Chapter 169: Chapter 169 Unprecedented Harvest (Request for Full Subscription)
[You have slain the Fifth Tier Lord of Exotic Species, King of Decay - Ganmu.]
Once he confirmed Ganmu was dead, Lu Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had already formulated a plan, so the entire battle proceeded relatively smoothly. This battle was even easier than the one against Li Qingshu in the Nightmare Demon’s realm—much easier, in fact. Just as the Observer had said, all of Ganmu’s conditions and abilities were countered by his own. She was also severely injured; if he hadn’t been able to kill Ganmu under these circumstances, it would have been his own failing.
"Lu Luo!" Qi Xinzhu ran over and began to treat Lu Luo’s wounds.
Although Ganmu had been weak, the battle had once again left Lu Luo covered in injuries. However, their gains were considerable: weapons, equipment, and the corpse of a Lord-grade Exotic Species.
Quite a bountiful harvest!
We really made a profit this time, and a legitimate one at that.
Lu Luo asked Qi Xinzhu to stop the treatment. The urgent matter at hand was to devour Ganmu’s corpse first. After all, a dead Exotic Species constantly loses Life Energy.
[You are devouring the corpse of a Fifth Tier Lord of Exotic Species, King of Decay - Ganmu.]
[You have gained 5,535 energy.]
[You have acquired Sequence C-189 Seed.]
[You have acquired a Level 1 Doomsday Factor - King of Decay.]
"Huh?"
"What’s wrong, Brother Luo?"
"It’s nothing, it’s nothing." Lu Luo looked at the new sequence he had obtained, unsure whether to be happy or sad. He had not gained any Sequence Value; instead, he received the C-189 Seed sequence. Normally, a Lord-grade Exotic Species would grant over 40 Sequence Value. But now, he had received none, only this C-grade sequence. Was it a loss or a gain?
Sequence C-189 Seed
Effect: Create a seed that belongs to you. Cooldown: one month.
Description: It appears to be a plant-based ability, but it actually pertains to a biological series of abilities.
A biological-series ability? Usable only once a month?
Lu Luo briefly assessed the seed sequence and ultimately abandoned the idea of trying out the ability immediately. After all, a one-month cooldown was rather frustrating.
"Is there a more detailed explanation?"
[Depending on the Dark Energy and Life Energy you infuse, different seeds will be produced. The seeds can grow but also need time to develop.]
Lu Luo nodded thoughtfully; he already had a rough understanding of its meaning. However, the specific effects would only become clear after creating a complete seed.
"Lu Luo, what’s the plan now?"
"It’s still early. Let’s sort out the equipment first. We’ll rest here today, and tomorrow morning, follow me to Rotten Valley."
"To Rotten Valley? Ganmu is already dead." Qi Xinzhu did not particularly like that stinking place.
"It’s precisely because Ganmu is dead that we need to go!"
"Understood."
During the night, no attacks occurred. Perhaps it was because of the many Exotic Species Lu Luo had killed recently in the Silent Swamp, or maybe due to the lingering effects of Ganmu’s death. The entire evening passed uneventfully. Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi cultivated beside Lu Luo. Meanwhile, Lu Luo chose to allocate his attribute points on the spot, addressing his last, so-called weakness—though it hardly counted as one.
"Enhance Strength."
[Enhancing Strength. Consuming 4,550 energy. Strength enhanced to 50.]
[Your Sequence Chain B-00-Extreme has undergone some new changes.]
Sequence Chain B-00-Extreme
Effect-Toughness: Reduces damage by 27%, stacks with any other damage reduction, all damage ultimately reduced by 9.
Effect-Swiftness: Increases all speed by 29%, reduces damage from high falls, improves jumping ability.
Effect-Force: Increases physical damage by 29%, physical damage penetration by 9%.
Effect-Sturdiness: Increases vitality by 50%, increases physical damage by 16%.
Introduction: Extreme is the epitome; only the pinnacle can forge the Extreme State.
After the enhancement, all of Lu Luo’s attributes had reached the maximum achievable for a Second Tier. His attributes had completely surpassed the peak for Second Tier Exotic Species, let alone humans. He didn’t know where such growth would eventually lead him, but he had a feeling. With the growth of his attributes, his body had begun to naturally absorb free Dark Energy. This absorption wasn’t the active type performed by Devourers, but it was somewhat similar. He would absorb Dark Energy particles from a wide area around him and release another type of particle from his body.
Lu Luo didn’t know what this meant. When he asked the Observer, the response was that it was beyond their Sequence and thus could not be evaluated.
Although the Observer provided no hints, it wasn’t long before the Doomsday Disc yielded a new result.
