Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 403 Imperial Inspection Department

The last voice was clearly not from either of the two trackers.

When the voice emerged, they hadn’t even located its owner.

Though they were both Fourth Tier experts, the other’s ability to conceal was obviously beyond their imagination.

However, they had confirmed one thing: they seemed to have provoked an existence they couldn’t handle.

"You are..."

BANG!

The man hadn’t finished speaking when he, along with his gun, was embedded into the wall.

Lu Luo’s immense strength had crushed his sidearm, armor, and bones in an instant.

The other woman stood still, silent. However, her teeth were chattering, and she looked utterly wretched.

"You found me using this thing."

"Yes."

"What is this thing called?"

"A Compass. A Sequence Compass."

Sequence?

This thing... it’s a bit like the Doomsday Disc!

Lu Luo nodded to himself; this object was still somewhat different from the Doomsday Disc.

The Compass had already fallen into Lu Luo’s hand.

The man in the wall wasn’t dead, but he probably wouldn’t be able to speak for quite some time.

The remaining woman had clearly lost her nerve.

"We didn’t mean to offend Your Excellency, we just wanted to..."

"Which department are you from?" Lu Luo cut her off directly. He couldn’t be bothered to listen to meaningless excuses.

So, facing trackers like these, Lu Luo chose to be straightforward.

Being straightforward proved quite effective.

"We are from the Imperial Inspection Department!"

"Imperial... Inspection Department?"

Great, another new term, Lu Luo thought. Unfortunately, this department doesn’t sound very friendly. Especially for stowaways like us, it’s even worse.

"Yes, we are from the Imperial Inspection Department, we..."

She had intended to say something defiant to Lu Luo, but after seeing her companion’s pitiful state, she thought better of it. No need to risk it, she mused. I’m quite attractive; it would be a shame if my face got damaged.

As for Lu Luo killing us both... Surely that won’t happen, right? We’re from an Imperial security department, after all.

Just as she was about to continue, Lu Luo interrupted her.

"What is the main function of the Imperial Inspection Department?"

Lu Luo’s question touched upon certain secrets of the Empire, matters that, by rights, shouldn’t be divulged.

But did the woman before him dare to conceal anything?

Honestly, she didn’t dare. She sensed Lu Luo wasn’t someone to be trifled with. If she wasn’t cooperative enough, she very likely wouldn’t survive this encounter.

"Our Inspection teams have many tasks, but the most important one is to investigate the existence of self-awakened Sequence users within the Empire."

Lu Luo’s eyes narrowed when he heard this.

An official Imperial organization investigating the presence of self-awakened Sequence users. This Inspection Department’s work is quite similar to the Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty!

"Are you the Imperial Family’s lapdogs?"

"What an ugly way to put it. Loyalty to the Imperial Family shouldn’t be equated to being lapdogs. It should be something like the Royal Guard or... well, alright. If you say lapdogs, then lapdogs it is."

Lu Luo wasn’t fond of these special Imperial organizations. They were often granted extraordinary powers. And frequently, these individuals would abuse the authority they were given. This was the last thing Lu Luo wanted to see.

"Alright, since you’re lapdogs of the Imperial Family, you can explain in detail. What are you doing for the Imperial Family?"

"The Inspection Department has many roles, but the only one that’s truly widespread is that of Sequence Chaser."

"Sequence Chaser?"

"That’s right. Those who possess a Sequence are dangerous. The danger they present even exceeds that of Exotic Species. Transcendents with a Sequence usually exhibit strength far surpassing their peers at the same tier. This is not something any Transcendent wants to see, nor does the Imperial Family. Your existence has completely disrupted the balance among Transcendents. Therefore, they must be pursued and contained."

Is the existence of a Sequence a danger? Isn’t it considered a talent? People with a Sequence should be considered assets by those in power. But the Empire’s approach seems somewhat muddled. Pursuit and containment! Are such terms really appropriate for humans?

"Alright, I roughly understand."

"I’ve told you everything I know. Can you possibly..."

"No!" Lu Luo cut her off instantly.

A dozen tentacles completely bound the woman, pressing her against the wall. The tentacles pierced her skin, following her blood vessels to her brain.

Their eyes met, and Netherflame began to burn in both their pupils.

The moment she entertained any thought of resistance, the tentacles coiled around her brain immediately tightened.

