From the Abyss of Stars

63. Firestarter Master Li Aozi

 

"What on earth is happening outside? Why are we being attacked?"

 

"I don't know, a car just came charging at us—Holy shit! Where did that rocket come from?"

 

"Get down! With this kind of firepower, could it be a warlord!?"

 

Buzzing...

 

The roaring engine of the Frost-Plated riot vehicle approached like a beast's low howl, and faster than the vehicle were the rocket grenades piercing the sky.

 

Nimotin leaned out, standing on the car roof. She casually raised her left hand, her forearm splitting and extending into a rifle, precisely picking off and eliminating the fleeing White Fang gang members.

 

"The tracker agent Yavanna threw out is nearby. That Imperial dog can't have gone far. Bomb it first, release the smoke, and trap him inside."

 

Last time, Nimotin suffered at the hands of Li Aozi, losing several vehicles and letting him escape right under her nose. She had no intention of capturing him alive.

 

Besides, the signal stopped among these gang members, so it's pretty certain that Li Aozi is among them.

 

"Maybe... it's the person the Empire sent to pick him up."

 

The more Nimotin thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Logically, who would suddenly burn down a bank in a civilized country and dive into this hellish place outside the borders?

 

Only spies would take such risks to exchange information here.

 

Gangs are just mercenaries driven by money and profit, and the Empire uses them without dirtying their hands. They're cheap and useful, perfect for picking up elite spies sent out by the Empire.

 

"The Empire must have spent a fortune! A spy with Arcane abilities and high-level training, escorted by a gang—there's no doubt he has crucial information, maybe even Frost-Plated secrets!"

 

At this thought, Nimotin's spirits lifted.

 

"No, this Imperial dog can't die. He must be brought back alive; maybe this will pave my way to success!"

 

"Hold your fire."

 

She shouted, and her subordinates stopped shooting, their eyes burning as they scanned the area, slowing down the vehicles while the detection chips continued scanning for someone matching Li Aozi's profile.

 

Hiss...

 

"Why did they stop firing?"

 

"Who the hell is attacking us?"

 

The White Fang gang members were bewildered, looking at each other in confusion.

 

The scanning red laser swept over everyone instantly, giving the gang members a terrifying sense of being seen through. One of them, frightened, fired a burst from his gun at her.

 

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—

 

Nimotin swayed slightly, her body creating a series of afterimages in the air as she swiftly descended from the car like a casual stroll, dodging the gunfire. She flicked her right hand, and a dagger shot out, piercing the gunman's head instantly.

 

[Target not detected]

 

Nimotin raised her hand:

 

"Show no mercy, hit them hard!"

 

The Frost-Plated special police immediately got out of the car, forming a tactical formation and quickly finding cover. With their superior tactical awareness and firepower, the ambushed White Fang gang members were no match and were swiftly crushed.

 

Rat-a-tat-tat—

 

The light and explosions from gunpowder crossed each other. Some White Fang gang members began to realize the situation.

 

This level of tactical proficiency, smokeless high-quality gunpowder, and snipers occasionally picking off close-combat cyborgs—it's clear who they were.

 

"That's the 'Frostfang' FF-114 rifle! Damn, these guys are Frost-Plated's professional troops!"

 

One gang member reacted, screaming in despair:

 

"The Four Nations! The Four Nations are here to kill us—"

 

Before he could finish, a light machine gun from Frost-Plated turned and shredded his face, blowing his skull apart and splattering pink brain matter and flesh all over the cover.

 

"Fuck!"

 

The gang members were terrified. They had encountered Frost-Plated's military before and even had some old military weapons, but compared to the ruthless meat grinders the military police wielded, their own weapons were no better than sticks.

 

Nimotin's subordinates had fierce firepower, launching grenades, tear gas, and flashbangs in turns. Heavy soldiers with flash shields cleared narrow areas.

 

Nimotin, nearly two meters tall, sat on a high container, her dark golden hair fluttering in the wind, her eyes constantly scanning the area.

 

Under the attack of Frost-Plated special police, the White Fang gang members couldn't hold out. Some threw their guns away, raised their hands, and shouted:

 

"Stop, stop! I surrender, I surren—"

 

Before he could finish, a grenade exploded in front of him, gutting him and spilling his intestines and organs all over.

