CHAPTER 153: CHAPTER 153 LU LUO, BEHIND YOU! (SEEKING SUBSCRIPTIONS)

Netherflame? Lu Luo was just about to try mobilizing this power when an inopportune voice suddenly sounded from behind the trio.

"To think I’d wear out iron shoes in my search, only to stumble upon you so easily. We finally meet, Lu Luo. So you have a bead in your hand too? If you don’t want it, you can give it to me!"

The three turned their heads. A tall, thin man was gradually approaching them—it was Lan Tian’s intelligence officer, Li Qingshu.

Yet, Lu Luo clearly remembered that just moments ago, there was supposed to be a white wall directly behind him.

[Your memory is not wrong, but this world, or rather, this space is not fixed.]

[The rules here are controlled by the will of a certain entity, and everything here changes according to its mood.]

[The wall that was behind you a moment ago vanished completely before this person appeared.]

As Li Qingshu drew closer, the voice of that child suddenly rang in Lu Luo’s ears.

"My gaming opponent, isn’t my Netherbead awesome? It’s a reward I made especially for the winners of the game, and they all like it very much.

You just won again, you’re really incredible. You broke through the dream so easily; you truly are someone I’ve set my sights on.

Alright, this person has been following you ever since you stepped out of the wall; it seems he’s been watching you.

Also, his opponent in the dream was you. He is obsessed with you, so I have brought him before you. Be careful, he seems to be a little stronger than you."

A little stronger than me...

Lu Luo decided to take this reminder as a kind gesture, but the person before him seemed rather difficult to deal with.

[High-energy alert, Fourth Tier Transcendent, Advanced Sequence Particles, suspected to be Sequence A-31 Shadow Lord.]

[Strength: 25, Agility: 35, Constitution: 20]

Sequence A-31 Shadow Lord (Level unknown)

Effect-1 Shadow Dodge: Allows user to slip into shadows.

Effect-2 Shadow Bind: Control shadows, bind shadows, destroy shadows.

Effect-3 Unknown.

This was a master, one whose physical attributes alone were enough to suppress him! Not to mention, the other party was a Fourth Tier Transcendent.

A Fourth Tier Transcendent, if equipped with gear and a Sequence, could even be more dangerous than a Fifth Tier Lord-grade Exotic Species.

Because usually, powerful high-tier human Transcendent beings were capable of fighting above their level.

"A Fourth Tier master. You two go first."

Gu Fangyi took off running. He wasn’t a coward. He knew that staying behind would not help Lu Luo and would only drag him down, so running away was the greatest help he could offer.

Qi Xinzhu hesitated for a moment, then also followed Gu Fangyi and ran forward.

Only Lu Luo and Li Qingshu remained in the room.

[This person has very active sequence particles on him; he should be the type who greatly enjoys using his own Sequence’s powers.]

[In the teachings of Qiao Xing, Ludie, and many books, such people share a common trait: they are superstitious about Sequence Force, neglecting their own training.]

They neglect their own training, yet still possess such high attributes? What about those who actually focus on their training?

Li Qingshu had already reached Lu Luo, surveying him from head to toe. In his mind, Lu Luo was already his prey.

He suddenly made his move, becoming a shadow and quickly advancing towards Lu Luo.

Lu Luo glanced at the shadow behind him. Such methods, which completely negated physical abilities, were truly repulsive.

"Thinking of running?!"

A hand stretched out from the shadow, reaching directly for Lu Luo.

[Sequence Fluctuation, prepare to evade.]

This tip helped Lu Luo understand that for the person behind him to attack, he had to assume a physical human form. This was likely a weakness of his Sequence.

Lu Luo turned and delivered a Qi Union Slash. It was a Slash Strike powered by steam stage two, one that even a Fourth Tier master couldn’t block with mere fingertips.

While Li Qingshu dodged, Lu Luo used his jet device again to put some distance between them. The two faced each other once more.

"Do you feel the gap between us? Letting them go was a smart move; at least it will spare your companions from harm."

"Who are you, and what is your purpose?"

"You’ll know when you’re dead. Didn’t you let your companions go because you were prepared to die? How touching!"

