Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Brother Kane, I Want to Take You Home (Revised)
Beneath the slums, there was a very special research base. The reason for establishing the base here was simple, as it was very easy to obtain test subjects.
Zhang Tianyi was a promoter for the Church, also known as a promotional Priest. His temples were slightly graying, but the hair on his head was still jet black. His features were well-defined, his stature tall, and his physique muscular. At first glance, Zhang Tianyi looked like a man in his forties. But only those who had interacted with him knew that the current Zhang Tianyi was already 81 years old.
Zhang Tianyi was a man of strong desires. He had been old and weak, but in these past few years, he had regained his youth. And his body was getting healthier and healthier. When others asked him what had happened, he always replied that it was Li Ming’s care for him. And those who asked didn’t harbor any doubts. That’s because Zhang Tianyi had been involved in public welfare construction projects for the slums over the years. Moreover, he was genuinely making a difference, not just for show. Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals provided the money, while he provided the manpower, the fame, and the authority. The entire East Ring slum treated him as a great man of the East Ring, their savior. Such a great benefactor, blessed by Li Ming and Holy Light and restored to youth, was seen by everyone as the reward for a good person.
Now, this great benefactor of the Alliance was gobbling down a piece of beef. Around him stood several half-naked women, wearing only white maid’s dresses, creating a perverse atmosphere. The women were all beautiful; the only strange thing was their eyes, which were devoid of life, like puppets controlled by some force.
Across from Zhang Tianyi was Song Hana. She wasn’t eating but sat in a chair to the side, picking up the sausage and milk from the table, and was feeding a stray cat fished out from the slum’s sewer. She gently stroked the stray cat’s back, epitomizing gentleness, a far cry from her usual demeanor.
Zhang Tianyi put down the chunk of meat in his hand and spoke to Song Hana. "What, thought of me now that your pretty boy has disappeared?"
"After all, we built this place together, and now I have nowhere else to turn. If I go out now, Hunters would kill me in minutes. Besides you, who’s backed by the Church, who else could I count on?"
"Hmph, you know that we built this place together. But what have you been doing these past two years? The research on the Bride has been completely shelved, and now we’re basically doing our own things. Spending all your time on those Exotic Species, what’s the point? Do you really think you can grasp the mysteries of Exotic Species evolution?"
"Maybe, just maybe, I really can?" Song Hana said gently while petting the cat.
Zhang Tianyi squinted at Song Hana but refrained from saying anything more offensive in the end. Although he was a man of the Church and took the initiative in his cooperation with Song Hana, simultaneously, Song Hana had plenty of leverage over him. Song Hana was now in a desperate situation, while he still had a bright future ahead. It wasn’t worth clashing head-on with this woman.
"I’ve done what you asked me to do. That kid named Lu Luo will be here soon. So, where’s the list?"
"Wait for him to come and solve my problems. Then that list will disappear forever."
"I hope you can do as you say, otherwise..."
"Otherwise, what?" A peculiar gleam flashed in Song Hana’s eyes. Since she had nothing to lose, Zhang Tianyi didn’t dare to push her further.
Song Hana smiled and closed her eyes, silent for a long time before opening them again. "I want Lu Luo. First, bring him to me alive."
"Fine, I’ll catch him for you, but after that, you need to leave the East Ring and never come back."
Song Hana neither agreed nor refused. She continued to stroke the cat and suddenly asked Zhang Tianyi, "Do you think it’s better to die or to become an Exotic Species?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I think it’s better to die." Song Hana’s fingers suddenly tightened, and the poor little stray cat, just having enjoyed a meal, had its neck twisted and broken.
"You strangled the cat you were just feeding. You’re a real psycho."
"In this place, no one gets out whole. Not you, and not me." Song Hana pushed open the door and headed straight into the heart of the base.
Zhang Tianyi watched Song Hana’s retreating figure, then rejoined the group of women, placing his hand on their backs. Bouquets of flowers suddenly emerged from these women’s bodies. Some appeared on their chests, others on their backs, and some on their shoulders. As the bouquets bloomed, the women’s eyes gradually started to glow.
"Go, bring that guy called Lu Luo back!"
"HISS!" One of the women suddenly stuck out a long tongue, then returned to normal.
Lu Luo arrived at the slums, inhabited by a large number of wounded, deformed, and defective children. Once, this place was a microcosm of the tragedy of the Fourth Ring Wasteland. Decay, death, and viruses ran rampant. But several years ago, the slums in East Ring began to change, transforming from slums to poor districts. That one-word change signified a tremendous shift. Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals and the Church jointly funded this place, bringing enough doctors and medicine to the poor district. They provided financial support to bolster healthcare, education, and housing. Meanwhile, the Church sent many Priests and even Believers of Light to treat diseases and repair bodies for the poor residents here. Thanks to this cooperation, the once abyss-like slum now had a glimmer of life. Even though this place was still at the very bottom of the Wasteland’s social ladder, at least now its people had hope for life.
