Lu Luo pondered that if he could train more masters now who could roam beyond the wall, the Wasteland Alliance would have one more hope for the future. Money was a trivial matter; he was the owner of the Circle Studio, would he care about that 300,000? It really wasn't for the money; this was for the Wasteland's tomorrow!

Be a person!

Lu Luo looked up at the sky, feigned hesitation, and after a few seconds of silence, he responded, "Ahem, I can agree to lead the team. It's really not for the money, but my requirements are very high! You've seen my money-making ability—making 100,000 in minutes. I don't care about this amount at all. So, 300,000 for three days is just to let you understand the cost of knowledge. Allow me to introduce myself formally; my name is Lu Luo."

Luo Ya felt somewhat speechless. That ability of yours isn't to make money, it's to extort money, isn't it?

But now the entire team's fate was actually in Lu Luo's hands, and at this moment, she would naturally follow Lu Luo's instructions. Moreover, Luo Ya felt that the company should get in touch with top-tier adventurers who ventured outside the wall. The strength and abilities of top-tier adventurers were self-evident; what truly made them powerful was their exceptional vision. These top-tier adventurers had insights into the trends inside and outside the Wasteland wall that were uncommon among ordinary people; such knowledge was exactly what the company needed most.

"Mr. Lu Luo, just command us. We will obey. My name is Luo Ya."

Lu Luo and Luo Ya shook hands, signifying that they had reached a consensus on this matter. Then Lu Luo unveiled his "Teaching Training Plan."

"We have two days to prepare for training, and I will teach you as much as I can about some real knowledge of survival in the Wasteland. Moreover, I will arrange an exam on the last day."

Being able to glorify one's greed to this extent is truly in a class of its own!

"An exam? What kind of exam?"

"Killing a Lord-grade Exotic Species, the Maternal Otter."

Upon hearing Lu Luo's plan, the other members were somewhat stunned. The Sea Star Team's captain, Shi Tian, who had been knocked out by Lu Luo earlier, had also woken up and came over.

"Kill the Maternal Otter? Sir, you're not joking, are you?"

Shi Tian, who had recovered, didn't object to Luo Ya hiring Lu Luo for three days for 300,000; instead, he expressed a supportive attitude. He felt that if Luo Ya hadn't proactively resolved the issue with Lu Luo, they might have already been killed by him. Now that Lu Luo had not only spared them but had also become their team leader and guide, it was naturally a happy occasion. But Lu Luo's current proposition to kill the Maternal Otter in the marsh was no joke, was it? They, a bunch of small fry, looking for trouble with a Lord-grade Exotic Species? That's not how you throw your lives away!

"With five Third Tier and thirteen Second Tier members, your strength is already formidable. Moreover, you're carrying various personal weapons that a normal mercenary team wouldn't possess. With such a team configuration, plus me, why can't we kill the Maternal Otter?"

Lu Luo praised Shi Tian's team, making Shi Tian feel somewhat pleased, but killing the Maternal Otter wasn't just talk.

"That's true, but we have just ventured outside the wall, and we are unfamiliar with many things beyond it. I feel this should be a progressive process; directly challenging a Lord-grade Exotic Species is still too difficult for us."

Shi Tian was not wrong; a normal team should indeed grow like this. But Lu Luo didn't have the time to accompany them slowly. And besides, the situation in the Fourth Ring no longer allowed the Sea Star Team to train so leisurely.

"You're from the Inner Ring, right?"

"Yes, why? We haven't shown any disrespect, have we?"

People from the Inner Ring tended to act superior, which had become a common issue among them. However, this Sea Star team didn't show much of this attitude; compared to other Inner Ring people, they were relatively modest. They didn't display excessive arrogance and didn't show any disrespect in front of Lu Luo. So, Shi Tian didn't understand why Lu Luo would suddenly ask this.

"Then do you know how many new Transcendents have appeared in the Fourth Ring in the last five days? How many of these Transcendents have awakened their Sequences, how much their Constitutions have improved, and what level of adaptability to Dark Energy have they achieved?"

Lu Luo's pressing questions made Shi Tian step back a few paces. These issues sounded serious, but what did they have to do with them?

"What does this have to do with us?"

