CHAPTER 154: CHAPTER 154: WAS THE ARMOR MOVED BY HAND? (REQUESTING FULL SUBSCRIPTION)

"I said, leave him alone."

"But he’s very close, right behind you!"

"Shut up!"

Lu Luo hadn’t yelled at Qi Xinzhu like this in a long time, and Qi Xinzhu pursed her lips, feeling somewhat aggrieved.

You’re being too harsh; the girl is about to cry.

Lu Luo also felt helpless. Did he not know there was someone behind him? Of course, he knew. But so what? Could it change the current situation? Of course not. He was just a Fourth Tier Transcendent. If he couldn’t even ignore my attacks, how could he possibly ignore the rules here? This arrogant fool still hasn’t realized why the three of us are walking so slowly. He’s still rushing headlong! Truly suicidal behavior.

"Lu Luo! You are mine!" a somewhat chilly voice declared from behind Lu Luo.

This person actually knows my name! His target is me, Lu Luo thought instantly.

Li Qingshu, who had been in a shadow state since entering this corridor, reached out his hand toward Lu Luo.

But this simple act of reaching out caused part of Li Qingshu, hidden in the shadows, to materialize.

His somewhat smooth fingertips had already touched Lu Luo’s earlobe—a malicious provocation.

Yet even so, Lu Luo still had no intention of turning his head to defend himself. The more dangerous the situation, the calmer I need to be. Three, two, one.

Lu Luo smiled because he saw the reflection in Qi Xinzhu’s pupils: the second suit of armor was moving!

In Qi Xinzhu’s astonished gaze, the second suit of armor at the far end of the corridor—the Crying Face Knight armor—walked towards them at a speed ten times faster than Li Qingshu.

That’s right, it wasn’t running or charging; the armor was walking. To Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu, its movements appeared normal.

The only abnormality was its temporal existence; it was as if time around it had been accelerated by some force, its entire rhythm fast-forwarded.

Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu both clearly perceived the armor’s movements, yet it still erupted with a speed more than ten times greater than their pursuer.

Just as Li Qingshu’s hand grasped Lu Luo’s shoulder, the armor’s hand also seized Li Qingshu’s arm.

The two men and the suit of armor stood together in a bizarre posture, as if they were shoulder to shoulder, one waiting for the other to pick up a dropped bar of soap.

Lu Luo didn’t move or dodge. If my guess is correct, the armor will move before Li Qingshu, and with greater speed.

"What is this?"

Before Li Qingshu could turn his head, his arm was seized by an immense force, so strong it was impossible to resist.

The armor instantly dragged Li Qingshu’s body away, back to the roughly 10-meter safe zone at the far end of the corridor, slamming him heavily onto the ground.

"What the hell is this thing?"

Li Qingshu felt the bones in his hand crack. The opponent’s attack was too fast and utterly without warning.

He looked behind him, only to see the second Crying Face armor tilting its head, grinning at him, and then waving its hand as if signaling friendliness.

"It was the armor that attacked? Damn it!"

Sensing the eerie nature of the armor, Li Qingshu quickly suppressed the elation he’d felt from finding Lu Luo.

He extended his hand, unleashing his full Shadow Pressure on the armor leaning against the wall.

"Shadow Destruction!"

The armor twisted with a SQUEALING sound; under the force of Shadow Destruction, Li Qingshu nearly crushed it into an iron ball, which then fell to the ground.

Looking at the iron ball on the ground, Li Qingshu finally nodded in satisfaction. There shouldn’t be any more problems now.

He turned to look at Lu Luo. The delay had allowed Lu Luo and his companions to increase the distance between them again.

However, it doesn’t matter. They’re moving so slowly; I can catch up in a few breaths.

Li Qingshu entered Shadow Dodge again and flew toward Lu Luo. Just like before, while he was in his shadow state, the armor didn’t react.

Lu Luo, who had been observing Li Qingshu, naturally noticed this as well.

He couldn’t help but marvel. The Shadow Master Sequence is truly powerful. This ability practically allows one to evade reality itself.

This time, as Li Qingshu approached Lu Luo, he didn’t rush to attack. Instead, he circled Lu Luo, observing him carefully.

Li Qingshu was very cautious. Only after confirming that Lu Luo had no means to resist did he solidify his body once more, attempting to grab Lu Luo again.

But the moment he returned to his physical form, the armor that Li Qingshu had previously crushed into an iron ball swiftly reformed under some unknown power.

And once again, it pursued Li Qingshu at a speed that Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu simply couldn’t comprehend.

"The armor?" Li Qingshu also heard the clanking from behind him, but the speed difference was so great he couldn’t even turn his head to look.

The rule for this armor seems to be: the faster you are, the faster it becomes.

When Li Qingshu’s physical body suddenly materialized, the armor perceived it as him having instantaneously covered that long distance. Naturally, it would then erupt with ten times that speed to drag Li Qingshu back.

Just as Lu Luo and Qi Xinzhu had anticipated, the metal armor once again caught Li Qingshu.

This time, its force was greater, its strength more potent, and its speed faster than before.

In a sheer contest of strength, Li Qingshu was utterly defeated this time.

