Black mucus splattered, and the Exotic Species kept howling. In Lu Luo's hands, the machete wielded far greater power than when Gu Fangyi held it, making the creature seem easily defeatable at this moment.
"So strong."
Chu Qi looked at Lu Luo with admiration in her eyes. Gu Fangyi had been her greatest discovery on this expedition, and unexpectedly, there was also Lu Luo. Now, it seemed that Lu Luo was even stronger than Gu Fangyi, and by a significant margin.
"[Although you played the hero to save the boy, I always feel like you just wanted to take this opportunity to swipe this young man's knife. Am I right?]"
Even in Overclock State, the Observer's messages were still so damn cheeky, but there wasn't anything wrong with what it said—Lu Luo indeed wanted control of the fight.
That's why he had to get Gu Fangyi's knife. Saving Zhou Kai was just a matter of convenience; even if Zhou Kai hadn't been captured, he would have found some other excuse to take the knife.
Intense headaches and eye soreness, coupled with his teammates watching him perform at this moment, made Lu Luo lose his temper and start cursing.
"What are you all waiting for? Attack, damn it!"
"Oh, okay."
From an evenly matched fight to the battle situation being completely dominated by Lu Luo, the whole process took less than a minute.
Lu Luo was very pleased to see this change. As long as he demonstrated absolute strength and dominated the battle's outcome, he would have full rights to the Exotic Species' corpse.
He had gone through so much trouble, all for the corpse of the Second Tier Exotic Species.
Gu Fangyi grabbed two javelins and threw them with pinpoint accuracy into the gaps in the Exotic Species' head. Lu Luo seized the chance as the creature reeled back in pain to get closer.
It was still about dodging, striking, dodging, and striking again, each slash targeting the largest gap at its waist. The creature's claws grazed past his hair and body, and Lu Luo began to enjoy the feeling of this extreme combat.
Slash by slash, he cut the Exotic Species' body into two parts.
"It should be dead, right?" Wang Zheng said, somewhat uncertainly.
The Exotic Species seemed dead, but Lu Luo didn't stop, continuing to deliver follow-up strikes.
"No."
No one knew better than Lu Luo that even with such severe injuries, the Exotic Species was not yet dead.
"[It's playing dead. Keep chopping, don't stop. The abilities of Exotic Species are truly vile, and this one's vitality is ridiculously strong.]"
Lu Luo continued chopping, showing no signs of fatigue. He didn't stop until the Exotic Species' body was a bloody mess and his blade's edge was completely ruined. Only then did his movements cease.
Everyone thought perhaps the battle had caused some issue with Lu Luo's brain, right before they heard him exhale.
"Phew, my arms are so sore. Damn, that was exhausting."
The Exotic Species was finally dead. This time, Lu Luo was certain.
"[A magnificent and unbelievable victory! Your use of your body and talent sequence is beyond imagination. The great Grade S Sequence Observer gives you a thumbs up!]"
"[Now, the great Observer Sequence needs a short rest, about 20 minutes. You're on your own, Host. Try not to die!]"
After the Observer's messages stopped, it completely entered a dormant state, and the pain in Lu Luo's head and eyes intensified.
The Observer is one's own innate talent sequence. Is this dormant state due to overuse?
Lu Luo clutched his head, his expression pained.
...
"Is it finally dead?" Wang Zheng asked.
"Yeah, it's really dead this time."
"Thanks, Lu Luo."
Zhou Kai's expression was a bit awkward. Just a moment ago, he was mocking Lu Luo as an incompetent burden, and then Lu Luo had turned around and saved him. Nothing could be more embarrassing.
"We're classmates, brothers, successors of the Wasteland Alliance. Helping each other is the right thing to do. Just remember that we've shed blood together."
No one was better at sweet-talking than Lu Luo. In his previous life, he'd even dared to hoodwink the daughter of a criminal organization's head. Tricking a naive young man like Zhou Kai, who hadn't been hardened by the world, was comparatively easy. Moreover, he really had saved Zhou Kai.
Upon hearing Lu Luo say this, Zhou Kai was immediately struck by a sense of the man's magnanimity. Lu Luo wasn't bad, and he spoke eloquently.
