THRUST!

Countless vines pierced the bodies of these insects. Plant leaves wrapped around the bugs, slowly strangling them to death before their juices were absorbed.

After a wave of slaughter, Zhou Kai took out his cigarette case with his left hand and lit a cigarette for himself.

"Got a smoke? I'm out."

A somewhat familiar, yet somewhat strange voice sounded from behind Zhou Kai.

"You are... Big Boss Ludie!"

"Ha!"

"Big Boss Ludie, what are you doing here?"

Ludie smiled casually, took the cigarette from Zhou Kai's hand, and lit one for himself.

HUFF!~

After a satisfying drag, Ludie sighed and said slowly, "The Inner Ring people have given up on the East Ring, but I can't. I am a Hunter, and also the captain of Hunter Team 13. To guard the glory of the Fourth Ring is our solemn duty."

Ludie's body suddenly swelled.

Violent steam mixed with a huge amount of thick smoke instantly obscured the sky.

What had been a clear, moonlit night without a cloud suddenly became half-hidden by Ludie's smoky haze.

To say Ludie's current state was sky-covering would not be an exaggeration.

And facing him was a group of beings also capable of covering the sky: black steeds, Dream Weavers, Nightmare Monarchs, Lords of Netherflame, Eighth-Order Disasters, and Nightmare Demons.

Looking at Ludie, the Nightmare Demon's eyes flickered with a purple light.

"You finally reached the Seventh-Tier, huh! Heh heh heh heh heh!"

"Yes, Seventh-Tier indeed."

After Ludie spoke, a large amount of smoke and dust began to converge, billowing like a Dust Devil.

The Dust Devil threw a punch that collided with the apocalyptic Netherflame released by the black steeds.

BOOM!

The tall Explorers' Wall instantly shattered, leaving a huge gap in the Fourth Wall.

Zhou Kai watched, dumbfounded!

The Fourth Wall has crumbled. Is the doom of the Fourth Ring coming?

「Inside Nightmare Castle.」

Another Fourth-Tier failure easily found two safe portions of food, ate them, and then smiled at Lu Luo.

Lu Luo wasn't feeling particularly good at this moment, but he had no intention of acting rashly either.

The game finally ended, and the old lizard Kuding began to summarize this round of the minority game.

"First round, twelve failures; second round, seven failures; third round, two failures remaining; three victors. Currently, there are twenty-four candidates left!

"Now is the moment for the victors. The three winners will each receive a wedding token. They might be different, or they might be exactly the same!"

Kuding clapped his hands, and harpy servants placed three boxes into the hands of the three winners.

The names of the three were simultaneously revealed: Qi Gefei, Duorang, Jiang Cheng.

Duorang was one of those of the Fourth-Tier.

Lu Luo turned his head to look at the other participants, taking in their strengths at a glance.

He was now contemplating one question: what if he flipped the table—that is, simply attacked and killed everyone here? What would the ultimate outcome be?

Lu Luo calculated his total Dark Energy. The previous amount of over 400,000 had all been exchanged for Dark Spirit Stones.

Combined with the Bride's Tears he had consumed earlier, his Dark Energy reserves were already quite high!

But he was still just a tiny bit short of breaking through to the Fourth-Tier.

Although the Dark Energy level in Nightmare Castle was very high—even with the Fourth Ring's level already five times its normal—Nightmare Castle still possessed a Dark Energy Level more than twenty times that of the Fourth Ring.

It was a pity he couldn't just sit here and cultivate for an extended period; he only had about ten hours or so.

What he was now uncertain about was whether he could break through to the Fourth-Tier.

If I could really reach the strength level of the Fourth-Tier and then recklessly use the Summoner to release the Doomsday Factor, I'm confident I could clean this place out all by myself. Kill everyone, and then there would be no more groom candidates. Without candidates, wouldn't I be the rightful groom? When the time comes, I'll gather all the brides and split them with Brother Gu. Wouldn't that solve everything?

This seemingly absurd idea actually held a very high feasibility in Lu Luo's mind.

Because during the previous battles, Kuding had never indicated that the groom candidates could not fight each other.

So, the key question now is, where can I quickly accumulate the Dark Energy I'm lacking? If only there was another bowl of Bride's Tears.

[When you said that, did you ever consider how long a bride has to cry to produce a whole bowl of tears?]

Qi Xinzhu is also a bride now. Can I make her cry a bowl?

[I think not. Certain people would kill you for that.]

Uh, good point.

[Bride's Tears are considered food. Why don't you think about where food is made? It's been a year, and you're still so foolish.]

Where food is made... the kitchen!

Lu Luo understood. He glanced again at the candidates and gradually suppressed his murderous intent.

At that moment, Kuding and a few of the stronger candidates inexplicably glanced at Lu Luo; his murderous intent moments ago had been completely undisguised.

