Apocalypse Circular

Watching the four individuals enter the company, the security guard was speechless for a long time.

The penalty for breaching a sponsorship contract was invariably 250,000. These young people…

Lu Luo, with the Observer's memory, was naturally familiar with the environment of Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, but at this moment, they still needed to keep a low profile.

Guided by the security staff, they arrived outside the supervisory office of Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals.

After some waiting, the supervisor's secretary called them in.

With Song Hana dead, Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals needed a new supervisor. The current one, sent by the Inner Ring Faction, had a name badge that read Mu Ji.

He was a young man, no more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed in a gray suit with a diagonally striped tie, appearing somewhat youthful.

Mu Ji was just an ordinary First Tier Transcendent, and Lu Luo even wondered if he could win against Zhou Kai.

After all, Zhou Kai now possessed Dual Sequences and plant-based abilities, making him extremely powerful at his level; what he lacked was merely combat experience.

Mu Ji sized up the four of them. Qi Xinzhu's stunning beauty made him hesitate, and Lu Luo's imposing presence also gave him a slight shock.

"I heard from the staff below that you are here to terminate your contracts—three of them, totaling 750,000, for Lu Luo, Gu Fangyi, and Zhou Kai, correct?"

"Yes, we're here to terminate our contracts. Please bring out the termination documents, Mr. Mu Ji."

Lu Luo directly pushed forward the case containing 750,000.

Mu Ji looked at the 750,000 on the table, his expression still somewhat surprised.

People had broken contracts before, but typically it involved large corporations poaching talent through official corporate channels.

After all, 250,000 was not a trivial sum, and it often implied a sort of buyout of the person.

But this was the first time Mu Ji had ever seen anyone arrive with cash in hand to terminate a contract like these individuals before him.

"Circle Studio Hunter Firm? I remember you've just released a new healing potion that looks very similar to our company's Little Red Vial. We should still be in litigation over that, right? Have you received the court summons?"

Lu Luo narrowed his eyes. This Mu Ji isn't very capable.

If Song Hana had been around, Lu Luo would definitely have confronted the issue head-on, but circumstances were different now.

He desperately wanted Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals' base in the slums, but he lacked the funds. Therefore, he had to maintain a low profile and avoid provoking Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals any further.

At the very least, he needed to outwardly appear unassuming and willing to compromise.

Stay low and keep growing; don't act rashly!

"Well, we have no intention of conflicting with Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, but conflicts inevitably arise with a company's growth. That potion was just a misunderstanding. We've come today with this gesture of sincerity to resolve any issues. 750,000, not a cent less. Mr. Mu Ji, please don't make things difficult for a small company like ours. If we have caused any offense, I, on behalf of Circle Studio, extend our deepest apologies to Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals."

Gu Fangyi remained expressionless, Zhou Kai seemed slightly stiff, and Qi Xinzhu wanted to laugh but managed to restrain herself.

Mu Ji looked at Lu Luo, who had his head bowed slightly, and ultimately decided not to continue giving the three of them a hard time.

He had been incredibly frustrated since arriving at Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, quickly realizing he had been sent to be the scapegoat.

The matters and responsibilities concerning the East Ring slums all needed someone to handle them, and Mu Ji was already at his wits' end.

With Circle Studio now pulling this stunt with their Small Blood Vial, Mu Ji was simply too exasperated, which had led him to mock Lu Luo's group.

Now that Lu Luo had sincerely apologized, Mu Ji no longer wanted to waste time on this matter.

His main focus now was how to appease the East Ring residents' hostility towards Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals.

"Never mind. Let's consider the contract matter settled," Mu Ji said.

Mu Ji swiftly scrawled his name on the contracts and stamped them with the supervisor's official seal, then handed the three documents back to Lu Luo.

"From this day forward, you three have absolutely no connection to Blue Sky Biotech!"

Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai clenched their fists; this was undoubtedly a thrilling moment for them.

Even Lu Luo's lips curled into a faint smile. The shackles of Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals had finally been broken.

"In that case, we'll take our leave. You must be busy, Mr. Mu Ji."

Having completed the paperwork, the group planned to go to Hongtu Arms Depot to collect their money, then visit Xu Minglei, who was still recovering in the hospital. Afterward, they intended to meet Bai Yuetong and Han Shiyu for a drink in the evening.

Just as they reached the elevator, three people emerged from it, coming face to face with them.

Two men and one woman.

One was a pretty boy, none other than Jin Chen, who had once confessed his feelings to Bai Yuetong at the Wall of Sighs.