He hadn’t fully materialized, being cautious enough to only reveal an arm.

But even such caution was useless in the face of absolute power.

The armor dragged his entire body directly out of the shadows, yanking him back to the safe zone at a speed that surpassed his limits.

This time, it was unclear whether Li Qingshu had violated the rules of this place or if there was some other reason.

The armor grabbed his lower leg and began to slam him repeatedly without the slightest hesitation.

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!

The immense force left Li Qingshu no chance to break free. Each slam from the armor was powerful enough to overwhelm his Shadow Shield.

As Li Qingshu spat out blood, his face contorted with anger and indignation.

"On what grounds? A mere suit of armor, on what grounds can it treat me like this?"

The armor still didn’t kill him, but it once again tossed him to the far end of the corridor. Everything started over.

Qi Xinzhu, moving slowly, was dumbfounded. This guy who seemed so formidable ended up in such a miserable state, just because he didn’t follow the rules here.

She couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion. Compared to a reckless brute like Li Qingshu, Lu Luo’s mind is much more agile, Qi Xinzhu mused.

Lu Luo was also reflecting. Thankfully, Qi Xinzhu’s eyes are large and bright. That’s how I can use my overclocked vision to get a decent look through their reflection.

This guy is really in a pitiful state. I reckon he won’t make it out. When we get out, let’s burn a stick of incense for him!

"Lu Luo, if we keep walking like this, will we be able to get out?" Qi Xinzhu asked.

"We’ll get out, but that guy’s probably not done yet. A high-ranking Fourth Tier Sequence user isn’t that easy to deal with."

"Lu Luo, this place feels very strange to me. It’s like we’re being manipulated by some will," Qi Xinzhu said, her face etched with worry.

From the beginning until now, all their actions had been passive, always fleeing. She didn’t like this feeling.

Lu Luo didn’t like it either, but when he lacked the power to break the rules, he chose to accept them.

"When you don’t have the ability to break the rules, the best approach is to abide by them," Lu Luo explained. "Otherwise, the rules, and those who made them, will definitely come to beat you down, just like that guy. And to be frank, this situation of being manipulated... there isn’t much of a clear difference whether we’re inside the Wall or outside it."

"Huh? Inside the Wall? How could there be manipulation there?"

Aren’t the people of the Fourth Ring manipulated? Aren’t Hunters subjected to a more advanced form of manipulation? Just as I said, it’s the same inside the Wall. Born as a person of the Alliance, die as a corpse of the Alliance. Inside the Wall, it’s not called ’being manipulated’ because it has a nicer-sounding name: ’contributing to society, contributing to the Alliance.’

As for the master of this place... based on the abilities it has shown and its way of speaking, I have a faint guess about its identity. Nightmare Demon! Something capable of dragging people into dreams, unleashing psychic shocks, weaving a realistic dream world, and controlling all the rules within these worlds... The only thing I can think of that fits this description is the new calamity rumored to be spreading wildly through the East Ring: the Nightmare Demon. In the Wasteland, an Eighth Order entity is undoubtedly a king, an existence that even someone like Qiao Xing couldn’t face directly. What was the caliber of past Eighth Orders? Noah, who led the Machina Crisis. The Stone Mother, who destroyed mountains and leveled the earth. Only the Rogge Giant from a hundred years ago was a dim-witted Eighth Order; other Eighth Orders are all monstrously powerful. I wouldn’t be surprised by any ability such a monster possessed.

"This person... we need to deal with him," Lu Luo stated.

"His strength must be quite formidable, right? Can we rely on the rules here to deal with him?" Qi Xinzhu asked.

Lu Luo glanced at the corridor—enclosed, narrow, and long. This geographical environment is more than enough.

"He’s not an idiot," Lu Luo replied. "After suffering setbacks twice, he should know how to evade the rules here by now. So, if we want to deal with him, we’ll have to rely on ourselves."

"How do we do that?"

Qi Xinzhu’s gaze was resolute, but Lu Luo merely stroked her hair.

The gesture was somewhat ambiguous, and a little strange.

"Gu Fangyi, Qi Xinzhu, take out your gas masks and put them on slowly."

"Put them on now?" Gu Fangyi asked. "Are you just making small talk, or do you really want us to put them on?"

"Really put them on. Right now. But there’s no need to rush. Maintain our line of sight, physical contact, and sound. Listen to me, slowly now."

Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi nodded, their movements very slow and deliberate.

Following Lu Luo’s instructions, while continuing to move and maintaining their line of sight and physical contact, they slowly donned their gas masks.

Although we don’t know why Lu Luo wants us to do this, he usually has good reasons for his actions. Just like this seemingly unsolvable corridor, which Lu Luo managed to overcome with what seemed like a clumsy method, they thought.

Now, they were not far from the far end of the corridor.

"I wonder if we’ll be able to leave this place after we get out of this corridor," Qi Xinzhu murmured.

After the two had their masks on, Lu Luo quietly took out all the poisons he had prepared earlier.

Then, under Qi Xinzhu’s astonished gaze, GLUG! GLUG! GLUG! Lu Luo drank all of them.

Come on, Host, show everyone how you poison yourself to death!

