036. Turn Off the Sun
International support is in place.
Weapons are about to arrive.
Ideological mobilization is complete.
Now, there's nothing to be afraid of.
Tactical shortcomings can be compensated for strategically. After returning from the Red Arrow Embassy, Li Aozi didn't rest. Seeing that his medical cooler had arrived, he directly injected himself with a new Omega Energy awakening serum.
This was his third injection.
The effects of this serum were slow, and it was difficult to produce rare Omega Energy. After the second injection following the acquisition of [Armor of the Mountains], Li Aozi only obtained a Delta-Tier Omega Energy [Color Extraction], which could be used for invisibility and changing the color of objects he touched.
Unfortunately, this Omega Energy was useless to Li Aozi, so he crushed it and fed the gene fragments to [Natural Ignition].
Qiu Ran's Omega Energy potential was high, and since gravitational Omega Energy wouldn't be useful in the upcoming battles, any improvement was a good thing.
The option for a perfect mutation was intriguing.
[Gene Integration Quantum Information Hub]: Gene sequences are re-integrated; it's time to reorganize the chaotic nervous system. Fully optimize your brain's signal transmission capacity; the quantum computing effect of your brain will extend to every cell. Your brain will no longer be considered your 'fatal weakness'; your entire body can function as brain cells for storage and computation. Even if your brain is destroyed, you can still maintain thought and motor functions.
If you choose to retain this trait, you can fuse Omega Energy within your body and, through cell transplantation, grant synthesized Omega Energy to others.
This is an extremely important mutation direction, usually only appearing when advancing to Gamma-Tier, but having it now is highly beneficial to Li Aozi.
Li Aozi's Blood Demon flow was only missing the Omega Energy [Death Link], and this Delta-Tier Omega Energy could be synthesized from two Beta-Tier abilities, [Physical Enhancement] and [Neural Wiring].
"I'll deal with mutations later. The priority now is to advance to Beta-Tier as quickly as possible."
Li Aozi thought for a moment and called Alexia on a video call.
"Dear, you miss me so soon?"
Alexia smiled at the camera, but it seemed she was gathering with the rebel forces.
"Alexia, I've delivered the message. Next, I'm going to do something. After you've gathered the troops, head to Sullute Palace immediately. We need to assassinate the Grand Duke."
Li Aozi then briefly explained the plan.
Alexia blinked and said:
"Hmm, sounds good, but I have a question."
"What are you unsure about?"
"Just one thing." Alexia pointed at herself, her dark golden eyes flickering: "What did you call me?"
"Alexi—uh," Li Aozi's mouth twitched: "We'll talk about it later."
"Pfft—someone from five hundred years in the future is too shy." Alexia placed her hand on her chest and said, "Alexia is just a formal name. For our relationship, a nickname is fine."
"Then what should I call you?" Li Aozi asked helplessly.
Alexia clasped her hands behind her back and said, "My family calls me 'Ellie'—would you like to try?"
"Ellie sounds too cute, like a little girl." Li Aozi teased.
"Am I not cute?" Alexia turned the camera, intentionally putting on a cold face, and made a peace sign: "Am I not cute, or not a 'little girl'?"
"Don't keep that cold face; when you smile, you look like a cute little girl." Li Aozi scratched his chin: "This battle has nothing to do with you, but I admire you, Alexi—Ellie."
Alexia stared at him and said:
"All the injustices and oppressions that people suffer aren't the enemies of individuals; they're the enemies of all humanity. There's nothing admirable about it. I'm just continuing my beliefs in my way, to find the meaning of my existence."
"The meaning of existence." Li Aozi was speechless: "Your philosophical level is too high. I'm still stuck at the level of getting fries from the dock every day."
"But," Alexia gazed deeply at Li Aozi, "perhaps for me, the meaning of existence is no longer limited to that."
Li Aozi's expression was complicated, but he forced a smile and said:
"Don't say things that sound like death flags. I'm begging you; I've already seen two girls die like that."
"I won't die." Alexia said, "I carry the hopes and dreams of many people, so I will live on. And I ask you to live with me."
Li Aozi opened his mouth, but his limited vocabulary didn't allow him to respond.
