053. The Past of the Life Commune
After completing the class change, Liuer conducted a series of checks on Li Aozi to confirm that he had successfully advanced to Gamma-tier and that his physical condition was stable.
But this came at a cost.
Click.
Specially crafted shackles were placed on Li Aozi, and his weapons and communication devices were confiscated. He was then confined to a transparent glass room, where he was monitored 24 hours a day.
A genetic code was injected into him, temporarily prohibiting him from using omega energy.
Everything here was secured, with no sharp edges, to prevent self-harm. Every hour, Liuer would relay messages through gravitational waves, urging him to cooperate with the experiment—essentially to monitor his behavior.
Liuer held great concern for sequence-level omega energy, as she was also a holder of [Gravity] omega energy and knew well the dangers it posed.
Especially since Li Aozi possessed two sequence-level energies, making him far more dangerous than the average person.
Fortunately, Liuer wasn't unreasonable. She promised that this protective confinement would be reassessed and potentially lifted based on Li Aozi's condition after some time.
This reminded Li Aozi of the Abyss Humanitarian Organization. He couldn't help but wonder why the [Domination] path often involved storylines where one "accidentally stumbles into a lab and ends up as a research subject."
Thankfully, this time he didn't need to resort to performances or self-harm like during his days with the Abyss Organization. Even in the Abyss, the Life Commune was one of the few organizations with a conscience and a sense of public duty.
Liuer wasn't young anymore; her stamina and precision had weakened. Managing her research alone already took a toll, and now, with Li Aozi to oversee, she was somewhat overwhelmed.
Because of this, Li Aozi noticed that Liuer started contacting her former students and subordinates.
"Kavert, I have a project here…"
Liuer's voice had a natural echo effect, and as a fellow user of gravitational resonance, Li Aozi clearly heard their conversation.
"Sorry, mentor, but I've settled down and don't want to be involved with the Life Commune's affairs anymore."
"But this time is different. I've also left the Life Commune—"
Unlike the assertive and resolute manner she displayed toward Li Aozi, Liuer appeared pitiful in front of her students, like an ordinary old person without a cane or reading glasses.
"I'm sorry, but this isn't about leaving the Life Commune." The voice on the other end regretfully said, "We suffered great losses. Even the president resigned out of guilt. I don't want any connection with the Life Commune anymore."
"Please, don't be like that—"
Before Liuer could finish, the call was disconnected.
Standing in the glass room, Li Aozi curiously asked,
"Don't you have a good relationship with your students?"
"None of your business," Liuer snapped before dialing another contact.
"Hello…"
As soon as the call connected, Liuer's tone shifted instantly, warmly addressing:
"Ellyn, it's me! Liuer. If you're free, could you come over? I need you."
"Liuer, my teacher?!"
However, the voice on the other end was full of distaste and annoyance:
"Are you still continuing the Life Commune's research? Please, give it up. Don't you want to avoid another tragedy?"
"This time, it's different—at least it's not the same as before. Trust me, the 'Calamity God' was just an accident. Our direction wasn't wrong—"
She lowered her head slightly, then dialed again.
"Sim, I'll pay you. Come and lend a hand."
"You caused that 'Calamity God' incident, and now you want to get cozy with us? I'm not going to associate with a mad scientist who doesn't value life."
"It's not like that, Sim!"
Liuer stomped in frustration but then stopped, standing still in a daze.
Li Aozi seized the opportunity to ask, "What is the Calamity God? Two people have mentioned it."
"A misunderstanding," Liuer muttered, "I shouldn't have done it. This is all a misunderstanding… Even the president understands me."
Then, she turned, the void ripple where her head should have been glaring at Li Aozi intensely.
"What's it to you?"
"I just think you don't get along well with your students," Li Aozi chuckled. "I'm not good at interacting with people either. I have very few friends, especially female ones. Most of them are dead."
"Do you find that funny? Trying to earn my sympathy this way?"