The other was a tall man with short stubble and a somewhat vacant gaze.

And behind them was someone all four of them recognized: Gu Wanyun, an extremely famous young female singer in the Alliance.

Zhou Kai, in particular, during his younger, less sensible days, had even watched those infamous doctored videos featuring her likeness!

"Brother Luo!"

"I see them."

The two groups walked past each other without exchanging greetings.

However, just as Lu Luo and his companions were about to step into the elevator, Jin Chen turned his head, looking at Qi Xinzhu with a puzzled expression.

"Priest Qi?"

Qi Xinzhu had been silent until now, but since the other party had spoken first, she naturally couldn't ignore him.

"And you are?"

Jin Chen glanced at Qi Xinzhu's form-fitting jacket and her black silk miniskirt, a rather peculiar smile playing on his lips.

"I wouldn't have expected Priest Qi to have such... um, sartorial preferences."

"But of course. A love for beauty is inherent in a woman's nature. Although I am a Believer, I am also a young woman. The Church's holy canons don't explicitly forbid a Priest from wearing such attire, do they?"

At this moment, Qi Xinzhu was articulate and clear-headed, a far cry from the meek and submissive demeanor she usually displayed in front of Lu Luo. In a word, she was impressive!

"Uh, Priest Qi is correct. However, given your status, why would you be in the Fourth Ring?"

"The Holy Light is balanced. I can go wherever the Holy Light is needed. The Fourth Ring needs me, so I am in the Fourth Ring. Is there a problem?"

Jin Chen gave an awkward smile. The tall man remained silent, while Gu Wanyun, standing nearby, looked somewhat amused.

"Qi Xinzhu, the Church's youngest Priest, a Believer of Light. I've long admired your reputation. However, your attire doesn't quite seem to align with the Church's praises for you. You look more like one of the girls from an entertainment club."

Lu Luo took a step back, about to turn and speak, but Qi Xinzhu grasped his hand, stopping him.

Her expression was calm; she didn't seem angered by Gu Wanyun's words.

"Miss Gu Wanyun has a point. However, I am just a humble Believer; there's really no need for Miss Gu to pay me so much attention. Besides, Miss Gu is the one who is truly famous. I grew up listening to Miss Gu Wanyun's songs. My parents are also particularly fond of you! Even my grandparents are!"

See? This is called professionalism!

Lu Luo and the other two stared at Qi Xinzhu in shock. Wasn't her remark a thinly veiled jab at Gu Wanyun's age?

Qi Xinzhu wasn't usually like this. Why had she suddenly become so confrontational?

If the three of them could discern the jab, Gu Wanyun, who was notoriously sensitive about her age, certainly could too.

"A Priest is indeed a Priest. You speak as powerfully as if you were preaching!"

"Alright, this bickering is pointless. Let's go; we have much to do."

The man leading their group finally spoke. He glanced at Qi Xinzhu, then at Lu Luo.

However, he quickly averted his gaze, seemingly not giving either of them much thought.

"Let's go too!" Qi Xinzhu said, pulling Lu Luo into the elevator.

Once inside, Qi Xinzhu gently tugged Lu Luo's fingers.

"The Council and the Church have always had animosity between them, so don't take it to heart."

Hearing Qi Xinzhu say this, Lu Luo felt it was rather strange.

Gu Wanyun had been attacking Qi Xinzhu just moments ago, yet now Qi Xinzhu was the one comforting him. What in the world?

Lu Luo felt that Qi Xinzhu being slighted today was his fault, so he said somewhat dejectedly, "Okay, if you don't want to wear clothes like this in the future, you don't have to."

"Not at all. I really like this outfit. From now on, I'll wear it when I'm with you," Qi Xinzhu said with a wink and a smile.

Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai wisely kept their distance.

"Big Bro Gu, do you always keep such a distance?"

"No. When it's just the three of us, we're quite close."

"Impressive, Big Bro Gu!"

"Well, naturally."

...

After leaving Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, the four of them headed to Hongtu Martial Equipment Company.

Using the contact information Li Tanya had given him, Lu Luo found the highly distinctive female doctor.

"You're finally here! I was starting to think you wouldn't show up," Li Tanya teased. She directly pushed a stamped check for 500,000 across the table to Lu Luo, acting decisively and without any unnecessary words.

"Dr. Li, you're too kind! HEH HEH HEH!"

Truthfully, no one would dislike working with someone as straightforward and efficient as Li Tanya.

