Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 135 - 110. Bayo Kong (Biohazard King-kong)

Chapter 135: 110. Bayo Kong (Biohazard King-kong)

"No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less,

as well as if a promontory were,

as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were.

Any man’s death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And, therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls;

it tolls for thee!

— John Donne ’For Whom the Bell Tolls’

————————————

As Li Aozi and Du Zexin entered the elevator, the film here came to an end.

Lu Run sat dazedly next to the monitor, though the icy floor made him feel intensely awake.

Was this really just a game?

From Nomi to Qiu Ran, then to Li Aozi, and even Jian, Anna, and the members of the Metro Brotherhood, every single one of them seemed as alive and fleshed out as real people.

When he saw Qiu Ran’s emotional breakdowns twice and then was unconditionally put on the train by Li Aozi, the ’Cruel Murdering Demon King,’ Lu Run felt he wasn’t just watching a game sequence anymore.

Everyone was living so genuinely, numb yet desperately struggling forward, spitting blood as they ran their marathon—this oppressive realism made him physically uncomfortable at times.

"Damn, Qiu Ran is so cute, I declare her as my wife now!"

Compared to his emotional upheavals, Luo Le, the outspoken Brother, immediately exclaimed excitedly:

"Did you see that girl? She’s really interesting. She looks soft and is like a naive big sister but turns out to be more sensitive and delicate than anyone. Need I say more? She’s the prime candidate for a wife. That’s how marriage material should be chosen."

"Alright, alright, enough. We know you like red-haired ponytails. No need to broadcast it everywhere,"

Brother Xue disapprovingly pushed him away:

"You guy, didn’t you see the way Qiu Ran looked at Li Aozi? First off, I’m not matchmaking, but although Qiu Ran didn’t say a word, her eyes were filled with dependency. Then there are her unconscious gestures—Ouch, secondly, I’m not matchmaking, but if a girl didn’t really like and trust someone, why would she keep clutching their clothes and leaning into them now and then? Lastly, damn, I give up; I am definitely matchmaking. It’s undeniable, Qiu Ran x Li Aozi; it defies natural justice if they aren’t together."

Luo Le looked disdainfully at his colleague:

"What era are you living in, still into traditional CPs (couples)? Cut the nonsense; love doesn’t exist in the capitalist world. These virtual characters, let’s face it, are just for the players’ pleasure, might as well criticize for ’male gaze’ or ’stereotypes,’ better stick to substantial things."

"What ridiculous nonsense are you thinking about? Just shut up, we are live here,"

"It’s because you got too caught up in it, but admit it, this segment is written so realistically, I enjoyed watching it."

"Hold up."

Lu Run calmed down, suddenly realizing a problem:

"Brother Luo, Brother Xue, if Li Aozi and Du Zexin teamed up, dealing with the ’Professor’ should be easy, right?"

"Don’t know,"

they answered in unison.

"...What?"

Lu Run was puzzled:

"I think Li Aozi was quite fierce, and Du Zexin looked strong too, a Beta Rank, isn’t it? According to previous claims, NPCs of Beta Rank should be around level 40, right? Dealing with that ’Professor’ should be easy, shouldn’t it?"

"Not necessarily. NPCs differ from players; they might be lower in levels, but their hierarchy can shoot up first. Sounds weird, right? —but actually, if you think about it, many people in the real world are the same—touted as greatly competent on paper, but poke a little, and the reality reveals itself,"

Brother Xue stated matter-of-factly:

"Players are different. Our promotions are strictly conditioned; NPCs’ ranks can be overrated; doesn’t mean ours are,"

"Back to the original issue," Luo Le explained, "Li Aozi and Du Zexin, two NPCs, definitely have padded ranks, and two strangers might not coordinate well,"

"Moreover,"

as he tapped on the Mingji Humanity program screen, an array of experimental projects and several [Already Implemented]] tags made him feel somber:

"...about the ’Professor’, although I don’t know what exactly the situation is, but look at this—just these programs that clearly surpass Frost Plated knowledge level, coupled with Li Aozi’s description, the ’Professor’ likely isn’t lower than Beta Rank. Who wins in a fight, it’s hard to say,"

"What are you thinking, Li Aozi is still alive and well, most likely already smashed the Professor to bits,"

Brother Xue rolled his eyes:

"Are you treating this like a TV series? Still pondering the next episode’s storyline?"

"Don’t mention it, aren’t you the same? The one with the deepest empathy and immersion, really, the nerve to criticize me."

Luo Le flicked through the video files; there weren’t any more related to Li Aozi left from Mingji.

"Tsk... these aren’t useful anymore."

He pouted and kicked Lu Run, who was sitting collapsed on the floor:

"Let’s go, cameraman bro, let’s move to the lower floors to see, these are all task progress."

"Yeah."

Lu Run stood up, he backed up the video files to edit them later.

Li Aozi and Du Zexin’s battle easily left an impression that Mutants might be better fighters than Mechanics, as promotional material, this could give players who plan to enter the Sovereign system a basic judgment.