Apocalypse Circular

At this moment, Lu Luo was truly shocked by Qi Xinzhu's actions.

Sneaking over in the middle of the night, isn't this a bit too much? Do you really have no regard for your parents?

Looking at the blurry-eyed Qi Xinzhu, my good old buddy down there just couldn't help but perk up.

Weren't we supposed to stay calm lately? What's going on, little brother?

The Observer was right, and Lu Luo quickly spoke to Qi Xinzhu, "Xinzhu, what are you doing here at this time? Your parents haven't even cooled off yet. Aren't you just dragging me into the fire pit? If your dad finds out, he'll probably stick a gun up my nostril."

"Haven't you been bulletproof for a while now? Plus, it's only natural for a husband and wife to live together, isn't it?"

Qi Xinzhu seemed to take it as a given, and what she said did make a bit of sense.

"Xinzhu, we're in the Inner Ring now, not the Fourth Ring. This place is full of danger, and we still have many issues to deal with..."

Lu Luo wanted to preach some grand truths to Qi Xinzhu, but it seemed she wasn't in the mood to listen.

Looking down demurely, she whispered, "But, I missed you!"

Seeing Qi Xinzhu with such a pitiful look, Lu Luo just couldn't get angry. While talking, Qi Xinzhu was also twisting her body.

Her nightgown only reached her thighs, and after Lu Luo glanced at the hem of her nightgown, his head naturally tilted.

And then he realized something! He couldn't resist, really couldn't. Alas, such torment!

Helpless, Lu Luo could only lift the blanket. "Fine, fine, come in then!"

Upon hearing Lu Luo relent, Qi Xinzhu giggled and then darted under the covers.

Her body pressed tightly against Lu Luo, nuzzling her nose vigorously against his chest.

The two embraced for a long while before Qi Xinzhu murmured shyly, "Husband, it's been a while since we've slept together."

"Eh, has it been that long?"

Qi Xinzhu felt a little embarrassed. She knew she was being too forward today. But she really wanted to stay close to Lu Luo, cherishing this feeling of being together.

"It's been over a month. During the time outside the wall, you've been focused on your training. I sensed the pressure on you and knew you were worried about us, so I didn't disturb you while you trained. But now, you have no reason to push me away!"

Hearing Qi Xinzhu say this, Lu Luo remembered that he hadn't touched a woman for a month.

It's surprising that, even with three delicate girls around me, I could still go a month without touching a woman, almost like a reincarnated saint! There probably aren't many men in this world more upright than me!

"Now that you mention it, it does seem like a long time."

At this point, Qi Xinzhu suddenly stuck out her tongue and licked Lu Luo's chest.

"Husband, I want..."

This action made Lu Luo shiver all over, a chill running down his spine.

"Ah, this isn't right! We haven't settled things with your parents yet!"

At this time, Lu Luo wasn't feigning propriety on purpose. He truly felt that engaging in marital relations without having properly dealt with Qi Xinzhu's parents was a bit over the line.

"Actually, the fact that my parents were willing to keep you here for a meal, to stay over, is tantamount to them accepting our relationship."

"Accepting it? Is it really that easy? Xinzhu, I even told your father about my purpose for coming to the Inner Ring, and about Bai Yuetong's situation. Is that really alright?"

Hearing this, Qi Xinzhu couldn't help but purse her lips in slight displeasure. "At a time like this, you actually have the nerve to mention another woman? I know my father. Although he said he wanted to beat you, he didn't throw you out, which means he has accepted it. In the Inner Ring's council of thirteen members, aside from my father, the other twelve, regardless of gender, all have multiple partners or lovers. Though the Inner Ring practices monogamy, everyone tacitly accepts this kind of situation. So, you don't need to worry too much about us doing things we want to do."

Qi Xinzhu said a lot, but by the end of it, she was already somewhat delirious.

HISS... GASP!

Although they hadn't been apart, for a newly married couple to go over a month without marital relations was indeed a long time.

The two entwined in passion several times, continuing until nearly eleven o'clock at night before it came to an end.

Qi Xinzhu had already sunk into a deep sleep, while Lu Luo didn't rest. After kissing Qi Xinzhu's cheek, he immediately climbed out of bed.

According to the schedule, he was to visit the Luo Family tomorrow.

Before going to the Luo Family, he decided to break through to Fifth Tier.

