Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 483 - 481: The Choice of Inner Ring People
As Lu Luo spoke, his body began to ascend.
He did this intentionally, for he wanted to give Shi Tingyu an absolute shock.
A shock to her mind, her plans, and her perception of strength.
He aimed to intimidate Shi Tingyu with the might of the Imperial, broadening her perspective.
With his own slaughter plan, he intended to disrupt the judgments Shi Tingyu was about to make.
Finally, with raw power, he would completely subdue this proud woman.
What did it mean to be a Seventh Tier at the age of twenty-five?
This meant Lu Luo’s potential surpassed even that of Judgment Chief Bai Qingshuang.
This level of power was unprecedented.
With such strength, unifying the Wasteland Alliance was practically inevitable.
「 」
In the afternoon, back in the Secretary-General’s office, Shi Tingyu didn’t even know how she had returned.
But after returning, she simply sat there in a daze.
"Miss? Miss? The ink!"
The assistant’s reminder jolted Shi Tingyu back to reality. Only then did she notice that her fountain pen had soaked the document paper in front of her.
She waved her hand irritably.
"Print another copy."
"Okay, but Miss, are you alright? You’ve been distracted since you came back at noon. If something’s bothering you, you can tell me!"
The assistant looked at her with pity. Shi Tingyu turned to the young woman who had served her for many years. Just as she was about to snap, her anger subsided.
This girl is innocent. If a war really breaks out, will she die? If the people from the Fourth Ring breach the Third High Wall, can the Hunters restrain their own subordinates? Will the women of the Inner Ring become slaves to those from the Outer Rings? These were all matters Shi Tingyu needed to consider.
Counterattack? Heh, previously, I might have had a sliver of confidence. But after seeing Lu Luo’s strength, I have none at all. A Seventh Tier so young. And this Seventh Tier is Lu Luo. He is very cautious in his actions, even to the point of being cunning. He is not one to place himself in danger without absolute certainty. Does his presence in the Inner Ring now mean he possesses absolute certainty? Does he wish for a peaceful transformation to avoid too much bloodshed?
Shi Tingyu wasn’t sure if her deductions were correct. However, she was certain of one thing: Lu Luo would definitely make a move against a prominent figure in the Inner Ring next.
"Who could it be?"
"Miss, what are you talking about?"
"Nothing much. You go on with your work. I won’t get any work done this afternoon; I’m not in the right state of mind for it."
"Oh, okay then."
Shi Tingyu remained as gentle as ever, but her assistant clearly sensed her preoccupation, though she was powerless to help.
After the assistant left, Shi Tingyu interlaced her fingers and propped her chin on them.
If Lu Luo is going to take action next, what should I do?
This question began to trouble Shi Tingyu.
She was a woman of action. Since she was certain something was about to happen, she knew she had to act.
Wait, Lu Luo mentioned his older brother needed a job. An important job... could this be a signal he’s sending me? Lu Luo’s older brother must be someone Lu Luo trusts, right? Could he want his older brother to become the liaison for the changes in the Inner and Outer Rings? If that’s the case, then I can’t just give Lu Yang an insignificant post...
"Ah Ling!"
Shi Tingyu suddenly called out to her assistant outside, and Ah Ling immediately ran in.
"Yes! What is it, Miss?"
"Find this person for me and have him come over right now."
"Wall Guardian Lu Yang? Miss, why are you looking for him? His record is problematic; he used to be with the Church."
Ah Ling pursed her lips, seemingly holding a strong aversion to Church members, for reasons unknown from her past.
"He’s not with the Church; he’s one of us, and a very important person at that."
Hearing Shi Tingyu say this, Ah Ling’s eyes darted around, and she suddenly covered her mouth!
Could this Lu Yang be the legendary undercover agent? He completed his mission and then spent two years in an unimportant post, so is he now about to be promoted? Wow, this must be a huge secret! AHEM, I mustn’t jump to conclusions.
"Yes, I’ll contact Mr. Lu Yang right away."
Shi Tingyu glanced at Ah Ling curiously, unaware that her assistant had already concocted an entire saga of Lu Yang’s roundabout heroism.
"Alright, hurry along. Stop dawdling."
"Yes, yes, I’m going."