[Your body attributes have all been enhanced to 50. The Doomsday Disc is forging a perfect body for you.]
[Forging perfect body. Please wait: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...]
The Disc’s efficiency was as high as ever, arguably countless times faster than that of a Fusioner.
[Your body has become near perfect. You can use the Disc World a maximum of once every 30 days, and spin the Disc once.]
[Using the Disc World consumes 10,000 energy and 30 Sequence Value. Spinning the Disc consumes 10,000 energy and 30 Sequence Value.]
Ah? This...
A cooldown of once a month is one thing, but it also requires 10,000 energy and 30 Sequence Value! I don’t even have 2,000 energy in total right now—what a great ability!
And as soon as this cost was revealed, Lu Luo felt rather foolish. Previously, to kill Wu En, he had activated the Disc World and spun the Disc to use the Core of Devouring World. Does that mean he spent 20,000 energy and 60 Sequence Value to earn roughly 6,000 energy and 40 Sequence Value?
Capitalists are everywhere! Observer, can you offer an evaluation?
[Beyond Sequence, unable to evaluate.]
See? That’s a capitalist lapdog for you! "Observer," pah!
Lu Luo shifted his gaze to the advancement requirements for Sequence Chain Extreme.
[Sequence B-00-Extreme Advancement: Material 1 + Material 2 + All physical attributes enhanced to 20 + Second Tier Essence of Life]
[Material 1: Titan’s Blood + 30 grams of Dark Spirit Stone + 1,000 energy]
[Material 2: 60 kilograms of Third Tier Aberrant muscle + 30 grams of Dark Spirit Stone + 1,000 energy]
In truth, Lu Luo could obtain most of these materials now, except for Titan’s Blood. The Titan series was a category of gigantic Humanoid Species, and their derived materials were extremely expensive. The last time Fifth Tier Titan’s Blood appeared, a mere small, purified vial was bought for 290,000. Titan’s Blood itself was a top-tier alchemical material; it even had the effect of enhancing an ordinary human’s constitution. Consequently, many people needed it, and the price never dropped, which had always been a headache for Lu Luo.
Given the current financial situation of Circle Studio and his personal finances, he truly couldn’t afford it. Even if he could afford it, he wouldn’t buy it. If he had that kind of money, it would be far better spent on breaking through to the Third Tier than on enhancing Extreme. He could prepare all the other materials needed for advancement, but the Titan’s Blood remained out of reach.
Forget it. Let’s take it slow for now. I’m not that wealthy yet.
「The night passed uneventfully.」
Early the next day, Lu Luo and his two companions returned to Rotten Valley. This had once been Ganmu’s territory. Although Ganmu was dead, the Exotic Species were unaware of this. So, for the foreseeable future, the area should remain relatively safe.
As they traveled through the valley, they came across many scattered weapons and pieces of equipment, some of which were still intact and usable. For example, there were Grandview Weapons’ high-caliber infantry rifles, Razer revolvers, and Grandview EA sapper mines. They even found two sets of damaged exoskeleton armor on the bodies of two Third Order Transcendents. These items were all quite valuable. Even damaged, their parts represented a considerable fortune.
Lu Luo and his companions piled these items up but didn’t take them yet, as they pressed deeper into Rotten Valley. What Lu Luo wanted was located even further inside.
The Mecha!
Soon, the trio arrived at the mountain valley garden Ganmu had created. The place was badly damaged from the previous battles. The once-rampant floral fragrance had been overpowered by toxic fumes and the stench of blood. Yet, remnants of its former beauty were still visible in many places.
This place... was created by Ganmu?
Lu Luo slowly approached Ganmu’s mural. Upon his first glance, he recognized the figures as Stone Mother and Noah. The two monsters in the mural were Eighth Order calamities from different eras; Noah was from an earlier period, dating back to the Smart Machine Crisis. Stone Mother was a later aberration, appearing almost 200 years after Noah. Both of these monsters were Eighth Order Exotic Species that humans had failed to kill. Logically, calamities of this level should never coexist.
So what was the meaning of Ganmu’s mural now? And what about Ganmu’s human form; what was that about?
Lu Luo was puzzled by many things, but it didn’t matter. There were eyewitnesses to what had happened here. The eight remaining members of Grandview Weapons, as well as Li Tanya, all knew. They should also have some understanding of Ganmu’s human form; asking them would provide answers.
"Lu Luo, look here!"
Hearing Qi Xinzhu’s call, Lu Luo hurried over. Amidst piles of flowers and plants lay a huge piece of mechanical armor, silent and still. Only half of the armor remained; the upper body was missing.
