Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 401: Sequence, a Power Held in the Hands of a Few (4K Today)
About Sequences...
Lu Luo frowned slightly. Energy variants shouldn’t be seen as something odd, right? With something like a frost Sequence, it should be accomplished effortlessly. But the fact that Zhang Ji asked such a serious question about what I considered quite normal was very strange in and of itself. Unless this issue... was not common in Zhang Ji’s eyes.
The Observer prompted, "[An issue with Sequences?]"
Yes, the issue with Sequences! It’s not that there is something wrong with the Sequences, but rather that people here have developed issues with Sequences.
Realizing this, Lu Luo immediately activated Observer’s large-scale scan. He began scanning the data, abilities, and records of all the Transcendent individuals in the security office. Because he had already conducted an initial scan before, the results came up quickly.
Nothing! In the entire security office, as well as all the human Transcendent beings I’ve encountered in the Imperial territory, not one Sequence. They didn’t even have that most basic Sequence Force on them.
In the Wasteland Alliance, everyone possessed some basic Sequence Force. These Sequence Forces lurked within everyone, even ordinary people. It was precisely because everyone carried Sequence Force that the notion of a Talent Sequence Awakening existed. In the month when the Dark Energy outbreak occurred in the Fourth Ring, just in Dong’an’s Fourth Ring alone, thousands of ordinary people awakened to their Sequences. The Sequence factors were like something etched into the genes of everyone in the Wasteland Alliance. Having it is normal, and those who don’t can still awaken it later.
Because of this, Lu Luo had been neglecting some fundamental elements, such as the reasons behind the birth of Sequences. In the Wasteland Alliance, indeed some people have Sequences, while others do not. I believed that the Imperial Transcendent beings were the same. Every powerful Transcendent being must possess a Sequence. The top Transcendent beings even possess Grade S Sequences. The effects of a Sequence can increase a Transcendent’s strength to unimaginable levels. Take myself for example, with moves like Devouring World’s Core and Eyes of Insight, I could almost instantly kill those of the Sixth Tier. This was something I could absolutely not achieve with my own strength, at least not for now. But what if Imperial people don’t have Sequences? No, that’s not right, Zhang Ji saw a Sequence, so the Imperial territory does have them. But Sequences are rare, so rare that Zhang Ji, a senior Third Tier Transcendent in the official security office, is not aware of their existence.
"What does something like a Sequence mean in the Imperial territory?" Lu Luo mused.
The Observer responded, "[Whom are you asking?]"
If Sequences are rare... then to the normal Imperial Transcendent beings, aren’t we—the ones with multiple Sequences, the Grade S Sequence holders—quite special, quite rare? Turns out, the Imperial folks are all talentless losers!
When Lu Luo reached this thought, a sense of innate superiority welled up within him.
"Mr. Lu Luo? Mr. Lu Luo?" Zhang Ji’s voice interrupted Lu Luo’s thoughts. Lu Luo quickly looked at Zhang Ji with a smile.
A foreigner’s sense of superiority really is unstoppable once it kicks in.
"To emit frost without using any energy, I’m afraid I’m unaware of how it could be done," Lu Luo said. "That sort of thing shouldn’t be possible, right? Officer Zhang, could you have seen it wrong?"
Zhang Ji nodded. So even a well-learned man like Mr. Lu Luo doesn’t know?
"If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes today, it would be hard for me to imagine," Zhang Ji continued. "Someone being able to produce frost without using Spiritual Energy. And the scope of it was so vast, it’s unbelievable. It seems that this matter needs to be reported after all."
So it’s true, whenever they come across a Sequence, they must report it! Lu Luo became slightly guarded.
"I’m very sorry, Officer Zhang, but I can’t help you with this," Lu Luo said.
"What are you talking about? You’ve already been a huge help last time. Not only did you help us solve the case, but you also enlightened me, helping me understand what a true Transcendent should do. Thank you, Mr. Lu Luo."
Zhang Ji’s gratitude was sincere, and Lu Luo nodded slightly in response.
"No need to be polite. Everyone’s life is filled with many different choices."
"Yes, I’m now on the right path."
The two talked for a long time, but in the end, Lu Luo still did not reveal any information about the Sequence.
This information gap is really important. I need to go see Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi tonight. The information about the Sequence must not be exposed to anyone else for now. The Imperial authorities definitely have Sequences, judging from Officer Zhang’s description just now. However, those who know about Sequences are very few, so few that even someone like Officer Zhang, a senior Transcendent and high-ranking official of the Imperial government, doesn’t know. This is something I need to be even more cautious about.
「 」
Outside the security office, Yang Di pulled Lu Luo excitedly. "Wow, we’ve cleared six cases today! Lu Luo, how are we so strong?"
"I don’t know either, but I do have to thank you today."
