Lin Zhiming watched Li Tanya, who was already preparing to set out, and couldn’t understand her rationale for seeking out a group of Scavengers in the dead of night.
So, he naturally began to grumble.
"Not sleeping and running around in the middle of the night? Is this group insane? And now you’re going after them? I think you’re insane too! Li Tanya, if you’re craving a man, you can co to !"
Lin Zhiming truly was the type of person who was naturally foul-mouthed and unrestrained; he had the background and sufficient strength to back it up.
The normal path of hierarchical advancent ended at First-Class Citizen. Li Tanya, for example, had achieved this status through her scientific research.
However, Lin Zhiming’s status was Special-Class Citizen, which, within the walls, made him true nobility.
Currently, the quotas for Special-Class Citizens within the walls were completely controlled by the thirteen mbers of the Council.
The Lin Family, represented by Hongtu Armants, was one of these thirteen council families.
If it weren’t for Li Tanya being too assertive and her extrely high position in the company, she really wouldn’t have been able to keep Lin Zhiming down.
And even if suppressed, Lin Zhiming wouldn’t change his foul-mouthed habits.
Li Tanya was, after all, just a researcher; Lin Zhiming hailed from a true family of power.
However, right now, heh, Li Tanya, holding mission authority, could still keep Lin Zhiming in check.
"Shut up, you waste. If you don’t want to go, then stay here. Just be careful not to get eaten by Exotic Species."
Li Tanya was, of course, just trying to scare Lin Zhiming, but he fell for it.
"Can’t even speak my mind now, tch. It’s just a new project, what’s so great about it? Our family isn’t cut out for this kind of thing anyway. So what if we succeed? We’ll still be crushed by Blue Sky Biotech, won’t we?"
"You also know we’re far behind Blue Sky in biotechnology. That’s why, during this critical period, we must push even harder to catch up. Ganmu’s Sequence Gene holds imnse research value; this is an excellent opportunity to close the distance between us. If it succeeds, your eldest brother will have enough leverage to contend for the position of Family Head. If he becos Family Head, you’ll have the chance to enjoy the won you desire and eat the food you crave. If your third brother becos Family Head, you’ll be stuck visiting brothels for cheap thrills. Understand?"
Li Tanya spoke bluntly, her voice loud, while the other rcenaries pretended not to hear.
Only a woman in a hood patted Li Tanya’s shoulder, signaling her not to be too conspicuous.
Lin Zhiming wasn’t an idiot; he understood what Li Tanya was saying, so he could only nod.
"I understand."
Although he was visibly reluctant and often acted foolishly, Lin Zhiming was clear on one thing: the Wasteland outside the walls was an exceedingly dangerous place. Following Li Tanya was relatively safer because she had the protection of a hidden Fourth Tier expert from the company.
The others, including Zuo Mingliang and Liu Yu, were rely Third Tier high-ranking rcenaries.
The gap between Third Tier and Fourth Tier was enormous. A Fourth Tier was already considered a high-level Transcendent, and an elite Transcendent from the company at that, making the disparity even greater.
Under normal circumstances, Li Tanya would ensure his safety—truly ensure it.
The other rcenaries, though also company personnel, were, to put it bluntly, just doing a job for money, unlike Li Tanya.
Therefore, sticking with Li Tanya was the safest option. Even if she constantly called him trash or an idiot, he would still follow her.
Li Tanya, leading Lin Zhiming and a dozen elites, headed towards Lu Luo and his two companions.
Li Tanya wouldn’t pass up any opportunity to strengthen her team; she was acutely aware of the power of a Lord-level Exotic Species.
This operation was clandestine; they had only brought one Fourth Tier expert, a risk she understood very well.
Hongtu Corporation was the largest company in the Wasteland Alliance, though this title was gradually being challenged by Blue Sky and Sea Star.
But a starved cal is still larger than a horse; Hongtu, in military-grade weapons, was still number one in the Alliance.
Sea Star excelled in civilian technology, water resources, and so common materials.
Blue Sky had risen through biochemical weapons, equipnt, alchemy, and biotechnology and dical fields.
The relationship between the three major companies had, at most, shifted from Hongtu Armants’ forr sole dominance to the current tripartite power balance.
Each wanted to encroach upon the others’ domains. Their current operation to hunt Ganmu was aid at achieving a breakthrough in biotechnology.
If Lu Luo is truly capable and also short on money, then negotiations should be easy.
***
Multiple waves of slaughter had earned Lu Luo a total of 700 energy points.
Adding the 500 points from the Ghost Crabs that evening and so previously accumulated, Lu Luo’s energy total was around 2,000.
This kind of harvesting is truly satisfying, he thought. No need to search everywhere for Exotic Species; just wait for them to co to .
Just as he was about to devour all the Exotic Species from this wave, the Observer sent a prompt.
