Lu Luo led Yuan Mian outside the Safety Bureau. By then, a light rain had begun to fall.

And Lu Luo, as it happened, hadn't brought an umbrella.

Lu Luo, who possessed a Devourer, had no need for an umbrella, but Yuan Mian was a different story.

Her body was too fragile; the chaotic Dark Energy and potential hidden viruses in the rain could be deadly to her.

And because she was too weak to maintain a Dark Energy shield to block the rain, she couldn't move.

"You're not going to let me get drenched, are you? I could die!"

Lu Luo frowned slightly. Now that she was his captive, why had their situation become so strange?

"What a troublesome woman! Alright, I'll carry you."

What is he going to do to me? Could it be...

Yuan Mian's mind flashed through many imagined scenarios before Lu Luo had already lifted her onto his back.

Lu Luo tore a signboard from one of the dilapidated shops near the Safety Bureau and held it over his head to shield them from the rain.

Yuan Mian leaned on Lu Luo's back and cautiously asked, "Mr. Lu Luo, what are you going to do to me?"

"I'm a downright evil man; you might as well assume the worst."

At Lu Luo's words, Yuan Mian panicked instantly. Is he going to do *that* to me?

"Mr. Lu Luo, I'm so weak, and you're so strong. You're so big, and I'm so small. How could you do this..."

"When you were framing me earlier, you weren't talking like this."

"I'm sorry."

"Are you scared?"

"I am scared!"

"Then shut up if you're scared!"

"Oh!"

Lu Luo pondered where he should go next.

Yuan Mian's identity was somewhat special. If he took her back to the base, the risk would be quite high, especially if this woman carried some kind of marker, or if the Inner Ring people had ways to track her. Bringing her back to the base then would spell disaster.

Even though Lu Xiaotian said she would block the Inner Ring Faction's experts, Lu Luo felt it was best not to be too optimistic about such matters.

Hence, Lu Luo decided to take Yuan Mian to Han Shiyu.

Firstly, Han Shiyu also possessed a Healing Ability. While not as strong as Qi Xinzhu's, it should suffice for Yuan Mian's interrogation. Secondly, Han Shiyu was a smaller target. If discovered, she could abandon Yuan Mian and relocate at any moment with her abilities. Finally, Han Shiyu was someone Lu Luo trusted. The fewer people who knew about this, the better, making Han Shiyu's place his best option.

「...」

"Where are we going now?" After a bout of running, Yuan Mian, who urgently needed to pee, couldn't help but ask.

"To my sweetheart's place."

Sweetheart? Does he mean lover?

Carrying Yuan Mian, Lu Luo passed through the streets currently under reconstruction. Along the way, he saw many ordinary people from the Fourth Ring.

Due to the current economic and social collapse of the Fourth Ring, most of them wore expressions of bewilderment.

However, their lives were actually somewhat better than when the Inner Ring had been in control. This was because productivity hadn't notably declined, the enemy was united, and Hunters and guards maintained order.

Aside from the water supply issues, the boost in Dark Energy caused the farmed creatures to grow rapidly.

The ordinary people of the Fourth Ring could often eat meat now, as long as they had jobs.

This led to a very strange and distorted situation in the Fourth Ring.

Aside from safety concerns regarding Exotic Species, life wasn't too bad, yet people lacked clear goals.

Lu Luo took all this in, though he didn't really have a solution for it, just as he'd said before.

He was just a minor leader in the Fourth Ring, not its savior.

Ludie had once asked him if he ever thought of becoming the new king of the Wasteland.

This question had always troubled Lu Luo!

Forget it. Compared to being the King of the Wasteland, taking a few wives and fathering twenty-something kids seems more realistic.

Lu Luo arrived at Han Shiyu's residence.

After over two months of recuperation, the number of injured and sick in the Fourth Ring had significantly decreased.

Since Han Shiyu hadn't been working recently, she seemed particularly idle these days.

When Lu Luo arrived, she was cultivating in her room.

As soon as Lu Luo landed, Han Shiyu, who seemed to sense his arrival, came out.

"Oh? You've brought back another woman?"

Han Shiyu teased, but this time, Lu Luo showed no trace of humor. Instead, he spoke quite seriously, "She's a member of the Inner Ring investigation team, on a mission to frame me."

Han Shiyu was stunned. At first, she thought Lu Luo was joking, but after taking a closer look at Yuan Mian, her expression gradually became grave.

"To have such a level of Dark Energy at this age is indeed incredible, but why is her body so frail? Considering the Inner Ring's nutrition and living conditions, this should be impossible."

Yuan Mian looked at Han Shiyu, not daring to speak. However, she could feel the pure Holy Radiance emanating from Han Shiyu.

She was somewhat skeptical about the relationship between Han Shiyu and Lu Luo.

