Ludy, his face tense, struggled for a moment before deciding to agree to Lu Luo, because Lu Luo was right. If he could find important evidence and receive an award, his gains would be far more than a mere 1,000 yuan.
He pulled out a worn-out wallet from his pocket and, after counting, found a total of 875 wasteland alliance coins of various denominations.
"I didn't bring that much money, just this much. It's about eight hundred and seventy-five, let's just round it to a thousand."
Ludy grudgingly handed the money to Lu Luo.
Lu Luo took the money and meticulously counted it, only speaking after confirming it was 875:
"Let's make it 850, and you owe me the remaining 150 for now."
[Alright, one dares to shout, and the other dares to bargain. Did Newton teach you math?]
"Newton doesn't teach math."
Lu Luo grumbled inwardly. He wasn't really being greedy for the 150 yuan, although 150 yuan was quite tempting. But his main reason was to have an excuse to contact Ludy again in the future.
Next to him, Ludy was a bit annoyed. How could a student be so difficult?
"Damn it, are you even a student? What kind of student are you? I'm telling you, if you're so calculating about everything, you'll lose your hair."
"It's 850, just tell me if that works!"
"Fine, 850 it is. Hand over the item."
"It's this."
Lu Luo took out the shattered reagent bottle from his pocket. Although the bottle had no markings, Ludy, as a Hunter Captain, could already investigate many things.
Whether it was the residual medicine, the origin of the glass bottle, or the manufacturing process, he might be able to find out.
Seeing Lu Luo produce such an item, Ludy's eyes immediately narrowed.
"Is this a reagent bottle fragment? Where did you get this?"
"From the shredded flesh of the Xenomorph corpse."
"You even noticed such a detail. How did you know this would be related to the incident?"
"You know I study biology. This type of reagent bottle is a sealed type, and it might contain medicine, reagents, or genetic samples.
Whichever it is, its appearance on a humanoid creature that was once an exhibition hall staff member seems too abrupt. So, I have two theories.
First, the person carrying the reagent bottle collided with the staff member, breaking the bottle.
Second, someone deliberately inserted the reagent bottle into the staff member's body, or broke it and secretly placed it on the staff member, allowing the reagent inside to come into contact with them.
If it were the first scenario, the fragments of the reagent bottle should have appeared in a trash can. So, I believe that its presence on the humanoid creature is very likely intentional."
Hearing Lu Luo's answer, Ludy fell silent for a moment. It sounded far-fetched, but upon closer thought, it was a well-reasoned deduction. Was this kid's observational skills really that sharp? He shouldn't have undergone systematic training, so how did he do it?
He looked at Lu Luo with a strange expression, as if he had discovered something extraordinary, then nodded.
"Good item, and your analysis makes some sense. Is there anything else?"
[Wow, a big shot has been subdued by your sharp words. His tone now is like a child afraid of saying the wrong thing.]
Lu Luo smiled. At this moment, he definitely wouldn't trick Ludy. If his previous choices were only his brother Lu Yang and Blue Sky Technology, now he had another option: Ludy, the Hunter.
Not all Hunters were powerful experts, but the Ludy in front of him was definitely powerful. He surely held the advanced methods Lu Luo desired, and perhaps even a way to take him outside the Wall in the future.
"Around 2 PM, a man in a cloak and black hat hurried out. I find this person highly suspicious.
If you can find surveillance footage, or if there are surveillance devices nearby, you should be able to see the person I'm talking about."
"How did you discover he was problematic?"
Lu Luo pointed to his eyes, then to his head.
"I have a pair of sharp eyes that can see through all the mist before me.
I also have a quick-thinking brain that helps me sort out the flow of events."
Lu Luo started acting a bit chuunibyou. There was nothing he could do about it; he couldn't exactly say that the noble S-rank Observer had discovered it, could he?
[You must be evaluating me, right? Are there no other evaluations besides these? I feel my role is more than just this.]
"Alright, I admit your observational skills are quite good. Regarding the person you mentioned, I will continue to investigate.
Also, kid, are you still a student?"
Ludy, who hadn't taken anyone under his wing in a long time, was quite interested in Lu Luo. If it was someone as smart as Lu Luo, training him would surely be much better than those lunatics who were forced upon him.
[This person is interested in you. I can't be wrong. He's interested in you. A man is interested in you, aren't you scared?]
Lu Luo scratched his head at the Observer's prompt, but he still answered truthfully.
"I just got into the Alliance East Ring Academy. I'm a biology major who hasn't started school yet. What's wrong?"
"Are you interested in joining our Hunter Team 13? High salary, great benefits, paid shopping, free club access. As soon as you join, you'll be a second-class citizen, becoming a superior person in the wasteland."
[Wow, this guy sure can brag. Paid shopping and free club access, even those came out. I'm tempted, are you?]
Ludy spoke in flowery language, but Lu Luo showed no reaction.
"Thank you very much for your high regard, but I'm sorry, I still have a scholarship contract with Blue Sky Bio-Technology. The penalty for breach of contract is 250,000, and I can't afford such a high penalty.
Moreover, I've just been admitted to university, and my studies aren't complete yet. So, I temporarily cannot join the Wasteland Hunters."
"Is that so!" Ludy looked at Lu Luo with some regret. He hadn't actively recruited anyone in five years, so much so that he had almost forgotten the recruitment process.
From his initial contact with Lu Luo, to their conversation, and then to the final transaction, Ludy very quickly made the move to recruit Lu Luo.
This behavior seemed reckless, but in reality, Ludy's judgment was truly sharp. In just a brief interaction, he had already determined that Lu Luo's talent was worth his special recruitment.
However, he hadn't expected that the Hunters' special recruitment would actually fail. There was nothing he could do; even Hunters couldn't break the law within the Wall.
Ludy moved his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. Blue Sky Bio-Technology was not short on money, and their contract penalties were usually set ridiculously high.
Even if he reported it to the bureau, they wouldn't agree to spend a large sum of money to recruit a newly admitted student.
As for him paying out of his own pocket to help Lu Luo pay the penalty, that was unthinkable. How could a poor guy like him have money? He barely had enough for cigarettes and alcohol, what was he thinking?
Ludy put away his private thoughts, held his head high, trying his best not to let Lu Luo see his disappointed expression.
"Alright, although your information is very useful, you still have to come back to the Security Bureau with me. This is standard procedure."
Although Ludy said this, he still took out the three strands of the Sleeping Witch's hair and subtly slipped them into Lu Luo's pocket.
Looking at these few strands of hair, Lu Luo felt a surge of excitement and joy.
"Finally got them." Lu Luo carefully put away the hair. These were important components for his synthesis.
[The good young man of the wasteland and the cunning old Hunter completed a dirty 'PY' deal. The process was truly frightening!
Friendly reminder, the synthesis of the Grudge Blade currently still lacks 249 points of energy and 1 gram of Dark Spirit Stone. It's a long and arduous journey, young man!]