Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 439 - 78. Li Aozi calls it efficient

Chapter 439: 78. Li Aozi calls it efficient

Nikita glanced at the information on the terminal. The contact had already delivered the message to him.

"Kalmetz has made our country poor and decayed. Father and Julian are both without jobs and honor."

Rosa sighed:

"But if Kalmetz didn’t give us money, wouldn’t we be the ones dying? Or should we think about the majority, sacrifice ourselves voluntarily to ensure the country and most people get through this hardship?"

"Shh! That’s [Society]’s thinking, and we dare not speak of it carelessly."

Nikita quickly stopped her, then asked:

"Where did you hear this kind of talk?"

"From the neighbors, the streets, people coming and going—everyone is saying this."

"Oh, as long as it wasn’t said by [Society]’s citizens, it’s fine."

Nikita said half-sarcastically:

"[Society]’s citizens have no self-awareness; they’re just a bunch of cells. Without [Society], they’re nothing, so they rely on it and continually encourage contributions to the collective."

"But aren’t we the same?" Rosa laughed. "Don’t mock them, Father. Didn’t you just agree with that view?"

As the father and daughter argued, Li Aozi silently stood outside the door, leaning against the wall, quietly listening to their conversation.

"It’s different... Sending some people to die for the country’s stability, if I were Kalmetz, I would do the same. In times of dire crisis, the elderly are useless and should let us die."

Nikita paused, then explained:

"Civilization and [Society] are different. [Society] is a monster, a beast. Civilization is just an abstract concept. We can emigrate, undergo genetic surgery, or convert to a belief. [Society] lacks such capabilities. It is different."

"Maybe so—but it seems to me that ’Narrative’ and [Society] aren’t so different either."

Rosa softly said:

"Civilization gnaws at the bones; Society drinks the blood from them. They’re all a bunch of villains..."

"Don’t say that to others. Without a Narrative-Level Civilization, the universe would have ended long ago."

"Father, would you choose the Narrative or Society?"

"I choose family, which means choosing myself."

"You just said you hate Kalmetz, didn’t you? Isn’t he concerned with people like you who have a petty bourgeois mindset..."

"Rosa, it’s a different matter."

Nikita sighed, noticed that the firewood was insufficient, glanced at the time—it was about the right moment—then stood up with an excuse:

"It’ll be very cold in the latter half of the night. I’ll gather some firewood and check for warm clothes. Finish your porridge, warm up by the fire, and sleep with my coat on."

"Be careful."

Nikita left worriedly, but after only a few steps, a thought echoed in his mind:

[Did your daughter lecture you?]

He turned his head and saw the headless Li Aozi leaning against his doorway.

"You! You followed me?" Nikita’s blood pressure soared instantly. He staggered and pinned Li Aozi against the wall: "You’re monitoring me! Monitoring my family!"

"Calm down, old brother Nikita." Li Aozi waved his hand. "I’m not interested in your family; I’m just curious why you didn’t use the ammonium gold I gave you to buy some nutritious food."

"Are you an idiot? In her condition, can she guard any good food?"

"Fair enough."

Li Aozi rubbed his nonexistent chin:

"Did your son-in-law disappear?"

"None of your business." When it came to family, Nikita was downright blunt with Li Aozi.

"Give me his name and description. I can help you find him."

"You?" Nikita looked at Li Aozi with surprise. "What’s in it for you?"

"Don’t get me wrong; this is not a free service." Li Aozi said. "Your daughter is showing symptoms of Starry Abyss’s curse, which means her bloodline is closest to that ancestor. Undoubtedly, her child will be an exceptionally fine warrior."

"You bastard want my grandson!!!"

"Relax. I treat my subordinates well. Even pigs in the farm aren’t as comfy."

Li Aozi shrugged:

"At the very least, I am a citizen of a Narrative-Level Civilization. The education and living environment of a Narrative-Level Civilization should be better than this place, right?"

He pointed to the shabby, dilapidated building.

Nikita was speechless.

Li Aozi raised his hand, and the back of his hand glowed with yellow patterns, revealing ceramic-like skin. He showed his Elyei Spirit Race identity, further shaking Nikita’s resolve.

"Your grandson is useful to me. Rest assured, I won’t brainwash him, and holidays and pay are guaranteed. You can see him whenever you want."

Seeing that Nikita was tempted, Li Aozi said frankly:

"At the very least, Redd Gold’s priest should be nearby. Why don’t we go to the Chief God for a contract verification? After all, they’re the deity overseeing contract and capital, more reliable than the law."

[Charm check passed, Nikita believed your words.]

"No, I don’t want to deal with Velazquez’s people anymore."

Nikita shook his head and said to Li Aozi:

"My son-in-law’s name is Julian, a tall, clever blonde, blue-eyed half-elf."

"Any other information?" Li Aozi asked knowingly.

"Julian has a cousin named Jacob in Velazquez’s industrial area. I went a few times but couldn’t find him. If you notice him someday, ask if he’s had contact recently."

After saying that, Nikita pulled out his terminal and transferred the data to Li Aozi face-to-face:

"This is the genealogy of the Kalmetz Shield family. He has three offspring, contrary to the ’two sons and one daughter’ rumor. His children often face assassination attempts, so they often go out with the assistant’s son to confuse people. The truth is: two daughters and a son."

"Let me be clear, this won’t be easy."

"The eldest daughter, Flova Dunhill, is six years old, a delicate young lady who cries at the slightest disturbance. You’ll need to soothe her and probably take her robot nanny with her."

"Second daughter Merlie Dunwei is congenitally disabled. Despite being just five, half her body is cybernetic. You’ll need a life support system and a hacker to remove the tracking software in her body."

"Little son Frey Shield Badge is even more troublesome. At just three months, Kalmetz sees him as his heir, with extremely tight security. Moreover, he’s a born psychicer. If you approach with malice, he’ll directly read your mind. If this child screams with spiritual energy, the entire Merlot Building will hear it. So you’ll need a competent [Spirit Medium] to cover you."

Determined to entrust his future grandson, Nikita decided to thoroughly test the man’s qualifications.

Actually, even without this, they could have a chance to kidnap the children and escape through a direct attack.

However, if aiming for perfection with no exposure, it would be troublesome.

Such complicated demands would surely take some time to fulfill.

The robot nanny tested his physical skills.

The hacker tested Leoz’s financial capacity.

The Spirit Medium tested human qualities, and without qualification, there would be no cooperation.

Moreover, the longer it dragged on, the more time Li Aozi would spend finding Julian, increasing the chances of finding him.

Nikita crossed his arms and said calmly:

"Once you’ve gathered all this, we can act—"

Before he finished speaking, Li Aozi raised his hand and made a cut in the void.

Plop.

A spherical nanny robot fell to the ground, rolled a few times, and lay still. It bore the Shield Emblem family crest.

A hacker with bloodshot eyes was diligently writing scripts, and judging from the drool escaping his mouth, this job had been very profitable.

A gracefully charming Spirit Medium walked out from a spacetime fracture and gave Li Aozi a coquettish glance.

"I’ll look into your son-in-law’s matter later."

Li Aozi said:

"First, let’s head to Merlot Building and kidnap those three little ghosts."