Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 450: See the Light of Day Again (8K)
Lu Luo felt the connection between his own Sequence and this consciousness.
Is it really the Observer?
No! This feeling is still not right. Although the Observer is unreliable many times, it definitely wouldn’t give him this weird sensation.
The Observer didn’t respond because it was blocked!
And it was actively blocked by something. Is it trying to make me misjudge certain information?
"This is interesting!"
Truth be told, Lu Luo didn’t like this feeling. Even without danger, he disliked the sensation of being completely controlled and dominated by someone else. Even if that person were Meiqi, it wouldn’t be acceptable. It was true that she saved him, but that didn’t mean she could dominate him.
However, at the moment, Lu Luo was still in a state where he had absolutely no room to resist. With no other option, Lu Luo could only continue to observe.
This nascent consciousness gradually approached Lu Luo, seemingly intending to merge with him. However, the two didn’t really fuse. After affixing itself to Lu Luo’s body, the consciousness began to take Lu Luo on a journey.
Then, more consciousnesses!
Lu Luo carefully counted them; there were 14 in total. These consciousnesses gradually took on their own shapes and colors. If Lu Luo hadn’t felt their presence firsthand, he would have surely thought these consciousnesses were just random paint smeared across this dark world.
The conscious entities seemed to have discovered Lu Luo’s presence. They began to entwine themselves around him, getting as close to Lu Luo’s body as the initial consciousness had. This process made Lu Luo lose all sense of time. He even lost his perception of time.
This feeling of being controlled was getting increasingly unpleasant!
"Something’s not right! I need to think of something!"
Suddenly, Lu Luo felt a flesh bud grow inside his own body—a nascent tentacle. Without a doubt, Lu Luo knew this was a tentacle of the Devourer! The tentacle grew, and resisting it seemed to be out of Lu Luo’s control, so all he could do was watch helplessly as the two combined!
BOOM!
Lu Luo’s mind thundered. Chaotic and jumbled information nearly shattered his spirit with its onslaught. Without the Observer’s management of the information, such a huge flow of data was too much for even a Seventh Tier body to bear.
"Fuck!"
Lu Luo began to curse out loud on the spot. The surrounding consciousnesses seemed to find it strange that Lu Luo could still maintain his own consciousness at this moment. In that instant, Lu Luo finally realized that this experience was definitely not as simple as being well-intentioned.
"Observer! Help me!"
There was still no response, but Lu Luo felt something different from before. The Observer wasn’t unresponsive. Rather, it was very far from him. So far that even the transmission of sound would take a very, very long time!
Feeling an intense crisis, Lu Luo immediately thought of a state where the information flow was unrestricted.
"Enter overclocking mode, Observer form."
[Entering overclocking mode, Observer form.]
The Observer finally activated. The information brought by that consciousness was instantly sorted by the Observer, reorganized, and standardized!
He was saved!
[Nascent, Devouring, Chaos, Slaughter, Destruction, Sealing!]
[Growth.]
[Human.]
[Destroyer, Collector.]
[Devourer-Death.]
The Observer sorted through countless chaotic and disordered pieces of information, completely summarizing the useful parts. After retrieving all related information, it was then conveyed to Lu Luo. This undoubtedly greatly reduced Lu Luo’s mental and cognitive strain. It made Lu Luo truly realize what this contact was all about.
[Container!]
[The key to unlocking!]
[Lu Luo, the Puzzle Solver.]
Time slowly passed, and Lu Luo didn’t even know how long it had been in the outside world.
In the underwater world, Meiqi had been holding Lu Luo’s shoulder for more than a month. Her beautiful eyes moved, quietly waiting for the outcome of this event. Surrounding them in the inverted depths, massive figures appeared from time to time. They were indistinct in the deep sea, their specific forms unclear, but it was certain that they were huge, very huge!
"It’s about time, isn’t it?" Meiqi murmured to herself as the long-slumbering Lu Luo finally woke up.
The Convex and Concave marks on his body had been cleansed by the energy that surged through his body while he had been asleep. An unprecedented sense of clarity and control surfaced in Lu Luo’s heart.
When he woke up, Meiqi immediately asked with concern, "How do you feel?"
