Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 480 - 117. Killing

Chapter 480: 117. Killing

Charge, collision, the raging Giant Spirit embraced Draphys, its body swelled instantly, causing an explosion.

Boom boom boom boom boom!

Even though the size of this forest was beyond imagination, the commotion on Li Aozi’s side grew more intense. The aggressive elemental fluctuations immediately attracted the academy’s attention.

Li Aozi raised the information rune, which urgently broadcast a notification:

[Due to unknown reasons, elemental fluctuations have appeared in the forest wetland area of the Natural Ecology Academy. All personnel conducting magic experiments in the workshop are to immediately cease operations and take shelter in underground buildings or other safety facilities until the fluctuations stop. Each unit may resume operations only after the fluctuations have ceased...]

"It seems like an investigation team will arrive soon."

Zaniya immediately asked:

"What now? Should we leave some of them alive for interrogation?"

"No, I don’t want to expose you and the existence of the Architecture Talent."

The Divine Artifact was secondary; everyone knew a Divine Artifact recognized its owner, and those who sought it in vain would only turn envious at most.

But the biggest issue was the Architecture Technique—this was technology possessed only by Narrative-Level Civilizations.

In the Layer Abyss, only Narrative No. 13 "Empire of Heralds" and Narrative No. 12 "Obliteration Sanctum" mastered the ultimate pathway of the Architect. Once it was exposed, Li Aozi would likely be branded as a Narrative-Level spy.

In a certain sense, the Architect was trained as a strategic personnel, typically in charge of engineering and colonial environment transformation. In times of war, they could directly generate fortifications, works, weather, and even cosmic phenomena on the spot.

If not for its admittedly low threshold, an ordinary Architect would be strong enough to handle the intensity of a first-tier occupation.

Li Aozi shook his head:

"Kill them."

"Gladly!"

[Divine Artifact approval increased]

Boom!

The liquid element crashed head-on, erupting into ferocious cold. Draphys crossed her arms against the frontal blast. Her body was already severely damaged, most parts affected by the elemental fluctuations, melting into a liquid state.

Even so, she still stood firm. Under the Giant Spirits’ assault, she grew even more formidable, lifting the liquid metal blade and wielding it like a whip, severing all the Giant Spirits surrounding her at the waist in an instant.

"That’s all you got?"

Draphys retaliated fiercely, her body incredibly solid and tough, far more resilient than an ordinary Delta Rank.

If it were a Delta Rank Liue under such heavy bombardment, they would have perished long ago.

But Society Citizens were different. They were tenacious and fearless. One-on-one, almost no one could defeat a Citizen of the same rank.

Their only problem was overly singular abilities, easily predictable.

Apart from the inherent infiltration simulation ability of Citizens, they had leg blades, white death light, liquified bodies, and steam pressurization.

That was all they had.

She turned and swept her leg horizontally, her legs like scissors, directly slicing a Tree Person into fragments. Standing solidly in a low stance, she surveyed the area—no Giant Spirits were left standing.

The explosion from the cold had affected her body’s flexibility, which had not yet recovered.

Nonetheless, the battle ended with Draphys’s victory.

"Next up is you, Carbon Kid!"

—Huh?

She glanced ahead but did not find Li Aozi’s figure.

[Warning! High-altitude fall—]

Whoosh!

Li Aozi descended from the sky, stepping on a Burning Colossus. Flames spread across the ground, rapidly heating and brittle fracturing the metal body of his opponent, which had been affected by the cold.

Thermal expansion and contraction, destabilizing. The simplest and crudest method.

This strike soared into her head, the fierce sword light mixed with crimson lightning easily breaking the fatigue-weakened metallic head. Li Aozi reversed his grip and slashed down, splitting the mechanical body in two with fierce force.

[You have killed ’Mechanical World Jury · [Mechanical Soul]’—Draphys (Reforged once)]

[Jury members are the backbone of society, high-value targets]

[Promotion to ’Silver Hunter’ progress: Citizens (0/15) Jury (1/3), Senators (0/1)]

[Since you defeated a new Society Citizen, you unlocked a new Social Hunt List.]

