Chapter 12: Your Gaze Lingered for 3.71 Seconds

"That hair monster's Domain has vanished!" Gu Fangyi stated with certainty. "I'll go take a look. Back me up, Gu Fangyi." "Okay." Gu Fangyi nodded. He had run out of bullets and could only reluctantly stand up with a javelin to follow Lu Luo. With Gu Fangyi injured, Chu Qi being merely an actor, and the other two useless, Lu Luo had no choice but to handle things himself. His strength had increased once again, and with the Observer's recent hints, Lu Luo no longer feared the threats inside this exhibition hall. His robust and versatile physique made his combat style even more perfect. If he were to face an Exotic Species like that again, he was confident he could take it down alone. If not for the absurdly powerful Sleeping Witch in the stairwell, he might even have considered going out to hunt Exotic Species. Lu Luo had just reached the stairwell when the Sleeping Witch, covered in wounds, twisted her body and swam upwards rapidly. She stopped immediately upon encountering Lu Luo. The atmosphere grew oppressive; a fight between human and Exotic Species could break out at any moment. The Sleeping Witch clutched her stomach, her exposed limbs riddled with numerous burst wounds, indicating she had sustained heavy injuries from some unknown attack. But a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. After all, she was a Third-Tier Exotic Species. Even seriously wounded, she still possessed formidable combat power. The Sleeping Witch knew she couldn't delay treating her injuries any longer, especially with the powerful Ludie ascending the stairs, so she had to get past Lu Luo. With that thought, she moved. Her hair transformed into sharp steel needles and thrust rapidly at Lu Luo. Lu Luo immediately gripped the handle of his knife and swung it swiftly, trying his best to ward off the hair's attack. These strands of hair were as hard as steel, producing a "DING DING DANG DANG" sound when striking the machete. *Typically, monsters that cover their faces with their hair are pretty ugly. Blind guess, she has maggots on her face, do you believe it?* "I'm in a fight. You're really boring." While fending off the hair, Lu Luo endured some of the damage and stepped forward. The Sleeping Witch's assault was too dense. He needed to get closer—even nearer—to have a chance to counterattack. The Sleeping Witch's hair nearly blocked Lu Luo's vision completely. Under these circumstances, he simply couldn't make a move to strike back. But then, the hair suddenly stopped attacking. Just as Lu Luo was puzzled, the Sleeping Witch lifted her head, revealing to Lu Luo the face that had been hidden beneath her hair, along with her naked, scarred body. *Ah! She doesn't have maggots on her face. This time, I've lost.* "Qin Wanyu?" Although Lu Luo was surprised, he didn't pause his movements. The moment to prove his mettle with his blade came. A shadow of the blade flashed, and the newly sharpened machete grazed Qin Wanyu's neck, leaving a trail of blood. Qin Wanyu quickly pushed Lu Luo away with her hair, then raised her hand to him. "DA~DA!" *She says wait. Why does every Exotic Species want to talk to you? What is it about you that attracts them?* Lu Luo fell silent for a moment. "Probably because I'm handsome." This human-like gesture made Lu Luo even more astonished. Does Qin Wanyu still retain her sanity? What does she want to say to me? *You have been staring at her chest for 3.71 seconds. Pausing for 3.71 seconds in a fight is suicidal, so I have reason to believe you're a pervert. Still looking? Can't you even leave Exotic Species alone? Please, act like a human!* Qin Wanyu struggled to open her mouth, as if she wanted to say something to him. "KE~HI~LE!" With significant difficulty, Qin Wanyu, now an Exotic Species, uttered three syllables to Lu Luo and then moved past him. In the end, Lu Luo gave up the idea of fighting Qin Wanyu. His memories of women were scarce, and the image of Qin Wanyu was almost synonymous with beauty. She really was a beautiful girl. Maybe the previous owner of this body liked her too. The others trailing behind couldn't understand what Qin Wanyu had said at all; only the Observer could interpret the Exotic Species' message. *It's 'it,' not 'she.' It is no longer human. Don't subconsciously determine it's female just because it looks good and has a somewhat larger chest. And who is Song Hana? It sounds like a woman's name. Do you remember who this person is?