107. Jian's Value
"White Frost-Plated Bones"
Li Aozi had never heard of anyone triggering this quest before.
Clearly, it was a 'world quest' that appeared naturally because his enmity with Frost-Plated Republic had become irreconcilable.
All three rewards were generous, but the difficulty was evident.
"White Frost-Plated Bones…"
Such a cold phrase, but it seemed accurate.
Even though the system warned that once this quest was chosen, it was irreversible—Li Aozi still accepted it without hesitation.
Whether it was the discrimination and persecution he faced, Nomi's tragic death, Xue Nuo and the youths becoming test subjects, or the countless women like Qiu Ran at the bottom, even aspiring individuals like David Lin and Du Zexin who couldn't truly change their fate—the source of all these tragedies was Frost-Plated Republic.
Frost-Plated Republic was rotten to the core; only a complete overhaul from top to bottom could end the tragedies.
This would be challenging, as a Splendid Story quest abbreviated to SS-grade was above S-grade and not meant to be completed by one person.
Especially considering Settlement Condition C: "End the Evil"—which required permanently eradicating Frost-Plated Republic and the Outlands' issues and ensuring the people didn't overcorrect.
This involved many issues, the first headache being the pseudo-society Philoris and its pseudo-citizens.
Philoris was an external threat, but narrative-level civilizations wouldn't sit idly by, so that wasn't his immediate concern.
But the pseudo-citizens?
Honestly, the biggest threat from pseudo-citizens wasn't them directly but the panic their existence caused among people.
The most obvious victim case was Qiu Ran—she wasn't an Abyss infection, but after being told she was, she believed it, voluntarily leaving her family. Many other Abyss infections were similar.
Humans were inherently social animals; once the group had a mistaken belief, even knowing it was wrong, one would be influenced by the collective, either reflecting on their mistakes or quietly complying.
Frost-Plated Republic was the same: men knew women were physically inferior, but with policies, judicial decisions, and employment favoring women, public opinion naturally shifted towards women, even proposing theories like "female superiority," "women are the superior gender," "men are inherently sinful and only breed violence."
The result was men and employers being influenced, men facing discrimination, and bottom-tier women like Qiu Ran being at the lowest end of the discrimination chain.
This was the most direct issue to address to fulfill Settlement Condition B.
There were still many aspiring individuals in the David Lin faction, and Li Aozi believed in the political and military capabilities of "Frost-Plated Republic's last man"—after all, he had commanded Frost-Plated Republic's ragtag army to defeat the war-crazed Tianhuan twice, which was impressive.
The issue was whether David Lin could lead Frost-Plated Republic onto the right path or defend the nation's safety—but could he completely reverse public thinking in this environment?
Even if he could, would the female beneficiaries agree?
Li Aozi deeply understood this.
His previous life's mother was already very open-minded, but when it came to education, she still chose to let Li Aozi give up his studies for his sister to go to college—this was the helplessness of a bottom-tier family.
These issues, Li Aozi felt, couldn't be rushed.
It's said that changing people's perceptions takes at least two generations, about twenty years.
Twenty years was about one or two game versions' time.
By comparison, the most troublesome issue remained the pseudo-citizens.
Looking at the settlement conditions, Li Aozi estimated only A was the easiest.
In his previous life, Frost-Plated Republic had tens of thousands of players, with very few supporting the original government army, yet they managed to help David Lin secure the presidency for ten years.
Li Aozi had an idea.
Since the Alpha Test had already started, if he could contact the in-game testers and use some suggestive methods, he might get the officials to realize the importance of in-game voice channels, possibly improving them.
One thing's for sure: never trust a game designer's capabilities; Li Aozi was a master, but the designer might never have logged into the game.
From a player's perspective, a game planner's brain and mother usually couldn't coexist.
If Frost-Plated Republic's current regime wasn't ended, the entire nation's people—at least Li Aozi—would face more severe persecution.
Luckily, he had already discarded his personal terminal; otherwise, who knew if Frost-Plated Republic's netizens would start doxxing him, bombarding him with messages, or even threatening him in person.
There was nothing more to say; for a long time, everything Li Aozi did would revolve around one point—destroy Frost-Plated Republic!