[Mechanical World Society · Mash Gagon (small-medium-sized Predator Society)—Level: 300]

[For the Endless Starry Abyss, slaughter them to the end.]

[Extra-level kill reward, high-value target reward, total output share 100%...]

[You gained experience: 58.95 million points]

"See, the experience came rolling in!"

Li Aozi breathed a sigh of relief.

After so long, a large amount of experience finally flowed in.

He pulled out his blade. An implant-equipped body left no traces. As long as no Mysterious Arts practitioners had the leisure to summon spirits, it was unlikely anything would be discovered.

As for the Mysterious Arts—where did a magical civilization find such supernatural idealistic heretics?

Ideologists were unwelcome in any tech-based civilization. Forget pathways; they would likely not even be given a chance to awaken.

Leaving the corpse remnants behind, Li Aozi had no intention of exposing his identity. Exposure of Society Citizen infiltration would surely cause panic. If the academy enhanced its management, his implanted head would definitely be exposed. Even the top education bureau couldn’t protect him then.

After all, the interstellar civilization’s consensus on implants was ’dangerous biochemical vanguards.’

No one knew how many dangerous weapons were within an implant body: biological germs, deadly gases, super-strong radiation sources—anything was possible.

"Next, let’s see if there’s anything valuable."

Sweeping the battlefield, Li Aozi indeed found a valuable item.

Although it couldn’t be appraised with the Eye of Truth, Li Aozi remembered its attributes.

——————————

[Item Name]: Holy Son Core

[Category]: Material/Power Source

[Quality]: Social Institution

[Introduction]: "A jet-black hexadecagon, faint red light emanates from the cracks, containing some unknown power."

[Mechanical World Society] Mash Gagon evolved from a mechanical race civilization, a fearsome entity well-known among many Predator societies. It wasn’t the strongest, but certainly one of the most renowned.

Its most famous achievement was naturally participation in the Conquest of the Dominant World, with rumors that it was one of the few societies to survive direct combat with the God of the Present World, showcasing incredible power.

The speaker of Mash Gagon, the Mechanical Holy Father, Alpinoth Meganiclos, was a formidable being, reforged six times (equivalent to Rank 320, Mystery Science Dragon Rank).

In response to the escalating battles, the Holy Father created a unique set of institutions—the Holy Son Cores. These were not only power sources but also pollutants to create new companions. Each core had a corresponding code and sequence number, controlled by dedicated Mechanical Pastors.

The pastors would install the Holy Son Core in machines, adding a true citizen of the Mechanical World after a complex ritual.

Without the accompanying ritual, the Holy Son Core was merely a semi-permanent battery needing periodic recharging.

——————————

"A fantastic item."

Generally, Society wouldn’t drop equipment, but Outer Society and Mechanical World Society were exceptions.

Demons and machines were undoubtedly crucial to spellcasters and tech-based civilizations alike.

Each Citizen was a walking collection of rare materials, providing players a rare chance to loot a significant amount of equipment.

The Holy Son Core had a special use—equipping it on firearms, tanks, ships, aircraft, or mechas could grant the weapon self-awareness, also known as ’machine spirits’ or ’mechanical souls.’

The effect was quite impressive.

Even if not used personally, the Holy Son Core contained immense energy, capable of powering any machinery.

At the very least, knowledgeable people could transform it into an antimatter bomb, capable of leveling a city without issue.

Although Li Aozi didn’t need it, Mechanics covet this item. He could consign it at the Heroic Spirit Bar.

Or... use it to build a relationship with a renowned Fine Artistry expert in exchange for Architect inheritance.

Of course, a single core wouldn’t suffice. This item wasn’t a Spirit Maggot after all. With the Mechanical World Society in the current Starry Abyss layer, he would need at least fifteen cores.

Li Aozi weighed the black core, his eyes filled with amusement.

"I wonder how many Mechanical World Citizens are in this academy..."

Li Aozi’s opportunity to make a fortune was imminent.

"The more of you, the better, heh heh..."