Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 453: Hello My Guide, Mr. Lu Luo (8K)
Outside Qi Xinzhu’s bedroom, several people had already gathered, including Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai; all the high-level members of Circular had arrived.
The child of Qi Xinzhu was not just Qi Xinzhu’s child. This child would hold a special significance within Circular.
Lu Luo’s successor.
After all, the eldest son would possess the properties of a successor, and also a proxy for Lu Luo’s power.
When a power grows to a certain extent, the emergence of a successor can indeed make the power much more stable.
Therefore, everyone was looking forward to the arrival of Lu Luo’s first offspring.
WAH! WAH! WAH!
Accompanied by bouts of crying, Circular’s private doctor walked out of the room with a smile.
"Congratulations, Lord Lu Luo, it’s a daughter."
"Eh, good, thank you."
As a new father, Lu Luo was not quite sure how to express his emotions. After having Zhou Kai give the doctor a red envelope, he entered the room.
By now, all the medical staff had left the room, and the other people from Circular gave space to the Lu Luo family of three.
Entering the room, Lu Luo saw the child quietly lying beside Qi Xinzhu.
The newborn was somewhat dark-skinned with traces of amniotic fluid on her body.
But Lu Luo didn’t care about these things at all, because this was his child.
"How do you feel?"
"How do I feel? You don’t think that giving birth would put me in danger, do you?"
Qi Xinzhu was in good condition; her strong Constitution meant she didn’t need to worry about childbirth.
Previously, Lu Luo had made such a fuss, she felt it unnecessary, but seeing as it was Lu Luo’s first child, Qi Xinzhu let him take the lead.
"After all, it’s your first time giving birth, it’s good to be cautious."
Lu Luo touched his forehead to Qi Xinzhu’s face, and between husband and wife, there was no need to say more.
The little one, who had stopped crying, sneakily glanced at Lu Luo at this moment, seemingly curious about who the person in front of her was.
"Can I hold her?"
"You’re her father, of course you can."
Qi Xinzhu smiled again. Lu Luo was still too nervous.
It was not a common sight.
"Okay, I’ll be careful then!"
Lu Luo didn’t know whether he was telling Qi Xinzhu that he would be careful or reminding himself to be careful.
In any case, when he picked up the child, his heart was in a flutter, and his fingers were unsure where to place them.
"She smiled at me."
Lu Luo’s eyebrows almost curled up. He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he instinctively felt a blood connection when the child was born.
This was no doubt, but the real ability of a Transcendent.
Bloodline Inheritance!
Usually, the bloodline inheritance of a Transcendent isn’t as intense as Lu Luo’s.
But Lu Luo wasn’t a normal human being; his bloodline inheritance seemed to be somewhat stronger than the average person.
So, from the moment this child was born, she already possessed some innate Transcendent talents for growth.
Such innate talents also mean this child is completely different from other humans from birth.
She wouldn’t even need her body to mature to begin training, nor would she require Awakening.
Such talent could allow her to create a huge gap between herself and other Transcendents by the time she reaches adulthood.
"This, this is what you call talent!"
Lu Luo looked at his daughter, feeling slightly emotional inside.
The little girl seemed to sense something and reached out her hand to grasp at something.
Just as Lu Luo was about to extend his finger, his pupils slightly contracted.
A tendril made of Sequence Energy was already in the child’s grasp.
This power... not only could directly see my Sequence form, but it could even materialize my Sequence form. This must be a power that even I myself never had, right?
"Xinzhu, what should we name our daughter?"
"You are her father, so naturally you should choose her name."
"I’m totally unprepared, despite having thought of many names before. But now, those all seem too fancy and inappropriate."
Lu Luo had prepared many names for his child beforehand.
For a boy, there were names like Wenbo, Wenyu, and Haoxuan.
For a girl, names like Zixuan and Zihan and the like.
He wasn’t influenced by soap operas from a previous life; it was just that in his time, such names were popular.
But when he actually saw his daughter, he felt that none of those names sounded right.
"I think, our daughter should have a rather simple name."
"A simple name? That’s good. Have you thought of one?"
"How about Xiaofang? Lu Xiaofang."