Lu Luo laughed. Truly ignorant.

"So not every person from the Inner Ring is smart, after all."

That was practically calling them dumb, and the faces of Shi Tian and the other team members turned sour. But the gap in strength between them and Lu Luo was too great, and they didn't dare to argue with him at this time. Although they didn't understand, it didn't mean that everyone else was clueless. Luo Ya, the female team member who had stood out earlier, interrupted Shi Tian before he could continue.

"Master Shi, say no more. We'll do as Mr. Lu Luo requests and hunt the Maternal Otter in three days."

"Luo Ya? Okay."

Lu Luo looked at the woman he had caught at first sight with some surprise. Honestly, with Second Tier strength and no distinctive combat abilities, such a person was somewhat insignificant to Lu Luo now, far less promising than Brother Kane. However, he had already realized that although Shi Tian was the nominal leader of the team, from the conversation just now, he had sensed that this woman's identity might be out of the ordinary. Previously, Lu Luo certainly wouldn't have revealed it. But now, needing to save time, he spoke straightforwardly to Luo Ya, "If you have control over the team, then you are now the true leader of the team. The task I'm going to ask for will be difficult, so the team can only have one voice."

Luo Ya's expression changed; she hadn't deliberately hidden her identity, but she hadn't exposed it either. Now that Lu Luo had already figured it out, she nodded openly.

"Very well. Only two team members knew about this, but since you've brought it up, I'll take command of the team."

"Good. You have ten minutes to prepare; in ten minutes, we set out for the Maternal Swamp."

"Okay!"

He changed into fresh clothes behind the mound of corpses. Lacking Qi Xinzhu's ability to dispel filth, the bloodstains on his body couldn't be completely removed. He could only use the drinking water he carried to wipe himself down briefly. A bath was, for the moment, out of the question.

After ten minutes, Luo Ya reappeared before him.

Looking at the puzzled-looking team, Lu Luo showed a satisfied smile.

Without her mechanical gas mask, Luo Ya stood in front of Lu Luo with an awkward expression because the stench was just too pungent.

"You reek of blood."

"You're just smelling some blood; be glad I haven't made you drink feces water. Let's go! Since the payment is received, the three-day course can begin!"

Actually, Lu Luo wasn't really a teacher, but he understood survival and had cooperated tactically with Gu Fangyi and Qi Xinzhu many times. So he had a deep understanding of the three-person squad tactic model outside the wall.

In these three days, Lu Luo detailed the rules of the outside world to the Sea Star Team, covering hunting, survival, and negotiation. Although they couldn't immediately adapt to the law of the survival of the fittest, they took Lu Luo's words to heart.

The most important thing, which Lu Luo repeatedly emphasized, was this: "Out there beyond the wall, everyone is your potential enemy, and what you need to do is think about how to guard against them, defeat them, kill them."

When Lu Luo said this, Luo Ya expressed her doubts. "Both Exotic Species and humans are enemies? What about teammates?"

"I haven't finished speaking. Your interruption will naturally distort my meaning."

"Alright, continue then!" Luo Ya lowered her head.

"First, you need to understand that standing before you is a person, and people have thoughts, desires. And once there are desires, that person becomes a potential threat. Because desires can't always be satisfied—don't rush to argue, let me continue. For example, a lecher sees a beautiful woman. He wants this woman and leads his team to capture her, leading to the team's annihilation."

"How is that possible?"

Luo Ya thought such people were stupid and found it unbelievable. But Lu Luo knew very well that their conflict with Wu Sen had actually started with just one or two glances at Qi Xinzhu.

"Such things are commonplace outside the wall, and not at all rare."

"So because of a teammate's desires, sometimes teammates can also become potential enemies, is that what you're saying?"

"Yes. Firstly, everyone is a potential enemy, but their identities can add to the trust conditions in your mind. Under the assumption that everyone is an enemy, each additional identity can reduce a bit of vigilance. For example, your teammates can be classified as regular teammates, close teammates, or sworn brothers. When someone appears as a teammate, naturally they can be trusted. But there will always be times when a teammate is no longer a teammate, and a person is no longer considered human. So, you can't trust them. First, you must see clearly the identity of the teammate, then assign trust to that teammate. That is the correct choice."