Li Qingshu’s voice was light, giving him a neurotic air, but Lu Luo shook his head.

If you’re neurotic, then I’ll act even more neurotic than you. That way, you’ll be confused!

"I’ve never thought I would die, and I don’t believe you can kill me."

Lu Luo suddenly took a step forward, and his aura transformed!

"I am Lu Luo, the terminator of my world! I’m not here to be your enemy; I’m someone who stands against the world itself! Do you think *you* can kill *me*?"

This series of arrogant, almost irrational declarations, sounding as if they came from a madman, dumbfounded Li Qingshu. He couldn’t understand where Lu Luo’s confidence stemmed from.

But in that instant of Li Qingshu’s distraction and astonishment, Lu Luo quickly pulled out two blast bombs and one tear gas grenade, threw them, and bolted.

He didn’t just run; he even tossed a parting shot over his shoulder as he fled.

"I’m not feeling well today. Let’s fight another day. Farewell."

BOOM! BOOM!

PFFFT! PFFFT!

The jetpack fired continuously, and Lu Luo shot out of the room.

From within the smog, a shadow slowly drifted out. It gradually solidified, revealing Li Qingshu’s face.

He covered his eyes, furrowed his brow, and occasionally shook his head.

The blast bombs were so potent that even creatures with the constitution of Submother Otters couldn’t withstand them, let alone a Fourth Tier human.

Li Qingshu wiped away his tears and snot, leaning against the wall with an expression of embarrassed fury.

"That bastard! He’d better hope I don’t catch him! ACHOO!"

Li Qingshu simply squatted, covering his eyes. After a long while, he slowly recovered.

His face an icy mask, he slipped into the shadows again, pursuing Lu Luo in the direction he had fled.

After passing through several rooms, Lu Luo arrived in a rectangular room.

At the end of the room was a door. Both the door and the surrounding walls featured a black and white checkered pattern, a stark contrast to the plain white walls from before.

As Lu Luo was about to approach it, the Observer suddenly chimed in with a tip.

[Host, please be cautious. What appears to be a checkered door ahead is a visual illusion trap; it looks like a door, but it’s actually a wall.]

Lu Luo walked up to the wall and reached for the doorknob. Just as the Observer had hinted, his hand grasped nothing but air.

On a nearby plaque, many crookedly written words seemed to offer specific guidance.

[Your eyes have completely deceived you. In this place, you cannot trust your vision, yet you must rely on it to find the true door.]

"Can’t trust my own eyes? A visual trap? What an overused gimmick. Engage overclock mode."

[Overclock mode activated.]

Lu Luo stepped back slowly, allowing everything in the room to come into his field of view.

He knew that the more pressed for time he was, the less he could afford to panic. Panicking would only waste more precious time.

Lu Luo took three seconds to closely observe the area before him and then rapidly constructed a model in his mind.

The checkered pattern wasn’t flawless; some squares had slight bumps or other imperfections.

In his mental model, Lu Luo examined the variations in each square one by one.

Finally, when viewing from a top-right to bottom-left perspective, he discovered a doorknob-shaped protrusion in one of the squares.

From this angle, these squares connected with the surrounding ones, making the doorknob-shaped protrusion stand out clearly, thus revealing the outline of a door.

But what Lu Luo found hard to accept was whether such a door—a visual trap assembled purely by optical effects—could actually be opened.

Exiting his mental space, Lu Luo reached straight for the doorknob that had materialized before his eyes.

To his surprise, his hand indeed closed around a knob. He turned it gently.

CLICK! The invisible door, hidden in plain sight, swung open.

Beyond the door lay a vast void. Hearing Li Qingshu’s voice approaching from behind, Lu Luo knew he couldn’t wait any longer.

He plunged into the door, vanishing from Li Qingshu’s view.

Li Qingshu arrived in the room moments later. He had just heard Lu Luo’s voice, but upon entering, Lu Luo was gone.

Li Qingshu walked to the far end of the room and reached for the doorknob, but his hand grasped only air.

This doorknob... it’s just painted on? Then where did Lu Luo go?

Li Qingshu ran his hands along the wall, searching for the opening mechanism. He was certain Lu Luo had fled in this direction.