"Have you finally realized my usefulness? We are indeed good partners!" Yang Di exclaimed.
"Yes," Lu Luo replied. "I don’t have any money on me. If you hadn’t paid for the car fare, I would have had to run here."
Hearing this, Yang Di’s excitement deflated. "Fine, so I’m just the one who pays for rides."
"Come on, I’ll treat you to a meal," Lu Luo offered, surprisingly generous for once.
"Didn’t you say you’re broke? How are you going to treat me to a meal if you have no money?"
"You’ll know when you get there."
Lu Luo took Yang Di to the vicinity of Dong’an Tower. After using Yang Di’s phone to make a call, he casually found a chair and rested. Soon after, Gu Fangyi came speeding over on his Spirit Car, faster than an Imperial supercar.
Yang Di exclaimed internally, Damn, how can a delivery guy be so quick? The supercar couldn’t even see his taillights. How is that possible?
Gu Fangyi took off his helmet, shook his hair, and with a flamboyant air, tossed Lu Luo two boxed meals. He then took out one for himself and started to eat on the spot.
"The Spirit Car can be infused with Spiritual Energy," Gu Fangyi stated casually while eating. "The more Spiritual Energy you infuse, the faster it goes."
Yang Di’s thoughts began to wander at this revelation. If the base speed of a Spirit Car is 30 miles per hour, and infusing it with peak First Tier Spiritual Energy makes it reach 80 miles per hour, what level of Spiritual Energy would it take for the Spirit Car to surpass a supercar? Another hidden powerhouse, huh?
Yang Di might be lazy, but she wasn’t stupid. To ride the Spirit Car to such an extent, he’d have to be at least a Third Tier powerhouse, if not stronger. But if Gu Fangyi is that powerful, why would he choose to work as a delivery man, a job with no future? And if Lu Luo knows him, why hasn’t he brought Gu Fangyi into the Wings of Blazing Sky? With how much the Wings of Blazing Sky is lacking manpower, someone as powerful as Gu Fangyi would certainly be well taken care of.
"Uh, how should I address you, sir?" Yang Di asked.
"Gu Fangyi."
"I’m Yang Di, a member of the Wings of Blazing Sky, Lu Luo’s partner." Yang Di rambled on, but Gu Fangyi showed little reaction.
Gu Fangyi thought, A partner? Lu Luo’s partners were only ever Qi Xinzhu and me; we grew and developed together from the start. The others? Just passersby.
"Lu Luo, your friend is quite aloof," Yang Di commented.
"Yeah, he’s a bit shy around new people," Lu Luo replied.
After finishing their meal, Gu Fangyi finally raised his head. "What’s up?"
They had been in contact just yesterday; Lu Luo seldom reached out like this unless there was an important matter. Lu Luo nodded and signaled for Yang Di to leave first.
"You go ahead, I’ll be right there."
"Two grown men still need to whisper secrets?" Yang Di grumbled. Though somewhat displeased, she complied.
After Yang Di left, Lu Luo started to discuss serious matters with Gu Fangyi.
"The Imperial folks don’t know about the Sequence."
"Huh?" Gu Fangyi didn’t immediately grasp Lu Luo’s meaning.
Lu Luo quickly explained further. "Many of the Imperial Transcendents don’t know about this power called Sequence. To them, Sequence is a very unfamiliar force—unfamiliar, alarming, and powerful. It’s even reached the level where it needs to be reported. The security office here just inquired about it, and that information was confirmed by them."
"They don’t have it? No, wait, you said they asked you about it," Gu Fangyi said.
"Yes, the Sequence does exist in the Imperial territory. This power is likely held by certain special organizations. Ordinary people, and even ordinary Transcendents, are less likely to come across it."
Gu Fangyi began to understand. "You want us to hide our Sequences?"
"Yeah. Your Sequence is quite inconspicuous, but still, be careful. Try to keep your Sequence hidden. We can’t be sure yet what the differences are between the people here and us." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
"Alright, I got it. When do we group up for the next phase of action?" Gu Fangyi asked.
"In a while. Brother Kane also needs time to dig his tunnel. We need a stable gathering point on our side, and even more importantly, we need Transcendent channels. We’ll consider it once things have stabilized on Qi Xinzhu’s end."
"Do I need to look for a Transcendent organization then?"
"No need. Both Qi Xinzhu and I now have our own Transcendent organizations. Mine is alright, but I worry she might need external support. For now, just blend in as a freelancer. If Qi Xinzhu needs help, you can back her up anytime, anywhere."
"Okay!"