Naturally, they had felt it too.

The idea of tearing off all pretenses and flipping the table wasn't unique to Lu Luo.

But everyone's situation was actually quite similar: they lacked certainty.

They were uncertain about their ability to kill everyone.

Lu Luo's uncertainty, however, lay in whether the Nightmare Demon would interfere with his slaughter.

If the Nightmare Demon actively intervened, then all his efforts would be in vain.

After the twenty-four candidates had returned to their places, Kuding smiled again.

"After the main course, I believe everyone has gained something. So, the next period is free time for you candidates.

"In Nightmare Castle, there are many dangers, but also many opportunities. This is where nightmares end and dreams begin. Whatever you desire, you can find it here. Whether it's Netherflame, energy, physique, or even finding the brides here directly, anything is possible.

"The time is now 1:55 a.m., and you have about seven hours of free time. Tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock, there will be morning tea. I hope none of you miss it!

"Oh yes, this is Nightmare Castle, after all, so some strange things do happen at night! Like, maybe ghosts? You all should be careful."

Kuding, after finishing speaking, shook out his clothes and headed towards the butler's lounge on the first floor.

Lu Luo narrowed his eyes slightly. Free activity time, huh?

He really liked this kind of opportunity, as it allowed him to maximize his strength.

The only one to worry about was Gu Fangyi.

Venturing into certain places could be very dangerous for me. I am confident in going alone, and if all else fails, I can still release the Doomsday Factor for a desperate fight. But it would be different with Gu Fangyi. A cramped environment is not suitable for his abilities, and there's even a possibility of accidentally harming him.

"Brother Gu..."

Gu Fangyi smiled.

"Brother Lu, I know what you're thinking. You really don't have to worry too much about me; I'm not useless. You've been protecting us too well, which has actually been detrimental to my development. Have you forgotten? I was considered a genius back in the orphanage too!"

[Wow, Gu Fangyi is talking so much to you again. He really treats you differently!]

Lu Luo looked surprised; Gu Fangyi was actually right.

If they always develop under my protection, then neither Gu Fangyi nor Zhou Kai can grow into individuals who can stand on their own. They both indeed possess great talent. In the last Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals incident, Zhou Kai performed far beyond his usual level. Although he was ultimately captured, that situation couldn't really be blamed on Zhou Kai; it wasn't a matter of strength. Now Gu Fangyi faces the same situation.

"Brother Gu is right. You are a genius, and a genius naturally needs their own path. This is Nightmare Castle; Brother Gu might find his own opportunities here. In any case, be careful."

"Mm, you too."

Lu Luo briefly surveyed the first floor's overall environment. The Red and White Castle was too vast; seven hours of exploration definitely wouldn't be enough.

Therefore, he had to plan carefully and not waste this time.

If he could find Qi Xinzhu within these seven hours, that would naturally be best.

If I can't find her, then my secondary objectives need to be clear: Fourth-Tier strength, the wedding token, and the groom's items!

[Under normal circumstances, if the dining room is on the first floor, then the kitchen will definitely be there too. If you can get into the kitchen, you might find things like food. You might even encounter food that directly increases Dark Energy levels.]

The food provided by the Nightmare Demon is very special. With my ability to distinguish the properties of food, it's quite likely that I could find something in the kitchen to directly raise my Dark Energy Level, allowing me to break through to the Fourth-Tier in one fell swoop.

Lu Luo suddenly felt that the Observer's recent tips were particularly useful; every tip pinpointed the core of the problem.

Did you self-awaken? How did you suddenly get so smart?

[Understood. I will enter self-isolation mode immediately.]

My mistake!

Considering the effect of a Level 3 Devourer, the life promotion efficiency of a Level 2 Fusioner, coupled with my current Dark Energy reserves... if the Dark Energy reserves are sufficient, it would roughly take me only two hours to complete the advancement.

First, let's find the kitchen!

At this moment, a group of people was already heading upstairs, while Lu Luo moved toward a corner on the first floor.

As he was leaving, Qi Gefei stopped him.

"Hey, Lu Luo, want to team up?"

Lu Luo paused.

"No need."

Seeing Lu Luo's outright rejection, Qi Gefei was still unwilling to give up, knowing how formidable Lu Luo's strength was. He knew that if he could team up with Lu Luo, the opportunities ahead would undoubtedly increase significantly.

"I can tell you for sure, I have a groom's suit."

When Qi Gefei mentioned he had the suit, Lu Luo's murderous intent suddenly surged, causing Qi Gefei to instinctively step back a few paces.

"Lu Luo, what... what are you trying to do?"

The astounding killing intent forced Qi Gefei, a close-combat expert, to involuntarily maintain some distance from Lu Luo.

"I want to go to the kitchen to find something to eat!"

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