Those humans are approaching you! A total of 14 people: four Third Tier, one Fourth Tier.
"Hm?"
Lu Luo imdiately stopped the devouring process. He looked past the small grove of trees towards the Hongtu Armants’ position.
A team led by Zuo Mingliang had Li Tanya and a portly man encircled in their midst.
These people were advancing towards them, their searchlights casting a blinding glare.
"Brother Gu, Xinzhu, looks like you won’t be getting a good night’s sleep again."
Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu imdiately got up. They had, in fact, heard the sounds of Lu Luo fighting the Exotic Species earlier.
But as long as Lu Luo didn’t call out to them, they placed absolute trust in him, remaining calm enough to rest despite the continuous sounds of battle.
However, if Lu Luo spoke, even if it was currently quiet, they would get up instantly, just as they did now.
"What’s the situation?" Gu Fangyi’s first action was to grab his gun and release the safety.
Qi Xinzhu remained silent, regulating her breathing, keeping herself in a state of combat readiness.
Lu Luo knew such a team would undoubtedly have night-vision equipnt, so he stopped hiding. He released a small sphere of light for illumination and then pointed towards Hongtu Armants.
"They’re back. They must have so strange ideas."
Gu Fangyi moved back slightly, maintaining a distance from Lu Luo to facilitate shooting if necessary.
Qi Xinzhu stood by Lu Luo’s side, ready to provide support at any mont.
Li Tanya noted the cautiousness of Lu Luo and his two companions; this was understandable.
The strength of the Hongtu Armants group was too overpowering; it was only natural for Lu Luo’s trio to be wary.
"Hello, Mr. Scavenger. We et again."
"Just call Lu Luo."
"Heh, alright, Mr. Lu Luo."
Li Tanya’s attitude seed quite friendly, but Lu Luo didn’t lower his guard because of it.
"Is there sothing you need? Our team has maintained a sufficient safe distance from yours, haven’t we? If the cries of the Exotic Species disturbed you, I apologize, but I can’t control that. The Exotic Species ca looking for ."
Despite Lu Luo’s strange attire, his tone was calm, and his deanor unruffled, which further impressed Li Tanya.
"Is Mr. Lu Luo here to collect blood pouches to sell to Blue Sky Biotechnology?"
As a biological researcher at Hongtu, Li Tanya was naturally very familiar with Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals’ series of small red vials.
Lu Luo hesitated for a mont. Collecting blood pouches was indeed their goal, but not to sell to Blue Sky; they needed them for their own use.
"Yes, we’re here to collect blood pouches. Why?"
"Mr. Lu Luo, you ntioned earlier that your team encountered so accidents, leading to the loss of your supplies. Since your supplies are lost, continuing to hunt Ghost Crabs here is a very dangerous endeavor. May I assu, Mr. Lu Luo, that you are currently very short on money?"
This woman is trying to verbally dominate you, lead you into her linguistic trap, and guide your subsequent responses.
The Observer’s reminder made Lu Luo smile; he had already seen through Li Tanya’s intentions.
"Money isn’t the issue. We ca here mainly because we want to eat crab sticks."
"Huh?"
Lu Luo’s unconventional reply caught Li Tanya off guard, while Lin Zhiming, beside her, burst out laughing.
"HAHAHA! Li Tanya, being played by a Fourth Ring denizen, aren’t you embarrassed?"
Only then did Lu Luo look at the portly man. He was in his early twenties, with a light gait, sunken eyes, and the look of soone who overindulged, completely devoid of any energy.
To speak to Li Tanya, who is clearly the leader, in such a manner... could this fat man also be an important researcher at Hongtu? He doesn’t look the part.
"Shut up, you waste."
Li Tanya’s expression turned cold. She continued to look at Lu Luo with a kind facade, but her eyes no longer held their earlier calmness.
Her eyebrows were slightly raised, a sign of hostility. It seed Lu Luo’s previous words had angered her.
However, she must genuinely need my help for sothing, which is why she isn’t losing her temper here.
"Since Mr. Lu Luo doesn’t appreciate beating around the bush, I’ll get straight to the point. I know you must be very short on money, which is why you’re hunting in this place. We at Hongtu Armants have plenty of everything else—money, weapons, as much as you need. Zuo Mingliang said you are very strong. How about it, Mr. Lu Luo, interested in being a temporary rcenary? We won’t take up too much of your ti, just ten days. In our estimation, ten days should be enough to reach the deepest part of Rotten Valley. Even if Ganmu is at the very bottom of Rotten Valley, the mission to hunt him can be completed in ten days. After the mission is done, the money is negotiable. Besides cash, we’ll also give you a batch of equipnt and supplies. Equipnt from Hongtu Armants is very expensive. Any way you look at it, this deal is profitable for you. Well, Mr. Lu Luo, are you interested?"