Lu Luo and Gu Fangyi continued to exchange information they had gathered today, including details of battles, local conditions like commodity prices, and lifestyle habits. These seemingly inconsequential details could help them quickly appear to be normal Imperial citizens. However, neither of them was quite clear about the prices of Transcendent resources yet. So far, the contact they’d had with the Transcendent world here was just scratching the surface of the Imperial establishment. The Imperial territory was much larger than the Wasteland Alliance, with a less discernible structure than the clear distinction between the Inner Ring and Outer Ring of the Wasteland Alliance. There was still a lot of information needed.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going," Lu Luo said. "My colleague is waiting for me up ahead."
"Okay."
After Lu Luo left, Gu Fangyi originally planned to stroll around Dong’an to familiarize himself with the environment. After all, he didn’t have Observer’s capability to record information. Although Hawk Eye provided strong observational skills, recording such details still relied on his own memory.
Just as he was about to leave the Dong’an Tower, his gaze suddenly halted.
He thought, Someone is tailing Lu Luo? Never mind, let him deal with it himself.
Gu Fangyi took out the company-provided phone and went back to accepting delivery orders. Lu Luo, seemingly oblivious to the pursuer behind him, returned to the Wings of Blazing Sky branch with Yang Di.
「 」
Inside the office of the Wings of Blazing Sky, Luo Yi looked at the report Lu Luo had submitted, somewhat at a loss for words.
Lu Luo’s performance can no longer be chalked up to a simple ability test. The issue now is what kind of identity and status I should assign him to match his abilities.
"Lu Luo, your efficiency is truly astonishing," Luo Yi said. "You managed to resolve so many backlogged cases in just one day."
"It’s alright. They all had clues to follow, so it didn’t take too much time."
Lu Luo spoke modestly, but Luo Yi understood the difficulties involved. If they weren’t truly difficult, these cases wouldn’t have been backlogged for so long. Lu Luo’s capabilities and power were already on a different level from that of a normal member of the organization.
"Hey, Luo Yi, take a look at what we’ve done!" Yang Di interjected. "We’ve even resolved the case at the Half-Mountain Villa. Didn’t you say that there would be an extra reward for solving the Half-Mountain Villa case? Now it’s time to pay up! To solve the Half-Mountain Villa case, we had to deal with the Blue-Eyed Demon Spider."
Extra reward? Lu Luo was indeed interested in rewards, and also very interested in the situation at the Half-Mountain Villa.
"Oh? So completing the dossier can lead to an extra reward? Miss Luo Yi, is that true?" Lu Luo asked.
Luo Yi, gazing at Lu Luo, was still contemplating what Yang Di had said. A Blue-Eyed Spider, that’s a Fourth Tier anomaly. When a Blue-Eyed Spider is in its lair, its difficulty level increases by several grades. No wonder several teams failed to resolve this matter; how could ordinary Transcendents be a match for a Blue-Eyed Spider? If Lu Luo is truly powerful to such an extent...
Luo Yi fiddled with the invitation to the organization’s general assembly. The Wings of Blazing Sky had not attended such an official meeting for several years. It wasn’t a lack of qualifications, but a lack of strength. With the Wings of Blazing Sky’s capabilities in recent years, attending the general assembly would be akin to being just a punching bag—uninteresting and unnecessary. But with Lu Luo on board, it seemed...
With these thoughts, Luo Yi’s gaze at Lu Luo became more captivating.
"I had no idea your abilities were so strong, Lu Luo. I truly underestimated you," Luo Yi said. "A Blue-Eyed anomaly is Fourth Tier. Lu Luo, being so young, your future is indeed limitless."
Does my potential really need these people to repeatedly emphasize it? Of course not. I’m only interested in the Half-Mountain Villa and the so-called rewards.
"The reward?" Lu Luo pressed.
"Uh... there will definitely be a reward. One hundred grams of Spirit Stone, plus a bonus of 50,000," Luo Yi announced.
"Wow, that’s a lot!" Yang Di squealed excitedly. Then she suddenly remembered that this case actually had little to do with her. Everything in front of her suddenly seemed bland and lackluster. Oh well, oh well!
Lu Luo, standing to the side, was also quite pleased; he needed Imperial currency. Acquiring a large amount of Imperial currency legally and legitimately was naturally a reason to be happy. But he still felt a bit puzzled about the reward.
One hundred grams of Spirit Stone probably means 100 grams of Dark Spirit Stone, which is very valuable, needless to say. Fifty thousand in cash isn’t a meager sum either. I know the purchasing power of this currency isn’t as strong as Alliance Currency, but its liquidity is much better. And that’s not even considering the issues with Sixth Tier Lords. Just looking at the original dossier’s reward combined with this extra reward, it still doesn’t match the value of a Fourth Tier anomaly, does it? Is the Wings of Blazing Sky undervaluing Transcendents, or are the prices here really like this? If the prices are all this low, would Transcendents still be willing to engage in such hunting and clearing tasks? This pricing... is problematic!