The Observer scanned his surroundings but didn’t notice anything particularly unusual.
"Where are those two guys? Aren’t they coming? Am I to go on this lonely adventure by myself? What if I die in there? Don’t you have any sense of public spirit?" Lu Luo’s complaints were soft, but soon enough, a voice responded to him.
"All this fuss for such a petty matter, and you called two others? Aren’t you an adult? Can’t you be a little more self-reliant?"
That voice was Ludie’s. From his tone, it seemed Qiao Xing had also arrived, though perhaps the two weren’t getting along. At that moment, Lu Luo finally felt relieved.
"I was just worried you guys wouldn’t show up."
"Cut the crap, let’s keep moving!"
With the backing of two powerhouses, Lu Luo walked with even more swagger. He even felt the urge to say "Is that all?" every time he saw someone. This fearless stride ended only when Lu Luo’s phone rang.
"Two women are approaching you from the front. Put down your weapons and equipment, and hand them over to the woman on the left. Then follow the woman on the right. You’ll soon see what you’re looking to find."
Watching the two women approaching, Lu Luo’s eye twitched uncontrollably. As an Observer, he saw people in a way that was different from others.
[Left female, humanoid Exotic Species, Second Tier, ability unknown, possesses Holy Radiance. Attributes: Strength 15, Agility 20, Constitution 20]
[Right female, misshapen Exotic Species, Second Tier, ability unknown, possesses Holy Radiance. Attributes: Strength 30, Agility 20, Constitution 30]
Are these even women? Two Exotic Species with Holy Radiance just brazenly showed up in front of me, within the walls! Although this is the slums of the Fourth Ring, it is still inside the walls. The words "possesses Holy Radiance" are the ultimate mockery of the Church. I’ve always known that the power of Holy Light was just an energy attribute, with no actual connection to justice or goodness. But the Church had always professed to stand for justice, charity, and kindness. Now, the Church’s actions were more than just ugly and disgusting.
"I got it." Lu Luo hung up the phone and placed all his equipment into the bag handed to him by the female Exotic Species on the left. Then, following the female Exotic Species on the right, he slowly walked into an ordinary house. This house was just the most common type found in impoverished neighborhoods, with broken doors and windows, and a leaky roof.
When Lu Luo followed the woman into the depths of the house, the female Exotic Species placed her palm on a wall. A faint glow of Holy Radiance emitted from her hand, and the wall actually moved.
"Please, Mr. Lu Luo."
Lu Luo nodded, then whispered, "Old Qiao, did you see that? Both of these female Exotics have Holy Radiance on them."
When he was begging me earlier, he called me Teacher. Now that I’m here, he calls me Old Qiao. Damn, that’s just great, Qiao Xing thought. Faced with Lu Luo’s questioning, Qiao Xing fell silent for a moment but eventually responded.
"I saw it. Just keep walking."
Since Qiao Xing had said so, Lu Luo naturally didn’t waste any more words and followed along. Underneath the house was a very modern metallic walkway, filled with a sense of technology. The contrast to what Lu Luo had just seen was stark. After all, he had just been in a slum environment, and now it had changed to this. Anyone would need some time to adapt.
When they arrived at the elevator, Lu Luo suddenly asked, "Is Zhou Kai here?" He actually wanted to glean some information from this woman’s response, even if it was useless.
But the woman’s reaction was astounding! Or rather, she wasn’t human to begin with.
SQUEAK! The woman’s head suddenly twisted 180 degrees around.
"I don’t know!"
Looking at the woman who turned her head 180 degrees, Lu Luo was somewhat speechless.
"Alright then!"
After getting off the elevator, it didn’t take long for Lu Luo to reach their destination. Song Hana and Zhang Tianyi were there waiting for him. Behind Zhang Tianyi stood three fully armed Justice Knights.
[Publicity Priest Zhang Tianyi, a Third Tier Transcendent with very intense Holy Light power, formidable strength.
Three Fourth Tier Justice Knights, possessing several Sequence factors, Sequence Abilities unknown, extremely dangerous.
Fifteen Second Tier Transcendents, varying strengths. Host is advised to stay alert.]
"Is this it?" Lu Luo finally voiced the thought. So satisfying. After all, I have two Sixth Tier powerhouses backing me up. Couldn’t they finish these guys off in minutes? I’d better spare their miserable lives for now and find Brother Kane first!
"Lu Luo?" Zhang Tianyi looked at Lu Luo, a bit surprised.
While responding to Zhang Tianyi, Song Hana turned her head towards Lu Luo himself. "Yes, that’s Lu Luo. Lu Luo, it’s been a long time since we last met!"
"Where’s Brother Kane?"