"Lu Xiaofang?"
"Mhm."
Qi Xinzhu hadn’t expected that after all the names Lu Luo had prepared, he would end up giving their daughter such a plain and unadorned name.
However, the name Xiaofang did sound nice.
"It does sound nice."
"Of course, did you expect anything less from her dad?"
Lu Luo began to boast, and Qi Xinzhu could tell he was very happy.
Being happy and joyful were different. Indulging in desires was joyful; obtaining treasures was a delight.
But having a child, that was happiness.
Lu Luo was undoubtedly thrilled.
In the following days, Lu Luo wholeheartedly devoted himself to his wife and daughter, showing great tenderness.
Qi Xinzhu felt Lu Luo’s preoccupation, so about ten days after the birth of the child, she said to him:
"If you have things to do, go do them. You can love your child very much, but you don’t need to do so right now.
There will be plenty of time in the future.
Lu Luo, you have many matters, many challenges, that you shouldn’t linger over here for."
Before Qi Xinzhu could finish, Lu Luo covered her mouth.
"Enough, I know what I’m doing. Don’t feel as if I’m neglecting my own matters to take care of the family.
Family is a part of life, after all.
And as for the matters of Huizhou, I still haven’t figured out how to resolve them."
"Are they very difficult?"
"Yes, a bit troublesome."
Qi Xinzhu nodded. If even Lu Luo said it was troublesome, then it certainly was a difficult matter.
Such issues usually didn’t require her involvement, so naturally she didn’t need to inquire.
Qi Xinzhu pointed at Bai Yuetong, who was holding the child, and smiled warmly.
"Look at Bai Yuetong, she seems to really like the child.
Hurry up and work hard so she can have a child too."
Lu Luo’s scalp tingled. How had the once-distant Qi Xinzhu now become like this?
"Is this something I can achieve by myself?
This kind of thing can only go with the flow, right?"
"Is that so? Then we can only go with the flow."
And so, Lu Luo spent more than a month with his family, and then he hosted a full-month feast for the baby.
In this world, there was no custom of throwing a full-month feast for babies; at most, there would be a coming-of-age ceremony when the child reached adulthood. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Therefore, Lu Luo’s decision to host a full moon celebration seemed very odd to many people.
"Is it some special ritual?"
"Or maybe they’re casting a spell on their child?"
"Who knows, I’ve heard that the boss is a pretty strange person."
The discussion among the subordinates darkened Lu Luo’s face. Was this how they saw him?
It wasn’t entirely their fault for finding Lu Luo a bit odd; after all, recently he had been extremely low-profile.
Low-profile, yet he possessed an authority akin to that of a sovereign Monarch.
This made the new members of Circular curious about Lu Luo.
The full moon celebration went smoothly, and that night, Lu Luo stood at the top of the Half-Mountain Villa, holding his child.
Pointing towards the sky and the bright moon, Lu Luo whispered:
"Let us become the kings of the world!"
"HAHA!" Lu Xiaofang could only laugh, but Lu Luo had a feeling that she somehow understood his meaning and was delighted.
"Indeed, you are worthy to be Lu Luo’s daughter, born with such grand ambitions."
"Lu Luo, put Xiaofang down now. It’s the middle of the night; you’ll frighten the child."
Shouting from below was Bai Yuetong, and seeing her anxious look made Lu Luo feel amused.
Often, she was even more concerned about the child’s safety than Qi Xinzhu.
"Alright, send the child back. We’ll continue making another one."
"What do you mean continue making another one? What are you talking about?"
Bai Yuetong blushed.
"I need to leave for a while, so tonight..."
"I understand."
Thus, on the eve of Lu Luo’s departure from Half-Mountain Villa, he and Bai Yuetong worked hard all night to create another child.
Unfortunately, conceiving another child with Bai Yuetong wasn’t that easy.
「The next morning」
Lu Luo had already left the Half-Mountain Villa base.
It was indeed regrettable that Bai Yuetong was not pregnant, but he really couldn’t stay here any longer.
Just as Zhang Changming had said, once the intelligent machinery crisis truly erupted, no person or power could remain unaffected.