Lu Luo also smiled and turned his head, "I feel fantastic."
"Lu Luo, you should now be aware of your identity and your mission, right?"
Lu Luo’s eyes flashed with a layer of black, and he nodded a bit woodenly, "I know now, Lady Meiqi."
"Very good. The Sequence Force has washed away the Convex and Concave marks on your body. A month has passed. It’s time for you to go."
Lu Luo nodded somberly, "Yes, Lady Meiqi, I’ll be on my way."
Lu Luo walked silently towards the other side of Ailegan. In a visual blind spot, he casually picked something up from the ground and then leaped fiercely, heading straight for the surface of the sea.
SPLASH!
After plunging into the water, the deep-sea monsters began to circle Lu Luo continuously, observing. It seemed they wanted to see what this little thing was doing and whether it was edible. But Lu Luo was not at all worried about these monsters because whenever something came to attack him in this place, something even more powerful would stop it.
The one-eyed octopus monster in the deep sea!
Lu Luo paid no attention to these circumstances. His demeanor was as if he had lost some of his spirit, becoming extremely dull. But not to the point of being completely foolish.
He passed through layer after layer of the ocean current, eventually arriving at the Nether River. The Netherflame, of life and death, continuously enshrouded Lu Luo’s body, his gaze flickering slightly as he directly absorbed all these Netherflames. He harbored no hesitation whatsoever.
Meiqi, who had been following behind him, frowned slightly. The Netherflame in the Nether River was virtually the essential force of her being. The Nether River’s existence sustained her. It could be said that if the Nether River dried up, then she, as the Tenth Angel Envoy, would also die here. The way Lu Luo directly absorbed the water of the Nether River was somewhat unexpected to her, but she wasn’t about to stop him for it.
"This guy, he really is..."
While Meiqi was muttering to herself, Lu Luo had already burst forth from the water and arrived on shore. Then he began to walk silently toward the shore, without any intention of greeting Meiqi.
"Hey, Lu Luo."
It was not until Meiqi called out to him that Lu Luo turned his head somewhat stiffly: "Do you need anything else, Lady Meiqi?"
"No, it’s nothing. If you’re tired, just take a good rest and maintain your condition."
"Alright, Lady Meiqi."
After nodding, Lu Luo unexpectedly took out a bed right then and there and began to rest on the spot. This nap ended up lasting 20 hours.
Meiqi, who had been watching all of this, frowned again. Had she gone too far? If Lu Luo continued in this state, perhaps...
When Lu Luo woke up again, his expression seemed to have recovered somewhat, and he also appeared a bit more normal. Upon waking, he even began to joke with Meiqi.
"Lady Meiqi wasn’t watching me sleep by any chance, was she? HAHAHA, my sleeping posture isn’t exactly graceful."
Meiqi’s gaze shifted to Lu Luo, who seemed to have returned to normal, and she nodded slightly.
This was the Puzzle Solver they had in mind!
"It’s nothing. The importance of your current role goes without saying. Since you are on my turf, it’s no big deal to offer you some protection. If there’s nothing else, you should go. There are many things waiting for you to do."
"I understand. Goodbye, Lady Meiqi. Take care of yourself, and if there’s anything you need, you can send someone to contact me."
Lu Luo nodded to Meiqi, his face looking like that of a lovestruck pup desperately yearning for the girl he had admired for years and was about to part ways with his goddess.
After ending the conversation, Lu Luo began to run silently in the mountainous area. He did not speak, running silently through forests and mountains until he reached the border of the Imperial territory. Then he kept on running, until he was deep within the borders of the Empire, in the GuiXi district. Only after blending into the crowd did he stop.
PHEW!
Lu Luo let out a deep sigh, turned his head, and looked intently in the direction of the Nether River. He leaned against the wall, his expression unreadable. His fingers trembled slightly, then he took out a cigarette from his ring and lit it for himself. Hiding his face in the smoke, Lu Luo took several deep breaths again.
"Let’s have a bowl of noodles."
Lu Luo walked into a noodle shop, handed over a hundred-yuan bill, and then sat down. While sorting out his thoughts, he began to contemplate his next move!
[What exactly is going on?]
