Apocalypse Circular

As he passed by the corpses of Zhang Tianyi and his group, Lu Luo intentionally paused.

He quickly went through all the documents Zhang Tianyi had brought, recorded their contents with the Observer, and then placed them back on the ground.

"These must be their criminal evidence, right? Aren't you taking it?" Zhou Kai asked, puzzled.

"I'm not a Hunter, why would I take it? Moreover, without this compelling evidence, how can the Hunters firmly establish the guilt of these people from the Church? The Church has a lot of power. Only when they are caught red-handed with irrefutable evidence can they be convicted. Seizing such an opportunity, wouldn't you want to crush the Church completely?"

"Alright then!"

Zhou Kai was somewhat baffled. Wasn't Qiao Xing wearing priestly robes just now? Isn't he also from the Church? Never mind, Brother Luo's affairs are too complicated to figure out.

Lu Luo didn't need the evidence. In some hands, evidence was a sharp tool; in his, it was just waste paper.

All he needed was to record the content with the Observer; this information was crucial for him and Ludie.

「...」

After leaving the underground base and returning to the surface, things were just as Lu Luo had anticipated. Hunters and guards had already surrounded the place.

They were not only going to search the base but also interrogate the researchers.

They were even planning a thorough sweep and investigation of the entire slum area.

This incident was significant, but it would likely take some time for the true outcome to be revealed.

Lu Luo said goodbye to Zhou Kai, asking him to go with the Hunters to give a statement, while he himself went straight to Qiao Xing.

"Teacher! About this matter..."

Qiao Xing immediately cut Lu Luo off. "Now that we've caught the Church red-handed, are you planning to push them to the brink?"

"Uh..."

This man? How can he read my mind?

Seeing Lu Luo rendered speechless by his retort, Qiao Xing waved his hand again. "You don't have to report to me. I'm a Believer. My daily duties are prayer and teaching. Other matters have nothing to do with me, nor do I wish to know. Put away what's in your pocket; each item has a unique identification number. If lost, someone will definitely look for it. But don't worry too much. As long as you don't go around flaunting it, people from the Inner Ring won't be able to trace it to you."

These were all well-intentioned reminders from Qiao Xing, who seemed to know something about the Fruit of Life.

However, after saying this, Qiao Xing turned to leave, showing no interest in learning about Zhang Tianyi's situation.

"But Teacher, Zhang Tianyi was a member of the Church, wasn't he?"

"Your seamless switch between 'Teacher' and 'Old Qiao' is quite something. Could you stick to one form of address next time?"

Lu Luo humbly bowed his head. "Yes, Teacher."

"So what if he was part of the Church? Haven't the Hunters already come to handle this? You don't think I intend to shield him, do you? I am the Archbishop of the East Ring, the embodiment of justice, the faith of the people of the Fourth Ring. I would never stoop to such vile acts."

With a sardonic tone, Qiao Xing departed, leaving Lu Luo standing bewildered in the wind.

Lu Luo even forgot what he had initially wanted to ask Qiao Xing. After a moment, he collected his thoughts. He had meant to ask: since Zhang Tianyi was from the Church, shouldn't Qiao Xing, as the Archbishop of the East Ring, offer an opinion or take some responsibility?

But Qiao Xing's words... good heavens, he had instantly and thoroughly shrugged off all responsibility.

I understand Qiao Xing's meaning now. Investigate all you want; I'm not taking the fall.

"Well, Qiao Xing is Qiao Xing, alright. He shrugged off the blame in just two sentences."

However, Qiao Xing disavowing any connection to the matter did bring Lu Luo some relief.

At least there were still some havens of purity within the Church.

Like Qiao Xing, Han Shiyu, and Qi Xinzhu.

「...」

Turning, Lu Luo approached Ludie.

Hunter Squad 13 hadn't been deployed. After other Hunters arrived and took over the search, Ludie had simply squatted to one side, smoking.

He was specifically waiting for Lu Luo. Seeing him approach, Ludie took out a cigarette from his pocket.

"Want one?"

This time, Lu Luo didn't refuse and boldly placed it between his lips. "Sure."

The two went to the rooftop of a small, deserted building and began to chat.

After confirming with the Observer that no one was around, Lu Luo directly took the Fruit of Life from an inner pocket.

"What's this? A date?" Ludie joked.

