Apocalypse Circular

"Bai Yuetong, what are you talking about? Are you really a woman?"

Faced with Lu Luo's question, Bai Yuetong's face reddened slightly.

"Because I, a living person, am right here, yet I've never seen you take any action."

"So I can only assume you've been taking care of things yourself all this time."

Bai Yuetong spoke very frankly, leaving Lu Luo at a loss for words.

"Actually, I'm quite capable. Perhaps..."

"Enough, enough! The refining you mentioned, is that alchemy?"

Bai Yuetong hurriedly changed the subject because she noticed Qi Xinzhu's expression had darkened.

Although she knew Lu Luo was quite strong and improving rapidly, his talent in crafting was almost nonexistent. She had originally wanted to study construct bodies with him but had been misled by Lu Luo's previous performances.

However, only after actually working with him did Bai Yuetong realize Lu Luo's talent in manufacturing mechanical equipment and design truly fell into the category of complete ignorance.

Whether his previous performances were feigned or something else, she couldn't tell. In any case, it was just one word—lousy!

Lu Luo looked at his own hands. According to what the Observer had said previously, as a Fusioner, he was already the ultimate Alchemist.

So, at this point, it wasn't wrong to say the Fusioner's abilities were related to alchemy.

"Yes, my ability is related to alchemy, or you could say it's a form of alchemy."

"I can use various items to perform a very special kind of refining."

"It's just that my ability isn't as complicated as alchemy."

"In many cases, as long as I have enough resources, I can perform refining."

Bai Yuetong's eyes lit up. When Lu Luo had just said he could craft equipment by hand, she thought it was a joke.

But now, judging by Lu Luo's tone, he really could craft equipment by hand!

This was very interesting, as such an ability was somewhat akin to that of a Creator.

"Using one's hands to create items... can the power of a Sequence really achieve such a feat?"

"Quick, let me see."

Not only did Bai Yuetong look curious, but Qi Xinzhu and the others felt much the same.

The prospect of Lu Luo crafting equipment by hand was definitely something to anticipate.

Using the power of a Sequence for alchemical creation sounded quite mystical indeed.

"Hurry up, Brother Luo!"

"Yeah! Lu Luo, get started."

"Okay, I'll try it now."

Seeing his companions so eager, Lu Luo also felt a surge of excitement to try.

Actually, Lu Luo wasn't entirely confident. The last time he had used the Fusioner ability to create items was a long time ago.

Moreover, the items created back then weren't very high-level, so there hadn't been much mental pressure.

But now, the resources required for creation were enormous.

Failure would mean a severe personal loss.

So, I must succeed, no matter what!

Lu Luo first took out Ganmu's tongue. Just as he had synthesized the Breath of Favor earlier, he placed the tongue in the center.

Then, he cut out 25 kilograms of Croalloy from the nearby rare metals.

Finally, he took 9 kilograms of Corrosive Items from Zhou Kai, thus gathering all the materials needed to create the Tongue Armor.

"Fusion, begin!"

[Crafting Rotten King's Tongue Armor: Rotten Tongue + 5,000 Energy + 25 kilograms Rare-grade Metal + 9 kilograms Corrosive Items]

Using Ganmu's tongue as a base, the Rotten Tongue began to rapidly deform once it absorbed Lu Luo's Life Energy.

Under the Fusioner's power, the Rotten Tongue started to merge with the surrounding Croalloy.

This process was relatively slow; fusing one kilogram of the alloy took a full several minutes.

But when the entire process unfolded before the others, it was still incredibly magical.

It looked like a living tongue consuming metal.

Qi Xinzhu and the other three watched with great interest.

Only Bai Yuetong's expression was different; she now looked at Lu Luo with an expression of utter shock.

"Lu Luo, your ability... This power is truly inconceivable!"

"To think you can directly use materials to create items! Where does this fusion power come from?"

"Uh, well, it's the Sequence. I don't really know how to explain the specifics to you."

"Power. Power works wonders. Just consider it a miracle."