In the underwater world before, even if the Observer was Lu Luo’s Sequence, it couldn’t touch the specific contents of those messages. The only one who could actually see the messages was Lu Luo himself. However, the appearance of the Observer truly saved Lu Luo’s life because those messages were lethal in themselves!
Lu Luo did not speak, or more accurately, he had no intention of responding to the Observer at that moment. All he wanted to do now was eat noodles—not for the noodles themselves, but for the taste of the human world. He needed to acquire a sense of humanity to stabilize his mentality and will.
"I need to restore my mental state and fortify my will, don’t bother me."
[You’re kidding, right? Eating noodles can fortify your will? It’s not like I’m the one making them for you, if you know what I mean!]
"Scram, you don’t have that kind."
[...]
The Observer seemed to feel intensely humiliated and simply chose to stay silent.
Lu Luo ate noodles in silence, consuming several bowls before his mood gradually calmed down. After he finished, he lit another cigarette for himself, allowing himself to be engulfed in the smoke once more.
The Observer also happened to appear at this time and asked again:
[What’s the situation?]
Lu Luo knocked the ash off his cigarette: "It’s just more than a dozen old geezers and an even older one who can’t let go, nothing much to say."
[Can you stop talking in riddles and clarify a bit?]
Lu Luo cracked a smile and reorganized his thoughts: "These Angel Envoys are all monsters sealed by humans, longing to break free. Thus, they’ve done quite a few things. For example, Meiqi has already contaminated the Nether River, Leviathan has shrouded the sky, and Convex and Concave... probably has a similar objective. Their ultimate goal is to escape confinement, that is, to unlock their own seals. It’s as simple as that."
[What about that big monster we saw in the deep sea before? The North Sea Behemoth, was it?]
When it came to this, Lu Luo’s eyes gradually became icy. The previous events could still be considered normal. "But that monster... HA! All I can say is that these old coots thought too big."
"That thing is a gift they’ve prepared for me, a vessel to welcome my return!"
[Ah? A vessel to welcome your return?]
Lu Luo nodded: "The Second Angel Envoy from the past, Xu, the World Devourer, was also their comrade. They would verbally claim to oppose each other, but in reality, their connection was even closer than that of siblings or even biological parents. Since Xu is sealed upon the Doomsday Disc, they need a new Second Angel Envoy. World Devourer! And that monster is the gift they prepared for me, the vessel for my future body, the container for the will of the World Devourer!"
Lu Luo felt a lingering fear. He had to admit, Meiqi and the others’ ideas were far too insane. Moreover, the power of these Angel Envoys was utterly formidable. Even an Eighth Order Monarch would hardly stand a chance against these Angel Envoys. He needed to keep growing, to grow until he could stand face to face with an Angel Envoy—at least one Angel Envoy—and not feel fear!
The Puzzle Solver passed down through the ages? Was my transmigration really a coincidence?
Despite receiving a lot of information, there were still things Lu Luo hadn’t figured out. But none of that mattered anymore. For the next while, it was best to just earnestly build up strength!
After returning to the GuiXi district, Lu Luo didn’t call Qi Xinzhu and the others. Because he didn’t know the current situation in the GuiXi district. With Wu Handing killed by him, he couldn’t fathom how the Imperial Family would react. Therefore, for safety’s sake, secretly infiltrating was a better option than making a direct phone call home.
In the base at Half-Mountain Villa, Bai Yuetong was adjusting a weapon, her mind somewhat distracted. It had been 1 month and 3 days since Lu Luo left. During that time, there was no news of him, neither from the Imperial nor from the Wasteland Alliance. He had completely disappeared. Fortunately, Bai Yuetong could inexplicably feel that Lu Luo was not in danger. He was just hiding somewhere.
"It should be fine. I wonder when he can come back."
Her hands fumbled again. Lu Luo’s safety was still affecting Bai Yuetong. She let out a soft sigh, intending to dismantle the apparatus in her hands again. But just then, a large hand wrapped around her from behind, and as the left hand covered her stomach, the right hand had already slipped inside her clothes.