"This is the Fruit of Life. It has the effect of prolonging human life. It's a product of Taboo Alchemy from the early days of the Life Knights Group. This technique was sealed for a very long time, but in recent years, it seems to have been rediscovered and recreated, bringing the complete technology back. Moreover, its use is becoming increasingly prevalent."

Ludie smoked silently. Mentioning the Fruit of Life inevitably brought up the Bride.

And the first Bride incident in the East Ring was the Qiu Guling Bride incident, over seven years ago.

"You know my situation. The Church, the Council—they're all watching me, watching the Hunters, afraid I'll make any move. I've been reclusive for so many years; my information and channels are long outdated. Tell me what you know."

Lu Luo didn't know what exactly the Church and the Council feared about Ludie. Logically, a Sixth Tier Transcendent shouldn't cause such alarm, right? A Seventh Tier should be able to suppress a Sixth Tier in minutes. So why did the Church and the Council always have people watching Ludie?

Coincidentally, Qiao Xing was also a Sixth Tier and, like Ludie, had been stuck at that tier for many years. I should find an opportunity to ask about the reason carefully later.

Lu Luo put away the Fruit of Life and began to discuss the current situation. "The Church is manufacturing the Fruit of Life. Or rather, a faction within the Church is doing so."

"I see. What else?"

"The process of manufacturing the Fruit of Life... I believe I told you about it last time, remember?"

This was probably the last thing Ludie wanted to discuss. "A bride, full of love, dying in regret?"

Lu Luo nodded. "Yes, that was the intelligence I received last time. But this time, there seem to be new developments. Their establishing a base in the slums is also related to this. The preaching Priest Zhang Tianyi has operated in the East Ring slums for many years—developing production, establishing education and medical facilities, and proselytizing. In the eyes of many slum dwellers, he's a living hero, a true hero. Where there's a hero, there's bound to be a cult of personality. His worshippers might be elderly, children, or, of course, women."

Ludie's pupils constricted slightly. "You're saying this Zhang Tianyi used the emotions from this cult of personality to replace the love originally required from the Brides?"

"That's about right. The alchemical condition for the Fruit of Life is likely some kind of positive emotion. They're using personal worship as a substitute for love. The effect might be inferior, but the quantity would increase dramatically. In a place like the slums, countless people worship Zhang Tianyi. He could easily obtain young women for the Bride project. Even in collaboration with Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, he achieved mass production! With so many Fruits of Life, Zhang Tianyi couldn't use them all himself. He must be using them to extend the lives of some high-ranking Church officials, utilizing the effects of the Fruit of Life to prolong certain people's lifespans as much as possible."

Lu Luo's voice was calm, and Ludie listened calmly. But the subject of the Brides and the Fruit of Life was still chilling.

Ludie stubbed out his cigarette and flicked the butt, which landed precisely in a small hole in the wall. "So, we can confirm the Church was behind this! And there's concrete evidence."

Ludie wasn't so noble. Long since apathetic, he felt no stirring of emotion for the tragic fate of these women.

Lu Luo understood clearly that Ludie's "evidence" and "confirmation" referred to the incident from years ago.

"Yes, it's confirmed. We just don't know who arranged and orchestrated that incident back then. I once suspected Qiao Xing, but after interacting with him for a while, I don't think it was him. Although Qiao Xing is powerful and holds a high position, he's too much of a recluse and dislikes interacting with others. This isn't something one person could do; it would require a vast network, which Qiao Xing lacks."

Ludie nodded, always valuing Lu Luo's analysis.

"Speaking of which, you've gotten quite close to Qiao Xing. That guy isn't easy to get along with—not as refined and amiable as I am. Most people describe Qiao Xing as odd, arrogant, and inflexible. How did you win him over?"

Lu Luo wanted to say, I am the Chosen One, the light of dawn; Qiao Xing often sought me out. But that sounded too pretentious. Besides, he had done a few things that might have impressed Qiao Xing, so he rephrased.

"I became his student, and then he solicited a 200-buck bribe from me. After a bit of back-and-forth like that, the connection was made."

"Solicited a bribe? 200?"

"Yes."

Ludie pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "I get it! If there's any more of this shady, under-the-table business, I have only four words for you: Please contact me."

"Huh?"

