055. Escape from Karanz
Liuer stood dazed, as everything around her continued to fall.
"I know you really want to root out the issue of [Society]… but it seems this thing no longer poses a universe-level catastrophic threat, does it?"
Li Aozi analyzed as he spoke:
"In today's era, [Society] is just one of the major threats, but the Narrative-level civilizations are more wary of each other than of [Society]!"
"You might know a lot about knowledge and academic research… but you don't understand politics."
"The existence of [Society], to some extent, prevents war among Narrative-level civilizations. Because [Society] keeps devouring civilizations, Narrative-level civilizations always have an outlet for outward aggression."
"They can claim to be 'suppressing Society' while stationing troops in other civilizations, setting up puppet governments at will, and the local people even have to be grateful."
Li Aozi noticed the communicator placed next to Liuer, storing her data; much of the information that had just been projected came from it.
Liuer only had this one communicator, and Li Aozi guessed it probably contained the genetic code information.
Although he couldn't use Omega Energy… his skill as a [Echoer], [Echo Blade], could still be used normally.
"So, I'm saying, is it possible… that the Narrative-level civilizations don't really want to wipe out [Society]?"
Li Aozi's tone was gentle but effectively made his point:
"From the beginning, Narrative-level civilizations had no intention of completely eradicating Society, nor did they want the Commune to get the Supreme Omega Energy and disrupt the current order."
"Even though the competition on the Path is brutal, you can't deny that the universe's current environment has become quite orderly. Let's set aside whether the Supreme Omega Energy is feasible or not—the Path has become a pillar that connects a lot of people."
"If you remove the Path now, the Narrative-level civilizations might collapse instantly—unless, of course, everyone with access to the Supreme Omega Energy decides they're destined to rule the entire universe?"
"You and I are equals, both with immense power, so does order and law still exist? Will people truly improve? Will there still be principles and conventions?"
"I think most would say, 'To hell with rules. I am the rule.'"
Li Aozi spread his hands:
"Congratulations on eliminating Society. You've eliminated civilization along with it."
"It's different—"
"You may understand technology, but you certainly don't understand Star Abyss or the dynamics of political entities."
"All those trivial matters cannot stop scientific progress; all these social conventions are outdated culture and must be eliminated."
"Oh, is that so? Ha."
Li Aozi chuckled;
"Mr. Liuer, you're so sure science can change everything—then may I ask, was your 'God of Calamity' a success?"
Liuer remained silent.
She lifted her head, her hollow flames flickering, clutching the communicator as she stepped back slightly:
"You're trying to manipulate me… who exactly are you?"
"I'm nobody, just a random Omega Energy wielder you've locked up and experimented on."
Li Aozi spoke slowly, with weight in his words:
"You say the era of the gods has ended… but in reality, your era has ended along with it."
[You are performing a provocative act, requiring a [Strength] check…]
"Shut up!"
Liuer growled in a low voice, mumbling frantically:
"You're a spy; you must be a spy from a Narrative-level civilization, trying to shake my resolve, trying to stop my research… no, you're from Society! Only [Society] would fear the destruction of itself…"
[Trait • [Single-Minded] activated! The current check attribute is changed to — [Charisma]]
"I'll repeat it once more."
Li Aozi spoke clearly, slowly, with emphasis:
"Mr. Liuer, the Commune's unrealistic dream, which defies natural law and political needs, is already over!"
[[Charisma] check passed!]
Hum—
Liuer instantly tore through the ripples, crossed the glass cell, and stabbed Li Aozi in the chest with her Echo Blade.
Shhh!
Li Aozi cried out in agony, collapsing to the ground as blood poured from the burn on his chest. He struggled, curling up, swaying left and right, inching closer to Liuer's feet.
In her fury—Liuer's communicator had fallen nearby, and she hadn't noticed at all.
He covertly hid the communicator under his blood-stained sleeve as Liuer stared at her blood-stained hands, feeling momentarily dizzy.
"…Ugh!"
As a pure scholar, she was ruthless in words but had never seen blood or fought; she felt nauseous, backing away, opening the door to the glass cell:
"Wait here! I'm getting medical equipment!"
In her panic, she even forgot her ability to teleport, rummaging through the room in desperation.
[Oh, got the fish on the hook.]
This kind of injury was nothing to Li Aozi; the planet's favor allowed him to continuously regenerate health, and since his body was bio-upgraded, he didn't even have vital points.
Although the damage was considerable, nearly wiping out his health, it wasn't fatal.
He seized the opportunity, activating the Echo Blade on his hand, directly plugging it into the communicator's input port.
