Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 394: Someone Died in the Rental House

Chapter 394: Chapter 394: Someone Died in the Rental House

While hunting Exotic Species, Lu Luo realized he had been spotted.

He wasn’t sure if this was good luck or bad luck.

He had merely strayed from the team for a moment, using the Observer to record the terrain and environment, and had unexpectedly encountered an Imperial.

This had to be the first Imperial Lu Luo had met, other than Lin Wen and Kevin Jones.

Bare-chested, Lu Luo shifted his gaze to Wang Zemin; his sharp gaze made Wang Zemin somewhat flustered.

"Holy crap, do wild men not wear clothes? When I read novels as a kid, wild men basically wore things like leather or grass skirts. This wild man’s skin is pretty white!"

Actually, Lu Luo wasn’t intentionally naked; it happened during his fight with an Exotic Species. He had taken a wave of acid breath head-on, which dissolved his clothes, leaving him bare.

But such are the coincidences in life that Wang Zemin saw him naked and mistook him for a wild man.

This Imperial is looking at you strangely, with both shock and curiosity! Do you need to make contact? Maybe brainwash him?

"No need for contact, but as for brainwashing..."

A red eyeball suddenly opened before Wang Zemin, the intense visual impact startling him.

But soon, his eyes began to grow hazy, gradually synchronizing with the Observer’s Eye.

"I saw a wild man!"

"I saw a wild man!"

"I saw a wild man!"

The eyeball disappeared, and only then did Wang Zemin belatedly come to his senses.

"Holy crap, I saw a wild man, a terrifying one... Thank goodness he didn’t charge at me, or I would’ve been done for."

As an intern researcher stationed outdoors, Wang Zemin, a university student, was quite resilient. Despite his fear, the pen in his hand never stopped moving.

This was research, a thesis, a research report from an Imperial university student!

I saw a completely naked man killing a strange creature. Does this world really have wild men?

After writing this down, Wang Zemin immediately added another line.

If you encounter a wild man in the wild, the most rational course of action is to look directly into their eyes and remain calm. Do not show curiosity, nor fear or hostility. Only then will the wild man not harm you...

As Wang Zemin wrote quickly, Lu Luo turned and left.

He didn’t seek further interaction with Wang Zemin because it wasn’t the right time. Dealing with it using the Observer’s Eye and Nightmare Power was sufficient.

"According to Kevin, we should still be some distance from the city. I didn’t expect to encounter people here... Is this an Imperial forward outpost? It doesn’t look like it. Feels more like some kind of small research station."

From that brief encounter, Lu Luo confirmed one thing: the Empire’s security was very high. At least, in the public’s perception, the Empire was a safe place. This was a very important point.

Lu Luo learned from Kevin that the strange creatures, also known as Exotic Species, were also terrifying monsters in the eyes of Imperial people. But they rarely worried about an Exotic Species Outburst destroying humanity or anything of the sort. They treated Exotic Species with a surprising indifference, as if believing that as long as you didn’t provoke them, the Exotic Species wouldn’t provoke you.

This situation was obviously different from that within the Wall. The Exotic Species inside the Wall would spontaneously attack the Fourth Ring; they wanted to get in, to reach deeper. In the Doomsday Halo, the relationship between humans and Exotic Species was one of mortal enmity.

Even an Exotic Species Monarch like Noah Meng, who had developed complete intelligence and even his own tribal structure and social system, was not considered benevolent by Lu Luo. This was the biggest difference between the people of the Wasteland Alliance and Imperial citizens.

"A safe country, huh? Isn’t that the kind of place ordinary people yearn for?"

Lu Luo knew that capital, exploitation, and fierce internal competition would exist anywhere. But the environment of the Wasteland Alliance was indeed the worst. If not for their reforms, the people of the Fourth Ring would still be living in terrible conditions.

"I wonder what level of living standards the Empire’s civilians can achieve."

...

Returning to the group, Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai were in deep conversation with Kevin Jones.

Judging by the distance they had covered, they had already entered Imperial territory. The problem now was that moving around in the Empire also required identity documents. Without them, their group of two hundred would find it difficult to move an inch. Therefore, the most urgent task was to find a way to obtain legal identities to operate within the Empire.

"Is there any chance Lin Wen’s father could help us get identity cards?"

"Lin Wen’s father could get some identity cards, but it’s impossible to get that many. A team of two hundred is the size of a private army. If discovered, it would mean his entire family being wiped out. No one would dare do such a thing."

