Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 475 - 474 Heart-to-Heart Talk

Lu Xiaotian’s words sent a tremor through Lu Luo’s heart.

Though her words were stiff, Lu Luo still detected a hint of sorrow within them.

She must be very sad. Should I offer my shoulder for her to lean on? Is that inappropriate?

Just as Lu Luo was contemplating this, Lu Xiaotian had already taken the initiative to lean on his shoulder.

This time, Lu Luo didn’t dodge.

"Umm..."

"Let me lean here for a while," she said. "Once we return, I won’t bother you again."

"Ah, yeah." Lu Luo didn’t know what to say at that moment, so he simply nodded in agreement.

"He truly was an irresponsible father. He met his daughter only once and then left just like that."

"Every person has their own life; each is an independent individual. At least, I believe Ludie fulfilled his own desires and obtained what he truly wanted."

These were Lu Luo’s sincere thoughts. Looking at it from another perspective, if he were in Ludie’s situation, with the same conditions, he really might not have done better than Ludie.

No, he definitely couldn’t have done better than Ludie.

In both life and his endeavors, Ludie had been very successful.

"Heh, you were his friend, his disciple. Naturally, you would speak well of him. But I’m different. I’m his daughter. And I, his daughter, personally killed my own father. What a parricide..."

Lu Luo’s mouth twitched again. Can’t she speak properly? This is exhausting for everyone when she talks like this.

"Actually, it’s alright. You’re also very good. Your contribution to the Fourth Ring becoming what it is today is undeniable. These are all things Ludie wished to see, and you’ve achieved them. That’s truly excellent."

When unsure of what to say, praise seemed to be the best approach.

"Really? Am I really that outstanding?"

"Of course. You are incredibly outstanding."

"If I’m so outstanding, why don’t you like me then?"

"Er, because you’re a child!"

"Tch. You’re so dull."

Lu Xiaotian rubbed her nose against Lu Luo’s shoulder, and he felt something damp and sticky.

Snot? Mixed with tears?

"Are you crying?"

"Of course not. I am the dreaded Nightmare Demon King."

As Lu Xiaotian spoke, her voice suddenly grew much softer.

Lu Luo felt his shoulder getting damper, but he didn’t look back.

Just as Lu Xiaotian had said, she was the dreaded Nightmare Demon King. She was the Monarch of countless Exotic Species and the current overlord of the Fourth Ring Alliance—a true ruler. She stood before countless people as their leader.

So, she had to be strong.

With such a person letting her guard down before him, Lu Luo certainly couldn’t do anything inappropriate. He knew it was crucial not to look; it was best to let her cry in peace.

Lu Luo gazed silently at the sky. Due to the fierceness of the battle, no other Exotic Species were roaming around at this time. He quietly waited, allowing Lu Xiaotian to regain her composure.

"Phew, that’s much better. Thank you, Lu Luo."

"Actually, life isn’t that bad. Life’s setbacks won’t defeat us. We must always face tomorrow, face every day, with strength."

"Stop with the inspirational talk. A successful leader is one who feeds others such ’chicken soup’."

"You’re right." Lu Luo agreed with the Nightmare Demon’s statement. Leaders don’t need such comfort. Leaders only need to dispense their own brand of ’chicken soup’ to others.

"Do you still remember the first time we met?" Lu Xiaotian suddenly asked.

Lu Luo reminisced for a moment. That memory... honestly, wasn’t very pleasant. He had been too weak back then. Such a weak individual facing an Exotic Species Monarch—truly not a fond memory.

"Of course, I remember. I was terrified!" Lu Luo said with lingering fear. By now, he had nothing to hide; being afraid was normal.

However, upon hearing his words, Lu Xiaotian burst out laughing. "Hahahaha, you can feel fear too? And you were terrified? I didn’t notice it at all back then."

"Back then, you probably just found it amusing. You wouldn’t understand that sensation—that feeling of utter powerlessness when confronting a supremely powerful individual. I trained desperately to become stronger precisely because I never wanted to experience that sensation again."

Lu Luo voiced some thoughts he usually kept to himself. In front of Lu Xiaotian, he felt an unprecedented sense of ease. This was primarily because they were on the same level. Sharing the same standing meant they had more topics in common. This shared power allowed them to converse without pressure, a level of ease he couldn’t achieve even with Qi Xinzhu or Bai Yuetong.