After a long silence, Li Aozi couldn't help but say:
"—In some ways, modern people really fall short compared to the ancients."
Alexia smiled, giving off a warm, spring-like feeling.
After hanging up the phone, Li Aozi stood at the crossroads, looking at the cordoned-off troops. The cold sunlight fell on his shoulders, but it didn't feel pleasant at all.
[Live on, carrying the hopes and dreams of many...]
The surveillance camera's lens slowly turned, and drones flew back and forth in the sky, seemingly detecting something. But in the next moment, the place where Li Aozi had been standing was empty.
For him, there was still a more important task at hand.
"Bermudes' goal is to launch a surprise attack on the city, and the best cover is darkness."
Due to the threat of the Calamity's blizzards, sandstorms, and natural disasters, all cities on Azure Star had to rely on nuclear fusion reactors and power shield generators to survive.
When there are no natural disasters, the power output is low but still equivalent to the level of a high-voltage power grid. This makes smuggling and border crossing extremely difficult.
The news of Malis being kidnapped had already reached the cordoned-off troops. Military and police vehicles were searching everywhere on the streets. Li Aozi could even see Law III agents starting to move.
Clearly, his presence here had been exposed. Knowing Medewei's crazed nature, she would probably want to tear him apart.
However, Li Aozi was never afraid of being exposed.
His eyes lit up with golden rings, and the surrounding light distorted instantly. His figure suddenly disappeared from where he stood.
[Mode II • Distortion]
This optical distortion was something that Grant's military and police couldn't detect. Li Aozi stepped onto an armored vehicle, traveled a few kilometers, then jumped onto another car, bus, and hovercraft, hitching a ride all the way to his destination with ease.
The modest, white, dome-shaped building was right in front of him. From the outside, no one could tell that this ordinary-looking structure housed the reactor that powered the entire city.
"The main engine of Speya's shield generator is here."
Li Aozi glanced at the time. Seventeen minutes until the rebel forces launched their assault.
Although it was called an assault, it would still be a street battle where lives would be sacrificed. In this environment, even with artillery support, it wouldn't be enough. Armored units could easily be destroyed by anti-vehicle teams hiding in every corner of the city.
Malis was very loose-lipped, and through his intelligence, Li Aozi learned that due to the terrorist attack two days ago, the capital's military and police forces were scattered across the city under lockdown. Considering they were still searching for Malis, they probably wouldn't be able to gather their forces in time.
For the Grand Duke, Malis was his hope of escaping suffering.
All that was needed was to shut down the city's shield generator for a while, let darkness cover the land, and the military and police everywhere would be busy dealing with the chaos among the populace. This would provide the best support for the attacking forces.
The nuclear fusion reactor facilities were heavily guarded by automated mechanical forces, but to Li Aozi, sneaking in wasn't that troublesome.
He followed an engineer into the complex, casually swiped his ID card, and with ample supplies and the passive mana regeneration from [Armor of the Mountains], he remained invisible the entire time, unnoticed by anyone.
What he needed to do next was simple.
Beep—
The door unlocked, and Li Aozi arrived at the control station, bathed in a faint blue light. Several staff members were busy at work. He raised his palm and gently pressed down.
Boom!
Five times the gravity instantly crushed the staff to the ground, rendering them unconscious. Li Aozi walked to the station and directly turned off the shield's particle constrictor while maintaining the city's power supply.
"Good night."
The artificial sun, 6,000 meters above the ground, instantly went out. The unconstrained particles shot straight into the sky, and due to the concentrated energy, it appeared like a deep blue sword piercing through
the red-black clouds of Calamity.
Whoosh————!!!
"Hey, what's happening?! The sky's gone dark!"
"The wind is so strong! Run!"
"The sun has stopped! The apocalypse is here!"
The people crowded in the city streets were instantly blown away by the gale. The once warm and pleasant climate was torn apart by the cold air from the outer lands. Within minutes, the streets were covered in snow, and the frigid air spread throughout the city, reaching Sullute Palace.