Lu Luo's explanation clearly failed to satisfy Bai Yuetong's thirst for knowledge.

But since Ganmu's Tongue Armor was still being crafted, she didn't want to disturb Lu Luo.

"Continue, don't get distracted."

"Okay!"

Lu Luo refocused. Even though Ganmu's Tongue Armor looked somewhat crude, it was, after all, an Epic-grade item.

It definitely had value and couldn't be wasted.

Lu Luo continued to fuse the Croalloy; the 25 kilograms of Croalloy gradually and completely merged with Ganmu's tongue.

After this step concluded, Lu Luo began to draw upon the nearby Corrosive Items.

These Corrosive Items varied widely, including stones, metals, assorted junk, and even rotten food.

They all looked different but shared a special adhesiveness resulting from dark corrosion.

However, before using them, Lu Luo first needed to crush all the Corrosive Items into powder.

Only in powdered form could the Corrosive Items easily merge with Ganmu's Tongue.

"Fusioner, continue."

[Crushing Corrosive Items...]

Soon, under the Fusioner's power, the Corrosive Items were crushed bit by bit, first into dregs, and finally ground into powder.

This powder gradually floated up, merging with the now-solidified mass of Croalloy and Ganmu's Tongue.

The power of dark corrosion slowly adhered to it and then began to absorb the surrounding Dark Energy.

This process continued for nearly another hour before completion.

As time passed, Ganmu's Tongue Armor finally took shape, but one last step remained.

This was to set the Tongue Armor aside to naturally absorb sufficient Dark Energy.

Normally, this would be the procedure, but Lu Luo had a faster method: they could inject Dark Energy themselves.

"Let's all lend a hand and inject Dark Energy."

"Yes!"

Lu Luo, Gu Fangyi, Qi Xinzhu, and Zhou Kai combined their efforts and began injecting Dark Energy into Ganmu's Tongue Armor.

Soon, the Tongue Armor emitted a special metallic luster.

The colors of this luster were still an intermingling pattern of white and green.

The white, naturally, was from the Croalloy Bai Yuetong had provided, while the green was from the inherent power of Ganmu's Tongue.

[Fusion of Rotten King's Tongue Armor complete.]

Rotten King's Tongue Armor

Grade: Epic

Effect 1 - Robust Armor: The Tongue Armor's defense is even greater than Ganmu's tough tongue and is remarkably elastic.

Effect 2 - Impact Absorption: The Tongue Armor's flexibility can absorb impact for you. If the armor hits the ground first, you could fall from 100 meters and survive.

Effect 3 - Dark Energy Resistance: The Rotten King's Tongue Armor will reduce damage from any energy-based attack.

Description 1: A product of the Fusioner Lu Luo; a very powerful and practical defensive item.

Description 2: It's expensive, ugly, and has a strange smell.

"Wow, you actually managed to handcraft an Epic-grade item! That's a completely different league from just bending wire!"

Lu Luo stared at the Rotten King's Tongue Armor, speechless for a long moment.

The item's attributes were indeed formidable.

Its impact absorption and energy resistance, in particular, made it an excellent defense against assassinations.

Unfortunately, it truly was ugly and constantly emitted a strange odor.

Ugly and smelly... that means the ladies are unlikely to wear this piece of gear. My own defense isn't lacking, so I definitely wouldn't wear it. Brother Gu still feels the same; such heavy stuff doesn't suit him.

While Lu Luo was still examining the Tongue Armor, Bai Yuetong had already walked over, wanting to touch it.

"Lu Luo, did you really make this?"

"Ah! Yes, I did. What do you think? It looks pretty good, doesn't it?"

Bai Yuetong took the Tongue Armor from Lu Luo's hands, but its sheer weight nearly caused her to drop it.

Fortunately, Lu Luo reacted quickly and steadied her.

He then placed the Tongue Armor on the table for her to examine.

Bai Yuetong appraised the Tongue Armor, clicking her tongue in amazement.