[Hacking device…]
"Pneumatic injector, stem cell therapy unit—damn it, where's the stuff? The remedy for Echo Blade radiation?"
She would never find it—Li Aozi had hidden all of it when he came off the operating table.
As for her guard, Lord Absolute Blade, Tro, Li Aozi had already deployed his Amber Dragon before entering the cell.
Now was about the right time to activate it.
Woooong—Roar!
On the ground, a two-winged dragon adorned in golden-bronze scales soared over the fields, emitting a majestic roar and unleashing a scorching torrent of flames upon the earth.
Wham!
Tro tossed aside his hat, wordlessly lunging into the sky, bare-handedly battling the dragon.
However, the Amber Dragon had no intention of fighting; realizing it was locked onto by a Zeta-level power, it immediately turned, performing a spiral maneuver and descending rapidly, gliding horizontally along the ground.
The human body of the Astral species couldn't fly, and Tro dared not let the dragon run amok, so he braced himself and continued the chase.
Just like that, the biggest obstacle was easily drawn away.
From start to finish, it had all been part of his plan.
[Information stolen: 55-Pandora 'Calamity God Incident' record report]
"Tro! Help me! I can't do anything without medical equipment! Tro? —Damn it, why did you leave now!"
[Information stolen: Contact 'Luo Ming'… 30%… 50%…]
Faster! Faster!
Li Aozi didn't know how long this status would last and could only continue to moan weakly:
"Doc—Doctor, please… get the doctor…"
[Target is in a panic state! [Charisma] check passed!]
['Liuer' believed your lie.]
"Doctor, right, I'll get a doctor."
Muttering, Liuer immediately ran out.
She glanced at Li Aozi; he lay nearly completely limp on the ground, barely moving.
"Hang on!"
Liuer shouted, turning and heading out.
[Information stolen: Genetic code—120,000 digits]
"Heh, a real bookworm, so easy to fool!"
Li Aozi laughed softly, then stood up, calmly opened the door, and went to retrieve his equipment.
With Omega Energy restored, Li Aozi immediately activated [Blood of Eternity], fully restoring his state.
The Echo Blade continued siphoning information, with completion at only 40%, insufficient for the minimum threshold. Li Aozi simply fled with the equipment.
He didn't risk going into space—Liuer, as a [Gravity] Omega wielder, could fight in space and atmospheric combat, likely matching his speed.
Surveying the terrain, Li Aozi dashed into the woods, skillfully activating spatial ripples to teleport repeatedly until he'd fled over a hundred kilometers, where his signal transmitter finally reactivated.
"Flanna, get down here!"
Not daring to delay, Li Aozi called in the orbital drop.
He wasn't planning on using the pod to return but on leveraging its recovery feature for cover while he escaped in the opposite direction from Karanz's surface.
Time was tight, so he briefly relayed the plan via communicator—luckily, the usually clumsy Flanna was surprisingly sharp for her task.
"Understood; I'll handle the cover."
After sending the message, Flanna donned her helmet visor and stepped into the drop pod on the orbital platform.
"Mercenary business, emergency drop!"
Boom!
The mechanical arm released, and the pod emitted boost gas, accelerating into orbit and being caught by gravity, streaking down like a blazing meteor, constantly adjusting its trajectory for a swift landing.
"Calibration complete, initiating landing."
Boom—
Just as the pod prepared to land, rockets at its base ignited, providing reverse thrust and stabilizing its descent in a cloud of dust.
Hiss!
The hatch opened, and the imposing Flanna stepped out with her energy rifle, radiating confidence:
"Phew! Two feet on the ground, client first—"
She trailed off as she looked up, seeing a towering figure emerge from the dust.
Clunk.
Tro tore through the smoke, tossing aside a dragon the size of a bus before turning, his crimson eyes fixed on Flanna.
Gulp…
Wait, that's not right, is it?
Smashing a dragon barehanded… that's definitely Zeta-level, right?
Wasn't my mission to rescue the client heroically?
Why does it feel like I'm now up against a godlike Zeta-level mercenary?
Flanna forced a smile:
"Uh… wishing you joy, health, and eternal life! Bye!"
Without a second thought, she leaped back into the pod, activating return mode with record-breaking speed. The pod's rockets ignited, kicking up clouds as it shot toward space.
Tro said nothing, raising a single finger, aligning it with the sky, his fingertip tracking the pod's escape trajectory, and made a small slicing motion.
[Absolute Blade • Slash]
In the next instant, an invisible force tore through the clouds, splitting the blue skyline down the middle as the remaining clouds converged, accelerating toward the fleeing pod.
From afar, it looked as though a piece of the sky had been sliced off.