Touchdown at Nirvana

[Bounty: Find the raw materials used to develop Miracle K and related data at the Nirvana Research Institute. (Boss Bai) Reward: 5,000 points.]

When Lu Wen landed, the ground beneath his feet was cracked like a dried-out heel.

"Worse than I imagined."

He looked down at his surroundings. This was the perfect illustration of an apocalyptic wasteland.

"It's the age of the apocalypse. Just bear with it."

Lu Wen looked up. A woman stood twenty meters ahead.

White hair, cropped short, a gray fur-collared coat, and a long blade hanging at her waist.

"It's fine. I don't care about the surroundings~ I'm Lu Wen. Nice to meet you, Boss Bai." Lu Wen recognized the woman opposite him at a glance.

Bai Yuekui.

"You don't look like someone who can help me! So pale and soft. You don't even look as sturdy as the village children."

Bai Yuekui approached and circled Lu Wen, looking somewhat dissatisfied.

"Really? But I think you're paler than me." Lu Wen looked Bai Yuekui up and down in turn.

And he wasn't making things up. Seeing Bai Yuekui in person really drove home the "white" in her name!

Her hair was white, her skin was white, and even her whole being seemed tinged with pallor!

One could imagine that Granny Bai's experiences over the years had been unimaginably rich.

"Tell me what you can actually do! And that system... what's that about?" Bai Yuekui stood with her arms folded, regarding Lu Wen with a languid gaze.

"I can't explain what the system is either! You just need to know that it can call people over to sort things out for you! As for what I can do... why not try me and find out?"

As he spoke, Lu Wen reached out, slowly moving his hand toward Bai Yuekui.

Bai Yuekui remained expressionless, but as she watched the large hand draw closer to her face, her brows still furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Then she raised her right hand, which held Alaya-Vijnana, and blocked Lu Wen's outstretched hand.

The next moment, Bai Yuekui realized something was wrong! How was this man so strong?

A faint smile played on Lu Wen's lips as he pressed against Boss Bai's palm and slowly pushed forward!

It was as ordinary as pushing open a door.

But Bai Yuekui's expression slowly shifted from calm to serious! She was pushed back step after step, her feet plowing two deep furrows through the ground she braced against.

"Stop! That's enough!" Bai Yuekui called out, stopping Lu Wen from pushing her any farther.

If he kept pushing, she would end up in the Devorant nest below.

Lu Wen stopped, watching with interest as Bai Yuekui's aloof expression shattered.

"Well? Strong enough? Want me to show you something else to prove how badass I am? Hmm~ Boss Bai?"

Lu Wen withdrew his hand, considering whether to show off a little trick by rinsing his mouth with AK gunfire.

"No need. Even with all my strength, I couldn't stop you. That's enough to prove... where did he go?"

Bai Yuekui had only just brought her expression under control and regained her aloof demeanor when she looked up and found him gone!

"Ah!!!"

Suddenly, Xiadou's scream drew her gaze!

Turning around, she saw Lu Wen, who had abruptly vanished, crouching atop the rock where she had told Xiadou and the others to hide. Xiadou, Shanda, and the others all leaped out from behind the rock, drawing their weapons and aiming at Lu Wen.

"Don't be so nervous. I just wanted to see what you were doing here." With that, Lu Wen flashed back to Bai Yuekui's side with another whoosh.

Bai Yuekui frowned, one hand resting on her scabbard.

Even before her injury, she couldn't have matched that instantaneous burst of speed! Just who was this man?

Xiadou poked half her head out from behind the rock. "Boss Bai, who is this guy? He suddenly appeared right above my head, and I didn't sense him at all!"

"He's on our side for now. Wait a little. I need a few more words with him," Bai Yuekui instructed loudly.

"For now~ Looks like you still don't quite trust me, Boss Bai."

"I have no obligation to trust you completely! Your appearance alone is baffling enough." Bai Yuekui's tone was calm and matter-of-fact.

Lu Wen shrugged, unbothered. After all, natives like her were bound to be less accepting of things like systems than the transmigrator hordes.

"Then I'm curious. If you don't really believe in it, what made you think of placing an order? Judging by this place, you seem to be waiting for Mark."

At his last sentence, Bai Yuekui's expression darkened, and her grip on the Tang sword involuntarily tightened.

"Don't be nervous. Since I chose this line of work, naturally I need some baffling sources of information! If I didn't know anything, this wouldn't be the job I took. Wouldn't you agree~?"

Lu Wen was still all smiles, looking thoroughly casual.

Besides, he was a little curious! If he annoyed Bai Yuekui into drawing her blade and slashing him right now, could his skin withstand a strike from Alaya-Vijnana?

Bai Yuekui watched this rather flippant man, rapidly weighing the pros and cons.

Ever since something calling itself the Void Market System had suddenly approached her two years ago, she had exhausted every means available without discovering just what this thing, so similar to something from pre-Cataclysm science fiction, actually was!

But it didn't have many functions. Apart from letting her enter a Void Market to post missions and view requests posted by others who seemed to possess the same Void Market System, it also let her earn points by hunting Devorants.

Finally, it had given her a set of instructions on how to spend points to summon people who could personally handle things for her.

According to Master Lai, they were here today to carry out the plan! While waiting for someone to arrive, she had suddenly thought of testing whether this system could summon help.

Although she couldn't take action often, she had still saved up a sum of points over the past two years!

On a strange impulse, she had picked a round number and posted this so-called order! To her surprise, it had actually brought her a creature that looked human.

With that thought, Bai Yuekui looked Lu Wen up and down a few more times.

Yes-looked human! Based on what she knew about humans and enhanced humans, the Awakened, that kind of speed and strength simply couldn't belong to a human!

"I know I'm handsome, but if you keep looking at me like that, even I'll get shy!"

"Two years ago..."

Bai Yuekui suddenly spoke.

"Something called the Void Market System approached me! It gave me missions to hunt Devorants for points. Today, out of curiosity, I placed my first order, and then you came..."

"So?" Lu Wen raised an eyebrow.

"So! Since you're here to help me, I choose to trust you for now! You say you have plenty of information. I want to know exactly how much you know! Whether what you know will interfere with my plan!"

Looking at Bai Yuekui's serious face, Lu Wen dropped his casual expression.

"I really don't know whether to call you cautious or say you've gotten long-winded with age! Put simply, I know you're here to watch Mark become an Ecological Chimera! The rest... is a little complicated, and I can't explain it right now! But all you need to know is that I'm here to help you!"

"Then, once you finish the order, you can leave?"

"Of course! Though I won't necessarily leave right away! We could also trade a few other things privately! I think I have something you'd be very interested in."

Lu Wen had thought of a great idea.

"Suit yourself! As long as you don't interfere with our plan." Bai Yuekui remained expressionless.

As for whether she was curious about the thing Lu Wen claimed would interest her, only she knew.

Just then, the roar of engines came from below them.

The Lighthouse's Vulture Squad had arrived.