CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57 GETTING BETTER!

60,000 yuan wasn’t a huge sum for Qian Ming, but it certainly wasn’t trivial either.

Even though he had been mocked by Lu Luo, there was hardly any shame in his eyes; it was more a feeling of embarrassed rage.

With the previously intimidating Lu Luo there, he hadn’t dared to show his feelings.

But now that Lu Luo had left, he grabbed an ashtray and, with a SMASH, flung it to the ground.

"What worthless trash are you? Just a bunch of country bumpkins!"

Qian Ming’s fingers trembled slightly. At this moment, he understood what he lacked: power.

Qian Ming’s gaze shifted to the bloodstained scripture Lu Luo had left behind.

He knew this book had granted his mother her youthfulness. This book, perhaps, was the direction in which he should seek power.

As if his soul had been captured, Qian Ming involuntarily reached for the scripture. As he opened the first page, the symbol of a hand holding a flower lit up.

"AAH!~"

...

"Brother Luo? Was that Mr. Qian Ming’s scream just now? It sounded like a shriek, didn’t it?"

Zhou Kai turned his head uncertainly towards the villa as he spoke.

Lu Luo shrugged indifferently.

"Maybe. I’m not familiar with him, so I can’t really tell."

"But he’s our client, isn’t he? Aren’t we supposed to ensure our client’s safety as much as possible during the commission?"

Brother Kane is certainly straightforward. However, I don’t think it’s beneficial for his growth if he doesn’t witness Qian Ming’s unpleasant side.

Lu Luo spread his hands.

"Our commission is already fulfilled. Qian Ming has nothing to do with us now; we’re just taking a walk here."

"Brother Luo, Qian Ming’s house is on fire! Are we really not going to do anything? The guy will burn to death!"

Watching the somewhat anxious Zhou Kai, Lu Luo walked over to a nearby payphone.

"A fire, huh? Well, I’ll call it in for him. The guards and Hunters will handle it."

"This..." Zhou Kai was speechless. They had just completed their commission. Why was Lu Luo suddenly acting so cold and distant?

"Hello? East Ring Guards? There’s a fire in the villa area. You’d better send someone quickly, or the orphan inside will burn to death. Oh, right, you should probably notify the Hunters too. I hear all sorts of wailing and howling over here; I suspect there might be monsters!"

That call you made... it’s truly... gratifying!

Lu Luo hung up and turned to pat Zhou Kai on the shoulder.

"Alright, Brother Kane, that takes care of it. Let’s head back."

There are always many lingering regrets in the world. Lu Luo wasn’t Superman; naturally, he couldn’t resolve every issue.

He himself couldn’t withstand the Scripture’s curse, let alone an ordinary person like Qian Ming. As for collecting the body, that task should be left to the Hunters.

All he could do was make good money and lead a happy life where he could enjoy the clubs for free—er, and of course, provide for his brothers too.

Zhou Kai was actually very smart. He looked at Lu Luo, then at the burning house behind them, and quickly understood.

"Brother Luo, you must have run into something unpleasant, right? I get you! Let’s switch to a happier topic. How much did we earn? Wait, let me guess. The fight was so intense, surely you didn’t actually ask for double, right? 40,000?"

When Zhou Kai mentioned this figure, he couldn’t help but get excited; he truly saw hope of escaping Lan Tian Technology’s grasp.

But Lu Luo shook his head.

"No, I’m a reasonable person. Under these circumstances, it would be impossible to ask for 40,000."

"I see. Well, 20,000 it is then. We at Circle Studio are principled. That guy looks rich, but he’s actually quite pathetic."

Hearing Lu Luo say it wasn’t 40,000, Zhou Kai’s expression showed some regret, while Lu Luo looked at him with a sly smile.

"I said it wasn’t 40,000, but I didn’t say it was 20,000 either. I found him quite pitiful. He’s an orphan again, and he probably won’t be able to spend all that wealth in his lifetime. So, I had him add another 20,000, bringing the commission fee to 60,000."

"Holy crap! Brother Luo, you’re incredible! Absolutely incredible!"

Zhou Kai meant every word. Since Circle Studio opened, even under his strong leadership, their income and expenses had barely broken even.

For their usual jobs, forget 60,000; even 600 was a lot. In the worst times, they wouldn’t turn down a 100-yuan job finding lost cats or dogs.