Moreover, Lu Luo wanted to see if the source of this crisis was indeed Noah.
If it was Noah, what exactly did he intend to do?
「In Huizhou.」
Inside the meeting hall of the Guard Office, a group of guards reluctantly pulled out their cell phones, gathering them together on the table in the meeting hall.
Just now, something difficult to accept had occurred in the Guard Office.
Two guards, while interrogating a prisoner, experienced a sudden aberration in their cell phones.
Yes, their cell phones suddenly mutated.
Both of their phones bizarrely merged with stray Dark Energy, transforming into small mechanical spider-like monsters.
The batteries of the phones were used by the creatures as projectiles, instantly killing an ordinary person on the spot.
Now the situation had escalated severely.
Although the other guards reacted quickly, destroying the two mechanical monsters, an ordinary person had died.
They were just common thieves; no matter how you looked at it, they didn’t deserve the death penalty.
Now that someone had died within the Guard Office’s premises, what should they do next?
How could they explain this to society, to the public?
Perhaps the demise of a petty thief might make the public cheer, but the hidden dangers were unimaginable.
Now it was a generally despised thief who had died.
But what if the deceased wasn’t a thief, but an innocent person?
What if it were a witness?
What kind of consequences would that lead to? The people at the Guard Office didn’t dare to think any further.
"Did everyone take out their cell phones?" The chief of the Guard Office also looked very upset.
Such an incident was something nobody wanted to see.
"They’ve all been taken out."
"What about the people from the Inspection Department?"
"We’ve already notified them; they’ll be here in about 5 minutes."
"Chief, would you say this incident qualifies as an intelligent machinery crisis?"
The chief’s complexion changed. An intelligent machinery crisis... a year ago, in Huizhou, there was no such term.
But now, Huizhou had reached a point where the mere mention of intelligent machinery changed expressions.
Communication with the outside world had been completely cut off in Huizhou, and many places were under lockdown.
The Imperial command concerning the intelligent machinery crisis demanded an end within three months.
But once such an incident occurred, how could it possibly end within three months?
Mutated intelligent devices gave no warning signs: a cellphone, a refrigerator, a TV set.
Any of these devices could become mechanical aberrations at any moment. But was it possible to ban all these items?
Absolutely not, the public would never agree to that.
Just take, for instance, asking the guards of the Guard Office to surrender their cellphones; they all did so reluctantly.
And that was with them being aware of the situation; they still had that attitude.
Not to mention the ordinary people out there.
Survivor’s bias could appear anywhere, in anyone’s heart.
Your cellphone had problems just by coincidence, maybe mine won’t?
Many people harbored such thoughts.
Because the odds of mechanical anomalies were not high. But those in the higher echelons, naturally, could see farther than the average person.
Take the chief of the Guard Office, for instance.
He was very clear that if one smartphone mutated, the other smartphones were likely to have the conditions to mutate as well.
Right now, they had no clear understanding of the principles behind these mutations.
Further investigation was no longer a matter the Guard Office could handle.
"Have the Inspection Department come quicker, I..."
Just as the chief was about to say he was tired, years of experience made him sense an inexplicable danger.
He instinctively lowered his head.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three bullets hit where he had just been.
The chief, somewhat panicked, looked up and saw the bullet holes behind him and couldn’t find the words to speak.
Everyone turned their gaze towards the direction of the gunfire.
A mechanical arm was emerging from the embrace of a guard.
This mechanical arm, holding a gun, had launched an attack on the chief.
And the owner of the gun, who was the guard himself, was already stunned!
Because he didn’t want to give up his phone, he hid it, but he had never expected it to lead to such a result. The chief of the Guard Office had nearly been killed by his cellphone!
"Hold him down!"
BANG!
Before the other guards could react, this isolated guard was killed by his own phone and firearm.
After the mechanical arm killed him, it attempted to fire again.
But it was destroyed by several nearby people who quickly drew their guns and shot it.
Looking at the broken mutated phone and the corpse of their colleague on the ground, everyone felt a chill down their spine.