「 」
"Lu Yang! Someone’s looking for you." The doorbell rang. The rough voice of the Wall Guardian Squad Leader came through the intercom.
Lu Yang, who had been sleeping at home, was puzzled. Today is supposed to be my day off. Even if the Wall Guardians’ workload has increased recently, they shouldn’t be summoning me like this, right?
Although inwardly annoyed, Lu Yang managed to suppress his feelings. After all, his current assignment was crucial, and he couldn’t afford any mistakes.
"Okay, I’ll be right there."
"Hurry up! This is a VIP from the Council. Are you trying to get me killed?"
His superior’s grumbling startled Lu Yang. A VIP from the Council? What connection do I have with the Council? Could the Council be planning to settle scores with me for my past affiliation with the Church? No, that doesn’t make sense. If they wanted to settle scores, a single order would suffice. Why would they come to find me personally? Wait... could it be Lu Luo? Isn’t this too soon? We just talked about it this morning!
"Hurry up!"
"Oh, oh, I’m coming!" Lu Yang hitched up his pants and dashed down the stairs.
Downstairs, the Squad Leader, already in uniform, was waiting by the road. Seeing Lu Yang, he immediately waved.
"Get in the car."
After getting into the car, Lu Yang couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked, "Squad Leader, who exactly is this person?"
"I don’t know. I heard it’s someone from the Council Secretary-General. That’s a high-ranking connection. Did you do something terrible to attract their attention?"
The Squad Leader glanced at Lu Yang impatiently, seemingly worried Lu Yang would cause him trouble.
His past affiliation with the Church made everyone harbor a slight prejudice against Lu Yang.
The Council Secretary-General, huh... I see.
When Lu Yang met Ah Ling, Shi Tingyu’s assistant approached him enthusiastically.
"You must be Senior Lu Yang, right? Hello! My name is Zhang Xiaoling, but you can just call me Ah Ling. If you’re ready, shall we go?"
"Go? Where to?" Lu Yang looked at the enthusiastic Zhang Xiaoling with an even more bewildered expression.
"You’ll know once we get there," Zhang Xiaoling winked playfully.
Lu Yang glanced at his Squad Leader, then at Zhang Xiaoling, and finally nodded, still bewildered.
"All right, let’s go."
Although I don’t know what situation I’ll face next, at least it can’t be worse than before. I’ve already languished in the Wall Guardians system for nearly two years. If things can change, perhaps life will improve.
「 」
Lu Yang followed Zhang Xiaoling to Shi Tingyu’s office. By then, it was already evening.
Council staff members were beginning to leave work one by one.
They showed no surprise at Lu Yang’s arrival, as many knew their superior, Miss Shi Tingyu, was a workaholic.
They had expected some lunchtime gossip, but it seemed she hadn’t changed.
Upon entering, Shi Tingyu greeted Lu Yang warmly.
It was obvious; this man is Lu Luo’s older brother. And the current Lu Luo... well, he’s no longer in the realm of ordinary people. People close to Lu Luo must be treated with more respect than ordinary individuals.
"Mr. Lu Yang, hello. I am Shi Tingyu, Secretary-General of the Wasteland Alliance Council."
Shi Tingyu introduced herself fully, but her title undoubtedly dealt Lu Yang a severe shock.
"Uh, Secretary-General Shi, have I done something wrong? If there’s a problem, I can correct it."
"Haha, Mr. Lu Yang, you jest. Your work has been excellent, as many have noted. However, I’m also aware that your past affiliation with the Church has led to some ostracism. This is quite understandable, and I hope, Mr. Lu Yang, you can appreciate the current sentiments within the Inner Ring."
"I understand. I understand completely."
"I’ve asked you here today because there’s a very important task that needs doing."
"A very important task? What about my previous work...?"
"Don’t worry, I’ve already arranged for someone to take over your previous work. In the coming days, you’ll likely need to adapt to a new identity."
"A new identity? A new job?"
"Yes, a new job."
"What kind of job?" Although he wasn’t sure if this was Lu Luo’s arrangement, Lu Yang still felt a flicker of anticipation for his new job.
"A clandestine task, one of immense strategic value to your future."
"Hmm, is that so?"