Bai Yuetong was only slightly surprised before she leaned back into the person’s embrace, allowing herself to be fondled! She turned her head, her eyes hazy as she gazed at Lu Luo and offered her lips. And Lu Luo didn’t refuse Dumb Hair at this moment. It had been a long time since they were last together. Bai Yuetong’s seductive moans echoed continuously in the studio. There was no one else here, just her and Lu Luo.
Lu Luo lifted Bai Yuetong onto the bed but did not continue, because her Constitution could no longer withstand his passion. The beauty lay on the bed with a flushed face, watching Lu Luo contentedly.
"I’m not on birth control!"
"I know," Lu Luo nodded.
Lu Luo was aware that although Bai Yuetong never mentioned it, she definitely longed to have a child with him. She and Lu Luo had been together for almost 5 years. Even in Lu Luo’s past life, 5 years of dating was not short. Not to mention in this Transcendent world where one could marry and have children within a month.
HEHE!
Bai Yuetong suddenly laughed, then rested her forehead against Lu Luo’s chest, "I won’t fight with her. Can you come to see me more often?"
It was hard for Lu Luo to imagine that such words had come from Bai Yuetong’s mouth. He felt inexplicably heartbroken when he heard this. The once strong, stubborn girl had now become his woman. Her demands were few, but he often couldn’t fulfill even these.
"Alright."
Lu Luo provided no further explanation, nor was there a need for one. Excuses are just excuses, never as effective as actual actions.
He would try to come and spend more time with her in the future!
"Shall we continue?" Bai Yuetong seemed keen to go for more.
But Lu Luo looked at her with slight skepticism, "Don’t force yourself if you’re not up to it. You can’t get fat in one go."
"No, no, no, I’ve been exercising my body recently. Haven’t you noticed that I’m in pretty good shape?" Bai Yuetong said, already throwing herself at Lu Luo.
The night was filled only with tenderness.
The next morning, the servant brought Bai Yuetong’s breakfast. Because Bai Yuetong often worked overtime like this, the maids who served her had grown accustomed to it.
"UH, AH!"
When the maid saw a man lying on Bai Yuetong’s bed with Bai Yuetong herself writhing on top of him, the maid began to scream loudly!
Bai Yuetong was the boss’s wife!
The boss’s wife having an affair, how could this be allowed?
The maid’s screams attracted the attention of many, including Lu Luo and Bai Yuetong themselves.
"Uh, it seems we went a bit too far."
"Don’t stop!"
The two of them continued, while Zhou Kai had already brought people outside Bai Yuetong’s studio.
"Bai Yuetong, what’s going on?"
Zhou Kai, as Lu Luo’s confidant, felt particularly heavy-hearted upon learning that Bai Yuetong was having a secret meeting with a man and had even become intimate.
What should he do?
If Lu Luo were here, what would Lu Luo do?
Bai Yuetong’s infidelity couldn’t be justified, could it? Lu Luo was so handsome and strong.
Why did Dumb Hair need to look for another man?
If Lu Luo found out about this, would he kill Bai Yuetong? That man was definitely going to die, there was no doubt about that.
So, what should he do now?
Bai Yuetong didn’t open the door to her room. She continued to writhe while answering Zhou Kai’s question.
"Hmm, there’s nothing much, Zhou Kai. I’m just doing what I really want to do," she replied.
Her sweet, melodious moans echoed in the corridor. It wasn’t just Zhou Kai who felt awkward; other members of the base also felt a wave of embarrassment.
This was the boss’s woman, after all!
However, Lu Luo, in the room, was somewhat speechless. Bai Yuetong’s kinks were just too strange. She always liked to try flashy things. This kind of interaction, under these circumstances, seemed to fulfill a particular need of hers.
BANG!
The door was kicked open. Bai Yuetong, like a startled little rabbit, dove under the covers, leaving a disheveled Lu Luo exposed on the bed.
"Eh? Brother Luo? Why are you back?" Zhou Kai was surprised.
Lu Luo was speechless too. He just wanted to say something.
HISS!
Even though his Constitution had reached 700, this kind of thing... well, you get it, right?
Lu Luo had an awkward expression, but he quickly became serious: "Yes, I’m back."
"Then... do we need to notify those up front?"
"Don’t rush. Get the subordinates in order. Don’t let word of my arrival get out."
"Understood!"