"No." Sitting on the floor, Li Aozi smiled faintly. "I'm just saying, having someone who cares is a good thing. Your relationship with your students isn't great, yet you keep saying it's a misunderstanding—don't you want to make up for that regret?"
[You initiated a 'Persuasion,' but due to low affinity, a [Charisma] check will be conducted.]
"I don't need your concern."
Liuer coldly replied:
"No matter what, I'm still better off than you."
[[Charisma] check failed]
Liuer turned away and dialed another contact:
"Luo Ming, you promised me. Come over right now."
"No problem, Ms. Liuer. I owe you a favor…"
Liuer's poor relationship with her students meant those who showed up were only those indebted to her and not particularly willing.
This could be an advantage. Li Aozi noted it quietly in his mind.
Whenever he had a chance to talk, he took the opportunity to engage with Liuer:
"When will I gain my freedom?"
"Maybe today, maybe tomorrow. It depends on whether your authority shows signs of losing control."
Liuer responded casually while operating the instruments.
"Aren't there many people with sequence-level omega energy? Why don't you control them?"
"I'm not strong enough. If I were, I'd already be doing it."
"So, are you doing this because of the 'Calamity God'?"
"Don't ask about that."
"Hmm, seems like the Calamity God is something interesting."
Unfazed, Li Aozi rotated his neck and activated the Elai Clan talent, [Hyper-Sense Thought].
[You consumed one Focus slot and made an [Intelligence] check on the issue at hand.]
[Check passed.]
A wealth of information surged in Li Aozi's mind—it was the content of Liuer's conversations with her students, almost like intuition. He immediately picked out the relevant points.
"Let me guess… The Calamity God was a Life Commune project, but due to some mishap, a severe accident occurred. It left a deep psychological scar on many of your students, who blame you for it."
As soon as he finished, Liuer ripped open a space ripple, appearing outside the room. Even without a head, Li Aozi could sense her murderous glare.
But Li Aozi wasn't afraid, continuing,
"That incident was also what led to the Life Commune's dissolution, wasn't it?"
Liuer stared at him intently.
Two headless people locked in an intense, unyielding gaze, their fierce energy clashing through space.
After a solid thirty seconds, Liuer broke the silence.
"I didn't do anything wrong."
Coldly, Liuer said:
"I did right by the Life Commune, by those who sacrificed, by this universe."
"You did nothing wrong? Then why are you hiding it? Instead of explaining to your students, you're here rambling to someone you've known for less than four hours—a stranger—do you have a guilty conscience or something?"
Li Aozi's words hit home, striking at Liuer's pain point:
"Or is it that you don't dare face those students who doubt you? Because you know you wronged them. You're too afraid to speak up, knowing they don't trust you anymore. Ah, I get it—you must have done something so terrible that they lost all faith in you—"
"Enough!"
Liuer clenched her fists, the Echo Blade gleaming on her hand. But soon, her scientific discipline allowed her to regain her composure.
She turned away, crossing her arms, and sighed deeply, remaining silent for a long while.
"It wasn't my fault."
Liuer floated into a sitting position in the void, and her gravity captured the entire lab, plunging it into weightlessness.
She spoke slowly, explaining herself:
"You know, the purpose of the Life Commune was to grant the people of Star Abyss immortality, free from the dependency on paths and the yearning for gods, right?"
"Um, actually, I think the current system isn't too bad…" Li Aozi commented, "The paths offer everyone a chance to reach godhood, to attain near immortality through their own efforts. Isn't that pretty good?"
"Is it?" Liuer smirked, "But who controls the paths?"
Li Aozi replied instinctively, "Narrative-level civilizations."
"Thirteen narrative-level civilizations control the upper six layers of Star Abyss, six factions, and billions upon billions of citizens. Only a few thousand or even hundreds of gods emerge from all that. Do you think that's fair?"