She screamed.

AH!

The scream echoed around; Lu Luo made no effort to suppress it.

"Do your superiors know my identity?"

"No. As soon as we sensed the Sequence aura, we rushed to Half-Mountain Villa to apprehend you. Although we’ve notified our superiors, they don’t know your exact identity yet. They only know that a Sequence user exists in Dong’an City."

Lu Luo frowned slightly. He had been discovered too quickly.

Was it really because I used the Demon of the Thousand Eyes? But I had no other choice back then. If I hadn’t used the eye beams, I would have had to destroy Half-Mountain Villa. That wasn’t the outcome I wanted.

"Do they have any way to track my specific information?"

"If we had rendezvoused, yes. But not anymore."

Hearing that they currently couldn’t ascertain his detailed information, Lu Luo breathed a small sigh of relief. As long as his specific information wasn’t confirmed, he had plenty of room to maneuver.

Perhaps he would indeed face formidable enemies sent by the Empire in the future. But at least for now, he still had sufficient space and time.

CRACK!

Lu Luo twisted both their necks, ignited the Netherflame, and turned them to ash before quickly leaving the alley.

From their brief conversation, he had gained a general understanding of the Empire’s stance towards Transcendents with a Sequence. In no way could it be called friendly.

Therefore, Lu Luo had no choice but to destroy their bodies and erase all traces of these advance guards.

I must notify Qi Xinzhu quickly. In terms of her Sequence, its manifestation is far more obvious than Brother Gu’s.

...

In the training field of Kane’s Secret Cultivation Society, Qi Xinzhu had been slowly swinging her greatsword for a long time. Because with a sufficiently heavy weapon, swinging slowly can be much more effective than swinging quickly.

Sola stood high on the viewing platform, silently watching Qi Xinzhu as if appreciating a perfect work of art.

A subordinate beside her asked Sola, clearly bewildered, "Lady Sola, why do you grant Qi Xinzhu so much preferential treatment? She isn’t one of us, and her initial reasons for joining were very unclear. Moreover, her identity is highly suspicious. We don’t even know her true intentions. If she betrays us in the future, the consequences will be immeasurable."

"You shall address her as Lady Qi Xinzhu, understand?" Sola seemed to completely ignore her subordinate’s warning, her gaze still fixated on Qi Xinzhu with an almost obsessive fascination. When she heard her subordinate speak disrespectfully of Qi Xinzhu, she even rebuked him. "If you respect me, then you must maintain respect for Lady Qi Xinzhu at all times. Remember this well."

"But, if she were to betray us..."

Sola’s gaze suddenly sharpened, her eyes glaring ferociously at the subordinate. "Why can’t I betray them as well? If Lady Qi Xinzhu rebels, I’ll just join her. Wouldn’t that solve the problem perfectly?"

The subordinate looked at Sola in terror, not understanding why she would say such a thing. "Lady Sola, you... such thoughts are incredibly dangerous!"

"Yes, very dangerous. That’s why you must be silenced!"

The subordinate froze for a second, then suddenly realized what Sola meant by "silenced." Before he could even attempt to flee, a black snake had already coiled around his body.

MMPH!

The black snake had already gagged the subordinate, and energy poured incessantly into his body. His flesh began to decay rapidly, soon dissolving into a puddle of viscous liquid that spread across the ground.

Sola continued, "Compared to Lady Qi Xinzhu, what is Kane’s Secret Cultivation Society? It’s nothing but a minor group messing around in the GuiXi District. They claim to be a national society, but in the Imperial Capital, the Society’s strength wouldn’t even cause a ripple. So, why shouldn’t I betray them?"

Sola turned her gaze back to Qi Xinzhu in the training room. When she saw a few brazen Transcendents from the Society starting to provoke Qi Xinzhu, her smile widened.

...

Qi Xinzhu sensed people approaching her. But she wasn’t flustered. Provocations or challenges, she had experienced them countless times during her upbringing in the Church.

However, what she hadn’t expected was that these people had a rather different approach. They were much smoother than those fellows from the Inner Ring of the Church.

"This lady’s swordsmanship is unlike anything I’ve seen! Is it newly taught within the Secret Cultivation Society?"

"Hmm? No."

Qi Xinzhu had no desire to converse. She was a married woman, after all—what was there to discuss with these men?