Even though both of them knew their relationship was still solid, in front of their subordinates, a clear distinction between superior and subordinate had to be maintained. This became more apparent as Lu Luo’s power and status rose.
After Zhou Kai left with those people, Lu Luo immediately flipped off the covers.
"Bai Yuetong, you’re having one of your fits again."
"You promised to give me a child, don’t you want to anymore?!"
Looking at Bai Yuetong’s plaintive expression, Lu Luo was completely at a loss.
Well alright, since she wanted a child, he had no choice but to steel himself and get to it.
Zhou Kai waited a long time in the training room with the people from before. He didn’t hurry Lu Luo, because he knew what Lu Luo was currently doing.
"Boss?"
A subordinate tried to remind Zhou Kai, but after Zhou Kai gave him a sharp glance, he fell silent. These men genuinely respected Zhou Kai as their leader. Because Zhou Kai’s abilities were very strong, strong enough to command respect. In the base, Zhou Kai and Bai Yuetong were the undeniable controllers.
But Lu Luo was different. Although he was the boss, he appeared too seldom. Even when he came to the base, he would mostly just have a clandestine meeting with Bai Yuetong, assign some tasks to Zhou Kai, and then leave. In such circumstances, his presence at the Half-Mountain Villa base significantly diminished. This might give some underlings strange ideas.
"Listen up! The one you are about to meet is the true master of the Circular, our leader. He is also the sole super-strong Transcendent in our Circular, Lord Lu Luo. No matter what rumors you’ve heard about his personality—whether he’s affable, domineering, or even ruthless and merciless—none of that matters anymore. If you want to be recognized in the Circular, you must first gain Lord Lu Luo’s approval. If you can’t understand this, then the Circular will not be your future home!"
"Understood."
Zhou Kai’s reminder made their hearts pound—it seemed their boss, Lu Luo, held a far more solid position in the Circular than many had imagined. However, after he had spoken, Lu Luo arrived with Bai Yuetong, who was all smiles and sunshine.
"Boss, good morning."
"Brother Luo, good morning."
"Hmm, morning everyone. You’ve all worked hard."
Lu Luo walked over and sat down casually, without any ceremony. But indeed, he no longer needed to be formal. Not even 25 years old, he had already advanced to the Seventh Tier. Such strength was certainly unprecedented in the Imperial, even if one couldn’t claim no one would surpass him in the future. Even in the Wasteland Alliance, Bai Qingshuang only achieved Seventh Tier at the age of 28, which still put her 3-4 years behind Lu Luo.
After all the greetings had concluded, Zhou Kai finally sat down.
"Brother Kane, how’s the situation lately?"
"The Imperial has been investigating strictly, but we have people looking out for us, so nothing has gone wrong so far. We’ve also maintained close contact with our connections, so although the situation is tense, it’s manageable for now."
Hearing this, Lu Luo nodded slightly. "As long as it’s all right. What was the Imperial’s reaction to that incident of mine?"
"The Imperial’s reaction was a bit strange!"
"Explain."
"They didn’t send many people to investigate. Instead, they just had some members of the Imperial Inspection Department take a cursory look, and that was it. Overall, it looked like they were just going through the motions. Under these circumstances, we didn’t dare act rashly, and most of our operations have been paused."
Lu Luo frowned slightly. Going through the motions? That didn’t make sense!
Not to mention anything else, Wu Handing became a Seventh Tier master at such a young age, so she should have been considered an exceptional talent of the Imperial. Even if not comparable to himself, she was certainly much stronger than the rest. Moreover, given her Imperial Family status, it was very strange that the Imperial just ignored such an impeccable identity and powerful capability.
Could it be Convex and Concave?
If Lu Luo could think of any conspiracy related to a member of the Imperial Family, it would be none other than the Ninth Angel Envoy—the Deceiver, Convex and Concave. Sealed within the Imperial Family, it was Convex and Concave himself who came to the rescue when Wu Handing was in danger.
This seemed very odd.
Why would an Angel Envoy save a member of the Imperial Family?
While Lu Luo was puzzled, the Observer suddenly reminded him.
[Perhaps he wasn’t there to save Wu Handing?]
