Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 245 - 066. Frost Plated Shame

Chapter 245: 066. Frost Plated Shame

Liu Wenzhong and his soldiers settled in the abandoned factory and reported their situation to the headquarters, at the same time informing Andrei’s mercenary security group.

Just like other countries on Fiery Summer and Terra Star, they employed the services of contract soldiers from security companies, especially for pioneering work like this, which would last for at least a decade or more. If they used their own civilians to fill the ranks of compulsory soldiers and something truly went wrong, it would be too painful; it was more cost-effective to let contract soldiers take the lead.

As contract soldiers on a hired basis, Liu Wenzhong and his team had signed a 15-year service contract with Fiery Summer. They could bring their own weapons or choose weapons provided by the Fiery Summer military, but there were no specifications for the actual service locations.

The current situation, however, was worrisome for professional contract soldier Liu Wenzhong. Although they were executing tasks in the game, considering the working hours and the actual content, he felt his people were somewhat at a disadvantage.

Taking advantage of the time his subordinates were renovating the facilities, Liu Wenzhong pulled aside some of the military’s administrative officers to discuss some realistic issues.

"Doesn’t it seem strange to you all, the Qiqiao Network, Fiery Summer, no, I should say, as well as all the major countries in the entire Federation?"

Liu Wenzhong made his point clear and looked at everyone’s expressions as he said,

"It’s just a game world, yet the officials are overly cautious, even the ones who can control the game’s data. They provided only a limited amount of equipment, and they still let the testers buy their own with money—as if they’re afraid to cause any harm to the homeland’s civilization."

"After all, it’s about electronic immigration, would you nuke your own territory?" Staff officer Chris An was indifferent: "We don’t need to worry about such matters; the big shots up top will consider them."

"No, I’m talking about a more practical problem," Liu Wenzhong tapped on the table, "Shouldn’t the labor time we spend in the game also count towards our working hours?"

"Oh?" Deputy officer Zhao Xingzhe raised an eyebrow, "You mean to drag out the time as much as possible, so the Federation has to spend more money each day, right?"

"After all, the group takes the lion’s share, and we’ve put in the work. It’s proper that we engage directly in combat on the battlefield."

This issue actually raised no controversy; everyone there just wanted to make a living. At most, they would ask the group to quibble with the Federation a bit more. The next issue to be discussed was more severe, however.

"We are still short on members," Liu Wenzhong massaged his temples and said, "Even though our combat skills and tactical levels are absolutely superior to the Frost Plated People, we can currently only act as firefighters—remember this, each of us can only die three times. After three times, we won’t be able to log into the game for today, and in game time, we would have to wait a full month. By then, the pizza in the oven would have gotten cold."

"We need more people on the front lines, and don’t forget, the characters we control also have their own lives and families." A soldier player rubbed his eyes, "According to the national orders, we’d better keep in touch with our ’families’ from time to time and maintain the relationship. That way, when the time comes, we’ll be short on fighters again."

"That’s why we need the Mercenary Corps license. We have to recruit some local lads from Grante to join us, to take care of logistics and such."

"You just said you don’t trust Li Aozi, and now you trust the Grantian residents?"

"That’s different." Liu Wenzhong knocked on the table, "Haven’t you read the intelligence? Li Aozi is one of the Frost Plated People; he only supports Grante’s independence because he’s anti-Frost Plated regime."

"What do you mean?"

"I haven’t seen the promotional videos, but think about it," Liu Wenzhong reminded, "Intelligence shows that Li Aozi was persecuted and falsely accused by the Frost Plated authorities and forced to flee the country. After he destroyed Mingji Humanity, Sky Ring promptly requested an investigation by GTB, Red Arrow decided to raise interest immediately, and Zhengxu Capital offered military aid to Grante—doesn’t that seem too coincidental?"

With that explanation, the soldiers immediately understood.

"Grante’s independence might indeed have support from other countries’ powers," the deputy officer pondered for a moment, "That’s why you want to maintain a distance from Li Aozi?"

"The game officials consider the players, but we can’t do that; our primary mission is to safeguard the security of the electronic immigrant area while maintaining friendly relations with the original inhabitants of the virtual world," Liu Wenzhong explained seriously.

"Stability is most important; the immigrants won’t engage in fighting. Li Aozi strikes me as odd; how could someone with merely vocational education know how to package his persona, promote himself, and still support a colony’s independence while being globally wanted?"

Li Aozi’s personal charm was undoubtedly immense, but Charm mainly stemmed from the initial impression an individual makes.

Liu Wenzhong had intentionally avoided watching the promotional videos from the game company to maintain an objective and independent thought process.

In fact, he was partially right in his guess, and his inference was logical—Li Aozi indeed had support and aid from other countries, which he had secured himself.