"Asking right off the bat. Such deep brotherly love!" Song Hana smiled and clapped her hands.
Soon, Zhou Kai was pushed out. He was covered in blood, one of his arms completely mangled, and he looked very weak.
[Brother Kane is currently in a very weak state, but his vital signs are relatively stable. The enemy likely injected him with some life-saving drugs.]
"Brother Kane? How are you now?" Lu Luo’s question was not just directed at Zhou Kai, but also at Ludie and Qiao Xing, the two bigwigs.
Zhou Kai weakly lifted his head to give Lu Luo a thumbs-up, then slumped again, apparently too weak to speak.
But Qiao Xing did give an answer. "He’s fine."
Hearing that Zhou Kai was alright, Lu Luo finally felt relieved.
"Hey, Lu Luo, right?" Zhang Tianyi called out, but Lu Luo completely ignored him, heading straight for Zhou Kai.
Zhang Tianyi, seeing that Lu Luo totally disregarded him, felt an inexplicable anger rising within. But when he glanced at Song Hana, he found her smirking. Seeing Zhang Tianyi getting snubbed, her laughter grew even louder.
"Why are you looking at me? I’m just a weak woman. You can’t possibly expect me to stop him, can you?"
As her gaze returned to Lu Luo, Song Hana felt a vague sense of anticipation. She didn’t know what she was anticipating, but she was very excited!
The guard pushing Zhou Kai’s wheelchair became visibly panicked when he saw Lu Luo walking straight towards him. He hurriedly pointed his gun at Zhou Kai’s head and yelled at Lu Luo, "Hey, don’t come any closer! Priest?"
Before he could get a response from Zhang Tianyi, Lu Luo had already made his move. If you can be so reckless, then so can I.
WHOOSH! The Jet Belt hidden at Lu Luo’s waist instantly activated, and in a moment, he was in front of the man, his hand crushing the firearm.
CRACK! His other hand snapped the man’s neck.
Turning his head to look at Song Hana and Zhang Tianyi, Lu Luo helped Zhou Kai up, then silently wrapped Zhou Kai’s arm with a piece of clothing. "Brother Kane, I’m taking you home."
Just as Lu Luo was about to leave, the female Exotic Species following behind him suddenly extended her tongue and claws, aiming straight for Zhou Kai in Lu Luo’s hands.
THWACK! To ensure Zhou Kai wasn’t harmed, Lu Luo took the blow with his neck.
However, the imagined scene where the Exotic Species twisted off Lu Luo’s neck did not happen. On the contrary, the female Exotic Species’s fingernails broke from trying to grab Lu Luo’s neck!
"Huh?" The female Exotic Species was also stunned.
BANG! The female Exotic Species was kicked by Lu Luo into the wall, half her body smashing into a pulp. The strength was so great it could rival a Third Tier aberrant species.
Upon seeing this, the three silent Justice Knights finally stepped forward.
Lu Luo stepped back while carrying Zhou Kai. Three Fourth Tier Justice Knights! Justice Knights are considered the highest level of combat power in the Alliance for their tier. I had to resort to all sorts of measures just to beat Li Qingshu, and now three Justice Knights have appeared at once! If I charged in now, I’d just be throwing my life away!
"Hey, if you guys don’t show up soon, I’m going to start singing my swan song!"
One of the Justice Knights had already placed one hand on his greatsword, wielding it in the same manner as Lu Luo. The Martial Arts technique was the classic Holy Light Cross Slash. The powerful Sword Qi pressured Lu Luo’s movements. As he backed against the wall, preparing to counterattack, someone finally made a move.
A steam rainbow suddenly appeared, shattering the greatsword in the knight’s hand in an instant.
Ludie stood there with a cigarette dangling from his lips, all but having the words "I am showing off" written on his face.
Everyone was looking at Ludie. Zhang Tianyi’s eyes showed confusion; being older, his mind wasn’t as sharp, and he couldn’t immediately recall who this person was. Song Hana, however, was terrified. She hadn’t expected Lu Luo to play so unconventionally and call Ludie directly. With that, there was no need for a fight. She immediately turned and ran towards the deeper parts of the base.
Upon seeing Song Hana flee, Zhang Tianyi seemed to remember who the man before him was. He went from shock to fear and then said to the three knights, "You must stop him."
The three knights were silent for a moment before slowly nodding their heads. "Yes!"
Zhang Tianyi also left, taking those female Exotic Species and a dozen guards with him.
Only Lu Luo, Ludie, Zhou Kai, and the three Justice Knights remained.
Ludie, looking at Lu Luo, rarely showed a bit of a master’s bearing. "The ensuing battle here might get quite intense, so take Zhou Kai inside to hide for a bit. Besides, I find this place quite interesting and want to take a longer look around."
"Ah? Alright!"
And so, Lu Luo chased after them.