"Yeah, you're right. We're all successors of the Alliance. I'm glad you don't hold it against me."
"You must be seriously hurt. Don't try to endure it. Hurry up and let Chu Qi check on you. She's a girl, meticulous and skillful; she'll do a better job than us."
Concern filled Lu Luo's tone, and Zhou Kai found these words incredibly comforting.
"Alright, I get it. Thank you, Lu Luo. I apologize for what I said before."
Brother Kane felt he was a sensible man. Those destined for great things don't sweat the small stuff. What was bowing his head and admitting his mistakes in comparison?
"Oh, that? I'd forgotten all about it."
Lu Luo appeared immensely magnanimous at that moment.
And so, Zhou Kai was smoothly coaxed by Lu Luo to Chu Qi's side, squeezing in beside the severely injured Gu Fangyi for an examination.
This was precisely the outcome Lu Luo wanted. There was something off about Chu Qi; she would observe him from time to time. Lu Luo needed to handle the Exotic Species' corpse, and it was best done out of Chu Qi's sight.
"Chu Qi, come on, check my wounds. We've shed blood together and are successors of the Alliance. You wouldn't refuse me, right?"
Brother Kane quickly put Lu Luo's words to use.
Chu Qi looked at Zhou Kai lying before her, waiting for an examination, and a trace of helplessness crossed her face. She definitely couldn't refuse Zhou Kai at this point; otherwise, Gu Fangyi might also sense something was amiss.
"Okay, lie down properly first."
Chu Qi had no choice but to start tending to Zhou Kai's wounds, while the others leaned against the wall and began to rest.
The others looked at Lu Luo, feeling somewhat fortunate. If it weren't for Lu Luo turning the tide here, Liu Ting's action of luring the creatures could have resulted in a total party wipe.
"Until the people from the Wasteland Security Bureau arrive, we need to remain as vigilant as possible. You guys rest first; I'll take care of the corpse."
At this moment, no one disregarded Lu Luo's words, and everyone began to rest.
Meanwhile, Lu Luo dragged the mutilated corpse of the Exotic Species toward the place where the corpses of other Exotic Species were stored. This was his private time, and although he really wanted to "hehehe," he restrained himself.
...
Lying in place, Zhou Kai watched Lu Luo's diligent figure and felt he had to say something. After mulling it over, he could only come up with one summarizing remark.
"That Lu Luo, he's a pretty decent guy."
Chu Qi and Gu Fangyi looked at Zhou Kai, rather surprised that he would say such a thing.
After killing the Exotic Species, there seemed to be no immediate danger. Everyone's mood lightened considerably, and they started to chat casually.
"Who doesn't know that? Did you really need to point it out?" Wang Zheng expressed disdain for Zhou Kai's sudden change of tune.
Zhou Kai rubbed his nose and instinctively changed the subject, looking toward Gu Fangyi.
"Sigh, everyone knows about my trivial affairs. Let's talk about Gu Fangyi. I heard you got a girlfriend, but we've never met her. How's it going?"
Gu Fangyi was silent for a moment. Truthfully, having survived a near-death experience, he had become quite philosophical. Many things that previously felt difficult to speak about no longer seemed so important.
Gu Fangyi looked up at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle, sighed, and said slowly,
"My girlfriend of half a year... a few nights ago, I discovered a scar on her lower belly."
"Ah? This! Then what happened?" Everyone was curious.
"I asked her about it. She said she only ate one bowl of noodles and only paid for that one bowl." Gu Fangyi's expression was calm.
Wang Zheng: ?
Zhou Kai: ??
Chu Qi: ???
This excuse was just too ridiculous, wasn't it? They really hadn't expected that the strong and aloof Gu Fangyi would have such an unknown story.
Although he spoke in a flat tone, the others could still detect a hint of bitterness and sadness in his voice. Zhou Kai interjected inopportunely,
"It's okay, there are more women than men in the Wasteland, plenty of good women out there. We've shed blood together. Later, your bro here will take you to New Hope for a foot bath. I know a lot of the girls there."
"Scram! Get lost!" Gu Fangyi, usually composed, finally lost his cool—because his ex-girlfriend used to work at New Hope.