"I can’t believe I put such pressure on you back then!"

"Honestly, you really did."

"But I didn’t hurt you back then. Some people wanted me to kill you, but I didn’t do it." Lu Xiaotian’s voice was a bit soft, as if she were fishing for praise or sharing some unspeakable secret.

Lu Luo didn’t notice the nuance in her tone. He continued, "But from my perspective back then, you were simply terrifying. A horrifying monster that toyed with people’s hearts, the Monarch of the Exotic Species! Utterly terrifying."

Lu Xiaotian pouted. It was clear she didn’t like this kind of assessment from Lu Luo.

"But from the very first moment I saw you, I really liked you. That’s why I gave you so much preferential treatment."

"Do you even know what ’like’ means? Besides, you’re just a child; you don’t really understand what ’like’ means, do you?" Lu Luo didn’t want to dwell on this topic, but Lu Xiaotian responded with certainty.

"I really don’t know what ’like’ is, and I’ve never liked anyone else. But I know that the only males who have left an impression on me, the only ones I find myself missing, are my father and you."

Seriously, ’males’? Could the description get any more clinical?

"Um, maybe it’s because you’ve met very few males."

"No, my father is memorable because of familial love. But with you, it has always been ’like’... ’Like’ is different from familial love. At first, my feelings for you were like liking a toy. Like Tong Yuan—a very good toy, a playmate. But after that, when we met again, and when you were angry with other people, that ’like’ changed somewhat. It became a resentful fondness..."

"Resentful fondness?"

"Yeah, it’s both disliking and liking. Disliking your actions, yet liking your presence. Then, two years ago, it evolved into a liking born from our cat-and-mouse game, an attraction to a strong male. Unfortunately, I had already adopted a human form by then, adhering to human morals and laws. So, I was considered a minor at that time. Such a pity. You were only Sixth Tier back then. If I had been an adult, I could have mated with you!"

Lu Luo felt lines of exasperation form on his forehead. Can we not use such brazen words?

"Yes, there was nothing I could do. Although as an Exotic Species, I had already reached maturity, as a human, I was indeed underage. I was developing too slowly. I could only wait, wait to grow older, and also maintain my cultivation to prevent you from overtaking me. But unfortunately... you still overtook me. Lu Luo, your progress was too fast. This game of chase has finally ended."

Lu Xiaotian’s tone was lighthearted, with no hint of concern over winning or losing.

At this moment, Lu Luo tentatively asked, "Have you ever considered that this feeling... perhaps it wasn’t ’like’ in the way you think?"

"Although I haven’t been human for long, I’m not dumb. As an Exotic Species, I have perception thousands of times sharper than humans. So I know what ’like’ is. Yes, it’s definitely ’like’." As Lu Xiaotian spoke, she affirmed herself, leaving Lu Luo even more speechless.

He twisted his body, trying to pull his shoulder away from Lu Xiaotian. But at this point, how could Lu Xiaotian possibly let him go as he wished?

"Hey, what are you doing? I haven’t leaned on you enough yet." With that, she held onto Lu Luo, bringing them closer again. Then she pressed her face against Lu Luo’s shoulder.

"I’ve said it, I won’t disturb you. But let me lean on you for a while today, okay?"

Listening to this almost pleading tone, Lu Luo found it difficult to accept. To be precise, he couldn’t accept this side of the Nightmare Demon.

"Has it been very difficult, holding up on your own?" Lu Luo suddenly asked.

"Yes, it’s very hard alone." Lu Xiaotian’s eyes brightened, and she nodded.

Indeed, she had it tough. Lu Xiaotian’s development involved only guidance, not explicit teaching. Her mother couldn’t teach her; Meiqi guided her to become a Nightmare Demon, while Ludie guided her to become human. In this situation of possessing absolute power yet devoid of any education, Lu Xiaotian astonishingly had not gone astray. Her personality and methods had also gradually matured and gained a certain dignity over the years. This was the truly surprising part.

She truly was outstanding, and behind this excellence lay immense hardship.

"You’ve worked hard."

"Hehe, it’s alright. Everything is worth it."

"Ludie’s spirit must be overjoyed; his legacy has finally found someone to carry it on."