Trade, benefits, ambition—all these things were illusory. What truly enabled Lu Luo to take control of everything was his own strength. So, achieving a breakthrough on the spot was the best solution to most of his problems.

"I don't even know if I count as an Exotic Species. If I do, upon reaching the Fifth Tier, will I have a Domain?"

Who knows?

...

While Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu were together, other incidents were also quietly occurring in the Inner Ring.

For instance, Bai Yuetong and Zhang Yifan, who had just returned to the Luo Family, as well as Yuan Mian, the investigation team member who was brought back to the council.

Yuan Mian sat on a wooden bench. As the sole investigation team member to return to the Inner Ring, she was being interrogated. The surroundings were dark, and there were many interrogators, applying immense pressure on her.

"Miss Yuan Mian, is this about the extent of the investigation team's experience? Is there anything you have omitted?"

Yuan Mian was very tired, but with her naturally weak constitution, she had no idea how to refuse their questions. This interrogation had already lasted for two four-hour cycles. Although Yuan Mian had been given a one-hour break in between, her fragile constitution meant she was already past her limit.

"There's nothing more. I've already answered all the questions I need to answer, really, there's no more."

The interrogators in the darkness nodded to each other. Yuan Mian's ability was that of a Revealing Spirit, a very valuable trait. Such a person was a talent worthy of the Inner Ring, and meticulous questioning was justified. But they could not be rough, nor could they use excessive psychological abuse. So, they did not plan to do anything to Yuan Mian here.

The questioning at this moment was essentially coming to an end.

"Then, Miss Yuan Mian, may we ask you some personal questions?"

"Personal questions? What kind of personal questions?"

"Regarding your personal views about the Fourth Ring, as well as Lu Luo."

Yuan Mian hung her head, unsure of how to answer such a somewhat broad question. Luckily, the other party seemed to notice her discomfort and hastily added, "Just say whatever comes to mind. There isn't a standard answer to this question."

"Alright, if it's regarding the Fourth Ring, I do have some things to say."

"Go ahead! Speak your mind."

The questioner was pleased because Yuan Mian rarely showed the kind of emotion she wanted to express.

"The people of the Fourth Ring have gone mad. They're divided into gangs of all sizes, strongholds, and all sorts of powers. These people are crazy, treating women and children as goods to be bought and sold, traded for food, water, and so on. The Fourth Ring has completely descended into chaos, sir. They've been taken over by some dictators. I hope the Inner Ring can send forces as soon as possible to liberate the Fourth Ring! That's my sincerest thought."

Yuan Mian's words were fiery. All of these thoughts were gradually conveyed to Yuan Mian during her daily interactions with Han Shiyu.

In fact, they were Lu Luo's intentions. Lu Luo felt that only if the issues Yuan Mian reported were sharp enough would his own image as someone loyal to the Inner Ring be firmly established. This firm image of loyalty to the Inner Ring would allow him to resolve most of the problems during this trip to the Inner Ring! Such as the targeted actions by those with ulterior motives, especially those deliberately seeking clues to slander. Establishing a reputation through others is a complex, challenging task, but it had to be done! And Yuan Mian was the most crucial link.

Yuan Mian's words surprised the questioner. The anger and unwillingness in her eyes didn't seem fake. If she were a spy, she wouldn't have reason to speak like this. Nevertheless, Yuan Mian was still too emotional. The Inner Ring still had control over the situation in the Fourth Ring. While the existence of numerous powers vying for dominance was true, they also had their own order and rules. It wasn't as bad as Yuan Mian described. Of course, it's also possible that the investigators hadn't delved as deep into the Fourth Ring's lower echelons to understand the true situation as Yuan Mian had.

"It seems Miss Yuan Mian indeed has some unique insights about the Fourth Ring. We will record your suggestions and list them as important information. Rest assured, the dawn for the Fourth Ring will come soon. Now, could you also share your thoughts on Lu Luo?"

When Lu Luo was mentioned, Yuan Mian's eyes slightly lit up, a look the questioner also noted. It was labeled 'A Look Second Only to Admiration'.

These interrogators were masters of interrogation. They knew exactly what it meant when Yuan Mian showed such an expression upon the mention of Lu Luo. And it seemed that Yuan Mian wasn't trying to hide her emotions.

She first reflected carefully on Lu Luo. She realized that, aside from their brief interactions, almost everything else she knew about him was learned from Han Shiyu. But even if their encounters were few and brief, as long as the impression was deep enough, it was sufficient to change Yuan Mian's mind.