Lu Luo's sweetheart is someone from the Church? And the Holy Light on this person is so pure! How could such a woman be involved with someone from the Fourth Ring?

Yuan Mian, feeling somewhat uneasy, twisted her body. Lu Luo slightly furrowed his brow.

"What are you squirming for?"

"I need to use the restroom."

Han Shiyu smiled.

"I'll take you."

Lu Luo didn't say anything. Soon, Han Shiyu returned with Yuan Mian, who had just used the restroom.

"Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

"If I injure her, you just need to heal her."

This exchange between them made the atmosphere quite tense.

Yuan Mian was truly timid. At this moment, she was genuinely afraid that Lu Luo might do something outrageous to her.

"What are you going to do to me?"

"Miss Yuan Mian, there are no outsiders here now. Can you tell me now who is trying to move against me?"

When Lu Luo said there were no outsiders, Han Shiyu was very pleased.

However, Yuan Mian's response was less than satisfactory; she chose to remain silent.

But Lu Luo was no longer in a hurry. He had all the energy to play this game with Yuan Mian.

And Yuan Mian, no matter how one looked at her, did not seem like a particularly strong-willed person.

With the right methods, it probably wouldn't take much effort.

[What kind of methods are you talking about?]

"Remaining silent is pointless. Your ability is very special; I've already sensed it. From the moment you touched me earlier, I saw some images from your memories. You've been bullied since you were young, haven't you?"

"..."

Yuan Mian continued to be silent. Lu Luo's words caused her some discomfort.

However, worse was yet to come for her.

"Aside from being bullied, you were also deprived of resources for cultivation, food, and Cultivation Techniques. Even the boy you liked was taken from you, and you were warned. Such a life is truly sad, isn't it, Miss Yuan Mian?"

Yuan Mian's gaze flickered for a moment.

"Some people didn't do it on purpose!"

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Luo suddenly grabbed Yuan Mian's hand and looked directly into her eyes.

[Nightmare Demon's Seed!]

"They did it on purpose. They bully you because they see you as weak and powerless to fight back. They're threatening you to frame me, right?"

The return of the Nightmare Demon's Seed granted Lu Luo access to the power of the Nightmare Demon once more—confusion, enticement, distortion.

As Lu Luo spoke, a nearly imperceptible power emanated from his eyes.

The moment Yuan Mian made eye contact with Lu Luo, she had already been ensnared.

"I had no choice..."

"Do you think that by helping them, this matter will just end? They'll continue to threaten you into doing other things. After one Lu Luo dies, there will be a Zhang Luo, a Wang Luo, a Zhou Luo! This will continue until you're caught red-handed, and then they'll discard you and anyone you tried to protect."

"Him? It can't be..."

Lu Luo was suddenly startled. Him?

Yuan Mian's tone didn't sound like someone who was being coerced.

Or rather, Yuan Mian and this 'him' seemed to share a special, perhaps even intimate, relationship.

"Who is he?"

"He... I, I, I!"

Yuan Mian became somewhat incoherent. Lu Luo tightly grasped her palm, making her gaze follow his.

"Use your own ability!"

"Okay!"

Yuan Mian gripped Lu Luo's hand, somewhat agitated, and suddenly began to tremble.

Lu Luo was abruptly dragged into a scene from her memories by her power.

Han Shiyu, standing beside them, noticed Yuan Mian's nose begin to bleed and her body start to shake all over. Lu Luo's gaze had also become vacant. Han Shiyu knew Yuan Mian must have activated some kind of ability.

Although unclear about what had transpired between them, she proactively began treating Yuan Mian to keep her stable.

The images in this memory were much clearer than before. At least, Lu Luo could clearly see the person in front of him.

A handsome young man with refined features?

"[Yuan Mian, Li Kaizhe, the Director of the Eastern Fourth Ring's Safety Bureau, is dead.]"

"[What do you want?]"

"[What we want you to do is simple: just ensure a man named Lu Luo is convicted!]"

"[I...]"

"[I know you won't refuse me, right?]"

"[Yin Wei, I don't want to do this anymore. I just want to live a quiet life. Please stop forcing me, okay?]"

"[Don't worry, this is the last time.]"

"[Will it really be the last time?]"

"[It really will be the last time. After this, Teacher, you, and I—we can all live well together.]"

"[Will it really be like that?]"

"[Of course. When the time comes, I'll satisfy you completely...]"

Satisfy my ass. With her Constitution, a single touch would probably kill her.

The memory scene wasn't very long, but Lu Luo had figured out the other party's identity.

This handsome young man named Yin Wei was actually the one Yuan Mian had once liked.

Being used by someone you like isn't unheard of; many devoted admirers willingly go along with it.

But Yuan Mian was the type who couldn't even offer herself up if she wanted to.