Such sneak attacks were utterly indefensible. You can’t be on guard against your phone at every moment, can you? Even if you can do without a phone, what about the TV, the refrigerator, the air conditioner when you’re at home? What do you do when you sleep? And what about when you’re exhausted?
As everyone fell into a panic, Zhang Changming, accompanied by Wang Bin, had already arrived at the Guard Office.
"First, lockdown the scene."
"Yes."
With Zhang Changming’s arrival, many people breathed a sigh of relief.
Having a Seventh Tier powerhouse on the scene, many things would become simpler. Especially in terms of the danger level of the situation, which would decrease under certain circumstances.
"Minister Zhang has finally come."
"Director Wang, you’ve worked hard."
Zhang Changming offered a bit of polite conversation, and his even-tempered manner took Director Wang aback for a moment.
The Zhang Changming before him didn’t seem to match the description of a cold-faced man from the legends.
"Minister Zhang, do you have any solutions for the current situation?"
"You don’t need to worry about that, leave it to us to handle."
"Alright then."
Solve? Zhang Changming didn’t have the ability to solve it. Even as a Seventh Tier expert, the intelligent machinery crisis’s anomaly was completely unrelated to power.
"We’ll take the things; everyone else can disperse."
"You’re leaving just like that?"
"What? Do you want to invite me for tea?"
"No, it’s just... don’t you need to ask about what happened?"
"There will be someone else continuing the investigation here."
Zhang Changming felt somewhat helpless. He hadn’t slept for 11 days, dealing with high-intensity emergency intelligent machinery anomalies every day. Even as a Seventh Tier expert, he was feeling mentally and physically exhausted at this point. The Guard Office’s situation really was no way to deal with; right now, they were more or less just going through the motions.
With the confiscated cell phones in their possession, they had to return to the Inspection Department again.
"Minister, that kid named Noah wants to see you."
"Noah wants to see me?" Zhang Changming looked puzzled.
Regarding this Noah, he actually had a lot of speculation in his heart. Because from the story told by Lu Luo previously, the strange Monarch leading the intelligent machinery crisis was called Noah. And this intelligent anomaly event in Huizhou also started with this young researcher named Noah. His identity was like a puzzle, with no background to be found on the person. When this man appeared more than two years ago, he brought with him the technology for smart device development as well as Spatial Expansion Technology. It could be said that the advent of the intelligent machinery crisis was very likely brought about by this young man named Noah. But... they had no evidence whatsoever, nor even a way to deal with Noah. When they went to arrest Noah, he was conducting research in his own lab. He didn’t resist at all, nor did he find it strange; he just quietly followed them. Intimidation, bribery, Zhang Changming and his people had already tried it all. But Noah always denied it, responding directly to them: "I don’t know what you’re talking about." Of course, Zhang Changming didn’t believe this matter had nothing to do with Noah; his name, the technology he brought, undoubtedly had a significant connection to the incident. Noah himself simply wouldn’t admit it, and without evidence, this put them at a stalemate. Even the dark agents of the Inspection Department had taken action, using torture and the like. Yet, Noah still didn’t show any sign of yielding. What was more outrageous was that the suffering brought on by each session of harsh torture seemed to elicit a disturbingly satisfied reaction from Noah. The previous times they had also thought Noah was faking it; after all, who in the world actually likes suffering? This kind of suffering is very different from S and M. That stuff is just minor harm, using pain for pleasure, both mental and physical. But interrogation is real pain, Transcendent interrogation, oppression, a joint demolition of spirit and body. Every time Noah was interrogated, the way he savored and enjoyed the pain didn’t seem feigned at all. As time went on, the interrogation lost its original purpose. Zhang Changming had thought Noah would never speak, but unexpectedly, he was now requesting to see him. Why is that?
As Zhang Changming walked, he asked the subordinate beside him:
"Did he say why he wants to see me?"
"No, but he said you would surely meet with him."
"This guy, as annoying as another one I know."
Zhang Changming had no choice; he had to take the Intelligent Machinery Crisis seriously.
Regardless, the lead on the Intelligent Machinery Crisis from Noah’s side was the most important, so just as Noah had said, he would certainly go.
「Back at the Inspection Department」
The director of the Huizhou Inspection Department, Wu Qi, was already waiting for him.