It was clear that Kevin Jones still cared a lot about Lin Wen’s family. Although they had eloped, Kevin Jones obviously didn’t want Lu Luo and his group to bring trouble upon Lin Wen’s family. In Kevin’s view, Lin Wen’s family would at least not harm Lin Wen. But Lu Luo and his group were different. Kevin didn’t dare to think too much about what might transpire between the Wasteland Alliance and the Empire.

Kevin was willing to use Lin Wen’s father’s channels, and Zhou Kai could somewhat understand why. However, with this development, Lu Luo and his team could no longer proceed with their planned actions.

While everyone fell into silence, Lu Luo returned, dragging the Exotic Species he had just hunted.

"The Exotic Species here aren’t very aggressive. Although we’ve traveled a long distance, the stability and safety are quite high, and the overall environment isn’t bad..."

Lu Luo stopped mid-sentence as he noticed the mood was off.

"What’s wrong with you all? Why the sudden gloom?"

"Brother Luo, we can’t get into the Empire right now. We have a group of over two hundred people, and they’re all Transcendents. No matter where we hide, we’ll be discovered and possibly reported. Without legitimate IDs, our plan to establish a base can’t continue."

Zhou Kai spoke logically, giving Lu Luo a rough idea of their concerns.

"Is that even a problem?" Lu Luo stared.

"It’s not a problem?" Zhou Kai stared back.

Lu Luo was somewhat speechless. Brother Kane was usually quite sharp; what was wrong with him today?

"Brother Kane, have you been leading people for so long that your brain’s gone rusty?"

"What do you mean? Are you looking down on me?"

"No, no, no, Brother Kane, don’t be angry. I’m not looking down on you. What I mean is, why do you insist on bringing all these two hundred-plus people into the Empire? What are you planning to do with so many people? Start a revolution? Engage in reactionary activities? Or maybe execute a decapitation strike?"

"Um... after all, we went to great lengths to bring them out. It would be a shame not to use them." Zhou Kai struggled to respond to Lu Luo’s questions.

"I never said we weren’t going to use them!"

"So, what’s your plan for these people?"

The conversation between Zhou Kai and Lu Luo wasn’t private, and the others became curious as well.

"New trade routes need to be opened. These two hundred people should serve as a deterrent armed force, stationed along the route we need, not follow us aimlessly into the Empire. I’ve already made arrangements for the Mountain God and Sea Mother. Now, we need to establish the channels."

Watching the enthusiastic Lu Luo, Zhou Kai felt a bit embarrassed to interrupt.

"Brother Luo, we don’t even understand the situation in the Empire yet, and you’re already starting on the channels? What if we fail in the Empire, then..."

"Don’t overthink it. To establish ourselves in the Empire, secure channels are essential. To get rich, you first build roads. If we waited to figure everything out and complete all investigations before establishing the channels, we would waste considerable time. Only by working on both simultaneously can we be most efficient. Understand?"

Zhou Kai looked at Lu Luo and, after deep thought, finally nodded. He still didn’t quite grasp Lu Luo’s plan, but he chose to trust him. It was just like at the beginning, when the three of them, students with nothing, dared to follow Lu Luo to start Circle Studio. For monumental tasks, akin to splitting the heavens and the earth, they just needed to entrust them to Lu Luo. They could simply tag along, and typically, they would be well provided for. Just like now, hadn’t he risen to the upper echelons of Circle Studio? Ranking below only a few but above tens of thousands of people, it felt pretty good.

"Alright then, since you’ve decided, we’ll follow your lead. Regarding the channels, do you have any specific requirements? If so, please provide as much detail as possible, and I’ll do my best to handle it."

"Let’s start by assigning personnel!"

"Fine."

Before they knew it, Lu Luo had started allocating tasks.

Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi could not leave Lu Luo. If Lu Luo were to infiltrate the Empire to develop his operations, he would need to proceed with extreme caution for an extended period. In such a case, he needed strong assistants. Although Bai Lin was powerful, he hadn’t fully adapted to human customs yet. Therefore, the only ones who could follow Lu Luo into the Empire and assist him were Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu.

As for the remaining people, Bai Lin was the strongest. After Lu Luo’s departure, Bai Yuetong would take over as leader. Zhou Kai would serve as supervisor, and Bai Lin would provide protection. They would then commence channel construction. This was a more reasonable allocation of personnel and expertise.

"What about the type of channel?"

"Compared to waterways, land routes, or air transport, I personally prefer tunnels. Although tunnel construction is relatively slow, it offers the highest security and concealment. During our initial phase, when our strength isn’t formidable, we won’t be dealing with particularly large cargo. Tunnels will be completely sufficient for our needs. We’ve also brought Mechas and drills on this expedition, so excavation can begin after we leave."

"Tunnels? That could be hundreds of kilometers! The expenditure will be substantial."

