Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 694 - 308. Inferior products

Chapter 694: 308. Inferior products

Nephis stretched out her palm in confusion.

When she channelled her Qi Energy into the other party’s body, it resonated and blended with the other person’s blood. During this process, she always felt an awe-inspiring and terrifying sense of oppression.

Disdain, indifference, cruelty.

As long as one stayed with Leoz, they would feel that supreme sense of oppression.

It was like a child facing their elders, a fragile modern city resident facing a savage, primitive monster’s fear.

Completely superior, the other party could crush her with the slightest dissatisfaction.

But now, her hands were stained with Leoz’s blood, and she didn’t feel scared at all.

It was as if what stained her hands wasn’t blood but tomato juice.

... Something’s not right.

Nephis, who had always followed orders from her superiors, suddenly had the awareness to think independently.

’I was never supposed to think, never supposed to have my own soul... But what am I doing now?’

Nephis clenched her fist, and for a moment, a long-lost sense of confusion welled up in her heart.

’This isn’t right. Gabros is just a war machine; I shouldn’t be thinking. I only need to follow orders...’

However, the more she denied her thoughts, the more active her mind became.

—Is it the oppression from Leoz that awakened my survival instincts?

This thought briefly floated in Nephis’ mind, then was immediately affirmed.

—Leoz, it’s all because of Leoz... He broke my equilibrium; this situation doesn’t meet Gabros’ rules.

But once the thinking started, she couldn’t stop.

’If Leoz isn’t really dead—No, his life signal is indeed gone. His head was cut off; how can someone live through that...’

Nephis stared at her own hand.

"If he is really dead, then why do I feel no fear after directly touching his blood?"

Unless—

Nephis gradually realized something. Her thinking, which had been surgically sealed and constrained, began to slowly pry open.

The sunlight outside the window shone into her room for the first time.

Thinking, thinking, thinking.

In the Gamma Rank period, he could withstand the bashing from three Zeta-tier criminals one after another.

On Baizhu Star, he resisted three senators from the Mechanical World Society and drove them away.

Even in the weakest period, lacking Arcane Energy support, Leoz could still hold his ground against her.

And the suppressive force from the blood...

If he is playing dead, is the purpose to leave? Or—

Just when she seized this blind spot and her mind was storming through thoughts, the communicator suddenly rang again:

"Nephis, I have already joined the transfer squad heading to the Grave Star Cluster. In three hours, the pirates will retreat, and everything will be handed over to the cleanup department—by then, you will proceed to Grave Star Cluster."

"..." Nephis was silent.

"Nephis?" Nariya was unhappy. "Didn’t you hear me? Are you really malfunctioning?"

"...Don’t go."

Nephis said:

"Leoz might still be alive..."

"You’re calling a headless body with no life signal ’alive’? He’s now sealed in a freezing chamber. Don’t talk nonsense!"

Nariya said impatiently.

"I’m not talking nonsense."

Nephis’ lips moved as she tried to organize her words awkwardly:

"It’s not like that. Leoz, he’s not that fragile, he’s very strong—"

"Shut up!"

Nariya said coldly:

"Who allowed you to talk back to me? You’re just a product off the assembly line, an industrial defect, and you dare go against the capitalists? Are you thinking of rebelling?"

"...Leoz is alive."

"I didn’t allow you to speak! Close your mouth, assembly line product!"

Nariya said impatiently:

"Listen, you’ve already caused me enough trouble. Now obediently carry out your task."

"But Leoz—"

"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Nariya sneered: "A product like you, the company can produce countless. Now you think you’re capable? How about I give you my position, and you become the manager, and I’ll be the product?"

Nephis didn’t reply.

Her gaze shifted as if she was immersed in thought.

"Can’t even respond? Heh, you are truly malfunctioning. After this task, go to the Light Gold Priest, stop the nonsense, and obediently be the company’s product."

Nariya muttered:

"Such a poor-quality product... should we just destroy it already."

Klang.

Nephis suddenly clenched her fist.

"Destroy it already, destroy it, find a replacement..."

At that moment, only the word ’destroy’ seemed to echo in her ears.

Leoz’s blood trickled down her fingers, spreading to her armpit and chest.

Thump, thump, thump...

With the pounding of her heart, Nephis felt Leoz’s blood more clearly, so cold.

—That wasn’t blood.

The window was slowly pushed open, and bright sunlight poured in.

—That definitely wasn’t the supreme, all-crushing bloodline of Leoz.