"Exquisite craftsmanship! It's hard to imagine this item has no industrial properties whatsoever."

"A truly remarkable masterpiece. Alchemy certainly has its unique strengths."

Bai Yuetong had always followed the path of industrialization.

Even the equipment and items she created were predominantly mechanical.

She used to dislike alchemy for no particular reason; she simply didn't care for it.

But now, having witnessed Lu Luo's abilities, her opinion had shifted.

The experiments with construct mecha had stalled precisely because they touched upon bioscience and alchemy.

Her limited understanding of these two fields was why there had been no progress.

Could a technological breakthrough be achieved if some of her techniques were combined with Lu Luo's abilities?

"However, Lu Luo, this piece of equipment seems to have a strange odor. Does it need to be cleaned?"

Bai Yuetong covered her nose.

Her sense of smell wasn't particularly acute, so her perception of the odor wasn't very strong.

But Lu Luo and the other two men had long been assailed by the stench of the Rotten Tongue Armor.

"Uh, Bai Yuetong, this thing is made from Ganmu's tongue, so it naturally has a bit of a smell."

"After all, Ganmu's tongue grows on its stomach."

"Huh? ...Urgh!"

Bai Yuetong was stunned for a moment, then recoiled dramatically.

The group just looked at each other, no one mentioning the Tongue Armor again.

Lu Luo felt a pang of sadness. This was an Epic-grade piece of equipment, after all!

His Fenrir Type VI was also Epic-grade.

Why doesn't anyone want such a great item?

"Being powerful is temporary, but style is eternal! Of course, the same goes for ugliness!"

Zhou Kai, seeing the others' reluctance, grew somewhat displeased.

"Do you have any idea how much company money Brother Luo spent to make this piece of equipment? Why is everyone so quiet?"

"The precious metals were mine. It has nothing to do with the company," Bai Yuetong countered, delivering a critical hit to Zhou Kai.

However, Zhou Kai still felt it would be a terrible waste if no one wore the armor after it was made.

"Fine, I'll wear it! No objections, right?"

"No objections! That's great news!"

With that, Zhou Kai extended his plant-like arm and slowly fitted the Tongue Armor onto himself.

Seeing Zhou Kai determined to wear the armor, Lu Luo's face lit up with a smile.

"Congratulations, Brother Kane, on acquiring your first Epic-grade piece of equipment! It fits you quite well too!"

Zhou Kai completely ignored Lu Luo. Bunch of ingrates, he thought. Making equipment only to complain about it. They're not worthy of talking to me.

The first thing he did after donning the Tongue Armor wasn't to test its defensive capabilities.

Instead, he used his abilities to grow small flowers all over the armor.

The flowers' fragrance barely managed to counteract the armor's stench, finally masking the odor on his body.

"That's much better."

Lu Luo's eyes lit up. Brother Kane is quite clever.

He recalled that the Ganmu in Rotten Valley also cultivated numerous flowers to mask their own scent.

The two methods were indeed ingeniously similar.

"Brother Kane, how does it feel?"

Before Zhou Kai could respond, Gu Fangyi drew his gun and fired.

BANG!

The handgun bullet struck Zhou Kai squarely on the Tongue Armor covering his chest.

However, the large-caliber bullet merely left a dent on the armor before losing all its kinetic energy.

The impact absorption was so effective that Zhou Kai barely felt a thing.

This alone spoke volumes about the equipment's astonishing effectiveness.

"The defense is incredible! It can withstand a point-blank shot from a large-caliber handgun!" Zhou Kai exclaimed.

Lu Luo nodded in satisfaction. This level of defense was comparable to many heavy armors, significantly enhancing Zhou Kai's personal safety.

This was crucial because Circular's current operations heavily depended on Zhou Kai.

It couldn't be helped, as Lu Luo trusted very few people. Zhou Kai wasn't just a brother who had grown alongside Lu Luo; he was also a plant-human.

This dual identity as a plant-human and a brother was why Lu Luo trusted him so deeply.