"Old Zhang, what’s your take?"
"I’m taking it standing up. And you?"
"Then I’ll take it sitting down."
The two did not see eye to eye, but on such a critical issue, they couldn’t afford to be ambiguous.
What did Noah want to say? This was truly tantalizing!
Zhang Changming entered Noah’s interrogation room, while the others were observing their every move from outside through the surveillance.
The ordinary-looking Noah sat in the interrogation room’s chair.
His hands and feet were locked with very strong Sequence restraints, capable of greatly suppressing Transcendent powers.
To ensure that Noah wouldn’t escape at this time.
Sitting opposite Noah, Zhang Changming’s face began to look somber.
"As per your request, I’ve come.
So, what do you want to do by seeing me?"
"Minister Zhang, before we speak, may I make a request?"
"The Inspection Department isn’t a place to negotiate terms with you."
"Then I better not speak..." Noah clammed up right away.
Alright, as soon as he shut up, the people outside immediately got anxious.
"Old Zhang, Old Zhang, you can’t do this!"
"Yeah, Minister Zhang, if he has demands, just let him make them; we can consider meeting them accordingly, as long as they’re not too excessive."
The urging in the earpiece left Zhang Changming somewhat speechless.
After all, an interrogation should not be controlled by a suspect’s rhythm. Those on the outside were clearly being led by the nose by Noah. Maybe the pressure from the Intelligent Machinery Crisis was too great, but Zhang Changming still felt that regardless of the pressure, they should not compromise with a criminal.
Zhang Changming’s resigned expression did not escape Noah’s notice.
He watched the other with a smile.
"It seems the people outside have different ideas than you.
Mr. Zhang Changming really is a man of principle."
Noah’s words made those listening in feel very awkward, but since the one conversing with Noah was Zhang Changming, no one could intervene.
"State your demands, but don’t go too far."
"Of course it won’t be excessive, I’d like a cup of coffee."
Noah’s request was indeed simple, which also left the others quite baffled.
"Is that your request?" Zhang Changming asked doubtfully.
"Isn’t it simple?"
"Indeed, it’s quite simple."
Shortly thereafter, the coffee was brought into the interrogation room. Zhang Changming briefly checked the two items, and after confirming there were no issues, he placed them in front of Noah.
But he seemed to have overlooked the handcuffs on Noah’s hands.
Seeing that Zhang Changming had no intention of unlocking his handcuffs, Noah suddenly laughed.
"Heh, Mr. Zhang Changming really is a vengeful man."
SNAP!
The Sequence handcuffs, imbued with sealing power, simply broke in Noah’s hands.
Without warning and without a trace!
Sitting opposite him, Zhang Changming felt a tingle on his scalp; he hadn’t even felt any fluctuation in the other’s energy.
How is that possible?
Zhang Changming suddenly realized something—Noah was very young, and he was a human.
This appearance made them overlook a lot of things. They had always been pursuing the existence behind Noah, the will that was manipulating the intelligent machinery crisis, but they had consistently ignored Noah himself!
"Noah, you..."
"Shh!"
Noah raised his finger.
"Mr. Zhang Changming, don’t speak recklessly about things you do not know. Speaking recklessly can cause problems.
Do you know why I wanted coffee?"
"Why?"
Noah stared at the coffee in his hand, seemingly lost in memories.
"For a very long time, I always thought coffee was sweet.
This belief lasted many years, many, many years.
Because from very early on, those people told me that coffee was sweet.
And one after another, it never changed.
It wasn’t until a few years ago that a young man told me coffee’s main undertone was bitter, and only then did I realize what I was missing.
This awakening of awareness turned my life upside down.
And that young man was like my guide and mentor in life."
Zhang Changming didn’t know how many years Noah referred to by ’many years,’ but he had a feeling that it was probably not a short period.
As for the young man Noah was talking about.
Zhang Changming’s mind reflexively went to Lu Luo!
"That person..."
"As you know, Mr. Zhang Changming, I call you ’mister’ as a polite form of address.
I am always very courteous to my friends."
"Friends, eh? Then what is it that you’re missing?"