The black-and-white checkered pattern must hold the key to solving this puzzle.

If that brat could figure it out, there’s no way it can stump me!

Like Lu Luo before him, Li Qingshu too fell into the Dream Weaver’s mental trap. In his dream battles, Li Qingshu had always perceived Lu Luo as a simple-minded, muscle-bound brute.

Although Lu Luo had just tricked him, his initial impression of Lu Luo remained unchanged.

After passing through the spatial portal, Lu Luo fell through a black space for a while before landing in a new area.

The decor was still red carpets and white walls, but this area had far more decorations than the last.

For example, there were standing suits of knight armor, various kinds of oil paintings, handicrafts, mirrors, and the like.

As soon as Lu Luo landed, he saw Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi standing in place, not moving any further.

"Did you also find that door?"

"Yes, I have Hawk Eye. Those kinds of visual traps are no match for me!"

"Then why don’t you keep running? Are you waiting for me here?"

"No, we want to keep moving too, but there’s something strange about this place... a kind of strangeness I can’t quite describe.

We’ve been walking for a long time, but we’re just treading water. Plus, there’s something off about that suit of armor."

Gu Fangyi, somewhat inarticulate, pointed to a decorative suit of armor behind them, then to the seemingly endless corridor at their feet, gesturing continuously.

Qi Xinzhu also frowned and added,

"Lu Luo, you’ll understand once you follow us."

Lu Luo glanced at the suit of knight armor behind him. It was painted with expressions like smiling and crying faces.

He went straight over and opened it. The armor was empty, with nothing hidden inside. The armor itself was quite ordinary, merely old.

[Ordinary knight armor, no special energy response detected.]

Looking back at the corridor, Lu Luo pondered for a moment, then said,

"Let’s go."

"Okay."

The three had barely taken a few steps when Lu Luo realized what was happening: the decorative suit of armor behind them was following.

Its footsteps were loud, producing a CLANG, CLANG sound. It was brazenly obvious, making no attempt to conceal its movements.

The sound of the armor drew closer, and its movements seemed to become more pronounced.

Lu Luo had no doubt that if they didn’t look back at it, the armor would attack them once it got close enough.

However, when Lu Luo turned around, the suit of armor was pressed tightly against the wall, just as before.

The only difference was that it had moved a significant distance.

The smile painted on the armor’s face was still conspicuous. Looking at it felt like being mocked.

If the rules of this game are this simple, then this corridor should be quite easy to solve, Lu Luo contemplated.

"Qi Xinzhu, Brother Gu, hold my hand. I’ll keep an eye on it, and you two walk; drag me along."

"Ah? Oh, right! When someone is looking at the armor, it doesn’t move."

Qi Xinzhu’s eyes lit up. The idea wasn’t hard to conceive; it just required a bit of thought. Lu Luo, however, had reacted quickly, figuring out the solution after just one look.

As Lu Luo instructed, Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi walked forward, dragging him along. Lu Luo kept his eyes fixed on the stationary armor, not blinking once.

Just as he’d thought, as long as the armor remained within his line of sight, it wouldn’t move.

So, the three of them moved forward slowly until a hand landed on Lu Luo’s shoulder and patted it.

"’What is it?’ Lu Luo asked, a bit puzzled.

Neither of them spoke. Only the Observer responded.

[Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi are both facing forward and immobile, meaning they haven’t turned around. Therefore, that hand is not theirs.]

"Qi Xinzhu?"

Lu Luo sensed something was wrong. While calling her name, he pinched Qi Xinzhu’s fingers. She still gave no response, continuing to pull him forward.

It was as if she had lost all sense of touch and hearing.

The hand on his shoulder had now reached his neck. This hand was definitely not Qi Xinzhu’s—hers weren’t that large, nor that oily.

The greasy sensation was utterly repulsive; Lu Luo couldn’t stand it any longer.

He let go of Gu Fangyi’s hand and tried to grab the hand on his neck, but he caught only air.

Moreover, after he let go, Gu Fangyi seemed not to notice and continued to walk forward.

He had to keep his eyes on the armor, so he could only grope blindly behind his back with his free hand.