Her decisiveness was evident back in the Silent Swamp when she readily abandoned most of her weapons and promised a substantial reward for Lu Luo's help.

She was the kind of person worth maintaining a cooperative relationship with in the future.

"Alright, enough chitchat. Lu Luo, do you have what I'm looking for?"

Li Tanya's question actually had a double meaning.

The first, simpler meaning was that she wanted Ganmu's flesh.

The second, however, pertained to whether Lu Luo actually possessed Ganmu's flesh.

If Lu Luo truly had it, how had he managed to obtain it? Did he merely cut off a piece and flee, or had he actually managed to kill Ganmu?

This question was, in essence, an attempt to gauge Lu Luo's current strength. If he did have the flesh, they would need to reconsider their future approach to dealing with him.

Lu Luo pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"I have what you want."

"How much?"

Lu Luo took a bottle from his pocket. It was a culture vessel obtained from the base in the slums, designed to prevent decay. The meat inside weighed approximately one pound.

"Just this much."

In reality, Lu Luo could have obtained far more minced flesh earlier.

However, he had deliberately brought back only this amount because he didn't want Li Tanya to accurately assess his strength.

Too much meat would strongly suggest that he had killed Ganmu.

"Name your price. How much?"

"We're friends. Talking about money sours the relationship, don't you think?"

Lu Luo feigned coyness. Having received the 500,000, he was no longer short on liquid capital.

With his need for money diminished, his desire for other things grew.

"Alright, spit it out. What do you want?" Li Tanya said, crossing her arms, looking as if she was waiting for Lu Luo to state his terms.

Lu Luo hesitated a little longer, then finally spoke.

"I heard that your East Ring Hongtu Martial Equipment Company decommissioned a set of mechanical equipment manufacturing modules. Since you'd be throwing them away anyway, and I think they could be quite useful, why not give them to me?"

Hearing Lu Luo's words, Li Tanya looked puzzled.

"Decommissioned mechanical equipment manufacturing modules? Our company hasn't decommissioned any equipment recently."

At her words, Lu Luo immediately feigned disappointment. He picked up the Ganmu flesh from the table and stood up.

"Is that so? Then it seems I was mistaken. My apologies. Let's go."

With that, Lu Luo made to leave with his companions.

Li Tanya, still seated on the sofa, was utterly stunned. She had never encountered such a brazenly shameless individual.

Even the cheapest set of mechanical equipment manufacturing modules started at one million. Factoring in depreciation, it would still be worth well over 500,000.

Moreover, the company's set was 80-90% new.

It was just a piece of flesh, not Ganmu's entire corpse.

How could this bastard dare to ask for it?

Seeing Lu Luo about to walk out, Li Tanya finally couldn't remain seated.

"COUGH COUGH. The company does, in fact, have a set of mechanical equipment manufacturing modules that are due to be decommissioned soon. Since you want them, consider them yours."

"Oh, Dr. Li Tanya, you're far too generous! This is what true friendship looks like! I, for one, value friendship above all else, and friends should always exchange gifts. How about this: I'll also gift you a bottle of Ganmu's acidic poison, free of charge. Your company should have a great need for this, I believe."

Li Tanya's eyes flickered. Lu Luo's way of doing things… was certainly… interesting.

"Heh, I really should thank you, shouldn't I?"

And just like that, Circle Studio acquired its mechanical equipment manufacturing module. Now, Bai Yuetong wouldn't be constantly nagging him anymore.

"Alright! Tonight, we drink until we drop, and then we focus on improving our strength! To grow bigger and stronger, and achieve new glory!"

...

For the next two months, Lu Luo and his team of four holed up in Rotten Valley, C04 of the Southern Ring. This time, he had brought Zhou Kai along as well.

The Dark Energy Level in Rotten Valley was exceptionally high, especially at Ganmu's Garden, where it was almost nine times denser than within the walls.

Lu Luo intended to achieve his Third Tier breakthrough here.

"Let's begin!"

A system notification appeared: Host's current condition is excellent. Based on the present situation, the Fusioner has devised three plans.

First plan: Readopt the dense acupoints strategy, keeping each acupoint's energy constant and prioritizing an increase in the number of acupoints.

Second plan: Continue with the enhanced acupoints plan, maintaining the current state.

Third plan: Implement an energy enhancement plan, using Holy Radiance or lightning as auxiliary reinforcement; the drawback was attribute singularization, preventing the mobilization of other attributes.

Lu Luo was no longer the novice he once was; he already had a clear idea of his desired enhancement path.