"What 'huh?' He's the Archbishop of the East Ring; I'm just a Hunter team leader. You don't think my status is higher than his, do you? If 200 bucks can get Qiao Xing to do things, I'd deposit 20,000 right away and keep it for gradual use."

Lu Luo nodded. He appreciated this pragmatic streak among the Hunters.

"Or you could give me your 20,000 now, and I'll speak to him for you when the next opportunity arises."

"Scram!"

Ludie lit his second cigarette, and they fell into another silence.

"What about news of her? You said you had some."

"I thought you weren't going to ask."

"Why are you so annoying? Spit it out if you don't want a beating."

Ludie rarely looked so flustered. Lu Luo dropped his playful expression and said very seriously, "Ludie, you might have a child."

"That's bullshit!" Ludie jumped to his feet. "Are you sleep-talking? I have a child? Did an Exotic Species bash your brains in when you were outside the wall?"

Lu Luo looked at Ludie, also finding it difficult to know where to begin with such bizarre news. After organizing his thoughts, he decided to start with his trip to the Southern Ring and his first encounter with the Nightmare Demon.

"You're aware of the danger in the East Ring, right?"

"Who in the East Ring isn't these days? With the Nightmare Demon here, the frequency of Hunter expeditions has been cut in half."

"This time, we went to the Southern Ring precisely to avoid the danger posed by the East Ring's Nightmare Demon. But on the way to the Southern Ring, I encountered a very powerful stalker."

"A stalker? You came back safely, so you dealt with it?"

"Not entirely by myself. I borrowed strength. And the one who lent me strength was the Nightmare Demon!"

Ludie narrowed his eyes, his interest clearly piqued by Lu Luo's words. "Continue."

"That formidable tracker and I were both dragged into the Nightmare Demon's dreamscape. It was only by using various effects within the dream that I managed to kill the tracker."

Lu Luo recounted his battle with Li Qingshu to Ludie as thoroughly as possible, holding nothing back. He needed an expert's guidance to avoid detours and make significant progress.

Just as Lu Luo had expected, Ludie pointed out several mistakes Lu Luo had made during the fight: unclear choices between close-quarters and ranged attacks, inadequate preparation of weapons and equipment, and so on.

However, after discussing the errors, the conversation returned to the main topic. "Reviewing a battle is essentially a process of correcting mistakes. In time, you'll learn to do it yourself. Alright, now you can tell me, what does all this have to do with me?"

"Well, the Nightmare Demon specifically sought me out."

"Specifically sought you out? An Eighth Order Exotic Species looking for you? What was it after?"

Ludie found this somewhat surprising, even a little comical, but his amusement quickly faded.

"The Nightmare Demon was originally looking for Old Priest Wu En, but I killed Wu En, so it came for me. Its reason was simple: its mother is getting married, and it needs to prepare a wedding ceremony for her. It wanted me to come and see if there were any deficiencies in etiquette or decorations and to offer guidance."

"That's it? Then what?"

"Then, it asked me to inform the groom about the wedding ceremony."

"What's that got to do with me? An Exotic Species getting married is none of my damn business. Wait, did you just say 'bride'? It wanted to prepare a wedding ceremony for the bride?"

Seeing Lu Luo's expressionless face, Ludie's complexion changed. He guessed something, but how could it be possible? "Don't tell me *I'm* the groom, right? Hahaha, that's not a funny joke. Ha... haha... ha..."

Ludie began with a dry laugh, but his expression soon turned conflicted. After another moment of silence, he looked up, his face etched with bewilderment, and asked, "The bride you mentioned... is it Qiu Guling?"

"Mm, it's almost certain. This bride is your former fiancée, Qiu Guling. There might be many things I'm still unsure of, but many things are already confirmed. First, she is a Seventh Tier Specter Species—the Despairing Bride. Second, her name is also Qiu Guling, and she transformed over seven years ago. Finally, the groom the Nightmare Demon asked me to invite is you. If, with these three points, I'm still wrong, then I'm out of ideas."

Ludie chain-smoked, utterly stunned by Lu Luo's revelation. The information Lu Luo conveyed wasn't just about a bride needing to marry; it contained many other critical details. He needed time to process it all.

"You're saying Qiu Guling is the Nightmare Demon's mother? Then the Nightmare Demon is...?"

"You got it. The Nightmare Demon is your son."

"Maybe it's a daughter?"