But with one move from Lu Luo, it was 60,000! What did 60,000 even mean? An ordinary worker couldn’t earn that much in ten years.

"Brother Luo, what are we eating tonight?"

"I don’t know. How about the two of us sneak off for a good meal before heading back?"

"Sounds good to me! Let’s have beef. I was craving it badly back at Qian Ming’s place."

"That’s a piece of cake! Brother Kane, let’s go!"

For Lu Luo, the greatest significance of this money was for achieving a breakthrough. So, the moment he got the money, he had already decided to pocket it all for himself.

In any case, whether for Circle Studio or for him personally, things were looking up.

...

「Elsewhere. A garbage dump in the East Ring.」

You Xiaoqi, Ding Peng, and Gu Fangyi were clearing out various animal-type Exotic Species here—a pack of Mutant Canines showing early signs of mutation.

According to the information from the junkyard, there was supposed to be only one Exotic Species here. However, by the time they arrived, they had already killed thirteen Mutant Canines.

You Xiaoqi pinned down the head of a Mutant Canine, raised her knife, and chopped off its head—a finishing blow to ensure the Exotic Species was completely dead.

The saliva on the dog’s tongue dripped onto the ground. Its strong corrosive properties could nearly melt rock, and a foul, acrid stench filled the air.

"Thirteen animal-type Exotic Species, all toxic and infectious. If these creatures were to spread among the general population, the consequences would be unimaginable."

You Xiaoqi said with a worried expression, while Ding Peng, the fatty, took out some prepared sweets and began to eat.

"Perhaps it has already spread among the general population. Don’t worry; the toxicity isn’t that potent. At most, it would poison a few people. The Dark Energy Level within the Wall is too low, and ordinary people’s physical conditioning isn’t sufficient. Generally, it’s difficult for them to transform into Exotic Species."

Despite saying this, the increasing frequency of Exotic Species incidents within the Wall made their expressions turn grim.

Gu Fangyi stared at the corpses of the Exotic Species on the ground, lost in thought.

He wasn’t thinking about things like the safety of humans in the Fourth Ring being threatened by viruses or Exotic Species.

What he was contemplating was whether Lu Luo needed the corpses of these Exotic Species.

If he could take these corpses back to Lu Luo, wouldn’t Lu Luo be very pleased?

It had to be said, Brother Gu had truly worried himself sick over Lu Luo’s development.

The trickier problem now involved You Xiaoqi and Ding Peng. Without their permission, he couldn’t take the corpses.

"What do you plan to do with the Exotic Species corpses?"

"What else can we do? Of course, hand them over to the Hunters for disposal. These things carry viruses; they must be destroyed."

After saying that, You Xiaoqi felt something was off. They *were* Hunters. Were they supposed to bring the corpses back to the bureau? Wouldn’t that expose their off-the-books fieldwork?

Ding Peng glanced at Gu Fangyi, as if consulting him.

Seeing that neither had a good solution, Gu Fangyi suddenly felt a surge of happiness, though he managed to conceal his emotions well.

"In that case, let’s take them back. Brother Luo has ways to handle them."

You Xiaoqi really wanted to say, How could you students possibly have a way to dispose of Exotic Species corpses?

However, she recalled the exceptional qualities Gu Fangyi had just displayed and Lu Luo’s unique nature, so she ultimately kept her thoughts to herself.

She had been in contact with Lu Luo for about ten days and had gained some understanding of his remarkable nature: intelligent, agile, and unconventional in his methods.

However, if these corpses were handed over to Lu Luo... Wait a minute, he wouldn’t be planning to sell them, would he?

"You guys aren’t connected with smugglers who deal in Exotic Species corpses, are you? In the Wasteland, that’s..."

You Xiaoqi couldn’t continue. Although selling Exotic Species corpses was officially illegal, it was a prevalent practice.

Moreover, the ones leading this business were often Hunters themselves.

"BURP! Er... I’m full. Let’s head back. We killed so many Exotic Species and took plenty of photos. Even though they’re all First Tier, this trip wasn’t a waste. It’s enough for good publicity."

By saying this, Ding Peng tacitly agreed with Gu Fangyi’s approach, and You Xiaoqi didn’t object any further.

The three of them found a few pushcarts, procured some black cloth, and proceeded to drag the thirteen Exotic Species corpses back with them.