Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 498 - 135. Quack!

Chapter 498: 135. Quack!

The news was broadcasting the Frost Plating Federation’s new economic policy. Scholars and experts from the Empire showed confusion over David Lyn’s strict controls, believing David Lyn was defending against a ’nonexistent crisis.’ A massive amount of technological investment went into production, causing countless people to lose their jobs daily. However, those unemployed were almost immediately recruited by the army and sent to the construction of the underground city.

This forced work-for-aid approach was unimaginable to the Empire. They couldn’t comprehend David Lyn’s purpose, but Li Aozi understood the reason very well.

"Ersha is declining."

Ersha wasn’t merely a layer of gas; it continuously enveloped Azure Star, preventing it from expelling energy. The waste heat produced by the nuclear fusion reactors would ultimately accumulate inside the planet, catalyzing Lord Entropy’s growth.

This explained why, despite the abundant geothermal resources, the upper class still chose to live aboveground. They were aware of Lord Entropy’s presence and dared not get too close.

But David Lyn couldn’t manage that much. He was a pragmatic man. Developing the underground city would bring people closer to Lord Entropy, but it could save the majority for at least ten more years. Perhaps, within those ten years, humanity could conquer Ersha and find hope.

It was indeed the case. Before the Starry Abyss explosion operation started in the previous life, the easiest to evacuate were the underground city residents. The spaceship initiated the drag engines, extracting the people and facilities together, taking away millions at once. The scattered Outer World people were less fortunate. Many of them died without even knowing of Lord Entropy’s existence.

David Lyn’s approach was correct. It could preserve the fire of hope and give Li Aozi even more room for mistakes.

"Speaking of which, my ’Frost Plated Bone White’ task is still incomplete. I can try to push it forward now."

That inner persona—let’s call it that—appeared timely this time, enabling him to grasp Azure Star’s dynamics promptly and providing more breakthroughs.

Though he didn’t know how that guy came about or what connection it had with the previous Chief God of the Sovereign system—Morphederia, Li Aozi at least had a direction to investigate.

Unveil the Starry Abyss, and the secrets of ’Starry Abyss.’

After making a plan, Li Aozi placed a hand on his chest and silently promised,

"Isaac Maxim, a national hero, a good son to his family, now that your body is conscripted by me, I will fulfill your wishes. From now on, your family is my family."

’Li Aozi’ had no unfulfilled wishes and wasn’t on good terms with his family. Li Aozi didn’t care much, and even forcibly merging with Leo’s body didn’t bother him.

But now, as a player, enlisting an upright person’s body, Li Aozi, who now saw himself as part of Starry Abyss, had to do his utmost.

Only this way, he could live up to the people and events he had encountered along the way and justify his conscience.

"Let’s do this. First, ask the family."

Li Aozi dialed the home phone number. Though it was still a working day, the call was quickly answered.

"Hello, this is the Maxim family,"

A middle-aged woman chattered away,

"If you’re looking for Franz, he’s still plowing the field with the tractor. If you’re searching for Lena, this is Lena..."

Li Aozi switched to Pretender mode, and Isaac’s genuine, emotional persona gently called out,

"Mom, it’s me. I’ve retired."

Hearing the voice, the woman was stunned, then delighted beyond measure,

"This voice—Isaac! My dear, why does your voice sound so hoarse? My goodness, you used to be a member of our village choir. How are you? Did you manage to get a ticket? I heard you went to help with earthquake relief earlier. You’ve had us worried sick. Why didn’t you call home at that time? This child, you never let us rest easy. I said we should have had a daughter who would’ve had grandchildren by now..."

Her nagging brought tears to ’Isaac’s’ eyes. He smiled through his moist eyes and said,

"I’m fine, very good in fact. I’m on my way home now. You sound well. How’s everyone else?"

"I’ve notified your father and brother. They’re both thrilled." The mother’s tone then dropped, "Unfortunately, you didn’t get to see Susanna..."

"What happened to my little sister?"

"The family’s hereditary disease. She didn’t make it through and passed away this summer."

After saying that, Lena smiled again,

"Alright, let’s not dwell on this. When you get back, I’ll take you to see Susanna. We must move on from the grief of the departed, that’s not what our loved ones would want."

"I understand, Mom." ’Isaac’ nodded, "I’ll be home tomorrow night. The high-speed train is fast, and we’re still using the old underwater tunnel. I’ll show you the starfish fossils I captured. I’ve brought you all souvenirs and some health supplements."

"What souvenirs? How many times did I tell you not to waste money?" Lena complained, "Your father and I are fine. Why the supplements?"

"Mom, I have money now. Three years of conscript pay, plus the disaster relief bonuses. I have enough for Asimov’s college tuition and to renovate the farm. Once I graduate and find a job, we’ll all move to the Imperial Capital to live!"

"You little rascal, talking big about moving to the Imperial Capital. I’ll consider you capable when you bring home a kind-hearted girl."

The mother and son chatted for a long time, with the distant rumble of tractors and cat meows in the background. Moments later, ’Isaac’ opened a video call. Seeing the family of three gathered together, his eyes immediately welled up. He waved at his loved ones, grinning foolishly, as if both welcoming and bidding farewell.

After hanging up, Li Aozi began studying college materials through the notes saved in the forum. Luckily, despite the different Intelligence attributes of the two bodies, they shared the same IQ. Li Aozi wasn’t restricted by these thresholds. Though not easy, he managed to break through.

"Feasible!"

Though Li Aozi never intended to delve into the Fine Artistry system, learning technology was always beneficial.

"My guess was right. The main body and the sub-account can’t share attributes, but wisdom, knowledge, and experiences can be utilized mutually. Though this body can’t practically learn Extraordinary Knowledge, it can grasp the essence of knowledge."

In a sense, this was because Li Aozi was both an NPC and a player.

"Players without Cognition Filters must experience this feeling too?"

Li Aozi calculated a bit.

Due to differences in planetary gravity and magic rules, time on Baizhu Star passed much slower than on Azure Star. The fifteen-day leave was nearly equivalent to four months and twelve days on Azure Star.

If he utilized this time well, it was more than enough to catch up on the learning progress.

"What a delicate bug exploit."

Li Aozi touched his chin.

In fact, he could frequently use this method to not only catch up on progress but also to study here directly.

This was more than a cheat; it was even more advantageous.

"Seems like time is on my side."