This is it!
"Brother Luo, look up there! The upper half is here," Gu Fangyi said, pointing at the valley wall.
Lu Luo looked in the direction Gu Fangyi indicated. Zuo Mingliang’s Mecha had been sliced in half by Ganmu, and one half was completely embedded in the wall. Smaller Exotic Species had dragged away Zuo Mingliang’s corpse, not even leaving Lu Luo the chance to retrieve it. This was probably the sorrow of Transcendents beyond the Wall.
I will take you home.
Lu Luo jumped onto the cliff face and punched it, gradually excavating the half-buried Mecha. He activated his Jet Belt and carefully placed the damaged Mecha on the ground.
This machine was the pinnacle of human combat technology. Even this lowest-tier, Level 1 single-soldier Mecha, a mass-produced model, would cost over a million to create. If it were a complete Mecha, its value would surpass everything Lu Luo had earned on this trip beyond the Wall. Unfortunately, it was severely damaged.
Previously, Lu Luo would have preferred to earn more money and buy a Mecha for Circle Studio when he had enough. But now, things were different. He had Bai Yuetong. Lu Luo had gained some understanding of Bai Yuetong’s formidable abilities and technical skills. He knew that if he could somehow bring the Mecha back, Bai Yuetong could repair even this badly damaged machine for him. Such were the capabilities of a high-level mechanic! They were among the top talents in the Wasteland.
So, whether for Circle Studio’s combat power or for the money, he had to find a way to drag this broken Mecha back.
A million-dollar Mecha... even if it’s damaged and second-hand, once repaired, it has to be worth at least 500,000, right?
Lu Luo’s thinking was straightforward. How hard is it to make 500,000? They had swept through the entire C04 Silent Swamp, turning all the blood sacs into "little red vials" for sale, and that probably only amounted to around 400,000. This was considered short-term, non-renewable income, as the blood sacs wouldn’t regenerate quickly.
Lu Luo sometimes sighed with emotion; making money was much harder than eating shit.
Can it be welded together?
The Mecha’s footplates had wheels. He secured them with iron plates and then placed the Mecha’s upper body back in its original position. Using the Fusioner, he consumed 1,200 energy to "stitch" the Mecha back together.
Just like that, a damaged, towable Mecha was assembled.
Lu Luo fashioned several dozen ropes. He then began to pull the Mecha towards the inner walls with brute force. Though their pace was slow, it was a viable method.
"Brother Luo, are we really going back like this?" Gu Fangyi had a rather strange expression as he watched Lu Luo haul the Mecha. Even with wheels, a human pulling a Mecha seemed incredibly odd.
"What’s wrong? Is there a problem?"
"No problem. Go on."
Since Lu Luo felt there was no issue, Gu Fangyi couldn’t find any fault either.
And so, the three of them collected all the salvageable equipment they found along the way. Some items were placed in the Mecha’s cockpit. Others were carried by Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi as they continued towards the Southern Ring high wall.
「It’s already the 12th day.」
The walk from Rotten Valley to the Southern Ring high wall would normally take about four to five days. Now, burdened with so many items, they risked their visas expiring. So Lu Luo decided that in dangerous areas like the Silent Swamp, they would rest at night and travel by day. Once they reached the vicinity of the Thousand Lakes District, they would travel day and night. Eight days should be sufficient for them to return to the high wall.
In the swampy terrain, the Mecha’s wheels were practically useless. Lu Luo was essentially carrying the Mecha. If not for his astonishing strength and constitution, such a feat would have been impossible.
Fortunately, on the fifth day of this leg of the journey, they finally saw the waters of the Thousand Lakes District. And there was more good news: one of the supply vehicles previously left behind by Grandview Weapons was still there.
"Brother Luo!"
"I see it. Qi Xinzhu, go check it out."
Lu Luo breathed a sigh of relief. It would be a lie to say carrying the Mecha wasn’t tiring. But, however tired, he had to persevere; after all, he was the boss of Circle Studio. He was a leader, and being a leader involved much more than just sitting back; he had far too many things to worry about. His ambitions extended well beyond simply running an agency.
Qi Xinzhu checked the supply vehicle. After confirming there was no danger, she climbed into the driver’s cabin. She pulled the jumper cables from the driver’s seat and, after a few attempts at connecting them,
VROOM! VROOM! VROOM!
The vehicle actually started!
"You know how to do this too?"
"I’m a Believer of Light. Every Believer of Light is an excellent warrior."
As Qi Xinzhu was joking, Gu Fangyi had already disengaged the safety on his firearm. Someone was approaching.
"You three, what do you think you’re doing with our vehicle?"