Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 186 - 010. "Starry Abyss: Azure Star" Beta PV - "Edge of Narrative

Chapter 186: 010. "Starry Abyss: Azure Star" Beta PV - "Edge of Narrative

The internal testing is about to begin.

As soon as these words were spoken, a wave of jubilation erupted in the live broadcast room, though how many of them would actually purchase gaming equipment remained unknown.

Li Aozi glanced at the forum. Someone knowledgeable had already estimated that the five thousand internal testing slots had been snapped up immediately. Apart from the long-established professional player clubs, most were taken by some enterprises and state-owned companies.

In reality, according to Li Aozi’s memory, the first batch of internal testers included at least two hundred professional soldiers. By the time the 9.0 version’s civil war started, this number had grown to fifteen thousand.

These soldier players received unified training, had confidential tasks, and adhered strictly to orders, with outdoor leveling being very stringent. Compared to professional players, soldiers might have only better marksmanship, more agile movement, and quicker thinking. In actual battles, there was no comparison between professional players and soldiers.

However, the soldier players were not Li Aozi’s main customers. War required logistical support, and durable weaponry and equipment. Accessories were not purchased in large quantities.

Professional players aimed to win competitions and gain fame, backed by clubs and sponsors funding them.

As a result, Li Aozi logged into the forum and glanced at the four large clubs that officially announced they had secured internal testing slots: River City Misty Rain, Braised Beef Noodles, Fragrant Chicken, and Old Chilly Oil.

"It’s still the same four dishes." Li Aozi sighed regretfully.

In the previous life, Fiery Summer District had performed poorly in the first season. Azure Star was, after all, a technological civilization, unfamiliar with the various magical and mystical civilizations in the early stages. The players were not well adapted, which was understandable. But among these four clubs, three were sponsored by food sellers. After two seasons, none of them made it to the top sixteen, leading to complaints and ridicule that ’Fiery Summer District’s players were just side dishes for meals’.

The reform of the Fiery Summer District’s competition system did not happen until after version 3.0. After entering the cosmos, professional players experienced the combat styles of various major civilizations, and only then did they make it to the top eight for the first time.

Just as Li Aozi began to think about how to develop the market for internal testing players, a post suddenly appeared on the forum, rapidly gaining heat.

[Breaking News: Veteran eSports team ’Qiongyu’ has secured two internal testing slots! Expected to be assigned to the former ’Predatory World’ championship team.]

"Oh?"

Li Aozi became interested:

"In the previous life, Qiongyu Club did not get any internal testing slots, and their focus was not on ’Starry Abyss’. They officially established a division only after version 10.0."

Internal testing meant entering the game earlier and faster than others, getting a head start on reaching the internal testing level cap.

From this perspective, Li Aozi estimated that his statement about leading players by two years in entering the game was not very accurate. Based on the time flow calculation, internal testing players’ descent would be three months later, which was April 221 on Azure Star.

Although it seemed like players were getting in a year earlier than in the previous life, considering the cooldown periods due to death and trial and error, it was roughly the same.

The official open test would only be in 226, which for Li Aozi would be about five years from now.

"Five years is not much time, but it’s enough to overturn an era."

Currently, the host was delivering a boring and lengthy speech, prompting Li Aozi to ignore it and choose to watch the forum discussions instead.

The discussion about ’Starry Abyss’ was particularly high.

They were filled with anticipation for the game’s storyline and gameplay. The currently popular ’Predatory World’ focused on competitive combat, which had limited attraction for most casual gamers. But ’Starry Abyss’ was positioned from the start as aiming for ’electronic immigrants’, with many players already discussing whether real-world economic theories and technology could be applied within the game.

In such exchanges, the host finally finished his tedious speech and marketing plan. Executive Director Luo Ming stepped aside, explaining:

"Next, please enjoy the promotional PV of the internal test version produced by our company. Special thanks to the players from Fiery Summer Country who provided tremendous support for the ’Starry Abyss’ project. We will designate an independent beginner zone—Azure Star—as the server and map for players to enjoy."

It began.

Li Aozi’s reaction was similar to the barrage: the screen quickly switched to full screen, and everyone devotedly watched the promotional video.

————————

The frost-covered sky was shrouded in a lightless canopy.

Drones quickly ascended, flying over the freezing snowfields.

Horrific, mutated beasts rampaged freely, while the red-black sky surged with the restless breath of prenatal unease.

"Welcome to Azure Star! A planet without sunlight, yet never lacking in freezing frost and snow."

The emotionless mechanical synthetic voice, mixed with rustling sounds, felt like a lonely radio broadcast in an apocalypse.

"As you can see, the red-black cloud named ’Ersha’ blankets the sky, completely sealing off the entire planet. Humanity has lost the ability and qualification to reach the cosmos."