Crack—crack—
The sudden change in temperature caused the asphalt roads to crack under the pressure of the shifting air currents. In an instant, all the hovercrafts came to a halt, falling from the sky. But instead of causing a traffic jam, they were swept up by the wind and thrown into the air.
"Enjoy your meal." The servant carefully placed two large barrels of nutrient paste into the Grand Duke's feeding tubes. Due to its thickness, the paste required mechanical pressure to be pushed through the tubes.
Gulp, gulp...
This sticky substance, far from being food, was naturally not tasty, but the cost of this meal could bankrupt a family.
Grand Duke Gamos closed his eyes, trying to ignore the nauseating mixture of grease and sugar that produced a sickening, fishy taste.
This was for survival, for the sake of living on.
"How is Malis?"
"Law III is helping with the search. We should have news soon…" the adjutant said cautiously.
"Law III…" Grand Duke Gamos took a deep breath, and the entire room seemed to thunder as the rolling, oppressive sound waves made everyone beneath him tremble with fear. Even Alpha-Tier subordinates couldn't stand upright, instinctively wanting to kneel.
While consuming the high-energy nutrient paste, Grand Duke Gamos suddenly felt a sense of alertness. In the next moment, the entire Sullute Palace began to shake. The cold air shattered the windows, uprooted the soil and plants in the courtyard, and instantly froze the fountain, forming a glittering curtain in the air.
Sullute Palace had always been warm and comfortable, so the servants were lightly dressed. With the sudden influx of cold air, many of them were shivering and unable to move.
"How despicable! Someone has stolen our sun!"
Gamos was instantly furious, and black smoke began to surge around him. Sitting on the monarch's throne, his face appeared with different expressions.
'Gamos, someone is coming for you.' A woman's vengeful spirit laughed wickedly. 'Good luck; I can feel that his power is no weaker than yours. He has an incredibly strong allure, which I like very much—if you give me his soul, I'll help shield you from the pain.'
'Roar, roar, roar!' The wild beast spirit rolled out from under Gamos' feet, growling its intention: 'We spirits aren't afraid of the cold. You stay put, and we'll intercept him in advance.'
The countless spirits parasitizing him all offered advice, but their underlying message was the same.
They wanted to control his body, take over his flesh, and then deal with the one coming after him.
Gamos' face darkened. He not only refused to heed the spirits' suggestions but also resolutely shouted:
"Summon the Beta-Tier guards to accompany me to the main hall. Mobilize the military and police to guard against any surprise attacks."
Just as he finished speaking, a sharp sound pierced the sky. A rocket fell over Sullute Palace, intercepted by a drone and exploded in mid-air.
The shattered fragments fell like rain, as if someone had crumpled them up and thrown them into the long, dark night.
Darkness descended.
The azure particle beam pierced through the red-black clouds, like a blade slicing through the sky, while also serving as a beacon for Bermudes' soldiers.
"Comrades, fight! It's time to take back our country!"
The sharp whistle sounded, and Bermudes soldiers flooded into the streets. The war against the colonizers and the puppet Grand Duke had officially begun.
Drones were immediately struck down by the storm from the outer lands, as darkness and snow wreaked havoc, plunging the entire city of Speya into panic and terror. All air forces were grounded, and the high-energy particle beam shot into the sky, drastically changing the surrounding electromagnetic environment and severely disrupting ground communication.
In his past life, Li Aozi wasn't sure when psionic communication was introduced, but now, because he had destroyed the Abyss Humanitarian Relief Organization's lab and Snow had been isolated, the formal psionic communication equipment was likely indefinitely delayed.
In this situation, if there was a Gamma-Tier [Medium], the troops could naturally communicate via the psychic network without issue.
Among the 6.3 billion people on Azure Star, there were probably fewer than ten Gamma-Tiers, and it was uncertain if any could even take action.
Chaos, darkness, and snowstorms—these were the best protection.
In this environment, the numerically superior Bermudes forces quickly stormed into the city, shrouded in darkness and snow, and engaged the troops in fierce combat, advancing toward the palace named after the God of Fire.
Li Aozi no longer concealed his presence, activated his gravitational ability, and flew low, heading straight for Sullute Palace.
To be continued...