CHAPTER 27: CHAPTER 27 THE REASON FOR TAKING ACTION

After ending the call, Lu Luo prepared to bandage his wounds. Fortunately, the room at Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals wasn’t short of medical supplies. He soon found gauze and some disinfectant powder in the room’s medical kit and began to clean his wounds. Time flew by.

"Wraith Blade synthesis complete."

The white glow of the fused item gradually dissipated, and the four previous items slowly transformed into a longsword-shaped object.

The spine of the sword curved with the blade, featuring two blood grooves on either side and wave-patterned nail prints. The blade was exceptionally sharp, about 1.2 meters in length with a 30-centimeter handle, and as ink-black as if cast from darkness itself.

**Wraith Blade**

Grade: Fine

Damage: 5-22

Effect 1—Phantom Pain: Deals mental damage equal to half of the physical damage dealt.

Effect 2—Malice: Summons a Second Tier Specter Species—Malice to fight for you for 10 minutes, with a cooldown of 7 days.

Description: A weapon formed from the accumulation of resentful memories, chaotic distortions, and humble adorations.

"Fuck!"

"It’s understandable that uncultured people like to use those words, but I feel your description of this blade still lacks something. For instance, ’Fuck, that’s awesome!’"

Looking at the description of the Wraith Blade, Lu Luo became contemplative.

The resentful memory is Zhang Zhe, the chaotic distortion is the Deformed Species, and the humble adoration is Qin Wanyu? Who is she infatuated with?

"A girl immersed in emotions, only to become an Exotic Species—truly pitiful!"

Not only did the Wraith Blade possess high damage output, but it also had two effects that seemed very powerful. This greatly compensated for Lu Luo’s current lack of damage.

"It’s about time to go find them."

...

At the entrance of the New Hope Club, the gloomy sky once again began to rain. People hurriedly sought shelter, either opening umbrellas or returning indoors.

Ludie, however, did neither. He walked through the crowd under many astonished gazes, without an umbrella, unbothered by the rain.

Looking at his worn-out motorcycle, Ludie lit a cigarette and started talking to himself.

I’m heading to Lan Tian Biotechnology next. After this, there might be no more freeloading at the club—am I really sure about this?

Since it was a self-posed question, no one answered it for Ludie. He smoked in silence, seemingly indifferent to the rain drenching him—a downpour that would have been fatal for an ordinary person.

As his clothes became soaked and the cigarette in his hand slowly extinguished, Ludie finally chuckled.

"Once I’ve recruited him, I’ll have a little brother. And it’s standard practice for little brothers to invite leaders to the club, isn’t it? Being treated by others and freeloading are essentially the same—both mean getting things for free. The principle is similar. So, yes, this rescue mission is feasible."

In truth, Ludie was just trying to find a reason for himself—a reason to act and save Lu Luo.

Ludie didn’t bother with his decrepit motorcycle anymore. He stomped forcefully on the ground; the rainwater formed a ring at his feet but didn’t splash outwards.

When people looked at Ludie again, he was already on top of a building, leaping rapidly from rooftop to rooftop.

...

On the other side of Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals’ rest area, a fierce battle was raging.

Zhou Kai leaned against a wall, gasping for breath, feeling as if he were on the verge of collapse.

Meanwhile, Gu Fangyi and Chu Qi, after joining forces to kill a ghoul, were now cornered against a wall by a scorpion-like, crimson-shelled Exotic Species.

Gu Fangyi’s complexion wasn’t good; he had already been injured by Red Shell. Its entire body was covered in toxins—an exceptionally frenzied Fire Poison.

"Our attacks can’t damage it at all! This thing is a complete monster!"

It was no wonder Gu Fangyi felt somewhat unbalanced. Previously, when facing the Deformed Species in the 404 Exhibition Hall, he was already struggling. However, back then, he could at least inflict damage on the Deformed Species with firearms.

But the Red Shell he now faced was far more powerful than the unnamed Deformed Species from before—much stronger.

Consecutive failures delivered a heavy blow to the proud Gu Fangyi, and he even began to doubt himself.

Chu Qi’s condition wasn’t great either, even though she was no longer holding back her strength. However, Red Shell’s power was not something an ordinary person could contend with.

"Gu Fangyi, now is not the time to lose heart. Besides, this monster is far from as simple as you imagine. Red Shell is an evolved form of Blue Shell. It’s a Second Tier elite Exotic Species, much stronger than a common Second Tier Exotic Species, and extremely difficult to deal with."

Chu Qi left some things unsaid. For instance, Red Shell was a new type of Exotic Species created by Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals using a biological agent. It was also currently the highest-level controllable Exotic Species.

Song Hana, that bastard! Talking about a test when it’s clear they want Lu Luo and his group to die!

BANG! BANG! BANG! PING! PING! PING!

She fired three shots, but the large-caliber handgun only managed to dent Red Shell’s exoskeleton, causing no actual harm.

Chu Qi hadn’t yet learned how to imbue bullets with Dark Energy. Gu Fangyi knew how, but his meager supply of Dark Energy had long been exhausted.

Among the three of them, only she was a First Tier Transcendent. Both Gu Fangyi and Zhou Kai were just beginners and hadn’t officially advanced.

Now that Gu Fangyi had no Dark Energy left and Zhou Kai was merely a bystander, it was almost impossible for her to defeat Red Shell alone. This was destined to be a fight with almost no chance of victory.

"So, what do we do now? It seems there’s no way to harm it."

Chu Qi pulled out a Mercenary Warblade and ran her hand along the blade, making its edge even sharper.

This was Chu Qi’s talent Sequence, C-63-Weapon Enhancement. It sounded somewhat similar to Lu Luo’s method of making weapons sharper through a Fusioner.

However, Lu Luo’s ability caused a change in the weapon itself, while Chu Qi’s was a direct enhancement of its properties, like making it sharper or more durable.

"Don’t ask about that now. Take Zhou Kai and go find Lu Luo, then escape! I’m already with Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals; I’ll be fine."

"Impossible! Since we’re all here, I can’t just abandon you."

Gu Fangyi was his usual self, a classic do-gooder. Usually silent, but at critical moments, he would never give up on anyone.

He hadn’t even abandoned Liu Ting, who was just an ordinary person and a burden. Yet, this display, far from earning Chu Qi’s approval, drew her ridicule.

"Gu Fangyi, you have high potential, but your pity and compassion are your greatest weaknesses. Compared to Lu Luo, you’re so naive it’s almost laughable. Inside the walls, you only experience the laws of the Wasteland. But outside, among Transcendents, the rule is the law of the jungle. The weak have no voice."

"Chu Qi..."

"Go on. You’re out of Dark Energy. If you stay, you’ll just be a burden to me."

Chu Qi’s words struck Gu Fangyi hard, and he fell silent.

"Gu Fangyi, let’s go," Zhou Kai, having regained some strength, urged him. "She’s right. We’ll only be a burden if we stay. Let’s hurry."

Pulled by Zhou Kai, Gu Fangyi hesitated for a moment, then nodded to Chu Qi.

"I understand."