How pitiful, to be unable even to offer herself like that!

"Done?"

"Yes."

"That was quick."

Seeing them both awaken simultaneously, Han Shiyu asked curiously. The interrogation process had indeed been swift.

But Yuan Mian's Constitution was truly outrageous; using Dark Energy with such a weak body was incredibly risky.

"Yes, it was indeed quick. This woman's willpower isn't particularly strong either."

Knowing the enemy's name and appearance had significantly narrowed down the target range.

"Who is Yin Wei? Do you know him?"

Han Shiyu thought for a moment.

"The name rings a bell, but it's been so long since I was last in the Inner Ring that I'm not sure. Ask her."

Only then did Lu Luo look toward Yuan Mian.

"Hey, this Yin Wei you like, what's his status?"

Yuan Mian still kept her head down, not speaking, so Lu Luo nudged her forehead.

"There's no point in continuing to hide it now, right? Even if you don't speak, I can ask someone else. It will just take a bit more effort."

Only after hearing Lu Luo say this did Yuan Mian slowly begin to speak.

"Yin Wei is the younger son of Councilor Yin Zhengtao."

Hearing this, Lu Luo nodded. He knew some things about Councilor Yin Zhengtao of Aquarius, at least from official sources.

"I shouldn't have any connection to this person. Why is he targeting me?"

"I don't know. I really don't know."

Lu Luo questioned Yuan Mian for a while longer, managing to extract nearly everything the frail girl knew before finally concluding the interrogation.

At this point, Han Shiyu gestured towards Yuan Mian with her chin, "You've got the information you needed. What about this woman? Should we kill her?"

The coldness of Han Shiyu's words made Yuan Mian's hair stand on end.

Compared to Lu Luo, the woman before her, radiating Holy Radiance, seemed even more terrifying.

However, Lu Luo shook his head, "Let's keep her for now. Her Empathy ability is very special, and I still have other uses for her. Plus, she will be the key to my safe return to the Inner Ring."

"A key to safely return to the Inner Ring? Although I don't know how you plan to use her, I must remind you of one thing. She is too fragile, and in her current state, her ability probably can't be used many more times. You better not do anything excessive to her!"

There's something off about Han Shiyu's words. I think she's subtly reminding me that while it's okay to have desires, I need to be discerning.

Dark lines appeared on Lu Luo's forehead; he had caught Han Shiyu's implication.

What on earth is this woman thinking? Does she really trust me so little?

"Han Shiyu, what are you thinking about all day long? Do I really seem that desperate to you?"

Han Shiyu raised her eyebrows, looking at Lu Luo provocatively, and deliberately licked her lips at him.

"You do seem quite desperate."

That look got Lu Luo all flustered!

He quickly took out some steel wires, bound Yuan Mian in moments, and tossed her onto a nearby chair.

Then he picked up Han Shiyu and headed straight into the house.

Han Shiyu didn't resist. She clung to Lu Luo's neck, her eyes as seductive as silk.

"But there are other people here!"

"Just a nobody. We can just ignore her; it'll be fine."

Lu Luo and Han Shiyu hadn't seen each other for a while, so naturally, it was like dry tinder meeting a fierce flame when they met this time.

They hadn't brought it up earlier because they had business to attend to.

Now that the business was settled, they were definitely moving on to the main topic between a man and a woman.

Rustling whispers echoed continuously from the room, leaving Yuan Mian, who was outside, blushing beet-red.

She had always hoped that such things would happen to her.

Of course, the protagonist in her fantasies was Yin Wei.

But Yuan Mian also knew her Constitution was too weak. A careless move could lead to fractures or dislocations.

Intimate acts between a man and a woman were almost impossible for her, a fact she had always deeply regretted.

Although she couldn't actively experience such things, it didn't stop Yuan Mian from fantasizing about their pleasures.

Yuan Mian had indulged in many such fantasies. Today, however, Lu Luo and Han Shiyu were giving her a live demonstration.

"How can they do this? Boo-hoo!"

And then, this frail woman just passed out.

Inside the room, Han Shiyu, who was usually more reserved in these matters, was exceptionally proactive today.

Until his phone rang.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Han Shiyu and Lu Luo stopped, looking at each other in surprise.

Lu Luo asked, "Could the Fourth Ring's communications, which have been down for over two months, actually be working again?"

"Who is it?"

"Uh, Dumb Hair!"

"You answer it."

After getting Han Shiyu's approval, Lu Luo took the call.

"Hello! This is Lu Luo."

Dumb Hair's somewhat excited voice came from the other end, "Lu Luo, I've restored the base's communication equipment! We can make calls from the base now."

Beads of sweat formed on Lu Luo's forehead.

"Uh, that's good news! SSS—HA!"

"Lu Luo? What are you doing? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm just running."