"No, I remember he said his aspiration was merely to awaken the collective will of the Fourth Ring. He didn’t want to leave too much behind because he felt those who came after would do better."

Lu Luo didn’t entirely agree with Lu Xiaotian’s words. "No, Ludie was a true Awakener. His existence held far greater significance than any so-called ’successors.’ Without him, the Fourth Ring would still be exploited by the Inner Ring. And you would have been nothing more than an Eighth Order Exotic Species beyond the Wall."

His words were blunt, but his reasoning was sound. What Lu Luo described could very well have been the truth.

"It seems you hold him in high regard!"

"Of course. In my eyes, Ludie was an absolute genius. A genius’s will, a genius’s ideas, a genius’s talent. To have reached that stage under such dreadful conditions demonstrated a level of talent far beyond ordinary people."

Lu Xiaotian was somewhat happy. Hearing Lu Luo praise her father like this made her very cheerful. "Ah, listening to you praise him, it feels quite nice."

"Heh, everyone likes to hear compliments. No one is an exception."

"Alright, we’ve chatted enough. It’s time to talk about serious matters. Lu Luo, what did you come back for this time? Can you tell me now?"

Lu Xiaotian’s tone became serious, and Lu Luo also reined in his emotions. "I came back this time... to kill the Church’s current Pope, Luo Dan."

Upon hearing Lu Luo’s words, Lu Xiaotian’s pupils constricted slightly. Although she had guessed the purpose of Lu Luo’s return, such a precise and straightforward declaration of killing Luo Dan was unexpected. Besides, Luo Dan and Lu Luo, who was in the Imperial, had no apparent connection. Why would Lu Luo travel thousands of miles to come back and kill Luo Dan?

"Why? You shouldn’t have any reason to kill her, right?"

Lu Luo pondered for a moment and decided to tell Lu Xiaotian the actual situation. Since they were going to cooperate, this was something he couldn’t conceal. Otherwise, it would become problematic when it came to dividing the spoils of war later.

"Noah made a deal with Luo Dan. Noah obtained many Fruits of Life from her. In exchange, Noah gave the Artificial Intelligence Heart to Luo Dan. My main purpose for coming back this time is to retrieve the Artificial Intelligence Heart."

"The Artificial Intelligence Heart? What is its purpose?"

"To catalyze the birth of Synthetics. Its primary function is to trigger an Artificial Intelligence crisis."

"Lu Luo, you..."

In Lu Xiaotian’s impression, although Lu Luo had a somewhat abrasive personality, he was, on the whole, a relatively normal human. ’Normal,’ in this context, meant Lu Luo would rarely engage in anti-humanitarian actions. For instance, wanton slaughter simply because he was powerful—Lu Luo wouldn’t do that; it wasn’t in his nature.

But the Artificial Intelligence crisis is an out-and-out catastrophe, isn’t it? Why would a cautious person like Lu Luo contemplate something like an Artificial Intelligence crisis, let alone show signs of instigating one?

"What do you really want to do?"

"Just to secure some trump cards for my survival."

"Survival? Has someone threatened you? Is it her? That snake?" The Nightmare Demon seemed reluctant to utter Meiqi’s name, but Lu Luo shook his head.

"It’s not Meiqi, though Meiqi is also a factor. My identity was exposed in the Imperial. The reasons are complex, involving Meiqi and other Angel Envoys, Noah, and some personal factors as well. In short, I now have to confront the experts in the Imperial Capital, so I need some leverage to pressure them."

"So you thought of the Artificial Intelligence crisis? Using the population as leverage against the Imperial?"

It had to be said, the Nightmare Demon’s mind worked remarkably fast. As soon as Lu Luo mentioned the Artificial Intelligence crisis, she instantly understood what he was planning.

"Yes. It’s a choice born of desperation. If not for a lack of strength, who would willingly resort to such a method?" Lu Luo’s tone remained casual, but Lu Xiaotian still heard the undertones of frustration in his words.

Indeed, if not for a lack of strength, who would resort to such methods? This Lu Luo... he might seem nonchalant, but deep down, he’s incredibly proud, isn’t he?

"So you came to ask for my help?"

"Yes, I came to ask for your help."

"You seek my help, yet you strike me? My, Mister Lu Luo, such overbearing authority!"