Because of the mask, Qi Xinzhu found it hard to speak. She squeezed Lu Luo’s hand to express her shock.

Why is Lu Luo doing this? We’re about to leave this place. Is he trying to kill himself?

"Lu Luo?" she managed, her voice muffled.

However, Lu Luo just waved his hand at her and replied, "Don’t ask! Just trust that I’m fine."

Lu Luo thoroughly swallowed all the poison.

This act prompted the Observer to constantly display damage notifications:

A certain poison is eroding your body. Your Constitution has granted you immunity to this poison’s damage.

A potent toxin is damaging your nervous tissue. Your Tenacity’s effect (Damage Reduction -4) has negated this damage.

Similar notifications popped up one after another; Lu Luo’s body was constantly being assailed by toxins.

Thanks to his formidable Constitution, the effects of Tenacity, and his poison resistance, he was immune to most of the damage.

Then, he began to control the Devourer’s Virulent Seeds to consume these toxins.

The trio’s pace wasn’t fast. When about 100 meters remained to the far end of the corridor, Lu Luo finally finished consuming all the toxins in his body.

Then, he gritted his teeth slightly and activated Steam Drive—Second Gear.

But this time, what he unleashed wasn’t just steam; it was mist—or more precisely, a toxic fog.

HAAA!

A large amount of vapor billowed from Lu Luo’s mouth. This vapor was a mix of reddish and yellowish hues, some of it even corrosive enough to eat through the red carpet on the floor.

One look was enough to tell it was a highly poisonous gas. Seeing this, Qi Xinzhu finally understood. So that’s why Lu Luo told us to wear gas masks!

The types of toxins Lu Luo exhaled were incredibly diverse: human-made chemical toxins, alchemical poisons, the Red Shell’s Fire Poison, and toxins from many creatures beyond the Wall—all mixed together.

These poisonous gases began to fill and spread throughout the corridor.

Lu Luo’s control over his Mist Form wasn’t exactly adept, but if he focused, he was confident he could fill this narrow passageway with the toxic gas.

The billowing toxic fumes began to spread. Lu Luo directed the fumes to rise and sink, ensuring they wouldn’t obstruct the trio’s vision, at least until they exited.

Li Qingshu, standing at the far end of the corridor, naturally saw the colorful fog deep within it. He immediately sensed trouble and entered Shadow Dodge.

While in Shadow Dodge, he was immune to toxin damage.

Having been caught by the armor twice, Li Qingshu had come to a realization: This corridor is not a simple place. The priority now is to leave, not to recklessly chase after Lu Luo for some unknown secret. That armor’s strength is far beyond what I can handle. I don’t want to throw my life away here.

As long as I maintain this shadow state, the armor won’t attack me, he thought, advancing rapidly in his shadow state.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the corridor, Lu Luo and his two companions had reached the door.

"You two go straight in. I’ll be right there," Lu Luo said.

"Okay!" Gu Fangyi replied, pushed open the door, and entered. After that, all sound from him ceased.

Qi Xinzhu also pushed open her door, but she clung tightly to Lu Luo, unwilling to let go.

If I still don’t understand what Lu Luo plans to do by now, I’d truly be an idiot, she thought.

But Lu Luo had no intention of following them inside.

"Go, you foolish woman!"

Lu Luo pried Qi Xinzhu’s hand off him and, meeting her somewhat desperate gaze, pushed her through the door.

Then he turned around, facing the rapidly approaching shadow.

This person chasing us is too dangerous. The Shadow Master Sequence is also too dangerous.

Relying on his shadow state, he can definitely reach the next area. But the next area means the unknown. Perhaps the environment there will be better than here, but there’s a high probability it won’t be as advantageous. This narrow corridor perfectly suits all my combat needs. So, whether for my own sake or for Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi, I have to eliminate this person here.

"Hey, are you there?" Lu Luo called out. "Didn’t you have something you needed my help with? If you can hear me, can you help me kill this person?"

I don’t know if the creator of this space is the Nightmare Demon. If it is, what kind of help could it possibly need from me? But if a deal can be struck, resolving this without resorting to force would naturally be the best. We’re practically about to make a shady deal here; you helping me out a bit isn’t too much to ask, is it?

Before long, a somewhat perplexed voice emerged.

"But our game is still going on! You’re about to win this round. You’ve performed very well; you might actually beat me. Playing this game with you is very interesting. But if you give up here, you’ll lose. Don’t you want the reward anymore?"

Its tone was extremely puzzled, as if my abandoning the game was more unbearable to it than its own loss. Does it have some kind of masochistic streak? Lu Luo wondered.

"Hmm, if I continue the game, can you help me kill this person?" Lu Luo asked.

The childlike voice pondered for a moment before replying seriously, "Hmm, I don’t think I can."

"Why not? If he kills me, won’t you have no one left to help you?"

"What you said sounds somewhat reasonable, but I still can’t help you. I’m sorry, Lu Luo. This is a choice of fate; I cannot participate in the conflict between you two. How about this: I promise that if you defeat him, I will come find you. Is that okay?"

"That... seems acceptable," Lu Luo conceded.