Lu Luo led Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu onto the rail train heading to the Explorers’ Wall.
On the train, because Qi Xinzhu’s appearance was too outstanding, many amorous individuals wanted to come over and squeeze in; it’s quite normal on a train to squeeze in a bit.
But when these people got close to Qi Xinzhu, she naturally emanated bursts of Holy Radiance, preventing others from approaching. Only Lu Luo and Gu Fangyi at her side were unaffected.
Damn, the legendary Holy Light bodyguard! What’s this woman’s Sequence?
[Currently, there are only fluctuations of Holy Light power, no Sequence particle fluctuations, and her Sequence cannot be detected for the time being.]
The Observer was as unreliable as ever, which Lu Luo had grown accustomed to.
The speed of the rail train was quite good. About 30 minutes later, the three of them had arrived at the Explorers’ Wall.
After getting off the train, Lu Luo and Gu Fangyi were not looking at the high wall but at a building next to it.
Qi Xinzhu was curious about what the two men were looking at. Following Lu Luo’s gaze, she saw the building inscribed with the large letters "Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals."
"A subsidiary of Blue Sky Biotech?"
Lu Luo gave Qi Xinzhu a glance. Although he didn’t want to have too much contact with her, she was from the Inner Ring and now seemed to be a good source of information.
"You know about Blue Sky Biotech?"
"Of course. Blue Sky Biotech is one of the Alliance’s top bioresearch companies, a colossal tech conglomerate controlled by the Council. They have developed many well-known pharmaceutical lines, such as the Blue Sky Little Red Bottle, Little Blue Bottle, and Little Yellow Bottle series. Besides, Blue Sky Biotech is also responsible for a large amount of medical work for the Wasteland Constitution Troops and Wasteland Hunters. It’s a truly remarkable company."
The more Lu Luo listened, the more shocked he became. Blue Sky Biotech’s background was directly linked to the Council. Such a group was essentially a state machine. This also meant that his future revenge against Song Hana would be very difficult. He couldn’t just rush in headfirst; he would need a complete plan. If he acted rashly and was discovered, he would face the pressure of the entire Council.
"Wow, Blue Sky Biotech is such an amazing company, awesome!"
"Yeah, many of the things they do, as a Believer, I admire them a lot."
Lu Luo was being sarcastic, while Qi Xinzhu was genuinely full of admiration; the two of them were bound not to see eye to eye.
Gu Fangyi, standing aside, glanced at Lu Luo. Aren’t you two tired of talking ?
"Alright, let’s go and complete the wall exit procedures."
The four great walls had no doors, so the concept of ’opening’ them didn’t apply. To exit the wall, one must climb the stairs built inside the wall and then ride the specialized cable drops made by the Alliance’s Wall Guardians. The regulations for exiting were very complicated, requiring identity verification, exit visas, and behavior forecast reports, among other things. When returning, one must queue for reception at the designated wall ascent points in various areas, and this must be done during the day. The Wall Guardians do not receive any wall-ascenders at night. If anyone dares to ascend the wall using their own abilities and is discovered, they will be collectively attacked by the Wall Guardians. This might sound inhumane, but these were rules refined over hundreds of years in the Wasteland, with countless predecessors improving them step by step, paid for in blood. This was all to protect the safety within the wall and was one of the reasons the rules inside and outside the wall were completely different.
Soon, the three of them arrived at the foot of the over four-hundred-meter-high Explorers’ Wall, and Lu Luo once again came into close contact with this incredible construction.
At the exit visa processing point, Gu Fangyi and Lu Luo were applying for Medicinal Herb Collector visas, while Qi Xinzhu was applying for a doctor’s visa. The processor only glanced casually at the proof presented by the two men and stamped their cards. It was as if they were the unfavored children of a stepmother—oh wait, they were orphans, without mothers.
It was only when it was Qi Xinzhu’s turn that the processor took a closer look at her and even gave her a few words of advice. "Medicinal Herb Collectors are not bodyguards, Believer of Light. It’s wise to be cautious when going beyond the wall."
"Thank you for your reminder."
When the processor ignored them, Gu Fangyi became annoyed, his haughty temperament flaring up again.
"’Hmph! Thirty years on this side of the wall, thirty years on that! Don’t you dare look down on...’"
Lu Luo quickly grabbed Gu Fangyi, unable to bear it any longer.
"Brother Gu, if you can’t say something sensible, then just don’t. We still have to live in the Wasteland after this..."
[According to linguistic analysis, what Brother Gu wanted to say was "don’t underestimate a young man because he is poor," perhaps followed by "don’t underestimate a middle-aged man because he is poor," "don’t underestimate an old man because he is poor," and then "rest in peace."]
Carrying their respective visas and having completed their registration, Lu Luo and his two companions walked towards the stairway that led up the wall, climbing this incredible structure for the first time.
The Wasteland Fourth Ring high wall, the Explorers’ Wall.
The gray-blue wall was like a natural chasm, separating two worlds and safeguarding humanity.
Upon reaching the summit of the high wall, Lu Luo was once again awestruck by the structure—this time, not by its height and scale, but by its thickness. This was an incredibly thick city wall, over a hundred meters wide. In Lu Luo’s memory, only colossal dams like the Three Gorges Dam from his past life surpassed this thickness.
Standing atop the wall, Lu Luo had thought he could see far into the distance, to gaze upon the world beyond. But when he looked out, he realized just how wrong he had been. From atop the wall, Lu Luo could only see some nearby jungle. At a slightly greater distance, the space seemed like a mirage, distorted and folded. Under such conditions, it was impossible to discern what lay in the distance; it seemed they would have to descend the wall to explore.
Lu Luo felt a twinge of emotion. This was his first time stepping beyond the wall, and if he didn’t die, it surely wouldn’t be his last.
"So this is what lies beyond the wall!"
There were more than just a few of them on top of the wall; there were many, many others. Besides the Wall Guardians, there were mercenaries hired by various groups, privately trained squads, Scavengers, Medicinal Herb Collectors, and all sorts of wild folk, all gathered at the top of the wall. Although the total number of people wasn’t large, the scene was bustling.
A somewhat familiar voice sounded beside Lu Luo and Gu Fangyi.
Turning toward the voice, they saw Chu Qi, who had helped them at Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals, along with their former classmate Wang Zheng, who had since joined the company.
"Chu Qi, Wang Zheng, what a coincidence! Are you also venturing beyond the wall?"
Lu Luo wasn’t really surprised to see them heading out. Chu Qi and Wang Zheng had both undergone their Awakening and possessed Transcendent qualifications. And Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals was no charity; having signed them, the company would naturally put them to use. How they were used was Blue Sky Pharmaceuticals’ business.
"’Yes, that’s right.’ Chu Qi’s eyes darted about, her expression somewhat unnatural, which both Lu Luo and Gu Fangyi noticed."
"You two also managed to obtain visas to go beyond the wall?"
The one speaking was Wang Zheng. His gaze was steady as he looked at Gu Fangyi and Lu Luo, his eyes devoid of their former camaraderie, only cold indifference remaining.
What could he have been through this past month?
[According to the host’s memory, the last time Wang Zheng and the host parted, Wang Zheng was at least 20 kilograms lighter and 5 centimeters shorter than he is now.]
Just as the Observer had pointed out, after more than a month apart, Wang Zheng’s physique had visibly bulked up. Normal training and cultivation could not possibly have this effect, but thinking about the company behind him and the small yellow bottle Han Shiyu had given him, Lu Luo understood.
"’Wang Zheng,’ Lu Luo said, ’why would you think we wouldn’t be able to get visas?’"