Heh, who did she think he was? A person who considered money re filth; a few trifles could never tempt him. So, he needed to wait and find out just how large this pile of ’filth’ was before saying anything.
"Uh, regarding the numbers, could you be a bit more specific?"
Although Lu Luo was looking down and his expression was hidden, Li Tanya knew he was definitely tempted.
In the Fourth Ring of the Wasteland Alliance, money could solve most problems. If it couldn’t, it was likely just a matter of not having enough.
"To show our sincerity, I’ll offer you 150,000 personally, and another 150,000 for your two companions, totaling 300,000. That’s just the cash. After the mission is over, I’ll give you so equipnt, which should be worth around 100,000!"
Lu Luo and Gu Fangyi exchanged a glance. Qi Xinzhu was automatically excluded; she had no concept of money.
From Gu Fangyi’s eyes, Lu Luo saw interest. Honestly, he was tempted too. What Circular lacked most right now was money—a 750,000 contract termination fee, 50,000 to clear their accounts, and 200,000 for developnt funds. Bai Yuetong was also a bottomless pit, and that didn’t even count the money he and Gu Fangyi needed for their cultivation. Now Hongtu Armants was offering 400,000 for just ten days’ work. Was this the power of a big corporation? Their earlier claim of coming here to get 500 blood pouches was pure bluster, but Hongtu Armants was genuinely impressive! He might view money as filth, true, but he hadn’t expected them to casually toss out such a huge pile of ’filth’ that he and his companions couldn’t resist!
"So, Mr. Lu Luo, can you tell a bit about your background? Since this is a formal temporary invitation, I still need to record your identities."
Next up, please enjoy the performance: Sichuan Face-Changing Opera!
"Dr. Li, you’re being too kind. Allow to reintroduce us. We are mbers of the Circular Hunter Agency. I am the owner of Circular, Lu Luo. This is Gu Fangyi, and this is Qi Xinzhu. I accept your invitation. It’s truly not about the money. We are all mbers of the Alliance; who wouldn’t want to contribute to the Alliance? Moreover, your invitation is a recognition of our Circular Hunter Agency’s capabilities. Of course, a little funding will also help our agency develop better. For that, I must thank Dr. Li."
Qi Xinzhu and Gu Fangyi, standing beside him, were also sowhat impressed; Lu Luo’s face-changing speed was much faster than his combat speed.
"All that talk, and it still cos down to money. Hypocritical Fourth Ring denizens." Lin Zhiming glanced at Lu Luo with disdain.
Lu Luo couldn’t care less about such taunts and had no interest in retorting. All he cared about was the money.
However, just because he didn’t want to cause extra trouble didn’t an others felt the sa. When Lin Zhiming saw Qi Xinzhu standing behind Lu Luo, his small eyes instantly lit up.
Dust and mud couldn’t conceal Qi Xinzhu’s fair skin and fine figure.
Although her face wasn’t clearly visible, Lin Zhiming’s years of experience with won assured him that Qi Xinzhu was definitely top-tier, the kind of top-tier that was beyond his reach.
He made no effort to hide his lustful gaze as he scanned Qi Xinzhu up and down.
"Hmm, not bad, not bad at all."
But just as he was thoroughly enjoying the view, Lu Luo stepped in front of Qi Xinzhu, taking her hand.
He blocked Lin Zhiming’s line of sight and looked down at him.
"What are you looking at, Fatty?"
What the hell! Zuo Mingliang, Liu Yu, and the other rcenaries were all astonished. Had Lu Luo just accepted the commission only to imdiately pick a fight with their employer? But Lin Zhiming wasn’t just anyone! His background, it could be said, truly reached the heavens.
Lin Zhiming himself was stunned for a mont. Fatty? He’d lived this long, and no one had ever dared call him that!
Lin Zhiming glanced at the silent Li Tanya, then at the rcenaries beside him, and feeling emboldened by what he perceived as support, his confidence swelled.
"You despicable Fourth Ring cur, what did you say? Do you have any idea who I am? Do you understand the Alliance’s hierarchy? It’s an honor for you that I even look at your woman. You have the guts to say that again?"
Lu Luo also glanced at Li Tanya, who had remained silent throughout, and suddenly felt his earlier actions were sowhat laughable. The Wasteland was indeed a place with a strict hierarchy. This woman’s current attitude was truly detestable, even more so than the fat man’s.
The incident with Qi Xinzhu had already happened once last night; this was the second ti.
Lu Luo had no intention of compromising or backing down. Concessions had limits; constant yielding would only embolden the enemy to press for more.
"Didn’t hear ? Did your mother’s ashes clog your ears? Then I’ll repeat it for you. Fatty, what, are, you, looking, at?"
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