 

"Come to die yourselves; we don't have time to take prisoners."

 

Nimotin spoke casually, sensing a strong presence in the gathering place. Clearing the area now would allow her to focus on the lurking strong enemy later.

 

"Li Aozi... where are you hiding?"

 

Nimotin murmured, continuing to search for Li Aozi's traces.

 

....................................................

 

"Phew, the fight's really intense."

 

The yellow-black trench coat of the scavenger concealed Li Aozi well. In the dusty, dim environment outside the borders, white wasn't the best camouflage. This yellow-black disguise was more easily overlooked in the low-light conditions.

 

Arcane energy mainly comes from some mysterious energy provided by genes and cells. It's almost like personal stamina—casually used, it recovers quickly, but in a combat state, with running, jumping, and fighting, recovery becomes very difficult.

 

A warrior's stamina continuously generates as long as physical exertion is maintained and cells are stimulated.

 

A mage standing still after burning out mana can still pull out an AK and fire a burst.

 

Pure Arcane users aren't so lucky. Unless it's passive Arcane, waiting for Arcane recovery in battle is futile.

 

The best way to reduce energy consumption is to improve Arcane development level. In the later stages, fully developed Arcane can be almost continuously released.

 

As for Li Aozi, he didn't have this problem. On the one hand, his gravitational Arcane was finely controlled, with no unnecessary actions wasting Arcane energy.

 

On the other hand, his 【Charisma】 was highly beneficial. In a non-combat state, gravity could be almost continuously released.

 

Li Aozi activated Arcane, silently descending from a height, avoiding Nimotin's sight.

 

Just as Nomi caused the commotion, the rapidly flashing tracker was thrown by him into the camp's ammo depot.

 

Sure enough, not long after, Law IV arrived.

 

Nimotin, probably enraged by him, fired a rocket before arriving. That shot was accurate, directly causing an explosion of several tons of ammunition, blowing up half the camp.

 

"Timing is right. Nimotin is enraged, thinking about how to torture me—well, it's a good thing. It means she won't kill me on sight."

 

Li Aozi knew Nimotin's character well. She was powerful but as rigid in her thinking as a robotic vacuum.

 

He sneaked into the shadows, quickly moving, silently. He glanced at the system messages:

 

【Side Quest: "Clear Love and Hate" (Ongoing)】

 

【Challenge 5: Kill 5 White Fang gang members using a vehicle (5/5)—Completed】

 

【You've completed a challenge, rewarded with: Main attribute +1 and 600 experience points.】

 

【Based on your specialty, you gain the following benefits: Charisma +2, 600 experience points】

 

"Let's see the current base attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 5, Constitution 7, Charisma 23 (Equipment +3), Willpower 8."

 

Nothing special about the other attributes, but the 【Perpetual • Love Hunter】 specialty made the actual benefit of the main attribute 【Charisma】 equivalent to 33.8 points!

 

"Reaching 40 points of attributes qualifies for Beta level (β, second Greek letter), but ascending to Alpha rank (α, first Greek letter) requires at least level 20."

 

The strong main attribute 【Charisma】 gave Li Aozi the confidence to confront Alpha-rank superhumans, but his current experience wasn't enough to meet Alpha rank standards.

 

"No rush."

 

Li Aozi calculated that his level had almost caught up with these gang members.

 

At this time, with Qiu Ran temporarily away, only lv.17 Nomi and lv.10 him remained, and the experience penalty for their party reduced the experience gain from hunting these gang members.

 

He glanced at the quest progress, noting that two medical personnel had already died.

 

"Side challenge three, extra 20% reward for killing White Fang gang members—doesn't seem worth it anymore. Losing 2 points of 【Charisma】 is fine, focus on stealth, and the main task is rescuing the six kidnapped medical staff."

 

Li Aozi's mind worked precisely. With Nimotin patrolling, his priority was to complete the mission and obtain the 5 free attribute points.

 

Once done, Nimotin wouldn't be able to handle him at all.

 

With this plan, Li Aozi quickly searched through the White Tooth gang's convoy, checking each vehicle. Besides strangling a driver trying to escape with a chain, he didn't see a single living person.

 

"Strange... Are the people not here? But these vehicles are filled with Abyss supplies."