"Don’t be so cold, miss. May I ask your name?"

Qi Xinzhu pondered what Lu Luo might say in such a situation.

Most likely... ’None of your damn business!’ or ’I’m your daddy!’ or something like that.

But Qi Xinzhu couldn’t bring herself to say such words.

Out of basic politeness, Qi Xinzhu stated coldly, "I don’t know you, nor do I intend to speak with you. Please, you and your friends, stay away from me."

"Heh, quite arrogant, aren’t you? I heard you’re a genius newly invited by Lady Sola. Do you know that every genius who joins a society has to be tested?"

Qi Xinzhu was already growing impatient, but the word "tested" piqued her interest. "Oh? And how is this ’test’ conducted?"

"The test is simple: accept challenges from society members. Of course, since we’re all part of the same society, we’ll naturally stop before things get too serious."

The men eyed Qi Xinzhu with lecherous expressions.

Combat is necessary, of course, but during combat, there’s always some physical contact, right? These touches are all perfectly justifiable; what could she say? Besides, we’re all from the same society. Even if she’s strong, she can’t go for the kill, can she? When the time comes, how the fight goes will be up to us, won’t it?

Just as these men were snickering at their own lewd thoughts, Qi Xinzhu nodded nonchalantly.

"Alright then. All of you, come at me together."

"Huh?"

The members of the Society looked at each other, bewildered. Since joining, they had never heard such an outrageous request.

All together? Perfect! No one would know if we used a few dirty moves!

"All at once? Are you sure?"

"Of course. My time is quite precious. So, yes, all of you come at me together."

Qi Xinzhu had already walked to the center of the training area, beckoning the other members of the Society with a crook of her finger.

Though it was a simple gesture of invitation, coming from Qi Xinzhu, it carried an extra provocative allure.

The other members were already fired up with a mixture of indignation and desire. If they didn’t take up this challenge now, could they even call themselves men?

"Together, then!"

The words had barely left their mouths when Qi Xinzhu struck preemptively.

She might appear somewhat innocent and cute, but her combat experience was extraordinarily rich. After all, she had navigated the world with Lu Luo, experiencing deadly battles against humans and Exotic Species alike. All this had fueled Qi Xinzhu’s continuous growth, not just in raw power, but also in combat experience, judgment, and tactical acumen.

Uncertain of their true strength, she decided to strike first, take out one or two, and ease the pressure.

Deliberate Bombardment Fist!

BOOM!

The torrent of energy from Holy Radiance instantly blew away the several men in front of Qi Xinzhu. Three members caught directly by the blast had parts of their limbs and torsos instantly melted away by the energy. They collapsed on the spot, unconscious and near death.

Qi Xinzhu was somewhat surprised. She was astonished that these people could act so tough yet be so pathetically weak. Without an Observer, she could only rely on her own perception to judge others’ strength. Her current action of nearly killing three fellow members with a single punch stemmed from this misjudgment.

But having been with Lu Luo for so long, Qi Xinzhu’s heart had long been forged like steel. Even knowing her attack had grievously injured fellow Society members, she didn’t hesitate for a moment.

Holy Light flickered. Qi Xinzhu spun and darted back. Reducing her strength by another ten percent, she punched another person in the chest.

Her speed was too fast; their eyes simply couldn’t follow. If their eyes couldn’t keep up, their bodies certainly couldn’t.

The man’s chest caved in instantly. His right lung ruptured, spraying a mist of blood as he collapsed, unconscious.

Defeating four people so decisively wasn’t just a simple victory; it was utter annihilation.

After this display, the remaining three lost all will to fight. One of them dropped to his knees before Qi Xinzhu, his submission clear and absolute.

Qi Xinzhu didn’t spare him just because he knelt. This wasn’t cruelty; it was to make these people understand that every action has consequences. Nevertheless, Qi Xinzhu did hold back somewhat, merely kicking the man away without further attack.

The last two tried to flee, but their speed was no match for Qi Xinzhu’s. She slammed each one to the ground with a single punch.

This brief battle caught the attention of the entire Kane’s Secret Cultivation Society. More and more people gathered to watch.

Sola, watching from the high platform, licked her lips in excitement. As she gripped the railing tightly, a voice that had once startled people in another place echoed once more.

"It’s just bullying a few weaklings. What’s there to get so excited about?"