"Expenditure isn’t an issue. We’ve accumulated so many resources in the Fourth Ring precisely for this purpose. Time is plentiful. Since we’ve made our decision, don’t worry about the cost. Do you all understand?"

"Understood."

After delegating these matters, Lu Luo turned to Kevin Jones, who was squatting to one side.

An outsider like Kevin Jones definitely couldn’t be involved in such a secret meeting. Even with Lu Luo’s Nightmare Power, his participation was out of the question, because no one could be sure if the Empire had individuals capable of reading memories.

Lu Luo’s infiltration plan sounded ordinary and not particularly difficult, but they couldn’t afford even the slightest mistake. No one knew the Imperial attitude toward the Wasteland Alliance. Lu Luo even suspected whether the Imperials knew of a place called the Doomsday Halo. Under these critical circumstances, Lu Luo had to be absolutely careful.

"If everyone is almost ready, let’s get moving."

"Yes!"

Dumb Hair looked at Lu Luo, pouting slightly.

"We’re going to be apart again?"

Lu Luo wrapped an arm around her neck and whispered, "Don’t worry, this time it definitely won’t be for long. Besides, I’ve heard the Empire is vast, much larger than the Wasteland Alliance."

"And then?"

"Then we can buy a big house... Isn’t that exciting?"

"I’ve lived in a big house for a very long time."

"The big house I’m talking about is a seaside villa with a swimming pool. I guarantee you’ve never seen anything like it."

"Really?"

"Of course, it’s true. Truer than pure gold."

"Well, that sounds pretty good. Go on then, and remember to miss me!"

"Will do!"

After reassuring Dumb Hair, Lu Luo composed his expression and approached Kevin Jones.

"Mr. Jones, have you rested enough?"

"Uh, are we leaving now?"

"That’s right. We need to consider how to enter the Empire."

Kevin looked at Lu Luo, then at Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi behind him. He guessed that only these three would be accompanying him into Imperial territory. Somehow, he felt as though he was doing something wrong, something very serious. But he couldn’t figure out what exactly was wrong. Was bringing Lu Luo into the Empire a mistake?

"Well... let’s go then."

...

Late at night, Kevin Jones led Lu Luo to an area demarcated by wire fences.

Compared to the high walls of the Wasteland Alliance, the defenses at the Imperial border could only be described as rudimentary. Guard posts were stationed far apart. And through the Observer’s Eye, Lu Luo saw that the guards in the posts were actually sleeping! How carefree must their lives be to allow for such complacency?

Lu Luo found it hard to understand. While the distance between Imperial territory and the Doomsday Halo’s location wasn’t short, it definitely wasn’t excessively far either. After emerging from the mountains, the gap between the two was estimated to be only a few hundred kilometers. For two human settlements, that was a very short distance. It was because this distance was short enough that Lu Luo had arranged for Zhou Kai and the others to use Mechas for tunnel excavation.

But if the distance was so short, why had the Imperials never attempted to invade the Doomsday Halo, also known as the Wasteland Alliance? It should have been easy, right? Even Lin Wen and Kevin Jones had managed to flee from Imperial territory to within the Fifth Ring Wall, proving the distance between the two regions truly wasn’t vast.

Why do you think it’s so easy? Have you forgotten what you encountered when you left the Wall?

"What we encountered when we left the Wall? Wind serpents? They weren’t hard to deal with."

Think again!

Lu Luo hesitated. Wait, outside the Fifth Wall was the grey Moat. And the essence of the Moat... was the Nether River. Living in the Nether River was the Tenth Angel Envoy, Meiqi. Lu Luo remembered Meiqi mentioning letting them pass when they spoke earlier. In Meiqi’s eyes, he must be quite special: the holder of the Doomsday Disc, the bearer of the Netherflame seed. Both identities had earned him a degree of goodwill from Meiqi.

Perhaps it was this goodwill that allowed Lu Luo and his companions to emerge safely from within the Wall. If others stepped into the Nether River, would Meiqi simply kill them on the spot?

Thinking this, Lu Luo roughly understood.

"Alright, some things suddenly make sense. Have I become the Wasteland’s most well-connected individual?"

More or less!

Their entry was much simpler than Lu Luo had anticipated. During the process, Kevin Jones even caused a significant commotion due to nervousness, but the Imperial guards didn’t come to investigate. They seemed to have no interest in, or defense against, the direction of the Wasteland Alliance.

After crossing another desolate Gobi area, Lu Luo’s group of four arrived safely in Imperial territory. According to Kevin Jones, they were now within the boundaries of Dong’an City.