Luo Ya didn't understand what Lu Luo meant by a teammate no longer being a teammate and a person no longer being considered human. However, she felt there was some truth to what Lu Luo had just said, and his abilities were trustworthy, so she showed sufficient trust.

"You make a lot of sense. Anything else?"

"Take, for example, Scavengers, merchants, or other Hunter teams. All these people are human, but they have different identities, and even those with the same identity can have very different thoughts. Some Scavengers might attack other humans, while others prefer to mind their own business and avoid trouble. These are all things you'll need to judge for yourself."

"I understand. Maybe I can't grasp it now, but I will adapt to the environment outside the wall as soon as possible."

Lu Luo also cracked a smile.

The faster you adapt, the slower you die – that's certainly good!

Deep in the Maternal Swamp, after two and a half days of rigorous training, the Sea Star Team had undergone a complete transformation. They were no longer as neat and clean as before; instead, they were grimier and carried an air of ferocity. The time Lu Luo had spoken of—hunting the Lord-grade Exotic Species, the Maternal Otter—had arrived!

Luo Ya's team crept through the Maternal Swamp, pressing their faces into the fetid marsh mud. There were many Exotic Species here, along with biological excrement. Even wearing mechanical gas masks, wallowing in such filthy water was still unbearable.

Actually, Luo Ya also detested such environments. Before, Lu Luo had said that it was already generous not to force them to drink feces water. Unexpectedly, this time they really had to crawl in the marsh mud. The stench and acrid taste filled their nostrils and mouths. Nausea was their only sensation.

Was this any different from drinking feces water?

"Luo Ya, we..." Wang Qiang tried to say something, but Luo Ya cut him off.

"Don't talk!"

"Oh!"

Lu Luo moved through the swamp, dragging a ghost crab. Ghost crabs were a favorite food of the Maternal Otter. Lu Luo felt that such an overt lure should be fairly effective. It was just a matter of when the Maternal Otter would take the bait!

However, what Lu Luo did not expect was that this situation differed from the last one. The appearance of Nightmare Demons affected not only ordinary Exotic Species; even Lords were assailed by Nightmare Power. Just like the previous Red-skinned Forest Demon, the Maternal Otter was also affected. But it didn't gain intelligence like the Red-skinned Forest Demon; its desire for slaughter intensified.

The Maternal Otter had detected Lu Luo a full ten minutes earlier but hadn't made a move. The dead ghost crab no longer attracted it; instead, its interest was piqued by Lu Luo himself!

A dangerous presence is approaching from the southeast at a 36-degree angle, suspected to be a high-tier Exotic Species, not yet confirmed to be the Maternal Otter.

Lu Luo instantly dropped the ghost crab and spun around, slashing with his sword.

DING!

The Maternal Otter's claw clashed with Lu Luo's greatsword. Overpowered, Lu Luo was sent flying backward.

"Heh! So long as you've shown yourself, that's all that matters! Get the particle sniper rifle ready, aim for its limbs."

No response came to Lu Luo's call, but he knew Luo Ya and her team had heard; this had been agreed upon beforehand. His next task was to pin down the Maternal Otter, giving Luo Ya and her team a clear line of fire.

Maternal Otter, Fifth Tier abnormal species. Abilities: Maternal Regeneration, Swamp Sneak, Mud Vortex. Attributes: Strength 140, Agility 175, Constitution 150.

The Maternal Otter's attributes weren't exceptionally high, but it was a rare, well-balanced type of abnormal species. It possessed formidable close-combat abilities, was fast, could burrow, manipulate mud, and even regenerate. No wonder such a creature could wipe out an uninformed Hunter squad.

Thrust back by the blow, Lu Luo felt an enormous amount of steam begin to emanate from his body, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.

Steam—Third Gear!

Activating Steam Pressure—Third Gear, the 2.7-fold increase in pressure didn't even cause Lu Luo's muscles to visibly deform. Though his muscles bulged, his height and overall physique remained unchanged, having truly achieved the ideal state for steam pressure.

Raising Fenrir, Lu Luo declared with a hint of arrogance, "Alright, let's brawl!"

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