’I am not wrong, I am the correct one.’

Nephis parted her lips, and her violet, jagged pupils began to glow.

’I don’t want to be destroyed... I don’t want to die.’

At this moment, she could have stubbornly explained the reasons and conditions, making Nariya pay attention or change her decision.

But for some reason, the blood of Leoz flowing in her chest interfered with her thoughts like tendrils.

"Destroy, destroy, destroy—"

Voices, Nariya’s muttering, kept resonating in her ears.

She closed her eyes.

Then, the world quieted down, and she could only hear her inner call.

’I don’t want to die.’

Fuh—

Nephis opened her eyes, and the jagged pupils gleamed with light.

Finally, she lowered her head:

"...Yes."

"Now that’s more like it."

Nariya flicked her hair, hung up the communicator, and looked out through the porthole at the dark metal planet that was getting closer, smiling slightly:

"Grave Star Cluster, here is my domain."

Although the Higgs Field didn’t come with her, there were many Zeta-tier criminals here, and with a little money, she could recruit a large number of them.

They even thought they struck it rich—ridiculous. If one could get rich through labor, the richest person must be a miner.

Maybe a child laborer too.

The Grave Star Cluster wasn’t a planet in the literal sense. It was essentially a giant construct built and linked by mechanical motherships. In the cosmos, such planet-sized structures were not uncommon, known as ’Sky Vault Constructs.’ They didn’t have a natural environment; the residents lived like nomads, relying entirely on raiding, importing, and manufacturing.

Living on such a construct drew mostly desperadoes, with few serious individuals, often wealthy oligarchs.

The spaceship entered the dilapidated Star Harbor, and when Nariya disembarked, she immediately smelled a revolting odor—a mix of various species’ excrements, rotting garbage piles, and ambiguous biological sex secretions.

In short, it was the smell of poverty.

As soon as she landed, she saw a few mixed-species aliens from the vacuum zone coming over, laughing and removing their spacesuits.

"What will you do if that kid who owes you money can’t pay up?"

"What will I do? Simple, he has a sister, doesn’t he?"

"I mean, besides his sister, he’s quite good-looking too..."

They were chatting about daily trivialities when they noticed Nariya’s appearance and figure, their eyes brightened immediately. The leading green-haired half-orc laughed:

"Yo, the company’s young miss is here."

Nariya frowned but soon relaxed as she noticed the Zeta-tier aura emanating from their squad.

"Are you from the Alden Mixed-blood Group?" Nariya glanced at them: "We agreed on 31 Zeta-tier; why are there only seven?"

"Oh, you’re joking. The brothers are already guarding Priestess Alia. We got the order and came back from vacuum mining, just happened to meet you."

The mixed-blood half-orc laughed heartily, dismissive.

"Going directly to the Priestess? Alright then."

Nariya exchanged a glance with the Gambler beside her, and they quickly communicated:

"Impressive, Miss Nariya, getting so many Zeta-tier so cheap."

"Cannon fodder, really. Look at their Pathway aura; it’s already very weak. They didn’t ascend properly—naturally-grown Zeta-tiers without divinity don’t count as Ascenders. They’re just Star Beasts."

Nariya said indifferently:

"In the Starry Abyss, anyone without a Pathway is cannon fodder, no matter how strong their body is. You could easily take on a few yourself."

"Quality over quantity, Miss Nariya."

Dunzton didn’t expect Nariya to recruit so many people either:

"But with this many cannon fodders—forget Leoz, even a genius like Master Andrew couldn’t handle it. You do have the right information."

"Information about Grave Star Cluster isn’t widely known. If we had more time, we could have had better choices... but this is enough to control the situation."

Nariya nodded to the mixed-blood half-orcs:

"Next, take us to where Priestess Alia is."

"No problem."

The leading half-orc nodded quickly; she was an important client, a rare opportunity to meet, and they had to treat her well.

But as they walked a few steps, the communicator rang.

"What? Priestess Alia isn’t at the shrine?"

The leading half-orc scratched his green-haired head and said to Nariya:

"Sorry, Priestess Alia has a situation... She’s not in the shrine right now."

Nariya shrugged indifferently: "Doesn’t matter, as long as it’s not an open environment where we can resurrect the person, take us to her current location."

"Uh, it might be a bit noisy... Will that be okay?"

"Noisy?" Nariya frowned, "As long as it’s not open-air, other factors don’t matter—where is she?"

"Priestess Alia is at a nightclub, partying."