Chapter 22 The Dream of a Wasteland Youth

In Lu Luo's rest room, the discussion about Zhou Kai's talent Sequence was still ongoing. "Sequence C-99-Unlucky Ambition. It's a rare destiny-type Sequence. The bearers of this Sequence face extremely bad outcomes in anything they do. However, they always overcome fate and achieve victory. They might fail 99 times, but they will surely succeed on the final attempt because that's the nature of Unlucky Ambition!" Lu Luo was shocked once again. This Sequence... it sounds kind of interesting! Unlucky Ambition, is it Brother Kane's defiance against fate? "Uh, Brother Kane, can you tell me about the specific effect of your second Sequence? Is it powerful?" Lu Luo was genuinely curious. "I came to you because of my first Sequence. Why are you always focusing on my second Sequence? What's wrong with being unlucky? This world is full of oppression and discrimination against unlucky people. When will unlucky people finally be able to stand up?" Lu Luo held back the somewhat agitated Zhou Kai. Seeing him like this, Lu Luo felt too embarrassed to ask further about the Unlucky Ambition. "Don't get agitated, Brother Kane. Have some food to calm down. So, tell me, what's the real reason you came to see me tonight?" Zhou Kai glanced around and lowered his voice. "My first Sequence, Evade Misfortune and Pettiness, has the effect of repelling misfortune and evil. As long as I accumulate enough pettiness, I can negate many negative situations. Of course, that includes some of the negative effects from Unlucky Ambition, so I'm not usually that unlucky. But starting tonight, my pettiness has been decreasing, even though nothing seems to have happened. I don't quite understand it, and I'm a bit worried about you, so I came over." "[He's thought it through. He isn't worried about you. He knows he might be facing danger that he can't handle himself, nor can he even find its source, so he came to you. — Profiling is an art, Observer!]" Hearing Zhou Kai's words, Lu Luo narrowed his eyes, becoming alert. "You're saying your pettiness has been continuously decreasing? Has it continued to decrease since you arrived here?" "It's okay for now; it has stabilized. Your place is indeed very safe. After we traded a few wisecracks, my pettiness even seems to have increased slightly." Lu Luo's expression stiffened. So Zhou Kai can absorb pettiness from me? Can this guy even talk? Does he know how to speak like a normal person? "Forget it, let's eat! We don't usually get to eat this kind of food. Let's not waste it." "Alright!" The two began to feast, and Zhou Kai started to share his dreams and aspirations for the future with Lu Luo. In the Wasteland, it was quite normal for young people to talk about their dreams. "I was born in North Ring, which is a poor place, but I believe that even those born as ants should aspire to be swans. The purpose of higher education should be to help our hometowns escape poverty, not for us to escape our impoverished hometowns. Don't you agree, Brother Luo?" Is this what young people in the Wasteland Era are like? Zhou Kai's words were quite striking to Lu Luo. Although Lu Luo thought Zhou Kai's sentiment was admirable, he couldn't help but retort, "Or perhaps, isn't it that your hometown finally got rid of you, the impoverished one? Your presence dragged down the average standard of your hometown. Now that you're gone, your hometown is no longer impoverished." Zhou Kai: "...Brother Luo, if you can't say something nice, then say less. My childhood dream was to become a Hunter. I grew up listening to stories of guardians, and I've always longed for the world beyond the walls. But I only realized later how difficult it is to become a Hunter. Not only do you have to be a Transcendent, but you also need exceptional personal qualities. Every Hunter is an elite. However, I've already had my Awakening and possess a talent Sequence, plus some aptitude as a Transcendent. Once I fulfill my contract with Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, there might actually be a chance." Zhou Kai's face was full of reverence and yearning. Lu Luo couldn't resist making another comment. "Is it really that hard to become a Hunter? I was just invited by a Hunter captain earlier today!" "[I sense that statement dealt him over 20,000 points of mental damage and reduced his mental fortitude by 50%. Can the young lad withstand it?]" Sure enough, Lu Luo's words instantly crushed Zhou Kai's spirits. His mouth fell half-open, and he looked at Lu Luo with a conflicted expression. "Never mind. Let's talk about you, Brother Luo. Do you have any ideals or dreams?" Lu Luo narrowed his eyes. He hadn't been in this world for very long, so he didn't harbor many grand sentiments. After being drowned in a river in his previous life, he had become more pragmatic. Now, all he wanted was to become stronger. "I want Exotic Species! Lots and lots of Exotic Species. I really, really want them." "Exotic Species? What do you want Exotic Species for?" Zhou Kai asked, puzzled. Duh, to absorb them, of course! "I was originally a biology student, and biology is my lifelong passion. I want to encounter more Exotic Species to broaden my horizons. And then... collect them all, to enrich my own being, grow bigger and stronger, and achieve new heights of glory." Lu Luo almost blurted out "eat them all," but he managed to restrain himself. However, Zhou Kai interrupted him. "Brother Luo, didn't you use to study botany and potions? You were always dealing with flowers and herbs. Why the sudden change?" Lu Luo was momentarily speechless, but he quickly concocted a suitable reason and explanation. "Because of this recent Exotic Species incident, I've had an epiphany! I realized there's no future in just fiddling with flowers and herbs all day. Only by understanding more numerous and more powerful Exotic Species can I become truly strong!" "[Being too strong isn't necessarily good either. You'll get torn apart by Exotic Species. The great Grade S Sequence Observer hasn't even evolved to Level 2 yet.]" "I see! It seems Brother Luo's aspirations are indeed grand!" "Naturally. Brother Kane, let's eat first." The two ended their conversation about dreams and resumed tackling the food before them. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhou Kai's expression started to turn strange. "Brother Luo, I feel like something's wrong." "Wrong? What is it?" "My pettiness... it's diminishing again! And it's decreasing faster than before, continuously dwindling. What's going on? This is bad! The pettiness I've accumulated... I'm afraid it's all going to be used up tonight!" When Lu Luo heard this, his expression also grew grave. Danger... it's appeared again. And this is supposed to be a rest area for Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals. This makes no sense! "It seems someone doesn't want us to rest peacefully."