Although Lu Yang didn’t yet know what job Shi Tingyu was referring to, he instinctively felt something was amiss.
"May I ask about the specific duties of this job? As you know, I’ve been a Wall Guardian for several years, so I’m worried I might not be up to par in many areas."
"That’s not an issue. You are that person’s brother. We have absolute trust in anyone he recommends."
Was it really arranged by Lu Luo? If so, I can relax a bit.
"If Lu Luo arranged it, then I indeed have no objections."
"Excellent. Get a good night’s rest. You can start tomorrow."
"Ah? But you haven’t told me exactly what I’ll be doing."
"Your task is simple: in the time to come, you will be the liaison between us and the Fourth Ring."
Lu Yang was stunned. The liaison for communication between the Inner Ring and the Fourth Ring? But aren’t the Inner Ring and the Fourth Ring currently almost at daggers drawn?
"Wait, this job..."
"Don’t worry. You’ll understand when you come in tomorrow. It’s a simple job, and with your experience, you’ll handle it effortlessly."
"Alright then. I’ll... give it a try tomorrow."
Lu Yang didn’t yet realize that by accepting this job, he had stepped into Lu Luo’s intricate plan to save the Alliance through indirect means.
「 」
The night of Lu Luo’s arrival was destined to be restless. It was already 2 a.m., yet the lights in the Shi Family Head’s office remained on.
Shi Tingyu’s father, Shi Haoxuan, sat in silence opposite Shi Tingyu. Neither spoke.
Shi Tingyu waited while Shi Haoxuan pondered.
"Did you say Lu Luo has reached Seventh Tier?"
"Yes, Seventh Tier. A genuine, verifiable Seventh Tier."
"Is it possible he’s deceiving you? If he is, a rash judgment could cause our family to suffer immense losses. After all, we’ve endured much to reach our current position."
Shi Tingyu saw the evasion in her father’s eyes—an evasion all too similar to her own in the past.
"Father, do you still intend to evade reality? When the sky falls, the tall may die first, but the short aren’t guaranteed to survive either."
"But you can’t deny there’s some possibility in what I said. At his age, it’s highly unlikely Lu Luo is a Seventh Tier. He’s probably..."
"No, Father, you simply don’t understand what young people think. Your experience is merely that of an older generation. Much of that so-called experience is simply inapplicable now. You once believed it impossible for the Judgment Chief to reach Seventh Tier at twenty-seven. Yet, she achieved it, and it was a harsh rebuke to all of you. She kept the entire Council suppressed and silent for twenty years. Now you believe Lu Luo couldn’t possibly become a Seventh Tier at twenty-five. Well, will Lu Luo also deliver that same rebuke to you?"
Shi Tingyu’s words were pointed, carrying a hint of disrespect towards Shi Haoxuan.
In the past few years, Shi Tingyu’s power had grown too rapidly.
In a way, she had already surpassed her father, Shi Haoxuan, the Family Head and a councilor.
Her authority stemmed from the entire Council, not merely from the Shi Family.
Thus, in her speech, Shi Tingyu already possessed the standing to address her father as an equal.
"I still believe we shouldn’t make hasty judgments at this juncture. What you say might be true. But even if something does happen later, it won’t be too late for us to choose a side then."
"Dad, ultimately, you still refuse to trust my judgment. It seems our Shi Family is doomed."
"What are you saying? Such words..."
"You are courting disaster, blindly and without direction. Being a fence-sitter is pointless. You still don’t grasp how you fall short compared to Luo Xuemin."
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Don’t you know how to respect your own father? In what way do I fall short compared to Luo Xuemin?"
"Sorry, I misspoke. You don’t even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Luo Xuemin. In spite of possessing less power, status, and fewer resources, he boldly employed Lu Luo. And under such perilous circumstances, he facilitated the formation of the new Alliance. Then, despite having an absolute advantage, he voluntarily relinquished all his interests and resources. That kind of boldness is something a person like you couldn’t even begin to emulate. Honestly, if you weren’t my father, I would have left this family long ago."
Shi Tingyu picked up the documents on the table and stood up to leave.
She left a stunned Shi Haoxuan alone in the office.
At that moment, only one question echoed in his mind: Am I really inferior to Luo Xuemin? Where exactly do I fall short?
