Chapter 86: Shatter the Scavenger with One Punch

The faint sound downstairs let Lu Luo know that uninvited guests had arrived. Glancing at Qi Xinzhu sleeping soundly beside him, Lu Luo took his knife and slowly stood up. He took out the cute red smiley face mask from the luggage nearby, carefully put it on his face, and disappeared into the darkness. 「Downstairs.」 Five men in disheveled clothing stood together, making hand signals to avoid noise. From their attire, it was clear they were Scavengers, and from their expressions, it was evident they were blaming one another. One man’s arm was riddled with nails—the kind Lu Luo had poisoned—and the muffled groan from earlier had come from him. His forehead was now dripping with sweat, and his arm was swollen beyond recognition. The numbing sensation gradually spread throughout his body, and his lips shivered uncontrollably, a clear sign the poison was taking effect. He was already regretting this reckless action. They had come outside the wall to make money, driven by greed for both coin and conquest. But in the Wasteland, the one thing most forbidden beyond the walls was greed. He had been greedy; or rather, they all had. They aimed to assault Lu Luo’s young trio, intending to profit from their deaths and seize the beautiful Qi Xinzhu. But he hadn’t expected to trigger a trap—and not just one—the moment he stepped inside. This place isn’t for making a fortune. It’s an abyss for claiming lives. The temporary team of Scavengers had no real camaraderie to speak of. The other four had already drawn their guns. Now that they were here, they had decided to go all out: head upstairs and kill. By killing them, they could take all the resources Lu Luo and his companions had gathered these past few days, and the beautiful woman as well. How strong could people be who only dared to linger here, never venturing deep outside the wall? Truly powerful individuals would have gone much further out long ago. Aside from the poisoned man, the other four decided to proceed. However, their advance halted at the already destroyed elevator on the second floor. "Why is the staircase collapsed?" "How would I know!" "I’ve got a grappling hook." "Then what are you waiting for?" "A grappling hook? That’s quite a hassle. Honestly, you don’t need to go through all that trouble." As one of them attempted to latch the grappling hook onto the second-floor platform, a young voice sounded from behind them. The four men tensed instantly; they didn’t recognize the speaker’s voice, nor did it belong to the one who had triggered the trap. In the moment the four were distracted, a figure wearing a red smiley face mask flashed past them. For a split second, these Scavengers even found the mask rather cute. The figure moved with exceptional speed, so fast that the four men couldn’t react before one of them had his head lopped off by a swift blade. Blood spurted as the severed head spun in mid-air. Before the other three could comprehend, another man took a heavy punch to the chest. The Qi He Outburst, amplified by the Mechanical Arm, unleashed immense force that shattered his entire breastbone, sending the man flying like a cannonball. That punch had literally burst him into pieces! Terror filled the eyes of the last two men. They wanted to run, but the difference in their speeds was simply too great. SHLICK! The Wraith Blade pierced one man’s heart from behind and was swiftly withdrawn. His eyes gradually lost focus before he collapsed to the ground. SWISH! CLANG! The last man had almost reached the door but was pinned to the wall by the Wraith Blade Lu Luo had thrown. Lu Luo, his expression calm, stepped out of the shadows. He approached the man, pulled out the Wraith Blade, and stabbed him three more times to ensure he was dead. Then, he turned towards the man paralyzed by the poison. ... "Don’t, don’t kill me! I just wanted to make some money, please don’t kill me!" Though his body was rigid from the paralyzing poison, he still managed to sob out his pleas, desperately begging Lu Luo to spare his life. "Lu Luo, who is this man?" Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi had woken up. Even outside the wall, they maintained their vigilance. Lu Luo’s fight, though rapid and silent, had still made some noise. Qi Xinzhu had come downstairs the moment she was startled awake. Gu Fangyi, after a single glance, had returned upstairs, dismissing them as mere weaklings, hardly worth his attention. Standing before the begging man, Lu Luo nodded, as if responding to Qi Xinzhu, or perhaps acceding to the man’s pleas for mercy, and then... SHLICK! His blade severed the man’s head. [According to detection, there are no other hostile life forms within perceptive range.] "Lu Luo, you... Regardless of the law or the Church’s holy edicts, summary execution is a serious crime; he had already surrendered..." Qi Xinzhu’s voice grew softer and softer until, by the end of her sentence, she lacked the confidence to continue. "Sorry, perhaps you’re right. I won’t say any more." Lu Luo had removed the red smiley mask. Seeing his indifferent expression, Qi Xinzhu knew she had upset him again. Qi Xinzhu herself felt somewhat lost. Did the equality for all, as preached by the Church, truly exist? Was such a person worth saving? Lu Luo shook his head, not bothering to debate grand principles with Qi Xinzhu. He knew that some of the Church’s doctrines wouldn’t be easily changed. Perhaps this was the difference between them. Compared to Qi Xinzhu’s inner conflict, his heart always remembered what Ludie had told him. There are no rules outside the wall. Whether it’s the laws of the Alliance or the holy edicts of the Church, they are all just scrap paper here. What if five powerful individuals had come tonight? What if he and his companions lacked the ability to protect themselves? The most likely outcome would be that he and Gu Fangyi would be killed, and Qi Xinzhu would be violated and then tormented to death. There were no other possibilities. Thus, Lu Luo felt neither pity nor hesitation in killing these men. Even the trembling hands and panic he had anticipated from taking a life never materialized. Lu Luo threw the corpses outside. "Let’s go back to sleep." "Okay." Qi Xinzhu looked at the bodies strewn haphazardly outside, once again falling into a state of self-doubt. Is he really the person Sister described? ... On the morning of the seventh day, Lu Luo, Qi Xinzhu, and Gu Fangyi packed their luggage and equipment. They had spent six days there, and it was their first time venturing beyond the wall and establishing a temporary base, making their departure somewhat poignant. "Are we not retrieving the traps?" Gu Fangyi glanced at the traps Lu Luo had set. It would be wasteful to abandon them. Lu Luo shook his head. "No need. Retrieving them is more troublesome than setting them up, and leaving them here might still be useful. After all, the Circular takes a year to make a full rotation. Perhaps we can still use this place as a base next time we come." Due to the nature of the Scavenger’s Jungle, most people who repeatedly venture outside the wall often encountered problems returning the same way. Teams capable of retracing their steps wouldn’t linger in places like this, near the jungle’s entrance. With Observer, navigation wasn’t an issue. Lu Luo figured that perhaps these things would still be here when they returned. "Let’s go." Lu Luo felt a surge of anticipation; he couldn’t wait to discover the Second Tier effects of Devourer and the bonuses from reaching 20 points in agility and strength. Over the next day, the trio moved swiftly, almost exclusively through the streets of the city district. If they encountered any Exotic Species blocking their path, they killed them outright but didn’t bother exploring buildings. Both Lu Luo and Gu Fangyi had broken through, so their strength was more than adequate. There were too few Second Tier Exotic Species in the city district, and time was limited. To improve efficiency, they needed to go to an area with more open terrain and stronger Exotic Species. He currently had 15 Sequence Value. His ideal target for his Sequence was 40 points; the energy aspect was flexible. With 40 Sequence Value, he could upgrade Devourer, activate the ’Strong’ trait, and still have 10 left to buy materials for upgrading Observer upon his return. If he had a bit less, say 30 Sequence Value, he would have to choose between activating ’Strong’ or upgrading Observer. In terms of value, upgrading Observer was vastly superior, but outside the wall, the environment dictated the best course of action. Activating the ’Strong’ trait was an immediate enhancement to his combat power. If their upcoming path was dangerous, he would activate the ’Strong’ trait. If things were relatively stable, then he’d save the Sequence Value to upgrade Observer. According to Observer’s retained map of Area C13, after passing through this urban cluster, they should reach the moderately dangerous Gravel Wasteland. For most humans, this was a terrifying place. The Gravel Wasteland was a paradise for various venomous creatures, poisonous insects, and carrion feeders. At the far end of the Gravel Wasteland lay the high-risk zone of Area C13: the Maternal Marsh, domain of the Lord creature, Maternal Watermelon. Lu Luo had no need to venture into a perilous place like the Maternal Marsh. He only needed to hunt Second Tier Exotic Species in the Gravel Wasteland. While poisons were fatally dangerous to others, for Lu Luo, they were almost like a tickle. Hence, this would be his ideal fishing pond.