* Lu Luo didn't have many memories of people; the body's previous owner had always been busy with studies. So, there was only one person named Song Hana. That was the director of Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, the founder of the Blue Sky Red Bottle Project, and the sponsor of their scholarship program—Song Hana. So the situation here is indeed related to Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals? Are we really just lab rats? As Lu Luo pondered, a somewhat lazy voice came from the staircase entrance. "Hey, I just saw you talking with a Third Tier Humanoid Species? Colluding with monsters? You're quite suspicious, young man!" Ludie looked a mess: disheveled hair, a scruffy beard, and a somewhat tattered Demon Hunter uniform. In a word: shabby. *This is a very powerful human. It's not yet known what tier he is, but he's definitely strong. Clearly, you've encountered a big shot, so hold on tight! This guy is very sloppy; his greasy hair hasn't been washed for at least ten days.* *Also, what he's holding in his hand is a strand of the Sleeping Witch's hair. You just missed your chance with that female Exotic Species. If you want to craft the Wraith Blade, you'll have to put in some effort.* The amount of information was substantial, but Lu Luo maintained his composure. "Who are you?" "I'm Ludie, captain of Wasteland Hunter Team 13. I hereby declare that you are a prime suspect related to a sudden Exotic Species Outburst event. You'd better cooperate with my investigation, or else I'll have to take you back to the Safety Bureau." Every Hunter knows how to apply pressure—first slap on a label, then a good scare. That usually makes people confess. The question was, would Lu Luo be afraid of such tactics? Obviously not. How could a coward be an undercover agent? He'd been one for ten years, adept at sarcasm, deflection, playing the 'safety in numbers' card, and changing the subject. Lu Luo quickly pulled Zhou Kai to his side, pointed to their wounds, and declared: "Did you see the wounds on our bodies? We were just fighting an Exotic Species! We've shed blood for the Alliance! You can't treat us like this!" Lu Luo was skilled at stirring emotions. Sure enough, Brother Kane immediately got worked up. "Yeah, we've shed blood for the Alliance! We killed Exotic Species! You can't treat us this way!" It wasn't just Brother Kane; Gu Fangyi and Wang Zheng also looked grim. Lu Luo's expression and tone might have been exaggerated, but he was speaking the truth. Ludie, seeing Brother Kane getting tearful, suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. Looking at their demeanor, Are they going to file a complaint against me? His gaze shifted back to Lu Luo, the instigator. "Come here, you. Come with me." Zhou Kai wanted to stop Lu Luo, but Lu Luo signaled that he was fine and followed Ludie down a flight of stairs. With their arms slung around each other's shoulders, anyone who didn't know better would think they were good buddies. "Changing the subject and playing the victim first, huh? You've got some moves, kid. I really did see you talking to that Humanoid Species. Getting involved with Exotic Species within the walls is no joke." "The Exotic Species you mentioned ran upstairs. Aren't you going to chase it?" "No. Although I know you're trying to change the subject, I'm happy to continue this conversation. Besides, the Exotic Species are far less important than you all." Ludie's expression was serious. In his view, monsters like Exotic Species were only valuable for killing or capturing, while living humans offered the value of interaction. It was much easier to find evidence from survivors capable of communication than from Exotic Species. Ludie's response surprised Lu Luo, and he became serious too. "Alright, Mr. Hunter, ask what you want to know. If the timing is right, I'll tell you." The right timing? Does that mean now is not the right time? Are there some issues with those students upstairs? Ludie already had a guess. Since Lu Luo had given a signal, they could only discuss trivialities for now. "Do you know it? Is its name Qin Wanyu?" "I think the Qin Wanyu you're talking about is definitely not the Qin Wanyu I know." "Is there a difference?" "Her 'Wan' is the 'bowl' from 'rice bowl,' and her 'Yu' is the 'fish' from 'fish and shrimp.'" Damn it, this kid is asking for a beating!