Li Aozi paused. "That doesn't seem like a huge issue. Only a select few reach those heights."
"But I think there's a fairer way."
Liuer said with a wry smile:
"The path is supposed to be equal for everyone, but the children of noble families, corporate heirs, academic elites, high-ranking officers, divine descendants—they all enjoy greater 'equality' than the rest."
"Well, these people are the offspring of elites. It's only natural they have some resources."
"Who are the elites? What is an elite?" Liuer retorted coldly. "Their grandparents were elites. What does that have to do with them?"
"Cultivation is always up to the individual."
"If you have a high-ranking official from a narrative-level civilization as your father, and I have a peasant mother from a primitive, undeveloped planet, do you really think the two of us are equally placed on the path?"
Liuer interlaced her fingers, mocking him:
"Child, you must understand—the universe has never been fair. People exist in classes and ranks. A place without class—well, that's called a [Society]."
"Wait, wait!"
Li Aozi raised his hand, sorting it out:
"So you don't want to join [Society] and become just another faceless citizen?"
"Do you?"
"Then you also want to compete for the end of the path alongside the narrative-level elite?"
Li Aozi asked cautiously.
"That's what it means to be alive."
"Exactly, that's what life is," Li Aozi spread his hands. "You want to enjoy competition without hierarchy like [Society] but still achieve godhood and eternity in the narrative-level civilization. Where's the fairness in that?"
"It exists." Liuer replied calmly, "Of course, it does."
"—You're dreaming."
"I'm not joking."
Liuer said lightly:
"Once, someone—or rather, a god—showed us that possibility. A way to enjoy eternal life while preserving one's self-awareness…"
"Don't tell me it's by joining [Society]."
"Hey, kid, you know now that omega energy is the creator's authority, don't you?"
Liuer wrote down each term and relationship in the air:
"The Creator is eternal; we all know that. Those outer destroyers, before their arrival, the six faction gods—the six creators of the outer universes of Star Abyss—had existed for eons. Without the destroyers' massacre, they'd never die."
"Meaning, becoming a creator is inherently tied to immortality."
Li Aozi remained silent.
"And now, we also know that sequence-level omega energies are the authority of the Creator, the fundamental laws of the universe, especially the first ten sequences—arguably the foundation of the entire cosmos."
"If we gather the ten sequence omega energies and combine them into a primal supreme omega energy… ahaha, that's the Creator's authority! This would bypass the path, the monopoly held by narrative-level civilizations, and the competition with officials."
Her tone grew more passionate, her excitement mounting to madness:
"Don't forget, omega energy itself can be 'loaned' to others at will."
"If we combine the ultimate supreme omega energy and implant it in a body absolutely virtuous and loyal to the masses and the common people of Star Abyss—"
Liuer chuckled:
"Ah, then the narrative-level civilizations won't stand a chance."
"The cosmic order will be rewritten, society, narrative—all will be transformed, and the ultimate utopian fantasy of equality will finally be realized."
"I know you're skeptical—but remember, omega energy has no usage threshold."
"As long as someone with enough virtue enjoys this omega energy, it can be shared with everyone."
"By then, the power play among gods and the narrative-level competition will be overturned. Ordinary people will compete fairly with noble officials—though at that point, will there even be competition?"
Liuer said with a grin:
"The Life Commune was founded on this ideal. Our ambition is loftier than the universe's highest causes, as it is born from the yearning of the most ordinary people."
"Haven't you considered that such a powerful omega energy could instantly destroy the entire universe?"
Li Aozi couldn't help but ask:
"You're aware it's the Creator's authority, right? The danger level must be a million times greater than my sequence-level power!"
"I know, but someone has proven to us that the supreme omega energy authority isn't inherently dangerous."
"Who?"
"The Dominator-type god, the Creator of the [Domination Universe]: Morpheedria—through his representative."
Calmly, Liuer spoke the name of the god:
"The [God of Reality], Leozi."
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