"Mr. Lu Luo is really an exceptional person. Without him, I would certainly not have survived my first investigative mission. And as I've said before, the results of this investigation were also derived through Mr. Lu Luo's personal abilities. He's truly excellent, and he holds great aspirations for the Inner Ring. While he also possesses many of the typical flaws of people from the Fourth Ring, Mr. Lu Luo's character is absolutely trustworthy."

Yuan Mian's enthusiastic praise of Lu Luo caused some of the questioners to feel somewhat helpless. This kind of evaluation wasn't what the interrogators wanted, nor was it what the people behind them desired.

You're making things difficult for us!

"Miss Yuan Mian, what are the flaws you're mentioning about Mr. Lu Luo? Could you elaborate for us? Of course, that's not an especially important matter, but we are quite interested in Mr. Lu Luo. We have considered inviting him to the Inner Ring, so we still need to understand him in detail. Miss Yuan Mian has had certain interactions with Mr. Lu Luo and is from the Inner Ring, so your account would be more reliable."

Upon hearing what the inquirer said, Yuan Mian visibly hesitated for a moment, and then her face quickly turned red.

"Although Lu Luo is a very nice person, he has one particularly obvious flaw, which is his lasciviousness... shamelessly lascivious."

"Lascivious?"

The inquirer seemed to have caught hold of some important information and looked at Yuan Mian with glowing eyes. Given Yuan Mian's constitution, they really hadn't considered Lu Luo in terms of lasciviousness. Because Yuan Mian was too frail, a little force could cause accidents: bone fractures, internal bleeding, or even death. So even if Lu Luo was quite lascivious, it was not possible for him to act on it in front of Yuan Mian. But now that Yuan Mian had said it herself, it became quite interesting.

Could it be that this Lu Luo had some special method of violence? One that could bypass Yuan Mian's delicate constitution? Psychic assault? Or maybe some technique to stabilize Yuan Mian's body?

"Miss Yuan Mian, could you elaborate a bit? What exactly did Mr. Lu Luo do to you?"

Yuan Mian, with her face flushed, remained silent for a long while before slowly speaking, "Lu Luo was especially outrageous to me, actually doing that with another woman in the same room right in front of me... that thing."

"Just this? Nothing else? Lu Luo didn't do anything to you?"

The several inquirers were dumbfounded. What was this?

"Why do you find it strange? Isn't it excessive enough that he did that? What else do you want him to do to me?"

Yuan Mian's query left the inquirers somewhat helpless.

Lu Luo doing *that* with someone else in the room, and she heard it? That sounds pretty outrageous. But if you really think about it, it's not much of an issue, is it? In some houses with poor sound insulation, such situations are quite normal. With this kind of issue, you could only condemn the other party morally. There's absolutely no basis to say they have a significant problem.

This answer still did not satisfy the inquirers or the people behind them.

"Miss Yuan Mian, regarding Mr. Lu Luo, is there anything else?"

Having been asked repeatedly, even someone as slow on the uptake as Yuan Mian could feel these people's animosity towards Lu Luo.

They were just looking for Mr. Lu Luo's flaws, flaws they could attack. Yuan Mian couldn't understand why. Why was Mr. Lu Luo still being targeted by people from the Inner Ring after he had rescued her from the Fourth Ring? He had come to the Inner Ring and done so many things that benefited it, so why was he still being targeted? Was it just because Mr. Lu Luo was from the Fourth Ring? Although Yuan Mian herself was from the Inner Ring, she felt that people from the Inner Ring sometimes went too far. Yuan Mian felt a surge of dissatisfaction. Mr. Lu Luo was her savior. Now that she knew her savior was in trouble, she had to do something within her power to help him.

"Mr. Lu Luo's flaws are basically like that. How should I put it, he is a person with a lot of personal charm. Although I haven't had much contact with him, I have felt the kind of person he is. Sincere, friendly, willing to help others, and he is very capable and charismatic as well. If I weren't physically disabled and unable to spend much time with him, I probably would have fallen for him too."

This assessment, coming from Yuan Mian's mouth, could be said to already be quite persuasive. These praises for Lu Luo would make his journey in the Inner Ring a bit smoother.

The several inquirers looked at each other, but they still faithfully recorded Yuan Mian's words.