Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 337: Above the Ground

Chapter 337: Above the Ground

"The People of Sky Ring might catch up in just half an hour," Li Aozi calculated the distance with a somber tone. "We’re short on time, Little Ze, stop fussing over the details, the Descenders aren’t afraid to die, so a lesser treatment is okay."

"Even so, it should take at least an hour," Du Zexin calculated and explained, "Hurry back, the environment here is too harsh, the main body can’t be kept cold for too long, must quickly switch the consciousness from the Implant Gear back to the main body, otherwise it’ll be too late."

"I’ll be there in a flash."

Li Aozi’s wings burst into action, increasing his speed to the limit as he tore through the red-black sky of Ersha with a dreamlike rainbow streaking behind.

Racing at ten times the speed of sound, Li Aozi, to save time, crashed directly into the ground when he was close enough, creating a violent cloud of debris. The Implant Gear was on the verge of death, tumbling several times on the spot. Li Aozi activated the "Blood of Eternity," got up, and with every three steps taking one leap, he jumped into the gathering zone.

"Fuck!" Du Zexin was using a robot to operate a welding gun when Li Aozi suddenly appeared, startling him, "How the hell did you get back?"

"Rode a missile."

Li Aozi didn’t waste time on chatter or explanations, immediately located the cold storage cabinet, took out his original body that had been sealed inside, and set it on the ground. He raised his hand, and from the palm, a tentacle slit open and stabbed into the neck of the original body.

[Transmitting consciousness...]

"Ugh... Ew, truly disgusting..."

Li Aozi’s consciousness gradually shifted. The body of the Pioneer kneeled on both knees in an instant, its six compound eyes consecutively dimming, and its skin lost its luster and elasticity.

Transmitting consciousness took a long time, even with the "Flesh Affinity" Specialty, Li Aozi reduced the upload time by 30%, but even so, the whole process was still lengthy. He felt his Sovereign consciousness slowly being extracted from the Implant Gear, then replicated and linked to his original body, sensing his flesh and consciousness gradually merge, integrate, and stabilize.

During this lengthy process, Li Aozi could only view the dense array of system information:

[Arcane Energy compatibility low, your second Implant Gear ’Truly’ experiencing genetic anomalies]

[Your second Implant Gear ’Truly’ chromosomes have shattered, reducing its lifespan by 20 years]

[Your second Implant Gear ’Truly’ telomeres have been damaged, reducing its lifespan by 35 years]

[Warning: Your second Implant Gear ’Truly’ has gene overload symptoms, Arcane Energy use prohibited]

[Your second Implant Gear ’Truly’ immune system has collapsed, organs melting...]

[Your second Implant Gear ’Truly’ has been damaged]

— Poor second Implant Gear ’Truly’, it survived the Sky Fantasia Army, survived the White Knight, but couldn’t withstand Li Aozi’s gene overload.

This Implant Gear was a total wreck, its genes shattered as if it had been run over by a car, like a crushed instant noodle cake. Even if one wanted to repair it, it was now useless. Better to just get a new one.

Li Aozi had no regrets about the destruction of the Implant Gear; it was better for it to fail now than during a fight later on, at least this way, it wasn’t a threat to his life.

Li Aozi’s original eyes opened, he immediately unplugged the Neural Tentacles from his neck, and his first reaction was to ask Du Zexin:

"Have the People of Sky Ring arrived?"

Before Du Zexin could reply, the sound of missiles whistling through the sky was already audible.

Boom!

The missile fell into the player-built fortifications, instantly blasting a dozen players to the brink of death. Fortunately, there were three thousand players gathered here, well-staffed and able to spontaneously lend a hand to rescue those in need.

"I know."

Without saying anything, Du Zexin turned back to his work, engrossed.

Li Aozi glanced at the time; 27 minutes had passed, and the actions of the People of Sky Ring were faster than he had expected.

"Aozi!"

Alicxia had just retreated from the front lines, her face covered in soot and blood. Upon seeing Li Aozi standing up, she immediately ran over to him and gave him a solid bear hug.

"It’s great that you’re unharmed. You seem even more handsome than before," she said.

She made a gesture, her dark gold eyes sparkling as she smiled happily:

"You suddenly said you were going to space, and it gave me quite a shock. But as long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters."

"I am fine, Elise," Li Aozi patted Alicxia on the shoulder. "The fight must have been tough, please go rest and get treated."

"If you’re heading to space, you need rest even more than I do," Alicxia said as a shell landed in the crowd, knocking players to the ground. Her expression turned serious, and she immediately charged in.

"Ouch, why do I keep getting blown up twice in a row..."

Caramel Snail was on the verge of tears. He had only accepted a small task to transport shells using a cart and ended up being bombed twice by the People of Sky Ring.

When heading to space later, he should no longer take such risks; he was down to his last life for the day, and now, he was out of the game again.

"Hey, Sani Iron Tower, Swordsmen, Medico, Doctor—help me out here!"

In desperation, he waved around, his dwindling Status decreasing by the second, but the healer players nearby were far too busy. A recent bombardment had struck many guild leaders and upper echelons, leaving nobody to care for a lone wolf player like him.

Just as Caramel Snail was losing hope, a figure dashed through the smokescreen. The stunning lady with dark gold eyes immediately came to his side and without hesitation administered a heart stimulant injection.

The injection pulled Caramel Snail back from the brink of death, and he looked at her gratefully, "Thank you, you’re truly an Angel."

"Angel?" Alicxia let out a chuckle and shook her head. "If there are any Angels, you’ll have to look for them in the heavens after your Ascend for me."

Caramel Snail was deeply touched. After playing for so many days, it was his first encounter with such a kind and gentle female character. He eagerly pleaded:

"Please tell me your name. I want to post about you on the forums, let everyone know that there are still such Angel-like characters in the game. You’re a hundred times, no, a thousand times better than Li Aozi, the bad guy who only knows how to PUA us!"

"Huh?" Alicxia looked puzzled.

Caramel Snail wanted to say more, but then Li Aozi kicked him:

"Get up, Niuniu."

"Ah, Li Aozi. You’re finally back."

Without hesitation, Caramel Snail immediately switched sides and pulled out a necklace:

"I went through great effort to buy (rob) this necklace for you. I hope you like it (and give me a good discount)."

"Is that so," Li Aozi flicked his hair and chuckled, "Didn’t you say you were going up to space with me? Why not stay put in the Biological Pool? Is it not better than the battlefield filled with gunpowder smoke?"

"No, no," Caramel Snail hastily denied, "I’m crawling back right now. I’m the best at crawling."

After running a few steps, he suddenly came back, lifting up a bullet necklace:

"I assembled this myself. It’s not precious, but I think it looks quite nice, so I’m giving it to you. (Can the rent for the Arcane Energy be cheaper?)"

Poor Niuniu, still being PUA’ed by Li Aozi, played like a puppet in his hands.