Both the honeycomb acupoints and attribute-specific acupoints had significant drawbacks, and he certainly wasn't going to limit himself to a single attribute.

Poison, lightning, Holy Radiance, Netherflame—currently, aside from Holy Radiance, he couldn't afford to abandon any of the other three attributes.

Thus, the moment the plans were presented, Lu Luo had already made his choice.

"Select the second plan."

The system confirmed: The second plan has been selected for the host: Continue the multi-channel acupoints enhancement plan. Number of acupoints to be activated this time: +3. Acupoint Qi He strength: 300.

The Devourer is consuming Dark Spirit Stones for the host, filtering pure Dark Energy. Devourer Level 3, Efficiency 160%. You possess top-tier human talent, 160% talent effect.

Life Advancement Method: Second Sequence.

The Fusioner is preparing to activate, checking all readiness conditions.

Readiness Condition 1: Single attribute exceeds 50. Checking Strength, Agility, Constitution—all have reached 50. Meets perfect metamorphosis criteria.

Readiness Condition 2: Third Qi Acupoint has reached 100. Qi He has been achieved, purity 100%. Meets perfect metamorphosis criteria.

All readiness conditions have been met. Metamorphosis level: Perfect.

Consuming 100 units of Qi He, opening the fourth Qi Acupoint: Jingji.

Consuming 100 units of Qi He, opening the fifth Qi Acupoint: Lushan.

Consuming 100 units of Qi He, opening the sixth Qi Acupoint: Wangmeng.

The Fusioner is currently fusing Qi He with the power core and preparing for a mutation in vital constitution characteristics. Please wait…

The Observer provided a friendly reminder: The commotion from this breakthrough might be even greater than before. However, the current environment is relatively safe, and you have some good companions, so it shouldn't be a major issue!

The turbulence caused by the Qi He breakthrough nearly obliterated everything in Ganmu's Garden.

The valley was collapsing, and Qi Xinzhu and the others could only watch from a safe distance.

"Has Brother Luo's breakthrough always been this outrageous?" Zhou Kai wondered. He recalled his own breakthrough, which had been little more than a quick CRACK, and it was over. Compared to that, what was happening with Lu Luo seemed utterly preposterous.

"Probably!" Qi Xinzhu replied, somewhat distractedly. Although Lu Luo's previous breakthroughs had all been successful, such processes always carried risks.

Moreover, the greater the intensity, the greater the risk. And Lu Luo's current energy intensity was…

He'll definitely be fine.

This breakthrough lasted only about six minutes, and the enhancement of his Essence of Life was nearing completion.

The system announced: Power core fusion complete. The fourth Qi Acupoint, Jingji; the fifth Qi Acupoint, Lushan; and the sixth Qi Acupoint, Wangmeng, have been opened. The Essence of Life is currently undergoing sublimation.

Essence of Life has been elevated to: Third Tier.

Disc World entry count +1. Doomsday Disc rotation count +1.

Host: Lu Luo

Occupation: Second Sequence (Third Tier)

Strength: 55

Agility: 55

Constitution: 55

Energy: 2,560

Qi Acupoints: Qi He, Tian Zuo, Di You, Jingji, Lushan, Wangmeng

Talents:

Sequence S-02 Devourer LV3

Sequence S-04 Fusioner LV2

Sequence S-07 Summoner LV1

Sequence S-11 Observer LV2

Sequence Chain B-00 Extreme

Sequence C-189 Seed

Sequence D-06 Affinity of Light

Overall Assessment: The Endbringer.

"Finally, Third Tier!"

Lu Luo let out a long breath.

To break through to the Third Tier, besides his regular cultivation here, Lu Luo had also expended a significant amount of Dark Spirit Stones, roughly over 600,000 worth.

With this, Lu Luo had finally activated his sixth Qi Acupoint, forming a 3x2x300 cyclical channel for his acupoints, and advanced to the Third Tier.

Qi Xinzhu had already advanced to the Third Tier on just the third day of their arrival.

Gu Fangyi had also ascended to the Second Tier more than ten days prior.

Only Zhou Kai was merely coasting along, part of the atmosphere squad. He didn't receive any accelerated benefits from being around Lu Luo and could only train through sheer effort.

The crucial part was that he wasn't the type to patiently settle down and cultivate, so his progress was rather poor.

"Lu Luo? Are you alright now?"

"Brother Luo has broken through!"

Looking at his current team, Lu Luo nodded in satisfaction.

"That's about it. Let's head back!"