Frozen statues collapsed erratically by the roadside. Passing through a seabed frozen into an icy mountain, leaping orcas and dolphins were solidified in the ice, forever frozen.

Astronauts and their spaceship crashed into the snow, while the fierce mutated beasts trampled the heroes of the old era underfoot, making humanity’s civilization appear ludicrous in the face of nature.

Snow mixed with sandstorm debris, accompanied by the roaring red-black clouds, amplified the atmosphere of despair and indifference to the extreme.

"Losing oil, losing industry, losing sunlight, losing everything."

The perspective rapidly shifted, heading into the long, endless night as if darkness was the final destination.

"Yet in this frozen land, humanity still prevails."

Whoosh——

A flame ignited the darkness. The nuclear fusion reactor powered up, erecting a barrier against the blizzard. Mortals, clad in exoskeleton armor, fought against nature. Electronic artificial eyes shifted nimbly. They picked up Kalashnikov rifles, aimed at the grotesque beasts, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Flames burst forth. The fired bullet became a scarlet arrow, piercing through oppressive treaties and breaking into the enemy nation’s capital map. The marshal in red-black military uniform turned coldly, revealing a proud and fierce expression.

"In the old era, that gentle and amiable country, invaded and forced to cede territory and pay indemnities, has been reborn. She has abandoned all past kindness, donned the crown of iron and blood, and transformed into a ’Red Arrow’, tearing apart the chains of past injustices."

The mechanized steel tide swept across the land. Sophisticated mobile armor dropped from the sky, immediately turning invisible and then tearing through the hills with fierce firepower.

A solitary sovereign behind the scenes flicked their finger—the cold outer world was instantly illuminated by the flames and light of the hydrogen bomb.

"The Red Arrow Empire—a new master seeking revenge on the old world. Under the emperor’s leadership, those countries that once brought injustice and oppression to the Red Arrow will be trampled by the iron flood."

On a bleak, deserted battlefield, a male ’Mechanic’ clad in a military coat, enshrouded in numerous cold data chains, slowly stepped onto the stage. The destroyed armored vehicles and drones, like undead, were instantly resurrected. Struggling under the data flow, their scrapped engines roared back to life, assembling themselves into a mechanical legion that followed the Mechanic’s steps closely.

"Steel, aluminum alloy, tungsten steel, machinery, data chains—the Red Arrow Empire’s accumulation and development bore these resources, nurturing the frail [Mechanic], unleashing their full war potential—as an [Armorer] leading war weapons, reclaiming territories once ceded by the incompetent. For the empire, the mechanical servants will be endless!"

Just as the [Armorer] began a killing spree, the screen abruptly shifted to a crying, wailing soldier on the ground. His legs were blown off by a bomb, his left eye pierced by shrapnel. The cold trench was piled with the frozen corpses of comrades. He cried out for help, met instead by an approaching enemy squad.

Whoosh——

Nanowires instantly raised a net, wiping out the entire squad at once. Before the fallen Red Arrow soldier could react with astonishment, a large hand clad in white, thick armor pressed onto his shoulder.

The soldier looked up to see a nanoinfusion tube piercing his vein, continuously injecting life force into his body. His wounds healed, and tiny drones lifted him, flying towards a safe zone. He raised his head in gratitude but saw only the cloaked back of someone rushing back into battle—the cloak fluttered in the wind, like outspread wings.

"If there are no deities in the world, then I will be the angel to save you—as a [Healer], wearing indestructible armor and charging the front lines, using your abundant life force to save sons and daughters of families. You forsake firearms, but your nanowires for healing others are also your protectors’ blade to take a butcher’s life."

The scene changed again, flashing through the tech-filled Red Arrow Streets, the city center, the empire’s prosperity, and the busy figures of its people. Amidst the rising skyscrapers, more young people collapsed from exhaustion on the job, suggesting not only a celebration of peaceful times but also a hint of shadows.

"If you crave smoke and the essence of Martial Way, Sky Ring Country—this is where your dreams are closest."

Shadows were torn apart by a long katana as cherry blossoms gently fell, drifting onto the water, blending with the bodies and armored wreckage floating from upstream into the abyss of no return.

Warriors in suits sat atop piles of corpses and blood, drinking sake, using shivering civilians on their knees as lambs to display the sharpness of their katanas.

Shh——

Blood splattered, staining the wall with a magnificent Ukiyo-e scene.

"Sky Ring Country retains the most exquisite martial arts techniques. This nation has pushed cold weapons and human strength to new heights. The assassins known as [Samurai] enjoy great privileges, yet they remain insatiable. Though they claim to fight for their country, their swords never hesitate to cut down mortals."