Liu Wenzhong’s calm analysis prompted some soldiers who had watched the promotional videos to reconsider the issue.

"You’re right; until we confirm Li Aozi’s background, it’s better to keep a certain distance," Chris An considered and then added, "However, we do need to level up. Our warriors don’t have their Main Professions, cyborg enhancements, Skills, Specialties—none of those. If we fight again, we’ll be at a great disadvantage. If we could gain the supernatural abilities offered by Li Aozi, it might greatly enhance our combat effectiveness."

While there were differing opinions, they reached a consensus on this point.

Liu Wenzhong said,

"The contact still needs to be made, and I’ve already sent people to track down Li Aozi... However, we haven’t yet seen the true extent of Li Aozi’s strength, and humans are just humans, with individual limits. Let’s not harbor too many illusions,"

Every organization relies on the people at the top to talk the talk, while those on the ground run their legs off.

Walang Ke, Yakos, and Mohammed Lin were sent to find Li Aozi, logically holding the locations provided by the testers where the NPC was seen, they should be able to find Li Aozi quickly, right?

——Indeed, very quickly, every time they got to the last known location of Li Aozi, that guy would zip off tens of kilometers away in the next moment. When they chased after him and looked at the mission information again, Li Aozi’s target appeared on the border line 1200 kilometers away, dumbfounding them.

The three unfortunate ones were thus sent by Liu Wenzhong on a mere word, chased out of the factory from menial labor to fish out in the open. They had to run long distances, pedal bicycles, and dare to cross minefields, accidentally encountering a security army of the Frost Plated People.

Finally, after more than ten hours of strenuous travel, the three of them, missing arms and broken legs, driving a confiscated truck, arrived at the newest location.

They jumped out of the truck and immediately saw a burning armed helicopter plummet from the sky, crashing heavily into a ravine, where a circle of Grantians with baskets and pushcarts had already gathered.

The three exchanged glances, with Walang Ke stepping forward, activating Camouflage Mode, and asked a watching farmer in a natural tone,

"Hey, buddy, what’s going on with this crowd? Aren’t you afraid of the helicopter falling from the sky?"

"Afraid of what?" the farmer asked, puzzled, "There are plenty of these Frost Plated planes falling down here; we’re just picking some up to sell back, the government pays a high price for them."

"Are there many planes falling down?"

The three strained to stand on tiptoe, looking into the ravine. The scene that followed immediately reshaped their perceptions:

A sea of silver-gray wreckage piled up like heaps of skeletons.

This was a graveyard of aircraft!

The once awe-inspiring, chilling heavyweight fighters now lay like defeated princesses, reduced to lowly captives and skeletal beauties, their forms shattered. The Frost Plated’s proud snowflake flags, now covered by the Bai Shuang of the Outer World, looked glaringly out of place.

Resembling pure white swans, the heavyweight strategic bombers were discarded like unwanted trash, five or six breaking apart indiscriminately, left in the ditches to be buried by wind and snow.

The fire from the explosions extinguished by blizzards, but the fragmented transport planes, like frozen giants of death, remained stiff in place, with the bodies of a few female agents burned to skeletons, slowly freezing in the wind and snow of the Outer World.

Frost Plated Bone White.

None of these planes had ever appeared in Grantian airspace. Without a doubt, they were shot down before entering Grantian territory. Many of the fuselages looked as if they were directly smashed with stones; their instruments were not destroyed by explosions and were well preserved and highly valuable, no wonder the nearby farmers rushed here to guard them.

Drowned in the sheer shock of what they were witnessing, the three warriors shared a common question rising in their hearts:

"How were these planes shot down?"

Soon, they got their answer.

A series of sonic booms resonated, and the next moment, another large transport plane was smashed down, lying among the mountains of Grantians, in the ravines, dying as invaders in the ugliest of ways.

"Hurrah!"

"Kill these Frost Plated devils!"

"Thank you! Bahamut!"

The Grantian farmers cheered again, the three soldier players turned to look in the direction of their salute—in the high skies, a figure clad in red and black armor hung suspended, slowly descending, as the crowd tried to move forward to welcome him. However, with a mere gesture from the giant figure in red and black armor, the people obediently stopped in their tracks to avoid crowding too much, but this did nothing to diminish the warmth and admiration in their eyes.

The armor covering his face opened, revealing a handsome face familiar to the three soldier players—although they had seen Li Aozi’s features in the trailer, seeing him up close still left them deeply shocked.

"I never imagined that a man could be so beautiful, so beautiful that it makes one overlook gender and status," Yakos remarked.

"So this is Li Aozi ah. Without the filters, he’s even more handsome," Mohammed touched his chin, "I have a good feeling about him, doesn’t seem like a bad guy at all, quite approachable."

"Let’s go and talk to him," Walang Ke suggested.