"Sensation? Thought? Or perhaps something deeper, like humanity."
Looking at Noah before him, Zhang Changming suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
If his inner guess was true, then the other party...
"Mr. Noah, I have met your request, can you now explain the purpose of having me come here?
And about the intelligent machinery crisis."
"The purpose of having Mr. Zhang Changming come here was just to have you as a witness, that’s all."
"A witness? A witness to what?"
"Don’t be anxious, you will know very soon."
"And the matter of the intelligent machinery crisis?"
"An intelligent machinery crisis? What is that? There has never been any intelligent machinery crisis in this world, understand?"
"If I hadn’t just seen a cellphone turn into a robot with my own eyes, and even attack one of my guys, I might have believed what you’re saying."
HAHAHAHA!
Noah laughed crazily, but Zhang Changming didn’t stop him.
After he finished laughing, Noah slowly began to speak.
"Mr. Zhang Changming, you must be quite troubled by this incident, aren’t you? Mainly because you lack the research and understanding of intelligent machinery mutation.
To put it more clearly, it’s because you have never faced intelligent machinery species."
"Explain it in detail."
"The birth of an intelligent machinery species is actually very simple. Any smart or semi-smart device, some Dark Energy, and some emotions can cause their mutation.
There can be many kinds of emotions; they are usually a rendering of the item owner’s will.
For example, you just mentioned someone wanting to attack your guy, then it’s likely your two guys had a grudge in private.
And that attacked chief of the Guard Office probably had someone harboring resentment against him before.
The convergence of emotions and Dark Energy is the best catalyst for mutation, and the birth of an intelligent machinery species is just that simple."
Noah explained the situation of the intelligent machinery species simply, making those who were watching him from outside suddenly become uneasy.
Any intelligent machinery device? Isn’t that scope a bit too broad?
"Then why in the past thousand years, has the Empire never seen an intelligent machinery species.
But after you arrived, intelligent machinery species began to appear."
"The emergence of intelligent machinery species is inevitable and has nothing to do with me.
Even without me, Noah, there would be Noeu, Nofey, Nome.
The most critical thing is the humans’ dependence on Dark Energy and their increasingly negative emotions."
Noah’s explanation made it difficult for the people here to be satisfied, including Zhang Changming himself.
But before he could continue to inquire, Noah’s expression suddenly changed.
He narrowed his long eyes and stared at Zhang Changming.
"He’s coming, and he’ll be here soon.
In about 20 seconds, he will call you."
"He?" Zhang Changming was taken aback, but he immediately realized that Noah was talking about Lu Luo.
And mentioning the phone, Zhang Changming naturally took out his own mobile phone.
As expected, after 20 seconds, his phone rang.
The number was one Zhang Changming didn’t have on record but remembered deep in his heart — Lu Luo’s private number.
Zhang Changming looked at the phone, sensing a flavor of conspiracy, but he couldn’t be sure what it was exactly.
Wu Qi’s urging voice came through the earpiece:
"Old Zhang, why aren’t you answering the phone? Who is that person Noah’s talking about?
Pick up the phone quickly, are you hiding something from us?"
Zhang Changming’s fingers tightened around the phone, and eventually, he pressed the answer button.
As he picked up the call, more than 100 smart surveillance devices had already locked onto the communication between the two.
The voice on the other end of the line was lazy and casual.
"Hello, Zhang Changming, I’m here. Where are you right now?"
Zhang Changming took a deep breath, looked at Noah in front of him, glanced at the members of the Inspection Department with strange looks in their eyes outside the window, and then released his breath.
"I’m at the Inspection Department, you..."
SMACK! Noah suddenly snatched away Zhang Changming’s phone, leaving Zhang Changming with just a numb feeling in his arm.
He was taken aback for a moment, wanting to fight back and snatch his phone back, but Noah had already sat down in his chair, raising his finger to deny him that opportunity.
"Mr. Zhang Changming, you’d better stay calm. I’m sure the other people in the Inspection Department don’t want to see you looking so panicked."
Then Noah picked up Zhang Changming’s phone and put it to his own ear.
"Long time no see, the man who guided me to the right path, Mr. Lu Luo."