 

Li Aozi threw the corpse with a terrified expression into the snow, rummaging through the car with a frown.

 

He opened the car's trunk, revealing two portable respirators and dozens of boxes of anti-inflammatory drugs.

 

"Oh?"

 

Li Aozi was slightly surprised:

 

"This is an unexpected bonus."

 

He immediately opened the scavenger's bag, threw out the miscellaneous junk inside, and quickly grabbed most of the valuable medicines.

 

Among them was a box of capsules called 'Zunisidin,' which Li Aozi remembered was a special medicine for martial artists.

 

"Doctor Anna definitely wouldn't give up on Nurse Nordlie—this can be used to negotiate for some benefits."

 

Li Aozi put the items in his bag, carrying the bulging single-strap bag, and continued searching for the hostages.

 

By this time, the gunfire from the White Tooth gang had become more intense, not because they had received support, but due to their desperate struggle.

 

Many people fired wildly before throwing away their weapons and trying to escape by car, only to be blown up along with their vehicles by a rocket from the Frost-Plated special police.

 

Li Aozi moved stealthily through the gaps between two rows of containers. As he was about to peek out, a tall figure suddenly flashed past the gap.

 

"Huh?"

 

The Cannibal glanced at the passing container.

 

"What's wrong, sir?" Zhu Baiya asked, raising his heavy pistol. "Is there an enemy here?"

 

"... It's nothing."

 

The Cannibal seemed to sense something, smiling slightly:

 

"It's just a little squirrel—no need to worry."

 

【This aura—it's a Beta rank!】

 

Li Aozi's heart skipped a beat. He immediately withdrew and pressed himself against the sides of the container, quietly eavesdropping on the two's conversation.

 

"Zhu Baiya, your men are dying. Don't you care?" The Cannibal asked indifferently.

 

"So what if they die? With these third-generation Esha Armaments, where can't I go? Wherever I go, I can rally a team!"

 

Zhu Baiya stroked the head of the Esha Armament. The lifeless and soulless teenager showed no reaction, like a weapon at its master's disposal.

 

"With certain things in place, I have no reason to fight with that Frost-Plated woman."

 

The Cannibal chuckled:

 

"If you don't mind, then suit yourself—where's my goods?"

 

"Just ahead, near the Sikkim settlement. Our men dug a cellar there, and the captives are inside."

 

Zhu Baiya thought for a moment and added casually:

 

"There are also some female doctors from Abyss. Their medical skills are good... they could serve as assistants for a biochemist like you, right?"

 

"There's no need for that."

 

The Cannibal dismissed it:

 

"The only technology in the Outer Territories that interests me exists in the Abyss Humanitarian. Even the professors who lead it don't have the authority to open the second layer..."

 

"You seem very knowledgeable about the Abyss Humanitarian?" Zhu Baiya was curious.

 

"Of course." The Cannibal said warmly: "Guess where those Esha Armaments you have come from?"

 

Zhu Baiya was taken aback, then his eyes filled with fervor.

 

"Cannibal, if I can capture it..."

 

"The production line of Esha Armaments can be yours as well." The Cannibal chuckled: "After all, it's not something new."

 

"Not new, you mean?"

 

"Frost-Plated has actually started using something better."

 

The Cannibal tapped his helmet meaningfully:

 

"Can a few Arcane users change the war? That's because people in the Outer Territories haven't seen the power of mobilizing millions of people, the national machine, various factories, and private enterprises fully mobilized for war. Nor have they seen the dawn caused by nuclear explosions..."

 

"But war is ultimately fought by people. Only by delivering orders flawlessly to the grassroots soldiers and ensuring the absolute loyalty of officers can you win a war."

 

"The Red Arrow Empire has terrifying mechanized troops, the Sky Ring has land cruisers traversing the sand sea, and Zhengxu has a vast ballistic missile system."

 

"And Frost-Plated has begun advancing into the field of psionic communications."

 

The Cannibal said playfully:

 

"Using infants as transmission media doesn't seem any more merciful than me eating people for snacks."

 

Thud!

 

Li Aozi's pupils constricted.

 

"It doesn't matter, as long as we can win, no one cares about these costs."

 

Zhu Baiya chuckled:

 

"The sand sea of the Outer Territories and the glorious history of the Four Nations are essentially the same. Only the losers are never remembered."