Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 660 - 273. Night Talk

Chapter 660: 273. Night Talk

"Yes," Li Aozi said matter-of-factly, "To easily infiltrate, I specifically merged with the Spirit Medium’s genes."

"Spirit Medium? Who is that? Where is this Spirit Medium from?"

Caramel Snail was taken aback, then suddenly thought of something, his pupils shrinking:

"Ah—ah? Ah!"

The more he looked at Li Aozi’s face, the more familiar it seemed, and he finally realized.

"Isn’t this—"

"You guessed it," Li Aozi said with a smile, "It’s the genes of Yavin Heskixin, but only a bit, just a few strands of hair."

"In a way, this body could be considered a child of Yavin Heskixin and me."

Regarding these matters, Li Aozi didn’t shy away and told it all as it was.

"...I knew it," Caramel Snail tugged at the corner of his mouth, "I was wondering why you looked at me with a bit of disdain..."

"That means you don’t get along well with Yavin," Li Aozi slipped his fingers through his hair, lifting it behind his ears to reveal a delicately beautiful profile, "But I get along quite well with you, Niu."

"To be fair, that’s true," Caramel Snail complained, "But don’t you find it weird, using the genes of someone you know to create a body? Especially from Miss Yawen, who has been chasing after you and harbors feelings of admiration."

"Hmm?" Li Aozi was startled, "—you can tell?"

"Nonsense!" Caramel Snail patted his chest proudly, "I’m the invincible Ah Niu, I can see through a woman’s mind in an instant."

"You can deceive others, but don’t deceive yourself."

Li Aozi gave him a look and said:

"This is also a kind of insurance. Yavin has disappeared somewhere, and I don’t have particularly good DNA preservation technology at hand. Keeping an Implant Gear, in case one day she’s gone, I could still provide her with a container."

"You say that as though it’s a given that any woman you encounter will die."

"It’s actually just based on pragmatism."

Li Aozi picked up the enamel cup, poured some hot water, blew on it and slowly drank, saying:

"I rarely confide in people, but you are an exception."

"Heh, that’s quite an honor!" Caramel Snail chuckled nervously.

"Oh, that’s because you’re foolish," Li Aozi casually said.

"You—" Caramel Snail was speechless.

"Because you’re foolish, I can’t bear to lie to you. I’ll tell you the truth, and you’ll understand me."

Li Aozi drank his water, looking at him:

"Niu, to be honest, this operation is not very clean. Many processes, maybe—no, surely, will make you uncomfortable, but you’re the only one I can trust. So only you can stay, you have to be the one to accompany me."

"Uh..."

Caramel Snail’s face showed confusion:

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means, you just need to trust me, and nothing else—don’t think about anything else."

Li Aozi looked at him:

"You don’t have to think about anything, just protect me, focus on me, watch me, accompany me all the way,"

"No matter what I do, just remain silent. Even if there’s an abyss ahead, just accompany me forward, trust me—if you can do that, I will explain it all."

Caramel Snail furrowed his brows:

"You mean... you’re going to kill innocent people?"

For some reason, thinking about that made Caramel Snail feel awkward.

Li Aozi’s answer was just one word:

"Yes."

For a long time, Li Aozi had always been seen as a noble figure in the Player’s minds, even if Li Aozi did something wrong, everyone would subconsciously justify and explain his righteousness.

"For the sake of the objective, I will let a tragedy happen."

However, now, Li Aozi took the initiative to shatter that filter, candidly confessing to Caramel Snail.

"Caramel Snail, you will feel disgusted, find it unimaginable, consider it sinful, or even feel pain—all of these are normal. I am letting you see this because I need you to witness for me."

Li Aozi said:

"I want you to trust me. And I will prove that no matter what, it is right for you to steadfastly follow me."

"I always have, you are so powerful, and always seem to lead us ahead like a prophet and a savior... But, why are you telling me all this?"

Caramel Snail was utterly confused and didn’t understand a thing.

"Caramel Snail."

Li Aozi looked at him calmly:

"Because in certain circumstances, there is only one possibility, and that is annihilation."

"Strength, wealth, knowledge—these things can only change your own fate. If you want to change the fate of a group of people, they are useless."

"What we are about to face is such a hopeless situation."

"For such matters, I cannot solve them myself; I hope you understand this, and you just need to trust me and see how I handle it."

Caramel Snail still didn’t understand.

What Li Aozi said seemed to be avoiding certain topics; he appeared to be frank about some things, yet he never revealed the whole truth.

"Can you be more specific?" Caramel Snail tried to ask.

As soon as he spoke, he knew he had misspoken.

Asking for intelligence always required a judgment, and with his "Charm," it was impossible to succeed in that judgment.

["Li Aozi" has chosen to trust you and decided to tell you part of the truth.]

"If I tell you that your and your fellow beings’ happiness will inevitably be built on the pain of some innocent people."

Li Aozi said:

"Would you still choose to destroy those who are powerless? To create your own peace using their flesh and blood?"

"Of course."

Caramel Snail said as if it were obvious:

"Isn’t that what this universe is all about?"

"Yes, of course."

Li Aozi’s response was devoid of joy or sorrow.

He threw a few pieces of firewood into the fire and casually said:

"Sleep, silly child. I hope you can always remain so innocent."

Caramel Snail seemed to comprehend something, but he still didn’t understand; he had no choice but to dive into his sleeping bag, zip it up, and enter sleep mode.

Before sleeping, he made a point to add:

"Li Aozi, you surely wouldn’t deceive me, right?"

"I never lie."

[Lie detection in progress...]

[Charm judgment passed—For 7 days, Caramel Snail will not be able to doubt you.]

Li Aozi stared at the campfire, his gaze unable to settle for a long time.

If it weren’t truly for the need of money, he really wouldn’t want to undertake this task.

If "Valenkov’s Winter" is about enduring a slow, cold winter to see the first light of spring,

then, the "Soul Casino" task is a torture in the Layer Abyss that one would absolutely not want to endure again.

"In this world, souls are treated as chips, casually put on the market for sale at a low price, changing hands amid playful noises, and even if one ends up with mountains of gold and silver, one cannot find back the clean innocence of the beginning."

Li Aozi closed his eyes, reviewed the task process and strategy details one last time, then, in the midst of prolonged thoughts, slowly drifted into sleep.