"Mr. Lu Luo, we’re currently on the outskirts of Dong’an City. What should we do now?"

"Wait for dawn."

"Wait for dawn?"

"Yes. After sunrise, we’ll first try to find jobs."

Find jobs? Don’t we need to arrange for identities?

Kevin Jones was puzzled, but at this point, he couldn’t voice any objections.

"Alright then... we’ll wait for tomorrow."

Lu Luo and his group crouched on a rooftop in the outskirts of Dong’an City. Out of caution, he didn’t act rashly. He was still completely ignorant about the power levels within the Empire. A little caution couldn’t hurt.

...

After his brief encounter with Lu Luo, Wang Zemin returned to his small station cottage. Inspired by the moment, he quickly wrote a paper on wildmen. Looking at the thesis, he shook his head slightly.

Could anyone actually believe this stuff?

"Only a naive guy like you would write such things."

"Can’t you go a moment without arguing? Why must we fight the instant I get back?"

Wang Zemin and Li Wei had talked about breaking up, but Wang Zemin thought it was just said in the heat of the moment. Women, he figured, just needed a little coaxing. But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.

"Because you don’t act like a man! Look at your computer. Don’t you feel like hitting me?"

Li Wei had an odd expression, but her words sent chills down Wang Zemin’s spine. All his thesis materials were on the station’s computer, weren’t they? What on earth had Li Wei done?

Wang Zemin rushed to turn on the computer. With a final glimmer of hope, he looked at the screen, only to find it had been completely formatted. At that moment, he felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

The thesis for his remote station assignment was crucial for his graduation. He had been preparing for it for a year and had already spent over six months at this location. During these days, his life consisted of either playing games, writing his thesis, or surveying the surroundings. Li Wei had come to find him, fearing he was too lonely. But why had things escalated to this point? Why?

"I don’t want to see you anymore!"

"Wang Zemin, you can still hold back even after this? Are you even a man?"

"Get out! Just get out!"

Wang Zemin was truly furious. He didn’t understand what was wrong with Li Wei, nor how his usually kind girlfriend had suddenly become so malicious. He could barely contain his anger; he desperately wanted to smash a stool over Li Wei. But he restrained himself.

Well, even if he didn’t, there didn’t seem to be much else he could do. He couldn’t just... kill Li Wei, could he?

"Hmph, I didn’t want to stay here any longer anyway!"

BANG!

The heavy slam of the door brought Wang Zemin slightly back to his senses. Looking at the door, Wang Zemin couldn’t help but worry, as it was very late. What if Li Wei ran into bad people or encountered danger?

"Who gives a damn about her? What does her death have to do with me? It’d be best if she died on the street!"

Wang Zemin swore furiously, his anger making him lose all reason.

...

The next day, Dong’an City’s Police Office cordoned off a room in a suburban rental house.

The items inside the rental house were in disarray, and a large amount of blood was splattered on the walls. The computer in the room was still on, displaying a forum post. This gave the police officers who had come to investigate pause for thought.

Because of a petty dispute, I deleted my boyfriend’s thesis and all his data. Is there any way to make things right? How can I make my boyfriend stop being angry?

The post had numerous laughing replies.

What boyfriend? That’s the plaintiff!

Hahaha!

What plaintiff? That’s a suspect!

Wow, the commenter above is brilliant.

Third reply, here’s 50 cents, delete it and let me post.

Inspector Zhang Ji of the Police Office silently read the post, deep in thought.

"Chief, what’s the situation?"

"First, identify this woman. Then, identify her boyfriend."

"The woman’s name is Li Wei, a junior at Dong’an University. Her boyfriend is Wang Zemin, also a student at Dong’an University, but he’s a senior about to graduate."

The subordinate was very efficient. Zhang Ji nodded.

"Seniors about to graduate have to write a thesis, right?"

"Yes."

"If your girlfriend deleted your thesis during your final year, would you kill her?"

Zhang Ji’s question made the subordinate pause.

"Chief, are you kidding? How could I kill someone? Besides, my girlfriend didn’t delete my thesis."

"I’m just asking. If she really did delete it, would you resort to murder?"

"I’d probably be furious, possibly angry enough to kill."

Zhang Ji nodded and gestured to the others.

"Alright, leave some people here to collect evidence. The rest of us will go find this Wang Zemin fellow."

"Yes!"

From the rooftop of a guesthouse, Lu Luo silently watched the squad of Police Office officers depart.

There were indeed many coincidences in life; Li Wei had been murdered right below the guesthouse where they were staking out.

"These people must belong to an Imperial official department, right? The Police Office!"

As he watched them leave, Lu Luo narrowed his eyes.