To put it simply, we're all brothers and of the same kind. It's only natural for those of the same kind to band together; such relationships are the most trustworthy.

"Alright, my resources are nearly depleted. Next, I'm afraid I'll have to hunt Exotic Species."

The Exotic Species around the Circular Base had already been nearly wiped out by Lu Luo and his team.

Now, within the Fourth Ring, unless new mutant Exotic Species appeared, the free-roaming ones had been virtually eradicated.

The gaps in the high wall had also been sealed, albeit only with ordinary concrete.

But this was enough to keep out most low-level Exotic Species.

Therefore, if Lu Luo wanted to acquire a large amount of energy to replenish his own attributes, as well as those of Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi, he would have to hunt beyond the wall.

With over 20 days remaining before the three-month deadline, there should be enough time.

The main concerns were potential changes within the Fourth Ring and Lu Xiaotian's report that people from the Inner Ring would arrive in a day.

The conflict between the Inner Ring and the Eastern Fourth Ring was paramount.

If Lu Xiaotian could hold her ground, repelling or even defeating the Seventh Tier experts dispatched by the Inner Ring, then the Eastern Fourth Ring would stabilize, potentially for a long time.

The specifics still depended on the outcome of Lu Xiaotian's situation.

"Brother Luo, what's our plan now?" Zhou Kai asked.

Witnessing the immediate enhancements of Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu, and the creation of incredibly potent equipment like the Rotten King's Tongue Armor, Zhou Kai now fully understood the power of Lu Luo's new abilities.

Since Lu Luo's abilities were so powerful, he knew he needed to offer his full cooperation.

Zhou Kai was indeed frugal, but being frugal was different from being unwilling to spend when necessary.

Now that there was an opportunity to significantly enhance Circular's overall strength, he wouldn't hesitate when it was time to invest.

Lu Luo didn't respond to Zhou Kai immediately. Epic-grade equipment can't be mass-produced for now. The Pride of the Lords is simply too rare. Rare-grade equipment could be made to some extent, but that still requires materials from Fourth Tier elite Exotic Species, and I don't have many of those either. So, equipment development needs to be paused.

As for the attribute enhancement from the Breath of Favor, that needs careful consideration. The Breath of Favor requires a certain level of loyalty. Only those sufficiently loyal to me can use five. I don't doubt for a moment that the four of us here can each use five. But what about others? How loyal are Circular's employees? Are some genuinely loyal, or just pretending? These things require detailed screening and testing. This task will have to be entrusted to Zhou Kai.

"Brother Kane, the Breath of Favor is a very special item. Only those truly loyal to me can use it effectively."

"Those closest to me can use up to five; those less close can only use one."

"So, while I'm out accumulating energy, you need to prepare attribute test targets, marking 25 attribute points as one tier."

"If more Breaths of Favor are distributed in the future, anyone who uses one but shows no attribute increase is undoubtedly not loyal enough."

Lu Luo's explanation was straightforward, and Zhou Kai understood his meaning.

The Breath of Favor wasn't just a crucial item for enhancing strength; it could also, in the process, filter out Circular members who were sufficiently loyal—truly killing two birds with one stone.

"Understood. Leave it to me. I'll figure out how to get these attribute targets ready before you all return," Zhou Kai agreed.

The Breath of Favor was indeed Circular's opportunity to soar to new heights.

Imagine if we had a hundred Second to Third Tier Transcendents, and each of them increased their primary attribute by 125 points. Wouldn't our collective strength instantly surpass that of the Hunters? The Hunters' strength is built on the human resources of the entire Fourth Ring, plus decades of selection and education. Yet, I might only need a few thousand people to reach that standard. The qualitative change brought by the Fusioner is just that absurdly powerful.

"Alright, that settles things for now," Lu Luo said. "Barbeque tonight?"

"Sure!" Gu Fangyi replied.

"Sounds good," Qi Xinzhu added.

"I second that," Bai Yuetong chimed in.