After groping fruitlessly for a moment, he had just lowered his hand when he felt the greasy palm reappear.

What the hell is this situation?

He whirled around. Instead of Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi, a corpulent woman from an oil painting filled his vision.

Her entire body seemed composed of viscous grease, which explained the oily sensation Lu Luo had felt.

The only part of the oil-painting woman that still resembled a human was the hand Lu Luo hadn’t let go of.

But as Lu Luo looked at the hand he was holding, its fingers also began to rapidly turn greasy.

The corpulent woman from the painting even smiled at Lu Luo and made a gesture as if to embrace him.

Lu Luo was utterly revolted. He recoiled, but as he did, the clanking of the armor behind him grew louder.

Lu Luo made a split-second decision. He unleashed a Deliberate Bombardment Fist, shattering the corpulent oil-painting woman before him with a single punch.

Seizing the moment the painting-woman disintegrated, Lu Luo hurriedly glanced back at the armor.

Sure enough, all their progress was lost. They were back to about 20 meters from the start of the corridor, its space seemingly stretched anew.

In the distance, he saw Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi dragging a greasy man. Without a word, Lu Luo drew his greatsword and hurled it towards them.

[You just walked normally forward for 101 meters, retreated 2 meters, moved forward again 1 meter, and threw a weapon.]

[All these movements were real and effective. Observer can guarantee that the host did not experience any illusions.]

This all happened without any illusions?

Originally, the distance between Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu was several tens of meters. But in the blink of an eye, it had become only 4-5 meters. The space here simply could not be calculated.

The spinning greatsword cut the oil-painting man in half. Upon seeing Lu Luo’s sword, Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi finally snapped out of it.

"Lu Luo?"

Both were about to turn around, but Lu Luo immediately stopped them.

"’Brother Gu, don’t turn around! Qi Xinzhu, *you* turn around! Everyone, stay calm! Brother Gu, keep holding Qi Xinzhu’s hand. Qi Xinzhu, look back at me—quickly!’"

As Lu Luo spoke, the armor’s footsteps ceased. He knew it was right behind him.

Is it raising its greatsword? Or does it want to twist off my neck?

Qi Xinzhu turned around, and the armor froze in place again. Lu Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

The sense of crisis he’d felt moments ago had been terrifyingly real; that seemingly ordinary suit of armor was extremely dangerous.

"’Good!’"

Having somewhat stabilized the situation, Lu Luo began to analyze quickly.

"Just now, the three of us must have had a blind spot in our field of vision.

Even though we were back-to-back and holding hands, there was still an unobserved gap between us. That must have been our mistake."

Now, Lu Luo faced Qi Xinzhu, Qi Xinzhu faced Lu Luo, and Gu Fangyi faced forward. With their combined vision covering all angles, the corridor fell silent once more, its oppressive atmosphere receding.

Lu Luo wiped away the oil from his neck and flung it onto the ground.

"’Okay, let me briefly explain the situation in this area.’"

Just as Lu Luo was about to explain the principles of the corridor and his analysis to the two, Qi Xinzhu’s pupils constricted.

Thanks to the enhanced vision granted by the Observer, Lu Luo saw Li Qingshu’s reflection in her constricting pupils—he was standing behind them.

"Lu Luo!"

"’No need. I saw his reflection in your eyes. He’s still far enough away. Ignore him for now and listen to me.’"

"Okay."

"Understood."

Having received their affirmations, Lu Luo continued to explain his deductions.

"’In this corridor, individual senses can be deceived.

Even what your eyes see, your ears hear, or your fingers touch—if it’s an isolated perception, you can still be deceived.

Only through double confirmation can we ensure the accuracy of information here.

So, if you see something terrifying, you must confirm it by, for example, both seeing *and* hearing it, or seeing *and* touching it. Only then can you trust it’s real.

Therefore, from now on, not only must we hold hands, but our combined vision must also cover every angle of the corridor.

As we walk, we need to keep talking. Every thirty seconds or so, share a memory or an old story—no specific topic, just say whatever comes to mind.

Time is pressing. Do you understand?’"

"But, Lu Luo, behind you!"