Lu Luo was startled by the thought. If Convex and Concave wasn’t there to save Wu Handing, then what was his purpose? Wu Handing was already on the brink of death at Lu Luo’s hands. When in grave danger, Wu Handing had triggered the Imperial Family’s mark, which should have the effect of summoning family members for aid. Convex and Concave took the place of the rescuing Imperial Family members but was not there to rescue Wu Handing. So, his objective? Could it be... to watch Wu Handing die?
The more Lu Luo thought about it, the more likely this conjecture seemed.
Although he didn’t know what the conditions for Convex and Concave’s seal were while in the underwater world, given that the seal was linked to the Imperial Family, it must be related to them.
"How would the death of a talented Imperial Family member benefit Convex and Concave? No, let me rephrase: what impact would the death of a talent have on the Imperial Family? Hadn’t Wu Liji said before that there are many princes and princesses, and these are just the officially acknowledged ones, not all the offspring? That in itself is quite strange. Even if an Imperial Family wanted a prosperous lineage, they wouldn’t need *that* many. After all, the growth of princes and princesses also requires the consumption of resources."
[Could it be that an increase in Imperial talent strengthens the suppression of Convex and Concave?]
Lu Luo narrowed his eyes slightly. That suggestion seemed rather intriguing. If one thought in reverse, the decline of exceptional Imperial talent would gradually weaken Convex and Concave’s seal.
"If that’s the reason, then we really have something to talk about!"
Zhou Kai, seeing Lu Luo deep in thought and not speaking, didn’t bother him and quietly waited for Lu Luo to finish thinking.
After a long while, Lu Luo finally lifted his head: "Keep the news of my return quiet for now. Assign some internal tasks to the people here, but postpone them."
"Got it. Is there anything else you need?"
"Nothing else. I’ll go to Coal Capital as soon as possible and get the specifics about the Imperial Family from Zhang Changming. Guessing here doesn’t serve any purpose."
"What about the business side of things?"
"Restart all business operations. You don’t need to worry about other matters. I’ll handle any issues with the Imperial!"
"Okay."
The conversation between the two was actually very simple; often, words weren’t even necessary. That was because Lu Luo’s presence invariably gave great confidence to others. There would be a qualitative leap in intelligence and combat strength—a fact beyond doubt.
"All right, go back to what you were doing. I’ll be heading to Coal Capital in a bit."
"Yes, sir."
Having ended his talk with Zhou Kai, Lu Luo returned to the studio with Bai Yuetong.
"Dumb Hair, we might be heading to the Imperial Capital soon."
"Really? I’ve been looking forward to that day."
"Don’t rush. I’ll keep my promises. Just let me settle the issues in the GuiXi region first."
"I’ve waited so long; I don’t mind a bit more time."
Bai Yuetong truly didn’t care much for anything like the Bai Family or the Imperial’s Royal Family Clans. What she cared about more were Lu Luo and the business they were running together. If it weren’t for her mother’s last wish, she’d have no interest in the Imperial Capital at all.
After a kiss of farewell with Bai Yuetong, Lu Luo set off on the road to Coal Capital. With his current speed, traveling between two nearby cities wouldn’t take much time at all.
But at the exact moment Lu Luo headed to Coal Capital, changes were taking place in Huizhou—changes many were aware of and most were adapting to.
「Smart machinery upgrade!」
In Huizhou, at the Central Science Research Institute, Noah was leaning back in the chair of the director’s office, listening to the explanations of the short, plump man in front of him.
"The latest research results were promoted at a price 25% below cost and should have entered the market by now. Our space expansion technology is also making gradual progress. I believe we will have results soon."
Noah, having only joined for two years, naturally could not have been director. But he was Noah! He was the Monarch of the Eighth Order, the true cataclysm, an entity known as humanity’s destroyer. So, he had tossed the director to the seat opposite him. While he occupied the director’s chair, the so-called director had to report to him instead.
"You’ve been working hard, director. How about a cup of coffee?"
"Oh, sure!"
The director took a sip of the coffee. It was pure black and very bitter, so it wasn’t quite to his taste.
"Bitter, isn’t it?" Noah suddenly asked.
"Indeed, a little."
"Don’t worry. You’ll soon see the sweet after the bitter!" Noah said with an implied meaning.