"Next, let's see what rewards Du Zexin's quest has."
[Emergency Event: "Armored Assault" Completed]
[Evaluation]: Brilliant
[Due to your outstanding performance, the random reward has been changed to a choice of five]
[Rewards being distributed...]
[Reward Settlement]:
[You gained 10,000 experience points]
[You can extract one piece of advanced skill knowledge from 'Professor Anna.' Please choose one of the following five [Craft] knowledge options]:
"Doctorate-Level Basic Pharmacology"—You can create basic potions in the lab by combining formulas.
"Doctorate-Level Commodity Marketing"—When selling items in bulk, based on your [Intelligence] check, you get at least a 10% sales bonus.
"Professor-Level Pharmacokinetics"—All potions you make will have instant effects.
"Master's-Level Clinical Medicine"—Credential to independently practice as a clinical physician, with higher success rates in emergency rescues.
"Bachelor's-Level Biochemistry"—You are proficient in the biochemical mechanisms of plants, animals, and humans, making it easier to understand biology and chemistry.
"This unlucky guy… really brought misfortune with him."
Li Aozi hadn't expected it; despite Professor Anna having numerous advanced knowledge sets, only one was at the professor level, and even bachelor-level knowledge was offered.
"So unlucky!"
Li Aozi glanced over, finding only A useful.
He also had a [Craftsman] life profession. Choosing A, "Doctorate-Level Basic Pharmacology," he dragged the skill under his inactive life profession.
Being able to make basic potions wasn't bad; he could sell them for survival and earn some extra money.
After the battle, Jian Nelia came out, not comforting Qiu Ran but instead searching the battlefield, picking up weapons and equipment.
Li Aozi couldn't be bothered with this woman, thinking, like Qiu Ran said, she wasn't a good person.
Keeping her was merely to connect with the Rose Army.
However, he realized she had significant value.
"Qiu Ran, Jian, come with me."
Li Aozi beckoned, leading them down to the subway station.
The agents had been killed, and there were no obstacles. Qiu Ran felt much better, perhaps due to Li Aozi's earlier words and beheading Anna, making her feel closer to him.
"Is this an old-time subway… It looks more beautiful than the modern ones."
Qiu Ran, leaning against Li Aozi, traced the marble reliefs on the wall. Despite centuries of corrosion and damage, the once-beautiful outlines remained visible.
"Of course, old-time Blue Star civilization was much more impressive."
Li Aozi casually said, adopting a scavenger's tone:
"These are cultural relics of the ancient order. Be careful, don't damage them."
"Scavenger indeed."
Jian commented coldly:
"Times change; clinging to past glory brings no progress."
As they descended, Li Aozi noticed a conspicuous armored train, its ramp raised, ready to leave.
Sure enough—the Metro Brotherhood was still here!
He deliberately shouted:
"Oh wow, seems like the Rose Army warriors dislike the old order, even the creations of the old times? I'll be honest—don't get upset—chips from old-time toasters run smoother in Red Arrow's powered armor than modern industry's defective products."
Hearing his direct remarks, the armored train screeched to a halt.
"Oh my!" Qiu Ran exclaimed, startled. "What's going on—wow, what's this? Is this… a train? Why is it covered in so much armor and machine guns?"
As a mechanic, Qiu Ran was immediately fascinated by the industrial machine. She rushed forward, eyes glued to the armored train, admiring its structure and exterior defenses, the rugged, violent look of heavy machinery striking her visually.
"Halt."
As Qiu Ran approached to touch it, a female voice commanded from the train. The train stopped, the ramp lowered, and two Metro Brotherhood members, dressed in leather jackets and exoskeletons, disembarked.
The man, the driver, sized up Li Aozi, then asked:
"Are you a scavenger?"
Li Aozi removed his goggles, revealing his pale skin and handsome face, gaining immediate favor from the man.
"Li Aozi, a treasure-hunting digger."
His fluent slang made the man nod, extending his hand in greeting:
"Long live Ludwig and the Anaerobes. I'm Zhou Liefeng, the driver of 'Youth' train, and this is Comrade Celia."
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